There is so much to love about April

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I call April a month of new beginnings, and besides, November and December, April is my favorite season of the year!! I love the new flowers, leaves, grass, and all of the newness of the outside!!  They say, April showers brings May Spring flowers. Where I live, March showers has been bringing in the April flowers!! But this year, April showers are now coming in pretty regular, and I just love it, love it, love it!!   I have the most beautiful white baby breast trees in my yard that takes my breath away!  They stay pretty around three weeks. I wish these beauties would hang around much longer !   Besides those beautiful baby breathe trees. I enjoy hearing  the birds and squirrels chirping and the nice cool wind that blows in my hair and my face whenever I'm outside laying back in my lawn chair.

Besides all of this, I love to start gardening in April. I found a few blackberry plants from Sams Club that I set out on my porch. I want my son to see how they grow and tell him the story that we, as kids used to eat during the spring and early summer. Where I grew up, we had fields full of black berries that we used to pick and our mom would make black berry cobbler!! Where we live now, there are no black berries in sight which is so odd to me.  Besides  the virus, there are plenty of things to be grateful for and this is a time that we can now teach our children about nature and how we grew up as children.  Thanks for reading this information, and feel free to add your thoughts and ideas. May God bless the USA.

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE THIS HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 2015
CHECK OUT THESE 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ON THIS HALLOWEEN

 HALLOWEEN DAY CAN BE A LOT OF FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY IF WE TAKE DRASTIC MEASURES TO KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE.  I HAVE INCLUDED 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO KEEP YOUR KID OR KIDS SAFE THIS TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT.

1. INSTEAD OF ALLOWING YOUR KIDS TO GO TRICK OR TREATING AT NIGHT, YOU CAN FIND THE LOCAL FALL FESTIVALS WHICH ARE SO MUCH MORE FUN BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO THE KIDS GET CANDY, THEY GET TO ENJOY ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES AT THE FESTIVAL.
2. YOU CAN TAKE YOUR KIDS TO LOCAL CHURCHES.  A LOT OF CHURCHES ARE HAVING CANDY FOR KIDS AT CHURCHES NOW A DAYS.
3. YOU CAN TAKE YOUR KIDS AROUND TO LOCAL STORES WITH THEIR COSTUMES ON WITH THEIR TREAT BAGS TO BE FILLED WITH GOODIES!
4. IF YOU'RE GOING TO ALLOW YOUR TEENAGER TO GO TRICK OR TREATING, DON'T ALLOW THEM TO GO ALONE. GROUPS ARE SAFER AND FUN AS WELL.
5. LASTLY, IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT IDEA TO WAIT UNTIL YOUR KIDS GET HOME TO ALLOW THEM TO EAT THEIR CANDY, AND YOU  WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL WHAT THEY EAT AS WELL AS HOW MUCH.  HERE'S A TIP.  INSTEAD OF LETTING KIDS EAT AS MUCH CANDY AS THEY CAN ON HALLOWEEN, COLLECT THE CANDY AND USE IT AS AN INCENTIVE.

I WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY AND SAFE HALLOWEEN DAY!

THE FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS A HALLOWEEN TEACHABLE SONG FOR YOUNGSTERS

I like teaching my children this finger play because children can learn a lot of skills from it PLUS, they have fun while learning

1. You can teach them to count to five
2. You can teach them the color orange
3. You can teach them about different faces and what each one means
4. They can learn how to make  pumpkins. Here are some ways to make them. I've seen people use pumpkin cutters to cut out pumpkin cookies or brownies. I've seen people cut them out from craft paper.  I've seen people use play dough to make them, and those are just a few.
5. Depending on how you want to make them, children can learn how to cut, and glue. (me personally, I love art period because it allows you to be creative and it gets my mind off everything around  me.)
6. You can also teach a child the life cycle of a pumpkin. In fact, you could use a whole week to learn about pumpkins and make it fun and exciting. 

So, to add to your pumpkin lesson, I have shared with you this fun, fun, song and finger play called the "Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On A Gate"

FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS SITTING ON A GATE. 
THE FIRST ONE SAID, OH MY, IT'S GETTINGLATE!
THE SECOND ONE SAID, THERE ARE WITCHES IN THE AIR!
THE THIRD ONE SAID, WE DON'T CARE!
THE FOURTH ONE SAID, LET'S RUN, LET'S RUN!
THE FIFTH ONE SAID, IT'S HALLOWEEN FUN!
WOOOOO! WENT THE WIND,
AND OUT WENT THE LIGHTS!, THE FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS
RAN FAST OUT OF SIGHT!


Can you think of more fun lessons using pumpkins? I would love to hear of them.
Have fun with your little ones!







Several fun and inexpensive summer activities for the family to enjoy

There's nothing better than a little family time on the home front.  Here are some classics you'll want to enjoy before the summer ends. 

1. Camp in the backyard and make Smores . To make it extra special, make Smores with your favorite candy bar. I like mine with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
2. Have a water balloon fight!  Why not make a parents vs. kids and show the youngsters how it's done.  I think older kids will definitely get a kick out of this activity! 
3. Make a tent out of cardboard boxes and sheets! 
4. Have a picnic on the beach , and bring sand molds, and buckets for the youngsters to play with and watch them fill and dump the buckets, and make sand moles, and don't forget to bring the camera for lasting memories. 

The Family Pet

I've always made sure that our son and family had a pet because for me, it's nothing like seeing a child and a pet grow together and evolving into  a loving relationship!  In this post, I will share the benefits and joy of having a family pet. First of all If you have one child a pet can be a huge deal!  I only had one child who's a boy, and boys love puppies and dogs.  Out of respect, we asked our six year old son what kind of pet he wanted, and he quickly replied, a puppy! So our son's cousin gave him a little girl puppy and he named her diamond. In his eyes, diamond was special. I loved to see him come home from school and they would hug and hug and play together.  At last, our son wasn't lonely anymore!  Some may say, well, why didn't you have him a brother or sister?  Well, I'll have to say, I tried but was not successful.  So, in my conclusion, I encourage parents to get a family pet of your child's choice because of all the reasons I'll share below.

1. a pet can be a child's best friend
2. a pet can bring joy to a child
3. a pet can be like a brother or sister to a child
4. a pet can be something they can love
5. a pet can be something a child can play with
6. a pet can be something a child can care for
7. a pet can be something to keep a child company
8. a pet can help a child feel protected

Can you think of any other benefits to add to this list?