Family Bonding

A pleasant home atmosphere in which children are comfortable is paramount for healthy family relationships.  Minimum personal time and space gives family members an opportunity to dream, plan and reflect.  Balance between group time, partnerships, and individual time ensures that each child learns from and shares with a variety of family members. 

Some of the most memorable group pastimes that I recall spending with my family occurred inside our home.  One of the activities that the entire family enjoyed was playing games together.  There was Scrabble, Chess, Bingo, Monopoly and others.  Board games brought us together in a way that left us yearning for more.  At other times we assembled jigsaw puzzles, played cards, and had potluck meals where each family member made a dish for dinner.   

Outdoor togetherness can also be a load of fun.  Hikes in local hilly areas, dodge ball or a walk to the store with the family is healthy in a number of ways.  Yard work and gardening can turn into a blast.  Local and national news usually announce noteworthy "sky shows" that occur this time of year.   Meteor showers and distinctive constellations of the stars in the universe are as entertaining as a movie and as educational as a planetarium viewing.

Now, when reminiscing with my adult children, they refer to those times as the “good ol’ days”.

Power of Patience

Recently, I made the request of a printing company to copy and staple booklets with a special front cover for a childcare program.  The order was placed and promised the evening prior to the following morning program for 1000 copies; therefore, there was little room for error.  With assurance from the technician who would make the copies, I went back home for the day while the order was filled.

Upon my return, the books were complete. I was delighted at the appearance for they looked spectacular.  As I examined one booklet, then two…ten, I discovered that the front cover and the first two pages were upside down.  Yikes!  I calmly showed the technician the mistake.  He spoke to his manager and they agreed that the problem could be fixed within three hours.  The redo required that the books be unstapled, reassembled and restapled. They asked if I would be patient with them and wait until the “redo” was complete.  I said, “Of course,” and waited in the lobby. 

While sitting there waiting, I overheard discussions of other customers.  One lady complained that she thought the color paper she chose was darker and was unhappy with her copies.  Another argued that he wanted his picture ½ inch larger to better show his club pin.  As another patron angrily whined that he was next in line, I recognized the frustrated look of the technicians, who were all working diligently to correct the mistakes made with the copies that I ordered. 

I got an idea.  As I was just sitting there waiting, I thought, “Why not make the situation better for all by assisting with the staple removal of "my" booklets?  I volunteered, they accepted with glee, and the job was done inside of two hours. 

To my surprise, management cheered me on when the job was complete.  They were grateful that I was patient, pointed out the error with a smile, and helped them to remedy the situation.  They gave me various types of company souvenirs, and best of all, the $700 order was free!

Summer Enhancement Activities for Children

Spring is in full bloom, ads for various camps are popping up and school will be over within the upcoming weeks.  The message written here is for parents interested in strategies for getting or keeping children engaged during the summer.  Unless children and/or parents have ideas for a fun, productive school break, summer can be quite boring with few memorable occasions worth noting.  Organized programs offer a no-nonsense approach to long-term entertainment; however; can be difficult to secure.  If formal, daily scheduling is unavailable, then there are very practical, enjoyable, skill building activities that parents can plan with their children, often including friends. 

A convenient way to think of a activities is in terms of themes.  Some useful themes that are sure to add dimension to a child’s creativity are: household projects; crafts; career exploration; community service or academic reinforcement. There are others; however, these are suggestions in which children in a variety of age groups can participate. Further description of each suggested project will clarify how these activities can provide a boredom-free summer. 

Household Projects -.  You or your children can decide upon terms of the endeavor(s).  Depending on the approach, small, left-undone repairs could be made to the home one tool at a time. Window washing, landscape gardening, storage space arranging, and ceiling and exhaust fan cleaning are great ways to freshen a home.  It could equate to unforgettable bonding for the entire family.

Crafting - A variety of ideas can be based on hobbies or needs.  This is a good time to make gifts for family and friends that could be used for special occasions.  The joy of giving a hand made present made with love is quite fulfilling. A handmade throw; or even simple pastimes, i.e. jigsaw puzzles, placed in a picture frame; can be donated to day care centers or other facilities that accept gifts of the kind.

Career Exploration - A topic that cannot begin to early, career exploration should start with tangible activities.  Pretend play for a child can lead to a discussion about the career area that they mimic.  A view  of household chores can certainly help children better understand the world-of-work. Meal preparation could be compared to a chef's duties, etc.  Care of a pet is connected to veterinary or pet shop talk.  Also, summer is a good time for children to talk to adults about careers that they now enjoy, or previously enjoyed.  Family members and friends would be a good starting place for these conversations.

Community Service – On college and job applications, young people will be asked to address the amount and kind of community service that they have served.  By the end of the eighth year of middle school, a child should get involved in volunteer service to the community.  It is a great way for them to learn about the needs of others and the neighborhood in which they live.

Academic Reinforcement – As individually needed, summer is a great time to strengthen skills in areas that require enhancement.  Reading, writing and mathematics skill building are basic areas that can lead to better performance across the board academically.  Reading books, audio books, and writing and math workbooks can be helpful, as well as entertaining.  Word games like “jumble”, “Sudoku” and “word find”  help an individual build stronger relationships with words and numbers.

Whatever you choose, proceed with a joy.

Chonce, the Squirrel

Chonce, the Squirrel

This is the story of a squirrel.  I’ll call him Chonce (chon-see).  The squirrel, like other adaptable animals, has learned to coexist with mankind almost as well as cats and dogs.  Some of us have been known to keep them as pets.  Of course, unlike cats and dogs, squirrels are much more independent.  They spend their days gathering goods (nuts, etc.) for survival.  Busy finding resources and making decisions on their existence, they scurry about from woods to yard to garden.   As the squirrel scuttles around from day to day managing their affairs, they can experience busy traffic while crossing roads.  So, imagine the picture of a squirrel dashing across the street through the windshield of an oncoming car.

While visiting a college campus yesterday, I walked upon a squirrel that, obviously, had been killed, flattened by a vehicle's very large tire.   The hair of its body, including the varied color of the stripe on its back, could be seen in perfect order.  It was as if the scene was an aerial view of a squirrel, lying on its belly in the street.  

The memory of a squirrel dancing back and forth came to mind.  They try to decide the right way to go to avoid collision with an oncoming automobile, for a move in the wrong direction can be ultimately fatal.  It is sad, but we can learn something from Chonce.  The name Chonce was given him because of the (cho)ices he makes and the cha(nce)s he takes.

What can we learn from this invaluable, unfortunate creature?

“Should you find yourself standing in the middle of the road, choose wisely your next step!”

Tribute to Mothers

Tribute to Mothers

In honor of all the mothers in the world, listed below are some of the invaluable things these special women in your life may have taught.

                                               

Mothers teach:

Resilience; home remedies for health; how wonderfully fabulous you are; perseverance; that giving and receiving are both honorable; compassion; to say “thank you”; that it’s ok to be me; that lamps come in a variety of watts; the importance of following your dreams; family dedication; that” self preservation is the first law of nature”……

Why………We use face cream; outdated foods should be discarded……      

When to……...  Shut up and listen; see a doctor……              

How to………Brush my teeth; cross a street; pick best produce in a store; clean a

bathroom; order food from a menu; plant a flower; mail a letter; make a one-pot meal; wash/rinse my hair; sew on a button and stitch a hem; balance a check book/bank account; launder clothes; apologize when necessary; pick fruits/vegetables from a garden……

The most memorable practice that I learned from mother, by watching her daily, is “Prayer”.

Our mothers often give us special gifts of knowledge that empower us to be self-reliant when we need it most.  To better future generations, “pass it on”.

Technology and the Underachiever

Today is the first day of "MimeofLife".  This blog site is created to share the many thoughts that I have about the "situation rooms" of life.  It will surely spark the interest of some, tap the ideas of others and validate the like minds out there that connect with my sentiments.

My first concern is with computer knowledge.  Yesterday, a twenty-two year old college student asked me, “Why are your computer skills much more advanced than mine?  You’re a lot older than I am.  I should know more than you.”

Her tone was very “matter-of-fact”, but innocent.  Clearly, I came of age several decades before she was born.  My instincts tell me that any one under the age of 40 should be highly functional in the technology realm.  However, does my age determine whether or not my technological skills are competent? 

Technology is no longer new.  It just “is”……  How do we learn to efficiently use computers, cell phones (and all its options), microwave ovens, ATM machines, Wi-Fi, hot spot, social networking, the connections between each, “and on and on and on?”  Who is minding the training store? 

Technology changes very rapidly, day to day.  If these modern conveniences are to make my life better, how do I keep in step with the pace?

Some technological things I never learned: 

    (1) To set a microwave oven to varying temperatures, i.e., low, medium or high?

    (2) The use of “Print Screen” key on a computer?

    (3) The bulbs to use in three way lamps when traditional bulbs are banned?

    (4) How to use computer programs other than “Word” and “Powerpoint”?  

    (5) Does “mechanically separated chicken” mean more than using a machine on a bird?  

    (6) Fossil fuel comes from burning what?

    (7) How to set up a blog site?

As technological mechanisms in the world evolve and change, it seems that with no instruction, apparently we are “just supposed to know”.