Celebrate Anti-Boredom Month with Frugal Summer Fun Tips

I suppose this is a pretty good month to pick to designate as “anti-boredom month”.  Kids and young adults are home from their studies, offices may have short hour policies during the summer, and the heat can reach such high levels that staying indoors is your best bet.

This year, however, with unemployment reaching new heights and people tightening their belts, boredom may reach record levels as people take their vacation days and stay home.

Rather than using the time off to set your family to work doing those much-needed around-the-house chores, it’s time to get creative about ways to have fun on a reduced budget.

Here are some ideas for frugal ways to celebrate your vacation at home:

• Stay local. Spend a few hours of your vacation doing some research on local fun spots.  Check the chamber of commerce, the phone book, your town’s website, your local visitor’s bureau, and so on.  Be sure as well to check towns that are driving distanced away as well. I’m lucky that I live in an area which is filled with fun local events every week.  All the local towns celebrate their anniversaries, and local organizations like the fire department throw festivals, auctions, breakfast, car shows, and all kinds of small town activities. I’m also lucky that I live within driving distance of Philadelphia, Amish Country, and if we really want to make a trip, New York City. Widen the net of your research to a one to two hour driving distance and check out what’s going on there.
• Get discounts. I bet that in these hard economic times, some place near you is giving an admission discount.  We have an awesome website out here called “Half Off the Valley“, which features coupons and discounts to shops, restaurants, spas and even local hotels.  You can also check out discounts at nearby theme parks by going in the afternoon or during the week.  Visit their website and see where you can also get discount coupons for them.  For example, Dunkin Donuts near my home carries coupons for Hershey Park.
• Restaurants deals. The can be a little harder to find.  Search on coupon sites such as Frugal Coupon Living to find deals.  Also, join the clubs at local restaurants.  For example, you can get a free hamburger on your birthday at Red Robin’s if you join their birthday club.  In addition, many restaurants have a day where kids eat free or at a discounted rate.  Here is a good list, but check your local chain first, since each restaurant may apply the rule differently. Finally, look at your local magazine, coupon clipper, or other town publication to find discounts for food (and other activities).

Planning a fun and frugal summer will take a bit of research, but if you were traveling to another place, you’d take the time to find the best deal.  Give yourself and your family a break and celebrate Anti-Boredom Month by having some fun!

Here is our trip to Hershey’s Park and the Butterfly Gardens a few years ago:

Hershey Park

Share your best local vacation shots with us and your frugal tips for having a fun summer.

Macaroni Day!

I did a search and it turns out that several food “celebrations” take place in July. Personally, I think July is a bit hot for food, but there you have it!

Today, for example, is macaroni day. I’m Italian, so by law, it’s my favorite food too. My husband is partially Italian so he doesn’t get why macaroni comes in different forms, and this makes me smack my head.

Macaroni is also my 3 year old’s favorite food. Now before you say, “Oh all kids love pasta”, I have news: this is a blatant lie. I have not been able to get my six year to eat pasta of any sort except for a brief period when she ate Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. How does a child of Italian descent not love pasta?? It’s unnatural, especially when you consider I make it every week.

Unfortunately, macaroni is not a healthy food, which is why I only buy the pasta with Omega-3 in it. It is more costly, that’s true, but if you’re having a meal with few nutrients and your kids (and husband) are finicky eaters, it’s certainly helpful. Tomato sauce, too, is good for you, and it’s definitely filling if you don’t make it with meat.

Of course, I make excellent meatballs. (I’m Italian, remember? That too is the law!) Personally, my favorite thing to serve with macaroni in tomato sauce is hot sausage, especially when you cook it in so the hot spices get into the tomato sauce. It goes perfect with penne!

It is July, though, which means that hot macaroni is something that we might not eat for a few weeks.  However, the other day my husband grilled a lovely piece of steak, and about a half an hour before dinner time, he looked at me and said, “A side dish is your job.”  I looked through the cabinets – there was nothing.  I didn’t want to go out to the store, so I thought about an old staple: macaroni salad.

I didn’t have paprika or tuna (which I don’t eat anyway), so I had to think how to make this salad fly.  I had rotini pasta (yes, the Omega-3 kind), Hellman’s mayonaise (don’t talk to me about those other brands!), white vinegar and, as luck would have it, a red pepper and some broccoli.

I cooked the pasta, chopped the vegetables very fine, and mixed it all together. It was a little tough to the proportion of vinegar and how much mayo just right, but it came out great. Even my husband, who doesn’t “do” salads, loved it.  the next, it was even better with some left over grilled chicken.

As far as I’m concerned, every day could be pasta day.  At Italian restaurants, I almost always order the pasta and that’s why Macaroni Grill is my favorite.

Macaroni is also fun.  (Fusilli Jerry, anyone?)  Kids always use it in crafts.  Zoe came home with a mac and cheese craft from school this year.  And here is a very neat craft, creating noodles to make macaroni necklaces.

I’d like to hear from you on what your favorite macaroni dish is. Share your link and I’ll try it out!

Happy 4th of July!

In two days, we here in America get to celebrate our Independence Day.  The 4th of July is the quintessential summer holiday.  Like Memorial Day, this day has its own particular way to celebrate: elaborate backyard barbeques, strawberries & blueberries with whipped cream (red, white and blue), backyard fireworks (not always legal), and catching up with family you haven’t seen in a while. If you’re bored of the typical, too-easy berry desserts, Better Homes and Gardens has 18 Luscious Strawberry Dessert Recipes.  Allrecipes.com has a great list of 4th of July recipes and tips for better cooking and grilling.

If you are throwing that party, it’s not too late to send invites from a pretty big selection of online invitations for that barbeque or 4th of July party.  Go ahead and add music if you like to annoy your guest in advance!

Most years, my husband and I drive two hours to my cousin’s house in New York and  spend the day in the pool.  No backyard fireworks: in New York, fireworks are illegal for regular families.  That doesn’t stop everyone; I can recall the streets in Queens, NY lined with 100’s of empty firework shells on the 5th.  When we’re at home in Pennsylvania, it’s nice to live in Pennsylvania, where some fireworks are legal to set off in yards and streets.

This year, though, we are going to Florida for the Fourth.  I never knew it was a cheap holiday for flying, but it is a great time to vacation.  One year, my husband and I spent the Fourth in Colonial Williamsburg, VA.  The fireworks were up close and lovely.  Our friends had a great time at Virginia Beach, another great Fourth vacation. At the time, I too was pregnant for long, hot stretches of sand on a 100 degree day.

All of the above is great unless, of course, it rains.  What will you do this holiday should it rain?  You can throw an indoor party, save the fireworks for the next time it’s nice out, and turn on Macy’s Fireworks instead.  I’ve been privileged enough to see them from across the river in Astoria Park, Queens, which is quite nice (and not as crowded as seeing them from the bridge or Manhattan!)

In the meantime, if you are stuck at home with little ones waiting for the sun peak out or for Saturday to roll around, here is a list of fun crafts you can do that will teach your kids something about this day.  My 3 year old made a lovely flag that is hanging on our walls right now.

• Family Fun has a great list of activities.  My favorite here as to be “Musical Stars and Stripes” for kids who like music.
• Kaboose always has something interesting. Love the 3D fireworks T-shirt!
• DLTK has a whole page of bald eagles your kids can create. How fun is that?
• Family Corner has a beautiful wreath you can make. That is actually more of a grown up craft, but if your kid can handle it, let him go for it!

What are your plans for the red, white and blue holiday? Share your favorites crafts and recipes (seasoned, grilled corn anyone?)

Goodbye June, Hello Vacation!

Well, June, 2009 has come and gone already. It’s been a wild ride at my house. Between both my kids completing “firsts” in their school careers, ups and downs with work situations, and finally being able to take vacation, I’m really happy that the last half a year is over. In fact, some really hard times hit our family since our last vacation, which we took on June 15^th, 2008, and I’m kissing goodbye to the year of bad karma. Good riddance!

What can we look ahead to in July? My family and I are spending the 4^th of July in St. Petersburg, Florida at an all all-inclusive beach resort. Yes, we are foregoing the traditional backyard barbeque and firework displays and a night talking over Macy’s Fireworks for a day at The Florida Aquarium but isn’t that the joy of summer? We’re a little nervous to take our little ones on any boating adventures yet so we may visit Busch Gardens or Sea World or both since we’re not very good at sitting still!

My kids will both be attending the extended school year (summer camp to them, but it’s in a classroom). They’re too young to care and it will be good for them, since I’m a working mom and they have learning disabilities.

In July, I’m also looking forward to my six year old getting swim lessons! I’m thrilled about this because she is a natural in the water and absolutely loves it. She spends most of her tub time under the water to my delight. She also has a real affinity for all things that live under the water, and I always do my best to promote anything related to the water (hence, the visit to the aquarium and Sea World). With any luck, she’ll grow up and learn to SCUBA dive!

Meanwhile, we will not be taking the big risk and expense of putting in a swimming pool, but the local pool is perfect for children. The kiddie pool area is large and surrounded by a 6 foot fence, so you kids can’t accidentally fall into the deep end. Thanks to far too much rain for a typical June, we have not visited the pool this summer yet but as soon as we get back we’ll be going every sunny Friday.

Because of vacation, we have spent the last few weekends shopping. Since this is mostly a shoreline vacation, we need to decide if we buy sand toys in Florida or pack them. (Shovels are fine but buckets? I know the kids will want to build sand castles.) Already I have to make a return since my sandals were labeled the wrong size. I have to remember my camera tasks: empty photos, charge, bring charger and camera and then decide where to pack it. Believe it or not, one year we realized that some photos had been deleted by a nosy airline staff. I plan on taking a lot of pictures of the girls so I can make a gift for my father. Too bad Photowork’s two for one sale on photo booksis this week instead of when I return because our vacation memories will make a great gift for him.

Do you have any exciting vacation plans, now that school is out, or are you counting the moments to the 2009 school year? Are your kids in summer camp, summer school, or home driving you crazy? Share your photos and plans, if you have any!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

National Camping Week

The last week in June is designated as “National Camping Week”, but I will admit to you:

I know nothing about camping. Zip. Zero. Nada.

I have gone camping 3 times in my life, 2 of those times with the Girl Scouts at ages 11 and 12.  At age 1, I was the odd girl out (4 to a tent, plus me) so I was placed into a group where I knew one girl I knew a little.  The group called themselves the “Foxy Four”, but we all agreed the “The Foxy Five” sounded much better.  Thanks to that tent, I was exposed for the first time to cigarettes and beer, but I was approaching age 12 in Catholic school, so I would have learned about that stuff pretty soon (LOL!).

Now that you are all shocked and horrified that Girls Scout Camp can be so wild, I will admit that I have fond memories of camping.  It wasn’t until I was 20 that I learned how costly camping is.  Sleeping bags, tents, and food add up.  You have to rent a place to pitch your tent, which may or may not have clean bathrooms.  That didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but  I found that I loved sleeping under the stars and staying up until the wee hours around a campfire.

Too many years have gone by since my last camping trip, but for parents of small children, camping usually remains a distant memory for some time. You can’t have a toddler out there in the woods, and I doubt they would put up with sleeping on the cold ground, even with a good sleeping bag.  You can, though, create some new camping memories and times by having a pretend camp out.  Here are some great ideas from neighbors, my family, and my own childhood on how to enjoy “camping” with the little ones:

• Pitch a tent. If you have real camping gear, set it up outside.  If not, you can always get one of those play tents.  We’ve had both Dora’s play tent and Cinderella’s castle, which had lights in it.  The kids loved it.  (Of couse, my kids had to deconstruct it by pulling out all the wireframing so it would fall over.)  Don’t be discouraged by bad weather or not having a backyard.  You can always set it up in an empty room, the middle of your family room, or the basement.
• Make some light. If you’re out in the yard, you can use a firepit, lanterns, or citronella candles. If you’re indoors, use candles or dim the lights.  Get creative.  As kids, we used our Light Bright to make a picture of a fire.  If you have a fireplace, use it.  Don’t forget to bring a flashlight.  How else are you going to make that spooky shadow on your face while telling scary stories?
• Cook around the “fire”. A pilot light or a grill gives a great place to roast hot dogs and marshmallows (on a stick of course).  And what cookout would be complete without s’mores?
• Tuck the kids in. If you don’t have sleeping bags, you can always make due with piles of quilts and pillows.  Even if you’re in the living room, who doesn’t love a fun night of sleeping out of their bed?

What do you think? Will you take your kids pretend camping?  I’d love to.  I’d like try to make my backyard look like  a real campground, take some “camping” photos, and then let my on Webshots see if they can tell!

June 23rd: National Pink Day

Today is National Pink Day. As the mom of two little girls, pink is everywhere.  It’s incredibly hard to buy clothes or toys that are not in the color range between pastels to hot pink.  It can represent a range of emotions, be a marketing tool, and even be a useful tool for calming people.  What else can we learn about the color pink?

Pink Symbolism
In our culture, pink is often associated with little girls.  However, before the 20th century, pink was the considered the color for boys, with blue being the color for girls.  Pink, after all, is a lighter shade of red, which symbolizes anger, fierceness, sacrifice, and courage.  Blue was considered to be delicate and was strongly associated with the Virgin Mary.  That standard did not change until after World War II, when military uniforms were dyed in blue for cost-effectiveness and durability. This may be related to the change ito blue representing boys.

Girls Prefer Pink?
According to a study published in August, 2007 by Dr. Anya Hurlbert and Dr. Yazhu Ling of Newcastle University in England, girls prefer shades of red and pink.  The study asked participants, young adult men and women, to rapidly choose their preferred colors.  The results were the same among Chinese and British Caucasian participants, which supports the idea that color preferences may be biological. They will be doing further studies to check out this link, but you can read the full report here.

The Meaning of the Color Pink
Pink has both positive and negative connotations (besides the overwhelming indulgence of pink for girl’s clothing, toys, and furnishing).  Some examples?  Getting a “pink” slip is obviously negative.  “In the pink” means if you are in good shape.  The color pink has physical affects, too. According to SensationalColor.com, it can stimulate us, increasing our physical processes such as blood pressure and heart beat.

Positive attributes of the color pink symbolize innocence, love, sexuality, femininity, tranquility, warmth, and health.  Prisons painted pink have resulted calming the inmates.   Its association with women and health has made pink a symbol for a worldwide concern.

Pink for a Cause
Pink is the color of the breast cancer awareness ribbon.  According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is the second most common cancer in American (skin cancer is number one).  Nearly 12% of women will develop some form of it.  It is also the second leading cause of death in women, second only to lung cancer.  That’s a pretty high rate for a disease that can often be detected early.  For more information, check out these links:

• Cancer Prevention and Early Detection: general info on cancer from the ACS.
• Understanding Breast Cancer:  BreastCancer.org is a comprehensive resource site for information about breast cancer
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure®: Global leader of the breast cancer movement for survivors, activists, partners, and supporters to fight and cure breast cancer worldwide.

Pink: there’s no escaping it, especially if you have daughters!  (Think Barbie!)  What do think?  Do you love it or hate it? Do you think it’s an effective color to represent women, children, and health?  Share some examples of effective marketing with the color pink.

My Top 10 Last Minute Gifts that Your Kids can Give for Father’s Day

Sunday is Father’s Day, and it’s time for kids to show their appreciation for dad.  My 6 year old did some crafts in school so she is set, but I’m a loss as to what to have my younger child do.  I brainstormed and came up with a list of  things you can do with kids to say “Happy Father’s Day”:

1. Bake a cake. You can bake the cake and have the kids put frost, decorate, and write out “Happy Father’s Day” with icing (or draw a picture if they can’t write).
2. Yardwork. Save Dad all the work of mowing, watering, and beautifying the lawn or deck this weekend.  (Make sure your child is old enough to operate the mower.)
3. Prepare a barbeque. You can do the buying and the grilling, but the kids can marinate the meat, slice the veggies, and make skewers with kebobs.
4. Make a photo collage. Collect photos of Dad with the kids starting from when they were born.  (That alone can be a fun project to do with the kids!) Print them out,  get some construction paper or cardboard, and have the kids make a collage or book of their favorite memories.
5. Create a special space for Dad. Buy some cheap shelves and organizers.  Get together the kids and organize a corner of the garage, basement, closet or bedroom.  You can decorate it with the kids’ photos or art or even go all out and paint it.
6. A mug of cookies. Get a mug at the dollar store.  Have the kids help out making Dad’s favorite cookies and make them bite-sized.  Do it while he’s out and have it waiting for him at his seat in the table.
7. Clean the house.  I mean deep clean it.  Get the kids to sort and donate toys, buy some cleaner for carpet stains, and clean the walls.  No reason your kids can’t do some of this work too.  Have everyone pitch in so he can enjoy a day at home without stepping on toys or looking at Crayola on the wall.
8. Put on a show. Is there anything your child accomplished this year that was special?  Have them show Dad what new thing they can do that he might have missed while working or out of town, like singing the alphabet, doing a handstand, or hitting a ball really far.
9. Give him some space. Take the kids to the park and have over the remote or the video controls. Enough said!
10. BE QUIET. What Dad wants the most?  A peaceful house.  Do what you have to ensure your kids are quiet on Father’s Day.  No fussing, no fighting or else – use time outs, early bedtimes, no TV, or bribe everyone who stays quiet with ice cream.  You get the picture.

For those of you who are crafty (not me!), here are some sites for more complex craft ideas:

• There’s a long list of crafts at FamilyFun.com
• I love Kaboose, they always have great ideas.
• A list of crafts from AmazingMoms.com

These last minute gift ideas are affordable and keep in the spirit of Father’s Day, which is all about showing your appreciation for Dad. I hope you and your family have a very Happy Father’s Day!  Share your last-minute gift ideas here.

Happy National Fudge Day

You know what?  I’m a chocoholic. So even though the next holiday looming is Father’s Day, what’s really exciting to me is that today is National Fudge Day.  (It’s also National Candy month.)  That’s really cool, because not only do I live a mere 2 hours away from Hershey, PA (”the sweetest place on Earth”), I also recently discovered that my area is home to a bunch of chocolate manufacturers!  Candy Industry magazine did a whole spread on candy companies in Pennsylvania back in August, 2008.  South of my home lies a Godiva factory and Asher’s Chocolate.  To my north, in Bethlehem, is Just Born (the people who brought you Peeps!), and nearby is Josh Early Candies.

How do you know you’re a chocoholic?  You’re a chocoholic if:

• After dinner, when the waiter asks if you want to see the dessert menu, you say, “No, just tell me what’s chocolate.”
• You get taken to a 5-star restaurant and only order a salad, because you saw the chocolate soufflé on the way in.
• You buy your sweetie chocolate and he gets some on his lip, so you kiss him – for the chocolate.
• Your child gets chocolate all over his or her face and you wipe it off really quick with a napkin because you’re afraid you’d lick it off your hand.
• When you get a box of candy and someone asks you for one, you respond, “Ok, but not the dark one. No, not that, that’s hazelnut.  Oh I really like the coconut and the nut one. Hm, wait, I think that’s raspberry-filled.  Here, take the white one!”
• You never cook chocolate pudding because you’re afraid your children will lick the bowl or pot instead of you.
• You’ll try chocolate-flavored or –covered anything (except maybe bugs, maybe).
• Your children stop eating Halloween candy once the chocolate ones are gone.
• When something chocolate falls on the floor, you literally cringe – and consider eating it anyway.
• You don’t care what the main course was, or how good the wedding cake is, you just want to know what a chocolate shot glass tastes like. (Yes, I had those at my wedding!)

If you are a lover of fudge, here are some great links to indulge yourself:

• Win free chocolate a Asher’s Chocolate
• Get free chocolate every month when you spend $10 at Godiva
• Make some homemade fudge with this long list of recipes.  (Fudge with Kahlua crème? MMM…)
• Every Friday through September, at 9:00 AM, EST, log on to RealChocolate.com to get your free chocolate.

And if you happen to be in or around Hershey, PA this week, their salon features a long list of “Everything Chocolate”, from Whipped Cocoa Bath to a Chocolate Fondue Wrap.  How much does your stomach rumble, I wonder, during those treatments?

I’m still not sure what we’ll actually be doing on Father’s Day, but knowing me, my husband and my kids, I’m sure one way or another, the day will wrap by indulging in chocolate.

How do you know you’re a chocoholic?  Share the most desperate thing you’ve ever done for chocolate, or your coolest (or easiest) fudge recipes!

Celebrate the Anniversary of “E.T.”!

Today is the anniversary of “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”, which premiered on this date way back in 1982. (Don’t believe it was that long ago?  Check out the movie and watch a five year old Drew Barrymore!)

This film was on HBO in the last week or two and it terrified my six year old!  As I recall back in the day, this movie scared a lot of little kids including one of my nephews.  What’s funny is that Amelia is not scared by “The Spiderwick Chronicles”, “Monster House”, or that scary scene in “Water Horse”, and a few months ago she walked in on a clip from “The Exorcist” and said “bless you” when Linda Blair threw up on the priest.

As you can see, she’s generally pretty fearless about movies.  I don’t know what it is about that creepy alien that bothers kids!  Maybe he conceals himself too well among stuffed toys or maybe it’s because he’s always in shadow.  It could be that really eerie voice of his.  I was older when I saw “E.T.” (none of your business how old!) and had seen it right around the same time I saw “Poltergeist”, both in the theater, so comparatively it wasn’t scary at all!

It was a block buster hit.  At the time, though, “E.T.” grossed so much money that people thought it would surpass “Star Wars”.  Not so, but it did rank very high in all times movie sales, and it was the highest grossing movie of 1982.  It may have to do with the popularity of aliens at the time; I remember a lot of books and conspiracy theory shows about aliens invasions in the early 80’s.

As long as we’re talking about movies in 1982, that was not a bad year for the few SciFi films released.  We had “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”, noted to be the best of the Trek movie by many.  As a Trekker, I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never seen the whole of it in one sitting.  It’s the only Trek flick I can say that about.

There was also “The Thing”, qualifying as SciFi, but really, it’s horror to me.  A good one, in my opinion, and “Tron”, for early computer science smarties.  My favorite of that year, and one of my all time favorites, is “Blade Runner”.  The ultimate classic flick, starring Harrison Ford, fresh from the first two “Star Wars” films and a terrifying Rutger Hauer, breaking fingers with more gusto than Jack Bauer ever did.

On the horror side, not much else came out that year, except sequels for the serial flicks “Amityville Horror”, “Friday the 13th”, and “Halloween”.  “Cat People” and “Creepshow’ are more lame entries for that year as well. The rest aren’t even worth cataloguing!

If you find yourself bored this evening or during this long, economically tight summer, get out there and rent or download “E.T.” for a good laugh and some good memories. (Old phones!  Ancient toys!  1980s clothes on small children!) Or, rent any of the other great, old movies from a time when movies ran all summer long and people actually went to the theater.  If you’re interested in more “E.T.” trivia, here’s a cool site with pop culture from the 1980s.

So share with us: where were you when you first saw “E.T.”?  (And no, you don’t have to mention what year it was!)

Picture from freeclassicimages.com

Potty Training Awareness Month

June is Potty Training Awareness month!  9Awareness?  As if parents whose kids are not yet trained aren’t aware of the potty!)

I think that June was selected because so many parents pick this time of year to potty train.  Between not having to worry if they are wet in the warm weather and the fact that some kids have vacation from preschool, this is an appropriate month.

As for me, this has been the hardest part of parenting two learning disabled children who have still not mastered the potty.  I’m wondering if my 3 year old is ready. I’m not sure she grasps the entire process and she doesn’t have many words.  On the up side, she does enjoy sitting on the potty.  She’s usually fully clothed– it’s just a pint-sized chair to her.  She also takes off her diaper when it’s full of pee from time to time and enjoys the potty video with Elmo, “Elmo’s Potty Time”.  It may be time to introduce the concept.

At a visit with her development doctor today, I was advised by the nurse practitioner that some kids respond well to being put on the potty frequently, “every 20 minutes or so”.  Wow!  Do I have that kind of time?  Some kids take to it right away, but you need to make sure you time your rewards with their successes at putting “something” in the potty.

The other thing she mentioned was to be nonchalant about the whole thing. Kids catch on, even if you’re actually trying to be cool about it, if deep down you’re not.  Crud. That’s my problem with my older daughter, who is 6 and has completely dug in her heels about being non-cooperative.  We need to pull out all the stops: rewards, frequent potty times, panties, charts… and then act like we don’t really care.  Right, why should I care if she can use the potty herself in the first grade?

I wish I could tell her how much freedom she’ll have once she masters it.  She is very independent; her baby streak dwindles down a little more every week as I push her more and more into helping herself.

I do, however, have lots of resources on my side, besides the video.  I can use all the help I can get!  Here are some sources for those of you (like me!) who wish to get potty training started or mastered this month:

• About.com has a selection of reward charts and stickers.
• They also have an article on training special needs children.
• WriterDad.com has a complete guide with ebook set, “Number One and Number Two It”.
• And finally, if I EVER succeed in potty training my Dynamic Duo, I can send them a custom made card celebrating how great they did.

What a lovely Father’s Day gift that would make, right?  Oh man, is Father’s Day here already??  Yikes!  Time to get busy planning for that big day too…

Anyone jumping into the big potty time with their children yet?  Got tips, resources and info on how to potty train a kid who won’t do it?  I can use your help!