But children who are hidden from the U.S. Census counts (taken only once every 10 years) are not a laughing matter. So, ready or not, here comes 2010 Census … and you have an important role to play!

Many parents may not realize the importance of accurately reporting the number of children in their family, including newborns. The truth is that the undercount of children means that we do not get a true picture of our nation and our communities do not get their rightful share of public funds.

Why Children Count Too

Children have been undercounted in every census since the first one in 1790. Local communities rely on census information in planning for schools, child care, health and other critical services. Babies need to be counted today, so they can benefit tomorrow from community services.

Census counts are used, in whole or in part, for more than 140 programs that distribute more than $400 billion of federal funds to states and localities, including such child-focused programs as:

• Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
• Head Start ($6.9 billion)
• State Children’s Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
• Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the Census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the Census. In fact, in the 2000 Census, there was a net undercount of more than 1 million children under age 10.

When playing hide and seek your children have the opportunity to be found after ten seconds.

The Census only comes around every ten years. So when you receive your Census form in mid-March, make sure your child (no matter how old) is counted!

Posted as part of the Global Influence Network.

In my frustration, I look over at the other little boy sleeping in his crib with his diapered bottom in the air. I think to myself how he drank too much before bedtime and will probably be a soppy mess in the morning for me to clean up. Oh, how I hate changing diapers. I’m starting to think he will never be potty trained.

And the messes the two of them made together today. Between the toys spread from one end of the room to the other, then D running outside in his diaper and shirt and K locking me out of the house when I went after him, I was ready to put them all up for adoption. How I wish they would just hurry up and grow up, so I can have a clean house and quieter days.

But then my mind starts to think back 10 years to another little boy who never wanted to sleep, and would quiz me about life long beyond his bedtime, asking the really tough questions like what are rainbows made of and what does Santa Claus do in July. That little boy will be 15 in less than two weeks, and it seems like just yesterday he was K’s age.

That little boy, who I never thought would outgrow the terrible twos, or be potty trained, or sleep in his own bed, now has a voice like a grown man and a goatee. In a year, he’ll have his license. In three, he’ll be an official adult. He doesn’t ask me cute questions anymore, just asks me for money or video games.

I look back over at the little soggy hiney making a lump under the covers and then I look at the sweet face of the little boy who has finally stopped asking me unanswerable questions and is now drooling down my arm in peaceful slumber.

Suddenly, I don’t want my bed back anymore. I want to keep changing diapers. I want to clean up messes and step on toys and make three different dinners so no one goes to bed hungry.

With each passing day, my babies get bigger and I get closer to pining for these days that sometimes annoy me now. Before I even realize it, all of these frustrations will be gone and my sweet baby boys will be all grown up.

I think I’m going to go crawl in bed and spend the rest of the night with 4 yr old feet in my face…

I came into the online world and began writing web content, back when keyword stuffed articles were the in thing to promote your website. The pay was low and I rarely slept because the work was time consuming, but I at least earned enough money that I could be home with the kids and keep food on the table at the same time.

Later I started this blog, along with another blog about my freelancing journey (which is long defunct). Neither of them got the attention they deserved because most of my time was spent writing for clients.

Then Twitter came into my life, I became friends with Amy and started to work with her on her new business. For a while I did double duty, writing for clients and working with her at the same time. As you can imagine, I burned out pretty quickly and simply lost my desire to write, for myself and for work. I threw up a post here and there to keep the blog alive, and wrote the reviews I was committed to, but I just didn’t enjoy writing anymore.

Until now.

Suddenly I started to miss the self expression that I enjoyed from writing when I was younger. I realized that I can now write what I want, when I want and get back to what I loved. Now that I don’t HAVE to write every day, the desire to write is finally coming back. The writer’s block has started to lift and I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts again. Hopefully my rediscovered passion will open more doors, along the way.

I spent my entire life being told by my mom that I should be a writer and that one day she wanted to go out and buy my first book. While that never will happen, at least she saw a part of her dream realized by seeing my words posted online. And now I’m at a point that I can write for myself again and enjoy my passion, maybe someday getting around to that book…

Until this year…

If I see one more flake of white, I. AM. MOVING. With 3 (or was it 4…I lost count) major snowfalls, including two BLIZZARDS, I think I’ve had just about enough. I’m getting stir crazy, the kids are getting stir crazy, and it is time for SPRING.

I tried to escape all this and go to Florida for a few days. I left a view that looked like this:

Thinking about warmth and short sleeves and palm trees. Maybe a nice dip in the pool…come home with a little tan…

HAH! Even when I was there, the night temps were at freezing and it never broke 60 degrees during the day. It was long sleeves and jackets, all around. What does this winter have against me?

While the forecast for Monday is putting us at a high of about 50, Wednesday’s weather report says another chance of snow. “But don’t worry, this one looks like just a dusting.” I. don’t. care. I’m over it.

Tomorrow we’re going to pack up our lunch and head to the zoo for a few hours and soak in the non-freezing temps and sunshine. Hopefully a few hours outside will give the kids a chance to get some of their pent up energy out and the weather will take a turn for the better soon.

Is anyone else as sick of this winter as I am?

It really IS a Small World.

We’ve been back from Disney for almost 2 weeks now and I’ve yet post about the true magic that we experienced while we were on our trip. I’ve been a little distracted by getting caught up on work, plus I have a cold that doesn’t seem to want to disappear. *hack, hack*

I have tons of pictures and a couple video clips to edit and share soon, but didn’t want another day to go by without saying the one thing that has been on my mind since I’ve been home. I LOVE my community! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to experience Disney magic with my family, but it meant even more that I got to share that time and my own family with some of the people that simply mean the world to me.

One of the most amazing things for me with the Disney Social Media Moms conference is that it gave me the opportunity to see my online friends as they really are…with their families. We read each other’s posts and see video and pictures of our friends’ kids, but being able to connect faces and personalities with those posts just makes the connection and sense of community you feel all that much stronger.

I ate dinner (cooked by Robert Irvine as an episode of Dinner: Impossible – SQUEEEEE) with one of my best friends, Amanda from High Impact Mom, and got to spend time getting to know her hubby and girls.

I got to spend time with Kristin from Our Ordinary Life and cuddle with sweet little Brooklin, reaffirming the fact that I need a girl in this house.

I was able to give a big hug to Shellie from Blog4Mom and got to meet her awesome husband.

Of course, I spent time with Amy of Resourceful Mommy, my best friend and boss, and see her hubby and kids again. This time, I was even able to meet her parents, who I just love.

Another that I was so thrilled to have time with again was Nicole from Pink and Posh. She is such a sweetheart and her daughter is simply adorable! My hubby and boys enjoyed the company of her husband during the first event, making me relax a little because I was afraid they’d feel a little awkward and uncomfortable not knowing anyone.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Most of us came together with the common bond of being parents and now we can say we have actually met the families that are the real root of our friendships.

Thank you, Disney, for giving me the chance to deepen some of the friendships that mean the most to me.

Disclosure: I was not compensated by Disney for writing this post, nor was I given my trip to Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We did, however, receive exclusive discounts, events and other goodies as a part of the conference package. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

There’s always work to be done; a house to be cleaned; people think I should feed them regularly…not to mention that we’re leaving for Disney in 5 days (OMG!) and I haven’t packed a thing, nor am I even sure that I have enough clothes in this house for everyone. No one else around here seems to see the sense for any urgency in the matter and I can just imagine what Sunday night and Monday will be like once it’s time for everyone to really get ready.

Another freakishly huge snowstorm is predicted for this weekend, further complicating my mission to get everything finished and organized by Monday evening so we can hit the road at the crack of dawn on Tuesday. If they cancel school on Monday, I just may totally lose whatever I have left.

And then there’s the cleaning…there is nothing I hate more than coming home from a trip to a big mess, so in between all the running and working, I’m trying to get things in order so that we don’t come back to a junk pit. Good times when little people seem to undo everything that gets done.

As usual, I’m freaking out for nothing, I’m sure. It will all get done and before I know it, we’ll be basking in the warm Florida sun and enjoying some Disney magic. But in the meantime, I will be panicking and hyperventilating and having a serious nervous breakdown over everything that has to happen to make this trip happen. Such is life with me…

Am I the only one who does this when getting ready to travel (or for any other major event)? Please tell me that someone out there identifies with my feeling of insanity. And please, pray for me (and those who have to deal with me for the next few days). We all need it!

P.S. Thanks for reading my little rant…I needed to get that out.

Since J could barely walk, I dreamed of taking him to the Happiest Place on Earth. I spent hours researching costs, hunting down ways to make the trip affordable and simply wishing that I could enjoy the fun that I had at Disney as a child with my little boy.

Sadly, years passed and I never got the chance to take him when he was in the years where he would have really experienced the magic of the characters. At about 9 years old, my parents were able to take him, but I couldn’t get off work so I missed enjoying the excitement with him. I was a bit crushed, but glad that he got the chance to enjoy the experience.

Once A and I got married almost 5 years ago, I started fresh, trying to find a way to take J and AJ on a family vacation to Disney, but one pregnancy followed another and the dream was quickly out of reach financially and logistically. There was just no way that we could ever pull it off without leaving someone home. Until…

Back in September, I got an email that changed all that. I received my invitation to the Disney Social Media Moms celebration! This event is one of the best things that has ever happened to us. It’s a press event/conference/family vacation all rolled into one! I was able to buy a pass that would allow me to take along the entire family at a price that is actually affordable. And the extras and special events that are included just magnify the magic of Disney.

So now we are planning for our first ever trip as a family! And I get to see the joy and excitement on K and D’s faces as they experience the characters while they still “believe.” A and AJ neither have ever seen Disney, so they are in for a real treat, too! I’m getting the warm fuzzies just thinking about it.

The only thing about the trip that has me a little apprehensive is that we are DRIVING. 2 days in the car with the little guys is a bit daunting. And the long driving day? K’s 4^th birthday. EEK! The reward will certainly be worth it, but I am NOT looking forward to day one of the drive.

I’ll be sure to share our trip here for those who want to see the fun and excitement of our family’s first trip to Disney!

Anyone have tips for me for surviving the trip? Enjoying the parks with varying age ranges? I’ll be happy to get any advice you can give!

Last week, I was lucky enough to have received a preview DVD of Chuggington, the new show premiering on Monday, January 18^th on Playhouse Disney. The boys had seen the commercials on the Disney Channel already, and immediately recognized the image on the DVD and asked to watch the show by name.

Both were totally entranced by the show. Watching with them, it reminded me of a more futuristic version of Thomas the Tank Engine (only with fewer derailments). The characters are loveable and fun and the kids already know them by name in just a couple of days.

There’s the speedy Koko, the dependable Brewster, the enthusiastic Wilson and many more new friends. The trains go on lots of fun adventures that always seem to have a valuable life lesson built in.

Chuggington has been a big hit so far in our house and I have a feeling it will be a favorite for some time to come! I think any little train lover will certainly enjoy this show!

Tonight, Friday January 15^th, there will be a Twitter Sitewarming Party to introduce Chuggington! Join @ResourcefulMom and @Chuggington to find out more about this adorable show, see a sneak peek of the premiere episode, and win some fabulous prizes! RSVP here and find out how to participate.

Don’t forget to check our Chuggington’s Playhouse Disney premiere on Monday, January 18^th at 10:30 AM ET/PT and stop by http://chuggington.com for fun, games and videos!

Disclosure: I received a preview DVD from Chuggington and work for Resourceful Mommy Media, host of the Sitewarming party.

I hope you enjoy! I look forward to sharing more with you throughout the new year!

We recently received the Playskool Dinoroars Stompers Triceratops to review. My boys love this just as much as they did the little guy from the spring, and have taken to calling it the “daddy” of their little friend…or “mommy” depending on what they want the big dino to do. Yeah, evidently we practice a little gender stereotyping around here.

The Dinoroars Stompers move their heads and roar, just as the Hatchlings do, but in this version, they stomp around and move a bit more. We love the soft, pettable “skin,” which is easily wiped with a damp cloth when grubby little fingers get the better of it. As with everything Playskool, it holds up to the more enthusiastic play of little boys. If a toy can make it a week with two little boys fighting over it in this house, it’s a winner.

If you are looking for a fun, interactive toy for the littlest dinosaur lover this Christmas, the DinoRoars Stompers might just be the perfect gift. You can find the Triceratops and his other friends at most major toy retailers, or purchase it at the Hasbro Toy Shop for $24.99

Product was provided for this review