Shelly discusses how to look at things in a different way and spell your family name with things around your house or in a building. Nancy interviews an expert on taking beach photos. Make sure you check out the photos on the website to see the great results and read comments from Steffani on her reactions!
These are Shelly’s Results:
These are our friend Steffani’s results and her comments about how this has helped her kids:
“I let them each child take the camera and find things around the house that could look like the letters in their first name. After they took the pictures, we edited them on our computer, cropping them so that the most important part was revealing the letter. It was a ton of fun. I have our last name one printed up in a small oblong frame and underneath “Packer” it says, “Home is where the most important things happen” because all of the things we used for our letters were found in our own home. I want to have their first names printed out in 4×6 and deco-page them to wooden blocks to put in their room. That part hasn’t happened yet. But . . . I have noticed that the kids (after doing this–even CY) are always pointing things out as we drive or go places. ”Hey, that looks like an M! or K!” I think it is helpful in their brain development and creativity to think outside the box.
Stacey talks about her courageous decision to bring one child home from school. This is a great discussion about listening to the needs of your child and helping them become the best person they can be.
Kathy Peel, America’s Family Manager, discusses how do couples divvy up laundry, kitchen duty and other household jobs— fairly and without resentment. Kathy’s new book is a great follow-up to her Busy Mom’s Guide (we consider it our moms bible).
If you happen to be caught in Snowmageddon, you might need a super-duper snow removal tool. Even if you are not in Snowmageddon, if you get snow each year, you need a good tool because let’s face it, more often than not a woman removes the snow (don’t know how that happened, but it is always that way around here).
Last year, Nancy started the search for the perfect tool and this year, she found one–a bit pricy, but worth every penny: The Masi Nova Snow Pusher. This innovative baby comes from Finland where they get tons of snow and it works WONDERS! First off, I used it on a day when we got 6 inches of snow and I was able to clean off my 4-car driveway and do the sidewalks in less time than my neighbor could snow-blow his 3 car driveway.
It takes a bit of a learning curve because you never lift the snow like with a shovel: You push it with your body weight to a location and dump it. So, my back never hurt. But, I designated a location to move the snow (we were building a sledding hill) and easily moved the snow to one location (the plow slides easily so you can move a large amount of snow without breaking a sweat). There is a so-so YouTube Video, but it shows you how it works.
Honestly, the Masi Nova is so much fun, that my hubby came out and tried it AFTER I finished the entire driveway, walk and sidewalk. He liked it so much that he did our neighbor’s driveway and the rest of the sidewalk to the end of the street. Then, the next day when it snowed, he got up early to be the first one to use it (no exaggeration). Now that is worth the $80 price tag right there if your hubby gets up early to shovel!
The snow does not stick to this plow and I hardly got a workout from using it because it was so easy. And it stored in our shed easily even though it moves about 5 times more snow in each pass as a shovel (it almost clears the entire sidewalk width in one pass).
You can purchase from the US-based Masi dealer (kari.t@finnsmart.com / Cell 917-518-4791 / Adress Kari Tikkanen / 138W 4th Str / West Islip / NY 11795) or you can search online and find it at several online stores (see Primo Shop for more info and pictures) .
There are other snow plows (also called scoops) made by other companies but I like this one for its size and durability. Even though it costs more, the construction means it will last longer than the cheaper ones. Also, other people use it for other yard chores like scooping the horse poop or gathering up branches. You will see in their comments (you can do a Google search for more info).
Shelly also liked the Masi Nova. She has a shovel she likes as well called the Blizzard Buster.
Getting your hands on this shovel is really hard to do, but Shelly swears it is wortht he $30-40 price. You have to know the model number to find one online ( SEY PP100). She likes it because it easily pushes snow out of the way without back pain. When Nancy tried it, it was very good for a shovel, but she is in love with the Masi Nova and won’t go back.
The MOM Podcast (Moms on a Mission) hosts discuss the importance of documenting your family life for your children and for yourself. Stacey has great ideas even for the slacker mom.
I wanted to get the word out about a real program that several of my friends have participated in: AFLAC insurance that covers you after you have a baby.
The program is ending on Feb 12, 2010 so if you are planning on having a baby this year or you know someone, please forward this info to them along with contact info… for a great person who can help them understand the program. For a monthly payment of $117, AFLAC pays out $3-4,000 in benefits but you must start the policy BEFORE you become pregnant.IMPORTANT: THIS IS A REAL PROGRAM AND I GET NO MONEY FOR PASSING THIS INFO ON TO YOU.
You can set up an appointment by contacting Julie Ellis directly at: 801-735-9691 or by sending an email at julie_ellis@us.aflac.com.
Please let Julie know that you got the info from me so that she knows we sent this email out. If you already have this insurance, then you are OK. Your coverage will remain in force. However, if you decide to cancel this policy, then you will be unable to get this again.The number one way couples have learned about this insurance is from a friend sharing the news that Aflac pays cash after having a baby! The problem is that we don’t know if our friends and family are trying to have a baby until it’s too late. So, PLEASE forward this email to them, so they can take advantage of this insurance before it’s gone.
Isa Herrera, author of Ending Female Pain dedicated her career to helping women find relief from conditions that arise from pregnancy, labor and birth. She discusses her book, common problems and a special Webinar being held January 24, 2010 on C-Section issues.
All marital relationships go through changes when children enter the picture. Sometimes, as women we set aside our personal needs or the needs of our spouse because we think the kids have to come first. Dr. Juli Slattery, author of No More Headaches: Enjoying Sex and Intimacy in Marriage takes a loving and intimate relationship-oriented look at how to increase our marital strength through our sexual relationships.
Sometimes what you expect to happen in life is not what you get. We discuss how we have dealt with these times in our own lives and what we have learned from the experiences.
So sorry for the after holiday delay. We are getting back in the swing of things and will have new shows posted starting at the end of this week. We will also be launching the MOM Podcast as its own podcast later in January so look for double the great info from your friends!
Dr. James D MacArthur, author of Everyday Parents Raising Great Kids discusses one simple thing we can do as parents to make all the difference in our children’s development. If you do nothing else, this can change the way you parent and the life of your child.
We discuss having pets and when one dies or has to go to a different family. We talk how kids deal with the situation and how we as moms feel as well as when is the best time to have a pet.
We discuss when kids become brand aware and whether it can be detrimental to them or helpful in some ways. We get advice from a professor studying brand awareness and tell about our own experience from kids who watch no TV to kids who use brands to help in the social issues of the teenage years to young children just becoming brand-aware.
Mark Hamilton, CEO of Just Ask Baby, discusses findings that show that too many toys can be very detrimental to their development. ‘The Truth About Toys for Infants’ – written by eminent child development expert David Elkind Ph.D. and available as a free download from http://www.justaskbaby.com/ebooks – lifts the lid on the inherent conflict between manufacturers’ need to generate profits and children’s need to learn and develop. In the report, Professor Elkind cautions against buying too many different toys, particularly ones that may over-stimulate a child.
“A toy-packed crib presents the infant with too many colors, shapes, textures and sounds at one time, which can overwhelm an infant,” said Professor Elkind, Just Ask Baby’s Chief Scientific Advisor. “The golden rule of providing toys for a child is less is best.”
According to Professor Elkind, author of more than a dozen books including ‘The Hurried Child’ and ‘The Power of Play,’ infants process information much more slowly than adults. “A baby learns a great deal from playing with the same toy over an extended period of time,” he said. “Variety may be the spice of life, but not when it comes to infant learning.”
“This is not what toy manufacturers want parents to know”, says Mark Hamilton, founder of Just Ask Baby. “The toy industry is a multi-million dollar business, and parents are faced with a barrage of advertising trying to sell them toys for their children, regardless of whether they are good for children’s development or not,” said Hamilton. “Many advertisements even make parents feel that some toys have educational benefits, when the scientific evidence in Professor Elkind’s report points to the opposite conclusion.”
“A young infant may learn most from a set of colorful wooden blocks, which they can use to learn and understand shape and texture,” said Hamilton. “But there is more money in selling parents a ‘baby laptop’ and associated games and add-ons, for example, than in selling wooden blocks.”
Just Ask Baby, a company and the world’s first broadcast-quality online, on-demand TV channel for parents, released a free e-book that details how too many different toys can actually hinder the development of infants, and provides some tips for parents wondering what toys are best for their children.
We talk to Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA Media) about several products that solve problems. Then we talk about the Levana 20 Baby Monitor. To learn more about these products, listen to the podcast and click below.
Illustrator Sarah Jane Wright discusses how she turned her passion for art into a business that now employs others in only a few years. Check out her discussion and her blog at http://www.sarahjanestudios.com/blog/.
Rita Harrison discusses the 7 most common areas that people have weaknesses in. If you haven’t taken the FREE assessment, take it and learn what you can do to strengthen your life.
If you haven’t purchased My Memories Suite or are thinking about giving it as a gift, make sure you click through our site to get 25% off the price. Then, if you use the code HOLIDAY10OFF, you can get an additional 10% off! That’s a great total of 35% off! We love this software! This offer is good through 12/31/09
I want to tell you about a great resource for parents called Kids Eat For. Kids Eat For is great for parents who want to eat out but aren’t sure where kids eat free. Great for around town or on vacation since you can download Kids Eat For right to your iPhone or Android, have the offers right at your finger tips.
You can see kid menus, Yelp reviews, search easily and use other features. You’re sure to find a great place to eat no matter where you are. The UI for the mobile applications have been updated to include the kid menus and Yelp. The easy to read search results make it so you’re sure to find a fun, local eatery to try across the US and now Canada.
Rita Harrison discusses the FREE Intentional Creation Assessment and how you can take it. We also discuss our feelings about it. In Part 2, we discuss the 7 most common areas that people have weaknesses in. So, take the assessment after listening to the show and then listen next week to learn what you can do to strengthen your life.
Dr. Mary Egan discusses when your child’s reaction to a new food is really a food allergy and what to do. She also discusses other allergies and issues that plague little ones.
Lindsay talks about Sitter City and how she found someone to help her juggle the dance of kids and responsibilities. If you are worried about how to hire someone to help with your kids, this is a great show for you.
We discuss products that solve problems such as fear of monsters and nightmares, kids who won’t wear winter hats, getting stains out, creating family memories, calling hands free while driving, games for the family, and the way to keep your floor really clean. We talk to the mom-creator of Bye Bye Monster Shop and Sharon of Parent Tested Parent Approved.
Claire Lerner of ZERO to THREE joins us to talk about why kids lie and what is the best way to approach it. We talk about the 3-10 years in this show and will talk about older kids on another show.
Professional Organizer and Podcaster Laura Lawrence explains how to organize the chaos of paper and other things coming into your home to reclaim peace, sanity, and possibly some extra cash! Check out more of her podcasts!
Rita Harrison discusses how to manage our expectations.
Rita is a 6 Advisors Coach. For more on the Hartman Value Profile assessment and the 6 Advisors Coaching Program visit www.6advisors.com. Take a free assessment and receive partial results at www.6advisors.com/intro. Enter Rita’s code: PSSVDY748D. Rita will provide 20-30 minutes of free coaching at your request. Babies and Moms listeners who order a full assessment and debrief directly from Rita ( rnrharrison@gmail.com) receive a special discounted rate of $199 (a $200 discount).
Getting Letters out of Buildings and Cool Beach Photos [32:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (584)
