Friday, July 29, 2011

Mom of 2 boys, BMBH, and Poop

                                                    Please do NOT wake sleeping children!

M.O.B. Society First Annual Boy Mom Blog Hop

Welcome to any new Boy Mom Readers!

Yesterday I wrote a short blog that was titled "So Tired" because I was so tired :b  It was a very short post that I said I would try to continue, but I think I knew in the back of my head that the post would never be finished and it was really just a chance for me to vent.  So why was I so tired?

Because I'm a mom of two boys!  In general I think just being a mom of any amount of children and any gender is going to make you pretty tired.  But there really is just something about boys.


  I'm doing okay today, but yesterday was rough.  It started with my 2 1/2 year old waking up around 5 something.  I tried getting him to fall back asleep but he was set on going downstairs.  So we went downstairs to lay on the couch and thank goodness we both were able to fall back asleep for a short period.

It was my 5 year old's last day of camp, so we drove the 40 minute drive that I've been doing for 3 days a week the past 6 weeks to get to Hockessin (it was an excellent camp, so it was totally worth it).  Then me and Chunka (my 2 1/2 year old) went to Kmart to return an item.  Then Chunka had Little Gym at 10 am.  Then we stopped at a store to pick up a baby shower gift.  Then I picked Beluga (my 5 year old) up from camp.  Then we drove 40 minutes home so we could be home in time for Chunka's speech therapy.  Chunka usually loves playing with his speech therapist but yesterday he was just in a mood.  He didn't want to do anything he was asked.  He is also at his "me do" period where he wants to do everything himself.  So he had a complete meltdown when I wouldn't let him cut up his own strawberries.  Then I tried putting him down for a nap which had quite a few interruptions due to the fact that he now almost daily goes poop in his pull up at nap time. He pooped twice yesterday during his nap, the last one requiring a bath and the end of his nap.

                                        (Not poop, just mud, although it could very easily be poop)
                
And that's where I was at yesterday when I wrote that I was so tired and still had lots to do for the rest of the day (which included physical therapy and swim class).  Mind you all of this could have been exactly the same with two little girls, but in my experience (which isn't a lot because I have two boys!) boys are especially great at pushing things.  And I can't speak for all boys, but mine are especially energetic.  Most days you will see the two of them running around and around the coffee table yelling and laughing.  One a their favorite parts of the day it when daddy comes home, he has about 7 minutes to get changed before hearing "Daddy, let's wrestle!"  Yesterday I was worn down, but most days I love it more than anything!!  I always imagined that I would have at least one girl, because I'm so girly.  Plus my husband had one sibling, a sister and I had one sibling, a brother, so that's what we were used to.  But now I think it is so nice that to see my boys being brothers!  It's a really unique special bond that they have.  Plus I'm girly enough for our family. 


Chocolate, not poop, although this child did eat a worm once.

Have you noticed a difference between raising boys or girls?
Please note: the writing of this post was interrupted because I heard Chunka up from his nap.  Why? Because he was poopy of course!  Also, please note, spell check does not recognize poopy as a word :b

Thursday, July 28, 2011

So tired!

I'm soo tired right now.  I have a whole list that I could write about my day and my kids (one in particular) to explain why I'm so tired, but I'm too tired to write that right now.  So for now I'm going to hope that my 2 1/2 year old stays down for his nap so I can sit down and eat lunch.  Maybe after that, I'll vent some more about my day.  Until then,

To be continued, maybe.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday's Grants: Green Thumb Challenge- Deadline 9/30/11

Monday's Grants


As we all know, women play so many roles, we're mothers, we're daughters, we're friends, we're wives, we're amazing!  One of my roles is that of a social worker.  I've been a stay at home mom for the past 5 years and I have loved it!  But during that time, I also continued my education and received my Master's in Social Work.  I really believe that I was put on this earth to make a difference in people's lives and be a change agent.  In order to provide change as a social worker, you often need funding!  I keep updated on grants and funding that is available and I thought since I'm doing the research anyway, I might as well share my found information with individuals or groups who could also use it. So I've decided to start Monday's Grants. I will post grants weekly that may be useful to nonprofits, groups, teachers, individuals and more.  Many grants will be RFP's (Request for Proposals), but I will try to include a selection of different grants. Enjoy!


Green Thumb Challenge

Deadline: September 30, 2011

Amount: $5,000 

Green Education Foundation (GEF) and Gardener’s Supply Company have teamed up on an exciting funding opportunity for established youth garden projects nationwide! The organizations are calling on schools and youth groups to submit chronicles of their garden projects in a race to win a $5,000 prize. The award is designed to support the continued sustainability of an exceptional youth garden program that has demonstrated success, and has impacted the lives of kids and their community. Green Thumb Challenge participants may submit any of the following, or a combination. (Not a member? Click here to sign up for free!)

  • An overview describing your garden project
  • One video, up to ten minutes long
  • A digital portfolio, comprising up to ten photos with captions
  • Scanned artwork with descriptions
Videos, photographs and scanned artwork will be uploaded to the Green Thumb Challenge website.

Please submit the following informa
tion with your mailed or emailed submission:
Completed Grant Application (View Application in PDF Format)
Completed Contest Disclaimer (View Disclaimer in PDF Format)

Deadline: September 30, 2011

Eligible Contestants: Garden programs involving children currently in grades K-12, from schools and youth groups nationwide.

Grant Guidelines:

To submit a grant you must first sign up on our online community. (Not a member? Click here to sign up for free!)
• Entries must be submitted by designated deadline.
• A class/group/school may enter the contest only once.
• Submissions must include garden materials (as outlined above), application and completed disclaimer
• Awards must be allocated towards the sustainability of current garden program
• Winners will be selected through a fair and impartial selection process by the Selection Committee appointed by the organizers.
Remember to include a completed disclaimer and general application with submission. Projects that have been submitted without completed disclaimers will not be entered into the contest.
Note that by entering the competition, you have assigned copyright of your garden project materials to the organizers. Photographs, videos and other submitted media may be further utilized in exhibition, websites, posters, publications, etc.

Mailing address:

Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Attn: Green Thumb Challenge Award
153 Washington St., 4th Floor
East Walpole, MA 02032

To apply for Grant, please go to:

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Our version of The Upside Down Show


My 5 year old is all about videos, he watches them on youtube and he's made a few of them himself.  They usually revolve around Thomas the Tank Engine, but for his last video, he wanted to do the Upside Down Show.  If you've seen the Upside Down Show before, you will get it, if you have not, you will not.  Sorry it got cut off, my camera ran out of space!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Monday's Grants- Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation- Deadline 7/27/2011

Monday's Grants


As we all know, women play so many roles, we're mothers, we're daughters, we're friends, we're wives, we're amazing!  One of my roles is that of a social worker.  I've been a stay at home mom for the past 5 years and I have loved it!  But during that time, I also continued my education and received my Master's degree in Social Work.  I really believe that I was put on this earth to make a difference in people's lives and be a change agent.  In order to provide change as a social worker, you often need funding!  I keep updated on grants and funding that is available and I thought since I'm doing the research anyway, I might as well share my found information with individuals or groups who could also use it. So I've decided to start Monday's Grants. I will post grants weekly that may be useful to nonprofits, groups, teachers, individuals and more.  Many grants will be RFP's (Request for Proposals), but I will try to include a selection of different grants. Enjoy!


The first grant I'm bringing to you is from the Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation

Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation Accepting Applications for Innovative Youth Program Evaluation Grants

Deadline: July 27, 2011
Amount:  Grants will range from $5,000 to $30,000.

Evaluation grant

RMYF helps assess the effectiveness of innovative youth programs by offering Evaluation Grants. These grants range from $5,000 - $25,000.
Evaluation grants are targeted to innovative programs or innovative components of programs serving disadvantaged youth. These are the only RMYF grants available to first time applicants. As the purpose of these grants is to identify effective innovations in the field, RMYF will not fund the evaluation of programs that are not innovative. Applicants that use traditional approaches to serving youth are asked to seek funding from sources that fund such approaches. In addition to learning about the effectiveness of their innovative approach, grant recipients are expected to use evaluation results to improve their services and possibly replicate the program. If an organization demonstrates through their RMYF-funded evaluation that their innovative methods are effective in helping youth reach their full potential, RMYF will encourage them to apply for replication or dissemination grants to help spread the use of their innovative approach elsewhere.
We highly recommend that you have an evaluator review, or participate in, the development of your evaluation grant application.
There are many types of evaluation. For example, some evaluations measure satisfaction, others measure program day-to-day operations, and others measure cost-benefit ratios.
However, RMYF funds a very specific type of evaluation, called utilization-focused outcome program evaluation. This type of evaluation meets the following criteria:
  • Outcome-based - We help programs measure the degree to which their services effect meaningful changes in the youth they serve.
  • Logic-model-based - The logic model is a way to approach evaluation where that which is measured (in this case, outcomes) is the logical extension of the program's overall strategy. For example, in a logic model, the outcomes are a direct extension of the mission and are achieved through the programs activities. For more on the logic model, see the University of Wisconsin - Extension Web site .
  • Quantifiable- We request that the evaluation collect data that can be expressed in numbers - for example, data that are absolute numbers, scales, or categories.
  • Valid - We request that the evaluation meet minimum standards of validity. E.g., that it measure what it purports to measure.
  • Utilization-focused - While research is very valuable, RMYF does not fund general research. Instead, it funds evaluation that is designed to generate findings that are usable by real people in the real world to help underprivileged youth reach their full potential.
  • Professional - Although we hope that programs are closely involved in their evaluation, we require that the evaluations we fund be conducted or overseen by a professional evaluator or someone with equivalent credentials, experience and expertise. For suggestions on identifying an evaluator, see below.
Abiding by experimental design (if possible) - Although we don't require evaluations to follow the experimental design (e.g., have a comparison group to test causality), we favor those that do.

Replication grant

Replication Grants fund the growth of practices that RMYF-funded outcome evaluation have shown to be effective in helping disadvantaged youth reach their full potential. The purpose of Replication Grants is to increase the number of youth that benefit from a newly-identified best practice. For example, replication grants can support the expansion of a current program or the creation of a new program that uses the newly-discovered effective practice. These grants are open only to organizations that have received RMYF Evaluation or Dissemination Grants in the past. These grants range from $5,000 - $30,000.
Former RMYF grantees make a request for more info: contact@rmyf.org.

Dissemination grant

Dissemination Grants fund the diffusion of practices that RMYF-funded outcome evaluation has shown to be effective in helping disadvantaged youth reach their full potential. These grants fund, for example, conference presentations, articles, Websites, consultations and other methods for “getting the word out” on a newly-discovered effective practice. These grants are open only to organizations that have received RMYF Evaluation or Replication Grants and range from $5,000 to $30,0000.
Former RMYF Grantees make a request for more info: contact@rmyf.org.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Our new family go to beach- Lewes Beach


We're very lucky to have a house in Rehoboth that we can go to anytime we want for free- my grandparents place! My husband took off on Monday so that we could enjoy a long weekend. We headed down Saturday morning and came back home to Wilmington Monday early afternoon. In that time, we went to Lewes Beach twice, out to eat, to the Rehoboth Boardwalk and my husband took our five year old to Mini Golf for his first time. And of course we spent time with my grandparents, my parents and cousins.

My family's favorite beach for a while now has been Tower Beach (which is a state park) because it used to be pretty uncrowded.  But I think the secret is out now, because it seems like for the past couple of years Tower Beach has gotten a lot more crowds. 

Now that we have young kids, the beach that we tend to go to is Lewes Beach because the waves are much more calm and we can feel more comfortable with our 2 1/2 year old and 5 year old playing in the water.

My parents are major beach bums who will stay on the beach for up to 8 hours each day.  While we enjoy the beach that's just too much for us with kids (even without).  We've found that it works out best for us to bring the kids onto the beach after 2:30/3 and then to stay for a couple of hours.  By this time, the crowds have died down a bit, it's easier to find parking and the sun is not too hot.  When parking at Lewes Beach during prime times, it can be very difficult to find a parking spot, my husband once spent over an hour trying to find a spot.  But every time we have gone later in the afternoon we have had no problems at all.  Parking is $1.50 per hour, so bring lots of quarters with you. 

Don't worry Rehoboth, your boardwalk still has my heart :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Embracing Diversity at Home


I'm trying to start a non-profit after school program and one aspect that I would like to focus on is embracing diversity and cultural competence.  I found a great article on ways that this can be done at home called:
Messages for Parents: Embracing Diversity Teaching Your Child to Appreciate the Differences That Make People Special

Some of the tips given for helping your child to embrace diversity include:

*Read books or watch videos with tolerance, diversity and multicultural themes with your children.
*Encourage your childrens’ friendships with people who are different from them.
*Work with your child’s school or PTA to start a diversity book list or diversity organization. Let your child’s school board know that diversity in schools is important to you.
*Enroll your child in schools, camps, learning programs, day care and after-school programs that celebrate diversity.
*Be honest about differences between people. Tell children that people are not all the same; Explain that we all experience the world in different ways and those experiences are important. Help your children to understand the viewpoints and ideas of others.

To read more of the tips, go to:
Messages for Parents: Embracing Diversity Teaching Your Child to Appreciate the Differences That Make People Special

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Waited late to start your garden? How frugal of you

As I was driving on Kirkwood Highway, I saw a sign that said 50% off Vegetable Plants from Leon's Garden World.  I wanted to take a pic of that sign, but if texting and driving is illegal in Delaware, I'm thinking that taking photos while driving would also be frowned upon. But I did get a picture inside the Garden Center.

 
I picked out a selection of peppers and strawberries.  Total cost for plants- $7

Although, I'll admit, I was not smart and left the plants inside my hot car for about 5 hours.  Hoping they can recouperate!

Our tomato plant


For years I wanted to have a small garden to have the kids help me grow a few veggies. I think it's great for children to have the opportunity to learn about how some food is grown and be involved in the process.

I finally took the leap and put in a raised cedar garden kit, with some help of course.



But truthfully, my father in law came and helped me screw it together.  He even brought over two tomato plants.  I planted two tomato plants that he had (three if you count the teeny tiny one in the middle). As of right now we have five possible tomatoes that may turn out.

The funny thing is neither my husband nor I like plain tomatoes, but both the boys do. So far they've enjoyed watering the plants and checking to see if the tomatoes had grown.
 If you have any gardening advice for me, such as tips on how not to kill all the plants, I'd love to hear from you!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Want an unlimited Data Plan for your Smartphone? You have until Thursday



I just heard the news that Verizon Wireless will be changing it's unlimited data plan for Smartphones (including the iPhone) on Thursday July 7th.  New customers who purchase a smart phone will now have tiered options to choose from which are:

$10 a month for 75MB
$30 a month for 2GB
$50 a month for 5GB
$80 a month for 10GB

Also, if you go over your plan, you will be charged $10 per GB over.


Currently Verizon's data plan is $30 a month for unlimited usage. 

This is not new in the industry, Apple also has a tiered data plan, which is slightly less than Verizon's will be.

What does this mean for you?   If you use under 2GB a month, then you won't be affected much, in fact you may be able to change your plan over to $10 a month. However if you are close to that 2GB, you may need to keep a close eye on your usage each month.  Verizon says (I called them) that most customers do not use more than 2GB a month and therefore most of their customers will not be affected by this change.

But what if you do use more than 2GB a month, say you are a blogger who uses your smartphone for most of your work.  Well there are two options, the first option is, if you are already a Verizon customer you should be grandfathered in to the unlimited data plan.  This should count if you upgrade your phone also (notice I said should).  But you will most likely only be grandfathered with an upgrade on the same brand. So an iPhone 4 upgraded to an iPhone 5, still grandfathered. An Iphone upgraded to a Droid, probably not going to happen.

What if you aren't a Verizon customer, or you don't have a smartphone that would be included.  Option two is to sign up before Thursday July 7th.  I know, there's not a lot of time!

The third option is to just suck it up and pay the additional costs if you get a new smartphone from Verizon after July 7th. 

I choose Option 2.  I'm already a Verizon customer, but not with a great phone.  I've been planning on getting an iPhone for awhile now, I've just been waiting for the prices to go down.  I don't know if I'll go over the 2GB a month or not, but now I feel comfortable knowing that I won't have one more thing to worry about each month.  But I'm sure the prices on the iPhone will go down very shortly now!

To learn more, you can check out these articles. 
Dvice
Apple Insider
Byte Now
AllThingsD

Boys and Mud

What is it with boys (at least my boys) that they love playing in the dirt and mud so much? I'm sure that some little girls also enjoy playing in the mud, but that was not me. I'm a bit of a Girly girl. I don't mind letting my kids getting messy while having fun, but it was more than once that I told them "Don't touch mommy". And you can bet that they went straight in the tub after this!


Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July 2011! Kids Activities

Picture of Firework taken at Blue Rocks Game

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I hope you have a great day filled with time with family, fun, friends and food!

I haven't decided if I'll be doing some craft activities with the boys today or just chillin', but if you are planning on doing some kids activities centered around the fourth of July, Disney Family Fun has some great ideas under the 4th of July tab.  They have lots of Printables, I printed out the Fireworks Coloring Page, they also have Crafts and cute Recipes.

Have a great Holiday!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Date Night Scheduled





This is the most recent pic I could find of a date night that my husband and I recently went on.  Fancy, huh?  It was a Benefit Gala back in April.  I know that we've gone on at least one date night since then (looking a lot less fancy), but probably only one and it was for our wedding anniversary.

This weekend we were planning on joining family down in Rehoboth Beach to celebrate the holiday weekend, but yesterday our 5 year old Beluga woke up not feeling good and slept about the whole day.  We decided to see how he felt this morning to decide if we would go down.  He felt better, but not 100% and we didn't think that going to the beach in the hot sun when you aren't feeling too great would be good for him.  So we are home for the weekend- a 3 day weekend.  It's rare that we have weekends where we don't have any plans.  So, I decided that tomorrow night would be a great time to take on Life Without Pink and MommyFriend's July Project Marriage Challenge- to have a Date Night.

So as long as my hubbie's parents are up for watching the boys, we're going on a date night!  Part of the challenge is to try and go the whole night without talking about the kids.  Now that will be difficult, but I'm going to try and keep the kid talk to a minimum.  I might have to read the paper tomorrow to have something to talk about :b  Now we have to decide where to go.

 Edit:  About 2 hours after I wrote this blog, my 2 1/2 year old woke up from his nap with a fever!  He's starting to feel better, but still isn't great.  So Date Night will not be happening tonight :(  Maybe we'll try to rent a movie or something?