Activities For Traveling With Kids

Traveling with children can be challenging.  Here are a few ideas for making car or airplane travel a bit more interesting.  

     

An assortment of travel games can be found at many toy stores and book shops.  This game is perfect for preschoolers and is based on the popular I Spy books.

Children usually love magnets.  Try bringing a metal board (you can even use a small cookie tray) and a variety of magnets along on your next car ride.  Letter magnets will help kids learn the alphabet.

A collection of small and light books, like the classic Little Miss and Mr books by Roger Hargreaves, will keep your children entertained and learning important lessons in an entertaining way.

Kids love activity books, and they are great for travel.  Sticker and coloring books can keep the kids entertained and are very portable.  

Happy Travels!

July 2010 President's Note

July marks the beginning of the new term for the PMC board of directors, and this means our club renewals are right around the corner.  I am so excited to be volunteering in the role of Board President this year.  It wasn’t something I planned, but without a doubt, something I am honored to do. 

Joining this club three years ago was one of the best things I have ever done.  Shortly after moving here, I heard it on the playground and from my real estate agent, that the PMC is a must for new moms, particularly if you are new to the area. 

After joining a playgroup I realized it wasn’t just my baby benefitting from meeting new people, I was getting so much out of it too.  Slowly, the other mothers and I have formed friendships that will last a lifetime.  Motherhood is rewarding, but challenging, and my PMC friends are going through the exact same thing I am.  We share and support each other in our personal triumphs, but also in our times of trouble. We have formed our own strong support system.

This is why the PMC exists.  We support each other through both the challenging parts of raising children, and the most rewarding parts.  You may be a PMC veteran, or you may be new to our club, but I hope that while you are out in our community you will spread the word about the support we provide, and the new friendships we are sharing.  Please keep a look out for your PMC club renewal information that will come this year directly to your email box.  We hope that you will continue to be a part of our growing membership!

Carrie Smetana

PMC President 2010/2011

June President's Note

How did I get so lucky? With three beautiful daughters and a husband who loves me, I have to remember to pinch myself sometimes. After having Raquel, I felt a bit of fear; specifically, I got scared about losing my husband. I think I might have even wondered about our life insurance policy. But this fear also didn’t come out of nowhere. Now with three kids, one of which is a newborn who I am literally attached too, I have begun to see just how much my husband does for our family. I need more help these days, and he has been right there helping away during these first few weeks of our new baby’s life.

Brent is a hands-on dad. He has never shied away from a poopy diaper (okay, maybe once); he makes meals, gives baths, and reads stories, just to name a few. I have to laugh because although he does things a little different than I do (for example at bath time, rinsing shampoo out of the girls can sometimes seem like water boarding rather than rinsing), the mere fact that my husband even takes the time to do regular bath time is wonderful. I’ve really had to let go of my control as a mother and let him do things as he thinks they should be done. On disciplining our children, however, we are definitely working towards consistently delivering the right messages to our kids and staying on the same page.

So this being the last President’s Note of my term, I’d like to publically thank my husband for being such an amazing father and husband. He has never shown me anything less than love and support throughout my presidency and throughout our life together thus far. He is the backbone of our family who works so hard for us during the day so that we can live the life we do. He then comes home at night to be “on” for his family. He is amazing. He loves Petaluma and he loves helping his community. This man earns his sleep for sure. Thank you Brent! I love you, and I thank you for being my partner in life and the father to our three angels.

To all the PMC Dads who have stood behind the wonderful women of the PMC, Happy Father’s Day! Thank you for coming to events and helping with set-up, take down, getting supplies, building our float for Butter & Eggs Day, being with the kids so she could be with us, etc., etc., etc.

Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to serve as your President over the past year. I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you, and I feel so much appreciation to the moms and dads involved in our community. May you all have a wonderful summer with your children and families. Eat lots of watermelon, play in the sun, and enjoy your friends and neighbors. Peace.

Veronica Blaustein
PMC President

May President's Note

I just became a mother for the third time and aside from being a little more tired, I feel so blessed.  Motherhood was something I had dreamed of.  I had wanted to have children, and in the beginning when my husband and I started trying, I thought for a moment that I might not get that opportunity.  We had a difficult time conceiving at first, and now three beautiful girls later, I am glad that my dream has come true.

I seem to have a bit of amnesia with each child.  I couldn’t remember how the labor and delivery of my second child went as I was coming up on delivering my third.  I can’t remember how much or how little my newborn is supposed to sleep.  I wonder how different things would be if each little newbie was born with their own instruction manual.  But maybe that would take all of the fun out of getting to know them?

I do know that as I grow more and more in to my role as a mother, I feel more and more indebted to my own mom.  She continues to surprise me all these years later as she continues to mother all three of her adult children, be a wonderful “Nana” to my girls, as well as live her own life after the heartbreak of a painful separation from my father.

I know that my mother has done her absolute best in parenting me and my siblings and now that I have children of my own, I know that it is no easy feat parenting three kids.  I feel the criticisms of my teenage years melting away and compassion setting in.

I want to wish all the mothers in the PMC a very happy Mother’s Day.  What a wonderful life it is to be a mom.  I hope you will come celebrate motherhood with us at the upcoming PMC Spring Tea and Silent Auction on the 23^rd of May.

Veronica Blaustein

PMC President

Chemistry Project: Make your own slime

Kids love stirring and mixing, and playing with items that have unusual texture. That is why this fun experiment is right up their alley.  Besides all the mixing and measuring, children will have their very own slime to play with!  This polymer will mold to any container they put it in and can be stretched and oozed all over the place.  

Ingredients:

White Glue (Elmer’s)

Water

Food Coloring

Borax (laundry booster, found in the cleaning section of store)

In a cup, mix 1 cup of warm water with a tablespoon of borax.  In a separate bowl, mix equal parts of glue and water into a bowl and stir.  Stir in the food coloring of your choice.  Add the water/borax mixture into the glue at about a tablespoon at a time.  Watch your slime form!  

This can be stored in a plastic bag or bowl.

Butter & Egg Days Parade

Next weekend is Petaluma's largest event,  the Butter & Egg Days Parade.  Look for the PMC's handmade float and give us a cheer when you see us in the parade! 

Music For Kids

This is a video from one of our very own PMC members. She shared it with us today on our forum.



Music is a great way to connect with your child, especially if it is something both you and the kids can enjoy. You can rock out in the car on the way to school or the store, or have a dance party in the living room. Music can signal to your child that it is time to relax and get ready for bed, or that it is time to get up and an boogie!

Here are some other albums that we are enjoying around our house lately: