Playgroup August 4 - August 8

On Monday, the kids played together with plenty of toys. The lesson was more on nursery rhymes and dance movements that go with the songs. The kids also colored a picture of the cat and the fiddle with their moms today. These kids won't stop getting cuter!

On Wednesday, we did only have two kids come in for playgroup. It was Elizabeth's (one of our teachers) children, they were so cute though! They loved playing with puzzles and making the animal sounds. They also loved just having a play day and got to hang out with their mom.

On Thursday the kids loved playing at Imagine Jefferson. They were read a story and we sang a few songs together. In honor of the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", the kids made stars as the craft today. We laced ribbon in holes around the star to make it pretty.

Parents please attend our playgroup! We meet Monday's and Wednesday's at our main building from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. We also meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Imagine Jefferson from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. It's free and a great experience for children and parents! :)

Allergies

This post was written by one of our guest bloggers, Stacey Starley, all information and photo credit goes to her.

Sometimes as a Mom all other responsibilities/plans fall by the wayside, and simply, surviving the day-to-day necessities takes over.  

I feel like, February is the beginning of our family cold and flu season and runs until May.  With 4 kiddos, all under the age of eight, running around here it can be a monumental task attending to their care, doctor visits, medicine dosing, and laundering.  

Each of my kids has unique reactions to medicines, soaps, or foods.  Trying to remember which kids can have Tylenol vs Motrin, Penicillin vs Clindamyacin or sulfa...it's daunting when I am sleep deprived.  So I keep a list of which drugs each child/husband needs to avoid in my medicine cabinet to keep me straight in the middle of the night.  

Of course, my baby is throwing us for a loop with his hives.  He has reacted to each and everyone of these the sun, and all foods.  He's also not reacted on the second testing, just to keep it interesting.  Mostly it's superficial (meaning it manifests as a rash not interfering with his breathing) and he may grow out of it.

  

Some reactions are simply due to sensitive skin and whenever he gets overheated from the sun or from a fever he rashes out.  Mostly we lather him in baby lotion for excema and Claritin doses (selected by his pediatrician) to keep his histamine levels normal.  We have had better success with the children's Claritin than Benadryl.  

Poor baby.  He is beautiful and happy even when he is itchy and uncomfortable.  

Bathing him in soap less water is soothing as well as fresh air walks or rocking him in my arms while sitting in a swing.  I can't stress enough what a blessing it is to discuss his reactions with our doctor and receive advice and affirmation in our treatment as well as managing my expectations/fears for the future. Usually, I leave with a sigh of relief and peace.

Playgroup May 29, 2014

Playgroup was not held on Monday due to Memorial day. But Wednesday's playgroup meeting was held at regular schedule time for this week. The children learned about camping and had a marvelous time playing pretend and getting involved. They loved making their leaves collages and learning about nature during play time.

Playgroup is held every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Parents please be sure to attend as well to take the lessons at home and be able to better prepare you children for Kindergarten. Thank you!

Next week the children will be learning:

Monday, June 2 - Clothing

Wednesday, June 4 - Colors

2955 Harrison Blvd.        •       Ogden, UT       •        801-399-5584        •        Suite 105

Secret Agent Lab
June 9 - 13
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Eccles Community Art Center
Ages 5 - 12, $250

Wild Wednesdays
Every Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.
June 4 - August 27
All Ages Welcome!
Free for ONC members
$2 for children
$3 for seniors
$4 for adults

Adult Women's Mountain Bike Camp
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
June 6 - June 27
All adult women welcome
$25

Lorin Farr Pool: Open Swim
All summer!
12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
All ages welcome!
Free for under 4 years of age
$3 for ages 4+

High School All-Star Baseball Games
June 5 - June 7
Lindquist Field
$1 Adults
Free for children
Registration is open til June 1

Playgroup - May 14 - May 16, 2014.

This week, Wednesday, at playgroup the children learned about friendly monsters. They re-created their own monsters on paper with googly eyes. Afterwards children had time to have free play to get hungry for snack time! They had a healthy meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwich, watermelon, animal crackers, and a cheese stick. Later children were encouraged to create new monsters and shapes using playdoh and understanding the concept of water and pouring in our playbins.

Friday, there was a parenting class for the participating parents at our playgroup. The children were granted a free day to play with puzzles and toys. They were given pizza for their snack and had so much energy running around and having fun. The parenting class was to teach children to limit the amount of television children watch. There were open discussions about proper discipline for children and potty training techniques. Parenting classes are every third Friday of every month, all parents are welcome!

Next week children will be learning about the following lessons:
Monday, May 19 - Body Parts
Wednesday, May 21 - Memorial Day
Friday, May 23 - Letter F
2955 Harrison Blvd.        •       Ogden, UT       •        801-399-5584        •        Suite 105

We encourage parents to come and participate at our playgroups on Monday's and Wednesday's from 10-12. This will help prepare children and parents for kindergarten preparation and help our community get involved in teaching our children. Thank you and hope to see you next week!

Upcoming events that children and parents can attend are:

Oasis Garden Workshops
At Oasis Gardn
Started May 10
9 a.m - 12 p.m.
All ages welcome
FREE!

Ballet classes
At Eccles Community Art Center
Pre-Ballet
June 3 - June 24
Tuesdays only at 9 a.m.
Ages 4-7, $64

Little Sluggers Baseball
At Romrell Park
May 13 - June 17
Tuesdays at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. or 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Ages 3-4, $40

Youth Chess Club
Weber County Library
All year round
Tuesdays at 4 p.m. - Pleasant Valley Branch
Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. - Weber County Library
Thursdays at 4 p.m. - North Branch
Ages 4-18

Children's Summer Reader Program: Laugh it Up!
June 2 - August 9
Registration begins May 27 at all Weber County Library branches.

Lots of Laughs: Maic Show with Elias "Lefty" Caress
June 2 at 10:30 a.m. at the Main Library

***Inspire Playgroup (free)***

Come join us on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00am-12:00pm (noon) at United Way of Northern Utah 2955 Harrison Blvd. suite 102. 

Ages: 0-5 years old

Objective: Playtime for kids and support for parents. Opportunity to make friends, do activities and have snacks. Parents must stay at the play group.

Out of the mouth of babes

“So are YOU having a baby?” Adam, my 6 year old primary kiddo asked me this past Sunday.

“Uh, no.” I respond slightly confused.

“You aren’t supposed to ASK that!!!” whispers another of my kiddos.

“But she has a BELLY!!” Adam insists back.

“Well my baby isn’t quite a year yet and sometimes it takes a while to make the entire belly bump go away…” I responded laughing.

“Yeah my mom’s baby is older than hers and she still has a belly.” pipes in yet another little boy.

Ah the joys of teaching sweet, innocent little boys.  However badly I wanted to crawl under a rock or feel frustrated I had to admit these little guys had a point.  My belly-post Andrew hasn’t moved much since baby number four left the womb.  And with that, I found my motivation to get moving.  So how do I exercise with kids?

Child number 1:

I could trade off with my husband so that made things simple.  He would hold our little Katelyn and dip her toes in the water while I swam laps.  Then we traded off.  In the winter, I switched off with a friend that lived in an apartment complex down the road.  She brought her two littles over and we switched off supervising a playdate while the other ran on my treadmill.  This way we could exercise in that magical natural light I am so fond of.  I competed in a sprint triathlon when Katelyn was 5 months old and ran my first half marathon the week before her first birthday.

Child number 2:

I found a really great yoga studio near our apartment in Maryland and took sessions in the evenings while my supportive spouse had daddy/daughters time.  I slowly built my way back to shape by walking my girlies everywhere in our double stroller.  We had a cross-continental move to California and I found a wonderful trail that supported my stroller and it had a free petting zoo to boot.  I enlisted friends with kids to join me on our walks and we had picnics and observed nature together with our kids.  I took my kids on walks to the library that was 6 miles round trip but had sidewalks the entire way.  The library was a fun destination and I detoured to a local park on the way back to push them in the swings.  In the winter I joined a gym and swam laps or ran on the treadmill but I found the time being outside with my kids so much more enjoyable.

Child number 3:

I don’t know if it was just my age, that it was my third baby, if the complications in this pregnancy made it so much harder, or simply a combination of all three but I really had a hard time feeling motivated to get moving.  Perhaps it was yet another move to the Wasatch Front, and living in a house with a yard so I didn’t have to load the kids up to go somewhere; but I was slow getting back in shape.  I found a deep joy in gardening that my previous black thumb was astonished to discover.  Getting outside in nature was a pleasure for me.  I reached out to some neighbors that were in an early morning walking group.  They walked the trails I 6 years previously had run along.  I found such pleasure in their company that I walked with them every day.  A few months in we were running the same trail.  Pretty soon I found myself in the best shape of my life.  I ran with them because I loved their positive and encouraging personalities.  I started running with them and a second group that ran a few hours earlier in the day.  A year later I competed in my second half marathon and completed it 28 minutes sooner than my previous time.

Child number 4:

So here I am starting back with my 9 month, 3 ½ year, 6 year, and 7 ½ year olds sleeping in their beds (daddy is asleep as well).  I have run 11 miles this week that my primary class prompted me to get moving again.  I am awake, refreshed, and have a nice breakfast together with our family starting the day off on the right foot.  Andrew still has a few 3am feedings in him but I am motivated by the energy and happiness I feel to join up with my dear friends early in the mornings.

~Guest Blogger
                Stacey Starley

Helps for those winter BLAH days

I love winter.   I really love those crisp, sunny days with the gleaming white snow reflecting light everywhere.   I feel alive and refreshed and ready to conquer those New Year’s resolutions.  But then out of the blue the inversion sets in.  Mucky gray sets over the valley and I just feel blah.  So how do I conquer the inevitable blah and get down to living?

 First I open my window shades and let in as much natural light as possible.  Then I wait for the beautiful 2 hour stretch in the middle of the day to go out in the sunshine for a brisk walk.  This usually is from 1-3pm.  I bundle my kiddos up and we play I Spy as we go.  If I am alone with my baby I find different textures for his little hands to explore; a leaf, stick, flower, or set him down to crunch a bit in the snow.   Some days I pack them in our double stroller, some in arms, and some in a cuddle backpack.

If the inversion is too thick and being outdoors is ill-advised we may take a warm bath or “sauna day.”  “Sauna day” is my nickname for closing the bathroom door and turning the shower on as hot as it goes with the curtain closed and my kiddos and I sitting on beach towels playing with bubbles from a wand or bath toys.  Being warm and breathing in some humidity does wonders for my mood.  Just make sure your kiddos are far away from the stream of hot water to prevent burns and stay by their side at all times.

Other days we will cook homemade play dough or make cookies or science experiments with simple household items.  We sometimes combine all of the above by making a dinosaur themed diorama in an old shoebox.  We can use leaves from adventure walks for trees, print pictures from the internet or have the kids draw pictures and paste them inside.  I may use a baby food glass jar and surround it with play dough or clay for a volcano and add baking soda and vinegar (plus red food coloring) for a volcano scene.

If I really feel imprisoned in my own home, I trudge to my next door neighbor who is in her 90’s for a nice chat.  Or take a trip to visit the grandparents.  Chances are they will be as excited to see you as you are to see them.

My baby doesn’t need the craft making and he loves to watch the bubbling action with a simple bowl and tray.  Aren’t babies fantastic!!!  We find simple joy in playing singing games like: 5 green and Speckled Frogs, Patty Cake, and I Stuck My Head in a Little Skunk’s Hole.  He loves for me to make animal noises, read him stories, and blow on his belly.  Though my kiddos do start painting in their high chairs (to minimize mess) around 15 months.

It’s amazing how much fun I have playing with my kids and then the inversion days pass me by.

Recipe for  Beary Good Playdough

1 C water (add food coloring to make color other than cream)

1 C Flour

½ C salt

2 TBS oil

2 TBS Cream of Tartar

**Cook on medium heat in pan until thick.  Store in plastic bag.  Do not store in fridge.

~Guest Blogger
                 Stacey Starley

What is Welcome Baby?

Welcome Baby is a home visitation program that is designed to promote a healthy, secure and enjoyable beginning for parents, new babies and their family members. Parents sign up to have a visitor come into their homes once a month and teach them about their child's development, activities to encourage proper development, and resources in the community that can help with the parenthood transition. We also provide playgroups throughout Northern Utah.

Volunteers Needed

Welcome Baby is a home visitation program sponsored by United Way of Northern Utah.  We train volunteers to visit new parents in our community. During their visit the volunteer shares a free gift donated by our community, a “Keeping Your Baby Healthy” guide and additional community information.  A commitment of at least six months is asked of our volunteers.  We also ask that volunteers attend at least one In-service training per quarter year.  In-service is a great way for volunteers to enhance their home-visitation experience and the information they can bring to families.

We look for volunteers that have experience working with children and families especially experienced mothers, grandmothers, and couples.  We also recruit students with some education in related field.

Become a Welcome Baby volunteer home visitor and enjoy the fulfillment of strengthening families in your community. Have fun interacting with parents and their new babies, bringing new information and activities while sharing insights from your personal experience. You can make a difference in the lives of families in Northern Utah!

To volunteer, call United Way of Northern Utah at 801-399-5584.