Does your family have a pet?  We do and we really love him!

Bridger as a puppy

The other categories covered are Household Items, Plants, Objects, Trouble Areas, Outside, and then finally Holiday Hazards.  These areas have nearly the same guidelines as when you are childproofing your home for babies and toddlers.  If you are interested in more information on these topics you can visit www.aspca.org   This website also provides information on pet care, homeless pets, pet adoption etc.

Please feel free to share any additional information with other readers through the comment section.

Is your boy working toward his Eagle Scout rank?  Do you have a way to track his progress?  What is the plan to get him there?

There are so many activities that need to take place.  Getting organized is very important.  One leader shared a wonderful and simple plan with me thus I want to share this plan with you.

1. Go to www.meritbadge.org
2. Under the Boy Scouting section, click on Merit Badges (worksheets)
3. You will find a list of merit badges half way down that page.  The merit badges in bold are required badges.   You will record 12 required badges.   Note: There are 5 bolded that you can only pick 2 from, swimming OR hiking OR cycling and emergency preparedness OR lifesaving (see Eagle Scout Rank Requirements section that explains this)
4. Then pick 9 optional merit badges activities that your son would like to earn.
5. Use a three ring binder and create a separate page for each merit badge.  On these pages you can document you son’s progress.  i.e.  As your son completes a hike, write down the date, place and miles.  This website also provides worksheets that you can print out for each merit badge.  The worksheets give you all the requirements and guidance to obtain a specific merit badge.

There are certain merit badges that need prior approval from the scout master, so once you set up your binder, you can mark those merit badges and have them approved all at once. 

If you have any ideas you would like to share, please send me an email at shanna@emomsblog.com or place a comment.

Electronic Book

The Kindle 2 is an amazing handheld device that downloads books (over 260,000 titles available), newspapers and blogs via 3G wireless.  It is just over 1/3 inch thick, about as thick as a magazine.  You may choose to read what you download but you also have the option of having it read to you.  There are no monthly or service fees and many new releases and best sellers are only $9.99.  That’s a bargain.   Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)

Are your children on a swim team? Do they love to swim?

Swimming is superb exercise and is low impact. I enrolled my children on a swim team and they love it. They swim for an hour, 4 to 5 days per week. They have already learned proper freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke, and the butterfly. This is a year round team and since swimming is a healthy skill that will be used throughout life, I think it is a great sport choice.

I created a FREE electronic/printable swim log you can use to keep track of your swimmers times.  Free Swimmers Time Log

If you are not on a team, you can time your children when you take them to the pool, tracking their progress as they grow and get stronger.

Kids love surprises. Finding an unexpected note in their lunches, backpacks or on their pillow is so much fun and it means so much. Sending a letter or a card in the mail to your child can also be exciting. Children love to receive items in the mail. The best part about this is you don’t even need a special occasion. A “just because” or “I’m proud of you” are superb reasons to write a note.

Surprise someone you love with a special note the next time you have the opportunity.

Today is an exceptionally windy day.   On our way to swimming (my kids are on a team) there were huge tumbleweeds blowing everywhere.  They were hitting the car with a lot of wind power behind them and one stuck to the front of the car for a few seconds.  It was wonderful because it is so rare when you can experience that sight. 

We were all laughing out loud!  It was so much fun!  I am still smiling as I write this.

Laugh out loud with the ones you love…it is so good for you.

I want to thank Yaro Starak whose free videos walked me through, step-by-step, how to get this blog up and running using a hosting company.  You can view those videos and request a free blogging ebook from his website by going to this link 10 Easy To Follow Videos Showing You How To Create Your Blog From Scratch!

I use HOSTMONSTER for my hosting company and I really recommend their services.  The how-to videos on how to blog use Hostgator (above link).  If you are going through these video and would like to use the hosting company I use, 
CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP FOR HOSTMONSTER.COM NOW.

Good Luck on your website/blog!

More information to come.