Lilac City Momma

Kid Things

Taking The Stress Out Of Kids’ Parties

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When you have children, one of your responsibilities will be to have all their friends over to wreck your house, scream for three hours and leave half-eaten food everywhere. It is called having a party and is an inescapable duty for all parents. To preserve your sanity and keep your blood pressure under control, it’s worth looking at ways to reduce the stress involved and give your child a party they will love without adding to your grey hairs.

Guests

When they are in kindergarten or just starting school, children usually want to invite their whole class over, and that can be a lot of little people running around your house. As they get older, they will probably be happy to have fewer guests and stick to their close friends, so it does get easier! If you are faced with a long list of potential guests, you might want to consider hiring a suitable venue for the party instead of having it at home. If the party is in the warmer months of the year, putting up a gazebo or large tent outside and letting the kids play in the backyard is a good way of keeping the worst of the chaos out of the house.

Food

Parents often feel obliged to make mountains of sandwiches and finger food for the party guests and spend hours preparing a lavish feast. The trouble is, kids are usually too excited about playing, presents and cake to eat much, so your efforts will go to waste. Keep the catering simple and don’t go overboard, you don’t need to, and none of the kids will notice. A pizza party is nice and simple, just cook up a batch of different pizzas, slice them up and let the kids help themselves. If you need more, it won’t take long to cook a few extra, and if they don’t eat it all at once, they can come back later for a cold snack. Pocket Change Gourmet has a quick and simple recipe for a delicious vegetable dip, which with a selection of vegetable sticks, pretzels or cheese straws, will add a touch of variety and impress the other parents. For dessert, you could follow the theme and have fruit pizzas.

Activities

If you can afford a children’s entertainer, it’s a great way to keep the kids happy and occupied and stop them bugging you. If that’s not an option, try and get them outside for as long as possible, where they can run around and let off steam without causing too much trouble. Outdoor games, balls, a paddling pool, anything that they can all have a go at and doesn’t exclude anyone is ideal.

If you are having a bunch of kids round to your house, it is never going to be calm and ordered, and there is bound to be some wailing, some crying and the odd upset. Aim to keep all your preparations as simple as possible and allow friends and other parents to lend a hand. Having those extra hands and help means less stress for you! Most importantly, don’t put yourself under pressure to throw the best party ever, because kids mostly just want to play and won’t appreciate the effort you put into making lily flowers out of kiwi fruits!

Summer Sun With The Kids – How To Organize Cheap A Vacation

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Every family should have at least one vacation per year. It’s a great opportunity to spend quality time together, away from the pressures of work and school. The kids can play on the beach or in the pool and the adults can chill out. Because everyone is so much more relaxed on vacation, there will be fewer arguments and less stress.

The biggest problem, however, is how to find an affordable vacation. The more kids you have, the more costly a blue sky holiday will be. Fortunately, it is possible to find cheap vacations to family-friendly destinations, and here’s how.

Travel During Off-Peak Periods

Traveling during school holidays is always more expensive. Travel operators bump up the costs during peak travel times, so the average family vacation can double or triple in price in July and August. Many families are restricted to booking vacations during the school break, but if you have any flexibility or your child’s school is willing to let you book a trip during term time, make the most of the cheaper prices.

Book in Advance

There are plenty of bargains to be had if you are willing to lock in a family vacation several months in advance. Popular operators offer great family discounts on early bird deals. If you are lucky, you may be able to book a package holiday to a popular destination where the kids travel free. For families with special requirements, or a burning desire to stay in a specific hotel, this really is the best option, as leaving it until the last minute means places will be limited.

Look for Online Last-Minute Bargains

Whilst making an advanced booking often secures some great discounts, there is also a lot to be said for waiting until the eleventh hour to book a family getaway. Most operators drastically cut their prices because they would rather sell a cheap vacation than have hotel rooms left empty. Travel operators sell off holidays much cheaper close to the departure date. If you are flexible, you should find all kinds of bargain deals to a range of different destinations, including 5* resort hotels.

Take Advantage of Online Deals

There are some amazing deals, coupons, voucher codes and special offers if you have the time to look online. Sign up for vacation websites such as Secret Hotels and wait for amazing deals to land in your inbox. These operators do the hard work and all you have to do is book your dream vacation for you and the kids.

Use Free Points to Go on Vacation

Do you use a credit card for your everyday spending? Many major credit cards have great value loyalty schemes that let you earn points for spending money on groceries, gas, and even your utility bills. You can earn Avios points and spend them on flights and hotels or save up points and redeem them for vouchers to spend on a vacation. What’s not to like about that?

Got any more great tips? Let us know!

Helping children understand the death of a pet

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The death of a family pet is an unexpected and sudden shock for a child. It is common for a cat, dog, rabbit or other animal to be part of the extended family, and when coupled with the fact that it is often a child’s first encounter with death, the process of dealing with the loss can be challenging for everyone.

Young children are not able to fully comprehend death as adults do and how they view it generally changes quickly as they grow up. From ages three to five, they often regard death as being reversible or temporary, but this changes from ages six to eight and then again at nine to eleven as they begin to understand that it is part of life, and is inevitable and irreversible.

Each child is unique so you should approach the subject with regard to your child’s personality. Chair of the Department of Early Childhood, Abigail McNamee, believes you should ask yourself several questions beforehand. She says: “How many experiences has your child had with death? How have you talked with him or her about death? What’s been seen on television?”

McNamee recommends an “honest, accurate and brief” approach to pet death and warns that using phrases such as “went to sleep” or “passed away” may cause confusion. Instead, tell them that the pet has died, but make it sound as peaceful as possible, and spare them any details that could be traumatic. You can then use their questions and reactions to gauge their general feelings and ideas about death, before moving on to make pet funeral arrangements.

If you’re feeling stressed about organising a funeral/reception for your children to say goodbye to their pet, it can be done as simple as possible, and still have full meaning. Concentrate on celebrating the good times.

Grieving process

Grieving is a part of life that at some point we all go through, and you should always include your child in the process as they need to say goodbye. You can ask them what they would like to do and offer suggestions such as drawing pictures of the pet or sharing funny stories about it. However, there is no rule for grieving and you must be vigilant about the fact they may not react in the way you would. McNamee adds: “She might go in and out of strong feelings – be intensely sad, then begin to play and act as if it hasn’t happened.”

These fluctuations in temperament can last up to month but your child may need extra support if they have trouble letting go, and it subsequently affects their wellbeing, either through lack of sleep or trouble at school. If this happens, you should ask them if they are feeling sad and whether they want to talk to someone about it. Recounting your own childhood experiences can help you to relate to them and ease any concerns.s

Children will eventually come to terms with a pet’s passing, and many will gain a better perspective on death as a result. They will then probably want to get another pet but McNamee recommends waiting for around six months before doing so. You can use this period to anticipate the arrival of a pet and ask them about favored breeds and possible names to keep their minds on the future.

Excellent Gift Ideas To Celebrate Newborn Babies

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When a friend or a family member has a baby, it is common to get them a gift to help celebrate the occasion, but it can be hard to know what to get, especially with so many other people buying gifts also. You can find some excellent ideas for newborn babies on the pinterest.com.au website to help get you started, and you can also carry on reading below and find some great gift ideas.

An Arm Full Of Nappies

If there is one thing that you can never have too many of, it is nappies. You can get some excellent nappy cakes in a variety of different designs, which often include a soft cuddly toy for the child. There will come a time when this gift is more than appreciated!

A Basket Full Of Gifts

There are baby gifts sold online throughout Australia, and one of the most popular items that people buy is baby hampers, which are the gift that just keeps on giving. A baby hamper is made up of an assortment of different products for newborn babies such as;

  • Nappies
  • Clothes
  • Blankets
  • Soaps
  • Powders
  • Toys

The hampers will usually come in a variety of different sizes, which also means that there is one to suit pretty much any budget and be very helpful to any mommy. The baskets are designed to include all of the essentials for a newborn baby, which get used regularly and have to be continuously stocked up.

A Gift For The Parents

You tend to find that the majority of gifts that people give are geared around the baby, so you may wish to give something to the parents that they will appreciate. Your options are only limited by your budget and can range anywhere from a gift voucher for a city break for two, or even just offer to babysit one day to give the new parents a couple of hours off. You could just get a couple of bottles of their favourite wine and a takeaway meal, but no matter what you decide to give trust that it will be very much appreciated.

A Gift For Years To Come

Another excellent idea for the perfect gift for a newborn baby is a family portrait from a local photography studio. What better way to commemorate an addition to the family by having all of your family on a set of photographs that you will be able to keep and look back on for many years to come.

Clothes, Clothes, And More Clothes

Something else that the child will go through like no tomorrow is clothes. Many people will bring clothes suitable for the first couple of months which is fine as they will get used no doubt. But you can also buy clothes for the baby that they will grow into in the coming months, which will be one less thing for the proud new parents to buy. Just make sure that you buy the right colour clothes for the sex of the baby, or you could find that they go unworn!

Budget Grocery Shopping Tips to Save Money

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Have you noticed how much of your overall budget you spend on groceries? Grocery shopping is a significant expense for most families and households, but there are ways to make it more affordable. Whether you’re saving to buy a house, put the kids through College, or just want some extra spending money… Here are few tips to avoid extra expenses on groceries:

  1. Shop on a full stomach. You’ll buy less snacks and/or things you don’t usually buy – and only buy groceries, not gifts and all the extra stuff, at the grocery store.
  2. Shop without the kids. Kids are kids, they will want everything in the store – presents, toys and sugary junk food that costs an arm and a leg. So, if you can, try shopping without small children throwing extra things into your cart 😉
  3. Make a list beforehand and follow it strictly. Specially while shopping with kids.
  4. Plan out what you will be eating in the week and get things accordingly. You can plan the kids lunches ahead of time and prep dinners in the crock pot! 
  5. Shop only once a week. You’ll tend to spend more if you stop at the store every day or several times a week.
  6. Shop when you have energy and aren’t worn out from a busy day. It’s easier to focus and make wise choices when you’ve got energy and aren’t preoccupied.
  7. Return your bottles and cans for the deposit that you paid. If you’ve got kids, get them to help with this job and let them keep the cash they earn.
  8. Shop in familiar stores when you’re tired, stressed or in a hurry. You’ll find what you need and be able to get out with what you need quickly.
  9. Plan meals so that you have leftovers for lunch the next day, or freeze leftovers for a quick meal another day.
  10. Package your own treats, juices and snacks. Buy the large package or snacks and a box of baggies and make your own individually wrapped packages to grab on the run.

These are few tips which can help you with your budget.