Gift

Celebrating My Very Special Birthday Gift

Celebrating My Very Special Birthday Gift

I often speak of my eldest son, Kyan, but the truth is he isn’t my first child. Eight years ago, I lost my firstborn son, Aiden, who was born 11 weeks premature and suffered from several serious birth defects. I miss him dearly; he was — and still is — one of the true lights of my life. There is a lot to the story, but one highlight is that my little angel and I share a special day. He was born on my 25th birthday, March 15, 2004. It’s been a hardship for me to celebrate my special day since losing him, but it wasn’t until this year that Kyan has really noticed that I don’t do the cake and all-day celebrating for myself that I do for my husband and boys.

He’s known for quite some time that he has a brother in heaven, but it wasn’t until recently that the idea really sank in. When he asked about my birthday, and why we don’t celebrate the same way we do for everyone else, I had a tear-filled heart to heart with him about the sadness I feel in his brother’s absence. He really seemed to understand, but then he asked why we don’t have a party for both Aiden and me. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t take me by surprise, but it made sense. I’ve always told him that Aiden is an angel that is with us and watching us always, so why wouldn’t he want a birthday party, too?

This conversation took place a couple of days ago, and it’s been all I could think about since. At first I thought it somehow seemed inappropriate. But after some soul searching, I realized that my husband, sons and I all deserved to remember and celebrate the day he came into our lives and the love that he brought to our family, even if he was only here for six weeks. And, though our birthday is bittersweet without him, it’s an honor to share it with such a special little soul. Plus, Aiden is my other sons’ big brother, and it’s important for them to have the opportunity to know about him and celebrate his life as best they can. By not celebrating our birthday, I’m denying my family and myself the chance to feel the joy of the day.

Losing a child is an extremely painful thing, and parents grieve in many ways. The added twist of sharing my birthday with my lost son has always shed a melancholy light on the day, but it wasn’t until I talked with Kyan that I realized I was depriving us all the chance to celebrate both our lives and contributions to our family.

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Valentine’s Gift For Dad: Help Your Kids Make A Video Interview

Valentine’s Gift For Dad: Help Your Kids Make A Video Interview

It may be Valentine’s Day, but it’s not too late to help them make a fun gift for Daddy. Instead of running out to buy a bunch of art supplies, grab your video camera and interview your kids in a home video. It’s a timeless, priceless gift and you can add to it year after year.

Setup The Interview Questions

Before you grab your camera, make a list of questions. The first few should be identifying questions about your kids themselves, to show off their ages and interests. This section of the video will be funny to watch evolve over the years.

  • What’s your full name?
  • How old are you?
  • What do you want to be when you grow up?
  • What is your favorite color/food/TV show?

Questions For Dad

The next part consists of your kids answering questions about their dad.

  • What is daddy’s full name?
  • How old is he?
  • What does daddy do to make money?
  • What is daddy’s favorite, food/color/TV show?
  • What does daddy do for fun?
  • What do you like to do most with daddy?
  • How long have daddy and I been married?
  • What song makes you think of daddy? (For added fun, ask them to sing some of it.)

Now, Film It!

Once you have your questions written down, you can choose how you want to film it. You can take each of your kids aside and ask them questions separately, or do a group interview. Separating them will take longer, but I guarantee the answers will be more original and entertaining for years to come.

After you have the video made, hit your computer and edit the video if needed. The cool thing about a video like this, is there are usually few reasons to edit it because the flubs and funnies add priceless charm.

When you’re satisfied with how the video turned out, you can save it to a disk to hand deliver, email it to Dad at the office or wait to present it to him after dinner. No matter what you choose, it will be a wonderful, thoughtful surprise that will knock your hubby’s socks off.

The whole family will love this gift and it can be shared with other relatives after Valentine’s Day. Make sure to keep the list of questions to use year after year. You’ll be able to capture your children growing and changing in a keepsake that will live on forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Babies & Kids Blog

Valentine’s Gift for Grandma: Baby Hands and Feet Flower Painting

Valentine’s Gift for Grandma: Baby Hands and Feet Flower Painting

Valentine’s gifts for grandparents from your kids are easier when you have older children. They can do all sorts of fun crafts, from jewelry to the classic Valentine’s card. When you have a baby, options are little more limited. They can’t very well hold a crayon, and stringing beads is not an option. The good news is they have the most adorable little hands and feet ever.

This year for Valentine’s Day, why not make a pretty flower painting for grandma with your little one’s hands and feet? It’s a simple project that will melt grandma’s heart and is really pretty inexpensive. That’s always a win.

What you’ll need for a Baby Hands and Feet Flower Painting:

  • 8″ x 10″ piece of white or light blue poster board
  • Finger paint – green and your chosen colors for the the blooms
  • Picture frame
  • Paint pen – black, silver and gold are all beautiful
  • Matting (optional)

How to Make a Baby Hands and Feet Flower Painting:

1. Using the green finger paint, paint a simple landscape of grass and four flower stems. Space stems far enough apart that there will be room for each hand and foot print to stand without touching the next one.

2. Paint the palm of your baby’s hand with the finger paint color of your choice.

3. Before the paint begins to dry, gently press his hand down at the top of the first stem, making a bloom.

4. Rinse hand.

5. Repeat steps 2-4, alternating hands and feet.

6. Allow paint to dry overnight.

7. After painting dries, write a short message above the flowers with the paint pen.

8. Frame painting in picture frame, using matting for an extra elegant touch.

Bonus Tip: If you’re great at pretty lettering, you can write quotes or a lovely message all the way around the border of the matting with the paint pen instead of writing on the painting itself.

Note: These instructions are for a landscape style painting. If you want the picture to stand or hang vertically, just make one hand and foot flower, for a total of 2.

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Birthday Dilemma: Choosing the Perfect Gift for Your Child

Birthday Dilemma: Choosing the Perfect Gift for Your Child

My son is turning six years old this month, and we are heavy into planning the big birthday party for him. Phone calls are being made, and in the middle of all the planning and executing, the thought suddenly dawned on me that we have to get a birthday present, too. (Don’t worry, I still have about two weeks.)

He’s finally at the age where he knows what he wants and has no problem asking for it. On a daily basis, I hear about the latest toy he saw on television or talked about at school. He wants everything, of course.

The problem with children his age is they’re fickle. One minute, they absolutely need a particular toy, and then five minutes later it’s been replaced by the newest trend. Toy companies count on the ADD-like attention span of most children, so they keep churning out toys that make kids salivate and parents reach for their pocketbooks.

I admit that, when I open my wallet, money doesn’t come pouring from it like a fountain of green. I don’t have leprechauns following behind me carrying pots of gold, and my pirating adventures have yet to collect any booty.

So what’s a parent to do? I would love him to get the end-all-be-all gift for his birthday, but I’m having a hard time pinning it down. Between Spider-Man, Bakugan, Play-Doh, Hot Wheels and the million other brands out there, my head spins when I walk through a toy aisle.

I think my best bet is to just let my natural instincts take over. My usual thought process usually employs weighing the safety and age aspects with the education and fun aspects. I think I’m going to throw educational out the window for this one…it is his birthday after all. No kid wants to open up a birthday present filled with a Map of the World game where he has to figure out where Portugal is.

Clothes aren’t in the cards, either. I let grandma and grandpa get the clothes because, let’s face it, they don’t know their Bakugan from a Samurai Power Ranger. I know, right? Ridiculous. Bakugan’s don’t even have zords.

I know whatever I get him will be 100 percent with love. He may love it for 15 seconds and then start playing with the box, but at least I know I did my best, and that’s what’s most important.

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