*So I guess I'm just fully committed to writing blogs about my family this summer.* *Thank you for all the donations. They are helping with our adoption. And if you haven't, please consider leaving a tip.* ***Please consider leaving a tip, so you can get more blogs like this*** CLICK HERE TO TIP Who is Doug Wanoy?Doug Wanoy is a heavy Lib. A Serbian Hero. An activist. An advocate. A pickleball player. A Kansas City Chief's fan. A troll. He is everything and he is nothing all at once. Someone who set out to do his work in anonymity has suddenly gained some notoriety and now people are left with some burning questions... Is Doug Wanoy Kyle? Is Kyle Doug Wanoy? Is Doug Wanoy me? Is it all one elaborate scheme? What is real and what is fake? And that, my friends, is all part of the Doug Wanoy's Coaching Tree 10 Step Protocol. Doug Wanoy's Coaching Tree 10 Step Protocol. |
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
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Ahh Kyle, my perfect brother.
What many of you probably don’t know is that Kyle has been perfect for a long time. His perfection has reigned upon us long before Barstool was even a glimmer in his eye and the No Swag moniker graced us with its presence on Twitter.
No, his perfect era commenced the moment the eye liner goatee was drawn upon his tiny face and he donned the oversized suit jacket. The moment he transformed - nay became - his most coveted persona, Roger Chan.
Who is Roger Chan? Let me first back up to an interview conducted by the Starr** Magazine back in 2022.
What many of you probably don’t know is that Kyle has been perfect for a long time. His perfection has reigned upon us long before Barstool was even a glimmer in his eye and the No Swag moniker graced us with its presence on Twitter.
No, his perfect era commenced the moment the eye liner goatee was drawn upon his tiny face and he donned the oversized suit jacket. The moment he transformed - nay became - his most coveted persona, Roger Chan.
Who is Roger Chan? Let me first back up to an interview conducted by the Starr** Magazine back in 2022.
Roger Chan
The Rise of Bauer and Company (aka B Co)
We are all familiar with Kyle’s successful singing debut Dragonfly Sinner (Salmon Sunset) in the band Gaze, but fans of the 5’6, “stronger than he is short,” singer will be shocked to know that Kyle was in a singing and acting troupe years before the Gaze men were nailing it in in Southern California by rocking, rolling, and banging. Annals of Bauer History will confirm there was once a group called Bauer and Company that Kyle was in, but, of course you don’t know that because Kyle is too humble to tell you about it.
The year was 1997 and Kyle, a tiny tot, was hanging out with his two older female cousins and Lauren, his older sister in New Jersey. Like any other bored youths of the time, they came up with the idea to start a band.
And that was how the birth of Bauer and Company came to be.
“Yeah, my cousins and sisters forced me to wear fuzzy sweaters and twirl and sing and prance about to songs we wrote. Little did they know that they were pushing me into eventually being part of the Gaze community…Nick, Donny, our producers, and all our fans. I owe my success to B and Co,” Kyle, the smallest newborn, responded when asked what he credits his newfound fame and fortune to.
Bauer and Company topped the charts with hit songs like “I Don’t Care Where We Go,” “I Don’t See the Beach,” and “I’m a Little Seal Girl,” (which was later found to be directly stolen from Nickelodeon's As Told By Ginger).
The group spent their summers touring and performing all over New Jersey in their grandma’s and aunt’s/uncle’s houses and producing videos for their special out on Home Videos.
But the fame and success of singing wasn’t enough. They decided they had to break into the acting world.
Kyle's highlight reel of Bauer and Company
Bauer and Company Take Acting By a Storm
The quartet, together with their dads: Doug Wanoy, Lauren and Kyle’s dad and also a heavy Lib on Twitter (who is bound to take things too far one day and get canceled by the masses) and Syd Barrett, their uncle (not to be confused with singer and guitarist Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd), host of the podcast You Can’t Handle the Truth with their grandma and who also has an alter ego on social media (Syd isn’t his real name), took acting by the storm all over the BROAD entryWAY of the house.
Our rendition of King Arthur (clips have been edited and shortened). This is produced by my oldest cousin who was a theater major and now theater teacher. She is actually probably the most talented of the family.
They would perform plays complete with curtains and all in front of their moms and grandma before the adults begged them to do more but to film it first instead.
Kyle, the little thespian that he is, always took on the lovable role of the perfect, tiny boy.
Kyle, the little thespian that he is, always took on the lovable role of the perfect, tiny boy.
When asked to describe Kyle’s acting chops, Kyle’s cousin who wishes to remain nameless because she doesn’t the crave attention like the men in the family, said this:
“Kyle, while he never had the shining star role, was always the missing puzzle piece to the whole production. The adorable way he didn’t make eye contact with the camera was endearing. He was also well trained. I remember in one Christmas play we performed he refused to wear a coat in one of the outdoor scenes. I guess he didn’t like the way it felt, but his sister, Lauren, was furious that he wasn’t committed to the part. Not wearing a coat because of the fabric? Odd, this tic? you ask. Some may say so, but I don’t think it was odd at all. The audience ate up all of Kyle’s little quirks. I just think Kyle knew how to play each of his parts to perfection. Has he told you about Roger Chan yet?
“Kyle, while he never had the shining star role, was always the missing puzzle piece to the whole production. The adorable way he didn’t make eye contact with the camera was endearing. He was also well trained. I remember in one Christmas play we performed he refused to wear a coat in one of the outdoor scenes. I guess he didn’t like the way it felt, but his sister, Lauren, was furious that he wasn’t committed to the part. Not wearing a coat because of the fabric? Odd, this tic? you ask. Some may say so, but I don’t think it was odd at all. The audience ate up all of Kyle’s little quirks. I just think Kyle knew how to play each of his parts to perfection. Has he told you about Roger Chan yet?
Roger Chan and the Perfect Family
After doing some digging around, we came across a certain recurring production that the four cousins would put on called The Perfect Family.
Based upon our research The Perfect Family was a reality hit TV show-esque production of the lives of four family members who were…well perfect.
Who was this family? The Chans. The mother - Mary Chan. The father - Roger Chan. The daughters - Melissa and Theresa Chan.
When asked if this family was portrayed after a family of Asian descent, the actress portraying Mary Chan stammered, “Asian? No, umm we just assumed they were a suburban white family who lived in New England. Shoot…is that bad? We just really liked the name Chan (after Julie Chen, the host of Big Brother) and various iterations of it. Hey, listen, we were just kids. Don’t cancel us.”
When Kyle was asked the same question, he responded “I have a half Asian girlfriend so technically I am a half Asian boyfriend, so I’m allowed to have portrayed a character with a half Asian name. I also am a Black uncle. So there’s that…”
We, here at the Starr**, aren't quite sure what that means, but we will let it slide .
Kyle played the role of Roger Chan and his portrayal of this character earned him a #7 spot on Most Memorable Bauer and Company Characters.
Here is what is said about him from a description of the character from 2005…
Father Knows Best - Father Christmas. Father Time. The Founding Fathers. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All great fathers, but they pale in comparison to this father: Roger Chan. Kyle Bauer took on the role as the breadwinner for the Perfect Family, the Chan Family. Although shorter than most men, Kyle’s heart and love for the Chans made him the greatest father there ever was and ever will be. Perfectly quaffed with a tiny brown mustache and perpetually cloaked in his sports jacket and tie, Kyle became the man we wish we could say, “I love you, Dad,” to on Father’s Day. He wrote poetry, brought syrup home from Vermont, shaved till his chin was velvety smooth, and cared for his children and wife with love. We here at the Starr never saw Kyle so accepting of a role and so willing to yield to its power. We all think that if Kyle turns out to be half the father he portrayed as Roger Chan then his kids should count their blessings and thank their lucky stars. If only everyone in the world could be so lucky.
Based upon our research The Perfect Family was a reality hit TV show-esque production of the lives of four family members who were…well perfect.
Who was this family? The Chans. The mother - Mary Chan. The father - Roger Chan. The daughters - Melissa and Theresa Chan.
When asked if this family was portrayed after a family of Asian descent, the actress portraying Mary Chan stammered, “Asian? No, umm we just assumed they were a suburban white family who lived in New England. Shoot…is that bad? We just really liked the name Chan (after Julie Chen, the host of Big Brother) and various iterations of it. Hey, listen, we were just kids. Don’t cancel us.”
When Kyle was asked the same question, he responded “I have a half Asian girlfriend so technically I am a half Asian boyfriend, so I’m allowed to have portrayed a character with a half Asian name. I also am a Black uncle. So there’s that…”
We, here at the Starr**, aren't quite sure what that means, but we will let it slide .
Kyle played the role of Roger Chan and his portrayal of this character earned him a #7 spot on Most Memorable Bauer and Company Characters.
Here is what is said about him from a description of the character from 2005…
Father Knows Best - Father Christmas. Father Time. The Founding Fathers. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All great fathers, but they pale in comparison to this father: Roger Chan. Kyle Bauer took on the role as the breadwinner for the Perfect Family, the Chan Family. Although shorter than most men, Kyle’s heart and love for the Chans made him the greatest father there ever was and ever will be. Perfectly quaffed with a tiny brown mustache and perpetually cloaked in his sports jacket and tie, Kyle became the man we wish we could say, “I love you, Dad,” to on Father’s Day. He wrote poetry, brought syrup home from Vermont, shaved till his chin was velvety smooth, and cared for his children and wife with love. We here at the Starr never saw Kyle so accepting of a role and so willing to yield to its power. We all think that if Kyle turns out to be half the father he portrayed as Roger Chan then his kids should count their blessings and thank their lucky stars. If only everyone in the world could be so lucky.
Roger Chan highlight reel
Yes, Kyle, as Roger Chan, and his affinity for his family and the Lord, was the epitome of perfect.
But after he broke away from Bauer and Company and couldn't rely on the scripts provided for him by his older cousin and the scriptures given to him from Lauren his Confirmation sponsor, Kyle's perfection was questioned.
He had some underage drinking and cocaine incidents, and he was struggling to find his place at Barstool.
Yeah life was no picnic for our star stunted boy and he was in a rut.
That is until he decided to literally pick Nick, put his thang down, flip it, and reverse it (the it being his "in a rut" phase). Now his career has taken off and his perfection is reigning down on us again.
But we never had any doubt, did we? Because Kyle has always been a perfect boy.
But after he broke away from Bauer and Company and couldn't rely on the scripts provided for him by his older cousin and the scriptures given to him from Lauren his Confirmation sponsor, Kyle's perfection was questioned.
He had some underage drinking and cocaine incidents, and he was struggling to find his place at Barstool.
Yeah life was no picnic for our star stunted boy and he was in a rut.
That is until he decided to literally pick Nick, put his thang down, flip it, and reverse it (the it being his "in a rut" phase). Now his career has taken off and his perfection is reigning down on us again.
But we never had any doubt, did we? Because Kyle has always been a perfect boy.
And if you're a parent, check out my parenting guide Now What? Mindful Parenting Checklists for Life’s Hard Moments.
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
Only 5 hours from our home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Savannah was a perfect place to start our summer vacation.
The historical, picturesque city located on the coast of Georgia has plenty to do, eat, and see with kids.
I highly recommend packing up the car and spending a long weekend here.
And trust me - you won't even have touched all the great restaurants Savannah has to offer.
The historical, picturesque city located on the coast of Georgia has plenty to do, eat, and see with kids.
I highly recommend packing up the car and spending a long weekend here.
And trust me - you won't even have touched all the great restaurants Savannah has to offer.
The Logistics
The Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Bonus Morning Before We Left
Suggestions/Recommendations
- Traveled by car from Raleigh, NC to Columbia, SC where we visited Congaree National Park and stayed in an AirBNB right outside Columbia.
- Traveled with my husband and son.
- Stayed in an AirBNB in Savannah near Forsyth Park.
- Stayed 3 days, 3 nights.
The Itinerary
Day 1
- We left our Airbnb from Gaston, SC by 9:30 and made it to Savannah a little before noon.
- The first place we stopped was LEOPOLD'S ICE CREAM - this ice cream place can get crowded and the lines long, so it was recommended that we get there as soon as it opens (which is 12 Noon). And we didn't have to wait at all!
- Since we couldn't check into our AirBNB until 3:00 PM, we walked the squares of Savannah, including CITY MARKET, a lovely square with shops, restaurants, and museums (very kid friendly) and stopped in shops like THE PARIS MARKET, a store with books, antiques, and unique collections (not the most kid friendly).
- With some time still to kill we drove to WORMSLOE HISTORIC SITE just to take pictures of one of the most photographed places of all of Savannah.
- We also stopped to play on one of the two playgrounds of FORSYTH PARK and take pictures near the famous fountain.
- Checked into AIRBNB and got ready for dinner at THE PIRATES' HOUSE, a restaurant kids will love for its pirate theme. We made reservations ahead of time.
- We walked to the river and RIVER STREET and just strolled along the path near the river.
- Went to bed
Day 2
- We woke up and had a delicious brunch at COLLINS QUARTER in Forsyth Park. I highly recommend this!
- We walked to the GEORGIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM and the SAVANNAH'S CHILDREN MUSEUM, which are all operated under the same corporation because we bought the package ticket. We looked at the old trains at the Railroad Museum and rode the handcar and train ride which operates by the hour. We then left for the all-outdoor children's museum which I ABSOLUTELY LOVED. 100% recommend! 5 stars!
- Got caught in rain storms but that gave us a chance the ride the free DOT SHUTTLE which takes you around the city.
- Took a break at our AIRBNB.
- Drove to near River Street (parking on River Street is hard) and had dinner at HUEY'S ON THE RIVER, a lovely dining experience with a view. You can't make reservations here, but we got in no problem; however, it was a Thursday evening.
- We then walked back to CITY MARKET to get candy and chocolates from SAVANNAH'S CANDY KITCHEN and a wine slushie (for moi) from THE GEORGIA TASTING ROOM (You can do a $3 wine tasting here). We then hung out in the square enjoying live music.
- Went to bed
Day 3
- We woke up, had breakfast, and then drove the 30 minutes to Savannah's beach on TYBEE ISLAND. We spent 3 hours on the South Beach.
- We had lunch on THE DECK, an oceanfront restaurant. I got the shrimp and lobster roll which was AMAZING.
- Took a break at our AIRBNB.
- We went to dinner at the 5 SPOT MIDTOWN.
- After went back to the RIVERFRONT and RIVER STREET (there's so much to do there), we walked along the river. This time it was a Friday night, so more people and live music were out.
- I wanted to see the view of the city, river, and sunset, so I went to the roof of ROCKS ON THE ROOF. I recommend going here without kids.
- We got cookies from BRYD'S FAMOUS COOKIES and called it a night.
Bonus Morning Before We Left
- Played one more time at Forsyth Park + they have a Farmer's Market on Saturdays.
- Coffee from GROUND ESPRESSO and book browsing at the BOOK LADY BOOKSTORE.
- Final pictures in the square of the trees and Spanish Moss.
- Hit the road.
Suggestions/Recommendations
- Visit without kids to do more of the bar and brewery scene.
- Take a ghost or trolley tour.
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
In our quest to see all the National Parks, we knew that we had to make a pitstop to Congaree National Park on our way to our vacation in Savannah.
Congaree is only 3 1/2 hours from our home in Garner/Raleigh, North Carolina, so it was a no-brainer that we stop here.
We went in mid-June. Although the mosquitoes weren't bad, BRING BUG SPRAY!!
However, I'll be honest, I've been putting this park off for a bit because I've read that it ranks near last in rankings of National Parks.
And while it's not TERRIBLE, I can see why it ranks near last when there are parks like Yosemite, Grand Tetons, and Glacier out there.
But, if you're like us, and "have to" stop at this park to get them all, I have some activities to do with kids to make your stop worthwhile.
Congaree is only 3 1/2 hours from our home in Garner/Raleigh, North Carolina, so it was a no-brainer that we stop here.
We went in mid-June. Although the mosquitoes weren't bad, BRING BUG SPRAY!!
However, I'll be honest, I've been putting this park off for a bit because I've read that it ranks near last in rankings of National Parks.
And while it's not TERRIBLE, I can see why it ranks near last when there are parks like Yosemite, Grand Tetons, and Glacier out there.
But, if you're like us, and "have to" stop at this park to get them all, I have some activities to do with kids to make your stop worthwhile.
Canoe Cedar Creek
Canoeing CEDAR CREEK was the main event of our stop at Congaree.
We drove to Columbia, SC first to pick up our canoe at RIVER RUNNER OUTDOOR CENTER.
There are other places to rent canoes/kayaks or even take a tour, but since we were driving down from Raleigh same day the tours were all too early.
The pro about renting our own canoe was that we could control the pace and how long we spent on the creek.
With our 4-year old son with us this was ideal in case he got antsy and wanted to turn around.
The con was that we had to unload and load the canoe on and off our car by ourselves, which was a pain when we had to put it back on the car.
We actually had trouble but the customer services from River Runner was A+ because the woman who worked there FaceTimed with us to help.
For the actual trip, we drove to Cedar Creek Canoe Launch/Kingsnake Trailhead to launch our canoe.
We floated down the creek first which was easy and didn't require a lot of rowing. After about a half hour, we turned around to go upstream which required a little more rowing but it wasn't too strenuous.
The whole trip was about an hour which is perfect for a 4-year old.
Overall: The trip was enjoyable. We saw some turtles and that was it. However, it wasn't spectacular and reminded me of floating down the river in Raleigh, NC. The landscape and scenery were about the same.
We drove to Columbia, SC first to pick up our canoe at RIVER RUNNER OUTDOOR CENTER.
There are other places to rent canoes/kayaks or even take a tour, but since we were driving down from Raleigh same day the tours were all too early.
The pro about renting our own canoe was that we could control the pace and how long we spent on the creek.
With our 4-year old son with us this was ideal in case he got antsy and wanted to turn around.
The con was that we had to unload and load the canoe on and off our car by ourselves, which was a pain when we had to put it back on the car.
We actually had trouble but the customer services from River Runner was A+ because the woman who worked there FaceTimed with us to help.
For the actual trip, we drove to Cedar Creek Canoe Launch/Kingsnake Trailhead to launch our canoe.
We floated down the creek first which was easy and didn't require a lot of rowing. After about a half hour, we turned around to go upstream which required a little more rowing but it wasn't too strenuous.
The whole trip was about an hour which is perfect for a 4-year old.
Overall: The trip was enjoyable. We saw some turtles and that was it. However, it wasn't spectacular and reminded me of floating down the river in Raleigh, NC. The landscape and scenery were about the same.
Harry Hampton Visitor Center
When going to National Parks, I always like to see the visitor center, so we drove the 11 minutes to the HARRY HAMPTON VISITOR CENTER.
From there, we had easy access to the BOARDWALK LOOP, a 2.6 mile loop through the park. We walked on that for 10-15 minutes instead of doing the whole loop.
After that, we wandered around the visitor center looking at the displays. If you have more time do the JUNIOR RANGERS PROGRAM with your kids.
I've also heard that Fall is the best time to visit.
From there, we had easy access to the BOARDWALK LOOP, a 2.6 mile loop through the park. We walked on that for 10-15 minutes instead of doing the whole loop.
After that, we wandered around the visitor center looking at the displays. If you have more time do the JUNIOR RANGERS PROGRAM with your kids.
I've also heard that Fall is the best time to visit.
Congaree Vines AirBNB
My favorite part of our trip to Congaree National Park was actually our AirBNB at CONGAREE VINES.
This rustic log cabin is situated on a vineyard and is, according to Henry, "just the cutest."
There is no TV, so it's the perfect place to unplug and be "unbusy." There are two beds. One was small and perfect for Henry.
My favorite part was the outdoor kitchen and hammock. I could have spent the whole day reading in the hammock. It was just so peaceful.
Do yourself a favor and book a stay at this quaint place.
This rustic log cabin is situated on a vineyard and is, according to Henry, "just the cutest."
There is no TV, so it's the perfect place to unplug and be "unbusy." There are two beds. One was small and perfect for Henry.
My favorite part was the outdoor kitchen and hammock. I could have spent the whole day reading in the hammock. It was just so peaceful.
Do yourself a favor and book a stay at this quaint place.
Overall
Maybe because we live in North Carolina, I felt like we were at any city or state park near Raleigh. In fact, I think some of our city parks are better than this NATIONAL PARK.
But nevertheless, I recommend spending 1/2 - 1 day here and then pairing it with traveling to somewhere else like Savannah or Charleston.
But nevertheless, I recommend spending 1/2 - 1 day here and then pairing it with traveling to somewhere else like Savannah or Charleston.
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
I love trivia. I would consider myself decent at it, but the thrill of it is what makes it fun.
The vibes are good. You don’t have to make awkward small talk. The food and drinks are good.
The past year, my mom, dad, brother, husband, and I assembled a pretty good team and went around Raleigh doing trivia. We did well and placed a few times.
So, back in March, when we decided to start the adoption process, I knew that I had to host a trivia night fundraiser to help raise money to support our birthmother.
But you can throw an insanely fun trivia night fundraiser for any reason to raise money.
Just follow these steps…
1. Pick a Venue
Obviously, since this is a fundraiser, we needed to make it as cheap as possible without stiffing our guests of fun.
We decided to hold it in our backyard which was perfect. The weather cooperated for us. It was a beautiful spring evening.
I highly recommend having in it a backyard because there is little you have to clean up.
We decided to hold it in our backyard which was perfect. The weather cooperated for us. It was a beautiful spring evening.
I highly recommend having in it a backyard because there is little you have to clean up.
2. Invite Your Guests
I used Evite, a free online invitation website. I was able to customize my invitation with all the details for our trivia event.
I could even link the invitation to a fundraising account called Pledge, so guests could see where to donate.
Evite notified me every time someone RSVPed. I could even send out messages to all the guests with updates.
I could even link the invitation to a fundraising account called Pledge, so guests could see where to donate.
Evite notified me every time someone RSVPed. I could even send out messages to all the guests with updates.
3. Choose Your Food
I posted in an adoption Facebook group about ways to serve food on a budget.
I was unsuccessfully able to get any restaurants or stores to donate food, but if you are able to do that, go that route.
Instead, someone recommended a nacho bar. Here are the ingredients (feeds about 25-30 people):
Lastly, we bought cases of water, beer, and seltzer along with two bottles of wine.
In all, we spent less than $200 on food.
I was unsuccessfully able to get any restaurants or stores to donate food, but if you are able to do that, go that route.
Instead, someone recommended a nacho bar. Here are the ingredients (feeds about 25-30 people):
- Tostitos restaurant style chips ( I bought 6 bags for our group)
- Gordo's nacho cheese
- Salsa, 1 of them was the avocado one
- Sour cream
- sliced black olives (2)
- 2 jars of nacho jalapenos.
- 3 cans of the Hormel chili with beans
Lastly, we bought cases of water, beer, and seltzer along with two bottles of wine.
In all, we spent less than $200 on food.
4. Gather Your Supplies
Here is everything we needed for the party. We either had all of these things or borrowed from people.
- Tables and chairs
- Microphone to read the questions
- Corn hole
- Trash bags
- Speakers to play music
- Printed out trivia sheets for each team
- Laptop with the questions on it and an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the points each round
- Lanterns for when it got dark (I got 2 for $5 at Target)
- Prizes for 1st and 2nd place (We did a gift card to a brewery)
5. Come Up With the Trivia Questions
Having played trivia before I have some knowledge of the typical categories and questions used.
Since not everyone is a trivia buff like me, I knew that I had to make the questions not obscurely hard but not ridiculously easy that there was no competition.
I decided on 5 categories with 8 questions each and a final question.
My 5 categories were
Some of the questions took just a quick Google and then I picked out the ones I liked best from the list.
Others, like the Chevy Runs Deep category, I made up on my own. In this round, every answer was also a type of Chevy.
For example, one question was This U.S. lake is 1,645 feet deep making it deeper than the Empire State Building is tall.
The answer is Tahoe which is also a type of SUV made by Chevy.
I then decided to do a Final Question where points were tripled.
Players were given 10 U.S. cities and then had to place them from North to South geographically.
The trivia should last from 1-2 hours.
Since not everyone is a trivia buff like me, I knew that I had to make the questions not obscurely hard but not ridiculously easy that there was no competition.
I decided on 5 categories with 8 questions each and a final question.
My 5 categories were
- Fictional TV Show Cities
- Celebrity Mashup
- Chevy Runs Deep
- Science
- Books and Literature
Some of the questions took just a quick Google and then I picked out the ones I liked best from the list.
Others, like the Chevy Runs Deep category, I made up on my own. In this round, every answer was also a type of Chevy.
For example, one question was This U.S. lake is 1,645 feet deep making it deeper than the Empire State Building is tall.
The answer is Tahoe which is also a type of SUV made by Chevy.
I then decided to do a Final Question where points were tripled.
Players were given 10 U.S. cities and then had to place them from North to South geographically.
The trivia should last from 1-2 hours.
6. Come Up With Rules
As you can see from our trivia sheets, we had rules. Every trivia night needs rules and a particular format.
Here were our rules:
Adding in the wager element allowed for an interesting twist and more team strategizing.
My husband was the DJ and had fun mixing the music between rounds.
Here were our rules:
- This game is intended for fun and friendly competition…so have fun and be friendly.
- Please don’t shout out answers!
- Teams may consist of no more than six (6) players.
- The use of web-enabled electronic equipment, cell phones, and books is not allowed.
- Decisions of the judges are final.
- There will be 5 rounds and a final question.
- Each round, you can wager 1-8 points for each question. You can only wager one number once. For example, I would wager 1 point for a question you are unsure of and 8 points for a question you’re absolutely sure on.
- I’ll read all the questions twice. At the end of the round, I’ll play a song, and you’ll have until the end of the song to turn in your scoresheet.
Adding in the wager element allowed for an interesting twist and more team strategizing.
My husband was the DJ and had fun mixing the music between rounds.
7. Host the Event
The event was so much fun! We raised our goal for our birthmother, and we have a special memory to share with our child one day.
Remember to send “thank you” cards after the event is over and share on social media.
That’s it! Super Simply and insanely fun!
Remember to send “thank you” cards after the event is over and share on social media.
That’s it! Super Simply and insanely fun!
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
For Mother’s Day I wanted to go on a hike. We drove 47 minutes to the state park that’s been on my bucket list, got out of the car to start the hike, and my son instantly had big tears because we wouldn’t let him bring his big dump truck that we all knew that we’d be carrying after 10 minutes.
He was obviously upset and started crying. Being confident that my son would be able to emotionally self-regulate after some time has passed, I took some deep breaths, played some music, and would occasionally throw out some words of validation (“I know, it stinks that you can’t take your dump truck.”)
After time did its trick, my son took a deep breath and said that he was almost done crying. He just had to get a few more cries out. He did and then we enjoyed over an hour of peaceful, fun hiking.
The next day, he was upset that I wouldn’t give him a popsicle in the morning. He went outside and came back refreshed. He said being outside calmed him down.
He’s four.
Kids can and will learn how to emotionally self-regulate if we teach them.
As parents, we shouldn’t have to be resigned to the fact that this is normal or a phase that they will eventually one day get over.
Because guess what? I can name my fair share of adults who are still throwing tantrums.
This is a skill we need to teach them, and we can start from a young age.
For example, while it was developmentally normal for my son to cry big tears and wail about not being able to take his dump truck, I knew, because we have been working on emotionally self-regulating, that this wouldn’t last terribly long, and I knew it wouldn’t escalate to him throwing himself on the ground, screaming and kicking.
I’m saying this not to brag about how great my son is although I’m quite proud of him. I’m saying this to let parents know that you’re not stuck waiting for a phase to be over, which spoiler alert is not ever going to be over if we don’t teach our kids.
Trust me. I teach high school. I much rather have kids that can emotionally regulate but might struggle some academically than kids who can do advanced math, but who can’t handle rejection or failure.
How do you go about teaching your kids how to emotionally self-regulate?
There are five steps that I recommend, but first I want to note that teaching emotional regulation isn’t something you do once and then you’re done. This is an ongoing life skill that you should support your kids with all throughout childhood. It will just look differently as your child ages.
He was obviously upset and started crying. Being confident that my son would be able to emotionally self-regulate after some time has passed, I took some deep breaths, played some music, and would occasionally throw out some words of validation (“I know, it stinks that you can’t take your dump truck.”)
After time did its trick, my son took a deep breath and said that he was almost done crying. He just had to get a few more cries out. He did and then we enjoyed over an hour of peaceful, fun hiking.
The next day, he was upset that I wouldn’t give him a popsicle in the morning. He went outside and came back refreshed. He said being outside calmed him down.
He’s four.
Kids can and will learn how to emotionally self-regulate if we teach them.
As parents, we shouldn’t have to be resigned to the fact that this is normal or a phase that they will eventually one day get over.
Because guess what? I can name my fair share of adults who are still throwing tantrums.
This is a skill we need to teach them, and we can start from a young age.
For example, while it was developmentally normal for my son to cry big tears and wail about not being able to take his dump truck, I knew, because we have been working on emotionally self-regulating, that this wouldn’t last terribly long, and I knew it wouldn’t escalate to him throwing himself on the ground, screaming and kicking.
I’m saying this not to brag about how great my son is although I’m quite proud of him. I’m saying this to let parents know that you’re not stuck waiting for a phase to be over, which spoiler alert is not ever going to be over if we don’t teach our kids.
Trust me. I teach high school. I much rather have kids that can emotionally regulate but might struggle some academically than kids who can do advanced math, but who can’t handle rejection or failure.
How do you go about teaching your kids how to emotionally self-regulate?
There are five steps that I recommend, but first I want to note that teaching emotional regulation isn’t something you do once and then you’re done. This is an ongoing life skill that you should support your kids with all throughout childhood. It will just look differently as your child ages.
TEACH
Feelings and how to control those emotions are two very abstract concepts. They need to be taught. Here’s how.
- Identify and label the names of feelings: Point them out in you, your child, and characters in books and shows. “Ohhh, he is feeling angry right now.” If you read my blog on vocabulary, you don’t have to simplify feelings either. You can say feelings like “overwhelmed,” “frustrated,” “shocked.”
- Identify and label what feelings might feel and look like: Point out how you know the character in the book is sad. Identify what it feels like to be sad in your body. “Ohh he is angry. His fist is clenched and it looks like he wants to hit his little brother for taking his toy.” “Tears are coming down my face. I’m sad.”
- Validate feelings: Teach kids that all feelings are normal and fine. “It’s okay to be angry. I get angry too.” “It’s okay to cry.”
- Validate the magnitude of the feeling: Let them know that some feelings can feel really big and some are just small. “Wow, you’re really angry! Are you angry as a big dump truck?”
- Teach emotional regulation strategies to calm the nervous system: Teach them that everyone has a baseline. This works really well visually. Draw a line and label emotions that might be above the baseline (anger, excitement, shock, frustration) and below the baseline (sadness, lethargy, boredom). Point out ways to return to baseline. Here is a list of some strategies to teach them. All kids are different, so feel free to add your own.
- Hug yourself or a parent
- Squeeze your fists and release
- Scribble a picture
- Pound clay or play-doh
- Punch a pillow
- Scream outside or in private
- Go outside to, walk, or run
- Deep breaths (bubble breaths, blowing out candles on fingers)
- Dance
- Exercise
- Use sign language
- Stomp
- Call a friend to vent
- Write a letter
- Walk away and ask to be alone.
MODEL
Modeling is key. If you can’t emotionally regulate yourself, then how will your kids?
Let your kids see how you handle your emotions.
On more than one occasion, I’ve told my son that I’m feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or exhausted and that I just need a moment to myself to lie down. I assure him that he did nothing wrong, this is normal, and that I’ll come back feeling recharged and refreshed.
When my son has thrown tantrums, I make sure to calm myself first, and I model deep breathing.
I’ve even noticed that when my son gets told no or is disappointed in answer to his questions, he does a deep sigh and then says, “Okay.” I do that.
*A quick note: I want to point out that by teaching kids how to emotionally self-regulate, we aren’t expecting them to be compliant robots and agree with everything we say.
They are allowed to be frustrated with our rules and boundaries. They are allowed to push back. They are allowed to voice their opinions. Our goal is for them to handle these emotions in a developmentally appropriate way.*
Let your kids see how you handle your emotions.
On more than one occasion, I’ve told my son that I’m feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or exhausted and that I just need a moment to myself to lie down. I assure him that he did nothing wrong, this is normal, and that I’ll come back feeling recharged and refreshed.
When my son has thrown tantrums, I make sure to calm myself first, and I model deep breathing.
I’ve even noticed that when my son gets told no or is disappointed in answer to his questions, he does a deep sigh and then says, “Okay.” I do that.
*A quick note: I want to point out that by teaching kids how to emotionally self-regulate, we aren’t expecting them to be compliant robots and agree with everything we say.
They are allowed to be frustrated with our rules and boundaries. They are allowed to push back. They are allowed to voice their opinions. Our goal is for them to handle these emotions in a developmentally appropriate way.*
SCAFFOLD
Think of scaffolding in terms of construction. It’s what helps the workers reach the top.
It’s a metaphor for providing students [Kids] with temporary, supportive structures that, just like in constructing a structure, are “gradually removed as the building nears completion.” (Riddett, 2015).
When a student [Kids] demonstrates proficient independence, the scaffold is no longer needed (Gibbons, 2002).
We can’t expect our kids to go from their current behavior to their goal behavior in one gigantic leap.
That’s where scaffolding comes into play.
At first, kids might not be ready to emotionally regulate on their own. They will need someone to co-regulate with them. That could include showing them how to breathe, breathing with them, guiding their hands, securing their environment, or putting them in safe space.
If your kid is having trouble with a certain skill that probably means they need some type of scaffolding.
For example, if they throw things when they are upset, remove all objects that are unsafe to throw and replace them with soft objects they can throw.
In addition, if you have a child who won’t go from wanting to hit to deep breathing, have them hit a pillow, punching bag, or play doh instead.
Once they are consistently mastering the behavior, you can gradually remove the scaffold and move on to the next step.
Get my scaffolding guide that will help you break down behaviors.
It’s a metaphor for providing students [Kids] with temporary, supportive structures that, just like in constructing a structure, are “gradually removed as the building nears completion.” (Riddett, 2015).
When a student [Kids] demonstrates proficient independence, the scaffold is no longer needed (Gibbons, 2002).
We can’t expect our kids to go from their current behavior to their goal behavior in one gigantic leap.
That’s where scaffolding comes into play.
At first, kids might not be ready to emotionally regulate on their own. They will need someone to co-regulate with them. That could include showing them how to breathe, breathing with them, guiding their hands, securing their environment, or putting them in safe space.
If your kid is having trouble with a certain skill that probably means they need some type of scaffolding.
For example, if they throw things when they are upset, remove all objects that are unsafe to throw and replace them with soft objects they can throw.
In addition, if you have a child who won’t go from wanting to hit to deep breathing, have them hit a pillow, punching bag, or play doh instead.
Once they are consistently mastering the behavior, you can gradually remove the scaffold and move on to the next step.
Get my scaffolding guide that will help you break down behaviors.
PRACTICE
Now that you’ve taught emotional regulation, your kid needs a chance to practice what they’ve learned.
This is best done when everyone is calm and happy.
These are called greenlight strategies.
Here are some ways to practice…
Practice lets you know if your child gets it. If they don’t, you go back to teaching.
This is best done when everyone is calm and happy.
These are called greenlight strategies.
Here are some ways to practice…
- Role-playing: Pretend your child’s stuffed animals are different emotions and practice how they react. Do it the right and wrong way.
- Draw: Have your child color or draw pictures of what different emotions look like.
- Play the fool: Pretend like you don’t know what to do and see if your child will help you.
- Use a mirror: Make faces in a mirror for different emotions.
- Questioning: When reading books or watching TV, ask WH- questions to monitor comprehension? “Ohh he looks angry. Why is he angry? What should he do? Where should he go? Who should help him?”
Practice lets you know if your child gets it. If they don’t, you go back to teaching.
REINFORCE
Finally, you’re going to want to reinforce.
And you reinforce by rewarding.
Just imagine if your boss only pointed out any time her employees did something wrong, morale would probably be pretty low in the company.
Same is true with our kids.
Rewarding the behavior we want, reinforces the idea that our kids should continue what they are doing.
Rewards can be tangible in the form of…
But they don’t always have to be tangible. In fact, I prefer intangible.
They can be in the form of…
Doing all five of these steps will have your child on the way to a lifetime of healthy emotional regulation.
Want more strategies that can help you with your kids? Check out my parenting guide Now What? Mindful Parenting Checklists for Life’s Hard Moments.
And you reinforce by rewarding.
Just imagine if your boss only pointed out any time her employees did something wrong, morale would probably be pretty low in the company.
Same is true with our kids.
Rewarding the behavior we want, reinforces the idea that our kids should continue what they are doing.
Rewards can be tangible in the form of…
- Reward charts
- Prize boxes
- Stickers
- High fives
- Checkmarks on hands
But they don’t always have to be tangible. In fact, I prefer intangible.
They can be in the form of…
- Gossiping
- Direct praise
Doing all five of these steps will have your child on the way to a lifetime of healthy emotional regulation.
Want more strategies that can help you with your kids? Check out my parenting guide Now What? Mindful Parenting Checklists for Life’s Hard Moments.
Lauren Barrett is a multi-passionate mom working to help all parents become their best selves and build positive relationships with their kids through mindful parenting. She has a degree in deaf education and a Master’s in Reading Education. She is a high school teacher of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing by day, a cross country coach by the afternoon, a writer/author by her son's nap times, and a full time mom to an amazing toddler. Lauren is a 3x author of the Add One-A-Day 30 Day Challenge, children's book, Henry's Hiccups, and parenting guide Now What? Mindful Checklists for Life's Hard Parenting Moments, a blogger at Lauren Barrett Writes, and has been published on sites like A Fine Parent, Pregnant Chicken, Pop Sugar, Her View From Home, and Scary Mommy. She loves her faith, running, visiting MLB stadiums with her husband, chocolate, scrapbooking, pretending she would actually do well on the Amazing Race, re-watching The Office, listening to Bobby Bones, and helping out all moms. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, James, and son, Henry. Follow her on Instagram at @laurenbarrettwrites, and get her free guide on what to do during the middle of a tantrum. |
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