Friday’s Discussion Topic:

How are birthdays celebrated in your home?

My son recently turned seven and this was the first year that we let him have a friend party.  Typically we do a family party at home.

He was able to invite five other friends over and then we took all six boys bowling.  It went much better than expected.  All the boys were very well behaved and had a lot of fun together.  The best part: I served the cake at the bowling alley which meant there was no crumb clean up for me! WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like I said, we had a great time with the boys.  However having a friend birthday party meant we still had to do a family gathering.  Two parties can get rather expensive and chaotic.  I’m not sure how we will do it next year.

How do you handle birthday parties?

Do you do two separate parties?

Ideas…Comments…Suggestions….

Do you remember looking for Waldo growing up?

The first Where’s Waldo book was released in 1987.  In my mind, I was very young when these books came out.  Reality:  Not so much.  Once I did the math, I realized that these books came out when my younger brother was little, which means I was a teenager.  But no matter what the age, I remember enjoying the challenge of trying to find Waldo.

Now as an adult I am still trying to find Waldo.  This time I am looking for him with my own children.  And it is sad to report that on some pages my 3 1/2  year old can find him before I can.

I knew my son would enjoy the Waldo books but I was very surprised to find that my preschooler likes the books as well.  I figured it would be too difficult or her attention span would get the best of her.  However she will sit with these books for quite some time looking for Waldo.

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Did you know that today is National Pancake Day?

Yes, Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 is National Pancake Day!

What does this mean?  This means that if you go to IHOP today, you can receive one free short stack (three) of their famous buttermilk pancakes.  In return they ask that you make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network.

For more information on free pancakes, check out their website: IHOP

Tip of the Day:

Go enjoy pancakes at IHOP or make your own at home.

Has your son/daughter been in school for 100 days yet?

My son came home from school on Friday and shouted, “On Monday, it will be my 100th day of school!”

He seemed very excited for this special occasion.  When I asked him if there were going to be fun activities planned for the day he replied, “No.”

The fact that he knew it was going to be the 100th day of school has led me to believe that his teacher probably has some fun activities planned.  Why discuss it in class if you are not going to incorporate it into a lesson?  We’ll see what he says when he comes home today.

I decided that I would have a back up plan just in case there are no 100th day activities done at school.

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Friday’s Discussion Topic:

Can your children pick out their own outfits?

I love it when I see a child at school or in the store and I know that they picked out their own clothes.  How do I know this?  Usually it is a little girl wearing her rain boots with purple tights, yellow shorts and a lime green shirt.  Once it was the little boy with his pants on backwards, a Halloween cowboy vest and green mittens.

No matter what the combination is, I think it is great.  If they took the time to think about what they wanted to wear and then put themselves in the outfit, I say more power to them.

I will say that on occasion I will “recommend” an outfit to my children.  Or if my daughter tries to wear a summer dress in the middle of winter, I will give her a few other options.  However for the most part, I let them pick their clothes.

I do know some people that do not let their children pick out their own outfits.  The clothes are laid out each morning and there is no discussion on the matter.

What is the outfit policy at your home?

Do you veto an outfit if it is a special occasion?