TUTU'S FOR A PRINCESS

So my baby is about to turn 4. I can't believe it.

She is a summer baby, obviously and that means parties are now easy task when it comes to having friends come. This year was "M's" first ever kids party. We have tried before but last year we just couldn't find a day when all of her friends were in town. So this year we started asking before the school year was over, getting everyone to check their Mommy daytimers. And low and behold, everyone who was on the invite list was in town. Amazing!! Planning got underway.

We picked a theme. "M" is a true princess, in every way so it was a natural fit. She wanted a princess party.

We picked a venue. My little princess is a dancing princess and wanted to have her little party at her dance studio. Done!

We picked a guest list. All the friends, oops I mean princesses, that she wanted at the party were invited, including a real princess.

We picked an outfit: So, if you noticed in an earlier post, big sister had a Minnie Mouse party, including ears and skirts for every guest. Can you see where this is going? So "M" sprung it on us a week before the party, naturally everyone at her party would be getting skirts. Needless to say, Mom got planning, and I mean fast. I came up with the idea of tutu's that I would make. And every princess would also get their own crown.

It was actually a really fun party to plan. I had a great time and the tutu's turned out FABULOUS! I think a business idea has been born.

More pictures to come!!!!

THE POWER OF THE WEB

This past week, the week since Michael Jackson died, has been interesting. Interesting to me because of the role the Internet has played in spreading news, rumour, opinion, speculation, you name it was spread. I work in the media in my full time working life. I was in the newsroom the day Michael Jackson died. I arrived in the newsroom just as news was rising to a fever pitch about the pop icon. Every computer in the newsroom was being used to search for information, any information, true or not, about Jackson. We weren't alone in that, there was so many people world wide searching for any word on the fate of Jackson that it actually crashed or slowed several sites, including google, twitter and TMZ.com . There are a few articles online about what happened.

I realize how much my own habits have changed, and how I find information and news. More and more I find that I am turning to my computer before I turn to the T.V or radio for news. It's an interesting admission for someone like me, especially since I make a living by working in radio news. I think many traditional news outlets/stations under estimate the importance of the Internet/websites. It is the window to the world and I think anyone not keeping up on their websites or keeping a strong online presence are missing out.

What do you think? Do you think traditional media is keeping pace in this technological age?

HEY LOOK AT MY FEET

We have a little soccer dynamo in our house. K is playing soccer again this year. I say that loosely because last year was like pulling teeth every game, more for my hubbie than for me. My husband took her to soccer nights every week and it was just painful. This year is a different story. She loves it and she's good at it too. She looks the part this year, all the way down to her toes. I discovered a NEAT product for your budding athlete, called CLEATSKINS.


They go over my daughter's soccer shoes, protecting her cleats and also protecting my floors. They come in cool colours. I got my daughter a pair of pink camo CLEATSKINS.



The other cool thing is she is ahead of the curve, no one else has a pair on her team and she is the envy of many of the kids and parents.

We have had many questions about where we got them. We love our pair, they are easy to get on and easy to get off. They just slip on and off. We can pull them off fast so K can get on the field and get playing.



The great thing about the product is that is comes in many colours and it isn't just for kids. It actually comes in adult sizes for many sports, like golf, baseball and football.
I think the story of Cleatskins is inspiring. The product was created by parents of three very active children. Rick Kay, a former college athlete, with his wife Marianne, were inspired to come up with Cleatskins out of necessity. After replacing yet another pair of expensive cleats for his eldest son, Rick was inspired to find a way to make cleats last longer. He and his wife experimented with a lot of things, including store bought sandals and rubber shower caps. With prototype in-hand, the two enlisted the talents of footwear experts Chris Walsh of CW Resources, Inc. and Erik Purdom of Erik Purdom Design to refine and perfect their innovation.
Cleatskins are crafted from state-of-the-art materials, the innovative SKINTEK™ rubber shell fits effortlessly over cleats to take them to the streets, so busy athletes can move on and off the field faster. And so Cleatskins were born.

I think this is going to be a great soccer season. K is turning into quiet the pro. She has scored at least 3 goals in every game so far.I think she has found her game. It is fantastic that she has found a summer sport that she likes, it's great exercise and a great way to meet new friends.




What do you do to keep your kids active?

GET READY DISNEY, HERE WE COME! AGAIN!

So we are hooked. On Disney that is.




Growing up my parents took our family, all 5 kids, to Florida every few years. A lot of those vacations included a day trip to Disney. It was a challenge I am sure for my parents to save up the money on one income to take 2 adults and 5 kids to the most Magical place on earth for kids. Now that I have children of my own, I wanted to make sure they got to experience the joy and magic of Disney. We went for the first time last year. There were 9 of us. We stayed at Disney, at the All Star Sport, a value resort. It was great value for the money and perfect for anyone with kids. The rooms were good, not huge but enough room. We had 3 rooms in total, two of them were adjoining. The pool was warm and the food was tasty, with a perfect choice for everyone in the family, even my Dad who has to eat gluten free. We were the perfect group, my parents ( now grandparents), my sister, my niece and nephew, my husband and our two children.



It was as magical as I had hoped for my kids. They were awe struck the entire two days at the park. It was so much fun we are going back again this holiday season. This year there will be 10 of us in all. This time we are going to stay 3 nights, 4 days.



I have to say I have learned a lot from our last Grand Gathering visit. This time I have done a lot more research, asked more questions and searched on the Internet more. I must admit advice, tips and tricks from other mothers has really paid off. The main Disney site was helpful, including the live chat option where you can chat live on line with a Disney agent, and a site I recently discovered that is all this Disney, unofficially that is. It's call AllEars.net . There is also fellow Mommy and twitter friend Resourceful Mommy, she has a Disney section on her blog.

This year we are putting a plan together, what park to go to first, what rides to go to, etc, in an effect to make it the most fun it can be. We want to get the most we can out of our trip.

The kids can hardly wait. I can hardly wait. There is too much excitement and we are still months away.

What's your favourite ride, story or memory of Disney? Would love to hear your tips, tricks or advice about going to Disney.

LAUGH YOUR STRESS AWAY

Having a bad day? Stressed? Who hasn't said at the end of a stressful day, " Boy I could use a good laugh!" Well it might just be what the doctor ordered for sure. Research shows there are great benefits from laughter. It can do your body good, physically, emotionally and mentally. So it was interesting to me when I discovered something called Laughter Yoga. There are clubs and classes all across Canada, and the world for that matter. It is slowly gaining popularity.

Wendy Woods of Watershed Training Solutions and a laughter yoga instructor tells me it has great stress buster benefits. She says you won't be doing yoga stretches while telling jokes, but you will be laughing a lot and using breathing and stretching techniques to help you get yogic benefits.

Check out my article at http://www.amotherworld.com/ for more on laughter yoga and it's stress busting benefits

GET MOVING

So as I mentioned in an earlier post, my girls ran in a kids fun run. I was thrilled they were even interested in signing up but I was more than proud when they ran the run, finishing it all by them selves.

I will be the first to admit that I am not the most active or athletic person these days. I wish I was, and while I have excuses, none of the are really a reason that I am not moving more these days. When I was a child I was very active, I was a gymnast, a soccer player, basketball player, swimmer and there wasn't a single summer day that I wasn't out on my bicycle. Today, life and work have gotten in my way and now I am just out of shape ( I am ashamed to say). I could do with losing a few pounds but more than that I would like to be in better shape, to be able to keep up with my kids.

My children, like most children, are busy. They are up in the morning and outside before breakfast, riding bikes, scooters, skipping, running and playing.

According to Active Healthy Kids Canada's annual report on physical activity, Canadian youngsters get a failing grade when it comes to getting active. In 2008, 87 per cent of children and youth did not get the recommended minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day.

Despite the large proportion of children not meeting the guidelines, it's still an improvement compared to 2006, when 91 per cent of kids weren't reaching the target according Active Healthy Kids Canada. The biggest culprits? TV, computers and video games.

Those numbers are sad. Children should be active, enjoying the world. Most children are carefree. Most adults should be too. I am making a pledge to be more active, whether it's walking instead of taking the elevator or walking around the block or even going to the gym!

What are you doing to keep moving and get your family more active?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY