Community: New Local Website for Kids

Just found an exciting new website just for kids AND just for Bellingham and Whatcom County. www.neighborhood-kids.com is all about activities for kids in our neck of the woods. Where many websites are regional, rarely mentioning activities in Whatcom County, the motto of this website is "All local, All for Kids, All the Time."

The best feature is the Out of the House area. This calendar lists activities in and around Bellingham and Whatcom County that are kid friendly. A quick scan while writing this article shows a really cool Super Heros Adventures sleep over at the YMCA and a Search for Beavers night activity at Tennant Lake. How fun is that!!

They also have activities broken down by age, subject and season. Doesn't get any easier than that to find something for the kids to do.

If you get a chance, swing by neighborhood-kids.com and take a look. It will be worth your time.

Duck Herder: Other Duties as Assigned

As the Director of Community Education a large portion of my job seems to fall under "other duties as assigned." For those of you not in management that category is for everything that didn't get written into your job description.

Well, this morning I had a rather cute and entertaining "other" duty. Spring is here (even with the snow!) and the wild life on campus is out and about. One of our mother ducks decided to take her 7 ducklings across campus to one of the other ponds.... across the parking lot.... during the time between classes. A college parking lot is not safe for humans so the odds were really long that these seven ducklings were going to make the gauntlet alive.

Soooo.... I escorted the mama duck and babies across the parking lot. Over curb and sidewalk, stopping traffic and making a safe passage. I felt like security at a Olympic torch relay!

Mama and all seven quackers finally made it to the other side of the parking lot and I now have another professional skill on my resume... professional duck herder.

Internet: KidZui - A New Browser for Kids

KidZui is a new product for kids 3-12 that is supposed to make the Internet safer for kids to surf. According to the Techcrunch website, KidZui does this not by blocking everything that is bad (which is impossible to do) but, by making a list of acceptable content that will be allowed through the browser.

the KidZui software has been in development for the last three years. During that time trained parents and teachers have approved "over 600,000 websites, pictures and videos" that can be viewed through this browser. The secret sauce to this technology is real humans looking at the content of websites, although this can limit the amount of information that is accessible.

There is also a parents area that can keep you as a parent up to date on what you kids think is "cool" and activities related to what your kids are searching for. You can also set age appropriate limits in the parents section... limiting the types of sites your youngest children can see compared to your oldest.

Past attempts at making youth centered Internet software have not met with much success. Most failed because they limited way to much information or they couldn't afford the staffing time to approve each website by hand. KidZui has a lot of potential. Hopefully, they have the staying power and resources to overcome the limitations their predecessors succumbed to.

Watch for our Kids Camp program coming this summer!

Whatcom: Earth Week Celebrations on Campus

Join the Whatcom Community College campus community in celebrating Earth Week. The college is featuring a week of enviromental films ending with a BBQ cookout on April 23rd. Click here for a complete list of films and activities.
Photo by AussieGal (flickr)

Community: Blood Drive! Don't Be a Turnip

The Student Nursing Club on campus is sponsoring a blood drive April 16th on the Whatcom Campus. You will be able to donate blood between 10am-12:30pm & 1:15pm-4pm in the Syre Parking Lot.

Your blood donation can be used to save multiple people. Don't be a couch turnip! Save lives and donate blood.
Photo by Darwin Bell (flickr)

Self Discovery: Overcoming Separation Anxiety

Last year my husband and I decided to expand our family. It wasn’t an easy decision.

He didn't know if he was completely on board at first, so it took some convincing on my part. I told him I was feeling impatient because I’m not getting any younger. I insisted that we could handle the responsibilities such as feedings, tantrums and station wagons. I spent hours doing research regarding good schools in the area. There was a lot of crying and mentioning of biological clocks. It was ugly.

Finally he agreed and we adopted a 3-year-old... From the local shelter.

Ever since we brought a dog into our lives all I want to do is hang out with that little fuzzy guy. Being a “dog-person” is a completely new experience for me, and I finally get why people are so crazy about their canine friends.

Suddenly, everything in my life is about Fido (names have been changed to protect the innocent). Go for a walk? Not without Fido. Going to a social outing with friends? Not without finding a good daycare for Fido. And of course it took me at least three months to get Fido into the best school in the area. I’m determined that he not suffer the same struggles in life that I endured.

I have to admit, all this “dog-mania” has its consequences. For instance, I haven’t really done anything for myself in about six months. If I feel like going to the gym, I just look at Fido and decide I should lie on the couch and watch TV with him until suppertime. It’s gotten so bad that a good friend told me recently, “Dalia, you really need to get a life apart from the dog.”

It was tough to take, but I knew she was right.

So, I signed up for a Belly Dancing class this quarter, and I’m considering Pilates. I scheduled it perfect so that I could get home in time to make Fido his favorite supper: wet food with organic carrots and apples.

And I'll make sure to leave the radio on when I leave so that he doesn’t miss me too much…

Thinking about getting away for a little "me" time? Check out this quarters dance, fitness and well-being classes!

If you need more convincing, check out this article on Pilates and heart health.

Self Discovery: I Command You to Set Yourself Free!

For this week’s blog, I have an assignment for you. Perform one or more of the following actions:

• Change your phone number
• Refuse dinner plans
• Block an email address
• Say the word “No”.

Why, you ask, am I suggesting such anti-social behavior?

You know why.

Because even though you don’t want that certain someone in your life anymore, you keep letting them in and allowing them to soak up all your positive energy, only to replace it with feelings of resentment and helplessness. Yes, my friend, of this you are guilty.

But I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, really. I want you to be free of this tiresome burden. Today, I want you to get the guts to claim your life back and take back what’s yours!

(By the way, for those of you who think I’m only talking to individuals in abusive relationships or hostile work environments, I’m not. I’m talking to all of you, because every one of us knows someone that serves no other purpose but to suck our energy dry.)

So, if you can own this problem, I challenge you to face it head-on. Post a comment and inspire others. Heck, while you’re at it, why not take a Yoga or a Tai Chi class? Now that you can enjoy all that positive life-force, you might as well make the most of it!

For a list of our wellness classes, including Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga and even Knitting, visit our website by clicking here.

To read more about “energy vampires” click here.