Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

I am a fan of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. I watch different rodeos frequently on television, but this is the main event. For ten days in Las Vegas, there are more events than they will ever get on the T.V. My favorite event is the bull riding. It is crazy that those guys get on those crazier bulls! What is even crazier is that seven seconds never seems like a long time until you are watching one of those cowboys on a bull.

But bull riding is just one event and they aren't all cowboys. Cowgirls participate too. From steer wrestling, barrel racing, roping, and many other great events, there is something for everyone. The excitement will keep you coming back.

While watching the WNFR on television is great, I hope one day that I will get some WNFR Tickets, take another trip to Las Vegas, and take my children to see they bull riding. If I don't see anything else, my trip would be perfect after seeing the bull riding live! Of course, taking my children may give them ideas of joining in the rodeo circuit. And while I love to watch the rodeo, I would not be able to handle my son getting on one of those crazy bulls or my daughter on a speeding barrel horse!

Spending Time With Your Children

Tonight I had to go to a late night meeting and wanted to attempt to start at the gym. I thought the meeting would not be long, but ended up VERY long and I did not even make it to the gym! As I am now working, I find it more and more difficult to spend much time with my kids and get anything else done. I do not see the gym as a luxury- especially since I have added in 8 pounds over the past months!, but it does take away from being with the children I used to spend all day with. And the guilt! From myself and my husband, I feel guilty for wanting to go to the gym! And I will never be much longer than one hour- and I could not get up at 4:30 to go- it would kill me! So I have to remember to not be on the computer during my time home and pay attention when I get home. Make sure you are spending time with your kids too!

Inside Cardiac Arest

Heart disease will kill one in four women in the United States. Women need to understand the warning signs of cardiac arrest and understand more about the heart to prevent becoming a statistic. If you want to learn more about the reasons for a Heart Attack or learn more about the human heart, visit St. Jude Medical's site, Inside Cardiac Arrest, for lots of helpful information.

Preschoolers Need Rest

My preschooler is not a fan of sleepy during the day. He started getting away from a nap almost one and a half years ago. We discovered that when he napped, he was up until ten o'clock at night or later. So after a few tests days, we stopped laying him down.
It was harder on me than on him. Those precious hours of quiet! But I was not wanting to be up late into the evening with him.

While napping is not important, rest time is. He still needs some downtime during the day. Otherwise, we will all pay for it in the end. And every few days, he gets sleepy and we let him sleep for an hour or so. It makes the evenings more bearable.

Now my toddler is looking like she is moving away from naps too. At school, they let her sleep as long as she wants- not good for us in the evening. She needs her sleep, but not as much during the day so she can go to bed at a reasonable time.

Here are some facts on sleep:
Children 2-3 years old need approximately 12 hours of sleep a day. Ages 3-5- they need approximately 11 hours a day.Sleep patterns change. A 2 year old sleeps about 1 hour during the day and 11 at night. A 4 year old sleeps 11 hours at night.

The problem with that is that my son would have to go to bed at 5 o'clock in the evening to get 11 hours at night- not likely since he would wake up at 10 o'clock after his evening "nap."

But that does explain how come he gets grouchy!

Keep in mind, every child is different. See how your child does with out a nap and change the bedtime accordingly.

We all need to be well rested and happy to get through our day!

Vacation Idea- Key West

If you are living in a cold region, nothing may sound better than taking a trip to the sunny south. Key West is as southern as you can get in the United States, and it is well worth the trip. This time of year, Key West is about 70 degrees and there is little rain and NO hurricanes! My family and I have taken vacations to the Keys and have gone to Key West a few times. The best thing is the atmosphere, especially at sunset. The street artists and performers are wonderful to watch while the sun dips into the ocean. It is fun, entertaining, and breathtaking. There is great shopping, great food, and a great people. If you are going to travel to Florida, why not travel to the real part of Florida- not the theme parks and orange groves, but to the beach and the sun. You will enjoy all parts of the Keys and can even drive into Miami if you want.
Trust Tours & Attractions offers information and sales on vacations and sightseeing tours to many different cities. Right now, if you sign up for their newsletter, you will be entered into a drawing for a hand held GPS.

A Great Little Scooter

My son asked for a scooter for Christmas this year. I was a little concerned with his ability to balance on it, but decided to look for one anyway. I found a great scooter that was geared just for preschoolers- it is called Orbit. It has a large back cylinder wheel that makes balancing easy. He scoots around the entire house (we have tile floors) without falling, unless of course he looks the wrong way and tips!). We found it at Ross, and I Amazon is out of stock. It may be discontinued now, but if you find one, grab it up. It is the perfect scooter for those little ones (and under 50 lbs). Scooters are great for gross motor skill coordination since they have to move and balance.