Five Mistakes Parents Can Avoid

Go to the Safe Kids USA site and see what these mistakes are. All caregivers of young children should check this out! It can be a matter of life or death!

August Safety Recalls of Children's products.

Go to the Safe Kids USA site here and check your purchases for recalls.

Beginings Matter

As a new school year begins, I am very happy to offer ten tips for parents and caregivers. In order to begin the school year on a positive note, there are a few things you can do, or avoid, in order to take the first steps to helping your child have a wonderful school experience.

First, make sure you make an effort to touch base with your child's teacher. Send a quick note assuring him/her that you are looking forward to meeting them and seeing what's in store for the year. Many parents will be invited to an Open House night. Attend! It is vitally important that you get there to hear the information, routines, requirements and see the classroom environment. Your child will see that his/her education is of primary importance to you. Remember, they will value what you value. If school is not important to you, it won't be for them either. By opening up the lines of communication, you will be able to help your child succeed and immediately tackle any problems your child might encounter.

Second, empty the backpack/schoolbag immediately and READ all the papers and notices. It is so unfortunate that parents, and consequently, children miss out on so much just because they didn't read important notices and letters.

Third, keep expensive things home! Many times children will want to bring important things to school to show to friends. Toys, mementos, jewelry, unnecessary money, and other items that have special value should not be sent to school since the teacher cannot keep those items from getting broken, lost or stolen.

Fourth, let your child wear comfortable clothes to school. Unless it is "picture day," play clothes are the best. Comfortable shoes, not flip flops or heels, are the way to go. You need safe shoes with rubber soles for play. Also, items that need lots of buttons, or a belt, or have difficult snaps are a big problem, especially for the little ones. Unless they already know how to tie, shoes with hook and loop closure are the best.

Fifth, send a lunch and snack to school that your child will eat! It sounds silly, but many, many times kids will not eat the lunch that was provided. This is not the time to try out new foods or add things that your child has not tried before.

Sixth, if they are sick, complaining about not feeling well, coughing a lot or throwing up, KEEP THEM HOME! Sick children don't learn and keep other from learning too, and can infect everyone else. If you think your child is complaining because they don't want to go to school, find out why and let the teacher know immediately. It might be problems with another child, recess or lunch issues, or bus troubles, just to name a few.

Seventh, provide a quiet place for them to do their homework. Check it before they put it away and let the teacher know if they had a problem getting it done correctly or in a timely fashion. Make sure all books and papers are returned to the backpack so that items are not forgotten the next day.

Eighth, don't compare your child with others in the class. Children need to be compared to themselves, noting growth for each year. Each state has grade level norms that show parents and teachers what benchmarks children should be reaching, and this is what teachers will use to prepare lessons and also to show parents what skills have been mastered or those that need to be learned. Progress for each child is confidential, so sharing information about other students is not permitted.

Ninth, if you any concerns, contact the teacher immediately. Don't wait until report card time. Make sure you get the teacher's input and all the facts, before drawing any conclusions. If your problems cannot be addressed after conferencing with the teachers involved with your child's education, make an appointment with the school principal.

Tenth, keep a scrapbook to celebrate all the wonderful things your child does this year. They will love looking at it, and so will you!

Last Cards of August.

Darling Pup!







Asian Inspired







Yummy Cupcake






Required Reading





Bug Hugs!






Cutie With Bouquet







Sunbathing Bunny with Bling!

Spot The Tot!

Make sure you know how dangerous the driveway is as a place for children to play. Safe Kids USA has a very worthwhile video to watch. Check it out using this link.

Cupcake Craft Challenge

Visit this great site to participate in the Cupcake Craft Challenge's First Birthday Bash!

Support Safe Kids USA

Please visit this link to Team Safe Kids and make a donation to support wonderful this non-profit organization. My daughter, Stephanie, who works there, is raising money to help them continue their important work preventing childhood injury and death. Find out about the Marine Corps Marathon and sign up for their news briefs which will alert you to product recalls and the latest ways to protect the infants and children in your life. Ignorance is NOT an excuse.

August Cards part 1

Clean and Simple with pearls







Scene with brayered background







Dragonfly with vellum overlay






Naptime






Double Pocket Card





Fashion Icon







Sparkling Sand Dollar






Stylish Lady

Safety Recalls for July

Use this link to access the list for July Safety Recalls.

CPSC Launches Resale Roundup

Check out unsafe items that are resold here, and read what the Consumer Product Safety Commission has as warnings.

Good Books For Children to Read in August!

Well, August is here, and many families go on vacation this month. I have a lengthy list of great books to get for kids to read or listen to while on vacation especially if going to the beach! I love lighthouses and dogs and the following list of books have one or both as their topic. I have divided them into books for younger kids (K-2) and then older children (grades 3-5)

Book for K-2

Who Sees the Lighthouse? by Ann Fearrington, illustrated by Giles Laroche, published by G.P. Putman's Sons, New York. This terrific counting book takes the reader to all the different lighthouse around America. It is a rhyming book with wonderful illustrations.

Pea Soup Fog by Connie Macdonald Smith, illustrated by Jen Cart, published by Down East Books, Maine. This heartwarming story stresses the importance of community and friendship. The illustrations are charming.

My Dad Fixed the Lighthouse by Martin J. Nally, illustrated by Christopher J. Burnham, publisher- www.planetlighthouse.com. This story is about the lighthouse off the coast of Salem, Massachusetts

Three of my Favorites by the same author, illustrator, and publisher:

Captain's Castaway written by Angeli Perrow, Illustrated by Emily Harris, published by Down East Books, Maine. This story is based on true facts about a girl who rescues a castaway dog and what happens when the captain comes back to claim him.

Lighthouse Dog to the Rescue. This story is also based on real life events. It tells about a brave and loyal dog who saves a boat lost at sea in a blizzard. It's so exciting that kids really are mesmerized.

Sirius, the Dog Star . This story, based on an actual event, is about a huge Newfoundland dog who's asked to risk his life to save a shipwrecked crew. This another nail biter that kids and adults will love.

Books for grades 3-5:

Birdie's Lighthouse by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root, published by Aladdin Paperbacks. This story is the journal of Birdie, a young girl who lives in a lighthouse. She is called upon to keep the light going when a storm hits and her father is taken ill. It is a Parent's Choice Honor Book.

Lighthouse Seeds by Pamela Love, illustrated by Linda Warner, published by Down East Books, Maine. This beautiful book, based on a true story, tells about a girls who plants seeds in all the rock crevices since the family misses their garden on the mailand.

Safely to Shore by Iris Van Rynbach, published by Charlesbridge, Ma. This book tells the story of America's lighthouses and all the chores and problems faced by the families who maintained them in order to
protect seamen and their ships.

What is a Sea Dog? by John Jensen, illustrated by Richard J. King, published by Mystic Seaport. This books of photographs tells a bit about real life famous sea dogs! It also has interesting facts that kids will enjoy learning.

The Sea Chest. This book, based on a New England legend, tells the story of a child, Miata, and her life growing up in a lighthouse. When one night during a storm, a sea chest is blown up on shore and that's changes her life forever! What could the truck contain? Let the children guess and then read to see the surprise!


Enjoy every minute!

Children's Clogs Recalled!

To check and see if you child has these dangerous clogs, please follow this link.