One of the Best Reasons Kids Play Team Sports!

Kids Look So Cool in Jean Jackets!

So today my daughter had a tag day which means the kids can wear what she calls "regular clothes" (for the low low price of $1.00 to go to a charity) instead of her uniform. That constitutes a really good day of school when you are in first grade. You add the fact that it is Friday and the sun is out and life could not get any better. It is also the day that Mom gets to sit back and let her wear whatever she wants as long as it's clean and no inappropriate body parts are revealed - and yes you even have to watch that in first grade these days!. I was esctatic when she decided to wear something I would love her to wear (without telling her of course). The icing on the cake for me was when she decided to wear the jean jacket that she recently got for her birthday. I know for a fact that when you are 7 you do not have any idea the significance that a jean jacket is or will be in your life. Beside myself with joy cuz she looked so cute but since I am not allowed to call her cute I pronounced, "you look so cool in that outfit"! Feeling pride and success at weathering this "wear what you want" storm I was hit with this response...."Mom I do not want to be cool I want to be pretty"! Isn't cool just another word for pretty? Who knows... but that is what I told my cute, cool looking little girl as she got out of the car and ran into school.

Mom Are You in Love With Him?

After weeks and weeks of trying different recommendations from a large variety of people (techies and non-techies) I finally decided I needed to have a computer person come to my house to fix my computer...I could no longer live without it (the computer that is). So I got a recommendation from a friend of the guy she used and he comes to your house because he has a "day job". My daughter did not seem that interested in the "computer guy" as she called him - (she named him because he came to our house multiple times due to the severity of the problem/s!). She ate dinner, watched a TV show, (yes of course it was a PBS show) and got her pjs on. I sat with the computer guy to answer any questions he had. As I went to take my daughter to bed I told him that if he needed me to call upstairs and I would be right down. Thus commenced the bedtime routine of teeth brushing, book reading, prayer saying, and goodnighting (you know the thing that goes on forever). All snuggled in I told her I needed to get back downstairs in case the computer guy needed me. Her response, "Mom are you in love with him"? "I don't really know him honey, we just met". "Well then Mom do you think he is in love with someone else"? Another great parenting opportunity staring me right between the eyes.....but I decided the discussion about "in love" was for a different time...tonight I just really wanted my computer fixed....

HealthyChildren.org - Physical Activity: Make the Right Choice for Your Child

HealthyChildren.org - Physical Activity: Make the Right Choice for Your Child

Do You Need Oxygen to Sew?

While driving to school today I was enjoying the uncharacteristic silence from my daughter. It is a rainy Monday so that quiet just seemed to fit. Then comes the question that breaks the silence. My daughter has a tendency to ask me things that can not be answered easily - you know that question that you don't want to say too much because it will take you to a place you are not ready to go (like "Mom how does a baby get in your tummy - not a rainy Monday morning question!). But I was psyched because she asked me "do you breath in the same air that you just breathed out"? I was thrilled to answer this question because I actually went to school to learn of such things. So I went into what I felt was a concise answer to oxygen in, carbon dioxide out...adding a little lesson on oxygen is the thing muscles need to help you run fast and climb the monkey bars. Explained that when she breathes harder while running it is so her body can get more oxygen to help her muscles work hard. Proud of myself I asked "so what do you think"? Her response - "I forgot to sew today" - "sew what" I say - "buttons Mom - I like to sew buttons on when I find them". I clearly understand that she had no interest in my lesson and was not listening but could some learned person help me understand oxygen-carbon dioxide thingee to sewing buttons?!

Why Rollerblading!?

My daughter decided she wanted to learn how to rollerblade. Okay that sounds good. So we go out and buy "the equipment" that is appropriate for a beginner - wrist, knee, elbow pads for sure. I used to rollerblade for exercise and it was a lot of fun but even then I knew that it could be classified as a dangerous sport. Dangerous how you ask? Let me give you an example - don't tell my sister that I am putting this in print but -when we first started rollerblading (in our 20's I think) she fell and bruised her tailbone and it was incredibly painful....after that she would not rollerblade unless she wore ice hockey pants with the extra padding - fashion statement indeed. So.....I took my daughter with all her apparatus to a local parking lot to teach her how to skate. I felt very much in control of the lesson because I chose wisely not to wear my rollerblades. My reasoning was that I could better guide her and catch her when she fell. Truly I realized that somehow when you cross that 40 year old mark you acquire this instinctive knowledge that activities such as rollerblading are for the young not the young at heart. Luckily she seemed to learn fairly quickly but I on the other hand was traumatized the entire time. Teaching her how to ride a bike seemed alot more sensible. I don't remember rollerblading being so scary when I was doing it but watching my 7 year old pick up speed on those darn skates and then try to stop before hitting the curb nearly did me in! We have gone out a couple times to practice since then. She continues to improve and I continue to be traumatized. My advice is - let someone else you trust teach your child rollerblading. That way you don't have to see it but can feel good that your child has learned another great activity that improves balance, strength, endurance with a bunch of fun included.

Exercise and Kids

7 Year Old's Quote of the Day

One of my favorite things about being a Mom is the every day discussions with my daughter. I love how kids seem to take phrases they hear from adults and make them their own in a kid-kind-a-way. So begins the "Seven Year Old's Quote of the Day".

"Mom I slept so good last night....as a log"!

Check out this site for great play ideas for your kids: http://www.fungameskidsplay.com

The Smiles of Success

Today was opening day for my daughter's softball league and what a great day it was! Sunny, breezy (well really 20 mph gusts that made parents just freezing on the sidelines). The girls are in the the 5 - 8 year old division and believe me there is quite a bit of playing in the dirt, picking at the grass and I even saw one girl that completed a full cartwell while in the outfield - and no it was not my daughter...this time anyway! When any player gets a hit the grin on her face as she runs to first base is priceless. It is so funny to see a player hold the glove out as a fly ball comes her way - it seems common practice to open your mouth as wide as possible when trying to catch the pop up - don't have enough data yet to see if it really works but the girls sure seem to think so - maybe it is a reflex..I don't know but it is definitely a trend. But for me the absolute best thing that happens at every game I see is the girls cheering for their teammates, the coach's huddle at the beginning and end of the game, and most importantly, the line-up at the end so both teams can shake hands with each other. Team play has a wonderful way of teaching kids how to win, lose, and work together with others. The skills of the particular sport are valuable physical lessons but it is indeed the feeling that a child gets when being a part of something special.....I love it everytime I see it.

Active Play - What Parents Can Do

View my article for tips on creating an active environment for your kids at:

http://ezinearticles.com/?ActivePlay---What-Parents-Can-Do&id=4096704