Spotlight on: Thanksgiving

Rexanne's Web Review 
Web Sites & Insights

Issue #62 - November 1, 2002 

Brought to You By: Rexanne.com

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Welcome All Newcomers! 

Did everyone have a Happy Halloween? We sure did. School parties, carnivals, trick or treating and lots of candy. It was insanely busy but worth it! We are now officially into the holiday season. Get happy. :-)

We received tooth fairy feedback! Thanks to everyone who sent their excellent ideas, customs and going rates. Find our reader's input in the Tips & Tricks section below . 

Found the following in Homefires Hearth newsletter. Read it to your kids when they think you're ragging on them too harshly about their table manners:

16th Century Table Manners for Children

"Children should come to the table clean and in a merry mood; they should not rest their hands on their trenchers, nor drink more than two or three times during the meal (most drank wine diluted with water 
or thin beer); and they should wipe their lips with a napkin after each drink, especially if a common drinking cup is used." Erasmus (16th Century) 

Pass that wine cup, little one!

OK, so we're not feeding our children mutton and wine ... however, in the U.S., we're preparing feasts to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday. Have a great one, my dear American readers. Be sure to give thanks for our amazing country and her great people. Here's a link to my Thanksgiving page to help you through the festivities: Rexanne's Thanksgiving

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Reader's Comments:

New reader Jacqueline wrote:

"I can already tell that October will end before I have finished exploring all that you offered, primarily because everything I read was 'right up my alley.' It was as if someone had made a list of all the things I ponder, desire more info about, wish to improve my skill in, longed for a better understanding of, or have been curious about. I look forward to future months already. My compliments on a truly appreciated product."

Thank you, Jacqueline and welcome! 

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Daysi wrote about the kid lunch ideas from the last newsletter:

"I have done so many of these tips. My daughter is now in 2nd grade and I have always sent her a note in her lunch box! And now that my Brooke is in Pre-K this year, I have done the same everyday! I also send her a sandwich and use a cookie cutter. I think it's so important that they always feel me with them."

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Martha sent in this information on Amber Alerts for AOL members:

Amber Alerts are rapid responses to an abducted child situation. The Amber Alert lets the public know if a child has been kidnapped and that help is needed. Using any media available, vital information is broadcast instantly. The public then becomes the "eyes & ears" for the rescue effort. Police say that greatly enhances their ability to rescue abducted children. Amber Alerts will soon be available online. When law enforcement issues an official alert, the notification will immediately appear on your computer screen if you're in the vicinity of the abduction. Pre-register to receive AOL Amber Alerts at AOL Keyword: AMBER Alerts.

Rexanne's note: If you are not on AOL, you might want to ask your ISP if they will be offering this feature. 

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And Deanna wrote:

"I loved the article on 'Child-Friendly Environment.' We as parents need to know that raising a child is the most important job we will ever have. Our children are so precious and they do learn by the environment they are brought up in. We have to remember that they are just 'little people' and they have the same wants and needs that we do. Mainly to be loved and treated with respect."

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OK, here's the scoop:

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Quote of the Month:  I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. - Winston Churchill

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This Month's Web Review Sponsored By:  KidsChairs.com

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Readers, these are the cutest chairs and children's sofas I've seen. You and your kids will love them. Free shipping for the month of November saves you a bundle and you'll have a perfect holiday present! 

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Parenting & Family Topic of the Month:  Homework Hassles

Are you weary and sick of badgering your kids to do their homework? Now that the novelty of the first few school weeks has worn off, kids can get tired of the routine and a little cranky when it comes to doing the dreaded homework. Routine helps, as children respond to organized time structures. See this page for helpful hints on setting up routines: The Importance of Routines

Read on for expert advice on homework struggles from Ron Huxley:

Homework Hassles
By Ron Huxley, LMFT

Children do not naturally know how to organize their time and energy to do their homework. Here are some homework helper tips to teach children how to improve their study skills:

1. Don't label your child as lazy or unmotivated. 

2. Look for any underlying medical problems or learning disabilities that make studying difficult.

3. Create a quiet place for your child to study free of distractions.

4. Make sure that your child has all the necessary supplies, such as paper and pencils, before he starts.

5. Schedule homework times for the same time every weekday.

6. Break up the homework routine with small breaks for snacks or quick exercise.

7. Reward your child frequently for their effort throughout the homework time AND for finishing it each day.

For more excellent parenting ideas, information and help, read Ron Huxley's book "Love & Limits: Achieving a Balance in Parenting." 

Another good page with advice on motivating our children is
Ideas to Help Motivate Your Kids

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Know of a good parenting or family site your fellow readers might enjoy? Please send it for possible publication in an upcoming issue. Click here: Parenting Site


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Food & Cooking Site of the Month: Feeder's Digest, Part 4

From Feeder's Digest, part 4:

"I am in a particularly irreverent mood - ordinarily I actually enjoy starting a holiday morning wrestling with a turkey. One of my traditions is really loud rock and roll ... there will be no sleeping when I'm up to my elbows in guts." - Martha, AKA Queen Can-ivore

Need I add anything to this? Not only will Martha give you a fit of the giggles, you'll also find incredibly easy recipes for Thanksgiving plus other goodies to keep everyone's mouths happy. :-) 

Bon Appetit!

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Kid's Site of the Month: Paw Island

Most kids love animals and they will love Paw Island, where they can interact with the various animal islanders. Paw Island has games, activities, contests, coloring pages and more. There is also a nifty online store where kids will find their favorite Paw Island character merchandise. See what all the squawking is about!

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Freebie of the Month: Thanksgiving To Do List & Calorie Charts

Foodgeeks, a remarkable recipe and cooking site, offers one of the best Thanksgiving countdown lists available. I use this list every year and couldn't imagine doing Thanksgiving without it. Print it out and check off as you go: Thanksgiving To Do List

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And for our diet conscious readers, Mike has created some great calorie counting charts. You can view them either by fat grams, alphabetically by food name, by protein content, etc. Just in time for the holidays. ;-) Click here: Calorie Counter Charts

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Tip or Trick of the Month:  Reader's Tooth Fairy Feedback

Our reader's tooth fairy customs are precious and inspiring. Before we get to them, I found a great, free tooth fairy letter to personalize and print out for your toothless babes: Tooth Fairy Letter

Read on:

Kathy wrote:

"My kids get $1 but we try to use special coins. My oldest always got a Susan B. Anthony $1 coin (almost impossible to find now; guess I'm glad she's outgrown the Tooth Fairy). My next one got the new gold $1  with Sacagawea. We tried to keep it a little different. Not sure what we'll do with our 3rd one. As she's only 1, we have awhile to decide." 

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Peggy wrote:

"I did not want to save the teeth, but felt bad to just throw them away. What I devised was to make a small satin bag with a drawstring. The child put the tooth in it and put that under the pillow. I removed the tooth in the night and fixed a rhinestone into the fabric of the bag to remember the tooth by. I made up the story that in tooth fairy land, rhinestones (jewels) are everywhere, but teeth, especially healthy ones without cavities, are very valuable, so the fairy trades the jewel for the tooth. I sometimes also made teensy little notes from the fairy to the child which were very cute and funny. Over the years, with several children, the bag came to be covered with little 'diamonds,' a neat way to remember the number of teeth lost."

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Tracy wrote:

"The tooth fairy leaves a shiny golden dollar under our pillows! Our kids have a friend who got $5.00 for their first tooth that fell out. My daughter was so unimpressed because she gets a golden dollar. Maybe someday she will understand she really didn't have the better deal ... I'm not telling her though! :o)"

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Pam wrote:

"My daughter was in kindergarten when she lost her first tooth. As a child, I could remember getting 25 cents for a tooth. So figuring in inflation, I dutifully placed 50 cents under her pillow. When she got up the next morning, my daughter marched into the kitchen and announced, 'The tooth fairy must be broke.' I smiled warily and said, 'Why do you say that sweetheart?' 'Because everyone at school gets 2 dollars for their teeth and I only got 50 cents!' Being the loving parent that I am, the next time and each time afterward, I placed two crisp one dollar bills under the pillow of each of my toothless children!"

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Gee parents ... I feel so lame now! I manage to replace the tooth in my daughter's tooth fairy pillow with a crumply old dollar bill, after having left reminders all over my bed so as not to forget before I conk off for the night. ;-) Your ideas and feedback are so terrific. Please keep those emails coming, on any subject. Remember, we need your tips, tricks and comments to keep RWR fresh! 

Have a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it here for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

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Time Waster of the Month:  Countries & Capitols
Because life is supposed to be fun!

This game is guaranteed to stretch your mind and keep you playing to beat your last score. As the names of countries and capitals pop up, click on the two that match. Your score will be tracked and points are 
deducted for wrong answers. Let's see how well we all know geography:

Feed the kids first ...

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--- Featured Site of the Month: ClubMom

ClubMom has to be the best place online for parents, after Rexanne.com. ;) Your registration with ClubMom is free. With incredibly useful content and so many freebies, you'll want to visit their site daily. ClubMom's personalized checklists, recipe center, articles and message boards are just a few of the many benefits you will enjoy by being a ClubMom parent, so go register risk free and join this amazing group.

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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this newsletter alive. Each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval! Please visit them today.

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Advertisement: Visit the Stay-At-Home Parents Page for support and encouragement for two-parent families to have one parent stay home to raise the children. Information on budgeting, cost-cutting, frugal 
living, articles, books, links and much more! 

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