LEGO for Girls? Yes, Auntie!
by Veronica Spettmann
Most Aunties acknowledge that LEGO is a
pretty amazing toy brand. In fact, it’s been a toy economy darling these
last few years, outpacing sales of most other toys. But LEGO system
toys are largely coveted by our nephews, with themes like Star Wars and
Ninjago that boys are particularly attracted to.
That’s possibly
all about to change. Yesterday, LEGO Group announced that beginning
January 1st, it will be selling 23 products geared towards girls ages
five and older (priced $5.99 to $99.99).
LEGO Friends was
designed with girls’ desires to create and role-play in mind. The sets
will feature the first-of-its-kind LEGO mini-doll figure that is more
realistic than the traditional LEGO people, and three new brick colors
to appeal to our nieces’ wants. Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, the CEO of LEGO
Group, says:“We focused on creating a play experience centered on the
joy of creation, while heeding the way girls naturally build and play.
We are incredibly proud of the solution we deliver with LEGO Friends,
and are resolved to build this platform for years to come.”
These
coming years we will be introduced to five characters from the
fictional “Heartlake City”: Olivia, Mia, Andrea, Stephanie, and Emma.
The first sets will reflect these characters’ personalities with names
like: “Stephanie’s Outdoor Bakery;” “Emma’s Splash Pool;” “Andrea’s
Stage;” “Olivia’s Inventor’s Workshop;” “Stephanie’s Pet Patrol;” “Mia’s
Puppy House;” and “Emma’s Design Studio.” ??Some of the larger sets
will include: “Stephanie’s Cool Convertible;” “Olivia’s Tree House;”
“Heartlake Dog Show;” “Butterfly Beauty Shop;” “City Park Café;”
“Heartlake Vet;” and “Olivia’s House."
“Unlike previous LEGO toys
for girls, LEGO Friends, at its core, does not apologize for being a
construction toy and delivers, for the first time, a building experience
in the same scale as our classic offerings,” says Nanna Ulrich Gudum,
the senior creative director for LEGO Group.
We think we may want
to live in Heartlake City too! Good thing LEGO set up an online
environment for our nieces to participate in to help make this LEGO
experience even more interactive: LEGOFriends.com.
The
first 14 LEGO Friends products will be available at limited locations
and the remainder of the LEGO System play sets will be made available
sometime in the summer months.
Published: December 20, 2011
Monday, March 25, 2013
Five Tips to Splitting Your Holiday Time
Five Tips to Splitting Your Holiday Time
by Veronica Spettmann
Non-single Aunties out there have probably encountered the troubling situation of trying to figure out whose family to spend the holidays with. Single Aunties may be having trouble deciding how to spend time with their families while still going to those great holiday parties that our friends are hosting. Here are a few guidelines to help you decide how to split up your time between families or between friends and family:
1. Decide if you can combine everyone! If your family gets along with your significant other’s family, then just have one big day of festivities where everyone can mingle! Does your family like your friends? Have your friends over for your holiday celebrations.
2. So, they don’t get along. Or you have too many friends. It happens. Has your family always had a huge Christmas Eve party, but not done much at all on Christmas Day? If this is the case, figure out if they would mind if you spent Christmas Day with your friends or significant other’s family. More often than not, most involved will be fine with the compromise.
3. Oh dear, your friends and families all want to celebrate on the exact same day and aren’t budging and you can’t combine them all into one big party. Now it boils down to deciding if you can split up the day itself. Is everyone close enough together that you can see your family in the morning, your significant other’s family for dinner, and then go out for holiday drinks with your buddies? The extra, extra effort shows everyone that you want to see them.
4. Darn, your significant other’s family lives more than 50 miles away. What now? Unfortunately, if this is the case, you’re going to have to start thinking about who you see more often. If you live with your family or see them all the time, then you may want to consider seeing them before or after the holidays and go to see your significant other’s family or friends whom you do not see often on the holidays instead. They may not be thrilled, but they’ll understand.
5. Throughout all of these decisions it is also important to consider whom you truly ENJOY spending time with. As horrible as it sounds, some people you just like seeing more than others. You want to enjoy your holidays, too, so let this be a deciding factor. If your nieces and nephews are all on one side of the family, then by all means, go spend the day with them! Everyone else will understand!
As
long as you’re making well-thought-out choices, everyone (including
your nieces and nephews) will still see you as a wonderfully
Holiday-Savvy Auntie!
Published: December 21, 2011
by Veronica Spettmann
Non-single Aunties out there have probably encountered the troubling situation of trying to figure out whose family to spend the holidays with. Single Aunties may be having trouble deciding how to spend time with their families while still going to those great holiday parties that our friends are hosting. Here are a few guidelines to help you decide how to split up your time between families or between friends and family:
1. Decide if you can combine everyone! If your family gets along with your significant other’s family, then just have one big day of festivities where everyone can mingle! Does your family like your friends? Have your friends over for your holiday celebrations.
2. So, they don’t get along. Or you have too many friends. It happens. Has your family always had a huge Christmas Eve party, but not done much at all on Christmas Day? If this is the case, figure out if they would mind if you spent Christmas Day with your friends or significant other’s family. More often than not, most involved will be fine with the compromise.
3. Oh dear, your friends and families all want to celebrate on the exact same day and aren’t budging and you can’t combine them all into one big party. Now it boils down to deciding if you can split up the day itself. Is everyone close enough together that you can see your family in the morning, your significant other’s family for dinner, and then go out for holiday drinks with your buddies? The extra, extra effort shows everyone that you want to see them.
4. Darn, your significant other’s family lives more than 50 miles away. What now? Unfortunately, if this is the case, you’re going to have to start thinking about who you see more often. If you live with your family or see them all the time, then you may want to consider seeing them before or after the holidays and go to see your significant other’s family or friends whom you do not see often on the holidays instead. They may not be thrilled, but they’ll understand.
5. Throughout all of these decisions it is also important to consider whom you truly ENJOY spending time with. As horrible as it sounds, some people you just like seeing more than others. You want to enjoy your holidays, too, so let this be a deciding factor. If your nieces and nephews are all on one side of the family, then by all means, go spend the day with them! Everyone else will understand!
Published: December 21, 2011
"App-y" Holidays!
"App-y" Holidays!
by Veronica Spettmann
Aunties can become pretty stressed when trying to make the holiday season special for their wonderful nieces and nephews. appSmitten, an online resource that helps Smart Phone users discover new applications, compiled a list of apps that will help Aunties alleviate some of that stress this year.
Easy Gift List
This app allows Aunties to keep track of who they need to buy for and what they planned to get! Aunties can create “events” for birthdays, holidays, and such. Then they can add their nieces and nephews to the events along with ideas for great gifts they had. This app also allows Aunties to set a budget and keep track of purchases, as well as mark gifts as “bought,” “wrapped,” “mailed,” and more! Free on iPhone
Find My Car!
Parking can be daunting if you forget to take note of where you parked, especially when Aunties are shopping at crowded malls for holiday gifts for nieces and nephews. Well, ditch that outdated “hit-the-alarm-button” trick. This app uses GPS navigation to pinpoint your car and give you walking directions back to it when you’re done navigating the stores! Free on iPhone
Postcards from Santa
This app is amazing for preventing the disappointment nieces and nephews feel when their “Dear Santa” letters never receive a reply. It costs $1.99 to send a completely personalized response postcard from Santa, but the app is free to download. The postcard will incorporate your nieces’ and nephews’ names, hometowns, and a Santa image. Free on iPhone and Android
Pinterest
This app is great for keeping track of gift ideas you find online for your nieces and nephews. It allows you to “pin” any image you find online to various “boards” or files that you create in the app. It will also allow you to pin photos that you take with your phone camera, which is a great way to organize those holiday photos of your nieces and nephews. Free on iPhone
Fancy
This app allows Aunties to find beautiful images that they may find inspiring, which may be just what Aunties need to unwind from holiday stressors. Aunties can browse images by topic categories then say whether they “fancy” an image or not. They can even upload their own photos for others to vote on. Free on iPhone, iPad, and Android
Red Laser
This app is like the Price is Right for the practical shopping Auntie. Scan an item (a food item for the holiday feast or a gift for a niece or nephew) and the app will tell you where else you can find the item (local listings and online retailers are listed) and what those other locations are charging. If there is no barcode, the app even allows Aunties to search the product manually. Free on iPhone and Android
The Find
This app is a lot like Red Laser, except it will allow Aunties to browse catalogs as well. There are hundreds of catalogs listed. The app shows the items with the prices attached for easy viewing. Free on iPhone and Android
Published: December 14, 2011
by Veronica Spettmann
Aunties can become pretty stressed when trying to make the holiday season special for their wonderful nieces and nephews. appSmitten, an online resource that helps Smart Phone users discover new applications, compiled a list of apps that will help Aunties alleviate some of that stress this year.
Easy Gift List
This app allows Aunties to keep track of who they need to buy for and what they planned to get! Aunties can create “events” for birthdays, holidays, and such. Then they can add their nieces and nephews to the events along with ideas for great gifts they had. This app also allows Aunties to set a budget and keep track of purchases, as well as mark gifts as “bought,” “wrapped,” “mailed,” and more! Free on iPhone
Find My Car!
Parking can be daunting if you forget to take note of where you parked, especially when Aunties are shopping at crowded malls for holiday gifts for nieces and nephews. Well, ditch that outdated “hit-the-alarm-button” trick. This app uses GPS navigation to pinpoint your car and give you walking directions back to it when you’re done navigating the stores! Free on iPhone
Postcards from Santa
This app is amazing for preventing the disappointment nieces and nephews feel when their “Dear Santa” letters never receive a reply. It costs $1.99 to send a completely personalized response postcard from Santa, but the app is free to download. The postcard will incorporate your nieces’ and nephews’ names, hometowns, and a Santa image. Free on iPhone and Android
This app is great for keeping track of gift ideas you find online for your nieces and nephews. It allows you to “pin” any image you find online to various “boards” or files that you create in the app. It will also allow you to pin photos that you take with your phone camera, which is a great way to organize those holiday photos of your nieces and nephews. Free on iPhone
Fancy
This app allows Aunties to find beautiful images that they may find inspiring, which may be just what Aunties need to unwind from holiday stressors. Aunties can browse images by topic categories then say whether they “fancy” an image or not. They can even upload their own photos for others to vote on. Free on iPhone, iPad, and Android
Red Laser
This app is like the Price is Right for the practical shopping Auntie. Scan an item (a food item for the holiday feast or a gift for a niece or nephew) and the app will tell you where else you can find the item (local listings and online retailers are listed) and what those other locations are charging. If there is no barcode, the app even allows Aunties to search the product manually. Free on iPhone and Android
The Find
This app is a lot like Red Laser, except it will allow Aunties to browse catalogs as well. There are hundreds of catalogs listed. The app shows the items with the prices attached for easy viewing. Free on iPhone and Android
Published: December 14, 2011
Mozart Music Does Not Make Babies Smarter
Mozart Music Does Not Make Babies Smarter
by Veronica Spettmann
A recent article on lifehacker.com defined nine myths about the human brain that won’t seem to go away. One of these is a myth that even some Savvy Aunties have fallen for: that playing Mozart for your baby nieces and nephews will help turn them into super-baby geniuses.
The study that originally caused some to believe this myth actually never produced substantial conclusive evidence that Mozart made babies smarter. Dr. Gordon Shaw and Dr. Frances Rauscher originally found that a specific piece of Mozart music temporarily boosted cognitive skills in young children. Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast adds: "although they had some promising preliminary results from a particular Mozart piece which made immediate worldwide headlines, the full study eventually showed no significant result." Nevertheless, these findings led to entire businesses created to capitalize on the myth, producing products and claims centered around the benefits of Mozart for babies.
While playing Mozart symphonies around young nieces and nephews will certainly not cause them any harm, Aunties should not expect them to turn out to be baby geniuses. Only close guidance and strong teachings by parents, teachers, Aunties and other loving adults can do that kind of work!
Published: December 14, 2011
by Veronica Spettmann
A recent article on lifehacker.com defined nine myths about the human brain that won’t seem to go away. One of these is a myth that even some Savvy Aunties have fallen for: that playing Mozart for your baby nieces and nephews will help turn them into super-baby geniuses.
The study that originally caused some to believe this myth actually never produced substantial conclusive evidence that Mozart made babies smarter. Dr. Gordon Shaw and Dr. Frances Rauscher originally found that a specific piece of Mozart music temporarily boosted cognitive skills in young children. Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast adds: "although they had some promising preliminary results from a particular Mozart piece which made immediate worldwide headlines, the full study eventually showed no significant result." Nevertheless, these findings led to entire businesses created to capitalize on the myth, producing products and claims centered around the benefits of Mozart for babies.
While playing Mozart symphonies around young nieces and nephews will certainly not cause them any harm, Aunties should not expect them to turn out to be baby geniuses. Only close guidance and strong teachings by parents, teachers, Aunties and other loving adults can do that kind of work!
Published: December 14, 2011
A Disney Princess for Little Girls
Back to Savvy Auntie, but I think this run will finish off my contributions to that site. (That's not to say I won't submit more articles in the future, but for personal reasons, I have stopped writing for them for now.)
A Disney Princess for Little Girls
by Veronica Spettmann
“Sofia the First” will be premiering in her own Disney movie on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in the fall of 2012, Aunties. This is the first time in Disney princess history that the story will be centered around the princess as a little girl. Sofia the First is a character that is meant to appeal to our preschool-aged nieces.
Sofia the First starts as a regular girl until her mom marries the king, at which point she is moved to the glamorous and confusing royal castle. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (Aunties’ favorite fairies from the childhood classic, Sleeping Beauty), will star as the headmistresses of Royal Prep, the school that Sofia attends with other princes and princesses.
The movie release in 2012 will be followed by a television series that will air on the same channels in the spring of 2013. Senior Vice President of Disney Junior Worldwide, Nancy Kanter, says, “Although Sofia will have plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes, our stories will show Sofia, and our viewers, that what makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside. That the inner character of kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty, and grace make you special, not the dress you wear.”
Sofia the First is going to be a wonderful character for Aunties to share with their young nieces. It can help Aunties teach their nieces that it is important to be a good person, while reminding them that they will always be princesses to their Aunties!
Published: December 14, 2011
A Disney Princess for Little Girls
by Veronica Spettmann
“Sofia the First” will be premiering in her own Disney movie on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in the fall of 2012, Aunties. This is the first time in Disney princess history that the story will be centered around the princess as a little girl. Sofia the First is a character that is meant to appeal to our preschool-aged nieces.
Sofia the First starts as a regular girl until her mom marries the king, at which point she is moved to the glamorous and confusing royal castle. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather (Aunties’ favorite fairies from the childhood classic, Sleeping Beauty), will star as the headmistresses of Royal Prep, the school that Sofia attends with other princes and princesses.
The movie release in 2012 will be followed by a television series that will air on the same channels in the spring of 2013. Senior Vice President of Disney Junior Worldwide, Nancy Kanter, says, “Although Sofia will have plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes, our stories will show Sofia, and our viewers, that what makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside. That the inner character of kindness, generosity, loyalty, honesty, and grace make you special, not the dress you wear.”
Sofia the First is going to be a wonderful character for Aunties to share with their young nieces. It can help Aunties teach their nieces that it is important to be a good person, while reminding them that they will always be princesses to their Aunties!
Published: December 14, 2011
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Breaking up another run of Savvy Auntie articles with this poem I wrote. It was published in another college compilation called Word from the Herd: The Horse Course Roundup. I happen to like this poem far more than the fable I published in the other college compilation. A photograph I took was also featured in this compilation. It will also be featured below. I hope you enjoy it!
"Horse Rhythm"
by Veronica Spettmann
Thump:
We blink.
Thump-thump:
My racing heart.
I thump
your sides with my heels.
Thum-um-um-ump:
Speeding hooves on decaying leaves.
Thump...thump...thump...
as we slow to a silence in which you
hear the
thump
of the pulse of history.
And I thump
your side with my hand in thanks for
the thump
of natural rhythms.
"Horse Rhythm"
by Veronica Spettmann
Thump:
We blink.
Thump-thump:
My racing heart.
I thump
your sides with my heels.
Thum-um-um-ump:
Speeding hooves on decaying leaves.
Thump...thump...thump...
as we slow to a silence in which you
hear the
thump
of the pulse of history.
And I thump
your side with my hand in thanks for
the thump
of natural rhythms.
Don't Trick Your Infant Nieces and Nephews, Auntie!
Don't Trick Your Infant Nieces and Nephews, Auntie!
by Veronica Spettmann
Your baby nieces and nephews will likely mimic you, Auntie, but won’t for long if you trick them, a new Canadian study shows. Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found that when adults trick babies, they will no longer mimic the sounds, facial expressions, or actions of that person.
Diane Poulin-Dubois of the psychology department at Concordia says, “Specifically, infants choose not to learn from someone who they perceive as unreliable.” The findings published in Infant Behavior and Development showed that babies can differentiate between credible and un-credible sources.
The experiment looked at infants between the ages of 13 to 16 months. The babies would be excitedly presented with a box and were left to discover if there was actually a toy inside or not. Only 34 percent of those babies paired with the unreliable adults actually followed suit when the adult used his or her forehead to turn on a push-on light, while 61 percent of the babies paired with a reliable adult mimicked the action of turning on the light with their foreheads.
After this study, Aunties may want to think twice before playing what is believed to be a harmless prank on their infant nieces and nephews!
Published: December 14, 2011
by Veronica Spettmann
Your baby nieces and nephews will likely mimic you, Auntie, but won’t for long if you trick them, a new Canadian study shows. Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal found that when adults trick babies, they will no longer mimic the sounds, facial expressions, or actions of that person.
Diane Poulin-Dubois of the psychology department at Concordia says, “Specifically, infants choose not to learn from someone who they perceive as unreliable.” The findings published in Infant Behavior and Development showed that babies can differentiate between credible and un-credible sources.
The experiment looked at infants between the ages of 13 to 16 months. The babies would be excitedly presented with a box and were left to discover if there was actually a toy inside or not. Only 34 percent of those babies paired with the unreliable adults actually followed suit when the adult used his or her forehead to turn on a push-on light, while 61 percent of the babies paired with a reliable adult mimicked the action of turning on the light with their foreheads.
After this study, Aunties may want to think twice before playing what is believed to be a harmless prank on their infant nieces and nephews!
Published: December 14, 2011
5 Tips to Help Teen Nieces and Nephews Travel on a Budget
This article is another one of my favorites. Traveling on a budget is a bit of a specialty of mine, so I was happy to be able to apply what I had learned through first-hand experience to information pertinent to my audience.
5 Tips to Help Teen Nieces and Nephews Travel on a Budget
by Veronica Spettmann
Parents can’t always take their kids on vacations around the world. Often, Aunties can’t either. But if kids wait until they are adults to travel, they likely won’t have the time or resources anymore. If they do, they may not have the experience behind them to make the trip enjoyable.
With that in mind, Aunties may realize that they best time for their nieces and nephews to travel is in their later teens and early 20s. By then, they’ll likely have a job, and won’t have very many expenses that Mom and Dad won’t be helping them with. Their jobs won’t pay much, though, so if your nieces and nephews are expressing an interest in getting away (winter or spring breaks, perhaps?), here are some tips you can share with them to help them get where they want to go on a meager budget:
Book Flights with Lesser Known Airlines:
Believe it or not, all pilots have to go through the same training and certification to fly jets. Always check an airline on the Better Business Bureau or in Consumer Reports to be sure people have been satisfied in the past. But if some airline from another smaller country is flying from your airport to your vacation destination for hundreds less than the bigger airlines, just go for it!
Consider Staying in Youth Hostels:
Any Auntie who has seen the Hostel movies is not going to want her nieces and nephews staying there, but they really aren’t bad. Rooms are generally clean and shared between groups of people of about the same age. There are generally communal bathrooms, but as long as your nieces and nephews aren’t licking the toilets, there won’t be a problem. The prices for rooms in youth hostels are absolutely unbeatable. If you’re concerned for their belongings, buy them luggage locks and have them keep the key on a decorative chain around their necks or wrists for stylish safe-keeping.
Only Pack What is Absolutely Necessary:
Fees for overweight or additional luggage are always on the rise and can wring a young adult’s wallet for hundreds of dollars. Make sure your nieces and nephews understand that it is okay to do laundry in the sink while they are away. This way they will only have to pack three or four outfits that they can wear on a rotation. Have them pack detergent in their checked luggage so they won’t have to pay extra for it if the prices are higher at their destination. Also pack some non-perishable food items (like Ramen noodles), so they won’t be tempted to spend a ton of money on eating out while they are away.
Travel with the Right Amounts of Money:
Travel, especially to foreign countries, requires very careful money withdrawals. When using debit cards abroad, it is very important to remember that the bank fees for ATM withdrawals will be exorbitant, so take out a lot at a time as infrequently as possible to avoid these excess account charges. It is also a good idea to go with a reasonable amount of cash in one’s wallet to begin with. Travel with too much cash, and your nieces and nephews will lose too much if they are robbed. Travel with too little and you may be stuck in a bind if a location doesn’t take debit or credit. Just remember those bank fees!
Skype or Oovoo:
This may sound silly, but trust me. Internationalizing a cell phone is very expensive, especially over long periods of time. Purchasing a calling card for pay-phones when everyone already has cell phones is silly. Buying an international SIM card for your phone when you are abroad is a hassle to start up (especially for teens, who will need ALL of their parents’ account information to boot it up). Skype, however, is completely free, allows you to not only talk to the person, but see the person, no matter where you are, and can be done from the comfort of a hotel room or lobby (almost all of which are equipped with WIFI by now). If the hotel or hostel doesn’t have WIFI, there are internet cafes and coffee shops everywhere.
These are just some tips (learned from experience) to help your nieces and nephews have the experiences of a lifetime on the limited budgets of young adults. (Though, cash contributions from Aunties are always welcome. Keep that in mind around the holidays and their birthdays!)
Published: December 14, 2011
5 Tips to Help Teen Nieces and Nephews Travel on a Budget
by Veronica Spettmann
Parents can’t always take their kids on vacations around the world. Often, Aunties can’t either. But if kids wait until they are adults to travel, they likely won’t have the time or resources anymore. If they do, they may not have the experience behind them to make the trip enjoyable.
With that in mind, Aunties may realize that they best time for their nieces and nephews to travel is in their later teens and early 20s. By then, they’ll likely have a job, and won’t have very many expenses that Mom and Dad won’t be helping them with. Their jobs won’t pay much, though, so if your nieces and nephews are expressing an interest in getting away (winter or spring breaks, perhaps?), here are some tips you can share with them to help them get where they want to go on a meager budget:
Book Flights with Lesser Known Airlines:
Believe it or not, all pilots have to go through the same training and certification to fly jets. Always check an airline on the Better Business Bureau or in Consumer Reports to be sure people have been satisfied in the past. But if some airline from another smaller country is flying from your airport to your vacation destination for hundreds less than the bigger airlines, just go for it!
Consider Staying in Youth Hostels:
Any Auntie who has seen the Hostel movies is not going to want her nieces and nephews staying there, but they really aren’t bad. Rooms are generally clean and shared between groups of people of about the same age. There are generally communal bathrooms, but as long as your nieces and nephews aren’t licking the toilets, there won’t be a problem. The prices for rooms in youth hostels are absolutely unbeatable. If you’re concerned for their belongings, buy them luggage locks and have them keep the key on a decorative chain around their necks or wrists for stylish safe-keeping.
Only Pack What is Absolutely Necessary:
Fees for overweight or additional luggage are always on the rise and can wring a young adult’s wallet for hundreds of dollars. Make sure your nieces and nephews understand that it is okay to do laundry in the sink while they are away. This way they will only have to pack three or four outfits that they can wear on a rotation. Have them pack detergent in their checked luggage so they won’t have to pay extra for it if the prices are higher at their destination. Also pack some non-perishable food items (like Ramen noodles), so they won’t be tempted to spend a ton of money on eating out while they are away.
Travel with the Right Amounts of Money:
Travel, especially to foreign countries, requires very careful money withdrawals. When using debit cards abroad, it is very important to remember that the bank fees for ATM withdrawals will be exorbitant, so take out a lot at a time as infrequently as possible to avoid these excess account charges. It is also a good idea to go with a reasonable amount of cash in one’s wallet to begin with. Travel with too much cash, and your nieces and nephews will lose too much if they are robbed. Travel with too little and you may be stuck in a bind if a location doesn’t take debit or credit. Just remember those bank fees!
Skype or Oovoo:
This may sound silly, but trust me. Internationalizing a cell phone is very expensive, especially over long periods of time. Purchasing a calling card for pay-phones when everyone already has cell phones is silly. Buying an international SIM card for your phone when you are abroad is a hassle to start up (especially for teens, who will need ALL of their parents’ account information to boot it up). Skype, however, is completely free, allows you to not only talk to the person, but see the person, no matter where you are, and can be done from the comfort of a hotel room or lobby (almost all of which are equipped with WIFI by now). If the hotel or hostel doesn’t have WIFI, there are internet cafes and coffee shops everywhere.
These are just some tips (learned from experience) to help your nieces and nephews have the experiences of a lifetime on the limited budgets of young adults. (Though, cash contributions from Aunties are always welcome. Keep that in mind around the holidays and their birthdays!)
Published: December 14, 2011
Gingerbread Cookies
I nearly forgot that the image for this activity article was one that I took. Not only that, but it is a photo of cookies that I baked and decorated. Fantastic!
Gingerbread Cookies
by Veronica Spettmann
At this time of year, our nieces and nephews want to feel like they are contributing to the festivities. They are into the season and want to help in any way they can. Why not let them help you with your holiday baking? Kids love sinking their hands into food, and there are some recipes out there that are so easy, your nieces and nephews can do them without (much) help!
Gingerbread cookies are on almost every Auntie’s holiday baking list. This cookie is actually perfect to make with nieces and nephews of all ages. Here’s what you’ll need:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For later, you’ll need:
Icing
sprinkles
food coloring
This is a great chance to help young nieces and nephews to learn how to measure. If they are old enough, show them the right size measuring cup, and show them what they will be measuring. This will help them with their math skills, just as baking will help with their science skills.
Have them measure all of the dry ingredients into one bowl and all of the wet ingredients and brown sugar into another bowl. Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet. Separate the dough into 3, 1.5 inch thick pieces and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (This is the perfect opportunity to make dinner with your nieces and nephews!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Have your nieces and nephews lightly flour your surface (you may want to emphasize lightly for them). Then, let them roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to help them with this, but they’ll appreciate that you’re letting them try. Rolling pins are fascinating to kids.
Then let your nieces and nephews cut the dough with fun, holiday-shaped cookie cutters (Santas, dreidels, stars, and regular people shapes are all fun options).
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the cookies look dry but are soft to touch. When the cookies are cook, you can set your nieces and nephews loose! Set them up with icings of different colors. To make it easy, scoop the different colors into the corners of plastic baggies and cut the tiniest hole in that corner. This will allow them to draw pretty much whatever they want in icing. Show them where to find the sprinkles, then let them have at it!
They’ll love showing off their holiday cookie creations to the family, you’ll have made cookies for everyone to enjoy, and you’ll have had some valuable bonding time with your nieces and nephews. Your house may even end up looking like a winter wonderland (remember, flour LIGHTLY)!
Image Courtesy: Veronica Spettmann
Published: December 14, 2011
Gingerbread Cookies
by Veronica Spettmann
At this time of year, our nieces and nephews want to feel like they are contributing to the festivities. They are into the season and want to help in any way they can. Why not let them help you with your holiday baking? Kids love sinking their hands into food, and there are some recipes out there that are so easy, your nieces and nephews can do them without (much) help!
Gingerbread cookies are on almost every Auntie’s holiday baking list. This cookie is actually perfect to make with nieces and nephews of all ages. Here’s what you’ll need:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For later, you’ll need:
Icing
sprinkles
food coloring
This is a great chance to help young nieces and nephews to learn how to measure. If they are old enough, show them the right size measuring cup, and show them what they will be measuring. This will help them with their math skills, just as baking will help with their science skills.
Have them measure all of the dry ingredients into one bowl and all of the wet ingredients and brown sugar into another bowl. Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet. Separate the dough into 3, 1.5 inch thick pieces and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (This is the perfect opportunity to make dinner with your nieces and nephews!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Have your nieces and nephews lightly flour your surface (you may want to emphasize lightly for them). Then, let them roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to help them with this, but they’ll appreciate that you’re letting them try. Rolling pins are fascinating to kids.
Then let your nieces and nephews cut the dough with fun, holiday-shaped cookie cutters (Santas, dreidels, stars, and regular people shapes are all fun options).
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the cookies look dry but are soft to touch. When the cookies are cook, you can set your nieces and nephews loose! Set them up with icings of different colors. To make it easy, scoop the different colors into the corners of plastic baggies and cut the tiniest hole in that corner. This will allow them to draw pretty much whatever they want in icing. Show them where to find the sprinkles, then let them have at it!
They’ll love showing off their holiday cookie creations to the family, you’ll have made cookies for everyone to enjoy, and you’ll have had some valuable bonding time with your nieces and nephews. Your house may even end up looking like a winter wonderland (remember, flour LIGHTLY)!
Image Courtesy: Veronica Spettmann
Published: December 14, 2011
Tantrum Trouble? Try This, Auntie
Tantrum Trouble? Try This, Auntie
by Veronica Spettmann
Have you ever looked after your young nieces and nephews and had to deal with a traumatizing temper tantrum? Did you ever try to console them or tease them just to find that the tantrum gets worse? Well, scientists decided there may be patterns behind tantrums to help desperate parents (and Aunties) deal with these situations.
In a recent article on WNYC.org, Aunties find relief for tantrum woes. Michael Potegal of the University of Minnesota and James A. Green of the University of Connecticut discovered that children’s tantrums have patterns that fluctuate between anger and sadness. The one way to get past the anger, which is associated with the screaming and kicking, is to simply ignore it. The article says, “Once the child was past being angry what was left was sadness, and sad children reach out for comfort.”
The article advises that Aunties not even acknowledge their nieces and nephews when they are in the heat of anger. Asking children questions or teasing them during a tantrum could only make matters worse, because they won’t have the capacity to process the new information.
Recognizing that tantrums have a rhythm can not only help Aunties to end their nieces’ and nephews’ tantrums more quickly, but will give Auntie a sense that she is in control. Scientists recognize that it is easier to say you will ignore a child’s tantrum than to actually do so, but their study of more than 100 temper tantrums proves that Aunties really need to try to stand firm.
The article explains that tantrums can be studied scientifically like thunderstorms, and says, “Studying them as scientific subjects rather than experiencing them like parents can cause the tantrums to stop feeling traumatic and even become interesting.” While describing tantrums as “interesting” may seem to be a bit of a stretch, learning how to control nieces’ and nephews’ tantrums is something every Auntie is interested in!
Published: December 7, 2011
by Veronica Spettmann
Have you ever looked after your young nieces and nephews and had to deal with a traumatizing temper tantrum? Did you ever try to console them or tease them just to find that the tantrum gets worse? Well, scientists decided there may be patterns behind tantrums to help desperate parents (and Aunties) deal with these situations.
In a recent article on WNYC.org, Aunties find relief for tantrum woes. Michael Potegal of the University of Minnesota and James A. Green of the University of Connecticut discovered that children’s tantrums have patterns that fluctuate between anger and sadness. The one way to get past the anger, which is associated with the screaming and kicking, is to simply ignore it. The article says, “Once the child was past being angry what was left was sadness, and sad children reach out for comfort.”
The article advises that Aunties not even acknowledge their nieces and nephews when they are in the heat of anger. Asking children questions or teasing them during a tantrum could only make matters worse, because they won’t have the capacity to process the new information.
Recognizing that tantrums have a rhythm can not only help Aunties to end their nieces’ and nephews’ tantrums more quickly, but will give Auntie a sense that she is in control. Scientists recognize that it is easier to say you will ignore a child’s tantrum than to actually do so, but their study of more than 100 temper tantrums proves that Aunties really need to try to stand firm.
The article explains that tantrums can be studied scientifically like thunderstorms, and says, “Studying them as scientific subjects rather than experiencing them like parents can cause the tantrums to stop feeling traumatic and even become interesting.” While describing tantrums as “interesting” may seem to be a bit of a stretch, learning how to control nieces’ and nephews’ tantrums is something every Auntie is interested in!
Published: December 7, 2011
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