TACKLING THE HOLIDAYS
  • Book
  • ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  • Join Our Tribe
  • Blog
Picture

SCARIEST TIME OF THE YEAR #hellonovember

11/4/2019

0 Comments

 
Sure, Halloween is over, but the scariest time has JUST begun. November 1-January 1 has proven to be the absolute scariest time for our families. The holiday season is officially here!  

Each year, we promised to be done shopping by now, have the kids' toys purged, family photos planned and dinner menus crafted.  YET, small things like Youth Soccer League and Kindergarten have taken up more time than anticipated:  
  • Soccer takes more energy for Moms than kids. 
  • Home-school Pre-k to local Kindergarten is a *huuuuuuge* (insert D. Trump voice) transition.  
  • Adding hobbies to the Soccer season can be fatal. 
  • 3 year olds may watch planes fly overhead during soccer game. 
  • Shin guards itch, are not easy to find in little kid sizes and get lost every Saturday morning.  
  • Soccer cleats should come in BOGO so Mom can protect her toes. 
So, in an effort to get things in order - we will plan to attack all holiday efforts by 12/1. 
(Overzealous, yes! Practical, maybe): 
  1. Plan holiday family dinners - location, time and menu. 
  2. Pick out family card outfits NOW. 
  3. Schedule Christmas card pictures, determine recipients and prepare to mail by 12/1.  
  4. Purge all toy and learning stations to give away by Week 3 of November, have kids participate. 
  5. Decide Christmas decor/lights and tree position, take inventory and set-up on 11/29. 
  6. Schedule holiday festivities and purchase tickets in advance. 
  7. Do not overbook! 
 It's easy to plan peace on the first of November when all is quiet, the leaves are falling and the sugar from night is still lingering. My challenge is staying on task when the plan goes haywire - when my project deadline is nearing and the client needs more; when the family picture outfits need to be tweaked; when I remember my Wedding Anniversary is in December and the babysitting plans fall through, and most dramatically, when we've made it through December only to be reminded our Mom's birthday is 1/1. 

While it's a scary time, the amazing memories, days of gratitude and lessons we are teaching remind us that we wouldn't be the wives, moms, sisters, daughters without the frantic times of 11/1 to 1/1. 

How do you manage when your
calendar takes a hit? 

 

0 Comments

TIPs TO SURVIVE THE CAR LINE #backtoschool

8/27/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Dear Mama,

We're back! Here is one of our  favorite blogs from 2015 - highlighting the joys of the car line. We'd love to hear your tips - please comment below!

My daughter started kindergarten this year! It has been an amazing adventure but with every adventure comes new things. This was the first time in my life I was introduced to a car line. My daughter's school is new this year and it is absolutely beautiful. With that being said the first week of school in the car line was an absolute nightmare.

If I had the luxury of being in the car line alone it wouldn't have been as bad but in tow with me I have my three year old son who is in the middle of an amazing tantrum phase. In addition to the tantrums, he knows that if he says he has to go potty , then he can get out of the car.

So let's do the math, tired mom, cranky three year old, and a really really long line of parents who are equally miserable. Here are some of the things that have happened to us so far:
  1. The first day of school I wasn't able to get my daughter until 5 PM, in the Vegas heat, she was hot, cranky, and thought I forgot about her and left her at school.
  2. My three year old decided that he had to poop and that it could not wait! We had to give up our precious spot in line, run into the school, and he used the restroom in the nurses office.
  3. We carpool a friend of the family as well one day we drove up to find him in a wheelchair because he hurt his ankle. (so scary!)
  4. The line was so backed up I was asked if I could fit into a very narrow opening, My confidence was a little to high and I hit a dad in the car line! He was not happy! I didn't damage his truck, just scraped a little paint on his tail light but still how mortifying!!
  5. My daughter came running at me full speed with her school folder in hand and flung all her papers everywhere! I got out to retrieve her papers and smacked my face on my rear view mirror, A+ for grace here! 
  6. There have a couple days where my son is so exhausted and over the wait that be the time we get my daughter in the car his screaming is so over the top that no one can think!! 
  7. I have made friends with most of the staff in the car line and I bring them cold water from time to time.

I think it is safe to say we've made a spectacle of ourselves and we are pretty well known in the car line! Here are some tips that I can pass along so that you too can survive the car line!

  1. Arrive early! You may have to wait for what feels to be a longer time but I have found getting a spot near the front is priceless!
  2. Bring snacks! And snacks for when those snacks run out. 
  3. Bring liquids, but monitor the liquids because too many liquids will cause a needed potty break.
  4. Bring paper, pencils, white boards, crafts, tablets, and anything else you have to try to pass the time!
  5. The car line is a perfect place to pay bills, balance a checkbook, do online shopping, make grocery lists, and catch up with family members!
  6. Above all, else take deep breaths! We will survive the car line!

How do you survive the car line?



1 Comment

How to encourage kindness in children – 6 tips

3/23/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Summary:

Want to know how to encourage kindness in children?  These 6 ways will help you to teach your children how to be kind. Every parent wants their child to become a good person with kindness in their heart. Parents always say “Play nicely to other people” “Be kind to your friend and your sister”. But the question is whether kindness can be taught - the answer is yes.

According to Mary Gordon who is a founder as well as a president of Roots of Empathy, it is a waste of time if you want to lecture them about what kindness is and how to be ki
nd. Kindness is the ability to calm the aggression and develop social and emotional competence. You cannot teach your children kindness, forcefully. They will learn kindness from their heart. Mary Gordon also added that the only thing that you can help them understand and learn the act of kindness is by making good examples and letting them experience it at home.  




Raise Children To Be Kind 

Parents play the important role in encouraging kindness in children. If they can show their pride when their children help an elderly neighbor, their children will develop the happiness to be kind. Unfortunately, most of the children said that their parents feel prouder when they have a good mark at school than when they are caring people.  But you can raise your children to be kind with these following ways on how to encourage kindness in children:

1. Give Them A Great Model  

Obviously, it is the first way on how to encourage kindness in children. Children will understand what the kindness is when they see the way the parents interact with other people. Children will observe their parents daily and they tend to learn and model their parent behavior as well as the way their parents treat other people. Therefore, it is important for you to speak nicely to someone who comes to your door for help and response to your child kindly even then you are tired.  

2. Give Kind Words  

Julie Masterson who is a professor of communication science and disorders and works at Missouri State University as well as write the book “Beyond Baby Talk” found out the close link between language and learning sympathy. She referred the kindness as the ability that people can understand  another perspective. It is important for parents to give their children another perspective to consider while encouraging them to use kind and nice words to say. For example, when a two-year old child compares his love and favorite feeling between grandfather and grandmother by saying that he loves grandmother more than his grandfather. You can say “It is good if you love your grandmother, but grandfather loves you too”. By saying this, you can let this child understand his grandfather’s feeling. 

If the child is older, you can teach them how to give the kind words by asking explicit questions about his unkind language and behavior: How do you think this person will feel when hearing your unkind words? How would you feel if you were them?  It is a shame when you give them personal happiness feeling without letting them understand another perspective and feeling. You may feel having the good marks is great. But it does not decide your children’s success. In fact, the families who focus on raising their children to be kind and respectful have successful children.

3. Let Them Out Of The Comfort Zone  

Your children can not understand kindness and act nicely to others if they only model their parent behavior and language. Some parents are afraid of that their children can face the dangerous or difficult situation; therefore, they keep their children at home all the time. This can lead to the lack of sympathy and kindness in children. According to Shelley Kagan who is a professor of philosophy at Yale university, when the children can speak and interact with different people; they can know how to be in someone’s shoes. As the effective method on how to encourage kindness in children, you should let them interact with people from different backgrounds and different cultures. Living with different cultures will give children the good chance of developing their sympathy and kindness. A good way to introduce different cultures is letting them take a summer job or participate in charitable activities which aim to help people.  

4. Reward  

Another way to encourage kindness in children is rewarding their big acts. You should not praise them for an everyday helpful act like playing with a younger sibling or taking out the trash. It is recommended  to encourage the children to do daily big act of kindness. Kindness should be part of our life and our identity. 

5. Write Daily Thank-You Notes  

There are effective ways to encourage kindness in children, I would like to recommend that children write thank-you notes. You can guide them by asking some questions like:

  • "How did you feel when you spent time on buying a special gift for your friend?”
  • “Today, did you say thank-you nicely?"
  • "Which acts of kindness did you do?”

6. Promote Emotional Literacy  

Today, many schools give a number of helpful and effective programs which can teach children social and emotional skills. It is recommended that children take part in these subjects. If your child’s school does not have these programs, you should search for a social and emotional learning class. 

Do you want your children to be kind and sympathetic? If yes, it is not late for you to use different helpful ways on how to encourage kindness in children. 




Guest Blogger:   Hang Pham, an Vietnamese-American author and MA in English literature. She is a parenting & family article writer who has written numerous articles/online journals on Family & Education.  Ms. Pham is also passionate about health, beauty, fitness, women’s issues and more. Her articles are featured on http://vkool.com/relationships/ , Examiner and Beforeitsnews. 
 
Check out her new health blog: http://allremedies.com/  

0 Comments

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Tweets by @LeaveItToMama

    Categories

    All
    2 Year Olds
    Baby
    Back To School
    Birthday
    Career Mom
    Dad
    Daughters
    Dean & Grace
    DIY
    Entrepreneur
    Family
    First Day Of School
    First Time Mom
    Food
    Giveaway
    Holiday
    Kids
    Las Vegas Moms
    Love
    Mama
    Mental Health
    Mompreneur
    Moms
    Motherhood
    Myths
    Parenting
    Party
    Patience
    Potty Training
    Product Review
    Professional Mom
    Psychology
    Recipes
    Renovations
    Safety Recalls
    SAHM
    Shopping
    Terrible Twos
    Threenager
    Tips
    Toddler Years
    WAHM

    Click to set custom HTML


    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Dougtone, iquanyin, StockMonkeys.com, symphony of love, Just Taken Pics, zumturm, nuritgazit, frankieleon
  • Book
  • ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  • Join Our Tribe
  • Blog