Good Parenting: Stop Losing It With Your Kids
Written by adinasoclof | 0 CommentsBeing a Mom is the best job out there. At least I think so. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I do. Even before I had kids I knew that being a Mom requires a tremendous amount of work and patience. Full Article
When Loved Ones Hit the Road: How to Handle it When Someone You Love Can’t Handle Your Child’s Illness
Written by Kimberly Ehlers | 0 CommentsMy 12 year old son, Seth, was born with multiple congenital heart defects. His second (and, hopefully, last!) open-heart surgery took place almost 2 years ago. During the whole process of getting Seth through his surgery and recovery, I was deeply hurt by a person I love. This person hadn’t called or visited during his hospital stay even though they lived near by. I felt abandoned and shocked that they of all people would hit the road when they were needed most. It was around 2 weeks after surgery before they finally called to see how Seth was, and it was a strange call – something had come between us. Full Article
The Words a Mommy Never Wants to Hear – Something is Wrong with Your Baby
Written by Kimberly Ehlers | 0 CommentsMy husband and I have one child, a boy, now 12. There are a couple of reasons I remember his birth like it was yesterday. First, it was the most incredible life changing experience I’ve ever had. Yes, even bigger than getting married. After all, I knew the man I was marrying well. On May 29, 1998 I met my baby boy for the first time. He was no longer the mysterious baby I carried everywhere with me for 9 months. He made his entrance into the world full of personality. A little one I had to get to know. The second reason I remember his birth so well is because it was the day I heard those words, “Something is wrong with your baby.” Full Article
The Importance of Spending Time with Your Children
Written by Stephanie Martin | 0 CommentsHow many times a day do you catch yourself saying, “not now” or “I don’t have time”? Now, how many times a day do you catch yourself saying this to your children? Too many times we, as busy moms, get caught up in the daily grind of our family’s lives and trying to get everything done that needs to be done, but we forget the real reasons why we’re trying to bake 4 dozen cookies, schedule a doctor’s appointment, make out a grocery list and go to the store, make sure our child’s soccer jersey is clean and ready to go for the game that is scheduled at 5 p.m., have dinner ready before leaving for said soccer game, and squeeze in homework – all before putting our children to bed. Then, we take the next few hours to get caught up on housework such as dishes, laundry, and general tidying up when one of our children, or even your spouse, comes up and reminds you that you have a family get-together the next day that you are supposed to cook 3 dishes for! So, you stay up half the night preparing for the next day knowing that you are going to be completely exhausted but expected to put on a happy face. Full Article
How to Keep Your Children Occupied Once School Is Out
Written by Stephanie Martin | 0 CommentsI do know that I am very fortunate to be able to work from home and, in turn, be home with my children and not have to worry about childcare. I am very blessed to be able to be involved in my children’s lives on a daily basis like I am. However, they are still kids and will still “get bored” and “have nothing to do”. But, I do not plan to let boredom turn into watching TV all day or playing on the computer/Wii all day while they are home from school. I do not allow that during the school year and I definitely will not allow it during the summer months. So, what do I do to keep my children occupied? We do have season passes to a local amusement park and a local aquarium, but we do not plan on spending all of our time inside. Full Article
Teaching Your Children to Start Saving Their Money
Written by Angela Wenke | 0 CommentsMost children these days do not understand the concept of saving or earning money. This has never been a major priority in their lives, or a necessary way of living for them. But as parents, it is absolutely crucial that you teach your children the importance of saving their earned money. Full Article
Family Time at Dinner Time
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsThese days, many families struggle to find time when they can all be together. Sometimes it’s because both parents work long hours and sometimes it’s because of the kids’ many extracurricular activities. Full Article
Kids Cooking For A Cause
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsHow can we combine kids, cooking, and charity? This was a question that popped into my mind the other morning. There must be a way to blend these three together in a way that’s good for the kids and good for the charity. The answer came in a totally unrelated email the next day. The Ronald McDonald House! What better way for kids to practice their cooking and organization skills, and build confidence and caring than to provide a meal for an organization like the Ronald McDonald House? Full Article
For Kids Only – How To Read A Recipe
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsSometimes you get tired of mac and cheese, don’t you? Frozen burritos, cheese sticks, and sandwiches can get pretty boring too if you eat them all the time. Hey, how about taking out one of your mom’s recipes, that one you really like, and make some real food? Problem is, you don’t know how to read a recipe. Of course you know how to read, you just don’t know how to follow a recipe because it’s different than following microwave directions on the side of a box. So you don’t starve, here are some tips on how to read recipes and make some good food: Full Article
Sidewalk Chalk – My Favorite Learning Tool
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsWhen the weather is nice, the kids (and Mom) are itching to get outside and play. I personally like the playing to learn approach. Did you know there’s an outdoor world of math and reading fun that awaits you and all you need is sidewalk chalk, dice, and your imagination? Anything we can do inside on paper can be done outside on the driveway or sidewalk, as long as we don’t care if it eventually gets “erased†by rain or sprinklers. Not only do the kids and I get to exercise our brains but we also get to exercise our bodies. I get to stretch my hamstrings and quads as I bend over to draw game boards or numbers, and the kids get to hop, skip, and jump around. Here are a few favorite sidewalk games I’d like to share. You can adapt any of them to the abilities of your children, and multiple ages can play together. Full Article
Homeschooling – Learning Through Recipes
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsThere are so many wonderful packaged Unit Studies available to homeschoolers that you don’t know where to start. Instead of buying something pre-packaged, how about starting with an idea and let your children’s interests decide where to go with it. Have you thought about starting a unit study in the kitchen… with a recipe? Full Article
Math Games for the Active Child
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsTo put it in a nice way, my son is rather squirmy. He doesn’t like to sit still for very long unless he’s playing a video game, then it’s just amazing. So instead of constantly telling him to sit down and do his math, we take it outside or up the stairs, literally. I’d like to share some of ways we like to “do math†when sitting still is too much. Try these games with your child and I think you’ll agree that math and exercise can go hand in hand. Full Article
7 Tips For Kids Learning To Cook
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsIt is said that cooking is an art. Like most art forms, a person can have some natural talent, but there’s a whole lot of learning and experiencing that has to happen before they’re any good at it. Cooking is no exception. First, children need to be exposed to good cooking, so they can appreciate the differences, then they need to be given the chance to try cooking themselves. Full Article
More Math Games For The Active Child
Written by Peggy Baron | 0 CommentsMath games are the perfect way for the squirmy child to learn math. Some kids don’t learn as well when trying to concentrate all their efforts on sitting still. These kids do better when allowed to actively partake in math games – and what could be more fun? Full Article
Protect Your Children With a Password
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsWhen we think of password protection, we think of bank accounts, computers, or even voice mail phone systems. Full Article
Kids and Secrets
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsAs parents we have so much to worry about in regards to our children. We want to protect them from all of lifes dangers, yet we want to accomplish this without putting unnecessary fear into their lives. Full Article
Children’s Birthday Party Ideas
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsWhen my children were young, we had so much fun with birthday parties. Each year we did something different from the year before. Some years our themes allowed us to invite several children and some years our themes allowed us to only invite a small amount of other children. Full Article
Does Your Child Forget His Homework
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsI used to get at least one phone call per week from my daughter. She was just frantic. She had left her homework at home and needed me to rush it over to her at school. Full Article
Children Love Routines
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsOne of the reasons children will sing the same song over and over again is because they love routine. Full Article
Choosing Your Child’s Pediatrician
Written by Audrey Okaneko | 0 CommentsWhen the time came for me to choose a pediatrician for my children, it was very important that the man or woman I chose would be a person willing to answer my questions and address my concerns. I was so fortunate to find men and women in two cities who did indeed care enough to spend the 5-10 minutes needed to speak with me about my questions and concerns. Full Article
