#finding time to draw with a toddler and a preschooler is... difficult

[trekscribbles]

This idea has been floating around my head for 3 years, and now I finally have time to attempt it: the Stone Triplets, aka the Terrible Triplets, aka the Devlin-Kane Trio. I finished the lines today and will hopefully be able to start shading tonight.

[originaldenimjeans]

5 Important Features To Look For When Buying Kids Jeans

It is not as easy as it looks to find the perfect pair of jeans for kids. Style is important, but comfort, durability, and functionality are even more crucial. Children are always active, playing, jumping, and running around, so their jeans must be flexible and long wearing. The right pair of jeans from prominent Kids Jeans Manufacturers in Indiawithstands frequent washing, rough play, and constant movement while still looking stylish. Parents need to weigh various factors before making purchases to ensure that their children have gotten the best from fashion and practicality. These are some of the features to look for while shopping for kids' jeans

1. Comfortable and Stretchable Fabric

Fabric is one of the biggest considerations when it comes to jeans for kids. They need breathable and stretchable materials that allow them to run around freely without having to feel, even for a second, as if movement is restricted. Cotton blends with slight stretch, like denim with spandex or elastane, will give flexibility, all the while being durable. Soft, skin friendly fabric ensures that kids remain comfortable throughout the day, whether in school, playing in the open, or lounging indoors. For analogy, adults also seek comfortable denim. Denimers, one of the leading Men Denim Jeans Manufacturers, offers jeans for men, which generally come in stretchable fabrics to ensure ease in movement, and so should children's jeans be made.

2. Adjustable Waistbands for the Perfect Fit

Since children grow so fast, it is important to have jeans that conform to the correct size of their body. The adjustable waistband can either be a simple elastic band, a button adjuster placed as inner buttons to adjust, or a drawstring waistband; this would give the jeans fit but not too tight fit. Hence, the jeans can still be worn for a long time, especially since every growth spurt comes when kids usually tend to change their size very fast. That makes fitting right, without any readjustments or soreness that can draw a child's attention away from their activities. While adults wear jeans with already tagged waist sizes, kids' jeans should be versatile in fit to last longer.

3. Reinforced Stitching for Durability

Kids are known for being tough on their clothes, making durability a key factor when selecting jeans. Double stitched seams and reinforced knees help prevent wear and tear; thus, the jeans last much longer, even under rough treatment. Women who want denim clothes that will last a long time usually choose denim jeans from top Women Denim Jeans Manufacturers that have strong stitching and good craftsmanship. Kids' jeans will also follow in this line; durability matters in keeping up with their high energy lifestyle. Well made jeans require less replacement and are wise investments for economic value. 

4. Easy to Use Closures and Fastenings

Washing children's jeans should be effortless. Very young kids learn to wear self coordinations, making it slightly easier for them to put on clothes. Depending on the child's comfort level, you can use zippers, snap buttons, or even a pull on style for the younger ones. You need to keep away from difficult to open buttons and the stiff zippers that might frustrate kids while dressing them up. Toddlers and preschoolers are easy to wear now with simple elastic waistbands or snap closures, giving them a degree of independent self dressing. For older kids, standard zippers and buttons can be used to make sure they are well secured yet comfortable. The goal is to make dressing up a smooth experience while maintaining convenience for both parents and children.

5. Stylish Yet Functional Design

While durability and comfort are at the top, style cannot be ignored. There are different types of cuts and styles for kids' jeans, ranging from traditional straight leg to stylish slim fit versions. Select models that suit the child's character and wardrobe needs while keeping the practicality aspect in mind. Dark wash jeans are perfect for formal events, while light wash and distressed finishes are perfect for casual events. Functional pockets enhance the style while giving room for children to keep some small things such as toys, handkerchiefs, or snacks. A properly designed pair of jeans provides both fashion and functionality, which is why it is everyone's favorite, both for the children and the parents.

The Perfect Balance of Comfort and Style

The correct selection of children's jeans takes more than an appearance of following the latest styles. Comfort, fit, toughness, usability, and fashion contribute to the optimal selection. Parental attention to these aspects assures the kids delight in both the form and function of their daily clothes. Spending on premium jeans assures longevity, convenience, and most of all, joyful and comfy children.

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[sisterspooky1013]

Here and Now

Author: SisterSpooky1013

Rating: Mature

Words: 2198

Read it here on AO3

Tagging @today-in-fic

May 25, 2021

Farrs Corner, VA

8:45pm

She stood at the sink, elbow deep in dishwater as she cleaned up the remnants of dinner. Music poured softly from the smart home device on the counter, a mix of Kasey Musgraves, Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean in what Mulder called “evening music.” She’d never been a fan of country, but this sultry, soulful version was a far cry from the twangy pickup truck tunes that she had previously been exposed to and she was surprised to find that she liked it. A new song started, “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton, and she smiled; it was one of her favorites. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, allowing her hips to sway slightly as the words began.

Used to spend my nights out in a barroom

Liquor was the only love I’d known

But you rescued me from reachin’ for the bottom

And brought me back from being too far gone

Maybe she liked this song because it reminded her a bit of her relationship with Mulder. Not that either of them ever had an inclination for drinking in their sorrow (thankfully) but because they’d saved each other time after time. As if on cue, she felt his hands at her waist as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her back flush against his front. He swayed softly with her, not speaking, his chin resting on her head.

You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey

You’re as sweet as strawberry wine

You’re as warm as a glass of brandy

And honey I stay stoned on your love all the time

“She asleep?” Scully asked, her hands scrubbing the perimeter of a pot.

“Mmhmm” Mulder hummed, his thumb brushing against the underside of her breast.

At 2.5 years old, Missy, or Samantha Margaret Mulder as she was legally named, was a bedtime resistance champion if there ever was one. Her requests for a drink of water, a trip to the bathroom, socks for her cold feet, or help with a blanket that had fallen off were endless. One or the other of them would sit outside her bedroom for upwards of an hour each night until she succumbed to exhaustion and passed out just inside the door, or on the floor of her closet, or once wedged up on the windowsill. A precocious child with strawberry blonde hair and hooded hazel eyes, she never wanted to miss out on anything and thus could not be bothered with unproductive things such as sleeping. Mulder had more patience for her antics than Scully did, tenderly marching her back to her tiny toddler bed over and over, kissing her plump cheeks and singing one more song. Her most popular request was “Fools Rush In” by Elvis and she would beam as her Daddy sang “I can’t help falling in love with you,” punctuating the ‘you’ with a gentle touch of his fingertip on her nose. The exhaustion of parenting a toddler in their 50’s was overshadowed only by the sheer joy she brought to their days with her inextinguishable curiosity and clear intelligence. Of course, every parent thinks their child is the smartest one in preschool, but in Missy’s case it was true.

Scully rinsed the pot and set it on the drying rack before she pulled the plug and let the water run out of the sink, wiping her hands on a dish towel and turning within the confines of Mulder’s arms to face him. She reached for his shoulders as they moved their dance to the middle of the kitchen, his hands traveling down until they found her hips, pulling her close as his lips brushed her ear and sung the next verse in his gravely baritone.

I’ve looked for love in all the same old places

Found the bottom of a bottle’s always dry

But when you poured out your heart I didn’t waste it

‘Cause there’s nothin’ like your love to get me high.

He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes soft and dreamy, a small smile at the corners of his mouth. She pushed up onto her toes and met his lips in a kiss. At first it was chaste, but when she slid her tongue against his bottom lip he sighed and slipped his hands lower to cup her backside, deepening the kiss and rocking his pelvis against her gently.

“Daddy?” A small voice called from the bottom of the stairs. Still embracing, they turned to see Missy’s rumpled form in her Frozen pajamas, a stuffed Bigfoot in one hand, her hair wild.

“Hey Magpie, what’s wrong?” He asked her. Having named her for both their sisters and Scully’s mom, his options for nicknames was endless and he did not let the opportunity go untapped. On any given day he might call her Missy, Miss thang, Sam, Sammy, Samwich, Maggie, Peggy or his personal favorite, Magpie.

“I heard somefing in my room” she whined, rubbing a fist over one sleepy eye.

“Come here, sweetie” Scully called to her, and she shuffled over to them where Mulder scooped her up on his hip and returned his other arm to Scully’s waist. Scully put her hand on Missy’s back and the three of them resumed the dance, swaying softly with Scully’s head resting on Mulder’s chest, where she could gaze at the sleep-dazed face of their daughter as she leaned against his shoulder.

And you’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey

You’re as sweet as strawberry wine

You’re as warm as a glass of brandy

And honey I stay stoned, on your love all the time

As the last chords of the song faded out, Mulder placed a kiss on the top of Scully’s head and pulled away from her.

“I’ll go get this one back to sleep” he murmured, and she could see that it wouldn’t be a difficult task as Missy was already dozing in his arms. She listened to the creak of his feet on the stairs and sighed contentedly before turning off all the lights, locking the doors and heading up to get ready for bed herself.

When Mulder returned, she was lying on top of the covers reading a book, her glasses perched on the tip of her nose. He stripped off his jeans and tossed them into the laundry basket before nestling in beside her, his head on her shoulder.

“What cha got there?” He asked, but she knew that it wasn’t an actual question, just a signal that he wanted her attention. Closing the book, she set it on the nightstand and folded her glasses neatly on top.

“Do you think she’s down for the night?” Scully asked as Mulder rotated so that he was perpendicular to her, his head on her belly so he could see her face. She reached a hand up to stroke through his hair.

“I think so, yeah. She was pretty much asleep when I put her back in bed.”

“That child” she remarked, shaking her head.

Mulder smiled. “I know, she’s impossible, just like her mother.”

Scully’s eyebrows lifted in mock offense. “Excuse me? I love sleeping, she gets that from YOU, sir.”

Mulder scrunched up his mouth “hm, you may have a point there.”

They held eye contact, smiling fondly at each other for a beat.

“I don’t know how you do it, Scully.”

“What, parent? You do the same thing, Mulder.”

He shook his head slightly against the fabric of her T shirt. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate.

“You just get more and more beautiful. You’re even more beautiful now than you were when I met you.”

She chuckled and gave him a doubtful look. “Mulder, I was 28 when you met me. I don’t know about you, but I remember what my ass looked like at 28, and it was definitely better than it looks now. Let’s not even mention my breasts.”

“I would actually very much like to mention your breasts, which are, as they always have been, exquisite.” As he spoke, he pushed her T shirt up to reveal her chest, drawing a pink nipple between his lips and eliciting a moan from her throat.

“So you’re saying” she continued, her breath growing ragged around her arousal “that if 28 year old Scully walked in this room right now, you wouldn’t go for her instead of 57 year old Scully?”

He let her nipple slip out of his mouth with a little smack. “Well, I doubt that 28 year old Scully would be down to get freaky with 59 year old Mulder, but no, I wouldn’t.” He moved to hover over her, his knees on either side of her thighs. “I might try to talk you two into a threesome, though.”

She laughed and he dipped his head to kiss the juncture of her shoulder and neck.

“No shade to 28 year old Scully, I was a huge fan of hers, but she hardly ever laughed. 57 year old Scully laughs a lot, and I like that.”

“Well, 57 year old Scully is pretty damn happy” she replied, her hands running up and down the broad expanse of his back.

He lifted his head to look at her, a dopey smile on his face. The adoration in his eyes moved her and she felt a lump form in her throat.

“I love you so much” she whispered hoarsely, moisture welling and blurring her vision.

He didn’t respond, just kissed her with all the feeling of the thousands of kisses they’d already shared, and the thousands that never made their way to their lips due to distance, or fear, or stubborn refusal to admit that they wanted to. He pulled her to sit up so he could free her of her shirt, removing his own swiftly, their bare chests pressing together as he kissed her again, their tongues dancing between their mouths in a practiced synchrony. There was no longer urgency in their movements, the desperation of their coupling now ebbed into the languid cadence of a love that you know will never fade, not again, not ever again. Not with Missy asleep down the hall tying them to each other inextricably, not with William out there somewhere as a testament to all they’d been through. Not with the knowledge that there was nothing in this planet or universe that could come between them, not really.

She lifted her hips and he slid her leggings and panties down before pushing off his boxers, settling between her legs as his erection grazed her belly. He moved his hand down to touch her, moaning at her slickness.

“You still get so wet” he growled against her shoulder.

“28 year old Scully got this wet thinking about you too, she just didn’t have the luxury of you in her bed” she replied, grasping his ass and pulling him into her.

“All she would have had to do was ask” he teased, removing his hand and thrusting against her, his length sliding through her wetness.

She put her hands on his face and pulled him away to look at her.

“I wouldn’t change it, Mulder. Not if it meant missing this.”

“That makes two of us” he said as he found her entrance and slid into her, no need for hands to guide him to the place he knew better than his own body.

She hummed and they began a slow rhythm, kissing for a while until he lifted one of her legs onto his shoulder to deepen his angle and she gasped.

“I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be this flexible, Mulder, you’d better enjoy it” she panted.

“Oh I plan to” he replied, increasing his pace until they were lost in a sea of sighs and hushed moans, staying quiet a newfound skill after years of no one being close enough to hear them. She came first, stifling her cries against his shoulder as she pulsed around him, and he followed her shortly thereafter, gently releasing her leg and then rolling to curl up behind her as they enjoyed the afterglow.

She was starting to drift off to sleep when she heard the distinct snick of Missy’s door opening.

“Your turn” Mulder mumbled into her ear and she groaned, throwing his arm from its resting place on her hip before she grabbed her robe and rushed out to the room to get to her daughter before she made it into their bedroom.

After a trip to the bathroom and a drink of water, she was tucking a sleep-laden Missy back into bed, finding her Bigfoot stuffie and slipping it under her arm.

“Mama, sing a song” she requested, rolling on to her belly.

Scully rubbed her back softly and began, woefully off-tune though that never seemed to bother Missy.

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog, he was an old friend of mine. Never understood a single word he said but I helped him drink his wine. Joy to the world, all the boys and girls. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.”

[saneatsrice]

choi san: loving the babysitter pt. 1

summary: san needs community service hours in order to keep his position on the school basketball team and y/n needs money to help pay off the debt left behind by her father, what are the odds of them starting a romantic journey at a daycare center?

pairing: basketball player! san x babysitter! reader

warning: none

author’s note: I came up with this idea through an AU generator because I was in a writing mood but had no clue what to write LOLL, let me know if you want this to be a series because I have a few ideas but I’m not sure if I should continue writing this. also, it’s currently unedited because I’m lazy and brain dead but I’ll fix it later I swear! please enjoy :))

word count: 6052

y/n has a lot of weight to carry over her shoulders for a high school student. throughout her high school journey, she has had to carry out countless part time jobs in order to help her mother pay off the debt her father had left behind after gambling away their life savings and then fleeing the country, causing the two women to work in order to stop it from growing. this year being her last year of high school, y/n has to think about her future and how she will be able to pay off the additional college tuition once she graduates this year and begins applying for grants and scholarships. however, after getting fired from her last job, finding a new job that is accepting of her schedule due to school is immensely difficult.

as she was giving up hope, y/n came across a sign as she was walking home from school that read treasure daycare and saw a sign on the window of the small building that said “looking for babysitters”.

y/n being desperate to help with the family income and building up a savings account for her college funds, she decided there wasn’t any harm in applying. as she look through the window to see if anyone was in the building, her eyes landed on three toddlers sitting on the fluffy carpet. there were two little boys who were playing with blocks and laughing every time they accidentally knocked down the structure. however, the third little boy was sitting alone on the edge of the carpet drawing little shapes into the floor. soon y/n’s eyes land on tall figure with brown hair and a puppy-like face. y/n recognized him as yunho from her economics class, a boy who always knew how to make everyone smile and laugh even when they are having a bad day. yunho waves from the inside and runs to the sliding door to open it for y/n to enter. 

“hello y/n, what brings you here?” yunho asked while having that award winning smile on his face. 

y/n smiles back at yunho and replies, “I saw that sign on the door and was wondering who should I talk to in order to apply for the job”.

yunho beckons the girl to come into the room and leaders her to the middle of the room. “you can sit there while I go get my manager” yunho says while pointing to a plastic, toddler sized chair which causes y/n to laugh and walk towards the tiny seat to rest. As yunho goes, into the back room, she sees the two boys who were previously playing with the blocks, run over to her full of energy.

“hi my name is wooyoung and this is my best friend yeosang”, the little boy with purple hair says with a smile on his face while intertwining his small chubby hand with the little brown haired boy next to him.

“hello, what is your name?” the brown haired boy asked while hiding behind his wooyoung which did not help him any as he was taller than wooyoung. 

“my name is y/n and I hope I will be able to work here and get to know you two cuties” y/n replies with a smile on her face, wanting nothing more than to squish the two little boys’ cheeks due to their look of awestruck as they think about the potential of having another babysitter to play with.

soon yunho comes back into the room with an older man who has black hair following behind him looking as serious as ever. it honestly scared y/n a little bit along with wooyoung and yeosang as they ran to hide behind y/n’s side and hugged her on each side. the mysterious man realizes there are still children present and his eyes turn into a more gentle manner.

“i am sorry for scaring you kids, my name is park seonghwa, I am the manager at treasure daycare, I heard from yunho you wanted to apply for a job here, is that true?” seonghwa asked.

“yes, I was hoping to find a job to be able to sustain a family income in order to help my mom and college tuition is not getting any cheaper, so I am willing to take any job possible to help out my family” y/n replied while putting her arms around the two kids who have yet to let go of her. 

“well I can see the kiddos have already taken a liking to you and yunho really took his time begging me to hire you while bragging about how responsible you are and all that positive stuff to me so you’re hired” seonghwa says chuckling once he sees yunho turn red and whining to him about how he wasn’t supposed to tell y/n that.

after y/n thanked him, seonghwa began explaining the expectations for the babysitting job along with giving y/n her schedule. he mentioned how there were only three kids that y/n would ever have to take care of and entertain.

y/n quickly warms up to wooyoung and yeosang on her first day as they drag her off to play with them immediate but continues to look at the third child and wonders why he never joins them to play games or why he sits on the far end of the table by himself away from the other kids. he only sticks to seonghwa who seems to be the only one who is capable of getting him out of his bubble. 

after wooyoung and yeosang is picked up by wooyoung’s brother hongjoong who came after attending his afternoon class, y/n decided it was time to make an attempt to get closer to the unknown baby. as y/n approached the baby, he began to crawl away from her clutching onto his apple tightly as if he has been wanting to eat it but can’t bite through the hard shell. 

“hey buddy, did you want me to cut the apple for you?” y/n asked after watching him struggle to break the apple in half for a few minutes.

the little boy nods and hands y/n the apple where she holds the apple in the middle and breaks it in half perfectly. the boy looks at her in awe and for the first time, she saw him smile as she hands him the apple for him to munch on. 

“what is your name little boy?” y/n asks after she sees him happily take small bites out of the apple and smiles when he looks up at her with a shocked expression. 

“jongho,” the little boy replies giving her a gummy smile after getting the attention he lacks outside of the daycare center, but that story is for another time.

after that encounter, jongho began to open up more to y/n and created a strong relationship with her as he began to babble and speak the few words he knew to communicate with her. she used her time at the center to be able to teach jongho more words, basic knowledge a toddler should know before hitting preschool, and how to find joy in little activities such as drawing, running around the playground, and even breaking apples in half because he seemed super excited every time y/n did it. although y/n still made the efforts to spend time with wooyoung and yeosang, she felt more drawn to jongho as she spent most of her time with him to make sure he never felt neglected or alone in the daycare center. 

she began to notice how every time jongho’s brother came to pick him up, jongho’s smile would turn into a frown and his eyebrows become more knitted showing that he was irritated. y/n knew jongho’s brother from school as he was in her economics and english class and he is most well known for being the captain of Utopia High School basketball team. jongho’s brother was none other than the infamous choi san, who always had a cute eye smile around school that showcased his prominent dimples and his determination and serious face when he is on the court. 

san never uttered a word to y/n whenever he came to pick up jongho. he would just grab the pen with an irritated look on his face, sign his name in order to check jongho out of the daycare, grab jongho’s stuff, and walk out the daycare center with jongho attempting to keep up with his brother’s much longer legs. however, before leaving the door, jongho never failed to give y/n a hug and dig his face into her shoulder when she lifted him up so she did not have to crouch to his height and strain her back. 

everyday became a routine for y/n, she would always walk to school with her best friend mingi, who always made sure she had her breakfast and caught her up on notes that she may have missed due to stressing over her family situation. after school was over, she would walk to the treasure daycare and take care of the three toddlers she has created a soft spot for, especially jongho, and wait until all the kids are picked up by their guardian, and cleans and locks up the place with whoever seems to be working the same shift as her (most of the time it’s seonghwa). 

y/n loves her job as she adores the three adorable children she gets to play and nurture as they grow older and socialize with her two fellow coworkers which she later learned are just softies despite their tall statures. y/n learned how seonghwa is currently attending Aurora University along with hongjoong and works in the daycare center in order to earn money to pay off his college debt. she learned how yunho was san’s best friend and would’ve played basketball with him if it did not involve so much aggression and violence and thus, his friendly giant nature was better served in the daycare center where he could earn his community service hours and play with kids who share the same happy-go-lucky personality he has. the babysitting trio begins to get to know each other better and establish strong friendships. little did they know, their trio would soon be gaining another person. 

choi san spends all his time practicing basketball in order to improve his skills and due to the fact that he is a candidate for a basketball scholarship as aurora university, he does not want to lose the opportunity of obtaining it. all his time goes to practicing that he neglects his other scholarly requirements to graduate, specifically, community service hours. due to his lack of community service hours, the administration building asserts to san that if he cannot earn at least fifty hours by the time basketball season starts, they will take away his title as captain of the basketball team, which gives him a disadvantage in receiving his scholarship.

thinking quickly, he runs to find his best friend yunho on campus to seek advice on what he should do. he quickly spots the six foot giant about to exit the school gates and sprints to him, who stops abruptly after hearing loud footsteps and causes the basketball captain to run into his back.

“oh hey san, why are you on the floor? is it that comfy?” yunho asks with a goofy smile on his face while his best friend is fuming while rubbing his slightly red nose.

“who just stops in the middle of an entrance yunho?! anyways that’s not the point, the administration office just talked to me about lacking community service hours and told me if I don’t get fifty hours by the time basketball season starts, which is in three months, they’re going to take my captain title away from me. no captain title means bye bye scholarship, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!” san begins rambling and pulling at his hair without getting up from the ground.

“okay calm down, look, I think the babysitting center that I volunteer at still has one slot open where you can volunteer, it’s five days a week for like four maybe five hours. before you start worrying about your practice days, seonghwa is pretty lenient on shift hours. even with missing the few days basketball practice is on, it is enough to be able to get you to have an abundant amount of hours to clear fifty by the time the basketball season starts. plus after your shift, you can just pick up jongho afterwards and go straight home” yunho replies in the midst of san’s panic which causes san’s eyes to light up as he jumps up and koala hugs yunho, not caring about the weird stares he was getting from the other students who were leaving school.

“I have never loved your clumsy, giant self more than I do right now. what are we waiting for, let’s go to the daycare center” san says in an excited manner, while clinging onto yunho.

“uhh, can you get off me first?” yunho asks feeling uncomfortable after finally noticing the stares the pair were getting from their student body. 

the two begin their walk to the daycare center and when the open the door, they see seonghwa attempting to clean up after wooyoung and yeosang who continue to get paint all over the table. however, san’s eyes immediately goes to the girl holding his little brother in her lap as he holds a blue color pencil in his left hand, drawing quietly.

y/n look up and asks, “are you here to pick up jongho already? you’re a lot earlier than usual.” all while tilting her head in a confused manner and holding the little boy who looks grumpy at the sight of his brother and turns to hold onto y/n’s neck, resting his head on her shoulder in a direction where he cannot see his brother.

“actually no, I was hoping there was another opening for the job here because I need a lot of community service hours for school”, san replies which caught seonghwa’s attention as he tosses the rag to yunho asking him to clean up the paint and pulls san to the back room to talk to him.

in the back room, seonghwa drags san to sit in a chair, his nurturing, child friend persona gone, as his face turns into one of a strict, militant leader. (I don’t know how to put links to gifs on tumblr but just imagine like wonderland seonghwa’s stage presence LOL).

“I understand how much basketball means to you, but i do not want you to neglect your duties at treasure daycare because of it. these kids are too pure for the world and deserves all the love and attention, if you can’t do that, you can find somewhere else to get your hours. these kids mean everything to me and if you as so much make them cry or put aside their feelings, I will not hesitate to fire you and hit you with my broom.” seonghwa says effectively scaring san as he hears him gulp his saliva nervously while nodding in a quick manner, wanting to go back out to main room as soon as possible. 

seonghwa moves to walk back to the room where everyone else was and changes his face back to his motherly persona. he walks towards y/n and puts his arms out, signalling y/n to hand jongho over to him. obeying his command, y/n places jongho in his arms and in response, jongho wraps his arms around seonghwa.

“y/n, I need you to train the newbie. I would but there is just too much to clean around here and if it’s not spotless in the next hour I will lose my mind. this mess is not good for my mental state and makes me incapable of dealing with stupid people today so please handle the newbie for me” seonghwa commands while rubbing his temples.

y/n nods and gives jongho a kiss on the forehead before going to the back room to find san. she finds him except he looks like he’s seen a ghost. she then approaches him and taps his should which he in turns screams about how he understands and to not get the broom. y/n confused as ever begins by introducing herself.

“hello san, my name is y/n, you may or may not know me from your economics or english class but seonghwa wants me to train you for your job here”, y/n says while smiling at the boy who is finally regaining his sanity after his little outburst.

san reaches to shake her hand and then introduces himself, still recovering from the verbal beating he had gotten from seonghwa without y/n’s knowledge of what had occurred in the back room as of recently. 

for the rest of the day y/n is describing the certain tasks that san will have to take on during his shift from washing the dirty dishes, setting up the cots for nap time, and playing with the three toddlers, much to jongho’s dismay. the more y/n was around san, the more she noticed how uninterested he was in working at the daycare center, as he was mostly staring out the window or the clock wondering when he can finally go home. seonghwa had asked y/n to lock up after she left as he had a night class today and yunho had taken the kids outside to watch the sunset and have a small picnic in the yard. as they were the only two in the room, she thought maybe conversing with him would make him feel more comfortable working at the daycare center. 

“so I heard you’re really good at basketball, how’s that going?” y/n asked while smiling at the boy who had snapped out of his daze out the window.

“I could be at the basketball court right now instead of here with a bunch of children and dirty dishes” san mumbled which caused y/n to frown at his attitude.

“but looking past the dirty dishes, this place is amazing. they have the cutest kids who have the warmest hearts and brightest smiles. I am so thankful that seonghwa hired me as I got the opportunity to meet the sweetest kids and the most amazing coworkers”, y/n says optimistically, her resolve beginning to break after dealing with san for the past five hours.

“these kids wouldn’t know what working hard is like, I waste my time here doing everything for them instead of them learning to do it themselves” san mumbles in reply which is becomes y/n’s breaking point.

“that’s it. I am so fed up with your stupid grumpy attitude. I tried so hard to get you to warm up and make you enjoy your job. but you only think about yourself and what your interests are. can’t you be selfless for once in your damn life and think about someone other than yourself. you have no idea what it is like to work for the benefit of helping others as all you think about is your stupid basketball. you try having to work countless job to be able to provide for your family and paying of the debt your father created after he left your mom to deal with. that is the life I am trying to keep these kids from experiencing. if constantly babying them prevents them from going through what I had to as a child, I would sacrifice anything for them to never have to even see what that life is like” y/n says with a ferocity that san has never seen, it was incomparable to the most aggressive basketball players he’s seen. the difference was behind y/n’s eyes there was a hint of pain behind them.

y/n threw down the rag she was holding from cleaning the water around the sink and walked out the back room, as far from san as possible. she walked outside towards yunho and the kids with an irritated look on her face. jongho noticing her distress, waddles his way to her and hugs her legs as a way of comfort. y/n picks him up and hugs him, trying her hardest not to cry at the thought of jongho, wooyoung, and yeosang having to go through the experience she had as a child. yunho notices y/n on the verge of tears and begins worrying for her and asks, “y/n, are you feeling alright?”

y/n uses her arm that was not carrying jongho to wipe the tears borderline from falling from her eyes. “yes, I just got a little frustrated with san, training him made me a little stressed out” y/n replied feeling jongho tighten his grip on her at the mention of his brother’s name.  

“san is really hard headed at times and doesn’t think about anything but basketball, but deep down, he’s super nice goofball who’s just buried under a lot of stress” yunho reasoned while cleaning up the paper plates and plastic utensils the kids had used to eat during their picnic.

y/n began patting jongho’s back as he was dosing of on her shoulder, nuzzling himself into the crook of her neck. she noticed someone was staring at her and looked towards the sliding door. she saw san standing by the window looking in her direction, specifically at his little brother asleep on her shoulder with a little drool sticking out of his mouth. he opened the sliding door and walked towards the pair. he noticed how his y/n’s face turned colder the closer he came towards her and his little brother. he sat down next to y/n as she tried to avoid eye contact with him as much as possible, turned her body away from the star basketball player, and clutched onto jongho tighter in order to comfort herself.

“listen y/n I’m sorry, I had no idea what you went through in your childhood years. I was being insensitive to your feelings and generosity while you were training me. I really appreciate you taking time out of playing with the kids to be able to make me a better worker. I also want to apologize for being so selfish and only thinking about my basketball career when I have three other children to care for now. I will try to be a better babysitter and take the workload off your shoulders and hopefully work my way up to being your friend eventually if you allow me to”, san said while pouting and looking down at the grass that suddenly seemed like the most interesting thing in the world. 

y/n smiled and scooted closer to san. with her free hand that was not holding onto jongho, she put her hand on his should in order to comfort and coax him out of his guilt. “I understand how much basketball means to you and how passionate you are in pursuing your hobbies, I guess I forgot what it was like to enjoy your favorite activities and took it a little too hard on you. after my dad left, I had to give up drawing and art classes as it became too expensive for my mom to pay for. I guess I had to grow up a lot faster than the kids around me and I was never allowed to develop a passion that I could really enjoy. that’s why when I started working here, I wanted wooyoung, yeosang, and jongho to never have to grow up faster than they need to and find things they can enjoy for themselves, instead of having fate choose their paths for them,” y/n said sadly while looking at san, trying her hardest not to let any tears fall.

san closed the space between him and y/n and pulled her into a side hug as best he could as it was hard to due to the fact that he did not want to wake up his little brother that was in her other arm. when y/n was in san’s arms, she used her one arm to awkwardly pat his shoulder as a sign that she forgave him for his rotten attitude from earlier and acknowledges his attempt in comforting her. she leaned her head onto his shoulder and let her tears fall freely as she began having flashbacks of her father packing his suitcases and leaving her and her mother with a large amount of debt for the two to pay off. 

san began noticing his sweater getting wet and hugged onto her tighter, letting her use his sweater as her personal tissue, not minding the amount of tears and snot that was being spilled on it. he began to rub her back and whispered the best comforting words he could as he has never been in a situation where he had to make a girl feel better since he has spent all his time playing basketball. the closest thing he’s had to a girlfriend was his basketball for christ sake. y/n began giggling at his efforts to get her stop crying and lifted her face for san to see her beautiful smile to which he returned with his closed eyed smiles that showed his adorable dimples.

in the distance however, yunho was holding wooyoung and yeosang in both his arms awkwardly, not knowing whether he should interrupt the potential romantic moment to tell them to go inside before they start getting mosquito bites or leave them alone to have their moment and take the other two boys inside before they freeze their little toddler bums off. he looked at wooyoung who was smiling at the scene in front of them and then looked at yeosang who was hiding his face in yunho’s hoodie afraid that he will see the two kiss, causing san catch cooties from y/n. 

deciding to go with the poor boy hiding , he moves his face towards the mop of brown hair hiding in his hoodie he loudly whispers in his ear “is telling them to go inside the daycare center the move?” causing the little yeosang to lift his head to look at yunho in question.

wooyoung catching onto what yunho was saying immediately, decides to make an executive decision without consulting his fellow third wheelers by screaming, “SAN, Y/N, YUNHO THINKS THAT YOU SHOULD STOP SHARING COOTIES AND COME INSIDE BEFORE THE LITTLE BUGGIES GIVE YOU OUCHIES!!” leaving yunho to face palm and yeosang to follow yunho’s action only for him to whine when he hit his forehead a little too hard, causing yunho to move his hand to lightly rub the poor boy’s red spot on his forehead. 

this made y/n and san turn their head towards the giant babysitter sitting on picnic blanket with the two toddlers on each thigh. wooyoung bouncing with a proud aura around him, thinking he was being a big boy and helping yunho take charge. while yeosang had little tears in his eyes as the impact of hitting his forehead too hard was finally setting in, making a stinging feeling spread through his head. 

meanwhile, jongho wakes up from wooyoung’s loud voice and lets out a whine as he rubs the sleep from his eyes with his little chubby baby fists. his eyes land on y/n above him to which he readjusts his grip on her neck reaches up to kiss her cheek. he then turns to look next to y/n where he spots his brother with his arms around y/n. seeing this, jongho springs to action by reaching towards his brother and using his little hand to push his brother’s face away from y/n. due to the force of little jongho’s hands, san ended up falling backwards, his head landing into a puddle of mud. y/n cringed a little at the poor boy’s predicament while the other four boys began laughing pointing at san’s now muddy hair, with yunho laughing the loudest of the bunch. 

y/n stood up with jongho in her arm and used her free arm to reach out and help san stand to his feet. as soon as san stood up, he could feel the muddy water slide down his sweater and small amounts of mud makes its way down his face. seeing the mud continue to travel all over san, yunho began laughing even louder and harder, adding in a couple of knee slaps.

“oh seonghwa is not going to be happy if you come into the center like that. he’ll go crazy in the morning when he sees how much mud you’ve brought into the center and dirtying his perfect white carpet,” y/n said, looking at the boy guiltily, while jongho who was facing away from his brother had a mischievous smile on his face as he leaned his cheek onto y/n’s shoulder.  

once yunho calmed down from his laughing fit and wiped the tears forming in his eyes, he stood up with the two kids still in his arms and walked towards to daycare center to find some towels to help his best friend dry off and clean up at least a little bit before he went home.

as the three third wheelers made their way into the daycare center, san, y/n, and jongho were left outside. san and y/n continued to stare at each other, while jongho glared at his older brother for taking y/n’s attention away from him. 

“I really appreciate you manning up and apologizing to me san, it was a really mature thing of you to do”, y/n says smiling in his direction causing san to smile back in return. 

the three outside then hears footsteps approaching the daycare center. they look up and see hongjoong walking towards them, coming to pick up wooyoung and yeosang. as hongjoong got closer, he noticed san, began smiling, and running up to the boy until he notices the boy is covered in mud and cringes.

“hello san, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you! hope the basketball team is doing well under your leadership.” hongjoong greets the muddy boy while smiling brightly.

hongjoong and san have been friends for years as hongjoong was the previous basketball team captain at Utopia High School before he graduated and passed on his legacy to san. san regularly goes to hongjoong to seek advice on certain problems that are plaguing his mind and take a toll on his mental state.

san smiles replies, “it’s been good, I’ve fallen behind on my community service hours so I am trying to catch up on them by working at the daycare center. if I don’t hit fifty hours in three months, they’re taking away my captain title”. 

hongjoong nods in understanding and then waves at y/n and making small conversation with her as he looks in the window to see yunho helping wooyoung and yeosang pack their belongings into their backpack, getting ready to go home. soon, wooyoung and yeosang make their way outside towards hongjoong who gives them each a hug and holds their hand. 

“give me second kiddos, I have to sign you both out and then we can head home” hongjoong says to the kids in a gentle manner as he makes his way towards the daycare center and grabs the pen yunho is holding to sign the binder.

hongjoong then gives the pen back to yunho and goes back to grab both wooyoung and yeosang’s hand once again and lead them to his car to drive them home. as yunho, y/n, san, and jongho watches hongjoong drive away from the daycare center, yunho throws a towel at san which he catches with ease, with yunho screaming at him to get as much mud off as possible before seonghwa kills all of them. rolling his eyes, san wipes as much of the mud off as possible until the pristine white towel was completely different shades of brown. y/n then grabs the towel from san and hands him jongho and goes into the daycare center to place the towel into the dirty hamper filled with dish rags and the kiddo’s dirty painting aprons. 

san goes towards the door where yunho is waiting with the sign out binder with a pen, trying his best to hold in his laugh as the mud had dried up san’s hair to where it looks like dry ramen. san rolls his eyes and snatches the pen away from yunho and signs the sign out sheet next to jongho’s name. as soon as he is done signing, y/n comes out of the back room with her stuff, cheering about how she is ready to go home after a long day. yunho goes to turn off all the lights and makes sure the place is spotless clean to ensure that seonghwa will not scold them when he comes to open the daycare center the next day. after turning off the lights, the last remaining four humans at the daycare center leave the building and y/n uses the key seonghwa gave her to lock the front door and goes around the back to lock the back door as well. 

“well, I’m going to head off first, I haven’t done the economics homework in the past week so I have a lot of catching up to do, see you tomorrow” yunho blurts out in the awkward silence and begins sprinting down the pavement towards the direction of his home causing san, y/n, and jongho to laugh at the boy.

san looks towards y/n with jongho in his arms and speaks up. “thank you for training me today y/n, even though I am probably the most difficult trainee you have ever had to deal with” he says while rubbing the back of his neck with jongho pouting as he wanted to be held by y/n.

“well considering you’re the only trainee I’ve had to train here, I would say you’re the best and worst trainee I’ve ever had to tolerate” y/n replies giggling.

jongho lets out a whine in san’s arms and attempts to reach for y/n to the best of his small body’s abilities. “hey jongho, what’s the matter with you, you’ve cuddled y/n enough for today, we have to go home for dinner before mom yells at us for being home late,” san scolds the boy causing him to whine louder.

y/n reaches for jongho to hold him and explains to san, “jongho has a somewhat ritual that he has to do before leaving the daycare center, where he always wants a hug from me before he leaves, no matter how late you two are running. I really don’t mind anyways since I love hugs and jongho just looks super happy after getting his hug” while rubbing jongho’s back to calm him down as jongho squeezes onto y/n tighter. 

after their little hug, y/n hands jongho back to san where the three walks away from the daycare center and part ways to make their journey back to their respective homes. 

as san is walking with jongho asleep in his arms towards their home, he begins thinking about how working at the daycare center may not be as bad as he originally thought, especially with his best friend yunho there to entertain him and y/n who could potential be a good friend of his if he plays his cards right. he felt as if y/n and him had some kind of connection on the grass and felt proud that he could comfort a girl that way crying after spending his whole life with a basketball as his soulmate. with all these thoughts running through his head, there was one big question that was plaguing his mind at that very moment:

did yunho really just cockblock me?

[anyaeu]

⟨ LUCY BOYNTON. CIS FEMALE. SHE/HER. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, ANIKA “ANYA” VILKAITĖ is actually a descendent of A T H E N A. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-TWO year old ARCHITECTURE from VILNIUS, LITHUANIA has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite VIVACIOUS & QUIXOTIC

                                      INFORMATION ◆ CONNECTIONS ◆ DESKTOP

hello friends, my name is ana from the gmt+1 timezone (yes i know i should be sleeping) and i use she/her pronouns. i will to a quick recap of anya’s story below but you can read her full bio in the link above. i still need to finish her google docs but i will tomorrow. i’ll work on the connections page right now so shshshs sorry if you click the link and nothing shows up yet. 

01. stats

NAME: anika vilkaitė

NICKNAME: anya

GENDER: cis female

PLACE OF BIRTH: st. petersburg, russia (grew up in vilnius, lithuania)

DATE OF BIRTH: july 6, 1998

AGE: twenty-two

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual

MAJOR: architecture

EXTRACURRICULARS: carly rae jepsen club vp, chess club president, drama club member, fashion & makeup member

SPORTS: captain of the lacrosse team

02. quick bio

her biological father was a welsh cartographer that lived in st. petersburg, russia with his wife.

athena and him started a platonic relationship that ended with her giving her a baby as a gift.

his wife didn’t believe that anya was the child of a goddess, so she just assumed that she was the product of her husband’s affair.

since they have always wanted kids but never were able to conceive, the wife claimed anya as her own child.

her father was not ready for fatherhood so he bailed. he moved to the united states where he still resides and currently is a very important cartographer. he hasn’t spoken to anya since she was a babyf

his father’s wife, vika, adopted her and raised her as her own. took the last names hughes and gave her her own. they moved to lithuania when she was a year old.

athena was always part of her life (her mother still didn’t know about her child being a demigod) and would visit her every night until she realized that her knowing she was a demigod could put her in danger, still she always found a way to look over her.

super smart! competitive and vivacious! she speaks a zillion of languages

found out she was athena’s daughter when she was about eleven and that’s also when her mother found out and she was sent to the camp.

went through a rebellious phase when she turned 18 because she wanted a normal life and ran away and backpacked across europe for a year before monsters found her.

fortunately, athena saved her and brought her to eonia.

she hated it here first but now she loves it

she’s studying architecture 

03. personality.

anya likes to be in control. this doesn’t necessarily mean that she wants to be in control of other people’s lives, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. she just wants to be the commander-in-chief of her life. even if she depends on other people’s compliance for her ideas to come to fruition, she tries to take all the shots. at first glance, anya looks like the typical young woman who is into fashion, makeup and overall looking her best. she’s very in touch with her femininity, however, those who know her better would be able to tell you that beneath that put together style there’s a girl who is not afraid of getting her hands dirty to get the job done. she’s very sporty and she is often considered one of the boys which she doesn’t mind at all. loyal to her godly parent, anya can be considered as moody. she changes her mind over a thousand times a day, and while some would say she’s inconsistent, the truth is that she is always analyzing the situation and trying to make the best decisions. she tries to hold her tongue, but unlike athena, she lacks a filter and when she’s experiencing strong emotions she doesn’t think before speaking. she is a dreamer and loves to go on wild escapades.

on the negative side, anya is too idealistic and sometimes very naive. a trait that’s not very worthy of being athena’s child but she can’t help but expect the best of any situation. a hopeless optimistic, she is. however, if she finds out she’s been betrayed, she will unleash her anger without mercy. she holds grudges and doesn’t forgive easily. not the kind of girl that will give you second chances. sometimes she comes across as bubbly and friendly because of her joie-de-vivre, but in fact, she can be very cold and aloof. she doesn’t deal well with feelings and she tries to never show her vulnerable side.

04. powers.

genius intelligence — it’s unclear when anya discovered that she was smarter than the rest of the kids her age. according to her mother, she always seemed to be ahead of the rest. she started speaking when she was fifteen months and it wasn’t just a few mispronounced words, she spoke clear and coherent sentences. by the time she started preschool, she could already in two languages, her native lithuanian and english. unlucky for her mother, anya started asking probing questions when she was just a toddler, her analytical skills have always been on point and she has never been afraid to ask why. as she grew older, these skills only improved. she speaks about ten languages and she continues learning.

strategic skill — she’s unsure if this is a power that came to her naturally or something that she’s been training for years unknowingly. however, she does have the recollection of being very astute in games. as a child, there was no one who could beat her at chess, connect four, monopoly or even tic-tac-toe. as she grew up this skill enhanced and she started applying to her everyday life. she’s always well-prepared and has a plan in mind (although this doesn’t mean they always work). her biggest problem is that anya can be too idealistic and sometimes her plans are a bit difficult to implement. it’s for sure an ability that she’s working on.

skilled craftmanship — she is very good drawing, but she wouldn’t say this is her best ability, however, since she started studying architecture this is the skill she has improved the most.

audiokinesis — she can memorize the lyrics of a song after listening to it once. anya has an excellent memory, she will never forget birthdays or appointments, she doesn’t even need a calendar but she keeps one just for aesthetics. she remembers even the smallest detail of a person. one of the lucky ones that don’t need to study to ace a test, she just needs to pay attention in class and it’s all engraved in her memory.

telumkinesis — she is good with weapons. of course, she knows everything about them but she is also very skilled in some of them. However, she is only booksmart in this regard, she needs more practice but so far she’s doing well in her combat classes.

[jamesdaniel98-blog1]

How Coloring Pages Helps in Children Development

Today children and kids constantly require innovative things in order to explore out their creative ability. Moreover, parents love to discover their child preoccupied such creative activities. They show an incredible interest towards building such habits with their children. One particular way which keeps children busy is indulging them into light beer coloring pages. The attractive element is why these pages are quite easy in the pocket and almost everybody is able to try them. Moreover the emergence of internet made possible so you can get such pages for free.

Reality that preschool teachers do precisely the same activity by indulging your offspring into such models of arts. It is a wonderful trick which keeps a child busy using enhancing their creativity and imagination. The thing to take into account is it might be difficult to find the best printable pages which you're searching over internet. There are numerous of topics and therefore it might be less easy to find the best. nature coloring could be on every last sort of topic. You'll find creative ways to see the free printable coloring pages. You will know internet is employed to determine the free printable coloring pages within your requirement. There will be a lot of different kinds of coloring pages over internet for instance the Disney pages or use the Spiderman's or any other cartoon character's. All such pages is usually looked over specific web sites. Additionally try through Google search images option to get numerous of beautiful images which could possibly be loved by kids too. What personal computer here is actually internet connection. All with thanks to the widespread and simply reachable internet. Parents can in addition try offline resources like bookshops which carry loads of such books having color pages inside. When they get home parents donrrrt want to quit while selecting the best and finest printable pages for kids. This is a fun way to inculcate in kids learning habits and concentration while developing their physical and mental abilities that would assist them to as part of their learning process. This means that parents begin to find coloring pages or books for the youngster before they even begin to go to school. Educational institutions also have coloring as a part of their school curriculum.

How Coloring Pages Helps in Children Development

While colors really are which means enthralling, youngsters are instantly consumed by them and that like to enjoy different colors forming a fun artwork. Whether it is scribbling with colors or using colors to extra service drawings imaginatively, the activity has always kept children busy for some time time. Since the experience is indeed well-liked by kids, the Internet has chosen to give coloring pages for youngsters which has been located at a lot of websites that serve children's needs. Earlier parents had to consider expensive coloring books from book shops, but together with the accessibility on this online facility, they can now print coloring pages in the Internet. There is another advantage of printing coloring pages from online sources, too the right gifts pages you prefer to print. With coloring books you'd to look at the gist available, but here you consider many different themes and select the pages you consider your baby would want to color and reveal print outs of the few sheets. Certainly you'll require a good printer for it. If you don't need a printer, you'll be able to choose to possess your child color pages online, as you will find there's provision because of this too. As most of these services are free , it is simple to print countless pages as you would like with no hassle. At this moment, you can keep your youngster engrossed all day without having to spend money. You also need not necessarily worry about how precisely you can preserve your kid occupied and beyond mischief. To recognise a stunning which keeps your toddler entertained any more. Coloring pages will help keep your kids busy and provide you a lot wanted time for relaxation. So let your toddler seek pleasure in coloring while you prefer your leisure time. You may download free coloring pages only at naturecoloringpages.com, and let your kids color them.

[radishreader]

Anyone who spends time around children will know how rare it is to come across a baby or child whose sex is not labeled by clothing, hairstyle, or accessories. Anyone with ears can hear how adults constantly label gender with words: he, she, man, woman, boy, girl, and so on. And we do this even when we don't have to. Mothers reading picture books, for instance, choose to refer to storybook characters by gender labels (like woman) twice as often as they choose nongendered alternatives (like teacher or person). Just as if adults were always referring to people as left-handers or right-handers (or Anglos and Latinos, or Jews and Catholics), this also helps to draw attention to gender as an important way of dividing up the social world into categories. This tagging of gender--especially different conventions for male and female dress, hairstyle, accessories, and use of makeup--may well help children to learn how to divvy up the people around them by sex. We've seen that babies as young as three to four months old can discriminate between males and females. At just ten months old, babies have developed the ability to make mental notes regarding what goes along with being male or female: they will longer, in surprise, at a picture of a man with an object that was previously only paired with women, and vice versa. This means that children are well-placed, early on, to start learning the gender ropes. As they approach their second birthday, children are already starting to pick up the rudiments of gender stereotyping. There's some tentative evidence that they know for whom fire hats, dolls, makeup, and so on are intended before their second birthday. And at around this time, children start to use gender labels themselves and are able to say to which sex they themselves belong. It's at this critical point in their toddler years that children lose their status as objective observers. It is hard to merely dispassionately note what is for boys and what is for girls once you realize that you are a boy (or a girl) yourself. Once children have personally relevant boxes in which to file what they learn (labeled 'Me' versus 'Not Me'), this adds an extra oomph to the drive to solve the mysteries of gender. Developmental psychologists Carol Marin and Diane Ruble suggest that children become 'gender detectives,' in search of clues as to the implications of belonging to the male or female tribe. Nor do they wait for formal instruction. The academic literature is scattered with anecdotal reports of preschoolers' amusingly flawed scientific accounts of gender difference: '[O]ne child believed that men drank tea and women drank coffee, because that was the way it was in his house. He was thus perplexed when a male visitor requested coffee. Another child, dangling his legs with his father in a very cold lake, announced, "only boys like cold water, right Dad?" Such examples suggest that children are actively seeking and "chewing" on information about gender, rather than passively absorbing it from the environment. In fact, young children are so eager to carve up the world into what is female and what is male that Martin and Ruble have reported finding it difficult to create stimuli for their studies that children see as gender neutral, 'because children appear to seize on any element that may implicate a gender norm so that they may categorize it as male or female.' For instance, when creating characters from outer space for children, it proved difficult to find colors and shapes that didn't signify gender. Even something as subtle as the shape of the head could indicate gender in the eyes of the children: aliens with triangular heads, for example, were seen as male. ... Asked to rate the appeal of a gender-neutral toy (which girls and boys on average like the same amount), boys assume that only other boys will like what they themselves like; ditto for girls. It's hardly surprising that children take on the unofficial occupation of gender detective. They are born into a world in which gender is continually emphasized through conventions of dress, appearance, language, color, segregation, and symbols. Everything around the child indicates that whether one is male or female is a matter of great importance.

Delusions of Gender, Cordelia Fine (2009)

[adhdgirls]

Women and ADHD

As promised- a long post about how ADHD affects women. It focuses on symptoms in childhood, relationships and sexuality. Its long, put spaced. Enjoy!

(I often used we instead women/girls/nb with ADHD, don’t get irritated!)

Childhood and puberty

Over a lifetime there are about 5% of girls and 13% of boys diagnosed with ADHD in the whole population. 75% of those diagnosed children don’t outgrow the symptoms.

Girls with ADHD tend to show internalized symptoms, like daydreaming, social withdraw and anxiety, while boys show externalized symptoms like impulsive and aggressive behavior. It’s obviously who will get their diagnosis first, and it mostly has to do with the fact that we raise children in a sexist gender binary system.

We expect children to behave a certain way: girls being nice, helpful and shy, boys rather loud, funny and wild- children unconsciously adjust to what’s expected from them. And even when a girl displays external symptoms, she often doesn’t get the diagnosis 

But still- even if ADHD truly manifests when a child is around 12 years old- how can it be that boys clearly display the “usual” symptoms, while girls don’t show symptoms or signs at all?

Expect they do:

as babies and toddlers, we’re often peaceful and easy to handle

strange eating habits, as many neuro-divergent people show as children

late development of personal hygiene and tidiness (as brushing hair or teeth, not being bothered by dirty clothes, hands face etc.)

lots of thumb-sucking, nails chewing or playing with hair (a sign of stimming)

never seems to learn from experiences, a bit of a bullhead

often screams long and loudly when overwhelmed

when we’re upset, it’s hard to calm us down

loves to listen to the same bedtime story over and over again

“automatics” have to be learned over and over again (around 10 to 15 times) until we can do it

loves to go through the same roleplays over and over again (for example taking the role our favorite princess, magical animal etc.)

easily overwhelmed in playgroups or preschools, retreat to their favorite place, playing with the same toys every day

hyperfixations/ hyperfocus (a toy, a game, a book, drawing etc.)

only understands after several repeats

doesn’t seems to be listening, doesn’t know when’s their turn 

trouble with motoric skills (as holding a pen, using scissors or walking/running without stumbling)

forgets, puts away and loses things often and remembers nothing

lots of trouble with homework

slow working pace OR very fast working pace with lots of mistakes

as we grow older, we start to get depressive, anxious and cowed

R S D- critics are often experienced as huge drama and er’re easily offended and hurt

cries often and withdraws

the more you remind us, explain us and support us, the worse it gets

neither promises, nor rewards or punishment seems to help

reactive stomach- or headaches

paradox reaction to sedatives (teas, valerian, flu medicine)

Of course, the symptoms mentioned above don’t have to necessary to mean that a girl has ADHD, nor are those symptoms exclusively for ADHD, and boys may show the same symptoms too btw.

The comorbidity whit other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, dyslexia, autism, social phobia and bipolar disorder is pretty high. Girls with ADHD also tend easier to fall ill to eating disorders.

ADHD symptoms can change and get worse with puberty and adulthood due to the hormonal imbalance during the menstrual cycle. Women with ADHD suffer more often PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). The symptoms due hormonal imbalance can be minimized with contraceptives. ADHD medication doesn’t have an influence on them and vice-versa.

Relationships

Friendships are often rather shallow. Women with ADHD tend to be loners; deep friendships don’t develop often. This comes due to a strong self-protection endeavor and/or high and unrealistic expectations to the friendship itself. When the expectations aren’t fulfilled, disappointment settles in and even might trigger RSD.

In extreme opposite, we have a very high affinity to people with ADHD or people with ADHD similar symptoms. We get along easier with them and quickly find similarities within each other, but it’s threatened by an instability due idealization of the person.

ADHD also affects romantic relationships. This can reach from an impulsive one night stand over on-off relationships to a dead long-term relationship, which can’t be quitted because it’s difficult for our brain to make decisions. Consequences are often forgotten or ignored in the rush of feelings, or we accept a lot of difficult circumstances, like children from an earlier relationship, even if we can’t handle it,

The relationship to own children can be problematic. It doesn’t mean that we can’t be good mothers or parents, but it’s often stained by the huge responsibility that is poorly handled in points like organization, attention, keeping arrangements, planning, controlling emotions and impulsive behavior. We can be bad role-models to our children with ADHD, and those children then have trouble to learn self-control. Single moms face even more difficulties- but it’s possible to get help and there are special courses for parents. The possibility to pass on ADHD is 15-20%.

When one child with ADHD has siblings, their possibility to have ADHD is around 25-30%. If twins they’re twins, it’s about 70-80%.

Sexuality

Our behavior in sexual context often shows that we feel responsible for our partners sexual satisfaction- this may also mean that we tend to agree to sexual practices and activities we don’t like. We tend to have difficulties get physically intimate due to trust and/or sensory issues. Gentle and loving touches might irritate us.

The lack of focus and attention during sexual activities upsets partners often, which again can lead to conflicts. Best way to avoid this is to explain your partner why this happens.

Hypersexual comorbidity affects 67% of MEN. Hypersexuality of ADHD women might occur because of lack of stimulation or self-esteem issues (for example feeling worthless except for sex etc.) but again, no research was made around this question. Even if there is information about this-  it’s known that people with ADHD often masturbate a lot in order to stim, and the dopamine release has a calming effect, which can help focus.

Girls and women with ADHD have a higher rate to get pregnant unplanned than neurotypical girls. We talk here about a compare of 40% to 5%. A study from 2003 showed that over the half of underage mothers has displayed ADHD symptoms, and around 50% of mothers under 20! We also have a higher risk to get STI’s. Protection is important!

ADHD meds have shown to decrease fertility in male mice due to the huge weight loss. Again, no researches about women.

There is no research about ADHD in LGBTQ, but some say that lesbians are diagnosed earlier because they don’t behave traditionally female.

(TBH I think the last point is made up, because this has too many factors to consider like age, coming out, family, identifying as femme, butch or neither and so on. I couldn’t find more about it but still, it’s all i had about ADHD and LGBTQ. It’s sad that there are no researches about ADHD in LGBTQ communities, because people there tend to be more understanding and accepting, which could lead to different dynamics and experiences in relationships and sexuality.)

[clovel-childcare]

How Do Childcare Facilities Provide Early Childhood Education?

According to experts, the growth and development of kids occur when they are young. During this period, they tend to understand things quickly and memorise them. If the little ones get proper facilities such that they could engage themselves in early childhood education, it helps them develop for tomorrow. It has also been noticed that preschool offers a range of benefits.

Parents must decide on enrolling their toddlers to reputed childcare in Merrylands. By receiving knowledge from experts in a structured way, they definitely feel blessed. Did you know? Many doctors and psychologists also suggest parents that they should register the names of the little ones to preschool. It is a process of developing young brains for the future.

Baby Programs in a Nutshell

Top-rated preschools offer a well-designed baby program for developing kids. The activities are well-structured to help children get rid of development delays. It also helps them improve behaviour. Some of the activities include math, riddles, and puzzles. It helps them encourage motor skills. Kids also develop cognitive and communicative skills gradually.

Reports have found that baby programs can help children learn the value of patience and resilience in the due course of time. For that, educators engage kids in activities where they have to stand in a queue. Some other baby program activities include singing (alphabet songs), dancing, picture books, reading words, drawing funny characters, etc.

Benefits of Preschool Education for Kids

The benefit of quality preschool programs is not just one. Let’s check them out here-

• Preschools help children learn to engage with other kids and adults. It is vital for developing their social skills. It also teaches them the importance of listening to others and expressing their own ideas. It helps them make friends.

• When kids get trained under experts’ guidance, preschool programs help them build a solid foundation for their mental and physical development. It is also a way of improving their performance in tests and exams. It leads to a smooth transition into school.

• As we all know that the little ones always remain curious about learning new things, baby programs give them a chance of discovering things in a structured way. It helps them follow directions and perform their tasks with improved skills.

• Early childhood education also helps children learn how to manage challenges in difficult times. It is done by practising games in which they have to work independently. It helps them develop the skills of patience and resilience.

• When kids prefer playing fun games and enjoy their time with other kids, they remain engaged in different activities. Considering the safety in the campus, childcare in Western Sydney provides a hygienic environment. It provides health benefits.

Benefits for Parents

The advantages of a preschool are not limited to the little ones; however, parents can also take advantage. It enables both parents to remain employed and contribute to the family income. It is a much better alternative than hiring a nanny or a babysitter.

If you have a concern about baby program charges, reliable childcare always ask reasonable fees from parents. To make things effective, you can get details about kids’ safety, teachers’ experience, and other queries at the time of admission. Once you get satisfactory responses, you can proceed or look for another preschool in your vicinity.

Bottom Line

High-quality childcare in Merrylands offers the most-trusted service of developing kids for tomorrow. Under the guidance of experts, you can notice an improvement in kids’ behaviour. It helps them become a responsible young adults in the near future. It has also noticed that children can develop emotional and social skills which are lifetime achievements for them.

So, what are you thinking about? Do a little research and find the best preschool today!

Also Read: Are your children getting enough exercise?

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Her Son Was Born With "Bubble Boy Disease" - Here’s How They Lived in Isolation For More Than a Year

The self-isolation that is required to curb the spread of the coronavirus can feel overwhelming, particularly for families who are struggling to cope with their sudden lack of freedom and newfound limitations. For one Los Angeles-based family, however, the government mandate to "shelter in place" for several weeks straight has been, well, a theoretical walk in the theoretical park. Just over two years ago, Armené Kapamajian gave birth to her second child, a boy named Sasoun. And for that first week, all was well. That is, until she and her husband, Michael, discovered their baby was born with a rare disorder called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or SCID. The illness is more commonly known as the "bubble boy disease" - those who have it are extremely vulnerable to bacteria and viruses as benign as the common cold, and they are likely to die if they don't live in a sterile environment. Before Armené could even grasp how her family's life would be upended, the switch had already been flipped. In a blink, she found herself trapped in a 15-foot by 15-foot hospital room, alone with her newborn. Before Armené could even grasp how her family's life would be upended, the switch had already been flipped. In a blink, she found herself ostensibly trapped in an aseptic 15-foot by 15-foot hospital room, alone with her newborn. She wasn't allowed to see her 2-year-old son, Vaughn, in person, and the few times her husband - cloaked in a gown and mask - was able to visit, they couldn't touch. What followed after those three excruciatingly long months was a transition to what many of us are now faced with: in-home isolation. Only for the Kapamajians, their compulsory quarantine lasted for a full year, and for Armené and her children, there were no quiet walks to the park, no quick Target runs, no virtual play dates or remote preschool, no free educational apps, no letting off steam in the backyard. She didn't feel a blade of grass or the fresh breeze through an open window for more than a year. "I think, as with the rest of the world right now, you are just thrown into it," Armené told POPSUGAR of her 15-month experience in isolation. "There wasn't a chance to figure out how to cope. At the beginning, I was just very numb and incredulous that this was happening, and as days went on, it just started to feel normal." Related: This Mom's Family Was Quarantined For a Year Straight - These Are Her 8 Isolation Rules "We Had No Idea Anything Was Wrong" Back in November 2017, Armené - a former grade-school teacher - had just given birth to her second son in relatively unremarkable fashion. She and Michael, an ophthalmologist, were sent home from the hospital with their newborn baby after the requisite two days. "Exactly one week later, we received a phone call from our pediatrician that one of the newborn screening tests had come back abnormal," Michael told POPSUGAR. This would be how they learned of his diagnosis. "It made him exquisitely susceptible to life-threatening infections because he was essentially born with an immune system that did not work. We had no idea." They quickly learned that to survive, Sasoun would need a bone marrow transplant, and until they were able to determine a match and undergo the procedure, neither Sasoun, nor Armené, could contract even the smallest infection for fear it would be fatal. "I couldn't process anything our doctor was saying because it felt like the world started to crash down around me." "My mind went blank, and I couldn't process anything our doctor was saying because it felt like the world started to crash down around me," Armené recalled. "I remember thinking, 'How is this happening? He's so little. He didn't even begin his life yet and already it could be taken away.'" Without even a day to emotionally prepare, she and her week-old baby were put into a strict hospital quarantine. "There was definitely a deep sense of doom," Michael recalled. He thought they'd be in isolation for 30 days, max. "I was very worried about Armené's mental health and Vaughn's ability to cope without seeing his mother for one month. I had no clue it would be three." Related: Families Are Taping Drawings in Their Windows to Stay Connected and Spread Joy "I Felt Like a Ghost" There was no easing into quarantine life for Armené. One minute, she was a typical mom of two, balancing her toddler's needs with the inconsistent naps and feeding schedules of a newborn, and the next, she was cut off from the world she knew. "I was not allowed to leave the room, even for food," she said of the sparse hospital quarters, which included one small locked window that overlooked a parking garage. "My husband would come in a few times per week to take our clothes home, wash them, and bring them back." "I missed literally every major celebration in our family because they all happened while we were in isolation." The doctors and nurses at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica were given orders to enter their room as little as possible to prevent contamination. "Aside from bringing a meal tray and checking on us twice a 12-hour shift, it was really just sitting in a room alone." It may have felt like a footnote by this point, but Armené was still a woman recovering from childbirth. She was experiencing jarring postpartum hormonal shifts while having to care for her new baby around the clock without any support. Without a single break. Without a reprieve from a single diaper change or crying fit. There was no question that she'd entered into a depression. "I think the hardest part was just being left with your own thoughts," she revealed. "I felt awful about everything. I felt terrible I wasn't there physically for Vaughn. I felt like a ghost for Sasoun. I was trying to give him the needs of any baby - love, affection, nutrition - while also being scared out of my mind for his future. I tried to save up the sadness for when he was sleeping." Adding to the pain of this adjustment period was that it overlapped with the holiday season and all of her family's eagerly awaited milestones - she missed celebrating Vaughn's third birthday and her husband's birthday. She spent her own birthday, as well as Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day, in a starkly different reality than the one she'd planned. "I missed literally every major celebration in our family because they all happened while we were in isolation." She didn't get to take adorable photos of her two boys under the Christmas tree wearing the matching holiday pajamas she bought. The hospital did its best to give her festive supplies to decorate the room. While other patients got tabletop trees, because of Sasoun's condition, there was no way to ensure they were germ-free. Instead, she strung lights on the wall in the shape of a tree and attached a stocking to his bassinet. She was grateful for the hospital's Child Life program, which delivered a gift from Santa to Sasoun and even a few toys for her older son that she could wrap herself before they were delivered. Meanwhile, Michael sent her photos of Vaughn opening presents in his Christmas PJs, and although she appreciated them, it still served as a "painful reminder" of all that was missing. "It was just the expectations I had for our life that were not going to happen," she said. "It Was Too Difficult, Watching Everyone's Happy Lives Go On" Oddly, in that first month of hospital isolation, Armené was unable to escape the triggers of the outside world. She'd been moderately active on social media, but it quickly became another flashing neon sign of what she didn't have. "Anytime I signed on, I saw newborns who were born the same time as Sasoun at home, happy and snug in bed," she said. "Meanwhile, I was pinning down my screaming child in a cold hospital room as he was getting test after test done, alone. I saw beautiful babies in such sweet first family photos." She had planned to have professional newborn portraits taken of Sasoun, but it never happened. "I would feel happiness for the family, but then I would feel awful because it wasn't like that for us." What's more, it was "too difficult watching everyone's happy lives go on" while hers was frozen at its worst chapter. "Their 'big' problems and 'annoyances' of the day were meaningless things, like, 'Ugh, the Starbucks barista put the wrong milk in my drink!' kind of stuff, which would totally bother anyone!" Armené admitted. "I didn't want to have negative thoughts toward friends and family, so I just cut myself mostly off." Watching cable TV lasted a week, too. "Since it was Christmastime, it would cut to a commercial of a smiley happy family gathered around the table or baking cookies," she said. "And it was the same ads over and over again." Michael brought her a Roku streaming device that allowed her to watch shows commercial-free, and that helped. Soon, she discovered a curious antidote for her feelings of remorse over others' joy. She began reading about truly dark moments in history. She read firsthand accounts of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. "It helped gain perspective," she said. "You can go down in a spiral of 'Oh, my life is terrible, why me?' But then you read about [historical tragedies] and you rethink your situation. My family is safe, I'm in a place where people are caring for us, I have food, I have clean clothes, I can shower, we have electricity and running water. That's even more than a lot of people in the world." "Time Crawled Every Day" Eventually, Armené began to find what Michael called their "new normal." A few weeks earlier, they'd gotten the good news that Vaughn was a complete bone marrow match for his little brother. What proved even more miraculous? While deliberating their fears of having to conduct an invasive bone marrow harvest on a 2-year-old boy under general anesthesia, the couple remembered they'd saved Vaughn's cord blood when he was born. Other than a few finger-prick blood samples, that was all they needed for the transplant. Armené and Sasoun were transferred to a different hospital for the procedure, and it was a much-needed change of scenery. On one hand, the room was larger, so she had space to walk around, and it had more windows and a desk - so she no longer had to eat every meal in her bed. But on the other, she no longer had a bed at all. Because Sasoun had moved into a full crib and would be hooked up to bulky machines at times, they could only supply Armené with a pull-out armchair. "It was awful," she said. "There isn't room to roll over, so you have to flip to turn your body. I was always really happy at the end of every night when I could jump out and be done sleeping." Once at this new facility, she focused on creating a schedule for herself. "I wasn't interested in hearing people's sympathy or telling me it was going to be OK when no one knew if it was going to be. I didn't have the capacity to put on a brave face for everyone." "I found a pattern in the day, and it started to feel comfortable and familiar and not so unexpected anymore," she said. "I made sure I was up and 'dressed' - just comfy leggings and tops - before the doctors rounded. I folded and put away my bedding in the closet, so my room felt neat and tidy. I took a shower, did my hair, put minimal makeup on every morning while I knew Sasoun was asleep - that made a world of difference." She'd spend her mornings eating breakfast and listening in to the different groups of doctors as they rounded. From there, she braced herself for another day alone. "I would wait until a certain hour before I could order a meal, and I just kept staring at the clock thinking, 'OK, now it's the afternoon! Good job!'" Armené said. "Time crawled every day. Mentally, it was exhausting." Related: It's OK If You Do Nothing "Extra" With This Time at Home With Your Kids She listened to music on the hospital-issued iPad, she did a little online shopping, and she watched the Winter Olympics in real time, which gave her something to talk about with nurses. And she binged TV shows. She watched all 201 episodes of The Office, and the first time she remembered laughing out loud was in her second week of isolation during an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. When that happened, she said, "I knew that it must be a really good show." She'd alternate between light sitcoms and dark historical nonfiction. That and video-chatting with Michael and Vaughn. She'd read him bedtime stories and say goodnight every evening. "I made the mistake of not FaceTiming enough each day, but really that was because I wasn't interested in hearing people's sympathy or telling me it was going to be OK when no one knew if it was going to be. I didn't have the capacity to put on a brave face for everyone." "You Forget What It's Like to Have Your Spouse Next to You" Because of Michael's medical background, he was the family's first line of defense in understanding the protocols and prognoses that were being put into place from the moment Sasoun was diagnosed. Armené entrusted him to "handle the medical care of our son," so in addition to raising Vaughn with the help of his own mother and caring for his patients, he spent every free moment dissecting updates from dozens of different doctors. One of the first bits of information he recalls getting - a text message from their immunologist - had nothing to do with his son. "He was cautioning me that these types of things can be very taxing on a relationship," Michael recalled. "I wasn't sure what he meant when he texted it, but as time went on, I began to understand. An extended period of time away from your spouse, combined with an intense level of anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, almost makes you forget what it's like to have your spouse next to you every day." And because his main role was acting as the messenger of often demoralizing medical updates, he struggled to communicate with Armené. He did his best to share only what he thought she was emotionally equipped to handle, which meant he was often alone in fully understanding the stakes. Unsurprisingly, they fought. They'd get angry and lash out at each other. "We would argue about our own frustrations and how we were looking at things," he said. "I don't think Armené was in a place to be able to handle some of the comments I would make about the situation . . . she needed me to be stronger." In hindsight, Armené recognized that he was as scared and frustrated as she was, but in the moment, it was hard to believe. "I tried to keep reminding myself that he was going through this, too. In times like this, it doesn't make sense to create a divide." And although they had very few moments of connection in those three months, they tried to make those short, 10-minute intervals count. Sure, when Michael dropped off clothes to the hospital on Armené's birthday, she dressed up - in "my very fancy leggings," she joked - for his arrival, only to watch him fall asleep on the chair for most of the visit. But he certainly redeemed himself other times. Like with the Roku, and on Valentine's Day. "We couldn't have live flowers in the room because of isolation precautions, so Michael brought me a really pretty fake potted orchid," Armené recalled. "It looked so real that nurses kept stopping him to tell him that he couldn't bring it in the room." She still has it and thinks of how far they've come every time she walks by it. "Coming Home, I Felt Like I Was at Disneyland" Six weeks into their hospital isolation, Sasoun underwent the transplant of Vaughn's cord blood, and the results were promising. After several more weeks of testing, the medical team determined it was safe to bring him home as long as they maintained a similarly sterile quarantine environment. For the next year, their home would become the bubble. "I felt like I was at Disneyland," Armené said of her homecoming. In fact, on the walk to the car from the hospital, she felt the cool breeze on her face and realized she hadn't touched fresh air in three months. Caught up in the moment, she posed for a photo that reenacted a scene in Shawshank Redemption when Andy Dufresne escapes prison and stands, arms outstretched, in the rain. "I was so incredibly happy and thankful." She recalls thinking how beautiful her house was - "it felt so ornate compared to stark hospital walls and medical equipment." She was grateful for real glasses and silverware and plates and for having a bed again. But she was mostly relieved to have her family all together for essentially the first time. "To be able to touch and hug Michael and Vaughn, it was just so nice." It was also . . . different. "The most interesting thing I noticed after they came home was - and I'm not saying this was bad or intentional, but rather inevitable - that our household was very much Armené and Sasoun and then Vaughn and me," Michael said. "It didn't feel like a unit, but rather two units living together." They made a conscious effort to "meld our family back together. And to "make up for lost time," Armené created the happiest home she could. "We celebrated everything, since we missed out on so much while we were in the hospital. We decorated for each little holiday and made everything a big deal. We were most definitely happy to be celebrating life." "All day with small children in the house gets tiring because you are never alone and always needed, 24/7." Yet, as with most new things, the novelty wore off. They weren't allowed to play in the backyard or sit on the front porch. Sometimes, loved ones would come up to their window and wave or make conversation, and although it made Armené feel loved and remembered, her feelings shifted. "Later in the day, if I stepped back and thought about it, it reminded me of the situation we were in," she said. "I felt bad for both of my boys because they were not leading normal lives." As cautious as they still were about Sasoun's health, they now had added concern for Vaughn. "He was supposed to be in school, he was supposed to be able to play soccer, or even just play outside with me like we did when Armené and Sas were in the hospital," Michael said. "Having them back home placed more restrictions on Vaughn because now we couldn't risk him getting sick as it would pose a huge risk to Sas." Related: Educators Explain Why Parents Shouldn’t Be Let Off the Hook With Homeschooling Their Kids They bought a Little Tikes inflatable bounce house that took up their entire living room just so he could have space to run and jump and play. Although Vaughn understood a lot of their situation and "seemed to handle it so well," Armené, who used to be a teacher, was concerned about his social and emotional development. She made a production out of the school experience. "Every day, I put a backpack on him with his supplies and I kissed him goodbye and told him to have a good day at school," she said. "Then he would go out one entrance of the kitchen, walk around the whole first floor of our house and come back in another entrance where I would greet him as my student. It would make him so happy. He called me Mrs. K." Armené would send photos from their "school day" to Michael who admitted they were "heartwarming and depressing" all at once. Just as many families around the world are experiencing to a lesser degree right now, being home nonstop was a special form of exhaustion for Armené. "All day with small children in the house gets tiring because you are never alone and always needed, 24/7," she said. "It's hard when you are making every single meal of the day, day after day. I missed not having to cook if I didn't want to, and I missed going out with Michael or with friends. I missed alone time and feeling like a human." "I Literally Had to Fend Off His Hugs So I Could Decontaminate" Because Michael still had to leave the home for work - and thus ran every errand - he was Sasoun's biggest health threat. Whenever he returned, he had to go through a rigorous decontamination process. "I'd get home, remove my clothing in the laundry room and place it in the washer, wash my hands, go upstairs to take a shower, and then come down with clean clothes to join everyone," he explained. "In the beginning, when I still wasn't used to this, sometimes I'd just go out for an errand on a Saturday, come home and decontaminate only to realize as soon as I was finished that there was something else I needed to do, which meant going through decontamination again. There were days where I had to do this three times in a day. My skin was cracking all over." But soon enough he learned to plan his outings to minimize the number of decontamination rituals he'd have to undergo. "Just getting home and being able to hug everyone was something I missed a lot," he said. "It scared me because as much as Vaughn led us to believe he completely understood what was going on, he was still 3 years old. I didn't want him to think I was cold, but the first few times I came home from work after Armené and Sas had gotten home, I remember Vaughn coming to the door to hug me and I literally had to fend off his hugs and tell him to wait so I could clean up." It took a week before Vaughn no longer ran to greet him at the door. Michael had successfully trained him out of that behavior. "That wasn't what I wanted, but what could I do?" Inevitably, Michael would get sick. "The first time I thought I might have a cold, I took a box of masks upstairs with me and locked myself in the bedroom." It wasn't until January 2019 that he truly got sick, nearly 10 months into their home quarantine. To be safe, he rented a hotel and stayed there for two nights. "Once I started feeling better, I came home but maintained strict respiratory precautions and locked myself in the guest bedroom," he said. "Every morning when I'd leave, I would spray Lysol in the entire bedroom and back out of the room, then close the door. I'd then walk backwards through our living room and to the garage, spraying Lysol in front of me to 'cover' the areas I'd walked through." Eventually, though, Sasoun's blood tests indicated that his immune system was working, that it could ward off small infections. First, they were cleared to go outside. Sasoun's feet touched the ground for the first time in his life. Then, they could allow a few extended family members in their home - so long as they followed strict protocol and could verify they weren't sick that past week. They eased slowly into every new glimmer of freedom. "I'm So Happy to Be With People Again" It's been 28 months since Sasoun's diagnosis, and they've been out of their home isolation for a year. Vaughn's now 5 and Sasoun is a healthy 2-year-old. "This past summer was the first time we all went out for a family dinner since Sasoun was born," Michael said. "We just went to California Pizza Kitchen, but, man, for us it was such a landmark moment." They took dozens of photos of that meal as they began to realize that, maybe, they could "be normal" again. For Armené and Michael, this came with newfound happiness. Before Sasoun was born, "like most couples, we argued about stupid things and got on each other's nerves about nonsense," Michael said. Now? They simply don't anymore. The experience taught them to be kinder with each other and more respectful. He added that even though he used to "look at every little thing and overanalyze the crap out of it," he shrugs off small issues now. "I feel healthier and better equipped to be the husband and parent I've wanted to be. I honestly think I would have driven myself or Armené and the kids nuts had I remained as nitpicky as I was before this happened to us." Armené, in particular, has appreciated her loved ones so much more, Sasoun included. "It's odd – some people would think that you could resent your child in this situation, but I never felt that," she said. "The silver lining is that because he had my undivided attention, we bonded more. If I was home, I would be entertaining Vaugn, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, running errands, driving around. But since I spent all day holding him, it made our relationship strong. I'm thankful to have had that opportunity." "To this day, whenever anyone announces a birth, I hold my breath for a week." She takes no day, or encounter with a relative, for granted. "Every day is a gift with them," she said. "My grandfather passed away while we were in isolation, and I couldn't go to his funeral - that hurt a lot, that I couldn't say goodbye and be with my family at a difficult time. So I really enjoy every single outing. That hasn't worn off, and I'm so happy to be with people again. I probably talk too fast when I'm with friends because I'm just so thankful." It was with great trepidation that they got to this point and not without some emotional scars. Although Michael said his intense negative feelings - of "fear, anger, confusion, hopelessness, vulnerability, and dejection" - have gone away, Armené has held onto a bit more. "To this day, whenever anyone announces a birth, I hold my breath for a week," she said. "Luckily, all their babies are healthy, but I don't really relax for them until a week goes by." She also had a hard time exhaling whenever they left their home. She felt paranoid Sasoun might catch something. This past October, he did. "That would be the first time his immune system would actually be tested, so we were nervous," Michael said. "But he handled it. Three days and it was gone. Did this little guy actually do it? Did he just clear an infection by himself? It was amazing." Armené is still careful. She uses covers on grocery carts and high chairs, she cleans restaurant tables with hospital-grade wipes before sitting down, she sanitizes Sasoun's hands constantly. "When we pick up Vaughn from school, I get scared when other children run up to see Sasoun," she said. "I usually scoop him up or wash his hands immediately. I second-guess a lot of things, like, 'Oh, he touched that . . . and touched his face. Will he get sick?' A friendly grandmother pinched his cheek. 'Did that person cough into their hand or wipe their nose recently?' I calm myself down by saying, 'Well, it already happened so we will just have to wait it out and see.'" "It Feels Like All of This Was For Something" Of course, the recent coronavirus outbreak has affected the Kapamajians just as it has the rest of the world. Because he works at a hospital, Michael admits he is "scared to death of bringing the virus home" - he has reverted back to his old decontamination procedures. The only difference for Armené is that she's not panicking at the thought of staying at home for an extended period of time. She'd already done it for the better part of 450 days. "All I could think about was, 'God, I can't believe we are back here again. I can't believe we have to wipe everything down again.'" "The first day when I was gathering supplies and I knew it was the last time I would be out for who knows how long, all I could think about was, 'God, I can't believe we are back here again. I can't believe we have to wipe everything down again. I can't believe it will be so long until I see any of my friends or Vaughn can go to t-ball and school again,'" she said. Because they planned to go into voluntary isolation before any mandates were even being established, she was one of the first to cancel plans. "I'm missing wedding showers, christenings . . . my family had to cancel their trip out to visit us," she said. "Just as everyone else I am sure has done, I got so frustrated, I cried. I was so angry that once again we were going to put our entire life on pause. I was frustrated for my kids, that it seems like they keep having to spend long periods of their life in isolation." Michael reminded her: they'd be OK. They had done this before. And if anyone knew how to do it, it was her. She said their first day back in isolation felt so familiar and oddly safe. "I knew that by staying in, I was keeping not only our family safe this time, but it seemed our entire community," she said. "I knew I was missing nothing because everything has been canceled for everyone. We are all in this together, so I have zero FOMO. And in a weird turn of events, I became an isolation expert among family and friends. Every day I check in on someone or someone calls me and asks my advice." She even started filming Facebook videos with tips on how to properly self-isolate. Michael, for his part, is writing a book about their experience in the hopes it will inspire other families facing similarly uncharted territory. "It feels like all of this was for something," Armené said. "It wasn't just a random, awful hardship we went through. Maybe we went through this so we could offer some help or consolation for everyone else going through it. Because if we did this for a year, we can all do this for a few weeks or even months." #TouchingStories #FamilyLife #StayingHome #SpecialNeeds #FamilyRelationships

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/her-son-was-born-with-bubble-boy-disease-here-s-how-they-lived-in-isolation-for-more-than-a-year

[iwantunique]

20+ best stocking stuffers for toddlers 2019

Oftentimes, best stocking stuffers for toddlers 2019 or to choose toddler presents are some of the most difficult tasks on your shopping list. What’s your type when you choose the presents for your tot, like funny, cheap, useful, educational, and expensive? Well, there are heaps of miniature gadgets that will amaze your child by seeing the brimmed stocking! But it is always fair to indulge at least some things that the receiver of the gift (whether it’s your parent, child, or might your cute dog) gets really surprised; feel enjoyed while receiving those presents; at the same time, it would be the icing on the cake if they’re useful too! To help you out in this thorough process of figuring out the suitable Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 for preschoolers this year, we have assembled some of the best products aptly suited for the best stocking stuffers for toddlers 2019. These stuffers include items right fro, quirky toys to gag gifts, the very useful gadgets, beautiful accessories, and so much more.  Here, you’ll find the best stocking stuffer toddlers ideas for your little cutie pie! And remember while adding the excitement taste under Christmas Tree, fill these stocking stuffers with something that spreads enchantment and joy! The list of these best stocking stuffers for toddlers 2019 will make Christmas morning or the annual holiday present list a very special one! We test, research, and recommend the best of the best products. So, glance further to buy something unique for your child. Best stocking stuffers for toddlers 2019 1.Turbo Race Car Twin Bed The Turbo Race Car Twin Bed from Delta Children! Designed to resemble a classic race car, fun details include a rear spoiler, a front grill and racing tires with chrome-colored rims. Made of durable molded plastic and decorated with cool decals, this sleek bed will kick any car-themed room into high gear for years to come. The high sides of the race car act as secure guardrails and allow kids of all ages to easily enter and exit the bed. Perfect for any child who dreams of racing cars.

Promising review: " I bought this bed for my 3-year-old son. He loves cars and we were trying to motivate him to stay in his own bed. He loves his own bed and I have fallen back in love with my own bed."--Doognik Get it from Amazon for $252.89 2. Warmtree $100 Dollars Bill Funny Money Napkin This funny napkin is soft and comfortable,it looks and feels like real money, perfect for themed parties and interesting games.

Promising review: " Very happy with my purchase! Larger size than expected!"--Ashley Mcneil Get it from Amazon for $10.99 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 3. Children's Night Lights Touch Sensor Vibration Birdcage Chargeable Hand-held Lamp Made of ABS and PC+TPU,Food-grade premium quality,safe and non-toxic materials ;High emulation lawn cute round animal in clear cap glowing soft light (birdcage shape).Build in 700 mAh battery,Rechargeable and energy-saving with an USB line(1200mm) Charging time:5h, Battery life:15h;USB charge it by your computer or power bank, etc.Base switches with 3 modes :ON / OFF / VIBRATION.VIBRATION: three status of middle-bright, high-bright, turn off , lights will cycle when your hands touch the cage.

Promising review: " My daughter loves it. It is a great night light."--Lenka Hrebickova Get it from Amazon for $19.99 4. Totoro Anime LED Night Light Kid's Character Lamp USB Charge, Desk Night Table Reading Lamp Whimsical lamp in the shape of Totoro holding an umbrella. Totoro is a popular Japanese animation character, loved by adults as well as children. Soft light emanating from Totoro's stomach or his umbrella are perfect as a nightlight. Charges conveniently with USB, making the lamp useful for outdoor camping and travel. Charging Time: approx. 2~3 hours. Light lasts about 8~15 hours.

Promising review: " Great little lamp. Super bright! Recharges with USB cable (included). Light comes out his belly or from the umbrella. Again both are fairly bright. It comes in a box and you snap the umbrella into place. The box I received also advertised the fan variant, so it might confuse someone if you're giving this as a gift. Overall my 12 year old daughter loves it. Very good resemblance to the beloved Totoro from his classic film."--James Wyatt Get it from Amazon for $27.00 5. My Neighbor Totoro Sleeping Bag Sofa Bed Twin Bed Double Bed Mattress for Kids Bed sack: 100% Polyester *Inner padding: 80% Polyester, 20% Cotton *Overall Size: 230CM * 175CM (90” * 69”) *New Weight: 13KG *Tail Size: 80CM (31”)

Promising review: " I Absolutely Love this. This one from this seller is better than I expected. My daughter absolutely loves it. Absolutely NOT made cheaply. Now my other daughter wants to buy one for my granddaughter. It's huge and comfy and no need to add more stuffing although we thought we were gonna have to with some reviews. Also it has a zipper if you do wanna add stuffing or remove it to clean it. Absolutely 100 % Completely Satisfied and A Very Happy Birthday Girl who turned 10! "--Sonja Schlegel Get it from Amazon for $273.64 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 6. R/C Award Winning Tracer Racers High-Speed Remote Control Infinity Loop Track Set with Two Cars for Dual Racing Racing cars feature undercarriage lights that not only make these cars look almost like they are hovering rather than rolling - the lights also leave glowing streaks in their wake showing how the racers are "burning" up the track takes your racing to the next level with Tracer Racers High-Speed Remote Control Glow in the Dark Racing. Tracer Racer racing cars feature undercarriage lights that not only make these cars look almost like they are hovering rather than rolling - the lights also leave glowing streaks in their wake showing how the racers are "burning" up the track!

Promising review : " very good investment - not cheap, but will be used for many, many hours by my grandson and myself - so well worth the price - can see us buying more track pieces to create different designs - lots of fun to race, simple to charge - good quality product, did have an issue with one car when opened, called company and got immediate response - they sent new product out same day of call and I got it in 2 days - impressive - grandson loves hot wheel and RC cars - this is perfect for him - also light up track is very good - extra bonus!"--Wayne Get it from Amazon for $119.99 7. Hamburger Junior Beanbag Chair Fresh off the WOW! grill, The Double Stack beanbag is hot and ready! Warning: the delicious appearance of this superbly soft beanbag may cause slight drooling. Soft and cushy construction that lends a touch of whimsy for any area and is certainly a fun conversation piece. Digital printed fabric treatment projects real life-like appearance. Wow! Works bean bag unique chairs will wow you! Product Materials: Polyester, High-grade EPS Bead.

Promising review: " Bought it for my sons 9th birthday. It was a big hit! the chair is the perfect size and the print image is great. The only thing i didn't love is that the "beans" are really big. I am buy smaller filler to replace it."--TLC Get it from Amazon for $38.99 8. 95 Foot Zip Line Kit with Stainless Steel Spring Brake and Seat Our zip line used the 5.3 Foot Stainless Steel Spring Brake instead of the bungee cord braking system. All customers who have purchased our zip line before, if there is any problem with bungee cord braking system, please Contact us, we will help you replace the new Stainless Steel Spring Brake for free! This zip line meets the international quality standards (RoHS & CE) and can easily hold up to 250 lbs. Are you looking for a wonderful outdoor activity or a birthday gift that will help you bond with your kids and enjoy unforgettable moments? Look no further. Now you can spend endless hours of backyard fun with your children. Your backyard will instantly become a stunning amusement park, and you will become the neighbourhood’s coolest parent!

Promising review: " We LOVE this zip line! We were looking for something to draw our screen magnet youngest child outside with increased frequency. This fits the bill!! Installation was definitely a two-person job, just as we expected. It took us a part of a morning to put it up. Tightening it was a little tricky and required some trial and error on our part, but I'd call that operator error related to inexperience, not a flaw in the kit. We have installed a secondary brake just to add a back-up for safety. It's only been up for about five days but I bet we've made 500 trips down the line already. We have six children with an eighteen year age spread between them. All six have enjoyed multiple trips down the line along with their friends."--Dayna Strand Get it form Amazon for $161.27 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 9. Giant Inflatable Ride-On Banana Float Huge over-sized inflatable banana ride-on float enjoyed by kids and adults alike for a great pool experience. Use as a lounger or for just any fun pool activities. Made of durable heavy duty PVC and measures 59 inches long. Not recommended for kids under 6 years old and children should have adult supervision.

Promising review: " I got this as a gift for my friend, and didn't realize that it's likely meant for kids, so can't really handle adult weight as well. It made such a fun floatie to even try to get on top of the thing! It's basically the water version of the mechanical bull."--Mia Get it from Amazon for $16.99 10. Baby Kids Play Mat Foldable Soft and Washable Toys Storage Organizer Children Play Rugs with 59 inches Large Diameter Winthome toy storage bag can store the toys in order, no longer need to find toys everywhere. It is very Simple, Portable and Sturdy. Ideal solution for leaning up small toys like trains, cars, dolls, stuffed animals and more. Mummy's good friend. Use this to make sure your child is having fun without worrying about the mess.You can also bring it with you while you are outdoors, making sure your child is safer and more comfortable when playing.

Promising review: " Purchased this mat for our 7 month old daughter and it's absolutely perfect! Easy to sinch up and move into another room. Just enough padding to keep her comfortable on our hardwood floors. I was nervous to wash it but no change to the quality of the mat after washing it. It's big but not too big. Big Brother can easily join her for play and there's room for everyone. Highly recommend."--EmmyB Get it from Amazon for $29.99 11. Baby Play mat Kid's Puzzle Exercise Play Mat for Floor Crawl mat for Baby with XPE Foam Thicking 0.8in This baby mat is easy to Splice as puzzle and take it out.You can optionally splice baby play mat baby mat play mat playmat extra large foam play mat according to your preference. Depending on the size of the space, different shapesbaby play mat, baby mat,play mat,playmat extra large foam play mat. The play mat is big and thickening 0.8 inches and Changeable Size so easily .baby folding mat play mat extra large foam play mat play mat large foam baby crawl mat playmat foam folding play mat baby foam mat folding baby play mat foam play mat for baby folding mat for baby foam baby play mat .

Promising review: " I wish I come across this baby mat sooner... My daughter is almost 2 and the mat is perfect to put at Grandma's. She goes there a few days a week and Grandma likes that it is foldable so it can be put away when it's not in used and depending what toys they put out, Grandma can adjust the playmat accordingly. The material is good, the prints are cute, I cleaned it a few times with disinfectant wipes, easy to clean, no colors were wiped off. This mat can be used for tummy time, crawlers, and of course toddlers, I really like the foldable design."--Doleman Get it from Amazon for $49.99 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 12. Pool Floats for Kids - Llama Pool Float, Baby Floaties for Toddlers and Kids Baby water float and inflatable pool float features a unique trendy design for 2019 - only available from USA Toyz; these llama pool inflatables introduce little ones to these gentle South American animals. Let kids have fun splashing around with these swimming pool floats; this floaty for baby features 2 leg openings in the swimming ring for toddlers to sit safely, and should be used responsibly with adult supervision.

Promising review: " I loved this floaty. I loved that it is a cool llama, its actually fun to choose different animals / shapes every year, I had just become tired of the same old Aligator or Shark or even those flamingos that were popular the last couple of years. Llamas are cool, my kids got a huge kick out of it, and when their friends come over they also love it. It seems very sturdy, after a couple weeks and I don't know how many kids using it, it is still in tact as good as ever. The material seems thick and high quality. Nice design. I also think it is very reasonably priced for its size. I have seen floatys in the store for upwards of $50, so this was a great deal."--Julie S. Get it from Amazon for $15.99 13. Light Up Football : Glow in The Dark LED Ball Composite leather footballs and textured lace provides exceptional grip and control especially with Football Gloves, we’re talking solid spirals for days during your American football games. Butyl bladder locks in air for optimal pressure and shape retention for a consistent throwing during your football games. USES: Beach football, night-time football, recreational football games, playing in the pool, park, ootball practice.

Promising review : " Very cute- my son,Chance, will be thrilled when he gets it! "--SallySue Get it from Amazon for $24.99 14. Capture the Flag REDUX: The Original Glow-in-The-Dark Outdoor Game for Birthday  It's the classic game of stealth, speed and strategy that people have enjoyed for over 90 years – now adapted for today's generation using glow-in-the-dark lights! It includes battery powered game pieces for jail markers, territory lights, light-up wristbands and glowing crystals that serve as each team's flag. With a fresh look and the added dynamic of low-light game play, this activity inspires people of all ages to put down their phones and do something active together. Learning how to play is easy. Your objective is to enter the other team’s territory, steal their Orb (aka “flag”) and get it back to your home side without getting tagged. Tagged players go to “jail” and must remain there until a teammate reaches them without getting tagged.

Promising review: " I am a youth minister and this game was used on our Fall 2016 Retreat. Was a huge hit! A couple lights went out and I emailed them about it a few months after and they sent new parts without any hassle. Extremely good customer service and a great product. Well worth it for any size group. My group is bigger than what this game gives arm bands for so we use cheap glow stick bracelets for extra team identifying."--Mason Cothren Get it from Amazon for $59.90 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 15. Anime Hooded Cloak Flannel Cape Hoodies for Sleep Nap Critter Blankets 100% brand new & high quality.Note:The snaps that connect the sleeves are the same which style just like the pictures.FUNCTIONAL:The versatility of this plush blanket allows to be a perfect camping, traveling, napping, playing, sleeping and reading companion.COMFORTABLE:Very soft and comfortable flannel,it can keep you warm in the winter or sleep under an air conditioning in office.OCCASION:You can use it as cosplay cloak,role play,Halloween,Christmas,all kinds of parties or daily wear.One Size:90*160cm(35.43*62.99inch).Package: a cloak.

Promising review: " I love it! It's super soft, the quality is way more than expected. I am just worried about the whiskers.... It might fall in the washing machine. And It should have a bigger version! So it could cover my whole body. SO cute!"--Bianca Get it from Amazon for $28.99 16. Glow Battle: A Light up Sword and Ninja Game  Family, friends and neighbors play organized sword fighting games using (harmless!) glowing foam weapons. Choose from 10 different ways to play or create your own! The perfect interactive game for team building, icebreakers and developing strategy for large and small groups. Get youth off their screens using the 28 glowing game pieces included in this kit. Make exercise fun as boys and girls run, swing and dodge to win.

Promising review: " This is a really fun product for the family. The glow bracelets and swords stay lit for a long time. I love that the batteries are replaceable. I would recommend that you play outside since its an active game. The ONLY thing I didnt like is that at the end of the battle need swords is plastic and can hurt someones face, you know if you're getting crazy, like kids do! We use safety glasses as always with any sport. I didn't take pics because we are having too much fun. Also, fun for adults in the forests. Not even kidding."--crystal knigge Get it from Amazon for $49.90 17. Kids Kick Scooter w/ 3 Wheel Deck, Handle Bar Grips, Sit-or-Stand Removable Folding Seat Adventurous tots gain a smooth-gliding companion with this cool convertible Kick Scooter from Modera Kids. Designed to adjust as kids grow up and fine-tune their motor skills, the three wheeler features a foldable/removable seat, adjustable easy-grip handlebars, built-in back brake, extra wide anti-slip deck, front basket for toys, and an additional platform where toddlers can rest both feet while sitting.Like a balance bike, the scooter’s sturdy design and lean-to-turn wheels support little ones as they hone their coordination and control. Watch as they rip up the pavement and gain confidence on the road to adolescence! Parents also save a bundle with a toy that conveniently collapses and converts as kids get older. So give a gift that actually grows with them—add a sit-or-stand Kick Scooter to your cart today!

Promising review: " This is a awesome little scooter. My so t had played with it everyday since it arrived. Quality built and. It cheap as I was afraid it may have been. I’m super impressed."--J Guthrie Get it from Amazon for $49.99 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 18. Colored Clip in Hair Extensions 20 inch Rainbow Heat-Resistant Straight Highlight Hairpieces Cospaly Fashion Party Christmas Gift For Kids Girls 12 Color in 24 pcs Colored hair extension are affordable ,lightweight,and easy to apply,these color extension snap into your hair and can be taken out in a matter of seconds.High quality synthetic fiber,DIY your look you want ,and instant highlight without any chemical dye to damage your hair ,it is a perfect accessory for special occasions which can make you stand out from the crowed.Color:Bright red, lilac purple, pink, yellow, orange yellow, sapphire blue, fruity green, rose red, beige, violet, purple, vanilla green.

Promising review: " Sometimes I want to dye my hair a crazy color but I realize it would be expensive because my hair is long and dark. So I got this extensions pack to just try out colors. That way I have the fun hair colors without the commitment. It’s a good value for the amount of extensions that come in the pack. The clips are easy to put on and there are a lot of color options. I had more than enough colors so I gave some to my 6yr old niece and she had a lot of fun trying on the different hair colors."--Abbie Get it from Amazon for $14.99 19. Giant Beach Ball 6 ft Soccer Ball Diameter Extra Large Inflatable Beach Ball Pool Toy Jumbo Beach Ball 6 Feet Tall Beach Ball Inflatable Soccerball 12FT Pole-to-Pole Inflatable Beach Ball Pool Party BallsIntroduction:A huge size version of a classic sports ball! Kids and adults will have a blast chasing, kicking, and watching the ball soar. Add a unique touch of fun to any party, cookout, or beach day!Item Specification&Features:Material：Made of thick, durable 30mil vinyl with reinforced seamsSize: 6 Feet Tall/12FT from pole-to-poleLarge, secure airtight valve keeps air in and won't tear or detach from the vinylNew rapid valve allows for the fastest inflation and deflation compared to traditional valvesFun eye catching colors inspired by the classic beachball design, great for adults and kids of all agesThis is a great ball for kicking, punching, throwing, and climbing on top of .

Promising review : " This item is the size and style I expected when ordered. It arrived in the time frame that was given. It inflates and deflates great, no holes. I would order this again"--Lyndsi Donner Get it from Amazon for $49.99 20.Remote Control Car Boat Truck 4WD 6CH 2.4Ghz Land Water 2 in 1 RC Toy 360 Degree Spins and Flips- This is a multi-functional stunt rc car, unique design let it easy to complete 360 degree spins around, best gift for boy and girls.Waterproof Design- Equipped with waterproof rubber ring to protect inner accessory of the car which makes it possible to even drive on the water, amazing fun land & water rc toys.

Promising review: " I bought 2 of these are they were way more fun than I anticipated. My 5 year old daughter and I were driving them in and out of the surf for a good 20 minutes. They're not super fast, which was perfect. They're quick enough to be fun, but not so fast that my kids couldn't control it. I highly recommend this toy. I bought spare batteries too (all blue). and used my spare batteries first and they lasted over 20 min of near continuous use. Next I put in the batteries that came with them (one blue and one green). The blue one performed the same, but the green battery died after 5 minutes. I think I got a bad one since I charged again over night and it died quickly the next day."--Rory Get it from Amazon for $37.98 21. Water Balloon Launcher Water Balloons Slingshot Cannon 3 Persona Balloon Launcher 250 Yard Wheter you're having a party or looking for a wet and wild sort of battle, Whizbuilders balloon slingshot has you covered. Out water balloon launcher is the perfect choice for anyone that wants to rain down balloon filled with water on their friends and family to enjoy the surprise look on their faces. This 3 persons water balloon sling is designed to launch balloons further and faster. Our 3-person water balloon launcher can shoot a balloon up to 250 yards to surprise friends and family at backyard parties, pools and more.

Promising review: " This is exactly what we expected. So much fun, for adults and kids. With an adult on either side, and an adult pulling the sling shot - we were able to launch a water balloon from one backyard, across the street, and into another backyard. Totally worth it!! "-- Kristen Get it from Amazon for $16.97 Best Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers 2019 Read the full article

[dover]

Eleanor - 6 Years

She is perfect. That is the overwhelming thought I get whenever I look at her. She’s just perfect.

When she was a toddler she was so strong willed and defiant and at times it was difficult to be her parent. I felt like we were always at odds. I worried a lot about she would behave in school and what our relationship would be like as she got older, and all of the worrying was baseless. She has grown from a fiery, tantrum prone toddler and preschooler into a sweet, sensitive, affectionate, and thoughtful six year old.  She is an amazing big sister and loves her brother with her whole heart. She is constantly writing about him at school, drawing pictures of them together. When I pick her up at the end of the day she rushes to hug him first, and they play so well together around the house. She is very caring to her friends, always wanting to make them gifts and write them letters. She has lots of hugs for her mama and daddy and is always there for me when I need someone to be my helper. 

I miss her so much while she is at school. She only has three weeks left before her kindergarten year is over, and I still feel like I haven’t gotten used to having her gone for so much of the day. She has done so well this year. The adjustment was smooth (for her, if a little sad for me) and she is a great little student. She listens well and stays on task. Her reading is coming right along and she is already past her grade level, despite not really being able to read at all at the beginning of the year. The only thing holding her back is a lack of confidence. She doesn’t think that she can read as well as she can, so she is scared to try more advanced books. She wants to stick with the super easy ones, which is fine for practice, but she also find them boring. I’m excited for her to realize her potential and start really exploring books on her own. She still loves audiobooks and could listen to them for hours on end, and I can’t wait for her to reach the level where she can read the audiobooks she loves herself (like The Secret Garden and Matilda and Pippi Longstocking) in the next few years.  For her birthday she asked for “science stuff.” She says she wants to be a scientist when she grows up so that she can discover what the first lifeforms on Earth were like. Her daddy loves science too and is always finding interesting science books aimed at children to read to her. We got her a microscope and a magnifying glass, and she has had lots of fun looking at bugs and blood and spider webs with them.  She is really excited about taking a ballet class this summer. Just the other day she told me that she wants to send a card to her ballet teacher (who she hasn’t met yet) to thank her for teaching her to dance. She took a pre-ballet class a few years ago, way back when she was three, and she wouldn’t listen to the teacher or follow along with what the other kids were doing at all. She enjoyed it, but she just ran around the entire time doing her own thing. It will be very interesting to see the contrast in this latest ballet endeavor. She is so interested now in learning how to do things the proper way, and much more eager to please.  Although her personality has mellowed out and matured in so many ways, she is still very independent and has a sensitive heart. She is easily frustrated, which sometimes keep her from pushing herself to try new or more difficult things. She has a few friends at school, but no one friend who is her best friend, and if her friends are doing something together that she doesn’t want to do (like playing kickball--she hates kickball because it hurts her feelings when everyone yells “OUT!” even if they are yelling it at her), she occupies herself by walking around alone and looking for caterpillars or other interesting things. She doesn’t seem to mind alone time, but she also plays very nicely with other kids. 

She is still a very picky eater and absolutely refuses to try any new foods. She loves every sort of fresh fruit though. I guess it’s a good thing we live in California and I can buy grocery carts full of delicious local produce every week. Most days for her lunch at school I packed her two servings of fruit, a bit of cheese, some crackers or a piece of bread, and carrots. Some days she only eats the fruit. I wonder if she will ever turn a corner and start exploring food a bit more. Maybe next year? She is very tall and thin. At her checkup yesterday she measured just shy of 4 feet tall, and weighed 42 lbs. And do you see that picture where she is holding up 6 fingers? It kind of freaks me out to know that we are counting on two hands now. I know it’s cliche, but it really does feel like she was just born yesterday. I can’t wrap my head around how big she is, but I’m delighted by what an amazing person she is turning out to be.

[fizzingwizard]

cool things about today:

my preschool class this morning had its best day yet! it seems like the kids are used to me now and excited to come to class. a couple of them still get antsy midway through, which isn’t unusual for their age, but we’ve been having a lot of fun lately.

my kindergarten class this morning went GREAT - which was surprising because it has been a major trial because while one of the students is an angel, another is super daydreamy (to the point that he doesn’t respond unless I call his name several times) and the third reeeeally hates studying). I can’t even say why this happened. Maybe that third student was just in a good mood (although his dad did have to drag him into the classroom in the beginning lol). Or, as is my hope, they have finally decided that I’m a fun teacher and want to follow directions because of that. It only took four classes but we got there! (I think part of this may be that by a stroke of luck, last week we had two extra students, and both of them were very responsive, so it wasn’t just angel kid following directions. As a result, activities went much more smoothly than usual, allowing the two difficult ones to see how much fun they could have if they gave me a chance.) Here’s hoping next week goes this well too...

That preschool girl I complained about and said that while she’s sweet I hoped she wouldn’t be my student? Well, she is! Surprise surprise. Lol. I had her officially for the first time today, and she came to class by herself without her parents, and I think that helped a lot. She actually did really well for the first half. Like I said before, around the 25 minute mark, preschool kids start to get antsy. No matter what, you have to be quickly shifting gears because their attention wanes fast. I think our preschool classes are way too long, but. Anyway. Halfway through, it got difficult to engage her, and soon she started asking where he parents were over and over, though she didn’t cry or get upset. I was able to get her interested again through a coloring activity, only after a couple minutes she didn’t want to do the coloring for our lesson and just started drawing her own picture xP She’s very creative. I learned her favorite color very fast lol. Well, in the end the class went much better than I expected, and afterward she even told her mom that she had fun, which is a big improvement from last week when she said she didn’t xD

Met an adorable toddler and had a really fun class with him and his mom. I frantically made my props and visuals in my spare time throughout the day because this was thrown on me pretty last minute, but it went well and was so fun and cute.

Introduced my junior high student to the concept of dessert pizza. He was duly impressed.

also, yesterday, had a class with a sixth grader who, while not a difficult student by any means, does find the class boring and also memorizes very quickly, so he gets through it fast but without paying close attention. I’ve been working with him, he’s a little old for toys and games, but like most kids he really likes to joke around. I’ve taken to surprising him by doing things like, if the vocab word is “mask,” instead of just drawing a regular mask, I draw a Pikachu mask. He laughs and then tries to outdo me. This takes maybe twenty seconds because we don’t have enough time to play as much as we’d like, but it gets him moving which is way better than how he was the first time I met him - curling up on his chair with his head hanging down and not looking at the board. We’ve become friends. His mom is not satisfied with his attitude yet ^^’ but she did say she doesn’t expect miracles in (what was then) just three classes. So, we will keep trying! I’m going to be here for a couple more months so we’ve got time...

[mroelandts19ahs]

Preschool Year (age 3-4)

a. Since Theodore has turned 3 years old, things are changing. He will not always be the little cute baby from 3 years ago. At three, it is important for the kid to follow rules. This is the age they develop self-control and setting rules is not always easy with Theodore. He really likes candies and knows that the rule is “one candy for dessert, no more !”. I decided to put the candy box so that he has access to it and wanted to test his aptitute to control himself. Well I already caught him two times stealing candies from the candy box in the pantry. He knows he is not allowed to but it is hard for him to resist. When he breaks the rule, my method is to put him in a room for 30 minutes and let him think about what he did. When I come get him, he has to apologize and explain the reason he broke the rule. I try not to yell as much as I can because I think it is not always the right thing to do and it feels like it is working.

In terms of social development, Theodore has more and more friends at school and is happy to see them every morning. He is very social.

Theodore is still very independent. He wants to do everything by himself and I try not to help. He feeds and dress himself, which I should not be complaining about, it is much less work for the parents.

We also have great conversations with him. He loves to speak and is much better. We read a lot of books together and each time he doesn’t know a word he is very curious and wants to expand his vocabulary. 

Theodore is now four years old and is the most energetic kid I have ever seen ! He is very enthusiastic and wants to play all of the time. We often go on a walk and pretend we are on an adventure. Last time, he was on my bike, we passed a runner and he screamed “we are faster than you”. This is indeed the age when kids like exaggerating and think they are better than everyone else. 

b. A three/four-year-old kid is not always easy to handle. At this age, kids often lie or are violent. They are testing your limits. This is why I decided to adopt a certain parenting style that works with Theodore. It is important to set rules for a kid and not to be completely neglecting, otherwise kids don’t have bunchmarks and tend to do whatever they want. Setting rules is also the key to show to a kid what is right or wrong for you. As the kids grows up, his behavior will be based on his education. If my kid doesn’t respect the rules, they will be consequences but I try not to yell on him. I am positive there is other methods that work. If, on the contrary, he respects them, he will be  rewarded. Even though there are some rules, he is welcome to tell me his opinion about it. If he disagrees, we can maybe find a compromise and see if it works better. I think it will not always be easy and that parents don’t always do the right thing in the heat of the moment but I will do the best I can.

A couple months ago, Theodore’s teacher told me Theodore hit his playmate in the playroom. I was so mad, it never happened before. It is hard for a parent to hear that from the teacher. I found out that kids don’t have that much vocabulary to express themselves and get frustrated when they can’t tell their playmate that they don’t want to play this game of share this toy. I then decided to talk to Theodore about what happened and teach him it is not okay to hit other people. I told him there were other ways to express his frustration. I also try not to make him watch violent movies as it can be hard for him to separate fantasy from reality.

Works Cited

https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/discipline/tips/how-to-put-an-end-to-difficult-behavior/

https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/behavioral/preschoolers-behaving-badly/

Théodore was three ! He loves drawing

[seventeen-central]

#1 Dad- Hoseok (J Hope) Fluff

Request: Can you write a scenario where Hobi and the reader have a kid that just started going to school and Hobi tries to be "the cool dad"?

Word Count:1074

Member/Group: Hoseok of BTS

Summary: It’s hard to fit in with the new generation, but that doesn’t stop your husband from trying.

A/N: I have the flu (yay) and am literally dying, so enjoy this product of my NyQuil induced haze! By the way, this is NOT edited, so sorry for any mistakes!

 “Appa! Wake up!” Your four year old son, (B/N), leaped onto his father’s chest as you laughed.

 “I’m up, I’m up...” Hoseok groaned, rolling over on the white sheets and stretching out his long limbs.

 Today was (B/N)’s first day of preschool, and you couldn’t tell if Hoseok or (B/N) were more excited. It had taken a long time of begging for Hoseok to convince you that it was time to have a kid, and it was unbelievable how fast your child was able to grow from a bubbly baby to a troublemaking toddler. As soon as (B/N) turned three, Hoseok had begun looking into preschools in the area that he could start going to when he reached the necessary age. After all that research, he finally was able to convince you to let your son go to a small private school that would begin to prepare him for kindergarten.

 You slipped a thin cardigan on top of your pajamas and made your way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for yourself and the two boys. Every few seconds, a loud yell would erupt from the room along with a chorus of giggles. Trying to focus on making breakfast was difficult when you could hear the fun being had without you, but you needed to ensure that everybody ate before they started their day. The pattering of small footsteps was followed by (B/N) clutching your leg and tightening his arms as he let out a playful scream.

 “Eomma! Appa is trying to tickle me! I told him if he did, I would tell you but he won’t stop!” Hoseok’s sleepy footsteps grew louder as he entered the kitchen. He kissed you on the cheek, before releasing a villainous laugh.

 “(B/N), if you don’t let me tickle you, I am going to send Eomma away to a tower, and you’ll never see her again!” Suddenly, your son stopped laughing, and he dropped onto the ground as hot tears began streaming down his face. 

 “I hate you, Appa! You can’t send away Eomma! I won’t let you!” He sniffled, and you sent your husband a death glare.

 “Hoseok, keep an eye on the eggs. I’ll go calm down (B/N).” Hoseok guiltily looked down, and you lifted your son on the counter.

 “(B/N), your Appa was just joking. He loves you and me, so he would never send me away from you two. If he tried to, he knows that I would steal you away from him so I could keep you all to myself.” You wiped your son’s cheeks, and set him onto the ground. “Why don’t you go get dressed for school, and me and Appa will finish making the food?”

 (B/N) scrambled to his room, and you walked back over to the stovetop. Hoseok slipped his arms around your waist, sighing as he leaned down and tucked his head into the crook of your neck.

 “I was just trying to play around with him... Is it because I work so much? I just feel like he doesn’t like me as much...”

 “Babe, don’t worry. He loves you a bunch, he just is too little to understand that you are joking. Don’t take it to heart.” Hoseok nodded, and your ears pricked up as you heard (B/N) making his way back into the kitchen. “(B/N), go sit down at the table. Appa will bring you your food.”

 After eating, the entirety of your small family loaded up the car and began to drive to the school (B/N) would be starting at. The drive was mostly quiet, with Hoseok running his thumb over your knuckles and (B/N) loudly singing his father’s songs while looking out the window and bouncing in his car seat. As you pulled up to the front doors, (B/N) gathered his bags and leaped out of the car. He latched onto your hand, and Hoseok followed behind the two of you, smiling to himself as he looked at the two most important people in his life. The hardest part was sending him off with the teacher, but there were no tears and you were on your way back home within minutes.

 “Babe, you think he’ll be okay, right?”

 “(Y/N), he will be more than okay. We’ll pick him up in a few hours, and he’ll be back in your arms before you know it.” Hoseok kissed you on the cheek before opening his car door. “Do you me to help you do laundry? It’ll take your mind off of (B/N) being gone.” You nodded, and you both entered the house and went to do some housework. 

“Hi, we’re here to pick up (B/N).” The teacher nodded and went back to get your son from the classroom. You fidgeted and looked up at Hoseok, who smiled and laughed.

 “You look happier now than when we got married!”

 “Shh... at least you managed to rope me in and marry me, Hobi.” (B/N) emerged from the classroom, holding a piece of paper in his hands. He politely said goodbye to his teacher, and you all got back into the car to begin the journey to the house.

 “(B/N), how about we have ice cream when we get home?”

 “Yes, Appa! Can Eomma have cookie dough though? I know she likes it.”

 “Of course, (B/N). What did you draw at school today?” Your son excitedly leaned up against the space between the driver and passenger seats, and placed the paper in your hands.

 “I drew a family portrait!”

 “Ummm... (B/N), why did you draw four of us when there are only three of us?” Hoseok looked over at you, confusion evident in his features.

 “Because I want a sibling! Appa, can I have one? I promise I’ll take care of them and teach them how to walk!”

 “If you say I am the coolest dad ever, I’ll try as long as Eomma agrees.”

 “You are the coolest dad ever!”

 “Okay, (B/N). You’ll have to wait a bit, but we’ll try to find you a sibling.” (B/N) happily leaned back in his car seat, and Hoseok laced his fingers through yours once again.

[wallpaperpaintings]

What You Know About Art Techniques And What You Don’t Know About Art Techniques | Art Techniques

That museums are demography art ysis added actively than anytime is due in ample allotment to a affairs at the Montreal Building of Fine Arts that allows physicians to appoint chargeless admission to its galleries. The building was additionally one of the aboriginal in North America to appoint a full-time art therapist in 2017.

Stephen Legari, who took the job, commonly sees about 1,200 participants anniversary year, but demands for his casework accept added as Montreal — the epicenter of Canada’s coronavirus beginning — reopens. “In quarantine, you’re attractive at the aforementioned things in your accommodation every day,” he explained. “The alliteration is cutting bottomward your accommodation to concentrate. By contrast, museums are places for wonderment, adorableness and awe.”

Katerine Caron abutting the art ysis affairs about three years ago. For abundant of her life, the 52-year-old biographer has dealt with acoustic accident and astringent agony afterwards actuality hit by a dispatch car while walking her accouchement beyond the street. She agilely awaits Wednesday aculation sessions. “I hadn’t created art back I was a child,” Ms. Caron said, “but art ysis has helped me actualize what I’m activity and accurate my acknowledgment for life.”

For her, the ysis has created a amplitude alfresco the communicable for her to action difficult emotions. “I’m beneath afraid and agitated,” she said, adding, “When I see the works of added artists, I apperceive that I’m not alone.”

When allocation through the museum’s aculating for afflatus recently, Mr. Legari has shied abroad from abreast works. Instead, he is fatigued

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