Happy Family

Second only to Christmas, the holiday that Kids look forward to the most is Halloween.  Picking out costumes, decorating Spooky places and eating candy corn.  Witches, ghosts and pumpkim-carving fun.

To ensure your child has a Safe and Happy Halloween, here are a few Tips.

• Make sure Costumes are the proper length so that your children are not tripping over their capes, pant legs or dresses.
• If a Mask will be worn, make certain the mask fits well and that your child can see well and breathe well.  Consider using nontoxic face paint instead of a face-covering mask.
• Take advantage of Reflective tape or Glow in the Dark accessories so that your child will be visible in the dark.
• Check Trick or Treat time schedule for your city or county.  Times and days for this activity vary greatly.
• Remind your kids to only go up to Houses that are Well Lit.  If there are no lights on they should skip those houses completely.
• Make a No Eating candy rule until candy has been inspected at home.

Kids get so excited when they lose that first tooth.  And let's admit it ... we get sort of excited too when the ToothFairy comes to visit the first time.  It's fun to make a memorable event out of losing a "baby" tooth and if you haven't thought about what you will do, here are some suggestions.

When that first tooth get wiggly, suggest to your child that you want to make a ToothFairy pocket for when the ToothFairy comes to visit.  We have an easy craft activity for making these pockets right here. ziggityzoom.com/activities.php   You can add some glitter glue to the tooth shape to make it seem even more exciting.

Hmmm ... what should you put into the pocket the night the ToothFairy does come?  We did a little survey and it seems like there is a range between $5 and $1, with some fairies leaving behind $5 for the first tooth, then $2 for each tooth thereafter.  Other fairies liked leaving quarters ... the favorite amount seemed to be $2 worth of quarters.  This is probably perfect and kids love to hear that "jingly" money.

Another great suggestion we got from one mom ... and we had never done this, but we will now ... is to sprinkle a little glitter-type "fairy dust" under the pillow and a tiny bit on the window sill.  Is this magical or what!  We hope you and your children enjoy celebrating this magic event of losing "baby" teeth and getting their first "big" teeth.

Domestic rabbits make great pets and they can even be kept indoors.  Many people don't realize that bunnies can be litter trained just like a cat.  But a decision to get a bunny, like any other indoor pet,  is a decision not to be taken lightly.  You must research the type of care a rabbit needs, what type of cage to get, what to feed it and how much time you should spend with your rabbit.

But do not get a rabbit for your family, or anyone else for that matter, just because it seems like a great thing to do at Eastertime.  Many bunnies are neglected or abandoned and end up in shelters like cats and dogs.  But, that said, having had bunnies as indoor pets,  they are sweet and loving little creatures that want companionship.  They can be kept in cages, for periods of time, as long as the cage is roomy enough for the rabbit to hop and lay around.  They like to be with the family like any other household pet but you do have to make sure that the areas they are allowed into are "bunny-safe."  A rabbit's natural tendency is to chew and they must do so to keep their teeth short.  Bunnies will attempt to chew on furniture legs and electrical cords, so these should not be in reach of the rabbits.

There are many different breeds of rabbits to choose from and it is good to find out how large your rabbit will get.  Some are dwarf rabbits that don't get very big and then there are some breeds that are actually giant rabbits, weighing up to 20 pounds.  Thankfully, these gigantic rabbits are not your usual bunnies sold by pet shops and breeders.

The average child under 6 years spends 2 hours a day watching TV and two-thirds of children under 2 are also spending an average of 2 hours a day watching TV.Kids between the ages of 8 and 18 spend 4 hours a day watching TV and another 2 on the computer or playing video games. For children over 8, that is over 40 hours of screen time a week. Excessive amounts of time in front of the TV, Computer and Video Games is detrimental to children. Instead of spending so much time in front of the screen, children need to be active, learning about their world and interacting with others. We need to pull in the reigns and set lower limits for screen time for our kids and also enforce the limits. It is easier than you think to set reasonable and healthy screen time amounts (tv,computer and video games)and to stick to the limits. If you are currently allowing your kids to watch TV and play the computer and video games at will or more than you would like, it will take a week or two to get everyone on board for a new system but any difficulty in the transition, will be worth the longer term pay off. You need to consider and come up with a plan in order to set and enforce the amount of time your kids watch TV, and play the computer or video games in your house. 1. Set the House Rules for Screen Time- How Much TV, Computer and Video Game Time is Allowed Each Day and for the Week Consider the age of each of your children when deciding what is appropriate. Also, consider their schedule and what you would like to convey. For example, do you want school nights to be screen free except for research?

Choosing the right name for your child is an important task.  Much thought should be given to the name your child will carry with him or her throughout their lifetime.  Try to remember this when you consider a name that is in the limelight now but may sound rather faddish in the long run.

Try names out, sounding them in conjunction with the last name.  Make sure nicknames or letter abbreviations will not give kids a reason to tease your child during school years.  There are so many great names to choose from these days, so you are not limited to traditional given names of the past.  Just keep in mind that your child will have this name forever.

Some of the most popular names projected for 2009 come from celebrity names or hot spot places.  Our picks for the upcoming year, with an emphasis on unique,  include:

 BOYS

Spencer,  Blake,  Adam,  Elliot,  Ethan,  Jackson,  Ashton,  Dallas,  Jac,  Carson,  Aiden,  Shane

GIRLS

Ava,  London,  Miley,  Brenna,  Emma,  Sydney,  Brita,  Sofi,  Sky,  Olivia,  Juliette,  Stella

Some of the most popular traditional names that are given to babies every year?  Michael, Matthew, Christopher and Joseph.  For girls, Elizabeth, Sarah, Emily and Hannah, are always in the top 10 to 20 names for girls.

With the economic news these days, we are all looking to save money and still have a little fun.  If your family doesn't already have a 'Family Game Night' now is the time to institute this tradition.  Once you have purchased a game, and they're really not expensive anyway, you can have fun for free on an ongoing basis.

Playing games, as a family, is a memory that will last forever.  Choose games that the entire family can enjoy.  If you have toddlers, there are even some games that are made for this age group that the whole family can play and not be bored to tears.  One of our favorites in this category is Zingo, which is a preschool take on Bingo, but actually more fun.

If you have kids in the tween and teen age group, or older, try games like 'Catch Phrase' and, one of our favorites, Up Words.  We, actually, have two Up Words games that we just combined so that we can play even longer.

So, besides 'Movie Night' add "Game Night' to your family activites ... make a little popcorn and let the games begin!