I remember the fear that consumed me when I was pregnant with my second child. A relatively new mom to a toddler not yet two years old, I was just getting my groove in this motherhood journey.
I had read a lot of the books. I was starting to find a schedule that was manageable. My little boy was starting to really blossom: walking, first words, a growing personality… these were the days I’d been dreaming of for so long.
And amongst all these factors was an all-encompassing love that filled my whole heart. I never knew such love until I became a mama to this little miracle.
So where, exactly, would I make space in my heart for another living breathing human to enter? Because I believed with every cell in me that my heart was full. No vacancy. Not even a broom closet of space for another person.
Not to mention my brain, which was also at max capacity. It took me almost two years to read this little boy’s facial expressions, the color and texture of his poop, his different cries and now his gurgling jabber. I knew how long naps would last, how much food to make and how much soothing to calm a meltdown. I had it down to a science. How on earth could I keep these plates spinning when another child entered the picture. It all seemed so apocalyptic.
You would not believe what happened when my second child, another darling boy, entered my world. Beyond my greatest fears, my heart did not explode. Aside from my certainty the world would end, my love for my first child did not get moved, erased or compressed.
My heart simply grew.
It was the most natural adjustment in the world. One minute my heart was one size, the next minute—its size had doubled. All my worries were for nothing. My body, my heart and my love knew exactly how and when to shift and expand.
The parenting journey is an exciting, momentous, overwhelming time for first time mothers. And the heart is our strongest muscle for good reason… It will double in size with the birth of a sibling.
If only the brain would do the same. But I can assure you that you do learn to keep the plates spinning. You do learn to incorporate new facial expressions, new schedules, new bedtime routines. It’s a much slower process, guaranteed and a few plates will break in the adjustment. But while our heart is a mom’s strongest muscle, our brain is slightly slower to acclimate.
I’m pretty sure that’s where the expression “mom brain” was derived from. And it’s all par for the course on this motherhood journey.
Hi! I’m Celeste. I consider myself a relatively new mom with two boys ages 4 and 2. Other titles I go by include: wife, marketing guru, avid reader (self-help books are my favorite), writer, travel/adventure seeker and fitness nut.
Parenting ain’t easy, but at least we have our tribe of Twitter parents to keep us laughing! Whether you’re having a great day or one for the books, our roundup of funny tweets is sure to get you smiling in no time. Keep scrolling to see this week’s collection!
A friend wanted to know what it’s like to be a mom, so I busted down her bathroom door while she was taking a shower so I could tell her that I’m thinking about changing the name of one of my stuffed animals.
My husband’s hobbies include tickling, wrestling, and tossing our children around, until they’re all screaming and bawling. And then immediately leaving for work.
Every year, theme parks around the country try to outdo each other with new rides and attractions. 2019 is no exception—you can look forward to new “lands” based on movies, new rides based on comic book characters, amazing expansions, a thrilling new flume ride and one new ride dedicated to one famous mouse. Scroll down to see where you’ll be able to get brand-new amusement park thrills next year.
There was a time when the most thrilling attraction at Disneyland was the Jungle Cruise (which by the way is still one of the park’s most popular attractions thank you very much) but technology has changed drastically over the years and with it brings amazing new adventures. Next summer, the park opens the much anticipated “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.” This new 14-acre “land” will allow fans of all ages to transport to the plant of Batuu to get a sense of what it might be light to live as galactic travelers in a galaxy far, far away. Among the new attractions opening there are “Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run” where fans will be able to take control of the Millennium Falcon while on a secret mission. Also, your family can be a part of an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance (including a face-off with Kylo Ren) on “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.”
Self-proclaimed as “The Thrill Capital of the South,” Six Flags Over Georgia is adding another thrill to its collection in the form of Pandemonium. Swirling around 15 stories above the ground, this ride will be the tallest swinging pendulum ride in the Southeast, and the ride will run up to 70 mph going higher and higher as it does. It will serve as the park’s new SteamPunk section of the park.
Found at: Legoland Florida Resort - Winter Haven, FL
One of the more unusual offerings opening up this year is “The LEGO Movie World” where kids can hop on board of a triple-decker couch and fight against a DUPLO alien invasion among other things. Based on the two LEGO movies (The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part) the new section of the part features “Emmet’s Triple Decker Flying Couch!” where the “flying theater” takes guests on a virtual ride under a full-down virtual screen. It is said to be the first attraction in the U.S. that embeds a 180-degree turn in the ride experience. Then there is “Unikitty’s Disco Drop” where the ride “swoops guests to the tiptop of Cloud Cuckoo Land, then drops, spins and bounces them back down to earth.” And finally, there is the “Battle of Bricksurg” where riders are challenged to stop the DUPLO aliens from invading and stealing LEGO bricks by spraying water at targets. The new LEGO Movie World is expected to open sometime in Spring of 2019.
Six Flags Great America is unveiling the triple threat Formula 1 racing car themed roller coaster Maxx Force later this year. Maxx Force will be the fastest launch roller coaster in North America (accelerating to 78 mph in less than two seconds!), the fastest inversion in the world with a Zero-G Roll more than 60 mph and the highest double inversion of any roller coaster in the world standing at 175 feet above the ground.
Knott’s Berry Farm first thrill ride was the iconic Timber Mountain Log Ride built in 1969. 40 years later the park in giving its other water ride a major renovation. Calico River Rapids (formerly known as Bigfoot Rapids) will be upgraded with new animatronics, themed show scenes, a new story and dynamic water effects and will open this summer. Riders can expect to encounter roaring rapids, indigenous wildlife and peculiar homesteaders twisting and turning through an “unexplored” river path.
The Lone Star Revolution rollercoaster will tower at 100 feet in the air and will be the world’s largest loop coaster (for the time being). This new coaster will take riders forward and backward on the gigantic loop before suspending them upside down for what we are sure will feel like an eternity before letting them go again. Seating for this new ride is unique too in that riders will ride facing each other.
Dollywood is going through huge growing pains bringing a whole new section to the park that focuses on young families: Wildwood Grove. This new area is being built with families in mind creating larger respite locations and more play areas. Just beyond a massive hollow trunk of a fallen tree, guests will find 11 new attractions including six new rides:
The Dragonflier: A suspended roller coaster that lets guests soar with a dragonfly as it dips and darts along the gushing geysers and lush landscape of Wildwood Grove.
Black Bear Trail: Hop on the back of a friendly bear for a unique trek through their natural habitat.
Sycamore Swing: A giant “leaf boat” that swings back and forth just like a falling leaf.
Treetop Tower: Seated inside giant acorns, guests are shot 40 feet in the air and spun around a tall oak tree before coming back to the ground.
The Mad Mockingbird: Tennessee’s state bird gives visitors a lift as it flies in a high-speed circle around a tall tree with riders controlling their experience.
Frogs and Fireflies: Kids hop on leapfrogging frogs as they chase fireflies and each other.
Six Flags is adding another first to the amusement park franchise with West Coast Racers, the world’s first racing launch coaster. The park’s 20th roller coaster comes with an incredibly clever concept: this ride will feature two side-by-side tracks with four individual high-speed launches. Riders will actually race each other coming remarkably close to one another on the way to the finish line. The race covers two complete laps, multiple airtime hills, extreme high-banked turns and “exhilarating over/under near misses!”
Found at: Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Orlando, FL
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will basically be getting a carbon copy of Disneyland’s new 14-acre “land” but will be opening a few months later in the fall. “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will allow fans of all ages to transport to the plant of Batuu to get a sense of what it might be light to live as galactic travelers in a galaxy far, far away. Among the new attractions opening there are “Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run” where fans will be able to take control of the Millennium Falcon while on a secret mission. Also, your family can be a part of an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance (including a face-off with Kylo Ren) on “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.”
Six Flags New England is creating something different for the theme park chain with Cyborg. Inspired by the DC Comics superhero, the attraction is a 360-degree dark ride experience where the superhero invites guests to S.T.A.R, Labs to check out a new technological device. What could go wrong? Aha! Riders soon find that the lab has been hacked. Soon, riders will find themselves “spinning and whirling mercilessly” through the air while Cyborg fights to regain control of the machine.
Bucky the Beaver, Hootie the Owl and Bubba the Bear will all be on hand for the unveiling of Timber Town, a new space at Frontier City aimed at young thrill seekers with four new attractions including a rollercoaster, a spinning boat, leaping frogs and flying planes similar to Disney’s Dumbo ride. In addition, some of the older rides will be getting a facelift.
Found at: Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari – Jackson, NJ
Catch your kids making a fib? Threaten to take them on this ride. Looking suspiciously like the chain’s other ride, Pandemonium in Georgia, Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth beats it by two stories creating a spinning ride that swings up to 17 stories in the air and reaching speeds up to 75 mph. The massive pendulum propels 40 riders in counterclockwise circles with feet dangling from floorless seats as they whirl through the air.
“After a sudden commotion, a shrill voice hollers, ‘Trespassers! Y’all git outta here!’ A gun cocks and you high-tail it out. Your getaway vehicle? Carowinds’ newest thrill ride, Copperhead Strike” says the amusement park’s website. Copperhead Strike will be a double launch coaster that unlike other roller coasters, will stick close to the ground and shoot off from 0 to 42 mph in just 2.5 seconds. With passenger trains designed to look like 1930s coupes, the ride features a Jojo roll right out of the gate followed by a launch to a giant loop, a set of five inversions and more. Copperhead Strike will serve as the central element of the Blue Ridge Junction section of the park.
Found at: Six Flags Fiesta Texas – San Antonio, TX
And yet another new spinning pendulum ride will be opening soon at Six Flags Fiesta Texas with The Joker: The Wild Card. Named after one of DC Comics biggest villains, The Joker Wild Card also reaches 17-stories tall (like Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth) but spins a little more out of control at a whopping 80 mph. The new ride will also serve as the park’s new DC Universe section and will entice guests to keep coming back as the park has announced that it will be adding winter weekends and holidays to its regular season.
Found at: Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Orlando, FL
Housed in the Chinese Theatre (where there former “The Great Movie Ride” was presented for many years) this new attraction is inspired by the new Mickey Mouse Shorts cartoons (with a decidedly different look for the little guy) and is one of the park’s most ambitious new attractions which is expected to open sometime this fall. Here, you’ll jump through a movie screen and become a part of a cartoon. The experience is considered “2D and a half” where no 3D glasses will be required and will feature a new tune to get stuck in your head days after you’ve ridden it. The ride is expected to open sometime in the fall of 2019.
Found at: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Vallejo, CA
Ever popular, the eighth Batman: The Ride will rise at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom later this year. Boasting as northern California’s first 4D wing coaster, this rides promises a sensory overload experience as riders will literally flip head-over-heels, at least six times, during the duration of each ride.
Found at Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, CA
Now that Jurassic Park has changed to Jurassic World, so has the theme park’s thrill ride. After an extensive remodel, the new ride will be “more immersive” and “technologically advanced” not to mention reimagined for theme park guests. It is said that every part of the former ride will be elevated to a new level. New to the story are never-before-seen dinosaurs, enhanced storytelling surrounded by a lush scenic design. Everything else though is hush-hush.
Known by some at “The Coaster Capital of Missouri,” Six Flags St. Louis is adding a whole different type of attraction this year based on Superman’s cousin. On board this oversized Ferris wheel, guests will soar almost seven stories high in the air while spinning and tilting in open-air vehicles.
Firebird will be an all-new floorless roller coaster soaring above Six Flags America. Seated in state-of-the-art floorless trains, the coaster will take riders through incredible twists, a jaw-dropping nine-story drop, two thrilling inversions, high-banked curves, corkscrew rolls and an incredible figure-eight finale.
Darien Lake will be renamed Six Flags Darien Lake next spring and along with the new name comes a new ride. The SkyScreamer will be sort of a like a swing ride that has been hoisted up 242 feet becoming the state’s largest attraction. At the top, riders will swing around in circles at 35 mph offering breathtaking views. That is if you aren’t too scared to open your eyes.
Angela Hanscom was practicing occupational therapy with children when she had an “Ah-ha” moment. Almost all of the activities she was prescribing to treat children with sensory, attention, or balance issues were things that children could and should be experiencing on their own. Climbing, hanging, spinning in circles – these used to be the hallmarks of a child’s experience.
“The occupation of a child is play,” she said. Why were they not doing these things on a daily basis?
This discovery led Hanscom to take a close look at the lives of the children around her – at home, at school, on the playground, and on the ball field. She visited schools, sat in on classes, and watched kids in their everyday “habitat.” Kids were squirming, having trouble paying attention, or wanting to climb where they weren’t supposed to climb. And what were adults doing? They were telling these children to sit still, pay attention, get in line, and stop moving.
Well-meaning educators, coaches, and parents were basically telling kids not to do their job.
As an occupational therapist, Hanscom’s expertise is in looking at an experience that a child is having and breaking it down to see how it is benefitting that child developmentally (or not). Children, she says, will naturally seek out the movement they need. That might mean spinning (which actually aids in developing balance) or jumping up and down. Her opinion, which is backed up by strong research in her new book Balanced and Barefoot, is that lack of active free play is actually doing harm to our children.
“How many kids,” she wondered, “would need occupational therapy if they spent more time moving their bodies the way they need to?”
Active free play, as defined by Hanscom, is free play that is not restricted by the rules or objects created by adults. It is child-directed, ideally in nature where kids can come up with their own ideas about how to interact with each other and with the world around them. Thirty years ago, according to Hanscom’s research, the average child had about 4-5 hours of this kind of play during the day; now that number is down to somewhere between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. She believes this drastic change is connected to increased issues with things like regulating emotions, reading, and sensory integration.
“When educators and parents hear that they might actually be harming their children by making them sit still or telling them to stop spinning, that’s when they begin to really listen,” says Hanscom.
Hanscom wanted to make sure that once people starting thinking about these ideas, they had an opportunity to learn how to put them in action. That idea is at the heart of her new book. She named the book Balanced and Barefoot because she wanted to convey the strong visual image of a child running around barefoot outside as the quintessential picture of active free play. “There is nothing like seeing the child out there playing to help parents understand the value of the experience” she says.
Transitioning to this kind of child-led approach takes patience and practice, Hanscom says. Children need a lot of time outdoors to begin to explore their surroundings in new and creative ways, and adults need to be patient with children as they learn to play in a less structured environment than what they are used to. Friends are also key. “Every chance I got, I invited kids to come over for the whole day,” says Hanscom about helping her own daughter to develop these skills. With friends, children are more apt to try new things, and to seek reassurance from adults a little less often.
Hanscom also took action on her ideas when she created TimberNook, a developmental nature program in the US and in New Zealand that offers the opportunity for virtually unlimited, child-led sensory experiences in nature. TimberNook uses a unique approach from other more traditional nature programs by focusing on using the environment to foster healthy child development – both intellectual and physical – with minimal adult intervention.
“Is summer camp enough?” I asked Hanscom as I listened to her passionate arguments.
“We are a living example,” she answered, “of what can happen when children are given the opportunity to develop their free play skills. When I show a parent a video of what their child did while they were at camp, or a child goes home and tells their parent how much fun they had and helps the parent to recreate a TimberNook play space at home, that’s how we’re making the difference.”
Hanscom says that teachers and parents often tell her that they “couldn’t put a finger on” why kids were having some of the challenges they were, but that learning about the value of free play lights a spark that makes people passionate about trying new things.
She describes Barefoot and Balanced as a message packaged into book form. She hopes that parents will share it with teachers and that the movement will spread into multiple settings. “There are a lot of barriers out there to making these kinds of changes,” she says, “but we should do everything in our power to keep educating.”
Carrie Williams Howe is the Executive Director of an educational non-profit by day, and parent, writer, and aspiring homesteader by night and weekend. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, two young children, and a rambunctious border collie. Carrie writes about family, food, parenting, and homesteading.
Kids love to dream about becoming inventors. After all, tinkering and creativity come naturally to them. These picture and chapter books revel in the magic of creations and innovation while illuminating the other processes that are critical for success: curiosity, imagination, problem solving, and most of all, persistence. Flip through the album below to discover 13 stories that’ll get their gears spinning.
Rosie Revere, Engineer
Age: 4-8
This best-selling book about a little girl with big dreams has spawned several equally fun sequels (Iggy Peck, Architect and Ada Twist, Scientist). The illustrations support the theme with a blocky font and grid background, and the bouncy rhyme begs to be read aloud. The awesome hook here is that Rosie is the descendent of the famous Rosie the Riveter and is determined to follow in her grandmother’s groundbreaking footsteps.
Getting kids unglued from screens and playing outside isn’t always an easy task, but the benefits of spending time outdoors are well worth the effort. One expert suggests kids should spend a minimum of three hours a day running, playing, and just plain being a kid outside.
Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and author of the bestselling book Balanced and Barefoot who recently started a therapeutic outdoor program for kids called TimberNook. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post Hanscom said, “Movement through active free play, especially outside, improves everything from creativity to academic success to emotional stability.” Hanscom says that, ideally, kids should be playing outside for three hours each day, not including organized sports.
So how on earth can most families fit in that much outdoor time between school, homework, and other after school activities? Hanscom says that school recess time should account for some of that time and believes schools should lengthen recess. In the meanwhile, just squeeze in as much time as you can.
Hanscom does have a few suggestions on how to make the most of whatever outside time you can manage. For example, she suggests leaving them to their own means of entertainment. “There’s so much value in kids creating play schemes on their own. Kids who are always told how to play have trouble thinking outside the box, and even answering freeform essay questions. Plus, true outdoor free play is like cross training, with the climbing, spinning, going upside down, and the like that adults don’t encourage but that are so valuable for their development,” she explains.
How much time do your kids spend playing outdoors every day? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Your little CEO-in-training has big plans for her lemonade stand (five corners by August!); you’re just grateful she’s found a way to keep her thinking cap on during the summer months. She’s not the only one making serious change. From spinning the latest hit tunes to designing awesome socks and even whipping up all-natural cookies, flip through the album below to discover eight businesses where kids call the shots.
Super Business Girl
Known as Detroit's youngest entrepreneur, Asia Newson began selling candles with her Dad at the age of five. She came up with the perfect sales pitch as “Super Business Girl” and since then, she’s trained over 100 youth entrepreneurs. She’s still selling candles, but it’s the mission of her company, “To recognize the true potential in every child and to make optimum use of their individualized talent,” that’s really caught the country’s eye. She has spoken with local city council members, attended the Detroit mayoral debate, advocated for youth and adequate education, and has appeared on The Ellen Show, NPR and in Vogue, among other media outlets.
Community involvement is also part of the package—each time Asia sells candles, a portion of the proceeds are donated to the homeless. She’s also brought school supplies and toiletries to her school and has given away over 150 coats to children in her neighborhood. When Asia isn’t busy being an entrepreneur, activist and philanthropist she enjoys dancing, performing and hanging out with her friends.
Whether you’re old enough to recall big combs in the back pocket of tight jeans, feathered hair and tube socks pulled all the way up, or just like the idea of taking a spin al fresco at dusk, we’ve got some exciting news. Magic Hour, an all-ages, “summertime roller skating jam” is back at LeFrak at Lakeside, and ready to roll. Hurry up and lace up!
photo: Flavorpill
Magic, man! Taking its name from that special window of time at dawn and dusk when the light is just, well, magical (and when the event takes place) Magic Hour is an all-ages rollerskating party brought to you by the funky folks at Flavorpill.
From now until September 25, this moving and grooving party will take place every Sunday from 4 – 8 p.m. Each week will feature fresh DJ talent spinning tunes; the current lineup includes Gang Gang Dance with Michael Beharie (May 22), Talib Kweli and Prince Klassen (June 5) and Xeno & Oaklander with Heathered Pearls (June 19). (More DJ talent will be announced soon.)
photo: Flavorpill
Skating — and much more!
Never been to LeFrak at Lakeside? We can’t think of a better way or time to make a first visit. Not only does the $14 admission fee get you entrance to the party and skate rental, LeFrak is a primo spot for warm weather fun. Cool down in the complex’s water feature, rent a paddleboat and cruise around the lake, or grab some refreshing grub at the on site Bluestone Cafe and Gelato Parlor. Plus: there’s a bar at Magic Hour for the 21 + crowd, so you can chill with a cold brew if you like — we recommend doing so after skating.
photo: Flavorpill
Get a Lyft You can even have some help getting there. Flavorpill teamed up with Lyft to offer a cheaper ride. Use the code MAGICHOUR15 to redeem 15% off a ride with the service.
In short, you really have no reason not to go. See you at Magic Hour! (We’ll be the ones wearing the rainbow suspenders.)
Magic Hour presented by Flavorpill
LaFrak at Lakeside
Tickets: $14
Sundays, 4 – 8 p.m., May 22 – Sept. 25
Prospect Park
Online: flavorpill.com/magic-hour
Did you hit up a Magic Hour last summer? Tell us about it in the comments!
Bath time will be all happy splashes and no tears, with tub full of toys that your baby will love. From fill and spill play to music-making and water-spraying wonders, we found an awesome array of fun baby bath toys.
Fighting Fires
Save bath time from fires (pretend ones, of course) with this cute little Haba Firefighting Plane. Dunk it in the water to fill. Then, put your finger over a tiny hole on top to stop the flow until you're ready to sprinkle H2O down over the tub. Rattling beads inside and a spinning propeller make this a fun buy for a variety of ages.
