Not a Fun Topic ~ But an Important One

This post was written by long time Tiny Oranges sponsor, Orange County estate planning lawyer, Darlynn Morgan, about the importance of taking the steps to protect your children legally if something were to happen to you. Not a fun topic, but an important one. Darlynn is hosting two free workshops for OC parents this month, details below. Here is what she wrote:

As parents, we know that bad things can happen to our family and that’s why we take steps to minimize our child’s risk or exposure.

We invest in the very best car seats, cabinet locks, helmets and other equipment—all in the name of keeping our children safe.   It feels like that’s all I ever think about, keeping my 3 year old son safe!

Yet when it comes to making sure our kids are protected in the event of mom or dad’s sudden death or incapacity, most parents find security by sticking their heads in the sand, doing nothing and thinking positive thoughts.

For some parents, they are in such denial that they don’t even let it cross their mind.  I understand; it’s very very hard to think about this stuff.

Click here to read more!

Helping Your Kids Cope with Doctor Fears

As mamas, we can kiss scraped knees, bandage minor cuts, give extra cuddles and run for the iced boo boo pack for owies. But, helping your kids cope with doctor anxiety?  That can be a toughie.

When a trip to your favorite pediatrician is in order (sometimes I swear I need a “frequent visit” card punch) it can cause stress for everyone involved. Does anybody else’s kids freak out when you mention a doctor’s visit?  Well, mine do.

Recently, I was sitting in my daughter’s gymnastics class lounge chatting with the other moms, and this very topic came up.  Turns out, each one of our girls had different fears about the doctor and all of us shared what worked.

It was all such great advice…girlfriend to girlfriend, mom to mom…that I thought I’d compile it and share with all of you!  So, in no particular order, here’s our two cents. I very much hope you find these tips handy in helping your kids cope with doctor anxiety.

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Happy Campers, Happy Summer! [Giveaway!]

Today’s post is all about Tiny Oranges’ Sponsor, Inside the Outdoors and their fabulous Orange County summer camps for kids.  And we have an awesome giveaway as well, make sure to read below to enter to win a FREE week of summer camp for your child!

After about five minutes of chatting about their camps and different summer themes, I started feeling nostalgic for my own camp days. What’s better than fresh air, crafts, hikes, learning about nature and animals, and singing camp songs in the summer?  Anyone else have a craving for a s’more right about now?

In our family, it’s T-minus two weeks until my older kiddo is out of school.  Staring at the calendar, this fills me with a small sense of freedom, excitement, and (a little) panic (three whole months with BOTH kids!).  My mission?  Happy campers, happy summer!

Click here to read more and enter to win a free week of summer camp…

Two Great Postnatal Exercises

Today Erica from Knocked-Up Fitness is sharing two effective full body postnatal exercises to help jumpstart your workout routine after baby arrives (of course with your doctor’s blessing!) In case you missed it, last week Erica shared easy tips on How to Get in Shape Quick After Baby.

Here are two of her favorite exercises, with instructions, directly from her Prenatal and After Baby DVD’s, written by Erica Ziel.

Click here to read more…

Free Family Fun & Wellness Fair

This Saturday there is a FREE Family Fun & Wellness Fair at Pretend City this Saturday where local families are invited to come and enjoy live performances, face painting, games and more.

The event takes place this Saturday, June 8th between 9am – 2pm in the Pretend City parking lot and is completely free to attend.  In addition to the fun activities, there will be a variety of stations set up offering free health screenings for children in an effort to aid parents in understanding their child’s development.

Click here to read more…