Featured Friend

Over the past couple years, we have connected with so many fantastic people, organizations, and companies. It has truly been a gift to learn and gain support from others who are focused on building a bright future by helping busy parents, creating a healthier planet, giving back, and most of all, raising #happykids. We are now honored to recognize these friends for the work they are doing. Please check back every few weeks to meet amazing people and learn about fabulous resources!

April 6th, 2012

Melanie from Mom To The Littlest E

Melanie from Mom To The Littlest E

Melanie recently just launched her new site, Mom To The Littlest E, but she has been blogging for awhile for an online parenting magazine. Planet Fassa got to know her and her fabulous posts through Twitter (follow her! @Mom2TLE) over the past year. She is a great parenting resource, stick around and learn more about her!

As our Featured Friend, we asked Melanie to tell us:

On my website, Mom To The Littlest E, I write about my experiences as a relatively new, transracial, adoptive mom and parent. My journey to becoming a mom took 6 ½ years following the traditional route, using assisted reproductive technology, and finally adopting our son from Ethiopia, and I would not change a thing. Every day I am filled with gratitude that I get to be a mom, especially mom to The Littlest E. In my writing I attempt to seek solutions to problems or issues that arise from being a mom. My hope with Mom To The Littlest E is to create a community of parents (adoptive or not) where we can have an open and honest dialogue about parenting.

Prior to becoming a mom, I was in the workforce for many years. I worked as an event producer, actor, comedy traffic school instructor and legal assistant. The hardest and most rewarding job to date is being a mom, or, rather the Executive Director of the Elliott Family Residence. I am passionate about parenting, international adoption and people with infertility issues. In May 2011, I submitted some writing samples for an online parenting magazine thinking perhaps that with my atypical path to becoming a mom, I’d provide a unique perspective. For the past 9 months, I wrote for that magazine and met some amazing people and friends (Planet Fassa included) through the use of social media. When the magazine closed its doors, I was inspired to start my own website and to continue to write about the topics and things that matter to me.

There are so many things to add here, but two that come to mind: 1) respect your child as his/her own person and not an extension of yourself; and 2) give your child unconditional love no matter what.

Again, there are so many tips. Here are a few: 1) don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether it’s for you or for your child; 2) don’t sweat the small stuff, and most of the time it’s small stuff; and 3) you can’t make your child eat, sleep or be potty trained, that will all come at its own time.

True confession – sitting in front of the TV watching a DVRed show (Castle, Fringe or The Good Wife) and eating a Trader Joe’s dark chocolate bar. I also love jogging, but that takes longer than 10 minutes.

I think if a child feels and knows he/she is safe, whether conscious or unconscious, there’s a freedom inside them that comes out and they can just be who they are. For example, we do a family hug every night before bed. When we hold our son in our arms, he feels loved and safe, and usually has the biggest smile on his face. That’s happiness. There’s also a happiness that shines through kids when they accomplish something for the first time. And the most important thing for that makes kids the happiest – when they are having fun!

We’re a diverse team of parents over here at Planet Fassa – stepmoms, moms and dads, and young parents. We firmly believe that family comes in all shapes and sizes, and that Home is Where the Love Is. Melanie’s blog embodies these beliefs! Her heartfelt posts talk honestly about parenting, family, adoption, and infertility. In one post, Melanie shares her excitement, fears, and insecurities as her and her husband celebrated their Family Day – the first day they saw their son in person. It’s very touching and heart-warming to read about three people embarking on their journey as a family together. Her posts are well-written, fun to read, and share experiences that many of us can relate to. We love her categories of posts such as Active Child, Brainy Child, and Cognitive & Emotional Development. She also has fun posts under “Lifestyle” such as Travel and Entertainment. Spend a few moments and check out her blog – we promise you’ll want to return!

Last but certainly not least, we asked Melanie to complete one of our journal entry pages from our new book, “Where on Earth Am I? Fassa’s 52 Weeks of Fun!” Thanks, Melanie, for spending the time to fill this out!

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March 23, 2012

Doc Rock from Kidz Rock, Inc.

Doc Elvis Rock!

Doc Elvis Rock is the President and Founder of Kidz Rock, Inc., a national NPO that develops programs and activities for preschool to graduate school age. He has started several programs that empower children, such as “Extracurricular Activities Rock!”, which works to give kids the opportunity to participate in music, sports, and arts – kids who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance. Kidz Rock, Inc. is a valuable NPO and we are very excited to feature them!

As our Featured Friend, we asked Doc to tell us:

Kidz Rock! Inc is a tax-exempt kid empowering organization based in Mission, KS that uses music and the popular culture to promote the values of good grades, good behavior, and good health to kids and helps empower students so that they will be better able to have a good future.

The first program we are promoting is the Extracurricular Activities Rock! Program that will provide kids living in economically challenged homes across the US with the opportunity to take part in activities like taking guitar lessons, playing basketball, and learning how to paint.

We are currently developing pilots for this program in several cities across the country that will be launched in 2012-2013. Once we have established the best practices needed to make this program as beneficial to kids as possible and as soon as we have the resources to do so, we will be expanding this program into more and more cities until qualifying kids living all over the US are able to take part and have their lives empowered by their participation in this program.

For more information on us and our mission, please visit us on the web at www.KidzRockInc.com.

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved reading and learning new things. And ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a huge fan of music and the popular culture.

Over the years, I’ve come to see music and the popular culture as great ways to reach out kids to help them learn and to help them grow up to realize their full potential.

And this insight has inspired me to start Kidz Rock! Inc. where we are using the attractiveness of music and the popular culture to make good grades, good behavior, and good health cool for kids and to help empower students so that they will be better able to have a good future.

I really believe that the best way to fight all the negative peer pressure that kids face while they are growing up is to create positive peer pressure that will help encourage kids to get good grades, stay out of trouble, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. And I can’t think of better vehicles to use to create this positive peer pressure than music and the popular culture.

My favorite way to spend 10 minutes is reading. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been an avid, voracious reader and I love spending my free time sitting down somewhere with a good book!

I think that what makes kids the happiest is knowing that they are loved, that they are safe, and that they have the prospect of a good future waiting for them.

We love that Doc Rock and Kidz Rock, Inc. works to give kids every chance they deserve to live a happy and fulfilling life. We think that all kids deserve to get their play out – whether it is through unstructured play, recess, organized sports, music lessons, and art classes – and through Kidz Rock, Inc., children in economically-challenged homes can have the chance to do this! Everyone on Planet Fassa’s Team participated in some sort of extracurricular activity when we were kids; never realizing as children that many kids don’t have the same chances that we did. We also love that Doc is passionate about reaching out to kids through things they love and can relate to. We believe that this is a great way to connect with children.

Doc’s latest program “Extracurricular Activities Rock!”, giving kids like 8-year-old Emma the chance to take guitar lessons or getting art supplies or lessons to 10-year-old Isabella, is fantastic and just what we need in the U.S. You can donate to Kidz Rock, Inc. to help support these programs, or just spread the word! Thanks, Doc, for working hard to make this world a better place.

Learn a bit more about Kidz Rock, Inc.’s mission, vision, and objectives:

Last but certainly not least, we asked Doc to complete one of our journal entry pages from our new book, “Where on Earth Am I? Fassa’s 52 Weeks of Fun!” Thanks, Doc, we love your answer and “Thunder Road”, too!

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March 9th, 2012

Kari from Active Kids Club

Kari!

Kari is the founder of the website and blog network, Active Kids Club. At Active Kids Club they give you simple and fun ideas for outdoor play, talk about the Fresh Air Living lifestyle, and fun recipes for cooking with Nature! Kari is passionate about getting kids outside and playing, and it shows through her blogs and tweets!

As our Featured Friend, we asked Kari to tell us:

Activekidsclub.com is a blog network and a brand about discovering nature with kids and adults through play – lifestyle – cooking – outdoor playgroups and safety reflectors. It is a little bit more than a website; it also inspires people to start outdoor playgroups in their communities. Our blog network has all the tools you need to create a blog, create a group and connect with other outdoor playgroups leaders in the US and Canada. We started as a grassroots outdoor playgroup and we are very proud that we have spread our message all over the world and getting kids outside to play. Recently, I got an email that we inspired a parent to start an outdoor playgroup in the UK.

We are excited to continue growing our message with our newly launched European style safety reflectors. Making it fun and safe to be outside.

As a Norwegian I grew up with Friluftsliv, (translate: Fresh air living or a way of living outdoors) my parents would go for hikes every Sunday in the summer and the winter we would go cross country skiing. Mushroom and berry picking was part of how I grew up. I think I can say my upbringing was almost always outside both in schools and in my family life. I also remember my joy as a small kid making little streams in the mud and dandelion crowns in the spring. I’m thrilled to rediscover small outdoor play adventures with my kids and share it with our readers and connect with other parents and educators.

Our mission is to show our readers that there are many ways you can connect with the outdoors through art, sport, play, games, outdoor learning, imagine play, travel and cooking.

Don’t be afraid of doing the right thing as a parent… Follow your instincts.

Go outside and play, it will make you feel better!

Reading a book outdoors on my porch while watching the kids play.

Here is an interesting a study by Unicef Germany was done about where the happiest kids in the world lived. The Dutch kids were on the top and so were the Scandinavians kids. These countries also allow their kids to be more independent and generally they spend more time outdoors. So I say lots of free play outdoors and let the kids be allowed to be kids. Of course there are many other reasons why these countries are high on the index. I also think it is important to nurture the connection with the outdoors, because if you have that connection early in life you have the ability to connect with simple things later in life.

Thank you, Kari, for taking the time to share with us!

We found Active Kids Club on Twitter a little over a year ago and have thoroughly enjoyed everything they do! We love their great ideas for getting kids outside and playing in any weather, such as 10 Fun Rainy Day Activities (great for Spring!) There is also a wealth of information on their site. Great ideas for play, blogs and guest blogs, recipes for cooking with Nature, outdoor activities, a community network, contests, links to some local outdoor play groups and more. We stand behind and support their mission to get your kids (and yourself!) to simply spend time outdoors. We’re lucky to have sites as dedicated to fun outdoor play as Active Kids Club!

For a last little bit of fun, we asked Kari to complete one of our journal entry pages from our new book, “Where on Earth Am I? Fassa’s 52 Weeks of Fun!” Mmmm, we love her answer!