Dec
29
By: dawn | Discussion (1)
Dec
19
By: angelie | Discussion (0)
Christmas parties are not just for adults but also for our youngsters. So if you’re planning for a holiday party for your child, make sure that it’s creative and fun. You must determine what kind of activites will keep your children’s visitor occupied. You should also make a game that would involve everyone. The following are few tips that you can consider for a fun youngsters Christmas party:
*Wear costumes- It’s not just halloween that kids should wear costumes but also Christmas. You can ask the visitors to come in their most creative red or green costume. You can tell them that the best costume will get a big prize. It doesn’t have to b expensive. They can use ribbons or colorful pins to make the costumes.
*kids theme – Use decorations that the children can relate like cartoon characters who’s in their Christmas costume. (Sponge bob, barbie, spiderman etc)Remember that kids loves bright athmosphere. Try using colorful lights and playing children songs,
*Don’t be afraid to ask for help – it’s good to ask for help from other parents so that they can contribute few of their suggestions for an ideal party.
*Be creative with your food – We know that kids doesn’t eat a lot, so try serving little snacks for them. You can actually make Christmas cookies and letting the kids design it. What’s more fun about this is that it will serve as a bonding time with their parents. You can also provide plastics so that they can take home their own cookies.
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Dec
19
By: angelie | Discussion (1)
Kids get less sleep than their parents think they do. They may have trouble falling asleep or may wake in the wee hours. grappling with surprisingly worries. Remember that as your child grows, the more responsibilites he has to make and this might cause him stress. This kind of stress will give him restless nights.
To discover whether your child is having trouble drifting into dreamland, ask him how well he’s sleeping. They try these steps to set the stage for a restful night:
*Limit his activities – if your child often stays up past his bedtime to finish his homework, he may be overscheduled in the afternoon. Consider dropping an activity or two even if he protests. If he’s simply overloaded with homework, talk to his teacher.
*Turn off the TV – kids who watch excessive amounts of TV before bed have more trouble falling asleep than other chikdren do. Shut off the electronics well before bedtime, and don’t put TV in your child’s room.
*Get jitter free – make sure your child isn’t drinking any caffeinated soda within six hours of bedtime, and avoid serving heavy meals late in the evening.
*Talk over his concerns – At night, as they lie alone on bed, children tend to worry more intensely than they do during the day. Let your child know that he’s not alone with his difficulties, and help him work them out.
* Try relaxation techniques- if tension is keeping your child up, suggest that he imagine a relaxing scene or try a calming exercise such as this one: As he rests in bed, have her tighten and relax muscles at the top of his body and then slowly progress to his toes.
Now that Christmas is just around the corner, kids will really have a hard time sleeping because of their excitement. Make sure that you tell your child that they won’t be able to enjoy the special day if they won’t get enough rest.
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Tags: kids, parents, pressure, sleeping, social peers, stress, techniques for a sound sleepRelated posts
Nov
23
By: angelie | Discussion (4)
Christmas won’t be complete without the bright lights and the beautiful Christmas tree. These holiday decorations are fun to look at, but they can also be hazardous for children. Here’s how to deal with common accidents during the Christmas season:
Your child steps on a glass ornament- You can use clean hands or tweezers to remove the visible shards of glass. To make it stop bleeding, try elevating her foot and apply direct pressure to the wound using a clean cloth. Remember to wash the area with water and soap when the bleeding stops. Apply an antibiotic ointment, and bandage the wound to avoid infection.
A candle tips over and burns your child’s hand – Run her hand under cold water for 15 – 20 minutes. Apply a topical antibiotic ointment (prescribe by the doctor). Don’t use petroleum jelly or butter which could cause an infection. You can give your child ibuprofen to lessen the pain and swelling. Always keep her elevated.
Your toddler gets an electrical shock from holiday lights. – Unplug the lights immediately. If you can’t turn off the power, don’t touch your child. Stand in a dry area and use a wooden object (such as a broom handle) to push your child away from the current. Once he’s free, check if he’s breathing normally. If he’s unconscious, start CPR or bring him to the hospital immediately. Even if he seems okay, call your pediatrician or take your child to the E.R. – he could have internal injury.
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Tags: burns, candles, Christmas safety tips, kids, safety, toysRelated posts
Oct
05
By: angelie | Discussion (1)
Everybody was so excited when my sister-in-law had her first baby. I saw how they took care of the precious little girl. I was 7 years old then and I didn’t know that babies are really fragile. They need “super extra” care from all the people around them. One time, I saw my sister-in-law and she was feeding my niece (she was 6 months old). She told me that a child’s nutritional and eating habits will change drastically as they grow from a baby into a toddler.
Nutritious food are important when it comes to your child’s health, but how will you know if it’s the right kind of food? Below are few examples of food that you may give your babies.
- Infant rice cereal – It provides extra iron that your baby needs at this age. It is glutten-free and the least allergenic of all grains.
- Pureed or strained veggies and fruit – I suggest that you let them eat veggies first. Naturally babies like sweets and may not be willing to accept peas once they they’ve tasted pears.
- Oat, barley and baby cereals – Once you’ve fed them rice, make sure you give other grains one at a time, so you can watch for allergies.
It is common for babies to spit out their first bite. Infants are like taste testers, they need ten tries to see if they like the new flavor and texture. To make it more inviting for your babies to eat why not try the squirt baby food dispensing food?
This spoon holds up to 3 ounces of food. You just have to squeeze it and it will give the right small amount of food that your baby can eat. The squirt has a special cover to seal the food and keep the spoon clean in between feedings. This product will make your feeding time fun minus all the messy food on the table.
Where to buy: Tottini Seattle
Price: $8.00
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Oct
02
By: angelie | Discussion (0)
Playing is one way of nurturing your relationship with your kids, so choosing the toys that is appropriate for them is very important. As a parent, you should know the toys that will offer fun and knowledge to your little ones.
The following are just few questions to know if it’s the right toy to buy for your kids:
- Is it appropriate for his/her age?
- Is it educational?
- Is it safe for your child to play with it?
Spending money for the right toy will save you a lot of energy. Toy guns are a big no-no for your little boys because it only promotes violence. Always keep in mind that what your child plays, it reflects what his surrounding is, or what kind of people is he with, or maybe what lifestyle he has. Choosing the right toys will help you and your child understand each other.
price: $39.95
This hopscotch carpet makes them go crazy with numbers. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy jumping and counting with this colorful carpet. This is made of soil resistant nylon material that can be played outside of your house. Your child will learn the numbers from 1-10, and the primary and secondary colors with no pressure at all. What’s more fun about this is that adults can even play with it, they’ll have a fun bonding time with their kids.
This product has been a great motivation especially for preschool students. Lakeshore has been producing varieties of materials that will help the little ones to learn new things with excitement. You can visit them at www.lakeshorelearning.com
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Sep
28
By: kathy2 | Discussion (0)
Nick Jonas has Type 1 Diabetes
Doctors really don’t know what causes Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes. Research is being done to explore both genetics and environmental triggers, but many kids who are diagnosed with diabetes have no family history of it at all.
Diabetes is manageable; kids who have this condition can live normal, active lives if they pay close attention to treating their condition. Diabetes can’t be cured, but its effects can be minimized. If your child doesn’t do this conscientiously, he or she might develop several undesirable complications. These can include:
- Neuropathy. This is nerve damage. It commonly causes problems in the legs, but it can also affect other systems in the body as well.
- Retinopathy. Diabetes can cause damage to the eyes, including causing blindness.
- Nephropathy. Nephropathy is kidney disease. Weak kidneys allow toxins to build up in the body and make a child sick.
- Heart Disease. Heart disease is more common to diabetics than non-diabetics. It can lead to other complications such as stroke, embolism, or heart attack.
So how do you know if your child has diabetes? There are some symptoms that all parents should be on the lookout for:
- Frequent urination. If you find yourself saying, “Are you in the bathroom again?”…pay attention!
- Drowsiness or lethargy. They fall asleep over their homework, or they just can’t get the energy to do things they used to enjoy. If you’ve tried adjusting your child’s bedtime and it isn’t helping, bring this to your doctor’s attention.
- Sugar in urine. Obviously your doctor will have to test this, but it’s a pretty significant indicator.
- Sudden vision changes. The cells in the eyes are being attacked by the immune system, so vision decreases fairly quickly.
- Increased appetite. Are they suddenly hungry all the time, and can’t seem to get enough? They could be going through a growth spurt, as all kids do…but it could be diabetes.
- Sudden weight loss. None of that food is being processed like it should be. Instead of gaining weight, they might lose weight very quickly.
- Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath. The imbalance of sugar and insulin in the blood can come out in strange ways, including very sweet breath.
- Heavy, labored breathing. Your child might find it hard to catch his or her breath, even if they aren’t doing anything strenuous.
- Stupor, unconsciousness. If diabetes goes too long without being diagnosed, it can cause kids to faint or, in extreme cases, fall into a coma.
Taken alone, most of these symptoms seem harmless, but together, they could indicate the presence of Type 1 diabetes. Don’t be afraid to bring them up to your doctor; he or she can judge whether there’s anything to be concerned about. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely your child is to live a normal, active life.
Tags: child, complications, div, doctor, doctors, eat, family, fareast, font definitions, food, fruit, gaining weight, hav, heart, internet, kid, kids, LA, labor, legs, lethargy, mso, nature, orphan, parent, parents, pitch, roo, sick, sleep, span, story, style definitions, symptoms, thirst, times new roman, WHO
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Jun
21
By: kathy2 | Discussion (0)
The following reflection on Fathers’ Day was written by my husband and fellow writer. I thought it contained some pretty important thoughts, and I wanted to share them with you. The picture below isn’t actually my husband or kids, but I thought it was a nice pic for Fathers’ Day. It’s from blog.fachisthers.com
So, here it is, Fathers’ Day again, and twice in the past twenty-four hours I have heard people—well, men actually; specifically fathers—refer to the day in ways that make it sound like the consolation prize/year’s-worth-of-Free-Turtle-Wax version of Mothers’ Day.
Yesterday, driving into Kansas City to visit my own father, a disc jockey asked men to call in and tell her whether Fathers’ Day was a ‘real’ holiday or a made-up holiday. The first man to call in was himself a father who affirmed that it is, indeed, a made-up holiday. His wife, he said, deserves her own holiday, but he certainly doesn’t. When pressed, he said that she puts up with the kids, works outside the home as well as within, generally makes life nice for everyone in the house, and he doesn’t do much of anything.
The disc jockey tried to wheedle him into admitting he does more than he was letting on. “Noooothing?” she asked. “You don’t even take out the traaaash?”
“Oh, I do some things,” he said, “mostly around the house and with the car. I do stuff with the kids when she needs a break.”
“But you have a job, right? You bring home a paycheck.”
“Oh, sure, sure. But she does the real work. What I do is nothing. She’s the one who needs a special day, not me.”
A few hours later, I was talking with a friend on the phone and he mentioned that his wife is upset because she can’t afford to make a big deal out of Fathers’ Day this year. Their family finances have been upset by an unexpected death in the family, a long, drawn-out trip to Arkansas, and lost shifts at the hospital. The checking account is bare. At dinner last night, he said, she broke into tears because he gave her a great Mothers’ Day and she can’t reciprocate. And his response was to put his arms around her and coax a smile out of her by saying, “Sweetheart, Mothers’ Day is a real holiday.”
He wouldn’t dream of not celebrating Mothers’ Day in a big way, he told me. But Fathers’ Day? It’s enough that she would do something if she could. He really doesn’t need anything more than that, because he doesn’t really do anything around the house anyway.
These are not isolated sentiments. My own father and both my grandfathers used to say the same thing: Mothers’ Day is real, Fathers’ Day isn’t. And the sense seemed to be that everyday is Fathers’ Day when you get to go to work, and deal with the kids only a few hours a day, and come home to a cooked meal, and not go through childbirth.
A massively informal poll I conducted with this one friend on the phone, the guy on the radio, and my two brothers, seems to confirm that men see Mothers’ Day as the day they formally thank their wives for 364 days of work (365 if the women have to clean up from their own Mothers’ Day breakfast-in-bed), and Fathers’ Day is the day they feel guilty—perhaps are purposely made to feel guilty, under the guise of being ‘appreciated’—for not doing much of anything. I call this the ‘Fathers’ Day as Giant Stick to Goad Me Into Doing More Around the House’-theory of the holiday.
Sounds like a conspiracy to me. If it’s true. But I don’t think it’s true.
I think what’s going on is that men are trained now, from an early age, to think of their contribution as niggling compared to the contribution made by their wives. This might be an unintended result of the Women’s Movement, I don’t know. I wonder if it’s not the adult male corollary of something I see my children do, when I say to one, “You did a great job on that picture,” and the other will say, “Why don’t you like my picture?” Or I’ll give one a hug and the other will say, “I’m not special.”
The idea seems to be that love (or praise or whatever) is a commodity, and there’s only so much of it to go around. If I give it to one, then there’s not enough left for all the others. I have to remind my children that love and praise and appreciation are not limited. They are drawn from a bottomless well; no one will go thirsty just because someone else’s bucket is full.
Men—being the either/or, black-and-white thinkers that they are—have gone from thinking that theirs is the only contribution in the house that matters, to thinking that their contribution doesn’t matter at all. Now that we celebrate what we used to derisively refer to as ‘women’s work,’ now that we have two-income families and mom is just as likely as dad to work outside the home, there seems to be a sense among men that their contribution doesn’t really matter anymore.
“She does the real work. What I do is nothing. She’s the one who needs a special day, not me. I’m not special.”
With the men I know, that’s not false modesty. They say that because they really believe it. My friend on the phone really believes it; the guy on the radio seems to believe it too.
Perhaps we should take the opportunity this Fathers’ Day to remind our fathers that their contributions, however much they wish to downplay them, are real and vital—that their contribution is not less because others are now doing more.
Fathers’ Day is not a consolation prize. It’s a real holiday, just as real as Mothers’ Day. Men should be helped to see what they do as enabling the family to function, in ways every bit as important as what their wives do.
The well of appreciation is bottomless; there’s plenty enough to go around.
Tags: brother, children, finance, finances, income families, kids, modesty, mothersRelated posts
Jun
01
By: kathy2 | Discussion (0)
Yesterday’s Detroit Free Press had a really good article about blended families, some of the challenges they face, and how they can be made to work. I liked that they spotlighted one black family and one white family, and that there were kids involved that didn’t always come from previous marriages–important since about 40% of kids are born out of wedlock.
It’s not easy bringing two previously coupled people along with their kids together and making them into a new, unique family. There are so many issues, such as rivalries and jealousies and attention and the distribution of discipline. Then there’s percieved favoritism and the wild-card of the other parents’ influence.
But families can and do overcome these challenges. It’s important to remember, though, that it takes more work, done more consistently than a first family takes, because statistics show that second marraiges fail more often than first ones do.
Here are some tips to making blended families work. Notice that much of this advice has to do with how the adults act toward each other, even more than how they act toward the kids.
- Progress, not perfection. If you have realistic expectations and hold your family to them, they will meet them. Usually. Except when they don’t. Be patient, remind often, and praise progress. In the meantime, everyone should forgive each other for not being perfect.
- Earning respect takes time. As the step-parent (or as one book calls them, “bonus” parent), you are a new element in a family’s life. Show your new spouse and new kids that you can be trusted and that you deserve respect by behaving in such as way as to demand those things.
- Stick up for your spouse. If your kids are being disrespectful to your new husband or wife, it’s your job, not your spouse’s, to put a stop to that. If you don’t respect your partner enough to defend them, your kids won’t respect them, etiher.
- Put kids first. Both sets of parents have to have the well-being of their kids as their top priotity…all their kids, not his or hers.
- Never badmouth your ex in front of your kids. It doesn’t matter if your ex badmouths you. It doesn’t matter if they truly are a jerk. Your kids will figure that out on their own. Kids of divorce already struggle with the feeling they have to take sides, and they will often side with the underdog, the most ganged-up-on parent.
- Set boundaries and be generous with praise. Don’t fall into the “you’re not my real mom/dad” trap. In your home, you have a right to set and enforce boundaries (and your spouse should be taking a front-and-center role in this). A few rules, consistently enforced will do wonders for the amount of respect you get from your partner’s kids. Add to that sincere and frequent praise for things you take the time to notice, and these kids will come to like and respct you for the long term.
- Create a list of family rules that everyone has to follow. All kids follow the same rules, whether those kids are his, hers, or theirs, and the same consequences apply to anyone breaking the rules. That immediately undercuts the temptation to play favorites. It’s often helpful to allow kids to be part of the rule-making.
Blended family life is a challenge, no doubt about it, but it can also expand the love and support in a child’s life in ways they’ll never forget…and that’s always a god thing.
Tags: badmouthing, blended families, discipline, ex, kids, partner, respect, spouse, step-parentRelated posts
May
10
By: kathy2 | Discussion (0)
Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My Mother.
-Ann Taylor
It’s Mother’s Day (or almost, depending where you are), so happy and blessed Mother’s Day to all of you mothers out there. In our house the partying started early, when my kids sent me back to bed and made me a special breakfast this–Saturday–morning. We started early because I work on Sunday mornings, but the children have all agreed that I do not get my presents until real Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day has been celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May for about 95 years, but its history goes back longer than that. The sacredness of motherhood has been celebrated since the ancient Greeks paid homage to Rhea, the mother of all deities. Christians have always held Jesus’ mother in high esteem, and therefore all mothers who share her special ministry. Motherhood was celebrated in Christian churches on the 4th Sunday of Lent, called Mothering Sunday.
Mother’s Day in the US became a legal holiday in 1914. Anna Jarvis, an advocate for the relief of poverty in families, told her daughter, “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers.” Her daugher, also Anna Jarvis, worked tirelessly until President Wilson signed the new holiday into law.
Remember, moms, that whatever else it is, motherhood is a chance for us to become the people we want our children to think we are. And it’s a chance to be the kind of moms we want our daughters to be to our grandchildren.
And don’t forget, we didn’t get here by ourselves and we’re not in this alone. Thank you to all our mothers, grandmothers, heart-mothers, sisters, and girlfriends who share this mothering task with us.
