Kristen at We Are That Family is hosting my favorite themed edition of Works for Me Wednesday. It is the Backwards Edition, where instead of me offering a practical tip for my readers, I solicit a tip from you. Ohhhh,  do I need tips.

For those of you who are blessed to be parents of teens, help! My babies are now at the edge of their teen years at 12 and 13. In my opinion, the cusp of the teen years is very similar to becoming a new mom, full of unknowns, uncertainties and a few doubts and fears.

For those who have been through the teen years, do you have ANY tips you can give this mom of new teens?

Anything that worked well in your home?

Lessons you learned?

Things you wish you had done differently?

I’m looking forward to learning from you!

This post has been linked to Works for Me Wednesday by We Are That Family

While the gifts under the tree may be evidence enough that Santa was at your home, here is an idea to top off the experience.

• Simply trace a shoe onto a piece of paper and cut along the line, leaving a stencil.
• Place near the tree and shake with a carpet powder or baking soda. (You might want to test the baking soda in an inconspicuous place to ensure it will not discolor the carpet.)

• Repeat as desired, making a path from your door or fireplace to your Christmas tree.

Have a Merry Christmas!

When my children were much younger, they delighted in making gifts for my husband and myself. Christmas was no different until they started noticing people talking about shopping for just the right gift. They wanted to be a part of it. They still loved making treasures for us but they wanted to give more. While I loved their workmanship, I could understand their request. Being on a budget though, I was the one who now needed to be creative.

I had an idea and packed up the children to go shopping. They were so excited and feeling very grown up. When we arrived at the store, I instructed them that they could pick out anything in the store for their dad. Yes, anything. They eyes lit up and they started their hunt. Giving them complete freedom to pick out anything meant I could see my child’s heart. They carefully considered what their dad needed and what he already had. They talked about how he could use various items and both of the children took their purchase very seriously.

There were lots of interesting gifts that came from The Dollar Tree when my children were very young, but the memory of watching my them, unrestricted and thinking of others was priceless.

Now that my children are older, the Dollar Tree no longer holds the same fascination. How do you help your children shop for others?

• Simply slice the apple in half. If the apple will not be served immediately, brush or spray lemon juice on the cut sides to prevent browning.
• Attach the raisins using peanut butter as the “glue.”
• Push the pretzel sticks carefully into the top of the apple and top with another dab of peanut butter glue and a raisin on each pretzel.
• A bed of lettuce leaves (I should have used a few more) tops off the presentation.

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I also recently made Celery Broomsticks by slicing the ends of a celery stick and placing in ice water for several minutes.

I love finding new ways to make fruit and vegetables fun.  Do you have any special ways of preparing fun veggies?

Have you heard of the rare Magical Sliced Banana from South America? My children had not, so I presented them with the special unpeeled banana for an afternoon snack. When my daughter peeled it, she noticed it was already sliced. With wide eyes, she examined the banana and looked for clarification that I had not pre-peeled the banana. I had not.

The gig went on for a few minutes until she found my print-out from Enchanted Learning that listed the magical instructions. I was caught.

Simply insert a toothpick into a ripened banana and wiggle from side to side to score the fruit. Do this a few places on the banana and then present it, unpeeled, to your children.

Have fun!

If you are trying to fit in a last road trip before school starts or need a creative way to keep children quiet and occupied while outside the home, chenille stems are perfect. They involve no mess, no noise and lots of imagination.

Fill a zippered gallon bag with chenille stems of various colors and sizes and watch what your children create. Young children can make simple shapes and practice forming the alphabet while older children or pre-teens can create 3-dimensional figures and words.

This is one of our favorite travel activities. What quiet activities do your children enjoy?

If you are a mother of young children and have even once tried to cook a meal, you know the two do not work well together. When my children were small enough for a high chair, but big enough to get into trouble when left on their own, I let them paint while I cooked.

Squirt a small amount of ketchup and mustard onto a plate on the highchair tray and let your children fingerpaint with the condiments. If they accidentally eat some, no biggie. If they are old enough, you can give them a popsicle stick to use as a paintbrush.

A few squirts of condiments will allow creativity for the children and homecooked meals for the family.

Have fun!

This past winter, I wrote a post suggesting you save your plastic containers for the children to use this summer. If you have a collection of these plastic necessities, hand them over to your children and watch their imagination soar.

My children helped me compile this list of ideas on how they like to use plastic containers in the summer.

• Grow your own mini garden.

• Make giant ice cubes for the pool.

• Use the bowls to hold paint and water and paint pictures outside.

• Make buildings and other things in the sandbox or at the beach.

• Use the bowls as a swimming pool for a doll/ action figure.

• Use the bowls to make boats in the pool.

• Mudpies. Yep, I had to include it. This was my son’s idea.

• Collect bugs and rocks.

• Make stilts with the sturdier dishes and strings. My husband made a different version of stilts when the children were younger and they loved playing and balancing. This link shows how to make them from coffee cans.

• Use as another way to drench your “enemy” in water fights.

I think my children did a great job! What other ideas do you have for using plastic containers for Frugal Summer Fun?

The first Wednesday of each month, Kristen at We are THAT Family hosts a themed edition of the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival. This month’s theme is  “Mom, I’m Bored.” Thankfully, my children have rarely said this to me, though I have a pile of rock waiting to moved, lest I hear the dreaded phrase this year.

I do have a few summer secrets that I have tried in years past that I will share throughout this summer. I hope you will check back often or subscribe so you do not miss any ideas.

One of my ideas is to create a secret summer box. Throughout the year, I like to watch for clearance birthday gifts and fun items to keep on hand for my children. In the past, the summer box included educational and creative clearance items such as paper airplane books, paper marionette kits, punch balls, craft supplies, and a variety of puzzles and games. When the children are being exceptionally good; mom is feeling overly generous; or even if the day is just an “off day” and a diversion is necessary, I would reach for this secret box and provide a fun treat.

The box never failed to bring a smile to a frustrated, sad face or increase the smile on an already giddy one. Do you have a secret stash for your children? What fun items have you found for your stash? I could use some ideas since my children are no longer small children.