Posts Tagged: "child"

Gift of Education: 529 College Savings Plan

Princess Diana - November 24, 2015 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Graduation, Kids, Money

As parents, we want to provide for our children. We give them food, clothing, shelter and affection. These are things they need now and today , but what about their needs down the road?

Parents also want to be able to provide for their children’s future, which is what my husband and I did when we opened up an Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan for our son.

By saving and investing money to help pay for college or trade school, we’re giving our son the gift of education – a gift with lifetime benefits.

I must say, I felt an immense sense of pride after opening our son’s college savings plan because I knew it was one of the most important decisions I could make on his behalf.

The tax advantages that come with a 529 plan makes it a much smarter move than just opening up a regular savings account. For starters, contributions to our son’s Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan can be deducted from our Oklahoma taxable income up to a maximum of $20,000 per year ($10,000 for individual tax payers).

In addition, the earnings portion of any distributions used to pay for qualified higher education expenses will be free from federal and Oklahoma income tax. That’s huge! It’s also important to know that what is considered “qualified” expenses goes beyond books, tuition and fees. For example, certain costs associated with room and board can be paid for with money from a 529 plan.

A Minion Laughs | Get Well Gift

Princess Diana - September 7, 2015 - Get Well

I hate that six-letter word. Cancer.

minion-laughing-action-figure-get-well-gift

Laughter is the best medicine.

It never comes alone. It always brings its ugly friends – Fear, Anxiety, and Pain.

We can’t help but ask God, “Why??”

When someone we care about finds out they have cancer or some other major health issue, we may struggle to find the right words to say or the right thing to do that might provide comfort and hope to their situation.

I’ve found that one of the best things you can do for someone who is sick or ill is to make them laugh. Laughter is the best medicine, and it’s completely natural with no nasty side effects!

When Queen Darlene finished her radiation treatments for breast cancer, I gave her a gift to celebrate. What thoughtful gift did I get her? I gave her a kids toy. But not just any toy – a Despicable Me Minion Stuart Laughing Action Figure.

“Love You Forever” | The Perfect Book for Mothers

Princess Diana - April 21, 2015 - $20 or Less, Baby Shower, Mother's Day

I read a book in which the author recommended the book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

The book “Love You Forever” makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

When I read it for the first time, it made my cry three times. Each time I started to cry I put down the book to catch my breath only to continue crying once I started reading again. Let me mention, the book ONLY has 14 short pages of text!!

This timeless story of a mother’s constant and enduring love for her child puts into words the emotions that mothers feel.

I say it’s the perfect book for mothers because if I had read “Love You Forever” before I became a mother, I know I would not have reacted to it the same way.

A Written Letter to Your Child on Test Day

Princess Diana - April 14, 2015 - Kids

Fear. Anxiety. Stress. Pressure. Worry. Children feel some or all of these emotions on test day. These “yucky” feelings can also have a negative impact on their performance. Parents, you can do something about this.

Click to enlarge

By writing a letter to your child on test day, you can replace these emotions with confidence and positive thoughts. The letter can tell them how much you love them, believe in them and are proud of them.

When your child reads your letter, they will go into the test with a positive mindset that will encourage them to try their hardest and prepare them to succeed. In essence, you’re giving your child the invaluable gift of self-esteem!

Give the Life-Changing Gift of a Summer Camp Experience

Princess Diana - March 31, 2015 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Kids

Every kid who goes to summer camp always comes back with stories to tell.

At summer camp you do things you never get to do at home or at school, and it feels like one big slumber party at night! Everyone makes new friends and bonds from doing all sorts of fun activities together.

I treasure my summer camp memories of sitting around the campfire making s’mores, dressing head to toe in black to play Capture the Flag in complete darkness, and exploring the woods to see what I might discover whether it was a cave or a secret wigwam!

Going to summer camp is a life-changing experience that creates life-long memories.

I went to the traditional summer camp that provides first-hand encounters with nature but there are all sorts of summer camps that tailor to specific interests. There are sports camps, drama camps, leadership camps, band camps, church camps, academic camps, arts camps, and the list goes on!

What they all have in common is how they shape the characters and boost the self-esteem of children by exposing them to experiential education that allows them to learn by doing.

A Letter to Your Child | Christmas Tradition

Princess Diana - December 17, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas

I started a new Christmas tradition in my family by writing a letter to my child.

Life moves at lightning speed, and each year I want to take the time to stop, reflect and remember all of my child’s happy moments full of fun, love and laughter by writing about them in a letter.

write-letter-to-child-christmas-tradition

This Christmas gift idea will be cherished far more than any wrapped present under the tree.

I must admit, the whole process intimidated me at first.

How am I supposed to cram a whole year’s worth of stuff into a single letter? I don’t have time to write pages and pages! What should I focus on if I can’t write about everything?

I stopped freaking out when I thought – KISS. Keep It Super Simple.

Focus on the cake and worry about the frosting and sprinkles later. If all I end up with is cake, it will still be awesome and better than nothing. (That just popped into my head. I’ve never thought of comparing a letter to a cake before… It must be because I haven’t eaten dinner yet… even though it’s almost 8:30 p.m.!)

So I came up with the basic ingredients for a letter to a child:

Thank You Card Using Photo of Your Child

Princess Diana - November 4, 2014 - Thank You

Do you have a photo of your son or daughter that you know will get people to say, “Awwww… so cute!”?

thank-you-card-photo-child2-thoughtful-gift-idea

Glue a cute photo of your child to the front of a blank note card for a thoughtful thank you card!

That’s exactly what you’ll need for making this thank you card using a photo of your child.

When my son turned two years old, I wrote thank you cards to everyone who gave him a gift. Even though my son isn’t old enough to make or write his own thank you cards, I still wanted his thank you cards to be representative of him and his Oklahoma City Thunder basketball-themed birthday party.

I purchased blank note cards in the Thunder’s team colors, blue and orange, and made multiple 4X4 prints of a close-up photo I took of my son at his birthday party. In the photo, he is wearing his Thunder basketball jersey.

Not only is the photo adorable, but it will remind everyone of his birthday party!

Mother’s Day Love From a Special Needs Daughter

Queen Darlene - May 8, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day

My sister-in-law Nancy is an amazing mother to her daughter, Whitney, who suffered from a brain injury at the age of four months. The doctors did not give much hope on her survival but she lived. She lives by a mother’s pure love for her child.

Then the doctors said she would never walk but she did. Nancy taught Whitney how to walk forward as she walked backwards while holding up her daughter.

The doctors said she would never talk but she communicates in a way her mother understands.

I am in awe of Nancy. She makes me want to be a better mother. I have also never met anyone with as much faith in God as Nancy. She praises Him for her daughter’s gift of life.

When you have a special needs daughter who is legally blind with poor hearing, your life is not considered normal. But Nancy and Whitney have created a life that is normal for them.

Did you know one in every 12 children in America is physically or mentally disabled? Mothers of disabled children earn a particularly special place on Mother’s Day, and disabled children sometimes need a little help in celebrating and expressing their love for their mother. And that’s where you and I can come in!

Photo Thank You Card

Princess Diana - December 31, 2013 - Thank You

Everyone loves a handwritten thank you card, but a picture is also worth a thousand words!

Instead of a traditional handwritten thank you card, have your child hand write his or her thank you message on a dry-erase board or chalkboard. Take a picture of your child holding the thank you message. You now have a thank you card that will likely go in a picture frame in someone’s home it’s that awesome!

This idea works also works well for younger children who may be too young to write very much, or at all, but can draw pictures.

If you try this idea, please let us know how it turned out and send us photos. We would love to hear from you!

For Mommies Everywhere | Babysitting Certificates

Princess Diana - December 1, 2013 - Baby Shower, Birthday, Christmas, Family, Mother's Day, Thank You

Mommies want to take bubble baths. Mommies want to go on date nights. Mommies want to go shopping. Mommies want to get more sleep. Mommies want some precious “ME” time. What makes it possible for us to do these things? Babysitters!

It had been 13 months since my son Aiden had been born and I had not been to the movies. That sucked because I looove movies.

It was just that my husband Kevin and I lead busy lives so we needed someone to watch Aiden for more important events than going to the movies.

It was an instance of not wanting to bother friends or family to watch him and not wanting to pay for a babysitter. I mean babysitters are NOT cheap these days. Teenagers have to be able to pay for gas and college. Neither of those are cheap either.