Such as climbing 30 ft into pine trees and leaping from tree to tree like squirrels, climbing out the second story window out to the back roof and jumping off, jumping out of the loft of our barn – it was at least 15 ft to the ground, and my favorite, going off riding my horse for hours at a time with no set direction of I wanted to go and no cell phones (we didn’t have them back then).

We would spend hours of our days going off on bike rides, playing in the neighbors ponds and streams, most times without adult supervision. Yes, we knew how to swim, but still. As I think of all these things that my mom used to do, I wonder, would I ever let my kids do that?

Now, I know that we also live in a different time and age. People don’t seem to be as well trusting, cars fly down even the most remote back roads, etc.  I would love to be able to give my kids the same freedoms and experiences I had, but as most mothers, I worry about them getting hurt.

I came across a post about a new book that I’ve added to my wish list called “Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry” and I’ve also requested a copy from the library. Because it touches on all those points I expressed above, it really stood out. When I get it in and read through it I’ll be sure to post a review here. (You can purchase it on Amazon.com if you’d like to check it out yourself.) There’s also another one I’ve got my eye on called “Fifty Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do)“. I might pick this one up too. With 3 boys, I think this one could come in handy.

How about you? Any comments? Would you let your kids do some of the same crazy (yet fun) things you did as a kid? I’d like to hear your thoughts…

Now, I don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch (yet), but I do have a PDA with a few games on it that has saved my sanity many times. For those of you who do have such devices, I came across a great post that might be helpful for you.

A fellow parent compiled a list of 14 kid friendly games that you can download to your device for those times when you need some piece and quiet. Some are free, some paid, but might be worth it.

http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2010/02/my-recommended-kid-games.html

As I have changed around the way businesses are listed, it is taking a bit longer than I had hoped.

One of the big changes to the site is that now all the local businesses/areas of interest are now in separate posts so that visitors will now be able to comment on the businesses and even give them a rating! I’ll be adding more content each day in order to bring everything back up to snuff!

Please feel free to send me any updates or upcoming events that I might have missed that you feel would be of interest to the community and I’ll be sure to add them.

~ Jenn

Please take a moment to create an account and sign in. As a member you will be able to take advantage of special “Members Only” features such as message forums (chat with other members in your area), Free classified ads, special member coupons to area businesses, and much more.

This is a FREE site. We charge NO monthly fees and we don’t require you to register unless you would like access to the above mentioned features. Feel free to look around and view all the available content and articles. For a quick look at what changes are made regularly, check our home page for more info.

I love the new design and I hope you will too. I’ve made it so much easier to find what you’re looking for as well as added a ton of new, updated content.

I do apologize for not keeping up with things over the past few years, but I am determined to keep on top of things from now on. The new CMS system that I am using to manage the site is **so** much better, and I’m sure you’ll agree!

If this is your first visit here or since the new redesign, take a moment to browse around and get familiar with were everything is located. If you can’t seem to find something, try out the search feature or drop me an note via the contact form and I’ll get it posted for your right away.

Thanks for visiting and I hope that you’ll come back soon!

~ Jenn McGroary