I know as a mommy of two little ones, I have had my heart stop a few times over my child choking on a piece of food. It is scary and it causes me to go into panic mode, slapping my child silly on the back until they are okay. It dawned on me that maybe I should learn the proper technique to dislodge a food particle or even if one of my kids stops breathing for whatever reason. What a thought right!?!
“Let them create! Don’t intervene in their imaginative artwork!”
I heard this from many parent friends. The truth is, when homeschooling my daughter, I recognized that she was having a hard time taking the creation in her mind and translating it onto paper. She needed guidance to accomplish the image she so desperately wanted to display for all to see.
I am a firm believer that a goal without a plan is just a wish. As an adult, I annually write out my goals and spend the year breaking them down into more attainable goals that I can “check off” a list. When I taught 3rd grade, I did this same process with my students. I taught the importance of having big and small goals. These are the strategies I used in my classroom to help my students create concrete, attainable goals. These same steps can be applied to your child at home (best for ages 7 and up).
Raising kids is hard in general. Add a child with special needs/circumstances and life gets even harder. You have to schedule in specialists appointments, doctor’s appointments, therapy, etc. into an already overcrowded schedule. I make it sound dire and that Read more…
“What’s next?”
I heard Annora say that throughout Christmas and I was getting a little annoyed. I kept reminding myself that she is a little one and the excitement has been building for quite a while…just breath mom…
As a stay-at-home mommy, I have to get creative with our finances. I am always looking for a deal, shopping at second-hand stores and garage sales, and looking through online coupons to get the best bang for my buck. Read more…
CHRISTMAS TIME…YEEHAW!!!!! I am a sucker for art projects, holiday activities, baking and getting involved in the community for holiday events so when I had kids, it was only “OBVIOUS” that I was going to go all in with them Read more…
I’m THRILLED!!! I had a lot of people respond to my November calendar of events in the Toledo, Ohio area so I decided to give you a good snap shot of what we plan on doing the month of December and you can pick and choose what you think your family may enjoy. I have toddlers and preschoolers but I must say this list is for ANY AGE! I have also included all links to the event pages along with the Toledo Parent link (which is where I get many of my monthly ideas).
As Ben and I have learned the secret that drives our sweet 2 year olds behavior, we have taken a proactive look into how we can best help her cope. Diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder just 3 short weeks ago, we have been on a whirlwind of emotions. Once the initial shock of it all had disapated a bit, I could truly focus on the issues at hand…What is severe anxiety disorder in children? How do we best help Delise overcome her anxiety? What might her anxiety look like at different stages of her life? How did this happen? With all of these questions, I turned to the professionals and sought out answers.
I was observing Annora interact with her friends the other day. It was fun to see them get imaginative, play dress-up, get the Barbies out, sing crazy funny songs, etc. It was nice to see her as a friend as well. She was kind, gentle, and patient with her sweet little guest. I noticed that a conflict arose between the two when one of them didn’t want to play what they were currently playing. Instead of jumping in to help resolve the disturbance, I watched it play out. Boy am I glad I did! The two girls got upset with each other, turned their backs, and then started playing together again within a matter of seconds. It made me curious and I began researching preschool friendships (I know…who has time for that right?!?).