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3 Ways To Protect Your Kids From Major Illness This Cold And Flu Season

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With cold and flu season, along with other respiratory illnesses, hitting communities all over the country, it’s vital for parents to know what they can do to best protect their kids from getting sick and having to deal with major complications from these kinds of sicknesses. And while there’s nothing you can do to be sure that sickness never meets your kids, there are things you can do to avoid being exposed to a lot of germs and keep their immune systems functioning as they should. [Read more…] about 3 Ways To Protect Your Kids From Major Illness This Cold And Flu Season

Originally posted on November 18, 2022 @ 4:01 pm

Family Friendly Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day

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Longest Chalk Art - World Record Attempt

St. Patrick’s Day has gained a reputation of being a day to overindulge in green beer and wear a badge proclaiming “Kiss me, I’m Irish.” But at its heart, St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural celebration perfectly suited to family. No matter your national heritage, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to teach your children a bit about the world while having fun. And that’s no Blarney!

St Patricks Day

Host a Party

Send out some rainbow-inspired invitations to a few of the kids’ closest friends. Have everyone help make green popcorn (put food coloring in the butter before tossing it over the popped corn) and watch a movie or play games. For favors, give the kids gold-covered chocolate coins, fun holiday bracelets and homemade shamrock pins.

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts

There are dozens of easy St. Patrick’s Day-themed craft ideas to do with the kids that won’t cost you much green but will provide plenty of fun, such as making shamrocks out of green construction paper or baking green cookies. Other examples include:

  • Shamrock Potato Prints
    Slice a potato in half and carve a shamrock shape into the pulpy side. Use the relief method of carving so the result is a shamrock stamp that’s approximately half an inch high. Press the stamp into green paint and decorate fabric, posters or sheets of brown paper to use as wrapping paper.
  • Leprechaun Hats
    Green top hats are an essential part of any St. Patrick’s Day outfit and they’re fun to make. Cut the center from a paper plate to create a hat rim and paint it green. Roll a sheet of green cardstock into a cylinder and glue to secure the shape. Attach the rim to the cylinder with glue. Add a buckle made from black paper and a glittered shamrock for the perfect holiday accessory.

Are You Feeling Lucky?

Outdoor Activities

Even with tons of fun crafts to do you probably don’t want to keep the kids indoors all day long. Here’s a list of outdoor activities to burn off some energy while keeping with the theme of the day:

  • Search for four-leaf clovers.
    If your lawn is too pristine for clovers, head to the nearest open field or park. The first person to find one wins a pot of gold—or maybe a handful of gold-covered chocolate coins.
  • Attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
    If there isn’t one in your neighborhood, help the kids put on their own parade and march down the street displaying their green top hats.
  • Play Kiss the Blarney Stone.
    It’s just like tag but a large rock or other structure gets selected as “base,” and players have to kiss it to be safe.
  • Do an Irish jig.
    Play some great Irish music and let everyone do their best version of a jig or Irish step dance.

No matter which activities you choose, end the day with a big meal of corned beef and cabbage and shamrock milkshakes for dessert. Just put a little green food coloring in a vanilla shake and everyone will be thrilled. There’s no reason St. Patrick’s Day can’t be a holiday the whole family enjoys together. Celebrate the rich heritage of the Irish culture with crafts, games, food and a lot of fun.

Originally posted on March 13, 2013 @ 2:59 pm

How to Travel With Kids Stress-Free during the Holidays

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The holidays, for some families, require traveling. Sometimes, it even means traveling together with the kids.

When you’re with kids, however, there are a lot of things to bring along. More so if you have a baby or toddler in tow. Apart from your own luggage, you also need backpacks, a stroller and a car seat among others.
traveling_with_kids
So how do you ensure a safe and easy travel for all of you? Here we share some tips that will come in handy.

Your patience is very necessary. Tell yourself to keep calm and refrain from reacting too much when your kids throw a tantrum, complains or whines during your trip. Before you react, take a deep breath and think about what you have to say and be sure to talk in a soft voice.
[Read more…] about How to Travel With Kids Stress-Free during the Holidays

Originally posted on December 25, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

Choosing a Child Friendly Hotel

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Traveling with children or even just one of them can be a real challenge to any parent. Yes, it can be fun as it provides an opportunity for you to spend quality time with your child but at the same time, the experience can test a parent’s patience and skill in handling their kid’s issues while away from home.


A top priority when you’re planning to take a short vacation with your kid such as in the beautiful islands of the Carribean is to find a child friendly hotel. You can turn to allinclusiveresorts.net as one of your reliable sources of travel information. Michelle Powell from AllInclusiveResorts.net said most resorts in the Carribean are child-friendly with some of them even offering activities for children in the afternoon.

[Read more…] about Choosing a Child Friendly Hotel

Originally posted on September 4, 2012 @ 10:00 am

Fun Human to Animal Games for Kids and Adults

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Kids can easily get attached to their pet animals at home. Whether it’s a dog, cat or rabbit that they have, you can be sure that they’ll love and care for their pets for a long time. What’s important is they’re taught the right way of taking care of these animals.

Some adults, particularly those who were exposed to pets while they’re growing up, also love to raise an animal at home if they have their way. They may buy one out of their own free will or a friend may give them one as a gift on a special occasion.

This attachment is referred to as a human-animal bonding. The animal does not necessarily have to be domestic because there are some people who prefer the wild animals.

Animal bonding is even used for rehabilitation purposes. Owing to the therapeutic effect they bring to people suffering from depression or who are partially impaired, animals are now commonly used in a patient’s rehabilitation.
[Read more…] about Fun Human to Animal Games for Kids and Adults

Originally posted on June 19, 2012 @ 7:41 am

Benefits of the Affordable Care Act for Our Kids

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Healthcare reform is a very hot topic, with everyone having very strong opinions about the issues facing the healthcare industry in the United States. Whatever your stand may be on the Affordable Care Act, as a parent, I am sure that you can appreciate the changes it has brought to the healthcare industry when it comes to better insurance policies for our kids.

One of the best things that the Affordable Care Act has brought about is in the coverage of pre-existing conditions. We all know how frustrating it can be to have coverage for everything, except for the very medical conditions that already ail our kids. In the past, insurance companies can deny your child coverage for health problems and disabilities that was discovered and/or treated before you applied for coverage. Due to the Affordable Care Act, since September of last year, all job-related health plans as well as individual health insurance policies that was issued after March 23, 2010 are no longer allowed to deny coverage for your children who are under 19 years of age due to pre-existing conditions. In addition to that, insurance companies are also not allowed to place limits on pre-existing conditions so that you can be assured that your child will be able to get the medical attention he obviously already needs. This clearly makes the healthcare industry a lot more child-friendly.

Despite these improvements, there are clearly other things that need to change with the present healthcare industry. However, changes such as these are a step in the right direction in ensuring that our children get the medical care that they need.

Originally posted on May 17, 2011 @ 11:13 am

Busy Moms, Please Slow Down!

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Slow Down
Slow Down

The word “busy” seems to be a by-word for “Mom” these days. I recently went to a meeting called by my son’s preschool, for the parents to discuss the “United Nations” day booth which we organize every year. Out of the 18 or so Moms or Dads who were meant to be there – only 2 showed up. In fact I bumped into one of the Moms the next day (who is not a working Mom, mind you) and when I mentioned that she was missed at the meeting, she simply said, “Oh, I was just too busy!”.

Now I’m sure most of them had their perfectly valid reasons, as I do too sometimes, but for me, when “busyness” starts making you miss out on aspects of your child’s life, something is wrong. My 3-year-old son’s days have been busy preparing for this event, practicing the songs and dances they’ll perform for us, making the decorations and costumes themselves. It’s a big day for him, and if I can be a part of it, I will as much as I am able to.

So when I got this “Daily OM” from my Aunt, I thought it was indeed appropriate for all of us immersed in our “busyness“. Our kids our growing up so fast, we just have to try and slow down so that we don’t miss a thing.

Now please read this…. SLOWLY!

Enjoying a Snail’s Pace
Doing Things Slowly

Life can often feel like it’s zipping by in fast forward. We feel obliged to accelerate our own speed along with it, until our productivity turns into frenzied accomplishment. We find ourselves cramming as much activity as possible into the shortest periods of time. We disregard our natural rhythms because it seems we have to just to keep up. In truth, rushing never gets you anywhere but on to the next activity or goal.

Slowing down allows you to not only savor your experiences, but also it allows you to fully focus your attention and energy on the task at hand. Moving at a slower place lets you get things done more efficiently, while rushing diminishes the quality of your work and your relationships. Slowing down also lets you be more mindful, deliberate, and fully present. When we slow down, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves to our natural rhythms. We let go of the “fast forward” stress, and allow our bodies to remain centered and grounded. Slowing down is inherent to fully savoring anything in life. Rushing to take a bath can feel like an uncomfortable dunk in hot water, while taking a slow hot bath can be luxuriant and relaxing. A student cramming for a test will often feel tired and unsure, whereas someone who really absorbs the information will be more confident and relaxed. Cooking, eating, reading, and writing can become pleasurable when done slowly. ! Slowing down lets you become more absorbed in whatever it is you are doing. The food you eat tastes better, and the stories you read become more alive.

Slowing down allows you to disconnect from the frenzied pace buzzing around you so you can begin moving at your own pace. The moments we choose to live in fast forward motion then become a conscious choice rather than an involuntary action. Learning to slow down in our fast-moving world can take practice, but if you slow down long enough to try it, you may surprise yourself with how natural and organic living at this pace can be.

Photo via TranBC

Originally posted on September 25, 2008 @ 6:30 pm

Letting Go in First Grade

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Balloon
Letting go of the balloon

When you have a new first grader, the world suddenly revolves around two words Moms like me hate to hear (and, gulp, do). Let Go. Ever since Kindergarten, my daughter has proudly been telling us, her teachers, and anybody who cared to listen, that when she turned 6, she would be going to the biggest school in our area. A huge co-ed establishment with fantastic facilities and a great sports programme, my sporty, sassy and independent kid loved the idea of it, and so did I, until the day came when I actually had to leave her there. On her own.

So there she was, hair neatly braided, brand new Hannah Montana backpack and My Scene lunchbox, sitting in her first grade classroom with 13 other 6-year-olds whose Moms were slowly leaving the open door where we all peeked in. As I watched my child sitting proudly at her desk, I secretly hoped that she would look back at me and say she didn’t want me to go (which she never did), and eventually, as I made myself walk away as all the other parents had, I realized that today we had both reached a milestone. She was growing up and I was letting her get to it.

Photo via against the tide

Originally posted on September 1, 2008 @ 8:17 am