Here is a collection of our top 5 laughing baby videos.
1) This one is a classic and aways makes me and my kids laugh. It is our anti-depression video when one of more of our family has had a rough day for sure.
2) I showed this one to our kids and we had to keep on watching it over and over again.
READ More on Top 5 Funny Baby Videos
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by Patricia Hughes
Happy Family of Four enjoying quality family time!
Years ago, I heard Bill Cosby say in a stand up comedy routine that parents don't care about fairness, they just want quiet. At the time, I had no children and it was just funny. Later, as a parent I saw it again and recognized it as a pearl of wisdom. All parents want a peaceful home.
I know all parents want peace because my children like to watch Nanny 911 and the lack of peace is a recurrent theme. This show taught me a valuable lesson, and not just that things aren't as bad in my home as they seem. Whatever the other issues in a family, a lack of peace is always at the core.
A few years ago, I was starting to struggle with sibling fighting, squabbling and yelling. The child not involved in the fight would end up turning up the TV or CD player in response to the noise. On some days, the noise level was out of control. It was destroying the peace in our family and affecting all of us. We'd find ourselves yelling in response to their fighting and it had a negative effect the parents and children.
Around that time I came across a book that caught my eye in Borders. The book is Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids: Practical Ways to Create a Calm and Happy Home by Naomi Drew. That book helped me realize that a peaceful family begins with me. If I wanted to change the dynamic in the house, it was possible. In this book, Drew discusses what she calls three essentials for peaceful parenting that I have used with our kids with success.
The first is to make the home a place of kind words. In our family, the sibling fighting often starts when one of the kids says something mean or puts down another child. That child responds with another insult. The fight soon escalates. To break this cycle, there should be a rule that no person puts down any other member of the family and the rule needs to be enforced. READ More on Parenting: A Peaceful Family Begins With Me
Filed under Communication, Family, Parenting by More4kids
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.READ More on Living Green - Dominion and Stewardship of God's Creation
Filed under Activities, Family, Green Living by More4kids
Kids Eat Free - Family Pizza Night
Eating out with your child can be a delight and a challenge all at the same time. You may feel delighted because you don't have to cook dinner that night, but on the other hand a children's meal can be almost as expensive as an adult meal or the portions may be too much for your child. Eating out is a luxury that you may have cut back on recently because of a tighter budget, but your children do not have to be another hindrance to you enjoying an occasional meal out. There are many places that offer children's meals at a reduced cost if not free; all you have to do is know when and where. So for all you parents who are looking to eat out with your children without breaking the bank, here are 25 restaurant ideas that will provide a free meal to your child, and provide a great evening of family time too! Please check with your local restaurant as times, offers and locations may vary.
1. Chevys
If you and your family have a birthday or promotion to celebrate why not have a fiesta. At Chevy's restaurant you will enjoy a wide variety of Mexican classics. For the kids, the menu is more limited, but the choices are still mostly Mexican food, save for the cheese burger. Also the meals are complete including sides, a drink and dessert. Depending on your location, kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal at least one day during the week (free days vary depending on your location; call your local Chevys or check online for free days in your area). http://www.chevys.com/
2. Marie Callender's
For food that everyone in the family is sure to enjoy, even the picky ones, Marie Callender's is a great place for the family. With big booths and tables, there is room for everyone to sit comfortably and enjoy dinner. The food available at Marie Callender's is mostly traditional American cuisine and of course pies, lots of different pies. Children 12 years old and younger will eat free with the purchase of an adult meal on Tuesdays and Saturdays (day vary upon location). http://www.mariecallenders.com/
3. Shari's
For a quick and inexpensive meal Shari's is a good choice for the whole family. They too serve mostly traditional American Fair and have large booths, tables, and booster seats available for the smaller ones in your family. Children can eat free on the weekends with the purchase of an adult meal. They are normally open late and early so if you have an early outing on the weekend, you can stop by for a fun breakfast of smiley face pancakes. The children's menu has lots of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner so you will be sure to find something your child will enjoy. https://www.sharis.com/
4. Taco Del Mar
For a quick meal fix, Taco Del Mar is a good choice. While they may qualify as fast food, they don't serve too much that is deep fried, but instead offer more freshly made food. On Sundays, children eat for free with the purchase of an adult meal. The kids menu is limited to tacos, burritos, rice, beans and quesadillas, which may not seem like much, but when it's free it may just be enough to satisfy your tot. http://www.tacodelmar.com/ READ More on 25 Places that Kids Eat Free
Love is spending time with your family
One way I learn is finding great quotes and incorporating them into my life. In have been doing a lot on Twitter in the evenings and have been sharing with many of my Twitter friends. Many of the quotes I have found researching, and some I have even made up myself based on experiences of myself and others. I share these quotes humbly and hope people will enjoy reading and learning from these parenting, family and motivational quotes.
Parenting Quotes:
Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be - David Bly
Stop trying to perfect your child, but keep trying to perfect your relationship with him- Dr. Henker
Parents need to fill a child's bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can't poke enough holes to drain it dry-Alvin Price
Encourage & support your kids because "Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them. - Lady Bird Johnson
If your child has a weakness, teach them how to turn it into a strength! The only Failure is not trying. - Kevin Heath
Kids learn integrity from us: "Integrity is what we say, what we do, and what we say we do." - Don Galer
If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others. - Haim Ginott
Children desperately need to know - and to hear in ways they understand and remember - that they're loved and valued by mom and dad - Paul Smally
The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children - Elaine Heffner
Let your kids observe you doing random acts of kindness, it can be contagious
- Kevin Heath
READ More on Parenting and Motivational Quotes to Live By
The rainstorm had just ended and the boy and his father went out for a walk in the cool spring air. They both liked taking a walk together after a rainstorm. It was always so quiet and peaceful.
As they walked the boy suddenly turned to his father and asked, "Why do some people have different color skin?"
The father was slightly taken aback. It was such an abrupt question. What should he tell his son? He thought for a minute, and suddenly he paused…. He saw something in the distance.
He knelt on one knee and pointed to a rainbow forming. The father decided instead to ask his son a question. "What if a rainbow only had one color?"
The little boy looked at the rainbow. At first he looked confused and said "I would be very sad if a rainbow only had one color".
Then the boys dad saw a smile on his sons face and a twinkle in his eyes. The boy blurted out excitedly, "God must be very smart to make the world so beautiful".
The father then felt a lump in the back of his throat and a tear of pride on his left cheek. His 7 year old son had just grasped what so many people fail to grasp.
He turned to his son, rubbed him gently on his back, kissed his sons forehead and simply said "Yes He is smart".
As the father stood up his child gently slipped his hand into his father's hand.
Together they walked towards the rainbow.
"We are God's Rainbow,
Where there is Diversity there is Beauty"
Kevin Heath - More4kids Inc.
It seems that everyone is cutting back. More and more people are falling upon hard times. The cost of living keeps rising, people are losing their jobs, getting laid off, having their pay or hours reduced and it seems many people just can't get a break. Even our home has felt the crunch. We recently had our gas cut off. As a single mom raising two teenagers alone, sometimes my paycheck just doesn't go that far. We are moving to a cheaper place in a couple of weeks (to ease our financial burden a bit) so I did not get it turned back on. At this point I really can't anyway.
It was a silly bookkeeping error on my part. Instead of paying the gas company, I accidentally double paid the utilities company. I am making small payments to repay the bill. In the meantime, we have no hot water and can not use our stove/oven. So, it was time for a family meeting. We discussed our situation and came up with a couple of solutions. READ More on Family Matters: When Hard Times Hit your Home
From all of us here at More4kids, Happy 4th of July. The Fourth of July celebrates the birth of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating its 232nd birthday this year (2008).
It is a time for families and friends not only to come together and have fun, but also a time to honor our Veterans and men and women who are putting their lives in danger every day for us, and those who have made the biggest sacrifice for our freedom with their lives. Try to throw your politics aside, and let us all take a moment to think about, and be grateful to all who wear the American uniform, and to our police and firefighters who protect us day in and out. They all deserve our recognition and thanx, more than we can put in words. And don't forget the spouses and families of those in uniform. It takes very special people to be part of a military family, and our hearts, thanx, and recognition should go out to them too.
No matter whether you travel across the country to celebrate our nation’s birthday, or decide to stay at home in your own backyard, there are many different ways to make this a very special holiday.
All that is needed for a fantastic Fourth are three key ingredients:
1. A Plan
2. Preparation
3. and much, much Enthusiasm.
We’ll provide the plan to get you started!
Ready? Set?
Not lets get the ball on the road and get going!
READ More on Fourth of July Festivities for the Entire Family
Filed under Activities, Family, Holidays by More4kids
Shrewd Shopper checking her grocery list
In this tough economy almost every parent and family are looking for ways to save. And sure, everyone has heard that you should use a grocery list, and common sense says, "That's a good idea," but hardly anyone uses one. As Lavish Cheapskates, we habitually and systematically use a grocery list, the idea of which we should build upon. In this article, we are discussing a grocery list because first, it's easy to do, and second, it is one of the most powerful ways to free up money immediately. Poor-Rich People go to the grocery store and actually considers using a grocery list but never get around to doing it. This leaves many openings to throw away money. They warrant more trips to the grocery store due to forgotten items, they increase impulsive spending, they waste gas and waste time, and they have no money-freeing grocery plan in place.
As Lavish Cheapskates, we always use a grocery list. We not only know exactly what we're buying at the grocery store when we go, we have a list of the foods and items that are low cost. We buy with a plan to make quick and easy meals at home, which keeps us from eating out. We are very clear on what we need and stick to the list. We have the mindset that the grocery store is a tool to free up money, and we avoid costly mistakes such as eating out too often, running to fast food restaurants because there's no time to cook, and making needless trips to the grocery store. READ More on The Lavish Cheapskate–Everyday Strategies to Free Up Money and Recession-Proof Your Life!
Many women experience a dip in their level of self confidence once they become a mom. You begin to doubt your ability to be a good mom, you doubt the fact that you are still an attractive vibrant woman, you worry that your husband may find you less attractive… you begin to question exactly who you are a person. This is normal… I know, I say that often in these pregnancy articles. The reason I say that is because it’s true. Wondering why no one ever talks about it then, that is because if you knew all of the changes physically and emotionally that you were going to experience before you got pregnant… you may not want to get pregnant at all. However, most women that have had a baby, once they hear what you are going through will smile in acknowledgement for we have been there too.READ More on New Mom Confidence
