MyTime Calendars

Get your kids ready for all the April activities by creating a custom calendar marking all their important activities and celebrations!

Looking for a little help on marking your children’s calendars this month? Well, we’ve got a good start for you! We’ve compiled a list of some of the observances that make April so special! There are some great links to help give you ideas on how to get in on the fun with your kids so check ‘em out. We’ve sorted them by month, week and day. Remember, every day is special because today is a gift…that’s why they call it “the present”!…

April Monthly Observances…

• National Humor Month
• Internation Guitar Month
• Keep America Beautiful Month
• Lawn and Garden Month
• Poetry Month
• National Pecan Month
• National Welding Month
• Records and Information Management Month
• Stress Awareness Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Autism Awareness Month

Weekly Breakdown:

• Week One: Library Week, Read a Road Map Week
• Week Two: Garden Week
• Week Three: Organize Your Files Week, Medical Labs Week
• Week Four: Administrative Assistants WEek, National Karaoke Week

Celebrations By Day…there’s something for everyone! :

1. April Fool’s Day, International Fun at Work Day, International Tatting Day
2. Children’s Book Day, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, national Walk to Work Day, Reconciliation Day
3. Don’t Go to Work Unless it’s Fun Day, Tweed Day
4. Easter, Hug a Newsman Day, Walk Around Things Day, School Librarian Day, Tell a Lie Day
5. Passover begins, Dyngus Day, Go for Broke Day
6. Plan  Your Epitaph Day, Sorry Charlie Day
7. Caramel Popcorn Day, No Housework Day (YEAH!!), World Health Day
8. All is Ours Day, Draw a Picture of a Bird Day
9. Name Yourself Day, Winston Churchill Day
10. Golfer’s Day, National Siblings DAy
11. Eight Track Tape DAy, Barbershop Quartet Day, National Submarine DAy
12. Big Wind Day, Russian Smonaut Day
13. Blame Someone Else DAy, Scrabble DAy
14. Ex Spouse Day, International Moment of Laughter Day, Look up at the Sky Day, National pecan Day, Reach as High as You Can Day
15. Rubber Eraser Day, Titanic Remembrance Day
16. National Eggs Benedict Day, National High Five Day, National Librarian Day, National Stress Awareness Day
17. Blah, Blah, Blah Day, National Cheeseball DAy, Pet Owners Independence Day
18. International Juggler’s Day, Newspaper Columnists Day
19. National Garlic Day, Patriot’s Day
20. Look Alike Day, Volunteer Recognition Day
21. Kindergarten Day
22. Girl Scout Leader Day, National Jelly Bean Day
23. Lover’s Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, Take a Chance Day, World Laboratory Day
24. Astronomy Day, Pig in a Blanket Day
25. East Meets West Day, World Penguin Day
26. Executive Admin’s Day (Secretary’s Day), Hug an Austrailan Day, National Pretzel Day, Richter Scale DAy
27. Babe Ruth DAy, National Prime Rib DAy, Tell a STory Day
28. Great Poetry Reading Day, Kiss Your Mate Day
29. Greenery Day, National Shrimp Scampi Day
30. haristyle Appreciation Day, Natioanl Honesty Day

Have fun celebrating this month and remember…play with time so you have time to play!

Tags: Calendaring Tips, education, entertainment, Family and Home, holiday activities
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Get inspired! Write a poem for your pet and win!

If you have a child that loves to write and loves animals, we’ve got the perfect combination to help them celebrate National Poetry Month! The 3rd annual “Paws for Poetry” contest is in full swing and is a great opportunity for children ages 5-12 to showcase their poetry prowess! To enter, kids need only to write a poem to, and provide a photo of, their favorite animal friend.The contest is co-sponsored by kids’ virtual field trip web site Meet Me at the Corner and Flashlight Press. Teachers and parents, this is a great opportunity to not only encourage your kids to write but also get them excited about it!

Poems must be original work and can be submitted in one of two categories: Group One (ages 5-9) and Group Two (ages 10-12). One grand prize winner ine ach category will receive a $50.00 Amazon.com gift card. Two runners-up in each category will receive a $25.00 Amazon.com gift card. Winning poems and pet photos will also be highlighted in an upcoming Meet Me at the Corner video pod cast. The pod cast will be videotaped at New York’s Angellicle Cat Rescue Center. Local students will present the winning poems.

The contest judge will be Thad Krasnesky. Thad is a children’s author and poet as well as an Iraqi war veteran. He will also be providing contest winners with an autographed copy of his new book, “That Cat Can’t Stay”.

Celebrating the 3rd annual Paws for Poetry contest inspiring kids to celebrate National Poetry Month!

The contest deadline is April 15, 2010. All submissions should be mailed to:

“Paws for Poetry” contest
c/o Meet Me at the Corner
20 West Del Norte
Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Good luck to all our young Emily Dickensen’s and Edgar Allen Poe’s! We hope you will all take a crack at this contest as we take a moment this month to appreciate poetry in all it’s literary forms! wRite on!

Tags: announcements, education, Family and Home, holiday activities, pets, teachers
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Earlier I wrote an article entitled “Do we value our teachers, or are they expendable?” concerning legislation, effective this year, which effectively eliminated contract dates, RIF recall rights and Seniority protections for teaching professionals. Some considered this legislation “punitive” backlash for teachers who led a protest at the capital last year to oppose massive budget cuts to public schools. Since that time, teachers, parents and concerned individuals have led protests for these unfair practices. There have been some new developments…

Arizona Education Association (AEA) is currently lobbying for SB1299 which is sponsored by Senator Linda Lopez. If accepted, it would repeal these policies. HB 2226, which is being introduced by Representative Lauren Hendrix and will be heard in the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday of this week (February 24), would repeal these punitive policy provisions and then reinstate them. AEA will be present at this meeting to testify. Representative David Schapira will also be introducing an amendment to HB2226 which would eliminate the reinstatement of these punitive laws, effectively repealing them instead.

If you would like to support the amendment, contact committee members.

You can also show support for education in Arizona by attending the March4Schools Day of Action on March 4, 2010 at 4 p.m. This enormous community outreach action will bring thousands of education supporters statewide together to share their stories and concerns about the impact of legislative funding cuts to their schools with the voting public. It is hoped that this effort will bring attention to the anti-education legislation taking place.

If you would like to attend as a March4Schools Day of Action participant, it is asked that you wear a t-shirt (that can be purchased online) to present a unified front in support of quality public education for every child in Arizona. To join in and be a part of this event, check out what activities will be available in your individual local.

Weigh in with your thoughts on how our teachers are being treated from a legislative standpoint. Are they expendable? Or do we value them and want them to stay?

For more information: Download the AEA March4Schools Day of Action flyer.

Tags: bill 2011, education, teachers
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Children’s Orchard is looking for the “Greenest Mom in America” with the winner will receive a $500 Children’s Orchard gift-card. Times are tough right now and it can be a challenge to come up with the extra means to spend on your kids, especially as they are quickly growing out of their clothes or wanting to follow the latest trends. Children’s Orchard is an upscale resale retail store that sells gently used designer clothes in an upscale retail environment—they pride themselves on being green by reducing waste, recycling old clothes and selling them to moms to reuse!

To enter the contest, just follow these simple guidelines…

1. Get Creative! Show what you do to live a green lifestyle
2. Post your entry on Children’s Orchard Facebook Fan Page starting 01.15.10
3. Comment to Share your entry & get more ‘Like’ votes
4. The entry with the most votes by 4.5.10 wins $500 to Children’s Orchard!

Good luck everyone and may the “greenest mom” win!

Tags: announcements, contest, Family and Home, free stuff, homemaking, housekeeping, parenting
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Valentines Day is about showing other how much we care about and appreciate them. This is such a wonderful holiday for helping kids to think outside of themselves. To consider and show appreciation for the talents, abilities, and importance of others is a difficult but very important skill we all struggle with. Sacrificing time and energy (rather than just mom and dad’s money) to create these messages of thankfulness helps children (and adults!) show a spirit of true consideration. Are you scrambling for some fun, low budget ideas for helping your kids make this Valentines Day truly memorable? Well, we’ve got a few winners for you!

Buying Valentines Cards is certainly easy and sometimes affordable. If you’re little one is working on writing their name, it can be a great way to practice this skill since they will have to write their name several times over in one sitting. If this is a skill you are working on, it can help if you have fairly large valentines cards so that they will have room to write (early writers rarely have the control and coordination required to write very small). It might also help if you draw a line if one does not already exist so that your little one has a reference as they practice their name writing. Without the guidance of lines, you may find this to be a very unproductive and frustrating practice time.

But for those who have mastered their name writing and are looking for a fun alternative to the standard “card”, we suggest a “Valentine’s Mouse”. This little critter requires very little cost for a very fun outcome! The materials you will need are:

• colored paper
• red/black marker or glitter glue
• pipe cleaners
• bag of Hershey Kisses
• glue/tape

Take the colored paper, fold it in half, and begin cutting half-heart shapes along the fold (this will ensure your finished heart will be symmetrical). These small hearts will be glued to the bottom of the Hershey Kiss to form the “ears” of our mouse. Next, take a pipe cleaner and curl it around a pencil. The will be taped to the bottom of the Hershey Kiss as well and bent to resemble our mouse tail. Next, take the marker and make eyes (using a black marker) and a nose (using the red marker or red glitter glue)  for your mouse….and voila! You have your very own valentine critter to deliver!

For a fun surprise for a teacher, parent or grandparent…consider giving them a “heart attack”! This is a simple, easy and inexpensive craft that is lots of fun for the giver and truly memorable for the receiver. First cut as many hearts as possible from several different colors of paper (the more sizes and colors, the more fun!). Next, take a marker and write on each heart something you like, admire, or a special memory about the person. If you have children that are not writing, special pictures are also wonderful. Again, the more, the merrier! Take the finished hearts and tape/post them all over the person’s bathroom, bedroom, front lawn (be aware of sprinklers!), office or any other space that the person spends a lot of time in. The key to success here is to not get caught posting the hearts! When the person returns, they will be greeted with their “heart attack” of special messages from their children. This is a wonderful way for kids to learn to “count their blessings” and be truly thankful for this special someone by remembering all the things they love about them and writing them down. The best reward is the look on the person’s face when they enter the room!

Whatever crafts you decide, make sure you take the time to explain why this holiday is so important. Help your kids remember that showing someone you love and appreciate them is truly one of the best ways to not only make their day, but also make your day a little brighter!

Do you have some fun crafts that have worked well with your family or classroom? Share ‘em! Visit our Teachers Forum under classroom activities!

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, Crafts, education, Family and Home, fun, holiday activities, holiday crafts, tips and tricks
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Dance and cook with Goofy and his friends in Goofy's Kitchen!

Brilliant fireworks, beautiful music, and a snow fall surrounded by white lights all combine in the Disney fireworks display to bring the holidays home!

Are you planning any trips to the Magic Kingdom this holiday season? If you are not, then you should! Holidays in Disneyland are truly magical! For starters, it’s pretty tough to find someone that could top the Mouse for his decorating savvy. The entire park gets a serious make-over for the holidays. Toon Towne is complete with snow on the rooftops and you won’t even recognize the Haunted Mansion, which has been overrun by Jack Skellington and his band from the Nightmare Before Christmas. The towering trees, wreaths, flowers, and holiday lights are truly a sight to behold. If you can’t get in the Holiday spirit in Disneyland, then I am afraid there is little hope for you.

If you are planning a Disneyland trip this holiday season and toting along multiple little people with you, we’ve got a few recommendations…

• Transportation. If you have the ability to take the monorail into the park, this will shave considerable time off your morning commute. You must be staying in a Disneyland Hotel (California Hotel, Paradise Pier or Disneyland Hotel) in order to fast pass onto this little gem of a transport system. Presenting your room key along with your park ticket will get you in a full hour before the park opens on select days.
• Food and the “bottom” line. If you plan to be in the park for the entire day, food can be a very daunting expense and major time waster. Again, we are addressing those with little ones here. Based on considerable experience, we recommend you try to limit yourself to two or less meals in the park. Snack before you leave your room. Then eat a good sized breakfast in the park late in the morning (you can hit the rides while everyone else is eating at normal breakfast hours, then eat while the ride lines are longer) then take along a smorgesborg of water, treats and snacks (fruit roll-ups, trail mix, granola bars, fruit, etc.) that will happily tide your little ones (and bigs ones!) over until the next meal. Skip the lunch and have either an early dinner or a late dinner. Again, this helps you avoid the mealtime crowds and time-waster lines.
• Don’t miss the fireworks! You need to give yourself a good hour before it starts to find a decent spot. Take some blankets to sit on. Pick a spot near the castle or near the Small World ride. These are the best locations to be a part of the “White Christmas” part of the fireworks…yes, there is actual snow that will fall! You won’t want to miss it!
• Give the gift of memories! If you’re going to spend all that money on getting your family to the park, then it’s worth it to make sure they remember it, right? Autograph books can help you’re kids interact with the characters firsthand and have some memories to boot. An autograph book that includes picture slots is a must. Our little ones loved to approach each character and “ask for their autograph”, if only to have an excuse to talk to the character one on one. Once finished with the trip, we insert photos of each child with their character friends into this autograph book and it becomes a real treasure for each child. A word of advice for the autograph seeking crowd…it is well worth investing in a “character dining experience” rather than face long lines to meet each character in the park. For the best food and character quantity, we recommend the “Plaza Inn “Minnie & Friends – Breakfast in the Park” hosted by Kellogg’s ” inside Disneyland for breakfast. In one hour, you will fill up at least half of an autograph book.

Good luck on your Disney vacation and we hope you have as much fun as we did! Now go make some memories!

Do you have experiences or tips you would like to share about how to maximize a Disneyland holiday trip? Visit our forum and join in the conversation!

Tags: entertainment, Family and Home, fun, holiday activities, product reviews, tips and tricks
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Check out the newest exhibit to arrive at the Mesa Southwest Museum: Therizonasaurs!

When was the last time you visited the Mesa Southwest Museum with your kids? Never been? Well it’s time to revisit! They have recently unveiled a new exhibit entitled “Therizinosaur: Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur” and if your kids have any interest in dinosaurs, they’re going to love this! Brilliant, life-sized reconstructions of these misunderstood theropods and easy to follow information plaques, interactive models and televised interviews posted throughout the exhibit will really bring these prehistoric monsters to life for your kids. As amazing as this new exhibit is though, it is not the only reason to visit the Southwest Museum.

For those of you who have not yet experienced this museum, let me run down just a few of the things your kids will enjoy!…

• 

  Panning for gold just outside of the Lost Dutchman's mine is a favorite for my kids!

  Revisit the legend of the Lost Dutchman as your kids travel through a make-shift mine shaft littered with tools of the trade and even get a chance to try their luck at panning for gold in the outdoor courtyard at the end of the mine! (Don’t forget to ask for your bag at the front desk!)

• Take a trip back into the ancient indian culture as you enter the “Native Peoples of the Past” exhibit where this ancient culture is recreated. Walk into a traditional Hohokam family house, try your hand at grinding corn and catch a glimpse firsthand of some of the tools, art and ceremonies of these ancient peoples.
• The natural history exhibit is by far the favorite of my kids because this is where you will find the life-sized T-Rex alongside a Camarasaurus. Your kids will be captivated by Dinosaur Mountain where a flash flood rains down on our dinosaur friends every 15 minutes as they roar in protest!
• Walk through the “Arizona in Time” exhibit and take a trip back to our own state millions of years ago! You might be surprised to find out what was running around in your very own backyard! (And you thought scorpions were a problem now? Take a look at the ones that used to be here!)
• If you journey to the top floor and visit the “Prehistoric Pronghorn: Ancient Antelope” exhibit, don’t forget to stop by and say “hello” to Elvis the Alligator…careful, he bites!

Find out which beasts roamed your own backyard in prehistoric times!

Admission is only $6 for children 3-12 and $10 per adult. Students over 13 can get in for $8. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 11am  to 5pm and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. If you’re not sure how much time to allow for a visit, I can offer this gauge: based on my experience with my four children ages 2-8, you can easily spend a full afternoon here and not get bored. My kids are usually among the last in the museum and leave only because they begin shutting off the lights!  Happy dinosaur hunting!

For more information: Visit the Southwest Museum website, call them at 480-644-2230 or visit them one block north of Main Street in downtown Mesa at 53 N. Macdonald.

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There's something for every age here!

For those of you looking to get your kids into the Halloween spirit, I’ve got a great place for you to check out this season…Jump and Shout Play Center! Located at 1061 N. Dobson Rd., Suite 110 in Mesa  between Bass Pro Shop and Cinemark, they will be converting their indoor bounce and play area into a “haunted” play center for us from 3:00pm to 8:00pm on October 30 and 31 (a Friday and Saturday).

If you are not familiar with Jump and Shout, then you need to get informed about this great Mesa Riverview secret! With the Mesa location of Bounce U closing down, Jump and Shout is sure to take over the area business with ease offering not only great bounce equipment for all ages but also climbing areas, large video screens and “bubble time” where huge amounts of bubbles rain down on our little bouncers!

This special 2-day Halloween event will offer the following features to our eager little goblins:

• UNLIMITED play on their indoor equipment
• Halloween arts and crafts
• costume contests
• games and dancing
• treats
• a real “slime” station!

The price is only $15.00 per child for over 5 hours of Halloween fun! Don’t miss this great safe, clean and fun Halloween party alternative. It’s great for all ages since they have an area for tots (crawlers to toddlers) as well as larger equipment for older children and even adults!

For more information: This facility also offers field trip options for classrooms, party packages, open play  and full membership options. You can contact this Jump and Shout location at 480-834-7529 and you can read more about them at their website or through my previous article entitled “Info 101: Indoor Toddler Play Zones“ which reviews this facility.

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, costumes, Crafts, easy crafts, Family and Home, fun, halloween crafts for kids, holiday crafts, toddlers
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Silver Apple Award sponsored by Ace Air and 3TV

Do you have a child enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in an Arizona school that has been positively impacted by the dedication and inspiration of a special teacher? If you have seen your child make unusually large strides in their education as a direct result of an individual teachers efforts, then you might want to take a moment and nominate that special educator for the Silver Apple Award, created by 3TV in 1991. This year, eight Silver Apple awards will be awarded to exceptional teachers during the 2009-2010 school year, one award per month. Each winner will receive not only the recognition of this prestigious award but will also be given $500 for use in their classroom. In these difficult economic times, when salaries are being cut and teachers are scrambling for classroom resources out of their own pockets, this is truly a wonderful way to support the daily efforts they make for the benefit of our children.

Teachers are some of the most important people in the lives of our children and yet they often receive the lowest pay, fewest accolades and least amount of respect. Of course, everyone loves to recall the nightmarish teacher that scarred them for life!…but the ones we truly remember are those that have quietly influenced every aspect of who we are simply by their subtle inspiration and extreme patience as they attempted to fill our minds with useful knowledge and temper that knowledge with the ability to use it wisely.

My daughter had one such teacher last year who cheerfully brought excitement and wonder to the entire learning process. I was amazed as I assisted in her classroom at how her students responded to her contagious zeal for learning and soft-spoken methods of teaching. It is these few and incredibly priceless teachers that these awards were meant for!

If you feel you’ve got a teacher that fits the bill, then download the Silver Apple Awards form, have it signed by their school principal and then either mail or fax it back to 3TV by March 5, 2010 by 5 pm. Completed forms can be faxed to 602-207-3545 or mailed to:

attn: Silver Apple Award
c/o 3TV
5555 N. 7th Avenue
Phoenix Az  85013

For more information, you can visit their Arizona’s Family Cares Passion to Action website.

Tags: education, teachers
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An opposing viewpoint on the scheduled speech by President Obama, By guest blogger Stacy Mantle Staley

Work hard in school. Prepare for a satisfying career. Wash your hands so you don’t get the flu. Participate in your community. Offer service to your neighbors and country. Don’t spend countless hours in front of the TV – get out and do something!

Certainly these are messages we don’t want our kids to receive. I mean, jeez. What would happen if children actively participated in life rather than stand around and passively hope everything goes to plan?

I’m honestly surprised that our President is being accused of “indoctrinating” (the current buzz word for the day) our children with a left-winged socialist agenda. Those doing the criticizing are convinced our President will single-handedly reduce our children to zombie-eyed hippies who blindly succumb to his Jedi mind tricks and carry out his every demand.

(Quick – put on your tin-foil hat and shut your eyes!)

Give me a break. The kids of today won’t listen to their own parents – what makes you think they are going to do what our President says?

Here’s the thing, folks – the lesson plan that has been under so much controversy was created by a quite ineffective (if you ask me) curriculum designer. I’m certain that our President didn’t sit down to develop the original lesson and I’m even more certain that there was no intent to brainwash children.

What’s interesting is that if these right-wing conservatives had stepped up like this during the election, they wouldn’t have to deal with Obama being in their kid’s classrooms in the first place. But rather than show up at the polls, they choose to direct their frustration onto the president who was elected in by the majority.

What’s even more difficult to understand is how people feel that this is an affront to their children’s mind? I don’t think there was this much of a public outcry when Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush entered our children’s classrooms. If there was, I didn’t pay any attention to it… No more than I paid attention to my principal, or my parents, or my teachers, or anyone in any type of authority position.

I have every confidence that when I ask my stepson what he did in school today, his immediate answer will be “nothing.” When I press the issue, he’ll respond, ‘Oh yeah – there was something on TV. It was cool. I got to text message for 20 minutes and the teacher didn’t even get mad.” When I ask what the speech was about, it will be answered by a shrug as he walks out to get his bike and go for a quick ride before homework, “I dunno,” he’ll mumble.

Yeah – good luck indoctrinating my pre-teen of anything, Mr. President…

I’m not a political analyst or a psychiatrist. I’m not heavily involved in politics, and honestly – never really cared for the topic. I’m also not afraid of my kids (or anyone else’s) being “indoctrinated” with a set of values that their parents should have provided in the first place. If you’re all this worried about your kids being ‘brainwashed,’ maybe you’re more afraid that you haven’t done your job indoctrinating your child with your own set of values. I’ve always felt less than adequate as a step-mom, but even I have the confidence to allow my kids to listen to a 20-minute speech. Then again, I know they are strong enough to make their own decision. And if they’re not, I’ll still be around for them when they’re ready to talk. But, I won’t stuff my own personal values down their throats; not politically, spiritually or mentally.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ll try to do that once in awhile, but I know that I will fail.

Why? Because if nothing else, I’ve taught the kids to think for themselves, to make their own decisions, and to find their way – whether I agree with it or not. Just as my parents did for me. I will tell them my thoughts on the subject, but I won’t force them to believe as I do. I will protect them to the best of my ability, but I won’t shield them from the world.

And I hope that you won’t either…

Please visit our forum and share your thoughts on Obama’s speech as a teacher, as a parent or as simply a concerned citizen.

Tags: education, Family and Home, parenting
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