Archive for November 2013

Printable holiday scavenger hunt clues make present finding fun

Printable holiday scavenger hunt clues make present finding fun
Update: Find a complete list of 46 clues and printable versions here. The holiday scavenger hunt has been a Christmas tradition in my family for decades. I recounted the many reasons parents should stage a scavenger hunt around the house here. It’s great fun to make the kids work to find a gift, but I know... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 30, 2013 at 12:04 am • 

Professional organizer offers advice for organizing your tween

Please welcome today’s guest poster, Erin Kelly of Organizing with Erin. Erin is a professional organizer whose organizing business has been helping people get organized for 9 years. Tween are moving towards independence but they are still in a developmental stage that requires help when it comes to keeping their lives together. They look to... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 29, 2013 at 6:23 am • 

Family movie review of 'Frozen,' the film that warmed our hearts

Family movie review of 'Frozen,' the film that warmed our hearts
Our family saw the new Disney animated film “Frozen” today and in a surprising turn of events, the adults may have enjoyed it as much as, if not more, than our tween. The story is very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ice Queen” and here features Elsa and Anna (voice by Idina Menzel and... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 27, 2013 at 4:10 pm • 
Advertisement:

13 great quotes about gratitude and thankfulness

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Pilgrims hosted the first Thanksgiving in 1621, but people before and after that feast have recognized the importance of gratitude and giving thanks. Here are some of my favorite quotes about being grateful and thankful from from great thinkers and writers. When you’re done scrolling through these wise words, have your tween and teens... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 27, 2013 at 12:02 am • 

Ideas for how parents can teach kids gratitude

Ideas for how parents can teach kids gratitude
Thanksgiving week brings the concept of gratitude to the forefront, but it’s a feeling that most parents would like to see more often in their kids throughout the year. Not only does a feeling of thankfulness please parents, it’s good for the kids. Jeffrey Froh, PsyD, an assistant professor of psychology at Hofstra University, studied... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 26, 2013 at 8:46 am • 

On National Adoption Day, a mom shares the journey that brought her family together

On National Adoption Day, a mom shares the journey that brought her family together
November is National Adoption Month and today is National Adoption Day!  Did you know that the average age of children waiting to be adopted from foster care is 8 ½ years old? Please welcome guest poster Julie Hone-Rivieccio. She and her husband, Rob, adopted twin girls whom the proud mama lovingly refers to as her... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 23, 2013 at 12:40 pm • 
Advertisement:

Best gift cards for tweens and teens this holiday season

Best gift cards for tweens and teens this holiday season
Holiday shopping is particularly diffiucult when you have tweens on your list. They grow and change as quickly as fads come and go, so it’s tough to know what is the perfect present that will make them happy.  When I asked them, though, they thought the answer was obvious: gift cards. All the tweens with... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 23, 2013 at 6:17 am • 

6 Holiday family travel tips from Colleen Kelly of PBS' "Family Travel with Colleen Kelly"

6 Holiday family travel tips from Colleen Kelly of PBS' "Family Travel with Colleen Kelly"
Colleen Kelly is both a mom of two and a travel guru who has visited more than 20 countries. Those two roles come together in her new PBS show, “Family Travel with Colleen Kelly,” the very first family travel show to ever go national. As a family travel expert, she circles the globe to helps her viewers get the most... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 22, 2013 at 6:03 am • 

Holiday gift ideas for tweens and teens

Pauline, the Crafty Maven of <a href="http://club.chicacircle.com/" target="_blank">ClubChicaCircle.com</a>, plans to light up her tween's Christmas with the "fun glowing bike lights" her tween wants, like these from the company <a href="http://bikebrightz.com/store.html" target="_blank">Bike Brightz</a> that "color your bike with a halo of light" and start at $14.99.
Tweens and teens are not easy people to have on your gift list this holiday season. Between changing minds and changing trends, it’s tough to keep up. I asked my favorite tween and teen blogger parents what they are giving their tweens and teens (many of them have at least one of each) for Hanukkah... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 21, 2013 at 6:33 am • 
Advertisement:

Raising a tween can be a challenge, a really, really big one

Raising a tween can be a challenge, a really, really big one
ChicagoNow occasionally hosts Blogapaloooza. Bloggers are given a topic at 9 p.m. and must publish by 10 p.m. Tonight’s assignment was to write about a challenged faced by us or someone else. For a moment, my mind was blank. And then, I slapped myself on the forehead. What I said to myself went something like... Read more »
By Shannan Younger,
November 20, 2013 at 10:00 pm •