Free Fun Friday!

Your Guide to a Cheap Weekend!

SAT: Outdoor Movie at Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw: Bring a picnic, blanket or low backed chair to watch this week's movie: "Despicable Me” Food available for purchase, inflatables, games, giveaways! Festivities begin at 6pm., movie begin at dark, weather permitting; More info? click here!

SAT: Crafts at Lakeshore Learning: This week’s craft – create an “Under the Sea” puppet show from 11-3; 4287 Roswell Road Marietta. More info? click here!

SAT: Storytime at Barnes & Noble: Town Center Prado at 11am & “Summer Reading Kick-off Party” Barnes & Noble Town Center Prado at 3pm; Kids in grades 1 through 6 are invited to an afternoon of activities and refreshments, and to learn how to earn a free book! Both events are FREE

SAT: "How-to" Workshops: Kids 5-12 years old can make a "Valet Organizer" at Home Depot from 9am-12 - Perfect gift for Father's Day! 1st Saturday each Month. More info? click here!

SAT: “Family Robotics”: Enjoy a Robotics demonstration for the whole family at East Cobb Library from 11am-1pm. Presented by "Circuit Runner Robotics" from Wheeler High School - More info? click here!

SAT: Riverside Sounds FREE Outdoor Concert at Riverside Park in Roswell. Listen to the sounds of the "Milkshake Quartet" from 7-9 p.m. Concert Series runs on the first Saturday of every month (May-Oct); 575 Riverside Road. More Info? click here!

SAT: Family Day at The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art - an afternoon of fun for the whole family. FREE admission. 1-4pm. Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, 30 Atlanta Street SE, Marietta. More Info? click here!

SAT-SUN: “Museum’s on Us!”  by Bank of America: Customers receive free admission into High Museum, Tellus Science Museum, & Atlanta History Center this weekend. Show your bank card & ID for 1 free admission (per card) More info? click here!

"Beyond Cobb" Free (or cheap) Fun:

SAT: Good Neighbor Day Open House and Airshow: Pack a picnic lunch and head to the airport to watch military and warbird plane displays, along with flying greats such as Pat Epps and Greg Koontz. Kids activities throughout the afternoon. Noon-5 p.m. DeKalb Peachtree Airport,

2000 Airport Rd., Atlanta; 770-936-5440. Free admission; parking, $5. More info? Click here!

SAT: The Sky Tonight at Fernbank Science Center & Planet Quest: An astronomer leads the tour through the constellations, planets and events of the evening sky at 11 a.m. Then enjoy "Planet Quest"- a children’s movie showing in the planetarium at 1:30! 156 Heaton Park Dr., Atlanta; 678-874-7102. Adults, $4; students, $3, More info? click here!

Not so free but sometimes you gotta shell out some dough to have some fun!

SAT: Intro to Geocaching at Chattahoochee Nature Center:  Participants 8 years + will learn how to use a GPS unit, how to hunt for geocaches and even how to start your own. Workshop concludes with a hunt for some of the most popular geocaches at CNC.  Please bring a geocaching ready GPS unit. Pre-Registration Required, call 770-992-2055 ext 237 or by EMAIL; $12 Non-Members/ $8 Members; Learn more: click here!

SAT: Night Hike at Chattahoochee Nature Center - Witness the magic of fireflies flickering in the summer moonlight while you join a naturalist on a journey outdoors to see what happens at night. Your hike includes a visit with a nocturnal animal and marshmallow roasting around the campfire! Ages 5 – adult, $10 Non-Members/$5 Members. To register: call 770-992-2055 ext 237 or by EMAIL Learn more: click here!

SAT: Build & Blast Workshop at Tellus Science Museum: Kids 8+ can build and launch your own rocket with expert assistance at Tellus Science Museum! Call 770-606-5700 ext. 417 to purchase tickets. Reserved tickets are required $10 for members, $25 for non-members. All children must be accompanied by a paid parent or adult guardian for the workshop, 100 Tellus Drive, Cartersville, GA; More info: click here!

Sun: Kid Canvas at Canvas by U!  Kids 5-12 can paint a “Daisy” from 2:30-4:30, drop-off or stick around, $25; wear old clothes! 3000 Johnson Ferry Rd. Marietta, Register online:  click here!

SUN: Teddy Bear Picnic at Chattahoochee Nature Center: Bring your favorite stuffed animal for games and a Teddy Bear Parade. Don’t forget the picnic and blanket! 1 p.m.;9135 Willeo Rd., Roswell. Adults, $8; children, $5. Must pre-register: 770-992-2055 ext 237 or email by EMAIL; Learn more: click here!

No Disturbing the Peace!

Are your kids driving you nuts yet? ‘Mom, he took my toy’, ‘Mom, she’s copying me’, ‘Mom, he’s touching me’! ‘WAHHHHH, she punched me!’ ‘Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!’  Does this sound like your house? Does it feel like every 5 minutes someone is coming to complain to you about what brother/sister did? Since summer is here and kids are spending more time together, I thought that dealing with sibling squabbles would be a timely subject for us all!

I recently attended a parenting workshop by Lori Rader-Jacobs, a certified John Rosemond parenting coach in Marietta. As a fan already of John Rosemond, I knew she was the person to ask for advice on dealing with sibling fights…a major source of stress for any parent of more than 1 child!  Lori offered up this advice for us all:

Do not involve yourselves in the rivalry.  There is a normal amount of arguing that should be expected but if their conflicts are causing frequent disruptions of the family’s peace it should be addressed.  Resist becoming the referee.  It’s the children involved who should be held completely and equally responsible for the conflict and the resolution of it. 

Rosemond states that holding both children responsible for the bickering is the key…this is to avoid the back and forth that continues once one of the children comes to you in their attempt to get you on their side

Lori then explained my favorite way to deal with sibling fights, John Rosemond’s “No Disturbing the Family Peace” tactic. I also found this explained in “New Parent Power” book by Rosemond:

Start with writing down 5 privileges your children enjoy (playing outside, regular bedtime, having a friend over, computer time, etc). Make a chart with 10 boxes (2 rows of 5) numbered from 10 down to 1. The first 5 boxes (top row) are left blank and in the 2nd row list one privilege in each box. Explain to the kids that their arguing is “disturbing the family peace”. The chart will help them solve their own problems and that anytime their bickering disturbs you (noise level wise or when one of them comes to you to complain) you will cross off a box starting with box # 10. They will both be held responsible, you are no longer be determining who was at fault. The chart begins on Monday for one week. The first 5 are “freebies” as Lori calls them so that the children are given the opportunity to fix their own problem with no penalty. Remember you are not forbidding them from disagreeing with each other just the “noisy arguing” and running to you every 5 minutes. The last 5 boxes contain the privileges that BOTH children will loose for the rest of the week REGARDLESS of who did what. Now, the fun begins! Each time the kids “disturb the peace” you mark the chart. Don’t engage in any discussion, just cross off the box. Explain in a casual tone, that b/c they were unable to solve their problem on their own they will loose a box and suggest they figure out a way to handle their differences quietly so they don’t loose another one. You continue to use the same chart each day for one week, picking up each day where the previous day left off (so if they lost box #10 & 9 on Monday, you’d cross of #8 if they disturb the peace on Tuesday).

Lori explained that it might take a couple of weeks for them to figure things out but there should be more peace restored.  Over time you should reduce the number of freebies as they grow in their conflict resolution skills.  Since we know bad habits are hard to break, Lori suggests keeping the chart a few months to see a permanent change!

Good Luck & let us know if you try this chart and how it goes.

Click here to learn more about Lori Rader-Jacobs and find her workshops. "Like" her on facebook. She is also a blogger on Parenting Issues in the "Local Voices" section of The East Cobb Patch & Smyrna-Vinings Patch 
Thanks Lori for your advice and help with today's topic!