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?

Parenting, Uncategorized

English Bull Dog,fingers, and his favorite toy

doy toy for bull dogs

Grundy has been know to destroy every toy of the kids in the back yard and chew on metal bowls and more.  He can destroy a pet toy in 10 minutes,  Check out prior english bull dog posts. .  We have had this toy for over a YEAR.   The Paw-zzle is the best dog toy if your dog destroys toys.  It is worth ordering it and spend money on shipping.  It has a ball in a ball design.

But this is the 1st toy after a long line of toys that has Stood up to the Grundy Distructo Dog Toy Test .


Now after the past year we have had this and his teeth have done surface damage so I have to wear a glove.. but loves it.. he was very excited this day.. trust me after this he lays spread eagle for 3 hours.. but today he was very hyper and it was 100 degrees.  No I did not loose a finger,  he sounds worse than he is.

doy toy for bull dogs

I would recommend this for med to large size dogs this is not a toy for a smaller breed.

Follow me on BabyPop twitter for more Grundy Mishaps..

Uncategorized

Effective Voice Mails

Ok  so I get a lot of  bad phone messages and effective Voice Mail will make people react to your questions more promptly.. I leave many phone messages.  My biggest pet peeve when people leave phone messages is how they leave it. A bad voice mail messages are… this is “Jane I am calling about…. (rattle off something 45 seconds) 30….3012″hang up.  I get a lot of this from school people calling asking me to volunteer.

This is ineffective because:

  1. I am calling you and you said your number so quickly I have to listen to the all 60 of the message to hear the phone number just so I can call you and to have you tell me the issue again.  Myself I am slow to process stuff I have to write down.. so if you speak quickly I do not get all the numbers.  so Take it down a notch speedo
  2. You are not going to talk me in to do something in a voice mail, wait for my call to ask give it the personal touch.
  3. If you can’t leave a deceit phone message I really might thing this person is an idiot and I don’t want to work with them any way.
  4. If you frustrate someone they  are less likely to call you back.  This is really important for suppliers and people looking for a job.  I have hired alot of people over the years and the quickest way to not get hired is be annoying.. that and a glitter resume (really it happen to me once)
  5. If I have to listen to a voice mail 3 times to get a number and it is at the end of a long rambling message it is a waste of time, as Moms, Business People, and 50 million other things we do we do not have the time.

Step for an Effective Voice Mail

  • State your name
  • slowly say your phone number
  • state general reason for call briefly
  • then restate name
  • and restate phone number again slowly

If you do the world we will be a happy place and less frustrated people get upset because having to listen to a voice mail message more then one let alone 3 times to get the number you are too busy to slow down and say.

So what are your phone pet peeve?

Photography, Travel

Strasburg Rail Road Video and Review

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The Strasburg RailRoad in Lancaster county is a fun thing to do while  in southern Pennsylvania.  Take a old world train ride with the family and kids.

Our family traveled through the Lancaster countryside for a fun filled Choo Choo day of trains at the Strasburg Rail Road.  If you have not experienced Lancaster County, it  is one of the prettiest county in all of Pennsylvania and the Strasburg train is a great way to enjoy it. Lancaster County is known for the Amish people who live there,   The Amish keep their farms perfectly maintained with pride.   It is a place that my husband and I say if we could live here we would, it is so laid back and relaxing.

It takes about an hour from Philadelphia to Strasburg Rail Road on RT202 to RT30 this my recommend route to get the full farm experience. Our ride was filled with beautiful views, sounds from the backseat  “Are we there yet” in excitement and the song lyrics too ..”Come on ride the train woo woo” (Now you will be singing it – you can thank me later)

Upon arriving Strasburg Rail Road  we walk in past the train yard. Which has different trains and you can view the  cars including the snow plow train (it is the one with the point front end.. as my husband informed us.) The walking route takes you to the ticket booth.  I recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time so as not to miss the train experience. Sometimes the tickets sell out early, especially on  Day out with  Thomas Tank Engine visits or Mystery Train trips.

The trains arrives every 45 minutes which gives you time to experience the station shops:

  • Candy/Fudge shop: handmade on the premise fudge and Amish treats available. tip:  We loved the Watermelon Fudge!
  • Restaurant: with a variety of American and Pennsylvania Dutch fare like Shoo Fly Pie- a must try
  • Ice cream cart
  • Rail Road Store Thomas Tank Engine: for everything you can imagine from the land of Sodor
  • Rail Road Gift shop: My son a micro/binocular for $5 and my Daughter a little trinket for $1 so reasonable mementos, plus items for the more mature tastes like jewelry and glassware.
  • Cagney Steam Train, a miniature version; operate a hand-powered
  • Pump Car where you work for your ride
  • Cranky Car watch the little ones “steer” the pint-sized 

When you hear the whistles, head for the tracks because the train’s arrival is glorious.  Strausburg Steam Engine pulls in and you are transformed back in time when a people travel in style. It takes several minutes to come to a complete stop, so you really get to see the entire train.  It is a real steam engine fueled by coal and you can see the coal car with the engineer from the platform.  The Song in my head switched to the Thomas song.. I know I had to go there.

Our tickets were coach class and we could have not asked for better seats. They were covered in red velvet with large open windows- “Very Fabulous” as my daughter did say.  The Strasburg Rail Road spared no expense renovating these trains to their former glory.  The cars are well maintained and just as pretty as the day they were constructed in the early 19th century.   The brass,wood, and lovely metal work inside and out was amazing.

The conductor comes and takes your ticket.  He is dressed in period clothing, he was nice enough to pose for a picture. I think my daughter was beaming with excitement the entire time.  My 10 year old son… kept saying  “cool” so I knew we hit the new experience “sweet spot” with the preteen.

The trip lasts about 45 minutes with a switching direction in Paradise PA…(song switch Paradise City). Plus one stop at a picnic area so you can get off and wait for the next west bound train .  The conductor explains the history of the Strasburg Line during your train travels.   My husband and I switched sides of the trains so we got to see both views from the train  on our trip, since the train is on a loop.  The scenery from the train of Lancaster countryside is truly lovely and relaxing.  It was a great family experience that we will all treasure forever.

Thank you to the Strasburg Rail Road for having us. Please be sure to stay tuned to see where else we visited and stayed in Lancaster.

Disclosure:  We did receive these tickets from the rail road but the opinions in this post are completely mine and those of my family.

Parenting

Parenting Lessons from MommyBites Summit 2011

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While the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy was on, I was attending the Mommybites Summit in NYC for parents and expectant parents.  It was a lovely evening of learning, meeting new friends, and adult time. I attended with my sister.   We got to hear some amazing speakers,  and learn about some great new products.   Parenting topics from green living,  child safety, parenting in social media age, and more  you could find something for every parents interests.

Scream_Free_parenting
Hal Runkel from Screamfree Parenting

HalRunkel from Screamfree Parenting was the keynote speaker.  He was a great,  inspiring really got me to think about how I am not responsible for my kids.  I can’t wait to read more about his methods in Scream Free Parenting book.

Here are some quick parenting points that Hal said that stuck with me.

  • I am responsible to my children  not for them .. there behavior they own
  • I am going to walk shoulder to shoulder with my kids as a tour guide.  You have to let them make mistakes or they will never learn
  • Our job as parents is to stay calm
  • Put on your own oxygen mask first take care of yourself first to be an affective parent
Alicia_Ybarbo_Mary_Ann_Zoellner
Alicia Ybarbo & Mary Ann Zoellner of Todaysmom

AliciaYbarbo & Mary Ann Zoellner the TodaysMom spoke on Work Life Balance.    Both women, work as producers on the Today show.  These 2 amazing ladies are balancing family and working full time at a high profile jobs.   We also got a glimpse of the dynamics of the Today show.  *Al Roker is apparently great at documenting his kids life taking photos of everyday life.. (I am  photo bug also so makes me love Al more.)

I really got a wonderful perspective from their mothering experience and how it can help me.  I was able to spend some time with and they were really approachable and realistic.   Check out the Todays Moms facebook page or buy their book which is a compilation of there own and others stories they have gathered over the years.

Here are some key Mom points I learned from the TodaysMoms.

  • It is a matter of deciding when is the time to shutdown  turn off the I-phone and be in the moment with your family.  the  tip leave in car during dinner time.-  which they learned from TheMomComplex share of info the todaymoms are.
  • Don’t run your home like your career
  • Let your children judge you,  as a way of erasing your guilt.  You might feel horrible about missing something with your kids. They might not necessarily feel the same way ..so ask them.
  • When you look at your parenting look at it as a month rather then the day to day (helps to avoid the mommy guilt)

BabyBites_Social_Media_Director
Elise Jones BabyBites Social Media Director

The Mommy Bites Summit is a event that is worth make the trip to NYC for a night of adult time. I would recommend it next year.

Thanks to MommyBites /  BabyBites for inviting me to the summit.  Thank you to the great vendors and sponsors LemiShine The hard water expert and Britax.

Disclosure:  I received entrance and gift bag from this event but the opinion stated in this post are of my own .

Photography

Prom Drama : Help create the story behind the picture

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So this past weekend,  we were staying at a hotel, while we were there local high school’s prom was being held.

In the morning we walk outside and find this …

corsage in the gutter

So what do you think is the story?   What happened to make the girl leave her corsage behind?

The Challenge :  I want you to come up with the pre-story behind Prom Drama “The Corsage”    Leave 1 or 2 sentences is the “comments” to build the story..Adding to the story in the comment above.  I wonder where it is going to end up?

I will start

Tommy exited his house and headed for his 1995 ford escort…

Travel

Harold and the Purple Crayon the Play

adventures of Harold pruple crayon

This past Friday I was invited with my daughter to see Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon presented by the Enchantment Theater.  The play was a fun adventure.  My daughter and her friend sat on the edge of their seats.   The performance based on the book  by Crockett Johnsons and  it is a wonderful adaption.  Telling the originally Johnson story then the play writes  expanding to evolve the story for the children watching the play.

The actors to not speak ,  the story is told by a narrator,  actors movements, and a animated backdrop.  The actors wear mask which at first,  I thought would be a concerning  to the kids, but the were not scared at all.   I showed my daughter ahead of time what the actors would look like and she loved it.

The play was recommended for ages 4+ but there was many 3 year old in the audience.  I love watching theater will younger kids they talk to the play and make noises you do not hear in adult plays.    The actors did a wonderful job grabbed the  kids attention by using their bodies and simple props.  They also have a bit of magic in the play, which my daughter loved.    After the play ended the actors spend time answering questions from the children.

If you live in Philadelphia or get a chance to see these talent actors on the road I would go.   It is playing at the Prince Theater on Chestnut Street but presented by the Enchantment Theater.

Now May 11-22, 2011

Check out my daughters Video review of the performance.

Be sure to follow me on twitter at @babypop for more of the fun things I do in and around Philadelphia

Disclosure:  I did receive these tickets from the Enchantment theater but the opinions in this post are of my own.