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Traveling with Children

Tips for the Perfect Family Vacation


Traveling with children can either be great fun or really hard work, so a bit of advanced planning goes a long way to making sure the trip is stress-free. How do you successfully plan the perfect family vacation? Keep scrolling to see our tips on traveling with kids.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Tips for the Perfect Family Vacation when Traveling with Children


What Makes a Good Family Holiday
The answer to what makes a good family vacation depends on what kind of family you are as a whole and the ages of your children. If you’re a family that loves being outdoors and at one with nature, then tent camping and mobile home getaways could be perfect for your family. However, if the thought of anything outdoorsy as a family fills you with fear, then something like an all-inclusive family deal in Florida could be ideal.
The age range of the family is also vital when considering where to take your next vacation as two younger children around the same age are going to be easier to entertain on beach vacations. Having older children can  mean activity holidays or trips where they have clubs to entertain the children while you do a bit of sunbathing.
What you don’t want to do is try and mix too many things together on one trip, such as, trying to incorporate a safari trip with a sightseeing outing when the children are very young, as they are going to lose interest and it will make for a highly stressful trip. Believe me, been there done that!

Stress-Free Travel
The options on how to get to your travel destination all need to be carefully considered because, with children, you need to think about whether they are old enough to travel long distance without having to stop every few hours if you drive, or if they can withstand a 24-hour flight.
The benefits of flying are that the journey can be broken up into sections such as a car trip to the airport, hanging around the departures lounge for a while, spending time on the plane, and then renting a car from Advantage Car Rental to finish the journey at your destination.
Taking a boat or a ferry is always great with kids as the excitement of floating across the water keeps them entertained while you get ready for your vacation to start.
A train is also another great option as you can travel at high speeds across country while not having the expense of plane tickets or the worry of bus timetables (if you decide to go down that route.)

Plan the Food
A significant consideration when planning the perfect vacation is what food choices you'll provide for your children. There are a variety of food plans when on vacation, some harder than others. If you are taking a trip where all-inclusive food and drink is on offer, be sure to thoroughly research if the food offered is child-friendly and if they abide by dietary requirements and food intolerance rules. Many theme parks offer these type of meal plans.
Whether you decide to drive your car or choose a car rental, taking all of your own food and snacks is a great and cost-effective option. It means you know exactly what snacks the children will eat and that they will actually eat it, plus you save money as you only buy and take what you need. However, this is only available to you if you have enough car space and if carrying around all those food selections is not too inconvenient.
If you plan to eat out, make sure that you research all of the available restaurants nearby before you book your trip, as there’s nothing worse than getting to your accommodation after a long journey and finding there is nowhere to eat.
Family vacations are where many amazing memories are made, and with a little forward planning, you can design the perfect trip to fit around you and your children's needs. For more fun family vacation ideas follow us on Instagram.


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How to Get Babies to Sleep Through The Night Tips

The True Secret to Getting Babies to Sleep Through the Night


There's no denying that every parent wants their child to have peaceful sleep throughout the night – an uninterrupted night of great sleep. However, the reality is most kids don’t function that way and will keep waking up time after time, night after night. That’s really frustrating, especially for a parent, you can't sleep if your baby is awake. So what's the secret on how to get babies to sleep through the night?



How to Get Babies to Sleep Through The Night Tips baby infant toddler


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Even though it’s common for babies and toddlers to wake up frequently and “refuse” to take quality naps during the day, there are some things you can do to help your baby sleep better through the night. If you were wondering what you can do to make bedtime sleep better for your infant or toddler, consider the following tips:

Baby Sleep Tips


1. Avoid Over Tiredness

Overtired babies find it hard to sleep, which means you might think your child can’t sleep, while it’s actually an effect of over tiredness. It's in your best interest to know your baby’s sleep patterns and to avoid keeping them awake for longer than necessary. Doing so can help you catch the earliest signs of tiredness in your baby, hence address them effectively.

2. Swaddle your Baby

Most babies love being swaddled, and it makes sense! Newborns have just come from a safe environment in their mother’s womb, and they're used to being held tightly, which is why swaddling a baby makes perfect sense. Besides, a swaddled baby won’t be able to hit themselves in the face, which in most cases, wakes them up. Ensure that your baby is comfortable, wearing overnight diapers, and you'll be surprised by how peaceful their sleep will be through the night (and yours too.)

3. Calm your Baby Before Sleep

Babies need some settling time before bedtime, it helps their body to begin a “shut-down” process which enhances better sleep. This is the time when you turn off the TV or music, take your baby to their bedroom which is a quieter environment, and let them have their settling time (10 – 15 minutes.) There are different ways to calm down a baby, dimming the lights and ensuring that the room temperature is perfect are both helpful options. Also, playing nature sounds such as chirping sounds of crickets and other calming nature sounds can help soothe baby. With these calming techniques, your baby’s mind will easily adjust, allowing them to fall asleep faster and easier.

4. Have a Routine

According to Sleep Reports, a sleep routine for baby’s nap times and bedtimes can help. As far as sleeping is concerned, our bodies “learn” and adjust so that they're always ready for the same process. A bedtime routine can involve activities such as bathing your baby, changing their clothes, feeding them, and then observing some “quiet time.” After the bath, it’s always a good idea to avoid playing, and preserve such moments for cuddling and giving your baby the comfort they need to help them fall asleep faster.

5. Avoid Over-stimulation

If your baby can't sleep, the best thing you can do is avoid overstimulating them. Look around your baby’s room, and you’ll notice it’s probably very stimulating. Lots of shapes, colors, sounds, objects, and even other people.

Of course that was the plan, you designed it to stimulate your baby’s senses. One of the ways babies get overstimulated is when you play with them at bedtime or giving them toys to keep them company. This causes them additional stimulation and makes it hard for them to sleep throughout the night. It’s the same as when an older child plays video games at bedtime.

6. Embrace the Sun

When a baby’s “body clock” is off schedule, it can be “reset” by exposing it to the sun, whether it means opening the blinds once your baby is awake or taking them for a morning walk in their stroller. Wondering how that makes them sleep better? If your baby’s sleep patterns aren't set, they’ll have some trouble sleeping through the night. However, correcting that by exposing them to sunlight once they wake up, helps your baby sleep better at night.

7. Avoid Sleeping Props

Another thing you'll want to keep in mind is that babies learn by association. Once you understand that, you should discourage using sleep props to lure your baby to rest. Sleep props are things that you regularly use, such as, feeding or cuddling, to encourage your baby to sleep. If you use sleeping props as solutions to get your baby to fall asleep, your baby will get used to them, which means you have to use such “solutions” every time the baby needs to sleep. As long as your baby is relaxed and not over-stimulated or over-tired, you don’t have to stimulate them to fall asleep – they’ll do so automatically.

8. Handle Night Wakings 

It’s normal for your baby to wake up at night for diaper changes and nighttime feeding during the first few months. When such situations arise, they should be handled correctly so that your baby won’t find it hard to go back to sleep again.

The most important thing you can do is to ensure you remain in their bedroom if it’s time to feed or change their diapers. Don’t take them to another room or they'll learn this routine. Also keep the room as dark as you can, but ensure that you can see around the room comfortably. You also have to avoid making any unnecessary interactions with your baby – stick to simple feeding and changing.
Once you’ve done everything your baby needs, it’s time to get your baby back to sleep. This is something you need to do quickly to ensure your baby doesn’t get confused thinking it’s time to rise and shine. Make it less complicated, as you want your baby to start learning that they need to sleep through the night.

In some cases, your baby might wake up only for you to find out that they're not hungry nor do they need a diaper change. During such times, you should only give them gentle pats or strokes to encourage them to go back to sleep.

As a result, getting your baby to sleep through the night shouldn't be impossible. One thing you need to remember is that some babies are just better at sleeping than other babies, which is why the above tips might not always work effectively for every kid out there. If you have repeated issues with bouts of crying, you’ll want to check your baby for colic or other health concerns.



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Does Gaming Increase Kids Intelligence?

How Gaming Helps Your Kids Boost Intelligence


Intelligence is the capacity for learning and reasoning, the ability to understand and process things or to deal with new or difficult situations. It's one ability which everyone can't seem to get enough of, even the so-called intelligent ones want to be more intelligent. It is believed that humans are born with intelligence but there are other factors after birth which can positively influence and develop the level of a person's intelligence. So, how can gaming help boost your kid's intelligence? Do video games really improve certain brain functions?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links When you click I may get a small commission.

how can gaming help boost your kids intelligence

Intelligence is equally a function of nature, as well as, nurture. While nature is hereditary and almost nothing can be done about it, nurture has to do with the upbringing a person gets, and this can go a long way in intellectual development. One of the things which if included into a child upbringing can increase his or her intelligence, is playing games. Yes, you read right. Playing games. Contrary to the widely held misconception that most games numb the mind, video games can add to a person in many ways; this includes:

  • Gaming Boosts Concentration and Attention.

Playing games involve a lot of focus on the part of the players, unlike activities such as watching TV, listening to music, reading, etc. which can be done absentmindedly, gaming requires you to fully focus on the game and relegate every other thing to the background, and this is why some believe in the addictive power of games. However, gaming increases the usual selective visual attention of the player. This refers to the brain’s ability to focus on relevant visual information while suppressing less relevant information. If children can learn to block out frivolous distractions and focus from an early age, gaming can increase the efficiency of their brain. Thus, if your kid is one with short attention span, playing games is one way through which he/she can improve.

  • Gaming boosts coordination and problem-solving skills.

A person who can focus is better coordinated and makes better decisions. Most games on Friv involve a lot of analysis of unique and complicated situations and usually, these situations require the player be coordinated. There are special moves in games which involve pressing specific keys in a sequence and all of these improve coordination because the player knows that missing a step will affect the outcome of the game. Coordination is also an important skill for problem-solving and the more coordinated a person is, the better a problem solver the person becomes.

  • Gaming Enhances Brain Function and IQ.

Gaming also enhances the cognitive ability and intelligence quotient of a person. So kids can enhances these abilities trough gaming. For this to happen, one has to be selective about the type of games being played. Playing strategic games has been proven to have a considerable impact on developing a child's IQ. Memory games, as well, when played consistently, help to sharpen the memory and make it more receptive to new information. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Charite University of Medicine, in one study conducted to determine the influence of games on the brain, took measurements of participants' brain volume before and after playing Super Mario 64. The study showed a significant increase in grey matter of those playing the game compared to the group that did not. Imagine how many times your kid has played Super Mario!

  • Gaming improves brain speed.

In playing games, the gamer is given lots of information to process per second and this helps to improve the speed at which the child processes information even when not playing games. Brain speed has to do with the pace at which a person perceives, analyzes, organizes and acts on a piece of information. Many video games, especially action games and games involving time management, require a quick reaction from the player and the ability to react quickly and still make the right decision is important for measuring intelligence. Your child is boosting reaction time each time the play a game.

  • Gaming improves the ability to solve mathematical and verbal problems via logical games.

By involving your kid in logical games and puzzles, his or her ability to solve mathematical and verbal problems are improved. Games allow for creative and out of the box thinking, as well as, improving memory and attention span. All of these are important skills necessary for understanding and solving mathematical problems.

  • Gaming improves planning, multitasking, prioritization.

The outcome of a game depends on how effective the player's plan is. The chances of failure and tension drive the players to make highly efficient decisions in strategy games and this can be transferred into reality and used to make decision making for daily life tasks. According to research, the areas of the brain that control spatial navigation, strategic planning and working memory are greatly improved through gaming. When playing games, the player's attention is divided as he or she is focused on the joystick, the screen, as well as, on the commands necessary to execute a gaming action. With this ability for multiple focus, a gamer can learn to multitask in real life activities without any task suffering from inadequate attention.

  • Gaming helps to make flexible, faster and more accurate decisions.

With its method of reward in the form of "Next-level" punishment in form of "Game-over." Gaming encourages the player to make the best decisions possible and find his or her way out of complex problems. The player is more adept at making multiple decisions and switching between tasks without errors. This flexibility allows a kid to be faster in making decisions as he or she can make multiple decisions at once.


how can gaming boost your kids intelligence? children

Finally, if you encourage your kids to play games, their daily activities should be totally dependent on a proper time management plan. You can get worthwhile games for your wards on Friv. Just remember, everything in moderation! Do you agree that gaming can boost intelligence? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Adopting Healthy Lifestyles as a Family

Everyone in the Family should Live Healthy Lifestyles to Insure a Better Quality of Life



Living a healthy lifestyle is something that many people aspire to do. It's difficult to adopt a healthy lifestyle and keep up the routine. However, if the entire family lives a healthy lifestyle, it's easier to maintain and insure your health goals. Perhaps you have a job that takes up a lot of your time, or you're too busy with volunteer work, school, or anything else that life throws at you. No matter the reason, you need to make the time to become healthy and set a good example for your children.

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.


Tips on Adopting Healthy Lifestyles as a Family



You're the only one that can change your everyday habits for the better, but it can be much easier to do if everyone in the family acknowledges the importance of healthy living. If our children learn from a young age what it means to eat healthy meals and exercise, they'll take that knowledge with them into adulthood as well.

Why should everyone in the family live healthy lifestyles? When you start living a healthy lifestyle at an early age, it becomes second nature. As you age, you'll be ready to adapt to lifestyle changes that will continue to improve your health and you won't get stuck in those addictive unhealthy habits that can lead to obesity and other chronic illnesses which can be a downer when you're searching for term life insurance quotes. Another added benefit of a healthy lifestyle is the opportunity to enjoy the time with your grandkids as an active participant rather than an inactive observer.


Tips on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle together as a family:



Kids Learn from Their Parents
Kids look at parents as their role models, which is why it's paramount that parents do their part and teach their children about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s eating healthy and nutritious meals, or the importance of staying active, you can always make a difference in the type of habits that your children adopt.


Use it as an Opportunity to Spend Time Together
Living a healthy life as a family gives everyone an opportunity to spend quality time together. Be mindful and add these tips to insure better healthy lifestyle results for your efforts.


1. Exercise

Rather than exercising alone, go for a walk outside with your family members. This also gives you an opportunity to properly talk to one another. It's a great way to bring up those difficult conversations you've been meaning to get started but never seem to find the time to do. Get fit with these fitness gift ideas.


2. Weekend road trips

Don't forget about road trips with kids This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to destress and improve mental health while enjoying some family fun, making lasting memories together, and insuring that your bond is strong. Road trips are also a great way to get to know each better. Share happy stories of your childhood, but remember to stay away from difficult subjects or anything stressful.


A Future Health Routine
It’s important to find a routine that everyone in the family will benefit from. If you plan on being active, why not do it while everyone is together? Plus, the activities your children pursue from a young age will impact their future, as well.

When your kids are grown up and they're young adults, who is to say that they'll not end up becoming personal trainers, physiotherapists, yoga instructions or something else that is a result of the activities they participated in as a family when they were younger? Often kids who sign up for football and discover a passion for it end up wanting to pursue this in the future, whether as a hobby or a potential career.


The same can be said for other jobs that are considered health and wellness careers. Of course, this is all based on a person's individual personality and what they enjoy doing. Perhaps you found an interest in personal training as a result of working with a trainer to improve your health. That might lead to a career change.


Don’t forget that no matter what you choose to do in the future, you'll have to acquire the necessary qualifications that allow you to make a career out of your health and wellness lifestyle. This is the case for those interested in personal training, for example, they can complete an online fitness course Leicester in order to get certified, making it an easy way to get educated on healthy lifestyle fitness careers. Keep in mind that different career paths will require different steps. Some will require certifications, some will require degrees.


Adopting a healthy lifestyle as a family is a win-win situation. Of course, you want the best for your family. So why not prioritize adopting healthy habits as a family into your daily routine? This will improve your quality of life, both in the short and long-term, improve your chance of obtaining affordable health insurance, and likely get you the best possible term life insurance quotes. You'll find yourself saving money on bad habits, insurance, and feeling much happier as a result of it all! These simple lifestyle changes can bring your family closer together. As always, I know you can do it!



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Go Green with 6 Eco Friendly Kid Activities: Fall

6 Going Green Activities for Kids


Whether you call it Fall or Autumn, the cooler weather is a great time to go green and focus on eco friendly kid activities. Going green isn't just about sustainability or recycling, it is also a great way to be eco friendly. When you use items from nature in games and craft projects, you're going green! Take the kids on a nature hike, collect twigs, leaves, and rocks and then start creating win the found materials. We've curated five beautiful and fun eco friendly activities to do with the kids that will make beautiful gifts or home decorations for fall. As always, don't forget to make it an educational experience with a companion lesson. We've included a few for you.


Go Green with 6 Eco Friendly Kid Activities: Fall


Whenever we do a craft, we like to pair it with a lesson. The eco friendly kid activities listed here are perfect companion craft activities for a lesson on the environment. After your nature hike, teach the kids about sustainability, going green, and even climate change. Adrian Rubin  has great articles that are perfect for high schoolers or college students to read on their own. For middle school or older elementary students, the articles, like this one on climate change and red tide, make good read alouds. Check out NASA for more in depth articles and lesson plans on global climate change.

6 Eco Friendly Kid Activities



  • One of our fellow bloggers and favorite crafters, is Maggie, from Red Ted Art. She created a beautiful leaf lantern that is the perfect fall eco friendly kid activity


Eco Friendly Leaf Lanterns from Red Ted Art.

After you hike and create your leaf lantern activity, watch this Global Warming Climate Change video from Brainpop. If you're a teacher or homeschool parent, you'll love that you can create your own quiz or find lesson ideas here.



Eco Friendly Kid Activities: Evergreen Wreath
Evergreen Wreath Activity from Raising Lifelong Learners.


eco friendly nature hike craft activities for preschool kid
Alphabet Rock Walk from Melissa & Doug.




ecofreindly kid activities nature hike mystery bags
Collect items on a nature hike for a mystery bag activity.


Make an eco friendly tic tac toe game from found objects.
Make an eco friendly tic tac toe game from found objects.

  • All kids like to pick up twigs. They make great swords, don't they? They also make cool eco friendly crafts, like the Christmas Tree ornaments pictured below. Collect the twigs in the fall and gift the eco friendly ornaments during the holidays.

eco friendly kid made holiday ornaments decorations
Eco friendly kid made holiday decorations.from Kids Creative Chaos.



For more eco friendly kid activities and sustainable ideas check out our Pinterest board on Art and Craft Activities for Kids.


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Read YA Fiction Online: Moon Magic Chapter 8

YA Fiction Online


Have you been reading free books online? We're sharing our YA fiction novel online. We recommend this novel for ages 13 yrs. and up. If you're new, start here- Moon Magic Chapter One.  As always, this material is copyrighted and not meant to be published on any other website or platform. It will be published in full once completed. Click here for Moon Magic Chapter SevenEnjoy!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

This is the last free chapter of the YA Metaphysical Novel. The book is now published on Amazon. 



Read YA Fiction Online: Moon Magic Chapter 8



Online YA Fiction Novel


Moon Magic
Copyright 2017

Chapter Eight : Serenity’s Story


Serenity’s ability to ignore the past had come to an end. As she drifted in and out of cerebral consciousness, she relived the past in 4D. Highly aware of the comings and goings in her hospital room, she was frozen and unable to see or to speak. Wide open, her mouth drew deafening gasps of air into her lungs as she stayed mostly in a lucid dream-like state.


Friends and family saw a broken human fighting for oxygen and struggling for survival, but within the inner workings of Serenity’s system, she was still very much alive. Every spoken word interrupted and confused her thoughts.


Able to concentrate and change the outcome of her dreams she spent many hours trying to manipulate the past. However, her thoughts drifted to the things she couldn’t change, at least not in this current state of being.


In the summer of 1988, Serenity graduated from high school. Keeping with family traditions she had spent her first summer as a so-called ‘adult’ living on a reservation in Oklahoma. The Creek Indians on the reservation still practiced ritualistic ceremonies and young girls were expected to attend while they were still pure.


In those days, keeping one’s virginity intact until the eighteenth birthday was quite a feat. Serenity’s parents were strict but not religious. Their morals were strong, outdated, and politically incorrect. Needless to say, she didn’t always agree with them. But, when the time came for her initiation into the ‘tribe’ she knew she’d be ready.

Her parents had never kept secrets about their heritage. She’d poured over books soaking up every detail of the Creek culture. The oneness with nature exhibited by her ancestors held tight. Growing up in the bible belt was difficult. She had to keep so many secrets. Many Christians believed Indians who practiced rituals to the Great Spirit were against God. Even though, the Creek believed that God and the Great Spirit were one in the same.


Back then, every time she shut her eyes, the ancestors had revealed their ancestral memories. Now, her eyes stayed permanently closed. Her DNA was imprinted with years of struggle, and the ancestors were delighted to have so much time to reveal their stories day in and day out.  


When Serenity was younger her parents had poo-pooed the night terrors. It was nothing, just a dream. But, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, they finally opened Pandora’s Box and admitted that they too had these memories. Growing up without that knowledge had been a lonely existence. When the time came, she vowed not to do that to her own child.


In an effort to protect her only daughter, Serenity’s mother had kept secrets. “It’s for the best, baby doll. The less you know the easier your life will be.” She’d comfort Serenity after a nightmare by saying, “There’s no such thing as ghosts, now go back to sleep.” She had deceived her daughter only to hide the inevitable truth. The plan wasn’t meant to hurt or hinder only to protect her little girl from night terrors, worldly injustice, and a lifetime of prejudice.


When Serenity turned eighteen her mother said, “I know you are aware that spirits exists. That ghostly creatures follow you. You were so young when it started, I did not want to frighten you. Most of us never remember the night terrors as children. We have no knowledge of the after-life but you did. I see them too. I’ve talked to many spirits, many relatives, lost souls- friend and foe. I’ve seen visions of things I cannot explain. It’s the Creek way, we are connected to the earth, eternally.


As a child, the beings only came to me in the form of beloved pets. Something my young mind could handle. They comforted me. They told me they loved me. As an adult, I instinctively came to know that they had been my ancestral grandmothers guiding me. I trusted them. Later, they were stronger more vivid and harder to forget. With nowhere to run, I often cowered under my coverings. I shared with no one- not even your father. I knew he would think I was a crazy lady.


Many Christians believe that only God knows our destiny. They think visions are sent by the Devil. I see things before they happen. I don’t know our destiny, but if I can decipher the dreams, I can often help in some way. It’s a fine line. When I can’t  help or when I realize the event has already taken place, I have night sweats.


If God didn’t want me to help why would he grant me this power? Maybe everyone has the ability but others avoid it because they fear God or the Devil? I don't know. I only know that I work to find the answers. I pray to the Great Spirit, God Almighty, and I know that they are one in the same.

My night terrors and sweats can be erased when I rely on my abilities to affect change. The difficulty comes when knowing when to let go and let God and when to act as his servant. This comes with practice and training from the Sages. It is a great gift. It is your choice to look away and choose your own destiny or face humanity and listen to your past. The decision will come after your lessons on the reservation. Only after you know your truth, are you capable of making the right choice.”

Serenity’s grandfather was the most enthusiastic about the night terrors. “The ancestors like you, Serenity. They share their strife with you. You must listen loudly to understand. When you listen, your ancestors and the Great Spirit will guide you. Do what they say and you will make modern miracles. Embrace your dreams. Do not ignore or discount them- you must embrace and harness the power.”

After that, he encouraged her parents to send her to a future Sage Camp. Right. What would her friends think of that? She had told them she was spending the summer visiting relatives in Oklahoma. It was the truth, she didn’t even have to lie.



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