Birthday Parties are a blast at Spare Time Entertainment! If you’re looking to host a party in the Trussville area, let Spare Time handle everything for you! Your party host will assist throughout your party, so you can kick back and relax… Yes (!!!) That can be a thing when hosting a kids Birthday party. Pizza, soda, game zone cards, and more are included in each epic party package.

Spare Time Trussville has options! They can help you build a birthday package any child will love! Choose from bowling, laser tag Blast, a Game Zone party, or combine them all with a Bash package! Definitely something that will suit all age groups and interests.

When booking your party online you can see all of the birthday party offerings, and customize with menu add-on’s and more!

In addition to some great party packages, Spare Time will also hook you up with some cute downloadable invitations, making it a one stop shop for all your party needs, just add kids!

Spare Time Entertainment is located at 3600 Roosevelt Blvd, Trussville | 205.655.4500

Asthma can be a scary diagnosis for a child and their parents. It’s a disease that makes it hard to breathe. This happens because airways in the lungs get swollen, smaller and filled with mucus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 13 people have asthma. Molly Bolton is the Asthma Program Nurse Practitioner at Children’s of Alabama. She says the common symptoms of asthma include coughing, especially at night time, as well as chest pain or chest tightness, and difficulty breathing or a wheezing, whistling sound when breathing.

Asthma Symptoms:

Cough
Chest pain
Wheezing

There’s no cure for asthma, but it can be managed to prevent flare-ups. Bolton says, “Our goal is that children with asthma can run and play and do the things any other child can do.” There are multiple treatment measures that can be used in the management of asthma. These include quick relief medicines that help relieve asthma symptoms within minutes and controller medicines that manage asthma by preventing flare-ups. Controller medicine is taken every day, even when a child feels well.

Treatment of Asthma:

Quick relief medicine
Controller medicine

If you’re concerned your child might have asthma, make a note of the symptoms and any “triggers” that are causing the symptoms and share with your child’s pediatrician. Notice if flare-ups occur inside or outside, or are they exercise-induced? Bolton advises, “Talk to your pediatrician about the symptoms that are concerning to you. Try to let them know what makes the symptoms worse or better.” It may help to keep a journal initially to record these observations.

Bolton says if your child is diagnosed with asthma, a pediatrician will probably recommend seeing your child every three to six months. “Asthma is chronic, long-term and may change over time,” she says. By partnering with your child’s pediatrician and following their recommendations for management of asthma and avoiding triggers, your child should be able to stay healthy and breathe well.

ABOUT CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA

Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient and outpatient services throughout central Alabama. Ranked among the best pediatric medical centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s provided care for youngsters from every county in Alabama, 45 other states and six foreign countries last year, representing more than 677,000 outpatient visits and more than 15,000 inpatient admissions. With more than 2 million square feet, Children’s is the third largest pediatric medical facility in the U.S. More information is available at childrensal.org.

The Park at OWA is officially welcoming its newest attraction for 2019. After months of anticipation, Foley’s newest entertainment destination welcomes an interactive “dark ride” like nothing the area has seen before. “Mystic Mansion” will open to the public Friday, June 14 at 11am inside The Park at OWA. Mystic Mansion, manufactured by Sally Corporation, began its journey on March 12, 2019. In just a few short months, the Park’s most unique attraction is ready for riders!

“Mystic Mansion is truly one-of-a-kind for The Park,” said Kristin Hellmich, OWA’s Director of Marketing/PR. “We searched long and hard for what would be the next addition to our amusement park, and this particular attraction checked every box. We wanted something new, different and unheard of in this area. It is the perfect family-friendly addition to our growing Park.”

The week before opening, fans had the chance to enter a contest and become the first riders on the new attraction. In the spirit of contest, the day will kick off with the 4 winners hopping into their “Doom Buggy” and taking off! The celebration will also feature a themed cake while supplies last, glow-in-the-dark temporary tattoos for those in line, as well as commemorative lanyards to remember this exciting occasion.

Sally Corporation, the ride’s manufacturer, has developed quite the storyline for this mysterious attraction. Each four-person ride car (Doom Buggy) features interactive game-play and frightfully fun characters to “blast” with a ghost-blaster as riders compete for the highest score.

Before hopping inside the Doom Buggy, guests are greeted by Professor Phearstruck in the queue line, where he will explain the history of Mystic Mansion, its curse and who haunts it now. Pay close attention because there are 15 different scenes in which the Mansion’s ghost could appear! Riders will heed the warning of the Professor, then hop in a Doom Buggy at their own risk to weave their way around this haunting yet family-friendly attraction, complete with neon colors, black lights, and a spooky storyline featuring the main ghost: Boocifer.

The Park at OWA opens at 11am on Friday, June 14. All festivities and commemorative souvenirs will be available while supplies last. For more information on Opening Day, the attraction, or The Park at OWA, go to VisitOWA.com.

As someone who is starting the sixth year of homeschooling my children, I haven’t gotten to all of the extra work that homeschooling High School might involve. I know that you, dear reader, may be ready for that step and I wanted to find you someone who could answer your questions. Or even if you’re years away from having high school age children, I’m sure you have questions on how it works for homeschoolers.

Melissa is the director of my Homeschool cover. She has successfully homeschooled her boys. And she is such an encouragement to the ones of us who are still learning how to get our homeschoolers to college. Every year she gives a seminar on homeschooling high school. This year it will be on June 22. You can find more information here.

She wanted to go over some of the frequently asked questions she gets for homeschooling High School.

“When my oldest son was in 5th grade, I started learning more about homeschooling high school. I was TERRIFIED. I don’t have a college degree in secondary education. I wasn’t even great at geometry when I was in high school! How on earth was I going to teach high school level material to my own kids?

I started out by reading online about this homeschooling high school thing, and I attended a free seminar given by a local church school administrator. What I learned from these was that even I could homeschool high school. At the seminar I attended, the leader explained how to help my kids earn their high school diploma, different ways to go about teaching those hard subjects, and encouraged us to reach out and use local resources in our homeschooling. I left that day feeling like maybe this thing wouldn’t be as hard as I thought!

Now I’m almost on the other side. My oldest son just completed his first year of college with full tuition and room/board scholarship! My youngest son just completed his sophomore year of high school and his first year as a dual enrollment student at a local community college. Have I done everything right? NO WAY! I have made so many mistakes and if I could go back and re-do their high school years there are MANY things I would do differently. But, with a lot of prayer and research, you too can make it through those high school years. One of my favorite parts of homeschooling high school is that I’ve been able to spend time with these young men as they grow up. Just remember that homeschooling high school is only half book work. The other part is the relationship with your kids and preparing them to mature into well-adjusted, level-headed adults.

As a local church school admin myself, here are the top five questions I get concerning homeschooling high school and my answers.

1. Will they get into college? If they put forth the effort, they can absolutely get into college! Homeschool graduates get into colleges easily every year.
2. How do I teach the high school courses if I’m not trained in that area? There are so many resources available to homeschoolers these days. Utilize those for the subjects you don’t feel like you can’t teach. There are many local co-op classes and online courses taught by teachers that are trained in that subject.
3. How do I get a high school transcript? As the parent, you keep up with the classes your student takes, their grades and the credits they receive. There are many online services that will create a transcript for you. Or, find another homeschooling parent that has successfully created one and let them teach you how to do it. I promise it is way easier than it sounds!
4. How do I prepare them for life after high school? Think about everyday life skills that all adults need to have. How to balance a checkbook, make a dentist appointment, cook a meal, change a tire, do laundry, etc. When your child graduates high school, whether they move off to college, stay home for a while, or move out into their own home, they need to know these things. Adulting is hard enough without having to call your mom to find out how to make a dental appointment when you are 20 years old. The more prepared they are the easier the transition into adulthood will be for them.
5. Is the homeschool diploma accredited? Will it be accepted by colleges? No and yes. Homeschool diplomas do not reflect accredited classes unless your child has been enrolled in an accredited online program. Most colleges have no issue with a transcript from a homeschooled student. Keep good records on your student’s high school career including what books are used, copies of major papers or projects, books they have read, and extracurricular activities.”