Of all the years to pick for a school portrait, 13 is a tough one. I wore no makeup. I wore a school uniform. I wore wire framed glasses. My hair? Not stylish.

Thankfully my parents had the foresight to have a professional portrait done when I was about 15.

The photo session took place at a local studio. I had been to the studio as a young child, but did not remember it well. The photographer sensing my apprehension immediately put me at ease. Throughout the session he gave me advice on how to pose. He took many shots to get the perfect one. The portrait hangs at my parent’s house today.

When children are young, taking photos is relatively easy. Most children will smile naturally when asked to by the photographer. Once the tween/teen years hit, many children become self-conscious about having their photos taken. A good photographer can put your child at ease. Mary Gardella is that photographer…the one who can take the photo that will be the one you treasure.

Mary Gardella is the creative force behind Love Life Images, a portrait studio located in historic Savage Mill, MD. Love Life Images is offering a photo session for the tween or teen in your life – “fun and stylized portrait sessions that will bring out the real you.” Mary will put your tween/teen at ease so that you will have a lasting memory of those tumultuous, challenging, but oh so rewarding years when your tween/teen give glimpses of the adult to come.

Here’s what Mary Gardella will offer you…

• a fun portrait session for tweens and teens
• stylized portrait sessions that are all about your tween or teen
• all sessions will take place august 18 & 20 all day
• your tween/teen will be photographed in and around the historic Savage Mill, MD, where Love Life Images studio is located

The cost for the tween and teen session is $175 per child. Each session will last 45 minute and include one outfit change and 50 rep cards. Rep cards are 2″ x 3.5″ cards with cool information on them. Think of the rep card as the coolest baseball card ever!

For more information on scheduling a tween/teen session, contact info@lovelifeimages.com. For examples of Mary Gardella’s work, visit Love Life Images.

Although I seem to spend more time reading a screen than I do a book, reading for me is a given. How would I function if I could not read?

In our family, reading happens everywhere…except the bathroom. I am not a book-in-the-bathroom person. Ewww. We have bookcases in every room except the bathroom.

It’s summer so the kids have days when they are voracious readers and days when they are not. My summer reading tips are as follows:

• Buy books. Yes, I know books are expensive, but kids love to reread old classics or new stories. Invest in books.
• Get each child a library card. Make sure you and your husband have library cards. Carry your library card in your purse or wallet.
• Visit the library regularly for storytimes or summer reading programs.
• Join summer reading programs at the library or bookstores.
• Shop consignment stores for books. I picked up 12 of the 13 Lemony Snicket books for about $10. I found The Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Books 1-13) on amazon for $94.50!
• Shop Goodwill for books.
• Go through your book collection at home. Pull out books that are too young for your child. Move books that are too young to a younger child’s bedroom.
• Buy each child a bookcase or shelf for their bedroom.
• Create screen-free areas in your house. Our living room does not a TV. There is a CD player if kids want to listen to books on CD. Our girls have laptops, but each child has reading time where the screens are turned off.
• Read the newspaper, read a book, read a menu, read the phone book — read anything while your little kids are in the room.
• For long car trips or lengthy visits to the doctor, have kids pack a book or a puzzle book to do while they wait.

Are you a blogger with kids? Check out this fabulous I Can Read contest over at Twittermoms!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an “I Can Read!” book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Our house had Spring Fever badly this year. The kids were out of school for 11 days in February due to record snowfall. The winter quarter passed by in the flash. By the time spring rolled around, we heard that the school year would be extended. I know I was crushed. My kids were already super antsy about summer coming and now the school year would be in full swing until June 23!

Enter Googly Bands… Googly Bands saved the day in the Musings from Me household. My 11- and 7-year-olds needed a “carrot” as an incentive to do their homework with a minimum of complaints. The nights were getting lighter, but the homework load was not letting up. I used Googly Bands to encourage them to do their homework and do assigned chores. It worked…I mean Googly Bands worked!

Homework rewards. Chore incentives. Good deed prizes. Googly Bands are the perfect reward for the elementary and middle school student, ev even preschooler and teen, too. I have seen a few adults wearing Googly Bands!

Googly Bands are stretchable, wearable, collectible, and trade-able bands. If you see a group of tweens and kids, and even teens, chances are you will see one of the kids wearing a Googly Band!

New at Googly bands — Series V bands features the shapes of Classic Toys, Pirates, Dogs, Rescue, Shoes, and Florida.

Series IV bands…Hollywood, Pets, Body Parts, Text Messages, Soccer, and Wonders of the World.

Series III…Fruits, Cowboy, USA, Reptiles, Sports, and Tools.

Check out Googly Bands for many more cool bands!

Late-breaking news from Googly Bands!

Googly Bands are retiring all Series 2 bands. I would like to invite you and to join me at the Official Retirement Party this Thursday, July 15, at 2 p.m. PST. Party is tomorrow! Rules will be posted at 2pm at Facebook.com/googlybands. Googly bands will give out tons of prizes live at the hour-long party. Hope to see you there! Bring your kids to the twitter party!!

My son’s motto is “Have Nerf. Be ready.”

In the spring my son began his birthday talk. My children like to talk about their birthday from the moment the last birthday ends. Oh and you know how much I lurve hearing about birthday plans for an entire year. Not.

My son was fixated on a Nerf birthday. Was there such a concept? How would I go about a Nerf party? I consulted my offline network of friends. I have a large-ish network in western Howard County. One friend suggested checking out Airmania.

Hmmm. I had heard of Airmania. But, did they have the Nerf Dart Tag? An internet search, phone call with a quick date check and we were set!

Nerf gun dart wars while jumping on inflatables is awesome for the under 10 set. The above photo shows my son waiting to ambush someone at Airmania. My teen, tween, and their tween cousins had fun, too.

The kids bounced for 80 minutes with 40 minutes in the party room. I chose a weekday party due to our crazy weekend schedule. For the weekend parties, you share the facility with another birthday/party group, which breaks down to 40 minutes on one side of the bounce area with another 40 minutes on the other area.

Airmania is huge — 8-10 bouncy houses/structures plus basketball nets and hockey table. I loved that our birthday party group had the entire place to ourselves!

There was zero cleanup for me as the Airmania assistant supervised the kids while playing and sorted out the cake and juice part. The assistant orchestrated the present opening, too. We left with one tired, but happy boy!

I have one Nerf Dart Tag Capture the Flag Set for one lucky Musings from Me reader! Have your own Nerf Dart Tag battle at home or in your backyard. One comment = one entry. Leave a comment for a chance to win a Nerf Dart Tag Capture the Flag Set.

Required Entry — Leave a comment

• Phones, laptops, e-mail, and Facebook accounts will be checked as needed. The kids know that we need to have their passwords.
• My girls are 14 and 11. Both have had phones since 11/12. We have many conversations about phones, texting, sexting, e-mail, and Facebook etiquette.
• I have not friended the older one on Facebook. She only got her account when she turned 14. I debated friending her, but decide to have ongoing conversations with her about Facebook.
• The kids can go to the homes of people I don’t know but I need to (1) know that an adult will be present and (2) meet the adult at the door as I drop off.
• I will leave my girls home alone, but I won’t leave my girls and friends home alone.
• No cooking while I am out unless kids have proven diligence about standing beside the oven during the cooking process. Until then microwave is the safest cooking device.
• Kids can stay home alone from 10 onwards depending on how safe and confident the child feels.
• Before going to a home where I know the parents drink or have an open bar in the basement area where kids will be sleeping, I have a conversation with the kids about not drinking any alcohol. The kids know that they need to call me if they see people drinking. I tell them to tell the parents of any drinking, but I don’t want the kids to get in any dicey situations at someone else’s house. You know how tempestuous teens can be.
• I don’t care what friend has what item. Kids know that whining doesn’t always work.

What are your family’s guidelines? Leave a comment.

I have blogged extensively about my passion for keeping kids safe online.

When I first went online I was a married 20-something. The extent of my online life was checking e-mail once a month — I had very few friends who had e-mail accounts back then. Come to think of it the internet was a nicer place back then. Very little spam. I kind of remember single digit e-mails in my in-box. Can you imagine! Viruses became more of an issue as e-mail entered the workplace.

I don’t know when I first heard about online predators targeting young children, but I am sure I was shocked to the core. No amount of training can prepare you for the shock and outrage of crimes against children, tweens, and teens.

I was thrilled to be invited to the Cox 5th National Teen Summit on Internet & Wireless Safety in Washington, D.C. I was anxious to hear what the teens had to say about online safety. My daughter is a young teen. As the oldest grandchild on both sides of the family, she is a trailblazer. Anything she does whether academic or artistic or online is subject to scrutiny. We want to give her the tools necessary to do everything safely.

The teens were inspiring. The teens told how they help the teens and tweens in their community navigate the internet, Facebook, cell phone use, sexting, and many other issues. The teens were emceed by the awe-inspiring John Walsh. Questions from twitter were handled by @KeyInfluencer AKA James Andrews. Andrews asked the teens probing questions. Walsh challenged the teens to give precise, fact-filled answers. Many of the teens head up groups dedicated to teaching online safety in their high schools or at boys and girls clubs.

The Cox Teen Summit covered many topics. I took copious notes. There was one main theme brought up throughout the summit. Schools need to teach kids about online safety as part of the curriculum.

Cell Phones

• Sexting is still a big problem for tweens. Teens see younger kids as having too much freedom with cell phones.
• Walsh urged that kids as who walk to and from school or take a bus need a cell phone — even if they are as young as 7-8. He cited a couple of recent abductions where kids who walk/take the bus to school were stalked. Could have used phone to call for help.
• Walsh said if Mom/Dad were worried about cell phone abuse by younger kids Mom/Dad could block all calls except emergency or calls to Mom/Dad.
• Teens suggested prepaid cell phones.
• Walsh “Texting is the crack of teens.”
• Walsh, Andrews, and teens love Oprah’s Texting Ban. Have you signed the pledge?
• Fact: Texting while driving causes more accidents than drunk driving.
• What’s on the horizon for online/wireless technology? Video chat on phones.

Internet and Social Networks

• Do a Google Alert for your kids to find out what they are doing online.
• Start and continue a dialogue with your kids about what they are doing online.
• Most of the teens have friended their parents.
• All of the teens had taught a family member how to use Facebook.
• Teens talked of learning what to post and what not to post on their walls.
• Andrews told teens “to think about what they are putting up on the internet.”
• Teens talked about how everything they post online could be viewed by college admissions and potential employers.
• Teens asserted that “Privacy is a Privilege.”
• Walsh: “It is time for parents to parent up and find out what their kids are doing on the internet.”
• Parents, teachers, and kids need to learn Facebook privacy settings, so that they know how much of their profile is available for review.
• Walsh ” Teens and tweens give up too much information about themselves.” Bad characters are out there waiting to find vulnerable teens and tweens.
• Teens asked “How much is too much information?”
• Everyone hates ChatRoulette — lots of “creepy guys” per Walsh — and Formspring.

Schools

• There should be a policy of anonymity in schools so that students can report bullying without fear of retribution.
• Walsh said that America’s Most Wanted doesn’t trace or tap calls. People can call in without “fear of getting in trouble.”
• Teens said there should be safe rooms at school where kids can go for help.
• Cyber bullying and regular bullying are very different. Many school counselors are not trained to deal with cyberbullying.
• Kids need to be taught how to use social networks.
• At one time it was an option for kids to be on Facebook, now it is a given that most teens will be online in social networking sites.
• Teens need to be taught rules for online behavior.

Identity Theft

• Teens talked of experiences with identity theft. One teen said that a relative had tried to steal her identity online.
• Walsh said that identity theft is big business with kids lured to buy a “free download” with Mom and Dad’s credit card. Kids don’t realize they are being duped.
• Walsh told of unscrupulous census takers who go from house to house gathering information about inhabitants.

Families and Online Safety

• Families need to work together to come up with a set of rules for their children.
• Andrews says tweak rules as necessary.
• Walsh “Kids and teens want rules and boundaries.”
• Parents should go over boundaries with kids. Discuss consequences and punishments.
• Parents should not assume that teens understand the rules. Go over rules to make sure kids understand.

Walsh made a statement that stuck with me. He spoke of the kids who are neglected and abandoned by their parents. He praised the work of the Boys and Girls Clubs in finding these kids and giving them something to live for…education, camaraderie, hope.

Walsh urged the teens at the summit and the teens at home:

If you see something bad happening, say something. You will save someone’s life.

The teens reminded everyone that they are a “strong force.”

If you are considering taking your children to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C., I would advise that:

You consider the age of your children.

• A baby or toddler in a stroller can get fussy and loud. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial would not be a good place to take your baby/toddler unless he is asleep
• A preschooler will not be able to walk silently past the panels of the Wall. People who visit the Wall might be disturbed by a rowdy preschooler.
• Before arriving at the Wall, tell your early elementary schooler to walk and talk quietly while viewing the Wall. Young children don’t need the gory details of what the Vietnam War was about, but they do need to know the basics. Tell your 5- to 8-year-old that the Wall represents the people who died during a war with Vietnam, a country in Asia.
• The ideal age for children to visit the Wall is tweens (9-12 years of age) and teens (13 and up). Tweens and teens know war memorials are a place where family members come to pay respects to those who died in conflicts.

You explain to your children what your expectations are for your children’s behavior.

• The War Memorials are somber places to visit.
• Kids need to be respectful.
• I explained to my children that people view the memorial like a cemetery or a church. I pointed out a person rubbing the name on the wall, another person leaving flowers and a message, and yet another person doing a pencil rubbing of a loved one’s name.
• Quiet voices at the war memorials.
• Talk to your children about the fact that the names on the wall are people who died in wars. My youngest had a few questions, but the preteen and teen walked somberly without asking many questions.

Fast forward to 2010… Homework is a nightmare… not becoming a nightmare…not progressing to nightmare status. No…homework for three children is a full-blown nightmare. I’ll break it down for you. Two middle schoolers with homework every night of the weekend including weekends. Two middle schoolers who play travel volleyball, which means each girl must juggle homework with volleyball practice and all day tournaments. One middle schooler who swims 3 nights a week with a swim meet once a month. Throw in clarinet practice to add to the fun.

During the school year both are super busy. My job is to keep track of what homework is due (in the kids’ defense the older two know what assignments are due), give them a quiet place to do the homework, and follow up with them and their teachers if needed once grades come out.

Now, I am not just talking about homework, but also about the book reports, long essays, poster projects, movies, and any other thing a teacher flings at them.

And then there is my cherubic 1st grader. This child is turning my already gray hair white. Seriously! The tantrums. The tirades. The pouting. And that’s just me. The school year has been a struggle. I believe that I could have recorded the following sentences for use during homework time — I say these phrases MANY times during homework:

• Find your backpack.
• Take out your composition book, agenda book, and poetry journal.
• Get a pencil.
• Your pencil is sharp enough. Don’t sharpen another one.
• Why are you out of your seat? You need to work on homework.
• 3-4 sentences means 3-4 sentences!
• You can have one sentence that says: “I like [fill in name of favorite action hero].”
• I can’t read what that says. Erase and rewrite.
• We will sit here all night.

And lest you think I am a complete Negative Nelly, I constantly praise him. Frequently compliment him on sentence choice. Tell him he used a great word in his writing…a $5 word!

As the school year winds down I am struck by how far each child has come this year. Good progress in some areas. Amazing progress in other areas. Gains made in math for both. A confidence boost in reading for one. The oldest is now writing college-level essays. The middle is now more confident speaking in public. The youngest who struggled all year with writing ANYTHING wrote a 45-word poem for last night’s homework. 45 words I am still reeling and very proud!

What does homework look like in your house? Do your kids get their homework done independently? Are you a drill sergeant?

I knew the Toy Fair would be big, but never guessed just how big it would be. It was located on 3 floors of the Javits Center. I walked through about 80% of the exhibits. My choice of walking shoes was a good one. My decision to carry my laptop and a bag of books/work papers for the train rides was a bad one as I was dragging — literally — as the day came to a close. Plus, Amtrak has no wifi. Doh!

I saw as many vendors as I could. I left with 3 bags full of brochures and samples. Some products I passed by without a backward glance. Some products I stopped because I wanted to know more.

I spent quite some time chatting to a mom who created a line of dolls for girls who love sports. I chatted to Jodi Norgaard, the founder of Go! Go! Sports Girls dolls, about girls, sports, blogging, and social media. She very kindly gave me Suzi the Swimming Go! Go! Sports Girl. Once I arrived home from #ToyFair, my tween daughter took possession of the doll — she is a swimmer. The Go! Go! Sports Girls swimmer doll has a cute pair of flip Flops and adorable goggles. Best of all, Suzi the Swimmer is wearing a one-piece swim suit!

Go! Go! Sports Girls are a line of dolls for girls who love sports. The dolls are girl-shaped — no Bratz or Barbie silhouettes on these dolls. The dolls remind me of a girl doll I had that looked like me. I never see dolls for tween girls that look anything like tween girls, do you?

Go! Go! Sports Girls are available for golf, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, and many other sports. My girls love volleyball and swimming, so I knew Go! Go! Sports Girls would have two new fans! The dolls are available from the following online retailers: amazon, Sears, Target, Kohl’s, and Sports Unlimited. The dolls are appropriate for ages 3-12. I can tell you that teen girls also love these dolls, too!

Giveaway for Musings from Me readers! I am giving away one Go! Go! Sports Girl of your choice. Once I choose a winner, I will ask the winner to pick a doll. One comment = One entry. Enter now!

• For one entry, go to the Go! Go! Sports Girls website and tell me something interesting you learned.
• Fan Go! Go! Sports Girls on Facebook. Leave a comment.
• Share the link with your Facebook friends. Leave a comment.
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I was given a Go! Go! Sports Girls doll as part of my review. The views expressed in the article are my own. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends June 9, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.

My tween and teen were keyed up all week in anticipation of going to the volleyball tournament. The tween wanted to pack before I had done laundry. The teen wanted to pack her props — she likes to get her teammates to participate in skits/a variety show while at the tournament each year.

Suffice it to say, the girls did not get on Yoursphere much last week. With homework, projects, and preparation for our road trip to all-things-volleyball, I didn’t press the issue. I want Yoursphere to remain. Mom might be a Yoursphere Test Drive Mom, but the kids should play Yoursphere when they want to.

My tween did mention that she played a game in Our World. She wasn’t very specific…you know how tweens can be?! But, she liked the game. I asked her if she would play again. She gave it a thumbs up!

Yoursphere is FREE to join!! I have a FREE code for you to use should you decide to sign up your kid, tween, or teen: YSMC-0051. For everyone who signs up using the code I will be entered in to a drawing for a gift card. Remember, it is FREE to sign up for Yoursphere. You can sign up using code YSMC-0051.

I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review.