Kansas- You SUCK!

February 20, 2014 / mysenkid / 1 Comment

Kansas, you know what? You suck ass balls. You suck great balls of fire. You just plainly SUCK at being you. What is wrong with you? Seriously? What is it? Are you tired of the ever-famous quote, “We’re not in Kansas anymore”, being the only thing people remember you for? It sure is all I care to know about you- especially now. I could and would never live, let alone vote in a state where laws like yours are being passed in the House of Representatives. Before I move forward Kansas, please take a moment and read my post on “LOVE”here. And while you are there, take the time to watch Ellen Page’s inspirational message about acceptance, or simply watch here if you are too damn lazy to go find it.

Law 1: Discrimination at its finest

A law was recently passed in the House of Reps in Kansas that allows businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples & individuals if it interferes with their religious beliefs. The supporters of this bill believe it is not discrimination, but instead it is simply protecting religious beliefs. Hogwash. Utter Bleeping Hogwash. Isn’t the foundation of religion about loving & respecting all God’s creatures, whichever God it is? Listen, I was raised Catholic. I refused my confirmation because as a 12 year old, I didn’t believe what they were preaching. I will NOT be apart of any religion that demonizes another human being for whom they love. Just because it was all I knew, didn’t mean it was all I needed to know. I am better for not standing inside the heaping pile of hypocrisy of “love one another”, . Through my research, I have found that they believe this bill will not hold up in the next phase, but the fact that it even made it this far, is upsetting & disgusting. Kansas- you win nothing.

Law 2: Spanking to leave a handprint

Yes, you heard me right. Spanking is allowed in Kansas as of now, as long as no permanent damage is done to the child. However, a new law being proposed allows parents, teachers & caregivers (with parents permission) to administer 10 strikes of the hand, with smacks hard enough to leave redness & bruising. Are you kidding me? What The Hell is Wrong With Kansas? I will not even get into how many ways spanking is not an effective tool, instead lets focus on LEAVING A MARK ON YOUR CHILD! The thought of leaving a mark on my child on purpose or accidental puts me into a hyperventilation state. Supporters of this bill believe it will restore parental rights & ultimately kids will respect their parents more. Let me propose something to you Kansas: How about an adult, any adult who fears lack of respect of another individual can smack them without fear of retribution. How does that sound? Because let me tell you, as an adult, if another adult were to put their hands on me I would not respect them, I would loathe them. Fear them. De-friend them (Facebook pun,HAHAHA). It doesn’t gain my respect, and nor would I want my child to respect anyone who demands respect by physical abuse. AGAIN KANSAS- YOU SUCK!

I could write forever on these topics, but they are toxic. Toxic to my brain, toxic to society and toxic for the children of the next generation. I only can say, this toxicity will come nowhere into my household. Side Note: as a travel major and avid traveler, I will NOT be visiting Kansas.

*****Disclaimer- I will apologize if you are from Kansas. What I said was raw, honest and well, people just needed to know how bad Kansas sucks. I am not sorry for throwing your state under the bus (and running over it a few hundred times), I am sorry that you are from Kansas.

Namaste~ people~ Namaste

Joy

Art Therapy – Wordless Wednesday

February 19, 2014 / mysenkid / 1 Comment

Art Therapy: Art is an amazing thing. I could talk all day about the benefits of doodling, painting, crafting, sculpting and all facets of art. But- I will just show you how art transcends age limits, disabilities, handicaps: for it is a universal language. One you can interpret how you see fit. Landon had his Intro to Watercolor class today at the Warwick Museum of Art. He went this summer as well- the only 5-year-old in the program designed for 6+ and up. His artwork caught the attention of the instructor and she knew he would excel and take it seriously. He was back for more during February vacation! Here are his pieces that he named himself:

Dragonfly- Elanna’s memory

Flower Brought to Life

Sunset over Waves & Rock

I love Colors

Valentine’s Craft that is good for your Heart

February 14, 2014 / mysenkid / 1 Comment

It’s Valentines day! YAY! Usually I am the mom who goes out the night before to my local 24 hour CVS and picks up a box of pre-maid valentines. For other holidays I am more open to spending time making something crafty for the kids in Landon’s class. But, for some reason, I always feel like the Valentines that he gets, we just toss. So, wouldn’t others do the same? Why waste all that time on something?

Maybe it’s just me, being cynical or a pessimist. I am known to be a little of both. Any-who, this year I decided to make something. I wanted to make a Valentine craft that is good for your heart! But not just anything. I wanted to make something I felt at least half of his class would actually use.He has 21 kids in his class, so my odds were good I thought. With the emphasis on reading & writing in Kindergarten this year, I thought what would be a better thing to make then BOOKMARKS! The kids can feel “grown-up” with their very own and it promotes the LOVE OF READING! Which by the way, I am very keen on.

Here is our attempt at Valentine’s Crafts! It’s pretty self-explanatory. Landon had a blast helping and was so excited to give them to all his friends! He even left the other side of the bookmark blank for the kids to decorate with their own stickers or markers! He is just too thoughtful! Wonder who he takes after? I hope you all have a great Valentines Day- and I apologize in advance if your kid is in Landon’s class- I will hold onto the Valentines for a day- then out they go! My 640-sq foot home has no room for anything extra! TRUST ME!

Namaste~

Joy

Listen to Your Mother- Providence Submission

February 6, 2014 / mysenkid / 4 Comments

Listen to Your Mother submissions are due Feb 14th. So soon…..ahh……(stop blogging Joy- start writing)…… For those who follow along- you know I auditioned for Listen To Your Mother – Providence last year. I did not make the cut. I will not sit here and lie and say I wasn’t upset. I was. But after about 2 weeks I realized something. I wrote my best piece yet. A piece that I know Landon will appreciate once he is older. A piece that helped people realize why I call Landon, “a miracle”. A piece that may have gotten some naysayers off my back about wanting an only child (side note- I can care less what you think really). It was a perfect piece. If you want to re-read it- you can do so here. While I really would love to audition with this piece again- because I feel it is a story that needs to be told, I am not.

I am working on another piece. A piece that I feel is like the elephant in the room if you will…….Some may feel the same way I do- but are too afraid to admit it because they fear what others may think. Well, I will be the guinea pig. I have finally been able to put two & two together and figure out what has been plaguing me all these years.

If I don’t make the cut this year- I will post my essay on here right away. However, if I am lucky enough to be chosen, well you must come and get tickets to watch me rock the stage on May 10th (and of course I will post after the show for all you non-local readers). I am excited to continuing writing this piece and hope I do it justice! But, its all about me and my feelings- and I believe you should never feel bad for how you feel. Hope I kicked up some suspense……….That is all…..

Namaste~

Joy

Cookies for Kids Cancer- Local Event

February 3, 2014 / mysenkid / 1 Comment

Did you know that pediatric cancer is the #1 disease killer in the U.S. of children under the age of 18. Even with this being said, pediatric cancer receives a very small percentage of the National Cancer Institute’s $4.8 billion annual budget and almost no research and development dollars from pharmaceutical companies. This makes me angry. I don’t have a child with cancer, but I have a child. And I know, I would want no stone unturned for the cure to this disease that takes so many precious little ones away from their families.

Photo by www.cookiesforkidscancer.org

Good News People! We can help! We can help provide more funds, for more research. We the people can make a difference. Every dollar helps, because it goes directly to the Cookies for Kids Cancer, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit public charity raising money for pediatric cancer research through local bake sales. It was founded by a very determined mother to help increase her young son’s odds in his fight against cancer. In late 2007, she had the idea to bake cookies to sell during the holidays. Her small idea became a huge movement with 96,000 cookies baked and sold during a three-week period with the help of more than 250 dedicated volunteers. She soon realized more people wanted to help and in turn- this charity was created for other towns and cities to join in on the fight to cure pediatric cancer.

Photo by www.mamasnightout.org

Heather Wirtz, Publisher of my local Macaroni Kid newsletter has been involved with this charity for 3 years. I have seen first hand how it has grown over the years and proud to be a part of this local community. The amount of work Heather puts in is incredible and so appreciated. But she needs your help. Through her platform of Macaroni Kid and connections in the local community, we can help her reach her goal and maybe even surpass it! One person can make a difference- so can you imagine what we can do in large numbers? The possibilities are truly endless.

The event itself is so much fun! Heather has truly mastered the idea of a family fun day- paired with yummy snacks and raffles- all going to the charity. The Bake Sale will be at Dream Big Gymnastics in Cranston, RI on March 2nd from 12pm – 4pm. Kids and adults can play in the gym and have a great time together! The event is FREE- we only ask you support the charity by coming hungry and leaving with some yummy baked goods! There will also be a free craft, face painting and plenty of fun raffle items. ALL bake sale and raffle proceeds will go to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer!

HERE’S HOW TO HELP: Heather is currently looking for volunteers to bake and/or help out during the event. Do you own a local business? They are also in need of giveaway/raffle items (all proceeds will be donated to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer), bottled water, juice box and snacks! If you are interested in helping, please contact Heather @ (heatherw@macaronikid.com).

If you are local- I urge you to consider stopping by for a bit, or even taking your little ones into the kitchen to bake up some treats to donate. If you are not local- look into if there is a local Cookies for Kids Bake Sale in your area here.

As the mother whose idea it was to create Cookies for Kids’ Cancer says, “If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes the world to fight pediatric cancer.” We’re in this fight because every child battling cancer deserves a fighting chance.

Namaste~

Joy

Wordless Wednesday- Skiing In NH

January 29, 2014September 7, 2015 / mysenkid / 3 Comments

NIGHT SNOW-TUBING

DAY OF SKIING

INDOOR FUN!!!

We had an impromptu trip to NH/ME this weekend! It was 72 hours of jam-packed action! Skiing, Snow-tubing, Water-slides, Yummy Food, Shopping and yes Lots of driving! Landon was amazing- even though he was having his “sensory” days more often because of the lack of schedule, sleep and new environment. But that never puts a damper on our fun. We work with him to make sure he has the best time regardless! And I think these pictures prove he did.

Skiing & tubing at King Pine Ski Area

Hotel Accommodations : Hampton Inn & Suites North Conway, NH

Dinner- Yankee Smokehouse

~Namaste~

Coconut Oil- Is it a Magic Potion?

January 24, 2014 / mysenkid / 4 Comments

Coconut Oil is not just another fad. It is here to stay. A fad tends to leave this life almost as quickly as it graced us with its presence. Coconut Oil my friends is no fad. I won’t argue that within the last couple of years it has risen in popularity. That’s probably because the amount of useful possibilities this oil has; and I am sure we will continue to learn more each year. Chefs, beauty experts, and even medical professionals use Coconut Oil for its many benefits it offers. Maybe, that is why it is here to stay- but you should find out for yourself. The uses for this oil are really endless. It transcends from one market to the next. I mean, shoulder pads, MC-Hammer pants and fanny packs really didn’t do much to help the human race! Coconut Oil on the other hand- well It’s A WINNER!

Photo By Gary Yee

Honestly, I don’t think I knew much about Coconut Oil until after my son was born. He has eczema and had bad breakouts when he was an infant. I am not against traditional medicine when its needed, but I never felt comfortable using the steroid cream on him as he was under 6 months when he got his first outbreak of it. Luckily, my allergist saw my hesitations and recommended pure coconut oil, or a natural cream made with coconut oil. I tried both. It worked wonders. It is still the one thing I use for my eczema and my son’s (6 years later).

Photo provided by Laura Rossi Public Relations

Years went on and I thought I was so clever with my new found uses for coconut oil! I mean, I use it for my beauty regime, to help replenish my dry skin & heal my eczema and I even cook with it. I even add a few tablespoons to my green smoothies after I run for my healthy oil component. But I have got nothing on this book. Bruce Fife, C.N, N.D, has come out with even more new uses for this amazing oil. Published previously as The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil, it is now in its 5th edition as The Coconut Oil Miracle. With this book, you can really include coconut oil in every aspect of your lifestyle.

Did you know that you can coconut oil can be used in these ways:

Heart disease fighter
An anti-microbial
Lose weight
Gain glowing skin & healthy locks
Better health
Food & nourishment
and so much more……

Did you know that Coconut Oil can do all this? Come on, did you? Even Pinterest has a board dedicated to this amazing oil! If you don’t believe me- check out one of my favorite boards for yourself here.

Laura Rossi Public Relations was kind enough to give me digital copy of this book- but YOU can enter to win a Hard Copy for yourself! Keep this book in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in your bedroom- the possibilities are endless: because this book encompasses all aspects of your life. You will be amazed to learn all the benefits that coconut oil can give you. From glowing skin, maintaining weight-loss to healthy gums- it’s nothing short of miraculous! Plus there are recipes included in the back of the book- and let me tell you the Coconut Brownies are to die for!

So what are you waiting for? Learn more about this book and all the benefits of Coconut Oil here! And Enter for your chance to win! Giveaway will end Feb 8th and Noon! Good Luck!

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Joyful Noise, by Joy Adamonis

Joyfully Me raising a Sensational Kid

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