It seems like every time I am out somewhere with my kids we run into friends of theirs from school and the same thing always happens. The kids get to talking and want to plan to get together. The moms and I try to exchange information. “Do you have an email account?” “Do you text?” “Are you on Twitter?” There are so many ways to get in touch with each other and most of them are more efficient than the phone numbers listed in the student directories.

Because of this, I am loving the new Mommy Contact Cards from Kodak. You can include whatever information you most want friends to use to contact you. I would include my email, my cell phone, my Twitter, my Facebook, and maybe even my blog site. It’s like a business card only more personal. And you can get 50 free Mommy Contact Cards right now (although you do need to pay shipping and handling). Get them in a variety of colors and add your kids’ pictures to them so the parents will be able to put a name with a face.

No coupon code is necessary, but this special will surely end soon. Click here to visit Kodak and get more information.

I’ve always been a fan of American Eagle clothes for myself but have not found much there for my kids. That completely changed when I was introduced to 77kids by American Eagle. 77kids is American Eagle’s brand for kids only. Right now the sizes range from toddler through 12, but I have heard that those will be expanded on each end in the coming months. The merchandise is currently available online only, but 77kids will be opening stores soon in select cities.

What I love most about 77kids is that these are clothes that kids can wear to school or church but also play in and not have to worry about ruining. In fact, they say that you can wash the clothes 77 times and the clothes will look as nice (or better) than when you bought them. I know some of my kids’ favorite clothes that I have washed at least 77 times! Most of them do not look as good after even 5 washes as when I bought them. In fact, I don’t even let them wear some of their outfits before we go on a vacation for fear that they will not look very nice by the time that we get there. If I could wash them even 10 times before we go, the kids would get more use out of them.

Take a look at 77kids by American Eagle and tell me what you think of their line. I’m anxious to get some ordered for my girls since they will be needing new spring clothes soon anyway. I love that I can now get American Eagle quality in kids’ sizes.

I don’t usually jump on blog contests when I see them but this one really spoke to me because I’ve been down the road and back a few times!

“Drama” is not just a word in the dictionary in our house–it’s a lifestyle! With two girls ages 6 and 8, we live drama from the time we get up until the time we go to bed. But there are ways to help with the bedtime issues.

First, we try to stick to the same bedtimes every night. It’s tempting to let the kids stay up too late on the weekends (in hope that they will sleep in the next morning). But it does more harm than good. Stay on the schedule!

Second, use books in an age appropriate way. I know that personally reading helps me wind down before bed, so I figured it would help my kids, too. Both girls spend 15-30 minutes now in their own beds reading a book of their choice before bed. It does wonders!

Third, set expectations. When our older daughter was little and struggling with the “I need a drink, now I need to go potty, I forgot to brush my teeth, etc” we made a chart out of posterboard on the wall. We glued on pictures of all of the things that she needed to do each night. We pointed out each thing on the chart as she did it and that was it for the night. We used pictures of a toilet, a toothbrush, a mom and child hugging…you get my drift.

Fourth, try a “pass.” With our other daughter we gave her a “hall pass” of sorts every night before she went to bed. She could use it ONE time after she was in bed for whatever she needed (last minute hug, one more drink, etc). Once she used the pass, she had to stay in bed. It made her feel like she had some control over the situation.

Fifth, be the adult. We learned the hard way by giving in to our first daughter and she thought she didn’t have to say in her room if she didn’t want to. With the second daughter, we made it clear from the very beginning that we were in charge and staying in bed was non-negotiable. Except for the “last minute” issues, we never had a problem of getting her into her own bed.

I’m sure my tips won’t solve every problem but they might at least solve a couple of your problems or help you come up with some yourself. Thanks to St. Eve Kids for prompting me on this topic! Their www.DramaU.net site is a cute reminder that we all struggle with bedtime issues at one time or another.

My daughters have recently started loving Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel. In fact, at 6 and 8, it is one of the few shows that they can agree on. I’ve watched it a couple of times and actually find it to be pretty good sometimes. At least enough to hold my attention. Wizards of Waverly Place stars Selena Gomez, David Henrie, and Jake T. Austin.

I started looking around for some Wizards of Waverly Place merchandise for my girls and found a few things that I thought I would pass along:

Wizards of Waverly Place Backpack

”Always Trouble” Wizards of Waverly Place Tee for Tweens

Wizards of Waverly Place Believe in Magic Nightgown for Girls

The first two are from DisneyShopping.com, and the nightgown is from Crazy for Bargains. These are just a few of the items available on each of those sites but are definitely a good place to start!

Added:

Entertainment Earth has some really cute new Wizards of Waverly Place merchandise! Their merchandise includes Alex Russo dolls, wands, spell books, and more. Here’s a magic ball that will be available in September:

Click here to view all of the Wizards of Waverly Place (wowp merchandise) from Entertainment Earth.

Added! BuyCostumes.com now has Wizards of Waverly Place costumes and party supplies. They have some really cute stuff, including Alex dresses, light-up Wands, a trivia game, Wizards of Waverly place party favors, and more. Here’s a link to everything Wizards of Waverly Place at BuyCostumes.com

One last site… Wizards of Waverly Place Stuff is nothing but Wizards of Waverly Place merchandise! Costumes, clothes, party supplies, posters, books, games–pretty much everything Wizards of Waverly Place you can think of.

Looking for a way to motivate your kids to read this summer or reward them for a job well done? Borders has started up its Summer Reading Program again this summer.

You simply need to visit the Summer Reading Program page on the Borders website and print out the worksheet (one for each kid). Once they read 10 books, they take the completed worksheet to any Borders or Waldenbooks store by August 26 to get a free book.

The program is only for kids under the age of 12. We won’t be doing it this summer because my daughter is reading the last of the Harry Potter books and will be lucky to get through 2 or 3 of them this summer. But I can’t complain about that.

My daughter is 5 and has always loved playing with her Little People. I struggled at Christmas figuring out whether or not to buy her more Little People because she will be 6 soon and it seems that she should be too old for them. I decided, however, that I could not pass up the cute little pink Little People bus because she has always liked to shove all of the people and animals into cars and caravan them around the house.

It’s almost a month after Christmas and she still plays with the Little People every day. I finally asked her today why she likes the Little People so much. Her answer was simple. “Mommy, I get to use my imagination when I play with them.” So I sat and watched her for a while…and I learned a LOT about her. Her world is very organized. The people are all related to each other somehow and take care of each other. They like to travel and go on adventures. Her Little People world sounds a lot like MY world!

It’s nice that in a house with a Gameboy, PC, PS2, and Wii, my daughter chooses to play on the floor in her imaginary world with her Little People day after day. I’ve decided that I need to spend more time playing in that world with her because imagination IS important.

I’m afraid I can’t attribute their tastes to any exceptional quality of their attitudes or palates. I guess it’s simply a result of continued exposure to these foods and environments. According to Isobel Contento, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City, “Continued exposure to new foods is extremely important. Research suggests that children sometimes need to be exposed to food ten to fifteen times before they develop a liking to the food.”

Research by Contento and many of her colleagues supports my hunch: Any kid can learn to dine out and enjoy a broader range of foods, if given the chance. Unfortunately, resisting the temptation to feed kids only “kid food” ordered from “kid menus” at “kid-friendly” restaurants is no piece of Tastycake. But if you don’t, you wind up with kids whose narrow palates and general cluelessness about restaurant behavior are the self-fulfilling prophecies of Ronald, Wendy, and the Colonel.

I love going out to eat, but I don’t love anything that comes in a nugget or is served in molded plastic. My solution is this: While we do consume our share of burgers and pizza, our family also patronizes real restaurants. If you’re ready to try something a little more civilized and adventurous than another trip to KFC, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

Tasting Tips for Kids

The journey of a thousand meals begins with a single bite – or something like that. Here are some clues to guiding that first morsel safely into the hangar.

 
• Don’t make a huge deal out of the new food in question. Start simply – just let your kids see the grown-ups eating and enjoying it. 
• While you don’t want to flat-out lie, remember the old “tastes like chicken” ploy. You might say in your most casual tone, “Want a bite?” Then, when you’re asked what it is, say, “It’s like steak” (in other words, it’s venison). Or try, “Taste a bite and see if you can guess.” 
• Never eschew bribes: “A quarter for the first person who can guess what it is.” “Taste it and you can pick the dessert.” 
• If they absolutely hate it, do not make them eat it. If they’re not sure, you might suggest a second taste, perhaps with soy sauce, pepper, or lemon to personalize the flavor.

Rules for Restaurants

Want to get your kids through an eating-out experience without a meltdown? Here are a few guidelines to make it more fun for everyone.

 
• Do keep paper and crayons or pens in your purse at all times. This way, the gimmick of kid-friendly restaurants is yours anywhere. Older kids can play hangman and “dots.” 
• Don’t make a federal case about dressing up. Most restaurants these days don’t mind casual clothes, and by choosing one with a relaxed dress code, you’ll eliminate one area of dissent. 
• Don’t let kids have too much sugary soda before the food arrives. 
• Don’t let the waitperson serve meals to the kids first. If you do, the timing will get screwed up: They’ll lose patience before you’ve finished your main course. 
• Don’t bring other kids who have more limited palates than your own do. You don’t want to get an “ew” thing going. 
• Do allow a field trip or two to the bathroom or the lobby. Accompany your kids the first time to demonstrate acceptable behavior. 
• Don’t let your child order some expensive item she’s never had before without having her first try an appetizer or tasting portion.

Marion Winik is a writer and a commentator on NPR. Her latest book is The Lunch-Box Chronicles (Vintage).