Final

Family!

No matter what you think of Opera Winfrey -If you follow her, her show, or her in print -she has offered up lots of advice regarding rearing kids without loosing sight of yourself. She said, take time for yourself. You will come back a better parent. If you don't forget who you are and take time for yourself you will have more "you" to give to your family!

It's that moment. I've finished checking homework, handing out backpacks, rummaging for baseball caps, finding car keys, bestowing kisses. The door slams shut for the last time, and I'm alone. Glad as I will be to have my family reconvene under this roof hours from now, I treasure this early-morning solitude, this small nest of time inhabited only by me. Soon I'll be up and out the door myself, but for these next sacred minutes, I will sit on the window seat, coffee in hand, and watch the sky. Solitude is the soul's holiday, an opportunity to stop doing for others and to surprise and delight ourselves instead. When we are hungry, we get the signal right away, and we pay attention. Thirst is sneakier. By the time our bodies send us in search of water, we are already dehydrated. The same holds true in our thirst for solitude. By the time I begin to crave a vacation alone on a desert island, chances are my emotional well has already run dry. And so I've learned to create little islands of solitude in my daily life.

"Babysitters"

Share Sitters Share the cost and split a summer sitter with a neighbor or two! This works great, especially if you're like my family and only have one child who needs a sitter. With the economy the way it is, most regular babysitters are used to these cost-saving arrangements, but you still want to be sure not to overload them with too many children. Try not to have them watch more than three kids under age 6, four kids under age 12, or more than five of any age. Co-operation is key!

20 percent savings over the whole summer. Summer Camp Savings Many families are concerned about summer camp's cost. There are low-cost alternatives, though. Day camps can be great money-saving alternatives to overnight camps. And church or community camps often attract a wide range of local children, are usually pretty affordable and have a ton of activities for kids of all ages.

Daycare & Preschool

You can ask a few preliminary questions over the phone (fees and ages of children, for example), but you won't really get a sense of what a daycare place is like until you go there and meet the staff and director. Ask daycare center directors and caregivers and home

daycare providers about everything from hours, fees, and vacation schedules to philosophies on childrearing issues like discipline, feeding, and sleeping. Get a schedule of the day's activities and the center's policies. Pay attention to your gut feeling and how the director or caregiver handles the questions. Ultimately, choosing a daycare is a very personal decision. Our checklists highlight specifics, but basically, you'll want a warm, clean, safe environment and experienced teachers who are paid well and happy with their jobs. Children crave consistency and need to form strong relationships with their caregivers, so you don't want teachers who come and go.