40 Questions To Ask Your Child On Date Night

I think it was daughter number five (I'm the second oldest of eight girls) who coined the term "Donut Date" to refer to when our Daddy would take one of us individually out on a "date" with him when I was young. It generally meant we were getting a donut or going to the grocery store for some root beer or another treat, which was a pretty big deal at the time. In fact, I still bug my Dad to take me on a date, except I hope it's to places like Disney World or a major music concert these days. ;-) Now, the tradition has moved on and I date my own three-year-old daughter. She gets terribly excited when I ask her if she wants to have a "mommy-daughter date". There are no arguments and she is on her best behavior while we go to the local coffee shop for a slice of carrot cake and juice! My favorite part, though? The conversation. My phone gets put away, no books are brought along, and we don't sit at a table with anyone else (though she has a way about her that attracts the elderly men to come over for a chat about her baby doll!). Instead, we chat. I ask questions, and we dream together over hot cocoa and cookies.

Dating your children is an easy and precious way to create beautiful moments for the two of you. Here are 40 Date Night questions to get you started:

1. What is the best dream you ever had, and why?


2. What is the worst dream you ever had, and why?


3. How do you like to be woken up in the morning?


4. What are the top five things you are good at doing?


5. What are the three occupations you would love to have when you grow up?


6. If you were to plan your own funeral, what would you want it to be like?


7. What are five activities you want to do within the next year?


8. Who is your best friend, and why?


9. What person can you not stand, and why?


10. What embarrasses you that I do?


11. What are you proud of that I do?


12. What makes you laugh?


13. What makes you cry?


14. What are the top three things I do that make you feel (not "know") loved?


15. What is the most important thing you have learned in life?


16. If you were to plan a sleepover, what would it include?


17. If you were to be one animal, what would you be and why?


18. What are your three favorite songs and why?


19. What one song can't you stand, and why?


20. What is your favorite movie, and why?


21. What are the top three reasons why you know you will be a good spouse/parent when you are grown?


22. What is your favorite physical feature about yourself and why?


23. What three things do you not like about yourself, and why?


24. When people compliment you, what is the top thing they say about you?


25. What are the top three compliments from others that you would like them to say about you?


26. What is your favorite Bible story and why?


27. What is your favorite Bible verse and why?


28. Who are your top two favorite historical characters and why?


29. In your life, what has been your proudest moment?


30. In your life, what has been your most embarrassing moment?


31. If you were to create your own job to earn money, what would you do and how would you do it?


32. If you were to create your own cake and own ice-cream sundae, what ingredients would you include?


33. What makes you feel safe?


34. What makes you feel scared?


35. What are two things that your friends or other people you know do that you don't like?


36. What are two things that your friends or other people you know do that you would also like to do?


37. Would you rather be a boy or a girl, and why?


38. If you could go anywhere in the world and do anything you wanted, where would you go and what would you do?


39. What school subject are you smartest in, and how do you know?


40. What school subject do you struggle the most in, and how do you know?

Special Days in December

Did you know?

December 1 Eat a Red Apple Day
December 3 National Roof over Your Head Day
December 4 Santa’s List Day AND Wear Brown Shoes Day
December 5 Bathtub Party Day
December 6 Mitten Tree Day AND Put on your own Shoes Day AND St. Nicholas Day
December 7 Letter Writing Day AND Pearl Harbor Day
December 9 Christmas Card Day
December 10 Human Rights Day
December 11 National Noodle Ring Day
December 12 National Ding-a-Ling Day AND Poinsettia Day
December 13 Violin Day AND Ice Cream Day AND International Children’s Day
December 15 Bill of Rights Day
December 17 National Maple Syrup Day
December 18 Bake Cookies Day
December 19 Look for an Evergreen Day
December 20 Go Caroling Day
December 21 Humbug Day AND National Flashlight Day & Look on the Bright Side Day
December 23 Roots Day
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 Boxing Day
December 27 Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day
December 28 Card Playing Day
December 30 National Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda) Day
December 31 Make Up Your Mind Day AND New Year’s Eve

Special Days in November

November's just around the corner! Here are some wacky and crazy (and not so crazy) holidays during the month of November:

November 1- All Saint’s Day

November 2- Look for Circles Day and Deviled Egg Day

November 3- Housewife’s Day and Sandwich Day

November 4- King Tut Day

November 6- Marooned without a Compass Day and Saxophone Day

November 7- Book Lover’s Day

November 8- Cook Something Bold Day and Dunce Day

November 9- Chaos Never Dies Day

November 10- Forget-Me-Not-Day

November 11- Veteran’s Day

November 12- Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

November 13- World Kindness Day & National Indian Pudding Day & Sadie Hawkins Day

November 14- Operating Room Nurse Day

November 15- Clean Your Refrigerator Day and America Recycles Day

November 16- Button Day and Have a Party with Your Bear Day

November 17- Electronic Greeting Card Day & Homemade Bread Day & Take a Hike Day

November 19- Great American Smokeout & Have a Bad Day Day

November 20- Beautiful Day and Universal Children’s Day and Absurdity Day

November 21- World Hello Day and National Adoption Day

November 22- Go For a Ride Day and Eat a Cranberry Day and National Cashew Day

November 25- National Parfait Day

November 26- Thanksgiving Day

November 27- You’re Welcome Day

November 28- Red Planet Day and Make Your Own Head Day

November 29- Square Dance Day

November 30- Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day

1st week of November: Chemistry Week
3rd week of November: Game and Puzzle Week

Did you also know that November is...

Aviation History Month, International Drum Month, Native American Heritage Month, National Sleep Comfort Month, National Model Railroad Month,
and Peanut Butter Lovers Month?!

Kenny Loggins *all join in* FREE MP3 Downloads

When I was pregnant with Amara, I listened to hours and hours of music geared towards babies. What did I find? That the quality of music for infants and small children is terrible in the US! Poor melody lines, off key singing, fake sounding instrumentals, and boring harmony sums up what I heard. Eventually, I resorted to making my own mixed CD's. I came up with "relaxing" and "upbeat" CDs consisting of instrumental, vocal, traditional, classical, fun, and good quality engaging music for my little one. I've determined that the problem with children's music is that there's nothing saying that a musician is the person who should design and perform the pieces. Similar to many children's books with poor illustrations, we have not required by way of our money (the number of sold albums speaks!) that the music industry delivers quality music to our children.

But alas, there may be hope...Last month, I received Kenny Loggins' "all join in" CD to review. It's advertised as a children's CD, but I found it to be engaging for the entire family and I caught myself listening to it multiple times when I was alone. :-) This is always a good sign! Skeptical, of course, I first listened with a critical ear to the melodies, harmonies, rhythms, vocals, lyrics, and polyphonies presented by Loggins. I was impressed to find upbeat, interesting music that was well put together with a nice flow. In fact, my only suggestion for improvement would be for Loggins to enunciate more clearly for the children listening to understand more easily (and maybe a new hairstyle and make up job for himself...).

This is really a fabulous CD for families, and I'm really pleased to tell you that I've been given a link to share with you that will allow you to download four MP3 songs from this album for free!

Directions: click on the link here and listen to four samples of songs from the album all join in. When you're done, you'll need to answer a few quick questions about your reaction to the music. An email will then be sent to you with a link to download four FREE digital songs from the album. Easy as pie and totally free!

Be blessed.

September Activities

Every month for my regular job, I put together an activity "newsletter." It's centered around information to create positive, educational, and beneficial activities for adults with developmental disabilities...but it's fun for anyone to read, and all of these ideas could be used in the classroom, the home, or many other places! I've been meaning to share them with all of you for quite some time and just didn't do it until now. So here to go along with my last post, is more information and ideas for you to use during the month of September.

September is...

Classical Music Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Fall Hat Month, International Square Dancing Month, National Piano Month, Chicken Month, and Self Improvement Month!

Mud Facial Recipe -September 30 (NOTE: Please only use for hands, not face)
This recipe is an at-home facial made from natural ingredients and is best suited for oily skin types. You'll need 1 tablespoon of Clay or Fuller's earth mud (don't worry, you'll see these readily at your local health food store), 1 egg yolk, ¼ of an avocado, mashed, and enough witch hazel essence to create a smooth consistency. Mix all the ingredients together until well-blended. Apply evenly on the skin and allow to dry. Rinse off with water when done.

Did You Know? -September 19
Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September (and running to early October). It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an enjoyable event with an important part of Bavarian culture. (Wikipedia)

Make Your Own Play-Doh Recipe -September 16
1 c. flour

1 c. water

1/2 c. salt

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1 tbsp. oil
Food Coloring

Mix together, cook on low temperature stirring constantly. Cook until it is "slick" and moves away from edge of pan. Cool. Keep sealed in Ziplock bag.

Things you can use this activity for…
1) Math skills 2) Cooking skills 3) Fine Motor skills (mixing) 4) Practice following directions 5) Practice making choices (color) 6) Cause and Effect 7) Touch, Taste, and Smell senses (don’t encourage actual eating!) 8) Science (mixing colors) 9) Art (sculpting)

Different Types of “Punch’s” -September 20
1) The drink. Mix up and enjoy different punch recipes (must be sugar free and okayed by Rachel first). What’s in the different varieties? How does each one taste or look different? Which is your favorite?
2) The action. What and when is it okay to punch something/someone? Why? How does it feel to punch something? Have each person make a punching bag or pillow to take home, filled with rice/beans/cotton.
3) A tool. Bring a variety of paper punches in for people to use and decorate something with. Scrapbooking punches offer many different shapes.

Swap Ideas Day -September 10

Plan a “planning” activity! Get all of your staff and consumers together with a big calendar and ideas for activities for the following month. Discuss and choose activities (or ideas that you’ll need to develop later) for each day. You never know what creative and engaging ideas might come about! Have you ever asked the consumers what they like to do, or the other staff what strengths and talents they have that might allow for new activities? Incorporate pictures to represent each activity for those who can’t read.

September's Fun and Crazy Days

September's Fun and Crazy Days

September 3 Skyscraper Day

September 4 Newspaper Carrier Day

September 5 Be Late for Something Day & Cheese Pizza Day

September 6 Fight Procrastination Day & Read a Book Day

September 7 Labor Day & Neither Rain nor Snow Day

September 8 International Literacy Day & Pardon Day

September 9 Teddy Bear Day

September 10 Sewing Machine Day & Swap Ideas Day

September 11 Make Your Bed Day

September 12 National Video Games Day

September 13 Defy Superstition Day & Fortune Cookie Day & Grandparent’s Day & Nt’l Peanut Day & Nat’l Pet Memorial Day & Positive Thinking Day & Uncle Sam Day

September 14 National Cream-Filled Donut Day

September 15 Make a Hat Day & Felt Hat Day

September 16 Collect Rocks Day & Play with Play Doh Day

September 17 Nat’l Apple Dumpling Day & Constitution Day

September 18 Natn’ Cheeseburger Day

September 19 International Talk Like A Pirate Day & Oktoberfest

September 20 National Punch Day

September 21 International Peace Day & Miniature Golf Day & World Gratitude Day

September 22 Elephant Appreciation Day

September 23 Checkers Day

September 25 National Comic Book Day & Native American Day

September 26 Johnny Appleseed Day

September 27 Crush a Can Day & International Rabbit Day

September 28 Ask a Stupid Question Day

September 30 National Mud Pack Day

A Google Doodle

Each year, the Google company (best known for their online search engine) hosts a “Doodle for Google” contest where school aged children and teens are asked to submit artwork featuring the word “google” based on a particular theme. This year’s theme is “What I Wish for the World” and boy, did they have some great entries! Today’s Recucational (recreation + education) idea is this:

Have your kids get on to the Doodle for Google website and vote for their favorite artwork in each category (they’re separated by grades). Questions to ask:

What is the theme of this one?
What do you like about it?
What don’t you like about it?

After discussing and voting for their favorites, then have your kids create their own doodle using the letters in their names but still with the theme of “What I Wish for the World.” You can start by making a list of their “wishes” to generate some ideas for the artwork. Be sure to supply a variety of things for creating the artwork as coloring or drawing isn’t always the best hands-on activity for everyone.

Earn an extra two entries into every contest through June, 2009 by sending me a photo of the created doodle. You are also allowed to make one for yourself! Please email the entries to: LifeMoreSimply @ yahoo . com (without the spaces) and leave a post here telling me that you did. Then, be sure to leave a message on the “Time To Get Happy” post so that your extra entries get counted! I, obviously, will need them before the end of June if you wish to use any extra contest entries.

Even if you choose to not make a doodle, what are your wishes for the world? For your family? For yourself?

Sensory Walks

Taking walks is a common past time for families, individuals, and groups. It is something that is often used as an activity for day cares, school groups, and other goal oriented groups like people with developmental disabilties or people trying to lose weight. So often, the activities involved in walking involve only that--walking. Why not spice it up and offer a sensory based walking activity? Studies show that learning best takes place when one involves as many senses as possible. Simulating your senses uses brain power, causing synaptic connects between your neurons which increases brain compacity and functioning. Making a regular walk into a sensory walk can be fun, challenging, and above all else--healthy for you!

It's easy to incorporate senses into any walk by simply pointing out different things as you pass by. To make it more fun, search for specific things: colors, textures, shapes, themes. Two things that I've created to make walking more fun for the consumers at my work are scavenger hunts for our local mall and a photographic scavenger hunt for one of the nearby streets.

For the mall scavenger hunts, I created a list of items that one could find and then randomized the list using an online randomizer. I broke the list down into smaller lists of 10 items each. Each list has a variety of different things on it including objects to visually see, textures to find and feel, or sounds to listen for. One hunt is completely sensory based and was designed for consumers at a lower functioning level. See if you could use this checklist to find things on a walk of your own!

After all, it's free to go walking and it's good for you. Why not make it even better for you, and interesting at the same time?

Mall Sensory Walk

Feel…
o A hard bench
o A cold window
o A fuzzy shirt
o A soft pillow
o A furry kitten
o A smooth (or furry) dog
o Movement in an elevator
o The leaves on a plant
o Silky lotion

Hear…
o Water flowing
o Puppies barking
o Kitties meowing
o Mice squealing
o Birds chirping
o People talking
o Bells from video games
o Music playing
o The Crinkle of a book (find an actual crinkley Children’s book)
o Hangers clank
o A Piano play

See…
o Lights flashing (Time Out)
o People
o Colors
o Sizes
o Shapes
o Objects
o Reflections
o Animals

Smell…
o Animals
o Different Foods
o Chlorine in the water
o Lotions
o Candles

Mall I spy…

o A quarter
o A rocking chair
o A wheelchair
o A sewing machine
o A pink watch
o A map
o Something striped
o Something soft
o A bird
o A hot dog
o A wagon
o A Christmas tree
o A red tray
o A giraffe
o A sparkly dress
o A photo frame
o A history book
o A silver bracelet
o Something tall
o A button

o An ice cream cone
o Something rough
o A dime
o A ball
o A penny
o Something slimy
o A pig
o Hair made out of yarn
o A salt shaker
o A rat
o A green belt
o A crab
o Something red
o A pepper shaker
o A painting of nature
o A dress fit for a princess
o A mirror
o Bubble Gum
o Blue shoes
o A book on the topic of animals