Here are some last minute links that may help your Halloween celebrations go a little smoother:

• Last Minutes Halloween Costumes

• Halloween Costume Advice

• Baby’s First Halloween

• Using Face Paints Safely

• Halloween Safety Tips

• How to Prevent the Most Common Halloween ER Injuries

Oh no! Not another Halloween warning to dampen our spirits. Every year, we parents are faced with the choice of locking our kids in (thus protecting them from harm) or letting them out and enjoy childhood for a little bit longer. Mrs H’s Halloween Safety Tips just about said it all.

Now, there’s nothing like face paint to make Halloween or any kiddie party for that matter, fun and festive. From the shimmering to the neon, to the glowing-in-the dark colors, most parents have used face paints on their little ones.

Beware of Halloween Face Paint

Then comes this warning from no less than the US FDA itself. Was it only yesterday that we were advised to use face paints instead of masks? Masks can obscure child’s vision and can present choking or asphyxiation hazards. Now, we have to take care which face paints to use.

Why To Be Cautious When Using Face Paint

Face paints may contain toxic or irritating substances that can trigger allergic reactions. Some have been reported to contain lead and mercury. Reported adverse effects of the paints on the skin areas it was applied to are:

• Rashes

• Itchiness

• Burning Sensation

• Swelling

So which will it be, mask or face paint?

Well, luckily the US FDA gives some recommendations regarding the safe use of face paints. So before you do a Spiderman or princess masterpiece on your child’s face, please read the following:

• Use only paint or make up that is intended for the skin.

• Check for allergies before extensive use by doing a patch test before the big day.

• Avoid applying paint around and close to the eyes, especially fluorescent (neon) and luminescent (glow in the dark) colors. The fluorescent colors (D&C Orange No. 5, No. 10, and No. 11; D&C Red No. 21, No. 22, No. 27 and No. 28; and D&C Yellow No. 7) should especially be avoided near the eyes.

• Follow application instructions carefully.

• Read the labels and check the ingredients. Watch out for colors not approved by the US FDA. Colors approved for cosmetic use are listed on the FDA site.

• Use newly purchased products. Paints already opened and previously used may be contaminated.

• Watch out for recalled products. In May of this year, the FDA advised consumers of several types of children’s face paint recalled by Fun Express. Check out the list of products here and here.

• Remove the paint thoroughly after all the fun is over. Don’t sleep with paint or make up on. Follow removal instructions on the product labels.

Halloween is a fun holiday! With a little caution and awareness from parents, it can stay that way.

Huh. Color me ignorant. I had no idea that Halloween was considered the most dangerous holiday for kids. Thinking about it some more, it makes sense. Trick-or-treating in the dark, the pointy costume props, the costumes themselves which are easy to trip on, the possibility of injury is staggering. Children have a higher chance of getting hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. The number of injuries caused by plastic swords, pitchforks, and other Halloween props increases ER visits on Halloween more than any other night.

I guess my child’s tame roaming at the local mall for her first Halloween years has kept me in a bubble. She’s two so that was ok, but as she gets older I know she’ll want to do the street trick-or-treating with friends.

Keeping Our Children Safe on Halloween

• Supervision. It shouldn’t matter whether they’re 1 yr. old or 11 yrs. old. We as parents, should be around to supervise them especially if they are trick-or-treating in the streets. If your preteen argues that it’s uncool, just cite the statistics and explain you’re doing your job as parents in keeping them safe. In other words, you don’t care if it’s “uncool”!

• Preventative Measures. Discuss safety tips with your kids before you go out. Impress upon them the importance of being aware of their surroundings. It’s never too much to repeat the adage of stop, look, and listen to them.

• Avoid Poorly Lit Streets. There’s nothing more risky than trying to cross a dark street with several kids in tow. Stick to familiar and well-lit streets. You and your kids will be familiar with your surroundings, and you’re able to see them better – and see better overall- as well.

• Choose Appropriate Costumes. Rethink bulky costumes they can trip over easily. Have them try their costume on at home and see how they handle it. The trial run allows you to modify any sources of possible injury. You can tell them they can use a prop at home for pictures but that you will carry it for them when they’re out trick-or-treating. This gives them the proper range of motion without having to worry about them poking themselves or someone else. Click here for tips on picking out age appropriate Halloween costumes for you baby or toddler.

• Indoor Venues. A church, an indoor mall, even schools sometimes put together Halloween events for kids. This is a nice alternative that offers candy, games, and other prizes, without having to be out in the element, and on the streets.

• Ration the Halloween Candy. It’s definitely prudent to have your kids bring all their candy at home where you can inspect their loot to make sure its safe. Aside from safety, you can ration their candy too so they don’t get themselves a tummy ache. I usually let my child choose their favorite candy from their loot, then take the rest to work/school in a candy jar at a prominent place. That way, we don’t give their dentist any more work than they have too and I don’t end up getting tempted as well.

If you are vigilant, and safe, Halloween can remain the happy memory it’s supposed to be for years to come.

While nearly everyone knows the dates of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, even the most with-it moms may not know this Sunday, September 13, is Grandparent’s Day. That doesn’t mean you have to break the bank on a pricey gift, but it is nice to remember the people who love to spoil your child.

Handmade gifts, or even a phone call or visit, might be the perfect offering. If your child’s grandparents live close, let your child spend the day, or even just a few hours, with them. What else can you do to make the day special for the grandparents in your baby’s life?

Handmade Crafts
While a greeting card is always a thoughtful gesture, if your child is old enough, a handmade card will mean even more. Even a preschooler or advanced toddler can make a card with construction paper and washable magic markers.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you may want to help your little one make this adorable “Cup of Love” mug. Let your child decide what to write on the cup, but you can help him along by suggesting phrases such as “#1 Grandma,” “I love you” and “You’re the best!”

Baked Goods
If your little one loves to help out in the kitchen, why not bake a special treat for Grandma and Grandpa’s special day? Keep in mind any special dietary needs older people may have, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. This recipe for oatmeal cookies, from Prevention’s Sugar Solution Cookbook, is true to its name: “Yummy, healthy oatmeal cookies.”

Unsweetened applesauce replaces butter and also reduces the amount of sugar required. The whole grain flour is absorbed more slowly than refined white flour, making this a safe snack (in moderation) for diabetics as well as anyone watching their weight. Kids can easily help by measuring and blending all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to keep preschoolers away from the hot oven, though.

Pictures, pictures, pictures
What grandparent doesn’t adore photos of their grandbabies? Ideally, we’d all have time to sit and scrapbook a whole album for every year of our child’s life, and then present it as a gift each Grandparent’s Day. In reality, we’re fortunate just to make time to upload digital images and order prints.

You can select one, two or three of your favorite pictures of your child and his grandparent and scrapbook just one page. Mount the page in a nice-looking frame and you have an inexpensive gift grandparents will love. Let your child select the photos and adornments.

Another creative and inexpensive gift is having pictures put on things like playing cards, a coffee mug, jewelry box or a calendar. Clark Color Labs has great deals on photography gifts as well as giving away free prints and free online storage of your photos!

A Day with the Grandparents
We all know that time with your kids is the best gift you can give to grandparents. Suggest some activities, or let the grandparents decide what they want to do with your kids for the day.

In honor of Grandparent’s Day, here are some more Babies Online articles about grandparents.

Happy Grandparent’s Day!

• Grandparenting from a Distance

• Fun Things You Can Do With your Grandchildren

• Why Granparents Are So Important to a Child

This is going to be the biggest one for me yet. My two six-year olds are into it, heart and soul this year. I am forbidden to open a certain closet and a certain set of drawers. I am constantly locked out of their bedrooms. I am not allowed to enter their classroom at preschool. Something’s definitely brewing. All because of Mother’s Day is going to be here in a couple of days and everything has to be a “surprise.”

Come Saturday, they are going to a “secret meeting” at their Dad’s office. The company has organized a “pre-Mother’s Day” activity for male employees and their offspring. To make sure that Mom gets something come Sunday. It was supposed to be a big secret and I am pretending not to know about it. It is great to be a Mommy at this time of the year.

Which is why I was shocked about what a friend who was visiting from the UK last weekend had to tell me. It seems that some schools in the UK are abstaining from all this Mother’s Day hype – in consideration for those kids who are motherless. I was speechless.

This reminded me of one episode of Desperate Housewives (season 1) wherein Lynnette had an argument with another school mom who believed it was not politically correct to kill the big bad wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood school play. I found that very funny then.

It also reminded me of a news item last December wherein some schools in Austria had forbidden the traditional annual visit of St. Nicholas (European version of Santa Claus) because school psychologists claim this event has such a traumatic effect on kids who felt they were “more naughty than nice.”

These things can be amusing when I see them on TV or read them on print but when I think more profoundly, they can actually be worrying. I suppose forgetting about Mother’s Day (at least in school) is a very politically correct way of doing things, to spare the feelings of the few, to avoid highlighting other people’s discrepancies. But aren’t we carrying this “political correctness” a bit too far?

I can imagine it can be confusing, even painful for kids who don’t have moms. But does it justify denying other kids the joy of doing something for their moms? Maybe I am a bit selfish. Maybe because I am a mom, I am enjoying all this hype about Mother’s Day. But I can see that my kids are enjoying  it too. Couldn’t we find a middle ground somewhere?

So what do you think? Should schools completely ignore Mother’s Day? Should we consider celebrating Mother’s Day politically incorrect?

For many mothers, Mother’s Day is a day to be endured and survived, not celebrated.  I learned this on Mother’s Day 2006.  Our first born son had been stillborn and we’d buried him less than a month before.  I remember going to church that day and noticing that a baby baptism ceremony had been planned for that day.  I actually had to leave the service because I just wasn’t able to handle it.

Mother’s Day can be a difficult day for moms.  I think of the older mother who buried her child and is helping to raise her grandchildren.  I am reminded of my step mother, who loved and raised us after our mother’s untimely death.  She never made a distinction between her biological children and her step-children.  That’s a mom alright!

I also think of the many mothers with children in the military.  Some of these mothers will spend their day worrying about their children.  Perhaps some have gotten the call that no parent ever wants to get: they have been told that their child has made the ultimate sacrifice and given their life in service to their country.

For many years, I was a single mother of young children.  Being alone on Mother’s Day was always depressing for me.  One year, my friend from college called and invited me to spend the day with her family.  Every year after that, my children and I would spend the day with her family.  I remember those holiday celebrations with great fondness.

As you are planning your Mother’s Day activities this year,  remember the “forgotten” mothers.   Whether you send a card, give flowers, or thank them for their sacrifice, your efforts will be appreciated.

If you like to celebrate the religious significance of Easter, try making Easter story cookies! A friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago to share with my now-12 year old son. More of a meringue than a cookie, this recipe is a fun and clever way to tell the Easter story with preschoolers. Make sure your kids are not too young because they may be a little frightened or frustrated! Use your best judgment.

You have to start them the night before and definitely need to read through the recipe before you begin. So grab your apron and a Bible, and have fun!

Easter Story Cookies

• 1cup whole pecans
• 1tsp vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• pinch salt
• cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lay wax paper over a cookie sheet.
*Explain that while you make the goodies, you are going to learn about the story of Jesus. Use whatever words fit your beliefs. Begin with the fact that he was arrested.

Put the pecans in a ziplock bag and give your child a wooden spoon. Beat the pecans until they are crushed.
*Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he got beat up by Roman soldiers.  Read John 19:1-3.

Let your child dip a finger into the vinegar to taste it.  Put the 1 tsp vinegar into a mixing bowl.
*After Jesus got beat up, he was hung on a cross because the soldiers wanted to kill him. When Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar.
*Eggs represent life. Jesus gave his life to all the people of the world.  Read John 10:10-11.

Let your child dip a finger into the salt to taste it. Add a pinch of salt to the bowl.
*Tears are salty. When Jesus died, his followers were very sad becasue he was gone, but also because they had done bad things. Read Luke 23:27.

Ask your child if he wants to taste what is in the bowl. It isn’t very good. Add 1 cup sugar.
*The best–sweetest–part of the story of Jesus is that he died because he loves you. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat the meringue with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
*Ask your child what color the mixture is (white). If something is white, it is pure. God is pure. So are the people who choose to follow Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold the crushed nuts into the egg mixture. Drop teaspoons of the meringue onto the prepared cookie sheet.
*The little mounds looks like the rocky tomb where they put Jesus’ body.  Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give your child a piece of tape and let her seal it shut.
*The tomb where they put Jesus was sealed shut. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Go to bed!
*Is your child sad or frustrated to leave the cookies overnight? The people who loved Jesus were probably sad and frustrated, too. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven. Give your child a cookie and point out that the surface is cracked. What does she notice when she takes a bite? The cookies are empty! Just like the tomb where they put Jesus. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

It’s the same every year: as a mom of two preschoolers, I have to face the “sweets challenge” three times a year: on Halloween, at Christmas, and now at Easter. It’s not that I maintain a zero tolerance for sweets. No, I don’t believe in complete abstinence. What I advocate is moderation. After all, I have to watch out for my children’s health. But these 3 big annual holidays can really put our family sweets policy to the test.

As soon as Valentine’s Day is over, the Easter treats pop up in shops an supermarket, never mind that the snow outside is still knee deep. For kids and adults alike, the Easter temptations can be too much. Since February, my twin 5-year old would be “ooohing” and “aaahing” and “wowing” at the Easter display in the supermarket. Sometimes their wistful looks can almost break my resolution not to purchase anything. “It’s too early“, I’d tell them. “You’ll get your Easter treats soon enough.” And that’s the truth. Because I know that come the long Easter weekend (Friday and Monday are public holidays in most of Europe), we’ll be visiting family and relatives in Germany who will shower them with sweet surprises from the seemingly ubiquitous Easter bunny. During the last three years, I never bought any Easter sweets for them because I know they would get more than enough.

I am preparing myself for next week’s “sweets challenge” but the challenge came rather early and closer to home than expected. Yesterday, our cleaning lady, who’s taking the next two weeks off, delivered two Easter baskets for my boys, with chocolates of all Easter shapes – eggs, bunnies, chicks, etc. It’s really very sweet of her and my boys were just so overwhelmed with joy.

Mind you, I don’t want to be such as spoil sports but how would you handle the “sweets challenge”?

Refuse or accept the present?
A friend of mine would never accept any sweet present for her daughter. No exceptions. I find this a bit too hard both to the kids and to the giver. I and my kids would graciously accept and say “Thank you” but I, mom, have to hold the sweets for rationing. No binge eating is allowed but unless there is a major health issue involved, a little treat can’t hurt.

Ration.
I would tell my kids “these sweets are yours but you can’t eat them all in one go.” The rule is one little sweet per day as dessert. If it’s a big chocolate, half should be enough. They are happy with this arrangement so far. They don’t feel deprived. I have the feeling that for them possession is more important than consumption. Eventually, after a week or two, they’ll forget or get sick of the sweets and I am not one to remind them. After a month or two, we would see that the sweets would have dried up and with their blessings, the sweets would end up in the rubbish bin. The point is, it’s their sweets so never throw them away without asking permission. It’s all about respect.

Talk to family members and relatives.
I and my husband told Grandma and Great-grandma and Auntie right from the start that giving sweets should be limited. However, we also believe in making exceptions and that’s on special occasions. Even then we emphasize on moderation.

Explain.
As soon as they are big enough, kids should know why some food stuffs are healthy and some are not. Don’t start with complicated stuff like blood glucose, trans-fats and sodium. Talk about sweet, fatty, or salty. It’s much easier for me this time because last March was Nutrition Month at preschool. A nutritionist came over for a talk and the kids were even taught how to look at food labels to check how much sugar is in there! And they were happily surprised that the “food lady” told them exactly the same things as mommy did.

Enjoy while it lasts.
What a pleasure to see children’s happy and joyful faces when receiving little gifts or finding a chocolate egg in the garden. These are the years when they should enjoy the magic and mystic of rituals such as Easter. And we adults should enjoy the kids’ joy. In a couple of years, all these would be passé for fast-growing kids and we will have to wait for another generation before we can experience this joy again.

My point is this: Easter can present health-conscious parents a challenge but with planning, fair play, and open-mindedness, the “sweets challenge” can easily be overcome without taking the fun out of Easter.

March 18th is Forgive Your Parents Day.  Really.

My friends and I often joke about what our kids will eventually complain about when they’re adults.  We work so hard to be the best parents possible but it’s rare to find people who make the claim that their parents did everything perfectly.  Most of us can only hope for our kids to say “My parents did the best they could do” when they’re adults because no matter how incredibly hard we try to be the best parents we can be, there will always be something we do wrong.

Well then, thank God for Forgive Your Parents Day.

What will my kids eventually need to forgive my husband and I about? The first thing that springs to mind right now is my husband’s absence.  As a military member he comes and goes and sometimes spends months away from home.  We’re all proud of what he does, but I know his absence takes a toll on the kids.  They’re stuck with me, and since I’m trying to be both mom and dad while also holding the house together and meeting all my writing deadlines, I’m sure I’m less than pleasant sometimes.  Maybe years down the road, on a future March 18th, my kids will make the following proclamation:  “I forgive Dad for being gone all the time and Mom for being so busy.”

I’m a lot stricter than my parents ever were with me when I was a child.  They were very laid back when it came to parenting; my brother and I spent a lot of time wandering around and playing instead of doing anything structured.  There weren’t many rules other than “come home when the streetlights come on” and “if you’re going to swear, don’t do it in front of your Nana.”  So it’s a little strange that I’m much more strict with my kids, although I wouldn’t say I’m extremely strict.  At any rate, on a future March 18th, perhaps the proclamation will be, “I forgive my mom for being strict.”

What do I need to forgive my parents for? I don’t know.  There is nothing incredibly profound that sticks out, and I can honestly make the statement that my parents did the best they could.  I can only hope that someday my kids can make the same claim.

Millions of Christians around the world celebrate Lent, the 40 day period that leads up to Easter. Maybe you are one of them. I once celebrated Lent, and I had no idea why!

I didn’t know the first thing about Lent when I was growing up. But one of my school friends was Catholic. She announced one day at lunch that we should all give up something for Lent. I didn’t know what that meant, and all she told me was that you were supposed to give up something to help you think about God. Well, that sounded OK to me. So I decided I would give up drinking soda (or, “pop” as we called it).

Come August, school was back in session and I asked my friend how her sacrifice had gone over the summer. I knew it had been tough for me not to drink any pop all summer. I don’t remember her reaction. But imagine mine when I found out that Lent ended at Easter! (Now, on the bright side, I didn’t really start drinking any soda again until college. I had just lost the taste for it. I still don’t care much for it.)

To Christians, all of the traditions associated with Lent are born out of the story of Jesus’ life, betrayal, crucifixion and resurrection. Even if your family is not religious, you can join the many secular celebrations of Easter and the Lenten season. It is a celebration of Spring, new life and a fresh start. Here are a few things to know, and a few things to do.

1. To know: The Day of Ashes is the first day of Lent, which are the 40 days leading up to Easter. This does not include Sundays. The dates are different every year.
   To do: Take your family to church. Many houses of Christian worship have services. The minister or priest will use ashes (from burned palm leave from last year’s palm Sunday) to make a cross on your forehead. Or, the non-religious can take a cue from Santa Fe and burn your own Zozobra. Residents of the southwest capitol bring records of the past year’s sorrows–everything from bad report cards to divorce papers–stuff them into a giant effigy of old man sorrow and burn them. Santa Fe doesn’t do it for Ash Wednesday, but why can’t you?
2. To know: The cross on your forehead is supposed to remind you of several things: the death of Jesus, the sorrow you should feel about your sins, and how you need to give up those sins.
   To do: You and your your kids can do two things. One is to pray, or focus on changing, a sin or bad behavior that you struggle with. Second, pick a virtue to develop. Pick a “good thing” to do intentionally every day.
3. To know: Lent lasts for 40 days because that is the number of days Jesus spent in the desert.
   Jesus’ time in the desert has a lot of different meanings and significance. But one thing both religious and secular individuals can apply is this: He gave up his comfort in order to become better.
   To do: Choose one thing in life that makes you comfortable, and give it up for 40 days. It’s not that giving up soda or chocolate or TV makes you a better person. But when you want that thing, you are reminded to pray, or to do your “good thing” from #2.
4. To know: Easter is not about death but about life. Since Ash Wednesday is the day that begins the Easter season, it is a time to think about new beginnings.
   To do: Make a collage of all the new opportunities, births, and beginnings of the past year. It’s fun to make, and you can use it to help your kids think about the significance of the holiday for your family. It will also help you to be thankful for all of the wonderful things in your life.
5. To know: Jesus had dinner with his 12 closest friends one night. The next night, one of them turned him over to the authorities for execution.
   To do: Make Hot Cross Buns. Some people don’t make them until Good Friday, but they are also popular on Ash Wednesay. Even if you don’t have much time, buy refrigerated dinner roll dough and use a knife to mark an “x” across the top just before baking. There are volumes written about the origin of this tradition. But today, such rolls commemorate the crucifixion, as well as Jesus breaking bread with his disciples before his arrest. If you are celebrating a non-religious Ash Wednesday, rest assured–the tradition of bread marked with an “x” served at a spring festival predates Christianity.

Of course, there are a million ways to celebrate the holiday of love. But kids don’t need a million things, and I haven’t got a million bucks. So here are my Top 10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids:

1. Say “I love you” all the time.
2. Even if it can’t all happen on the same day–February 14–make time for each of your children alone. Even if it just 30 minutes in their bedroom, nothing says “I love you” like one-on-one time doing something they enjoy.
3. Learn about the real St. Valentine and why we celebrate him. This is a great way to reinforce your values. For some, it also emphasizes religious beliefs.
4. Buy a large heart-shaped cookie cutter and use it all day. In the morning, coat it with non-stick cooking spray and pour pancake batter into it to make heart pancakes. At lunch, use it to cut out the middle of sandwiches. For dinner, cut heart-shaped biscuits.
5. Cook together. It could be as elaborate as breakfast in bed for Daddy, or as simple as baking a brownie mix. Whatever the recipe, kids love to be in the kitchen with a parent.
6. Don’t give roses, plant a rose bush. In many parts of the country, February is a good month to plant bare-root roses. Enjoy them for many Valentine’s Days to come!
7. Encourage your children to be loving to others, no strings attached. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or engage in a similar community outreach program.
8. Remind children that loving relationships are two-way. Help them spend time to make and send personal greeting cards for loved ones. But be sure to start early! Trying to make a bunch of beautiful Valentines at the last minute is sure to take the love out of them.
9. Start a new tradition. That could mean something different for every family. One year, I was short on money and time. I took my 3-year old son to Party City and bought him a red foil heart balloon for 99 cents. He insisted we get one again every year. A tradition was born! Little kids love rituals. And though older kids may insist they are “stupid” or at best unnecessary, these traditions are the things we remember as adults.
10. Say, “I love you” again!

January 26 marks the start of the Year of the Ox in the Chinese or Lunar calendar. Those who were born in the years 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 – and of course 2009 are “Ox people” as astrologers would say. According to many sources, the qualities of a person born on the year of the Ox reflects that of the animal named after it and are as follows:

• Patient and quiet but can be eloquent when needed
• Hardworking and dependable
• Mentally and physically alert
• Competitive, hates to fail or being opposed
• Stubborn

On the negative side, Ox people can have fierce tempers and have a tendency towards eccentricity.

The Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year and is not only celebrated in China or Asia but the world over by many people of Southeast Asian origins. The New Year celebrations this year end on February 15.

Perhaps the most famous person to be born in the year of the Ox is no other than the newly inducted US President Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961). Other ox celebrities include Bach, Handel, Van Gogh, Dvorak, Walt Disney, and Charles Chaplin.

On April 4, 1968, one of America’s best known Civil Rights leaders was murdered. Martin Luther King, Jr., was known for his leadership in trying to end segregation without resorting to violence. This idea put him at odds with some of the other African American leaders of his time.

One event for which King was popular was a successful boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus system, which had previously required black riders to sit in the back of the bus or give up their seats for whites when the bus was full. King persuaded other African Americans to refuse to ride the bus until they allowed blacks the same privileges as whites. He also helped lead as many as 300,000 people into Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. The marchers wanted to convince congress to pass Civil Rights legislation and to bring national attention to the bill.

Soon after King was assassinated in 1968, followers began campaigning to make his birthday (January 15, 1929) a national holiday. But it was not signed until 1983 (Ronald Reagan) and was not observed until 1986. Even then, some states, especially in the south, combined it with other observances. So it was not until 2000 that all 50 states recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Usually, on the first Monday following January 15.

Many educators used to take advantage of the day to teach children about Martin Luther King’s life and goals, about the Civil Rights movement, and about other issues of prejudice today. But now, many schools have the day off from classes. So, how do you celebrate such a day at home with your children? Here are 10 ideas.

1. Be active: Many employers recognize the holiday by giving employees a day off of work. But why not use it for a “day on”? In 1994, Congress suggested that people use the government holiday to contribute to community projects. This year, January 19 will be the largest such holiday, with over 12,000 planned service projects. Find one that your family can do here.
2. Serve others: Coretta Scott King encouraged Americans to “commemorate this Holiday by making your personal commitment to serve humanity with the vibrant spirit of unconditional love that was his greatest strength.” Maybe participating in a planned event isn’t right for your family. But shoveling your elderly neighbor’s driveway might be!
3. Read: learn about King’s life, either in a book or online. Or, read his letter from the Birmingham jail, or some other piece of his writing.
4. Write: King’s letter from the Birmingham jail is now famous. Follow his example by writing a letter to someone in your life.
5. Listen: to one of his speeches, of course!
6. Go to a religious service: King was a Baptist minister and got his ideas heavily from the Bible. But in his honor, you could attend any house of worship that supports his idea of treating all people as equally valuable.
7. Throw a birthday party: decorate with every color, serve cake and ice cream, play his favorite music (gospel). If you are serving dinner, bring in many different kinds of ethnic foods.
8. Attend a parade: Many places, like Lafayette, Colorado, celebrate MLK day with a parade to commemorate the walk on Washington.
9. Pray for people who are being persecuted all over the world today for their beliefs, their ethnicity, their race, or many other reasons beyond their control.
10. Watch TV?: many stations will play specials on Monday, Jan 19, 2009. Check out the History Channel’s special show, or even watch Oprah!

I absolutely love the holiday season and all of the decorations that come out in December, but come January 1st, I am always very eager to put these seasonal items away for another year and to get my house in a less cluttered state.

Last January, I became pregnant and went on a huge purge of items in our overly filled, unfinished basement.  I cleaned out enough junk that we were able to make a small play area for my daughter in the middle of the basement.

This January, I am struggling with the fact that we have a baby in the house again and with that comes a myriad of baby gear, furniture and toys that seem to overtake the whole house.  Once I get my holiday decorations organized and put away in their labeled bins, I look forward to organize all of our baby “stuff”.

The question that remains is, as my son outgrows these baby items, whether it be clothing, gear or toys, what do I do with it?  Do I keep it in case we decide to have another baby or do I purge  again and begin to get rid of our infant items.  I have box after box full of girl things that I kept, in hopes that we would have a second child.  Now that we have that child and he is a boy, what do I do?

Until I decide whether or not we are keeping or giving away items, I will continue to have a basket on my dresser where I dump the clothing that is too small and the infant toys that we no longer need and I will continue to put those items in the basement as they accumulate.

My goal is to keep that small play space in the basement for my daughter and eventually my son, as it is important.  In the mean time, I will have to purge more items so that I can create the space needed to store all of the baby items that are no longer needed right now.

As for the current baby clutter that has over run our house, is there really a solution other than to remember that they are temporary?  We got rid of the playpen with the bassinet in the kitchen and replaced it with our reclining high chair, but eventually we will need that playpen back again once my son becomes mobile.  I have also moved many of my daughter’s toys up to her room in order to create some space for my son’s toys.  Although he doesn’t need them right now, the day is rapidly approaching when he will appreciate having access to baby toys on the main floor.

I never realized that organizing would be so difficult with two children!  Wish me luck.

When I was growing up in Asia, my mom practiced the following traditions every New Year:

• collect twelve types of fruit – one type for each month of the year. The fruit had to be somewhat round (circle is a shape of money and prosperity) and should come in two’s (for fertility).
• fill the larder, at least with basics – rice, salt, and sugar. An empty larder doesn’t bode well for the coming year.

As you can imagine, the prices of fruit and basic food items skyrocketed towards the end of December as people tried to fulfill the yearly tradition.

When I moved to Europe 17 years ago, I was surprised that superstitions and New Year symbolism also abound but quite different. People use different symbols to signify luck and prosperity for the New Year – symbols which I’ve never encountered before.

In shops, customers shopping get calendars and good luck charms in the form of:

• Gold coin replica
• Baby boy
• Pig
• Four-leaf clover
• Ladybug
• Chimney sweep

Gold is definitely the symbol of money and prosperity. The baby boy – Baby New Year - represents newness and youth. The pig stands for prosperity as well as health, whereas the four-leaf clover and the ladybug are symbols of luck. As for the chimney sweep, I can only speculate it has something to do with cleaning up the old year’s dirt to get on with the new.

Sometimes, the symbols are combined together. Last year, for example, I got from the pharmacy around the corner a clover-shaped candle with a plastic ladybug on it. From the baker’s it was a plastic replica of 1 EURO cent with again, a ladybug pasted on one side.

Regardless of cultural differences, it is interesting to see recurring themes for the New Year: youth, luck, and prosperity. After all, these are what New Year is all about, right?

Last year, on New Year’s Eve, my family resolved to never travel at Christmas again. That lasted almost a year.

OK. Maybe I should be more specific. We drove 1700 miles one-way. Halfway there, we encountered icy roads and had to cancel a hotel reservation. Annoyed, we dealt with our online reservation system (who can withdraw funds immediately but take two weeks to refund them), and found a new place. Then, on the way back, the same thing happened again. But it was New Year’s Eve and we swore off holiday travel, knowing that flying would have been just as big a problem since the airports were canceling all their flights.

It was an easy resolution to keep since the holidays roll around only once a year. We almost made it all year without breaking the vow. But then Christmas came again. We justified the break by the fact that we were traveling west instead of east, and only 500 miles one way. And instead of being pregnant, we were dragging along an almost-nine month old baby.

That was the first mistake. A couple weeks prior, I tried to “train” her to sleep in other places by using a pack & play. Well, it was a nice sentiment, but she wasn’t buying it. So, for three nights, she barely slept at all, and I’m not exaggerating. Naps were a *little* better. I intended to catch up on a little shut-eye, but with family around that I don’t see often, I really just wanted to be with people. That was, after all, the reason we broke our old resolution. (And it didn’t help my ego that my husband’s cousin has a baby that is only 6 months old who sleeps 12 hours straight through every night! I know it’s an individual thing, but it still made me jealous.)

And then on the way home, we were going to caravan home with my in-laws who live in town with us. But my husband felt compelled to do some last-minute car maintenance, so they took off an hour ahead of us. Lucky for us, since they got turned around on the highway, 150 miles out of town… It wasn’t ice this time, but a rockslide caused by melted snow from the previous week’s winter storm. And in the mountains, there aren’t alternate routes. So they came back while we scoped out the options in town. The short story is that FOUR hours into the trip, we finally were able to leave town! And we still faced another 8 hours with a baby in the car.

All that to say, I REALLY mean it this time when I resolve never to travel again at Christmas. For that matter, maybe I’ll never travel again with a baby.

You’ve seen him before. He is the little baby boy who wears nothing but nappies and a sash with a year written on it. He is called Baby New Year and in a couple of days he will be wearing a sash with “2009″ written on it. Where he comes from, how he came about, or who gave him such a name is not very clear. No one also knows why Baby New Year is always a “he” and never a “she”. Even a search in the Internet does not give us all the answers.

Sometimes people mistake him for a baby angel (a cherub) or a cupid. Baby New Year, however, represents the start of each year, and may be seen on banners during New Year’s celebrations, be it the standard New Year on January 1 or the Chinese New Year a few weeks later. Or in any calendar for that matter. Eventually, as the year loses its “newness”, Baby New Year disappears to be replaced by the symbol of the elderly Father time. The ritual repeats itself at the turn of the year.

One site tells us that the Greeks and the Egyptians used a baby to symbolize rebirth or fertility associated with the New Year. Initially condemned as a paganistic symbol, the Christian religion eventually integrated the Baby New Year symbol into the Christmas tradition featuring child Jesus of the. The Baby New Year symbol was supposedly used by the Germans in the 14^th century and eventually taken to America by immigrants, where the symbol gained popularity.

It is probably the association between New Year and the baby symbol that makes a New Year delivery and the baby that comes with it extra special. You’ll be sure to see headlines on Thursday, January 1, 2009 saying “first baby to be born this year is …”

If I told you that I spent half of Christmas Day, December 25, sewing and doing the laundry, would you believe me?

Yes, I did. Honest. The Christmas dinner had been eaten the night before (as German tradition goes), my husband was napping, while the kids were happily playing with their new toys. So I decided to catch up with the housework.

Of course, while working, I made phone calls to family and friends scattered around the globe – gosh, keeping track of those time zones can be tiring – to greet them a very Merry Christmas.

And in between, I reflected back to Christmases of childhood past. Of a large chaotic family. Of large feasts or simple fares depending on the finances of the season. Of fun, laughter, and Christmas carols. Of Christmas dinners on the terrace and Christmas lunches on the beach. Sorry for being so nostalgic but how I wish my kids could experience the kind of Christmas I had as a child.

When I moved to another country on another continent with another climate and culture, I then had to resign myself to a different way of celebrating Christmas, one that is quite, calm, and well – cold.

I am not complaining. I have many things to be grateful for. A happy home, a wonderful family, a warm house, a full pantry – and an afternoon walk around the lake with the whole family. My cup runs over (almost).

So how did you spend your Christmas?

Hey, mommies and daddies, are the holidays stressing you out? I, for one, admit it – yes, they do. And I can understand why “mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again.”

But did it ever occur to you that the holiday season can also be stressful to kids? According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the holidays can also bring stress and confusion to  kids. And situations like recent changes in the family structure, e.g. divorce, separation, remarriage, and illness or death of a close family member are just some of the reasons for this. “The holidays often remind children of what’s changed and what’s now different“, according to an APA child and adolescent psychiatrist.

To help both parents and children alike to cope with the stress that the holiday will possibly bring, the APA gives some practical tips. The key points, according to the APA, are preparation, patience and honesty/openness.

Even without the dramatic transitions and major conflicts mentioned above, the change in routine and too much excitement may become too much for kids. For this reason, here’s what we did/are doing to reduce the stress on my kids:

• We make sure the kids get enough sleep. We are a bit flexible about bedtime during the holidays but we don’t overdo it either. We also encourage naps – a nice break for kids and adults!
• We try to keep to our normal daily routine. True, we tend to have breakfast later than usual, but the 3-meals-a-day is a must during our normal eating times, give or take an hour. No skipping meals. And no overeating either.
• We keep the kids moving. We go for walks, be it around the block or a day trip to the mountains. Weather permitting, the kids spend at least an hour playing outside each day.
• We never give in to the convenience of TV. It’s a great distraction for the kids; it gives us parents some breathing space. But it’s also dangerous to get use to it. So our TV rules during the holidays remain the same – 30 minutes a day max.

We try to keep to our normal routine whether we are at home, visiting at grandma’s or at a holiday place – with a bit of flexibility, of course. After all, the holidays are about having fun.

At the end of the holidays, we observe it’s easier for the kids to get back to their normal schedule. Besides, when kids are not stressed, it’s less stressful for us parents, too.

So how about you? How do you keep your sanity during the holiday season?

I have to admit that I never thought too much about this before.  Today, I read an article that made me pause to consider the possibilities.

In the past, we lived in a very rural area.  Whatever we couldn’t compost, we burned in a burning barrel to reduce the amount of trash we had for curbside pickup.  Trash removal was so expensive!  I burned a lot of wrapping paper over the years.  I’ve also recycled wrapping paper by using it for other gifts, or I’ve used it to line bureau drawers.  I have to admit that I’ve probably thrown away a lot of wrapping paper too.

Gary Jones is the director of a company called Printing Industries of America.  He says that today’s inks contain safe pigments.  However, when those pigments are burned, that can change.  He advises consumers to not burn wrapping paper for that reason.

I’ve never tried burning wrapping paper in a fireplace, although we did heat our home with a wood stove for many years.  My concern there would be that the bits of paper wouldn’t totally disintegrate and could cause a chimney fire.

Surprisingly, the experts say that the best and safest thing to do with wrapping paper is to recycle it or simply throw it away.