What do I mean by Travel that Teaches? Simply, it is travel to historical places that may cause sadness and discomfort, but teaches valuable lessons about humanity or the lack thereof. I recently went with a fellow blogger to Eastern Europe and one of our stops was Prague. As a history aficionado, I knew that an important World War II camp was nearby, the town of Terezin, Czech Republic. Allow me to take you on a tour of this haunted landscape, haunted by the hatred and cruelty of the Nazis and the innocents who died at their hands. We must always remember these horrific events in history, only then do we stand a chance of not repeating them. With the rise of hate crime in the United States (up 17% in 2017) and the murder of eleven members of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it is more important than ever to remember that these horrors did happen. [Read more…] about The Benefits of Travel that Teaches
I Love Introducing People to the Wonders of the Ocean
I have always loved introducing people to the ocean. First time snorkelers, first time divers, and especially children seeing the underwater world for the first time. I cannot count how many people I have taught to snorkel or taken snorkeling, and most of them went on to dive and become certified divers. Since I am always excited to be in the water and see fish and animals and corals, I enjoy being with others who are as excited as I am!
Good fortune came my way in Cozumel a week ago, when a ten year old girl staying next door to me fell in love with the ocean. Her entire family did! They were in Cozumel for a family wedding that took place at Villa Torres, though Villa Coronado did the honors for the ceremony! I loved the whole group, they were just wonderful. The young girl, Addison (love that name), went out on a snorkel with me and we had a great adventure: scorpion fish, flounders, yellow stingrays, and amazingly enough, a seahorse! That was magical. Seahorses are hard to find in Cozumel since the 2006 hurricane, so finding one on a snorkel was just incredible. We stayed out for over an hour, and she could not get enough! It was so fun to show her the underwater world. I had forgotten how much I enjoy introducing new people to the beautiful creatures. She was particularly drawn to the Queen Parrotfishes just becoming adults with their dazzling colors.
The desire to write a book series about our Ocean Friends was something I always wanted to do in order to introduce people to the animals in the ocean. When people get interested and excited, they want to learn more, and to experience it. My first published book, Fish Faces: Photos and Fun Facts about Tropical Reef Fish, is meant to begin a journey of getting to know our ocean friends, and how important they are to our survival on this planet. It all begins with knowledge, and with knowledge comes enthusiasm. Learning should be fun at any and every age! Fish Faces is available on LULU.com right now, and will be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble soon, within the next few weeks. It is the same price on all the sites. Do you know someone interested in the ocean? This is a super fun way to learn about fish species and how different they look from ocean to ocean. I have dived in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and many of the seas within them, so my photographs reflect a planetary view of ocean fish, along with fun facts about each species.
I so enjoyed my time snorkeling with Addison, and it makes me want to show people the ocean even more! I hope you take a look at All Fish Faces!
Being a Mother is the Trip of a Lifetime!
In many ways, I cannot believe I am a mother. These tiny creatures arrive, and all of the sudden you are responsible for a human life. It can be overwhelming, but there is no doubt that being their mother was the most important thing I have ever done.
[Read more…] about Being a Mother is the Trip of a Lifetime!
Why Children Freak Me Out
Now, I don’t mean they freak me out in general. They freak me out for very specific reasons.
Those reasons have to do with my husband, who had a Double Lung Transplant almost two years ago. (Lung Transplant, An Unexpected Journey!) The journey has been long, and we thought after year one things would get much better…that was, sadly, not necessarily true. Randy, who is on anti-rejection drugs which lower his immune system, has caught several viruses this year, and has been hospitalized four times. Each time is frightening. Lung Transplants have the shortest survival rate of all transplants. Why? Because the lungs are constantly exposed to the air.
What does that have to do with children? Children carry germs. A lot of germs. A single sneeze can land bacteria and germs on doorknobs and countertops long enough to infect others. Covering of the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing can help tremendously, and so can washing your hands. Children, as we know, don’t cover their noses and mouths (especially when they are little) and don’t wash their hands unless they are told. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, children have an average of twelve colds per year. Twelve on average! Yikes!
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and I wore a mask, knowing that the OB-GYN office would be filled with babies and tots. Everyone asked me what was wrong, and I simply told them the truth. I cannot risk taking illnesses home to Randy. Of course, risk is inherent in every situation, but with Randy, precautions are the name of the game.
Germs are at their very worst in the kitchen. Did you know that washing a dish towel is not enough? Or washing a sponge? It has to go into the microwave for two minutes in order to be germ free.
We just have to be very, very careful. At this point in our lives, our children are getting married. Grandchildren will bring more risk…hopefully we have a few years until that time. When the babies come, we will just have to be ultra careful about washing items with antibacterial soap, microwaving sponges and towels, and using face masks. It worries me though. Of course we will want to be around our grandchildren as much as possible. We’ll have to take precautions.
Careful is our new byword.
**photo from Creative Commons.
Fab Photos Friday: A Book of Christmas
I love making movies, books, working on photos….and I especially love making my family memory books. This year, I will be making a book for my children (they probably don’t read this so I think I am safe) about our Christmas ornaments. It occurred to me that I am the only one with the knowledge of where these precious ornaments came from! So, I want to pass it down! Here are some of the items that are going in the book:
How do you keep the memory of your holiday ornaments alive?
10 Children’s Charities you’ve never heard of, but need to!
From Parent Magazine, here are 10 children’s charities you have probably never heard of, but they are worthy of your attention and donations!