Raising a well-rounded child...

I participated in a survey recently from a mom site regarding children and education.  Some of the questions were similar to (not verbatim), What's more important- that your child have a good education or be socially capable?  Would you do anything to help your child succeed?

I think that most parents want BOTH for their child (though that wasn't an exact option on the survey).  And really they kind of go hand in hand- if you teach your child to have good social skills, then that can lead to success in life.  Every person should strive to be well rounded... I don't think an extreme in either direction is ideal.  And I think most parents would do everything they could to help their child... helping with homework, utilizing a company such as StudyPoint for in-home tutoring options when it's necessary, enrolling them in organized sports, participating in after-school programs.

But can that go too far... is it possible to push your child too hard?  Most parents would get their child a tutor if they were struggling in school, but would you get them tutoring or classes to make them excel past their grade level?  To get them into college early?  To push them into a specific career path?  Force them to continue in a sport they didn't enjoy?

Even though my oldest daughter is just now in Kindergarten, I realize it's important that we give her the best start possible.  We opted for school of choice to get her into a better school, and if she needed tutoring or extra help you can bet we'd get it for her.  But even though I want my kids to do well in school, I don't want them to become obsessed with a grade or 'winning' in a sport... I don't want them to be consumed by succeeding in everything they do.  I think it's just as important to know how to cope when you do fail at something and learn how to go on from there.

And I think success can be interpreted differently by different people.  Your definition of success may not necessarily include being monetarily wealthy.  If your child grows up to always be kind to others and has a social conscience- would you consider them successful?  And would you consider yourself a success for raising them that way?

Get Rid of Lice with a Robi Comb {Giveaway} Ends 11/11

If you have a school-aged child, you may have dealt with head lice already.  My oldest daughter just started school last year (Young 4's) and is now in Kindergarten.  We have thankfully avoided the lice bug so far, but there was a scare last year.  Another child in the classroom had it, so we had to be extra watchful to make sure our daughter didn't get it.

We heard many ideas for how to avoid &/or treat lice if necessary- oil in the hair being a popular one.  But who wants to have to put that in their child's hair and than leave it in for hours, or worse use a chemical shampoo?  So even though we haven't had lice in our household (knock on wood), I am now more aware of the facts and fiction of the best and easiest ways to treat lice.  And by far, the product that looks the best, and most effective to me is the Robi Comb.

The LiceGuard Robi Comb is safe and effective and offers these great features:

• Detects Lice - Just comb through dry hair

• Destroys Lice on Contact
• No Chemicals / Non-Toxic
• No Mess, No Gels, No Oils
• No Odor or Fragrance
• Use Anywhere and Anytime on Dry Hair
• Reusable and Economical

Stay prepared... you can buy the Robi Comb online... and 1 lucky reader is also going to WIN a Robi Comb to have in their mom arsenal.

How to enter- do any or all of the following (leave a separate comment for each one you do, or already do):

•  Follow Robi Comb on Twitter
•  Like Robi Comb on Facebook
•  Follow my blog publicly via GFC
•  Subscribe to my blog via Email
•  Follow me on Twitter
•  Like me on Facebook
•  Enter any of my other giveaways +1 for each
•  Post about this giveaway (Facebook, Cafemom, Blog, etc.) +5 entries, leave 5 separate comments
•  Tweet about this giveaway (may be done daily, leave link), may copy & paste the following:

Be Prepared this School year- Enter to #WIN a LiceGuard Robi Comb @susiebhomemaker http://bit.ly/8YBlxD #giveaway Ends 11/11

U.S. ONLY

This contest ends on 11/11/10 at 11:59 pm EST. Open to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning notification email before another winner is drawn. Please make sure your email is visible on your profile or leave with your comment(s).

Disclosure:  I did not receive any product or other form of compensation for this post.  The thoughts and opinions I’ve shared with these products are 100% my own and yours may differ.

Homecoming/ School Spirit Week

This past week at my daughter's school was Homecoming week, with each day a different theme for showing your school spirit.

Monday- Science Fiction Day

Alien Tattoo & Antenna

Tuesday- Picture Day (Photo Coming Soon)

Wednesday- Western Day

Yee-Haw, Cowgirl!

Thursday- Movie Character

Ariel the Little Mermaid, Diving into the Water

Friday- School Spirit Day

Blue & White

Waiting for the Parade (my two girls are on the right side- hair ribbon & curls) 

Cheering w/ Pom Pom's 

High Fives from the Football Team 

My daughter's only in Kindergarten so she has fun every day she goes to school, but she had a blast this week with being able to dress up everyday!  And it was the first time she rode on a school bus.  I drive her to school every day, and pick her up, but for the parade they were bussed to the location.  She was super excited about that (and she got to sit next to her best friend the whole day, yes her best friend is a boy)!  :D

Getting ready for Back-to-School!

I can't believe school is starting in just a couple weeks now... yikes!  We finally took our 5 yr. old shopping today for a new pair of shoes for Kindergarten.  We went to Famous Footwear since I had received a $10 off coupon in the mail.  Our usual shoe of choice for her is Skechers but for some reason we couldn't get a pair to fit her.  She's actually about a 9 1/2 now and the store mainly had whole sizes in kids shoes.  So we went with a pair of Size 10 Nikes since their shoes tend to run smaller.  They're still a tad big, but they can be tightened down with the velcro on it.  At least we know they're going to last through the whole school year.  And thankfully, she still has a pair of boots that fit for the winter.

Next up after shoe shopping was a haircut... she was so excited for this!  We went to a hair salon that has a special kid's section where your kid can choose between a car or a horse seat- she chose the horse.  They also have a tv and dvd player with several Disney movie selections.  I had the stylist cut her hair to just above her shoulders so it curves under slightly.  She still has bangs but we're in the process of growing them out (her request) so they are pretty long- to the point of almost being in her eyes.  I'll have to start clipping them back with a barrette or using a headband. 

Next week we'll be tackling the school supply list, which the school hasn't sent out yet.  So I called and was told I need to go to their website and it should be posted on there.  Total spent so far was $19.99 for the shoes (after my coupon discount) & $12 + tip for the haircut.  My daughter couldn't be happier with both her haircut and new shoes... and she can't wait to start Kindergarten!  My first baby girl is getting so big!!  :'(

Do you have your back-to-school shopping all done?  How much do you usually spend for a new pair of shoes for your child?  And what does a kid's haircut cost where you live?

Are you an Early Bird or a Night Owl?

  I have always been a Night Owl, thru & thru.  I hate to get up early & love to stay up late!  Any outings, activities, or appointments are always scheduled in the afternoons whenever possible.  Even our 4 yr. old is on the afternoon schedule at school- she's in the Young 4's p.m. class.  We don't do mornings at this house!

Though it isn't always easy with a baby, toddler, & preschooler since they like to wake up whenever.  So there are times I end up being a Night Owl and then an Early Bird the very next morning... grrr!  Most of the time though the kids are on our schedule and tend to stay up slightly later & sleep in 'til about 10 am or so.  Except for the baby who generally wakes up at 8am but then after feeding goes right back to sleep.  Ah, a sleeping baby is a beautiful baby!  

But this brings up a terrifying thought about when our oldest starts going to school all day.  What are we going to do?  How are we going to get her to school in the morning?  We are going to have to completely switch our routine around.  I'm not sure it can be done... and trust me, if you knew us, you'd probably agree (we're habitually late for everything!).

I think I see in our daughter's future multiple late & tardy passes and us having to explain to the teacher & principal why she doesn't make it to school on time.  GULP!!  Thankfully this won't be starting this fall, as Kindergarten is a half day too (thank you Jesus!), so she'll be on the afternoon schedule again.  And that leaves us a year & a half to get our you-know-what together!