You can buy small scrapbook albums in a variety of shapes and sizes or you can easily make your own. I’ve done both and each has its own appeal.

Store-bought Mini-Albums
These are nice because they’ll often come with page protectors available in the size of the pages. Whether you choose 7 x 7, 8 x 8, 5 x 7, or any other size, a benefit of these store bought albums is that you don’t have to worry about cutting the pages, figuring out how to bind them, or how to protect the pages. You just have to worry about filling the pages!

Handmade Mini-Albums
An easy handmade mini-album can be made very quickly in just a few steps:

1. Cut sheets of 12 x 12 cardstock in half to create 12 x 6 sheets of paper. You can cut as many sheets as you’d like depending on how big your album needs to be. Each sheet of 12 x 6 will make up 4 pages in your mini-album.
2. Fold each sheet in half to create 6 x 6 pages.
3. Lay the folded sheets inside of each other to create a book. You will notice that the inside pages stick out farther than the outside pages. This can be fixed easily.
4. Hold the closed album tightly to a cutting surface and place a metal ruler along the outside edge of the top page. Using a sharp craft knife, cut along the ruler to remove the protruding parts of the inside pages to make the edges of the album even.
5. I recommend decorating each of the pages at this point, and binding the album after it has been finished. This makes managing the pages much easier as you work.
6. To bind the album, put all of the pages together and lay them flat, so you are looking at the center two pages of the album. Using a long, thick needle, make two holes in the crease of the fold that go all the way through each of the pages. These small holes in each page will serve as “marks” so that you’ll know where to punch the larger holes for your ribbon or string to bind the book.
7. Punch small holes in each of the pages where your needle mark is.
8. Assemble the pages again and thread ribbon, string, rope, or fibers through the two holes to bind the book.

Ideas for Mini-Album Themes

Family Tree
Learning Numbers
Wedding Highlights
Our Engagement Story
10 Reasons Why I ___________
Our Vacation
Things I like
What a Mother/Father/Sister/Friend/Grandparent/etc. Means to Me
Favorite Quotes
Lessons Learned

About the Author
Andrea Steed is the author and creator of Scrap Tutor, a web site and CD-ROM that teaches you how to create scrapbooks and how to perform many popular techniques used in scrapbooking. For more information, visit www.scraptutor.com.

When it comes to planning a movie night with your grandchildren, one of the biggest challenges that you will face is deciding which movie to watch. Your decision will further be complicated with the more grandchildren that you have in attendance. With that in mind, you will find that the best way to choose the next movie for your movie night is by examining the average age of your grandchildren. Age should play an important part in your next movie night.

If your grandchildren are newborns, infants, toddlers, or even preschoolers, you will find an unlimited number of choices. In the past few years, the market of videos for this age range have skyrocketed. Although having a wide range of options, in terms of movies for your young grandchildren, is nice, it can also be overwhelming. Of course, you will find some variances, but most newborns, infants, and toddlers love just about anything that is colorful or has catchy music. Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, and Blues Clues are popular television shows and videos among those in this age group. It is also important to mention that they are all educational in nature.

If your grandchildren are older in age, like those who may be in elementary school or high school, you will still find a number of different options for your next movie night. With that in mind, you will also want to proceed with caution. It is not uncommon for many tween or teen movies to contain violence or foul language, even if not officially swearing. It may be best to stick with movies that parents approve or movies that are rated G or PG. As a grandparent, there is nothing wrong with playing it safe.

As previously stated, choosing a movie for your next movie can be difficult with the more grandchildren that you have present. If you have a combination of young and old grandchildren, it may be a wise idea to offer a compromise. For instance, let the older children help you choose a movie for this week’s movie night and then the following week or next time, your movie can focus on your younger grandchildren. This compromise is one that can help to please everyone, as well as ensure that your next movie night is a hit.

Curt, a bright sixteen-year-old, was bursting with excitement over his newly earned driver’s license. His mother, seeing an opportunity for him to exercise his helpful tendencies, as well as his newfound freedom, asked him to go to the grocery store to get hamburger for dinner. The look on his face was jubilant! His mom had never trusted him with such a task.

He grabbed the car keys and made a mad dash for the garage. She went to the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. By the time she’d finished and set the table, she began to worry. Time passed—and still more. Where was Curt?

Just as she was considering a trip of her own to find him, Curt came trudging through the door—without hamburger. “Where’s the meat?” she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. “They don’t sell hamburger at our grocery store, Mom.”

“Of course they do, Curt!” she exclaimed. But he sighed loudly and persisted, frustrated that his mother didn’t get it.

“I went down every aisle twice, Mom, and they do not sell hamburger!”

Exasperated, she asked Curt to get back in the car, and she climbed in beside him. On the way to the store, she muttered, “It’s just like always around here. If I want something done right, I have to do it myself.” Once at the store, she marched over to the meat cooler, Curt dragging behind. She pointed dramatically and announced triumphantly, “There!”

She was stunned when her son, looking very puzzled—a beacon in a sea of cellophane-packed ground meat—said, in the sincerest of voices, “I don’t see any hamburger…”

It took seconds for her to make the connection. Her son—her driver’s-license-toting, beard-growing, college-bound son—had never been asked to help with grocery shopping! Nor had he ever prepared a meal! The truth was that he couldn’t recognize raw hamburger if she threw it at his head! That head was currently shaking back and forth in amazement. “Wow,” he said, “I’ve never seen it like that before.”

When the fog cleared, other thoughts crept into her head: he’d never done a load of laundry! He’d never balanced a checkbook! He’d never changed a flat tire! He’d never sewn on a button, or mended a tear in his pants! He’d never even packed his own lunch! Since she’d always done all these things for him, he’d never had the opportunity to do them for himself—and now her son, who was rapidly approaching full adulthood, had no idea how to perform any of these common rituals. She, with all the best intentions mixed with a bit of all-too-human impatience, had unknowingly failed to prepare her son for his foray into the real world. She was a good mother—too good.

The Hidden Message
“Don’t you worry about any of these tasks. I’ll do them for you. I’ll always be there to do them for you.”

Think About It
Sometimes, raising responsible kids isn’t so much about what we do, but about what we don’t. By being “too good” of a parent we rob our children of opportunities that help them develop tools for success in adult life—tools that can’t be bought or given, but must be forged by experience. Every task we complete for our children is a task not done by our children.

I can imagine you now shaking your head at this page in protest, asking a valid question: “But my job is to take care of my children! Aren’t these tasks a part of my job?” Read this answer slowly and carefully: No.

Your job is to raise responsible, capable young people who eventually leave your home to build independent lives; your job is to help them develop the skills necessary to do that. So, you should feel good about teaching and transferring some household duties to your children, knowing that this is an essential gift that you’re giving them.

This is a process that should begin early and continue at a regular pace. Introducing important life skills to your kids when they turn eighteen isn’t feasible and might just be impossible. For one, teenagers are busy; they’re eager to get on with life and have little patience to learn mundane skills such as loading the dishwasher. For another, they’ve already developed habits that are hard to break. So, it behooves us to bring our babies into childhood with a constant eye toward what we’re doing for them and weigh it against what they could be doing for themselves.

Having said that, I maintain that it’s perfectly acceptable to choose to cater to your child at times. If your child is sick, of course, you shouldn’t tell him to get out of bed and make his own chicken soup. If your child is unable to complete a task on his own—due to his age or abilities—it’s an act of mercy to help him out. Consideration as a character trait is every bit as essential as independence. The difference in these cases is that you’re offering—your child isn’t expecting.

Changes You Can Make
Begin by learning one useful word, to be uttered to yourself at times when you catch yourself doing for children things they should learn to do for themselves: “Don’t.”

This is one of the few times in parenting that you can be proud of the things you DON’T do. Next time you see that crusty cereal bowl, hum your mantra—“Doooonnnnn’t”—and refrain from taking it to the sink. Instead, call your child, point to the bowl, and ask him politely to take care of it. When you see those clothes lying on the floor just outside the shower door, stop yourself— “Doooonnnnn’t”— and ask your child to put them in the hamper. Don’t pick up those crumpled-up snack wrappers left on the kitchen counter—“Doooonnnnn’t.” Request that your child give them a proper burial. Resist the temptation to move the morning along by packing your kid’s lunch. “Doooonnnnn’t.” Instead, call her over to the counter, and guide her through the lunch-making process.

These lessons needn’t be dreary. For example, next time you’re about to put in a load of laundry, don’t simply trudge off to the laundry room— “Doooonnnnn’t.” As you pass your child, who is reclined on the sofa watching TV, ask him to turn off the tube and join you for a quick laundry lesson. You both might take pleasure from the time you spend together, talking among the whites and the darks, enjoying a few moments of conversation as you teach another valuable life skill.

Yes, I know. You’ll have to go though this drill again and again… But eventually, one bright day, you’ll realize that some learning has taken place. (And just maybe your child will have caught on, too.) As if by magic, your child will have taken care of that cereal bowl without a word from you—and you can celebrate the fact that he’s moved one step closer to being responsible for himself. And as a bonus, you’ll have moved one step further from frustration.

Of course, this approach calls for common sense. You can’t expect a three-year-old to cook his own dinner or a five-year-old to mow the lawn. Start with simple age-appropriate responsibilities and add to these as your child becomes more mature and capable. The beauty of gifting your child with the skills of responsibility and independence is that each skill is a building block upon which many others are balanced. First your child learns to count the spoons and fetch the napkins, then he learns to set the table, next he learns to fill his own plate with food, after that he learns how to make the salad, and before you know it, he has the skills to prepare an entire meal.

My three older children, at the ripe old ages of eight, ten and twelve – have the skills necessary to do exactly that. On several occasions, they have been given the privilege of planning and preparing a meal. The three of them discuss a menu plan and create a shopping list. Then Mom, Dad or Grandma takes them to the grocery store and the three kids do their shopping (as the adult-in-charge sips a coffee at the front deli counter.) They bring their groceries home and prepare the meal. It is absolutely delightful to listen as the three of them converse and discuss the details of the preparation, “Do you think these pieces are too big?” “How long do you cook beans?” “Do you think this is enough cheese?” The meals are very creative, usually colorful and even tasty. In addition to knowing that they have learned important life skills, the glow on their faces as they bask in the success of their endeavor makes it all worthwhile.

So how do you get to this point? If your little one is younger than six, consider yourself in the “training stage.” This is a time when learning occurs and habits form. I know: it’s so much easier to pick up your child’s toys than to go through the labor-intensive process that “letting your child do it himself” really is. It does take more time and energy to “let” your child pick up his toys, tie his shoes, and pour his juice; as the “help” you need to give is often more complicated than if you would have done it yourself. In the long run, however, you’ll save yourself a virtual lifetime of catering to a child who has never had the opportunity to assume these responsibilities at a young age. Such a child will see you as his personal valet and will resist giving up such a luxury. Wouldn’t you?

Plus, taking the time and expending the patience to help a willing and enthusiastic three- or four-year-old learn to unload the dishwasher is a lot easier than trying to teach a busy, uninterested teenager, and then deal with the frustration when he doesn’t keep up with it.

If your child is over six, every missed opportunity to teach a useful household task prolongs your child’s dependence. Every single time you pick up a dirty sock, a used tissue, a crusty cereal bowl or a misplaced toy—every time you do this— you teach your child to believe in the “cleanup fairy.” This is not only frustrating for you, but also difficult for your children when they move out of the house and discover that the “cleanup fairy” neglected to pack up and move with them.

This is one of those parenting tasks that are difficult for most of us. But the benefits are great. Perhaps the most wonderful payoff in allowing your child to master life through age-appropriate tasks and skills comes from the boost to his self-esteem. The more capable a child is, the more confident the child will become. With confidence, and a full repertoire of important life skills, comes a stronger, more positive self-image that will enable your child to take on whatever life imposes.

Copyright Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

About the author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

Alot of children today are not developing a love of reading that will help them be successful adults. As parents, our fundamental duty is to prepare our children for adulthood. We give them our love and our time, and by doing this we are preparing them to face the world. Teaching them to read and to love reading will also help prepare them to face the world with confidence and to be successful. Let us not forget what our job is as we continue to help our children grow into healthy and happy adults.

One of my favorite pictures of me was taken when I was about 11/2 years old. I was sitting in a little red rocking chair made by my grandfather reading a book to a big orange a white cat who was sitting in my lap. I am 28 years old now and two of my greatest loves are reading and cats. Ok, maybe my love for cats has not made me successful, but I know that my love for reading has helped me become the person I am today. I am so grateful to my parents for instilling in me a love for reading and education. I don’t remember sitting in that little red chair reading that book, but I do have very fond memories of my mom and dad reading to me, helping me learn to read, and later on helping me with my homework. Because of that healthy respect I have for education, I was able to succeed in college and graduate school. I have a 11/2 year old son now, and I know how important it is to teach him to have a love for reading. I hope that all parents will realize this and will get their children involved in reading at an early age.

About The Author
Paula Wilson is the mother of a 1 year old son. She has developed the WAHM website http://www.wahmresourceplace.com. She is an Independent Consultant for Usborne Books, and her website can be found here: http://www.ubah.com/x1367

Why does breastfeeding have that added benefit? One reason is that it is believed that when a baby is attached to the breast and nursing, they quit when they are full. However, when a parent is feeding a bottle to their baby they often try to feed their baby until the bottle is empty, many times overfeeding the baby. This can teach their baby that they need to keep eating, even when they feel satisfied.

It is speculated that breast milk may contain ingredients that help control a baby’s metabolic rate, therefore helping to control their future weight gain. Because no one knows exactly what breast milk is made up of, it can not be duplicated to an exact copy by formula manufacturers like Enfamil. Because breast milk is genetically different and altered for each baby, there is no way for formula to be as good for your baby as breast milk.

Breast milk also helps prevent diabetes, ear infections, and diarrhea in babies. Besides being healthy for your baby, it is cheapest and easiest way to feed your baby. With health and convenience all taken care of, and the risk of obesity being lowered by breastfeeding, why would someone who could breastfeed make the choice to NOT breastfeed their baby?

Double the Inches
Some people believe that you can double the inches of your two year old to determine how many inches they will be when they are at full adult height. If this was the case and your baby was 36 inches at two years old, then they would be 72 inches as an adult, or six feet.

Growth Charts
In many cases you can go by the growth charts to get a general idea. By the age of two your baby’s growth patterns should have stabilized enough that you can look at their chart and see if they fall more on the small side, average side, or high side of the chart. If they fall on the small side, they will probably be on the smaller side for adults. If they are in the 90% as a two year old, then they will probably be a tall adult.

The Formula
There is actually a formula some go by that can be pretty accurate. It says to add up the parent’s height and divide by two to get the average. Then for a girl subtract 2.6 inches and for a boy add 2.6 inches. That means that if mom is 67 inches tall and dad is 73 inches tall, making the total 140 inches, the average is 70 inches. This would make their daughter approximately 5’6″ tall and their son approximately 6’0″ tall. This is not always accurate however because it is possible that a girl might get a short grandmother’s gene as her dominate gene, making her shorter than the formula states she would be.

Nothing is exact; after all it is all science. Everything is just the expert’s best guesses on how your child will grow through puberty and into adulthood.