Consider the ages and abilities of the children that will be present when planning yard games for your party. You don’t want anyone to feel left out. You may also want to have a list prepared and allow your guests to choose which game to play first. It would also be good to set your rules before the games begin, and be sure everyone understands them so there are no arguments. Here are some great games to try:

Tag: This is one game that children have played for centuries and it’s very simple. Someone is chosen to be “It” and then has to cover their eyes while everyone else hides. Be sure to choose a place for base so everyone can try to get there before being tagged. That person then becomes “It” and the game continues with that person trying to catch others.

Tug-of-War: Set up an area with a small wading pool and a rope long enough for everyone that wants to play. Mark the center of the rope with a bandana or tape and then have even-sided teams grab either end of the rope. They pull until one team has pulled the flag over a particular line, in this case it could be the edge of the pool. Don’t be surprised, however, if one side ends up getting wet, so be prepared with towels.

Scavenger Hunt: Before the party, make a list of ten things that should be able to be found in your yard. This could include a certain type of flower, rocks, feathers, or items that you specifically place in your yard. Give each player a list and let them go scavenging. Whoever returns with the most items, wins!

Croquet: This game has been around for a long time. You may want to have the game set up prior to guests arriving. The purpose is to guide a colored ball with a mallet of the same color through a series of pickets until you reach the end post. This game takes a little bit of skill, so it may not be suitable for younger children.

Water Balloon Toss: Expect someone to get wet, if not soaked, in this game – which may be a good thing if it’s extremely hot outside. Break the children up into pairs and give each of them a water balloon. Have the pairs start off close together tossing the balloon back and forth, stepping back one step after each successful catch. The person who wins is the last person to toss the balloon before it bursts.

These Fourth of July yard games for children aren’t only for this holiday. In fact, they can be played at any time of the year. They are tried and true games that children have enjoyed for years. Why not make them a part of your patriotic celebration. They’re sure to entertain until the firework show begins.

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If you choose to breastfeed you new baby, then you might want to find your way into the middle of the road. Breastfeeding in public can be as private as breastfeeding in your own bedroom. Keeping it personal only requires a few tricks.

1. Wear clothes that are designed for easy (and private) access. Many companies have come out with a line of nursing that allows easy access to the breast with minimum exposure of the rest of the body. It is possible to breastfeed without ever exposing your breast to anyone other than the baby.

2. Purchase a bra that is specific for breastfeeding. The flaps fold down to expose the nipple and nothing else has to be exposed. These bras are also designed to help with support and comfort of the milk-heavy breasts.

3. Be discrete when you are preparing to feed. If you don’t draw attention to yourself, then it is likely that no one other than your immediate party will even realize that you are breastfeeding in public.

4. Cover the nursing baby with a cloth or nursing blanket. There are now nursing blankets with sandbags or other attachments, made with very light cloth that are perfect for covering up when you are breastfeeding – no matter what the location, temperature or situation.

5. Be considerate of the people around you. You wouldn’t want someone to whip out a cigarette and smoke next to your new baby. If you are in a situation where you need to breastfeed, then be considerate of the other people around you who might be uncomfortable or shocked by your choice to do it in public.

6. Practice at home before you take the show on the road. Learning to handle the special clothes and accessories, designed to make breastfeeding in public more comfortable for you and the baby and less intrusive to the public, can take some time. Practice your holds and use the clothes when you are at home so that you will be prepared when you go out.

Breastfeeding in public can be difficult and uncomfortable, for mom and for the people around her. By practicing at home, getting the right wardrobe and trying to be discrete, you will be able to breastfeed with comfort wherever you may go.

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You may be surprised to find that your teen actually wants you to establish boundaries. They may rebel against them a little bit, but they’re really just testing you to see how serious you are about the boundaries you’ve set.

They need to know where you stand on issues such as sex, drugs, alcohol, dating, and others. However, they also need to know that you care about their feelings and opinions; you need to discuss issues, not just give them a list of rules they must obey. They need some freedom to explore and grow. You want to make sure they know that they can come to you to discuss anything and everything and that won’t happen if you’re just a dictator.

* Let them know what you expect from them at home and in public.
* Respect them as individuals and they will be more respectful of you.
* Be supportive when they do come to you with problems or concerns.

Expect that your teen will have questions about drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence. Don’t make your teen feel like their concerns are trivial or don’t avoid these topics. You need to be open and honest with them, sharing your concerns and your experience with the topics at hand. Do some role playing with your spouse asking questions your teen might. Then come up with answers that will address their fears or concerns.

Quite often teens will ask questions at the most inopportune time, much like a toddler will. Try not to be caught off guard too much. Be straightforward with them rather than pushing the question to the side. Address it when it comes up rather than having to contradict the information they get from their friends who are willing to talk with them about it.

Let your child know that you may not be entirely comfortable discussing a topic, but that your relationship is more important than a little bit of discomfort. They may be uncomfortable bringing the subject up as well. You don’t have to spell out to your teen every detail of your own teenage years, but using examples and lessons you learned may help them see that you’re not totally out of step with them.

Teenagers don’t know everything they need to know as they grow into adulthood. Your responsibility as a parent doesn’t stop when your child becomes a teen, in fact you’ve just graduated to a new level of relationship. Take every opportunity to talk with your teen about sensitive issues now while they’re still at home, and before it’s too late to have an influence on them.

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When children are very young they don’t understand that they don’t own everything around them. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our child this unfortunate truth, but it is for everyone’s benefit. Here are some ways to help your child learn to share:

* Explain to them that if they want to play with another’s toys they need to ask for permission first. They need to learn that they can’t just take what they want, but they need to ask first. This rule applies when you’re visiting others as well as in your own home.

* Help your child learn that they should offer an explanation why someone can’t play with a toy if they say “no”. In other words, if a visiting child wants to play with your child’s favorite doll, help them tell the other child, “No, I’m playing with it,” “It’s my favorite,” or whatever the case might be.

* If the child isn’t actively playing with a toy and still says no, teach them that they need to let the other child play with the toy. This concept of taking turns isn’t always an easy task for a toddler to learn.

* Ask your toddler how they would feel if someone else told them “no” every time they wanted to play with a toy. Bring it down to their level, but help them understand that they should treat others the way they’d like to be treated.

* If your child takes a toy from someone, don’t snatch it right back and hand it to the other child. This reinforces the idea that taking things is alright. Instead, get down on your child’s level, tell them taking toys away isn’t nice, and ask them to give the toy back. Praise them when they do return the item.

* When you’re having a play date at your home, ask your child if there are particular things they don’t want to be played with that day. If the child gives you some things that he or she is particularly fond of, put them up in a room that the other children won’t have access to. Make sure your child knows that they must then allow the other children to play with anything that is left out.

* Teach your child to respect others’ things by being respectful of their belongings. Ask for permission before you use their things, giving them the opportunity to tell you “no”, as long as they give you a reason why. Ask others in the house, or people that may visit, to also be respectful of the toddler’s belongings.

* Finally, let your child see you sharing things that are important to you. Share your clothes for your child to dress up in, share your ice cream, making sure that you use the word “share” when you tell them what you’re doing. Let them see that you share with others, too.

Teaching your child to share may not be an easy task. Begin early and be consistent with them as you guide them in learning this trait. It will make their life, and yours, much easier.

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In Hebrew, the word for parent is “horah” which translates “instructor” or “guide”. Parents are to be their child’s first teacher. We are given the job of instilling values and character in our children; this includes honesty, morality, love, and many other character traits.

Express to your child how important it is to always be honest. Verbally praise them when you find that they are honest. Tell them that you appreciate their honesty and thank them for respecting your instructions. If they are dishonest, don’t demean them, but do express your dissatisfaction in their choice not to be honest.

More than anything else let them see how important honesty is to you by modeling honesty before them. If someone calls and you don’t want to talk with them, don’t ask your child to tell them you’re not there. Take the call, explaining that you can’t speak long, and then end the call as quickly as you can. Try to be aware of your actions; many may be an indirect way of teaching your child about honesty.

Children need to know that being dishonest is not only hurtful to themselves and others, it can also erode trust between the two of you. This mistrust may curtail their ability to participate in some activities because you don’t know if you can trust them to do as they’ve agreed. If you can’t trust that they’ll return at a particular time, you’re not as likely to allow them to go.

Teach your children about the boy who “cried wolf”. After crying “wolf” so many times and there wasn’t really a wolf, the people no longer trusted his word. When a wolf finally did arrive, the people didn’t come to help the boy. Dishonesty breeds distrust.

Ask your child how they felt when someone else lied to them. Did they feel good about it? Were their feelings hurt? Did they feel betrayed? All the feelings they felt are how others feel when they are being lied to. Help them understand that they have the power to be honest and keep others from feeling betrayed.

Most importantly, never give your child a reason to mistrust you. If you make a promise to them, follow through on the promise, even if doing so might cost you something. The only time breaking a promise is acceptable is when an emergency arises, and then you need to follow through as soon as possible.

It takes consistency and dedication when teaching your child the importance of honesty. Model honesty for them, and they’ll quickly learn of it’s importance and how much it is expected of them. Then step back and watch your child’s character continue to grow.

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Toddlers and young children aren’t always able to see hidden dangers like a pool that beckons them with fun. They don’t realize how quickly they can slip and fall in, especially if no one is around. As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are safe when playing in the pool with us, but also when no one is in the pool.

The best way to ensure that your child is not the victim of an accidental drowning is to know where they are at all times. Supervision is your first and best defense, not only to keep children from drowning but also to help keep them from other accidents and injuries.

If you’re having a pool party, select one person to do nothing more than watching any children that are young. You may even want to pay a responsible teenager to keep your youngest family members safe. Set up a smaller pool for them to play in, especially if there are a number of people attending.

Other than supervision, the next best way to prevent an accidental drowning in your swimming pool is to put a fence with a locked gate around the pool. Not only will this keep your child from making their way to the pool, it will also keep neighborhood kids from gaining access.

Having a fenced-in pool is a great idea; however, if the gate is left open on a regular basis the benefit of having it fenced does no good. Make it a rule that the pool gate be closed at all times. Doing so will make the possibility of injury much smaller.

Teach your toddler to swim, or have your child take swimming lessons. This will give them some basic knowledge, although you still want to keep them under supervision. Even though they are learning how to swim, they should wear swim floaters to keep them buoyant and keep them from drowning.

Be sure to learn infant and child cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). No one wants to have to give CPR to a child, but it’s one of those cases where it’s better to know something and not need it, than to need it and not know it. Knowing CPR and first aid is important anyhow, so this is a good reason to learn it.

Summertime water fun is almost upon us. Swimming pool safety for toddlers is nothing to be lax about. Take the above steps to keep your children from being a statistic and keep the fun in summer.

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1 (16 ounce) box medium pasta shells
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/3 cup hamburger dills, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onions, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon season salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (8 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain well. Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, chopped hamburger dills and chopped onion. In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, celery seeds, season salt and pepper. Fold in the cheddar cheese. Pour mixture over pasta and stir well. Be sure all the pasta, eggs, pickles and onions are covered well with the mayonnaise mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for one hour or in the freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

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Pro: When you work at home, you have the ability to be more accessible to the people who need you most. If a situation arises, your children (or spouse or neighbors) know that you are just a room away.

Con: Unfortunately, many of the people closest to you will not understand that when you are working you are actually working. Emergencies may include things like not being able to find a favorite baseball. Almost always, you will be the first person that family and neighbors think of when they need someone to do something during the work day – after all you are at home.

The key is to find creative ways to make yourself available but not TOO available. Put up a sign on the door of when you will be taking a break, make a list of actual emergency situations and turn off the phone (or send your calls straight to the answering machine). No matter what you do, people will still see more of the home than they will of the work.

Pro: One of the best things about the work at home scenario is that you can work anytime that you want (depending on what you are doing at home). You aren’t locked in to the 9 to 5 hours that many people are forced to squeeze into. If you are up at 2 am then you can work at 2 am. Your schedule is usually completely up to you.

Con: It is easy to fall into the procrastination habit when you don’t have someone behind you telling you what to do and when to do it. Being able to work at home at anytime of the day or night often means you put off work until later.

There are plenty of ways to help you stay on track with your work at home. Create detailed schedules or fill a calendar with your activities and jobs and due dates. Make yourself commit a certain number of hours to work each day (preferably at the same time each day) and you will be able to keep procrastination at bay.

Having the ability to work at home often requires a balancing act. Many of the pros that are associated with people who work at home are also the cons. If you can find ways to flip the cons into positive situations, then you will find that being able to work at home is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

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2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions:

Place both flours into a large mixing bowl. Fold together. Add the flax seed and baking powder and blend. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the sugar and mix well. Be sure all the ingredients are incorporated together. In a separate bowl place the 4 eggs and slightly beat with a whisk. Add the vanilla and milk and stir. Pour in the melted butter. Add the applesauce and mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Blend well so everything is moistened. Heat waffle iron. Pour the batter on the waffle iron and top with the nuts. Cook until brown.

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Instead of spending the entire day running from place to place, consider throwing your own Fourth of July party. It gives you an excuse to really spruce up and decorate your yard.

Start planning early to be sure you’re ready on the day of the party. Since the party will be on the Fourth of July, you have a ready-made theme or starting place. Begin by making a list of things you’ll need and what you’ll need to do.

Of course, you’ll want your lawn to be cleaned up, so now is the time to start picking up the yard toys, furniture, and other things that have made their way to the lawn. Give it a good mowing and remove the dead grass. Maintaining a well-manicured lawn takes some time, but the beauty of it will be a thing to behold.

If you have lawn furniture, make sure to clean it well before the day of the party. You would probably do this at the beginning of summer, but you may want to re-clean it as the party draws nearer. This also gives you an opportunity to check to be sure the furniture is safe or if anything needs to be replaced.

Check your lawn for fire ant colonies. If you find them, now is the time to spread out any poison to get rid of them. You may also want to have a professional exterminator come and spray a couple of days before the party to get rid any other unwanted pests. Find or buy citronella candles to help keep mosquitoes from ruining the party.

Make sure you have enough seating for all your guests, and then arrange your lawn furniture and other seating in conversational groups. This will encourage your guests to chitchat while they’re waiting for the food to be prepared and served. Be sure there’s a small table within the group for guests to set their glasses.

Prepare an area of the lawn that will be just for the kids. Set out some yard games such as croquet, water balloon toss, horse shoes, or tug-of-war. Of course, you’ll want to have games for all age children and someone to monitor the games so the kids don’t get out of hand.

The day before the party, set up the cooking area. You know the kitchen is often the busiest place in the house during the holidays, so set up a cooking area complete with a preparation table, barbecue grill, and a place for guests to relax while you cook. If you have a small refrigerator, that’s great. But you can also set out your coolers with food the day of the party so everything is within reach.

These quick and easy tips for preparing your yard for a Fourth of July party may be all you need to start thinking about your own summer party plans. The benefit of preparing early is that you won’t be rushed as the day approaches. It also allows you time to ensure that your guests will enjoy the time they spend with you and your family.

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