Raise your hand if you are not a fan of teeth that are wiggly and about to come out. Imagine me hiding under a blanket. I’m not proud to admit it, but I have never been a fan of teeth once they are loose. It bothered me when I had them in my own mouth, when students would show them to me, and now as a parent.
NHL has had his fair share of bad luck with teeth loosening up and coming out. One day, while looking in his mouth, I noticed stubborn tooth #8 that had move into an outward facing position. To add to the “fun”, the new adult tooth was already coming up behind it. This tooth was stubborn and did not want to give up. The orthodontist finally made the decision that NHL’s 8th tooth had to be pulled by our pediatric dentist.
Yesterday, NHL went to see Dr. N to have that pesky tooth taken out. He was nervous, but he loves Dr. N and I do believe that, with her in charge and the amazing staff in their office, he was ready to go. Even with a few surprises tossed in, they told me he did fantastic. He was very lucky and did not require a shot of Novocain. With enough of the topical numbing medicine and just the right pulling, that tooth could not be a resident of NHL’s gums any longer. I am so proud of my big kid and how well he did. Of course, I have to admit I am thrilled we get a break in tooth adventure with him for a while. On the flip side – JSL is five and will probably have some of his coming out soon.
So my question to you this week:
How do you handle wiggly teeth? Cope with them, hate them, or are you fascinated with them? FYI – I know it isn’t Friday today. I am posting a day early because it is NHL’s birthday tomorrow. I always do a special birthday letter to the boys on their big day. If you have a minute and want to stop by on Friday to wish him a Happy Birthday, I know he would love it. I will link up later when that post goes live (here it is).
Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
With young kids, it has been a while since we really enjoyed Walt Disney World at night. During the spring, we changed that up. We made sure to rest with the kids so we could enjoy some of the marvelous moments that require darkness to see all that sparkles at night. This week, the theme of the Disney Wordless Wednesday is Night Time Magic.
Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.
When I was in fifth grade, my teacher Mr. D introduced me to the world of Carmen Santiago. I was on a mission around the world learning about people, places, and things. I was able to problem solve with friends to apprehend this notorious fugitive all while at an old style Apple computer while playing a game. Later on, my parents bought a game where I was a surgeon. I had to read about my patients health conditions and then help them to get better. Games allowed me to gain confidence in my problem solving skills, and use of technology.
All of these moments helped change my world. I was sold on the benefits of educational gaming. My views grew stronger as I used games while tutoring children who were reluctant readers. Then, I found games that helped to reinforce content in my own classrooms. Now, as the mother of a soon to be kindergartener and fourth grader, I allow my children to use them as well.
Of course, finding games that I am comfortable with is not always easy. Many are violent, filled with more game than learning and/or problem solving skills. I often rely on word of mouth from my friends, or a great campaign opportunity to introduce me to something I had never heard of. Thanks to Global Influence, I recently found out about a new game for children called Amazing World by Ganz Studios.
Since I have been looking for a new game for my oldest son to try, I allowed NHL to test out the free version of Amazing World. Once we downloaded the game, we were transported into the virtual world full of Zings. If you were curious, Zings are the citizens of Amazing World that are able to be named, customized, and get challenged along their adventure. NHL named his generic free Zing – Agent Z (homage to Agent P) and he was off. Within minutes, he was hooked. He was laughing at the interactions with other characters. The 3D colorful and fun environment within Amazing World engaged him like I have not seen in a while. I loved that he was reading, solving puzzles, and navigating throughout the world. He was thrilled to locate new items, collect prizes, and figure out how to build his own home for Agent Z.
In addition to the free version of Amazing World, you can also register Amazing World plush toys or figures (Zings). They will then come to life in your game and allow you to use an exclusive item within the world.
The full subscription to Amazing World also allows players to have full access to the gaming world. The free trial account limits you to the first 20 levels (there are 50), only four friends on your friend list, access to only four Amazing World hosts, and limited items that you can buy in the World Shop. NHL quickly realized that there were items that he could not do, but was okay with it now. I have to admit, with his love for the game, we may invest in the subscription to allow him to have more fun within this world (his birthday is this Friday).
Check out the video to see a bit more about Amazing World:
Giveaway Time:
The folks at Ganz would like to help a child in your life to get started expanding the fun in Amazing World. One lucky reader will receive two Amazing World toys. To enter, you must have a Twitter account and tell the world about the Amazing World game. You must use the hashtag #AmazingWorldGame and mention that the game is free to play within your Tweet. An example:
Come discover and explore Amazing World, a new free-to-play 3D virtual world full of challenges and fun! #AmazingWorldGame
***Do not forget, once you Tweet, please be sure to come back here and link to your entry Tweet in the comments below. This will be the only way that I can track entries and contact the winner.
Please follow the rules above within the comment section. Giveaway begins August 13, 2012 and ends August 23, 2012 at 10:59 EST. You do not have to be a blogger to enter (you will need a Twitter account), but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to US residents only.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who understands the value of computer based video gaming for children, it was fun to learn and watch my son enjoy something so much. Now, I just hope he will allow me to explore some as well. Ganz will not be held liable for any problems during the administration of the contest, but they are responsible for fulfilling prizes to the winner.
Today is my father’s birthday. As I have grown up and started a family, I now see a different side of my father. He is so much more relaxed (most of the time) and has fun with his grandkids. Anybody that knows my father will tell you he doesn’t smile often. NHL’s request to zip line at Howe Caverns helped to bring one out.
Papa likes going on wild rides. So it was no shock that he was brave to go with NHL on the zip line. Of course, he also helped to make me into the Neurotic Disney Mom (NDM) that I am. It was no surprise that Papa and Nana agreed to help out with the boys in April when TechyDad and I went to a conference there. Yes, this photo pretty much says it all.
I have so many memories of going to Disney World as a child with my Dad. I will always remember my first time on Space Mountain with him when I was bribed for a large Figment stuffed animal. The boys also had some firsts with Papa. This time around he went with us on Dinosaur with JSL for the first time. Three years ago, he took NHL on Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest. My father also went with me on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith three years ago. It was a father and daughter moment that we experienced again this May. After NHL and TechyDad went on with us, we went right back for another spin and captured the moment.
Yes, he smiled again and I don’t think he had beans for breakfast (*wink* *wink*).
Thank you Dad for being a special part of our lives and being brave enough to smile from time to time. We all love you and are thrilled that we have had so many magical moments together. No doubt there will be many more in the years to come.
It is hard to believe that there is less than a month before the two of you go back to school. I have often wondered how I would feel that day. NHL, for some reason, it did not phase me as much when you went to kindergarten. Since JSL is the youngest, it has been tough to handle. My little boys are getting bigger.
I thought I would be excited, but the reality is that it scares me. I know the two of you will do fine in school. You are both smart kiddos. This really has nothing to do with school and more of time passing by. The two of you are growing up before my eyes and these days will forever change as you learn new things and figure out your paths in life.
While we were at Walt Disney World in April, they reminded us that you only have 18 summers of fun with me. Basically, you have to pack those moments with memories that will last a life time. While JSL is only five, NHL is going to be nine this week. That means that half of your family summers before turning 18 are over. It really does seem like just yesterday when both of you were born, and getting rocked to sleep.
So boys, please amuse me when I ask for a hug here or there, or pester you to take and let me capture a moment with my camera. I am not trying to bother you, I am making sure I document these times so we can look back and recall them years from now when you have your own children. Now, let’s make sure we get serious about the next few weeks and other summers ahead of us. We need to make lists of places to see, people to meet, and things to learn about.
