My son knows that Easter is coming and that we will be traveling to MomMom and PopPop’s house this year. He is so excited and keeps asking, every single day, “how many days until Easter?”

I got tired of saying, “it’s a lot of days.” Or, “it’s a long time away.” At Christmas, we use an advent calendar and that really helped him understand how long away it was. We try so hard to get our kids excited, but if you tell them about special days too soon, it’s something you might regret.

A couple of nights ago we created a paper chain to use as an advent calendar of sorts. Each paper link on the chain represents one day. Each morning my son can rip a chain off the link. As the link gets smaller, he’ll know that Easter is getting closer. I think he was surprised how many links we needed — 32 days is a lot of links. Since we made the chain, he hasn’t once asked how many days until Easter? Mission accomplished.

How to make a paper chain:

• Cut paper into about 1 inch wide strips. No ruler needed. We used a paper cutter and just eye-balled the measurement. I even used scrap paper. It would certainly look more festive with construction paper or scrap booking paper, but I used what we had available.
• Form a circle with paper strip and glue or staple ends together. We opted for the stapler because my son loves using it and we didn’t have to wait for the glue to dry.
• Intersect second strip into first circle. Staple/glue second strip together to form circle.
• Intersect third strip into second circle. Staple/glue third strip together to form circle.
• Continue intersecting, stapling until chain is complete.

I added numbers to each circle so that I would know how many days are left without having to count the chain the next time I get asked the how many days question.

Just so you know … there are 30 days until Easter.

I’ve been seeing a lot of hot parenting topics on the news lately on which I would love to write full blog posts, but life intersects and they don’t get written. Tonight I thought I would highlight some of them here so that I don’t completely miss the boat and can share what I think are some important messages coming from a variety of places.

• Mom Plans Meals For Entire Year — there’s a woman in Texas who has mapped out her family meal schedule for the entire YEAR. She says it saves her time and money. Check out her 2009 meal plan.
• Defining the line of communication between teachers and students. Is it OK for teachers to use social media to connect with students? It’s unrealistic to think that a high school coach won’t send a text message to the baseball team notifying everyone the game has been delayed. Schools across America are dealing with boundary issues for social media. Does a district have to say “no Facebook, no texting, no Twitter following,” with any students. Period. What makes the most sense? Read about teachers texting students here.
• It was nearly impossible to have the TV on without hearing how a trainer was killed by the Killer Whale at SeaWorld. This is a place where families go to learn about and see animals up close. I have to admit that we avoided watching the TV, but I’m not sure that was the right thing to do. Admittedly, it was easier. We plan to go to SeaWorld later this year and I don’t want my son to be afraid the workers (or worse, he or a member of the family) will be hurt or killed. How did you handle the news with your kids?
• A  house with two working parents is a tired house. It’s a house where jugging children’s schedules along with the parents work schedule is exhausting, frustrating and sometimes impossible depending on your job. Morra Aarons Mele writes a great account of how hard this is. She mentions other’s who have written on the topic and how hourly employees are sometimes “one sick child away from being fired.” It’s a tough situation to be in, but one that many parents have to deal with on a daily basis.

It’s hard to leave your children with a day care provider, nanny or other care giver while you are away working, but many of us have to do it everyday. It’s harder when you are not happy with the level of care your child is receiving. Sometimes you have to break up with your daycare provider in order to ensure your child is getting the best care. Here are some tips on how to make the break up conversation go easier:

• Speak to the Director or Owner. Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the owner or director of the day care center when you feel things aren’t going the way you’d hope. It’s important that the message be delivered directly to the top of the organization so they can make positive change for other parents.
• Keep the conversation positive. It’s hard to take bad news so be considerate of the person you are speaking with. This doesn’t mean you have to sugar coat the information; just be sure to keep your cool so the person listening will pay attention.
• Be honest. If you tip toe around the real issues of why you are leaving, they will never know what to fix and other parents are just going to be in the same position you are.
• Provide written notice. Many day care centers have strict withdraw policies. Avoid penalties by reviewing the center’s policy before you take your child out. Sometimes immediate withdraw is necessary, no matter the financial penalty, but other times you might be able to save some money by giving two weeks notice (or however long the policy states). Be sure to give notice in writing to avoid any communication problems or extra charges.
• Don’t burn bridges. You never know, but you may need, or even want, to return to the facility one day. Sometimes, in hindsight, what you are worried about today may not seem so bad later.

Photo credit: amdavis

A friend of mine just sent me a quick Instant Message to say, “hi.” In it, she confessed that she thinks of me every time she sees Erin Burnett on TV. Erin is a financial guru for CNBC. This two minute conversation made my day. Why?

I looked at Erin’s Web site and saw her photo — she’s attractive, stylish and looks smart too. So, someone out there thinks that I look as good as this. That makes my day.

I’ve been seeing a lot of ads and promotions for alice.com and decided to give it a try. Count me in on something that can save me valuable time. I signed up for the free account and began to search the site for items I typically purchase. Initially I was disappointed with the number of product offerings, but after searching more I found plenty of things that I normally buy. Although, I would hope they can expand soon.

Here’s what I purchased:

• Hair conditioner
• Paper towels
• Baby formula
• Tissues (each box counts as one item)
• Coffee
• Storage bags

You have to buy six items for each order, but shipping is free. This is the selling point for me. The second they start charging for shipping I’m outta there.

The box came and all of the items were in order. Nothing spilled, all packed neat and tidy. Who doesn’t love getting a big box in the mail?

This bottle of conditioner came with an alice sticker over the lid and not a drop spilled.

All of the packaging is “EarthAware,” recycled film, which is pretty cool.
Pricing

Pricing seems fair. I did some quick cost checking on a few items and think they are in line with my regular grocery store. I am sure you can find items cheaper if you price check and shop around, but I think alice.com is about convenience as much as price.

Site Features

The site has a lot of unique features that help frequent buyers streamline his/her purchases. Here are a few highlights:

• Ability to put items in your cart, but not purchase.
• Save items for future purchase.
• Note how often you buy items and set reminders.
• Online coupons are automatic.

Planning Needed

One sticking point for me is that you really need to plan this shopping adventure. Don’t wait until you need an item to buy it from alice.com; buy at least a week before you need it. Also, communicate with other shoppers in your home. I purchased the large size of paper towels, but failed to tell my husband (see above photo). While I was eagerly awaiting my alice.com order, my husband came home with the large size of paper towels. Now we have a year’s supply of paper towels.

Overall, I am pleased with my purchase and want to place another order. I just need to find out how online ordering falls into my monthly budget and make sure my husband knows I’m making a purchase - we don’t have room in the house for more double orders.

(Disclosure: I was not paid for this post, nor did I receive a gift card for my first purchase.)