5 Ways You And Your Child Can Exercise Together

By Amanda Arnold

Obesity in children is growing at an alarming rate.  Did you know, that according to the American Obesity Association, 30% of children (ages 6-11) are overweight and 15% are obese?  Overweight children are at high risk to become overweight adults, so how do we stop this trend?

With the advancement in technology we are living more sedentary lifestyles.  Instead of our kids wanting bicycles and baseballs, they are wanting ipods, cell phones, and new computers.  It is time now to turn off that television and computer, and put the video games away.  Limit your child’s use of television, computers, etc. to no more than 2 hours a day. 

You can encourage your children to exercise by setting an example. If your children see you being active, they are more likely to be active. Here are just a few ways to get you and your family off the couch:

There are lots of ways to be active and have fun.  Not only will your family be fit together, but you will also be creating fun memories that will be remembered forever.

Is Your Neighborhood Safe?
By Amanda Arnold

The news is filled with stories of child abduction. But you are probably thinking to yourself, that could never happen to my child. Being educated and aware of registered sex offenders in your area could help you protect your children.

I was outside playing with my 17 month old daughter, in our front yard. As we were playing, an older gentleman was walking down the street in front of our house. Keep in mind I live in a small rural area with a population of less than 500. I have seen this same man walk down our street several times in the 2 years that we have lived in this neighborhood. The gentlemen, while walking by, asks me "Do you ever take her to the park?" Trying to be polite I reply "Yes, she loves the slide!"

The following day, as I am loading my daughter into the car, I see the same gentleman walking past our house, on the road next to our driveway. We live on a corner lot and in the 2 years of living in this neighborhood I have never seen him walk this path. Again he strikes up a conversation with me. I didn't think much about it at the time. I just thought he was a bit odd.

On another occasion, my husband and I took our daughter to the park, located across the street from our home. It was a weekend and several other kids were playing there also. I saw an older beater of a car pull in to the park. At the same time, two young girls were walking by and I heard them say "Come on lets go this way!" And they ran off away from the car that had just pulled in. That caught my attention, so I was watching the driver of that car to see what he was up to. He had big bushy brown hair and a bushy beard. A hard face to forget. He turned his car around and left the park soon after he had pulled in. Again, it was a strange occurrence but I didn't think much more of it.

The same week, there was an amber alert within 50 miles of our area. A 2 year old was abducted by her father. A few days later the amber alert was cancelled. Curiosity drove me to the amber alert website. While there, I found a link to search for sexual offenders in our area.

As I was searching, I found three registered sex offenders in our small little town. Among those 3 offenders was the first gentlemen I spoke of, that walks past our house everyday. I was shocked! I continued my search and within 10 miles from our home there are 10 registered sex offenders. Within 20 miles there are 54 registered sex offenders. A picture of one of the men on the list resembled the man driving the beat up car in the park. A search within 40 miles of our home revealed 98 registered sex offenders.

This is a scary thought. If there are that many registered sex offenders in the vicinity, how many are out there that haven't been caught?

It pays to be alert. Even if you live in a small rural area, there are child predators out there. Stay educated and know who is lurking around your neighborhood. Your child's life depends on it. So visit the sex offender registry and be informed of predators living near you!