Decorations

After the kids have gone to bed, decorate their rooms. Let them wake up to a floor full of balloons, or  maybe a balloon at the foot of their beds, a banner opposite their beds.

Decorate around the house as well. Use banners and wreaths and balloons to create a festive look!

Meals

Make all their meals special. Even the simplest breakfasts can be made fancy for V-day with a bit of tweaking. Shape their pancakes like hearts, or if that is too complicated to draw on a chocolate heart on the pancake or make a heart in their waffles. Use the tiniest heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out little fruit hearts, apples and strawberries or even bananas for their cereal.

For dessert after lunch and / or dinner, you could make heart-shaped brownies or a cake, or these pretty pink cookies. If you’re not up to either of these, then you could just serve marshmallows on a stick, dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with hearts.

You could make them heart-shaped sandwiches for snacks as well.

Cards and Gifts

Give them little cards, like this one, through the day. Or you could leave a note in their lunch at school, a note under the pillow, under their plates at dinner and so on. Give them a gift, whether home-made or store-bought. You could also give them little gifts through the day – like heart-shaped crayons, or stickers and so on.

Say It!

And last, but not least, tell them how much they mean to you through the day. Talk about how you waited for them to arrive, talk to them about their childhood, share some of your sweetest memories of them with them.

So those are our ideas. What do you think of them? Have any other tips or ideas? How are you planning on spending Valentine’s Day with the kids this year?  Share your thoughts and comments with us in the Comments section. Thanks!

Here are some of our tips on dealing with this no-no-no-all-day phase:

Just a phase

Remember that this is just a phase, that it is developmentally completely normal. Your child is just figuring out that he’s not part of you, that he is his own person and he can assert himself, as well. It’s all part of turning into a stable person as he grows up.

Keep calm

It’s not easy to have to listen to a constant stream of nos all day long, and it’s easier to lose your calm because you’re worried that giving in to your child will mean that he will never again listen to you. Do not give into power struggles with your toddler. Don’t yell at him either – just stay firm and be consistent.

Phrase it differently

Instead of directly asking a question which might get you a no, give your toddler a choice when you want him to do something. If you’re leaving the house and you want him dressed, you could ask him what jacket he’d like to wear out. Also enforce a 20 second rule for making choices, or you’d be stuck indoors all day while he makes up his ‘mind’.

Pick your battles

Once in very while, let your toddler have his way. For things like what he’d pajamas he’d like to wear to bed, let him choose. Save the big NO’s for the things that really matter.

Cut down your own no’s

Children also often monkey behavior. So if you say no to your toddler a lot, he is bound to say it back to you a lot too. Instead, look for other alternatives for when you need to say no. Instead, you can say something like, ‘look, honey, we need to get this done first, then we can do that’. This will also help you relate to his needs, and he will also feel like he’s got his needs / wants across to you.

Do you have a toddler right now in this phase? What do you think of our article / tips? Do you have any extra really good tips that might work for us? Share them in the Comments section. Thanks!

As a mum of 2 small children, I thought I knew what to do in the event of an emergency, I thought I would never panic or become emotional, I thought I was too strong to fall apart, I thought I knew how to do First Aid….

Four years ago I was enjoying a BBQ at a friend’s villa in Al Barsha, my daughter (then 18 months) was greedily busying herself at the coffee table, a handful of chips, a few breadsticks, a cashew nut? Within 5 minutes of eating just one nut my daughter was complaining, tugging at my legs, whimpering – her eyes and lips swollen, big white hives all over her body and a gasping, wheezing sound instead of normal breathing. It was becoming harder and harder for her to breathe. By now, I was crying and shaking and screaming at my husband to start the car engine. Our friends offered help but were not quite sure what help they should be giving.

It only took 5 minutes and we found a Medical Centre – with our precious beautiful daughter limp in our arms, we raced through the front door, spluttering the words ‘cashew nut’. A doctor rushed us into a room and quickly injected my daughter with a life-saving substance. Within 30 minutes, she sat playing on my lap as if nothing had happened.

Up until that point I thought I was a good mum, surely I should know if my kids have allergies? I needed to know what to do if this ever happens again, I needed to know that I can keep it together and save my daughter’s life, my son’s life, my husband’s life, my ageing parent’s life…

I signed up for some courses – skeptical that I would find someone in the UAE who could provide me with an up-to-date, relevant course, taught in a professional way.  After attending a few First Aid courses with First Security Group that I thoroughly enjoyed, I was asked if I would like to become a Trainer/Examiner – 3 months, lots of exams and hard work later, I was qualified. Now I teach First Aid all over the UAE. I am proud of myself and the job I do. I feel that I can cope with an emergency, especially when it comes to my own family and friends.

Over the coming year, I will be sharing First Aid knowledge and tips with you, the reader. The information posted is designed to help you cope in the event of an emergency but is not designed to replace the services of 999. And remember this knowledge will never replace the practical skills you will learn in a real First Aid course.

The tips and hints will come from courses I run in Dubai, courses which are approved by the correct authorities here.

First Aid is not hard, it is not complicated, in fact most of it is plain common sense, but it is that same common sense we lose when someone we love is hurt and needs our help, especially a child.

Accidents happen…would you know what to do?

Toddlers are also very fascinated by cause and effect. They are very curious about how people will react, and not just you, but anybody around them as well. They will also repeat the same action to see if the results will be different in different circumstances. They also don’t realize yet that others feel different about an action than they themselves do – they don’t understand why another child will cry when pushed, or hit.

It is, without a doubt, very frustrating time for parents. Here are a few tips on dealing with this particular phase:

Role Model

This is the most important tip – remember that as a parent, you have to model the behavior you want your child to learn. If your child hits, or pushes someone, remember not to intercede roughly. Show self-control so your child can learn it too. Don’t raise your voice when speaking to your child either.

Talk to your Child

Remember that younger children don’t have the patience for long explanations, so when you’re telling him or her off, keep it short and concise and be firm.

Before you go somewhere his aggression might come into play, talk him through whether you will be going, what you will be doing and who you will be meeting. Remind him what he is and isn’t allowed to do. If you give him a consequence for an action, follow through on it.

Stay Close and Monitor

The fact is that young children need to be monitored. If you see any signs of aggression, stop it before it happens. Give him or her an alternative to hitting. You can separate him from the situation, or as he grows older, teach him to verbalize his feelings and walk away, and as he grows even older, to count to ten, to control his anger.

Recognize Limits

If you think your child is exhausted or hungry, take care of that first. If you cannot, then slow the pace of the activity that is taking place, otherwise it is likely that your child will express his frustration through physical violence.

Support the Victim

Side with the victim, always. Firmly say no, and then pay attention to the victim.  Teach the victim also, to stand up for him or herself, to say no, to verbalize that s/he didn’t like being pushed or hit. Teach your child say sorry to the person he has just hit.

Praise Effort

If you see your child trying hard to control his impulses, praise and reward him. Let him know how proud you are that he’s trying and express confidence that he can do this.

And last, but not least, remember to be patient. Remind yourself over and over again, that your child is not the only one who does this – almost all toddlers go through this phase.

Do you have a toddler who hits or pushes? How do you deal with it? What did you think of our tips? If your child has already been through this phase, do you have any important tips to share with us? Share your tips, comments and thoughts in the Comments section, please. Thanks!

Short-term vs Long-term Parenting Strategies

Imagine there is a knock at the door and when you open it, it is your toddler fully grown and 25 years old.  What kind of a person do you want to welcome into your home?  Most parents say they would like their adult child to be:  responsible, self confident, respectful, resilient and self disciplined to name but a few.  But how do we get there?  Consider how your child is currently learning to develop these valuable life skills.  They are in fact learning them from their daily interactions with you and the other significant people in their lives.

Each time we are faced with a parenting challenge such as the ones often presented at times of the day our children are required to eat, sleep or be somewhere on time, then these are the times when the lessons begin.  It is our choice in these moments how we respond to our children.   Alfie Kohn author of “Unconditional Parenting” says our main question shouldn’t be “How do I get my child to do what I say?”But what does my child need – and how can I meet those needs”.  Consider which of these questions is the most important to you.

It is all too easy to fall into the controlling methods of punishment or rewards in order to get our children to ‘obey us’, however popular these methods are, they are short term parenting tactics.  Research (see Alfie Kohn, Unconditional Parenting, Jane Nelson, Positive Discipline) has proven that short term parenting strategies such as spanking, time out and using sticker charts and other forms of bribes or rewards can have negative long term consequences on children and prevent us from meeting the long term goals we have for our children.  It is difficult to learn how to be responsible if you are so used to being told what to do.  It is difficult to learn to be respectful if you experience punishment that lacks respect for who you are as a person.  When we rely on punishment we are using our power and control over our children.  They are learning, however they can learn to fear us, or go behind our backs so as not to get caught, or give up as they become ‘beaten into submission’.

Our focus on the need for our children to ‘do what they are told’ can become such an overwhelming focus that we begin to value this more than our child’s problem solving skills, creativity and free expression.  How can we raise a self-confident and self-disciplined adult if we have spent their whole childhood demanding they ‘do what we tell them to or else?’

Discipline means to teach, not to punish.  Many parents spend so much time making sure their children experience some form of unpleasant consequence for their ‘misbehaviour’ that they omit putting the time in to work with their child to solve the problem and help them connect with the consequence their actions had on others.  Children do better when they feel better.  So it just does not make sense to punish a child for doing something they shouldn’t have done in the hope they will not do it again. Over time, there is the fear that this will erode their sense of self.

Long term parenting strategies are needed to help your child learn the life skills they will need as an adult.  These require working with your child to focus on strategies to help them fix whatever it is that is not working.  One lesson that we really want our children to learn, that will hold them in great stead for their future is that ‘mistakes are opportunities to learn’.  It is okay to make a mistake, but see it as that and work towards solutions for righting this wrong.  Helping your children work towards solutions is helping them gain the valuable skills you want your toddler to have at 25.

This does not mean that we become permissive parents; standing back allowing our children to ‘misbehave’ instead it means that we become even more fully engaged with them.  We need to be firm, yet kind and respectful with it.  We need to take the time to work them, rather than doing things to them.  Long term parenting strategies, such as giving them more chances to make decisions come naturally when your focus is on loving your children unconditionally.  We want our children to know they don’t have to earn our love or affection or attention.  We want our children to learn that we value who they are as a person, with their own set of opinions and dreams.   If we place our relationship with our children higher on our priority list than our need to be right, or our need to ‘have our children do what we just told them to, no matter what’, then it is more likely that we will fall upon more respectful methods of discipline.

Here are our some of our tips to plan this fun little countdown for your family:

Set a reasonable ‘midnight’

Even though some of us wouldn’t mind our kids staying up all the way until midnight one night of the year, fact is that many kids just won’t last that long! Depending on your kids’ ages and bedtimes, decide on a time that would work for every member of the family to countdown to. It could be their usual bedtime, or an hour or two or if you’re the adventurous sort, even three hours later than their usual bedtime.

Plan some Countdown Fun

Plan fun activities leading up to your midnight. These could be card or board games, or snuggling in together to watch a family favourite movie with popcorn, making a time capsule together, or taking turns to read out the highlights of the year from a bowl and so on. If you’re planning to stay in, you could go all out and set up a camp indoors with tents, with the whole family in pajamas too!

Snacks to keep them going

Plan it so your kids have lots of munchies to last them until ‘midnight’. Whether you choose to go healthy, with apple slices and peanut butter or vegetables and dips or go with the traditional ‘fun’ food with rice krispie treats, caramel popcorn – make sure there’s plenty of it! You could set up a buffet of the kids’ favourite snacks. Here are some ideas. They could ring in the new year with sparkly grape juice or one of these festive drinks in those fancy disposable cups. You can personalize these with stickers and shiny pipe cleaners.

Final Countdown Fun

To prepare for the big moment, make these party poppers to be popped when ‘midnight’ strikes. You could make some of these noise makers. You could also fill in ten balloons with confetti and candy and pop one as you countdown to midnight! Kiss your kids, dance with them and then wrap up your little new year’s party!

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? Will you be celebrating with the kids or without them? What did you think of this article? These ideas? Do you have any of your own? Share your thoughts and tips in the Comments section! Thanks.

Happy New Year 2012 to all our readers!

OUR TOP 20 CHILDREN’S BOOKS

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

This wonderful classic features a sneaky mouse outwitting various forest animals who are anxious to gobble him up by scaring them off with tales of the ferocious Gruffalo. But what will the mouse do when the Gruffalo actually shows up?

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

As a tiny green caterpillar eats his way through the book, he is transformed into a beautiful butterfly.

3. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne and EH Shepard

Yet another classic featuring the adventures of the much-loved Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods.

4. We’re Going On A Bear Hunt by Micheal Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

This one’s a favourite with the kids too – a story about a father and his  four children who are not scared and go through fields and woods and then find out what to do when they run into a big bear!

5. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr

This is the story of Sophie and her extraordinary tea-time guest – big furry, stripy tiger!

6. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mc Bratney and Anita Jeram

A little hare and a big hare tell each other just how much they love each other.

7. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

A witch and her cat are taking a ride on her broomstick when the wind blows away her hat, her bow and her wand. Three animals find her things, in return they want a ride on her broom. Then, trouble strikes in the form of a hungry dragon!

8. The Cat In The Hat by Dr Seuss

Dick and Sally are stuck indoors and bored because raining outside. But then, a giant cat in a hat shows up and turns their day around.

9. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss

Another classic full of nonsense rhymes and encouraging picky eaters to try new things too!

10. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

This story uses animals and their antics to teach children a valuable life lesson. By describing Peter Rabbit’s insatiable hunger for cabbage and carrot, this speaks to young children about keeping their hands out of the cookie jar.

11. Charlotte’s Web by EB White

This is the tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs.

12. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

In a big green room, in bed is a baby bunny, saying goodnight to all things familiar!

13. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

A heartwarming tale of a giraffe with crooked knees and thin legs, who longs and longs to dance. Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune when he gets some encouraging words from an unlikely friend.

14. No Matter What by Debbie Gliori

A warm and tender story about a child’s biggest worry and a parent’s endless capacity for love.

15. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Willy Wonka’s famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, and Charlie Bucket, our hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life.

16. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Max dons his wolf suit in pursuit of some mischief and gets sent to bed without supper. Fortuitously, a forest grows in his room, allowing his wild rampage to continue unimpaired.

17. A Bear Called Paddington by Micheal Bond

The story of a little bear found in London’s Paddington Station wearing the sign “Please look after this bear”.

18. Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton

A fun and enchanting counting book!

19. I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester

Lily loves her Blue Kangaroo and every night, he falls asleep in her arms until Lily gets Wild Brown Bear as a gift.

20. Alfie Gets In First by Shirley Hughes

Alfie finds himself locked in while his mom and sister are stuck outside without a key!

Have you read these books to or with your kids? Do you own them all? What is your listen of top books? Share your thoughts and insights with us in the Comments section, please. Thanks!

Except, what exactly is a gifted child? There are so many definitions of gifted, and no one definition has yet been accepted as ‘the’ singular definition yet. The National Association for Gifted Children defines it as ‘gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains.’ In simple words though, gifted would simply mean someone with exceptional talent in one or more areas.

These areas could be anything from general intellectual ability, to leadership skills, to creative thinking and specific academic aptitude to even visual or psychomotor ability. ‘Gifted’ simply refers to this spectrum of abilities.

So how can you tell if your child is really gifted or just really bright? This list here is something to start on. Some of the general characteristics shown by gifted children (as described by the ERIC Digests #E476) are:

1. Shows superior reasoning powers and marked ability to handle ideas; can generalize readily from specific facts and can see subtle relationships; has outstanding problem-solving ability.
2. Shows persistent intellectual curiosity; asks searching questions; shows exceptional interest in the nature of man and the universe.
3. Has a wide range of interests, often of an intellectual kind; develops one or more interests to considerable depth.
4. Is markedly superior in quality and quantity of written and/or spoken vocabulary; is interested in the subtleties of words and their uses.
5. Reads avidly and absorbs books well beyond his or her years.
6. Learns quickly and easily and retains what is learned; recalls important details, concepts and principles; comprehends readily.
7. Shows insight into arithmetical problems that require careful reasoning and grasps mathematical concepts readily.
8. Shows creative ability or imaginative expression in such things as music, art, dance, drama; shows sensitivity and finesse in rhythm, movement, and bodily control.
9. Sustains concentration for lengthy periods and shows outstanding responsibility and independence in classroom work.
10. Sets realistically high standards for self; is self-critical in evaluating and correcting his or her own efforts.
11. Shows initiative and originality in intellectual work; shows flexibility in thinking and considers problems from a number of viewpoints.
12. Observes keenly and is responsive to new ideas.
13. Shows social poise and an ability to communicate with adults in a mature way.
14. Gets excitement and pleasure from intellectual challenge; shows an alert and subtle sense of humor.

In very young children, this list would of course, be different:

Birth to 2 years

1. Ability to recognize caregivers early (within a few months after birth)
2. Early expressions (e.g. smiling)
3. Unusual alertness
4. Interest in books (turning pages of books before 1 year of age and paying attention when read to within 6 months)
5. Interest in computers
6. Unusually active and high levels of energy (but not hyperactive)
7. Playing with shape sorters by about 11 months.
8. Ability to form two word phrases by 14 months
9. Ability to understand instructions by 18 months
10. Ability to say and understand many words before 18 months
11. Could stay still and enjoy a TV programs (e.g., Sesame Street) by the age of 1
12. Has favorite TV shows/VCD/DVDs by age 1
13. Appears to require less sleep (yet not sleepy or irritable due to lack of sleep)
14. Recognition of letters/alphabets by age 2
15. Recognition and rote counting of numbers 1 – 10 or higher by age 2
16. Recognition of colors by age 2
17. Recognition of first word by age 2
18. Interest in puzzles by age 2
19. Has long attention span in interest areas by age 2
20. Ability to form at least 3 word sentence by age 2
21. Interest in time by age 2

2 – 4 years

1. Early and extensive language development and vocabulary, forms grammatically correct sentences as compared to peers
2. Interest in computers (not video games)
3. Ability to solve a 20-piece puzzle by age 3
4. Has a vivid imagination (includes having imaginary friends)
5. Extraordinary feats of memory
6. Extreme curiosity and asks many questions
7. Specific talent (if any), such as artistic ability or an unusual facility for numbers – becomes more apparent by age 4
8. Ability to memorize and recall facts easily
9. Early development of a sense of humor
10. Ability to do one-to-one counting for small quantities by age 3
11. Recognition of simple signs and own written name by age 3
12. Ability to write letters, numbers, words, and their names between 3 and 4 years
13. Ability to read easy readers by age 4
14. Rather independent on the computer by age 4
15. Demonstration of musical aptitude just after 2
16. Ability to do simple addition and subtraction by age 4
17. High degrees of mathematical understanding by age 4

If your child, whatever her age, fits into one of these categories, then you might want to have her tested so you can fully understand her capabilities in order to cater to her specific needs and talents. Children are usually tested between 5 and 12 for giftedness.

And if your child doesn’t exhibit most or even any of these characteristics, she’s still special simply because she’s all yours. One of the most important aspects of parenting, whether a gifted child, or not, is to really and truly enjoy the process of growing a little person!

Cycling has clinically documented health benefits. According to the Mayo Clinic, cycling in your exercise routine can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, cancers and type-2 diabetes, among other ailments. The healthy-living organization Care2 reports that even moderate or light bicycling stimulates the brain to produce endorphins, boosting the biker’s mood and serving to relax the body and mind. Cycling outdoors may even stimulate the production of more endorphins because it allows the biker to enjoy the natural scenery and the general perks of being outdoors.

In Dubai, cycling on the sidewalks is not allowed, and it would be unsafe for a family to cycle on the right side of the road, as rules here do allow. Cycling is also not allowed in many of Dubai’s parks.  In the future, things are expected to get better for cycling options here, because in 2009, the RTA announced a 900km network of cycling lanes in the city. On Jumeirah Road, this has already been laid. The best places for safe, family-friendly areas to go for a bike ride would be Jumeirah Beach area, Al Mamzar Park and Mushrif Park. A few of the newer parks expected to open or opening soon are built with cycling and jogging tracks. Also, every Wednesday, Dubai Autodrome opens its 2.7km floodlit racetrack to cyclists, roller-bladers, joggers and skateboarders.

Remember to take every precaution and follow rules to a T.

Ensure that your bikes and gear are appropriate, and fitted well.

Check your brakes and tires for air before you get started. Also check that the handle bars, the seats and the other parts of the bike are fitted well.

Wear your helmets and knee-pads. There are many options available in stores now which are light, sturdy and comfortable. Make sure you check with a professional at the store before you buy it to ensure that you have a good fit for complete safety.

Keep both hands on the handlebars. At all times, you should keep both hands on your handlebars because this will help you have better control on your bike.

Ride in a single file. When riding in a group, it is safe to ride in a single file rather than side-by-side or a random grouping.

Remember to have fun and enjoy the lovely weather with your families.

What did you think of this article? Do you have any tips or anything we missed? Share your thought, comments and tips with us in the Comments section! Thanks!

Oman Dive Center

About 20 minutes from the city this place has it’s own private beach, and a wonderful restaurant. If you choose to start you day this way, plan on spending the entire morning there, relaxing or snorkeling or diving. You could lunch at the restaurant.

Qantab

This is a beach just outside of Muscat and the drive to it from the main city is very scenic. It’s a clean beach and you can find plenty of boats to take you to one of the many secluded coves along the beach so you can spend your morning enjoying the beach!

Stop at the Oman Sheraton in Ruwi for lunch before you start exploring again.

Muttrah Souk and Fort

Muttrah is Muscat’s most famous traditional souk. It’s quite similar to some of the older souks here in Dubai but it does have a charm of it’s own and is a great place to source Omani souvenirs at great prices. You’re bound to find something you like there.

Also, stop at the Muttrah Fort, very close to the souk. You might even spot the Sultan’s yacht moored in the Harbor!

Al Jelali and Al Merani Forts

These old forts are the legacies of the Portuguese occupation of Muscat. At night, they are beautifully lit up. Take a walk along the corniche, right after.

For dinner, you could try the Bar Al Jissah restaurants.

You could head back Dubai the next morning or stay back another day to explore some of the wadis in and around Muscat. If you can get out without the kids, you should also try and visit the Grand Mosque in Al Ghurbah, with it’s stunning architecture. It is open from 8-11 am on weekday mornings and no children under 10 are allowed in. There’s also the Children’s Museum to visit, or maybe you could all go on dolphin-spotting trip!

Our recommendation for places to stay would be the Al Bustan Palace, the Bar Al Jissah and the Sheraton!

Have you ever been to Muscat or anyplace in Oman for a get-away, short or long? What are you tips and suggestions? Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts with us in the Comments section. Thanks!