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Leave Your Kids at Home

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Recently there was a story in the news about a mother who is accused of putting her five year old daughter in a tanning bed. I don’t know if this woman is guilty or not but she certainly is fond of tanning. As a single mother I’ve had to take Hailey lots of places that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. When I went to the emergency room, not only did she go with me, she had to drive me, with only a learners permit because I was in too much pain to drive myself. I will never forget how frightened … Continue reading →

President Obama Angers School Kids

I suppose I would be irate too if was a school-hating 10-year-old who just learned that the President of the United States was trying to institute a law that would essentially eliminate summer vacation. Forget about three months of free time to swim and snooze in the sun. According to reports, President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan want longer school days and a move toward a “balanced” or year round calendar for school kids. Translation: If Obama gets his way, summer vacation would be dramatically reduced and endless nights of firefly catching and smore making will be a thing … Continue reading →

Travel Gadget For Kids–The Review

Regular readers of my blogs know that I am a mother of a toddler, someone who travels quite a bit, and a self-professed “sucker for new products.” So when I see a new product that says it is made “especially for the traveling toddler,” I figure the manufacturer is speaking directly to me. Such is the case with the “Seat Chiller.” The “Seat Chiller” is exactly that—a product specifically designed to “chill” your child’s car seat on a hot day. Okay, so I live in Wisconsin, where you can count on one hand the number of days that the mercury … Continue reading →

High-Tech Tool to Keep Trick-or-Treaters Safe

Long before Colorado authorities discovered the mutilated remains of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway in an open field, and New Jersey investigators found 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale’s body dumped in a recycling container, I never considered allowing my 8-year-old daughter to trick-or-treat alone… or even with a group of friends. In Jessica’s case, she was snatched earlier this month while making the 1,000-foot walk to her school. Late Tuesday, 17-year-old Austin Reed Sigg was arrested and charged with her horrific death. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, police recently arrested 15-year-old Justin Robinson and his 17-year-old brother for allegedly murdering Autumn in order to obtain … Continue reading →

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of July 16, 2012

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Each week, the Special Needs Podcast Roundup brings you brand new episodes of podcasts that discuss topics that are relevant to parents of children who have special needs. Subjects could focus on a particular special need, Special Education, and more! The Coffee Klatch released an episode on July 10, 2012. This episode is called “Anthony Petrucci Filmmaker- Mina Martin”. This episode discusses a film called “Mina Martin” that was created by filmmaker Anthony Petrucci. The film is about school violence and the bullying epidemic. As you may already know, kids who have special needs are more likely to become the … Continue reading →

Help Your Child Stay Safe

One of the worst things about becoming a single parent was that Hailey became a latch key kid for the first time. I worried constantly, you only have to watch the news for a few minutes to see all the danger that lurks outside of your door, and if you check the National Sex Offender Registry it becomes even more frightening. After the divorce we lived in an apartment for the first time in Hailey’s life, she went from being driven to school and picked up by her day care bus to being responsible for herself before and after school. … Continue reading →

What is the Perfect Age To Stay Alone?

How old is old enough? How young is too young? How do you decide? When you are a single mother one of the biggest financial outlays comes from daycare. Depending on the age of your child, number of children and where you live, daycare can be your biggest monthly expense. Most of us will happily pay the money for the peace of mind of knowing our child is safe while we work. Every day we make decisions, starting as soon as they are born, taking a quick shower while the baby naps is ok but is running to the basement … Continue reading →

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of September 13, 2011

Podcasts about parenting are fairly easy to find. Podcasts episodes that are focused on parenting children who have special needs are not nearly as easy to locate. Every week, the Special Needs Podcast Roundup brings you a whole list of interesting podcasts that focus on topics relevant to parents of kids who have special needs. The Parents Journal has an episode that was released on September 12, 2011. This episode is only six minutes long. The topic is “A plan to stop school bullying”. The guest on this episode is Rick Phillips, who is the co-author of “Safe School Ambassadors”. … Continue reading →

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of July 26, 2011

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There are two main types of special needs podcasts out there. Some of them focus each and every episode on a topic that is relevant to parents of children who have special needs. Others occasionally touch on this subject, or just do one episode, one time. This week’s Special Needs Podcast Roundup has a whole lot of stuff for you to listen to. Science Update released an episode on June 28, 2011 called “Deaf Vision”. Host Bob Hirshon talks with University of Sheffield neuroscientist Charlotte Codina about a finding that she and her colleagues made. They learned that people who … Continue reading →

New Traditions

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One thing that really seemed to change when I got divorced were our family traditions. Suddenly, they seemed a little empty when it was just the two of us. It became almost easier just to forget about all of our old traditions rather than remind my daughter that her father wasn’t there to share them. For us, the first holidays that came up after the divorce were the summer ones, July 4th, and because we live in Utah, July 24th. Parades, barbeques and fireworks were something we did as a family. That first year we ate sandwiches and watched the … Continue reading →