As long as there has been people, there have been bullies.  For that reason, there are some that feel that there’s not much that can be done about it.  The consequences of bullying, though, can be dire, and so it’s really not something to be ignored.  Bullying can be seen as early as the preschool year, and it can take a variety of forms.

Physical Bullying: includes physical harm and threats of harm to body and property
Verbal Bullying: may include name-calling and harrassing behaviors
Relationship Bullying: includes excluding someone from a group and spreading rumors
Cyberbullying:  the newest form of bullying occurs when a child is harassed, threatened, or otherwise tormented by another child via the internet or other digital technology, such as the cell phone.

The signs that your child could be a victim of bullying include a sudden change in behavior to very depressed or aggressive, coming home with damaged clothing or other items, coming home with physical injuries, or complaining of headaches or stomachaches and not wanting to go to school.  These could be symptoms of other problems as well, which is again another reason to keep the communication open with your child. It’s really important to talk to your children about their lives.  Ask him or her about school.  Some children aren’t especially chatty so some of your questions can be direct.  Questions to ask can include, “Who are your friends at school?”, “Is anyone ever mean to you?”. It’s important to keep your questions as open-ended as possible so as not to suggest the answer.

If you find out your child is being bullied, have a conversation with him or her about how to handle the bullying.  It’s not wise to encourage physical violence, because that tends to make the problem worse, but a self-defense class could boost self-esteem. If the problem is at school, have a talk with the teacher, and or principal or administrator of the school.  You should make it clear that you expect them to address the problem.

There is a great deal of information out there on bullying.  Here are some that I’ve found:

I Think My Child Is Being Bullied!  A Guide for Parents

Bullies:  What is Bullying?

Stop Bullying Now!

Stop Cyberbullying

Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use

The Anti-Bullying and Teasing Book: For Preschool Classrooms

Safe Child Program Bullies Page

Helping Kids Deal With Bullies

I’ve lived near Rouster’s Apple House for several years, but for some reason never made the time to visit. Several friends and colleagues keep telling me to go, so we finally checked it out this weekend.  According to the website Rouster’s has been around since 1939. They are known for selling several varieties of apples every fall. They also developed their very own variety, known as the Krispy. What I hear is that these are delicious. They are so popular that they take preorders every year and they sell out of them very quickly. Unfortunately, it’s too late to get your hands on these this year, but I plan to put in an order early next fall.

We got a bag of Honeycrisps on Saturday. These apples are huge! I took a picture of one in my hand to show you how massive these apples are. They are delicious also! They were giving away samples of apple cider and small apples for the kids.  Rouster’s also sells a variety of jams, preserves, apple butter, and relishes.

I also learned that Rouster’s grows blueberries and blackberries in the summer available for picking. I’m definitely going to do that next summer. I love to pick blackberries.

If you’re looking for something to do on a lazy day this fall, head out to Rouster’s Apple House. You’ll be glad you did.

We were lucky enough to receive tickets from Mom Central to the opening night of Disney On Ice in Cincinnati last night. I decided not to tell Abby until before school yesterday because this child will drive you crazy when there is an upcoming event. Her best friend is her cousin, Angel, and so she invited Angel to go to the show with her. My mother-in-law was going to come along, but we decided she would stay with my husband and Ava. Hubby has not been alone with the baby for that long yet, and he was a little nervous about it. So, I was the lone adult in this adventure with the kids.

We were invited to a meet and greet before the show. The girls felt so special because there were big gift bags waiting on them when we arrived. They had a great time looking at all their goodies. We also had a special visit from Mickey and Minnie.  I loved the look on Abby’s face when they arrived. When it was time for her to meet them, though, she got a little nervous. She also wanted to know why they weren’t talking. That was a little hard to explain.

We had great seats for the show. We got to see a lot of the characters from several of the most popular Disney movies. Of course, Abby was mostly excited to see the princesses. I have to admit, I got pretty excited when Cinderella made her appearance.

The toy soldiers from Toy Story were very cool.

Lion King was also a popular part of the show.

Overall, it was a great time that the kids really enjoyed. I would recommend bringing a jacket, because it’s a little chilly.

You also can go to the show in Cincinnati for a discount. You can purchase a 4 pack of tickets to a weekday show for $44 or $4 off weekend tickets by entering the code MOM in the promotion code box at Ticketmaster. The show is running through September 27th. Have fun and take lots of pictures!

I’m using the fact that I have a 3 week old baby as an excuse for not posting yesterday. The winner of the the Disney on Ice tickets is Trisha. Congratulations!

Don’t fret if you didn’t win. Amy in Ohio is also hosting a giveaway. Hurry, because it ends tomorrow.

As the mother of a 5 year old, I’m very familiar with all things Disney. We’ve got most of the movies, and they’ve all been viewed many times. I’m sure there will be many more viewings, especially since we’ve got a new baby in the house. I was excited to hear that “Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic” is coming to the U.S. Bank Arena. I’m even more excited that Disney and Mom Select are providing my family with 4 tickets to the opening night of the show on September 23rd. Not only are they giving me tickets for my family, they are also providing us with tickets to give away to another Cincinnati area family for the opening night. Pretty cool, huh?

All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment after this post and let us know what Disney movie is your favorite. Mine is The Fox and the Hound. You can also get extra entries for any or all of the following and add an additional comment for each you do in order for it to count as an entry. Please make sure I have your email so that you can be contacted if you win. The winner has 24 hours to respond. The contest will end at 12:01 am on September 14th.

• Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post
• Tweet about the giveaway and include @aprilincinci
• Follow my personal blog at Doin’ The Working Mom Thing
• Follow any of Family Friendly Cincinnati’s  founders or contributors’ personal blogs

We’ve also been provided with a code to help everyone get a great discount on tickets. You can purchase a 4 pack of tickets to a weekday show for $44 or $4 off weekend tickets by entering the code MOM in the promotion code box at Ticketmaster.