Today, I decided to post some funny websites I’ve found.

“How I went from Heartless Bitch to a Sappy Cry Baby”, by Tracie Egan Morrissey on the Jezebel Blog

Funny Photos on Nick Mom (make sure you see the one of Darth Vader).

A video called “Shit Preschoolers Say” by Suburban . . . → Read More: Funny Friday]]> It’s Funny Friday!

Today, I decided to post some funny websites I’ve found.

“How I went from Heartless Bitch to a Sappy Cry Baby”, by Tracie Egan Morrissey on the Jezebel Blog

Funny Photos on Nick Mom (make sure you see the one of Darth Vader).

A video called “Shit Preschoolers Say” by Suburban Snapshots

And this:

Enjoy your day  : )

I think the type of birthday party you give can have an impact on the birthday child. The over-the-top events are sure to result in an insane amount of useless gifts and expense. And the birthday kid usually gets lost in the crowd.  What is that . . . → Read More: Birthday Parties for my Sons]]> By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World

I think the type of birthday party you give can have an impact on the birthday child. The over-the-top events are sure to result in an insane amount of useless gifts and expense. And the birthday kid usually gets lost in the crowd.  What is that communicating to the child?

I realized that I was having these birthday parties for my sons and would end up with fifteen $20 gifts from the guests that were either things we already had, or items I’d prefer not to have. I didn’t want to stop having kid parties, but I wanted to stop receiving those types of gifts. So, on the last kid party invitation I sent out, I wrote, “Gift cards only please. We are trying to teach the boys about how to manage their money, so gift cards would be a useful teaching tool. Thank you.” The result was fantastic. He wound up with all gift cards to a variety of different restaurant and stores. Some he’s saved, others he spent. Plus, then he bought what he wanted and frankly it was easier on the parent buying the gift.

Now, our family celebrates birthdays with a small party (close family and a few friends), some pizza and of course; cake. We always recognize the birthday person regardless of age. It’s important to have one day per year that you feel a little more special. We don’t plan lavish events and shower the birthday person with gifts. Simple, small and special.

What do you give as a gift at a kid’s birthday party?  What kind of party do you have?

About the Author: Renee Martinez is the mother of 4 boys, the founder of RaisingBoysWorld.com, www.socialmediabizsummit.com, and the president of RubyMarCom (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company.  Her business blog (www.reneemartinez.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media related  for her active audience. 
Renee is an adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she teaches social media marketing in the business school. Find Renee on Twitter at @reneemmartinez.

Photo of boy eating cake by Tara Bazilian-Chang of TBC Photo

Do you love to travel?  Do you travel with your kids?  Traveling with children requires planning and patience. If you’re the parent of a child with physical disabilities, you may wonder how possible it is to plan a trip that can be enjoyed by children of . . . → Read More: Traveling with Physically Disabled Children]]> By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World

Do you love to travel?  Do you travel with your kids?  Traveling with children requires planning and patience. If you’re the parent of a child with physical disabilities, you may wonder how possible it is to plan a trip that can be enjoyed by children of varying physical needs.  The benefits of travel apply to children with special needs too.

Start your travel plans by researching which destinations will be more accommodating to meet the needs of your child. Some vacation spots are more accommodating than others. A child’s needs may vary from sign language interpreters to enjoy a show, to ramps and physical assistance to get around or on and off of rides.After choosing the general vicinity you want to visit, start with researching the services available. You may also want to find reviews or contact other parents for first-hand experience.

Consider bringing an extended family member or babysitter to help out with one child when you need an extra set of hands. For example, you may want to have one child (or children) cared for while the other child (or children) explores with parents. Bringing help gives you more options. Perhaps the outing of the day is for the child with special needs and the siblings just want another day on the beach. Oftentimes, professional services are available for extra help when traveling.

Here are a few very helpful websites to get you started:

Internet Special Education Resources

Beach California

Travel Experiences with Disabled

Special needs kids who travel learn an array of valuable skills that will serve them well throughout life. Including problem solving skills, navigating unfamiliar territory and interpersonal communication. Traveling connects kids to the world. In turn, parents will see their child in different environments that will help them understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide insight into new interests. Lastly, it’s important for the greater community see that children with disabilities are not sheltered.

Travel should be fun and interesting. Putting a trip together with a need for special accommodations for physically or developmentally disabled people requires a fair amount of planning in order to make your trip enjoyable – but in the end, you’ll be glad you did.

About the Author: Renee Martinez is the mother of 4 boys, the founder of RaisingBoysWorld.com, www.socialmediabizsummit.com, and the president of RubyMarCom (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company.  Her business blog (www.reneemartinez.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media related  for her active audience. 
Renee is an adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she teaches social media marketing in the business school. Find Renee on Twitter at @reneemmartinez.

Photo by Philippe Leroyer, found on Flickr

I play tennis a couple times per week.  A few months ago, I was playing tennis and when I hit the ball I felt a little jolt through my arm. It hurt. I continued to play and tried to shake it off.  Pretty soon it . . . → Read More: Tennis Elbow]]> By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World

I play tennis a couple times per week.  A few months ago, I was playing tennis and when I hit the ball I felt a little jolt through my arm. It hurt. I continued to play and tried to shake it off.  Pretty soon it started bothering me during and especially after I played. So I made the decision to take a break from tennis. During this time, I continued to type on my computer and do my normal life functions. Sometimes it bothered me more, but generally, it felt like it was slowly getting better. Two months later I decided I wanted to get back to a sport I really love (though frankly I’m pretty bad at – which is probably why my arm hurts). So I played on Saturday, then again yesterday and let me tell you…it’s REALLY hurting now.

I did some research and I found that a common injury among athletic teens is tennis elbow. How coincidental! I’m so glad that my research might be helpful to a mother of a teenage boy.  Since the injury among teens affects kids who play football, tennis, and baseball or throw javelin, it seems to me that it is probably more troublesome to boys than girls; but that’s just my guess.

I also read in a New York Times article about repetitive stress injuries caused by the Wii  playing a video game, can sometimes lead to injury. This article’s angle was that it’s actually worse for your arms if you don’t swing with the proper form. According to the article: “… a flick of the wrist is often enough to return a serve or bowl a strike. As several doctors pointed out, that is the exact motion – concentrating the force of a swing in the muscles of the forearm – that can cause tennis elbow.”

Tennis elbow or a unilateral collateral ligament (UCL) tear is common in young athletes at any age. Supporting my previous statement that I’m a bad player, this injury seems to occur more in less-skilled players, suggesting that good technique and conditioning are important. A tear in the UCL occurs when the strain of one pitch/throw becomes too much for the ligament to take. This doesn’t build up over time as other injuries do, but is an acute injury that happens all at once. Inflammation and pain in the muscles attached to the elbow is the result of the overuse. The injury is sore to the touch and hurts to grab or grip things. I’ve found it difficult to raise a heavy glass to take a drink.

Symptoms of tennis elbow are:
o Pain over the outside of the elbow
o Pain when lifting objects
o Pain radiating down the forearm

Most patients with tennis elbow are between the ages of 35 and 65 years old, and it affects about an equal number of men and women. Tennis elbow occurs in the dominant arm in about 75 percent of patients. Anyone can be affected, but tennis elbow is most commonly seen in athletes or manual laborers.

The treatment is first to can cut back on the activities that hurt and avoid repetitive activities. The area should be iced and Ibuprofen should be taken to reduce the inflammation. Depending in the severity, treatment might also involve surgical reconstruction. The UCL is removed and then replaced with a tendon from the wrist or a section of the hamstring. As the condition improves, doing wrist curls with increasing weight – palm down is recommended. Non-surgical treatment is successful in over 90 percent of patients.

Recovery will take several weeks to six months. Take it slowly. The use of a brace or tennis elbow strap to reduce the muscle pulling on the elbow is suggested. Physical therapy as well as ultrasound therapy have been said to help some people. If you play tennis, suggested prevention is to use a two-handed back-stroke, which is not as hard on the body as a one-handed back-stroke.

About the Author:  Renee Martinez is the mother of 4 boys, the founder of RaisingBoysWorld.com, www.socialmediabizsummit.com, and the president of RubyMarCom (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company.  Her business blog (www.reneemartinez.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media related  for her active audience. 
Renee is an adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she teaches social media marketing in the business school. Find Renee on Twitter at @reneemmartinez.

Photo of Tennis Balls on Court by Brooks Elliott, found on Flickr
Photo of Tennis Player and Renee’s headshot by TBC Photo

As most of us already know, childhood obesity has been a recurring topic over the past year.  Unfortunately, people are solely blaming the parents and as a result taking their children away.  While I do believe that parents play an important role in their children’s nutrition, we have to . . . → Read More: Lifestyle Problems]]> By Guest Author Victoria Hnat

As most of us already know, childhood obesity has been a recurring topic over the past year.  Unfortunately, people are solely blaming the parents and as a result taking their children away.  While I do believe that parents play an important role in their children’s nutrition, we have to keep in mind that there are other outside factors; school lunches, genetics, food manufacturing companies, etc. I mean do you know how unhealthy school lunches actually are for your child?  They are loaded with sodium, saturated fat, and a lot of unhealthy things.   If your child wanted pizza or a hot dog every day for lunch would you let them eat that?  Most schools do because they don’t monitor what your child eats.   I knew a kid who bought cereal every day for lunch for an entire year because the cafeteria food was so bad.  Unfortunately, with both parents working it is hard to make lunches in the morning and with the fast paced life styles that we live today; I completely understand our unhealthy eating habits.  I have fallen prey of the drive through many times myself.

But I think it is wrong to take a child away if they are in a loving family environment because of their weight.  I can’t imagine the psychological implements of what it must do to the child.  We can’t outcast because of people weights.  It creates an entire new set of problems.

As Gandhi once said “We have to be the change we wish to see in the world”, we have to help kids eat better and be positive towards them, not negative.

Here are some tips:

1.      Don’t let your child feel bad about themselves.  Children are vulnerable.  Help them stay positive.

2.     Don’t publicly embarrass your child.  Remember that there is a time a place for everything.  Talk to them later or pull them aside.

3.     Be a role model to them.  Eat healthy and stay active together.  After all, your child looks up to you.

4.     Don’t single out your child to have smaller portions.  Eat the same portion size as a family.  You will all be healthier and your kid won’t feel so bad.

5.     If you need medical attention, don’t be afraid to get it.  After all, everyone can use help sometimes.

So for your next family dinner, here is a healthy recipe for an active/on the go lifestyle.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/no_bake_macaroni_cheese.html

By Guest Author Victoria Hnat

Here’s a funny photo shared by on of our readers, Laurie!

And here’s a funny commercial -  The Force: Volkswagen Commercial

And a very funny blog post about the terrible . . . → Read More: Funny Friday]]> Yes, you read it correctly – it’s no longer Funny Photo Friday, it’s Funny Friday.

Here’s a funny photo shared by on of our readers, Laurie!

And here’s a funny commercial -  The Force: Volkswagen Commercial

And a very funny blog post about the terrible twos titled The Terrible Twos: Where Clichés Meet, High-Five, and Go Off on a Bender Together by Tracy Moore, on Jezebel blog.

Do you have a boy related funny photo, or funny video, or even a funny story that you’d like to share?

The start of the baseball season and the arrival of spring has put me in mind of an annual rite of passage between fathers (or mothers) and sons (or daughters) – teaching your children to play catch.  Across North America, you can see parents and . . . → Read More: How to Teach Your Son to Play Baseball]]> By The Major, of Kay Nou = Our House

The start of the baseball season and the arrival of spring has put me in mind of an annual rite of passage between fathers (or mothers) and sons (or daughters) – teaching your children to play catch.  Across North America, you can see parents and kids tossing balls around after supper.  There are few springtime sounds more satisfying to the senses that the pop of a baseball trapped in a leather glove.  And there are few accomplishments more gratifying than watching your child learning to catch a hardball.

When embarking on this adventure, it is important to remember that each step is part of a process.  Willie Mays did not learn in a day.  The fantastic catch that he made over his shoulder off Vic Wertz in the 1954 World Series was the culmination of many years of hard work that began when Willie was a small boy growing up outside of Birmingham, Alabama.

Thus, it is important to stress persistence and patience.  What doesn’t work today may work in a few weeks or months.  Never give up.

The Butterfly – Most children can throw a ball by the age of 18 to 24 months.  Why not take the first steps toward catching at that time?  Have your kid work on this drill – place the two hands with palms up joined at the pinkie edge of the hand.  Teach your child to slowly bring the palms of the hands together like the wings of a butterfly.  The thumbs should touch each other at the top of the butterfly.  Gaining this muscle memory will give you child an idea as to the basic mechanics of trapping a ball between the hands.

The Clap – When your child is ready, practice tossing a soft ball into the center of the butterfly wings.  If you time it right, your kid will trap the ball.  Gently tossing the ball into the platform formed by your son’s extended hands will also give him confidence, and help to overcome fears of being hit.
When your boy is ready, try the clap.  Have your young champion hold his hands body-width apart and toss the ball toward the center of his chest.  Tell him to clap.  Once again, this is a matter of timing.  Some kids get the choreography of the whole thing immediately.  Others take longer.  I have found that those squishy, orange Nerf balls work best at this stage.

The Strap-On – It is really hard to jam a little kid’s little fingers into the designated slots in a baseball glove.  Instead of stressing out over this, I’ve found that it is more important to get the child accustomed to wearing the glove on his non-throwing hand.  Let the fingers go wherever it is most comfortable for the kid.

Also, look for a baseball glove with a Velcro strap that goes around the child’s wrist.  Once this is fastened, it works wonderfully to keep the glove on their tiny appendage.  They also make gloves and special balls that use Velcro to help the little tyke snare the ball in mid-air.  This is an incredible confidence builder.

Fuzzy Balls or Small Balls? – Now you’re ready to move your boy into a real glove.  What kind of ball do you use?  Obviously, you don’t start with a Rawlings Major League ball coated in Lena Blackburne (the rubbing mud applied to all MLB balls by umpires before a game).  By the way, until about 20 years ago, all major league baseballs began their life in Haiti where they were hand-stitched.  This fact is not lost on me as I teach my own Haitian-born to throw and catch.

Start with a tennis ball.  Although those suckers tend to bounce right out of the glove, this is a great excuse to start your young Derek Jeter with the best of all possible catching habits – using two hands.  It will be tempting for the wee man to attempt to spear the ball one-handed with his new glove.  After all, it was such a struggle to get that sucker on, why not let it do all the work?

As the parent, you must overcome this instinct.  Have your player grasp the mitt with his free hand holding the glove’s thumb.  The fingers of the free hand should be in the form of a letter “C” to protect them.  When the ball comes in, the free hand assists the glove in closing, thereby trapping the egg in its new nest.  Those of you paying attention will note that this maneuver is a combo of The Butterfly and The Clap.  If played right, this can be your Mr. Miyagi, “Wax on.  Wax off.” moment.

When your young man is comfortable with the palm-up presentation, have him adjust to the palm-facing-the-thrower position.  If you thought hitting the target was difficult before, it’s about to get more challenging for you as a parent.  Be prepared to hit your child in the face.  Repeatedly.

Even if you hit the mitt perfectly with your throw, there is no guarantee that the ball will not pop out and find an eye or a kisser (they always seem to do that).  These instances present a great chance for you to demonstrate to your child that getting hit with a ball does not herald the destruction of the planet by firestorm.  In fact, it is part of the game.

Now you’re ready to move up to a hard ball.  I would seek out a youth baseball at first.  These tend to be about two-thirds the size of a real ball, and they are packed to be significantly softer.  Tell your kid that this is a “real ball” and see the pride in their face when they learn to catch it.  Even more rewarding is that look of “Wow.  This shit really works,” the first time that your son actually uses the glove to protect himself from being struck with a thrown baseball.

Hard Is Better Than Soft – Over time, your star of tomorrow will come to learn that the faster the ball spins, the easier it is to catch.  Just ask any big league catcher whether they’d rather wrangle a fast ball or a knuckle ball (a floating, diaphanous pitch that barely spins).  It may surprise you when your angelic boy says to you “Come on, Mom.  Throw it harder.  Stop being such an old lady.”

Let him have it.  He can probably take it.  But, make sure that you put some spin on the ball.  In other words, step into the direction of your throw with your opposite foot, bring your elbow forward in advance of your hand, and let the ball roll off your fingertips.  No more girl throws.

Now, the ball should be making a nice, satisfying pop in the youngster’s glove.  If he catches it on the fingers, fine.  That’s what the glove’s webbing is designed to handle.  However, when he takes one on the palm, his hand will smart like a cartoon character’s paw that gets slammed with an oversized hammer.  Once again, this is part of the game.

His hand will toughen over time.  Fight your maternal urge to insert protective padding into the glove (in particular, under no circumstances are Maxi-Pads to be used in baseball).  Taking a hard throw in the part of the glove where some player has signed is one of the best ways to break the glove in.

Lube It Up — After the catch is done for the night, apply oil to the glove.  This will help to treat the leather and to break the monster in.  Spalding, Wilson and all those Japanese glove manufacturers put out oil just for this purpose.  You will find it in the same aisle where you bought the glove.

Play ball.

PS – Some of you may have read the section titles of this post and thought of non-baseball subjects.  Shame on you.

About the Author:  The Major is an attorney and former Army officer.  He and his wife (and fellow blogger) Running Girl are doing their best to raise a family of five in Western New York.

Please visit their family blog at  Kay Nou = Our House

Photo of ball by theseanster93, found on Flickr

Guess what? None of us are perfect parents. No matter how naturally parenting may come to us, we all run into issues that require extra help. Although our boys may have fantastic relationships with parents and can seemingly talk to us about anything, . . . → Read More: It’s Okay to Ask for Help]]> By Contributing Author Running Girl, of Kay Nou = Our House

Guess what? None of us are perfect parents. No matter how naturally parenting may come to us, we all run into issues that require extra help. Although our boys may have fantastic relationships with parents and can seemingly talk to us about anything, there are times in their lives when they need other adults to confide in. Sometimes parents are not enough.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Once you have decided to ask for help you might worry about where to turn. Here are some tips about where to find help for your kids.

Ask your pediatrician. Did you know that they probably have a list of counselors already printed out? It doesn’t have to be embarrassing. They probably won’t even ask why you need the list. They just pull it out of a file and give it to you.

Ask your son’s counselor or social worker at school. They have a list of providers and can work with you to find someone. The school can be as involved as you want. If the issue involves something at school, it might be helpful to have your outside provider in contact with the school.

Check with your health insurance. They have lists of providers who are within your service.

A spiritual advisor may have suggestions about where you can turn for help.

Ask friends. You may be surprised at how many of your friends have faced issues within their families as well and have decided to seek help.

Once you have the names of providers, you will need to determine the differences between psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers or licensed professional counselors. Once you have these definitions, you can decide who and what kind of services you need. Be careful of the labels psychotherapists or therapists. States generally don’t regulate those terms, so anyone can call themselves a therapist.

When you make initial phone calls, don’t be afraid to ask questions about training and experience. Also, be sure you are comfortable with your choice of provider from the first visit. There are a lot of options available. You need to find someone who is a good fit for you and your child.

Once you have found someone you like, you are in charge of your care. You can meet with them just a few times or for an extended period of time. Some issues are bigger than others. You may need help for awhile. Other times, it may only take a few visits to come up with a game plan that works for your issue.

The nice thing is that once you have a relationship with a counselor, you are now a patient. When and if another problem crops up, it should be easier to get an appointment without a long wait.

Once again, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Think of how good it feels when you are able to help others.

Take care of yourself and your family. You won’t be sorry.

About the Author:  Running Girl is the mother of 3, a wife, music teacher and long distance enthusiasts who lives in Western New York. Please visit her blog at kaynou.wordpress.com

Photo of boy near fence by Liz Grace, found on Flickr

My eldest son is all hockey, all the time. He has become a very competitive guy. Neither my husband or I promote competition, though I would say that both my husband and I are competitive when we play sports. I’ve become curious about the impact of . . . → Read More: The Impact of Competition on Boys]]> By Renee Martinez, Founder of Raising Boys World

My eldest son is all hockey, all the time. He has become a very competitive guy. Neither my husband or I promote competition, though I would say that both my husband and I are competitive when we play sports. I’ve become curious about the impact of competition on boys and/or how competition affects a boy’s development. What I found was very interesting.

I found an article on The Telegraph by Janet Daley called ”White Working Class Boys Need Structure and Competition to Succeed.” Basically, she found (in the UK) that white working class boys are losing the race in academics. She found that children of all ethnic minorities (boy or girl) do better at school. Boys who come from more isolated communities with little diversity do worse than those from a community with more of a cultural mix. Daley concluded that the reason “for working class boys having lost almost all interest in education is that their two chief motivations for achievement were systematically removed from the primary school curriculum: competition and a clear sense of measurable, structured accomplishment.” She attributes this as a direct result of an attempt to ensure “equality” in the classroom. In doing so, children were not referred to as winners or losers – so children didn’t have to deal with failure relative to his classmates. The result: children lost the need to create and work toward goals and teachers have lowered their expectations. Fewer rewards.  I think that if she were correct, then all boys (regardless of Ethnic background) would be failing.

Another interesting article – Alfie Kohn wrote “The Case Against Competition” that appeared in Working Mother in September 1987. He has identified two views. One in that the more we immerse our children in competition, the better. The other view identifies that society has gotten out-of-control with competition, but that’s it’s alright if in perspective. Then he goes on the state that he feels that neither position is correct and that the best level of competition for our children is none at all. Kohn suggests that the development of a child’s self-esteem can suffer from any amount of competition. He states, “In a competitive culture, a child is told that it isn’t enough to be good — he must triumph over others. Success comes to be defined as victory, even though these are really two very different things. Even when the child manages to win, the whole affair, psychologically speaking, becomes a vicious circle: The more he competes, the more he needs to compete to feel good about himself.”

Here’s what I think…competition has gotten a little out-of-control. Look at the crazy parents at your son’s next sporting event. Some of them are nuts! I was at a game last weekend and one of the mothers from the opposing team was shouting and screaming like her life depended on it. It’s was totally inappropriate and frankly a bad example to her child. Having said that, I think if kept in perspective, competition is healthy. I’m not an expert here, but it aids in creating goals and benchmarks for achievement. If your child has siblings, they compete with one another…what can you do, ban competition from your home? So manage it. If your child is too aggressive and competitive, talk to your child and put things in perspective. If your child is an underachiever, you might even want to introduce some healthy competition.

About the Author: Renee Martinez is the mother of 4 boys, the founder of RaisingBoysWorld.com, www.socialmediabizsummit.com, and the president of RubyMarCom (www.rubymarcom.com), a boutique marketing communications company.  Her business blog (www.reneemartinez.com), provides resources on everything marketing and social media related  for her active audience. 
Renee is an adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where she teaches social media marketing in the business school. Find Renee on Twitter at @reneemmartinez.

Photo of boys playing hockey by Dean Jarvey, found on Flickr