video

So we started a new YouTube channel: Fun Playtime Reviews

February 7, 2015 by Sandra 4 Comments

That’s right. We started a brand new YouTube channel!

And guess what? It’s very different than my current channel, but that’s okay. It’s not supposed to be related. Instead, my husband, kids, and I decided to create a channel that we can all truly enjoy creating videos for.

Our new YouTube channel is called Fun Playtime Reviews. It’s still a “baby,” but we’re looking forward to nurturing it and watching it grow.

Why start a new YouTube channel?

For two reasons: first, because creating video is so much easier than writing a highly-thought-out-picture-rich blog post. Seriously. A food recipe, DIY recipe, or some other type of sponsored content takes a minimum of 6 hours to complete from start to finish.

A video takes FAR less time.

And I’m not necessarily the one that has to create it, which brings me to the second reason I created this new YouTube channel. It’s a family affair. All seven of us are involved in some way or another, and so far, we love it. 🙂

Here’s a list of the different types of videos we’ll be sharing on a regular basis:

1. Play-Doh videos
2. Fun toy videos (Disney, Shopkins, TMNT, etc… By the way, most of these toys are either purchased by my kids using their own money or are toys we find on clearance at Walmart & Target.)
3. Show-and-Tell videos of toys and other items/collections we already own (Upcoming videos will include things like my daughter’s Minnie Mouse collection – she’s a HUGE fan 🙂 – and my boys’ Angry Birds collections.)
4. Super Mario Bros. episodes
5. Egg surprise videos

Here are this week’s videos:

Disney Minnie Bowtique Cash Register Playtime Review

SHOPKINS Season 2 Review (12-Pack) with Special Edition Fluffy Baby Shopkins!

Super Mario Plush Adventures Episode 1 (Fun Playtime Reviews)

Play-Doh Disney Sofia the First Tea Party Set Playtime Review

Play-Doh Animal Shape-a-Pet Playtime Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Turtle Heroes Play Tower (Fun Playtime Review)

So that’s it. 🙂

Each week, for The Sensible Mom, I’m planning on writing a weekly wrap-up post to show you the videos we uploaded that particular week. Please feel free to subscribe to our channel to stay even more up-to-date.

I’m not sure how this new journey is going to play out, but I plan on writing about my experience here as we go along. And I’ll try to offer YouTube tips and tricks I learn along the way.

Do you have a YouTube channel? What types of videos does your family enjoy watching on YouTube?

Peep and the Big Wide World (Plus a Fun Science Activity!)

November 28, 2014 by Sandra 3 Comments

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with PEEP and Latina Bloggers Connect.

Homeschooling my 5-year-old son, David, is not easy.

He’s always been my strong-willed child and lets me know right away when he doesn’t like something. Whether it’s coloring or working with flashcards, if he’s not interested in it, well, school can turn into the “low part” of his day in a hurry. 😉

As his mother and teacher, I don’t want that for him. I want him to be excited about school and learning. So you can imagine how excited I was to have discovered an entire website full of educational activities that David actually loves!

Peep and the Big Wide World

The website is called Peep and the Big Wide World. It’s named after the series by the same name that appears on public television. Maybe your kids have watched an episode already?

The Peep and the Big Wide World series stars a wide-eyed chicken named Peep, a robin named Chirp, and an endearing duck named Quack. They live in a large urban park — a place of endless wonder, adventure, and mystery – perfect for learning science and math concepts each and every day!

David and my other kids have been getting to know Peep and his friends, and amazingly, David and Isaac, my 7-year-old son, are learning even as they watch.

They learned how to “Mississippi count” the other day. 🙂

They’re learning even more from the Peep and the Big Wide World educational apps that we installed on some of our electronic devices. As a mom, I’m a huge fan of apps that teach my kids rather than simply entertain them.

The mobile-friendly digital hub gets preschoolers engaged using fun activities and helps parents be ready and confident to facilitate the exploration of math and science with their child.

Pour and Squirt Water Activity

One of my favorite parts of the Peep and the Big Wide World website is the educators area where you can find a number of different activities to engage your child and encourage their curiosity.

My three youngest kids loved this pour and squirt water activity that I came across on the website.

We basically filled different sized bowls with water, and then they used a variety of household items to pour, squirt, and play.

Mentos Science Activity

Seeing some of the different activities on the Peep and the Big Wide World website made me think about a science experiment we’ve been wanting to try as a family, but kept putting off for one reason or another.

We’ve been wanting to try a fun and easy science activity that involves dropping a bunch of mentos candies into different kinds of pop.

There’s an incredible chemical reaction that occurs between the pop and the mentos, and you really must see it to believe it!

So, we created a video. 🙂

We finally carved out time, gathered the supplies, put on our jackets, and had a GREAT time experiencing such a crazy experiment first-hand!

Below is the video we created for the mentos science activity. The results might surprise you!

I’m so glad we took the time to finally try the mentos experiment.

It is as fun as it looks. 🙂

But, you know, I’m even happier to know that I have another resource when it comes to teaching and homeschooling my kids. I’m certain that I’ll be going back to the Peep and the Big Wide World website again and again. I love that there’s even a Spanish version of the site available – perfect for when I start introducing my kids to more español!

Are your children familiar with Peep and the Big Wide World? Do your children enjoy doing science activities at home?

Connect with Peep: For the latest updates, you can “like” Peep Latino on Facebook and follow Peep here on Twitter.

David’s Story: Bone Marrow Transplant (Day +22 through Day +46)

January 26, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

Today is “day +46” since David had his bone marrow transplant.

In the world of bone marrow transplants, it’s fair to say that David is doing okay. If you would’ve asked me a week and a half ago how David was doing, I likely would’ve said, “He’s doing great. Yes, he’s still taking six medications a day, and, yes, he still has a port in his chest, but when it comes to his blood levels, they’re looking good. For this, we are very thankful!”

Today, though? David is doing okay (not great), because on day +37 we noticed a change in David’s skin. He had a red, raised rash on different parts of his body. Ultimately, the doctors confirmed that what David has is graft versus host disease of the skin.

GVHD (graft versus host disease) is a serious complication that can occur when you’ve had a bone marrow transplant. Essentially, it’s when the bone marrow donor’s cells start to attack their host.

David is the host in this case. 🙁

The doctors are keeping a close eye on David, and his medications have been increased. We’re making the trip to the Children’s Hospital in Chicago twice a week, and we’re dealing with this one day at a time.

Graft versus host disease can attack a person from the inside, too. It can affect the liver and the gut, so we have to keep a close eye on David and watch for other symptoms that can signal that the GVHD is elsewhere in his body.

For me personally, going through all of this is depressing and scary. I already knew GVHD was serious and that it could happen. But when it did happen and I started googling late at night…

Oh, I shouldn’t have done that.

But I did.

Looking at the bright side, I’m thankful that God is in control, and He’s blessed us with many wonderful family members, friends, and even people we don’t yet know who pray regularly for David. I know that prayer works and makes a difference.

So that’s where things are at this point. I’ll try to write again in a few days and not take such a long break in-between updates. 😉

For those of you who’d like a little more in-depth information about what life has been like for David the past 20+ days, here’s that update:

Day +22: David had a clinic visit in the hospital’s infusion center. At first, he was very uncooperative, and this was hard to handle because he’d been doing so well since he was discharged on day +19. It was like as soon as he realized that he was about to step into a hospital room, he stopped in his tracks and wouldn’t go in. It took awhile before we finally got him to agree to go into the room and have blood drawn for labs. He also ended up having a dressing and cap change on his PICC line. Overall, David’s labs are good, and he’s doing exceptionally well.

*He keeps asking why his hair is gone on an almost daily basis. I explain over and over that it’s because of the chemotherapy drug, Cytoxan, that his hair has fallen out. I reassure him that it will grow back. David notices that “Caillou is bald,” but I’m not sure if this makes him feel better or not.

Day +23: Good day. Grandma and Aunt Sarah visit us at the Ronald McDonald House where we’ve been living since David was discharged from the hospital.

Day +24 and +25: David continues to do well and take him meds. He’s on eleven doses of medication a day.

Day +26: David has severe stomach pain and diarrhea. The doctors are concerned that he may have graft versus host disease of the gut or an infection. We make a visit to the clinic where they draw blood for labs and get samples/swabs for other tests. The diarrhea lasts through the entire day but is gone the next day. David’s white blood cell count and absolute neutrophil count are elevated which signal to us that David’s body is fighting an infection.

Day +27 and +28: The stomach issues are over, and he has a couple good days.

Day +29: David has a clinic visit and is doing so well that the doctor thinks it’s okay to start slowly weaning David off of PrednisoLone, the steroid he’s been on. It’s the steroid that I hate because of all the side effects that come along with it. There’s a drastic change that happens to a person physically when they’re on this steroid. Then there’s the mood swings, anger, increased appetite…oh, it’s bad.

I realize that the steroid is necessary, but I’m ecstatic to start weaning him off.

Day +30 to +36: The days are good, and David is doing well. In fact, David is doing so well that the doctor has David’s nurse remove the PICC line in his arm, and she clears him to leave the Ronald McDonald House and go home!

Day +37: I feel like a bomb explodes in my life again. The moment that I lay eyes on David this morning, I can tell that his skin doesn’t look quite right. He has a rash, and it’s spreading. I call the hospital, and they want David to be seen that afternoon. The doctor prescribes a steroid cream for his rash, and the graft versus host of the skin continues to spread over the weekend.

Day +38: The GVHD is worse, and now it’s itchy, too.

Day +39: The GVHD continues to spread and bother David. 🙁

Day +40: David has a clinic appointment, and the doctor confirms that the rash is indeed GVHD. She doesn’t want to put David through a skin biopsy, because she knows that at this point there’s no real need for it. This makes my heart glad, because I don’t want David to have to go through that painful little procedure.

In order to try to stop the GVHD, David is given a dose of IV steroids in the infusion center. This day, he also has a 2-hour infusion of Pentamidine to prevent pneumonia. His oral dose of steroids is tripled. 🙁

Ruben and I continue to apply steroid cream to David’s body twice a day.

Day +41 to +46: The GVHD gets worse but then starts to look better in some areas. Today (day +46), it looks a lot better. Praise the Lord! We’re supposed to visit the clinic for an appointment in the morning, but because of dangerous weather conditions, I’m going to call and reschedule for Tuesday.

More to come. I’m planning on sharing updates until David reaches his day +100 milestone.

Click here for more posts and videos sharing David’s Story.

Click here to visit David’s Facebook page. I update that space often.

David’s Story: Bone Marrow Transplant (Day +19 through Day +21)

January 1, 2014 by Sandra 4 Comments

Bone Marrow Transplant (Day +19 through Day +21)

Click here for more posts and videos about David’s Story.