Kids & Responsiblity

Times I feel that I'm constantly telling my kid what time it is the morning.  Or I have be on him about doing a chore.  Remembering what a friend told me of how her daughter now refer es to her mom "you always bitch"  was telling me I need to start a new method to motivation on responsibility while he's younger.

Don't let your chore-dodger off the hook   1.   Keeping the chores fun while still adding more responsibility..........Give your kid time to have some independence while working, this way he doesn't loose his identity.  Find some motivational tricks to keep him growing up.  

Doing chores together makes things fun...Reading the book Speed Cleaning was helpful in cleaning
with two / more.  In addition we can spend more time on activities we would rather do instead of cleaning.   Avoid rewards...remember we're a family and family helps one another.  He learns by example, be a great example.

Teaching structure and efficient in tasks are great lessons.  Simply following the process of moving around the house to clean.  Using tools to get the job done right the first time, quickly and easily helps with efficiency.

Keeping a schedule.....daily chores and weekly chores is a great way to structure and give him security.  

If you need to make consequences here's a tool that I use.  8-misbehaviors  

Bossiness is not motivating to kids. Letting them give input is essential in preserving their sense of self-reliance and self-assurance  2.    Listening to him lets him know that you still care about what he thinks and his opinion.  Letting him know that he still counts, Listening with Empathy is another great lesson by example.



1    teaching/the chore challenge  Parents


2    5 ways to maotivate kids to do chores

Frame for this Year

Kids are new to this ideology but, need to be introduced.  Goal setting for the year, yes the year.  Why so long well this will help build them up for long-term goal setting.  Otherwise, they may go aimlessly through life without ever knowing how to p repair, organize, work towards something they want.

Let them sit down make a list in say a couple of hours or less.  Brain storm and make a list overlying these areas of Life

• Health
• Friends-fun
• Family
• Relationship
• Physical environment
• Money
• Personal development
• Spiritual growth

Now, I ask that #30 things that overlay the #8 above of things they want.  No excuses, if a goal wasn't accomplished then write a different way of achieving the goal.  eg. Loose weight change to -- do jumping jacks #10 every morning.

1. Run faster in gym, and breath 
2. Achieve going higher ranks Martial Arts
3. Get stronger working out
4. Practice jumping, kicks for higher
5. Make new friends, Stop at every Lemonade Stand
6. Build stuff with others for enjoyment
7. R/C play become familiar, confident & good skills
8. Rocket launcher
9. Camping, swimming, motorcycle-pocket bike riding
10. Water park
11. Family tree history
12. Spend time with family, relatives
13. Birthday with relatives
14. Saving self for right girl 
15. take garbage out
16. put away stuff when I'm done
17. my mom want's me to clean, organize, room, cloths, school stuff; bag, and desk
18. finding jobs
19. save 70% spend 20% invest 10%
20. learn life's lessons read eBook
21. listen to more books, magazines
22. Art projects, festivals
23. make inventions on paper then make it
24. http://youbtube.com/kidscornervlog video's presentation skills
25. Play Better Behavior Wheel for rewards instead of consequences
26. making church friends
27. helping others be Christians 
28. be a good example
29. play Christian music
30.  Be careful about what I see, say, hear, go and do because God's always watching

Magic Key - Concentration

How many children are labeled with ADHA these days is this a escape of the possible solution. Are there just too many distractions in our children's lives that they can not concentrate. Possibly many of us have too much to do and do not sit down with our children and just listen to them. Give them feed back on relating stories of our own lives with the goal of pointing them in the right direction. With the child realizing that they too have experienced the same thing in life. Below is a list of tools used to create that Magic Key to success. Concentration. • Physical activities- moving away from electronic devices and going out side to spend time moving the body around. Fresh air is the best for the body as well as the mind. Promoting clean unmanufactured air to the body helps removes toxins as well as supports the immune system. • Mentor ship - spending time with your child on a one on one setting gives your child the opportunity for development on balance of conversation. Remember you are their teacher in life so, set a good example. Attitude, Problem solving skills as well as insights of other people. Explaining to them about why those people do what they do. • Health (food) - Eating right is an old time cliche but, has been developed into a more detailed look as to what to eat. My recommendation for emotion and mental support is recipes from Brain Foods for Kids by Nicola Graimes. Supporting the body so that it can function at optimal level. We want our kids to reach their full potential in life.

• Meditation - yes I said meditation this may seem a little advanced but, having your child sitting and listening to the birds while they find a focal point can give you these results. This trains the brain as well as the body to sit quietly at a resting point. • Conscious Choices - turn into unconscious habits. Your child is building a wall of habits, of good choices. Teaching your child about life and all of life's little secrets on why we do things a certain way gives them insight and understanding. I even learned a thing or two from these lessons that I linked back too, check it out and see for your self. Sometimes we find that we must negotiate with them as to reach a better understand as well as a good choice

. The magic key is at your finger tips and with your guidance and teachings your child can reach that point of concentration their Magic Key.

Morning & Evening Study Habits

Study time, how much, when and is it all?

I realize as a mom that two things are very important while studing with a younger student. Prefect pratice makes perfect. Sure these time for that period of just getting familiar with the new matterial. So, I just continually tell him the answers or read the new words to him. After some time has been invested with familairity. Having him do the work individually and making sure that it is perfect or better words Correct, complete. Breaking things down to get the big picture is also a great hands on gift. While we use a dry erase board to put some history names of men on the board and what each one did makes it easier for memoration. Seeing, saying.

Using the after school homework time before dinner or after depending on how hungry. Kids have fuluating appitites so I make sure he's getting what he needs. Then the studying begins this is a schedual and we keep on our schedual at all times. Homework gets done then activities. If there's a test we skip our activities and go on studying untill he knows the matterial well and correctly.

Definitions we use the study sheet and to think your kid can paraphase??? Not, a good idea it's better that he just learns what the teacher has printed out word for word. Its only memoration skills not too difficult.

Math is done in parts, mulipcation we have been working on for some time. He's getting it in sections for easy memoration and making his math skills complete.

He has one hour to watch a movie before bed, play his game, or just build something. This is a schedual not an option.

Mornings I use for memoration of Cub scouts sayings, bible, and go over his math flash cards. If something was left out the night before he does the work in the morning.

For more study tips; SparkLife.com and Greatschools.org

Helpful Homework Activities

Getting over that hurdle is knowing how to make it fun. Students are gaining more curriculum than decades before, in keeping the essences of fun alive. Helpful homework activities keeps learning fun and full of use full ways to apply the knowledge gained at school.

Here's some tips;



Treasure Hunt Using a camera to find subjects to take pictures of will help bring familiarity of use of camera.

Creative writing Barns and Noble has a great tool for kids to create their own stories. This will bring organization, spelling and artwork all together. Feeling of accomplishment is always a good feeling for a young reader.

Counting money while shopping ask child how much does item cost? Multiply that by _ cans worth? This will increase decimals use as well as best buys.

Reading Sharing stories while you read and then ask questions on ~ what were the characters, what will happen next? Memorization skills involved asking more in depth questions will cultivate cognitive thinking skills.

Public speaking Getting your child involved in talking to an audience and organizing his presentation. This is used for many subjects so be creative and let your child passion flow. Here's my sons free channel PLEASE SUBSCRIBE

For more tips Read More

Live by Example

When child tries to test boundaries and father accommodates this...reaffirm your bounders this is letting them know you have limitations and that's where you draw the line. This is done on regularly basis ALWAYS. Rewards are done on a more irregular schedule. Rewards are much needed but, to keep its freshness don't over use them.

Always be an example...remember who you are. You are the one who is involved with the parent of that child...you must have done something good. Every thing should be done with Love for others and not for personal gain.

 For single parents remember your relationships are examples of how your children will perceive how to treat the other significant other or yet how to be treated.

Learn Emotions

Here's a great game for kindergartner's as well as kids going though some tough times. Have a ball with all the emotions labeled on it and have the kids tell something about them self's and that emotion.

Going around gives everyone a chance to tell and identify that emotion. Kids at 8 or 9 have cognitive thinking skills and can usually do this very well. While giving them a fun way to express or explain something about a feeling. Is a healing device and can help a child to grow and let go of some painful feelings.

Another great tool is the sandbox where children use the box to tell stories of their life. How the bad guy is really daddy hitting mommy. Or how the puppy got out of our backyard. While listening closely find out what these characters are resembling and why the are doing what they are. Kids are very good at details they just need time to organize their thoughts. While they play listen carefully to what they have to say. You may find your reading between the lines so, ask for why did that happen, how did that make you feel. And always reassure them it's not their fault. Kids somehow get the feeling that when things go bad that it's their fault.

The best expressive tool is art, Giving a child some paper and crayons they can depict how they feel about a person. Watch as the color usage is some what of an importance here. Colors have expressions or are connected to feelings. Listen and learn what your child is saying or / and feeling. There's a big story in there.

How to raise an emotionally intelligent child.

Little Miss Manners

Proper etiquette while dinning with family is it acceptable to have children eating with their mouths open? Maybe, while your having guests or out in public this may not be so, easily over looked.

I am one mother who can't stand to have people chew with their mouth open even as a child in the school room cafeteria I would literally skip lunch so, I didn't have to see any one chew with their mouth open. It was a quick ice cream bar and off I would go.

Do you point out to your children day after day "chew with your mouth shout". I hear myself repeating this over and over. While my child chews one more time with his mouth open for some reason. Then proceeds to chew with it shut.

In the back on my mind I feel like he really doesn't chew with his mouth shut at school and he's just looking to make as much conversation as possible. And chews with his mouth open. Uck!

Pointing out that the first grosses thing is seeing someone chew with their mouth open. The second grosses thing is hearing them chew.

Getting Through the Dark Days of Winter

Gloomy Days Do Not Equal Gloomy Thoughts. Finding your self in a sad state of mind change your thoughts to change your gloomy feelings. Thinking your days will not get better until spring will only hinder the chances for happiness.


Don’t Wish It Away - just wishing that the sun would come out and then you would feel better is just impractical. Use this time to make a better you get some reading done. Find your self a better person when spring hits.

Learn From Your Moods - if your feeling blue then your body is telling you something and you need to pay attention. Give in to your needs its a warning light that is going off. Read about a famous author, someone great from history; A man who was incarcerated in a German concentration camp found a passion for learning helped him find joy and peace while there. This was his survival for getting though those dark days.

Be Active - with winter days finding more activities to do outside is great. Go sled riding and take that walk outside it's beautiful. Shovel the side walk or join indoor exercise classes like yoga. Exercising at home is also good for you, this way you will carry less weight around and feel better when spring hits.

Be Careful What You Eat! While in the winter we tend to eat more. Your cloths tend to get tighter and feelings of over weight bring on depression. Stresses are also an issue with less to do, watch what you put into your diet.

Be Careful What You Drink! Watch what you drink such as alcohol tends to be an uplift or a sensation of numb. Watch out for bidge drinking this really increases the depression that its hiding. So, have an occasional drink.

Seek Support! Spending more time with friends is a good way to keeping the blues away. Conversations do wonders while keeping our minds busy with friends. Cozy warmth of friendships can keep your emotions up.

Seek the Light! Many people suffer from lack of sunlight during the darker days of winter. Take time to go out on sunny days and enjoy the sunlight. Providing your body with the vitamin D from the natural light. Just bundle up and keep warm while you enjoy the light.

Raising Rational Behavior

There has been many stories my child has told that were just not very rational. Many times I would ask of him to stop doing things. He had given me disobedience. I have finally found out why. Let me recap how I found out what he was doing;

His father had taken our son out on dates with his girl friends. I address this as such; "I don't want you taking Bill out on dates with you" his response was "fine I won't date anyone" This was irrational behavior after some research I found that this behavior is developed from stresses. I talked to a friend and while speaking about what his fathers comments were I put two and two together and got my answer.

I needed to identify stresses (right hand column)and help give him the tools to deal with events in his life to solve his problems correctly. This will give me the end result in Raising Rational Behavior.

Starr Commonwealth is an organization that helps those who were at one time deemed “unteachable,” were encouraged and promoted to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others and to give themselves a chance to restart their future.

Changing my behavior will give me a different result and for my future as well as my child I am willing. Join me and post a short story on your blog and share your story, tips, and or questions. Please only use this linky for this topic, leave your comments below for together we raise the next generation of leaders. Lets help them become rational people.

5 tips for editing & creating beautiful digital photo

As moms we all enjoy sharing the Kodak moments while every ones' busy or away. I love taking my camera everywhere I go just in case I come across one of those moments. With Twittermoms and Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 I can share with you some of my tips for making beautiful digital photos.

1. Always carry your camera and remember to charge up your battery. There's really no time wasted while over night charging your battery. There has been a time or two that this happened to me when I didn't have enough charge to take that great shot.
2. Empty all your photos at the end to the day. I like keep my card clean so, if I want to take 200+ photos in one day I can. This also leaves room for video's too.
3. Uploading videos to a site like flickr.com to save or share your photos is great. Sharing on facebook is also very easy where they have a large uploading system. Croping and adding music is a great addition to making a video. Great for background setting at parties for family and friends to watch too.
4. Digital camera's come with their own instruction on how to's and tips to make some extraordinary photo's. Read up on this and find out more about how to work this program. Some photo's are great with a little color added. Protrait photo's sometimes look best with just black and white. As seen above.
5. Buying a program to make extraordinary photo's and or videos is great there's a large selection to choose from. The prices range from $50 - $400 depending on how much you choose to do with this feature. I hope to some day buy a system so, that I can make great video's and put them on YouTube.com


All in all the more you read up on how to use your camera and the tools that come with it will increase the looks of your photos. I love experimenting with my camera while looking at one object and trying all the options out. This gives me more experience and knowledge of how to work with my camera.

About Adobe Photoshop Elements:
Get a complete solution for photos. With Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, you can make your photos look extraordinary with easy-to-use editing options. Share your stories in beautiful, personalized print creations and Online Albums. And easily organize all your photos and video clips from one convenient place.


I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Adobe blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Kids & Famous People

Learning about the famous people of history with a new spin is a great way to inspire your child into someone. Found a few books I wanted to share with you about reading on exploration, baseball and many others.

Amelia Earhart she as a child grew up as a dreamer found that all her child hoods play days came true as an adult. With the adventure unwinding she takes the reader threw all her turmoils and tribulations of life. While her story unwinds she opens the child's imagination up to discover that what ever they dream of becoming they can if they just put their mind to it. The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka.

Sandy Koufax was an all American base ball player who made history. While he takes you through his life and some of his struggles of becoming a man and then one day becoming the greatest strike out pitch of all time. This story reveals that hope and persistence will prevail if one is patient to just wait for their time to come. You never Heard of Sandy Koufax by Johan Winter and Andre Carrilho.



Clementine Hunter was a black slave who had a desire to paint. She never waited for the right time the time was at hand was great. Having children realize that when inspiration hits they should act upon it. That's when some of the greatest works have been created. This is a great look into history and how impoverished times were and people still made great accomplishments. Art for her Heart Folk Artist Clementine Hunter

Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's march towards freedom. This book tells of how both boys grew up and their feeling on how things were. Realizing that people make a difference in the world. Reading this gave me the opportunity to talk about current events in our life. As Good As Anybody by Richard Michelson

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who kept a diary while Germany and the Holocaust happened. This was not the story as for Simon who sought after the truth in proving that the diary was in fact as real as the Holocaust. A mans determination for finding the truth and his true story unfolds as a child learns of history. The lesson learned is finding the truth in serving justice is a service to all mankind. The Anne Frank Case by Suzan Goldman Rubin

These books not only give way to the imagination but, a lesson as well. With a new spin on famous people and a look at what they were like as children.

Success Skills Negotiations

Children are negotiation experts; why? They take no, as an opportunity of saying this is where the negotiation begins. Yes, with a simple NO.

Every situation we encounter with our children is a negotiation with them weather we see it or not. Their little minds are working to figure us out and how to get what they want/need. As time passes we have been forming them into the beings we hope will be happy and healthy people.



A past post I spoke about Herb Cohen's book parental-negotiating-nuggets. After an encounter tonight while getting ice cream I realized my child does feel his needs are the only ones that exist. He acted out that the ice cream was too heavy and too cold to touch. After arriving home I asked what was going through his mind. He said, "my heart and mind had a disagreement" I kept asking as to what about, he finally said that it was because he didn't know if that was the flavor he wanted after being told that Neapolitan wasn't in our best interest for apple dumplings. So, while going back I remembered a site that may help establish a more conscious skill of creating a win, win situation.

Here's a great site I hope will help "The TRACK MEET "
A tricky game of ethics and personal responsibility to yourself and the team

Have any other sites that maybe of help please use the comments for sharing. Thanks in advance.

Protecting your family from the flu this season

It's fall again; sweater weather with shorts and a rain coat. Great to trying out some great new looks but, what about our health. Well I've already run into many people complaining about buying flu medicine at the stores. With Twittermoms and CDC I have a chance to share a few tips on protecting your family from the flu this season.

Its not only important what to feed your family but, when to feed them a little and often is good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so don't skip it. Try new recipes buy new books with the idea behind them to boost immune system, and/or boost intelligence.

• Eat foods such as
o Essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6
o B-complex vitamins Whole grains, eggs, green vegetable, brown rice, meat, fish, legumes, nuts and seeds
o Chromium Red meat, eggs, cheese, seafood, whole grains
o Zinc Dark turkey meat, shellfish, beans, and whole grains
o Magnesium Soybeans, whole grains, nuts, dried fruit, green leafy vegetables
o Vitamin C Kiwi and citrus fruit, berries, green vegetable, tomatoes, and bell peppers
o Vitamin E Nuts and seeds and their oils
o Vitamin A Animal foods including dairy, meat, fish and eggs and in fruit and vegetables
o Calcium Dairy products, almonds, apricots, seeds, sardines, and green leafy vegetables
o Choline Egg yolk, sardines, liver, nuts, liver, nuts, legumes, and grains
o Boron Nuts, apples, broccoli, peas, grapes, and legumes
o Iron red meat, molasses, cocoa, parsley, eggs, legumes, green vegetables, liver, shellfish, and fortified breakfast cereals
o Selenium Whole grains, cereals, tuna, shellfish, liver, dairy products, and eggs

I Was at Walmart the other day and they had free flu shots. There's plenty of places to get free or discounted shots call your local department of health (type in state) and find out where.
The flu vaccine is updated each season to protect against the three flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illness.

• You need to get the 2010-11 seasonal flu vaccine even if you got the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine last season.

• If you or your kids do not like shots, the flu vaccine is also available in mist form. For more information on this, ask your doctor or visit www.cdc.gov/flu.

• Everyone 6 months of age and older is recommended to be vaccinated against the flu.


I wrote this blog post while participating in a TwitterMoms blogging program for which I may receive a small thank you (valued at less than $20).” For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Definate Cheif Aim

Life's Secret #1
All habits which are formed and there fore lived by start out as Conscious Thought.

Having your child learn this and understand the laws of habit so, that they may have self-esteem, self worth and leadership skills. Learning that they are not bound by handicaps, poverty, but the opposite-the enthusiasm, in using the law of saving.

Teaching young kids how to save money will help them grow and learn patience, and control. My son has started his first savings jar and in one summer saved. He began to feel more self-esteem and confidence in his ability to save.

Read more from my former posts.
Life's Secrets
Teaching Children about Money
Walls of Limitation Built Through Habit

Going Undercover about co-spleeping

Despite the well-documented dangers, a growing number of otherwise safety conscious moms and dads are bed-sharing with their babies. What do experts say about this controversial practice?

A Dangerous way to bond
A child can become wedged between the wall and the mattress, headboard, or footboard, and at that age (3 and 6 months) she doesn't have the muscle development or motor control to free herself. She also my suffocate if she's lying prone and turns her head into soft bedding or pillows. An infant under 3 months is especially vulnerable to being overlain by a parent or sibling.

SIDS is another hazard. Overheating is yet one other SIDS risk factor that's exacerbated by bed-sharing. Young babies [under age 5 months] are more susceptible to overheating because their bodies ability to regulate hear is not intact.

Savoring the benefits
Many women find that sleeping with infant is more restful especially if they're breastfeeding. Bed-sharing maximizes sleep for both babies and families.

For moms, the decision to bed-share is a philosophical one. It's also a conerstone of a popular parenting approach know at attachment parenting (AP) which emphasizes creating strong emotion bond with your child through breastfeed baby-wearing and bed-sharing. "I love this idea of the whole family sleeping together". Bed sharing could bolster a child's self-confidence because he'd feel that his mother would always be there for him.

What's your comments or read more?

Five Lessons Every Kid Should Learn

Turning towards another school year I have taken these rules to school and taught kids. Kids want to know whats expected of them and how life works and with Twittermoms and Nanny McPhee Returns this is a great opportunity to share important lessons.

Nanny McPhee Returns (the movie) and TwitterMoms are joining forces to present you with a fun blogging program! Share Five Lessons Every Kid Should Learn, Do you teach your kids not to talk to strangers? Do they know when to say please and thank you and to respect their elders? Did you teach your kids to look both ways before crossing the street?
My list of Five Lessons Every Kid Should Learn
1. Children need to learn that work is fun. In order to becoming happy kids need to find ways of enjoying the work that needs to be done.
2. Following the rules- to get freedom one must follow the rules this way no one gets hurt. Rules give us safety like a railing that protects us from falling off. Even if it’s an invisible rule like why do we stand in line at the movies? If we didn’t there would be pushing, kicking to get first in line. Rules make things easy. Rules are our friends.
3. Key to learning is repetition, repetition, repetition; all habits start out as Conscious thought. There’s always a choice in the beginning and making a good choice vs bad choice.
a. Autonomic-preset, preprogrammed at birth. Breathing, eating, sleeping, thinking, etc…
b. Automatic (habits); this includes words, actions, or thoughts we have performed repetitiously. When they become habits, we continue to do them without giving much thought to them any more, we just do it.
c. Conscious thought; Things that require us to think about a matte first before making a decision, like choosing between a hamburger or pizza for lunch, etc.
4. Do work that it’s very fun - getting the result that is pleasing. Like a clean cloths, clean park, sandwich. All these take work, might not like cleaning but, no one wants to live in dirty cloths, or play at the garbage dump, or eat a gross sandwich. So work gets us things we want.
5. Taking positive criticism - If mom made supper and it didn’t taste right and she asks how’s dinner. It might need some salt or cheese and telling her is going to help her make dinner taste better.

Bonus – Telling self that they did good work. Sometimes no ones there to tell that a good job was done. The feelings are higher-self worth and better self-esteem. It’s nice to hear from others that a good job was done. Eighteen years to get it right great reference.

Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

Watch the “Nanny McPhee Returns” Trailer: http://www.nannymcphee.com
Join Nanny McPhee Returns on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nannymcpheereturns


I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Nanny McPhee Returns blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Tips for getting your kids ready to go back to school

It’s that time of year again, moms. It’s time for your children to go back to school. There’s no better way to get ready for this challenge than by kicking off the back-to-school season with brand-new back-to-school books!We’re wrapping up our summer of fun HarperCollins blogging programs with a special Back to School edition. The TwitterMoms Reading Channel is filling up with tons of great content from the Fancy Nancy and I Can Read! blog posts. We can’t wait to read all your new submissions during this blogging campaign. Keep reading to find out how you can participate!

For the first day of kindergarten or for the old pros of first and second grades, these books make going back to school a snap! This all-star line-up features your children’s favorite characters in sweet stories full of excitement, adventure, and discovery.



Browse Inside Kindergarten Diary

We’re excited to learn how the moms help their little ones get ready for the first day of school. How do you plan on helping your kindergarten stars prepare for their first day of “big-kid school”? Annalina from Kindergarten Diary has some great tips for this special milestone. You can download Annalina’s first day of school checklist to help your little students organize for the big day. Planning together can be a fun way to reduce a child’s fear and anxiety in an unfamiliar setting. Are you ready for kindergarten? Here's a checklist to help you prepare!



Browse Inside Rules for School

• Practice at home; Do all your home work the night before school
• Brain Food; Eat your veggies and fruit
• Get some exercise to relive stress
• Get a good nights sleep
• While trying new things just do your best
• Remember to praise your child & teach them to praise themselves

The night before

• Set cloths out
• Make lunch
• Pack book bag



And what about moms with kids that are old pros of school? Do you and your children share any back-to-school traditions? Do you have a delectable breakfast together on the first morning of the new school year? Or do you shop for a dazzling first-day-of-school outfit? Let eleven year-old advice guru Alec Greven guide your elementary school kids through the school halls with the tried-and-true school rules he’s collected along the way in Rules for School. Alec covers essentials such as how to work the playground, find the right seat on the school bus, and get homework done on time.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Stress Relieving Exercises

Surprise yourself! Although you may not think of exercise as stress relieving (if you’ve ever walked a treadmill for a stress test), a healthy body is a formidable weapon to combat stress. Of course, a full-blown exercise regime can’t be completed at your desk, but there are several easy exercises that you can do to relieve tension and reduce stress. Even if your job is physically taxing, the exercises below are designed to help you unwind, relax, and reduce stress.
Blow it off. Since breathing comes naturally, deep breathing is often overlooked as an exercise, but it’s an excellent stress reducer. Breathe in while tucking in your tummy and feel the air as it expands your lungs and your chest. Breathe in to the count of four and hold it for two counts. Then exhale to the count of four. Take two to four deep breathes several times a day and soon daily stressors may well be “gone with the wind!”
Get up and stretch. Visualize the stress flooding from your back, legs, your shoulders, and pour out of your fingertips and toes. Add to your stretches by taking the time to learn a few yoga positions, which you can find in books and videos as well as yoga classes.
Take a short walk after lunch or in lieu of a coffee break. A brisk ten or fifteen minute walk each day is not only physically beneficial but transfers your focus from your problems to the scenery along your route, whether it’s the good-looking person in the hallway or the trees in the neighborhood park.
Squeeze a lemon. P.T. Barnum said, “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!” Squeezing a lemon or tennis ball is a good way to keep your fingernails from biting into your palms! If you crush the fruit or the tennis ball, either get a rubber ball or go on to a more vigorous exercise to reduce your stress!
Progressive relaxation is especially beneficial when stress keeps your from getting a good night’s sleep. Start at your toes and “tell” them to relax. When you feel them relaxing move to your feet, ankles, calf muscles, knees, thighs and so on up your torso to your shoulders and finally to the top of your head or alternatively down through your arms to your fingertips (if you make it that far before you’re asleep!)
Dance. Join an aerobics class, a tai chi class or just turn on the tunes and dance. Dancing has a double advantage in that along with exercise, music is a great stress reducer.

Stress Reliving Games

When tension mounts and frustration builds, it’s a sure sign of stress. Playing a stress relieving game relaxes you and is a good way to win over stress! The trick to stress reliever games is to play ones you can win easily. What you want to do is show yourself that you can be successful. After you get a few “wins” under your belt, frequently you’ll see your original problem in a new perspective.
Internet Flash Games
From pounding a ground hog to batting a tennis ball, there are (virtually) tons of flash games on the Internet and best of all, most are free to play! The best way to load up your anti-stress arsenal is to do a simple search for “Free Flash Games” or “Flash Games” and bookmark a few of them in your favorites. Although shareware and free games often require a download, most flash games only need a moment or two to load in your browser window. If you’re worried about pop-ups, look for flash games at reputable sites that sell flash software or offer flash tutorials.

Computer Games
If you’re running Windows, you already have a few easy stress reliever games on your PC. FreeCell, Minesweeper, and Solitaire are great ways to relieve your stress. If you’re tired of those, many Internet sites offer a free, timed-trial version of their computer games. These games are usually shareware and, depending on your Internet connection, may take a few minutes to download. The selection is nearly endless. Choose from Arcade Games, Action Games, Puzzle Games, and Strategy Games.

One advantage of downloaded computer games is that you needn’t be connected to the Internet to play them. When your free trial is over, you can choose to either purchase the game or use the included uninstaller to erase it from your computer’s hard drive.

Off-line Stress-busting Games
If you’re sitting all day at a computer, sometimes the best break is to get up and walk away. This is especially true when stress is caused by poor Internet Connections or system crashes. Here are a few games that are easy to keep on hand and excellent for helping you reduce your stress:

Got a deck of cards? Play a quick game of solitaire the old-fashioned way! Along with your deck, you might consider purchasing a book of Solitaire Games. Many books are specially published for Solitaire players and offer hundreds of games and game variations.
Rubik’s Cube – Here’s a tip: Anyone can match up one side of a Rubik’s cube. Although trying to solve the whole puzzle can be stressful in itself, the few minutes it takes to match up the blocks on one side can help you quickly reduce your stress.
Slinky – Just bouncing a slinky back and forth from hand to hand puts your focus on the toy and takes it away from your problem. So bounce your slinky, take a few deep breaths, and relax!
Punch balls – Okay, they’re not a game, but they can be a great stress reliever and they’re sure a better choice than hitting a wall or kicking the side of your desk when stress sets in! You can find cheap punch balls in toy departments, novelty stores, and most dollar stores.
Darts – Whether you’re hitting a target or targeting a photo, the physical motion of throwing the darts in itself will help reduce your stress. Dart balls stick to a Velcro board. They won’t hurt you or your neighbor – if you miss!
Crossword Puzzle Books –Many crossword puzzle books also include word-find games, mazes, and other pencil puzzles. Buy some that have puzzles that range from easy to hard and tackle them according to your mood and your stress level!

This was a great article and with the criteria we have in our school systems kids need healthy ways to deal with stress. My son and I are learning how to play chess for development in solving problems and thinking ahead for consequences.