Parent and a Friend to Your Kids

Many parents naturally have a hard time being effective parents because they try their best to also be their child's friend. Sometimes parents worry about doing things that would be disciplinary because they are afraid to risk the friendship. Your children will be the closest friends that you have, unlike any of the other friends that you may have- other than your spouse. If it were your friend, you would want them to do what is right. This is something else to consider when being your child's friend. Do not turn it into a struggle between parent and friend. If you take the time to remember what is necessary, then you will also see that your friendship that you have with your child will flourish.

You will want your child to be able to talk with you and share their feelings with you. You should take the time to focus on discipline when your children are young, and it will follow through with them as they get older. If you properly train your children, you will see the results shine through in their behavior and interactions with others.

There are a lot of different parenting techniques. You can often take the time to focus on the aspects of allowing your child to grow and just nurturing and nudging them in the right direction. Taking time to spend time with your child will help you to build that parental image as well as the friendship that can blossom from that.

As your child gets older, you will inevitably be a friend to them. This is especially try with fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters. This cannot always be the case if you do not take the time to do proper parenting and other things.

You a Super Mom ?

How do you know if you qualify as a Super Mom? Are you sure ?

Well, do you know your children's friends as well as your kids know them? Do your kids friends tell them that you are a cool mom?

Are the other mom's are jealous? Hmmm, well this might be an indication that you are taking a deep interest in your children and their lives. People make choices, it is like that song:

Integrity, strength of character, hard work ethic, we need it and we need it now. Isn't it time you elevated yourself to the Super Mom status?

You know I had friends moms that were Super Moms, as I describe. One was a Mormon Family down the street with "10 kids" my gosh in a track home and another mom whose son was a sports friend 'nemsis' because we were both exceptional athletes. Of course my mom is pretty darn spectacular in her own right.

Traveling With Pets

Traveling With Pets? Disney Offers Pets A Home Away From Home

Many people choose their vacation based on how they will accommodate their pets. Disney has recently introduced a kennel service which has changed many family experiences vacationing with their pets. Now it is possible to take your pet with you when you vacation in Disney, which makes traveling to this magical place much more feasible for many families.

Disney Kennels

There are kennels located in five different locations at Disney; Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. These kennels are operated by Best Friends Pet Care Inc., which is a member of the American Boarding Kennel Association.

With the exception of service dogs, pets are not permitted within the theme parks, hotels, buses, or monorail. This means you will need to provide transportation to and from the kennels yourself. There is also the option of overnight boarding, which comes in handy if you are planning on staying for more than a day.

Of course, Disney style means that your pets get a large air-conditioned area to run and play in. Your furry friend will get tons of attention and some of the best veterinary care possible if anything should be needed.

Amenities for Your Pet

When staying at the luxurious kennels, your pet will receive potty walks, play groups, large flat screen TVs, a turn-down biscuit, and so much more. There are a world of things for your pet to do while at Disney, just like you! Why board your pet into a boring kennel at home when they can stay in luxury and fun at Disney World with you? There are also snack options, such as tuna on a Ritz cracker, cookies and milk, bottled water, and even special holiday meals during certain times of the year.

Price

Kennel fees are priced per animal, per day. Having a Disney Resort reservation does not guarantee that a kennel space will be available for your pet, so be sure to call in advance and schedule your pet a place to have fun while you enjoy the sights and sounds of Disney. Passes to the kennel can be obtained from the Transportation and Ticket Center, Epcot and Fort Wilderness locations.

Depending on what type of animal you are boarding and the amenities you want them to have, the prices range anywhere from $20 to about $100 a day. The basic prices are not much more than boarding your furry friend at home and you get the added benefit of being able to see your friend whenever you feel so inclined. You can also choose a la carte items, which range from playgroups to cuddle time and even an ice cream break. These a la carte items range from $3 to $15.

Requirements

Remember, it is important to bring your pets’ current vaccination and health record from your veterinarian. Without it, your pet will not be able to stay in the kennels. Also, while reservations are not required, the kennels do fill up quickly. To be on the safe side, have a reservation made in advance. Check Disney's vaccination requirements when you book your pets' stay.

Conclusion

Disney World installed their kennels so that you won’t have to be away from your family friend. Everything Disney does is grand, so why not treat your pet to the same Disney experience and board them in the kennels at Disney on your next trip.

Phonics Activities

Phonics Activities To Help Your Emerging Reader

An important part of teaching children to read is phonics instruction. Teaching phonics is teaching children about the blending of letters to make certain sounds and also introducing them to the relationship between printed letters and spoken words. So we are not just dealing with multiple letter blends, but, also, understanding that the letter 'd' in the word dog makes the “d” sound.

There are a lot of activities that you can do with children to get them started on understanding how these sounds and these printed letters and words work together. As children are learning the relationship between letters and sounds, these fun activities will allow them to practice what they are learning.

Make a trail of alphabet footprints so you and the children can sing the alphabet song as you walk along the ABC path. Use some sturdy paper, like cardstock, and cut out 26 footprints and write one letter of the alphabet on each one. Secure them on the floor with packing tape in order, but, in a gently curving path. Step on the letters one at a time, in order, and sing each letter as you step on it. Now let the child try it and sing along with him as he walks the path.

For this activity, you will need two teams of kids. You are going to give each team a word and each team will have to come up with words that rhyme with their word. So let's say you give the first team the word 'let' and the second team the word 'sat'. They send each of their players up to the board to write a word that rhymes with their word. When every player has had a turn, the team with the most correct words wins.

A game that doesn't require any materials and that is easy to play on the go is phonics I-spy. The player who is it will spy something and tell the other person or people that they see something that starts with a certain letter. Perhaps he sees a tree, he would say that he sees “something that starts with a 'tttttt'”. And the other players have to guess what it is that he has spied. The one who figures it out then gets to spy something and make the others guess.

Understanding how letters and the sounds they make are the building blocks for the words that we speak is an important part of learning to read. When children learn phonics, they learn that the words we speak are made up of letters and that each letter has its own sound. And they also learn about groups of letters that are blended together to make sounds. When they begin to become familiar with all of these sounds, they can not only recognize familiar words, but, they also have clues to work out new words on their own.

Fun Reading Activities

Fun Reading Activities To Encourage Your Child's Love Of Books

There are so many fun activities that we can do with our children to get them excited about books and the world of reading. When kids are having fun, it is so much easier to draw them into something - like the wonderful world of literature. The very best thing we can do is to guide and direct them to enjoy it for themselves. When we are intrinsically motivated to do something, it is a much more lasting motivation. This will form an awesome foundation for their whole school careers.

A fun way to really dig into a story is to read it with your child and when you are done, ask your child their favorite part of the story. Then have them draw a picture of that part. When they are done, ask them for a short explanation of their picture and that part in the story. And either have them dictate to you and you write it on the bottom of their picture or let them write it if they can.

Another fun way to really engage your child in the books you are reading with them is to play a guessing game. Each time you turn the page of the book, look at the pictures with your child and have them guess what they think might be going on at this point in the story. It can be exciting to see if they got it right, because, sometimes they might get it so wrong that it turns the book into a super silly story. And what is more fun than the giggles?

An activity that will help with reading and make your little one feel a bit more grown up is helping you cook from a cookbook. You can explain to your child that it is important to put the ingredients in and follow the instructions in the recipe in order. Then you let your child be in charge of reading the recipe to you as you make the dish. You will, of course, give them any help they need. But they can also read the labels on the ingredients that you are using. For instance, they can help you differentiate between baking powder and baking soda and make sure you get the right one. Perhaps you might even let them fix your 'mistake' when you pick up the wrong one. He will feel so smart and helpful.

When you can get a child excited about things – making pictures, funny games that maybe lead to silly stories, helping in the kitchen and feeling like a big kid – you help to raise their confidence and also their motivation to really enjoy books and reading. Getting creative and changing things up can inspire children to get reading!

reading out loud

Reading Out Loud To Your Child Is Beneficial In Many Ways

Reading out loud to children of all ages is very important. It is so helpful in their development as readers and also in their mastery of language. Studies have shown that children that don't have people reading aloud to them struggle in school, or just don't do as well in school.

Reading out loud to children can expand their vocabularies, foster more vivid imaginations, and help them learn pronunciation skills. Some sentences or sections of books or even whole books may get skipped over if a child is only reading to himself. When the text is beyond the child's level of literacy, they are much more likely to choose something else to read. So therefore, when children are read aloud to, they are being exposed to literature that they normally would pass over.

It can be good for kids to hear books that are above their own reading levels. They are exposed to sentence structure, words, and concepts that they would not normally encounter on their own. Their brains are being fed and nurtured and they do not even realize it. They are just enjoying the experience of having someone read to them.

The experience of the read-aloud time can be a great bonding time between a mother and a child, an older sibling and a younger sibling, or a teacher and her students. They are coming together over a book they both enjoy and sharing a pleasant time together.

When we turn reading into a pleasurable experience like this is so unbelievably good for children, in terms of motivating them to read and to love and enjoy books. So often books turn into 'just a part of school' for children, they turn into 'work', and many children get really turned off from books in that way. When reading is a chore, they simply do not want to do it. Doing all that we can, as their caregivers, to show them how wonderful an experience reading is will do tremendous good in keeping them excited about reading.

At a certain point during children's school years, parents and teachers stop reading out loud to kids. Often this happens when the child goes to middle school. Experts suggest that we continue to read to children of all ages. It is a wonderful bonding time we can spend with children and it is still very good for them, even if we – or they -  feel they are too old for it. The biggest thing you will be doing is to keep them interested in reading for pleasure. Just like when they were first learning to read and there was that danger of their equating reading with work, the very same thing happens in the teen years. This is true for many teens. There are some who will still read for pleasure, but, they are rare.

So if we read to them or have a family reading time and let everyone take turns reading, we help them continue to associate books with pleasure. And goodness knows that is needed, given some of the drab books we have all had to read in high school.

We must guide our children to become lifelong readers and lifelong learners. And we can do that at home, with some fun family bonding time. And in so doing, we will also be strengthening our families.

Water Birth

Water Birth – Is This Alternative For You?

Water birthing is a relatively new concept in the United States. Basically, a mother gives birth to her baby while being partially immersed in warm water. Water births have more typically been done during home deliveries, but have now entered the mainstream birthing hospitals.

What to Expect - Preparation

Proponents of water birth say that it is a more natural process. A baby has been living in water for nine or ten months already. Coming into this world in the same kind of medium is believed to be less traumatic and an easier transition.

The mother will use a pool or tub that is partially filled with water. The water must be maintained at a certain temperature. Ideal temperature is equal to the internal environment of the body (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Keeping the water at body temperature prevents the mother’s temperature from rising too high and endangering the baby.

The water is also continually changed to keep it crystal clear. The doctor or midwife needs a clear view of the cervix and the baby as it passes out of the birth canal so that any potential problems can be detected early and resolved.

The water level is also important. The mother's lower half is submerged in water when she sits, but her body needs to remain stable, not buoyant, so that she can push when the time comes. Too much water will cause her to float and lose her position.

What to Expect - Birth

According to experts in water birthing, immersion in water eases the pain of the contractions. Any mother would love that. The body begins to relax somewhat so the mother's cervix can dilate without as much pain.

Doctors who advocate the water birth method don’t recommend that a mother enter the birthing pool until after early labor. Immersion before five centimeters of dilation is too early. When you first enter the water, contractions seem to speed up due to natural oxytocin in the body. This increased flow can last for a couple of hours, long enough to dilate to delivery size. If a woman sits in the water too long, the surge stops and labor is stalled. Getting closer to full dilation makes a better use of that oxytocin spike.

Many mothers believe there are advantages to letting their baby emerge from water in the womb to water in the birthing pool. For women who want an alternative to the delivery bed, water birth may offer the calm, quiet delivery she is hoping for.