How did mom do it? A parent, a wife, she did it all. It seemed when I was a kid my mother took care of us and cleaned the house usually without the benefit of any help whatsoever. She seemed to manage it all! Being a mother now I have so much more respect for my own mom! Today, families seem busier than ever and spending time cleaning the house can often be overwhelming. If you are a mom with children, and feel the strain of caring for them while trying to keep your home as clean as possible, here are some tips on how to creatively combine childcare and housecleaning at the same time.

There are two schools of thought: While some moms may suggest children are more important than cleaning the house; others would take the point of view that without being a neat freak, you can still keep your house modestly clean. Which brings us to our first tip: readjust your thinking about how perfect the house should look, and just concentrate on doing what you can, when you can. If the children are napping; take the time to dust each room. If you have toddlers; have them play in the playpen for about 15 minutes giving you ample time to vacuum.

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 by Stacey Schifferdecker 

I know from experience that it is tough to be shy and introverted in today’s world. People seem to place a lot of value on being outgoing and having a large circle of friends. There is nothing wrong with being introverted, and you need to make sure you accept your children’s personalities and don’t make them feel like there is something wrong with them. On the other hand, they do need to interact with other people and you can help them become more self-confident. Here are some parenting tips that may help.

Don’t label your children as shy

Do your children hang back at a birthday party instead of jumping in to join the fun? Some children just like to observe a situation for a while and will usually join the fun later. But if they hear you tell other people that they are shy, they often begin acting even more shy. The child seems to think, “Well, Mom said I’m shy, so that means I must really be shy.”

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How many times have you heard the saying that “Fighting is a natural part of life,” or “A good fight now and again is good for the relationship and keeps things alive”? But really, is that how you feel? Do you truly believe that fighting with the family, with your spouse, and especially your children, is good for you all?

Having fights within the family is definitely not a fun and pleasant experience. Each fight, regardless how small, will leave you drained of energy and feeling negative afterwards. Not only will you feel bad for the things you said and did during the fight, but your children will walk away feeling rejected, lost, unloved.

And do you wonder who suffers the most when fights occur in the family? Your children. You know that it is the kids that suffer the most when you have had nasty explosive fights. And you also know that a great deal of ugliness comes out that you would rather not have exposed to them on a regular basis.

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By Julie Baumgardner, MS, CFLE

Anyone raising children has probably had at least one experience where meltdown is happening in your home and you are praying that nobody comes to the door because there is no telling what they would think you were doing to your children. While many homes experience this type of event infrequently, there are some homes where this is par for the course and the parents have no idea what to do to stop it. Maybe that is why some creative screenwriters came up with the television show Nanny 911.

The show seems to be the buzz around the water cooler as people discuss out of control children who hit, refuse to go to bed when told, slam doors, and basically are running the home while the parents anger and frustration level is increasing by the minute. Enter the Nanny to save the day. Even though most families do not have a Nanny that will come in and reveal the secrets of how to bring order to the home not to worry. George Doub and Flo Creighton, founders of Family Wellness: Survival Skills for Healthy Families have been teaching survival skills to families all over the world for years to assist them in their efforts to be healthy.

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Sometimes the simple things in life can be the most enjoyable. Check out this video I found. Who would have ever thought that ripping a piece of paper can entertain a baby so much? I laughed so hard when I saw this that I almost fell over myself. Kids laugh at the funniest things. You just have to find what it is. For my 1 year year old, he laughs when I juggle for him and bounce a ball off my head, or when I drop my juggling balls. I don’t have to try too hard at that… Enjoy the video and happy Saturday… 

by Stacey Schifferdecker

Teaching good TV habits

Sometimes when my children gleefully settle down to watch an episode of SpongeBob they have seen 27 times before, I entertain a fantasy of becoming one of those TV-free families I both admire and don’t understand. (Actually, I’ve never met a TV-free family. Do they really exist outside the pages of parenting magazines?) Anyway, I think I’ll just shuffle the TV off to the garage and we’ll spend our evenings playing Scrabble instead. Realistically, though, I know that’s not going to happen. I don’t want to give up “Monk” anymore than the kids want to give up SpongeBob. Ah, for a little balance when it comes to the television…

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As a parent of two young boys there have been many times when parenting has become very challenging. How I wish I could have pulled a rabit out of my hat!. Perhaps you are waiting in a long line at a restaurant, a long car or plane ride, or maybe an extra long wait at the doctor’s office. For me it is now easy to recognize the signs of an impending tantrum and when I d it is time to dig into a supply of items and ideas to keep the kids busy, entertained, and reduce the chances of a blow out. I know people with children of special needs, and this idea can be especially helpful. You will want to have items on hand that you can use to distract your child or take their mind off the immediate problem. A special needs child is normally less able to amuse themselves during a long wait and a parent needs to be quick and creative in finding something that will distract and amuse their child. A little planning will help you when that time comes. Here are some ideas that may help get you through these situations and keep everyone calm and happy:

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"How’s your diabetes doing, Mel?" And we remember her laughing reply, "Don’t worry about it, Dad. It’s all under control."

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Bedtime used to be the worst time of the day for us. Its not all idyllic like the picture is on the right. It can really test your parenting skills! For many parents it can be the most frustrating and exasperating part of your day. If you are like me, you are tired, your children are tired, and all you want is for a little time to relax before you go to bed. The problem is, your children are not ready to go to bed! They find other activities to do, they won’t stay in bed, they need a drink, or need to go to the bathroom one more time. They whine, you react, and bedtime turns into a nightmare. Does that sound familiar? Here are five tips that may help make the bedtime routine go a lot smoother and more peachful:

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For children who have attended preschool, starting school for the first time will involve less of a transition than for those who have not. However, in either case, school is typically quite different from preschool. Added to that is the unfortunate fact that many public schools are often - whether through lack of funding, bureaucratic bungling, bad philosophy or factors outside their control - far less than ideal places to educate children. However, there are many great public schools too, but we don’t often have the choice due to the fact of where we live.

But whether parents are enrolling the child in a good public school or private school, there are many similar new factors parents will do well to prepare for. Here are some ideas that may help make the transition a little easier. 

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Although there are people who seem to be blessed with an abundance of self-esteem, they don’t have that level of self-esteem right from the start. Unlike other human traits that are already there the moment we are born, there are some that one needs to develop over time. Self-esteem is one of those traits.

Self-esteem is that part of oneself that allows people to function with confidence. It refers to a person’s ability to trust in themselves and to accept who they are flaws and all. Self-esteem is actually fostered from childhood. A big role is played by the parents in making sure that their children develop their self-esteem fully. The way they give attention to their kids and the way they praise them (or criticize them!) will factor greatly in the way they develop their children’s self-esteem.

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Back to School – Back to Schedules

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Hey Moms and Dads, kids love to play, and playtime is a great way to bond and have silly fun with our kids. We need our kids as much as they need us, and the great things about having kids is they can escape from the pressures of daily life. Here are some fun activities that don’t have to cost an arm and a leg we can enjoy with our children:

Fun Kids Activities 

• How about having a picnic? Requires food out of the fridge and stuff from around the house, use paper plates for easy clean up, spread a blanket out right outside your house and have a picnic. Raining, snowing, or just too darn hot outside? No problem, move the furniture out of the way and have a picnic on the living room floor.
• Go buy a puzzle and make it together. This is a great learning activity. Check out Ann Bowers article on "Teaching with Puzzles". Ann has been an educator for over 20 years and provides great insight on the effectiveness of puzzles in teaching children skills and concepts.
• Go to the local park, playground, garden path, or whatever you have for gathering of children in your area with no admission fees! Even if you go to the local school during “off time” usually weekends and after 6:00 pm on weekdays get some play time in and have a ride on the swings
• Take pictures ~ what better way to see the world through your child’s eyes than to hand the camera and let them snap a few shots. If your kids are like mine, they love it when the camera comes out.
• Play a board game, but be creative and create new rules!!  
• Go to the movies. At home! Make a big bowl of popcorn and snuggle up to watch a favorite movie together, remember to turn out the lights for super theater effect.
• You know that video game they like to play? Play it with them, trust me there will be laughing, a lot of it.
• Play hide and seek. Classic, and still fun.

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Introduction by Kevin
What does it mean to cherish our kids? Many parents, including dads like myself sometimes tend to get so wrapped up with work and careers, that we sometimes forget how much our kids need us. Perhaps one of the greatest days in my life was when my son was born. I was so happy and overwelmed my hands shook a little and my voice quivered a bit as I held him for the first time. For me, when I get busy, or frustrated, I think of this. What it does for me is to put everything back in prospective. It helps me find the time, or become less frustrated around my kids. Jobs and problems will come and go, but family is forever, and that is what is most important. Pam Leo in this article helps remind us how much our kids need us, and how important it is to let them know how much they are truely loved.

"Shower the people you love with love."
- James Taylor

Cherishing Our Children by Pam Leo

What does it mean to cherish our children? I don’t think I’ve even heard the word cherish used since the days when it was the title of a popular song. The admonition not to spoil children has been part of our parenting culture for so long that most parents are reluctant to shower love abundantly on their children for fear of spoiling them. Cherishing our children does not mean buying them everything, giving them anything they want, letting them do anything they want or not teaching them acceptable behavior. That would be spoiling them. The word, cherish, as defined in my dictionary means: to hold dear; feel or show love for; to take good care of; protect. Tender, loving care is the foundation of cherishing children.

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It can be a bit scary and overwelming when your realize your teen is start to grow up and become independent. While your first urge may be to lock them in the basement until they’re 18, that probably won’t work out well. Since we can’t keep our children by our side all the time, it’s important to take steps to keep them safe when we’re not around. So what should we do?

Communication is key and starting to talk to your teens early can help. Teach them what kind of behavior you expect from them and what you won’t tolerate. Also teach them how to say no when they don’t want to do something, and how to get out of various bad situations. You may even want to go as far as role playing with your child.

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