children
Children: Our most valuable natural resource.
7 Free Things To Do For Halloween
Halloween is coming up and you want to do something fun, but you also want to save money. Don't worry I know what it is like when it seems like every holiday cost so much money. I know how you can save money and still spend quality time with your family. Here are 7 things to do for free for this Halloween.
By Megan Hendricks7 years ago in Families
The Sh*t They Don't Tell You: Lesson #2
Death by Laundry I was once a young, wild bachelorette, whose main purpose in life was partying, concerts and, due to the lack of rich relatives to inherit from, going to work, to earn more money for the partying and concerts. (Let's not kid ourselves, I paid rent once a month too.) (Much to my disdain.)
By Tiffany Wade7 years ago in Families
Say What?
Kids are funny, aren't they? They have no shame in what they talk about, and it makes me think that maybe we should all start to live that way. I've been working in childcare for three years now, and I've overheard some pretty hilarious conversations. I thought I'd share some of these priceless encounters!
By Hayley Bonnett7 years ago in Families
Through the Eyes of a Toddler
I’ve previously written a blog called “Through the Eyes of a Newborn.” Now I’ll do the same kind of thing, except for it being about the next phase of my life, which was my toddler years. I’ll begin with my second birthday as that is the age a child generally begins to get called a toddler.
By Rebecca Sharrock7 years ago in Families
Failing at Dance Mom
I never thought I would be a dance mom. Well, I never thought any of my children might be a dancer or good at dancing. My first daughter took ballet and tap and it was not a great fit. She is a fabulous strong swimmer now. I have two sons and neither of them wanted to try dance at all. My second daughter decided to dance as she loved tumbling. We had a friend who owned a dance studio in town and I actually used to watch her dogs when she had to go to competitions. She told me to get my daughter in one class to see if she liked it. So, we started with a hip hop class. Well, my daughter did like it.
By Erin Misenar7 years ago in Families
PTA Mom Life
With four young kids, I have certainly been in a PTA. What is a PTA, you ask? The PTA stands for the Parent Teacher Association at any elementary, or middle school around. This organization is all volunteer positions and gets parents inside the school to help with a variety of areas.
By Erin Misenar7 years ago in Families
Our Autism Journey
I knew instantly that I was expecting my second baby owing to the fact my sense of smell was heightened beyond belief! I was convinced, just like with my first pregnancy that people were not using potpourri but savoury rice to fragrance their homes!
By Louise Lacy7 years ago in Families
Nature Nurtured
I knew I'd become a mother as soon as I became a mother; it was an instant success! I never thought I'd ever be a mother, and now I was and am and lived to enjoy every bit of it. At least it was completely true from childbirth to pre-teen years.
By Martina R. Gallegos7 years ago in Families
When Introverts Get Married
My husband is a hardcore introvert, and so am I. When we were young, one of the things I liked about him was how he liked doing quiet things just like me. I love being married to a guy who runs at the same speed. We have a whole weekend to do what we want? Great. He can play 20 hours of Skyrim while I devour a 500-page novel. Or we can binge-watch the Lord of the Rings movies. Don't have any friends? No problem, we'd rather stay home anyway.
By Lana Hutchinson7 years ago in Families
Children on the Spectrum
After my son Caleb was born, at about four months old I knew something was a bit "off" with him. He made no eye contact and didn't smile much. I had a nurse that would make weekly visits to my home (from the nurse and family partnership program) and when she made a milestone check-up on Caleb, she confirmed my suspicion. She said she would monitor Caleb more because she suspects he might be autistic. Sure enough by the time he was six months old, my nurse referred him to early intervention and Caleb was evaluated. For the next few months, he was seen by therapists and evaluated thoroughly for any physical delays, occupational delays, and cognitive delays, as well as speech delays. I didn't know much about autism so I wasn't devastated by the time he was officially diagnosed when he turned two. I did however feel guilt for a while. Maybe if I didn't work so hard while I was pregnant. Maybe if I had a better diet. Maybe if I slept a bit more. Guilt was what I felt. I started learning more about autism and tried to understand my son. Little things that I didn't know would matter, actually mattered. For example, one of the psychiatrist took a toy away from Caleb's hand during an evaluation to see how he would react. In return Caleb tried to take the toy back. I thought he did good but the psychiatrist said Caleb never once made eye contact with him. Usually a child would study a person's face to see what the expression was like. Caleb just focused on getting the toy back. It was like there wasn't even a person in front of him at all. After trying for a few seconds, Caleb gave up and just took another toy. Apparently any other child would've tried a bit more to retrieve the toy or even cry. When calling Caleb's name he would never react or look at whomever was calling him. You had to physically go to him, grab his face and have him look at you. This was also unusual in a child at that age apparently. He didn't acknowledge people or his surroundings.
By Cindy Del Villar7 years ago in Families