The summer can be a rather long and boring time for some families, because, no matter whether the kids will admit it or not, without school, they get very bored.  There are some methods to handle summer boredom, but many will empty your bank account.  I have some ideas for summer fun that can help take care of bored kids on a budget.

• Go hiking.  Hiking in almost all places places is free, except for some parks.  The best part about hiking is that there’s such a wide range of hiking trails that you can find one suitable for everybody….
  
  

I just got back from the 8th grade  field trip to Washington, D.C.  Long distance, over-night field trips are a blast!  Unfortunately, they can be tricky, so I am going to post some tips and tricks on the trips.

• Pack well: Getting there and finding out you lack an important item stinks, to be blunt.  Make sure you pack everything you need, but not too much either.  Only pack what you need and a little extra, not everything you own.
• Bring a good amount of spending money.  Pack more than enough, because running out can put you in  trouble.  Some kids…
  
  

These days, all over the TV, music, and movies, there is content inappropriate for most children to see, hear, or watch.  This is true, but there are many parents who go overboard on “protecting” their child.

First off, I am going to give you the basic run down on American movie and TV rating systems.  First off, TV:

• TV-Y (All Children — This program is designed to be appropriate for all children)

• TV-Y7 (Directed to Older Children — This program is designed for children age 7 and above.)

• TV-G (General audiences)

• TV-PG (Parental guidance suggested)

• TV-14 (Recommended for people 14 or older)

• TV-MA (intended for mature audiences)

• G…
  
  

At the end of the summer I stumbled across Name Your Tune.  It seemed like an interesting idea, a cd of children’s songs with your child’s (or children’s) names placed into the lyrics.  With my children between the ages of eight and thirteen, it seemed more appropriate to have a cd made for my nephews who are two and four years old.

I spoke with Eric at Name Your Tune, and he informed that he would be able to make one cd for both boys.  Sending along the boys’ names and that it was from their Aunt Michele and Uncle Tom…

It is natural for parents to want their children to excel, to be the best, to be above other children in almost everything, to grow up into exemplary citizens who achieve so much in life. That’s an open secret that most of us have in our hearts, which is why we do everything to build our children into the super kids that we want them to be. But how do we exactly go about raising super kids? Each of us has a unique formula, but most fall into a common pattern. I see parents who buy musical instruments for their…