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October 2008
Halloween costume contest: A smackdown!
My 10-year-old daughter and I love to dream up and create unique costumes for her to wear on Halloween. Sometimes the planning stage can take months, but we try to keep the actual production stage to a weekend or less.
Our business model is simple: No sewing required (mommy can’t sew), and the project must be cost-effective (i.e., cost less to make than buying a costume off the shelf, preferably using materials we can scrounge up around the house).
So far we’ve had glorious successes. Last year she went as a hot dog lunch, sporting a hot dog hat and red-checkered tablecloth draped over a cardboard “table” balancing on her shoulders.
Just in time for this year’s Refrigerator Costume debut, there’s a costume contest sponsored by the National Milk Mustache “Got Milk?” Campaign and Gather, a social networking site.
Gather members are invited to share their best Halloween costume photos and enter to win a family photo session with a professional photographer, $50 Target gift cards, or a year’s supply of milk, all courtesy of the “Got Milk?” campaign.
But really, come on now, do you think your kid’s costume can hold a candle to mine? Especially since my girl has a mini-milk carton hot-glued right to her chest? That’s brilliant, if I do say so myself.
If you’re interested in taking the challenge, post your photo contest submissions to Gather’s Manic Mommies group using Gather’s new photo-sharing and digital album technology. Deadline is Thursday, Nov. 6. Photo entries will be judged in categories including Cutest Kids, Family Fun, Precious Pets, Most Creative and Milk Mustache.
Who couldn’t use a year’s supply of milk, especially in this sour economy.
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Sick kids: When to send ‘em to school and when to keep ‘em home?
It’s another frantic morning. You’re scurrying to get ready for work, inhale two cups of coffee and pack the diaper bag and/or the lunchbox when your child comes up to you and says: “Mommy, I don’t feel good. I’m too sick to go to school.”
Hmmm. You do the quick check. Nothing too alarming. But your child certainly isn’t his or her usual energetic self, either. It doesn’t look like you need to call the doctor, but what about school? Daycare?
What do you do? Do you call off work and keep your child home (so the child can rest and not spread germs to the other children)? Or does it seem like this is just a case of the sniffles and not enough to justify your child missing a day of school?
At some point, most every parent will have to make this choice — and you never have a lot of time to think about it. No doubt, it’s an important decision.
Popular medical resource site WebMD offers these general rules of thumb:
Fever: If your child’s temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, keep your kid at home. While at home, encourage your child to drink plenty of liquids. Your child should be fever-free for 24 hours (without medicine) before returning to school.
Mild cough/runny nose: Send ‘em to school or daycare.
Bad cough/cold symptoms: Keep your child home and call the doctor. It could be a severe cold or possibly bronchitis, flu or pneumonia.
Diarrhea or vomiting: Keep your child home until the illness is over, and for 24 hours after the last episode (without medicine).
Sore throat: A minor sore throat, don’t worry. But a severe sore throat could be strep throat even if there is no fever. Other symptoms of strep throat in children are headache and upset stomach. Keep your child home from school, and contact a doctor. Your child can return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.
Earache: Keep the child home. The child needs to see a doctor.
Pink eye: Keep the child home until a doctor has given the OK to return to school. Pink eye is highly contagious and most cases are caused by a virus, which will not respond to an antibiotic. Bacterial conjunctivitis will require an antibiotic; your doctor will be able to determine if this is the case.
Rash: Children with a skin rash should see a doctor, as this could be one of several infectious diseases.
Dayton Children’s Medical Center also offers the following advice for parents to help them make the right decision:
If children have flu symptoms, they should not go to class, says Sherman Alter, MD, director of infectious disease at Dayton Children’s. Symptoms include: Rapid onset of fever, headache, muscle aches and fatigue, and cough.
What to do if your child has flu symptoms (besides calling the doctor)? Dr. Alter says the best way to treat children who have the flu is to make sure they get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids and eat light, easy-to-digest foods. Parents can also give children an acetaminophen or ibuprofen for the fever and aches, but should not give their children aspirin. In some cases, it is normal for the flu to last a week or longer.
In October 2008, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association announced that children younger than age 4 should not be treated with over-the-counter cold and flu medicines. Parents should consult their physician for treatment options.
Some flu prevention techniques: Dr. Alter recommends parents and grandparents should get a flu shot to help prevent them from passing the flu to their children. The flu vaccine is now recommended for all children who are 6 months to 18 years old, with an emphasis on vaccinating those aged 6 to 59 months. It is very important to vaccinate children with medical conditions like asthma, diabetes and immunologic abnormalities.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that children who have never received the flu vaccine before and are 6 months to 8 years old need two doses of the vaccine for protection (vaccines given four to six weeks apart). Caregivers of children under age 5 should also receive the vaccine.
Even if you follow all the precautions, a child may still come down with the flu.
Other flu-prevention techniques: Some tips, beyond flu shots, to help prevent the flu from Hila Collins, RN, infectious disease nurse clinician at Dayton Children’s: Wash hands when they are dirty and before eating or handling food. Spend about 20 seconds washing hands. Do not cough or sneeze into your hands. Do not put your fingers into your eyes, nose or mouth. Nose picking and eye rubbing can be linked to nearly every respiratory illness.
Parents, share your strategies for coping with sick children here:
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Five things to do with your kids: Oct. 24-31
It’s the perfect weekend to celebrate Halloween early. Here’s how:
1. Boonshoft Museum of Discovery’s Howl-O-Ween: The annual Halloween event is Saturday, Oct. 25. Grab your costume, get ready for some trick-or-treating and get ready for some spooky fun like an alien autopsy, Moonwitch Space Theater show, Ghouls and Boos tattoos and a costume contest. Family four packs of tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door.
2. Kids Fest 2008 at The Greene: From 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Town Square, Kids Fest 2008 will take over, with live music, wax hands, inflatables, a magician and balloon artist. Costumes are welcome, but those dressed as themselves will have just as much fun. Bring your pet along for a costume parade and contest at 1:15 p.m.
3. Pick a pumpkin, enjoy a corn maze: If you haven’t picked a pumpkin yet for carving or decorating, you better hurry. Why not make pumpkin picking into a family outing while you’re at it. If you’re looking for something to do, go test your navigation skills at your pick of corn mazes and other farms offering fall family fun across the Miami Valley. Find locations, hours and prices in our online guide to fall fun in the DaytonDailyNews.com Halloween guide.
4. Kid-friendly Halloween fun at Kings Island: If you haven’t been there yet, the annual Nick or Treat at Kings Island theme park in Mason has gotten an upgrade this year. Dancing, ”scareoke”, a costume parade/contest (so don’t forget to dress your little ones in costume), pumpkin picking and painting, carnival games, a hay bale maze and, of course, trick-or-treat candy stops are just a few of the treats on tap at Howl-O-Fest. Nickelodeon Universe’s 18 attractions also will be open as Howl-O-Fest transforms the park into a party for pint-sized ghosts and goblins on Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 1. Free with park admission. Online ticket prices are $25.99 adults, $19.99 junior/senior (3 and up, under 48” tall and 62 and older). Hint, it will cost you much more if you buy at the gate, so buy tickets online before you go.
5. Go beg for candy, of course: It’s time for trick-or-treating. Dress your children up in adorable or scary costumes and scour the neighborhood for some sugary-sweet goodies. Not sure when Beggars Night is in your community? Check out the DaytonDailyNews.com Beggars Night guide for the answer. Happy trick-or-treating. Don’t forget to sneak a few pieces of candy for yourselves. We moms deserve it.
Got more ideas? Share ‘em here.
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Fun Halloween trick for your neighbors!
Want to create a little Halloween magic for your kids and your neighbors? Hop on the “Phantom Ghost” train!
To get the holiday spirit flowing among our pals, every year a few weeks before Halloween, my kids and I sneak through the shadows and perform a pumped-up version of “ding-dong-ditch.” Our two “victims” get a bucket of treats and get the chance to further the cause by spreading their own brand of spookiness to two more friends. Then they’ll boo two friends. And so on and so on, just like the Faberge Organic shampoo commercials of yore.
I don’t know where or when this tradition started, but I aim to help keep it alive. The kids really look forward to the activity. We even go shopping the day after Halloween to pick up bargains for next year’s boo-ing and tuck them away with our Halloween decorations so we know just where to find them.
Here’s what to do:
— First, head on down to your favorite discount store and grab up some ghoulish goodies: ghost Peeps, pumpkin pencils, scary stickers, candy corn candles — the possibilities are endless. You can assemble quite a stash for as little as $5 if you shop wisely. Also pick up two holiday containers of any kind, maybe reusable plastic buckets or even trick-or-treat bags. Use your imagination!
— Next, Google the “Phantom Ghost” to find a (semi-cheesy) rhyme explaining the game. Print two copies, one for each container. Here’s the letter I used this year:
The Phantom Ghost has come to town, To leave you some goodies, I see you have found. If you do not wish a curse to fall, Continue this greeting, this Phantom’s call.
First, post this Phantom where it can be seen, And leave it there until Halloween. This will scare other Phantoms who may visit. Be sure to participate, you don’t want to miss it!
Second, make two treats & two copies of this Ghost with a grin. Deliver them to two neighbors where this Phantom hasn’t been. Don’t let them see you, be sneaky, no doubt … And make sure they put their Phantom Ghost out!
You have only one day to act, so be quick! Leave it at doors where the Phantom hasn’t hit. Deliver at dark when there isn’t much light … Ring the doorbell and run, and stay out of sight!!
And last, but not least, come join in the season. Don’t worry, be happy, you need no good reason. This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say… HAPPY HALLOWEEN AND HAVE A GREAT DAY
— Then have the kids draw a picture of a happy ghost; copy it and stick one in each bucket along with a letter and some treats.
— Choose your victims carefully: Make sure you pick a family you think will do their duty to keep the game going.
— Now the fun part: At dusk, creep up to your friends’ door and DING-DONG-DITCH! (I usually park a few doors down and let the kids do the ditching then dart to the car under cover of darkness. When they were younger, I got to do the dirty deed.)
Maybe we’re just easily amused, but we get a kick out of walking around the neighborhood to see where our “ghosts” have traveled.
So hurry up and get to the store and start your own chain of ghouls!
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13 recession friendly toys
Christmas is usually the season of excess. But it doesn’t have to be.
With these tough economic times, most parents are looking for ways to tighten their budget — which will also mean shopping smarter this holiday season.
Luckily, Toy Wishes magazine has done some of the work for you and offers this list of the best “recession friendly” toys.
• Color A Purse, Alex, ages 7 and up, $19.99. Create your own stylish purse by coloring in butterflies, dragons and flowers. The toy includes six permanent markers in a pouch that you can color, too. This purse features a fuchsia background with lime green strap and border.
• Color Wonder Glitter Paint, Crayola, ages 3 and up, $13.99. This product makes painting fun and easy. Clear Color Wonder paint appears only on Color Wonder paper, and the glitter stays on the paper, which means no stains or mess.
• Chaotic: M’arrillian Invasion Starter Deck, 4Kids Entertainment, ages 8 and up, $14.50. This is the newest series in the Chaotic Trading Card Game, which integrates a collectible trading card game with a unique online multi-player experience.
• Cranium Family Edition, Hasbro Games, ages 8 and up, $19.99. This game gives families a chance to play together as a team in a game packed with 16 activities.
• Kooky Klicker Pens, Courage International, ages 3 and up, $3.99. These hand-painted pens are a collection of fun characters, each with different personalities and names.
• MagNEXT Deluxe System, MEGA, ages 6 and up, $19.99. This magnetic building system helps children engage in hours of building possibilities.
• Neopets Collectibles, JAKKS Pacific, ages 4 and up, $7.99. Neopets are virtual pets that inhabit the virtual world of Neopia. Visitors can create an account and take care of up to four virtual pets, buying them food, toys, clothes, and other accessories. Neopets are available in plush or in figurines.
• Nerf Peyton Manning Vortex Mega Howler/Hasbro, ages 5 and up, $9.99. Throw your football higher, farther, and faster with this rimmed ball. Its unique design makes a whistling sound when in the air to help little receivers catch the winning touchdown.
• Nick Jr. No-Spill Bubble Whistle, Little Kids, ages 3 and up, $3.99. Available in Nick Jr. favorites, inclucing Dora. This whistle features no dipping - just fill whistle with bubble fluid and blow. The whistle includes 2 ounces of bubble liquid and a neck cord.
• Polly Pocket Sparklin’ Pets Mobile, Mattel, ages 4 and up, $19.99. This fold-open vehicle lets girls help Polly and her pet friends travel and show. The set includes a trophy and ribbon collection to display, feeding and grooming accessories, Polly and fashions for the show.
• Road Construction Set, LEGO, ages 4 and up, $19.99. Little construction workers can build a truck, a front loader, a steamroller and more with this 300-piece set, including one mini-figure.
• Veggie Cutting Set, ImagiPlay, ages 3 and up, $19.99. This vegetable set helps children develop motor skills and coordination while encouraging them to learn about healthy food in a fun role-play environment. Segmented and secured with velcro for cutting over and over again, this toy changes to become pretend food when the children get older.
• Yo Gabba Gabba Muno’s Groovin’ Guitar, Spin Master, ages 2 and up, $19.99. Little ones can rock out to tunes from the Nick Jr. series “Yo Gabba Gabba.” The guitar can play 10 different tunes and make fun sounds with a whammy bar.
Moms, what do you think? Share your recession-friendly toy ideas here.
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Five things to do with your kids: Oct. 17-23
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Look no further:
1. Last chance to go to the Renaissance Festival: Grab the kids and head to Harveysburg for the final weekend of the Ohio Renaissance Festival. This weekend’s theme? Pleasures & Treasures Weekend. Crafters will demonstrate and feature unique items, including stone carving. And of course, there will be the usual mix of jousting, knights, dames and utensil-free food (perfect and perfectly fun for the little ones). Tickets are $19.99 for adults and $9.99 for children ages 5-12. Discount tickets are available online.
2. Earth Science week at the Boonshoft: Earth Science week continues through Saturday, Sept. 18, at Dayton’s Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. The museum is offering a series of programs focused on helping children actively explore the world around them. This year’s theme of “No Child Left Inside” features programs that emphasize the geosciences, including programs about clouds, weather, erosion and soil. Plus, enjoy the usual Boonshoft activities such as the Wild Ohio zoo, pretend play areas including a grocery store, courtroom, recycling center and veterinarian, as well as play areas complete with a gravel pit, water table and huge slide. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. General admission is $7 for ages 2-12 (children under 2 are free); $8.50 for adults; $7 for seniors; and free for museum members.
3. See traveling Smithsonian exhibit at Five Rivers MetroParks: The White House Garden, a nationally-renown Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibit, is opening Saturday, Oct. 18, at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave. The free exhibit will remain on display until Dec. 14. Visitors can learn to create floral designs patterned after the White House gardens or enjoy seminars by expert Bill Scarff, former White House plantings and design advisor, from 1-2 p.m. Oct. 18. Register online for any of the programs by calling (937) 277-6545 or visiting metroparks.org. And while you’re at Wegerzyn, don’t forget to stop by the Children’s Discovery Garden, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
4. Pick a pumpkin, enjoy a corn maze: If you’re looking for something to do, go test your navigation skills at your pick of corn mazes and other farms offering fall family fun across the Miami Valley. Find locations, hours and prices in our online guide to fall fun in the DaytonDailyNews.com Halloween guide.
5. Fun on the farm at Fall Harvest Jamboree: Enjoy a family day down on the farm during the Harvest Jamboree at Possum Creek MetroPark, 4790 Frytown Road, from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. This free family festival will feature bluegrass music, food, demonstrations of butter and jam making as well as antique farm equipment and children’s games. You can also take a hayride to visit farm animals, take a pony ride, listen to a story-teller, compete in a kiddie-tractor pull, decorate a pumpkin or compete in a sack race.
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The daily war over the hairbrush
One thing’s for sure. My 4-year-old daughter does not like to have her hair brushed (combed, touched or even looked at for that matter). In fact, it’s so bad that all I have to do is pick up a brush and she starts crying “it hurts” before I touch her hair.
Aah, yes, the young drama queen.
My daughter has long, naturally wavy hair, and she’s a very restless sleeper. Not a good combination. In the morning, she awakes to a knotted mess.
I’ve tried all the tricks. Special shampoo for wavy hair, conditioner for kids and even deep conditioning treatments for adults. I have more bottles of No More Tangles than you can possibly imagine.
My hair stylist hooked me up with a special brush that works well to control tangles and she showed me techniques on brushing hair (start at the bottom and work your way up).
I often braid her hair at night (though she complains that she doesn’t like to sleep with her hair pulled back at all, that it hurts.)
The morning routine is quite fun in our home, as you might imagine.
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Five things to do with your kids: Oct. 4-10
Looking for things to do this weekend or the rest of the week? Here are five ideas for fun with the little ones.
1. Get into the Boonshoft for free on Oct. 5: That’s right. From noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, Dayton’s Boonshoft Museum of Discovery will welcome one and all to its celebration of 50 years at the Ridge Avenue location. Admission is free, and a day of programming, shows and entertainment has been planned for those who knew the Boonshoft when it was the Dayton Society of Natural History, and those who are relatively new acquaintances.
2. Enjoy some family peace time at peace museum: Children and caregivers enjoy cultural events, crafts, games, music and more during Family Peace Time, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Dayton International Peace Museum, 208 W. Monument Ave., Dayton. (937) 227-3223.
3. Get in the Halloween spirit: During Halloween window painting and monster BINGO, children ages 6-12 can play monster bingo, create a Halloween craft and more, 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, Payne Recreation Center, 3800 Main St., Moraine. $1. (937) 535-1060.
4. Enjoy the fall with your baby. If you’re a stay-at-home mom or have the day off Oct. 8, treat your baby to some fresh, fall air while exploring leaves during Backpacking Babies, 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Sugarcreek MetroPark, 4178 Conference Road, Bellbrook. Free. (937) 438-5569. www.metroparks.org
5. Spiders aren’t all that bad: Learn with a story, craft and a spider safari in the park all about spiders just in time for Halloween, 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Eastwood MetroPark, 1385 Harshman Road, Dayton; meet at last parking lot. Free. (937) 278-2623. www.metroparks.org. Reservations required.
Have more ideas for family fun? Share ‘em here.
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Help break world reading record on Oct. 2
Want to help break a world-reading record (or just read your kids a really great book today?)
Today, Oct. 2, 2008, children in schools, libraries, stores, hotels, playgrounds, offices, and homes across the country are reading Corduroy. Written in 1968 by Don Freeman, Corduroy is the tale of a teddy bear waiting hopefully in a toy department to find a home. One night after the store closes, Corduroy comes to life and embarks on an adventure to find his missing button, and then ultimately finds a new home.
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a campaign designed to bring attention to the importance of early education. By encouraging hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read the same book on the same day, Jumpstart aims to break a world record and to make early education a national priority. Jumpstart also has donated thousands of books to low-income communities for children.
If you join in the reading campaign, be sure to visit Jumpstart’s Web site to register.
