I often look at my kids and wonder how they got so old already! OK, so they’re still only little kids, but really, wasn’t it just yesterday that they were crawling around the floor?

How does the time disappear so quickly? I admit that there are days when they’re both tired and cranky and I think, “If only they were older!”

But then I remember how fast their childhood will disappear, and soon that day will come when they won’t need mom to fix everything because they can fix it themselves.

I think that’s one of the things that has my heart set on sharing my love of music with my children. The chance to make some great memories that I’ll remember when they’re off living their own lives and raising their own kids. [Read more…]

Nothing is more important for a responsible gun owner than to teach his or her children about firearm safety. With over 200 million firearms currently in the country, and half of these being stored at home, the opportunity for abuse and accidents should never be underestimated.

So how does one teach a child about how to be safe around guns? There are several levels of firearms instruction, depending on the age of the child.

For Young Children

Children often have the wrong, almost idealistic perception of firearms. For example, children should be made to understand that firearms depicted in the movies are stage props that really don’t injure people, and that real firearms are very dangerous and can hurt and kill people. In real life, they must be handled with extreme caution even by adults. The overriding rule here is: Never touch a firearm unless a parent or adult guardian is sitting right next to you and is watching you. [Read more…]

I love teaching my kids how to cook. I like watching their faces as they light up when I let them mix something, pour something, or even measure something.

Cooking together also encourages healthy eating habits and responsibility. It also ensures my kids know how to boil water for pasta, cook an egg, or even make toast.

I also find that with my fussy eater, she is more likely to try something if she had a hand in making it. I can give you the example of the meatloaf. She would NEVER touch meatloaf ever.

However, one day I had her help me make it and I made it the same way I always did. But because she had a hand in making it, she wanted to try the fruits of our labor. Guess what? Now she eats meatloaf. [Read more…]

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, I was so overwhelmed by all of the things that needed to be done. I was especially confused about all the products and gadgets the baby magazines said I wouldn’t be able to live without. I had never done this “parenting thing” before – how was I supposed to know what I really needed and what was just unnecessary clutter?

Well, I definitely made a few frivolous purchases along the way. Now that we are expecting our second little one, I have a much more clear idea of what we are going to need, what’s “nice to have,” and what’s just plain unnecessary.

Must-Haves – Baby Gadgets You’ll Need

The truth is babies don’t need much. There are a few things, however, that are absolute necessities: [Read more…]

Ever thought music lessons were simply too expensive? Ever felt like a music teacher takes things a bit too fast in their lessons for you to stay with them? Or has a music school just been a bit too far away that you can’t fit travelling over there into your busy schedule?

Well, all of these jarring factors in the process to learning an instrument could be at an end. The answer is right in front of you. The Internet!

The Internet as a Teacher

The internet has become a learning tool for many people. Audiences around the world can watch helpful video tutorials learning how to construct a catapult, replace the screen of an iPhone and even how to learn a musical instrument. [Read more…]