Category Archives: Parenting

LIfe, Parenting

New School New Grade

PencilsBack to school time is a happy day.  This year I really am going to miss them when they head back. The kids are finally easy I know it would last for long because I am 2-3 years away from teenage drama. My son age 10 still has this innocent and honesty that I love.  He still love to hugs me and wants to be with me. I think he knows he is getting older and wants to stay young.

He is independent but protected. He does a ton of stuff by himself but I have kept him shelter from stuff (news MTV, horror movies).   Originally it was not by design but I did not want him be exposed to too much soon.  He still only watches cartoons,  no ICarly or Wizards of Waverly or even ABC Wipeout on Tv.  He did not care for the Diary of a Wimpy kids movies because the children we mean to some of the others kids.  It was fine when he read the books,  but when we saw it being acted out he did not like it.  He also tells me when things are inappropriate for himself or his sister. Sometimes I think he is a better parent than me,  self protecting himself.

So this morning,  as he went to a new school (5thgrade) and road the bus for the 1st time (he was a walker prior.  He is going from a school class of 90 students  to over 400kids.   I worry will he fit in and will get picked on because of his kind outgoing nature.  I wish he had a tougher skin.  All summer I have been prepping him.  If someone says something mean, how to deal with it.  I don’t want him to be the guy who always runs to the teacher if the situation does not warrant it.  I know “No bullying” and “No place for hate zones.”  I do feel that some kids try to test the waters to see who is a target for bullying and who is not.  So the easier my son lets it roll of his back the less target he will be.  It is a life skill that needs to be learned.  Because people are not always nice.

My the conversation when like this:

Me: “If they say something not nice about you or to you  you just say “Whatever” and walk away

Him: “I can do that”

me:  “why?  it is ok.”

Him: “Mommy you told me that that is rude and never to do it”

Me:” it is ok buddy if a kids at school says something mean it is a great way to get out of it”

Him: “but that is mean to say whatever you said.. ”

Me:  “No, you can’t do it to adults but it is fine to do to a mean kid”

Him: “I think it is inappropriate  and I am not doing it”

Me: thinking really I taught him too well, he is a good boy

So  my wish is for him to have a smooth transition.. as my heart is exposed the mama bear wants to protect.

 

LIfe, Parenting

Gray Hair family trait

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So women in my family go gray early.  I was told the earlier you go gray the better hair you have as you get older so, not as wiry.

My grandmother started going gray at 20 and was completely white by 40.  She embraced the white and wears a bob cut. Even at 92 she still has great longer hair.  She told me she could never wear it short in pin curls with a purple tint,  she will never be that old..

My mother she started going gray at an early age also.  She fought the battle and had ever color in the book.  Red, blond, and  brown.  My childhood photo album has a different women in every picture.  Sometimes I wish I had the guts to try many colors but I can’t bring myself to do it.  She is now white in a great thick bob cut.  I never got the thick hair.

My sister .. well lets say she was born brunette. I like her as a blond and she has the thick hair.

Me  mouse brown/gray..not I did not get the thick hair so much for genetics.

So this morning I am sitting with my daughter:

I have to dye my hair today

She says “why mommy?”

“to cover my gray”

her: “I don’t see gray”

wait for it..

Her “oh there it is.. I can see it”

I like her better when she was oblivious.. my satisfaction she will follow in my foot steps.  as I head up stair to make my grey /white hair .. a lovely shade of light brown/pink.

 

Parenting, Philadelphia, Photography, Travel

Clementon Park Review A Fun Family Day

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Clementon park review of the water park and the family entertainment.  Including a video review of the park    This week we went to Clementon Park in Clementon NJ.  The invite was blogging event from the Park and Ben Fm 95.7.  We woke up early to make the drive from our home in the north suburbs of Philadelphia.  Surprisingly at 9 in the morning it took us about 1 hour to arrive.
As we stepped out of the car at the park the skies opened up.. Rain. We figured it is a water park so we will be wet.   Clementon Park is so much more than just a water park.  The park has amazing dry rides. Roller Coasters and thrill rides. Like the new “Ring of Fire” added this year it is a circle loop ride.
Clementon Park is 104 years old this season and you would never know it.  They are on the cutting edge for thrill seeker and family fun.   This year they also added the “Drop Out”  the only one in the US, the water tubes fills up with water to your waist then the floor drops out.. sending you jetting  down the tube.  What an adrenaline rush.


Finally the rain parted,  all of us Bloggers  were lucky to have the park almost to ourselves. We headed for  Splash World! They have a lazy river and other tube rides.   Our favorite was the Laguna Kahuna which was a water castle/fort  with 8 slides all of which my 6 year old daughter could do.  She started with the smaller slide then progressively moved up to the larger ones .. “Thats the little kids were not allowed on that slide “  She was so proud when she rode the largest of the Laguna Kahuna slides.   The Laguna is great to help build your child’s sliding confidence.
My son and husbands did the larger tubes and.. my son kept saying “cool” and “awesome”.   He occasionally stopped buy to get money for food. Which the food was very reasonable priced.  Chicken fingers were $5 for 3 large breast meat fillets.  The meals were $8.
The size of Clementon Park is manageable for you to do in a day.   They have all the rides of a large commercial park but a family environment..  I knew if my 10 year old walk away with his new found friend (another bloggers son) we could find him.  Which is a great feeling.
We also enjoyed the lazy river. Clementon Park had a ton of places to sit and with shade.   They also had a inside play bounce area for toddlers.   The bathrooms were very tidy .  They even took the care to have a large floor fan to insure the safety of the guest on the bathroom tile since the rain was slippery.

I would recommend Clementon Park for your entire family.  After living in Philadelphia for 8 years and it was great to discover such a fun place for us to enjoy as an entire family.

It was a fan day thank you to Joey Fortman, BenFM 957,  and Clementon Park for having us.

Disclosure:  I did receive entrance to Clementon Park.  But all the opinions stated in this post are of my own.

Parenting, Uncategorized

P&G Givesback reduce Dropout You can help also

I remember seeing a news report about the High School dropout rate.  It surprised me that New York state only graduated 57% of its teenagers the lowest in the nation at the time.  Which blew me away.  Roughly every 9 seconds a child drops out of school. The importance of an education is directly tied to how you support yourself  through out your life.

P&G’s new Us campaign Give Education hopes to create aware of the crisis we are facing with the drop out rate in US schools.  P&G is partnering with Communities In Schools, which is one of the leading nations prevention organizations to help decrease the us drop out rate.

So how can you help?

Consumers can take simple steps to help “School the Nation” – and help keep kids in school. Here are a few easy ways to get started:

  1. Watch to Donate: Watch an exclusive video from John Legend on Facebook where for each view, P&G will donate $.25 to CIS, up to $10,000.
  2. Spread the Word: Use the embeddable photos and video on this site to alert your readers to how they can help School the Nation!
  3. Coupon-  Check out P&G site, on July 31 a coupon book was in the local paper if you missed that check out the P&G website.

You can help!  watch the John Legend P&G Give Education video and share it with your friends a simple 58 sec video can save lives and give education.

Please help spread awareness.

P&G giveback logo

 

Parenting, Travel

Scientist for the Day: Review OceanQuest

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Recently we returned from a lovely vacation in Cape Cod Massachusetts where we discovered OceanQuest Cruise located in Woods Hole as great thing to do with kids.  While in Cape Cod,  I wanted to do a very special experience with my kids and different OceanQuest fit the bill perfect.

OceanQuest is an oceanography cruise that teaches you about the science of the sea. Woods Hole Ma cape cod which is a fishing village and also know as a leading a major center of marine science education area in the world.  In the town is the oldest National Aquarium in the country and  it is located blocks away from the OceanQuest docks, so you can make a full day of the visit.

We arrive at the cruise with my 2 kids, my niece and nephew ages ages from 10-6.  The cruise is broken into 3 parts lasting about 1 ½ total boat time.  Cost about $25 adults $20 for kids reservations are recommended.   Our group was lead by Fox. He has been with Ocean Quest for 11 years and has a great knowledge of the sea, (Fox has even fished in Alaska. which my son was in awe of. ) Once arriving we split into small groups of about 8 people.

As you pull out of the dock,  you learn about Woods Hole some of the history of the area, How cape cod was formed from glaciers, and the arctic shelf.  Our guide Fox did a great job teaching us.  We learned why Cape Cod is great fishing area.   Th also taught us about water testing.  Which we then got to try for ourselves 2 different methods, the kids loved the hands on experience.   My niece got to record our findings.

Next, we moved to live animal tank in the stern.  This was great the kids loved it they got to touch and learn about all the marine life.  Fox taught us the difference between male and female horse shoe crabs. Also that there is more plankton in the world then any other species even bugs.  All of the kids got to touch starfish, lobsters, craps, and more.  My daughter and nephew got to pull in a lobster trap and see what was inside.  So cool for all.

Final of the OceanQuest  tour was learning about how the ocean water effects the earth.  We did the same test oceanographers do to  water testing for ph levels.  They measuring alkaline levels. All the kids took part in the test, and were happy to do so .  Recording there findings.  Once we arrive back at the dock Fox was great with answering all my sons additional questions.

I have to say the Staff on the OceanQuest hands on discovery cruise were extreme knowledgeable and fun.  Fox spoke so the kids understood  and the adults we engaged also. The scenery was amazing  the water the view of the harbor be sure to bring a camera.   Both kids and adults loved learning about the animals and the water.

Upon return from our vacation on the cape.  My kids were asked what was their favorite part of vacation,   both said the OceanQuest Trip hands down. It was unique and fun trip for the whole family.   If you get up to the cape I can highly recommend the Oceanquest Tour and visiting Woods Hole Ma.

To see with your eyes look at our video. If you would like to learn more about our trip to Cape Cod  Mass. check out my full itinerary of Woods Hole  and our visit.

Disclosure: We did receive pass to attend the OceanQuest but all the opinions in this post are of my own

 

Parenting, Photography

The Walk

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kids walking

 

I am just playing with my camera and effects, when I captured this moment.  My son was holding her hand for most of the shots they where walking about 20 ft in front of us.  I love watching my son this summer, he takes such care with his sister making sure she is safe. He is turning in to a remarkable young man who I love being around.  He is so honest, sincerity and genuine I love this age the most so far but I say it about all ages. I am excited to see him grow but also I worry I miss the past because they are growing so quickly.   So for now I will cherish this moment.

LIfe, Marriage, Parenting

Sleep? When I’m dead

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bear bed

Sleep is a sacred thing to me. I don’t like to be woken up and I am not a morning person any one who know me knows that I don’t really function until after 9:30am and I 2 cups of coffee.  I think sleep is not a relaxing thing for me.  I feel all the time as a Mom someone is hanging or needs something. During the days it is kids, husband, or clients.  At night the kids want to snuggle which is good and bad because I tend to fall as asleep.   But lets talk sleep.

I get in bed and I am a one foot out of the cover temperature control.  I am a Belly  sleeper . In comes my husband  he is a side sleep one hand draped over.  I  like nothing on me beside the sheets you think after 19 years I would get use to the arm.. nope.  Do not disturb the sleeping giant.. (me).  It takes me a long time to fall asleep some days when I am processing the days events others it is a quick process.  If my husband is not in bed  he wakes me when he gets in.  He does not turn o n the lights he does not disturb the bed .. but he wakes me.  Me since I love sleep awake from my 10 min slumber grouchy.

Kid and sleep  so my kids .. So when my son was young and he use to sneak in our bed. every night he was a nursing baby till the age of 15monthn and walked t 10 months so he would come and sleep with us because he could get up and come to our bed.  Once we moved to Philly we put a stop to the visits.  So instead he would simply Yell from his bed “SNUGGLE” (image a blood cursing screen) every night.. so I can honestly say for the first 3  years of his life I never slept.

Then I was pregnant with my daughter she was a preemie.   I lived at the hospital 1 months before and 2 months after her birth.  Then she wore a heart monitor for 6 months .. so no sleep there.

She on the other hand is all business she will only snuggle for about 5 minutes Then says “ok mommy you need to leave so I can sleep”.  But her trick is she comes in our room at stares at you while you sleep..  in the middle of the night… it is 7:00 am but still creepy.

So my husband have instructed the door closed rule .. if it is close you are not allowed in.   But now is my husband who wakes me…So on the rare days I take a nap every 6 months I can hear my husband , or my son telling the others to be quite  because I am taking a nap there for keeping me up.

no peace for me.. I guess I will sleep when I am dead

Parenting, Uncategorized

Signs Of Drowning and Swim Safety 101

water safety

So summer is upon us.  Swim Safety First with Pools, Lakes, Ponds, and Beach.  My summer includes many hours at the pool.  Swim Safety We all know there are people who leave there kids alone at the local pool. I ask that we all help the lifeguards out by keeping your eyes open.   It takes a village :

Here are some Swim Safety  signs of drowning and what it looks like it is not what you would think:

Characteristics of the Instinctive Drowning Response:
1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. Th e respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary, or overlaid,function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people
are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s
mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
3. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water,permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

4. Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water
from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

The information above is from On The Scene Mag 2006–  The US coast guard is not responsible for anything written in this post.

Some of my personal swim safety rules:

  • No running
  • No shoulder rides
  • No rides on backs
  • No holding anyone under water (this will get you thrown out of our pool)
  • No hanging (little kids do this to adult.. but kids to kids should not be tolerated)
  • Jump from edge feet first only
  • No jumping on stuff (it moves heads get cracked)
  • No Jump
  • No flips in to pool
  • No diving unless a diving board
  • No flip over inflatable boats and be underneath
  • No glass bottles
  • Life jackets must be worn on boats
  • Even teens and adults must wear life jackets in deep water that is over there head lead by example (like even deep 15ft  lakes)
  • Listen to what the other kids are say , stop splashing when they say so
  • No strings or long necklaces they can get caught under water
  • No holding anyone under water (this will get you thrown out of our pool)
  • Let parents always know where you are.

I do recommend getting Goggles for all kids makes swimming easier.  For kids who wear glasses swimoutlet.com sells prescription goggles for under $10  so worth it, you will need to ask Eye Doctor for basic.  prescription increment +1 +2 ect.. .  to get the kids swimming.

Please have a healthy and Happy Summer and be safe!

Please Share this with as many or your friends on FB and in emails it is important to spread the word!

Disclaimer: The opinion states in this post are mine.  I disclose I am not an expert and these opinions are of my own I am not responsible for the actions of children and or caregivers.

Parenting

How to get a Boys to Read

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books and a dsi

How to get a Boys to Read : Summer Reading Boys will avoid it…or will they? How to get your boy reading on a regularly over the summer.  My son reads and loves to read, but it was not always that way. He struggled until he was heading for the 3rd grade.   I will say this about my parenting style,  I am not above rewards (bribery) to get my child to do something if it is for there own good.  So don’t judge.   We get paid so why don’t our kids for a job well done.

The previous Christmas and all my nephew and nieces got a Nintendo DS.  My son did not… he cried…. all is friends also received a DSI. He was 7 almost 8 and I though he was too young to have a $150 toy, when he looses his shoes daily.   We decided also that my son will not get a video game system until he was reading fluently because that would be responsible.  OK  I decide and my husband went along with it.

So summer came,  he was not progressing on reading so I made a deal per-say with my boy.  Read a chapter book a week,  all summer long, and we will buy you a DSI at the end of the summer.

So he read,  read,  and read 1 book a week all summer.  He even read classic Peter Pan.

He is now the proud owner of a DSI

Here is the thing if he has a book he loves like any of the Percy Jackson Series.. he will pick up a book before he picks up the DS.  He actually get excited about reading and I have to tell him to go to sleep.

That summer he went from a beginning on 2nd grade reading level to beginning of 4th.. when he returned to school

Instilling a Love of books was the best thing I did all summer.

This year we need to work on writing.  So we are doing The  Summer of Writing, one story a week his reward a lego robotics oh and he still has to read …see the books I bought him?  he has already read 2

 

What are your thoughts? What method have you used?