Peggy Porter Brings Success Home

If you are looking for coaching and guidance to get your Mom-Made Career soaring, consider joining Peggy Porter's SUCCESS CLUB For Mom Entrepreneurs. I love her wisdom. Visit www.peggyporter.com for more information.

Here is some of her current sage advice.

Awareness-being focused on the power of the present and how perfect it really is. Perfecting the present means, right now you are at a turning point between the past and the future. This turning point is perfect. It is perfect because it is a moment of choice for you. It is an opportunity to change the course of your life, whatever that may be. The present is all we have at this moment, so that in itself is perfect.

If you are fixated on the past or worrying about the future, you will be completely missing the perfection of the present. The inability to be mindful of what you are doing gives opportunity for anxiety, worry and fear to sneak into your life. If the majority of your day is worry or fear based, chances are your thoughts are somewhere else and not in the present.

Ask yourself now, "What part of my life am I living in-past, present or future?" It is the present, remember, that holds all the power.

So how do you start living and enjoying more of the present?

First, stop multi-tasking!! I know for busy women this is easier said than done. We have such huge demands that multi-tasking seems essential in order to get our to-do list complete. The problem, however, is that when we multi-task our energy is split and we are often less focused and more scattered. We do things without remembering and feel the stress of the mental to-do list we are constantly checking off in our heads.

When you feel the urge or catch yourself gearing up for the next round of multi-tasking, stop yourself. Remember that even though you may feel more efficient, the process of multi-tasking exhausts you mentally and physically while robbing you of the joy of the present moment. Keep in mind my formula:

SE(Split Energy)=Reduction and FE(Focused Energy)=Production

Continue to ask yourself, where is my attention focused?

Limiting Sugar in Your Kid's Diets: Eat Dinner For Breakfast

Parents who wish to limit sugar in their children's diets are looking for foods higher in protein and healthy fats for breakfast. If you lose the sugary cereals and pancakes five days a week, what else can you offer?

One morning, you may creatively offer left overs from dinner for breakfast, you might be surprised when chicken teriyaki appeals to your four year old. Here are some refreshing options you might try for breakfast in your home along with two delicious recipes from EatWellBeWell.org.

• Roast turkey and cheese roll-ups
• Chicken Stir-Fry
• Powerhouse Pizza
• Chicken Satay
• Vegetable Quesadilla
• Grilled Chicken Tacos
• Sloppy Chicken Joes
• Tuna salad in “scoops” tortilla chips
• Greek pasta with tomatoes and white beans
• Soft tacos with organic beef
• Pasta with pesto shredded zucchini and carrots
• Tortilla Soup
• Crustless Spinach Quiche

Sloppy Garden Joes

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 pound extra lean ground turkey or chicken
1- 8 ounce can no salt tomato sauce
1 -15 ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed
1-8 ounce can mushrooms
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
pepper to taste
8 whole wheat buns

Directions:
1. Sauté onions, carrot, green pepper, and ground turkey or chicken in a pan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Uncover and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until thick.
5. Serve on toasted or plain buns.

Powerhouse Pizza

Ingredients:
12-inch unbaked pizza crust, homemade or store-bought
3/4 cup pizza sauce
1 cup grated low fat mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise or on the diagonal
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onions
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400» F.
2. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
3. Spread the pizza sauce over the crust.
4. Scatter the mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
5. Top with sliced mushrooms, zucchini, red peppers, and onion.
6. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is nice and brown and the center bubbly.
8. Serve warm.

Research shows that children who eat healthy foods for breakfast concentrate better in school and experience less variability in their daily moods. Here are some sites to help you in your quest.

www.eatwellbewell.org/
www.mypyramid.gov/
www.nutritiondata.com/
www.calorieking.com/
www.allrecipes.com/

The Family Coach Workshop: Managing Anger and Anxiety in Children

Saturday August 16, 2008 9-10:15 am
Saturday October 4, 2008 9-10:15 am

Research suggests children experience frustration, anger, and anxiety from ages 3-12 with more frequency than in the past. Why might that be so and what can families do to help children feel calm and secure. We’ll earn about cavemen and thinkers then develop cognitive and sensory interventions to bring home with The Family Coach Dr. Lynne Kenney. Cost: $50.00 per couple, 30 participant limit. Sign-up at 480-860-8488 x 9 x 1. North Office.

a. The biology of anger and anxiety
b. Using our thinkers to manage our cavemen
c. How exercise and nutrition make a difference
d. Cognitive strategies for calmer kids
e. Sensory tools and equipment
e. Preparation, planning and prevention in your home

Think Positive

Practice Positive Thinking

Research shows that your viewpoint and perspective affect your health. People who think positively live more healthful and happy lives.

You can shift your thoughts, first take inventory. What kind of thinker are you?

Keep a journal of your thoughts for 72 hours and reflect on whether your thoughts benefit your well-being or distract from your health. Carry the journal in your pocket, when you drop your children off at school, order lunch, or interact with a colleague, write down what you are thinking on the left side of the page and how you are feeling on the right. In the following 72 hours do the same activity but make a third column for thought replacement, write down alternate positive thoughts to replace your negative thoughts.

When you are late for an appointment and think, "This darn traffic." Replace the thought with "It's so nice to have some peace and quiet in the car for a few minutes."

When your children won't listen and you are thinking, "I am so tired of these squirts." Replace the thought with "I am raising such independent thinkers."

Come on, don't laugh just do it!

Summer Dinner Time is Family Time

Summer is in full swing. Swimming, tennis, playdates, we're all so busy. The evenings are longer, the sun is brighter. What better time to get back to the family dinner table than tonight! Hey forget the table, it's summer, eat together where ever you are...

Family dinner around the table, at the soccer field or on the tailgate of your car is an important family ritual. Dinnertime is the perfect opportunity to relax, connect and talk about your day. It’s a non-threatening environment that can really help your kids open up to you and tell you what’s going on in their lives. Try to make the atmosphere low key and enjoyable – and make a rule that no one leaves the table until everyone has finished eating. If conversation seems stymied, talk about your own day, or ask some questions to get your kids talking.

What was the funnest part of your day today?
What did you and Annie do this morning?
What movie shall we see as a family this week?
What shall we play after dinner? Running bases or Hearts?

Dinnertime is your chance to get to know one another, learn about your likes and dislikes and create lifelong memories. So eat up and dive in!

The Family Meeting

Family meetings can be a valuable way to make family decisions, communicate information and discuss issues. Many families have never had a meeting, and aren’t really sure how to use this forum with their families. Your family meeting is the time to share opinions, reflect on current events, talk about life experiences, plan for the future and solve challenges. They can be structured or unstructured, just make sure that everyone has a say in how the meeting will be conducted. One family I know begins with an agenda, another passes around the "talking stick" so one person speaks at a time.

Here are some tips to get you started with your family meeting.

• They need not be a formal affair– Family meetings don’t require a lot of pomp and circumstance, just that everyone is present and tuned into the matter at hand. They can be held during dinner if that’s what’s most convenient.

• Use this time to praise in front of everyone– Offer congratulations for accomplishments at family meetings. Let everyone have the chance to recognize other family members.

• Keep it positive - Sometimes family meetings will have to address negative issues, but if you keep the tone of the meetings positive overall, they’re more likely to be viewed as helpful by your family.

• Family meetings are not group punishment – If your children are driving you nuts, busting their collective chops in a family meeting is not the answer. You don’t want your kids to dread family meetings. This is also not the time to single out a child for something they’ve done wrong. Do that in private.

• Family meetings are not for “laying down the law”, either – Successful family meetings involve everyone providing their opinion and input. Go around the table and ask for an opinion if someone’s not speaking up. If you plan to dictate change with no input from anyone else, use another venue.

• Do something fun once in a while – Throw in a surprise now and then. Why not have your family meeting at the bowling alley or the go kart track? Even playing a game at home at the end of the meeting can be a nice change.

• End on a happy note – Even if you’ve had to deliver bad news at this meeting, find something positive to end with. It will leave a better memory about the experience.

• Don’t have them too often – You don’t need to have a family meeting to discuss every little issue. They’ll carry more weight if you use them only for important issues.

Allowance Strategies

This morning my daughter said, "Mom I need my $20." She's seven. So I'm thinking how did we go from $2 to $20? Was I on vacation while this happened?

Deciding on whether to give an allowance, and how much to give can be tricky.

1. First, decide what items your child will have to use allowance for. Will he have to pay for his activities, like attending a movie with friends, buying non-necessary household items, clothing and gifts? Or is it just spending money? (Really, how many more Webkins do we need?)

2. Once you’ve determined the spending guidelines, it will help you determine a proper amount. Be careful of giving a large allowance without requiring any effort on your child’s part. Learning the value of hard earned money is a worthwhile lesson.

3. In addition, I’m a firm believer that kids shouldn’t be paid to do things like clean their rooms, because it’s important to for them to learn that they can, and should, take care of their things and contribute to our household.

4. Be clear on how much allowance they’ll receive, spending restrictions, and any requirements that are tied to receiving it.

5. Remember intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic motivation so think of remuneration in terms of time spent together, shared activities and love not just in terms of dollars.

Gotta go find my wallet.

Mommy Meditation

It’s likely that the last thing you feel able to do in your busy, busy day is set aside time to meditate. The benefits of meditation are endless. The role this ritual plays within parenthood is essential. Meditation can allow you to create exceptional inner peace, help you develop more confident parenting skills and bring your life order despite your feelings of complete disarray.

Meditation allows you to clear away your path for the day.

How To Make Meditation Happen:

1. In order to bring this peace to your morning, wake up slightly earlier than usual and begin the day with a sense of calm rather than rushing from one activity from sunrise to sunset.

2. To establish the habit of nurturing your spirit before bed after the kids have already been put down for sleep, leave those dishes for the morning and nurture yourself not the housework.

3. Set aside five minutes during the day, in the car while you wait for your children after school, at your desk or while waiting for others in a meeting or at lunch.

Now I Made Time What Do I Do?

A Few Simple Steps

1. Dim the lights and sit comfortably on your floor. You can use a pillow to sit on to aide your comfort and allow your spine to extend fully as you sit upright. Or, you may prefer to lie flat, with your arms resting to your side.

2. Focus on your breathing. Enjoy the feeling that is created as you slowly inhale and exhale slowly releasing the air and tension from your body.

3. Feel your chest expand and collapse, feel your shoulders drop and neck muscles loosen.

4. Let your mind focus on your breathing let all your thoughts fly into the sky.

It's really pretty simple, breathe relax and let go. How's that for Mommy Meditation.

The value of meditation is endless. Find the time. Your mind and body deserve it.

The Extended Family Dinner

Research shows that sitting down to dinner is an important protective factor in maintaining the health and well-being of your children. Establishing a set dinner time is the first step. Engaging your children in activities that extend the dinner hour is the second step.

Children love doing homework with you at the dinner table, they love playing card games, testing themselves at math facts and bringing new, sometimes even made-up vocabulary words to the table. Take your time, talk, laugh and talk for hours.

After dinner extend the fun by labeling each night a different family activity.

Monday Night is Discovery Night

Bring the "Discovery Box" to the dinner table. Place unique, familiar or fascinating objects in a box and allow each child to pull an object and talk about it. After dinner go on-line or take a trip to your local library to learn more about topics related to the things in your discovery box.


Tuesday Night is Reading Night

Prepare early readers, by bringing everyday objects to the table that have words or print on them, such as cereal boxes and other items in your cupboard. Play reading and guessing games using the printed materials. Play games with the words, making silly sentences, tongue twisters and fun stories.

Wednesday Night "You are a STAR"

Play find your "Star Word." Assign one word to each child. That is the word that makes them A STAR at this meal. Frequently occurring words such as "The, and, it, him, her, she, he" are good beginning words. Then have each child bring a book to the table, choose a page, and name how many times their STAR word appears. That number becomes the child's "Magic Number" for the night and every time he encounters that number for the rest of the evening he gets to make a wish or discuss his current life dreams and aspirations.

Thursday Night it's Show and Tell

Play show and tell at your family table. Have your children bring an object, a piece of art, a song or something to share. Shine the "spot-light" on one child at a time and allow only him or her to share.

Friday Night is Family History Night

Bring family photos, heirlooms or pieces of family history to the table and talk about your family ancestry and historical family member's life experiences.

Saturday Night is Game Night

Play board games, cards, chess or checkers at the table after dinner to enhance your family experience.

Sunday Night You're on Broadway!

Put on a show, dance, sing, do a skit Laugh and "lift each other up" with genuine compliments, enthusiasm and joy.

You will enhance family relationships and help your children develop self-esteem when you extend your family dinner with family fun!

Sensory Kids: Teach Calm

What is a sensory diet?

A sensory diet is a series of activities designed to help children manage sensory input better. Many children lack the ability to modulate their energy and behavior when they are overstimulated with sensory input, sound, sight, touch, noise and highly stimulating people or environments. It’s as though every child has an outer sieve, for some children the holes are big and sensory input floods them. When this happens we need to help the child re-organize the brain by stream-lining the sensory input.

Have a sensory kit handy with a hair brush for back brushing, a blanket for gentle wrapping and rocking (blanket is always placed across chest not over face so child can breathe), soft music, nature sounds, sand tray, water table, sensory weighted-vest etc http://www.therapyshoppe.com/ so that the child can choose a calming activity. Use your sensory kit before child gets stuck on energy mountain, cause it can be hard to re-contain the child once he is so disorganized.

Imagine that a child climbs an energy mountain throughout the day. Many children can walk down the mountain without letting their energy become uncontrolled. Some children hang at the top of energy mountain, feeling frazzled, silly, angry, agitated or anxious. Help your child “Climb down energy mountain” by drawing a large mountain on a large sheet of white paper or poster board.

Talk with your child about activities we do at different stages of the mountain. Let your child draw activities on different levels of energy mountain. Use different colors to denote different levels of energy. Calm = blue, Having fun = yellow, Getting excited = Orange Over the top = Red. Have your child mark where he is on energy mountain several times a day, you do it as well!

At the base we feel calm, we play quietly, we talk quietly and we are at peace. Up the mountain a bit we get excited, we play games, we play with friends, we play at the playground or at the swimming pool. Toward the top of energy mountain we are getting extremely silly, unresponsive, uncontrollable, angry or annoyed, it’s time to “Climb down energy mountain.” Have your child mark where he is on energy mountain several times a day, you do it as well!

Use your water table, sensory kit, sand tray and outdoor activities to help your child re-set his energy. Labeling “I’m climbing too high on energy mountain” “I need a peaceful moment” “Will you scratch my back” “Let’s have a Mommy meditation moment,” a sensory kit, and planned physical activities throughout the day will help your child modulate his energy better. It will help you stay calm as well. Sometimes a calm movie or soft music and a moment to lay on a soft body pillow will do the trick.

Peaceful moments to you!

Sensory Resources

Boy and a Bear: The Children's Relaxation Book
Lori Lite, Meg Hartigan (Illustrator), Meg Hartigan (Illustrator), M. Hartigan (Illustrator), M. Hartigan
Cool Cats, Calm Kids: Relaxation and Stress Management for Young People
Mary L. Williams, Dianne O. Burke (Illustrator)
The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them
Elaine N. Aron, Elaine N. Aron
Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, and Energetic
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Sensational Kids: Hope and Help For Children With Sensory Processing Disorder
Lucy Jane Miller, Doris A. Fuller, Doris A. Fuller
Sensory Connection: An OT and SLP Team Approach
Nancy Kashman, Janet Mora
Batter Up Kids Sensational Snacks: Healthy Eats from the Premier Children's Cooking School
Barbara Beery, Marty Snortum (Illustrator)

The Mailbox Yearbook: A Summer tool you do not want to live without

The Mailbox is the most popular teacher's idea reference resource.

You can order the magazine throughout the year or do as I do and buy the annual Year Books. They are full of beautiful activity ideas, planning sheets and worksheets for preschool-elementary aged children.

If you think you aren't "crafty" or "creative" these year books will change your life. They many sections of learning, math, science, reading, language, arts, music etc. When was the last time you made a water rocket or put on a George Washington play.

I could not live without them in the SummerTime, we play, make, create and learn as a familly all Summer long.

Just look for The Mailbox Year Books in the Shop at www.theeducationcenter.com (it's on the red toolbar). Tell your friends, they'll love you for it.

Spirit Menders

Children are born with an incredible spirit. Everything is new, fascinating and thought provoking. As parents, it should be our goal to keep this spirit alive and fresh for as long as possible. Unfortunately, we often unwittingly do things that squash the spirit in our children. Here are some common spirit breakers and some spirit menders. See if you’re guilty of doing things that can break the spirit. Then try some of these spirit menders to help get you back on track.

Spirit Breakers

• Squashing Dreams – Your little boy tells you that when he grows up he wants to be an astronaut and fly to outer space. Trying to instill some reason in him, you inform him of how difficult it is to be an astronaut; how smart he’ll have to be, how much education it requires, etc.

• Belittling Talent – Your daughter is great at soccer, but her grades are not as good as you’d like them to be. When she acts proud of scoring the winning goal, you say, “it would be far more impressive if you got an A in math”.

• Humiliation – Parents sometimes resort to embarrassing their child in order to get them to change behavior. “See, son, little Johnny doesn’t have accidents in his pants, and he’s your age.” Not only is this tactic ineffective; it breaks the spirit.

• Brushing off what your child thinks is fascinating – Children have a tendency to get somewhat obsessed with things. Maybe it annoys you that your son spends hours watching the stars through his telescope. However, if you give him the impression that being fascinated with the stars is silly, he may become ashamed of his interests and be afraid to pursue the things that really matter to him.

Spirit Menders

• Having a curious mind – If you show interest in how things work, and share this interest with your child, you fuel their natural curiosity and interest.

• Being involved in what they like – Your children have activities that bring them joy, join in those activities with them! Get off the couch and participate!

• Show that you’re proud – Be proud of whatever they accomplish – and let them know it. You can never love them too much and you can never tell them too many times that you’re proud of their accomplishments.

• Listen to them - Your children have fascinating original voices listen to their likes, dislikes, stories and experiences.

Take a deep breath and begin to be present, loving and compassionate today. It's not too late to mend your child's spirit.

Tips on Separation Anxiety from Kid's Health

Unfortunately, teary and tantrum-filled goodbyes are a very common part of a child's earliest years. Around the first birthday, it is common for kids to develop separation anxiety, getting upset when a parent tries to leave them with someone else. Though separation anxiety is a perfectly normal part of childhood development, it can be unsettling. Understanding what your child is going through and having a few coping strategies in mind can go a long way toward helping both of you get through it.

How Separation Anxiety Develops

When your baby was first born, you likely noticed that he or she adapted pretty well to other caregivers. This is typical for most infants. You probably felt more anxiety about being separated than your child did when you first left him or her with a relative, babysitter, or a day care provider! As long as their needs are being met, babies younger than 6 months typically adjust well to other people.

Sometime between 4-7 months, a baby typically develops a sense of object permanence, and begins to learn that things and people exist even when they're out of sight. This is when babies typically start to play the "dropsy" game, when they drop things over the side of the high chair, look for them, and expect the adult to retrieve what they've dropped (which, once retrieved, get dropped again!).

The same thing occurs with their parents. Babies realize that there's only one of you, and when he or she can't see you, that means you've gone away. However, at this point, your child doesn't yet understand the concept of time and doesn't know if or when you'll come back. So whether you're in the kitchen, in the next bedroom, or at the office, it's all the same to your toddler. You've disappeared. Your child will do whatever he or she can to prevent this from happening.

Between 8 months old 1 year old, your child is growing into a more independent toddler - yet he or she is even more uncertain about being separated from you. This is when separation anxiety typically develops, and your child may become agitated and upset whenever you try to leave him or her. Whether you need to go into the next room for just a few seconds, leave your child with a sitter for the evening, or drop off your child at day care, you may find that your child cries, clings to you, and resists attention from others.

The timing of separation anxiety can vary widely from child to child. Some kids may experience it later, between 18 months and 2-1/2 years of age. Some may never experience it. And for others, there are certain life stresses that can trigger feelings of anxiety about being separated from a parent: a new child care situation or caregiver, a new sibling, moving to a new place, or tension at home.

How long does separation anxiety last? It varies from child to child. And it also depends on the child and how the parent responds. In some cases, depending on a child's temperament, separation anxiety can be persistent from infancy and last through the elementary school years. In cases where the separation anxiety interferes with an older child's normal activities, it can be the sign of a deeper anxiety disorder. In cases where the separation anxiety appears out of the blue in an older child, it can be an indication of another problem that the child may be dealing with, like bullying or abuse.

Keep in mind that separation anxiety is usually different from the normal feelings an older child has when he or she doesn't want a parent to leave. In those cases, the distress can usually be overcome if the child is distracted enough, and those feelings will not re-emerge until the parent returns and the child remembers that the parent left.

And your child does understand the effect his or her behavior has on you. If you come running back into the room every time your child cries and then stay with your child longer or cancel your plans completely, your child will continue to use this strategy to avoid separation.

What You May Be Feeling

During this stage, you're likely to experience a host of different emotions. It may be gratifying to feel that your child is finally as attached to you as you are to him or her. At the same time, you're likely to feel guilty about taking time out for yourself, leaving your child with a caregiver, or going to work. And you may start to feel overwhelmed by the amount of attention your child seems to need from you.

Try to keep in mind that your child's unwillingness to leave you is a good sign that healthy attachments have developed between the two of you. Eventually your child will be able to remember that you always return after you leave, and these memories will be enough to comfort him or her while you are gone. This also gives your child a chance to develop his or her own coping skills and a little independence.

Making Goodbyes Easier

There are a number of strategies you can use to help ease your child (and yourself) through this difficult period.

* Timing is everything. Try not to start day care or child care with an unfamiliar person between the ages of 8 months and 1 year, when separation anxiety is first likely to present itself. Also, try not to leave your child when he or she is likely to be tired, hungry, or restless. If at all possible, schedule your departures for after naps and mealtimes.
* Practice. Practice being apart from each other, and introduce new people and places gradually. If you're planning to leave your child with a relative or a new babysitter, then invite that person over in advance so they can spend time together while you're in the room. If your child is starting at a new day care center or preschool, make a few visits there together before a full-time schedule begins. Practice leaving your child with a caregiver for short periods of time so that he or she can get used to being away from you.
* Be calm and consistent. Create a goodbye ritual during which you say a pleasant, loving, and firm goodbye. Stay calm and show confidence in your child. Reassure him or her that you'll be back - and explain how long it will be until you return using concepts your child will understand (such as after lunch) because your child can't yet understand time. Give him or her your full attention when you say goodbye, and when you say you're leaving, mean it; coming back will only make things worse.
* Follow through on promises. It's important to make sure that you return when you have promised to return. This is critical, and there can be no exceptions. This is the only way your child will develop the confidence that he or she can make it through this time.

Kids with separation anxiety disorder fear being lost from their family members and are often convinced that something bad will happen when they're apart. It's a good idea to talk with your child's doctor if your child is showing signs of this, which include:

* panic symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, or shortness of breath) or panic attacks before a parent leaves
* nightmares about separation
* fear of sleeping alone
* excessive worry about being lost or kidnapped or going places without a parent

For most kids, the anxiety of being separated from a parent passes without any need for medical attention. But if you have concerns, talk to your child's doctor.

Updated and reviewed by: Michael J. Harkness, MD www.kidshealth.com

What shall we do today - Activity Board

Help your children to learn daily rhythm and routines with activity boards. Two that we love to post for My Very Own School are the "What shall we do today board" and "The daily schedule". When your children have an image of the order of their daily activities they experience mastery and growing independence.

Your children will delight in telling you "What's Next" in their day.

Search www.lakeshorelearning.com and see what boards are best for your family. Get organized with graphics and help your children thrive.

Teach your 2, 3 and 4 year olds the rhythm and routine of school this summer!

The summer is a great time to practice the rhythm and routine of school in your home with your children. By 18-24 months children are ready to learn rhythms and routines. Make your family a My Very Own School Schedule two or three days a week and implement story time, outdoor play time and group activity time. Wait until you see how well your home runs when there is some order and routine. Not only will your children love it but you will too!

Here are some of the typical school experiences you can experiment with in your own home. Research online, talk with your fiends and go visit a preschool. For more ideas also go to www.mailbox.com, the very best resource for early childhood teachers and You! You can buy their annual activity book for a years worth of excellent activities.

Summer's Here and My Very Own School is IN!

Circle or group time: Children sit together and the coach initiates a conversation about topics such as the weather, the calendar, the seasons, a field trip, or an upcoming holiday. Sometimes she leads a discussion about a special theme or group project. The children learn concepts of time and space and gain new vocabulary words.

Free choice: Children choose from a variety of different activities available in the classroom: block building, puzzles, dress-up, water or sand play, drawing, or painting. They initiate their own play, either alone or with other children. They learn how to work independently, take turns, share, and play cooperatively with others.

Group activity: During this time, children may learn a song or dance. They may participate in making up a story, preparing a meal, planning a village, or working on a science or art project. They practice new skills, develop fine motor control, learn how to communicate their ideas and needs effectively, and how to work together as a team.

Snack: As they eat, preschoolers learn social and practical skills: how to set the table, to pass the juice and crackers, to carry on a conversation.

Outdoor play: Climbing, running, jumping, bouncing balls, and crawling through tunnels helps children develop large muscle control, motor coordination, and balance.

Clean-up: As they clear the table or put away the blocks, children learn how to plan, organize, and work with others.

Story time: Children gather together in a comfortable corner of the room to listen as the coach tells a story or reads from a book. They look at the illustrations and discuss them. The teacher asks questions about the story, helping children to learn to predict what will happen next. She encourages them to think about the characters and plot and to use new vocabulary from the story.

Toddler Autonomy

As you baby grows, he will most surely enter the realm of independence and desire a level of autonomy needed to continue to grow.

Your toddler has not yet acquired all the skills necessary to function independently, which creates a whole lotta frustration within this little being who believes he’s ready to take on the world.

While their favorite word may become “no”, yours should not. Using “no” excessively only takes away the power of the word and encourages your tot to use it as freely. Creating space in your home that is a 100% free zone enables them to have fun in a safe setting, while allowing you to relax knowing that you won’t need to intervene every moment. Allow your child to make some decisions, no matter how wacky.

If she really wants to wear her purple boots and old Halloween costume while going to the grocery store, setting the limit that it can be worn to the store but must be removed by dinner allows your child to taste independence without dominating you in the process.

Furthermore, allowing your child days to express her growing independence by wearing mommy’s shoes while helping set the table or holding the dog’s leash as you return your pet to the backyard satisfies some of their hunger to be big! Remember, you are doing a great job and their budding desire to become their own little person is a reflection of their growing maturity.

A great read is Michelle LaRowe's Nanny to the rescue! Enjoy.

Changing Newborn's Diaper: Essential Tips

You'd never guess that changing a baby's diaper could be a challenge until the day you change your first diaper. Baby wiggles and squiggles, you find the wipes are out of reach or you get a sweet shower from your newborn boy 'cause you didn't know to cover him up. Some babies do not like to be unclothed in the cool air and they cry with discomfort, others can't wait to get naked.

Here are a few essential tips if changing baby is a new skill for you.

To change your baby’s diaper:
• It’s best to wash your hands before changing your newborn’s diaper. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after each diaper change, too.
• Lay your baby on a clean surface. Take along a blanket or changing pad when you go out.
• Remove the dirty diaper.
• Use a washcloth dipped in clean, lukewarm water. Wash all the area on your baby that the diaper covers. Wipe from front to back to avoid infection.
• Every time you change a diaper, clean your baby’s umbilical cord. Use a cotton swab that you have dipped in rubbing alcohol. Squeeze it so that it is almost dry. Gently clean off the sticky stuff around the cord where it touches your baby’s tummy. The cord will fall off by itself in five to 10 days. Your baby may cry when you touch the wet swab to the cord. Be gentle.

Check with your doctor if your baby cries at other times when you touch the cord. Check with your doctor if the skin around the cord is red. If this advice is contrary to what your doctor has told you, do as your doctor says as every baby is different, your doctor knows you and your newborn best.

• When you put a clean diaper on your baby, fold the top to make the fit more secure. If you are using pins, put your hand between the pin and your baby’s skin. Do not let the diaper cover up the umbilical cord or belly button.

Newborns use about 10-12 diapers every day. Change them as soon as they are wet. This can prevent rashes. Have a place to put the soiled diapers and washcloths, best to wrap each soiled diaper separately in a baggie or plastic bag, this will control odor.

Remember, never take your hands off a newborn when changing them, safety first.

Your Baby's Reflexes

Instincts are powerful. Your baby is born with instinctive reflexes that assist in survival.

Here's a quick review of a few of your baby's reflexes, to help you marvel at your newborn.

• Moro or “startle” reflex: This occurs when your baby's head shifts position quickly. Or when her head falls backward. Or when your baby is startled by something loud. She will react by throwing out her arms and legs and extending her neck. Your baby will then quickly bring her arms together. She may cry when doing this. This reflex should go away after two months.
• Rooting reflex: This is how your baby hunts for her mother's breast. If you gently stroke the side of her cheek with your finger, she will turn her head toward your finger. This lasts for three to four months.
• Grasp reflex: Your baby will clench her fist around anything pressed into the palm of her hand. You can show this to a big brother or sister. Say, “The baby wants to hold on to your finger.” This reflex goes away at five to six months.
• Stepping reflex: If you hold a newborn baby upright under her arms with her feet on a hard surface, her feet will make a stepping action. This happens even though it is a long time before she is ready to stand or walk. This usually lasts a couple of months.

Ask your pediatrician if you have any questions about your baby's reflexes.

Live On The Bright Side In Your Relationship

Business is competitive, we all work hard, drive hard and live hard, BUT maybe it all doesn’t have to be this hard.

Having a successful career, successful relationships and an extraordinary life are complementary - All can be achieved. Get out of damage control and back into thriving relationships at work and at home with practical solutions that will change your life.

a. What Harvard says you can do to increase longevity and happiness
b. Three essential steps to successful relationships at work and home
c. The 5 Factor Makeover

Successful Relationships Lesson #1 – Live on the bright side.
Research shows that your viewpoint and attitude may impact your health, happiness and career success more than your genetics.

Successful Relationships Lesson #2– Choose your shoes. You choose what shoes you walk in, what path you take and who you take it with, be proactive not reactive and choose your shoes, don’t just wear any shoes someone offers you.

Successful Relationships Lesson #3– Learn how to push the STOP Button. Know when to stop yourself from making critical, demeaning, contemptuous and sarcastic comments. Edit yourself. People who avoid saying every critical thought when discussing touchy topics are consistently the happiest and most successful in their relationships.

Successful Relationships Lesson #4– Bored people are boring people.
If you aren’t sure what is interesting and intriguing about you, it’s time to find out. If you hear yourself say, I am tired of this job, life, relationship etc. it’s time to take charge, take a risk and make a change.

Successful Relationships Lesson #5– Forgiveness fosters health.
People often think that if they harbor anger it hurts the person they are angry with but anger only hurts you. People who let anger go and experience forgiveness experience less heart disease, anxiety and depression.

My Very Own School @ Home

Many of the families with whom I work wish for their children to:

a) improve in-school behavior
b) develop better every-day routines
c) spend valuable enrichment time at home this summer
d) enjoy arts, crafts, games and play that will enhance learning
e) develop a summer schedule that adds enrichment to free play

Give your children ages 3-7 a Head-Start in school next year with our My Very Own School program. Our Family Coach, Dr. Lynne Kenney, teaches you how to bring school structure, art centers, music centers, nutrition, cooking, phonics, math, social studies and science into your home to help your children improve school performance, academic enrichment and school behavior for next year. Bring the success of school home for your children with this unique enrichment program.

1. Creating a school center in which learning can take place.
2. Writing a daily school schedule for the child.
3. Developing a curriculum that can be used within the schedule.
4. Establishing learning and enrichment goals.
5. Incorporating, play, art, music, and cooking to meet enrichment goals.
6. Organizing and labeling all enrichment materials.
7. Creating an organized activity closet for all enrichment items.
8. Providing brief written summary of work product and achievement toward goals.

Templates, tools and your own curriculum resources provided. Email at www.lynnekenney.com me to learn more.

Spring Cleaning with Meryl Starr

Spring is here, finally. The days are longer and warmer and we are all looking forward to spending more time outside. Spring is a special time for me as its time for Spring Cleaning. For a Personal Organizer, Spring Cleaning is like Christmas, New Years and July 4th all wrapped up into one.

As I mention in the "To Do List" chapter of my book, The Personal Organizing Workbook, Spring is the perfect excuse to make a clean start. The following is a list of 10 easy ways to prepare of the season.

1) Scrub-a-dub-dub. It isn't called "spring cleaning" for nothing. Dust bunnies, cobwebs grime and dirt all have to go.

2) Glasswork. Wash your windows. Nothing brings in light like washing away that winter film.

3) Plant a Garden Now. Then, enjoy flowers, fresh herbs, and home-grown tomatoes this summer.

4) Research summer camps for the kids.

5) Make sure the air conditioner is up and running. Change the filter lately?

6) Cleaning Agents. Spring is the perfect time to get your carpets, rugs and upholstery cleaned by professionals.

7) Curtain Call. Replace the shower-curtain liner in your bathroom. Mold and mildew can build up and exacerbate allergies and asthma.

8) Keep a picnic basket and a blanket handy, so you can make the most of a sunny afternoon at a moment's notice.

9) Finish up those indoor projects you started and did not complete during the winter. Projects like painting your bedroom or organizing a box of photographs. Soon your attention will be outdoors and you will not revisit the indoor projects till October.

10) Waste Not. Don't forget to clean out your closets, drawers and cabinets. Mark two bins "keep" and "get rid of". Be cold, be heartless, be unforgiving. And don't forget to get a receipt when you donate your stuff to local charities.

I hope this list helps you to get the Spring Season off to an Organized start. In the meantime please look for me in April's issue of "Health Magazine" (page 118) on the newsstands now. In this article I tackle the subject of organizing your home office, most people's number one clutter zone.

Enjoy the warm weather,

All the best,

Meryl Starr
Personal Organizer
www.merylstarr.com

I was a really good mom before I had kids

I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids -- "I don't know how she does it!" is an oft-heard refrain about mothers today. Funnily enough, most moms agree—they have no idea how they get it done, or whether they even want the job. Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile spoke to mothers of every stripe—working, stay-at-home, part-time—and found a surprisingly similar trend in their interviews. After enthusing about her lucky life for twenty minutes, a mother would then break down and admit that her child's first word was "Shrek." As one mom put it, "Am I happy? The word that describes me best is challenged." Fresh from the front lines of modern motherhood comes a book that uncovers the guilty secrets of moms today . . . in their own words. I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids recognizes the craziness and offers real solutions, so that mothers can step out of the madness and learn to love motherhood as much as they love their kids.

The Family Schedule

A family schedule is a central component of establishing rhythm and routines in your family. Family schedules guide your child’s life to enhance predictability and mastery.

Do you have a family schedule? Do you know what happens in your family Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday?

It’s time to actually write your schedule out for all to see.

Start with a piece of paper or better yet, a piece of large cardboard. Draw out your family schedule. You might even go to a teacher's store and buy a school-sized schedule, they are so fun to mark up, write on and change over time.

Let’s begin with Monday, what does your day look like? Remember it's not the time that matters, it's the order of the activities, that's what establishes family rhythm.

• Time to wake-up, get dressed and go to school
• School-Time
• After-school Activity Time
• Homework-Time
• Dinner-Time
• Outdoor Play/Sports Time
• Reading-Time
• Bed-Time

Now for each day, write out your schedule.

Talk with your spouse and your kids about the family schedule. What does your schedule look like? Draw it out, hang it up and enjoy the structure and predictability it provides.

Spoiling Your Children

Spoiling your children is about avoiding the hard work of setting limits and boundaries. Listen in...

Your Family Mission: Secret #1 Raising Successful Children

We all want to raise happy successful children. But how do you go about it? You read books, watch videos, and talk with friends. But what is your plan? Do you have
a plan? We all spend much time thinking about and planning for the birth of our children but what is the plan for raising our children?

Applying principles that have been practiced in business by experts such as Michael Gerber, Stephen Covey and Dan Sullivan is a fine place to start.

If you have ever read First Things First by Stephen Covey or The Personal Organizing Workbook by Meryl Starr, you are likely well on your way to planning for and living in a successful family.

Here are five secrets from The Family Coach Playbook to begin developing your plan to raise successful children in a happy home.

Secret 1: Establish your family mission statement. That’s’ right. Every family needs one but few families have a written mission statement. Your family mission statement clarifies the kind of family you live in. Every family has a reason for being. You are most likely to raise successful children if you know exactly what your family mission is.

Let’s reflect on your mission for a moment.

• Do you have a mission?
• Were you raised in a family with a mission?
• When you reflect back, if your family mission was undefined, define it.
• What did your family stand for?
• What messages were communicated to you about what you did, how you did it and why you did it?

Take the time to talk with your spouse and your children about the kind of family you are and the kind of family you want to be.

• Why does your family exist?
• What kind of family do you want to be?
• What do you really care about?
• What really matters to you?

As parents, when you think about the kind of family you want to raise, why do you feel this way?

• Do you want to raise children who are respectful? Why?
• Do you want to raise children who value their education? Why?
• Do you want to live in a happy home? Why?
• Do you want to live in a peaceful home? Why?
• Do you want to live in an organized home? Why?

Take everyone’s viewpoint into consideration. Everyone’s original voice makes a valuable contribution to who you become as a family. Whether your children are ages 4, 9 or 15, talk with your children about what kind of family they want to be raised in.

Ask questions of your children to begin the dialogue:

• What kind of family do you want to live in?
• What kind of family do you want us to be?
• What kinds of activities do you want to do as a family?
• When your friends come over to play, what do you want them to see?
• How can we make our home a place your friends want to come to?
• What do you see in your friend’s homes that you wish we had or did here?
• How will our choices at home affect our choices at school?
• How will our choices at home affect our choices at dance class, chess club or on the soccer field?

Your family mission is the foundation of your family.

Take out a piece of paper, a large piece of cardboard or a marker board and draw out what matters to everyone. Let your children draw on it, scribble notes, draw pictures, make a model of your family home and design the kind of family you want to live in. This allows you to define your life rather than be lead by it.

When it comes time to write your mission statement down, use words, pictures, maps and notations. Then synthesize your family notes into one paragraph.

We are the kind of family who…

Here are a few examples written by real families like yours:

“The mission of our family is to provide a home environment that encourages honesty, fairness, respect and love. We work together to ensure that each member of our family feels important and has the support and the tools they need to reach their higher goals.”

“We reach out to others to promote respect for all people in our daily life.”
“We are a family that regards education as the foundation of success. Having reached our educational goals we will give back to others in order to share our success.”

Enjoy the process. Celebrate the discussion. Then post your family mission for all to see. Communicate often about the kind of family you are and how you behave reflects upon who you are as a family.

When family members exhibit behaviors that are contrary to your mission, gently remind them of the kind of family you are.

“James, you took your sister’s iPod without asking. In our family we respect one another’s property. How can you use her iPod and show your sister respect at the same time?”

“Sarah, you ignored your mom when she asked you to finish your homework. In our family we respect one another’s words, let’s try that again, in a way that shows your mom that you respect her request.”

In the next piece on Five Secrets To Raising Successful Children: The Family Coach Way, we will review Secret 2 - Establish your family values. So check back soon.

Read, Read, Read Read more...with your children

Summer is approaching and you will spend hours and hours playing with your children. You'll drive them to playdates, take them to the pool, play in the sprinklers and make memories every day. This Summer, give your children a head up in school, read with them every day. Research shows that children who read with their parents do much better in school than children for whom reading is not a valued family activity.

After you have read a few pages or completed a book (depending on your child's attention span) extend the activity by talking about, drawing about or acting about the book, its characters and themes. Reading doesn't have to be just about the printed word, it is about how you bring the story to life!

Here are some of the top 25 books for children. Enjoy!

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Mitten by Jan Brett
Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

For more books visit http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/catalist.html.

My Very Own School @ Home

Give your children a Head-Start in school next year with our My Very Own School program. The Family Coach, Dr. Lynne Kenney, teaches you how to bring school structure, art centers, music centers, nutrition, cooking, phonics, math, social studies and science into your home to help your children improve school performance, academic enrichment and school behavior for next year. Bring the success of school home for your children with this unique enrichment program.

Creating A Personalized Program: Day 1

1. Evaluate children's current enrichment needs.
2. Develop personalized curriculum.
3. Establish learning and enrichment goals.
4. Plan for center development.
5. Determine learning templates, curriculum activities and time-frames.

Setting Up The Program: Day 2

1. Develop learning centers.
2. Create activity closets.
3. Write daily schedule.
4. Implement My Very Own School schedule and activities.
5. Choose parent, teacher or coach.
6. Finalize assessment and feedback forms.

Your family can use the My Very Own School Schedule to help organize each summer day to help the days run smoothly or you can implement My Very Own School as an activity in your home 4-8 hours per week. Either way, your children will love the activities, they'll feel confident about learning and you'll enjoy the experiences and memories you share.

Abrakadoodle: Art For Children

Art is a critical component of early learning with children. Art enhances imagination, creativity and critical thinking skills. Research shows that math and science skills are also enhanced through art. With so many school districts moving art out of their curriculums enrichment at home is needed. A great resource for your family is Abrakadoodle, a national art enrichment program with exceptional programming, a cool blog and many activities you can do at home with your own children. Who's the little Matisse living in your home?

Everyone is an artist, visit Abrakadoodle to see how you can help your children discover art.

Consider this idea from the Abrakadoodle blog:

What color was your day?

Art can be introduced into your child’s life in so many fun ways! Color evokes powerful emotions in us all, and each of us perceives color in different ways. What’s fun is to find out how your child reacts to color as an individual. Forget the preconceived notions of what people are supposed to think about a certain color, which is commonly known as the psychology of color.

Co-create a color wheel, chart or box with your child. You can use the basic colors or add lots of additional colors, depending upon your child’s age and interest. Perhaps your child will want to color white paper to create a personalized palette. Once you have your colors organized, you can have some fun exploring them.

We traditionally greet our child after school with a “Hello, how was your day?” What if you changed this up and said, “Hi, what color was your day?” Instead of hearing the typical, “Fine,” “Ok,” “Boring,” “Hard,” etc, you could engage in a colorful conversation. Your child could use the color palette to express the color or colors of the day that best suits his or her experience. Maybe it was a purple day. The question is: what does that color mean to your son or daughter? So, you’ll have to ask questions, such as: “What made today a ‘red’ day?” Perhaps the day was more than one color, and that’s okay, too. As long as your child does not feel judged for his or her feelings about colors and emotions, then you can give your child yet another way to colorfully express him/herself and expand visual perception. It's also an imaginative way to show interest in your child.

Posted by Karin Machusic, Editor at 7:03 PM on Mar 4, 2008 http://abrakadoodle.blogspot.com/

In Defense of Food - An expert's review

Each month I eagerly await, Carol Kenney's health and nutrition newsletter. It is always informative and witty. This month Carol expanded on the history of foods and systems. I know you'll all enjoy her insights. Carol is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner in New York City. Visit her at www.pathways4heath.com.

"Released at the start of this year, Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food immediately climbed to the top of the New York Times’ Book Best Seller List. Amazing, really…a book about foods as “systems” reaching such heights. What can explain such success? Michael Pollan is funny and certainly his humor is a draw. But, I suspect his success goes beyond this.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Don’t you love it! Sometimes simple words work best to convey the most profound and most complex of ideas. Timing is everything, they say, and today these words seem to touch a common chord.

Some 30 years ago, Annemarie Colbin started describing foods as systems and our body as a system uniquely designed with just the right software to eat foods in their whole, not- fractured, form. This is the holistic lens: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts; the whole, as a system, works in mysterious and powerful ways, never to be fully understood by science through the “reductionist” lens of the microscope. How can you appreciate the flavor, aroma, and life-force energy and essence of a plump, juicy vine-ripen tomato by the listing of its vitamins, minerals, and calories? And, a tomato is not like a television…we cannot strip it down to all its minute parts and then reassemble it in all its complexity. Nature hides this magic and gives us no instruction book.

Annemarie Colbin’s Book of Whole Meals and Food and Healing long ago carried this holistic message. It was a message ripe before its time. After all, back then the food and advertising industries were just clicking into high gear to spread before us a rich panoply of freshly-invented products, drawing us in with convenience, novelty, price, and long shelf-lives. With each year, cheap, fractured convenience foods allowed us to spend less and less of our income at the supermarket and less and less of our time in the kitchen.

In recent decades, we have grown to expect “new” products to be interesting, fun, and innovative. Today, food advertising budgets of $32 billion annually help support the introduction of some 17,000 new fractured, processed, fortified “foods.” In reality, these are just “retreads” made to look new. They are largely blends reconfigured from our three main agricultural surplus crops…wheat, corn, and soy. Hidden in a variety of forms in these packaged, convenience foods, corn, wheat, and soy contribute 1580 calories per person to our daily food supply. There is little room for much else.

But the pendulum can swing only so far before it reverses direction. How exciting this year to see Michael Pollan bring the concept of foods as systems to mainstream thinking. Perhaps we are using a new lens to cut through the hype surrounding fast foods and convenience products to recognize that something is missing at the supermarket in terms of quality and lifestyle. As we see our nation, and increasingly the world, suffering more and more from allergies, obesity, diabetes, and a variety of other chronic diseases, we consumers seem more and more ready and open to start to look for causes. They are not hard to find.

To name just two: Wheat, corn, and soy, of course, are major allergens. Corn and soy are also two of the key crops that are genetically manipulated: 60% of all corn and 85% of all soybeans grown today in the United States are genetically engineered.

In Defense of Food is a fun read. And, Food and Healing continues to offer timeless truths, incredible depth, and great health-giving wisdom for any era."

Tuesday April 8th 2008 Next Angry Monster Class

Today's children experience frustration, anger, tantrums and meltdowns, it's a part of growing up. Learn how to teach your children ages 4-12 about cavemen and thinkers, evaluating the meaning of meltdowns and sensory interventions sure to bring peace to your home. Practice strategies and skills to tame those angry moments with The Family Coach Dr. Lynne Kenney. Parents only 6:30-7:45pm.

a. What is the angry monster
b. How can we use our thinkers to manage our cavemen
c. How exercise can make a difference
d. Sensory tools and equipment
e. Sensory gardens

Call Brie at 480-860-8488 to schedule.

Taming Your Toddlers Tantrums

Don’t get too frustrated – tantrums are normal. Little guys and gals with a limited vocabulary need to act out their emotions. The first step to avoiding tantrums is understanding what causes them. There are several common reasons:

• Frustration: Toddlers are just beginning to need to have some control; but of course, most of their life is still out of their control. They want to be able to communicate, but their vocabulary is limited. They want to do things for themselves, but are often unable. They want to have things their way, but often can’t. All of these things create frustration, and cause tantrums.

• Feeling overwhelmed – Hunger, fatigue and discomfort can all make a child feel overwhelmed and cause tantrums.

• Needing attention – Toddlers often act out just because they don’t feel they’re getting enough attention. Try spending some more quality time playing with them and you may see an improvement in the number of tantrums.

The best way to deal with tantrums is to plan ahead, so that they never start. There are some fairly easy ways to prevent tantrums; here are a few to get you started.

• Don’t put them in stressful situations when they’re tired or hungry – Taking a toddler to run errands when he’s hungry is asking for trouble.

• Establish a routine – Toddlers thrive on routine, because knowing what to expect is comforting to them. Big activities like meals and naps should happen at about the same time each day. Be sure that your child is getting some interaction with other children, too. Playgroups or preschool are a big help, because your child learns that rules apply to everyone.

• Give them some control – Your child will respond positively to the opportunity to make some choices. Make them simple; such as choosing between cereal and a waffle for breakfast. The more you can create situations where your child feels in control, the less they’ll resist you.

Remember that tantrums are a phase you really can’t avoid. However, your response to them will, in part, determine how long you have to deal with them. Don’t give in to your toddler’s demands – that’s just teaching them that tantrums work!

Instead, redirect their behavior and don’t lose your cool. If you create situations that avoid tantrums, and you handle them effectively when they do occur, you can rest assured that your child will outgrow them.

For more help read: Nanny To The Rescue by Michelle LaRowe.

Tips for A Better Life - 2008

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

32. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

33. Do the right thing!

34. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!) Hey I'm thinking of Ya! =)

35. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

The day my close friend, Lisa told me she and her family were moving to snow country she sent this to me, it softened the blow. Are you living with Lisa's rules?

Betsy Graham on Mealtime Matters

Houstonfamilymagazine.com quotes one of our favorite local experts Betsy Graham on feeding your children for health and wellness. Check it out:

Betsy Graham, M.A., of Mealtime Matters emphasizes another important factor: coming up with creative, fun ways to present food for kids. “Kids like to feel creative and active, whether helping prepare or eat foods,” says Graham. “Use cookie cutters to make cool shapes, include little containers of dipping sauces and dressings, find new ways to wrap foods.” Kids have short attention spans and like to stay interested. Although you don’t want to include too many choices and overwhelm them, you do want to break lunches down into smaller, interesting portions.

“Instead of including one giant sandwich and a whole apple,” illustrates Graham, “cut the apple into bite-size slices, include yogurt or a fun dip, and make sandwiches in little shapes.” “Stores like Costco and Sam’s Club sell in packs of hundreds two-ounce disposable containers with lids. These are perfect for dipping sauces, condiments and dressings,” adds Campbell.

Try these other ideas from Village Table and other meal-prep experts to create healthy lunches that your kids will enjoy:

* Tortilla roll-ups are always a big hit! Use whole wheat tortillas.
* Peanut butter and raisins mixed together and stored in a two-ounce disposable container makes a wonderful dip for celery or carrots!
* Cowboy or cowgirl beanies-n-weanies—mix your child’s favorite canned beans with pre-cooked, organic hot dogs. Kids won’t mind eating them cold if you remind them that cowboys and cowgirls don’t have stoves or ovens “out on the range.”
* Boiled eggs—chill and wrap in foil. Package alongside other cold items, such as frozen fruit boxes or frozen grapes. For kids who like edamame, this can be packed frozen, as well.
* Tuna sandwiches—use a two-ounce disposable container to store the tuna filling separately from the sandwich bread. Kids will enjoy assembling it at lunchtime and it keeps the sandwich from getting soggy. Remember to include a plastic spoon or knife.
* Cracker “melts” with chicken or turkey topped with melted cheese that has been firmed up by refrigeration.
* A “nutty apple”—a small apple with a Popsicle stick inserted, frosted with peanut butter, and then rolled in crushed granola or nuts and refrigerated to firm up.

Visit www.holistic.com for more ideas for packing healthy lunches. Also look for the Texas Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Division’s upcoming flyer, Nutritious + Quick + Easy = School Meals That Pass the Test, and visit www.squaremeals.org to learn more about healthier snacks or foods for healthy eating. www.eatwellbewell.org is the Arizona Nutrition site for kids and families.

For children with eating challenges visit http://www.popsiclecenter.org/resources/index.asp.

ADHD Executive Function Deficits and Meditation

"A UCLA study shows that only about half of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, exhibit the cognitive defects commonly associated with the condition.

The study also found that in populations where medication is rarely prescribed to treat ADHD, the prevalence and symptoms of the disorder are roughly equivalent to populations in which medication is widely used.

The results of the first large, longitudinal study of adolescents and ADHD, conducted among the population of northern Finland, appeared in several papers in a special section of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published in December and are currently online.

ADHD is a common, chronic behavioral disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that is thought to affect some 5 to 10 percent of school-age children worldwide.

In adolescence, ADHD is generally associated with cognitive deficits, particularly with working memory and inhibition, which have been linked to overall intelligence and academic achievement, according to UCLA psychiatry professor Susan Smalley, who headed the research. Interestingly, the study showed that these deficits are only present in about half of adolescents diagnosed with ADHD.

Part of the explanation may lie in the common method for diagnosing the disorder. The researchers found that ADHD is an extreme on a normal continuum of behavior that varies in the population, much like height, weight or IQ. Its diagnosis, and thus its prevalence, is defined by where health professionals "draw the line" on this continuum, based on the severity of the symptoms and overall impairment.

However, children with cognitive deficits do not show increased levels of inattention or hyperactivity when compared with other children diagnosed with ADHD, the study found, suggesting that behavior-rating scales alone are not sensitive enough to differentiate between the two groups. Additional psychological testing is recommended to confirm the presence of cognitive impairments."

This is why we often refer the children in our practice for a brief Neuropsychological assessment with a board certified child neuropsychologist. These evaluations are important in recommending a course of intervention. Some children may benefit from executive brain function training others may be subject to misdiagnosis, others may be twice gifted. Children really do come in all shapes and sizes and it is central to their well-being that we learn as much about them as possible to provide them with what they need.

Curiously, we also regard interventions such as mindfulness training, meditation and yoga to be important aspects of intervention for ADHD.

Read what researcher Dr. Susan Smalley has to say about meditation on her thoughtful blog. www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-smalley/medication-or-meditation-_b_14839.html

Then visit www.drthomasebrown.com and read about current research on brain development and ADHD as well. Happy learning.

Protein and Children

Yesterday at the Dietary Conference of the Arizona Department of Health Services we had a great discussion on how much protein our children need each day.

As a general rule, between 10 percent and 15 percent of your total calories should come from protein. So, as an adult, if you consume 2,000 calories per day, at least 200 should come from protein, or about 50 grams.

You should try to eat around one gram of protein per one kilogram of body weight, or around 0.4 grams per pound. An easier way to figure this out in your head is to take your weight, divide it in half, and subtract 10.

How does this apply to children. Protein requirements depend on a child's age and weight. For example, the average 4-6 year old preschooler requires about 22 grams of protein a day, while an older 7-10 year old requires about 28 grams of protein a day.

Many children eat sugary foods such as cereal and pop tarts for breakfast when they really would benefit better from a serving of protein with a complex carbohydrate for breakfast. Good Sources of protein include:

Milk
Soy Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Yogurt
Peanut Butter
Lean Meats, Fish, and Poultry
Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and other Legumes
Whole grains, including bread and pasta
Nuts and Seeds

So for breakfast consider serving:

Peanut butter on sliced apples or Asian pears
Almond butter on whole grain toast
whole grain cereal with organic skim milk
Chicken and brown rice with small pieces of cooked vegetables such as carrots or asparagus
Mixed berries with organic yogurt
Buckwheat pancakes with bananas or berries
Melted cheese on whole grain toast
Organic macaroni and cheese
Turkey meatballs with organic tomato sauce

It's easy and fun to feed children protein to fuel their school days, consider reading:

Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children by Ann Cooper, Lisa M. Holmes, Mehmet C. Oz.
The Healthy Lunchbox by American Diabetes Association, Marie McClendon, Cristy Shauck, Marie McClendon, Cristy Shauck

http://www.chefann.com/blog/
http://www.eatwellbewell.org/
http://www.angrymoms.org/

Low Glycemic Carbohydrates

We had a great talk last night at the Picky Eaters Class at North Scottsdale Pediatrics. You parents really are amazing!

Here is list of low glycemic carbohydrates to serve with protein in the morning to get your children off to a healthy start. Combing two ounces of protein with one serving of complex carbohydrates is just what your kids need to study and thrive in school all day. Add a few slices of Asian Pear or 1/2 cup fresh berries to the plate. Happy eating for health and wellness!

Beans (Garbanzo, Pinto, Kidney, White), 1/3 cup
Bread (Whole-wheat, Multi-grain, Pumpernickel, Rye, Sourdough, Oatmeal), 1 slice
Corn, 1/2 cup
Couscous (cooked), 1/3 cup
Crackers (whole-grain), 3/4 oz
Oatmeal (cooked), 1/2 cup
Pasta (cooked al dente), 1/2 cup
Peas (green), 1/2 cup
Peas (split, black-eyed), 1/3 cup
Pita (whole-grain, 6 inch), 1/2
Rice (cooked, brown), 1/3 cup
Roll (whole-grain, small), 1
Sweet Potatoes, Yams, 1/3 cup

Model Behavior - Lead By Example

Following our conscience can be tough at any age. But, for children, whose conscience is still developing, it can be a real challenge. So, how can you help your child do the right thing when faced with a dilemma? Here are some helpful hints to get (and keep) your child on the right track.

• Lead by example – We all have situations that require us to make moral decisions. When these situations arise, make sure you’re doing the right thing yourself, and make sure to talk about it with your kids. I’m not talking about tooting your own horn. But, if you’re in a sticky situation and your child is aware of it, letting them know that you had a choice to make – and that the choice was difficult, will help them to think through situations when they arise. If they see you taking the moral high ground, they’ll be much more likely to do so as well.

• Teach empathy – Let your children see situations that help them develop empathy. We’re often so consumed with providing a good life for our children, that we fail to show our children that not everyone has it as good. Why not spend part of this Thanksgiving serving meals at a soup kitchen? Or helping out with Toys for Tots this Christmas? When your children develop empathy for others, they’re more likely to consider how their decisions might hurt other people. This gives them that little “voice” that helps them do the right thing.

• Praise Positive Behavior - When you witness your child doing the right thing, point it out. Sharing their toys, cleaning up a mess they made without being told, and following the rules at home without complaint are all situations that deserve your praise. If you make your children feel good about doing the right thing, they’ll want to do it.

• Have Appropriate Consequences for Not Doing the Right Thing – Sometimes, when your children choose not to do the right thing, the results include lying, cheating and stealing. These behaviors should be addressed with consequences that they’ll remember. Don’t cover up for your child help him be accountable.

For instance, if you catch your child stealing, you should make him return the item to the owner at once, and fess up to what he did as part of the punishment. It’s likely that having to own up to what he did will teach him a lesson he’ll never forget.

It is possible to raise empathetic, sympathetic and caring kids in today’s self absorbed world. It just takes some attention, calm and caring on your part.

Begin the New Year with a New Skill

It takes about ten minutes a day to develop a new skill. Just add it up. 10 minutes a day times, let's say 300 days a year, that's enough to be pretty good at something.

Learning a new skill is fun for you and sets a great example for your kids. Take a pottery class at your local community college, learn to rollerblade, try your hand at knitting, pick up a guitar, dance a jig – it doesn’t matter what it is, just give it a shot.

If you don’t like it, fine. You don’t have to do it again. If you find you do like it, though, you can keep at it and perhaps develop it into a hobby or favorite pastime.

You do a great job of helping your kids develop and learn new things - but what about you? When was the last time you learned a new skill? It’s easy to overlook our own need for challenge, learning, and yes, fun.

Hey Mom! Spring Is Time To Learn A New Skill

You do a great job of helping your kids develop and learn new things - but what about you? When was the last time you learned a new skill? It’s easy to overlook your own need for challenge, learning, and yes, fun.

It takes about ten minutes a day to develop a new skill. Just add it up. Ten minutes a day, times let's say 300 days a year, that's enough to be pretty good at something.

Learning a new skill is fun for you and sets a great example for your kids. Take a pottery class at your local community college, learn to rollerblade, try your hand at knitting, piano, guitar or jazz music – it doesn’t matter what it is, just give it a shot. If you don’t like it, fine. You don’t have to do it again, congratulate yourself for daring to try. If you find you do like it, though, you can keep at it and perhaps develop it into a hobby or favorite pastime.

Take the plunge! Learn something new.

Time To Keep A Journal

There's no better time than the beginning of the year to create a journal.

Journaling is an excellent way to carve out some “me” time when you can think, ponder, and express yourself. It doesn’t have to be a long time – just five or ten minutes is enough. And you don’t need a fancy leather-bound journal; a simple spiral notebook works just fine.

Start each entry with the date and time, and then write about whatever is most on your mind. You might want to describe your feelings, your frustrations, your joys or your sorrows. Over time, you can look back at your entries as points of reference for yourself.

For example, you may see a pattern of feelings that occur in certain situations, or you may use it as a record of your fitness activities.

Write notes to your children, collect little stickies, magazine articles, school-work or songs and keep them in your journal. Your journal is one of your best sources of self-expression.

If you are having difficulty knowing where to begin start with these ideas:

Everyday thoughts
What I did to maintain my health
Negative habits I avoided
Things I did well today
What I want to do more of
Skills I wish to develop
What I want to invest my energy in
What I want to invest my money in
What I want to invest my time in
How I can show my children I love them more
How I can show my husband I love him more

Regardless of how you approach your journaling, writing is an excellent outlet for you. Start today and make time for a journal – you’ll be glad you did.