Moving can be a scary venture for kids, especially the younger ones.

The whole idea of moving to a new town (or even just across town) and having to go to a new school and make new friends can make children apprehensive.

It's normal for kids to not handle the strain of moving well, but there are some things you can do as a parent to make the move less stressful for your children...

As much as I wish I could speak for Shelby (my niece who has Autism, age 6)... I can't.

And as much I wish I could scream and shout for all of the injustices that she and her parents have had to deal with on a daily basis... that wouldn't do any good either.

So, from my faraway corner of the world (Jim and I don't live anywhere near Shelby's family), I seem to find some peace and satisfaction when I can share some of the specific things that have helped to clarify things for me a bit. Or have helped me find an even greater sense of hope for Shelby's future.

I was watching HGTV the other day... probably an episode of "I Want That" or something similar. And I remembered seeing an interesting new product called the Purse Pal.

What's cool about it is the fact that not only does it give you a place to put your purse -- so it's always within your sight and up off the floor -- it also gives you a place to put your other things like your hat, your scarf, your gloves, and your shopping bags when you're out & about.

Plus, it's small and compact, so it's easy to tote along whenever you're out shopping or traveling.

That one product intrigued me enough to want to check out HGTV's database of unusual products & ideas.

I found some even better one-of-a-kind items!...

Kids, ages 7 to 12 can get a free Lemonade Stand (plus lots of fun "extras"!) to sell lemonade in their own neighborhood!

But you've got to act quickly...

Only 10,000 FREE lemonade stands are being distributed on a first come, first served basis.

...and word is, they started giving them out on the First Day of Summer (June 21st), and they're over half gone already!

Saw this the other day when I was at Home Depot...

A bunch of kids taking part in a Home Depot Kids Workshop in Franklin, Tennessee.

Never has the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" been so evident before as it is today -- in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I had actually been meaning to write about this for awhile, but now it rings true on a whole DIFFERENT level...

Kids' Toys Kicked To The Curb
When I see children's used toys piled up at the curb on garbage day, I can't help but wonder if there isn't SOME little boy or girl who wouldn't find SOME value in a used (maybe even broken) new plaything.

I know, I know... who wants broken toys? Or worse yet, what if a child got hurt using something that was defective?

True.

But what if they're just dirty from lack of attention?

This is too funny...

One of the (few) drawbacks to living in our subdivision is the disregard that many of our neighbors have for the Home Owners Association rule which states: "You are not permitted to park on the street."

My reply: "Yeah, that's why you paid for a TWO-car garage and an extra long (very expensive aggregate) driveway which can comfortably fit FOUR cars... You've got options, please use 'em!"

The reality: The "powers that be" at the Home Owners Association state that while it's clearly a rule which all home owners must heed, they cannot enforce it, because these roads are city roads, and can only be patrolled and enforced by the local police.

(...such is why the following picture is so funny!)

A few weeks ago, we went camping with our friends, Mark and Erin, plus their little one (named Sophie) and their OTHER little-one-on-the-way (named... whatever Sophie decides to call him THIS week).

This was Sophie's first camping trip. And for a 4-year-old, this was a big deal! (Aside from being "broken up with" by her boyfriend at school last week, that is.)

In fact, we were worried we might not find a campsite that was available close to home... At which point, we were informed that our camping expedition would, in fact, still take place -- it would just be moved to Sophie's backyard instead!

This camping trip was happening, rain or shine... campsite or no campsite.