The Importance of Spending Time with Your Children

How 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

I 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

Alternative Idea To Dressing Up For Halloween

Every year at this time, the stores are filled with a wide variety of assorted costumes from cute little pumpkins and lady bugs to scary witches and vampires. Growing up, I did dress up and go trick-or-treating. My husband and I took our children for a few years, but then decided that it was just not for us. We’ve never really lived in a subdivision where we knew a lot of people who were handing out candy so going door-to-door was not really an option for us. Also, I’m not a great seamstress, so trying to sew a costume was not really an option, even a simple one. So, we came up with an alternative plan that has worked really well for us and our children love it! Full Article

Helping Your Teen Succeed in High School

You know your teen can handle the work, you know your teen knows what to do, yet you watch your teen fall short of meeting a certain educational goal. Many parents have witnessed this over the course of parenting their teens and many parents find it hard to endure a teen whom they feel isn’t trying their hardest. If you observe your teen refusing to do homework or making more out of an assignment than there really is, this is often a way of expressing their confusion, frustrations and at times, anger. Full Article

Self-Care

How taking excellent care of yourself and putting your own needs above all else is actually GREAT for business.

4 Tips for Gradual Weaning

Your baby has grown so fast that before you know it, you’re thinking about weaning. Now what? Here are a few tips to help make the transition easier for you and your little one. Full Article

Party Favors Aren’t Just for Weddings

Most amateur party planners automatically assume party favors are just for weddings. Think again! One way to liven up the festivities — whether it’s an anniversary, baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, graduation party, or quinceanera — is with functional, affordable party favors. Continue reading to discover some unique party favor ideas for your next get together.

Tips for Traveling with the Breastfed Infant

You have spent awhile getting used to breastfeeding your child at home and getting into a comfortable routine. Traveling can really mix up this routine and present new challenges, especially for a breastfeeding mother. Here are a few tips that can help ease you into a more enjoyable and comfortable trip with your breastfed baby. Full Article

Nursing Your Baby? Coping With a Separation

It is possible that as a new mom, there will be times when you will have to be away from your baby for a short period of time. Perhaps you have to travel on business, or there is a medical procedure that you must have, that will make it impossible for you to breastfeed for awhile. Full Article

Smart Women Understand “WIIFM?”

This article gives some insight and tips on how to create a marketing message that clearly and easily lets someone know what benefit your product or service has to offer. People purchase benefits—period. It’s important that we make sure the benefits stand out in our marketing so that people can quickly determine if they need or want what we have to offer.

The Value of Being a Stay-at-Home Parent

Okay, I admit it; I wasn’t excited about becoming a stay-at-home mom. I was working as a part-time dental hygienist and had the right combination of work and home time.  My husband and I had just barely decided that I would follow a dream to go onto dental school versus having a third child (which was something I felt in my heart—but NOT our budget!) when the pregnancy test came up positive! Surprise, surprise! Full Article

Three Little-Known Realities About Breastfeeding

Reality Check #1: The First Weeks of Breastfeeding May Hurt

“I tried to breastfeed but my nipples got so sore and cracked that I had to stop.”

I’ve heard so many mamas say something along these lines as the reason they quit breastfeeding. They see these images of happily nursing women, figure breastfeeding is supposed to be a 100 percent positive experience, and then are disappointed when it’s not only unpleasant in the early days—it’s downright painful. Moms probably wonder what they’re doing wrong and some may even think they can’t breastfeed. So they switch to formula.

Four Ways to Ensure Breastfeeding Success

Step One: Prepare Yourself Before the Birth

While there’s nothing you can do to physically prepare yourself for breastfeeding (harshly rub those nipples all you want—it won’t help!), you’ll want to learn all you can about nursing before you try it. You don’t have to become an expert, but it will help to know a few things.

Three Pieces of Breastfeeding Advice to Ignore

“Don’t nurse your baby all the time or she’ll become too dependent. You must wait and feed your baby every few hours.”

This is possibly the most damaging piece of breastfeeding advice you’ll ever hear. Not only can following this advice lead to clogged milk ducts and breast infection, it can sabotage your entire breastfeeding relationship.

Understanding a Defiant Teenager

Looking for great information on ways to fully understand your teen? Get ‘em right now… 24/7! Real Life Guidance to Understanding Your Teen is available for easy and instant download to your computer.

Work Life Balance: Help for Busy Moms

As a mom you probably go through times in your life when you think you can’t possibly manage work and taking proper care of your family. In fact, there are probably times when you feel you’re not doing a good job at one or the other or maybe even both. Don’t despair! There is help for you whether you work from home or outside of the home, your family is large or small or you have other commitments like volunteer work.

Time Management - Knowing where and how you spend your time is key to balancing your life. Start by keeping a calendar of all your activities. You can do this online, on a paper calendar or in a journal. Track everything from showering, exercise, meal preparation, driving time, and so on. You will probably see areas where you can cut some time out by doing certain activities while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store or riding in the car. There are lots of useful ways to spend idle time and you can figure those out as you fill out your calendar or journal. Full Article

Help your Teen Daughter Develop a Healthy Body Image

“I’m fat!” “I’m ugly!” “I have nothing to wear that doesn’t make me look gross!” Full Article

Tips to Curb Summertime Teen Laziness

Most of us enjoy a lazy day when we can sleep in, putz around and just relax a little – and our kids are no different. However, when the dog days of summer come, some teens take that one “couch out” day and stretch it over an entire summer break. Here are some tips to combat summertime teen laziness and keep your teen active and engaged. Full Article

Potty Training doesn’t have to be a chore.

As a home daycare provider I have the pleasure of potty training many of child. As a lot of mother’s know training a boy can be more challenging but the key is to not start to early and allow your child to show you the signs, that he or she is ready to start training. Full Article

Teaching Your Children to Start Saving Their Money

Most 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