All Things Sleepover!

What started as a healthy snacks theme morphed into all things sleepover. How, you may ask? Well, last year we already spent some time discussing healthy habits in general, and we didn't think the girls would be keen to review that again. But we wanted them to take ownership of making their own healthy snacks -- what parent isn't tired of the "I'm hungry -- what can I eat?" question?!  Thinking about making tasty and good-for-you treats with friends sounded good, and a perfect venue for that is a sleepover! Everyone loves to eat at those! Donned in jammies and clutching our sleeping bags, we set out for an incredibly delightful evening.

Here was our agenda for the night and how it played out:

1.  Ice Breaker: "Mirror" game. Sit or stand face to face. Pick a leader. The leader slowly moves her arms or legs while the other tries to mirror the movements exactly. See how in sync you can be. (This cracked many of us up!)
2. Top 5 sleepover ideas -- brainstorm with the group. What do you like to do at a sleepover? Or if you haven't been a part of a sleepover yet, what would you like to do?
3. Snack time! How can you make your friends and yourself some yummy, semi-healthy snacks? We had all the supplies for the girls to make each of these:
1. Homemade microwave popcorn. You need a paper bag (like a lunch sack), popcorn, a little butter and salt if you like. Simply put a couple of tablespoons of popcorn in the bag, roll it up tightly and put it in the microwave. Set the timer for a couple of minutes. As the popping slows, take it out, pour it in a bowl, and add melted butter/salt to your liking. Viola!
2. Make your own trail mix. Keeping allergies in mind, you can go wild with this! Nuts, dried fruit, m&m's, cereal, pretzels, you name it.
3. Roll up some energy bites. 
1. Ingredients: 1 cup dry oatmeal, 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or dried fruit), 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 1/3 cup honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
2.  Mix together all these ingredients, roll into walnut-sized balls and then refrigerate for an hour (or just eat at room temp!).
4. Create a smoothie. Add yogurt, fruit, honey and juice or water to the blender. Let it whir and enjoy!
4. Games (discussion and playing, of course!)
1. What makes games appropriate?
2. How can you say no to a friend if she wants to do something you know you shouldn't?
3. Technology use -- can you hop online when friends are over?
4. Pass out fun game ideas (includes silly games, friendship quizzes, craft ideas). See below. (Friendship quizzes were found in several American Girl friendship books.)
5. Solicit more ideas from the girls. Give them 10 minutes to brainstorm with small groups and then share. Add their ideas to the lists they were given above.
6. Play at least one of the games!

We topped the night off with a "campfire" of flashlights and scarves. We told stories, then ended with back rubs or scratches. What a way to kick off the weekend! They all wanted to have a "real" sleepover together at one of our meetings. That's an idea to mull over...

                         

                                   

                                                         Our "campfire."

Staying Home Alone

As established awhile ago, our girls were growing up! Yay and boo. (o: And with that came more independence. Many of them were talking about wanting to stay home alone; some of them already had. It was time to go over the ground rules for this new adventure.

Tricia and Sara handled this one beautifully. After greeting one another and grabbing some snacks, they followed this outline for the night:

1) House Rules
2) Are You Ready to Stay Home Alone?
3) Real-life Scenarios

House Rules 

Tricia and Sara used a guide from the American Girl Library collection, "Staying Home Alone." It mentioned the following tips for discussing house rules, as every family's different.

• Check in: after you get home, lock the door and check in with an adult. Who should that be and how?
• Phone calls: do you answer the phone? Let it ring? What do you say if someone is looking for your parents?
• Company: can you answer the door if someone knocks? Can you have friends over?
• Technology: are you allowed to use the computer, internet, iPad, TV, phone, etc.?
• Being home: can you play in your yard or neighborhood? Or should you stay indoors?
• Snacks: what are you allowed to eat when you're alone? Are there any appliances that are off-limits (stove, microwave)?
• Schedule: if you are home alone after school, do you have to do homework or chores before you can play?

The discussion that ensued was lively and informative. Some comments included:

"My yard is fenced in and locked, so I know I am safe in there."

"I can have friends over only if the other parents know we will be alone and they're okay with that."

"Sometimes I sneak a treat when no one is home!"

"I can watch TV, right Mom?"

"I don't like to be home alone when it's dark, so we just do that during the day."

Are You Ready to Stay Home Alone?

No one wants anything unpleasant to happen to our kids, especially when we aren't around! But things do tend to come up, and knowing how to stay calm is key to ensuring a positive experience. The girls took a short quiz (from the same book mentioned earlier) to rate how they handled the unexpected. Arming them with the knowledge of how comfortable they feel by themselves helped them gauge their maturity a bit. We discussed calling 911 for a real emergency, or just calling your parents if you're not sure about something. Make a plan for these scenarios: a parent is late. There's a scary noise in the basement. You and your siblings are fighting -- who is in charge? 

A helpful tip to remember: if your daughter didn't feel ready to be home alone, then you wouldn't make her stay home alone! Short trial-runs work beautifully -- a quick run to the library or to get some gas. Start short and work your way up to a few hours. 

And what to do when you're home alone, ladies? Some girls mentioned being bored. But what freedom you have when you're alone! Do the things your family finds really annoying (singing too loudly, banging on drums, popping gum bubbles). Write in your diary. Make a surprise for your family. The time will go faster if you stay busy.

Real-life Scenarios

We divided into teams for the last part of our night. Our mission? To decide what we'd do in certain situations. We needed to discuss 1) how we'd feel, 2) what solutions or strategies we'd have, and 3) who we could talk to about them. Here are a few examples:

• You come home from school alone. While you were at school your friend gave you the website for a really cool online game. Everyone in your class has been playing this. Your friend even gave you her passcode so it's FREE! Your mom and dad have said they want to okay any websites before you use them. But, by the time they get home there will not be any time left to play the game because then you have to leave for basketball. What do you do?

• You are home alone and your phone doesn't have called ID. You answer the phone because you think it's your mom. The person on the line says she works with your dad. She wants to drop off some important papers, but she forgot to get the address from him. If you can give her the address, she can bring the papers now. How do you respond?

• You are home alone and left in charge of your younger sister. Your parents said you could watch a movie, but you two can't agree on one. Your sister gets upset and throws the DVD at your head. It didn't really hurt that bad, but you are frustrated and don't know what do to. What now?

This part of the night could have gone on for hours. Literally. There were a host of ideas and feelings. But really, it all boiled down to staying calm, making the right choices and contacting your parents if things just couldn't be resolved or you couldn't shake the bad feeling in your gut. Trust your gut! It's smart and has your safety as top priority #1!

P.S...If you ever want the full version of things like these real-life scenarios, just throw it in a comment and I can publish them all.