Money Matters: Going for quality is always a smart move

You've likely received your January credit card bill in the mail by now with it's long list of December purchases of food and gifts for the holiday season. 

The timing can never be good for bills but I always find January to be particularly difficult. Maybe because it's followed so closely by the end of March when we pay taxes that weren't deducted at source. Oh, and if you have any spare cash lying around it would be a good idea to make that RRSP contribution. And now that the new year has started, I'm free to put another $5,000 into my Tax Free Savings Account if I happen to have it stuffed in the mattress.

If money isn't already on your mind most of the time, it's likely front and centre right now. And if you don't have much of it, it's critical to be smart with the little you have.

This past weekend we went shopping for a new couch for our livingroom. The old one didn't owe us anything after 20+ years with my parents, my sister, then us. The first place we went to had a very nice couch but it was a bit outside our price range. The second place had a couch we liked but was also more than we wanted to pay. After some back and forth with the salesman, the price came down. And down. And down. Then the 5 year warranty was added, no extra charge. 

I asked for a few minutes to think things over and was sitting alone on the couch when I noticed the couch in front of me had a big rip in the back. Oh my gosh, was that the same manufacturer? I hopped up to check, couldn't see a label but it was a similar style and fabric so I was guessing yes. Then I had a closer look at the couch we were considering buying. Oh oh. I called over my husband and pointed out all the open seams, the way the legs were attached, my goodness it was not well made. Now it was clear why the price had plummeted more than $300 in less than 5 minutes of conversation.

We went back to Stop #1 to have a closer look at the first couch. Every seam was sealed. The quality far surpassed the other one, there was no comparing the two. So we had a re-think. We knew that whatever we bought was going to last us for a very long time and sure this one was more expensive but in the long run, it certainly looked like it would go the distance.

Sold. We opted for quality because I still believe you get what you pay for. So stay tuned. In 20 years I'll let you know if our new couch is still holding up.

Getting Exercise in the Winter. It's not as hard as you think

When I was training and I HAD to be out in all sorts of miserable conditions because the sky really would fall if I missed a workout, I didn't enjoy it I just did it. But now that I'm not training and I don't have to be out at all, I find myself thinking it doesn't look so bad out there and maybe I should venture forth with the kids.

Getting exercise in the wintertime may take a little more effort than throwing on a pair of runners and grabbing the bike helmet but it's worth it. A few phone calls or a few websites visited and you'll have options to lay out for the kids:

• Family Skates at the local arena are usually scheduled on the weekends or on a Friday night. Sometimes they are sponsored by a local politician or a local coffee chain so entry is free. Even if you have to pay, it's usually inexpensive. You can go any time during the few hours that the Family Skate is scheduled. 
• does your town have an outdoor skating oval? Outdoor skating ovals that are maintained by your town have arena-quality ice surfaces that make skating a bit easier for everyone. Evening floodlights and park closures at 11pm mean it's your schedule that determines when you go not theirs.
• pond skating is always preferred over rink skating. Once the weather has been cold for a while, detour past your local pond to check the ice condition. Your town likely posts a board or coloured markers to let you know. They may leave the Caution marker up for weeks even though they're using the tractor plow to clear the snow off the ice. When conditions are safe, get your kids out on the pond. Learning to skate over bumps and cracks is a sure-fire way to improve balance and turn good skaters into great ones. 
• If skating isn't your thing, build a snowman or a fort. The kids love it. Need proof? Go look at a local school yard to see what the kids accomplish during recess.
• Tobogganing on some local hills is a thrill for everyone. Bring back your own childhood memories, assuming your kids will let you have a turn. And chugging back up the hill just makes that downhill ride all the more enjoyable.
• Check the Family Swim schedule at your local community centre. They usually add more Family Swims during the Christmas Break and March Break. Watch the age limits for the kids; some Swims are for parents with young children only, other Swims are for children over the age of 6.
• Go for a walk at night to admire the Christmas lights. This is by far one of my most favourite winter activities. Usually the wind has dropped so it's not as cold as during the day. Wrap the kids up and get them out there. Find the moon, look for the evening star. Everyone can have their own hot chocolate; a straw fits very well in the mouth slot for the mugs the kids are using. Choose different routes and check out what your neighbours have done.

There is no denying that exercise takes effort. But when the biggest effort is coming up with something to do, remind yourself that sometimes the simple things count the most. By the time everyone has their jackets and mitts and boots on, chance are your kids will have thought up a ton of neck-breaking activities to fill in the next few hours.

Make plans for Family Literacy Day, January 27

Yesterday my son brought home a notice about Family Literacy Day on January 27. The notice had a number of suggested activities that we can complete together as a family leading up to that date. The activities are laid out in a Bingo card format and the idea is for families to complete as many activities together as possible. The students return their sheets to school on the 27th for a chance to win a book and a gift card from Chapters. 

The activities on the sheet are wide-ranging. Apparently Literacy can be a broad term. "Fix or build something around your home" is one of the boxes so I guess they're assuming you'll be referring to a manual if you decide to put up some drywall with your kids.

Other suggestions were; Make a craft together, Count out the money together when shopping, Choose a book to read to your whole family, Make alphabet soup and make words out of the letters, Read at home for 30 minutes. 

All the suggestions are excellent and they all have the underlying theme of encouraging activities that bring families together. But in some ways it makes me sad that these reminders have to be said in the first place. I often hear parents say "it's faster if I do it myself". True enough but before you know it, the kids will be grown and gone and you'll be doing it by yourself all the time. 

For me, I try to make every day Family Literacy Day.

Traveling with your Toddler? Maybe you should pack a Child Harness

If you are planning a trip for March Break you may want to consider packing a Child Harness for your little one.

Since you don't use a harness at home, why would you need one when traveling? A couple of reasons come to mind. 

If your trip involves taking a flight, you'll likely have to arrive at the airport early which may translate into an extended period of waiting before your flight boards. Furthermore, if  your child's stroller has been checked with the rest of your luggage, you won't have it with you while you wait. But filling in that time by going for a walk is an excellent opportunity for everyone to get some exercise, especially your little one, and having them on a harness while doing so will keep everyone together.

Traveling is exciting for all family members, including yourself. There is lots to see and do. But you're likely to have a heightened sense of paranoia in a new place and looking around to enjoy the sites while keeping your eyes on your walking toddler may be more stressful than you thought. Having them safely on a harness at your side will allow you to walk with your head up and your eyes a-gander most of the time.

Whether you're at home or away, your child's stroller still morphs into a magnet on wheels for all sorts of stuff that comes from nowhere. Before you know it it's carrying everything BUT your child. But that's fine if you have a harness for them. They can walk and you can continue to shop. When they're tired, they can lay on top of everything to keep it from falling off.

Where you're headed should also be a consideration when thinking about whether or not a harness would come in handy. If you're visiting a major theme park such as Disney almost every child you see will be wearing a harness so you'll blend right in.

small stuff sack

If you have never used a harness with your child but are thinking of getting one specifically for a trip, it would be a good idea to order it in advance so everyone has a chance to get used to it prior to departure. My Child Harness comes with it's own stuff sack so it's easy to tote along and toss in your purse - NOT your luggage!! - to have on hand whenever the occasion arises. It may quickly become an essential item that you won't leave home without.

Kids and Physical Activity. They should meet more often.

Yesterday there was yet another report from Stats Canada about the inactive youth in our country and I must say the numbers were more shocking than I had imagined. 

Of kids aged 6 to 19 years, only 7% were "active enough to make health gains".

For children and youth, 8.6 hours (62%) of their waking hours were spent being sedentary and this increased to 9+ hours for children aged 15 to 19 years. The percentages of obesity among young boys and girls aged 6 to 10 was also disturbing; 8% and 5% respectively.

Why has physical activity essentially disappeared from the lives of our children? What can we do to get it back? As a parent, what examples are you setting for your kids? Could you lose a few pounds yourself? According to the report, chances are you could.  

Oh come on, don't shoot the messenger.

Adding small doses of physical activity to your day can be as simple as walking to the end of the street with your kids after dinner. Ask how their day was. Ask questions so they tell you more. It's amazing how much happens in their worlds and when given the chance, they'll tell you everything. Soon that walk to the end of the street will turn into walks around the block.

What about bike riding? Do the kids have bikes? If they are riding and you are walking, you'll be able to stay out longer and walk further while the kids ride ahead.

Walk your kids to school if you can. Bizarre idea? What's bizarre to me is seeing the long line of cars at the front of the school every morning to drop the child right at the door. Can you park a few blocks away and walk at least that distance to school? Once a week maybe? For your kid's sake? 

TV, video games, computer time, there are lots of convenient excuses and pleasant distractions to keep all of us sitting around at home. But speaking from experience, there are lots of equally pleasant distractions outdoors too that are worth exploring at least a few times a week.

Introducing your older child to their new Child-to-Adult Harness

If you are considering one of my Child-to-Adult Harnesses for a larger toddler or someone with special needs, you may be wondering how your child will react to wearing their new harness.

Well, I've got good news. 

Chances are excellent, even more than excellent, that they will take to their new harness like a bee to honey. 

Shocked? Me too. 

I'll admit that I have been thrilled with the feedback I've received over the years from parents who have told me they had no trouble getting their child to wear the harness. I thought surely there would be issues. The harness is Strange, it's New, it's Unfamiliar. But when the parents started telling me more about their child's reactions to their new harness, it all began to make sense.

For the most part, before the harness arrived these children were constantly held in a death grip by their wrist, hand, shirt collar, pants belt, jacket, sleeves, hood, whatever was available. See my earlier post "Are you using your children's clothing as a harness?" These kids had NO FREEDOM. They never had their hands free. They never had the sensation of walking ahead of Mommy. They were constantly grabbed and being pulled along or they were constantly pulling against someone.

And from the parent's point of view, you're darn right the child was clung too. When your child has a habit of running off in a flash, you're not likely to let go.

Which is why the harness was necessary in the first place. And once the harness arrives and the child has a chance to wear it, all sorts of new sensations open up for them.

They have their hands free! They can walk 'alone'! They can move around and Go Here and Go There without struggling against the weight of an adult immediately by their side. In many ways, their whole world changes and they have the chance to experience a sense of freedom they've not felt before. 

Parents often tell me that their non-verbal child will bring the harness to them as a signal that they want to go out. I've also heard plenty of times that their child likes wearing it even in the house (see my earlier post "The Hug Factor in my Child-to-Adult Harness").

So if you're thinking of ordering a harness but are not sure how it will go once you receive it, have faith that it's worth taking the chance. Odds are good it will work out just fine for both of you.

Kids have a poor diet? Let them make dinner!

It's a miracle that neither of my children have scurvy. The statistical side of my brain highly doubts they are getting all the vitamins, minerals and fats their growing bodies need from the 3 or 4 items they agree to eat. But amazingly enough, they still have hair and fingernails and teeth and are still outgrowing their clothes. 

I've always had the boys help in the kitchen, stirring flour and baking powder and mixing the eggs and butter, but recently with the cold weather I dusted off the slow cooker and implemented some Child Labour. Time for the 6 and 7 year olds to make dinner.

And yes, I did have an ulterior motive. 

I had a feeling the boys would be more likely than not to eat a dinner they had made entirely on their own.

I suggested a turkey stew, they agreed (thank goodness) and before bed that night they went to work. Out came the slow cooker pot, the knife, chopping board, vegetables, spices, measuring cups and measuring spoons. The 6 year old likes to stand on the stool, the 7 year old prefers to squat like a Bedouin on the counter. They did everything, from measuring the water and spices to chopping the carrots, celery and onions. Pieces were big, mind you, because the vegetable was always secured with a foot at one end while the knife worked away at the other. Once, when the piece of carrot was particularly huge, I told them the pieces had to fit on a spoon so out came a spoon and each severed piece was placed on the spoon before receiving approval and entering the pot. Then they switched and the younger one cut the celery while the older one did the Quality Control. Cutting the onion was not a popular chore and they both decided that would be my role in future. 

And so it went. 

In the morning, I put in the turkey thighs and the youngest turned the slow cooker on Low. There was much discussion on the way to school about having the turkey stew that night. They were both so excited when I made such a big deal over them making dinner.

And the results of this Experiment? First of all, it was absolutely delicious. Other findings: the oldest ate a full bowl; carrots, celery, onion, meat, it all went down like nobody's business. The youngest had the broth and most of the pasta letters. Strides for him, believe me.

And me? Well, statistically speaking the results may not have been significant but I'm feeling better about the odds of their diets improving.