Children Learning to Ride Horses

I grew up with horses. My old neighborhood had stables and the most beautiful horses. I wasn’t as big of a horse fan as my sister was. Well, I had My Little Ponies but that wasn’t the same thing.  My sister had all kinds of horse posters, horse statues and even shirts with horses on them.  One of the things we both did when we were young was taking horseback riding lessons at our neighborhood stables.  It was a lot of fun. We also were able to learn more about horses. We would comb their manes. We also had to learn the parts of a saddle and even how to put the saddle on properly.  I would always bring an apple for my horse after I rode. I learned the proper way to clean its hooves too.  I used to love when I had a chance to ride a horse.  I felt so proud and in charge.  I had to be careful not to scare the horse or make it go too fast.  Taking riding lessons is a lot more than just getting on a horse and riding around. You also have to learn important safety tips.   After all horses are animals, and can be unpredictable. 

 You really learn how to be responsible. If I didn’t behave, I wasn’t allowed to go to my riding lesson.  I didn’t want to miss a minute of it so I was always on my best behavior.  I didn’t do any competing.  I wasn’t looking to become a famous equestrian. I just liked to ride horses. I am not sure I would have been comfy with all the jumps. I wasn’t very brave.  Some of my friends that took riding lessons did all the jumps and the courses. I had private lessons with my sister so we only did what we were comfortable with.  I remember going to neighborhood friends horse shows. It looked so cool, but at the same time it wasn’t for me. 

I would love for Noah to take horseback riding lessons; if that is something he would be interested in. I am sure I can find a pony club  for him to join when he is on summer break.  He loves animals so, maybe.  He likes to look at pictures of his mom on a horse.   I still remember how to clean a horse’s hooves and could properly install a saddle in a pinch.  If your child is interested in horses, you should give them the chance to learn to ride.  Going on a pony ride at the fair or zoo is totally different than letting them go out and really ride.  Kids get to know the horse on a more personal level, and they get to really learn how to take care of horses and the techniques to ride a horse.

Did you ever take horseback riding lessons when you were young? What did you think?

Learn to Speak Spanish with Gus on the Go App Review

Noah has always been interested in learning different languages. Even when he was three and four years old, he wanted to learn them. He is really interested in other countries and cultures. I think that is a great thing. When I was growing up, I learned basic Spanish, from afterschool classes in elementary school. It wasn’t the same when I was younger, of course people spoke different languages but it was more something you did when you were in high school.  I don’t really remember much of the Spanish I learned in elementary school, besides what my Spanish speaking cousins taught me. They lived in Texas so I didn’t really see them very often, until they moved to Indiana when I was older.  When I was in high school I took two years of French. We really didn’t learn much the first year because my French teacher was out a lot, and when she was there we watched Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  I think it is important that kids learn different languages at a young age, because it enriches their lives. It also helps them communicate with other people who may not speak English.  Noah has wanted to learn everything from Spanish to Japanese. One of his Kindergarten teachers is from Japan, which was just pure luck. He already wanted to learn before he met her.  One of my best friends, that I have been friends with since daycare, took Japanese in high school.  

 I think that since there are so many different shows where they speak different languages now, it has sparked a revolution. When I was little, all there was Muzzy and that was always insanely expensive.  Since Noah is an appoholic, I was so excited to learn about Gus on the Go.  It’s a foreign language learning app for kids. I know when I was a kid, listening to cassette tapes of someone speaking where you are supposed to say and repeat, wasn’t really fun.  I am so glad that Gus on the Go was developed by two loving parents from toojuice, LLC, Yono and Alice have dedicated themselves to helping children embrace their native language and other languages through fun and educational apps. There are 14 different languages including Spanish, French and Hebrew.

More information from the developer:

Little ones can take off on a language learning adventure, discovering new words through engaging vocabulary lessons and reviews, with Gus on the Go on Android. Featuring adorable animations and fun exercises, Gus on the Go teaches children the basic concepts of 14 languages with exciting visual and auditory lesson on numbers, colors, shapes and more.  Any child can now master a second language through a fun, multi-sensory journey on any tablet or smartphone.

Gus on the Go on Android is the latest edition of toojuice, LLC.’s popular Gus on the Go series of second language learning apps. Gus, an animated traveling owl, guides children on an interactive series of 10 vocabulary activities. After completing each lesson, Gus playfully encourages them to unlock the next adventure by reviewing what they have learned. Delightful animal noises, transportation sounds and vibrant animations motivate children to see, hear and touch objects in a simply creative way. Most importantly, Gus on the Go helps children improve their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and basic vocabulary proficiency.

Gus on the Go features

- New games, unlocked by completing lesson reviews

- Fun interactive animations and sounds

- Access to country and city maps

- Trophy room to track achievements

- Native language audio speaker

We had the opportunity to try out the Spanish app out. It is really cute. Noah finds it very entertaining and I think that is great for him. I can tell he is really learning from Gus on the Go. He has started to grow out of Dora and Diego, where he was learning some Spanish so I am so glad to have Gus on the Go.  Noah really likes that he isn’t just repeating what someone is saying, but he is learning Spanish through games and rewards.  I love that there is a native speaker, because it helps with exact pronunciation. I think it’s important to know exactly how you are to say it, because a change in a syllable can change the whole meaning of what you are saying.  I also think it could be considered disrespectful depending on whom you are speaking to. Noah and I use this app together as a family. I would love to learn more Spanish.  I will also use the app by myself, if I need extra practice. We will probably also try out the French app and some of the other ones. I hope they create a Japanese app soon that would really put a smile on Noah’s face.

Be sure to check out Gus on the Go Spanish and the 13 other languages too! 

Gus on the Go on Android is available for $2.99 on the Google Play Store  HERE

Exclusive Interview with Beth Blecherman

When you are a parent you need to have a game plan to run your home. I am a single mom so, being able to do some of the things I want my family to do, can take some serious planning. Noah wants to do all kinds of things this summer. Some of the things are as simple as going to the pool or the beach. Some of the things will cost a considerable amount of money. I am trying to be a planner, but my plan isn't quite cutting it. I am getting lost in a sea of sticky notes.  If I lose one of them, I am in big trouble.

I had the opportunity to interview Beth Blecherman. Beth is the author of the book My Parent Plan. Beth is also  a family technology expert, author and founder of the website www.techmamas.com. Beth's book is really interesting and she shares many great ideas on how to make a personalized parent plan. It is a great guide since every family is unique. Some of her tips are to plan for things in advance, sign up for things like summer camps for discounted rates. I know when I was looking for camps for Noah there was a discounted rate if you signed up in advance. Plane tickets are usually cheaper when bought in advance. She also uses Microsoft Office 365 to organize everything from her family's budget with Excel to using Word to write her book. Her publisher could write notes right on the document without having to email her. She told me about cool features that I didn't know about. You can color code your family calendar so you know at a glance who has which practice or what appointment. After talking to her, I am ready to use her guidance and write my own parenting plan using Microsoft Office 365.

Be sure to check out My Parent Plan by Beth Blecherman

For more information please visit Microsoft Office 365 

This post is collaboration with Beth Blecherman and Microsoft Office 365. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Plan Your Trip with Microsoft Office 365

My family loves to travel. We have family all over the world, so it is really fun when we can visit them when we are on a trip.  My aunt and uncle live in Northern California. We have been out there a few times in the past. We are planning a trip to see them this summer.  I love visiting my aunt and uncle because it is so relaxed and we don’t really have a schedule to keep.  I think that is a good thing because of the time difference. Packing and planning has become more difficult now that I am a mom. Before I was a mom, I would go do things on a whim. I would take off and go on trips at a moment’s notice sometimes. I also have all kinds of extra things to pack. Not only Noah’s clothes, but his toys after making sure a few times that no Legos have made it in his suitcase. He also needs to bring lots of books to read and activities to do. I used to pack light before I was a mom.  I also have to make sure he brings his turtle pillow.  I really need packing lists, because I always forget something. In an effort to become more organized and a better planner I was able to try out Office 365 Office with OneNote. I was able to download the OneNote Travel Notebook from Travel + Leisure. It is full of travel tips and ideas for you to use.  I really like sticky notes but I can’t take them all with me.  I like with One Note I can take them anywhere I want without worrying about them getting lost. I can even make a digital notebook with all my information.

I am one of those people that go to a self-check in at the airport and has to look through my emails for my confirmation code when I don’t use curbside. I always get to the airport extra early, but not everyone does. It would be great not to have to worry about it because you can add all of your confirmation numbers in. You can also put hotel names, addresses and directions in there too.  It provides you with everything you need, you don’t have to write things down and worry about it falling out of your purse at some point.

  

One of the things I have to keep in mind when I go on a trip with my family, is the finances. I need to keep track of every cent I spend or need to spend. I have to make sure I can afford it. Traveling can be expensive when you add in airfare, food and related expenses. Thankfully, we are staying at their house, so there will not be any hotel charges. I always end up spending a lot at the airports. I have tried to bring snacks, but even then there is drinks, meals and somehow I am always talked in to getting something at a gift shop.  I need to add in a little bit of money for gambling, because we are going to be in both Vegas and Reno.  I will have to mark down a few bucks for that. I don’t really gamble but this is my tradition when seeing my aunt and uncle. Here’s a good tip, don’t bring a bunch of change with you and put it in a zip top bag, you will be stopped at security. I know this, but I still have done this a few times.  You can’t use change in the machines anyways. 

There really isn’t a lot of expense with this particular trip when it comes to the actual trip. My aunt is an amazing cook and since we are secluded in the mountains we don’t do a lot of shopping. However to fly from Florida to Reno is expensive. So, that takes planning and budgeting.  Every trip varies in price so it is always a great idea to have a budget. Microsoft Excel is great for keeping track of your budgets. You could use it not only for a travel budget, home budget and even for work.

I also like that I will be able to write notes while I am in California. It is great for memories. I won’t have to try and remember or email myself a bunch only for my emails to get lost in my inbox. I also love to blog about vacations I take, so it will be awesome for blog ideas. My aunt and uncle have dogs and I am sure I will have puppy and dog pictures to share.  My Grandma Rose used to keep travel journals when they went places. They are so much fun to read through. It would say what they did, where they ate and even how much they spent on gas.  I would love to be able to look through the travel notebook in a few years just to show Noah who may not remember everything. 

You can purchase Microsoft 365 for $99

For More information on OneNote

 

You can download the OneNote Travel Notebook template.

This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Microsoft Office 365. All opinions stated are my own.

Must Have Tips for Caregivers and Finding them too.

My Grandma Rose was an amazing woman. She always had heart problems. She had her first bypass surgery in 1979, and didn’t have another one for sixteen years. You are only supposed to go ten. She was very independent and strong. My grandpa passed away in 1993 and she lived alone for seven years.  She always had visitors, especially me.  We were best friends. I would go to visit her almost every other weekend, even when I was older.  We always had a great time.  I would go everywhere with her, even when she was an honorary pall bearer at a funeral for a fellow Catholic Daughter. Eventually she had Alzheimer’s disease, and could no longer live without someone around.  I moved in with her for a while to make sure she took her medicine, ate, and that she didn’t wander off. My aunt lived close by too, in case she needed anything.  It was very hard for everyone involved. It was hard because you have to watch someone you love deteriorate mentally.  We had become her caregivers. Genworth has a great article about how the caregiver’s lives are rerouted and all the changes you have to make.CNN reports a growing trend of people caring for aging parents or in this case, grandparents. I know that as one of the main caregivers, I wasn’t able to work outside of the home and I had to spend less time with friends. At the beginning I even moved away from everyone to be there for her.I knew that it was the most important thing for me to do at the time.

She was in an assisted living place for a while; we had some concerns about other residents being rough with my grandma. We took her out of there. We heard on the news a woman in her unit was able to escape and froze to death in their courtyard.  This was after she moved in with us. We continued to take care of her; I would make sure she had whatever she needed while my mom was at work. It was a full time job. I didn’t mind because this was my best friend and she took care of me when I was little. We kept her with us as long as we could until her health started to deteriorate, and she needed to be in a nursing home. No one in our family had medical training, and was such a hard decision. We visited her and took her out all the time; she was only fifteen minutes away from us.  At this point it was extremely hard; we would bring her over for holidays and she wouldn’t know who we were or where she was.  In 2005, she had congestive heart failure and just was her time to go.  We all received a gift the last few days, she was able to remember everyone and tell them things only she would know to say.  I would do it all over again if I could just see her and give her a million hugs. I think about her every single day.

Being a caregiver is hard work but it is worth it.  My family took care of my grandma for years. It was definitely a group effort.  You really need a great support system.  I am thankful that everyone was there and could help in some way.  Sometimes, family care isn’t an option, it is very important to find someone qualified to take care of your loved one.  It is tough to know what to look for. There are tools and articles from companies like Genworth that can help you find out more information.  I would recommend researching the caregiver or the facility.  Make sure they are licensed. I know that you can usually find health department records and see if they have had any violations. If they aren’t online, you can call the health department and ask them as the records are public. Look for reviews of the facility. Use search engines and learn as much as you can about the caregiver or facility. If you are using an in home caregiver, have them do a criminal background check and drug tests.  Many states have online court records, if they are available, search court records.  Again it is public records.  By searching court records you get things that may not be criminal but could raise a red flag. I know I wouldn’t want someone who has been sued a lot to be responsible for my loved one.  

Thankfully Genworth has a tool that can help you find caregivers in your area, so you can avoid Craigslist to find a caregiver.

Stay away from places like Craigslist when looking.  I am leery about a total stranger taking care of a family member that answers an online advertisement. Who knows if they know what they are doing or properly trained? I would try and find an agency that has well trained, professional workers that are really passionate about taking care of people.  I hope these tips help you if you ever need a caregiver for a loved one.

This post was inspired by Genworth and Brandfluential. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Paula Deen

As an amateur chef, I like to watch cooking shows. I admire  some of the famous chefs. I really look up to Paula Deen. I love that she is so down to earth and seems really sweet. I totally love her story and how she went though a lot. She started by making sack lunches and selling them. It may be that she is a single mom like I am. She started out with nothing but determination and turned in to one of most recognizable faces and voices in America.  She is truly an inspirational woman.

I am a sucker for southern cooking too. Growing up one of my best friends lived in North Carolina so I embraced everything southern especially the food. I used to try and talk with a southern accent horribly. I remember that  we used to visit our friends and had delicious southern feasts.  Usually their neighbors would also cook too and it would be a pitch in meal that we enjoyed after sitting in chairs on the lawn or on the deck.

When I started watching Paula Deen, I really loved her style and thought she had great tools to work with. I was extremely excited when I learned she has her own line of kitchen accessories. I immediately fell in love with her line and just had to have everything. I love that it really shows off her southern charm. I love how classic everything is. Everything is amazing quality too. It would last a long time. Every cook needs a few things that have a history and that are aged and well loved.

I believe you can never have too many measuring cups or measuring spoons. I have an extensive collection of kitchen tools that I use often. I love to bake and cook different dishes at the same time and it is easier for me to just grab another item than take the time to wash and dry it, just to use it again.  I know in theory that makes more dishes to clean up later, but I just put everything in the dishwasher.  Another reason to have extra sets on hand because you can lose them. I have many measuring cups but only a couple fourth of a cups or a bunch of teaspoons.  Noah has been known to walk off with something and it never is found again. It gets lost somewhere in a toy box or thrown in the trash. It is essential to have a full set of kitchen tools. I have also lost them in moving over the years. I lost a spatula once that was never found even after we packed everything.

I would love to go to The Lady and Sons restaurant in Savannah someday. My sister and brother in law have been there a few times and really like it.  I think the next time we visit my sister and  brother in law i will see if we can go to Savannah.  It sounds like such a cool place to visit with lots of shops and history. Maybe we can even find out where Paula Deen lives and knock on her front door.  A girl can dream can't she? I would love to meet Paula Deen. Maybe someday I will. 

What are your most used kitchen tools? Do you have multiples of the same items too?

This post is inspired by BlogDash. All thoughts and opinions are my own.