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Spotlight on: Thanksgiving
Rexanne's Web Review
Web Sites & Insights
Issue #110 - September 1, 2007
Brought to You By: Rexanne.com
Please forward this complete issue of Rexanne's Web Review to a friend and
recommend they subscribe. Thank you!
Find subscribe, removal and advertising information at the bottom of this
newsletter.
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Welcome all newcomers and faithful readers!
Wishing all my U.S. readers a very happy Labor Day weekend!
How was everyone's summer? Mine was eventful, fun and very busy. I always miss
sending my newsletter when I take a few months off each summer. Something about
the connection I feel to all of you. :-)
I spent 5 days in Miami at a marketing convention in July which was fun although
chaotic. I did find an exceptional new toy/game/educational product there that I
know you and your children will love. It's called
Piano Wizard and is a
system of learning to play piano that is so much fun, I consider it more like a
video game. If you want your children to learn to love to play piano, this is
for you. If your child has been asking to learn to play piano, this is the
ultimate gift, whether just because, for their birthday or for the upcoming
holiday season. You can find out more here:
Piano Wizard
And Halloween will be here before the blink of a bat's eye. Kids will be way
excited over Halloween starting about ... now. Give yourself a break and find
everything you'll need to make Halloween special for your kids on my Halloween
site before the big rush:
Rexanne's Halloween
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--- Reader's Comments:
---
Andrea wrote:
"I find myself sending your site links to my husband a lot. There's always an
answer to our exact questions on your pages. Thank you!"
You're so welcome, Andrea. Email like yours makes me very happy so thank you
back. :-)
---
And Scott B. wrote:
"I think children need a good swat on the butt from time to time. How
else will they learn to mind?"
Uhmmmm ... Our point of view on this topic differs, Scott. please feel free to
share your opinions on my forum, where there is an ongoing dialogue about
spanking children:
Spanking Children
---
OK, here's the scoop:
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--- Quote of the Month: A mind without instruction can no more bear fruit
than can a field, however fertile, without cultivation. - Cicero
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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this
newsletter alive and a portion of revenue is donated to various charities and
each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval. Please visit them today.
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--- This Month's Web Review Sponsored By:
Bargain
Children's Clothing
Save 20-70% on your favorite children's and baby clothes. More than 4000
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Just in time for back to school clothes and individual pieces to fill in your
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Shop secure - this advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval as do all
advertisers on my site.
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Parenting & Family Topic of the Month: Talking to Kids
about Sex
by Rexanne Mancini
Parents, at some point, need to discuss sex with their children. It’s an
uncomfortable topic, could be embarrassing and it’s certainly not easy, however,
it’s mandatory so be prepared. I think the earlier we have “the sex talk” with
our kids, the better.
Little kids, starting at around age 6 or about the time they enter first grade,
will begin to be curious about where babies come from and possibly about
something they’ve seen or heard in the media, at school or at home. I think it’s
very important to open a dialogue with our children before the idea of sex
becomes blown out of proportion or our kids hear something utterly ridiculous
about sexuality from a classmate or friend.
When both my children turned six, I talked to them about sex as clearly and
honestly as I felt they could comprehend. It was not a strictly clinical
conversation, with big words they wouldn’t have understood or concepts they
couldn’t grasp. I asked them if they wanted to know where babies come from and
how and why babies are created. This got their attention. I told them exactly
how a baby was created, explaining that a man planted a seed in a woman’s tummy,
just like planting a seed in a garden and precisely how that occurs. I did tell
them that this was something married people do to create babies and to express
their love for each other. I also assured them that sex was pleasurable. They
had some questions although they were mostly grossed out by the implications and
there was plenty of “eeeeeeeewwwwww Mom!” flying around. I stuck with it and
gave them the straight story, with the offer to explain anything and everything
they might be concerned about then or any time in the future. They had
interesting questions for about a week and then it was just another absorbed
life lesson, which they were able to pass along to their less sexually educated
friends to clear things up when one of their peers had misinformation to share
with the whole class.
The sex talk is not something we will be able to avoid until our child become
teenagers or when we might feel it is more appropriate. By then, our children
will be experimenting with kissing and potentially more if they are desperate
for information and sexual education. Our kids are typically taught a routine
form of sex education in middle school or possibly as early as fifth grade where
the basics of sex, reproduction and how their bodies function are explained in
clinical terms. You should know that most teachers are just as uncomfortable
discussing sex with your children as you are.
I think explaining sex clearly and rationally to children should happen before
their minds are corrupted with imaginings of crazy sex acts explained by their
less knowledgeable and shock happy peers who will be more than thrilled to tell
your children all manner of stupid things in the name of sex. Please tell them
the truth, the basic facts about sex and as early as possible so they are armed
with the correct information about something that will become important to them
sooner than we want to think about.
This is also a good time to incorporate teaching our moral values regarding sex,
marriage, relationships, respect for our bodies and the bodies and feelings of
others. If you’re extremely liberal and feel that everyone and anyone should be
having sex whenever and wherever they feel like it, please consider taming your
free spirit in the name of teaching your children a semblance of chastity and
moral dignity. Likewise, if you are horrified at the idea of explaining sex to
your children or have an aversion to sex, please consider having someone more
comfortable with their sexuality have the sex talk with your children. Many
pediatricians will be able to help with this or ask another family member of the
same sex as your child to help you out.
As my children got older, I’d bring up specifics about sex that I felt they
needed to understand. When my older daughter began dating in her teens, I
explained that it was not in her best interests to let boys touch her breasts or
do anything more than kiss. I told her the truth; that she would likely feel
more emotionally involved over the encounter and the boy would probably mostly
feel the need to tell every other boy in school about the episode. Because she
trusted that I would always tell her the truth, she got it, was always chaste,
and did not ever feel confused about what to do or not do in any romantic
situation. As an almost-adult, she now has a remarkably clear-headed approach to
relationships, her obligations to herself and those with whom she is involved
and a healthy outlook on sex and the part it plays in adult relationships.
Your opinions, stories, input and questions are very much welcomed on this
subject and I will open this discussion on my forum for all who would like to
become involved, either to help other parents through this minefield of the sex
talk or to gain insight for your own talk about sex with your children. This is
one of the tough jobs we, as parents, have to face. Know that many other parents are in
your position and are just as confused about how to approach this delicate
subject.
This article explains my beliefs about having the sex talk with children. What
are yours? Feedback and ongoing discussion about having the sex talk with kids
is on my community forum here:
Talking to Our Kids about Sex
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a
novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and
family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good
advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope.
Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of
Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Know of a good parenting or family site your fellow readers might enjoy or do
you have a topic you'd like to see covered in this section? Please send your
ideas in for possible publication in an upcoming issue:
Parenting Site
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--- Food & Cooking Site of the Month:
Recipe Zaar
Browse 237,000 Recipes in 450+ Recipe Categories on this extensive food and
cooking site. Search recipes by course, main ingredient, cuisine, occasion,
dietary concerns, etc. You will find some terrific kid pleasing, very well
organized recipes on Recipe Zaar.
Bon Appetit!
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Advertisement: Payless Shoes
Along with new school clothes and uniforms, our kids will need new shoes for
school, especially sneakers. Payless is running some wonderful deals online
until September 4, 2007, including buy one pair, get another pair for half
price, free shipping on all orders over $50.00 and more (I'm all over these
deals!). Do check them out. Their online shoe store is just as wonderful as
their brick and mortar stores and they re very flexible with returns.
- easy
kid shoe shopping! :-)
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Kid's Site of the Month:
The Big Comfy Couch
Join Loonette, Molly and all your favorite Big Comfy Couch characters in games,
coloring pages, video stories, merchandise including videos, DVDs, dolls, plush
toys, clothing, CDs and even an inflatable big comfy couch that are perfect for
the little Big Comfy Couch fan.
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Freebie of the Month:
Tooth
Fairy Letter
For parents with little ones losing teeth about now, this is a darling, well
thought out letter from the tooth fairy that you can personalize with your
child's name and print from your computer:
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--- Advertisement: Tooth
Fairy Pillows
How many little ones are about to lose their first, second, third or tenth
tooth? Bless their toothless little faces! This is such a cute age and the Tooth
Fairy plays a predominate role in this stage of your child's life. A proper
Tooth Fairy pillow
will make this tradition even more fun for your child. These
Tooth Fairy pillows
are exceptional in their beauty and design, plus you will
find Tooth Fairy games, dolls, books and more:
Tooth Fairy Pillows,
Dolls, Books & Games
Tooth Fairy Pillows,
games, dolls & books make terrific holiday presents and stocking stuffers,
too!
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Tip or Trick of the Month: Lemon Juice Ice Cubes
I often use lemon juice when cooking. One way to get around the hassle of
squeezing a fresh lemon each time you need one is to squeeze a bunch of lemons
at once, then pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze for later use. One
lemon ice cube is equal to about a tablespoon of juice (depending on your ice
tray size). Pop one out and let it melt before using or toss a few in a baked
dish. Lemon ice cubes can also be used to make lemonade. Drop a few into a glass
of cold water, add sugar to taste and stir. Yum!
Have a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it
in for possible publication in one of the next issues:
Tips
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Time Waster of the Month:
Code 13
Because life is supposed to be fun!
This is a fun, challenging game from Learning Planet. It's a good game for kids,
too and a fun way for little ones to learn addition.
Code 13 is played much the same as pyramid solitaire. Match up pairs that equal
13 and clear the board to win. When possible, match like pairs for a higher
score.
Feed the kids first ...
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--- Featured Site of the Month:
Eyewitness to History
History through the eyes of those who lived it can be found on this super web
site. From modern to ancient history, you'll find amazing facts, video and
historical information you never dreamed of finding. Well worth an hour or two
surfing through these pages.
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Instead of running an ad in this space, I am running a plea for you to sign the
petition to support The Global Child Survival Act which will fund much needed
medical assistance to sick children in impoverished countries. These children
routinely die of complications from illnesses you or I take with a grain of
salt, but without medicine and proper treatment, many babies and children
succumb daily to illness due to lack of clean water or the most minimal medical
treatment or common antibiotic. It's an outrage to me that this can happen when
the situation could be remedied by help from richer nations. The Global Child
Survival Act will help this become a reality and insure that no child will
needlessly suffer the consequences of being born in an impoverished environment.
You can sign here (I did) to urge our government to make this a priority:
The Global Child Survival Act
The Global Child Survival Act will establish a child survival fund to support
sustained reductions in maternal and child mortality rates worldwide, and to
promote the health and well-being of poor children and mothers around the globe.
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