We’re about to go on our family 4th of July vacation.

We’re going with our family relations…

Down the parkway, down to the Jersey shore.

We couldn’t ask for much more…

Sun (we hope) and lots of warm sand,

Outdoor movies and strike up the band!

Bar-B-Qs, boardwalks and rides, fireworks for all…

Young and old, big and small.

Play and relax, swim and see the sights…

Short as it may be, we’ll have had our family time together

And, be assured, there definitely will be another!

~ by Nana ~

Since we live only minutes from the beach, we’d often go there to view 4th of July fireworks displays after our family Bar-B-Q. We’ve also made a point every few years to take a special 4th of July mini vacation or a “staycation” where we stayed close to home. This year we’ll be about 60 miles away from home, still in NJ but having a real vacation with our children and grandchildren.

Some of our most memorable 4th of July family celebrations were:

When our oldest daughter was still able to ride in the baby seat on the back of my husband’s bike, we road our bike to the next town where, to this day, people come from near and far to watch the 4th of July fireworks display over the River. Because we road our bikes, we didn’t need to go very early to find a parking space. We arrived about 15 minutes before they were to start – at that time you could still get a space on the hill – and settled in our small plot of grass and bought a couple of sodas. The fireworks started and you could hear the cheers from all around. After a couple of red, white and blue designs in the sky….KABOOM!…all of the fireworks exploded out on the barge. The fireworks were over in a matter of about 5 minutes.  Luckily, no one on the barge was injured. We hadn’t rested from our bike ride but now it was time to get back on and ride home…the road had a continual incline…Lots of ughs and aches for me!  Unfortunately, too many people come into town. Now we find other local spots that are less crowded and just as spectacular…but we’re not telling where those are.  LOL

When our three children were young, we went to a Phillies baseball game on July 2. After the game, the Phillies allowed the children to go down on the playing field where they watched the special 4th of July fireworks display. Our son was probably 8 years old at the time and thought it was the greatest thing to stand where major league baseball players had also stood. After the fireworks, we stayed at the hotel across the street. The next morning, July 3, we walked around the historic area of Philadelphia – most of which was free. After that and lunch, we drove home. It was a vacation experience, even though it was short, that they’ve never forgotten.

We spent another 4th of July “staycation” which is a combination of the previous example and the next one. We took a Ferry boat from New Jersey to Yankee Stadium. No traffic, no stress, and lots of fun. When the game was over, we took the Ferry home again. We didn’t hear “Are we there yet?” even once!

When our oldest was expecting Emily and Kaitlin about to turn 4 four years ago, we took a chartered boat into New York Harbor to view the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Independence Day celebration. We could view all 3 of their fireworks displays at the same time. It was sad, though, because the Coast Guard had armed boats monitoring the harbor, riding in and out of the boats in the Harbor.

From the amount of traffic today, I think a lot of families have already started their Jersey Shore 4th of July celebration! Maybe I’ll see you at the Jersey Shore this Independence Day! 

A great way for grandparents and grandchildren together to celebrate the 4th of July is to decorate bikes for a 4th of July bike parade. Fourth of July decorations can be created with very little expense. Visit your local dollar stores for streamers, balloons, garland, flags, and other red, white, and blue patriotic decorations to use in decorating your bikes. (TIP: After the 4th of July, ask parents to shop the holiday clearance aisles to pick up bargain priced 4th of July decorations for next year’s bike parade.) And, of course, be sure to wear as much red, white, and blue patriotic themed clothing. Fourth of July face painting is fun, too. Don’t forget your pets. Wagons, strollers, and scooters can be used, especially for the pets and younger children. Welcome wheelchairs into your 4th of July decorated bike parade so no one is left out.

If your town does not have a 4th of July bike parade, a neighborhood 4th of July bike parade can easily be organized. If you’ll be attending a block party, picnic, or local parade, gather donations of money or 4th of July craft supplies from the other families, buy decorations in quantity and have the children all decorate their bikes and wagons at the same time prior to your parade. Choose a neutral “judge” to award donated prizes…and give everyone who participated  an “Honorable Mention” certificate or prize.

When choosing your parade route, remember to make it kid friendly in length and ease of mobility. Chart the route with red, white, and blue helium balloons along the way. At the end of the parade, award the prizes and have special 4th of July refreshments waiting for the participants.

4th of July Bike Parade Resources:

• Grandparents and Grandchildren: 4th of July Bike Parade
• Pumpkin Petunia: Independence Day Bike Parade
• Fourth of July Crafts: Bike Streamers Decorations
• How to Host a 4th of July Parade
• Organize a 4th of July Bike Parade in Your Neighborhood

Neighborhood 4th of July Bike Parades

If it is too late for you to organize a neighborhood Independence Day Decorated Bike Parade, you may still have time to enjoy watching  one. Besides enjoying the parade and the festivities, you’ll have a lot of good, creative ideas for your next year’s Patriotic Bike Parade. (Suggestion: On a day when the neighborhood kids are bored, get them together to decorate their bikes and make their own parade no matter what day of the year it is, then reward them with refreshments at the end of their parade.)

Here is a listing of some neighborhood decorated bike parades:

• Cactus Bike, Push, Pull, Peddle Bike Parade – Chandler, AZ
• Justin Rudd’s Great American 4th of July Bike Parade – Long Beach, CA
• 4th of July Bike Parade- Moraga, CA
• 4th of July Celebration with Bike Parade – University City, CA
• 4th of July Celebrations with Bike Parades – Frisco and Highlands Ranch, CO
• 4th of July Bike Parade and Block Party – Keystone, CO
• 4th of July Bike Parades- Grayton Beach and Rosemary Beach, FL
• Fourth of July Festival - Hoffman Estates, IL
• 4th of July Family Bike and Pet Parade - Elwood, IN
• Fourth of July Patriotic Bike Parade – Bowling Green, KY
• An American Celebration with Bike Parade – Portsmouth, ME
• Children’s 4th of July Bike Parade - Annapolis, MD
• Hereford 4th of July Parade – Hereford, MD
• 4th of July Bike Parade for Everyone- Kensington, MD
• Bike Decorating Contests and Parades - Barnstable, Falmouth, and Lincoln, MA
• Independence Day Parade- Northville, MI
• Children’s Bike Parade – Rockford, MI
• 4th of July Bike Parade- Collingswood, NJ
• Fourth of July Parade and Bike Parade- Evesham, NJ
• 4th of July Bike Parades (2) – Ocean City, NJ
• 4th of July Children’s Decorated Bike Parade – Summit, NJ
• 4th of July Bike Decorating Contest – Vernon Hills, NJ
• Children’s Bicycle Parade – Amherst, NH
• 4th of July Celebration and Bike Parade – Raleigh, NC
• Decorated Bike Parades- Doylestown, Newtown, and Glenside, PA
• 4th of July Bike Parade- Byrdstown, VA
• 4th of July Children’s Bike Parade – Lexington, VA
• Nelson County 4th of July Children’s Bike Parade- Lovingston, VA
• 4th of July Festival – Auburn, WA
• Decorated Bike Parade – Manson, WA
• 4th of July Bike Decorating Contest – Milton, WI

I’m sure there are many more community 4th of July Decorated Bike Parades throughout our great country. The onces listed here were found on the first 8 Google pages. If you can’t find one near you, Google “4th of July Bike Parades” + “Your State”. Example: 4th of july bike parades + nj

Happy 4th of July to everyone!…As my son-in-law would say, “May the Fourth be with you!”

I’ve been searching for a pretend play kitchen for Emily who will be 3 1/2 when Kaitlin turns 8 on July 30 (don’t know where the time’s gone). Kaitlin is becoming more independent in her play. She’s moving further away from wanting to spend time with Emily and toddler play. Emily loves to cook. Her favorite is to make purple pancakes…and pretend she’s Mommy or Daddy (he likes to cook, too.) A new, updated pretend play kitchen will provide an opportunity to develop Emily’s creativity and imagination. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be the next culinary arts star of her generation!

A pretend play kitchen is also a great way to develop communication and social skills with her dolls, friends, and family. Children will naturally learn to share, take turns, and to pretend to be mommy, daddy, grandma, or grandpa. (Be aware, sometimes, we learn our “not so nice” mannerisms by watching young children emulate us.)

Pretend play kitchens also advance learning of colors, shapes, fine motor skills, manners, and healthy food groups. For some, play kitchens can be the beginning to a hobby or career in the culinary arts. Pretend play kitchens are so much better for children than a DS pretend cooking game!

What you should consider when deciding on pretend play kitchens is the developmental age of your grandchild, height (remember your toddler will grow fast – find one that will fit for a while), and available storage space. Pretend play kitchens come in many prices, sizes, shapes, and decor styles.

In my searching I found PlayKitchensGuide.com. This site has just about every play kitchen and accessories in one place to help in searching for the best play kitchen.

In August 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) made a number of changes to consumer product safety laws in the USA. Be sure to check to see if the pretend play kitchen you choose has this approval.

Creative pretend kitchen play activities:

Mommy and children – create a healthy meal for stuffed animals and dolls
Hostess and guests – plan and prepare refreshments for a tea party
Chef – watch culinary arts shows together, then child pretends to be the chef – mommy or sister/brother can be the assistant or waitress/waiter
Grandma/Grandpa and grandchildren – make cookies and decorate (use real dough or playdoh)

Extended play:

Prepare a meal and shopping list, “drive to the store”…then do pretend food shopping with a shopping cart, food items, and cash register…”drive home”, put groceries away…rest with a fun activity…prepare the meal and enjoy it together! (use real food or pretend food…it’s up to you) ENJOY!

As a high school teacher, mother, and grandmother, I’ve watched our young people grow with a need to get everything ASAP. They want to learn, be entertained, lose weight, build muscles, and enhance body parts with very little effort. I blame the media for building the impression that their life will be more exciting and rewarding after purchasing (which can also be done with very little effort) and using the products.

With daughters and granddaughters, it is important to teach breast cancer awareness and prevention, yet now advertisements online and in the media are marketing breast enhancement creams. There are claims everywhere that breast size can be enlarged one to three cup sizes without the costs and risks of surgery and with very little effort.

Breast Enhancement Cream

The ingredients in breast enhancement cream claim to stimulate estrogen hormones by using “naturally occurring” herbs and other chemicals. Dr. York Yates, a board certified plastic surgeon in Utah, states:

“They claim to be safe, because the active ingredients are natural and although they cause a modification of the woman’s own hormones, there are no hormones in the product. Reviewing product ingredients, most of these contain one or a combination of saw palmetto, fennel seed, black cohosh, dong quai, Fenugeek, and L-Tyrosine. Some of the top selling brands including Perfect Woman, Breast Actives, Cleavage, and Embrace “work” in this manner. Another common breast enhancement cream, Benefil, claims breast enlargement from dilation of the blood vessels in the skin from caffeine. Also, they claim that their cream tightens collagen which improves breast tone and lifts saggy breasts. This does not work hormonally. I am actually sure that it doesn’t work at all, as this makes no medical sense.”

Safety and Effectiveness of Breast Enhancement Cream

My concern with the use of this product is that it is altering the balance of hormones which, in fact, could lead to the risk of cancer. I haven’t found any long-range studies that have proven this one way or the other. Breast enhancement cream has not been around long enough to be proven safe or not.

The FDA has looked into the claims made by the companies selling breast enhancement cream made from herbal ingredients. Even though they have found the claims misleading, they were not subject to the same standards of the FDA as other creams made from non-herbal ingredients.

Since the number of products using “natural” herbal ingredients to alter the natural balance of hormones is ever increasing and easily accessible to our daughters and granddaughters, I believe the FDA should hold them to the same standards now and not later, after the possible harm has been done. I also call on the media to be more socially responsible in its influence on the health of our daughters and granddaughters.

Let’s make the effort, show our young women that there is great satisfaction in putting in effort and receiving positive results…good diet, consistent body and brain exercise, right choices, and laughter…those are the “natural enhancements” that make women attractive.
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Visit http://www.yorkyates.com for additional information about Dr. Yates.

Spending time with the grandchildren sometimes gives grandparents cause to think quickly for ways to entertain them, especially in the car while stuck in traffic on the way to the beach on a summer weekend day. One way we grandparents pass the time and keep our two older grandchildren distracted is to teach them tongue twisters using alliteration. Longer tongue twisters are also known as alliteration poems or verses.

Examples of Alliteration

Alliteration is the use of the same consonant sounds in words that are near each other. It is the sound, not the letter, that is important: therefore ‘candy’ and ‘Cindy’ do not alliterate, but ‘cool’ and ‘kids’ do.

A tongue twister is defined as a phrase or sentence that is hard to speak fast, usually because of alliteration or a sequence of nearly similar sounds.

On the educational side, it is a great exercise to help our grandchildren learn phonetic alphabet awareness and develop concentration and memory skills. Tongue twisters and alliteration poems can make learning fun and an enjoyable time for grandparents and grandchildren together.

Alliteration Examples in Nursery Rhymes

Betty Botter by Mother Goose

Examples of Alliteration Fun Activities

A very funny activity you can do with your grandchildren using one line tongue twisters is to create Alphabet Tongue Twisters. Alliteration examples of alphabet tongue twisters are: the famous “S” tongue twister, She sells sea shells by the seashore., the “P” tongue twister, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, and “H”, Happy hippos who hop happily have hippy hips (not a famous alphabet tongue twister, but I wanted to make one).

Here are some examples of one line alphabet alliteration tongue twisters:

A: An ape ate Ace’s acorn.
B: Baby Bobby bed bounced better by bedtime before Billy bounced.
C: Cory collected cola cans counting continuously.

For the younger children with a limited vocabulary, it is okay for them to make up words and to do it phonetically. Their examples of alliteration can turn out quite funny and have everyone laughing together. You can tell them to make silly alliteration tongue twisters to make you all laugh. After your grandchildren make up their tongue twisters using alliteration, have them challenge you to say them three or four times fast without stumbling, or read the longer tongue twister alliteration poems as fast as you can without making mistakes. When you recite the silly tongue twisters, be silly yourself and they’ll enjoy it even more! The sillier the better! Actually the best tongue twisters are the funny tongue twisters. Alliteration helps to do just that.

For older grandchildren, do it this way:

Players pick a letter…perhaps the initial of their name…and try to write or say the longest sentence in which every word starts with that letter. The sentence should make sense even if it is not sensible.

Another way to play the game in the car…Starting with the person behind the driver, have him call out a single letter. Immediately, the person to his right must make up a tongue twister sentence. All the words in the sentence must begin with the same letter. The person to his right, then must recite the alphabet tongue twister 3 times fast. Play until everyone has had a turn reciting a tongue twister.

Alliteration Famous Poems and Tongue Twisters

Well known tongue twisters are also examples of alliteration famous poems. See how many times it takes you to read these fast without making a mistake!

I’m not the pheasant plucker, I’m the pheasant plucker’s mate,
And I’m only plucking pheasants ’cause the pheasant plucker’s late.
I’m not the pheasant plucker, I’m the pheasant plucker’s son,
And I’m only plucking pheasants till the pheasant pluckers come.

A tutor who tooted the flute
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot
Said the two to the tutor
“Is it tougher to toot
Or to tutor two tooters to toot?”

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

A certain young fellow named Beebee
Wished to marry a lady named Phoebe
“But,” he said. “I must see
What the minister’s fee be
Before Phoebe be Phoebe Beebee”

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck would chuck wood?
A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck
If a woodchuck would chuck wood.

I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought so much.

A skunk sat on a stump.
The stump thought the skunk stunk.
The skunk thought the stump stunk .
What stunk the skunk or the stump?

If one doctor doctors another doctor
Does the doctor who doctors the doctor
Doctor the doctor the way the doctor he is doctoring doctors?
Or does the doctor doctor the way
The doctor who doctors doctors?

The doctoring doctor doctors the doctor the way
The doctoring doctor wants to doctor the doctor.
Not the way the doctored doctor wants to be doctored.

Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See’s saw
Before See sawed Soar’s seesaw,
See’s saw would not have sawed
Soar’s seesaw.
So See’s saw sawed Soar’s seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See’s saw sawed
Soar’s seesaw!

I cannot bear to see a bear
Bear down upon a hare.
When bare of hair he strips the hare,
Right there I cry, “Forbear!”

If Freaky Fred Found Fifty Feet of Fruit
And Fed Forty Feet to his Friend Frank
How many Feet of Fruit did Freaky Fred Find?

Did Dick Pickens prick his pinkie
Pickling cheap cling peaches in an inch of Pinch
Or framing his famed French finch photos?

Dr. Johnson and Mr. Johnson,
After great consideration,
Came to the conclusion
That the Indian nation
Beyond the Indian Ocean
Is back in education
Because the chief occupation is cultivation.

A tree toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree toad
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad’s heart,
For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree toad trod.
But the two-toed tree toad tried in vain.
He couldn’t please her whim.
From her tree toad bower
With her three-toed power
The she-toad vetoed him.

Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn’t sleep in a shack;
Sheep should sleep in a shed.

You’ve no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light’s light’s a slight light,
And tonight’s a night that’s light.
When a night’s light, like tonight’s light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.

Of all the felt I ever felt,
I never felt a piece of felt
Which felt as fine as that felt felt,
When first I felt that felt hat’s felt.

A flea and a fly in a flue
Said the fly “Oh what should we do”
Said the flea” Let us fly
Said the fly”Let us flee”
So they flew through a flaw in the flue

If a Hottentot taught
A Hottentot tot to talk
Ere the tot could totter,
Ought the Hottentot tot
Be taught to say ought or naught
Or what ought to be taught ‘er?

Ed Nott was shot and Sam Shott was not.
So it is better to be Shott than Nott.
Some say Nott was not shot.
But Shott says he shot Nott.
Either the shot Shott shot at Nott was not shot, or Nott was shot.
If the shot Shott shot shot Nott, Nott was shot.
But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott, the shot was Shott, not Nott.
However, the shot Shott shot shot not Shott – but Nott.
So, Ed Nott was shot and that’s hot! Is it not?

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickles Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a peck of picked peppers,
How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

Dr. Seuss Poems Containing Alliteration

from Dr Seuss poem Fox in Socks

Luke’s duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luke’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

and from the same Dr. Seuss poem…

Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees’ cheese freeze.
That’s what made these three free fleas sneeze.

also…ask your grandchildren to find examples of alliteration in these Dr. Seuss poems:

• Dr. Seuss’ ABC Book
• Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Find Lists of Children’s Books with Alliteration Examples at these sites:

• Amazon.com books listed above use alliteration
• Alliteration in Children’s Books
• Alliteration

My Dream Vacation

My fellow teachers and I were talking at lunch recently about what our dream vacation would be. What would be my dream vacation? I think taking our entire family to Disney World, staying at a rental property with all the amenities like home but better, more upscale with an inground pool, tennis, golf, and good restaurants nearby. We don’t mind cooking to save money, but it would be nice to have a cook come in once in a while. It would also be great not to have to stand in line for breakfast when the time could be used for more enjoyable activities.

How I Saved Money on Our Summer Vacation

But, for this summer vacation that isn’t how it’s going to be. We live near the beach but we want to get away from the familiar. In order to have a vacation with our kids and grandkids, we needed to find ways to save money on accommodations. In planning our summer vacation, I found it’s actually possible to stay at a summer vacation rental property for less than the cost of a hotel to accommodate 8 people…and another benefit is you have much more space and freedom to do what you want…while saving money.  Maybe next year, we’ll be able to take our dream vacation near Disney World after all!

My “Reality” Vacation

But what is my “reality” vacation? For the first time, we’ve reserved a small vacation home for a one week vacation on Long Beach Island with our children and grandchildren. We’ll be between the bay and the ocean, both a short walk from the summer vacation rental. The house is small, but it sleeps 8 and besides we don’t plan to be indoors much at all. There is plenty to do and ways to relax outdoors.  That’s why we chose that location.

I went online and searched summer vacation rental properties and was able to easily narrow the worldwide search to the location, price, and sleeping accommodations I wanted. Fortunately, we found a summer vacation rental property that allowed pets so we are able to bring our small dog – which will save us a lot of money by not having to put him in a doggy hotel. The website I used was HomeAway Vacation Rentals. I was able to view the property inside and out, find immediately when it is available, and the summer rental fees. It is also near our son’s father-in-law’s summer home, which makes it extra special for all of us. We’re looking forward to a great vacation – in fact we just rented it for another week later in the summer.

Save Our Summer Vacation Petition to Congress

While searching HomeAway.com, I found they have a petition to Save Our Summer Vacation with a National movement to have Congress declare Aug 7 as National Vacation Day. We all deserve to have a summer vacation day, why not make it a national day of fun and relaxation to relieve the stress – especially in this economy! To help HomeAway.com accomplish this, visit their site and sign the petition – get your family and friends to do it, too. Be a part of the fun!

$10,000 Dream Vacation Contest

I also found they have a contest to win a $10,000 Dream Vacation. If you are the person who is most deserving of a week-long summer vacation ( I know I am!) all you have to do is to submit a short text, video or photo entry explaining why you deserve to have your vacation saved by HomeAway.  Be sure to submit your entry by July 2 to be eligible.

Enjoy your summer. I know we will (hope I win the $10,000 Dream Vacation contest, too!) Enjoy National Vacation Day…don’t forget to sign that petition, too.