Cruising with Kids

So my husband and I first went on a cruise for our honeymoon back in 2002.  Since then we were hooked.  It was a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Majesty of the Seas.  We picked Royal Carribbean over the other cruise lines because of the more active entertainment they offer on board, such as rock climbing and ice skating.  Cruising is fun if you love the ocean.  It is convenient to not have to worry about food literally 24/7 and to be able to walk downstairs for broadway-like shows.  Plus, you get to visit a variety of different places.  Here's a picture of our ship, Grandeur of the Seas:

Why we pick cruising with kids over other type of vacations:

·       Meals!  We don’t have to worry about cooking or what restaurant to go to... or what time to eat even.   With the buffet menu, they can try a little of this and a little of that.  When our toddler wakes up an hour earlier than everyone else, I can take him upstairs and have breakfast with him before his sisters wake up.  We can even order room service at no extra charge any time of day which is super convenient.

·       Childcare.  Our two girls were able to enjoy crafts and games and entertainment while the adults get a short break.  We can drop them off and pick them up anytime and for as long as we wish as long as they are open.  They have childcare for younger children less than 3 as well but you have to pay.  We did use it one night when we had an adult-only dinner with my mother-in-law to celebrate her 70^th birthday.  It was $8/hr which is not bad considering normal childcare costs.

·       Entertainment.  What other venue can you walk a little ways from your bedroom and go watch broadway like shows?  In other settings, once our kids are asleep at night, we pretty much are stuck with watching a movie on our computer or just entertaining ourselves on our laptops.  However, on a ship we have the option to take turns going out even after they are down.  Without driving anywhere we can go watch live entertainment, go for a midnight snack or just relax somewhere on deck gazing at the moon and watching the waves crash.  They even have in room babysitting which you have to pay for.  We didn’t use it but I suppose it is always an option for those who want to explore the ship as a couple.  In the past, we go with enough folks that we can rotate who watches the kids at night.  When they are older they can stay up and do activities in the kid programs as well.

·       Destination.  It is a much more fun way to get to the Bahamas or Alaska or whatever other destination then just flying with the kids.  And once we get there… more fun activities to do on land!  It is a little bit of this and a little bit of that… but with my personality… it is much less work than trying to plan a whole vacation in one spot for a whole week.

What would we do differently next time?

·       Book earlier so we can get a family stateroom .  They ran out for this trip so we all stayed in one room.   It was painful since our youngest would wake up the others sometimes in the middle of the night.  The family staterooms have a separate room for the kids and just more room so we’re not stepping on each other.

·       Wait until the youngest is 3 years old.  The kid program on our ship was called Adventure Ocean.  It is free but the youngest age is 3.  I was a little worried initially because the kid area looked small and my kids’ last cruise experience was with Disney Cruise, however, I was pleasantly surprised with the program.  It was great to be able to drop off our two oldest for a couple of hours and know that they are having fun.  They have a different theme each session and the kids usually come back with neat souvenirs and crafts that they made.   Highlights this trip include: dressing up like pirates one night dancing to gangnam style & a talent show that they put together for the parents on the last day.

·       Go on a bigger ship.  Bigger ship means more activities and newer facilities.  However, it would also mean we would have to fly to Ft Lauderdale since that is the closest port where the large Oasis of the Seas or some of the Freedom of the Seas ships sail out of.  It was nice this time around to not have to pay for airfare and just drive to Baltimore to board our ship.  Other ports we can drive to include New York and New Jersey, however, none of the bigger ships leave out of those ports at this time.

Alright... next post will compare our Disney vs Royal Carribean cruise experience =)

Boston

Wow.  It's hard to find any words to say regarding the whole Boston marathon bombing.  Boston will always have a special place in my heart as I spent seven years living there... I really grew in my relationship with my Lord and Savior there... I met my husband there... in fact, he ran the Boston marathon as a "bandit" the year I met him (it was a college thing to do).

It's been surreal reading all the updates on all the happenings up there.  Instead of google or cnn I've just been reading friends' updates on facebook.  I am glad for the safety of my friends up there.  However, my heart does break for the those who lost their lives and those seriously injured.

Hats off to the MIT cop.  Crazy... he was shot at my old college campus near building 32! (All MIT buildings are numbered... we never called them by names)

As a mom, the story of the eight year old boy especially tugged at my heart.  It reminded me of all those other children who lost their lives not too long ago... also due to violence.  Life is fragile and unpredictable.  I would be a very nervous and anxious mom if it weren't for the hope and faith I have in my Savior.

One of my favorite verses that reminds me of what's to come is from Revelations 21, promising no more crying or pain.

 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’^[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

I also really like this Keith Green quote:

“You know, I look around at the world and I see all the beauty that God made. I see the forest and the trees and all the things. And it says in the Bible that He made them in six days, and I don’t know if they’re a literal six days or not. Scientists would say no; some theologians would say yes; it doesn’t matter to me. But I know that Jesus Christ has been preparing a home for me, and for some of you, for two thousand years. And if this world took six days, and that home took two thousand years, … this is living in a garbage can compared to what’s going up there.” 

And I truly believe... as Stephen Curtis Chapman's song says, there's "More to this Life"

Work/Home Balance for Mom

Today's post is actually a guest post from Summer Blackhurst.  It is that time of year again where we are looking for a new match with another au pair for the next year.  So far we've had two chinese au pairs and have had two years of overall very positive experiences.  I'll share more about this in a later post.

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Some days I am up until 1 a.m. tying up loose ends in the home and with my job. Often by the time I lay my head down to sleep, I am promptly visited with my baby’s first cry to be nursed or my toddler’s call for comforting

Finding the right work/home balance has brought me to the brink at times (and as much as a 36-hour day would be just the right fit - extending out the solar system to make this possible just isn’t in the cards). With all the demands on moms in the 21^st century, kids are getting caught in the middle of the madness. They don’t have to suffer though. With a little ingenuity moms can have kids, and if they choose to, pursue career dreams.

In these cases get creative and look for more flexibility at work, telecommuting or working less than 40 hours if possible.  Talk to your hubby about stepping it up as much as possible. Train him to give you a night off from the little ones whenever he sees that “crazed” look in your eyes.

What about childcare? Have you ever thought about bringing in an Au Pair for a little extra help at home? I know with live in childcare it’s scary trying the find the right fit for the family. Finding childcare that doesn’t break the bank is also nerve racking. Au Pair childcare might not fit your needs, but it might. The State department set up this program for “foreign nannies” to come here and receive an invaluable cultural experience. Their job will create opportunities back in their own country for them, and US families leverage the live-in help and culture exchange to restore stability at home. Au Pair care is real time - live in help. An Au Pair keeps the family from being tied down to specific day care schedules and is typically a lot more affordable than using a local nanny.

In the swaying winds of home and family culture, our children need a steady hand more than ever. The more time I spend as a working mom the more I’m convinced too much is on my plate, it isn’t possible to do it all without help. So while we can have it all, we don’t necessarily have to do it all! Finally, I’ve found no matter what I might be going through at the time, I’ve never regretted pushing my little peoples needs the front of the line.

Summer Blackhurst writes content for Go Au Pair. She is the mother of two beautiful boys under three-years-old. She’s been writing for more than 15 years and worked in the childcare field for 20 years.

Toddlers in the Throwing Things Stage

Our little E is now nearing two years old.  Just like his older two sisters, he has reached a stage where he likes to throw food on the floor.  It is a frustrating stage to go through since things can get messy.  However, it is a normal part of development and he will eventually grow out of it.

Why do they like to throw things so much?
Simple answer is because they can.  This is a rich stage of new discoveries and growth both with motor skills as well cognitive skills.  In a simple sense, they have discovered gravity.  Things always fall down and never up!  They also realize they have power to do certain things.  Perhaps it is interesting and fun to see all the reactions they get from doing certain actions.

How best to respond as caregivers?
Tough but it is always advised to stay calm.  In fact if your response is calm, collected and consistent every time they may get over the novelty of throwing food faster.  You can try to convey to them what is ok to throw and what is not ok to throw.  During play time, they can throw balls or soft objects as long as it is not towards anybody.  During mealtimes, praise them when they do not throw food on the floor and put it in their mouths instead.  Depending on the age and maturity of the child you can try giving consequences... like having them pick up the food or giving them a short time out.  Patience is required and at the end of the day, the phase has to run its course.  There is an end.

Three Year Olds and Fear During Bedtime

Our second child has recently started sleeping with the night light.  She never was afraid of the dark before but turning three somehow turned on the "fear" button in her.  She has always been such a  good sleeper but a few times now we hear her crying out after we put her down.  "I'm scared" she would sob.  Thankfully, she is easily consolable.  A hug, a kiss and word of comfort usually does the trick but recently I added changing the sound machine to little birds instead of the usual white noise and adding a little night light so she is not in complete darkness.  We have not resorted to bringing her in bed with us as I know some may be tempted to do.  No... once you cross that line, it will be hard to ever cross back!  Plus, it gives the wrong message that their room is not a safe place.

So what is it with three year olds being afraid of the dark?  During this developmental time their young minds do not quite know how to differentiate fantasy and reality.  Their little brains are absorbing so many things from day to day... both from real life but also from things they see on tv or even read in books.  So it is best to limit these exposures to "scary" movies and books.  It is actually hard to find anything that is "not scary" since most all the Disney movies have a frightening villain.  At night when there are few distractions, the child's imaginations run wild.

Of course personality plays a part as well... but in general, fear at night is a common thing.  So what to do?

• Stay calm when you talk to them about it
• Show understanding but don't support or build up these fears
• Don't dismiss their fear
• A stuffed animal or favorite blanket may help
• Keep bedtime routine consistent and soothing, not overstimulating

When our older child went through this, we started playing music from an ipod as part of her bedtime routine  We'd set the timer to 30min so it would play music for that long then stop.  This helped her get her mind off of "scary things".   She also started praying every night for "good dreams" as part of the routine.  One of her favorite songs to sing is "When I am afraid, I will trust in You...I will trust in You..."  by Steve Green.

Finally, need to watch out for stresses in life that may be causing the child more anxiety which can display itself as fear at night.  So things like...

• divorce
• death of a pet
• birth of a new baby

Whenever unsure about how to handle a situation, can always bring up with child's physician to explore whether more help is needed.

So below is the Steve Green CD where that "I am Afraid" song is from.  Every song on there has scripture set to wonderfully catchy easy to sing music.  My kids love it!

The Ultimate Childproofing Guide (Infographic)

The Ultimate Childproofing Guide (Infographic) from HomeInsurance.org

Making Sweet Rice Balls with my Preschooler

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!  It is the year of the snake.  Click here to read my post from last year explaining this popular holiday celebrated in many parts of Asia.

So here was a fun activity I did with my five year old... we made "tang yuan" or glutinous rice balls... which is a chinese dessert that is yummy and so easy to make.

Ingredients:
-  sweet rice flour (or glutinous rice flour) which can be bought at an Asian grocery store
-  water
-  optional - food coloring (or we used pink sprinkles... the kind you can put on cupcakes)
-  brown sugar
-  you can also make these balls larger and put other things inside like red bean paste or even fruit etc.  but we didn't this time...

In a bowl, we spooned about 1 cup of the sweet rice flour.  Then I had my five year old spoon in water with a teaspoon until the consistency is just right... (comes out to be about 4 oz total).   Basically, you want the dough to be sticky so you can roll it into tiny balls.  We made some white balls and some pink balls by just adding pink sprinkles... she sprinkled and I mixed with my hand until we liked the color of the dough.   Just for fun since Valentines Day is around the corner we made some into a heart shape...  My daughter was specifying who she wanted each ball was going to be for.. so she made some real small (like the ones for her little brother or her baby cousin) and some she made real big... as you can see below...  she likes pink so we made more pink balls =)

To cook just drop them into a pot of boiling water.

They are done when they float to the top!  (about 5-10 min)

So add brown sugar to the water and then you have a sweet dessert soup...

You can also add these glutinous rice balls to other famous chinese desserts like red bean soup...

 

or green mung bean soup...

Anyways, this was fun, easy to make, and yummy... and an activity I could do with probably all my kids... even the one year old if I can stand the mess!  I didn't this time... maybe next time...