Thursday, March 22, 2007

National Goof-Off Day



Today is National Goof-off Day! Here are some fun ways to goof off with your child:
*Pack a picnic lunch and go to the park or museum.

*Build a “fort” in the living room. Take blankets or sheets and drape them over several chairs, leaving an opening for the door. Put fun things inside: books to read, snacks, games, pillows, music.
* Play games.
*Blow up balloons.
*Blow bubbles.

* Go to the movies.
* Go fly a kite

*Turn on the TV and take turns selecting the programs you and the kids are going to goof-off watching. Eat fun things like pizza, popcorn, and candy. Hey, it's just for one day. Don't worry about it.

*Purchase a large puzzle and see how many pieces you and the kids can put together before Dad gets home.

*Invite a friend over and play scrabble, drink coffee, gossip, and eat pizza while the kids watch their favorite videos.


Whatever you do today - DON"T
Cook - Wash - Vacuum - Dust - or Scrub! It's not legal!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Math Wizards



Below is some information on my new Math Wizards Club, where members attempt challenging math problems to win fun prizes! If you’d like, feel free to pass it on!

Introducing the Math Wizards Club, where math is fun! There are 2 groups for grades K to 3 and grades 4 -8. Each day a new math challenge is posted. Everyone has until Friday to attempt the challenges. Everyone who submits the correct answer receives 5 tickets to win a prize, everyone who attempts to answer the challenge will receive 1 ticket to encourage participation.

Every Saturday, there is a weekly winner. The prizes range from pencils to calculators to ???? The more club members, the greater the prize value. Once a month a grand prize is also given. Grand prizes will include Barnes and Noble Gift Certificates, Best Buy Gift Certificates, to ??????? Each ticket earned stays in the raffle for 30 days!

Want even more chances to win?

* Invite your friends to become Math Wizards. If your friend joins the Math Wizards Club you will earn 10 tickets. If you and your siblings join, each child will also receive 10 tickets.


For more information K-3 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mathwizardsk3/

4-8 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mathwizards4to8/

Thursday, March 1, 2007

The Cost of Raising A Child



So, I've heard on and on how much it costs to raise a child - I have 6 kids, I KNOW it is expensive! But I just found this today and I was really excited to see it with a positive spin!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from
birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk
about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.3 8 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have
children
if you want to be "rich."
Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said
or
how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator
magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand
prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters
for
Father's Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a
hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that
never wins but always gets treated to ice cream or pizza regardless.
You get a front row seat to history, to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family
tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary
called
grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in
psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human
sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have
all
the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed,
patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and
love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love
without
counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

(author unknown)