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ChildCareBirmingham.com
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Susanne King Studios
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My Thirty One
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Nixie's Pet Boutique
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My Scoop Media
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ChildCareBirmingham.com is the Birmingham Mom's Resource for Finding the Perfect Child Care Center and so much more!
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Something Cool We Found
Have you checked out www.ProgressivePhonics.com? It's a free resource! My friend and fellow blogger, Lu Avery (check her out at www.averytales.blogspot.com) found this site and let us at ChildCareBirmingham.com know about it! This is great for SAHMs who want material to teach their kids or for working moms who only have a few hours each day and want to spend it helping their children to learn! After all, learning begins at home and a LOVE for learning is taught by watching parents read and having parents get excited WITH their kids about learning. We wanted to share this site and hope you enjoy it as much as we have! Thanks for the info on the great find, Lu!
Here's a little info straight from the site:
Progressive Phonics is an all-in-one reading program that is easy, fun, and totally FREE---that's right, totally and completely free!
And with Progressive Phonics, ANYONE can teach a child to read and write in just a few minutes a day, which makes it ideal for parents, teachers, tutors, volunteers and home-schoolers.
 No experience necessary. Just pick a book and start reading it with your child/students.
Matching handwriting worksheets and activity sheets for each book -- when children write what they learn, they learn it better.
Also teaches the essential sight-words (phonics rule-breakers) that most phonics programs fail to teach.
Instant access -- download and use today. (Free registration required, but there are sample books you can look at before registering.)
Our books can be read on-screen or printed on your color printer. Each book takes 4--8 minutes to print and uses as little ink and paper as possible.
But don't judge a book by it's home page. Read one of our books with a child and see for yourself.
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Dance Like a Three Year Old
By Meredith McLaughlin
The other day, my 3 year old randomly announced to me, "My Dance, Mommy". He was wearing only a pull up and squatted, bent at the waist, put his head forward, and bounced...all while grinning like a mule eating briars. He was having a blast.
I sat there and thought to myself...at what point do we become conscious of our dancing abilities/inabilities? I am a TERRIBLE dancer (a trait that I MAY have passed on to my oldest son) and avoid it at all costs, but when did I start being self conscious and call an end the frog-like bouncing of a 3 year old dance?
I so admire the people that see a wet day as just a chance to dance in the rain, but in my stressful day to day regimen of feeding, bathing, dressing, packing, wiping, loading, unloading, and then pretending to be a professional all day while covering up the fact that I'm wearing snot on my suit that I forget to dance. I was contemplating this fact while watching my little boy. There he was, in a world of his own, spinning while squatting and bouncing...and calling it a dance.
Let's face it. Life is hard. Life is stressful and November always proves itself to be a stressful month. Turkeys don't cook themselves! But somewhere between bundling up for the fall weather that just fell upon us, getting a dinner fit for a king ready for Thanksgiving, and getting your Christmas shopping done, STOP. Maybe at the most stressful moment that you have had to face. When everything seems to be unraveling...STOP. Squat. Bounce. Spin. Dance like a 3 year old. I guaranty you will have a smile on your face by the time you're done.
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music. ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
Meredith McLaughin, Founder, ChildCareBirmingham.com
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Boys
By Meredith McLaughlin
Remember the little saying about girls being made of sugar and spice and everything nice and little boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails? I started thinking about my own definition of boys tonight and the curious things that they do because they are...well...boys. Since I'm completely surrounded by peanuts, I'm a bit of an expert.
Little boys go over the arm of the chair rather than entering the chair from the front...just for the challenge.
Little boys can't aim, but that doesn't stop them from standing up to pee like Daddy does.
Little boys don't know if they like a toy unless they first know how far it bounces when thrown at their brother's head.
Little boys say things like "Mommy, you a Pwiiiiinnnnctheeeeesss" when they are in trouble.
Little boys put bugs in their pockets.
Little boys put toothbrushes in the potty.
Little boys finger paint with poo.
Little boys climb out of their cribs at only 14 months old and then climb over the baby gate just to show you how dumb they think you are.
Little boys think the only way to step over a curb is to jump over it.
Little boys cannot possibly walk on dirt without kicking up a sandstorm with EVERY step.
Little boys will call you their Girlfriend until you get replaced by "Lightnin Keen".
Little boys love to wrestle before they can even walk.
Little brothers idolize big brothers before they can crawl.
Brothers can communicate without talking.
Little boys LOVE playtime with Daddy, but only Mommy knows how to kiss a booboo all better.
Man, I love those boys.
Tell us your definition of boys or teach us a little something about girls at www.ChildCareBirmingham.blogspot.com
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Oh My, It's the Weekend
What do we do now?
As always, Saturday approaches and working moms like me think...wow, I can't wait for 2 whole days to enjoy my kids.
Now what do I do?
Check out your local Farmer's Market! There are several great ones in town! They are a great place to buy local fruits, veggies and miscellaneous goodies all the while having fun with your kids! My 3 year old loves to look at the different sizes, shapes and colors of various squashes, pumpkins and gourds. It's a fun way to teach colors and they don't even realize they're learning! Brush up on your Spanish colors before you go if your little one has their colors down pat already!
Here is a short list of the top few that I recommend!
Pepper Place is always fun!
2822 2nd Ave N www.PepperPlaceMarket.com
The Alabama Farmers Market is probably one of the most well known:
344 Finley Ave West www.alabamafarmersmarket.org
A friend of mine recently recommended Andy's on Rocky Ridge. I haven't been there yet, but may just check it out this weekend myself!
3351 Morgan Dr Vestavia www.AndysGardenCenter.com
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Thank you to our sponsors!
Susanne King Studios
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| Susanne King Studios |
Beautiful portraits for a lifetime
Thank you Susanne for meeting me down at the beach this past weekend to take our photos! We had a great time and I can't wait to see the photos! Iknow they will be FANTASTIC!
Located in Shelby County and the Birmingham area and specializing in Portraits of Children, Babies and Families, and Seniors. Susanne's passion for creating hierloom qualilty portraits shows through each of her dramatic shots.
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