5 Tips to Help Your Kids Develop Self-Esteem

KidzaniaIt is often said that kids don’t come with a handbook. While there are plenty of books out there on the subject of raising children, including those that teach you the basics of feeding and bathing, as well as those that cover cognitive development, physical milestones, and psychological growth, none can offer a blueprint that tells you exactly how to raise your child. Kids do tend to follow predictable patterns, but they’re all individuals, and you can only do your best as a parent to help them grow and develop properly. That said, there are steps you can take to achieve particular ends with your kids. If, for example, you want to ensure that your children develop the strong self-esteem that will help them to succeed in every area of life, here are a few tips to help you out.

  1. Pose challenges. A person’s sense of self-worth can revolve around accomplishments, and in a very real way, one success can lead to another. As a parent, you not only have the ability to teach your children their very first lessons in life, but also to help them achieve their first successes. This starts with simple tasks like getting dressed, brushing teeth, tying shoes, and picking up toys, just for example. But as your kids begin to develop their motor and cognitive functions you can create more challenging tasks for them to complete, potentially increasing their self-esteem. If you continue to challenge them throughout their youth they will be better prepared to deal with the curveballs [Read more…]

Vacations with an Amish Flair in Lancaster, PA

Most of us spend our day to day lives feeling pulled in a thousand directions, and almost everyone I meet classifies themselves as a “busy” person. When it’s time to get away, scenic Lancaster, PA is one of the best places for a slower paced, laid back atmosphere to unwind in a family friendly environment. There is plenty to do (and eat), but you will never feel overwhelmed, rushed, or hurried. These are some of our favorite Amish-inspired destinations in Lancaster, one of our favorite places to spend time as a family.

All aboard the Strasburg Railroad! with the friendly conductor

The Strasburg Railroad is the home to many restored trains from around the USA. Many train fanatics call this site the best historic railroad in America for visitors, and for good reason. Recognized as one of the most significant historic railroads in the USA, the Strasburg Railroad has acquired historic trains from all over the country, and recently celebrated operating for 50 years as a tourist railroad It is one of the remaining stations where you and your family can ride the refurbished trains and steam engines. This station is large, restored, and maintained beautifully- a source of pride for [Read more…]

5 Great Family Winter Vacation Ideas

Winter is a great time to take advantage of the season and get your family into an environment that it’s never experienced before or doesn’t get to experience very often. Wintertime is a great opportunity to use some of those vacation days and spend your time snuggling up with those that are the most important to you as the days get colder and shorter at the same time. Vacation is a blast when you’re making the best of your cold temperatures, and we’ll talk about some of the best ideas for you and your family when you see that it’s starting to get colder out. It’s easier than you might have thought to get a great vacation out of the coldest time of the year!

1. The Cabin in the Woods. Perhaps the most classic winter vacation idea, you can always go with the good, old-fashioned cabin in the woods. There are plenty of locations that will make cabin rentals an easy reality when you and your family want to get out, and a low-tech vacation experience is a great way to bond with those to whom you’re closest. You can go as modern or as rustic as you want — your cabin can be equipped with modern amenities, or you can try and have a screen-free weekend with a deck of cards and a few good books. The possibilities are endless when you’ve got your very own cabin in the snow for a week or so.

2. New York City! The city that never sleeps is a blast during the winter, and the closer you go to Christmas, the more festive and interesting things have a tendency [Read more…]

Top 5 Tips for Traveling With a Special Needs Child

Family vacations always create a lifetime worth of memories, but also bring with
them more than a fair amount of stress. Sure, it’s always great to reconnect with your
family and spend time with the kids away from the worries of your everyday life. But
your best laid plans can go horribly wrong, and even under ideal circumstances you’re
going to do battle with grumpy and hungry kids, traffic, and unexpected changes in your
itinerary. Now if you are traveling with a special needs child, you’ve got another level of
worry to manage. There’s no reason why you and your special needs kids can’t have the
same kind of fantastic trip that other families enjoy, as long as you do the proper amount
of planning. Here are five of the top tips to help you travel with your special needs
child.

First of all, make sure you seriously research your chosen destination. You don’t
necessarily have to have every minute of the trip laid out, but if you’re not at least
aware of the possible pitfalls, you could end up dealing with something unexpected
that really ruins things. The key is handling all of the preparation without making your
child feel awkward or different. Reach out to all of the companies assisting you with
travel, the hotels you will stay with, and any other aspects of your trip to insure they
are prepared to handle any of your child’s special requirements. That way any medical,
physical or dietary needs will be covered, and you can rest easy and actually enjoy your
trip. But pull together a list of top contacts, so you know where all the pharmacies are
around your destination, and be clear before you leave that all of your chosen spots are
accessible for your child if he or she has any physical limitations.

Whether you are traveling by plane, car, train or horseback, chances are there will
be a moment when your child’s patience wanes. Since you would probably prefer to
arrive at [Read more…]

Honeywell EnergySmart® Surround Select Ceramic Heater Review

With winter just around the corner, who doesn’t have the need for a Space Heater? I live in the middle of Kansas, where we have extremely cold winters!! My husband is definitely pretty frugal (I think that’s the best way to put it 🙂 ). He always likes to wait and see how long he can wait to turn on the heat. It was definitely no big deal when it was just the two of us, because I LOVE to snuggle up with blankets, but now that we have 2 younger children, it really isn’t an option for us to do!!

This past weekend it was already in the high 20s/low 30s! I was all for turning on the heater, but my husband of course was reluctant! SO, I recently received the Honeywell EnergySmart Surround Select Ceramic Heater to review! I couldn’t have been any happier. I KNEW this is one product that I most definitely could thoroughly test, as well as get some great use out of!

I decided it was definitely time to break it out of the box!! I got it out and read some of the instructions, to make sure that I didn’t mess anything up 🙂

Here are some of the features of the Heater:

  • Ceramic Technology for quiet, even heating
  • EnergySmart Digital Controls
  • 180 degree feature for directional heating
  • 360 degree tip over protection
  • Cool TouchCarrying Handle
  • Two heat modes
  • Programmable thermostat
  • 1-8 hour timer
  • 3 year warranty


My Thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED it. It works wonderful. Our living room is fairly large, so I wasn’t sure that it would be able to warm us up, but it definitely did. We were almost to the point of being hot. I LOVE the Cool carrying [Read more…]

Mending Things With Dad

Some dads wish to reconnect with their kids; however, they may not carry the knowledge necessary for taking on such a task. The information below may help a father establish a relationship with his offspring:

Take a Trip

If a father wishes to make a connection with his child, it is a terrific idea to consider going on a trip. The trip does not have to imply spending a lot of money; it is essential to aim for something that is enjoyable for everybody. Some fathers may wish to take to the road. They may wish to go camping or otherwise explore the highway in an RV acquired through Dave Arbogast RVs or any local RV dealer. If a father does not wish to use a car, it is possible to purchase a plane ticket and fly to a suitable destination. It is up to the parent to decide on something appropriate and affordable.

Be There When Necessary

It is not enough to organize a road trip; if a father wishes to make amends, he should be there when his child needs him. If his child calls him on the phone, he should answer it; if he cannot, he should call the child back as soon as possible. It is a poor idea to procrastinate. The child may assume that the father does not care. If a child has a question or problem, the father should attempt to help. The father should also call the child as often as possible.

Listen and Pay Attention

Listening skills are vital for any relationship; a child should feel that he or she [Read more…]

Win Tickets to How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular Ticket Giveaway @DWdragonslive

You don’t want to miss How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular when it comes to East Rutherford late September27-30. Visit the website at http://dreamworksdragonslive.com/ for more information.

THE MOST TECHNICALLY ADVANCED TOUR INTEGRATING ANIMATRONICS, PROJECTIONS, LIVE CAST AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES.

• Global Creatures & DreamWorks have partnered to bring the Academy-Award nominated film to life with real flying, fire-breathing dragons.

• The production is four years in the making.

• The production has the largest number of animatronics ever to tour the globe.

• The Red Death Dragon is the largest animatronic ever built by Creature Technology Company at over 40 feet high [Read more…]

CHIMPANZEE out on Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD

Chimpanzee is an adorable Disney movie that follows the life of little Oscar, who early on gives filmmakers a run for their money when unforeseeable events occur. The outcome, while brought about by tragedy, is a touching experience and a film that your whole family you will enjoy.

I thought I would try something a little different with this movie review- [Read more…]