Camp Ocean Kids Program - Coming Soon To Carnival Cruise Lines

Camp Ocean- an exciting, new marine-themed children's program is coming soon to Carnival Cruise Lines fleet of 24 "Fun Ships."

Camp Ocean, which will replace the line’s existing Camp Carnival program, will welcome youngsters in with light blue and white underwater colored spaces and friendly, experienced staff.  Three age-related categories will each have their own identity: children ages 2-5 will be dubbed “Penguins,” with those ages 6-8 called “Sting Rays” while 9-11 year olds will be “Sharks.”

Distinctive areas and activities have been custom-created for each of the new age designations – from miniature play igloos for the Penguins to interactive gaming stations for the Sharks. On Carnival Freedom, which begins a multi-million dollar refurbishment, and Carnival Vista, which debuts in 2016, a new purpose-built Camp Ocean play area will include Party Reef, a common shared space that brings each of the groups together, as well as Creative Cove, a breakout room for arts and crafts activities.

Nursing Essentials Guide

Nursing. It's different with every child.

My first son never quite got the hang of it. I was young, I was a first time mom - and honestly? I threw in the towel after 4 weeks. He was frustrated. I was frustrated. So, we weaned to formula. With my daughter I was incredibly determined to make it work however, with her pre-term labor (she made her debut 5 weeks early), her low birth weight and a heart condition (SVT - which has since corrected), the choice of supplementation was pretty much made for us. She wasn't gaining quickly enough, so we supplemented. I nursed and supplemented her for 6 months before weaning her to formula completely. Now, with our 3rd child - I have made it my all-out mission to nurse exclusively for 1 year.

I won't lie. It was a rough start. The all day/night cluster feedings almost got the better of me. But now, 8 weeks in - we seem to have found a rhythm that works. So, finger's crossed.

Our top 10 Nursing Essentials include:

Riding "The Wave" #OpenHearts

"Life is like a wave" - Jane Seymour

 

For those of you who have been reading here since the beginning, you may remember a moment that - in hindsight- I can now pinpoint as a turning point in my life. I was riding a "wave"  that crested and released me to an inward journey that I am only now just resurfacing from. 

This life-altering moment included a phone call and  a few words that rocked me to my core and continued to rock me for years to follow. My mother, whom I hadn't spoken to for several years, had passed away. 

She was gone.  And now I had to figure out how to let go. 

 

For me, the grieving process was magnified. It wasn't just a process of grieving the loss of my mother, It was also a process of letting go of all of  the wishes that I had for the past, present, and future. It was grieving the relationship that I wished we would have had. It was grieving her absence for the milestone moments in my life that I wish she would have witnessed. 

 

It was a painful all-encompassing process, that has forever changed me.  

 

Sofia The First The Floating Palace - Free Printable Coloring Pages

In celebration of the release of Disney's Sofia the First : The Floating Palace to DVD, we have some fun, free Sofia the First printable coloring pages and activity sheets for you today.

Click below to print your free Sofia the First coloring sheets and grab a box of crayons!

Introducing Sesame Street S'More Magazine

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that we came to know and love first as children and now as parents, is expanding it's educational efforts yet again with the release of a new digital magazine.