Parenting Sites 411

Ok, so I’m starting this out a little hacked if you just want to know the truth.  Why is that you ask?  Because I was looking around, hunting some good links to refer on to you and I found one that I just new was going to be great.  It was title St. Patrick’s Day Crafts.  So, I thought, woohooo, this is a great place to start even if I did miss the whole holiday.  But, when I clicked the link, it took me to a doggone Spongebob page.  Do I have to tell you how much I hate Spongebob?  Cartoons in general are not my thing….but ergh….I was hacked. 

So, I kept searching and low and behold, I did find a great site and it is way more appropriate anyway.  The site is entitled Games for the Whole Family.  And, they have a set of family games, outdoor games, parlor games, travel games (slug bug) and party games. You can also find a list of Card Games and Indoor Games as well.

Finally you can get a few links under News and Views that promotes the top ten board games, toys that think, kids that don’t and then expert advice section for safety first and rethinking children’s play.  And, finally, the page gives you a message board of resources….so yea, so much better than Spongebob.

A lot of parents will say this news has been a long time coming and I’m afraid I may be one of them.  And, if only these ideas will spread to the rest of the states in our nation that could benefit by stricter child restraint regulations.  I know barely a day goes by that I don’t see a car go by with a child sitting in the front seat without a carseat or jumping around in the backseat entirely unrestrained.  It turns my stomach to see that, because I don’t think I would dare drive a block without my children properly restrained.  It’s just not worth the risk.

California is adopting a new, stricter carseat law that would require children to not only be six years old and sixty pounds to be free of the carseat, but 8 years old and 57 inches tall.  This is provided that Governor Schwartzenegger signs the bill on his desk.

I think this law is a fantastic idea, as statistics show that children ages 6 and 7 are more likely to die from a car accident than anything else.  With a proper carseat, these children would be 59% less likely to be injured.

Even better than your average booster is the new Britax Regent which is a booster style carseat with a 5pt harness that will accommodate a child up to 80lbs and 53inches.  That adds a lot of extra protection to set a parents’ mind at ease.  I think I, for one, will be purchasing one of these carseats when the time comes regardless of what my state’s laws are.

I found Waymarking.com through Parent Hacks, and I immediately perked up at the thought of finding playgrounds near any travel routes our family might take this summer. (Of course, with gas prices so high, we may be limiting our car travel a bit more.)

According to the Waymarking FAQs:

Waymarking is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice. While GPS technology allows us to pinpoint any location on the planet, mark the location, and share it with others, Waymarking is the toolset for categorizing and adding unique information for that location…. A waymark is a physical location on the planet marked by coordinates (latitude/longitude) and contains unique information defined within its waymark category. An outdoor maze waymark category, for example, could contain information like price of admission and days of operation, while a blogger waymark category may contain an option for the type of blog.

The Parent Hack suggests using Waymarking to find public playgrounds along the travel route by following these steps that Mike offered up:

To find playgrounds near an area:

1. Go to Public Playgrounds.
2. Enter a zip code under “Address Search” (upper right) to find some nearby playgrounds
3. When you click on an item, it gives you the GPS coordinates so you can map it in Google Maps, or you can drive directly to it if you have a GPS device!

Voila!  Good idea, no?

So Fuller and I just got back from our two week trip. One week we went South, to Alabama, and the next week we went North, to Ohio.

This is the first time I have driven such distances with Fuller and only Fuller. No Damon, no dogs, just me and the boy. I admit that I was a bit nervous about it, especially because I think that when we all drive as a family, Fuller gets a lot of attention from the parent not driving. This is so that he is happy and comfortable, not a whiny mess.

Thankfully, we survived. Fuller is an excellent traveler, especially when the DVD player is involved. And he sleeps in the car, something that other parents have told me is rare. On the way home on Saturday, he slept through the entire state of Kentucky. That was great for me, because I could concentrate on driving and listening to what I wanted. Too bad my ipod pooped out on me halfway through the state.
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At the end of April, or in early May, our family is going camping. Just Damon, Fuller, and me.

We have been camping with Fuller before, Thanksgiving of 2005, with extended family in Florida. It was so much fun that Damon and I decided we would have to do it again, soon. Well, soon is a year and a half later, and we think we are ready.

Camping with a toddler, child, or teen can be a challenge. They all want to explore, be independent, and may not understand why we are sleeping in tents and eating over a campfire. When Damon first brought up the camping at Thanksgiving idea, I was dubious, not sure if I could keep up with a 16 month old. My family reminded me that we would be surrounded by 11 adults who would all help to keep Fuller safe and within a few inches of any adult. And 11 to 1 ratio seemed pretty good to me.

Now that we are making plans to camp again, this time with a 2 to 1 ratio, I have been scouring the internet for ideas and tips. Turns out the internet has plenty to say on the subject!
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We are leaving at 9ish to head south to Atlanta. I can’t wait for this vacation, our family needs a little break and fun. This past month of being at home full time has been wonderful, but we need some time away from these walls.

We are almost packed, but I am trying to make sure I have all pieces of clothing (socks too) and all various cords that go to all electrical items we require for travel (camera, camcorder, laptop, ipod, DVD player… the list goes on and on).

So, I leave you with an open mic kind time. In the comments section, if you desire, leave a note as to where you like to go for a family vacation.

vacation, family travel

Thursday we leave for Hot-lanta, and every second I am thinking about what needs to be done and how to get it all done with a toddler pulling at my pant leg or asking to eat for the gazillionth time in 10 minutes.

Now, I have to explain that we have traveled plenty with Fuller in his two years in life. He flew on an airplane when he was 3 months old and took an 8 hour car ride a few weeks later. When we traveled to Ohio for his first Christmas, I overpacked for both him and me. One trip back home we left Fuller’s entire suitcase at his grandparents’ house. We took him camping one Thanksgiving and a bunch of our luggage got lost on a highway somewhere. This included our backpack to carry him when we went hiking. (We didn’t go hiking.) He screamed bloody murder on a short flight from Atlanta to Chattanooga last May.

Yes, we have traveled with the boy.

And yet, I still worry and fret just the same.
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Our family has a tradition every March. We head out of town and where ever the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament is located. It is a tradition that my husband had when he was a child and he really wanted to pass along to his children. We go with Damon’s parents and have a blast cheering Auburn on and then hanging around the city where the tournament is hosted.

Fuller has only been once, when he was 6 months old. That year the tournament was in Atlanta. We had to skip last year, due to lack of tickets, but that has been remedied and we are very excited to make the trek to Atlanta in a few weeks.

This trip will be very different because for the first time, we will have separate hotel rooms from my inlaws. Fuller will also be
interested in the games for about 5 minutes and then want to spend the rest of the games walking around the Georgia Dome. I am sure of it.

But, the trip isn’t all about basketball. The first two days are pretty heavy with games, but the mornings are free and clear to see what else Atlanta has to offer. That is where GoCityKids.com comes in and helps me figure out what in Atlanta is kid friendly.

When I go to the site I am greeted by a map of the United States that indicates all the cities that the site covers. So, I click on Atlanta. At this point, I have locked in my city. If I decide to change cities, then I have to click on the link that reads, “Choose New City” (it is at the top, on the left).
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