I'm on the Phone!

A friend calls for a chat, and as soon as you answer the call your kids suddenly decide that they need your attention. Sound familiar?

Try this trick: set aside a special toy that can only be played with while Mom or Dad is on the phone. This will give you a few minutes of much needed peace and quiet in which you can have a conversation.

The Sugar Shuffle

Years ago when my kids were younger, going out to dinner was quite an ordeal. After being seated, I knew that I had roughly 15 minutes of relative calm before they started geting antsy. As long as they had a fun placemat to color and a few crayons, we could usually keep our cool until the meal arrived.

One evening, I wanted a change of pace, so I chose a new restaurant. Bad move.

The place was packed, filled mostly with couples out for a quiet meal. And, they had no placemats or crayons. Fingers crossed, I just hoped that they'd be able to hold it together. Maybe we'll get through this meal without a scene, I thought. Then it happened.

"Mommmmmm, she touched me with her foot."

Thankfully, I remembered reading an article with this fun little game:

Grab a few sugar packets and place them on the table. Put a coin under one of the packets and then shuffle them around.

As you shuffle them, ask your child to keep track of the packet with the penny beneath it. Once you stop shuffling, ask him to pick up the packet that he thinks the coin is under.

This cool little trick is likely to buy you a few minutes of peace during that long wait for your dinner to hit the table.