WHERE TECH AND COLORING MERGE

By: Melissa Gerstein

We are living in a very tricky time today with our children and technology. You can try to fight it as a parent as much as you can but at the end of the day, technology is going to win I fear.

As a mom of 3 raising children ages 5 to 13 I have been thrown in to this “Wild Wild West” territory of tech and the internet. I am constantly monitoring and timing limits on usage. I am constantly taking away devices. I am very old fashioned and practice a lot of the “back to the basics” routines with my kids, although I do appreciate the benefits of something like an interactive table can have on their learning. You will find me on the floor playing board games, teaching Chess and coloring anytime I have the opportunity. I love watching the kids get engrossed while doing all of these small activities and I think they enjoy it too. One of my acquaintances told me how optimization of various online tools could help kids learn more effectively. I’m yet to learn more about it, so until then, I want my children to create with their own hands, their own minds and use their own creative thoughts, not someone else’s. So that means showing them various games they can play physically to be present in the moment. This can be helped along by looking online at Wizards of the Coast to see what boardgames can spark imagination like D&D, Magic, the list is endless. I want them to still sketch and paint and read read read and not on a tablet. I am putting up a good fight but at the end of the day I find myself losing.

Last week at an event we were hosting with Crayola, I was recently introduced to a product that is at the intersection of technology and coloring, it is called Color Alive.

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Captivated By Captiva Island

By: Melissa Gerstein

My mom grew up in Florida, so we visited her parents often when I was a little girl. Orlando was her home for over 20 years and then she met my dad in St. Louis and planted roots. But I do remember going back to Florida as often as we could while growing up.

When we got older we vacationed on the West Coast of Florida to a small spot called Marco Island. We would fly into Fort Meyers and head South. I always remembered seeing signs for Captiva Island and thought it sounded so mysterious and private and cool. I always wanted to go and see what Captiva Island was all about.
Recently, I finally had the chance to visit Captiva Island and dive into all its wonder. I had my mom join me on this Floridian adventure and we met for a relaxing 3 day exploration together at South Seas Island Resort.
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Are You Ready Captain?! #NorwegianMOMS SpongeBob:SpongeOut Of Water Event!

The MOMS are making history this week as they host not one but two screenings, one in New York City and the other in Miami, of the new SpongeBob Movie:Sponge Out Of Water, in theaters February 6th!

“The snow can’t stop us!” The MOMS from having fun!! Yesterday, The MOMS and Norwegian Cruise Line hosted a Mamarazzi® event at the Paramount Screening Room in NYC Read more

What Do You Do With Your Kids In The Cold?

What do you do with your kids when it’s cold out? For us, the answer is simple. Head outside! Doesn’t snow tubing, family Olympics and ice skating on a frozen lake make mom someone the kids actually want to play with!

Of course, when we’re not out having fun, we like to stay warm indoors. During the winter months, your home simply has to stay heated or you’re in for some real trouble: frozen pipes and frozen peeps! Make sure that your heating system is well-maintained and working as it should as you don’t want it to give up the ghost just as the snow begins to fall! Bringing in the professionals (like these – summersphc.com/yorkville/services/heating/furnace-tune-up-in-yorkville/) is probably for the best as you don’t want to try and attempt repairs on your own only to make matters worse and more costly to fix.

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A little cold weather doesn’t scare us, and there’s nothing better than a weekend with our kids at Woodloch Pines. And this time we wanted to include some other hard working moms and dads. We teamed up with Vaseline Intensive Care and stayed active both inside and out with 15 families we have come to know through our company. It was a camp-like weekend for all.

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The weekend began with a group luncheon and from there we took part in a “Cakebowl”. We didn’t win but gave it our best. The kids did better in the basketball competition, and I may try to go back to my teen years and find a hockey team to join.

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So, if this horrible weather continues, we won’t hide inside….we’ll just pack our bags with our Vaseline Intensive Care and head back to Woodloch. Hopefully with Lance Somerfield, Adam & Suzanne Cohen, Brianne Manz, Pam Madden, Kristen Kill, Melissa Chapman, Geanine Petraglia, Lauren Oak, Stephanie Barnhart, Maria Colaco, Susan Pazera, and Johnnybell Sanchez and their families.

The MOMS were compensated to host this weekend with Vaseline ® Intensive CareTM

Vaseline ® Intensive CareTM is a range of lotions that go beyond basic moisturization to deeply moisturize to heal dry skin. With daily use, skin is kept in a lasting and healthy state of moisturization.

Each of the powerful formulas have been designed to combat dry skin with a special blend of humectants (to draw water into the skin), and healing micro-droplets of Vaseline ® Jelly (to lock moisture in). Like original Vaseline ® Jelly, these micro-droplets are highly refined, and 100% pure. Together, the humectants and Vaseline Jelly micro-droplets in the lotions work to deliver on a range of moisturization needs.

Freezing in February? Here's a deal for you!

As big fans and partners with Norwegian Cruise Line, We are proud to share this with you.

 

Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice Plus.  Up to $3,500 in value.

Our best offer just got better! Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice Plus now gives you 3 offers to choose from, valued at up to $3,500!

  • Choose the Ultimate Dining Package and experience a different specialty restaurant every night of your cruise.
  • Choose the Ultimate Beverage Package and enjoy your favorite wine, beer and cocktails for as long as you sail.
  • Choose the spending money and get up to $300 to pamper yourself with a spa treatment, go on a shore excursion and more.

PLUS – now with any itinerary, your clients also get Friends & Family Sail Free – the perfect way to bring the whole gang together.

The choice is always yours when your choose to Cruise Like a Norwegian® #NorwegianMOMS

 

www.ncl.com/promo/wave15?cid=PA_NA_GLO_PAR_MOM_NA_DIS_WAVE15F_NA_NA_NA


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