Breaking the Bank

No matter how many ways I try to coach and cajole my kids with the wisdom of my years, nothing trumps personal experience. Benjamin is still a lego and K'Nex fanatic. Ariel likes to climb. And Taylor likes sports and money. He outgrew his baby "money bunny" and for his graduation present, we helped him find the perfect bank for his allowance savings. Great site - banks, banks, banks gave him a bounty of choices. He chose the baseball on a pedestal.

Every day for three days - "did my bank come yet?".

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Taylor and professional football

Our younger son has milked his birthday for every last moment (good job). Starting with the day before Thanksgiving - cupcakes at school. Thanksgiving Day was his birthday - family cake. And his party was Dec. 2 so that people were in town - more cake. And presents from Thanksgiving to today thanks to e-commerce and the postal service. I am curious how to eliminate one of the three baking experiences from this mix - I don't remember getting three cakes (ok, the school was cupcakes)...but I am sure my Mom did it too. And I bought the third cake...
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The many virtues of sleep

It's shocking how virtually all of the behavioral challenges of my kids (and myself) can all be attributed to lack of sleep. Although we practice Judaism in the home, we are true disciples of sleep. Meaning that we run our lives so that our kids are in jammies by 7:00 and asleep by 7:30. Except for the baby, who is 11 weeks old and isn't yet on the program. That would be nice...

Sleep is the key to happy children who role with the punches.

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The ultimate road trip accessory

Let's start with a disclaimer - I like sports cars. Curve hugging, throw you back in the seat acceleration sports cars. My boys know how to identify the Porsche Carrera Convertibles we see, whenever we see them. Suffice to say, driving a minivan was never on my life short list. But with three kids, an au pair and out of town parents who visit frequently, it became an imperative that I recognized as a practical parent. We bought our minivan on March 31. Eight seater with integrated DVD and four wireless headsets.
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Lego Diving

My kindergartener, Benjamin, is a lego fanatic and he was given a model set for a three or four wheel vehicle/bike. He made the three wheeler and was very proud and then took it apart to build the four wheeler. As he approached completion (this set is for 8-14 year olds, so we were amazed at his focus and dexterity - it's amazing what personal interest can bring out), I heard an outburst from the playroom. Apparently, my preschooler, Taylor, had dumped some of the tupperware holding the tiny Lego parts (which probably seemed like a fun idea at the time) and we lost a key part for the four wheeler bike.

It was about half an inch, black, and necessary for building the decorative struts on his four wheeler.

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