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Stress Free Travel Tips

Flying soon? Whether you’re en route to Grandma’s or a family vacay in Hawaii, you’ll more than likely have to battle the airport during the holiday season, which happens to be the busiest time of the year. The long lines are inevitable, but a few shortcuts can help expedite the travel process. We’ve compiled a list of travel tips so you can relax and focus on the good stuff.

 

Packing

      • Travel light. It’s difficult to lug around a heavy suitcase, especially in holiday crowds.
      • Pack smart. Bring items that can do double duty. For example, the Coolibar Ruche Water Jacket can protect you while swimming and be a great throw on for touring around town.
      • Roll your clothing, don’t fold. Packing your clothing neat and efficiently will save room in your suitcase. Our friends at Momtrends offer up the “clothing sandwich” method.

Plan

  • Plan your travel day ahead of time to reduce stress and ensure you catch your flight.
  • Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours early. The holiday season is a busy time, which means long lines.
  • Watch the weather. Depending on where you live (or are going) weather will be a factor in what you bring.

Traveling with kids

  • Bring new toys and books, something that they have never seen before will hold their attention. Tablets are great to play games and watch favorite movies.
  • Don’t forget snacks! Use snacks they are familiar with, don’t rely on airport food.
  • More tips for traveling with kids.

Beat the heat

  • Drink fluids. Just because you aren’t thirsty, doesn’t mean your body doesn’t need water; by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
  • Prevent sunburn. There are few better ways to ruin a vacation than painful burn! Wear sun protective clothing and a hat and remember to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours.
  • To beat the heat in style, choose from our new head-to-toe UPF 50+ travel outfits that will take you anywhere.

We want to hear your travel tips! Use #CoolibarVacay to share yours.

Sources:
http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2012/05/travel-tips/
http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/vacationplanner/destination/tips/traveltips_holiday.html

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Parenting

Tips for Trick-or-Treating

Happy Halloween! For kids, Halloween night is one of the best nights of the year. You get to transform yourself into someone or something else and go door to door asking for candy (and it’s acceptable behavior). When it’s over, you get to count, organize and trade candy with your friends.

Kids and parents alike want a fun and safe evening. These simple tips will ensure a safe and fun Halloween night for everyone.

1. Plan your route ahead of time – Avoid long paths by mapping out a route before leaving the house. Stick to paths that you and your child are familiar with to avoid getting lost.

2. Wear comfy shoes – Blisters beware. Make sure you and your children are in comfortable, well-fitting shoes. You could be covering many blocks by foot.

3. Stay well lit – Apply reflective tape to your child’s costume to ensure they are seen by drivers on the road, carry a flashlight or use the light on your smart phone to guide the way.

Ms. Sun Halloween costume for kids

4. Avoid masks – Masks make it hard to breath. Use non-toxic makeup or face paint instead.

5. Check your candy – When sorting through candy at the end of the night, be sure to throw away any candy that is not in its original wrapper, or looks as though it has been opened.

Have a safe, fun & Happy Halloween from all of us at Coolibar!

Source: http://www.rd.com/slideshows/7-trick-or-treating-safety-tips#ixzz2jKdrJ72m=&slideshow=slide1

 

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Events

Dedicated to the Health of Children

Our team just returned from the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, held in sunny Orlando. The weather was ideal, mid seventies and sunny, perfect to introduce our UPF 50+ line of sun wear.

We visited with thousands of pediatricians who stopped by our booth to learn more about Coolibar and sun protective clothing. Coolibar was new to many of you and you asked technical questions on the UV protection level offered by our fabrics. Read more on our testing standards here.

After spending a weekend at the conference, it was clear that pediatricians from across the county are concerned with sun protection, not just those coming from year-round sunny locations. The interest and dedication to the prevention of sun related diseases and ailments is outstanding. Building sun safe habits in childhood leads to a lifetime of healthy skin and our nation’s pediatricians are committed to making this a reality. Thank you docs!

Looking forward to meeting you again next year in San Diego.

Team Coolibar at the 2013 AAP Conference in Orlando

 

 

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Events Inside Coolibar

Sun Protection at Walt Disney World

Tomorrow, Coolibar will be heading off to sunny Florida to visit the great Pediatricians of America. So we invited guest Denise Preskitt, a seasoned Walt Disney World explorer and blogger at MouseSteps, to let us in on a few of her favorite attractions and why staying sun protected at the parks matters. So grab your mouse ears and get excited!

Keeping my skin safe in the sun has long been important to me, but it wasn’t always. On yearly family trips to Walt Disney World as a child, I didn’t know much about sun protection and ended up with blistering sunburns. In my 30’s, my dermatologist introduced me to sun protective clothing. I spend several days or more per week at Walt Disney World and neighboring parks. It’s very important to me that I wear my Coolibar shirts during daylight hours to prevent additional skin cancers (as I’ve had a pre-melanoma spot removed), and the clothes save me money on sunscreen! Almost everything I own works at night as well.

I started my website, MouseSteps, in 2007 to share my experiences at Florida’s theme parks. Here is a look at one day at Walt Disney World. No two days are the same!

This October, I won a tour of the Fantasyland castles at the Magic Kingdom with an imagineer (a person who devises and implements a new or highly imaginative concept or technology in Walt Disney theme parks). Upon arrival, we, along with other breakfast guests, headed to Cinderella’s Royal Table and The Crystal Palace. Cinderella’s Castle is already decorated in lights for Christmas, which begins at Walt Disney World in early November.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

Jeff, my husband, and I learned a fun details about Fantasyland during the tour – like that the castle walls start showing battle scars on the way to Be Our Guest Restaurant. Be Our Guest Restaurant is the most sought-after restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, both for lunch and dinner. Guests can purchase fun goodies from the movie, such as The Grey Stuff, during dinner.

After breakfast, our group then headed to the Cinderella Castle Suite. A 30,000 mosaic tile of Cinderella’s coach is part of the foyer floor, where Cinderella’s crown and glass slipper are also on display. Stained glass artwork shares the story of Cinderella. Each piece of furniture, and every mirror and decoration look like they were made just for the suite.

After our tour, we spent an hour taking photos inside the Magic Kingdom. The rides we enjoy most often at the Magic Kingdom are The Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Halloween decorations line Main Street, although it will be just a couple of weeks until Christmas shows up! There is a Christmas pumpkin displayed during Halloween that is one of my favorites.

Our day wasn’t quite finished, as we wanted to go to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. The Villas weren’t open yet, but will officially debut on October 23rd (in time for the AAP!). Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, and this is the newest Disney Vacation Club offering.

Boat ride to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort (You can see it in the background)

On a final note, living in Florida, sun protection is extremely important, and I’m so glad I found Coolibar! It travels so well, whether it’s in my gym bag or luggage on vacation, Coolibar is lightweight and dries quickly. I hope you come to Florida soon (with your sun protection of course) and take advantage of all the fun Orlando has to offer.

Denise
MouseSteps

Denise at Discovery Cove
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School sun safety SunAWARE

A Lesson in Back-to-School Sun Protection

While the teacher doesn’t typically require sun protection, it’s a back-to-school item parents should strongly consider. Not all schools allow hats or sunscreen, and we hope schools change their policies in the near future. All the same, we have suggestions to ensure your child is sun safe.

1. Before leaving the house, help your child apply broad-spectrum sunscreen. Then teach them how to properly reapply sunscreen before recess. A parent or doctor note may be necessary for your child to do this depending on your school’s policy. If required, discuss sunscreen use with your child’s teacher directly. When choosing a sunscreen, look for active ingredients that block both UVA and UVB rays, such and zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and a rating of SPF 30+. Sunscreen should be used every day – including cloudy days.

2. Instruct your child to play in shaded areas during recess if possible, especially days the UV index is high. Ultraviolet radiation is most intense between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when recess is in session. Approximately 50 percent of the daily UV exposure is received during the four hours around noon.

3. Dress your child in sun protective clothing when possible. UPF 50+ clothing provides excellent sun protection that doesn’t wash or wear off. Wearing tightly woven loose fitting clothing can also shade skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.

4. If your school allows, send your child to school with a wide-brimmed hat or legionnaire hat that covers neck and ears. A hat with at least a 3-inch brim all the way around is best. Baseball caps do not protect the back of the neck or the ears. If you wish all students could wear hats during recess, check out our Coolibar School Sun Hat Program. We provide half off children’s hats for schools!

5. Have your child wear sunglasses that block 99-100% of UV rays or that are rated UV 400. Wearing UV sunglasses protects eyes from cataracts, retinal damage, macular degeneration and eyelid cancer.

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Wellness Warriors

24 Marathons in 24 Days to End Childhood Cancer

After a medical miracle in his own family, Brian Gruender wanted to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer. Brian is a father of four and president of the Snowdrop Foundation, which provides scholarships to college bound pediatric cancer patients, while also raising awareness and funds for the continued research efforts to find a cure to childhood cancer. Despite his busy schedule, Brian was determined to do something for the children. So this summer, Brian completed 24 marathons in 24 consecutive days.

“The number 24 is symbolic because it’s the number of cancer beds at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital and the number of hours we have each day to complete our runs,” said Gruender. This event brought national attention to pediatric cancer.

Brian Gruender holding the American Flag as he heads for the finish line of his last 24-4-24 marathon.

When Coolibar heard about Brian’s mission and the extensive training involved, we decided to help him with sun protection. “I used the short sleeve shirt during my 24 marathons in 24 days event, which included several 90 degree days,” said Gruender.  “It kept me protected from the sun’s harmful rays and gave me peace of mind, allowing me to concentrate purely on running.”

This October, Brian hopes to complete another feat. He, along with three others, will be running 165 miles over four days to raise awareness and funds for the Foundation. Each day they will run to honor a child battling cancer in their home state, Wisconsin. On the fourth day, the runners will arrive at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital to kick off Courage Over Cancer (Fund-urance Run), a 5K run open to the public.

We wish Brian and his team the best of luck this fall! To learn more about the Snowdrop Foundation, visit http://snowdropfoundation.org

To learn more about Coolibar Sun Protection You Wear, visit http://www.coolibar.com

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Success Stories Wellness Warriors

Not Pasty

Pasty. With one word, an instant emotional connection occurs. A word some degrade themselves with when spring comes and their skin is pale. According to Jen Adkins, mother and founder of Not Pasty, we’re not pasty. We’re simply the color of our skin. No more, no less. After a life-altering experience, Jen is now working to change people’s perceptions of what it is to be pasty – and feel beautiful with the skin you were given.

As a redhead with fair skin and many sunburns as a child, sun safety has always been important to me, especially now as the mom of two blond hair, fair boys. As a writer who focuses on skin care, I’ve always been a bit obsessive with sun protection. Most of my readers are interested in learning about wrinkle prevention and I love telling them that sunscreen is the #1 anti-aging product on the market. But recently, my need to stay on top of sun safety took on a whole new level.

Last year, my family of four grew by one with the addition of our amazing then 5-year-old daughter. It was love at first sight, literally. The very first night we were together, I noticed that there were quite a few little brown moles on her skin. Later at a checkup, her doctor decided they were probably clogged pores, but referred us to a dermatologist to be sure.

The dermatologist almost instantly told me she thought my daughter had skin cancer. Biopsies confirmed her thoughts. Those “clogged pores” turned out to be basal cell carcinomas and her body was full of them – hundreds, head to toe.

It’s quite life-changing to all of a sudden have a 5-year-old with skin cancer. Skin cancer is an adult cancer, or so I thought, but I was wrong. It took us some time to figure out how to do life with skin cancer and of course we’re still learning.

Imagine knowing that going out in the sun will increase the number of cancers tumors on your child’s body, yet also knowing that your child doesn’t care about that and just wants to be a normal child. It is a tough balance trying to come up with ways to allow her to be that normal child while taking on the adult responsibility of keeping her skin safe. Our sun safety habits as a family have taken top priority, not just for our daughter, but for all five of us.

Jen Adkins’ Family

In June of 2013, after living with skin cancer for over a year and writing about skin for more than five years, I launched a new website called Not Pasty. We chose the name Not Pasty as a jab at those who use the term “pasty” to degrade fair skin. Not Pasty is about sun safety, self-love and even a bit of beauty. It’s a place where women can go to learn about enjoying sun safely, share their stories of self-love and encourage others in their journey of self-acceptance.

Because I write about the skin for millions of readers and live with skin cancer in my household every day, switching the focus of general skin topics to sun safety was an easy step for me and I have a lot of knowledge to share. My goal at Not Pasty is to tell sun truths, not fads or myths. I always fall on the side of caution and am constantly in contact with top doctors and experts around the country when questions arise.

I want Not Pasty to be the place people go to learn and discuss sun safety – where people can learn facts and tips, share what sun protection products they are using and learn about new ones. And we love when women share their personal stories – we call them Real Stories – about how they walked through the hard and came out ahead.

Most importantly, I want to encourage women to see their natural skin color as unique and beautiful and come to realize how ridiculous it is to brown their skin in the sun in order to achieve some silly idea of media-pushed beauty.

I’d love to be a part of changing the way the world thinks about natural skin tones, and I’d love to have you be a part of it with us.

Jen Adkins
Not Pasty

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Parenting SunAWARE

Wiseheart Saves the Dawn – A Sun Protection Book for the Tablet Generation

“Wiseheart Saves the Dawn” is a new e-book geared toward children that teaches sun safe habits. Available on iTunes and Kindle for free, this collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency’s SunWise Program and the Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation is an innovative way to reach the tablet generation.

Wiseheart is the story of a curious and courageous boy from the Cahto Indian tribe in the land now known as northern California, who dared to confront his tribe’s dark secret and in so doing made a remarkable discovery. This story has been adapted from traditional tales to teach another important lesson – sun protection.

Coolibar asked the founder of CMPF, Maryellen Maguire-Eisen RN, MSN, to tell us more about the book, where the idea stemmed from and what these two prestigious organizations hope results from publishing this new e-book.

Tell us about yourself and CMPF.

Every year over half of American children experience sunburn and millions more go tanning indoors.  Sun protection education is needed to teach children about the hazards of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation. 

I have been a nurse for over thirty years working in the area of oncology and dermatology.  In 2003, I founded the Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation because I was concerned about the rising rates of melanoma and the association with overexposure to UV rays.  Our mission is to teach children and their caretakers safe and proven methods of sun protection and skin cancer prevention.  Our vision is to prevent skin cancer one child at a time.  Our foundation endorsed the SunAWARE acronym in 2007 and developed the SunAWARE school curriculum in 2011. We provide classroom programming in Massachusetts teaching over 25,000 students annually.  We have developed multiple resources for students and teachers to use in conjunction with this curriculum including books and videos. 

Tell us about the EPA SunWise Program.

SunWise is a free environmental and health education program that teaches children and their caregivers how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun. Through the use of classroom, school, and community components, SunWise seeks to develop sustained sun-safe behaviors. This book is one example of how SunWise partners with organizations in the community.

How did this partnership with the EPA SunWise Program come about? Are you working with them in other ways?

The EPA SunWise Program provides a toolkit, free-of-charge, for educators that includes lesson plans and resources for classroom teaching. I really liked the curriculum and used many elements of it in the development of our SunAWARE Program.  I have promoted the SunWise Curriculum to other nurses nationally by inviting the SunWise team to speak at nursing conventions and meetings that I chaired. The Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation and the EPA SunWise Program are members of the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.  We convene biannually to strategize with other members on educational, legislative, and research initiatives.  CMPF has always found the SunWise Team to be loyal partners in our mission to educate children about sun protection.  

Why was this book created? Who is the audience and what’s the key message?

I have been writing children’s books that teach children about sun safety, along with Mary Mills Barrow, for the past five years. Two of our publications, Lake Vacation and Pretty Prom, won the 2009 American Academy of Dermatology Gold Triangle Award.  I thought that the Wiseheart tale, from the SunWise toolkit, would be a wonderful story to expand into a new book.  I started writing the draft and then handed it over to our Advisory Board member, Jane Shanny, an English teacher and writer, to complete. We then contracted an artist to create lively illustrations that depict the key elements of the story.  Once the draft was close to completion, we contacted the SunWise Director, Linda Rutsch, to see if they might partner with us on the publication and distribution of the book.  As always, they were eager to partner on this educational endeavor.  The audience is children ages 8-12 and the objective is to educate and motivate readers about the importance of sun protection for all people.  We chose to publish it electronically because of ease of distribution and ability to provide it for free.

Is this book different than other sun protection books for kids? How?

I think that the book is different from other sun protection books in that it touches on the imagination of children and provides a frame of reference that sun protection is important for everyone.  The hero can be a role model for all children in that he is resourceful, independent, brave, caring, and imaginative.  He tries to make the world a better place for his people. 

How long has this been in the works?

The book has been in the works for over three years.  A final draft of the story was completed in August 2012 and the illustrations, by Laurie Sigmund of Sigmund Design, were completed later that same year.   We hired Ugly Dog Publishing in 2013 to develop the electronic publication and to arrange for distribution.  They worked with Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Apple, and Kobo to distribute the book. 

What are your feelings now that “Wiseheart Saves the Dawn” is finally available?

I am really pleased that we have yet another resource available to teach children about the importance of sun protection.   It is incredibly gratifying to see the hundreds of books downloaded each month and realize that this project is truly getting into the hands and minds of children. We hope that this posting will further help publicize the availability of our latest sun protection educational resource. 

Is there anything else you wish to share with us?

We hope to continue to develop resources for children and their caretakers that promote sun safety and help prevent skin cancer.   Please visit us at www.melanomaprevention.org to find out more about our organization, download a book, or donate to the cause.

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School sun safety

Meet lucky school sun hat contest winner Kerri

Each year, Coolibar provides hats to five lucky classrooms across the U.S. One of our 2013 contest winners shares her story:  Kerri Case is a preschool teacher at Bramlett Elementary in Oxford, Mississippi. Hats will now be worn every day during recess to remind students to practice sun safety.

“I heard about the school hat contest from a parent of one of my students,” said Ms. Case. “She orders from your website and is very proactive in taking care of her skin.”

Ms. Case’s personal concern of sun exposure has also escalated over the years. “I had a friend who’s sister lost her battle with melanoma at the age of 30.  She was the first young person that I had known with this disease.” Since then, her and her husband had another friend deal with the same battle.

“It was an eye opening experience for us,” said Ms. Case. “I take measures to apply sunscreen when I will be in the sun — especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.  We both see  a dermatologist yearly to have a complete skin scan and see if there are any spots that would cause him concern. My sister-in-law lives in Australia, and she mentioned that at her son’s school kids are not allowed out to play unless they have a hat or visor to protect them from the sun. Great idea!”

Ms. Case and the principal at Bramlett Elementary were thrilled to learn they had won the contest! The hats will be worn during recess to remind the kids to practice sun safety. Ms. Case said, “I know they will be well used in the hot, sunny Mississippi weather that we have here in Oxford!”

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Educate Others Parenting School sun safety

Adding sun safety into the school curriculum

Did you know one or more blistering sunburns before the age of 18 more than doubles your chances of getting melanoma? To promote sun safety, Lisa Richman, executive director of the Richard David Kann (RDK) Melanoma Foundation, presented this statistic as a part of their Sun Safety program to the 6th grade science classes at Independence Middle School.

RDK Melanoma Foundation was founded in honor of Richard David Kann. Kann was 44-years-old when he discovered a funny spot on his back. Like most people, he ignored it. By the time he found his way in to a dermatologist’s office, he realized he was fighting for his life. Sadly, he lost his battle with melanoma in only nine short months. Family and friends banded together knowing they must do something, so other families would not suffer the loss of a loved one from a disease that can be prevented with education.

The Sun Safety program at Independence Middle School was a huge success. “Students were well-behaved, bright and responsive. They knew their science regarding skin and UV Rays, and had already heard words like ‘dermatologist’ and some ‘melanoma’,” said Lisa Richman. After listening to an interactive presentation and viewing the YouTube video entitled “Dear 16 Year Old Me”, students were reluctant to look into the Dermaview machine (pictured to left) Lisa brought now knowing the freckles on their face were not “kisses from angels” but sun damage!

The students, eager to share their newfound knowledge with the rest of their school, even wrote a poem to read during daily announcements.

When going out on a sunny day,

Stay away from hot sun rays.

Cover your head with a wide brim hat,

Protect your eyes like a cool cat.

Putting balm on your lips goes a long way,

To keep them safe from ultra violet rays.

If you must go out between 10 and 4,

Don’t forget your umbrella when out the door.

This may be a lot to keep in your head,

But one last thing NO Tanning beds!

Sun smart rules keep you safe in the sun,

You can enjoy in the summer and have lots of fun!

The Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation is a non-profit organization involved in skin cancer education – enlightening the community through SunSmart America™ K-12 Curriculum, which provides school-based learning on sun safety and skin cancer. SunSmart America™ meets existing requirements in science, health, physical education and language arts.

Considering a similar program for your school this year? Learn more about school sun safety programs at www.melanomafoundation.com

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