P&K Insider

<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-layout-grid-align:none; punctuation-wrap:simple; text-autospace:none; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

When I was 6, I killed my sea monkeys, by accident. I fed them too much. I remember standing in the bathroom in our Norton home as we said our final goodbyes before we flushed them to the afterlife. It was near Christmas and I was petrified that I’d made it on the naughty list.

In third grade, I was standing in line as our teacher was leading us to gym class. On either side of the hallway, there were first-graders sitting against the wall waiting for art class to begin. Their teacher was conducting a math quiz. I was smart. After all, I was a third-grader, so naturally when the teacher asked what 2 + 2 was I held up four fingers. My teacher was not impressed that I was showing off and supplying the answers. In fact, I got scolded. Again, this happened in December.

Speaking of cheating….

In kindergarten, I was stuck on the word pin. How do you spell it? Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye…there it was, P-I-N, neatly spelled out on Jenny’s paper. I copied it. Surprise…happened in December.

Why do these rare/unusual/atypical behavioral mishaps remain so vivid even into adulthood? They were a matter of life and death back then.

It makes me wonder, though. How committed am I to staying on the nice list now? I’d even propose that it’s harder to do as an adult.

There’s the stress of the holidays; the gift buying; the busy schedules that could make any sane person head straight to naughty-ville. Well, as my first act of niceness (today), I’m offering you some help:

In our Advice section, read some quick stressbuster tips to help you remain nice.

In on Features section, find a review of some fantastic toys that will delight your children and make shopping much less of a chore. An added bonus: All of the products are from local toy stores so you’ll be supporting your community.

In our Family Fun section, we’ll help you plan the ultimate family bonding experience. After all, the true essence of the season is spending time together.

Naughty or nice? You decide.

Happy holidays from all of us at P&K,

Heather

I had the pleasure of serving as a guest judge for the Junior King and Queen contest at the Topsfield Fair this past Saturday. Children ages 5 - 8 were eligible to compete for the crown.  One by one, they walked onto the stage and answered a few questions from the host Mrs. Essex County LuAnn Bonanno. Tough decision! Congratulations to all the participants - absolutely adorable and well-spoken.

Check out the Topsfield Fair going on through Oct. 12. Daily events for the family!

Me with fellow judes: Miss Hampton Beach is Kristen Crossland from Seabrook NH and George Knight from WKLB & Radio 92.9

Last year's winners. They presented the Jr. King and Queen with crowns during the ceremony.

And the winners are: Standing with Mrs. Essex County (LuAnn Bonanno) The Jr. Queen is Meaghan Shea, 5, from Salisbury. The Jr. King is Lee Dalzell, 8, from Rowley. The Jr. Queen Runner-up is Lana Crosson, 5, from Topsfield. The Jr. King Runner-up is Brendon Spencer, 5, from Byfield.

I'm the only girl without a crown

Tune into NECN on Thursday at 8:45 a.m. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite back to school snacks, some great books for the younger set and general idea on getting back into the school mode!

- Heather

Before anyone else tries to claim the title, it’s mine.

I brought my daughter to camp today.  I think she considered it more like a visit to say a hospital or a dentist or a horror film. Yesterday, she loved it. Today not so much. For a 4-year-old, she knows how to lay on the guilt…thick. She whined, yelled and voiced her every emotion very loudly.

I listened. I repeated her concerns. I talked about the fun she had yesterday. I gave her something to look forward to tomorrow. I carried her to the classroom, sat on the floor and met her friends, addressed the teacher and gave her sad, little face a kiss goodbye.

That was an hour ago. I still have a lump in my throat. For all I know, she could be smiling, dancing and playing with the cute girls she sat with earlier.

At least I hope she is.

<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

I just came from a dentist appointment with my 6-year-old son. I hate to admit it…but he had a cavity that needed to be filled. Much like me, he doesn’t care for pain, especially in form of the outrageously large Novocain needles. When I tell you, that I lost sleep over this procedure for weeks leading up to the appointment, I’m not exaggerating.

I called the dentist office to hear a step-by-step description of the procedure and I googled “cavities and children” to find out what methods are most safe. I woke up with a stomachache, which went nicely with the super, fake smile plastered on my face as to not alert my offspring that anything too horrible was coming.

(more…)

Why is it that my son is a perfect student for his actual teacher and a less than enthusiastic one for his own mother? Why?

I severely doubt that he whined when his kindergarten teachers asked him a math question or asked him to recite a few lines in a book. Man, that drives me crazy!

Despite this initial resistance, my son has enjoyed his Super Why activity sheets for the past few days. I love it because it’s a no-brainer for me. My kids watch a 30-minute episode of Super Why and then we have some fun with the activity sheets I download directly from from the PBS web site.  Suddenly I have a 45-minute lesson plan. This is especially important to me during the summer months when I don’t want to have my children’s brains turn to mush! (Read for background)

(more…)

When the subject of TV comes up with fellow moms, I always hesitate to engage. Inside my head, random self-deprecating remarks abound: “Oh, I bet compared to her I let my child watch too much TV. ” Or, “I let my kids watch SpongeBob, she’ll definitely think I’m a bad mom.”

Mention TV and there’s hushed voices revealing some guilt on behalf of the parent who uses it - on occasion - as a “babysitter.” Consider yesterday. I watched four children - ages 4 - 6 - all day (two of my own, two nephews) and the TV went on around 5 p.m. so I could make dinner. Do I feel guilty? A little. On average, my kids watch the tube for about an hour or so a day…sometimes more.  There I said it.

I’ve hesitated to cover “TV” in the pages of P&K because I think there is a sort of “stigma” associated with kids - especially the little ones - and TV viewing. Somehow, I thought the story “Must See TV for Toddlers” would rub a few people the wrong way. It turns out, I may be wrong.

(more…)

If you’ve met me recently, chances are I’ve inquired about your birth order. In other words, are you the oldest child, somewhere in the middle or perhaps the baby of the family? I’ve become obsessed with the topic and am now micro-analyzing anyone that crosses my path. Unfortunately, that also included an intern I interviewed last week. (She ended up being the last born but had first born traits. More on that later).

I’m a firm believer that the people you grew up with (your siblings) have a strong influence on who you become later in life. Part of that theory includes the sequence of how each member of the family popped out of the womb.  Do any of these descriptions match your own children? Below are  some quick tips on bringing out the best in your children (as it relates to birth order)

(more…)

I just came from a dentist appointment with my 6-year-old son. I hate to admit it…but he had a cavity that needed to be filled. Much like me, he doesn’t care for pain, especially in form of the outrageously large Novocain needles. When I tell you, that I lost sleep over this procedure for weeks leading up to the appointment, I’m not exaggerating.

I called the dentist office to hear a step-by-step description of the procedure and I googled “cavities and children” to find out what methods are most safe. I woke up with a stomachache, which went nicely with the super, fake smile plastered on my face as to not alert my offspring that anything too horrible was coming.

(more…)

Four members of the Kempskie family went to work last Thursday. My husband and I … and our children. It was “Bring Your Child to Work” day at my husband’s place of employment -  RSA Security in Bedford.

Granted my kids now think that Daddy works at a place that offers face painting, balloon animals and hot dogs for lunch every day but they also got to have front seats during an important conference call and see some of the security devices their dad works to promote in the PR department. At the tender ages of 4 & 6, I think it was the perfect introduction to work life and answers to the question: What does Dad do all day?

(more…)