Being Savvy: Activities, things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Kansas City, KS

Holiday shopping ideas - right here at Savvy Source.

by Jenny Meade

The closer we get to the holidays, the more I start to panic about getting my holiday shopping done. While I am aware that my children's have listed a Nintendo DS Lite on their Christmas lists for Santa, unfortunately they are going to be disappointed on that one. Anyway, what I do know about getting my shopping done is books are the best gifts to give, especially classics that speak to ... Read more >

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Things to do during holiday down time - MonkeyBizness!

by Jenny Meade

It always gets interesting around the winter holidays when you've got a house full of extra people and can only eat so much turkey and fixin's. After a while, people need to get out, especially the kids. A couple of weeks ago my 6 year old was invited to a birthday party at a new children's play area called Monkey Bizness . I was skeptical, I admit. But, while the drive out to the boonies ... Read more >

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Thanksgiving is over - bring on Christmas!

by Jenny Meade

Now that you've made it through the Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza, it's time to focus on getting ready for the other winter holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa - whatever you do, it is time to start dragging out the stuff you do it with. Hanging lights and unboxing out special candelabras, setting up Christmas trees, you know, that stuff. But don't forget to enjoy the time and wonder ... Read more >

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Searching for normalcy.

by Jenny Meade

Amidst all the clutter of the Thanksgiving holiday, our lives get turned upside down a bit. What with Company Coming and meals at strange times with strange people, and probably a dash of staying up past our bedtime here and there, kids get worn out and out of synch pretty easily. You may not even realize why your little one has taken to skipping his nap, and then screaming at 5:30pm and not ... Read more >

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Not everybody celebrates Christmas.

by Jenny Meade

Sometimes religion is hard to explain to children. Especially at this time of year, if you happen to not be Christians celebrating Christmas. My Jewish friends tell me that Hanukkah is not meant to be the holiday is has become here in the US. It is not really that high on the list of Holy Days within the Jewish tradition, it doesn't carry nearly the importance that Christmas does to ... Read more >

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T-minus 1 and counting.

by Jenny Meade

Only a few short days left until Christmas, and if you're anything like me, you aren't anywhere close to being done with your shopping. I'm in full-on panic mode myself. Trying not to be Mrs. Grumpy McCrankypants during this time is extra hard. Especially for the little ones who are building excitement for Santa Claus, and don't understand your stress. Take some time to treat yourself to a ... Read more >

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Top posts of 2008.

by Jenny Meade

Counting down to one more day until 2009! If you're not totally going crazy now that your kids are going on day 10 of their winter break, take a moment to check out the top ten posts here at Being Savvy Kansas City. Best Ice Cream in KC Battle of the Waterparks The best reruns Paint the House Dinner Table Reservations Go Green! Feed Horses! Christmas light shows (from ... Read more >

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New Year, New You? Or, maybe more of the same. And that's okay, too.

by Jenny Meade

I'm not personally big on New Years resolutions. I don't know about you, but I've got a lot to think about just to get through the day and make sure my kids have clean underwear and brush their teeth. I don't need the added bonus anxiety of "I'm going to do THIS better this year." I don't have just one thing I need to do better, I have a lot. Like, perhaps maybe having a loftier goal than clean ... Read more >

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The Big Picture: 5 Big things that matter to preschoolers; and 5 little things that don't.

by Jenny Meade

Way before I had kids of my own, I taught preschool and daycare and nannied back in college. I learned a lot from the experiences that really came in handy once I did have kids of my own, mostly because I had seen pretty much every kind of toddler personality, every kind of tantrum, and even every kind of virus. It wasn't that these experiences made me feel like I knew what I was doing once I ... Read more >

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Favorite parenting books evah, or All bow before Vicki Iovine.

by Jenny Meade

When I first got pregnant in late 1999, I had recently watched a family member fearfully and with much paranoia go through two of her own pregnancies, and she had all the books to go with it. What to Expect..., Dr. Sears... you name it, she read it - with a highlighter and notes in the margins. It all seemed very...I don't know, searching for a way to be THE perfect parent, to me. Now granted, ... Read more >

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