Simply a Supermom: Rachel with Sun Swing Media

Rachel Leavitt and her husband, Brent, have started an online business with a goal to create and share uplifting children's media.  My daughter and I recently watched the first video: "The Decision."  Their videos are based on stories from the Friend Magazine. 

This particular story is valuable because in a short, simple way it teaches the importance of not only avoiding pornography, but even more importantly teaches children the importance of going to their parents when they come across pornography and giving their parents a chance to share their good decision with them.  Children are much safer this way than if they try to figure out what they just saw by going on an Internet search themselves or by just feeling strange inside and having no one to help them understand why they feel the way they do. 

I am very impressed with this video and the lesson it teaches.  A perfect   teaching moment to share with your children in a very fun, non-confrontational way.  I highly recommend it.

Thanks Rachel for being a supermom and helping all the rest of us teach our children in this fun and creative way.

See http://www.sunswingmedia.com  for more information or too view "The Decision" or any of their other videos.

Be Inspired,

Musically Motivating: "Sing, Sing, Sing"

We turned on the Mormon Channel, which is always motivating.  This time, Scripture Stories: The Doctrine and Covenants, episode 11, Joseph and Emma, was streaming.  I love these scripture stories and primary songs in the background as we do our daily morning routine.  When the children in the program began to sing this round ,"sing a song", my oldest daughter and I instinctively began singing along and a wonderful, peaceful and happy feeling united us. I felt the special gift of music within me being released a little more.  I felt closer to my Heavenly Home and to those there waiting for me.

Be inspired,

Nana, I Love You the Yellowest

I am thrilled today  to discover that our daughter advanced to the publishing level of the poetry contest she entered last year. She wrote this poem about my own special Supermom and I agree with these shining words! Here is her winning entry:

I Love You the Yellowest

Nana, I love you the Yellowest. 

 I love you the color

of the bright yellow moon

filling the sea black sky of wonders.

I love you the shade of a light yellow daisy in a

garden of bright green grass

and sweet flowers.

I love you like the yellow, golden,

 shimmering sunshine at daylight.

You are a sweet yellow star that I wish upon at night.

Nana, I love you the Yellowest.

(Written by my own Joyful Canary, copyright  2011)

If you are interested in your child having a chance to enter a poetry or essay contest and have a chance to be published contact Creative Communication.




I love you my Golden Joyful Canary
  

Fun Summer Reading Programs for Kids

I just found out about two summer reading programs I thought I would share.


Book Adventure is a free online program where kids can find quzzes on many books they have read and earn points for prizes as they pass the quizzes. My daughter and I did several quizzes together today. Two of her favorite series right now are the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne and the A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy. There were many available quizzes for both of those series.

Also, Barnes and Noble has a reading program. You simply go to the website and download and print the form to fill out. After reading eight books you bring the completed form in to Barnes and Noble and can recieve a free book from a list of books.

"Matt and Mandy" helps me teach.

My daughter LOVES to read the "Matt and Mandy" section of the Friend magazine each month. She also loves to watch "Matt and Mandy" episodes online (click on the link above). One day, when she was facing a problem with some friends from school and trying to decide what she should do about it, we decided to create our own "Matt and Mandy" comic page about a similar situation and figure out what she thought Mandy would choose to do. It really helped her in thinking through how she should solve the problem (and helped me refrain from telling her how to solve it so she could learn to do it herself). I am really thankful for the Friend magazine!

Free Online Summer Reading Program

We signed up for Letterpals which is a free online Summer Reading Program for Grade School age kids. The pets from the pet shop send a grade-level email to your child Monday through Thursday during the week for them to go online and read. Then they answer comprehension questions, do a crossword puzzle and a word-search with words from the email, and earn points for prizes by doing so each day. It is free and my Daughter LOVES it! It even has a bonus that I say "finish your most important job list and then I'll let you check your mail in letter pals! She works so fast after that. She has also been working on her typing skills and her spelling with me while she completes the activities.

Family Values Children's Website

While reading a bedtime story from the Children's magazine, "The Friend," We noticed a page about a new website for kids. It has games, printable coloring pages, music, scripture stories, coloring online . . . and more. My daughter stayed up a little later than normal because we were having so much fun together.