Dreams Really Do Come True
Dreams really do come true. My daughter has been a Tar Heel fan as far back as I can remember. I purchased Tar Heel gear for her all through high school so she could show her love. She has passed her love on to Xavier. He has on his University of North Carolina colors, light blue and white shirt, and a smile bright enough to light up the sky as he stands in front of the NC Chapel Hill logo. A big moment for a little boy.
My daughter was given 4 tickets to see the Tar Heel basketball team play this pass week-end at the Dean Dome, which seats 21,750 fans. That’s a huge stadium. I don’t know who was happier, Xavier or Marisha. My SIL, who is not a UNC fan, swallowed his pride and made arrangements to take the family and one of Xavier’s friends to Chapel Hill, NC for the week-end. They had seats directly behind the team, 12 rows away. How great is that. To put the icing on the cake, the Tar Heels won 80-51. Go Bighorn Rams.
Wondering where the name Tar Heels comes from. Here’s the history: North Carolina settlements provided tar, pitch, and turpentine for the navy, in particular the British navy. It was used to paint the bottom of wooden British ships to seal them and to prevent damage to the hull from shipworms. During the Civil War, it was stated that troops stuck to their ranks like they had tar on their heels. The nickname “Tar Heels” was born.
ABCya
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ABCya! ABCya is an educational site that we found for Xavier and he loves it. He’s outgrown Nick Jr. so this site is the replacement. The site has educational games and activities for Kindergartner’s through fifth grade, and has become the leader in on-line education for kids. One of the great things about the site is that you don’t have to create a username or password to access it. The site was created by teachers and it’s goal is simply to assist parents and children with education.
The site has math and language arts as well as basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade activities are equipped with sound to enhance understanding. You can found holiday activities in the grade sections as well.
Xavier has become astute in navigating the site. We use it primarily for spelling, math and occasionally game play. The site makes learning fun. There’s Bingo to help with spelling and math. There’s an app for sight word recognition, learning the coins and how to tell time.
ABCya.com has been featured by Apple, The New York Times, Disney Family Fun Magazine and Fox News and has received many awards. I understand why. I suggest that you introduce your child to this site. They will love learning in a creative and fun way.
Virginia Beach Parade of Lights
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Girls Holiday Hair Styles
of parties to attend, and you know what that means—picture time! This holiday
season, it’s easy to keep your little angel looking cute, coifed and
camera-ready with simple yet stylish hair looks from Cozy
Friedman, author of Cozy’s Complete Guide to Girls’
Hair.
makes its own accessory. Girls can wear it with their hair hanging down in back,
or with a ponytail. Complete this look for the holidays with fun beads or
barrettes.
misted) and use a wide-tooth comb to detangle the hair.
line across the crown from the top of one ear to the top of the other ear. From
the line, comb the hair forward to the face. Pull the hair in back of the line
into a ponytail holder or jaw clip so it stays out of your way.
from. Tilt the head so the ear you’ve chosen is facing up toward the ceiling.
With your child’s ear tilted up, being making the braided headband using the
hair in front of the part.
braid with a ponytail holder. If you like, tuck it behind the ear and pin it in
place with a few bobby pins. Remove the ponytail holder or jaw clip use in Step
2 and style as you like. Finish by adding sparkly or decorative hairpins through
different parts of the braid.
must-have look for the holidays. To really make this look extra special add a
clip to the end of the heart that coordinates your child’s holiday outfit. You
can also use a colorful ponytail holder at the end or add decorative beads in
the braid.
holders
1: Starting with damp hair (either
towel-dried or misted), use a wide-tooth comb to detangle the hair. Then, using
a fine-tooth comb, part the hair down the middle of the head. Clip one side up
right above the ear.
2: On the other side of the part, use the
fine comb to gather a thin section of hair from the crown. This section should
measure about 2 inches from the hairline to the top of the
head.
3: Divide this section into three, and
begin a French braid starting at the crown and curving toward the temple, then
toward the back of the head, like the top lobe of a heart. You will be lifting
hair into the braid only from this side of the part. Leave no loose hair in
front of the ears.
4: When you reach the center part at the
back of the head, secure the braid with a ponytail holder. If the hair is very
long, end the braid about midear; the ends will hang down the
back.
5: Unclip the hair on the other side of
the part and repeat the process. Secure with a ponytail
holder.
6: Join the ends of the braids together in
the back with a decorative bow or ponytail holder to form the bottom point of
the heart.
founder of Cozy’s Cuts for Kids. She is an expert authority on cool,
childhood style and recognizes – and celebrates – that children today are
more style-conscious than ever. Decades ago, getting a child to take a bath was
a challenge but now, thanks to places like Cozy’s Cuts for Kids and
product lines such as So Cozy, children are embracing grooming from a
very young age. Cozy has coined this trend the “metro mini”
phenomenon and believes that encouraging it in a healthy way allows
children to be expressive and self-confident.
Boo – Happy Halloween!
Look Who’s Six – Happy Birthday
Hard to believe my baby boy turned six this week-end. We spent the week-end celebrating his 6th birthday. Yep, the top picture is from three years ago. He is going up fast. I’m amazed how his likes have changed as well. No more Nick Jr. unless he’s watching cartoons with his baby sister. He’s turned to Disney where they have real people, as real as it gets on TV anyway. No more dinosaur figures, hot wheels or toy soldiers. He has iPad, X-Box and Kindle
Fire to play computer games and learning activities and a new four wheeler for outside fun. You can find either a football or basketball in his hands. We received a new bike for his birthday. One without training wheels at that.
His taste in clothes has changed as well. No more Elmo, Handy Manny, or Cars tees. He’s into Nike, Addias and Puma. He now wears boxers, Jordan tennis shoes and his favorite sports team hats. He’s playing flag football and basketball. Where does time go?
There was a part of me that was happy to be celebrating his 6th birthday, but a sadness too because I know it’s just a matter of time before his interest change even more. Thankfully he still loves to snuggle with Mawmaw and thinks girls are yucky! I have a few years left before he asks for the car keys and heads out on a date.
Bad Parenting or Unfairly Treated?
Kids behaving badly or family unfairly treated? This family believe they were unfairly treated because they were asked to leave Applebee’s as a result of their children misbehaving in the restaurant. According to the parents their children are active, they were acting like children. According to other patrons in the restaurant at the time, the children were literally running around the establishment and disturbing other customers. This was in fact why they were asked to leave.
As I look at this picture, I can believe they were running around disturbing customers. Look at the mom holding the child on the right. He’s about to take off in the picture. Reminds me of my trip to TJ Max the other night. There were two ladies there with a little boy and girl. I’m thinking mother and grandmother. The children ran through the store the entire time I was there and the grandmother yelled at them. They just laughed and ran until their heart was content. As I was checking out, the mother was at another register. She tells the clerk, “I have to go find my kid”. My thought, she’s going to hold up the line to go find her kid.
As I’m leaving the store, there’s a lady outside with 3 children. She seems to be overwhelmed. I’m looking at her and looking back at the lady in the store yelling at the children. The lady outside proceeds to tell me that the little boy had run out in the street. She grabbed him and took him back inside. She stated she didn’t know who he belonged to he just took off running once he got inside. She was clearly affected by the incident. I know that I was affected by them running throughout the store, and the grandmother yelling. So, I can see Applebee’s asking the parents to leave. I wished TJ Max had asked the 2 ladies and their children to leave. It definitely affected my shopping experience.
If the children were running through the restaurant, I have no sympathy for these parents. Parents control your kids, or stay home! There are other paying customers there who would like to enjoy their evening out, and not be distracted by your “active” children.
Do you sympathize with the parents or do you believe Applebee’s took the appropriate step? Please leave a comment.
Ideas for Cheap Halloween Costumes
Looking for inexpensive ideas for Halloween or playtime costumes? Here’s a few ideas that you can start with:
- Punk Rocker
- Princess
- Super Hero
- Doctor
- Ghost
- Cowboy
- Hippie
- Farmer
Start with the children’s dress up clearance racks in your local stores or better yet head to the thrift store for items that you can convert or use as part of the costume. If all else fails, head to yours or your kids closet and see what can be converted. Buying Halloween costumes at the end of the season for next year’s use is a good idea too as well as from sales.
You can put a pair of bib overalls and an old plaid shirt together for your son’s Farmer costume. Can’t find a pair of bibs, what about a pair of jeans with a rope belt. If you have a old handkerchief around, hang it from his back pocket or an old pair of work gloves from the Dollar Store. Add a straw hat and a galvanized bucket to collect the treats and you’re good to go.
A Ghost is an easy one. Buy an old sheet from the thrift store and get to work on the eyes, mouth and nose.
Go for the mismatched, I don’t care what I’m wearing Punk Rocker look. You can head to your child’s closet for this one. Find a sweater, pair of leggings with a skirt, rip a few holes in an old pair of jeans, mix polka dots and stripes, whatever. Spike her hair in some manner, add some funky earrings and bracelets from a discount store and add tons of make-up, which she will love. Sneakers will work with this look or a pair of boots.
Know a Nurse or Nursing assistant? Seek out old scrubs or a lab coat. You may be able to find them at your local thrift store. If you can sew, cut down an old pair of scrubs to fit your child. Buy a toy doctor’s kit with a stethoscope and use the medical bag to gather treats. Print out a label to identify your little doctor. If your child decides to be a surgeon, don’t forget the shower caps to cover their head and shoes.
A Hippie is an easy one. Rip a pair of old jeans and insert fabric to create bell bottoms. Tie dye a tee-shirt with your child. Tie a bandana around his/her head. If it’s your daughter, create an afro or curly hair effect. Top off your costume with a poster protesting a cause or just make a colorful peace sign.
Use your imagination and be creative. The possibilities are endless. If you have ideas, please leave us a comment so we can share with other readers. We would love to hear from you.
