Hopscotch Boutique is featured in the june 2008 issue of Central Florida Moms in the “mompreneurs…local moms following their passion”
I was super excited when the writer, Bethann Durlin called me for an interview re an upcoming article in the magazine….yippeee!
Thank you Central Florida Moms…we love you!
www.centralfloridamoms.com
Found this article in Parents Magazine: April 2008….and I thought I would pass along the info for you to do with your children 
1. Celebrate a new holiday. Announce that it’s Polka-Dot Day or Purple Day.
2. Throw a doll’s birthday party. Wrap up a few “gifts”, decorate with balloons and streamers, and enjoy a mock - or real- cake.
3. Dress for the weather. Lay out items for different weather condititions, describe a certain day, and ask your child to pick an outfit for it.
4. Open a petting zoo. Place stuffed animals around the room, pet each one, and talk about what they like to eat.
5. Camp out in your living room. Climb into a tent and sleeping bags, Turn on a flashlight, and pretend to eat s’mores.
6. Form a family band. Have everyone grab an instrument and jam to a cd.
7. Imitate animals. Practive hopping like a frog, squirming like a worm, wadding like a duck, and stretching like a cat.
8. Play restaurant. In the real kitchen or a pretend one, alternate between being the customer and the server or chef.
9. Offer horsy rides. Let her bounce on your back while you “neigh” and chew hay.
10. Ride the laundy-bin “school bus”. She’s the passenger, and you’re the driver. Make stops to pick up other kids, and wave bye-bye to the mommies at each stop.
Found this little article in Parents Magazine and thought you may like it take a break with a cup of coffee or tea and de-stress:
“Despite all the emphasis on managing stress these days, it seems that people are more stressed out than ever. In fact, a third of all U.S. adults are living with extreme stress. Some stress-busting ideas:
BREAK TASKS INTO BITE-SIZE BITS. Thinking about an entire project can be overwhelming, so divide projects into small chunks that you can take on one at a time.
TAKE VACATIONS. Easier said than done, we know. But it really does refresh you and recharge your batteries. If a long getaway isn’t feasible, take mini respites by doing things you might normally do on a vacation, such as going on a nature hike.
MAKE TIME FOR FREINDS. Having a standing phone date with a pal, e-mail friends.
GET PHYSICAL WITH YOUR FAMILY. To unwind after work and school, turn on fun music and dance around together with your kids and your partner. It’s a great way to lift everyone’s mood when your’e a little tired and cranky after a long day and to revive you for homework and other evening routines.”
How to preserve your personal space….
Excerpt from “Milk It” How to get the most of the next 9 months…
“Beign pregnant measns sharing your body with someone else. But voluntarily accommodating a baby is one thinkg; being subject to the hands-on approach of everyone you meet is quite another. For as soon as you are visibly with child, you will be touched, your belly rubbed, and your figure stared up and down. Previously pregnant women will check out your ankles (to see how swollen they are) and your bump (to see whether your’e carrying high or low). The never-been-pregnant crowd will star at your belly (because it’s just so big and round) and your boobs (likewise). Maybe people think that because you were unihibited enough to get pregnant in the first place you must have no concept of personal space. Or maybe people are just freaks.
Ofcourse, it all depends on who’s doing the touching. Close friends, your sister, even the father of your child may all be well within rights to get intimate with your person. Thses are the poeple who hug and kiss you to say hello.
The trick, then, is to create an impenetrable exlusion zone around your entire body…
* develop an unapproachable demeanor.
* wear a large handbag diagonally across your body.
* Retch slightly, as if you might be about to throw up.
* spell it out with graphic tees….”hands off”
Strangers: 34%
Mother-in-law: 31%
Mother: 18%
Friends: 12%
Siblings: 5%
Found this article in Parenting Magazine: Feb 2008.
3 ways your kids defy the laws of logic, physics and nature:
1. your toddler can carry around 43 times his body weight in stuffed animals.
2. As the temperature falls from 90 to 30 degress, the likelihood of your daughter wanting to wear a bikini and flip-flops rises from 30 to 90 percent.
3. They manage to become invisible at the sight of green veggies.
