Monthly Archives

October 2019

  • Boo Basket for Halloween

    This year, I think we have all realized there have been more tricks than treats, and with COVID-19 restrictions and activity limitations still in place, this means the typical Halloween events are at a lull. For our family, we still plan to decorate, celebrate, and ensure our kids are having a fun time partaking in Halloween traditions, but not at the cost of risking our safety with high-risk activities. So in lieu of trick-or-treating, we decided to make “Boo Baskets” for the boys. If you are considering staying in this year and need a quick and easy filler to make this Halloween spirit special, read on.

    Making a Boo Basket is simply and easy:

    Pick Your “Basket”

    Whether it’s a basket, bin, bucket or bowl – find the size that works for you. I purchased two Halloween buckets, but ended up using a small storage bin for my older son once I realized the book I purchased for him was too large.

    Fill Your Basket

    What you choose to fill the basket is totally up to you, but here are some fun treats are goodies you can consider:

    • Slime
    • Slap bracelets
    • Books
    • Glow lights
    • Witch fingers
    • Small puzzles
    • Spooky games
    • Halloween stickers
    • Halloween cookies
    • Creepy spiders
    • Toothbrush
    • Holiday cup
    • …and of course, Halloween candy!

    Here are some items I chose to put in for my 7 and 2 year old.

    Decorate

    Add some spider webs, ribbon, witch legs, glue some spiders, etc. to add a personal touch to each basket. I also used some basket filler items to add a bit of help with the display of your items. Click here to see a bunch of inspiration Boo Baskets!

    Make it a game!

    Turn this into a true Boo Basket by involving your friends, neighbors and family! Put together a creative basket and spread the Halloween fun, by leaving it on their doorstep anonymously to find with a note that says “You’ve Been Booed!” The poem will give the next instructions to continue the shenanigans by treating 2 other people! Be sure to place the “We’ve Been Booed” sign at your door, so you don’t get booed again.

    There are so many ways you can display, decorate and fill your boo baskets, based on the individual or even do themed collections. Not only is it enjoyable and creative to make these Boo Baskets, but it’s an easy way to put a smile on your kiddos face (or neighbors and friends) and spread the “Boo”.

    Let us know if you made a Boo Basket for Halloween and be sure to share your pictures in the comments below.

    Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to check out our Story Stones post for more fall fun!

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  • 5 Tips for Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys

    “Don’t cry. Stop crying. Big boys don’t cry.”

    I overheard these commands in a recent exchange between a young boy and caregiver. The child was having a hard time and for his caregiver, this was unacceptable. He wiped his eyes and became stoic, clearly repressing his emotions.

    While I don’t know what caused this child to feel upset, I know that in that moment he was coached to conceal his emotions and silence himself. He was taught that his feelings were invalid and needed to be quelled. He learned that showing emotion is weakness.

    “Real men are strong. Real men are apathetic. Real men are tough. Real men are aggressive and show dominance via violence.”

    We know all of these things to be untrue. So why do we perpetuate these ideas for our boys?

    This is toxic masculinity. These are the dangerous conclusions boys are drawing about themselves and the way they should interact with others.

    Picture of two brothers for emotionally healthy boys post rock it mama

    “Denying boys the opportunity to express themselves and experience their full range of emotion can have everlasting effects on their emotional and mental health.”

    In the age of the all important MeToo movement and focus on female empowerment, it’s easy to overlook our boys, and how important it is to nurture their emotional needs in order to create a place for them to thrive in our ever-changing society.

    Denying boys the opportunity to express themselves and experience their full range of emotion can have everlasting effects on their emotional and mental health. By teaching them that emotion is weakness, we stifle their emotional intelligence and impact the success of their personal relationships and happiness. They begin to adopt the belief that emotional beings are lesser or inferior, which in turn, distorts the way they view their female counterparts.

    I am a mother of boys. I recognize the challenges they face. I’m doing this work for them. And my hope is that in sharing 5 Tips for Raising Emotionally Healthy boys, I can impact the young men who will grow up alongside them. Let’s create a safe space for our children to share, to feel, and to be open with one another.

    Be Mindful of the Ways You May be Contributing to Toxic Masculinity

    Let’s first define toxic masculinity as traditional cultural masculine norms that can be harmful to men, women, and society. Overall, this concept of toxic masculinity is not intended to demonize men or male attributes, but rather to emphasize the harmful effects of conformity to certain traditional masculine ideal behaviors such as dominance, self-reliance, and competition.

    Being mindful of the ways we contribute to toxic masculinity can be uncomfortable, but reflecting on our upbringing and the old-fashioned ideals we carry around can help curb tendencies to perpetuate it. Some examples of this are:

    • Feminizing males as a means of insulting them
    • Shaming males for displaying affection
    • Asserting the notion that men are superior to women

    Toxic masculinity can also be evident in the way we communicate with one another.

    Common phrases (and those similar to these) that discourage emotional health:

      • “Man up.”
      • “Boys don’t cry.”
      • “Thats a female trait.”

    Parents, let him cry. Teach him that crying is human and a healthy way to express sadness, frustration, and anger. Firmly establish the idea that showing emotion is not feminine or weak, but rather a normal form of emotional expression.

    Create a Safe Environment for Emotional Expression

    Subsequent to the point above, cultivating an emotionally friendly environment in which sharing feelings is not only normal but encouraged, is essential to raising emotionally healthy boys. Never shutdown an emotionally charged conversation. Rather, calmly discuss anger and frustrations and allow kids to express themselves safely.

    Teach him to identify his feelings and validate them. The practice of “taking an emotional temperature” is a great one to implement with your child. Describe each feeling (sad, angry, surprised, embarrassed, etc) and have him choose the one that best describes his current “emotional temperature.” Then contemplate what could be triggering these feelings and devise healthy practices for working through them.

    Monitor the Media Your Child Consumes

    Violence is a major theme in most of the media young boys consume including television, movies, and video games. Try to lead  them towards nonviolent shows and games. Teach them that conflict does not have to be resolved with aggression or violence.

    Additionally, exposure to movies or books with female leads or heroes is a good way to bridge the gender gap.

    Model Emotionally Healthy Behaviors

    The American Psychological Association warns that “traditional masculinity ideology” is associated with negative effects on mental and physical health. Men who adhere to traditionally masculine cultural norms, experience increased risk of psychological problems such as depression, stress, body image issues, substance abuse, and poor social functioning.

    To eliminate the negative effects toxic masculinity plays on mental and physical health, model emotional responsibility and lead by example.

    Scenario:

    When a car cuts you off in traffic, try to refrain from aggressive reactions such as tailgating, inappropriate gestures, name-calling, etc. Take a deep breath and assess why this action is affecting you in a such a way. Is it something going on at work? An underlying anger? By practicing emotional responsibility in front of our children, it becomes a natural way of reaction for them as well.

    Encourage Them to Set Healthy Boundaries

    Emotional health requires boundaries and does not include powerless or pushover behavior. Teach assertiveness, strength, and confidence. Remember – we want kids to condemn disrespectful behavior and to stick up for others. We need them to show courage in the face of injustice.

    Encourage him to identify reasonable, safe and permissible ways for other people to behave towards him, and how to respond when someone passes those limits.

    To teach healthy boundaries, ask your kids to play what-if scenarios. Ask them what they would say in certain situations and listen to their responses. Then, offer them several phrases they can use to self-advocate, and remind them to use their words and that violence is never the answer.

    We hope you found our 5 Tips for Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys insightful. For more on building the values that connect us, be sure to read our Simple Methods for Teaching Kids Kindness and Empathy

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  • 13 Days of Creepy Halloween Crafts

    Like most, the second the fall crisp air begins to roll through, I go gung-ho and break out all the Halloween decor. And since having kids, it has only gotten more extreme as we add more Halloween projects and crafts into the festive tradition.

    Not only is crafting for Halloween a great way to deck the house with meaningful displays and get you into the spooky spirit, it’s also an easy and fun way to spend some time together  and make memories with your littles.

    With Halloween right around the corner, we’ve put together 13 days of creepy Halloween crafts that will make your day a bit more SPOOKTACULAR!

    Pinterest Graphic of 13 Creepy Halloween Crafts

    Click on the projects below to take you to the 13 creepy Halloween craft projects!

    1. Kids will love creating their own haunted house with this Popsicle Stick Haunted House craft

    2. This Oozing Blood Slime is the creepiest and grossest slime you’ll ever make!

    3. Kids can practice their eye/hand coordination with this Spider Paper Plate weaving craft

    4. A free Joke Cootie Catcher activity your child and their friends can enjoy!

    5. Your kid will love these adorable Googly-Eyed Handprint Bats

    6. Try out these fun Yarn Mummies your kids can wrap and make!

    7. You can make these Flying Paper Tube Bats with supplies already at home

    8. Decorate the house with these handmade Yarn Pumpkins

    9. Try this simple and fun Spider Quilling craft

    10. Your kids will love playing with this Paper Bag Frankenstein!

    11. Make a countdown to Halloween with this cute Paper Chain Halloween Decoration

    12. Creepy Halloween inspired Zombie Slime, your kids will love!

    13. Create all kinds of faces with this popsicle stick Mix and Match Pumpkin craft!

    You can also find some Halloween and Fall themed crafts and activities on our Pinterest page here.

    Happy crafting!

    P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you might like our Fall Sensory Bin post or 40 Fall Activities to Bring Your Family Closer Together.

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