Why Your Pre-Teen Quit Playing Sports

One way to encourage your child to get a healthy amount of exercise is to make it fun. Sports offer kids the ability to exercise while having fun, the chance to learn how to play as a team, and a good way to develop athletic skills. Despite these benefits, 70% of kids quit sports by the age of 13. Here are some reasons why that happens. It stopped being fun. Have you ever watched kindergartners play soccer against another team of kindergarteners? What happens is both adorable and amusing. They sit down when they get tired, and start playing with … Continue reading

Disney Playmation Gets Kids Moving

One common complaint that parents have about video games is that requires the player to sit down, indoors, for the entire time they are playing the game. That can be frustrating for parents who wish their kids would get some exercise. Disney Playmation can provide a solution. It is a video game that gets kids moving! Playmation combines the best elements of video games and imaginative play. To use it, a kid must have a special high-tech toy that has motion-sensor technology, Bluetooth, and cloud connectivity. The wearable device is key, and can be enhanced with the use of a … Continue reading

Must-Have Travel Accessory for Kids

I’ve spent the last eight years racking up more than 160,000 frequent flyer miles with my daughter during our annual jaunts from Wisconsin to Hawaii.  If all goes according to plan, we can get from our home to my parents’ house in roughly 18 hours. Of course, things rarely go according to plan. Honestly, I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve spent in various airplanes and airports with a young child who would rather be anywhere other than in an airplane or airport. What I do recall are all of the mistakes I’ve made during those seemingly endless flights. … Continue reading

Do You Employ High-Tech Sitters?

What do you use to keep your children occupied while waiting for your food at a restaurant, driving to grandma’s house or zipping through the aisles at the grocery store? I doubt the answer is dancing, unless you’re doing it on a video that you posted to YouTube and can be viewed on your kid’s favorite electronic device. Don’t worry; you aren’t alone. According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of parents admit to using a tech toy to entertain their children, and experts predict that number will likely rise in the next decade. In other words, iPads, handheld video … Continue reading

Have a Kickin’ Kindergarten Graduation Party

They may be little, but graduation day is still a big deal for kindergarteners.  Young kids love to celebrate and while mastering the ABCs and 123s may not compare to earning a college degree, it warrants some type of ceremony. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank honoring your little graduate.  Rather, keep the shindig simple by selecting a theme that yields itself to inexpensive fun.  For example: Books:  Ask your child’s teacher what books the kids read in class during the course of the academic year.  Then, select a few titles and incorporate them into the theme.  You … Continue reading

NFL Teammate Supports Newly Outed Former Player

It seems that one of the hardest things a gay person has to do is come out.  Many wait for just the right moment and often fear that it might alienate family and friends. But, what is you were outed in pubic?   That has to be the worse. That is exactly what happened to Kwame Harris this week.  Harris appeared in court Monday after his former boyfriend, Dimitri Geier, filed a civil suit against him.  Geier is charging the former NFL offensive tackle, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, with domestic violence causing great bodily injury … Continue reading

Keeping Kids Busy Indoors

It has been breathtakingly cold outside this year. This year we have hit record low temperatures here in Utah, in fact, we had our first experience with freezing rain this week. These below freezing temperatures have got the kids cooped up inside all day, every day, and if they’re anything like mine, they’re starting to get a bad case of cabin fever! But don’t worry, we’re here to save the day, because we have lots of ideas to keep kids happy indoors and out! Something Logan and I have decided to do this year is to make a list of … Continue reading

Five Ways to Afford Video Games

Are your kids asking for the $70 Skylanders game or a new video gaming device that costs more than your first car did? Video games can get expensive, and because new and hot games are constantly emerging, and the old technology can become obsolete in a year or two, many parents feel like they are spending quite a bit of their budgets keeping their kids up to speed with video games. To reduce the cost of video games, try the following options. Consider an Older System The newer the gaming system or computer, the more it will cost. Consider purchasing … Continue reading

Your Kids, Video Games and Fruit

If you have a tough time getting your children to eat fruit, you might consider unplugging their video games. In what some may consider a complete waste of time and money, researchers in the Netherlands have unearthed a fact that most parents have known for a while:  Kids who play video games promoting fruit don’t crave apples, oranges, grapes, kiwi or any other type of fresh produce upon completing the online challenges. According to the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dutch scientists expected their young research participants to crave more wholesome snacks after playing video … Continue reading

Stretching Your Cruise Dollar

The best way to make the most of your next cruise is to select one that appeals to every member of your family.  After all, no one wants to waste time and money traveling with unhappy companions. In order to make every penny of your cruise vacation count look for ships which offer a range of activities for passengers of all ages.  Fortunately, these days mega-fun vessels are not hard to find.  Some of the world’s largest ships are home to massive on-board children’s play areas broken into separate zones for different age groups.  Other noteworthy features include multiple family-friendly … Continue reading