History Lover?

Now Accepting Apprentice Program Applications

Are you a junior or senior in high school and enjoy history? The York County Heritage Trust’s Museum Apprentice Program provides students who have completed the 10^th grade or requirements thereof a unique and exciting opportunity. Museum apprentices work with the Trust’s programming staff as they design and install an exhibit and organize a special educational program. As they complete their projects, participants will be introduced to the public history field and discover the challenges of working in a museum.

Most importantly, the Museum apprentices get to have fun with history. The museum apprentice program is a great way to meet new people and try new things such as baking in an 18^th century bake oven. Students will also enjoy a field trip to a local historical site.

*Please note that this is a competitive program with limited space available.

**The Museum Apprentice Program is sponsored by the York County Heritage Trust's Auxiliary.

2012 Museum Apprentice Syllabus

2012 Museum Apprentice Application

For more information contact Patrick Bochy, museum educator, at 717-848-1587 ext. 304 or at pbochy@yorkheritage.org.

Where to Meet the Easter Bunny

It is that time of year again, time to meet the Easter Bunny! We have him tracked down to a few locations, but don't forget to check your township newsletters, church bulletins and preschool/school newsletters for other places to find him!

Galleria Mall- The Easter Bunny arrived March 17th and will be there until April 7th. His hours are M-Sa 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-5pm. I'm assuming you can "meet" him for free but their main concern is selling pictures. (Package information is available by clicking on "Galleria Mall")

West Manchester Mall- The Easter Bunny arrived March 24th and will be there until April 7th and he is there at 10am every day. *PET PHOTOS are held April 1st from 5-6pm*

Brown's Orchards and Farm Market- The Easter Bunny will be available for March 31st, April 1st and April 7th from 11am-1pm. The cost is $3/per person to have muffins with the Easter Bunny. (Bring your camera, there is no mention of an onsite photographer!)

The Markets at Shrewsbury- Saturday April 7th there will be an egg hunt for children under the age of 10, beginning at 10am sharp! You must pre-register.

York City's 37th Annual Egg Hunt- Children 8 and under are invited this Saturday March 31st to the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Kiwanis Lake/Farquhar Park. (For more information, and rain date, click on the event name).

Hoppy Easter!

Ebates

I just added a link, look to the right of this post, to my new best friend Ebates. I'm sure everyone besides me is already using this site, but as a very impressed newcomer I wanted to share. Start doing all of your online shopping by starting off at the Ebates site, find the store that you want to shop from their long, long list, and click through to the website. Every store will give you cash back, just for clicking through Ebates, I got 6% back from Kohl's, 6% from Macy's and 8% from Shoes.com. So just for my everyday purchases I am going to get a check for $12 at the end of the month.

Sure it's not a ton of money, but every little bit counts! I just wanted to pass along my new found favorite website, I hope you can save a few dollars too!

Click on the link to your right or here to find out more!

EBATES

Summer Camps

Summer camps have just started releasing their dates for the summer of 2012; I will update this post as they come rolling my way!

DreamWrights

York College and York Country Day School

York Little Theater

Kidz Camp

York City Ice Arena

Christian School of York

Jewish Community Center Camps

Camp Spirit (YMCA of York)

Camp Cann-Edi-On (YWCA)

Ski Roundtop Summer Camps

Shank's Mare (bigger kids)

Make sure you check your Spring/Summer township mailings/newsletters for summer camps, church bulletins for VBS camps and post any other camps on my Facebook page so we don't miss them! Thanks!

York Symphony Orchestra Family Concert

Next Saturday, March 3rd, at 10:00am the York Symphony Orchestra is presenting a family concert entitled The Composer is Dead, with text by Lemony Snicket. The show features a murder mystery about Bach, Mozart and Beethoven and will feature not only the YSO but DreamWrights and the Greater York Dance Company. After the performance kids will be able to take advantage of the "Instrument Petting Zoo" and get an up-close and personal look at some of the instruments they just saw on stage. Tickets are $8 for the show and petting zoo, keep this fun family activity in mind for next weekend, it's a great way to introduce kids to classical music!

http://www.strandcapitol.org/currentseason/calendar/view.asp?id=4484

WeeUsables Consignment Event

A good friend passed this along to me and I thought I would pass it along to everyone because it sounds like a GREAT event! The WeeUsables Consignment Event is a big deal; if you have baby items, children's clothing, toys and more toys, and they are all cluttering up your basement take a look at this event because it might be for you. Since this is the first one in York County the registration is free. They have a list you can download for pricing ideas and you get to keep 70% of the profit from your first event, 75% if this is your second time doing it (some friends have participated in the Lancaster sale before). Remember this is a HUGE sale so you will have more eyes on your items than at any yard sale, so the chances to selling a lot of your items are good. Also keep in mind if you are a new mom, grandparent, aunt or uncle or friend, this is a wonderful opportunity to get quality used items for your house, church or social group!

Please check out all of the information before you decided to participate, http://www.weeusablesevent.com/ , but if you have items that are sitting around taking up space this could be your early spring cleaning event.

Great Parenting Tips

There has been a minor uprising in my house in the past week, and the kink in my armor is showing. My once smiley, happy, bouncing, five year-old has become a preteen stomping and growling machine with a mouth and attitude to match, and Momma isn't happy. In response to this shift I decided to search online for anything and everything that I could find to help guide me in the right direction, without yelling or fighting, or pandering to her bad temper. I'm still searching for my parenting nirvana but while reading articles and excerpts I came across this and thought I would share. Enjoy!

10 Parenting Tips for Good Parenting from http://ultimateparenting.com

Tip #1 – If you love your kids—put yourself first!

Far too many children are living with a mom who is unhappy, frazzled and stressed out. Children flourish when they are raised in a home with happy, balanced parents. The best way to give more to your children is by giving more to yourself: by doing this, you can become a valuable role model for them of a happy, healthy adult.

Giving more to you also means you'll be able to give more to your family. “But I don’t have time!,” I hear many moms whine. We all have 24 hours in a day, and we all need to make wise choices that put the main priorities in our life first. If we are repeatedly burning the midnight oil, we may be on the brink of burnout—not a pleasant event for you or your family.

Tip #2 – If you are married—put your marriage before your kids! Most of us have heard of Generation X and Generation Y. But did you realize that Generation S—Generation Spoiled—is on the rise? Many children today are raised with an unhealthy sense of entitlement because their family has made them the center of the universe. And with divorce statistics still hovering at 50%, children are far too often coping with unhappy, failing marriages. A key to good parenting is to have a happy marriage in which your children can thrive—a partnership which they can use as a model for their future relationships. Take a stand and put some time into your marriage—for your family’s sake!

Tip #3 – Cherish your children. No matter what your situation—no matter how often your children drive you crazy—know there are thousands of women in this world who would gladly trade places with you in a heartbeat. There are women who would give anything to have a child period. Strive to remember how truly fortunate you are. Hug your children at least three times a day. Tell them often how grateful you are to have the opportunity to be their parent and to become a better woman—and mother—for it!

Tip #4 – Teach your kids to fish (rather than fish for them). Many moms (and dads) do everything for their kids. This only robs their children of the opportunity to learn self-reliance—a vital key to their self-esteem. One of the best things you can do is to help your kids learn how to do for themselves. Some parents think I am from another planet when I even suggest that kids can learn to do chores with a smile on their face. But then they are happily amazed when they see it is possible. Keeping house (washing dishes, doing laundry, housecleaning, etc.) can teach them basic life skills everyone needs to know. And chores give children the opportunity to contribute to the household in a positive way. Watch your kids flourish when you guide them to contribute in meaningful ways to you and your family!

Tip #5 – Focus on what you like (instead of what you don’t like). If children aren't being appreciated and aren't getting attention for what they do well—and when they behave well—you better believe they will learn to get attention for not behaving well! The more you notice what you like about what they're doing, the more you will inspire your child to repeat their good behaviors and achievements.

Tip #6 – Give respect and respect it in return. Don’t do anything to your child that you wouldn’t want your child to do to you. The list of things you don’t want to be doing includes yelling, hitting, spitting, making fun of people and putting others down. There are far better ways for you to handle conflict, stress and common misbehaviors. Commit to learning these “Ultimate Parenting” tools that are based on mutual respect.

Tip #7 – A family that plays together stays together! Have fun—play with your kids! Laughing, tickling, and playing together is the foundation of a happy home. Having fun can go a long way in providing your family with much needed quality time and in preventing much of the needless conflict and behaviors that drive you crazy. Children who experience a regular dose of quality time with their parents do not need to act out to get their attention.

Tip #8 – Pick your fights wisely and fight honorably. Kids need to feel in control of certain areas of their life. They also need boundaries. Create family rules but ensure that there is flexibility too. For instance a family rule might be that the common areas of the home need to be clean before bed, but the tidiness of the children’s room are left up to them (as you can always shut their bedroom door if the lack of order really bugs you). Fights are based upon two people with opposing views—sometimes a third way can be found that works for both you and your child. Look to find this alternate way. If there is no third way agreeable to both you and your child ensure you present your request in a firm but gentle manner. Remember to stay focused on the issue rather than trying to be right!

Tip #9 – Say what you are going to do and stick to it. Most parents unknowingly teach their kids to not listen to them. If you consistently repeat yourself and then don’t follow through on what you've said, you are teaching your kids to ignore you (and especially to ignore you the first time you say you're going to do something). If you are not going to do what you say your are going to do—you are basically teaching your children that your word is muck and can’t be trusted. By following through on your word consistently you will begin to pave the road that leads to your children hearing you the first time.

Tip #10 – Find Your G-Spot! In my book When You're About to Go Off The Deep End, Don't Take Your Kids With You , I talk about the importance of finding what I call your God-Spot. Whatever higher power you believe in, having faith that things will all work out in the end goes a long way to getting you through those “deep end” moments. Face it. You are going to mess up some days! There will also be days when you just want to cry. So hang on to your faith. When the unexpected happens, it may be all you have to help you make it through.