My Son Called Me Mean

By Meg Hodson

You hear people say it often...."I want my kids to like me....". Well, the obvious answer to this is "yes", of course you want your children to like you. But then they freak out, they spill their milk, they write on the wall, they do something crazy that makes you INSANE. You, as a parent, are put in a position to discipline, reprimand, instruct. Sometimes this is an easy process, sometimes not. 

If your kids listen and respond quickly, great; guidance given and you move on. But we all know in reality that happens about 2% of the time. The other 98% involves varying levels of loudness and tone in your voice, intensifying levels of you pulling your hair, all possibly leading to you, as a parent, losing it. 

If you're a parent, ANY parent, you've been there, done that. We raise our voices, we yell, we stomp our feet. Well, this was me recently with my youngest son, age 7. He's a boy, he has an older brother, and they often end in knock down throw downs or some other sort of mischief. They are boys. I get that. But sometimes it is taken too far and intervention is necessary. 

I had to resort to raising my voice recently. It's not that I wanted to, in my heart of hearts I felt I needed to. And then my youngest, my sweet boy who still snuggles with me every night (not all night mind you, just a few hours) uttered these words--you're mean. I hated hearing it. You're mean. It wasn't like him at all. He is constantly giving me hugs and is polite and says "thank you" for everything. But in this moment, he even stormed off for a bit. I wasn't feeling guilty, yet I still felt off. 

And that feeling has stuck with me the two months or so it has taken me to write this post. I was compelled to finish this post tonight. One thing I have learned as a parent is that kids thrive on structure---whether that is sleeping in the same bed every night, sticking to a schedule, or having boundaries, structure is healthy. So, I viewed this reprimanding as part of that structure. Although my son stormed off and we might have both hated that moment in time, we are better for it now. 

How do I know? He still comes in and snuggles every night and tells me how much he loves me.

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Marvel Universe Live Hits Portland, Oregon!

By Meg Hodson

I was compensated for this post in exchange for promoting Marvel Universe Live. All opinions remain 100% my own.

Things are about to get VERY exciting in Portland, Oregon when your favorite Marvel characters invade the Moda Center  for Marvel Universe Live!

My family is so excited, particularly my boys. It was hard to contain my excitement when I told my boys we would get to go! Marvel fans, assemble! Marvel Universe LIVE! is taking the live entertainment experience to a whole new groundbreaking level, with a mind-blowing stunt show unlike anything experienced before! Watch your favorite Marvel Super Heroes including Spider-Man and the Avengers (Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk and more) plus menacing villains come to life in an action-packed arena extravaganza debuting in the Pacific Northwest for the first time ever playing March 3rd  – 6th at the Moda Center. You do not want to miss them their first time in Portland!

I mean, who wouldn't want to see your favorite superheroes taking the stage and performing for you? it is sure to be a show you do not want to miss. Tickets are very reasonable, starting at $15 for kids. Good news! 

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

Marvel Universe Live! Hits Portland

By Meg Hodson

I was compensated for this post in exchange for promoting Marvel Universe Live. All opinions remain 100% my own.

My household are longtime Marvel fans. Whether it's the Avengers of Spiderman, we are pushing on the level of superfandom when it comes to all things Marvel. We have Hulk hands, Thor hammers, Captain America shields, and more in our house. The list goes on. And I'll admit it....it's not just my kids who are fans. My husband and I love indulging as well.

So, when I found out that Marvel Universe Live! was coming to Portland,Oregon, I was super excited. It was hard to contain my excitement when I told my boys we would get to go! Marvel fans, assemble! Marvel Universe LIVE! is taking the live entertainment experience to a whole new groundbreaking level, with a mind-blowing stunt show unlike anything experienced before! Watch your favorite Marvel Super Heroes including Spider-Man and the Avengers (Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk and more) plus menacing villains come to life in an action-packed arena extravaganza debuting in the Pacific Northwest for the first time ever playing March 3rd  – 6th at the Moda Center. You do not want to miss them their first time in Portland!

Between the anticipated motorcycles, pyrotechnics, and special effects, it is sure to be a show you do not want to miss. Tickets are very reasonable, starting at $15 for kids. Good news!

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

The Playground: Celebrating Lasts

By Meg Hodson

We celebrate a lot of firsts in life, as we should. The first time your kids walk, your first big job, the first time you tried something new. It's not quite as common as celebrating lasts. In fact, I don't think people in general recognize lasts too often. But I find myself doing this more with young children.

My youngest is 6 years old, so I find myself nudging him ever so gently to still enjoy things that will soon fade away. We were recently at the county fair and all three of my children are tall enough (and game enough!) to ride all the "big rides". I was still able to talk my youngest into riding some of the kiddie rides and his older brother joined in on the fun, too. 

I paused and had similar thoughts when I was at the playground recently with the kids. They all still enjoy a good playground trip, but I know the day is coming when merry-go-rounds and monkey bars will be a fleeting memory. It will be a "last". 

And I look forward to those "firsts" to quickly follow. 

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

A Message To My Girl: Anything Is Possible

By Meg Hodson

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Green Works and Collectively. All opinions and writing are 100% my own.

Raising a girl is no small task. Heck, raising ANY child is darn right a small miracle. I don't know if it's because I am one strong willed girl who was brought up believing I could accomplish anything. But I feel a huge responsibility to make sure my daughter has every opportunity she could ever desire. 

I do feel like girls take some extra attention when it comes to opportunities. My daughter plays at the club soccer level. She got a little burned out this past year. Tryouts came up this past Spring and she was considering not trying out. I decided to take her out to lunch and have a nice heart to heart. 

While she is only 11, I couldn't help but look into the future and think about high school and potential college scholarships she could be privy to with her level of soccer. I did eventually convince her to continue. She made the team and the season is off to a good start in late summer. 

I was part of an eye-opening Twitter party a few weeks ago hosted by Green Works in partnership with AAUW. The hot topic:  STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). When it comes to science, men still significantly outnumber the women. Although this might be a far cry from soccer, the emphasis on girls reaching their full potential is definitely related.

Here are some of the highlights of what I learned during the party.

• Only 1 in every 1000 girls will become a scientist
• Toys can promote STEM because girls learn fun through hands-on experience, and critical thinking
• Science National Honor Society is a great high school organization that pushes kids to be involved and talk to scientists
• It's an extremely enriching career, personally and intellectually, you will never be bored!
• AAUW is one of the largest funding sources for girls in graduate school
• Allow for creativity when building. It encourages thinking, design, problem solving
• Great discoveries take inquisitive people, hard work, and luck.
• It’s important to set role models for next gen girls. Girls will gain more confidence
• Encourage girls to be curious, try things that might not work, test assumptions, and learn from their mistakes
• It's important for girls to identify with scientists. Females in STEM help them to see themselves in the future.
• It isn't enough to just be a female scientist, you must actively engage and encourage girls
• Only 14 percent of girl students drew a female scientist when prompted in this video: http://bit.ly/1Ma4YTw

Thanks to Green Works, we are encouraged to let girls know that they do have the opportunity to become a scientist. Let them know where math can take them.

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

Preparing Your Children For Their First Trip Alone

By Meg Hodson

We have always been a traveling family. Whether it's road trips to the beach, flights to visit family in the Midwest, weddings in Las Vegas, or Disneyland, we've done a lot. My children are natural travelers and really enjoy it. 

My oldest child (my daughter, age 11) finished 5th grade this year. We had learned about an opportunity to go on an 11 day tour of Alaska with People To People Ambassador Programs. I myself had done a People To People trip in high school and I had fond memories of my trip to Europe. I was excited to look into this further for my daughter. 

We ultimately decided she was ready for a trip like this. It was set to be a well-supervised tour and there were numerous meetings locally with the students going from the area. She couldn't wait for summer. She even did her own fundraising to pay for part of the trip and for spending money.

I am a firm believer that travel is a great way to learn. She is not back from her trip yet, but I can't wait to see and hear about her adventures. Her leader has a private group page set up for the parents, so we can follow along on their adventures. That has been wonderful!

As we prepared for her trip, I thought I would put together a list of some of the not-so-common items to check off as you get ready for a young child tp travel alone.

• Pack An Extended First Aid Kit. Band-aids are a given, but I put together an extensive first aid kit so that my daughter would not have to worry about buying these things and so she was prepared, should she need something at odd hours, like the middle of the night. Her kit included: bandages, first aid ointment, eye drops, blister bandages, chewable ibuprofen (she knew to consult her leader first to confirm the dosage), chewable allergy medicine, arnica for sore muscles or light bruising, homeopathic night time sleeping aid, and ginger mints (for motion sickness).

• Souvenir List. My daughter had requests from her brothers and from us about souvenirs we might like. I made a "Note" in her iPod that included some of the things we liked so she wouldn't forget. I also made a list of family members and friends and their addresses so she could send post cards. I bought post card stamps for her to have on hand. You could easily include this on the first page of a travel journal, too.

• Credit Card Gift Card. Banks actually do have travelers checks still, but I just thought this would be a bit of a hassle for an 11 year old. Carrying a large amount of cash was not a good idea either. She was familiar with the process of a debit card, so I thought a credit card gift card would be perfect and teach her some budget responsibility, too. We pre-loaded it with a set amount and sent her with a little cash, too. As a gift, I also bought her a Starbucks gift card for some treats along the way.

• Stay Charged Baby! I sent my daughter with a back-up portable USB charger to use for her iPod. She also has rechargeable batteries for her small camera. 

• Snacks. With odd flights times and this trip promising LOTS of walking and sightseeing, I packed my daughter some snacks. I knew she could buy some along the way, too, but you never know when you will be rushed for time. I sent her with some granola bars, coconut chips, nuts, and dried fruit. Be sure to pack items that won't easily get crushed or melt.

• Confidence. I know, I know, you can't pack confidence. But I assured my daughter that I knew she would be smart and make the right decisions on her trip. She had her leader to turn to as well. I ultimately said to "go with your gut", I know you will make the right decisions.

What tips can you share about preparing kids for their first trip?

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!