Mom Needs A Break! Tips, Ideas, Help….For Those Hard Working Moms!

One of the benefits of summer is that you can volunteer your time to help kids of all ages enjoy their summer camp experience. If you are interested, then get ready for summer and volunteer at a summer camp for kids.  Here’s what you need to do. 

If you are sending your child to summer camp, and want to volunteer your time – talk to the camp counsellor and ask for an application. You can also check with your children’s teachers at their school. Many of the teachers volunteer their time at local summer camps, and are always in need of volunteers.  

Finding a camp is easy, there are a myriad of online sites who are asking for volunteers this summer. Check the summer camps in your area to determine which one is the best for you. There is a summer camp registry online, http://www.camppage.com/, in which you can not only check the summer camps within your state, but you will be able to email them as well. In addition, this site also provides the individual camp’s website, where you can apply for the type of camp you are looking for. Or you can utilize their Summer Camp Articles and Resources page at: http://www.camppage.com/summer-camp-resources.htm which includes links for employment as well. 

What is so wonderful about this particular site is that it gives you the type of camp, age range, and a little piece of information about the camp and its activities. You really can’t ask for better than that! Instead of scouring around trying to find a specific camp, this site will direct you to all of the camps within your state so that you can make an informed decision. In some cases, for example, this listing also let’s you know when the camp was established. 

Volunteering for summer camp, for whatever age group you choose, is a selfless act. The benefit in volunteering for summer camp is immeasurable.  Knowing that you took time out of your summer to show and kindness to others is invaluable to the camps and the kids.  Whether you choose girls, boys, co-ed or wilderness – you can be certain it is appreciated, since most of these camps need as many volunteers as possible.

In a few months, Father’s Day will be here. Your kids are probably trying to come up with unique ideas this year. To help them, here are some Father’s Day ideas for younger kids. 

* Make a Father’s Day card using construction paper, crayons and draw dad on the front with the words “I Love You Dad!” Mom can also download the many coloring templates kids can use to glue on to construction boards to make larger 8-1/2×11 cards. 

* Kids can take their teddy bears and dress them up with a hat, tie, and glasses….and place a Happy Father’s Day sign for the bear to hold. 

* Kids can help you make a Father’s Day breakfast for dad and present it to him either in bed or at the kitchen table.  

* Kids can help mom make gingerbread cookies and using piping to outline the facial features. It can then be glued to a piece of cardboard and the kids can decorate the cardboard with dad’s favourite things! 

* The kids can present dad with a card containing a list of chores they will do for dad for a week. 

* They can also make a story book using construction paper, to tell about their dad and why he is so special! 

* Mom can bake dad’s favourite cake and the kids can decorate it with dad’s favourite sports games, such as baseballs, footballs, soccer, or basketball. 

Kids love to draw, paint and mold. Using some clay, they can make dad a handprint and sign their names on the palms. He would certainly love that! In fact, kids also love to build things, so why not build day a special kite (with the help of mom, of course), then the entire family can enjoy this wonderful present. 

Father’s Day ideas for younger kids can be achieved by asking them what they would like to make for dad; or perhaps buy for day. One thing though, he may not want any more ties! Make a Happy Father’s Day Sign using construction paper, and hang it in the kitchen or living room area. Dad will be so happy to see how much effort his children have put into making his day a special one!

Older kids have much more experience in coming up with Father’s day ideas. Well, just in case you need a few more, here are some Father’s Day ideas for older kids. 

When it comes to Father’s Day, my dad is difficult to buy gifts for. So I look around to see what he is reading, or what movies he is watching or what music he is listening to. Then I go to my best online friend, amazon.com, and pick out books, music and movies he would most enjoy.  Sometimes I am lucky and choose the perfect gift.  Sometimes, especially if the gift is clothing; I wind up returning it.  So now I buy gifts that I know he will definitely like. For example: 

* DVDs of his favourite TV shows or movies* Subscription to his favourite magazine* Gift Certificate to Blockbusters so he can choose the movie * Gift Certificate to a major department store where he can shop for any clothing he likes* Since he loves Beagles, I had an artisan draw a picture of a beagle on a piece of freshly cut wood.* One year, I saw a wonderful painting of a man and his beagle, walking in the woods.  (Both of these are still hanging in his bedroom to this day)!* Another year, I purchased tickets to a baseball game for him.* Since he also collects coins, I purchase newly minted coins from Franklin Mint. 

Now your dad may enjoy different things. What matters, and what is most appreciated, is spending the time to find the perfect gift. So here is a great project for you: study your dad’s reading, music, and movie habits and you can either take him to see a movie with lunch afterward; take him to a baseball game; buy his favourite TV shows now on DVD;get him a box of golf balls or new golf mitts; or spend the day on a putting green. Maybe your dad collects baseball cards.  If so, you can go on eBay and buy a few boxes of the latest hobby baseball boxes available. If you have saved enough or wish to pull money together with your siblings, you may prefer to purchase an autographed card of his favourite player! 

There are so many things, other than a tie, that you can buy or plan for and with your dad.Look upon this as a

Thinking of Father’s Day brings to mind an episode of Bill Cosby in which his youngest daughter, Rudy, made him a clay ashtray. “But I don’t smoke!” he smiled.  He went on to thank her anyway and said he would use it as a paperweight in his home office. Thinking of Father’s Day handmade gift ideas for kids is probably much easier than for adults. Eventually we run out of ideas – but they don’t!  Here are some ideas your kids may have devised. 

Special t-shirt painted by the kids; a card made of construction paper and decorated for dad; a picture frame made out of two pieces of cardboard and painted by the kids; or dad’s favourite cookies made by the kids with a little help from mom. If dad is a golfer, why not have mom buy a box of golf balls and have the kids paint their initials on each one. How about taking a small Xmas tree and turning it into a Father’s Day tree. Decorate it with his favourite candies and cookies. Or if dad is a baseball or football fan, the kids can decorate it by taking white Christmas balls and drawing baseball stripes on them; and making cookies in the shape of footballs using gingerbread dough! A baseball cap with dad’s initial can adorn the top of the tree, or you can find a mini sized football helmet and add his name to it as well. 

More often than not, dad would probably receive a tie as a gift. Well, make this particular tie special. Let the kids be as creative as they want with paints and sparkles. Does dad lose the remote control often? Why not make him a TV remote holder using cardboard and fabric. The kids can decorate the cardboard with glow in the dark paint color, so that no matter where the holder is, he can always find it! 

No matter what Father’s Day handmade gift ideas you come up with, there are plenty of ideas you and the kids can come up with. Don’t forget the handmade ashtray; your dad can use it as a paperweight, too!

Are you sending your kids to summer camp?  If so, there is a wonderful website which can take away hours of research in determining where to send your kids.  Get ready for summer, because here is the site to find the best summer camp for kids.  CampPage.com - http://www.camppage.com/ - is where you will find every single camp listed for any state you live in.  Moreover, it gives you a wonderful introduction to the camp’s features; how long it has been in existence; the ages of the kids; and you can even check girls, boys, and coed or wilderness camps to find the right one for your kids. Moreover, this site has the Summer Camp Associations and Directories page within the US and