Kids and the Big Move

Summer is almost here and for families it’s the most popular time to move to a new home. In fact, nearly 40 million of us move in the summer and begin to plan in May. But, before you break out that moving checklist think about your kids and how the moving process may affect them. 

Moving is one of the most stressful times in life. It brings a lot of change, to do lists, financial concerns, and for your kids it means making new friends and maybe adjusting to a new school. The upside is that there are simple steps you can take to protect your kids from the shock of a move and make the move stress-free for them.

There are three elements to a successful move with kids to focus on before moving: timing, transition, and getting them involved.

Before moving day:

First consider Timing, probably the most important element:

• Evaluate the grades your children are currently in. If your eldest is about to be a senior in high school it may be best to let them live with a relative to finish up their high school career with their friends. If your youngest is about to enter middle school this is an ideal time to move as they will be entering a new school either way.

Second, ease them into the Transition into the new home. Here are my three tips to make the transition a smooth one:

1. Make the new home their own. Allow the kids to walk through the new house before the move. And, make them feel that they are part of the decision, by letting them choose their own bedroom, the paint colors, etc.
2. TALK to your kids. Ask them what they are excited about and what things they are going to miss.
3. Stay connected to friends, neighbors, and family back home. Arrange web cam time with the children’s friends before you move to the new home, it will help make the transition easier when they know they can keep in touch with their old friends. And, set up a play date for the old friends to come over for a sleep over.

In conjunction with the above tasks there is no easier way to keep kids happy than giving  them a feeling of control - Get Them Involved!

1. Have them arrange their own room. Draw out a floor plan of the rooms in the new house and let the children make paper doll furniture and arrange what they want in their room, while you arrange the other rooms.
2. Encourage your kids to pack themselves so that they are involved in the moving process. They can have their own boxes and suitcases that they are responsible for. Give them color codes or fun stickers to stick on the boxes that belong in their room. You can oversee this.
3. Give each child a backpack to fill with overnight items so that you don’t have to dig through boxes. Include their toothbrush, pjs, favorite stuffed animal, favorite bedtime story, etc.
4. Then give them one box to pack freely with the stuff they want, that will be the first box that they open in their new room
5. Before you move out, sit down with your children with a map. Show them where the new house is and have them help you plan the trip out and then have them follow the map as you make your way to your new home.

Last, is the adjustment to the new home and neighborhood, probably the most important phase of a move as it sets the stage for your new life there. Here are my suggestions to make the adjustment a great one:

1. Host a party in your new neighborhood and invite children of the same age as your own kid(s) over so that they can make friends. It’s as easy as a pool party, pizza party, or cookout. Try and host the party the first weeks of being in your new home.
2. Take them for a drive by their new school, the local ice cream place, playground, if they have a hobby such as dancing, show them that there is a dance studio here too, so that they see their new neighborhood has all the same things as the old.
3. Set up a tour of the new school and to meet their new teacher before school starts.
4. If you move in the beginning of the summer, sign the little ones up for camp or other local activities where they can meet the new kids before school starts. It also keeps them out of the house so you can continue the unpacking!

My final bit of advice for you - if you are planning on getting rid of items the children no longer use, do not do it during moving time. Otherwise the children will experience loss, this is not the right time to weed out their things, wait until you are settled in at the new home. Or do the weeding out months before the move so they don’t associate the two events.

For more and tips on how to keep the kids entertained on move day visit – www.northstarmoving.com/moving-with-kids

Wishing you and your family happiness in your new home!

Written by NorthStar Moving Co-Founder Laura McHolm

Honda's Memorial Day Gas Giveaway

Honda driving SoCal MomMe’s are in for some savings this weekend!

The SoCal Honda Dealers want to reward Honda drivers in Southern California during Memorial Day (5/27) by giving them free tanks of gas. The helpful Honda guys in their iconic blue shirts will be out at gas stations all over SoCal giving away free tanks of gas, pumping the gas, and washing windows–just one more way SoCal Honda is being helpful.

Text and pictures are brought to you by Southern California Honda Dealers.

Jamba Juice FiTrends Expo in Santa Monica - April 2013

Are your workouts getting a little boring? Yea, mine too. Until last week when I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the Jamba Juice FiTrends Expo hosted by Venus Williams at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica. It was a day of getting workout tips from the Olympian, snacking on Jamba Juice goodies and sampling new smoothie flavors and working out harder than I have in months. 4 hours. 4 hours of exhausting, invigorating, and grueling workouts that left everyone a sweaty mess. But in a really, really good way.

It all started with a pep talk from Venus and then we were onto the fitness. LA’s top instructors would pop up on stage and give us a shortened 15-20 minute version of their class. And there were some very interesting classes.

Like Broadway Bodies, a high-impact cardio workout to show tunes, lots of jazz hands and twirling, but oddly a lot of fun.  

Physique 57 focuses on slower, micro-movements. Looking at the room you could barely see any movement at all, except people shaking from the pressure. Difficult, but very efficient. 

Bokwa was a blast. It’s dancing, but without choreography. You draw letters and numbers with your feet, which isn’t as dorky as it sounds. By not having complicated moves to learn, it allows you to just move, so you dance those calories away without realizing it. Hands down, the easiest to learn.

My personal favorite was Piloxing. A very fast paced workout that mixed Pilates poses with boxing and a little dancing. Lots of punching, hip shaking, and balancing. Their motto is sleek, sexy, powerful. And afterwards, I totally felt like a bad ass.

There were a few more workouts, Blogilates, Cross Fit, and LaBlast and then the finale, a tennis-themed workout with Venus and her trainer, Samantha Monus. 

At the end, we were exhausted and sore, but our spirits we’re renewed and revitalized. We were proud of ourselves for crossing the finish line. We grabbed our swag bags and slowly limped back to our cars.

Allya Orlov is a Certified Health Coach, providing fitness, diet, wellness and nutrition counseling, bringing harmony and balance to both mother and child. All Club MomMe fans get a FREE initial consultation! Find out more at www.OrganicLifeWellness.com

Koala Kid Teaches Important Lessons About Bullying And Being Yourself

There are certain people you see on television and you think to yourself, I want to hang out with them for a day.  Well for me, Jenni Pulos from Bravo’s Flipping Out is one of those people.  She is entertaining and funny, but doesn’t take herself too seriously.  And she raps!

So when I was invited to the Los Angeles Zoo for a Koala Kid day featuring Jenni Pulos, I was in before I could even hit send.

Jenni was exactly what I expected.  Effervescent.  Bubbly and sweet.  And glowing while seven months pregnant in the Los Angeles heat.  She rapped about peeing in the potty (which was perfect since we had a Potty Training Event the next day!) and talked a lot about bullying.  Being different often leads to bullying, but being different can also lead to tremendous opportunities, new friendships and adventures.

Jenni voices Charlotte in the outback adventure Koala Kid, featuring a white koala named Johnny who wants to fit in and make friends.  But he is different due to his white coloring and gets bullyed, a hot topic today among parents.  but finds that by being himself, his interests and personality develop, he gains friends and more!

Koala Kid provided the perfect opportunity for my son to see his first ever movie in a theater, without having to worry a out annoying everyone around us. Everyone there had kids, and he sat spell-blindingly staring at the screen, in awe. He loves animals, and he laughed along with the bigger kids sitting all around us. While we didn’t make it though the entire movie, we did love the movie and we can watch the DVD anytime at home. And since I have a toddler, that means that we watch it over and over and over again.  But this is one movie I don’t mind watching repeatedly, it has a good solid story, fun characters, and carries a solid message.  

Check it out with your little ones today!  Koala Kid is available at Walmart or can be watched online.  Check out the preview here!

Note: We were invited to the LA Zoo for Koala Kid day and given free admission to the Zoo, however all opinions reflected in this blog are our own.

Invisalign: Getting Perfectly Straight Teeth Is Easier Thank You Think!

We were fortunate to be asked to do a sponsored post by Invisalign, however the views reflected in it are entirely our own.

Lately I have been noticing a new trend among moms, and no, it’s not the latest stroller or diaper bag. Rather it’s something in their mouth, which you could almost miss if you aren’t really looking for it. 

More and more moms today and deciding to use Invisalign today to straighten their teeth, fix minor flaws in the bite, or teeth that moved when their wisdom teeth came in. Braces today are very different than the metal mouths that many of us had as pimply teenager, namely because no metal is even required today!

Instead, Invisalign provides an amazing way to get that perfect smile you have always wanted without sacrificing showing off your smile for a year or two, or living with the constant questions, are they looking at my braces?  Am I too old for braces?  

Invisalign is practically invisible, without the all-too-obvious metal, pain in your guns and mouth due to metal touching such a sensitive area, and best, it can be your little secret. They are clear and removeable aligners, made of a lightweight plastic, that sits comfortably on your teeth.  The feel more comfortable than traditional braces and work just as well!  Patients can start seeing results in as little as 90 days.

You simply remove them when you are eating and pop them back in. You don’t have to worry about food getting stuck in them, brushing frantically to avoid teeth staining and the like.  You can never have a broken wire or bracket, a big problem with traditional braces, and overall there are far less appointments throughout the teeth straightening process.

Best, Invisalign isn’t just for moms, they also have a Invisalign Teen which is perfect for pre-teens and teenagers, so our kids will never have to suffer with the nickname, “braceface!”

Invisalign is the perfect way to get the perfect teeth that you have always wanted. Do you know anyone who has used Invisalign?  If so, let us know what their experience was like with it! 

Now where so I get my pair…?