Games Of The Past Meet The Present
by Brandie Valenzuela
Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.
Once I agreed to taking care of her children, reality set in. My sister has six children, and while the youngest wouldn't be staying with me, all the others would be. Add those five children to my three, you have eight, and add that to my small apartment and you have enough to drive any mom up a wall! How would I keep eight children occupied in my small home, without spending a lot of money?
One of the first activities we played was Twister. Twister was a gift for Christmas, so it was a game the children were still learning. As I watched them play, my I started thinking about the games my siblings and I played as children -- those easy games that usually required no extra supplies. There were six of us, and I can remember keeping ourselves occupied with old favorites such as "Mother May I?" and "Old Maid". After reminiscing, I decided that I would take this opportunity to teach them these favorite games.
I am not sure who had more fun with it, but I taught them several of the games I played as a young child, and everyone had the greatest time. I taught them "Red Light, Green Light" and "Red Rover", among others. Even the older children had fun playing "London Bridge" for the sake of the little ones. Want to know the best part? It has been over a week since I taught the kids these games, and on several occasions, I have caught them playing them on their own. Now, what could be better than that?
I encourage you to think back to some of your favorite childhood games. Did you love to play "Simon Says"? When was the last time you built a hopscotch? Do your children even know that there is actually a way to play marbles? Think of your favorites, and start teaching them to your children. Not only do most of these games require very little supplies, if any, but they show your children that there are fun activities that don't have to be plugged in.
If you need some inspiration, the following websites offer instructions on many popular childhood games:
"Games Kids Play" http://www.gameskidsplay.net/index.html
"Parent Soup: Games" http://www.parentsoup.com/archive/0,9372,263145,00.html
"PBS: Zoom" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/zoom/games/index.html
©2002 Brandie Valenzuela
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About The Author
Brandie is a freelance writing mother of three children. She is also the editor of the Family First Newsletter, the HomeMade Living ezine, and other services for parents. To find out more about Brandie's creations, visit: http://www.bmvcreations.com
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Feeding Bettas
by William Berg
Knowing the right way to feed your betta is fundamental, because not doing it right can have big consequences on your bettas health. Nothing is more stressful than dealing with a sick fish, right? So, let's do it right, and get rid from the calamity!
Here are some golden rules on feeding your betta.
First, select the proper food. Bettas are selective eaters. A betta specific pellet is ok, but live and frozen foods are preferable. The recommended diet includes frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworms.
The next rule is to not overfeed your Bettas. Carefully dose the meals, because even if the fish ate all you give him, he will produce so much more waist when overfed and the pollution level of the jar he is in will go beyond safe range, t 
Feeding Bettas
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Raising "Advantaged" Kids - (An everyday, ordinary mother and her guide to teaching)
by Beverly Jean Ballard
As a mother of 2 - a 4-year old and an 18-year old, it was important to me that I give my my children all that I have to offer as far as education (I don't have much...a high school diploma and 1 year of college). So, for me, I had to become creative in my efforts to give my children "the edge" in school and eventually in life. I've always had a mind set that I would not leave "schooling" totally up to the teachers. It started with my first born. Before he could talk, I would recite the alphabets and count to 10, constantly. I knew that somewhere, in the back of that tiny little mind, that the information was being stored for later use. Before reached the age of 2, like my second born, he too could say his A-B-C(s). My second born also Raising "Advantaged" Kids - (An everyday, ordinary mother and her guide to teaching)
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Games Of The Past Meet The Present
by Brandie Valenzuela
Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.
Once I agreed to taking care of her children, reality set in. My sister has six children, and while the youngest wouldn't be staying with me, all the others would be. Add those five children to my three, you have eight, and add that to my small apartment and you have enough to drive any mom up a wall! How would I keep eight children occupied in my small home, without spending a Games Of The Past Meet The Present
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Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marriage Survive? (Part II)
by Chuck & Sue DeFiore
In the last article, we concluded by saying that keeping your business and personal relationships separate is very important to the survival of both your business and your marriage. In this article we will talk about how to achieve this goal.
One of the most important ways to accomplish this is to set up distinct business hours, and when they are over, don't discuss business, concentrate on your relationship. It is difficult, but make a concentrated effort at it. Confine your business discussions to business hours or set aside a specific time to discuss the business.
For example, take the last half hour of the day, and discuss the business day; any suggestions you have, what was accomplished, what needs to be done tomorrow, durin Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marriage Survive? (Part II)
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