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5 Fun Winter Activities to Do With Your Kids
5 Fun Winter Activities to Do With Your Kids Image: Envato With the arrival of winter comes fun in the snow, built-in excuses for getting cozy, and a host of other opportunities for family togetherness. Here are five fun winter activities that you can do with your kids to make the most out of this special season.
By Maggie Bloom6 years ago in Families
MOM FOREVER
Since you are here, it’s obvious that you want to know what to expect when you're expecting. The notion could be dreadful, especially for the first-timers. But don’t worry. We have divided our comprehensive but detailed pregnancy calendar that will help you in guiding in the right direction. It will tell you what changes are taking place in your baby- and in you.
By Dandelionclub6 years ago in Families
Is Salicylic Acid Safe to Use During Pregnancy?
Lots of women already know that significant changes in the body are inevitable during the nine months of pregnancy. The obvious ones include belly growth, the onset of stretch marks, moodiness, nausea and fatigue, etc. As for one of the less commonly known changes, it’s hormonal acne.
By Miguel Garriga6 years ago in Families
Mad Love 11:33
What is MAD Love 11:33? Well, it's not so simple to explain. You see, it started the very moment I entered this world. Some would say that you enter this world the moment you are born, but I believe it is from the very moment you are formed in the womb. Either way this story's quite interesting no matter where you begin, but we’ll go ahead and start from the jump. Why leave out any of this madness (state of frenzied or chaotic activity)?
By Jenny Flores6 years ago in Families
Winsley the Two-headed Monkey
Chapter 2: The Tiresome Journey: Where’s my mom? Winsley lounged in his exhibit, nestled in a tree. He was watching several other monkeys play and swing from the branches. He never joined in, as he was often met with the other monkey breaking up the fun whenever he had tried. They would split up and go separate directions to avoid him. If Winsley watched them, he could imagine himself playing with the others. Winsley would get the strongest urge to to play and swing with them. He would play with an imaginary friend by swinging and climbing up his own tree as he chattered at the air in front of him. This friend was invisible to the others, but he always wound up being the most interesting monkey he could think of. When everyone was given their single banana, his friend would somehow have 5 of them and share them with him. He would tell his mother of all the adventures he and his friend had encountered. Some of them included evading big and scary cats, or just sharing secrets between them, while wondering about life. His mother, a beautiful monkey in her own right, had a golden hue to her brown fur. It shined through her deeper brown tones, every time the sun had shined on her fur. She loved her little boy and knew he was special. All of her attention always seemed to be just for him. This made him happy he did not have to share his mother with no other monkey, so he was never alone. The keepers of the zoo would call her Marigold because of the yellow and gold highlights in her fur. Her eyes were a gentle amber. Often she went to the learning lab to work with the keepers and scientist while learning the language of humans. Often they gave her extra treats which seemed to happen more often. Her tummy had gotten rather big. But she always saved a couple for Winsley. At night, they would put a sound proof plastic panel up on the exhibit which helped prevent noises from each exhibit transferring to others. This allowed each group of animals to get a restful night's sleep. They allowed certain species to socialize and interact with the children and roam about the park. A handful monkey’s acquired this right after endless hours of training, each of them were embedded with a chip that tracked their locations within the park. The sun would rise, and the barriers would come down. They would play a sound of a bell across the speaker. This told all the animals that they were permitted to travel about the park. When the sun set, another sound would go off and all the animals returned to their pens to eat and sleep for the night. However, tonight unlike other nights, there were 2 humans standing outside the exhibit visible through the plastic barrier. Each of them holding what appeared to be a net, making weird gestures, and seemed to communicate with each other by moving their arms and lips. They began moving towards the exhibit door. Glancing into it exhibit via the panels, they made sure that it was clear to enter. As it was quiet and most of the monkeys were asleep after their long day of interacting and playing with the kids that came to visit. They entered with both nets in hand, looking around at the monkey’s. Several slept in corners, a couple were in the trees and some were sleeping in little nests made of hay on the ground. The two men scouted and looked around the exhibit, until their eyes fell upon Marigold, who was sound asleep in her hay nest in a corner of the exhibit. One of them crept forward with a net in hand, tip-toeing then rotated the net and threw it over her head and body before twisting it up trapping Marigold. She quickly let out screams of terror as she was startled awake. She tried to twist her body to escape the net. The other monkeys in the exhibit heard this and started an uproar of noise, swinging from trees and panicking, throwing sticks and rocks, afraid and terrified after hearing Marigold’s startled screams. Winsley woke up from his nap hearing his mother and the screams from the other moneys and ran towards her. He let out sounds and cries of worry rushing in her direction before finding himself caught in a net as well, just a few feet from her. The man who had caught him spoke up and yelled to the other. “Get her out of here, I got this one, we can’t let them escape.” “But what about… Wins-" The other man holding Marigold was cut off by rocks being thrown at him, he nodded. Then he proceeded to carry the captured monkey Marigold in his net towards the door. She panicked, but was restricted to her movements as her legs fell through the gaps of the net. Her arms reaching out towards her baby Winsley. While sad, angry and afraid, cries escaped her lips. The other that managed to trap Winsley within his net, deflecting rocks and waited until the female monkey was no longer in the room before releasing the panicking and scared Winsley. Winsley immediately tried to follow, but was unable. His mother was led away through the door and separated by the plastic barrier that separated them from the hallway. Winsley began to bang on the plastic barrier. Following in the same direction as her, until she was out of sight behind the wall. The second man took his chance and ran out of the door, and locked it behind him, leaving the exhibit in an uproar of sounds and cries from both Winsley and the other monkeys. He had been warned that this might happen. But needed to sure the female monkey was safely separated from the rest, as it was a priority. Winsley no matter how hard he tried was unable to follow his beloved mother. He kept trying pounding on the plastic barrier and crying out for her, even though he had lost sight of her. It took a few hours for the other monkeys to return to their peaceful nature. Winsley sat slumped in front of the plastic barrier, for even longer. To him it seemed like it was days. As he waited to see if his mother would return. He finally returned to where his mother’s nesting place was, giving up. He looked for his mother. Unable to find her the only thing he could do was lay in her nest, trembling and scared. Wondering if he would ever see her again. This was the first time he had been separated from his mother, in a way he would not be able to return. He was truly alone. Winsley spent several hours crying in her nest, that he didn’t even notice the sun come up. The sounds that usually broadcasted hadn’t gone off, like they normally do before his barrier came down which allowed him to roam the park. He didn’t even notice his friend the boy with the red hat entering the exhibit. As he lay still sobbing in the corner. “Winsley? What's wrong?” asked the little boy. He noticed that Winsley wasn’t even willing to budge from his sobbing position. So he took off his little red hat and wiggled it in front of him. Winsley at first didn’t seem to notice it. It took a few moments for him to see the flashing red hat enter and leave his view. He jumped up and hugged his friend, his facial expressions remaining sad, his face was soaked in his tears. He had been crying for hours feeling lonely and lost. “Come on Winsley, we’ll see what's wrong maybe I can help you…” with that he bent down and picked up the little monkey holding him in both arms almost like a child. This seemed to comfort Winsley in a way that reminded him of his mother’s embrace. Winsley closed his eyes imagining his mother there with him. After such a night the embrace made him relax and fall asleep. The little boy decided to keep Winsley with him, and exited the exhibit through the doors. He held him tight protecting his dear friend as he waded through the crowds of people, looking for the female zoo keeper. It wasn’t long until he found her, with Winsley still asleep in his arms. “Ma’am… Something is wrong with Winsley” the little boy said, still holding the sleeping monkey in his embrace. “What do you mean? Is he sick?” the zookeeper asked. She reached towards her belt to get a thermometer to check his temperature. “I don’t think he is sick, but he was heavily distracted and crying in a corner. When I picked him up he immediately fell asleep in my arms. This just isn’t like him, he always looks forward to the treats I bring. But this time he barely even noticed I was there. “ The zookeeper took the monkey’s temperature by ear. “Hmm, that is strange… he isn’t sick so let me see what I can find out. Meet me at the entrance to his exhibit, I should have some answers for you.'' With that she picked up her radio and moved towards one of the nearby buildings. “Do you know…” her voice trailed off behind her as she entered the building. “Well Winsley, I am trying to find out what is wrong with you. But she doesn’t know, perhaps we should head back so you can get some rest.” the little boy speaking softly to the sleeping monkey. They both traveled back through the crowds and headed towards his exhibit. But something startled Winsley, waking him from a dead sleep. A voice, a voice that grew louder and sounded familiar. “Well it looks like it is a girl.” a man said he spoke. He was wearing blue overalls and a tan shirt. He had a leather belt with many tools in it, and a white named pin with red letters and the zoo’s logo attached to his shirt. “Is she at least normal? We can’t afford another one like Winsley. Granted it does bring in a crowd.” said the other. “Yeah she’s normal, mother’s lucky there. We would have had to put her in solitary confinement if she had a second with deformities. If only for her own safety.” Winsley hearing the voice get louder and louder, looked at the little boy in the red hat, and squirmed uncontrollably. “What is wrong Winsley? You want to get down boy? Okay just a moment… Quit squirming!” Struggling not to drop the monkey, he gently opened his embrace and allowed the monkey to climb down from his arms. But the monkey didn’t proceed on his own. He reached up and grabbed the little boy's hand and led him closer to the two that were speaking. He pointed and chattered towards the man in the blue overalls, while moving ever so close to the two men talking. “Okay Winsley where are you taking… Oh!” he saw where Winsley was leading him. “You want me to talk to them” Winsley parted his lips and repeatedly tapped his teeth together. Still holding onto the boy's hand. “Excuse me, sir…” said the boy interrupting the two men talking. “Well, hello there!” The guy in the blue overalls turned seeing the little boy with the monkey. “Do you know what is wrong with Winsley?” the little boy asked, still concerned about his friend. The man looked down noticing the monkey, constantly pointing at him and making eager noises. “Uh… Ben you know why this monkey is pointing at me?” a little confused by Winsley’s behavior. “That’s Winsley, he’s the offspring of the mother we took out of the exhibit last night. You know the one everyone was concerned about.” said Ben. “That's right, sorry, kid. There’s not really anything wrong with your monkey friend there.” the man bent over putting his hands on his knees and smiled at the little boy. “We had to separate the mother from the rest of the monkeys to make sure she had a safe delivery. Your little monkey there has a sister.” “A sister?” the boy’s eyes widened in shock. The man offered his hand to Winsley who was quick to reject it, by turning his head away and hiding it behind the little boy’s leg. The man didn’t take offense to Winsley’s behavior, seeing that he was very upset. “Yep, she’s a beaut just like the mother too. But because of Winsley’s issues with his birth we had to make sure we had everyone ready in case there were complications. Normally we don’t separate them, but this was a unique case.” He looks down at Winsley. “I guess, we could take him to see his mother, would you like to meet her and his new baby sister?” “Would I!” exclaimed the boy rather excitedly. “That would be amazing!” He looked down at Winsley who at this point was making several angry and upset faces at the man, paused at the excitement in the little boy’s voice. The man stood up straight, nodding at the little boy. “All right then, follow me. We will see what we can do. I’m Nathan, by the way. I tend to do most of the animal moving if there are issues. Sometimes I just lose track of the names of all the kids left involved. Surely you can understand that we have thousands of animals, and hundreds that need to be moved from time to time.” The little boy still holding the monkey’s hands lifted Winsley up onto his shoulders. “It’s okay Winsley, I know how to make you happy again.” he whispered while listening to the man speak. “I understand, but Winsley is special, as he doesn’t get along with the others… Or should I say the other’s don’t get along with him.” “Sometimes Happens, especially with our more unique characters.” said. “He usually has his mom around, so he tends to have it pretty good compared to some others we have had to deal with in the past… here we are” The boy and monkey followed the Nathan, and they stopped at a red door. “Just remain quiet as we don’t want to risk waking the baby. They need a lot of sleep, and if Winsley makes too much noise or upsets the mother, we will have to remove him.” Nathan spoke in a low tone. Nathan opened the door slowly, to reveal Marigold sitting on a high table with a brown little fur ball nestled in her lap. The little boy entered the room offering his hand to Winsley to grab. He took a finger within his small hands. Looking at the boy, who put another finger to his lips. “Shh…” the little boy whispered, as they both inched closer to the table that Marigold was on. Winsley was getting more and more excited to see his mother, he felt his energy reenter his body. The little boy allowed Winsley to climb down from his shoulder while holding onto his hand. Allowing his feet to hit the floor, and him to let loose his grip, before taking a few steps back. Winsley couldn’t quite make the jump and chattered towards his mother. Leaning up onto the table like a dog would a short fence. He was afraid to jump up as he might startle the new baby. Marigold extended one of her long arms, and pulled Winsley up and onto the table by his tail, still staring at the two humans before her. Her eyes went from Winsley to the new baby. As Winsley couldn’t help but turn and embrace his mother’s long arm. Then quickly changing his posture to hug her body. “I think we should let them stay together, he was very sad without his mom.” said the boy to the man. “Considering the situation I think you're right. We will leave them together until we reintroduce her back to the exhibit.” he smiled at the little boy, gently placing his hand on the kids shoulder. It was to ensure that he can get him out of any harm's way, should Marigold feel threatened by him and the boys' attendance. Smiling at the little one, he spoke in a very soft tone “Cute, huh? Be mindful of Marigold’s Posture, sometimes they can become aggressive if they feel threatened. It is rare, but it occurs.” “She's definitely the cutest thing I have seen!” the boy whispered moving closer to get a better look, leaving about a foot and a half between him and the trio. As they are protective of their young. The little boy smiled at the baby, and at the mother. “Hello Marigold, your new baby is beautiful… I am friends with Winsley.” The man removed his hand from the boy's shoulder and made a gesture to Marigold that translated to “Friend” Marigold had learned several words from humans and gestures in her time in the learning lab, while she didn’t understand many words that most humans do, her vocabulary was about 16 words. Including friendship, danger, and love. Marigold, still holding both of her children, one in her arm and the other in her lap, extended her hand further to pet the boy on the head. Before going back to embracing her two children lifting the new baby to her chest. “We should leave now and let them be together.” insisted the man, wanting to keep the visit short to prevent any stress among the newborn and the mother. “It should take about two weeks for them to return to the exhibit. Just to ensure there are no problems with the newborn.” “All right, I’ll come back and see you again soon Winsley, hopefully you feel better now that you're with your ma…” He headed towards the door, then gave one last glance at Winsley, Marigold and the new baby. Before leaving, with the man in tow close behind. The little boy and the man parted, as the man had to return to work. The little boy headed back towards the exhibit where he encountered the zookeeper who had been waiting for him. He ran up to her, rather excitedly to share what he had experienced. “Hello, Ma’am” he greeted her. “Oh, I was looking all over for you. I have some exciting news!” the zookeeper exclaimed rather excitedly. “Winsley has a little sister!” “Winsley has a little sister!” the little boy spoke just as excitedly and at the same time as the zookeeper. He takes a brief moment to calm down. Even though his own emotions remain a fluttering in his tummy with everything that he had just experienced. “He’s now with his mother, and I got to meet them.” “Oh wow, you already got to meet the little one? I am so jealous, what does she look like?” “Yes, she’s cute too. She looks like her mom, and has a soft shine to her fur. But she has a pretty green hue in her eyes.” “You're so lucky, they don’t let just anyone see the newborns. Most of us have to wait until they are a week or two before we can even see them, for their and our safety of course.” “Well, I could not get too close to her, just close enough to reunite Winsley with his mother. But his mom patted me on the head, I am not sure what that means, do you know?” “Hmm…” She pondered for a moment, then continued “It means you did a good thing reuniting them, and his mother appreciates it. They shouldn’t have been separated to begin with.” the zookeeper said. “They were supposed to be isolated together. But apparently after they took the mother, the other monkeys got out of hand and it was too risky moving them both from the community at the same time.” “I didn’t know that was an appreciation, I thought she was looking for bugs” the little boy said with a childish giggle. “But, as long as he is back with his mom that is all that matters.” the boy continued in almost an urgency. “Speaking of moms and separating… I really need to go see mine, it is getting late, and she’s probably worried about me.” The female zookeeper nodded her head at the little boy. “All right then stay safe, see you soon! I don’t remember if I told you, but my name is Gretta. Be sure to tell your mother we love having you visit us here at the park” “I will, promise. Thank you, Gretta, for helping me with Winsley.“ With that the little boy turns to head out of the park. Almost forgetting due to the excitement he calls back to the zookeeper, “See you soon!!” He waves then takes off with a sprint, excited to tell his family how his day had gone. ************************************ Winsley snuggled up to his mother as he gazed down at his little baby sister. Her tail twitching as she nursed glancing from her mother towards her brother, He was unsure how to feel; he was a little lost and confused. But he was grateful to be with his mother. He looked down at his sister, extending his hand to hers, where she had grabbed his fingers. Her toes curled, and she kicked her hind legs suddenly losing the grip of her new brother’s hand. Winsley startled by his new sisters action, stumbled back and nearly fell off the table. His mother’s grip on his tail prevented him from hitting the harsh cold floor, she raised him slowly back up onto the table. Watching the interactions closely between the two, she looked down at her baby showing her teeth by curling her lips. Then chattered towards her in a soft tone, reassuringly. Winsley moved closer to his sibling, sitting on his rump looking down at his sister. His mother slowly releases the grip on his tail, comfortable she will no longer startle him. This time he moved his tail over his sibling, flicking it side to side as to amuse the newborn, playing with her. His sister stops nursing and reaches for her brother’s tail with all fours, while laying on her mother's lap, tries to catch it. The newborn takes a few minutes before she can get a hold of Winsley’s moving tail, which she gives a gentle and weak squeeze. Winsley moves closer and leans down to give his new sister a kiss on her forehead. For their first bond had finally been created. Moral - Just because something is out of your control doesn’t already make it a bad thing, even the worse situations have a way of working themselves out, and adding to your personal strength. Sometimes you just need to be patient, as you never know what surprises await you ahead.
By Dana Bassinger6 years ago in Families
Winsley the Two-headed Monkey
Chapter 4: Winsley goes to school Marigold, Ella and Winsley were sleeping in their nest among a tree. Winsley was the first to wake rubbing his blurry eyes. He looks around seeing all of his new friends still nestled in their beds. He was always the first awake, and last to bed. He enjoyed his life, eating and playing with his new friends. His ears twitched as he heard voices from the hall. He ran over to the clear barrier. It was Greta, he recognized this voice. She was saying his name, a name that he had become familiar with over the years. He sat and watched her talk to another person he was unfamiliar with. Each time his name was spoken his ear twitched again. “Is it time already?” Greta asked another woman in a lab coat. “Yes, Winsley has finally come of age to start learning on our computer programs. We are deciding to start him a few weeks younger to help him adapt faster to the new program. We plan on learning a lot from him, and hopefully he will learn from us as well.” “Wasn’t Marigold top in her class?” Greta asked the stranger. “She was, which is why we have been so eager to get Winsley into our program. We expect that she has already started teaching him. So we want to study how their language transfers through the mother to the child. Its an exciting time that is for sure.” The woman in the lab coat flicked her long black hair behind her shoulder and smiled at Greta. “When are you planning to start him in his schooling?” Greta asked. “As you know he has a friend who might be curious about how the education system works for them. Do you know if he will be allowed to join and watch? .” “Well… normally we don’t have outside distractions for a few weeks while they learn the program. But I suppose if he does really well we can reward him with a visitor, we could start with his mother as a distraction, so he can watch her. As children tend to learn a lot from their parents.” Greta nodded her head. “Makes sense, I suppose I will pass a note to the admin so the little boy will understand why his friend will be unavailable for a few weeks. After all we don’t need him worrying.” With that Greta walked away, and the woman in the lab coat with long black hair glanced at the plastic barrier, her eyes meeting Winsley. She smiled and gave a gentle wave. Winsley jumped at the new encounter, and quickly ran back to his nest and hid behind his mother who was still fast asleep holding little Ella in her arms. He cautiously peeked out from behind her and noticed the lady in the lab coat was gone. Winsley was pretty smart, but he had heard a word he had never heard before “School”. What is this school, and why was his name included? He couldn’t help but wonder what it meant. It was almost time for breakfast! This made him forget all about what had happened. As his tummy rumbled from hunger. Two men came in with a huge box, inside this box was a large amount of bananas and other fruits. Winsley and the other monkeys would dance around the feeder’s feet until they set this box down. It was almost a ritual every morning; two men come in carrying a box. Two men would leave the box, and the Elder Monkeys would have first pick and then the rest of the food was distributed. This happened several times a day, and it was always a lot of fun. Sometimes he would get his favorite. Other times he would get Papaya, or Mango, but like all the other Monkeys his favorite was the Banana. After he ate, he went and played with the other Monkeys, who accepted him into their group. Often he would go from one group to another, because now he had so many friends. They all wanted to play with him. Often he would lose track of time, playing with the other Monkeys, that it would seem like he had just eaten. Even though his tummy would always rumble when the next batch of food was delivered. It was a weekend, so the visitors didn’t come and they spent most of their time jumping from tree to tree. While the barriers remained up, and they would come up with many games that also included drawing on the ground with sticks, and throwing rocks. Some of the older Monkeys would hold onto their meal, and put it in a pile and throw a handful of rocks on it that would allow other monkeys to take their food. It was an interesting habit. But Winsley saw no reason to give up his delicious meal because sticks and rocks told him to. Time had passed, which seemed like a blink of an eye. The sun was already going down. Last meal had been served for the day. He was tired, but not at the same time. He wanted to keep playing with his friends, but they had all returned to their families and their nest. Curling up in their beds and preparing for the Monday’s visitors with a full night’s sleep. Winsley laid in his bed, and turned his attention to his sister. Who was chasing her tail, and spinning around until she fell over. Then drew lines in the dirt, and spun around again. He yawned watching her spin around, bored by this attempt of amusement. So he watched his mother, who sat there. Extending her hand to help Ella up every time she fell over. This too didn’t interest Winsley that much. So he laid back, looking at the trees letting his mind think about all the playing, and fun he had that day. Winsley’s eyes widened as thoughts of the two humans talking outside his cage in the early morning hours. He jumped up, remembering that they kept talking about him. He ran over to his mother, and pulled on her extended arm meant for Ella, who laid there on the dirt confused watching her brother. Marigold turned her attention to Winsley, who began to gesture with his hands. “Humans… talk… school.. Winsley” he signed to his mother. Who pulled her hand away, to gesture back. “Its okay, school fun… many yummy treats” Marigold rubbed her tummy, and pretended to put food in her mouth. She then pointed at Winsley, and then her head. “You.. learn” Winsley was still very confused, why would they take him away and give him treats? Learn? What does he need to learn? He talks to others, he knows his family, he has human friend who gives him cold treats. Why must he leave? This made him both very scared and excited at the same time. Treats? Lots? So much fruit? He imagined rolling around in a bunch of bananas, and apples. Throwing them in the air, and endless supply. Marigold turned her attention to Ella who was still laying in the dirt and offered a hand to help her up. Ella took her mothers hand and stood to her feet. Upon doing so, she closed her fist and bopped Winsley on the head. Knocking him out of his day dream. He jumped a bit startled. Ella gestured with her hands, “You learn, you get treats.” She then chattered towards her brother. Winsley began to understand, but he was still confused on how he was to learn from humans. So he pondered and walked towards the nest, and laid back in his bed. He thought to himself, that his version of school would be better. Lots of treats and fun. Maybe learn a new game? His mind kept him up as he thought about all the possibilities. Would there be others with him? Was it that long haired woman who would be teaching him. Ella and Marigold managed to curl up and fall asleep completely unnoticed by Winsley who was deep in thought. His heart was racing, there was no way he could sleep. He laid in the quiet exhibit tossing and turning trying to fall asleep. But no matter what he did, he could not fall asleep. Hours passed by, very slowly to Winsley. Still worrying about this school that he was to learn. He had so many questions, but no real answers. Morning had finally come, Winsley had been asleep for what appeared to me a few moments. Before the lady with the long hair was standing over him. “There you are Winsley, come with me” she patted her shoulder. Gesturing to the tired monkey. Who without even thinking closed his eyes again, only feeling his body lift into the air as he is held. The motions of the human walk, and then being placed on a soft warm pillow. He stayed asleep. “Looks like you are going to be an afternoon student, she whispered to the sleeping monkey.” as the lady with long hair turned and left the room, letting him sleep in peace. Winsley stirred gently in his sleep, his thoughts still on his new school.. What it was like, then he realized he was asleep.. As quickly as his mind made the connection he jumped from his bed with a huge burst of energy he only then realized he was in a white room. With a large window, and a weird box with a tray. The room was very lit, and he was alone in the room. He climbed down off of the pillow, and began to examine the big block in front of him. At first he touched the stand, nothing happened. He then touched the white parts, again nothing happened. He looked at the tray, tilting his head as he goes to sniff it his hand hits the black part of the screen and it makes a noise. This startles him, and he jumps. The door opens and the woman in the lab coat with black hair enters the room. She brings her hands to her chest, and signals Hello. She approaches Winsley slowly, and sits down next to him. She gestures to Winsley once again. “I am Raina, I am going to teach you” Winsley stands there and blinks, very confused at the new Gestures, He tries to copy her but fails. “Winsley, I am Raina.. I am going to teach you. You learn.” she speaks and gestures at the same time. She points at the screen, and pressed on it. Then a noise in the tray appears. Which she reaches for and then takes the treat out and eats one. “You try it Winsley” she rubs her tummy. Winsley watches her closely, she eats a treat. Where was his? Raina points at the screen this time taking his hand in hers, she gently pushes it against the screen. Treats once again fall into the tray. Winsley is started and pulls his hand away from her. Then to one of the treats in the tray. He takes one and eats it. “Very good Winsley!” Raina said encouragingly. “Can you do that again?” She points at the screen, taking his hand in hers, and gently touches the screen. Again more treats pop out. This time Winsley uses his other hand to get the treats, still watching Raina over the screen. So she reaches for his hand again, making him touch the flat surface of a screen. Ejecting more treats into the tray. “Isn’t that easy?” He then looks at the screen, Raising his hand to it, he presses the screen. More treats fall into the tray. He starts to understand. The more he pushes the screen the more he gets treats. After enjoying a nice handful of treats, the human sitting next to him smiles. “Alright, now we will teach you Banana.. Find the Banana.” Two images appear on the screen. One is yellow and and long. The other is orange and round. Winsley eyes the color shapes realizing that he loves Banana. He presses the button, and more treats fall into the tray. “Winsley, what color is banana” The shapes on the screen turn into a solid block of two different colors. One is yellow, and the other is Red. “Banana, color” Winsley takes a few moments, looking at the colors. He is confused, neither look like a banana. What is color? Banana has two… his eyes widen and he reaches up and selects the yellow block. “Yes, Winsley Banana is yellow!” she writes something down on a note pad. “Very good Winsley!” Raina smiles, “You are so smart!” she gently pets Winsley’s shoulder giving him praise. The lesions continue, as he begins to learn his colors. Occasionally when he presses a button no treats fall out. Which helps him realize that the answer was wrong, he works with Raina for several hours. Then Raina stands to her feet, “Alright Winsley its time to go home. I am sure your family misses you!” She gestures family to winsley, and then taps her shoulder for him to climb. Winsley not ready to leave yet wanting more treats, keeps pressing on the screen but no matter where he presses nothing happens. “Aww.. honey its off, its always good you want to do more. You can come back tomorrow” she speaks softly towards Winsley. “I am glad you had so much fun!” she wiggles a hand, revealing she was holding onto a treat. Winsley notices the gesture and climbs up onto her shoulder, eyeing the treat. Before its placed within his range to eat. The two of them leave the room, and head back to his exhibit. Where his mother, and sister eagerly wait for him to return. Winsley super excited jumps off of her the minute the door is open and runs over to his mom and sister. Raina closes the door and watches from the plastic barrier their interaction. She smiles seeing them chatter, and communicate, with new words and shapes. Morale: Schools can teach you many things, even if your nervous you will be rewarded in many ways. As you learn to express yourself, try new things, and be better able to understand the world around you. Never stop learning, and you will get a infinite amount of rewards.
By Dana Bassinger6 years ago in Families
The Daily Struggle of Survival After Losing Your Child to a Tragedy
Every morning as I lay in my bed (for an hour or two) next to my three year old (waiting for him to wake up) I realize that I now exist between the realm of the living and the dead. I stare at the picture of my deceased son next to my bed and wonder if he sees me wake up. I begin to cry realizing that I wont see him again today. I toss and turn waiting for the smile of the little boy next to me, followed by his demands for either food, tv, or play. And it's at that moment that I am back into the realm of the living. Visually alive but somewhat dead inside. Let me take you to the morning my world split into two realities.
By Azaris Morales6 years ago in Families
Winsley the Two-headed Monkey
Chapter 3: Winsley is Jealous It had been a week since they reunited Winsley with his mother. Mostly they were alone in the room. They would bring food and have their water bowls refilled. Humans had done this every few hours, often in the middle of the night. Winsley had become acquainted with his little sister, and their bond had grown each day. As the days progressed, visitors brought them toys and treats for the newborn to play. Winsley often got to play with the toys too, but they were for little monkeys. Not meant for his more mature stature. While he enjoyed playing with a ball that held a bell, it bored him. His little sister was walking around, with her tail held high. She stumbled a few times, but their mother Marigold lifted her up by the tail to help her gain balance. She was a very curious and shy monkey. When Winsley played catch with the ball, she didn’t take part. She hid behind their mother and watched, as fast moving objects scared her. Winsley tried rolling the ball to her, but she didn’t even try to catch or give chase. She just watched the ball roll across the floor, peeking out from behind their mom. Winsley missed exploring the park with his friend. Getting extra treats like ice cream, and his other favorite flavored snacks. The attention he got riding on the boy with the red hat’s shoulders. He passed time by chattering and making faces at his new sister, who still couldn’t understand what he said to her. Winsley noticed a change in his mom, as her eyes always followed his sister. He threw the ball and tried to catch it from higher and higher distances. He desperately wanted to show his mother the new trick he had learned. Marigold just kept looking the other way. Making sure his sister would not get into any trouble. These small details made Winsley less sure of himself. He didn’t see how such a boring monkey as his sister was more interesting than the tricks he did with a ball. To him, he felt as if his mother was ignoring his plea for attention. This opened a new feeling that Winsley didn’t understand. It wasn’t anger or sadness, and it sure wasn’t happiness. Winsley dismissed these feelings and emotions he had, blaming it on being bored. Winsley played with the ball, sliding it from one hand to the other. He adjusted the speed as the ball jingled and rolled to each hand, making it go faster or slower. Sometimes the ball spun so fast, and he missed catching it. So he chased after the ball, before resuming his game. He hadn’t noticed his little sister sneaking up behind him as he batted the ball back and forth. She leaped out from behind and caught the ball. She ran as quick as she could with the ball towards her mother, who just watched. Winsley gave chase, but every time he chased and wound go around their mom in one direction, she went the other. No matter what he did, she kept running away from him with the ball. It didn’t take long before he got bored with this game. He looked up at his mother and chattered. Pointing at the ball his sister had taken from him. But his mother had done nothing to retrieve it. She let the newborn play with the ball by herself. This made Winsley very upset. He had the ball first and couldn’t understand why his mother didn’t give him back the ball. She just smiled at the newborn and then offered Winsley a banana. He didn’t want the banana; he wanted the ball. His mother never once made him this upset. He didn’t know what to do. Winsley went to sit in the corner as if he had done something wrong. He noticed a stick laying on the floor next to him, so he picked it up and traced the lines in the floor. It took practice for him to trace the grout, as the stick would slip onto the tile. Winsley was getting the hang of tracing the tiles with the stick and wondered how many tiles he could trace without repeating a line. So he made this into a game. The first attempt was in the small area where he was sitting. But he could draw those with the stick without intersecting or crossing the lines. So he made it bigger. He hopped to the side, still dragging the stick across the floor. Then he changed directions, hopping to the other. The game he had created was fun, but once again he was preoccupied and did not realize that his little sister had other plans. His sister was dodging out of his way while being behind him. Copying his movements. This was fun for a while. But now she wanted to play with the stick. Just as Winsley stopped to admire his work. She jumped and took it from him, before retreating behind their mother. Winsley looked back at their mother in shock. His mouth gaped open. As his sister peeks her head out from behind Marigold, sticks her tongue out. Winsley approaches his mother, pointing at his sister who now has both toys, the ball and the stick. He chattered at his mother, but she looks away towards the baby. Taking the newborn’s tail in hand, she pulls his sister out from behind her. His baby sister lets out a startling screech, being lifted by the tail. Both toys dangle from her hands as she’s moved in front of her mom. Still holding both toys, she tried to cuddle against her mother. But her mother slid her away, she looked at the child eyeing her. She rolls her lips, then chatters tilting her head to the side. Winsley watches, feeling proud that his mother is doing something about the situation. But his sister rolls the ball to him. Winsley blinked and looked at the ball, then rolled it back at his sister. He no longer wanted the ball, he wanted the stick. He was having much more fun with the stick and the tiles. Then he was playing with the ball. But she rolled it right back to him. He rolled it back to her once again. This time she let the ball roll right under her and bounce off the wall, clasping the stick in her grip. Marigold nodded at Winsley, reaching for the ball. She hands the ball to him, then makes a gesture with her hand for play. Winsley couldn’t understand why his mother was giving him the ball. They had not taught him at the learning lab like his mother. So the gesture was strange, but he assumed that he had no other choice but to play with the ball. This upset Winsley. Every time he played with a toy, his sister took it from him. So once again, he dropped the ball, ignoring its enticing sound, and sulked away. His emotions building up on the inside, he looked back at his sister and his mother. Why was she allowed to choose the toy she wanted, even if he had been playing with it first? This was a question that confused him. He noticed his little sister scurry for the ball he had left behind, as she started hitting the ball with the stick. Making it move around behind Marigold. His sister had both toys, and he had nothing. Winsley felt the emotions again, this time more prominent. He realized that this was both a feeling of anger and sorrow, rejection and neglect. Was this jealousy? Winsley had never experienced this before, while being separated from the others in the exhibit. He was not sure what to do. So he stayed in the corner, facing his mother and his sister as they played. Not realizing that she was moving better, her coordination was getting stronger playing with the toys. **************************************************************** Another week had passed, and it was time for the trio to return to the exhibit. A man had entered the room, Winsley had recognized him. It was the man that had brought him and the little boy to the room to be with his mother. Winsley got excited. The man used a mini forklift to carry in an interesting box. It looked like the net, but it was solid and firm. Stayed in place and was square. It had a door on it, and they covered the ground in hay. Inside the hollow contraption was a bowl filled with food and treats. They strung bananas between the bars. With popcorn strings dangling from one side to the other. The forklift lowered the cage to the ground, and he opened the door. Winsley’s eyes got bigger as he approached to inspect the cage. “Winsley, Marigold, Ella, it is time for you to go back to your exhibit.” Nathan spoke and gestured to Marigold the word crate and enter. Lazily Marigold stood up from her sitting position, standing several feet tall she moved closer to the cage, and with little fuss climbed in. Winsley and Ella both watched their mother, confused. Marigold tapped her lap, gesturing for the children to come to her. They did not delay seeing the delicious treats from inside it. As their mother picked a strand of popcorn off the crate and ate it. Both Winsley and Ella entered the crate as Nathan closed it behind them, giving them a few minutes to chew on the treats before moving. “Well now, that was easy,” Nathan spoke to himself. “Do not know why we didn’t do that the first time.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. Then double-checked the straps that held the crate securely in place. After it satisfied him they were secure he got onto the miniature forklift. He slowly raised the crate up with the lift and backed it out of the door. It wasn’t very large of a crate, but it was large enough for Marigold and her children to be comfortable for the brief transportation back to the exhibit. Once it started moving both of the children ignored the rest of the treats and started jumping from side to side latching onto the edge of the crate looking out in excitement from all directions. Marigold reached for her children who wouldn’t sit still, grabbing them by their tails and pulled them both into her lap. She had done this several times in the past and knew that they might get hurt if they jumped around too much. It didn’t take long for them to reach the entrance to the exhibit. There, Gretta and Ben were waiting for them. Nathan nodded to Gretta and Ben, as Gretta kept an eye in the exhibit for the monkeys getting too close to the doors, and Ben held the door open. Nathan drove the lift into the exhibit slowly, being sure to stop any monkeys that might have last-minute dash ideas to go under his wheels. The doors closing quickly behind him. Nathan lowered the cage to the ground. While Ben and Gretta kept the curious monkey’s at bay. Nathan got off of the lift and opened the cage. “All right, you guys, time to rejoin your friends,” Nathan said. Gretta couldn’t help but notice the little female monkey. “Aww…” she cried in awe with a smile on her face. “Did they give her a name?” Gretta asked curiously. “Yep, her name is Ella.” Nathan spoke. “Ella, eh? I suppose it is a popular name because of that movie for kids, huh?” Ben asked. “Well, that and apparently she seems to have a troublemaker personality.” Nathan said with a shrug not really seeing it. “I think it’s a beautiful name for a little girl.” she smiled at the trio who were still eating some treats left in the crate. “Hopefully not as troublesome as their father. We can’t even keep him in the same pen, and the only monkey he gets along with is their mother. Not even the kids.” Ben added. “Suppose we should just come back and get the crate later tonight once they get readjusted to their environment.” “Yeah probably,” Nathan was unlatching the large crate from the lift. “Can’t leave this in here though. Last time one of the dang monkey’s started it and broke the panels.” he chuckled at the thought of a monkey driving. “Wait, what? Really?” Gretta asked in disbelief. “Yep, nearly lost my job on that one.” Nathan added, “Lucky for me it wasn’t in our policy yet.” “Ah yeah I remember that, they posted pictures of it all over the break room with that photo of a monkey having his foot on the key, and dangling from the roof.” Ben said. “I think that might actually be their dad. Wonder if we can still find a copy.” Nathan got back on the lift as Ben heads towards the door. “I reckon they will let them roam again soon, now they are all back together.” Ben commented to Gretta as he opened the door. Gretta kept an eye out for any approaching monkeys standing at Nathan’s side “Clear '' she yelled motioning his movements. Nathan backed the lift out into the hallway, the doors held open by Ben and Gretta on watch. Gretta followed the lift out the door backwards, still keeping her eye on the exhibit until the door closed behind them. *************************************************************** Marigold, Winsley and Ella had eaten their fair share of the treats from inside the crate. They can hear the sounds of the rustling within the trees. The leaves and the branches shaking, Marigold was the first one out of the crate. She rushed off to reclaim her corner which another monkey had been nestling. It didn’t take much to scare off the other monkey, Marigold just let out a loud roar, and beat on her chest twice. Before the little monkey scurried away, not willing to challenge Marigold for the spot. The others were in that vicinity, also scattered about to a different corner of the exhibit. Winsley and Ella watched their mother, curious about her behavior. Understanding that she was reclaiming what was already theirs. Winsley decided it was his turn and took off at full speed towards his mother. Ella was slow behind Winsley, as another monkey had approached her. Ella continued to drift slowly, pass the monkey between her and her family. But the monkey had a different idea. He offered her a banana. Winsley and Marigold both watched the exchange curiously. As Ella sat and reached for the banana, peeled it and ate it. Her tail flicked from side to side playfully, as she finished eating and tossed the peel aside. She then pounced onto the other monkey and playfully bit his ear. He was startled and let out a little screech of his own. But this drew the attention of others in the exhibit who wanted to play. It didn’t take long before there were a handful of monkey’s playing with Ella. As they ran, she chased. When she ran, they chased. She was quick to make new friends with the others. This made Winsley sad and jealous. Every time he wanted to play they would run away, but this time he approached his sister. The other monkey quickly ran away from his sister in a hustle to hide. As his sister stood there, confused why the others fled. She watched her brother come closer to her. Winsley pushed on Ella’s shoulder, trying to play with her. But in her confusion she looked away, watching all the others go into hiding. She turned back to her brother, her ears lowered. She meant to take a step back, but to Winsley her posture looked scared. Winsley immediately had his feelings hurt, that his own sister was afraid of him. Did she realize he was different? That this was a bad thing? Rejected he turned to walk away, his tail low and a sad expression on his face. Ella seeing this lunged with all of her strength into her older brother, knocking him down. She gently bit his ear, as her tail flicked side to side playfully brushing across his nose. Confused and tickled, Winsley stood up and let out a sneeze. Which sent the fur on his back standing up. Ella grabbed his tail and gave it a gentle tug before running a few feet away from him. Winsley looked confused at her. So she grabbed his tail again, taking a few steps away from her brother. Winsley decided that he should tug on her tail too, so he chased after his little sister. Being older and faster, he could catch up to her rather quickly. Ella let out a little squeal as he grabbed her tail. This attracted the attention of the other monkeys who watched. They both took turns chasing and grabbing each other’s tail. Until another little monkey from the exhibit thought it looked fun. He approached and gave Winsley a tug on his tail, but as he did, he froze in place. The other monkeys in the exhibit that were watching all had their eyes wide, curious to see what would happen next. Winsley turned to the third monkey and gave a gentle tug in return on him. Ella pounced on the monkey, knocking him over, once again taking a gentle bite out of another’s ear. Soon the other monkeys had left their hiding places and joined in on the fun. Each taking turns and gently startling each other by pulling on each other’s tails. Marigold was very proud of Ella and Winsley, that they both had made new friends. For once, the community accepted Winsley for who he was, and not what he looked like. Moral - If you can learn from your jealousy of others. While taking responsibility, it may open up doors that you didn’t have before.
By Dana Bassinger6 years ago in Families
Winsley the Two-headed Monkey
Winsley the Two-Headed Monkey By Rev. Dana Bassinger Chapter 1: A lesson learned. Winsley is a monkey born in a zoo, a little creature standing just under a foot tall. His fur is dark brown with golden markings like his mother and most of the other monkeys in his exhibit. One thing however, set him apart from the others. It was the fact he was born with two heads.
By Dana Bassinger6 years ago in Families
Fun Family Activities That Every Age Can Participate in
The image source is Envato. Since the global pandemic, we have been reminded of the importance of family. It's a time when people of all ages have been spending more time at home, whether by choice or due to quarantine restrictions. It has strengthened the bond of household members. It also reminded us all of what matters most. Your family is there for you no matter what. Now is the perfect opportunity to find fun family activities that young and old can enjoy together.
By Rayanne Morriss6 years ago in Families
Why Bribes Don't Work
We’ve all done it. Sometimes it works in the moment, sometimes not. And when it seems to work, it only changes the behavior of our kid with the person doing the actual bribing (same as punishment or shaming – but that’s another topic). Bribes are also only a short-term fix. They do not create sustained positive behavioral change.
By Jennifer Williams6 years ago in Families
Even Still, Hug Them -
As a mom of three boys, all under ten, believe me - I know what tired looks and feels like. Between working full time, 'mom-ing' full time, soccer practice, sincere attempts at creativity for dinner (even though hotdogs for the fifth time this month seems a lot less stressful), nothing can be more annoying at the end of a long day than that one, measly toy in the middle of the living room that you've picked up thirteen times already since making it home.
By Jaclyn Babers6 years ago in Families
