Will They Remember this as Special?

I love the song Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. I love Motown songs in general, but this one holds special meaning because I love to change the lyrics around a little and sing it to my girls. Just my little way of letting them know that I will always be there for them. But I’m a little concerned they find it more embarrassing rather than meaningful, sweet, enduring. My main clues? They roll their eyes, say in a disgusted voice “Mother”, and slouch down in their seats just in case we drive by one of their friends with the window open.
I know the lyrics were probably written as an expression of romantic love, but if you really listen to them they can easily express the love between a parent (or at least a mother who doesn’t want to let go) and child. Here is my version. What do you think?

Listen Baby…

Ain’t no mountain high
Ain’t no valley low
Ain’t no river wide enough baby

If you need me call me
no matter where you are
no matter how far (don’t worry baby)
just call my name
I’ll be there in a hurry
you don’t have to worry

chorus:
‘Cause baby there
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe (This is where I change the lyrics to “my babies” - I have more than one and of course can’t leave anyone out!)

Remember the day
I set you free (I secretly dread the day they leave for college - I will cry for weeks)
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on
I made a vow
I’ll be there when you want me
some way somehow

Chorus

No wind,
No rain

Or winter’s cold
Can’t stop me baby
’cause you are my beau (I change this to babies)
(if you’re ever in trouble
I’ll be there on the double
just send for me)
ooo baby

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart

If you ever need a helping hand
I’ll be there on the double
just as fast as I can

Don’t you know that there aint no
mountain high enough,
ain’t no valley low enough,
aint no river wide enough to keep
me from getting to you babe

Don’t you know that there aint no
mountain high enough,
ain’t no valley low enough
aint no river wide enough to keep
me from getting to you babe

At the end of the song I plead with them to let me live with them forever and the only one at this point who will say yes, is my 4 year old (she still thinks I’m cool). The baby just smiles and the older two emphatically say “No!”

So will they remember this as one of the “little things” or have I become the object of their jokes and “funny mom stories” forever? Either way, I don’t particularly care…..

I’m a Little Afraid

Well summer vacation for my kids has officially begun and I have to admit, I’m a little afraid. How am I going to keep these kids from getting bored and making me miserable? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe a parent should try to entertain their kids every waking hour of the day, that’s why God gave them imaginations, but if I don’t provide some guidance and assistance, I’m a little worried what trouble their imaginations might get them into….So here are my strategies for this summer:

• Try and maintain some type of structure to their day and week - consistent bed and morning times, plan recurring outings (i.e. pool or library) for the same day and time each week
• Schedule one “do nothing” day each week. I like Monday’s for these because they are usually tired from the busy weekend. Gives us all a chance to relax and catch up.
• Arrange for my kids to play with kids other than each other. It only takes a week of your little sister tagging along or your older sister telling you what to do before you become very bored and frustrated.
• Have back up activities planned - craft kits, science experiments, treasure hunts and anything else I can think of.
• Enroll them in our library’s reading program. They continue to read and earn prizes at the same time.
• Enrolling them in a couple of camps, vacation bible school, volleyball, and performing arts. Other than vacation bible school, I try and limit the number of camps for each kid to 1.
• Make them continue to learn…this isn’t popular with them, but I try and have them do at least some type of learning activity each week.

What are your strategies?

Five Tips for Keeping your Kids from Getting Bored this Summer

Free from their school routines and extra curricular activities, many kids can get bored quickly with the carefree days of summer. Summers are meant to be a downtime for families, an opportunity to decompress from an often hectic school year, but if left too unstructured, kids can become bored and not so pleasant to be around. So to help every parent out there maintain a peaceful easy summer here are a few tips.

1. Maintain some type of structure to your child’s day. For parents who work outside the home, a day camp might be the best option here. Day camps give kids just enough structure to help maintain routines, but are often relaxed enough for kids to feel relieved from the daily pressures of school and extra curricular activities. For parents who don’t work outside the home, maintaining a routine can be a little more of a challenge. Start by keeping bedtimes and morning times relatively the same each day. Allow for the flexibility and pleasures of extended bedtimes, but try and keep them consistent everyday. Plan recurring outings (i.e. the library, swimming, museums, and picnics) for the same day each week. Always make sure you have at least one “do nothing” day built into the schedule. Monday’s are often a good day for these because kids are often tired from the weekends and need a little time to unwind.
2. Arrange for your children to have time to play with kids other than their siblings. Nothing is worse than siblings who have grown tired of one another after only two weeks of summer break. Prevent this by arranging for your kids to play alone with their friends. Swap play dates or arrange sleepovers, or arrange for your children to take a camp with their friends.
3. Have backup activities on hand as a last minute response to a sudden onset of the summer blues. Craft kits, science experiments, and yard games are all good options. Have the supplies and ideas on hand and stored in a box, so they are in easy access when needed.
4. Keep them learning with fun relaxed learning activities. Reading contests and challenges are often a good way to keep their minds alert and reading throughout the summer. Check with your local library for one in your area. Summer activity books are another good option. Designed specifically for summer breaks, these activity books help keep the material they learned in school fresh in their minds.
5. Let them explore their interests by enrolling them in a camp or class. Use the relaxing days of summer to encourage your kids to learn something new or pursue an interest they didn’t have time to learn during the school year. The relaxing summer atmosphere is often a good time to try these things because kids often will feel less pressure to succeed and perform.

Summer Boredom Busters

Keep kids from getting the summer blues with these ten great ideas.

Build an Ice Cream Stand – Find a local ball park busy with little league ball games and set up an ice cream stand. Let the kids build and decorate the stand out of wood or cardboard (old refrigerator boxes work well) and add their menu to the outside. Keep kids involved by letting them be in charge of buying the supplies (large bulk clubs like Sam’s Club are great for this) and figuring out how much to charge. Encourage your kids to donate a portion of their profits to a charity or add some fun games for their customers to play while enjoying their ice cream. Keep the ice cream cold by burying it in plastic containers at the bottom of a big cooler filled with ice.

Organize a Summer Playgroup – Ask other parents to join you and your kids at a local park once a week. Play on the playground, organize lawn games, or provide crafts for the kids.

Plan a Treasure Hunt – Write up clues that will lead your kids on a hunt through the neighborhood and to local places of interest. Begin by mailing the first clue to the kids (what kid doesn’t like to receive mail?) and letting them figure out where to go. You can spread the clues out over the summer or have them complete the hunt in a day. At the end, have a “treasure” of prizes available as reward for their accomplishments. You can make it interesting by writing the clues on scrolls or by making them educational

Start a Neighborhood Business – If your child is old enough, help them start a small neighborhood business like pet watching, dog walking, mother’s helper, or house watching (getting mail, watering plants). Help them create fliers, determine pricing, and of course help them understand how to provide excellent customer service.

Host a Neighborhood Cookout – Encourage your neighbors and friends to take a break from their busy lives by inviting them to a neighborhood cookout. Include the kids by having them help make invitations, plan games, and prepare food. Make it easier on yourself and family by asking your friends and neighbors to bring a dish to share.

Join a Reading Contest or Challenge – Encourage your kids to get lost in a good book this summer by signing them up for your local library’s reading contest. Common among most libraries, book challenges are a great way to keep kids reading through the summer and earn prizes and awards for their achievements.

Start a Summer Scrapbook or Memory Jar – Start by saving small mementos from your summer vacations, activities, and trips. Over the summer let the kids add them to a scrapbook or store in a decorated memory jar or box. Make it fun by giving the kids a challenge of finding the most unique memento from their excursions.

Hold a Carnival – Let your kids organize a backyard carnival for friends and neighbors. Kids can be kept busy building a ticket booth, organizing games, planning food, and buying prizes. Let them take charge here; you will be amazed at what their imaginations can do!

Write a Family or Neighborhood Newsletter – Put your kids in charge of writing and publishing a family or neighborhood newsletter. Let them write creative articles and share the scoop on what is going on with friends and family. This is a great way to help them improve their writing skills and keep them busy at the same time.

Start a Puzzle – Pick out a large challenging puzzle and put it in an out of the way place. Encourage the kids to slowly add and complete the puzzle throughout the summer. This is a great one to have on hand when they say “I’m bored”.