Sometimes You Need People

I could not have gotten through being a new mom by myself. 

First, I had an amazingly supportive husband. He was there with me through the good and the bad! 

My parents were always ready to help - my dad took care of all the non-baby stuff during that first week :) My mom was in the delivery room with me. My sister and Chris made sure that I got FOOD after 27 hours without sustenance! All of my family was ready to help in any way possible.

My neighbors brought me soup, my co-workers gave me thoughtful gifts and checked in on me. 

In addition to the "in real life" friends, we also live in a day and age where you can connect with communities of other new moms instantly. I was never alone. If I had a question, other new moms had already asked it. If I was up feeding the little guy at 3 am, other moms were up to chat with too. 

I was never alone. I had support and help from an amazing group of people - some whom I have yet to meet. I can't imagine having to face being a new mom alone. It's quite a crazy ride.

I know many women have not had the support I have, and that there are many out there that could use some help. I can't imagine living in a time or place where I had to raise a baby alone - and hope everyone gets the help and support they need!

This post was inspired by the book The Funeral Dress by Susan Gregg Gilmore.

No one has ever entrusted impoverished Emmalee with anything important but she takes it upon herself to sew her mentor’s resting garment in The Funeral Dress by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Join From Left to Write on Octiber 14 as we discuss The Funeral Dress.  As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Family to Family, One Book at a Time...

I may have mentioned about a million times that I love to read. When I was younger I would sneak books under the dinner table, stay up late reading under the covers and I once had to have an optometrist tell me that if I was going to read for 12 hours a day, I had to look up every once in awhile...

Suffice to say, when I came across the "One Book at Time" program, I knew I had to get involved. It is a program with the Family to Family non-profit organization, where you are matched up with a child in poverty who could also benefit from "feeding their mind" - ie books. You agree to send them a new, age and reading level appropriate book once a month for a year. You also start up a correspondence with them!

"My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read."

- Abraham Lincoln

I love this program I was paired up with a little girl in Florida who is in fourth grade who is reading above her grade level. Wait, I just realized she must have started 5th grade now! TIme flies :)

I spent hours learning about what books are great for that reading level. My dad even helped and got a book list from the local librarian! I received a very sweet letter from her, and she says she's enjoying the first book I sent - Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I love that I can share books - I love the smell of new books, the feel in my hand and hope she enjoys having her very own books to read.

Check out the program! And give me any book suggestions for fifth graders :) Thanks!!

Fountain of Hope - Sport in Action!

Remember yesterday when I posted about how awesome it is to watch 2 year olds play sports?

Well, I just discovered an amazing NGO that helps give kids in Zambia the chance to have a safe place to go to school, get a meal and play sports! I take for granted that my child has the opportunity to do these things on a daily basis. Not all children are so lucky.

Save the Children works with street kids and orphans in Zambia by funding the Sport in Action program at Fountain of Hope, a center that gives children an opportunity to get off the street even if just for a short while. Sport in Action's purpose is to improve people’s quality of life through sport and recreational activities. Founded in 1998, SIA was the first Zambian sports NGO.

There isn't much in the world that is better than watching kids truly enjoy themselves by playing sports!

Transforming Lives ~ WaterAid in Madagascar

It's easy to take water for granted. Summer is the time for pools, sprinklers, nice cold glasses of water...

It's easy to forget that there are places in the world where kids aren't playing in water, they don't even have access to tap water and toilets. Every year in Madagascar, 13,000 children under five die due to water-related diseases. 

This summer, there is an amazing project from WaterAid. You can help transform the lives of 12,000 children - reaching 31 schools with over 100 toilets and 150 taps in total.

Even if you aren’t able to donate to help today, you can follow the story and see the amazing work in action. Thanks to WaterAid for giving them the opportunity for clean water. I know I won't be taking it for granted this summer...

I wrote this as part of the Glabal Team of 200.

News-O-Matic ~ New App for Kids

There are many horrible things that have been happening in the world lately. I often wonder how I am going to keep my child safe from harm. Then I realized that as he gets older not only will I have to keep him safe, but I will have to explain these horrible things and why they are happening. So not ready for that.I don't even listen to NPR when he's around right now!

So I was intrigued when News-O-Matic by Press4Kids was brought to my attention. News-O-Matic is an educational news app that covers breaking news, sports, science and more in an accessible and kid-friendly way. Targeted to kids ages 7-10, it includes five daily news stories, detailed images, videos, illustrations, maps, timelines and games.

This app gives children the opportunity to explore the latest current events, while also giving them a voice to express their views. 

Children can interact with the Editor-in-Chief by rating stories, drawing pictures, asking questions or expressing opinions about current topics in the “News Room” section of the app. The goal is to inspire a generation of children to become habitual news readers and well-informed global citizens.

As parents, we know that children process these things differently. They may be asking difficult questions and parents may need suggestions to help discuss what happened and address their concerns. This app is but one tool to help digest difficult information - below are some tips from  Dr. Phyllis Ohr, Child Psychologist, on how parents can address news issues with children and what children can do to feel better:

1.      When the event does not personally affect the child, reassure them that everything is okay with the people they love and that nothing has changed for them.

2.     Be sure to stress to children that if they do have questions to ask parents, teachers as well as friends. Other children having the same feelings may be comforting.

3.    Begin by giving the child a brief synopsis of what happened by using age appropriate language. Ask if there is something they want to know more about or if they need something explained further. If so, stick to pointedly answering their question or clarifying. Do not add on or digress.

4.    Do not assume the news will make children feel a certain way. Ask if they know how they feel, but stress that kids feel all different ways when they hear important news and sometimes do not know how they feel or do not feel anything which is okay. However, if children are affected by it, it is their own feeling. Reassure children that no matter what they are feeling, their feelings are okay.

5.    If they are upset but don't want to talk, suggest a fun activity for distraction or help them use calming skills like playing, drawing a picture or writing a story. These activities help release any upset feelings and make children feel better.

Hope those tips help...and make sure to try out the app - I think it's a great way to introduce kids to news media. In addition, Press for Kids is giving one lucky reader a News-O-Matic goodie bag, featuring a  $10 iTunes gift card, backpack, hats, water bottles and an iPad screen cleaner.

      The giveaway will close on June 10, 2013. open to US residents. I will pick a winner on random.org. 

                               To gain entries to the giveaway, you can do one or all of these:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me why you are interested in this app

2. Follow me on twitter

3. Follow me on bloglovin (or another reader)

4. Like Crazy Casa K on facebook

5. Like Press4Kids on facebook