If you’ve ever dreamed about strolling down a cobblestone lane while chimney sweeps serenade you, then your wish is about to come true. A new Mary Poppins attraction is opening at Disney World!

As part of a sweeping (pun most definitely intended) transformation of Epcot, Mary Poppins will be getting her very first Disney Parks attraction. At the United Kingdom pavilion in the World Showcase neighborhood, guests will have the opportunity to take a stroll down Cherry Tree Lane and wave hello to the Admiral as they make their way to the Banks’ residence at number 17 for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious adventure.

photo: Disney

Epcot is set to undergo a reimagining over the next few years and will be divided into four unified neighborhoods, all of which celebrate important aspects of the world and its people: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery. World Showcase, where the Banks family and their famous nanny will be housed, will “continue to be a celebration of culture, cuisine, architecture and traditions––infused with new magic,” according to a Disney Parks press release.

No word yet on when the new Mary Poppins attraction will debut, but guests will be able to get a look at all of the plans for the new Epcot when Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience in the Odyssey Events Pavilion starting Oct. 1, 2019.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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KiwiCo recently announced a brand-new line—and it’s all for babies and toddlers!

The collection of early education options, called Panda Crate, is backed by research, developmentally appropriate and perfect for hours of hands-on learning fun. So what can you expect from this brain-building line?

Created in collaboration with researchers from the Seattle Children’s Hospital, Panda Crate is divided into five age bands: Birth through 2-months, 3 through 6-months, 7 through 12-months, 13 through 18-months and 19 through 24-months.

Panda Crate subscriptions start at $15.50 per month for 24 months (12 Crates). The service is also available in one, three and six crate options. And bonus, a portion of your purchase will help fund child development research! Check out Panda Crate here for more ordering information.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: KiwiCo via YouTube

 

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Nothing spells summer fun quite like a plastic tube-shaped popsicle in a rainbow of colors. What’s the name of that treat? Apparently, it depends on who you’re asking.

Twitter recently exploded over a seemingly innocent post expounding the joys of summer’s best treat. So what do you call them, Otter Pops or Freeze Pops?

Twitter user @fetusleen posted a photo of the treats with the caption: “it’s dead summer. your mom comes home from the store with THESE. what do u call these and what is the best color?”The original poster was quickly schooled on the fact that not everyone calls the icy treats by the same name, however.

The most popular responses were Otter Pops and Fla-Vor-Ice, both of which are regional brands. Twitter users were also divided when it came to the best flavor. Red, blue and pink all appear to be favorites. The conversation even went international with Canadians jumping in to call them Freezies!

Australians clearly win for best name, however with Zooper Doppers.

No matter what you call them, it wouldn’t be summer without this iconic treat.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Shindigs Girl via Flickr

 

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What do exercise, obesity and placental health during pregnancy have to do with each other? Recent research published in The Journal of Physiology may have found an important connection.

The study, which used mice as models of the body’s behavior, looked at the effects of physical activity on obese and non-obese mothers. More specifically, the researchers explored how obesity and exercises affected placental function during pregnancy and the birth size of the infant mice.

photo: Freestocks.org via Pexels

Two groups of pregnant mice were fed different diets—one high-fat and one low-fat. The two groups were divided again, making a total of four groups. Subgroups (two for each of the main groups) were split into mice that exercised and mice that didn’t exercise.

What did the researchers find? Exercise during pregnancy improved placental function and reduced the risk of larger babies at birth. Even though this specific study used mice, the results may also apply to humans. According to senior study author, Professor Min Du, “Understanding how maternal exercise might help prevent offspring from becoming obese or developing metabolic diseases will help us best guide mothers so they can ensure their babies are as healthy as possible.”

—Erica Loop

 

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The ideal bedtime is different for every family, but a chart suggesting when you should put your kids to bed—and justifying those times—is making waves among parents on the internet.

From getting kids to fall asleep to squeezing in family time before getting tucked in, picking the right bedtime can be a struggle. An elementary school in Kenosha, Wisconsin made waves when it shared a bedtime chart in 2015 telling parents when their kids should go to bed. The chart has started circulating on social media once more, where the conversation is picking up steam with over 400,000 shares on Facebook.

photo: Sam K via Unsplash

Parents are apparently very divided when it comes to the times the chart suggests. Some say the chart is totally unrealistic to the schedules of most families with parents working full-time and kids fitting in homework and extracurricular activities before what is deemed to be a too early bedtime. “Here’s an idea don’t give my child four hours of homework and then maybe they’d be able to go to bed on time,” one parents posted.

Others—including teachers—support the chart, commenting that it’s just common sense and lines up with the nightly amount of sleep recommended for kids at various ages.

One comment said, “As a teacher, let me just say, there’s just not a lot of common sense out there. Charts work for some people. When I say to your student they can’t put their head down and take a nap in class and they respond that they’re so very tired that they can’t stay awake. Something like this could be beneficial for that parent to see. Some of my friends keep their elementary children up WAY too late. I understand. People work—someone (mom or dad) don’t get home until 7:00 p.m… I get it you want to spend time with them. But it does your kid no favors.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics the ideal amount of sleep for kids are as follows:

  • Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps).
  • Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps).
  • Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps).
  • Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours.
  • Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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Almost every parent will face that inevitable moment when your kids plead for a furry rodent of their very own—and now Chrissy Teigen is officially one of those parents. Teigen bought a hamster for her daughter Luna and then turned to Twitter when she she realized exactly what she just walked into.

Teigen whipped up Twitter in a tizzy with a string of tweets about the latest addition to their family: a hamster named Peanut Butter. Teigen’s first tweet on the subject is one many will relate to as Teigen and husband John Legend were clearly divided over whether or not getting a hamster was even a good idea in the first place.

After that introduction, it should come as no surprise to fellow “hamster moms” that things have been pretty eventful at their house since Peanut Butter came home. The hairy Houdini already made an escape not once, but twice.

And like many parents who bring a hamster home without doing much research, Teigen has discovered just how wacky these little fur balls can be.

If you happen to have any hamster advice for Teigen—or you just want to commiserate over your own hamster mom experience—you can follow the epic saga on her Twitter feed here.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Ricky Kharawala via Unsplash 

 

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Have your kids been snacking more than usual lately? Their screen time use could be to blame, as new research finds kids’ diets are influenced by social media. Read on to see how the two are linked.

Anna Coates, a doctoral student at the School of Psychology at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, conducted a study to determine how much a child’s diet could be affected by social media. Coates found that when kids viewed others eating, it had a major impact on their own eating habits.

The study involved 176 kids ages 9 to 11, who were divided into three groups. All the groups were shown real YouTube videos posted by popular vloggers either eating healthy foods, unhealthy foods or none at all. After watching, the kids each had 10 minutes to choose between healthy and unhealthy snack options.

Watching the vloggers eat healthy foods had no significant impact on the kids’ choices, but when the vloggers ate unhealthy foods the kids went on to consume 32 percent more calories from unhealthy snacks compared with the kids who viewed no food being eaten.

Research has long shown that marketing junk food to kids in traditional advertising can have an impact on diet, but not much research has been conducted about how social media influences diets until now. Coates says more research is still needed, but she believes restrictions should be put into place on new types of marketing, like social media.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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It’s okay.

I don’t have a magic wand or a perfect solution to make you feel like you DO actually have your stuff together… but I first want to tell you that it’s okay.

You are not alone. Raising tiny humans is hard. But, it’s a phase. And, one day you will feel like you have stuff together again.

Well, maybe not. But, that’s okay too.

We all want to give our best effort to our kids, our marriage, our job, our home.

But, we just simply can’t. Supermom actually isn’t a thing. Because we aren’t superhuman. We are just human. Which is better. It’s a lot less pressure to be just human.

Our intentions are good, but if our goal is to give 110% to every aspect of our life we are going to fall short.

So, here are three steps that you can take today so that stressed and falling short doesn’t feel like a way of life anymore.

Step 1: Focus on what’s important.

Pick three or four things that are really important to you. Write them each out on a sticky note and keep them visible.

Then, the next time that you are feeling overwhelmed, look at those sticky notes. Write out each of the things that are weighing on you, and if they don’t fall in one of the categories, then let them go.

And, anytime that you are feeling rushed say to yourself, “I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this present moment.”

Because, what if we were exactly where we needed to be? 

Like, literally. Say it aloud.

It may not feel true at first, but when you say it enough, eventually it will.

When being rushed is a way of life, that sucks the ability to be present out of you.

“The next message you need is always right where you are.” ~Ram Dass

Step 2: Do a time audit.

I know, audits sound really boring and like something that should be reserved only for people who wear pocket protectors. But, humor me.

All of our activities can be divided into one of four categories.

Necessary and want/like to do. Necessary and don’t like to do. Unnecessary and want to do. Unnecessary and don’t want to do.

The unnecessary and don’t want to do activities can be eliminated immediately.

Get rid of the things that are sucking the life out of you. And, add the things that you want to be giving 100% towards. (Or, at least 80-90%.)

And for the things on your post-it notes, schedule those into your calendar as you would an important meeting.

For example, if spending time with your husband daily is a priority, schedule 15 minutes in your calendars each night after the kids go to bed to hang out together. Make it a non-negotiable.

Step 3: Not giving a darn about having it all together.

Many times wanting to have it all together is coming from a place of guilt and comparison, NOT from a place of truth.

In addition to focusing on the things that REALLY matter to you, let go of the things that don’t.

Easier said than done. I agree.

Practice telling yourself that you made your priorities and that it is safe for you to let go of the other things.

When you are intentional, versus reactive, about how you are spending your time, not giving a darn is much easier.

Because you’ve validated yourself.

Featured Photo Courtesy: pixabay

Bridgette is married with three daughters (twins plus one.) She hates to cook, loves to write, and is addicted to inversions. She believes that we aren't just meant to SURVIVE motherhood, but to THRIVE through motherhood. 

No doubt about it, getting your kid to spill the beans about her day can be a challenge. But, what if there was a fun way to get her to open up and develop emotional intelligence at the same time? Enter A Penny for Your Thoughts: A Survival Kit for Kids & Adults. Read on to discover why this unique set of playing cards is so much more than just a fun game.

What It Is
This creative, interactive communication game comes with 80 hand-drawn cards divided up into a mix of emotions, locations, characters and reactions. Players roll the dice, and then, depending on the color, select cards from each pile and match up an emotion with a location, a character and a response (for example: I felt frustrated/at a friend/at the park/I can take a few deep breaths). Then, each player shares his or her story and talks about the positive responses that can be used the next time the same situation occurs.

Best part? There’s no real right way to play this game because it’s all based on how your kiddo conveys his or her emotions. Your kid wants to collect four emotion cards? Great! She had the same emotion in two locations? Let’s talk about it. Penny for Your Thoughts is about getting your kids to open up, so it’s totally okay to play by your own rules.

Why Is It Important?
More than ever before, kids are having a hard time building SEL (social and emotional learning) skills. These are the skills that help people express and manage their feelings in a productive way. These are also the skills that help kids set and reach goals, make good decisions and learn empathy towards others. “We created this game to inspire and teach kids to communicate how they feel, what their fears and dreams are, who makes them laugh, and what makes them feel important or small,” says co-creator Janine McGraw.

The Fine Print
A Penny for Your Thoughts hit the market in late Feb. 2017. Order your own set here for $29.99.

How do you get your kids to open up and talk about what’s going on? Share with us in a Comment. 

—Gabby Cullen

Photo: Jessica Lucia via Flickr

Naps don’t just provide kids (and parents!) with some good ol’ rest, it can also boost the memory in younger children. New research from the University of Arizona suggested that napping during the day has helped preschool-aged kids retain information.

The research team evaluated 39 three-year-olds and found that those who napped after learning new verbs had a better understanding of the words when tested 24 hours later. The three-year-olds were divided into two groups: habitual nappers (those who napped four or more times a week) and non-habitual nappers (three or fewer naps a week). Both groups were taught imaginary verbs– “blicking” and “rooping” — and showed them a video in which actors demonstrated with each ‘verb.’

The following day, the researchers quizzed the children on “blicking” and “rooping,” and noticed something interesting. Children who had napped within about an hour of learning the verbs performed better than those who stayed awake for at least five hours after learning, regardless of whether they were habitual or non-habitual nappers.

“Verbs are interesting because we know they are very challenging for children to learn and to retain over time,” says lead study author and UA alumna Michelle Sandoval. “Individual objects have clear boundaries, and children learn about those very early in development — before they hit their first birthday, they know a lot about objects. Verbs aren’t as neatly packaged. Besides a physically perceptible action, a verb contains information about the number of people involved and can contain information about when the action took place.”

Researchers believe this memory retention is because of slow-wave sleep.

“There’s a lot of evidence that different phases of sleep contribute to memory consolidation, and one of the really important phases is slow-wave sleep, which is one of the deepest forms of sleep,” said study co-author Rebecca Gómez, UA associate professor of psychology, cognitive science, and second language acquisition and teaching. “What’s really important about this phase is that essentially what the brain is doing is replaying memories during sleep, so those brain rhythms that occur during slow-wave sleep and other phases of non-REM sleep are actually reactivating those patterns — those memories — and replaying them and strengthening them.”

Rebecca encourages parents to implement a nap routine in their kid’s schedule.

Will you be adding more naps into your calendar? Let us know in the comments below!