8 Cheap Activities To Do With Your Kids

These inexpensive ideas are sure to get your kids creative juices flowing! The kids will love them because it gives them something productive to do and mom will love them because they're easy and cheap!

1.) Fly a kite at a local park. Kites can usually be found at any local dollar store. We found a cute Tigger kite at our local Dollar Tree.

2.) Blow bubbles. Now how cheap are bubbles, like $.50 a bottle?! Kids can have contests to see who can make the most or the biggest bubble.

3.) Make an "I love You" card for someone. Or is someone's birthday coming up? Let the kids be creative and make a friend or relative a card from the heart.

4.) Paint Rocks. You can find rocks anywhere. Let the kids be creative with some paint, markers, ribbons, beads and glue.

5.) Catch fireflies, ants, bugs or butterflies. Summer nights are perfect for catching fireflies and they are so neat as a nightlight. At your local dollar store, you may also be able to find a cheap ant farm. These are so much fun!!

6.) Put together a puzzle. These always keep kids entertained and busy.

7.) Make paper airplanes. Let the kids make their own, decorate them and then fly them.

8.) Frame their hands and feet! Have your kids put their hand prints and feet prints on paper and then frame them in an inexpensive frame. This is something that you will love down the road when the kids are grown.

Tips for Healthy Eating on a Theme Park Vacation

Written By Kendra Thornton

Theme parks are a lot of fun for kids and adults alike, but they can pose challenges for health-conscious parents.  Many parks do not allow outside food or beverages, and the fare inside the park can be overpriced and chock full of sugar and sodium.  Fortunately, it's possible to have a fun day out at the park without resorting to expensive and unhealthy meals; you just need to do a bit of planning in advance.  Here are some ideas for maintaining healthy habits at a theme park destination:

1.)  Eat a healthy breakfast before you arrive at the park.  Filling up at the start of the day will give you energy and prevent the urge to buy additional snacks inside the park.  Most Orlando hotels serve complimentary breakfast, and some of the nicer resorts will provide excellent healthful options.  Focus on filling, nutritious fare like oatmeal, eggs and fresh fruit and skip the sugary pastries.  

2.)  When eating out, opt to share entrees rather than ordering individually.  Many theme parks have restaurants that are worth sampling, but the prices can be quite high and the portions very large.  Solve this by ordering one or two entrees and sharing them among the family.  You can fill in any gaps with more inexpensive side dishes.  

3.)  Keep plenty of snacks in the fridge at the hotel.  By keeping the hotel room stocked with healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, protein bars and whole wheat crackers, you can stave off hunger after returning to the hotel and prevent any late-night cravings for fast food or vending machine visits.  If the theme park allows you to bring your own food, you can pack a small cooler of healthy snacks to bring with you wherever you go. If you have to get something on the go at the park, I would encourage you to still make healthy fast food decision to avoid repercussions later!

4.) When traveling by car, take frequent rest stops to allow your kids to run around and blow off some steam.  This will help prevent them from being too out-of-control once you arrive at the destination, and it can give them some exercise as well.  

5.) Encourage hand washing.  Before you sit down to eat, make sure your kids wash their hands properly.  Theme parks can be a breeding ground for germs, especially if kids are going on rides that may not have been sanitized all day.  Teach your kids proper hand sanitation habits to protect them from contaminants.  

 Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean that you and your kids need to be eating fattening processed foods.  By focusing on ways to eat nutritious meals wherever you go, you can give your kids a dose of healthy energy that will last throughout the day.  

How To Hold a Family Meeting

by Alyssa Chirco

http://parentingsquad.com

No matter how much you love them, family can be a source of tremendous conflict. It can be difficult to coordinate the changing needs and schedules of every family member, and it can be downright impossible to make everyone happy. If you're struggling to keep your family organized and the lines of communication open, regular family meetings might be the key.

What Is a Family Meeting?

A family meeting can be whatever you want to make of it. In general, regular family meetings provide a time when all members of the family come together to share, discuss, problem-solve, and, most importantly, communicate. Some families choose to hold structured and formal meetings with very specific rules, while others are far more flexible and relaxed. What your family meetings look like will depend largely on your family, and what works for you and your lifestyle.

Why Hold a Family Meeting?

There are many benefits to holding regular family meetings. For example, family meetings can serve to:

▪                keep the lines of communication open

▪                foster a greater sense of responsibility within children

▪                diffuse sibling rivalry

▪                encourage discussion and cooperation

▪                build family unity

▪                develop listening and positive communication skills

By holding regular family meetings, you create space in your lives where you will be able to discuss any issue that confronts your family. Whether it's something as small as a squabble over who will do the dishes or as large as a death or divorce, you know you will have time to address it as a family. In addition, parents will routinely be able to touch base with their children and listen to their concerns, and children will have the opportunity to have their voice heard by their parents and siblings.

Tips For Getting Started

Once you've decided to start holding family meetings, there are a few things you should think about.

1. Set rules

If you have young children, mom and dad will probably set the rules. But if you have older children, you might consider giving them some input into how the meeting will go. Some families choose a round-robin style, where every family member gets a turn to talk about their week, express their grievances, and offer their opinions. Other families prefer to make a list of pressing family issues and concerns, and talk about them openly as they proceed down the list.

You'll also want to consider who will lead the meetings. It can be fun, particularly for younger children, to take turns and give each family member an opportunity to be in charge.

2. Decide your goals

Why are you holding family meetings? Is it just a way to check in and let everybody share details of their week? Will your meetings be primarily for coordinating schedules? Are there lots of arguments in your home that will require conflict resolution? Once you know what you're hoping to accomplish, it will be easier to frame your family meetings accordingly.

3. Set a regular time and place

In the beginning, it's a good idea to have weekly family meetings. This way, the meetings become a familiar part of your family's routine. Maybe Friday night in the family room after dinner works best for your family, or maybe you have teens who cringe at the thought of spending Friday night with their parents. Try to accomodate everybody if you can. If nothing else, consider having a family meeting in the car. Hey, you've got them all in the same place!

4. Determine your decision-making process

How you choose to make decisions will probably depend on the way your household generally runs. If you're comfortable with democracy, family meetings can be a great place for kids to learn first-hand how it works. But many parents find that they prefer to make decisions by consensus rather than by simple majority vote. This way, the children can't outnumber the adults, and mom and dad maintain their right to the final say.

5. Make it fun

Family meetings shouldn't be boring or something for anyone to dread. Make them special by popping popcorn or serving some special treats. Encourage a positive atmosphere where no yelling is allowed and every person and every idea and suggestion is treated with respect.

What To Talk About

Once you've determined the logistics, you'll want to start thinking about the issues that need to be addressed at your family meetings. You'll probably want to include time to discuss many or all of the following:

▪                announcements

▪                positive recogition

▪                complaints and conflict resolution

▪                the family budget/allowance

▪                rules and chores

▪                plans for upcoming events (vacations, birthdays, etc.)

▪                scheduling and logistics

One of the best ways to plan your family meetings is by taping a piece of paper marked "agenda" to your refrigerator or family work space at the beginning of the week. As the week progresses, any family member can add any issue or complaint that they think of to the agenda.

When it's time for the family meeting, use your agenda to get discussion started. You can also draw from the categories above. Some families even include discussions of hot topics at their family meetings. (I'm thinking politics or current events here, not Lindsay Lohan.)

Helpful Hints

In order to ensure that your family meetings are a success, there are a few things you should remember. It's important to eliminate distractions, so turn off the TV and don't allow phone calls or texting. Keep the meetings short (20-30 minutes is long enough), and make attendance by all family members a priority. Most importantly, be flexible. If you find that your family meetings are unproductive, try a new approach. Every family is different, so every family meeting will be unique. It may take some time to figure out what style works best for you.

7 Things Working Moms Can Do With Their Kids

By Erin A. Kurt

The one thing working moms have in common is that they're busy ladies with a lot on their plate. The second thing they have in common is that they feel guilty a lot of the time. One of the main sources of that guilt comes from the feeling that they don't have time to spend quality moments with their children; "life is just a race" moms tell me.

A very important thing for working mothers to understand is that it doesn't take much to satisfy their child's need for attention, and if just a few things are put into place, they can be guaranteed that they are giving their child all they need to.

What are those things?

Well, we all know that children need focused attention in order to feel loved. And, if they feel this focused attention on a regular basis, they are better behaved and happier kids to be around. The point then is to create moments of focused attention.

1.              Create a ritual. The definition of a ritual is: a series of actions regularly and invariably followed    by someone. With this in mind try to think of what small ritual you can create with your children that can happen everyday, without fail. Perhaps each morning you and your children light a candle (or turn on battery operated ones) at the breakfast table and you share your intention for the day. Perhaps you do and say certain things each night at bedtime. Whatever it is, keep it simple; the more simple, the more impact it has.

Here are seven ways working moms can give their child focused attention when they have little time to give:

2.              Schedule one-on-one time. Working moms need to be organized. Carry this organization through to spending one-on-one time with each of your children once a month. Brainstorm activities you and your child would like to do together then once a month pull one of those ideas and schedule it on your calendar. It doesn't have to be long; 30-60 minutes is all it will take. (Children who I surveyed told me this!)

3.              Plan a theme night. This is one of my favourite things to do. Choose a country and plan a family evening around the theme of this country. For example, if you choose Japan, your family can brainstorm costumes, music, dishes to cook, movies to watch, etc. Plan these theme nights every 4-6 months and just watch the bonding that occurs!

4.              Make reading together YOUR thing. What could you do to make reading a special event between you and your children? Could youread a chapter book out loud each night for 15-20 mins after dinner? Could you cuddle in bed each night and read them a story? Could you make up a story each night or save this for Sunday night?

5.              Bake on the weekend. Get a great cookbook (choose it together) and bake one thing each weekend from the book. Think, "Julie and Julia", the movie with Meryl Streep. How exciting would it be to bake through a cookbook (baking book) and experiment together?

6.              Make grocery shopping YOUR thing. Create a tradition that after the weekly grocery shop you all go for a hot chocolate or special drink.

7.              Go to the Library. Create a special tradition around the Library.How about Friday after the school pick being your time to go hang out at the library and collect books? Or, does your library have weekend reading, rhyme or story times? Be sure that your kids choose their books first so that they have something to look at as they respectfully give you time to browse.

As you can see, all of my ideas are based around keeping things slow, simple and meaningful. You don't have to have all the time in the world to spend with your kids, it's just about making the time you DO have, count.

Erin Kurt, B.Ed, spent 16 years as a teacher and nanny around the world. Now, she applies her expertise as a parenting expert and author of Juggling Family Life and The Life Balance Formula. 
You can learn more about Erin and her simple, loving parenting method, and subscribe to her weekly parenting tips e-zine at erinparenting.com. You'll also receive Erin's free video series "8 Secrets to Stress-Free Parenting", packed with parentings tips!

12 Keys to Successful Parenting

AN OPEN LETTER FROM EVERY CHILD

DEAR MOM, DAD OR GUARDIAN,

I love you, and I know that you want to be the best parent that you can be. I am very sensitive, and I can feel your warmth, your caring, and your heart's desire to see me happy, healthy and successful in all areas of my life.

I first want to thank you for being my parent; for giving birth to me and providing for my physical needs--food, clothing, and a home. Without you, I wouldn't be able to survive. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do for me. I am pleased and grateful that you are choosing to be there for me

I understand how difficult parenting can be--I did not arrive with instructions. I know that you always do your best with the information that you have. You basically learned how to parent from your parents, and they did from theirs and so on down through the generations. Unless I learn other ways, I'll probably teach my children what you share with me.

To make your job easier and to help you and I reach our goals, I want to give you the gift of telling you what I want and need. With healthy guidelines we can both experience joy, fulfillment, success and harmony.
Thank you for your openness and your love.

The following messages come from my heart:

Please...

1. Understand that I am growing up and changing very fast. It must be difficult to keep pace with me, but please try.

2. Listen to me and give me brief, clear answers to my questions. Then I will keep sharing my thoughts and feelings.

3. Reward me for telling the truth. Then I am not frightened into lying.

4. Tell me when you make mistakes and what you learned from them. That helps me accept that I am okay, even when I blunder.

5. Pay attention to me and spend time with me. That helps me believe that I am important and worthwhile.

6. Do the things you want me to do. Then I have a good, positive model.

7. Comfort me when I'm scared, hurt or sad. That will help me feel I'm okay even when I'm not feeling strong or happy.

8. Take responsibility for all your feelings and actions. That will help me not blame others and take responsibility for my life.

9. Be consistent with me. Then I can trust your words and actions.

10. Communicate what you feel hurt or frightened about when you're angry at me. That will help me feel I'm a good person, and learn how to constructively deal with my feelings.

11. Tell me clearly and specifically what you want. That will help me hear you, and will also know how to communicate my needs in a positive way.

12. Express to me that I'm okay even when my words or behavior may not be. That will help me learn from my mistakes, and have high self-esteem.

Thank you for hearing me. I love you!

(Excerpts from the booklet, e-book, book, "All You Need Is HART" and 
Posters "AS I GROW" & "HELP ME GROW")

Crazy Life

I started back to work and I am struggling bad. I spend four hours a day with my kids and no time with my husband. I get home from work after picking up my oldest daughter from school. Then my husband leaves for work. So it is me and the three kids (ages 6, 4 and 3 months). I have to help them with their homework, get them bathed make dinner and try very hard to spend quality time with each of them. I stress the try because some nights it feels impossible. I stick to the same schedule but sometimes things do not move as fast as I would like. My 4 year old is really loud and obnoxious while I am helping my 6 year old with home work. My baby doesn't nap during this time and I have to usually hold her because the dog is a spaz. Then the kids fight and they get sent to time out. I feel like I am more stressed out and yelling most of the time. These are not the memories I want for my kids when they grow up. Everyday I set a goal to not get mad and over react. Then the chaos begins and I can't help my self. It is an endless cycle. I swear my work at home is much harder then my paying job. I really wish we got paid to be a stay at home mom. I would gladly take drug tests to prove I am not a freeloader. I started school myself this week. I try to do homework and my home business once the kids are in bed but sometimes that doesn't seem to go as planned. Oh well life happens and I guess we have to go with it.

The Mouths Of Tots

My kids are so funny sometimes. I am trying to remember everything that they have ever said but it is a little hard. I am sure everybody has lots of stories of funny phrases, words or questions their children have said. Please share them with us in the comments section.

Right after I gave birth to my third child in September my other two children came to visit me at the hospital a couple of hours after my baby was born. My oldest asked my mom "if the baby is here how come mommy is still so fat?"

This past summer when we went to the Farmer's Market. I was walking around with my kids and my 3 year old said "Why is there no trash cans with all of this food around?" I looked around and did not see any trash cans. This may not be that funny but he is very perceptive.

Lately all my son wants to talk about is "poop" and "fat weiner". Everything is "poop" or "fat weiner". If I ask him what he learned at school today he says either "poop" or "fat weiner" and when he talks to anyone he calls them one of the too. It can be quite embarrassing when someone is talking to him and those are his answers.

Please share your stories about your children. I would love to hear them.

PARENTING POTENTIALS - SUCCESSFUL PARENTING

To Discipline or not to Discipline

I was just reading an article about spanking your child in public when they are misbehaving.
It is really tough in this day and age. People are so judgmental, they look at you and criticize when they do not even know the whole situation. Most of them are not parents themselves or else they would not be judging or criticizing. I know when I am out and I see a child acting out, I am so thankful because then I know that I am not the only mom who has a child that acts like that. I also feel a little comforted in the fact that I am not the only mom who goes through it. Okay and so the thought also crosses my mind, "I'm glad it's not mine." How many of you parents have ever said that when you see a child throwing a full blown temper tantrum? Why is it when another child is throwing a temper tantrum it does not seem as bad as a situation as when it is your child? It is because you are not emotionally involved and suffering the eyes and ridicule that is being placed upon you.
Okay so back to the question. Is it okay to spank your child?
Spanking is a form of discipline to place on your child. People view it as beating your child. They get Child Protection Services on the phone in a heart beat. Some people have had there children taken away for spanking them.
To go further from spanking, what about those people that butt in at the store when you are yelling at your child. Has America become that we are not allowed to discipline our children. I understand verbally abusing your child is not okay, but telling your child that they are not behaving and if they do not straighten up then they will be going to bed early to night, or what ever type of punishment you give your child. I think that is totally okay. Sometimes the situation is that you have been in Walmart for way to long dealing with the crowded isles and rude people, while the whole time listening to your child whine and throw little tantrums, when finally you have come to your whits end.
If we do not discipline our children what type of children do they become. Some feel that they just want to be there child's best friend and think they should learn discipline elsewhere. When I was at work the other day, my co-worker mentioned that there were some things she did not teach her child or talk about with him because she did not want to go there and was hoping that he learned it at school. One of the topics was sex education, another one was cheating.
Maybe some parents don't want to think of there children of doing anything bad so they do not want to talk to them about it. I was watching an episode of Wife Swap and this lady had 4 boys that where completely disrespectful, wild and misbehaved any where they went. The parents said they never wanted to see there kids unhappy so they let them do what ever they wanted and never wanted to punish them.
So many children act as though they can do anything and are so disrespectful of there teachers and other adults. When I was a child we only called adults by there last name. (Mrs. or Mr. Smith, for example). My kids preschool teachers have them call them by first name. It bugs my dad and he tries to in force to my children that grown ups are Mr. or Mrs.
Many parents just want to be there child's best friend. They do not take responsibility for their child's actions. I do not agree with spanking your child but I do think they need to know that there are consequences to their actions and it is important to follow through. I do have to admit there have been times when spanking has crossed my mind and a good thump ends up happening.
I hate when I hear a parent making threats constantly and not following through. "If you don't stop you are going to be put in time out." So you say that to your child about 10 times while they are doing the action. They are going to know that mom/dad doesn't follow through and they are just talking, so whatever.
Kids need routine, they need structure, they need guidelines. The discipline does not have to be spanking, yelling or any kind of negative punishment. There are alternatives. I believe they need to be able to make choices and they are accountable for their choices. If they do not want to clean their room explain to them that they have a choice. They can clean their room or they can choose to not watch TV later on in the evening. If they do not clean their room explain to them that they made the choice to not watch TV and they need to find something else to do. Positive discipline is important. Using reward charts for good behavior. Praising your child when they are doing things you want them to do. If you focus all your energy on their bad behavior and never praise them when they are behaving and doing good things they will think you do not care about the good behavior. Children want your attention whether it is positive or negative.
I would love feed back on this topic. Please leave comments.


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New Baby in the House

We had our baby last Wednesday, September 23 at 4:15 am. I had a natural labor and it went real quick. We had a girl 7 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful. We are all adjusting well. My 6 year old and 4 year old absolutely love her and are so helpful. She sleeps well and eats well.

So now I need to focus on my Successful Parenting website and give some updates and useful articles.

Click Here For Helping Baby Sleep Through The Night!

Parenting - Daily Struggle

I struggle daily on whether or not I am being a good parent and whether or not I am raising my children to be strong individuals. It is so hard to stay in control when your children are challenging your sanity. I am listening to an audio series called Scream Free Parenting by Hal Runkel, LMFT. It teaches you to begin with your self and get yourself in the right place. If you have issues handle them first before handling the behavior issues you wish to address with your child. I have trouble with this because I feel like I am being selfish if I take time to be by myself or do things for myself. I believe a lot of moms feel this way. We feel like if we are not always there for our families then we are not doing our job.

I often find myself trying to keep my cool and not lash out on my kids. Especially at night. We have a nightly routine. We get in jammies, we brush our teeth, we have mellow time for a little while, then we read books and then it is bedtime. Bedtime is a horrible experience every night. My kids cry and say they don't love me and I am so mean to them and I do not let them do anything. They'll say things like I do not love them and stuff and then it is crying for quite along time. Mainly my six year old. My three year old it is only for a few minutes and then he stays in his bed. But my six year old she will throw things,cry really loud and hurt herself. I feel bad for my son because he has to listen to her. Last night I let him sleep on the couch and that made her even more mad.

When they are saying these things and throwing fits. I just want to freak out on them right back. It is really hard to walk away from them. I have found myself saying You think I do not do anything for you? I can show you how I do not do anything for you? Or I can show you how I do not allow you to do anything?

I do not believe that is helpful but sometimes it is really hard to control your emotions and reactions.

I get scared sometimes that I am about to have three soon. My husband and I work opposite shifts so he is not home at night , 6 nights a week. So I feel like I am going to have it in for me soon when I have three crying at bedtime.

I know this is not much of an advice post but maybe more of a venting post.

Family Day

Yesterday we had a wonderful family day. I have decided that I would take Tuesdays off for the summer and use some vacation days since I have no plans for a vacation. My husbands only night off is Tuesday so this allows us to be able to plan anything and take day trips without having to be back by a certain time.

Yesterday we went for a wonderful hike to Cascade Falls. Unfortunately we did not make it all the way due to the hot dirt on our dogs poor little paws. But we will being going again one evening. We planned a great dinner that consisted of grilled zucinni and yellow squash from the farmers market. BBQ'd Rosemary lemon chicken, new potatoes cooked in foil on the grill with garlic, olive oil and rosemary. This dinner was so good. The kids really liked the grilled vegetables. I will definitely make this again.

Updates

On this blog I will be posting articles and great deals for some great parenting e-books. I have posted one about Maternity Acupressure that I thought was very interesting because I am pregnant and thought it might help others that are pregnant.
I also posted a great ebook on communicating with your baby, toddler, teen and so on. It give very helpful parenting tips on being a positive parent and communicating in an effective way.
Check them out.

On another note, I have started to try and be more health concious with the kids. Usually when I get home from working my 7 and a half hour shift I just want to come home and put my feet up. Eat whatever is super easy and let the kids watch TV.
Well this is week one. We have been on a walk two days this week. Boy do my feet hurt. The kids are signed up for swim lessons. They do not start until 6:35. It is a painful 3 and a half hours from when I get home from work until we leave because my 3 year old has no patience. He bugs me constantly about leaving and whines so much about how we are never going to go.
I have bought lots of fruit. The kids have already eaten almost a whole half of a watermelon. So they really enjoy having the fruit and stuff for snacks. I think I will make juice pops for the summer.
For breakfast we did watermelon, eggs and a half of a bagel. It was pretty good.
Just a tip for all you pregnant moms out there I heard that watermelon is very good at helping with morning sickness. Just a tip. Let me know if it helps you. I still occasionally get morning sickness so I will have to try it next time I get it.
Thanks for reading my posts and I look forward to more.

The Beginning

I am a mother of a six year old girl and a three year old boy and I am seven months pregnant. As any mother can relate. Parenting is not always bliss. There are constant struggles with daily life. I work a full time job and go to school. My husband and I work separate shifts so we rarely see each other. I feel like a single mom much of the time. My kids can drive me crazy one minute and the next be the sweetest things on earth. I wouldn't change my life for anything.
I wanted to start this blog to help me write about my days and get some frusterations out. Maybe some of you can relate. I would love feedback and advice from anybody. I also hope to get articles and products on here that will help other parents with their daily struggles, concerns and so on.