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My letter to the president

(as published at http://mywashingtonstate.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/my-letter-to-the-president/)

October 18, 2012

 

Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States of America

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

My name is Taffy Gallagher and I am writing to commit my vote for your re-election and to thank you for your service. I have never doubted my choice or questioned your integrity or passion to lead our nation through our challenges. However, at this particular moment in time, I felt the need to more closely examine what this election means to me.

Through thoughtful examination of why I will vote for you, I have uncovered many reasons dating back generations. This election season, in particular, I am casting my vote on behalf of the people on whose shoulders I stand. My vote is an extension of my great-grandmother’s refusal to let an Alabama coal-mining company violently threaten the men she loved when they attempted to organize labor. My vote is on behalf of my grandfather who saved his family from extinction due to the support provided by the New Deal, specifically the Civilian Conservation Corps. My vote is for one grandmother who birthed and raised eight children, not because she wanted to, but because she did not have access to contraceptives, and my vote is for the other grandmother who was denied employment based on ethnicity. My vote says thank you to my father who served his country during the most controversial war we have ever known, one that resulted in scars that are still visible to thousands of Americans and have been discovered by yet another generation of warriors and families. My vote supports my mother who taught me the value of a strong work ethic and the importance of fighting for the rights of women.

Most importantly, my vote is to show my children that we honor and recognize the people who fought for us before we ever got here by continuing their efforts to deliver the citizens of our nation a more level playing field.

For all of these people, I again cast my ballot for Barack Obama.

Most respectfully,

Taffy Gallagher

Holiday Coupon Codes

The online store for Tuck Me In Cards is offering super deals for your holiday shopping.

Unique Holiday Gift & Stocking Stuffers

CODE: BLACK12
Good only on FRIDAY November 23, 2012. Free Shipping on ENTIRE order. Cannot be used with any other coupon.

CODE: CYBER12
Good only on MONDAY November 26, 2012. 30% off ENTIRE order. Cannot be used with any other coupon.

CODE: HOLIDAY12
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New review by Foster 2 Forever

Foster 2 Forever recently included a review of Tuck Me In Cards in an article about bedtime routines, titled

5 Tips to a Calmer Bedtime plus Giveaway

4. Engage in Meaningful Conversation

Just sitting and talking at the end of the day can have a calming effect on my boys. Sometimes we review everything that happened that day (and sometimes the choices that were made, along with other options).

But sometimes having a talk needs to be more light-hearted and like a game.

We use Tuck Me In Cards which are intentionally designed to help you create a meaningful connection with your child….

Click here to read the entire post.

Read the National Foster Parent Association review of Tuck Me In Cards.

Simple Birthday Traditions

Create your own family birthday traditions that your children will never outgrow. 

The focus of any birthday should be on appreciating the birthday person. Celebrate who they are by showing them you are delighted they are here. The focus does not have to be on spending money to show them with an extravagant gift, but spending thoughtful time acknowledging and honoring their life. And, the more simple and consistent we are with our annual traditions, the more likely they are to be continued and remembered.

As your family repeats these special moments, you’ll find that the memories multiply, get passed on to your children’s families and become more precious than any bought gift.

Here are a few ideas to consider. Pick one and adjust it for your family’s celebration, then let us know how it worked for you. Or, add your own experiences in a comment below.

Simple first birthday traditions

For the first birthday, we wait in anticipation, not a week goes by that we don’t see the changes in our child.

At the first birthday of a child, it’s time for parents to allow themselves a chance to feel relief. The transition into parenthood is not an easy road and parents should acknowledge the challenges they faced in the first year and mark the memorable occasions. A simple chat with your partner at bedtime to remember the sleepless nights, the diapers, the agonizingly slow movement of time, the amazingly rapid movement of time is a simple act that parents can repeat year after year.

For the child, a first birthday party can be overwhelming. They often become scared or over-stimulated by the sounds, the attention, the candles, the balloons, etc. Our advice is to keep it simple, keep it at home, keep it small. Ignore the idea that you MUST throw a party in a restaurant or at an event center that “takes care of everything.”

Select a celebration style that fits with your family values and remember that a simple birthday at home is often the best choice.

The birthday wish

Most often, the birthday person is the one making the wish after blowing out the cake candles. Instead, ask everyone to bring his or her wish for the birthday person on a wish slip. Include it in the invitation or email a copy to everyone. Collect them in a special box or envelope each year. They simple joy of reading them in the years to come is a gift of its own.

The birthday letter

Write a letter to your child on their birthday. Give yourself time to remember the accomplishments he or she has made in the past year and what they have to look forward to in the coming one. Be thoughtful and sincere about how you see them growing and what the future might hold.

The birthday library

Give your child a hardbound book each year as a special gift to grow their personal library. You can adhere a photo of the child from that year, write a note (or your letter from the previous suggestion) in the front cover. By the time they leave home, they’ll have a wonderful library of books given with thought.

Some of our favorites:

• Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
• Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin
• Bears in the Night by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien
• Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The birthday dinner

Allow your child to select the meal for their birthday. (The last one we prepared in our house was simple: fruit kebabs, rice, chicken, and orange soda.) Decorate the dining table with a special tablecloth used only for birthdays. Hang a birthday banner or balloons. One or two of these will help your child identify this day as a special one.

MORE IDEAS? Please post a comment below:

How to get more “QUALITY TIME” with your kids

Manufactured quality time is usually a lot of fun: baseball game with Dad, dinner and a movie with Mom, picnic at the beach, game night, etc. But, have you ever experienced a special moment with your child that didn’t require preparation, travel and expense?

Everyone likes to feel important by contributing to a larger outcome or purpose, so try involving the kids in daily activities and you might experience a result that is just as effective as preplanned quality time. For older kids, who require less concentration to complete the monotonous jobs such as peeling potatoes, the activity can produce side-by-side conversation during which they share more than a typical face-to-face interaction. Young people are more likely to share feelings and dreams when they’re not looking directly into your eyes. (Bonus: you’re transferring jobs to someone else, you’re teaching your kids a little self-sufficiency, and you might learn something new about your teenager.)

“Anybody who knows the difference between the kind of conversation you have walking in the woods and the kind of conversation you have between the segments of a show on Nickelodeon can tell you that quality time exists. Quality time is when you and your child are together and keenly aware of each other. You are enjoying the same thing at the same time, even if it is just being in a room or going for a drive in the car. You are somehow in tune, even while daring to be silent together.” – Louise Lague

Here are a few suggestions that work with the young children in my house. Please share your suggestion or idea by posting it in the comments section below.

Cleaning:
Children want to help. They want to be near you. They want to have a purpose. Who cares if it doesn’t get done perfectly. The point is to connect with them by involving them in the running of the home. Work with them as they grow to help them master the skill before they move out…

• Give them a spray bottle of vinegar and water and a rag/paper towel. Let them wash the windows, mirrors, cabinets
• Scrub the toilet
• Stock bathrooms with toilet paper
• Vacuum. (My boys seem to enjoy cleaning the spilled cereal, flour, etc. with the small hand-held vacuum.)
• Matching socks
• Folding washcloths and small towels
• Separate clothing by owner

Cooking & Dining:
Plan for extra time. Be patient. Laugh when it spills.

• Give them skill and age appropriate tasks such as measuring, pouring, stirring, chopping.
• Put basic pantry and refrigerated/frozen items within reach and teach your children how to identify each. Then, have them retrieve and put away ingredients. (Cereal, bread, waffles, syrup, ketchup, milk,
• Napkins at each place setting.
• Set the table. Consider keeping your plates and cups on a lower shelf so little ones can reach.
• Clear the table

Outside:

• Watering
• Weeding
• Pruning
• Digging
• Painting
• Planting

Organizing:

• Sort the mail
• Stack the magazines, newspapers, books
• Sort the recycling into bins

Do you have an everyday activity that helps connect you with your child?
Please share your suggestion or idea by posting it in the comments section below.

Thanks!

Celebrate Spring with Bird Nest Cookies

Bird Nest Cookies

Bird Nest Cookies (AKA Speed Cookies, Haystacks, and in some circles: Bear Poop Cookies) are an easy way to let your little ones create something special for Spring.

My Mom and I used to make these every year just before Easter, and I started the annual family ritual with my little ones this year. I think they enjoyed sharing them with teachers and classmates more than I enjoyed watching them create the nests.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. butter
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. milk
• 6 T. cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla
• 2 c. shredded coconut (sweetened)
• 3 c. Quick Oats
• 1/4 c. milled flax seed

1. Lay two strips of wax paper
2. Melt butter in large sauce pan.
3. Add sugar, milk, and cocoa.
4. Cook to dissolve sugar. (1-2 mins)
5. Add vanilla, coconut, oats, and flax seed.
6. Stir well.
7. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.
8. Place three jelly beans in the center and press down slightly. (Let your little ones help during this step. They LOVE the freedom of selecting the colors and watching a tiny bird nest take shape. And, if they press a little too firmly, simply push it all back together into the a nest shape.)
9. Let cool. (The cookies harden as they cool.)

*Makes approx. 36 cookies

 

HAPPY SPRING!

Getting creative at bedtime

 

Animation by Anna Bron.

We had a great time working with an animator we found through Elance. She provided us with creative artwork and taught us a little something about creating a simple visual story from a tangle of ideas.

Let us know (by commenting below) what you think about our latest video for Tuck Me In Cards!

Tuck Me In Cards are a great way to connect with young children at bedtime (or anytime).

• Foster parents use them as a way to ease the anxiety of new placements.
• Parent educators incorporate them into their curriculum.
• Teachers have fun exploring the topics at lunch time.
• Grandparents love sharing stories with their grandchildren.
• Parents find that it helps close the day with a meaningful interaction.
• Kids enjoy the one-on-one time with an adult they love.

Get yourself a set today!