Keeping the Love Alive Even with Small Children

Every family has gone through it – lots of passion and spice in your relationship and then the children come along. Somewhere along the way those alone times you used to spend with each other are replaced with babies, children crawling into bed with you in the middle of the night, overly busy schedules, etc.

It’s important that while you’re doing your best to raise your family you don’t lose sight of what brought you together as a couple. Here are some great ways to help keep the love alive even if you have small children in the home.

• Flirting isn’t just for dating. Send your significant other a love note, a sweet text message or just an email that says you can’t wait for the two of you to be alone. Compliment each other, let the small chores go to spend an extra few minutes together, make a lunch date once a month and KEEP it!

• Can’t go out on a date? Make a date at home. Cook dinner together, light some candles and spend the evening catching up. Make it a later dinner after your kiddos are in bed.

•  Don’t forget the little things. Go to bed at the same time. This may sound silly and simple but you’d be surprised at how effective this is. It’s difficult to keep romance alive when one spouse comes to bed after the other is already asleep. Never miss a chance to hug or kiss your spouse “just because.”

Keep in mind that your children will eventually grow and leave you to lead lives of their own. It’s important that you keep “investing” in your personal relationship with each other so that when you are alone again you still enjoy each other as much as you did before the children came along. 

Financial Planning for Your Baby’s College Years

One day you’re bringing your new little bundle of joy home from the hospital, the next day they’re off to kindergarten and the day after that they are off to college. Ok, it’s not QUITE that fast but you get the idea – time flies when you’re having fun. Because it won’t be long until your baby is heading to college it’s important that you start saving for that time now. In fact, if you haven’t started planning, preparing and saving by the time your child enters kindergarten, you’re just about five years behind the eight ball.

Even if you haven’t started until after your child is of school age, it’s never too late to get moving. However, be sure that you are being realistic in your planning. The average cost of tuition at a public university is almost $43,000 and a private school can cost almost $110,000 – increasing more than 40% over the past ten years and will without a doubt continue to rise. Many schools offer prepaid tuition programs that freeze the current rates to allow you to pay off the tuition.

There are also state-operated college savings plans called Section 529 plans. These allow not only parents but also grandparents, relatives and even friends to put money aside to help offset your child’s tuition expenses.

Another option you may have is to invest in an educational savings account. While these accounts are typically small – only $2000 per year – it’s still a help with books and supplies even if it doesn’t do much to offset the high cost of tuition.

Before you can truly prepare for your child’s education costs, you should first have your own solid, financial plan and make sure your goals are prioritized so you know the exact steps you’ll need to take to reach them.

How to Find the Right Bike for Your Child

With bicycling listed as the second most popular outdoor activity in the US, it only makes sense that sometime in the possibly not-so-distant future you will be looking for a new bike for your child.

When you first start looking, the massive wall of bikes at your bike shop or retailer can be overwhelming to say the least. There are a lot of options to choose from and it may be difficult to know which one is right for your child if you aren’t sure what to look for.

The most important thing and first decision to be made is about the size of the bike. Bikes for children are measured by the wheel’s diameter and can be from twelve to 24 inches. The size you’ll need depends on your child’s age and either his or her height or leg length. An easy example – a two-year-old will likely start on a 12-inch bike.

To make sure the bike has a proper fit with your child, have he or she sit on the bike with hands on the handlebars. A bike that is a good fit will allow your child to sit comfortably on the bike with both feet on the ground.

Safety is also very important and no bike purchase is complete without a helmet. By purchasing a helmet with your child’s first bike, you are setting them on a course of good, solid habits early on, not to mention, some states – like Maryland – require helmets for any bike riders under the age of 16. Helmets can come in all shapes and sizes so be sure to pick one that fits properly: it should be tight against the back of your child’s head while the front is parallel with the eyes.  The helmet should also sit two fingers’ width above your child’s eyebrows.

You may also want to consider bells or horns for your child’s bike as a further added safety precaution. It never hurts to have your child get in the habit of alerting people that a little one is scooting by.

How Not to Feel Guilty About Leaving Your Kids in Summer Camp

While for some parents, sending their children to camp for the majority of the summer seems as natural as breathing, while for others it’s an 8-week guilt trip.

It is difficult for us as parents to send our children away for extended periods of time, especially when the children suffer from being homesick – don’t worry, homesickness is normal! Here are a few tips to help you and your children get through the first few days of being apart:

     ·         In the months leading up to leaving summer camp, do a couple of “dry runs” and spend time apart from your children. Send them to sleepovers at friends or even to spend a few days with grandparents or other relatives.

      ·         Let your child or children help in choosing the camp. The more they are involved with the process, the more excited they will be when the time comes.

      ·         Talk about what will go on at camp – using outdoor restrooms, keeping a flashlight handy, etc.

      ·         Send one of their favorite personal items from home – maybe their favorite stuffed animal and even send a letter to your child so that it arrives the first day of camp.

       ·         Do NOT bribe your child to stay at camp!

The inevitable “I hate it here and want to come home” phone call will happen. The best thing to do is stay calm, reassure your child that it will get better and to give it a few more days. Avoid that first instinct to “save” your child and rush right there to pick him or her up. When you talk to your child in a few days, you can re-evaluate the homesickness and see if it really is an urgent case or not.

Lastly, don’t feel guilty about leaving your child at summer camp. This is their first chance to experience independence on some level – encourage them to make the most of it.