The Boys Birthday Season

                                                                                                                    
For some reason, all my boys were Spring/Early summer babies.  Many good things come out of that.  They could wear the same season clothes handed down, spring being a time of rebirth makes for an ideal time for babies and temperate weather.  One small drawback is we have one birthday celebration after another, eat lots of cake and spend wads of cash on parties and gifts all at once. 

Most years I alternate between making a personalized cake and buying one at the bakery.  The kids really get a kick out of the homemade cakes we have made over the years.  They include, to name a few, a volcano cake with red, orange and yellow lava, a kitty litter cat (a BIG hit), various versions of LEGO cakes and other boy themes.  You do not have to be a professional baker to accomplish a birthday cake made at home.  A box cake can be used in any design you decide and frosting is very forgiving.  And the worst thing that can happen is it looks atrocious and you throw it away or give it to the dog.
                 

Searching on the internet can bring up a gamut of ideas for signs, decorations and party favors that can done by your family as well.  Getting everyone involved brings the family together and offers siblings a chance to do something kind for one another.

Having home parties can entail a lot of work and effort.  It is also perfectly fine to have a party at one of the kid-friendly places like Chuck E.Cheese.  Be sure to check your local paper for coupons weekly, their website or call about a party discount.  Parents can bring their own cake too.

A recent trend we have noticed is children deciding to pass on kid toys for canned food donations or animal shelter items. Or if you decide to go the toy route, par down before hand by donating the outgrown and unused toys to charity.  You will thank yourself when cleaning and no longer have all the kids clutter to pick up.

The most important thing to remember about your children's birthday is celebrate the milestone of another year and being thankful for your children and family.  All the rest is just details and in the grand scheme of things, just minor details, not worth stressing out over.   

Is it Too Early to Think About College?

'Tis the season for graduations, grad parties and all that jazz.  My kiddos aren't there yet, not even close but I was thinking, is it ever too early to think about college?  College tuition seem to be on the rise just like everything else in our country.  Maybe there's no better time than the present to start thinking about college.

 

Have you ever heard of U-Promise?  How about using coupons that donate the savings towards your child's college education?  I had heard of U Promise while standing around the gas pump waiting for my tank to fill.  Recently I got an email about U-Promise and coupons being hooked up.  That sounds like an interesting idea.   

U-Promise's slogan is "Turn Everyday Spending Into Saving For The Future".   Here you can sign up and start saving money for your child's education right away.  And how does this translate to coupons?  You can download e-coupons to be used at the grocery store.  

Is that neat or what? 

I do use coupons, but I have to cut and collect them.  This eliminates a large part of the hassle.  And us parents already have enough on our plates so saving time and streamlining are really good things.

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Speaking of college, a new website called: 

Zero Tuition College

was launched today.   Intriguing, right?  It is "Self-Directed College for Self-Directed Learners.  Wow, that is me and my boys in a nutshell.  I encourage all you knowledge hungry people to check it out I know I will whenever I have a free moment.  (I may need to schedule that on my calendar.)  This may be an option to turn to for your bored children this summer.  Whenever they cry "I'm bored", you can tell them happily that you have an "opportunity for them". 

Life is all about making the best 

out of the opportunities we have.

Boys and Bugs the Great Summer Combo

Ahhhhh bugs, 'tis the season.  Love 'em, leave 'em or as I do spray them and run.....

One fateful summer, we made the mistake of signing up my one son for the summer school bug program.  I say mistake because it took over our lives, our home and sanity.  He became a bug scientist and advocate for all things gross.  

We had a little pond that he would do a catch and release into.  He caught many frogs and make habitats for them.  Once too much watering made his frog home a mudslide and he got stuck and perished. We'd find bugs in his room, in the kitchen - All over the place.

Every jar I possessed was re-purposed for collecting insects and critters.  And one day my ever so sweet sister (the enabler) surprised me at work with a snake for my little budding insect-ologist.  It was in a coffee can and I was horrified.

Well, his passion for bugs has diminished, thank God.  Although, living in the south we do get our share of "COOL" creepy crawlies.  Our favorite is the anole that attempt to sneak in and hang out with us on the walls.  

Last summer we had a spider and gecko duo that hung out every night on our patio for months on end.  We were convinced they were friends. 

Got a boy into bugs?  Here's a few fun resources to pique their interest:

 http://www.savenature.org/content/IDL/discover_insects

And courtesy of 1+1+1=1 is this cute Bug Preschool Pack

http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/2011/05/pretty-bugs-creatures-preschool-pack.html

Lets the bug huntin' begin!

Welcome Parents of Boys.

This blog is to explore, share and celebrate the joys that are all things boys! 

As a mother of four of them I am learning along the journey to appreciate them for what they are in their uniqueness.  Some things remain a great mystery and I wish I could get a glimpse inside their heads to fully understand the way they tick, but they also teach me along the way. 

"Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy."
-John Lennon

The great philosopher Plato said "Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable."

Any mother of a two year old boy throwing a tantrum on the floor of the grocery store will agree without a doubt.  And yet, boys are indeed beautiful.  They are also messy, loud and rambunctious but can make a mom laugh until her tummy hurts.