I tried my best to ignore the news about Beyonce and Jay-Z giving birth. I really did. I caught wind of the news online and of course gave a little knowing smile (as all mother’s do when a knew member joins the club) and went about my business. Later I heard some hubbub about the big production that was the birth of their baby girl, and again I shrugged it off. Celebrity gossip rarely interests me these days.
But then I started reading about the parents who were in the maternity ward of Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan while Beyonce was giving birth. Specifically the parents with newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit. Read More
It might just be a coincidence that I sat down at my computer to blog about recess, opened my facebook, and found this wonderful article about play. The article talks about the how little free playtime children have compared to just a decade or two ago and how valuable play is to development. The earlier children start structured school programs, the less time they are allowed unstructured play time, how sad. Recess or free play time affords children the opportunity to create, to imagine, to experiment, and to try out what they have learned. Studies show that recess improves learning and critical thinking. Social interaction, in a recess setting, fosters cooperation and healthy relationships. Add to all of these benefits, the joy of moving and the benefits of physical activity. But best of all, recess briefly releases the child from the responsibility and stress of the tasks at hand, allowing the chance to refresh the body and the mind before beginning again, and for this last reason, we never outgrow recess. Besides, it’s a lot more fun than going to the gym, and studies also show that adults are more productive after active or social breaks. Read More
Last week I had intended on writing a blog post about the Girl Scouts. It was going to be about how they are celebrating 100 years of scouting this year and one of the coolest things we would see from Girl Scouts would be an overhaul of their badges. Last year over at SheHeroes I wrote about the outdated messages that Girl Scout Badges were sending to girls so I was overjoyed that Girl Scouts had heeded the message and were bringing in some wonderful changes. Read More
Don’t you dare talk to me that way!
When a child is being verbally disrespectful, or as we called it in our home, “emotionally biting” someone, a parent’s defensive wall goes up and she screams right back! Most parents who are having loud, ugly words screamed at them would react. The question is, “is there another option?” Yes, there is.
First, let me say that I firmly believe that parents should not be disrespected, or have to endure any kind of emotional rudeness, but it does happen. Once it happens a parent feels like there’s only one thing to do to stop it: punish! I want to offer another way, one that not only stops the rude and disrespectful behavior in its tracks, but also teaches. Read More
“Don’t sing at the table, don’t whistle in bed, the devil will get you before you’re dead,” we would chant at the table when anyone was practicing bad manners, when I was a child. Why? I have absolutely no idea. I think we were taught the rhyme to remind us to behave politely at the table. When I was a child, manners were taught almost everywhere I went: at home, at school, at church, at Girl Scouts, at 4-H. Sad to say, I don’t believe that is the case anymore. Although, I was happy to see Real Simple host Be Nice on the Internet Week. Good manners offer us the opportunity to cultivate respect for ourselves and for others. Civility is not dead and parents have the greatest opportunity to educate their children in etiquette at the family table. The big questions are what to teach and when. Read More
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In a recent article here on Life360 I talked about the news laws that would be taking effect here in my home state of California this beginning in 2012 (and I encouraged you to look up what news laws would be going into effect in the state where you live as well, which I hope you’ve done). But after writing that article I came across another law here in California that I had not heard about and frankly was a little surprised wasn’t already in effect.
As of January 1, in California and California ONLY, it became illegal to sell expired baby food and infant formula. I know what you’re thinking. “But wait, isn’t there a federal law banning selling expired baby food and formula?” Well, as it turns out there’s not. I can guess what you’re thinking again, “But, clearly most states must have laws banning that kind of thing, right?” And again, the answer is no. California became the first just this month. Read More
Today was a bittersweet day in the history of daytime television; it was the end of an era. It was the end of the One Life to Live a soap opera that had been running weekdays for the last 44 years. It debuted 10 years before I was born.
Like most modern soap opera my earliest memories include One Life to Live on in the background. Summer vacations, sick days from school all included spending an hour with the folks on One Life to Live. My mom was always a soap fan, and as the way soap fandom, it is genetic and always passed down from generation to generation. Read More
In many ways, our mobile devices can help us lead more environmentally-friendly lifestyles. The plethora of apps and constant connectivity to the internet provide us with the information we need to make sustainable consumer choices, for example, or access public transportation more easily. But incorporating more gadgetry into more aspects of daily life uses up an ever-increasing amount of so called “vampire” energy or electricity — the power suck when our devices are plugged in but turned off—costs U.S. consumers $3 billion a year alone. Read More
While I pumped gas a few days ago, Claire took my 11-year-old niece in to pick up a beverage for the trip home from my house to hers. When my niece selected an energy drink, Claire explained that it wasn’t a good choice and found her some juice instead. My niece’s comment was, “But it looks so good.” At her age, the market categorizes her as a tween, one of the biggest target markets of the commercial industry. Tweens range in age from 8-12 and are easily influenced by all forms of marketing, from the advertising to the packaging. Additionally, they heavily influence their parents’ purchasing decisions, food included. This is a difficult problem to solve, but one well worth addressing. Read More
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