Monthly Archives: February 2009

Do Your Kids Play Too Much Video Games?

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This post goes out to my fellow Parents & Guardians of children who fall into the category, affectionately intended, VIDEO GAME FREAKS.  After years of struggle, I have found some other great things that my kids enjoy and I am going to share.

First, let’s talk about video games.  What’s the big deal?  I loved playing Pac Man and Tetris growing up, didn’t you?

Well for starters, the kids aren’t playing Pac Man and Tetris.  Or table tennis, jai alai, or super breakout.  If we’re lucky they are playing some variety of Super Mario Bros.  But even then, the game addiction is strong.  In the case of my Son, the more shooting and fighting there is involved, the better.  I do not allow games that are rated “M” to be played in my house.  The exception being a spy game that he plays with my husband.  But even Hubby gives me a hard time about this rule.  He believes the games are all fine and that I am being overprotective.

Is it fine, really, for my kid to play a game that involves shooting cops and picking up hookers while he races his car through the streets?  Is that all in good fun?  Not gonna happen under my roof.  I get a twitch, as it is, when I hear some of the language (mild, teenager trash talk) spouting from the Tony Hawk skateboard games.  And the famous excuse I always hear from my Son and other parents is, “it is just bloody. No big deal.”  AS IF that is my criteria for what is and is not appropriate.

I wonder why people, Hubs included, think it is okay for kids to take part in video games and movies where heads are being blown of and people are being torn limb from limb by various bad guys/monsters/aliens etc.  But then they freak out over an “F bomb”.  No kidding, my husband will come out and lecture me on MY standards because I am watching a meaningful, thought provoking movie with my kids that has a bit of language but he thinks that all the blood and guts under the sun is going to settle healthily into their psyches.

ANYWAY!  I strayed a bit, didn’t I?

My Son is 13 now and my daughter is 9.  She seems to be appropriately interested in Mario games.  I am smarter this time around and I have been sure to enforce limits and make sure she engages in other things so she doesn’t forget about the other activities she loves.  My Son’s situation is more complicated.  We went wrong in the beginning, mainly from Hubby and I not seeing eye to eye on the need for limits and variety.  So trying to find other things he loves to do after the video game bug has already bitten hard has been tough.  But here is what we have come up with…

  • Both of my kids love Magnetix/Magnexts and will forget about video games all day long if we dump the whole bucket out and let their imaginations run rampant through the living room.  A little more costly is the Magnext roller coaster. But I have to say it is worth it.  We have tried and given up on many of the big themed kits that come along with Legos and Bionicles, etc.  But this one is awesome!
  • Any kind of magnets, in fact, keep  my kids busy.  You know, those really strong ones that work through your hand or a table and you can do all kinds of cool stuff with them.  Find them at the Discovery type stores.
  • BENDAROOS!  Don’t be afraid of them.  We, too, were disappointed by the likes of FLOAM and MOON SAND, but the Bendaroos have been getting a workout since Christmas.  Not messy, easy to play with and you will like it too.  I made the coolest duck!
  • Rubik’s cube.  My Son got the regular cube and the electronic one for Christmas and one of the two of them has been in his hand almost constantly.  More often the regular one.  It was a gamble.  He didn’t say he wanted it but I remembered how much I liked it as a kid and put it in his stocking.  Big hit!
  • Arts and crafts.  This is more of a girl thing at our house.  We set my daughter up with a painting easel and all the supplies (Thanks Granny!) and when she is down there with her palette and apron on, Mario himself could walk by and I don’t think she’d bat an eye. :-)
  • Multi game table.  This was a great buy.  It has table tennis, air hockey, chess, checkers, soccer,and I don’t know what else.  We all love it.  We didn’t buy a super cheap one but I did shop around for the best bargain and although this one does the job, if I had it to do again I would spend a little more.  The air in the air hockey doesn’t work that great and the table is a little small for table tennis for me and Hubby.  But the kids love it and get a little exercise playing it.  SUCCESS!

So that’s what has been working for me.  Your own kids have their own tastes, of course, and you have to find what they love enough to get their mind of the games, but these items have worked wonders for us.

Please share any of your kids favorite activities and video game distractions!


Learning from Recession

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I always try to find the silver lining in things and our current economic crisis is no exception.  When I take a minute to stop dwelling on the sacrifices and think about what we have accomplished and what I have learned, I find that there is, in fact, value to be found in recession.

I have always been irresponsible in my attitude against shopping for bargains.  “My time spent shopping for a deal is worth more than the money saved” I have often said.

Once I became a parent I scaled back on what I bought for myself, my house and my hubby so that I could buy more things for the kids.  That was my first taste of enjoying finding a bargain.  Every penny that I saved on myself was more that I could spend on the kids.

Then this recession got us in its grips and suddenly we had to scale back just to meet our basic needs.  I had to find the best prices on milk, bread, cereal, and all the staples in order to maintain them in the pantry.  I am actually being counseled by my very organized and moneywise friend on how to most effectively use coupons and store programs.  It is actually a lot of fun but I am just shocked over how much money I have wasted over the years.

I do a lot of shopping online for bigger items and have recently found value in sites like Overstock.com and Buy.com.  The prices are good and the items are often better quality than what I have bought around town.  Black Friday deals can be found all year long if you take the time to shop for them.

I cannot say I am glad that our country has hit hard times, but I am glad for the different perspective I have developed and the recession tips, tricks and tools I have learned that will serve me even better when the economy turns around and my job becomes lucrative again.

What have you learned during these troubling times?  What money saving changes have you made?

Happy Valentines Day

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My Son apologized to me today.  “I’m sorry you are going to have a bad weekend” he said.  When I asked him why, he laughed and said, “Cus Dad doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body and you are going to get juked for Valentine’s Day.” So true.

But enough about me.  How about you?

Television ads and in-store marketing lead us to believe that everyone celebrates the big red & pink holiday with wine, roses, and lavish gifts.  Do you?

I wonder how many “real” folks like me actually get diamonds and jewelry for every Valentine’s Day?  Our budget is so tight I’d probably go bananas if I DID receive an expensive gift.  Plus I am still boycotting diamonds.  Partly because I don’t trust that the evils of the diamond industry have magically disappeared and partly because I am rebelling against the inflated value of them.  It’s a shiny rock found in abundance where people are dying over them, then sold here, at ridiculous prices, as a rare commodity.  No, there is no romance in diamonds for me.

You know what I want for V-Day?  Gift cards !  Want to talk about a rare commodity?  Shopping!  I would get great joy from going to Sephora or Pier 1 and shopping for me and my house.  Ahhhh.  Sounds heavenly.

So the humanitarian in me rejects diamonds. The realistic housewife in me accepts there will be a shortage of romance this weekend. And my inner practical gal would love a gift card or two! Hmmm. Maybe Dad isn’t the only one with broken romance bones.

When all is said and done we MIGHT have gone to dinner.  But more likely we will sip a bottle of Traverse City wine, (ask the kids to stop running in the house), munch on some top of the line chips & salsa, (yell at the kids to stop fighting), and enjoy a bootleg movie, (while marveling over the fact that the kids will barge in without fail the moment someone onscreen gets murdered, gets naked, or drops creative curse bombs).

So what are you expecting from this Valentine’s Day?

Something’s Gotta Give But It Shouldn’t Be Sleep Part 2: How Many Hours of Sleep Should My Child Get Each Night?

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We provide food, shelter, and clothing to our loved ones.  Family health insurance, health care, safety, and love. Fun times, entertainment, stimulation, and stability.  We go out of our way to make sure all of these needs are met.  So why do we disregard the importance of sleep?

Never mind that we don’t get enough sleep for ourselves between all those deadlines.  How much sleep are your children getting?  I can match up bad days at school, extra fighting between my two kids, and inability to get homework done after school with nights that they did not get adequate sleep. The results are the same 100% of the time.

My Son 13 is grouchy, mean, and unfocused.  He cannot get his homework done and throws anger tantrums over the tiniest things.

My Daughter 9 is whiney, short fused, stomps her feet and has a crying meltdown.

These things ONLY happen when they are tired and they happen EVERY time their sleep pattern is compromised.  The time spent tending to all this drama is far greater than time spent putting some steps into place to help keep everyone on track.  More on that in part 3.

For now, here is what kind of sleep your children should be getting, according to webmd.

  • 1-4 weeks old          15 1/2 – 16 1/2 hours
  • 1-4 months old        14 1/2 – 15 1/2 hours
  • 4-12 months old      14-15 hours
  • 1-3 years old            12-14 hours
  • 3-6 years old             10 3/4 – 12 hours
  • 7-12 years old           10-11 hours
  • 12-18 years old          8 1/4-9 1/2 hours

How does your household compare?

Something’s Gotta Give, But it Shouldn’t Be Sleep

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Although I do not have trouble necessarily getting my kids to bed at night, I do not feel they get the right amount of sleep.  For the most part they go to bed whenever I say, but as they progress in school, homework causes our bedtimes to be later and inconsistent.

While researching appropriate sleep patterns for each age, I ran across this at webmd…

In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Marc Weissbluth, MD, sums up what you may find in children who routinely do not get the sleep they need, with a bit of a Catch 22: “School achievement difficulties were found more often among poor sleepers compared to good sleepers…. Young children who have difficulty sleeping become older children with more academic problems. But children who are academically successful risk not getting the sleep they need!”

Bingo!  That is what I have been trying to sort out in my own limited capacity but could not spit it out so plainly.

We are supposed to engage our kids in after school activities.  We are supposed to make sure they get all their homework done.  We are also supposed to have dinner together and quality family time every day.  With only so many hours available between getting home from school and getting to sleep at an appropriate time, something’s got to give.  And it’s usually sleep.

Since I cannot add hours to my kids days, I am now trying to think of ways to help them fall asleep quicker and get the best quality sleep.  Sleep therapy music?  Sleep number bed?  Shot of Grey Goose?  I’m trying to really think out of the box, here.

Any suggestions?

Ever Thought of Buying a Business?

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Here’s a quick post inspired by all the autoworkers contemplating taking buy out packages, but it may also be useful to anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit and some money to invest.

We are a Big Three household.  We have been offered a handful of buy outs over the years and while contemplating whether or not it is right for us our conversations have led us to the conclusion that the buy out money is not income or a means of survival.  It is cushion and a fresh start.

At 42, my Hubby doesn’t really like the idea of starting over.  Unless it is in his own business that we can build together and enjoy, which would be a refreshing departure from the hostile environment of his job right now.

I bet we are not the only ones who feel this way which is why I want to share this website I found that helps you research small business opportunities.  You can search by type of business or by investment needed to get started.

That’s it.  Nothing fancy or witty today.  Just sharing a little info. :-)   Good luck.