7 Ways to Comfort Kids in Difficult Times

The YMCA of Greater Louisville is the largest provider of child care in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and we, along with the nation, watched in shock as the tragic events unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut.

Our hearts go out to every person that was touched by those events. We know that children will have questions about what happened, and we as the Y, feel that it is important for us to help parents communicate on this difficult issue.

Below are some guidelines that can be used if/when your child seeks answers:

1. Try to exhibit a sense of calm in the presence of children.
2. Create a safe environment and allow children to freely express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without fear or consequences. Ask and discuss what makes them feel safe. 
3. If the topic arises, ask how they feel and let them know that you understand. Validate their feelings and let them know that how they feel is OK. Sympathize and empathize with them.
4.  Allow children to put their grief and/or emotions into action, i.e. write a letter or draw a picture.
5. Be age appropriate, but direct, when answering questions. If the topic comes up, families should be encouraged to take breaks from the media coverage. 
6. Take note of any behaviors that seem to be out of character for the child as this may indicate the need to seek professional intervention. Behaviors can include, but are not limited to, persistent nightmares, bed wetting, soiling, aggressive behavior, isolating, etc.
7. Maintaining normalcy in routines can also be helpful and comforting in these situations.

The Y will continue to work with our local experts to learn how we can continue to maximize the safety of our facilities and programs.

Outside the Box New Year’s Resolutions for 2013

The New Year is a time for new beginnings and to set goals that strengthen you and make your life better. When making New Year’s Resolutions, the YMCA of Greater Louisville wants to remind families that resolutions should also include family time.

Here are some simple things families can do at home to improve their health while spending more time together. The following are 5 New Year’s Resolutions the Y recommends for 2013:

1. Eat Together. Sitting down together for a meal is a great way for parents and kids to share stories, talk about the school day or share their favorite part of the day. Set aside time for your family to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner at least once a week to catch up.
2. Volunteer Together. Giving back and supporting neighbors benefits everyone. It teaches children and teens to the value of helping others while meeting new people or discovering new interests. Find an opportunity in your community that the entire family may enjoy, such as distributing food at a local food bank or cleaning your neighborhood park.
3. Unplug from Technology. Limit screen time (TV, video games, computer, etc.) and instead set aside an hour to play games, go for a family walk, take a bike ride, or a trip to the park. Make some family memories outdoors!
4. Be Physically Active. It’s important for kids to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. And children aren’t the only ones who need activity – 30 minutes a day for adults too. Go swimming during Family Swim at your neighborhood Y or take a family exercise class.
5. Put Extras to Good Use. Do you have extra clothes or canned goods that could benefit others in need? Clean out your pantry, closet or attic and donate extra items to homeless shelters or community outreach programs. You can get the entire family involved and demonstrate the value of giving.

What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions?

Don’t let life be the pits!

Rainbow mud. That’s how I would describe my appearance on Sunday morning after a few friends and I, along with 7500 other people, completed The Color Run 5k downtown. Now, this wasn’t so much a race as it was a colorful street party. For those of you who haven’t heard of The Color Run, the gist of it is that you start the run wearing a clean white shirt, and along the course, you get gently pummeled with colored powder; at the end, you look like something out of Willy Wonka.

I can say with total certainty that I’ve never had so much fun in a race! Our team–for PEACH’s sake–had one objective: get as colorful as possible. To accomplish this, we rolled around in color that had fallen to the ground at each station. STOP. DROP. ROLL. COLOR. It just goes to show, getting exercise and being active doesn’t have to be a drag. While this certainly wasn’t an intense cardio work-out, jogging and laughing at the same time with friends make for very fun physical activity.

You don’t have to be an Ironman competitor to complete a race. There are lots of runs and walks still left this summer and fall that would be great for the whole family to do, or if you’ve never completed a race before, there’s no better time than now to push yourself and do one! You can look at a fairly comprehensive list of races in and around Louisville here. There are a number of races for charity, so you can support a good cause and get in some exercise at the same time. Maybe you can even get a team together and make silly shirts for the race (“Don’t let life be the pits” was our team motto for The Color Run). However you go about it, I would highly recommend doing a race. Whether you run, walk, or do some combo of both, you’re going to feel great after you cross that finish line.

Orange Leaf!

Okay, so I have a new obsession!  I was turned on to Orange Leaf by a very close friend of mine.  During all of this summer heat, Orange Leaf is a new, delicious, frozen yogurt place in the Gardiner Lane Shopping Center.  They have a great selection of frozen yogurt options to choose from, and a wonderful, family-friendly environment.  The really neat thing is you can actually have a serving of frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf, without consuming a ridiculous amount of calories. (For those of you participating in Weight Watchers click here.)  I recommend Orange Leaf to all of my families and friends, with a great price, great options, and a different place to take the family, you can not beat Orange Leaf!  I encourage everyone to check it out! 

Building Brighter Futures

We have a new Childcare Enrichment Program (CEP) video and we want to share it with you!

Our caring, trained staff offer homework support, help build positive self-esteem, and work on improving literacy and reading skills. We also have nutritious snacks available and play fun, active games.

We offer before and after school child care throughout Bullitt County and Jefferson County. Register through July 17 and it’s only $15 per child per week!  So don’t wait – register today!

5 Reasons to Support the American Cancer Society study

The American Cancer Society is launching a major new study, called the Cancer Prevention Study-3, in Kentucky this summer, and it arrives at time when I’ve been thinking a lot about breast cancer.
This past May 9, my younger sister Ellen celebrated 10 years free of breast cancer. Her frightening diagnosis, with the mastectomy and chemotherapy that followed, is now well behind her but I still remember the tearful early-morning phone call when she delivered her terrible news. I shared her pain over the next couple months – and then my world caved in when I received the same diagnosis and entered her world of biopsies, mastectomies, reconstruction and chemotherapy. In October I will celebrate my 10th anniversary being cancer free.

Nina in center with her two sisters who have survived breast cancer

You probably figured out by now that breast cancer runs in my family. My mother succumbed to breast and then liver cancer 20 years ago. My older sister was diagnosed with very serious Stage 3 breast cancer and survived with flying colors – She’s alive and well 15 years later. It appears our family crisis is behind us. But my sisters and I see our five beautiful young daughters and wonder what’s ahead for them. They are my 5 reasons for supporting the ACS study.
And so I jumped in when the American Cancer Society came to the YMCA of Greater Louisville and asked for help with the Cancer Prevention Study or CPS-3. This is something real and meaningful I can do to help find a cure for cancer – and so can you.
If you have not had cancer and are between the ages of 30 and 65, you can sign up for the new study. It’s easy to go on-line and make an appointment at any one of several sites between Aug. 7 and 11. The appointment only takes about 30 minutes and then every 2 or 3 years you will fill out a survey that will help researchers better understand the lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer. You can help save lives!
Think of someone you love who has had cancer and do this for them. PLEASE go to CPS3kentucky.org and sign up right now!

Here’s to life, more life!

My turn to blog this month happened to land on my birthday. Today, I am 25 years old–old enough to rent a car–and am up for celebrating!

I’ve seen people reach this age and commence to freak out because of all they were supposed to have done by 25–get married, have kids, land the dream job and dream house, and so on–but that’s not how I want to spend this day or this year. Sure, there’s a whole slew of milestones on a life list I would have liked to reach by now (oh, salary and benefits, one day we will meet) and aspects of my life I want to change, but I want to spend more time celebrating what I do have in my life, not lamenting what isn’t.

This morning, I kicked off the day with a bowl of cereal and a challenge: to jog the full loop at Iroquois Park non-stop, twice. Last year on this day, I huffed and puffed those hills and completed the full route jogging non-stop for the first time, so I thought I’d up the ante a little this year. My knees didn’t like it, and I was sweating glistening like crazy, but I pushed through, and 6.4 miles later, made it to the end. While my pace was nothing to write home about, I was excited just to finish and not pass out at the end.

Whatever your age, keep on challenging yourself and celebrating yourself.

Running past the woods today, I was thinking about people I’ve known in my life who never reached 25 and how incredibly lucky I am to be healthy enough to still be here, running. Today, I celebrate my health and my community–friends, family, neighbors, social justice allies, and YMCA pals. You should go celebrate something today! I plan on celebrating by crossing the bridge and having the best ice cream in all of Kentuckiana at Mom & Pop’s Cone Corner in New Albany later today. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Greening My Thumbs

Warning: three months ago I would have just about killed everything under my watch. GARDENING, y’all, I’m talking about gardening. Don’t get wound tight. Seriously, though, I couldn’t understand how both of my parents and my sisters totally understood the science of simply keeping plants alive. I’d water too much, I wouldn’t water at all. I’d leave them out in the sun too long, I’d basically tie them up in a black garbage bag. I’d fertilize the right amount, or I’d just short of dump the whole container of blue chemical on them. What on earth was I doing and how come I couldn’t get it right? It just wasn’t my thing. I just wasn’t made to get along with nature, I guess. Plants were happier, more lively (understatement of the century), and just plain better off without my touch. Oh well, on to the next hobby.

…Then my husband and I bought a house. Enter hallelujah chorus. Suddenly my interest in gardening peaked. I wanted flowers and I wanted them badly. Our back deck needed some C-O-L-O-R. Homeowner’s pride, according to my Mom.

Housewarming gift(s) #1 were two gorgeous hibiscus bushes from my Mom and aunt B. Deep breath. I can do this. I’m not going to let these babies die (hibiscus are p-p-p-pricey!). The tag says full sun. Check! The deck gets nothing but sun. Hot, 12-hours-a-day, full-exposure sun. We’re on to something. The tag says to keep them moist. Mental note: water every day. The tag says fertilize monthly. They include a scooper for a reason, Joan, don’t get chemical happy. My hibiscus are gorgeous! Every day I notice a new bud and I’ve got the most amazing, coral pink blooms as big as my palms. Extra excitement: my hibiscus look even better than my parents’ (sorry Mom)!

Next up: planters. Don’t laugh, I’m not confident enough to plant in a ground bed yet. I found some perfect rectangle planters to sit on our deck banister, bought some Miracle-Gro potting soil (side note: Costco’s got an amazing deal on a giant bag of this), and went to town. Marigolds, Celosia, Vinca, Impatiens, Verbena, Zinnias, and Viola now litter our back deck and front porch. They’re blossoming, blooming, trailing, volunteering, and in all their glory are big, beautiful, but most of all, mine. And you know what? Caring for and watering our plants is quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable and relaxing parts of my entire day.

Me. This girl. The one with (remember?) zero gardening talent.

Celosia (Love these! I think they look like feathers.)

Vinca (These guys grow like weeds!)

Marigolds (Easy-peasy to grow and their blooms are, say it with me, vi-brant!)

The Summer to Shine!

It’s that time of year again! Our kiddos are finally out of school, and excited to get started on their summer activities. This is my first year directly involved with the Southwest YMCA’s Summer Camp program. I finished up our first week of camp just hours ago, and I can truly say that I LOVE it. I am working with our Kamp Kermit, the 4/5 Year old group. I encourage summer camps to just about anyone that I come into contact with. I think attending a summer camp should be a part of each child’s youth. I believe attending a summer camp program will help your child become more independent, build their confidence, and make new friends. Whether your child attends one week, or all summer, I can personally assure you that parents will be impressed in all of the skills that your child will accomplish. It’s amazing to work with a group of youth, and see how they progress. I can tell you that I can already see a difference in our kids from Monday to Today. It’s an awesome experience. Whether it’s a YMCA, church, or 4h camp, I encourage all parents to urge your child to participate in a camp program! You and your child will love the outcome!

The Y and Education?

At the Y, we respond to a lot of needs in the community.  When you think of us, certain things always seem to regularly come to mind.  Health, wellness, sports, swimming, camp, a safe place for teens…and the list goes on.

However, who would have ever thought put the Y and education together?  Is that really something anyone would think could be a good pairing?  After all, what does the Y really know about that realm?

Well, I think you might just be a little surprised when I tell you we are doing a lot.  For instance, our Y sponsored a program at Moore Middle centered on college access and awareness, and culminated in a group of middle schoolers attending the largest Model United Nations Conference in the US.

We also operate the largest childcare system in the state of Kentucky and are partnering with JCPS on several education initiatives, focused on reducing the “summer slide” that students and teachers contend with each new school year, improving classroom performance, reading at grade level, and providing the necessary data to help set future educational policies.

The Black Achievers program, in partnership with our business community, along with countless volunteers and mentors, has provided millions of dollars in scholarships for deserving young minority students who earned their way to college through their classroom performance.

The programming that our Safe Place Services Branch provides to teens in crisis and families needing help to stay together is invaluable in giving kids the second chance they need to restart their life on a positive path.

We are also an active member of the Louisville College Access Network, whose regular meetings provide a networking opportunity for organization focused on education from across our area.

These, along with many other programs the Y offers, are already helping to prepare our children for school and life, and are promoting the importance of education.

However, given everything we are currently doing, we still saw a need to step our game up a bit, and that is exactly what we are doing.

We are starting to embark on a very intentional and enthusiastic journey deeper into the education movement with the adoption of an “Education Cabinet.”  This cabinet will consist of staff and partners involved in education from across the city, in the hopes of guiding our future educational endeavours.  The task of this group will be to chart our course as we respond to another need identified by our community…..and perhaps our greatest need.

It is extrememly exciting to bewhat can only be called a pioneer, as our organization moves forward, and expands the horizon on who we are and who the community needs us to be.  As a part of our collective local family, we take the trust that is given to us seriously, and have pledged to always respond when called to do so.

Please visit our webpage at http://www.ymcalouisville.org/youth-development/education-leadership/college-preparation-exploration.html  to link to some valuable partner resources and see what we are doing as an organization right now.  Also, be on the look out for more great news to come.

Have a great day, and read a little bit to a child today if you get the chance.  I am pretty sure they will love it…..and so will you.