parenting – Page 13 – A Southern Mother

Making Education Fun With SimplyFun

asouthernmother

April 27, 2015

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions contained herein are entirely my own.

Do you want your child’s first educational experience to be fun? SimplyFun® wants to help make their educational experience fun by incorporating play with educational game play. I love the excitement on my son’s face when he learns a new skill or master’s a new word. He tells me that he stores things in his “big brain”, but he’s just a typical 5 year old. SimplyFun® has games available for a wide variety of ages and skill levels. We love family game night, and I love when I can incorporate educational/skill-building activities into our family game night. We also try to spend any free time that we have watching these YoutTube learning songs so that even when he’s getting ready for bed, or if we’re going on a long journey that he still has the opportunity to learn new things. These videos also allow him to build upon any skills that he has already learnt during family game night, amongst other things.

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Life On A Farm Can Be Dirty

asouthernmother

March 30, 2015

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurellWipes #CollectiveBias

I may not deal with the cattle, but the rest of the farm can be just as dirty. I spent part of last summer wading through dirt and mud to work in the garden; this year we already have a new flock of chicks and seeds started in greenhouse trays. Gabe is typically in the middle of everything, trying to “help” me. It’s easy for his dirty little hands to wipe dirt and germs near his mouth, and then I have to deal with a sick child. We don’t always have access to soap and water out on the farm, which makes washing your hands nearly impossible. I found a solution to that dirty little hand washing problem. PURELL® Hand Sanitizing Wipes let us sanitize our hands without running in the house to the bathroom or contaminating every doorknob in the house getting there. I also found that carrying around a bottle of Hand Sanitizer Canada was particularly convenient when I needed to quickly sanitize my hands before entering the house.

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Pacifier Struggles? Check Out Pica Pacifier

asouthernmother

March 10, 2015

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Are you struggling to get your baby or toddler to ditch their pacifier? The struggle is real for many parents and children. I read about pacifier problems on my Facebook feed and hear it from my friends. I was introduced to a neat app called Pica Pacifier to help you and your child over come the struggle, and ditch that pacifier for good.

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A Lesson About Chinese New Year

asouthernmother

February 5, 2015

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

#NewYearFortune #CollectiveBias

I think a great way to raise tolerant, compassionate, and educated children is to expose them to as many different cultures and customs as possible. Personally, I want my son to understand that other children look, speak, eat, and talk differently from him, and that is okay. Travel is a great way to do that, but not everyone has the financial means to do so. Thankfully, with the internet and a few good maps, we can bring another country and culture to our home. In a week or so China will celebrate the Chinese New Year. Gabe and I have been talking about China and the celebration with the help of authentic restaurant inspired Tai Pei® frozen foods. I have a few suggestions about how you can celebrate the Chinese New Year in your home and teach your children about the festive holiday.

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Fandango Gift Cards Holiday Giveaway

asouthernmother

December 11, 2014

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We love to go to the movies, and that is why I love partnering with Fandango. I can remember the first movie that I ever took Gabe to, but he will never remember it. Shamelessly, I couldn’t miss seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1, so I took my 8 month old son to the movies with me. From that day forward, he and I have shared a love of going to the theater. We even had a movie routine for a year or so. He and I would go to Saturday 5pm mass, grab a bite to eat, and go catch a movie. It was fun spending time together, doing something that we both enjoyed. Do you love to go to the movies? With the help of Fandango, I thought I would spread a little holiday cheer. I’m giving away one grand prize $50 Fandango gift card, and two $25 Fandango gift cards to three lucky winners. Are you feeling lucky?

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Remembering Mrs. Cole: American Education Week

asouthernmother

December 4, 2014

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American Education Week inspired me to reflect upon my experiences with educators, and share a story about the lasting impact of an educator on a community and myself. Last year, while working as a news reporter, I covered a fundraiser for an elementary school in my hometown; it was just before the May primary election. A gentleman who was running for County Judge Executive was given a brief moment to speak. He talked about growing up in the area, attending the school many years ago, and he specifically named the teachers that had a profound influence on his life. One of the teachers the gentleman named was Rose Garland Cole. She had taught for over 40 years in the county, and had been retired from teaching for 20 years when she died in 2011.
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Thirteen years after her death, and decades after he had been in her classroom, this man still recalled the impact she had on him. American Education Week was established to honor educators including teachers and support staff, and celebrate public education. Today, I’m honoring the staff at Shwab Elementary, the amazing educators involved in my life, and a teacher named Mrs. Cole.

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From the mouth of my “babe”: Thoughtful Thursday

asouthernmother

June 19, 2014

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There is never a dull moment around my four year old son. He is overly friendly, silly, inquisitive, and
occasionally down right ornery, and the mixture of those traits often leaves me amused and/or frustrated.

We were on our way back from a mini-vacation in Chicago, which shouldn’t be much more than a 6 hour road trip. Our trip back took close to 9.5 hours; if there was a traffic jam, construction, or a 100 foot bridge beam requiring a police escort and 25 mph interstate speed, we encountered it.

We decided to stop in Lafayette, Indiana to get lunch and use the restroom. I rarely stop for extended periods of time, but I noticed the Chick-fil-a had an indoor playground and Gabe needed a break.

Gabe and I headed to the restroom before we got lunch. A tiny little old lady followed us into the bathroom, and Gabe and I held the door. There were only two stalls. Gabe sat down on the toilet, when he was disturbed by a rather loud noise.

The lady who entered the stall next door was having some obvious intestinal discomfort. She let out a very large fart and then it sounded like she was emptying the contents of her digestive tract in the most unpleasant way.

Poop happens, but I wasn’t prepared for my son’s response.

“Do you feel better?”, he yelled across the stall.

I immediately shushed him, and tried not to laugh.

She heard him; there wasn’t more than 3 feet of air space between us and a tin metal stall wall.

I was mortified, but I wasn’t sure why. My sweet little boy was just concerned for his neighbor across the stall.

We waited patiently in our stall until she left the bathroom. I couldn’t bare to cross her path, I feared that I would giggle over what my son said and offend her.

Everyone has tummy troubles in a public restroom at least once in their life, but they generally aren’t asked about it by a four year old.

Later I realized that I should have taken the opportunity to tell him that he did the right thing, even though it was at the most inopportune time. It was needlessly embarrassing to me.

He was a four year old little boy showing concern for someone that he didn’t know. I could learn from his example. Gabe reminded me that I need to take the time to check on my friends, and to not take life so seriously.