Tiffany's Blog Posts
A Missouri company allows you to bring your baby to work with you.
They call it their secret weapon. The company claims that the program allows them to retain and recruit the best employees. Employees love the program because they can continue to bond with their baby as well as save on childcare.
http://www.kmbc.com/r/26777531/detail.html
At the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, babies up to 6 months old are welcome at work.
They call it their secret weapon. The company claims that the program allows them to retain and recruit the best employees. Employees love the program because they can continue to bond with their baby as well as save on childcare.
http://www.kmbc.com/r/26777531/detail.html
Everyone seems to have heard about the grand piano on a sandbar out in Biscayne Bay. What most might not know is that a 16-year-old boy by the name of Nicholas Harrington is claiming responsibility for that mysterious piano. He says he placed his grandmother's piano there with the help of his father and some friends.
Harrington will likely be moving that baby grand pretty soon.
I knew that getting into a good college was getting harder, but I didn't realize how hard. Are all kids going to be required to document massive pranks art projects? I had enough trouble trying to write a decent essay.
Janine Stanwood and Constance Jones of WPLG Local 10 have more: Link
"I liked the idea of an anonymous piano out there, no explanation to it. But another person came out with the idea that they did it. That's just not right. But what people would do for publicity, who knows," Harrington said.
Harrington said he is going to use the story as part of his college entrance essay, complete with photos and videos to prove that it was his idea.
Harrington will likely be moving that baby grand pretty soon.
The Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resource Management said the piano must go no matter how artistic it looks.
I knew that getting into a good college was getting harder, but I didn't realize how hard. Are all kids going to be required to document massive pranks art projects? I had enough trouble trying to write a decent essay.
Janine Stanwood and Constance Jones of WPLG Local 10 have more: Link
Researchers believe that they can now tell which toddlers are going to become criminals. A study done on over 1,000 children in New Zealand suggests it all comes down to self-control. Children with poor self-control are more likely to have criminal records as adults. They also exhibit more health and financial problems.
Will self-control classes start popping up along side those tumbling, art, and reading programs already offered to the toddler crowd? It wouldn't surprise me.
Richard Alleyne of the Telegraph has more: Link
Photo: Bad Boy Pacifier available at the NeatoShop.
However the researchers said the good news was that self control could be taught – especially if the youngsters were caught early enough.
Will self-control classes start popping up along side those tumbling, art, and reading programs already offered to the toddler crowd? It wouldn't surprise me.
Richard Alleyne of the Telegraph has more: Link
Photo: Bad Boy Pacifier available at the NeatoShop.
Lawmakers in Florida want parents to be held more accountable. They are proposing that teachers issue report cards for parent participation.
Parents will be given one of three grades:
* Satisfactory
* Needs Improvement
* Unsatisfactory
The grades will be based on the parents' performance in three areas:
* Attendance [of child]
* Preparation [of child for class]
* Communication [between parent and teacher]
My Fox Tampa Bay has more: Link
Melinda Solis was making her kids an after school snack when they noticed something strange on one of the tortillas. One special tortilla seemed to have a burn mark that looked like the Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus. The family plans to save the tortilla.
Sergio Chapa of ValleyCentral.com has more: http://
Photo: Solis Family
"It's safe as long as I keep it away from my sons...as long as I keep it away from butter," Solis said.
Sergio Chapa of ValleyCentral.com has more: http://
Photo: Solis Family
Karlie, a 9-year-old Ohio girl, is pretty special. At the tender age of 6-years-old she set up her own animal charity. Now every year she passes on birthday parties and presents so that she can raise money and collect pet food for animals in need.
Karlie said she wants others to help those less fortunate, especially, furry friends.
"The animals here, if they don't have food and they don't have the water, they're probably going to die," Karlie said. "Pets are not our whole life, but they make our life whole."
Fox 8 Cleveland has more: Link
Victor Pauca is an energetic 5-year-old boy with Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. He used to need an expensive piece of equipment to help him communicate with his family. Now he uses a specially designed app called Verbal Victor. That app was lovingly designed for him by his Father and some his Dad's software engineering students.
Through a series of "buttons" made up of familiar voices and sounds, Victor can tell you what he wants to do by touching a picture on an iPod Touch, an iPhone or an iPad. The buttons can be customized with new voices and images.
"If he's able to tell you what he wants -- and it can be as simple as a choice of foods -- it really opens up a world for him and for us," Paul said.
The success of the app at home has Dad thinking of new applications for the software. He is looking into modifying the program to help children with autism and adults with Parkinson's Disease.
WFMY 2 News has more: Link
Jordan Rice has become one of the many faces of the Australia floods. This 13-year-old boy died a hero. Jordan was about to be saved when he insisted that his little brother be rescued first. His act of bravery cost him his life, but saved his brother.
Bonnie Malkin of The Telegraph has more: Link
Photo: (L-R) Blake and Jordan Rice
Photo Credit: REX
"Jordan was swept off," said John Tyson, 46, Ms Rice's partner of 30 years and Jordan's father. "As soon as he went, Donna just let go, you know, trying to clutch at Jordan. The poor little boy, they just both drowned.''He added: "He [the rescue worker] went to grab Jordan first, who said, 'Save my brother'. I can only imagine the fear coursing through his body."He won't go down with any fanfare or anything like that – I don't think anyone will even wear a black armband for him – but he's just the champion of all champions, a family hero."
Bonnie Malkin of The Telegraph has more: Link
Photo: (L-R) Blake and Jordan Rice
Photo Credit: REX
As I stumble through the daily parenting of my own 3 children I often think about the stuff my Dad taught me. Most of it was great and, well, some of it was questionable. Anyway, I thought it might be fun to share my top 20 favorite life lessons my Dad taught me. Since this is a family oriented site I would like everyone out there to know that I took great pains to clean up his advice. My Dad's version included a lot more profanity.
1. Be the doctor don't marry the doctor. My Dad is a closet feminist. Sure he comes off as a sexist pig and he is the king of inappropriate comments. What most people don't know is that my Dad told me nearly every day of my life that I should be the doctor not marry the doctor.
2. Is this the hill you want to die on? My Dad has a temper, which my husband says our one-year-old has inherited, and, if I were to be honest, probably didn't really skip a generation either. Despite that my Dad has always told me to pick and choose my battles. Sometimes that hill just isn't worth dying on.
3. Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. You didn't get what you wanted? Too bad. Learn from it and maybe next time you will.
4. Read with your kids and they will learn to love to read. It doesn't matter what you read to them. Kids just love having that special time with you. My Dad read me everything from Charlotte's Web to Stephen King novels. This might explain a few things about my personality.
5. It's never too late to go back to school, but it's a whole lot harder when you are older and have a family to support. When I was in college my Dad decided to go back to graduate school. It took him nearly 10 years to finish his PhD, but he did. Seeing him graduate was probably one of the proudest moments of my life. I have immense respect for anyone who has a family and goes back to school.
6. Parental advice isn't always correct. When I was in Junior High my Dad told me not to take typing class because I would have a secretary to do all my typing for me. This was the worst advice I have ever been given by another human being. I type badly every single day because of that advice. I have never had a secretary and if I ever do get one, I am sure they would tell me to type my own damn e-mails.
7. Dads are just as important as Moms. As a Mom I like to think I am pretty damn important. The reality is, however, that Dads are just as important as Moms. Dads are really the unsung heroes of the parental unit. They get shafted on Father's Day and are given all kinds of crappy Daddy duties. You know what I mean by Daddy duties, right? It's a polite way of saying "Hey Dad, we need you to kill something or clean up a dead thing."
8. You can do whatever you want with your life after you finish graduate school. I wanted to go to cooking school after college. My Dad cried so I went to graduate school instead. My husband, however, is still bitter that I didn't go to cooking school. But, not to worry! According to life lesson #5 there is still time for cooking school.
9. It's not about the destination, but the adventure you have getting there. My Father has a terrible, and I do mean terrible, sense of direction. Life has, therefore, always been about the adventure because we just never knew if we were going to arrive at the destination.
11. Every child is born a scientist. My Dad told me this and then he went on to curse me. He said he hoped that my children asked me as many why and what questions as I asked him. As a child I thought this meant he thought I was smart. In reality he was looking for payback.
12. Not all step-mothers are wicked. I had one Step-Mother who was pretty evil. I am pretty sure I once caught her polishing apples. I had, and still have, a second Step-Mother who is amazing.
13. Marry your best friend. When you do finally decide to make that contractual and spiritual arrangement with another human being make sure they are your best friend. This won't guarantee that everything works out, but it certainly helps.
14. Enjoy your youth. According to my Dad getting old sucks. There was actually a few chosen swear words in front of sucks when he told me this. Then he went on to add that your golden years is just fancy way saying you have to pee every 20 minutes.
15. Good Dads tend to worry a lot about being good providers. Being a good provider has always weighed heavily on my Dad. With age, I have come to learn that this is common to most good Dads. They work long hours and even on weekends. They are not worried about balance, they are worried about keeping everyone fed.
16. Enjoy your kids when they are little. This is the only time they will think you are awesome. Once they are older they will start to see you for who you really are. You will be sad and miss the 4-year-old version of your kids. After a while, however, you will start to get immense pleasure from embarrassing them in front of their friends. This somehow eases the pain of losing your awesome status.
17. If you do a good job your kids will fire you. They will leave you and start their own lives. Not being needed will be painful. On the plus side you will suddenly have a lot more disposable income. The increase in your net worth will soften the blow that your kids don't need you that much anymore.
18. Failing at something does not make you a failure. A lot of things you do in life will fail. It will blow, but failing does not make you a failure. So when you do fail or fall pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going.
19. Keep your sense of humor. Life gets complicated. You can't prevent people you love from getting sick or dying. But a good dose of laughter can help you through those dark days. It's life, baby, and you aren't going to get out alive.
20. Life is short so say what you want to say now. Every time I talk to my Dad he tells me two things. The first is that I am the biggest pain in the ass. The second is that he loves me anyway.
Thanks for all the life lessons Daddy! See, I was paying attention. Oh, and by the way, I love you too.
1. Be the doctor don't marry the doctor. My Dad is a closet feminist. Sure he comes off as a sexist pig and he is the king of inappropriate comments. What most people don't know is that my Dad told me nearly every day of my life that I should be the doctor not marry the doctor.
2. Is this the hill you want to die on? My Dad has a temper, which my husband says our one-year-old has inherited, and, if I were to be honest, probably didn't really skip a generation either. Despite that my Dad has always told me to pick and choose my battles. Sometimes that hill just isn't worth dying on.
3. Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. You didn't get what you wanted? Too bad. Learn from it and maybe next time you will.
4. Read with your kids and they will learn to love to read. It doesn't matter what you read to them. Kids just love having that special time with you. My Dad read me everything from Charlotte's Web to Stephen King novels. This might explain a few things about my personality.
5. It's never too late to go back to school, but it's a whole lot harder when you are older and have a family to support. When I was in college my Dad decided to go back to graduate school. It took him nearly 10 years to finish his PhD, but he did. Seeing him graduate was probably one of the proudest moments of my life. I have immense respect for anyone who has a family and goes back to school.
6. Parental advice isn't always correct. When I was in Junior High my Dad told me not to take typing class because I would have a secretary to do all my typing for me. This was the worst advice I have ever been given by another human being. I type badly every single day because of that advice. I have never had a secretary and if I ever do get one, I am sure they would tell me to type my own damn e-mails.
7. Dads are just as important as Moms. As a Mom I like to think I am pretty damn important. The reality is, however, that Dads are just as important as Moms. Dads are really the unsung heroes of the parental unit. They get shafted on Father's Day and are given all kinds of crappy Daddy duties. You know what I mean by Daddy duties, right? It's a polite way of saying "Hey Dad, we need you to kill something or clean up a dead thing."
8. You can do whatever you want with your life after you finish graduate school. I wanted to go to cooking school after college. My Dad cried so I went to graduate school instead. My husband, however, is still bitter that I didn't go to cooking school. But, not to worry! According to life lesson #5 there is still time for cooking school.
9. It's not about the destination, but the adventure you have getting there. My Father has a terrible, and I do mean terrible, sense of direction. Life has, therefore, always been about the adventure because we just never knew if we were going to arrive at the destination.
11. Every child is born a scientist. My Dad told me this and then he went on to curse me. He said he hoped that my children asked me as many why and what questions as I asked him. As a child I thought this meant he thought I was smart. In reality he was looking for payback.
12. Not all step-mothers are wicked. I had one Step-Mother who was pretty evil. I am pretty sure I once caught her polishing apples. I had, and still have, a second Step-Mother who is amazing.
13. Marry your best friend. When you do finally decide to make that contractual and spiritual arrangement with another human being make sure they are your best friend. This won't guarantee that everything works out, but it certainly helps.
14. Enjoy your youth. According to my Dad getting old sucks. There was actually a few chosen swear words in front of sucks when he told me this. Then he went on to add that your golden years is just fancy way saying you have to pee every 20 minutes.
15. Good Dads tend to worry a lot about being good providers. Being a good provider has always weighed heavily on my Dad. With age, I have come to learn that this is common to most good Dads. They work long hours and even on weekends. They are not worried about balance, they are worried about keeping everyone fed.
16. Enjoy your kids when they are little. This is the only time they will think you are awesome. Once they are older they will start to see you for who you really are. You will be sad and miss the 4-year-old version of your kids. After a while, however, you will start to get immense pleasure from embarrassing them in front of their friends. This somehow eases the pain of losing your awesome status.
17. If you do a good job your kids will fire you. They will leave you and start their own lives. Not being needed will be painful. On the plus side you will suddenly have a lot more disposable income. The increase in your net worth will soften the blow that your kids don't need you that much anymore.
18. Failing at something does not make you a failure. A lot of things you do in life will fail. It will blow, but failing does not make you a failure. So when you do fail or fall pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep going.
19. Keep your sense of humor. Life gets complicated. You can't prevent people you love from getting sick or dying. But a good dose of laughter can help you through those dark days. It's life, baby, and you aren't going to get out alive.
20. Life is short so say what you want to say now. Every time I talk to my Dad he tells me two things. The first is that I am the biggest pain in the ass. The second is that he loves me anyway.
Thanks for all the life lessons Daddy! See, I was paying attention. Oh, and by the way, I love you too.
KABC-TV Video
Friday afternoon firefighters in Los Angeles received a very special package. A 6-hour-old baby girl wrapped snugly in a blanket was delivered to their station. The firefighters nicknamed her Noel. The 27-year-old Mother gave up the child under California's Safe Haven law.
The nearly decade-old Safe Haven Law in California allows parents to give up babies up to three days old at fire stations, hospitals and other locations without fear of prosecution if there are no signs of abuse.
She was the sixth child surrendered in Los Angeles County in 2010 and the 82nd since the Safely Surrendered Baby Law was passed nine years ago, according to county statistics.
Link
Three teen boys are lucky to be alive. Samuel Perez, Filo Filo, and Edward Nasau spent 50 days adrift in the open ocean. The boys and their small aluminum boat disappeared from a coral atoll in Tokelau in October. Wednesday the the boys were miraculously spotted by a tuna boat.
The boys, who range in age from 14 to 15-years-old, survived by drinking rain water and sharing a raw seagull. They also were forced to drink small amounts of sea water.
Tim Vollmer of The Daily Telegraph has more: Link
The boys, who range in age from 14 to 15-years-old, survived by drinking rain water and sharing a raw seagull. They also were forced to drink small amounts of sea water.
Last month 500 people on the boys' home island of Atafu held a memorial service for them, having given up hope they would be found alive.
But yesterday their families received the good news, with the boys phoning home from the tuna boat.
The rescue was made more miraculous because the San Nikunau was operating far from the waters it normally fishes, taking a shortcut as it headed home to New Zealand.
Tim Vollmer of The Daily Telegraph has more: Link
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year I am thankful for many things. One of the things I am most thankful for are the little people in my life who reward me with Valentine's day cards on Thanksgiving. Here's hoping that your turkey day is filled with lots of laughter.
A North Carolina 3-year-old is being called a hero for calling 911 and saving her Mother's life. Little Sereniti was taught to call 911 by her daycare. When her Mother collapsed and was having trouble breathing the brave toddler picked up the phone and dialed for help.
When paramedics arrived Sereniti opened the door and led them to her Mom.
Link
"My mommy's stuck on the floor," young Sereniti Dixon can be heard telling the 911 operator who picked up on the other end. Sereniti stayed on the line and even repeated herself several times.
When paramedics arrived Sereniti opened the door and led them to her Mom.
Link
Videos of kids attacking each other have been popping up online and some say they are also for sale on the street. Apparently these are not videos of random brawls. Adults may be paying children to start fights and even attack fellow students. The fights are recorded and distributed as a form of entertainment.
Kansas City News has more: http://www.kctv5.com/news/25751830/detail.html
The student, who requested that his identity not be revealed, said he was jumped while at school. He said he didn't know why, but he soon found out it was not a random attack. He said he was targeted by other students, including a close friend, who were doing it for money."Them kids are the one you target, the ones ain't got nothing to lose," the student said. "Especially growing up in Kansas City -- ain't that many jobs you can get. Ain't that many ways you can get money. They come offer you a proposition, and the only thing you got to do is beat that person up and they reward you with money."
Kansas City News has more: http://www.kctv5.com/news/25751830/detail.html
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