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THE LETTER "K" IS FOR KITE

ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES

The Eleventh part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter K. The letter "K" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter K. Kamikaze Kamikaze parenting is not something I would advise. It involves risky and reckless decision making, a lot of anger and dividing of the family, self-destruction and tearing down of other family members. This type of parenting could be a sign of excessive partying - drugs and alcohol abuse. It could also just be a blatant disregard to logic. No matter the reason, this is something that should be avoided at all costs. We may not always know the best direction to take in our parenting but the Kamikaze route is certainly not a direction to take. It is painful for all involved and leaves only distruction in it's wake. If you feel you are in this situation, I would highly recommend seeking help! Karma Teaching the important lessons to our children takes time and energy. A good way to teach right and wrong is by using Karma as a teaching tool. Basically, the golden rule, do unto others as you would have done unto you. Kids can really learn from and understand this mentality of you get what you give. When they see cause and effect in action, it can lead to a deeper understanding of how life works. Hopefully, as they understand this process they seek the positives and reap the goodness this world has to offer. Keepsake Treasures to keep as your child grows can be scrapbooks, a special outfit, their first hat, extra special toys or really any number of things. Keeping things does not mean you have to live in clutter. Organize and prioritize the things you keep. Think about what is easy to store and what will keep when stored. Think about how much it was actually loved, used or played with. Having toys around the house for other kids to play with can be excellent. As your children grow older and have children of their own, it can be nostalgic for their littles to play with the toys from their own childhood. Ketchup Kids can be picky eaters but this pureed condiment can often save the day when it comes to eating more and different foods. Parents often turn to ketchup to get their kids to actually eat the food in front of them. A word of caution though, it is full of sugar and you should try to use it sparingly. Ketchup covers the natural flavors of foods and can often make a picky eater even more picky as they grown older. Kind Teach it, practice it, live it, love it, model it. Kindness is something you can teach best by modeling it. When your children see you engaging in kind behaviors, they learn from you how to give it and also how to receive it! As your children grow, kindness will come naturally to them. The more they see it from you, the more kindness they will offer to those around them. Kindred In your family are you kindred spirits? This would mean you share a mutual and meaningful connection with each other. You are positive and supportive of each others thoughts and ideas. You encourage each other and share positive energy. Being positive and supportive when your children are young fosters an amazing relationship as they grown into young adults. As they mature, the respect is reciprocal and you will find yourself in a positive and amazing relationship - kindred spirits. King-Size You have kids now, it is time to upgrade. Almost everything is shared. You might as well start buying the big versions of everything you can. Bigger beds and bigger candy bars. Kids expect you to share everything with them. I have found, if you want to be happy in this, make sure you buy enough or big enough for everyone to get their fill. Kiss Affection is needed and craved by children. Kisses make them feel loved and give them a way to show love. To kids, it means someone cares about them or that they care about a person. Be sure to teach appropriateness with kissing. Show them there is a time and place for it and also that their are appropriate people to share this with. Teach your children boundaries from an early age and continually reestablish those boundries and limits. Kitchen Let's face it, you are in the kitchen a lot now that you have children. You want to make healthy meals and teach your children how to cook. Make it a priority to have quality time in the kitchen. Kids crave an active roll in the kitchen. They learn so many lifeskills in there. It is a great place for family bonding and for preparing your kids for young adulthood. As they grow, allow them independence in the kitchen and give them some freedom to be creative. There are many age appropriate ways to let your kids help. They can break up the lettuce or greens, wash vegetables and fruits, stir and mix foods, set the tables, cut foods or brown meat. A great way to let them help is to make grocery lists as a family and food plan together.

Kite Flying kites on a windy day is a great way to get outside and away from the tiny screens we so often look at.L ooking up at the sky and focusing on the kite and the wind is so good for the eyes and for the brain. Connecting with nature always feels good and breathing in natural fresh air has a great calming effect. It is also light exercise that helps with stretching our bodies, especially the neck and back. There is always a great sense of pride and accomplishement when you get that kite to fly! If you are looking for a inexpensive way to build a kite with youR kids, check this out! A Two-Step Homemade Kite for the Kids Knowing Remember you are not all knowing. Knowing what you don't know and knowing when to listen are very important skills to have in parenting. Don't be a know it all parent. They are pretty annoying. Learn to listen as well as to speak. When you understand that other techniques work you can really grow as a parent. We all can become set in our ways but when we actively listen to others, we might learn new and improved parenting skills. Knackered Parents are often exhausted and knackered. We have so much to do and too much to think about. It seems we are always on the go and have very little time to recover. We tend to have broken sleep and it is next to impossible to get a good nights sleep. Especially in those early years. As parents we are always trying to be aware. Always on guard and always looking out for dangers. Keeping our children safe is a top priority and is a full time, can't quit job. It is exhausting to always be in protection mode. NEXT UP - THE LETTER L BACK TO - THE LETTER J What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter k? Feel free to share in the comments! Read the full article

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Guide to Medicare (Australia) - Working Dad

Medicare Billing - Infographic guide to medicare billing

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THE HUNGER GAMES

I really enjoyed reading The Hunger Games, because the book is very compelling and you can follow the book really well. The setting in the story is very well described and thought out. I feel like I feel like I connect with almost all of the characters except for Haymitch. His character is very drunk all the time because he lost all of his family because of The Hunger Games. The Start The story begins in district 12 on reaping day. The day the hunger games competitors are chosen Katniss and Prim wake up. Prim, Katnisses younger sister is very scared because it is her first year in the hunger games drawing. Katniss comforts Prim. Then she sneaks out beyond the fence to go hunting in the woods with her best friend Gale. They see each other and call the other one over. They share a breakfast with goat cheese from Prims goat and fresh bread from the bakery. Katniss meets up back at her house to put on a dress for the reaping. The dress is all gray because of the solemn situation. Prim and Katniss walk into the center of the poor part of district 12. They line up by age 12 in the back because they have the least chance of getting drawn. 18 year olds are in the front because they have the highest chance of being drawn. 13 to 17 year olds are in the middle. The person who draws the names from district 12 is Efiie Trinket. She comes onto the stage to select the competitors. Effie first walks onto the stage and says to all the children welcome to the 74th annual hunger games. May the odds be ever in your favor. She then says ladies first and reaches her hand in to the bowl filled with names. She selects Primrose Everdeen (Prim). But before Prim could get onto the stage Katniss volunteered to take her place. The boy tribute is Peeta Mellark. The Capital Both Katniss and Peeta are taken into the justice building to say there last goodbyes to  everyone. Then they get on a train to the capitol. There they meet Haymitch ,their trainer. He is the only living district 12 winner because he won the 50th hunger games. Peeta and Katniss suspect that he isn't going to be much help because he smells of liquor. He says to them that he will sober up and try to be the most help to them as possible. Katniss then goes back to her room on the train and tried to sleep. She is mostly restless from what is in her near future the hunger games. The train arrives in the capitol. The people in the capitol have weird hair colors and clothes amd are very excited to see them. They are the ones that watch and bet on people in the games. Katniss and Peeta are rushed to the stylists to get ready for the opening ceremonies. Katniss meets Cinna her main stylist and they talk about what she is going to wear. She expects a coal miner get up because that is district 12 import. Instead Cinna decides to make them look like coal burning. He puts fake flames on them to get the attention of the capitol and they did just that. As soon as they got on the carriages the Capitol took immediate notice to them and were screaming there names. Highest Score The group of Katniss, Peeta, Effie and Haymitch ride the elevator to the rooms on the 12th floor. They get there and eat the dinner of pea soup and chicken. Everything that they don’t have in district 12. The next day they go down into the training room. They work on things that they don’t know how to do like knots and camouflage. They made sure not to show of weightlifting for Peeta. Andd not to do archery for Katniss, because that is their best skills. They then go into the private session to show the game makers what they can do. Katniss does archery and nobody pays any attention to her. She shoots an arrow at an apple to prove herself and then leaves. She goes back upstairs to see the score. 1 was the lowest and 12 is the highest. Peeta gets a 9 and Katniss gets the highest out of the 24 with a 11. They all celebrate and then go to sleep. The next day they all get ready for the interviews. When the interview comes, Katniss is in a red dress. The dress glows red when you spin. Everything goes fine until Peeta confesses his love for Katniss. Katniss gets very mad at Peeta and hits him. Haymitch told her he was helping and that it was all fake. They all go to bed and the next day they get transported to the arena. Let the games begin Cinna goes with Katniss and tthey put her in a light but warm clothing and say theiregoodbyes. Katniss hears the countdown and gets on her pedestal. Then it goes up and they can see the arena. There's a lake and a forest and Katniss spots a bow. She gets distracted and can't get the bow. Another girl gets it so Katniss runs off with only a backpack. She runs for a day and then sleeps in a tree. The next day she smells something burning and sees a fire and a wall of it going straight towards her. She runs away and gets burnt on her way. Then she finds a little pond to stay in and cool off her burns. Getting Help Katniss then sees a package and there a cream in it. She puts it on her burns and runs cause she hears a group of other competitors coming. Then she runs and climbs a tree because it is dark. She realizes its a pack of the huge kids from district 1 2 and 4 and Peeta. Then she sleeps a little until she sees a pair of eyes. She realizes its the 12 year old competitor, Rue. Rue just points to a nest of tracker jackers that when you get stung you are almost paralyzed instantly. Catniss cuts it to send it down on the kids trying to kill her. She gets 3 stings on the way. The nest opens and kills 2 and injures the others. Katniss runs away and steals the bow and arrow from one of the girls. The Alliance Katniss wanders for a while and then finds Rue. They form an alliance and share their things. The two also form a plan to steal all of the supplies that the tributes from 1 2 and 4 have. They set a plan where Rue starts 3 fires in different spots while Katniss tries to destroy the supplies. She sees one of the girls run through the area but thenrealizes that its surrounded by bombs. Katniss shoots an bag of apples with an arrow and sets of a bomb destroying the supplies. She gets away with only an injured ear and goes to find Rue. Katniss doesn't find her until she hears her scream. She runs toward her only to find her in a trap. Then Katniss sees a boy throw a spear and kill Rue. Katniss is filled with emotions and shoots the boy and kills him. Team Work Katniss is sad and then decides to find Peeta. The game makers announced that if your partner from the same disrtrict and you make it to the final 2, you can win together. So she goes to find Peeta and finds him almost dead and camouflaged in a rock. She tries to help his wounds but can't. Until she hears that the gamemakers are having a feast at the starting area. You will find a bag with what you need there. So Katniss leaves Peeta to go get it. When she gets there she sees one of the girls get her bag and run. Then she sees the girl from district 1, Clove, run to get the bags and then Katniss does too. She gets there and Clove throws a knife at Katniss and hits her in the head. Clove leaps onto Katniss and is about to kill her. Then Thresh, a huge boy comes and asks if she killed the little girl, Rue. She said no and then kills her and tells Katniss to run because she helped Rue. Katniss gets back to Peeta and gives him the medicine. She waits for a day until Peeta feels better. When he does they go hunting and kill a couple things. Peeta finds poison berries and puts hem in his bag. A girl then steals them and eats them and dies. That means there are only 4 people left. Katniss, Peeta, Thresh and the boy from district 1 Cato. Then they hear a cannon meaning a death and Thresh died. The End They run back to the beginning when they hear Cato scream. He is running away from wolves and they get on top of the Cornicopia. To get away from the wolves Cato grabs Peeta and tries to kill him. Katniss shoots him in the hand and Cato falls into the wolves and dies. Then the game makers announce that Peeta and Katniss must fight. But instead they threaten to kill themselves with the poison berries. The game makers decided that 2 winners is better then no winner and give in letting them both win. And, ending the 74th hunger games, they were the first 2 people to win a single hunger games. To learn more about the series, check out Wikepidia "The Hunger Games". If you want to read more of my writings, feel free to check out WHAT SWIMMING MEANS TO ME.https://solidparent.com/what-swimming-means-to-me/ Read the full article

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Grammy's Oatmeal Bread

We make this bread in the cool months, usually before the boys wake up.  It smells so good on a Sunday morning.  Try it out!  Leave a comment or if you need help send an email.

Grammy's Oatmeal Bread

The most amazing smell and most delicious tasting bread!

Melts in your mouth  ;)

Grammy's Oatmeal Bread

This is a wonderful Oatmeal Bread Recipe that my mother learned from her mother.  IT IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.  Its great for toast, sandwiches, or any other reason you need bread.  As an added bonus your house smells like baking bread.  Which is a top 5 smell for us.  :) Read the full article

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GUIDE TO BEING PRESENT WITH YOUR FAMILY

Have you ever felt like someone just isn't paying attention to you? They are not making eye contact, they are fidgeting while you are talking, or they have a far away and distant look on their face? How often do you think your kids notice this in you? I ask you this, what does it mean to be present with your family? Read the full article

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The Letter "J"

ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The tenth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter J. The letter "J" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks as related to the letter J. Jam Hands Time Parent Are You? Read the full article

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6 Important Steps for Accountable Parenting

What does it mean to be accountable? 

As a person, we are expected to justify our actions and decisions.  Not only do you need to hold your children accountable but you also need to keep yourself in check. Accountable parenting means your decisions need to be explainable. You need to be able to justify your actions and your decisions and so do your kids. You also need to be in control of your decisions.

Clearly define roles and expectations

When you or your children are unclear of your roles and what is expected, your life will suffer. Make sure you clarify all expectations of your home. Some good things to think about to help clarify your own thoughts are below: Do you understand what is expected of you as a parent?What do you have for expectations of yourself?Does your family understand your role as a parent? Have I made my relationship clear with my family ? Does everyone have a clear understanding of their own roles and expectations?

Hold yourself accountable

Our children learn from what they see. Owning up to your own mistakes can be the most effective way to show your children how to hold themselves accountable. Set the standard for which you want them to live by. When you model accountability rather than making excuses you teach that behavior to your family. By recognizing you may have hurt your child in some way and saying "I'm sorry I hurt you," the child will immediately feel better. You were able to recognize them and show them the situation is about them and not you. By not making an excuse you are able to maintain a trusting relationship and also reinforce accountability as a value in the family. A simple and honest apology for a mistake allows your kids to see you are holding yourself accountable, in turn allowing them to do the same. Owning a mistake actually communicates strength to your child. It gives them a feeling of security in knowing you make mistakes too, and that it is okay to do so.

Be consistent in your parenting

Consistency helps to develop routines. It sets standards and expectations and clearly lets people know what they can expect. Children love when their parents are consistent. In discipline, in expectations, in bed times, in screen times. Consistency sets the basics for everyday life. Limits and boundaries create a balance and helps to teach kids how they should behave.

Be an involved parent

There is a fine line in involving yourself in your child's life. It is natural for us as parents to want to protect our kids but try to keep in mind, mistakes are a necessary part of development. Kids learn so much by making mistakes and by living through the consequences. An over involved parent can really harm a child's growth, especially as they start to hit those teenage years. I remember so clearly when I was in college, I could pick out the kids who's parents never let them make decisions. They were on their own for the first time and they were wild. It was hard to watch, the over drinking, over eating, over sleeping, and truly just over indulging because no one was there telling them not to.

Find your parenting balance

In my mind, you want to avoid being the "helicopter parent", it is an extreme that does not seem to work well in the long run. The type of parent who just hovers over their child, not really allowing them to grow and mature. Kids who have helicopter parents tend to get the message that they can't make decisions for themselves, so someone else has to do it for them. The other extreme is being under-involved. These kids actually seem to be pretty good at decision making and being independent, because they learned it from their own survival skills. They are forced to learn the necessary skills through trial and error and are rarely given any guidance, support or encouragement. It is best to find a balance, while living your own life as a parent and allowing your child to live their life. As your kids reach the age of maturity, those teenage years, they will have a built in confidence, allowing them to make decisions. Of course they will still need clear boundaries and a real understanding of potential dangers and regular check in's with their family. But, outside of that, give them a chance to learn, grow, make good choices and also to make mistakes. Celebrate the positives and deal with the negatives.

Recognize the positives

Get yourself in the good practice of finding the positive things your children do and make sure you highlight those good things. Accountability is not always about punishments, doom and gloom. Be sure to compliment the good stuff. Notice when your child is kind to another, when they return something that is not theirs, when they help with chores without being reminded or asked. As a child, it can be nice to have positive reinforcement. Attention is always appreciated so why not find the ways to have positive attention!

Accountable Parenting Recap

Clearly define roles and expectationsHold yourself accountable Be consistent in your parentingBe an involved parentFind your parenting balanceRecognize the positives We would love to hear your thoughts about Accountable Parenting! Feel free to comment below and share on social media so your friends, family and followers can enjoy as well! Have you taken a moment to like our Facebook page? You may really enjoy reading our post about Teaching Children to Use Good Manners. Read the full article

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6 Important Steps for Accountable Parenting

6 Important Steps for Accountable Parenting

What does it mean to be accountable? 

As a person, we are expected to justify our actions and decisions.  Not only do you need to hold your children accountable but you also need to keep yourself in check. Accountable parenting means your decisions need to be explainable. You need to be able to justify your actions and your decisions and so do your kids. You also need to be in control of your…

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Have a Heart that Never Hardens

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THE LETTER "I"

The ABC's of parenting series. ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The ninth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter I. The letter "I" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks as related to the letter I. Idol Do you have an idol? Someone you look up to or that you greatly admire? When you think about that person, what are the qualities that drawn you to them? Our children also have or will have idols. Someone they will want to model themselves after or strive to be. Pay attention to who those idols are. These idols will be the ones shaping how they behave at school, in their relationships with you and with their peers and also will influence how they handle problem situations. Imagination Imaginative play is so very important in child development. It develops a high self esteem, helps in friend making and kids who are creative in their minds are often the best problem solvers. As a parent, we sometimes become the director. If you want your children to develop good imaginations, let them direct their own play. Give them the opportunity to pretend and create with their own minds. Get them outside and encourage them to use nature as their backdrop to creating a fun play world. Immediate Children can be so demanding and will surely want their needs to be met immediately. Use caution in always promptly catering to their every request. Teach your children patience by allowing them to wait for the things they want. Teach them to use good manners when asking for things and when receiving the things they want. Reward good behavior and guide them to understand that not everything happens at the moment they want it to. Set them up for success in later years by teaching them young. Consequences are most effective when done immediately. If you want your child to understand the connection between the punishment and what they did (the action) you need to make sure not to delay the consequence. If too much time passes they just will not understand the connection. Imperfect Allow your family to be perfectly imperfect! There will be flaws, there will be errors and most certainly there will be problems. Learn to love the imperfect and embrace the incompleteness so you can celebrate when things are seemingly going perfectly well. Remember that we all make mistakes, we all blow up at times, we all get anxious and nervous and we all are learning this parenting thing. Don't beat yourself up over your flaws and embrace your mistakes. Use your mistakes to teach your kids that everyone makes mistakes and show them how to move forward from them. Important Figuring out what is important in life can be so difficult. In this society it often feels like the focus is put on material things; the latest technology or the prettiest car. But really, is that what matters? Is that what you want your kids to learn to be the important things in life? My thought is the important things are family, relationships, time and effort. What you focus your attention on seems to grow and flourish, like sunlight and water to a plant. Impressionable Most research says that the most impressionable years for children is birth to three months old. Children are influenced by their experiences. They are so easily impressed and influenced by the people around them. They are like a sponge, they soak up everything around them. Consider how impressionable your kids are when you think about your own behavior. Kids learn from our actions, not our words. They take more from what they see than what they hear. If you look at your actions around your kids, do you like what they will see? Incredible Be incredible and allow your child to be incredible. What does it mean to be an incredible parent? Create a positive environment and give your kids the positive life. A positive heart is something they catch from you, something they learn from their small world. Motivate your kids by working with them to reach their own goals. Show them how to be a goal setter and also how to achieve their own success. Sometimes you will have to sacrifice your own time and energy to work with them, but they will see it and appreciate it. Focus on communicating as a family. Discuss the hard topics and enjoy the easy talks. Provide a safe environment for your kids. Let them know your boundaries and your expectations. Show them gratitude, appreciate them and let them know that you do. Independence Teaching independence is so important, honestly it one of your most important teachings as a parent. Raising children who grow up to be independent and resilient is a huge undertaking that can be quite frustrating at times. If you want your kids to grow to be adults who can solve their own world problems, you must focus on teaching them the important skill of independence. Encourage your kids to help you around the house, teach them important life skills and develop strong problem solving skills. Be creative in your teaching and your children will learn to be creative in their approach to life. Intelligence There are many different forms of intelligence. Being smart about nature, in music, with numbers and math, life, people, body and word smarts. These are all areas where you can teach intelligence. Guiding your children through these areas and teaching them about the world around them will create a well rounded intelligence, which is something worth thinking about as a parent. Intentional Being intentional in your life and in your parenting will teach your kids the value of family. When you know what matters to you as a person and know what matters to you in your parenting you will have a goal and a plan in your parenting. Being intentional means you put your focus on what is important to you. You are able to recognize that your time with your young kids is limited and then you can put your focus on them, while you still have that time. Internal The type of person you are and your experiences will greatly shape who you are as a parent. The internal part of you determines how you raise your kids. If you are optimistic, you will have a more positive parenting style. If you are affectionate this will be how you are with your children. Internal thoughts and feelings are so deep in you, they are a huge part of your style. NEXT UP - THE LETTER J BACK TO - THE LETTER H What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter I? Feel free to share in the comments! Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet? If not, we would love for you to Subscribe and watch some of our videos! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClug6jrn1FPsxBRo6YhRvMw?view_as=subscriber Babble.com has a fun quiz you might enjoy, What's Your Parenting Motto! Give it a try today! Read the full article

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RAISING GRATEFUL CHILDREN

To raise grateful children you must first teach them gratitude! Teach them to appreciate every little thing they have. Show them how to appreciate the world around them. Many children have so many opportunities to express their gratitude each day. If they learn to appreciate all the little things in life, they will be able to appreciate the bigger things even more! Showing gratitude is a state of mind that creates a positive mindset. What are some things you can encourage grateful children? The obvious ones: Love, food, water, shelter, power, the internet.. But what about the not so obvious ones, the ones you have to look a little deeper for. We talk about: Our piano, our computers and video games, our entertainment. The refrigerator and freezer working, the washer and dryer cleaning our clothes. The heat in the winter. Our extended family, our friends and our animals. Gas in the car, and really just having a good vehicle. We talk a lot about our health and well-being.Our ability to run, jump and play. Take the lead and show your kids when you are thankful for something. Say it aloud so they can hear it. When something makes you feel good inside, let them know! This is all around good for the whole family actually. When your kids hear you affirm that positive is happening around you, they feel it too. They start to look for things to be happy about. Encourage them to talk about it and to tell you how they feel! How do you teach your children to be thankful? When you are driving in your car, what do you talk about? It is a perfect time to talk about the things to be thankful for. You can lead by example and start talking about things you appreciate. Maybe you notice the car has a full tank of gas because your husband filled it for you, tell the kids about it and show your excitement to the thoughtful and kind gesture. Tell them about how much easier it makes things for you with not having to stop and get gas on your way to the destination. Think about meal times. Do you spend time together while you are eating? I know a lot of families eat on the go or all eat at different times. But, perhaps there is one night a week you can all sit at the dinner table together. A great way to get the kids involved is to lead by example. We often eat at the table, in fact it is rare if we don't all eat together. Our family makes a point of eating dinner together as often as possible. We do a majority of our talking while eating and we often take turns asking each other questions. Think about all the down moments you have with your kids. Waiting in line is a big one! We seem to be waiting around a lot, but for short periods of time. These are good moments to talk about positive things. One of my favorite things is talking about how nice it is to use our patience while waiting in line. I love to engage the kids in a conversation about how the only way to perfect patience is to practice using it, These conversations are fun and light-hearted but they usually get a good laugh from any neighboring line waiters. It is a simple moment, but it is not me impatiently tapping my foot and rolling my eyes. My kids see that, they see they need to slow down and wait and they see it as a good thing (most of the time). Sometimes it can be tough to get your whole family talking about positive things. We have found that asking questions is a good way to get things moving along. Some topics we use to inspire grateful thinking in our kids: "What was the kindest thing someone did in your class today, for you or for anyone else?" "Tell me about the best thing that happened to you at school." "What made you feel happy while you were at practice" "What was the nicest thing someone said to you today?" "What is the kindest thing you did for someone else today?" "Tell me about your favorite moment this week." "What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?" If you create the environment they tend to follow suit. I know when these questions are going around, we all answer. It goes around the table and we all get to feel joy for each other. These conversations are second nature to our family. But, at first it was a little awkward to get used to. As parents, we have learned how many questions our kids can tolerate and also how many we can handle. It is so good to teach your kids to be appreciative and show them how to say Thank you! In our house, we use our manners. From the youngest age, we teach eye contact when you are thanking a person for something. Showing respect and being sincere in your appreciation is just as important as the words themselves. My kids here me say thank you so many times in a day, I don't even think I could count if I tried. They also learn about the other side. We point out to them when another does not use their manners, so they can see both perspectives. We have found that the kids prefer the kindness and seem to gravitate towards it now. Ultimately, your kids learn by your example. They learn through your behavior much more than by your words. Show them how to live a grateful life, teach them to be thankful and appreciative when the situation calls for it. There are so many more examples I could come up with and so many more situations. What kids of questions do you ask your kids to incite a grateful lifestyle? What situations can you think of that would make good teaching moments? If you like this post, you may enjoy Food, kid, behavior, related? Childmind.org has a great post called 10 Tips for Raising Grateful Kids. Read the full article

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THE ABC's OF PARENTING

    The ABC's of Parenting tips and tricks At Solid Parent, we believe that there is a ton of information on parenting. Development skills, tips and tricks should be easily accessible to all parents. We feel our series "The ABC's of parenting" will be a great resource for one and all. Over the next few weeks we will be working through the alphabet in a series that will stimulate different ideas. We will assign the letters to our thoughts on important parenting topics. Our idea is to make a comprehensive list that will be thought provoking and positive. This will help strengthen current parenting styles and also will give new ideas to think about while raising our children. It is, and always has been, our intention to raise happy and healthy children while maintaining our own positive self-esteem. We hope that you will follow along with our ABC's of parenting. As we update our new posts we will add the link's below! A is for Adventure B is for Blow Bubbles C is for Courageous D is for Dramatic E is for Empower F is for Freedom G is for Guiltless H is for Hero I is for INTENTIONAL J is for Justice K is for Ketchup L is for Lovable M is for Mysterious N is for Neighborly O is for Optimism P is for Protective Q is for Questions R is for Respectful S is for Spirited T is for Tickle U is for Unconditional V is for Verifiable W is for Watchful X is for X-Ray Y is for Yin & Yang Z is for Zig Zag What are some of your key parenting words and what do they mean to you? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! If you would like to read more about our ideas, please read our post, A Positive Parenting Style Changes Everything! If you have never checked out CafeMom, you might really enjoy their site as well. Read the full article

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Letter "H"

The ABC's of parenting series. ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The eighth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter H. The letter "H" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter H. Habit Developing good habits in your children is a key piece of parenting. Good habits include eating a variety of foods, try to get them to eat many different colors of food. Make sure they are in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast and have plenty of fruits and vegetables. Activities that are enjoyable to them will create good habits of getting exercise and using their brains on a regular basis and in a fun way. Reading every day and getting off the couch a moving. Make sure they are in the habit of drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated as well. Handmade I am not the crafty type at all but I do enjoy a good handmade project. Teaching children to make their own items can be a lot of fun too. It does not have to be fancy and you don't necessarily need to make their clothes, but making handmade crafts can sometimes be easy and therapeutic. It can be simple, like cutting snowflakes out of paper or making beaded necklaces, or it can be more complicated like building a birdhouse out of wood or building your own robot out of Legos. Get out of your comfort level and make something handmade with your kids. The memories will last a lifetime! Handy Being able to fix something when it breaks or knowing how to repair things around the house will be a necessary skill for your child as they grow older. Helping them learn to be handy will show them independence and that they can rely on themselves for many things. Being handy with a screwdriver or a hammer doesn't need to be difficult. When they need a new battery in their toy, teach them to use the screwdriver to get the back open. Show them how to change a tire let them change a light bulb, and teach them how to change a bike tire. Give them these life lessons so you can set them for success. Healthy Deciding to be healthy is a choice. You choose to eat a healthy breakfast everyday, to drink plenty of water, to exercise and to read books. It is your choice to get off the couch, to go outside for walks, to spend time with your friends and to eat dinner as a family at the table. You also choose to be a positive person with a positive mindset. When you choose these healthy habits, you will show your kids what it means to be healthy. Instead of "do as I say not as I do", give them the skills to be healthy, first hand. Set them up for a healthy lifestyle by guiding them in that direction. Hero Who was your hero as a child? Was it a heroic character in a book or a movie or was it someone in your life who was strong and brave? Literary heroes are so valuable. They teach kids important life lessons that they may not learn elsewhere. We as parents can also be heroes for our kids by being strong and resistant in their upbringing. Children need healthy role models, they need something to look up to and strive to become. Historical Family history tells a story for your children about who they are and where they come from. They can learn so much from history. Knowing some historical facts about their family roots can give them a better understanding of who they are. It can motivate them to improve upon what the generations before them already accomplished. Aside from that, having historical knowledge of family health can be instrumental in understanding their own well-being. Honest Being truthful with your words and with your actions creates a trustworthy relationship with your kids. Showing them that you live with integrity and that they can count on you to be honest is the best way to build trust with your child. Giving them honest answers to their questions and also giving honest feedback will make them more apt to come to you for the answers to their tough questions. Hugs Did you know that hugs help your child grow? The physical contact of hugging even releases oxytocin, the well known love hormone, which activates growth! It takes between 15 and 20 seconds for our bodies to release the love hormone, and for our bodies to feel the benefit. Hugging your child is a great way to teach them love and compassion. Showing your child you care about them and comforting them when they are sad can be as simple as a 20 second hug! Humor Find things to laugh about. Being a parent is hard work and there are bound to be a ton of situations that will frustrate you and make you feel like you are failing. The more you can find humor in situations, the better you will do in keeping own sanity. Laugh with your kids, be silly and goofy. When you have a minor mishap, find a way to see the bright side. Laugh with you kids when you can. Show them it is okay to make mistakes and sometimes it is even okay to laugh about them. Hungry Growing children always seem to be hungry. Some weeks it feels like the grocery store has taken all of my extra money. Something to remember is to have healthy snack choices in the house. Making sure there are plenty of fruits and vegetables will encourage your children to eat plenty of them. Keeping chips and cookies to a minimum and more for special occasions would be a good idea. If your kids are like mine, they will grab the easiest thing they can find to eat. NEXT UP - THE LETTER I BACK TO - THE LETTER G Have you ever made crepes for your kids breakfast? If not, you should try our easy to follow recipe, Cinnamon Crepes! You might enjoy Zen Habits post, 10 Simple, sure-fire ways to make today your best day ever! Read the full article

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THE LETTER "G"

The ABC's of parenting series. ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The seventh part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter G. The letter "G" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter G. Generous We all love a generous person right? Well, teaching your child how to be generous starts at home, with you. Take the time to talk about generosity, what it means and what it looks like. When you see someone being generous, point it out to your child and talk about how it makes you feel. Model generous behavior by giving to others and by being kind. Gentle A gentle parent is one who is aware of their child's emotions and understands their needs and works with their child with a peaceful and understanding attitude. Children who have gentle parents learn consistency and compassion from a very young age. Gift Think about your gift giving occasions, do you let your child help you in the process? When you let them help you pick out the gift, wrap it and actually give the gift it teaches them to do the same. They are able to see and feel the emotions with gift giving and will grow to love the giving process. Gifts do not need to be extravagant. When your child has a birthday or there is another gifting reason, remember they will love anything you give them because it comes from you and it is special. There is never any need to go broke or into debt to give your child a gift. We live in a society that tells us to get the best of the best but you do not have to give in to that. Give You may be thinking I have already touched on giving enough already but seriously. There are so many ways to give and it does not have to be monetary. Think of other things you can give. Your time, your energy, your enthusiasm., your commitment, your thoughts and your caring are all things to give, day in and day out! Give your children you, it is the best gift they will receive! Goal Setting goals is a remarkable thing. Teach your children to set goals. Set goals for your self and for your family. Small measurable goals can get the ball rolling. Goals can be anything you want to achieve. You can set a goal of losing 5 lbs or a goal of going to Disney World. The sky is the limit. But talk about them as a family. Talk about your desires and your commitments and celebrate your achievements. Teach your children to set goals. Better grades in school, winning a swim race, or making a new friend. Goals are the key to being successful! Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have done unto you! This is the golden rule and the one rule that your family should live by. This rule teaches compassion and understanding. Teach your children to live by this rule will set them for being kind, caring and nurturing to others. It also teaches them to think about how they want to be treated. When you know what you are willing to take as a person from others, you learn how to treat the people in your life. Grateful Teaching a child to be grateful can be so satisfying. When you talk about gratitude regularly it becomes a positive habit. Talk about it often and teach your kids to recognize the feeling of gratitude. You can Growing Children grow so quickly. They learn so many skills each and every day. They get stronger and bigger right before your eyes. Encourage healthy habits with food choices to help their bodies take in good nutrients. Be prepared to listen and offer suggestions and advice as your children get older and puberty hits. Their bodies change almost over night and be prepared for their hormones to take over. The more prepared you are for these changes, the more you can be there for them as they move forward in their growth. Guiltless Honeslty, things are not always going to go as planned. You might have the best of intentions, but lets face it, things might not always work out the way you envision them. Learn to be okay with that fact. Don't allow yourself to feel guilty when your house isn't as clean as you want or when you have to miss an event because of work. Be the best you can be but accept the notion that you can't be and do it all. NEXT UP - THE LETTER H BACK TO - THE LETTER F What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter G? Feel free to share in the comments! You might also like our video with Aaiko getting her hair washed for the first time! Parents.com has a page you might enjoy, 10 meditations for new mothers! Read the full article

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THE LETTER "F"

The ABC's of parenting series. ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The sixth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter F. The letter "F" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter F Fear Today's parents almost seem to be ruled by fear. We seem to second guess ourselves and our children at every turn. Things like your baby hitting milestones differently than another child or fear of disease or fear of abduction. The fears are seriously endless. It is important to think about the what if's and your own responses as well as to have safeguards in place to protect your child. But, I caution to not get too consumed in your fears as they can become debilitating. On another note, fear is common in childhood. When trying new things or when asked to attend new schools or activities, your child might have fears that you will help them overcome in order to enjoy the newness. Being patient and understanding of your child's fears can help get them to move forward much faster than if you are to push them without any sympathy. First Putting your child first really means that you need to think about the best interest of the child not the best interest of yourself. What children need depends on their ages and what they are used to in their lives. When you put your child first they learn to trust you and also to trust that they will be safe and secure in this world. On the other hand, if you are constantly putting your own needs first, your child will withdraw from you and learn to do things on your own. In the long run, they will not come to you when their problems get bigger and when they are faced with serious issues. Flexibility Sometimes kids need you to break the normal routine and need to see that you can be flexible to accommodate different family situations and needs. You may have the best intentions on sleep schedules and other routines, but sometimes your children will need to break from those. When they are sick, for instance, the routine may need to break. They may need more snuggles from you and not be comfortable in their own bed. Fragile Everything about a child is fragile. Their bodies, their emotions and their spirits. Take care in dealing with your children to understand that they may need extra attention at times in order to strengthen them. It is not always easy to remember, but they are little only once and you may need to tone things back a notch when dealing with them. If they are not meeting your expectations, you may need to slow things down so you can teach them from a place of love and understanding. Freedom Freedom allows children to express their creative thoughts. This can lead to more productivity in the long run. When you limit your unnecessary restrictions, you allow your kids to speak, give them the power to act and teach them to seek after happiness. Of course, you don't want to give a child free reign to do as they place, that would create serious chaos. But, you do need to give them the opportunity to learn how to make decisions on their own and to make mistakes. Let them have small amounts of control now, so as they grow older they are well adjusted and confident in themselves. Forgiveness Forgiveness has nothing to do with being right, it is about preserving the relationship and making sure things are good. Most people see their side of a situation or issue but struggle to see things from another viewpoint. It is important to teach children that their side is only one part of the situation. When you look at the whole story, it is much easier to forgive and move on in life and in the relationship. Friend Although you are your child's parent and not their friend, you are ultimately their first friend. They learn from their relationship with you and the rest of their family how to act as a good friend. They learn how to behave, how to share, how to show empathy and how to be reliable.Lead by example and teach your child what a good friend looks like. Funny Sometimes it is best to be just plain silly with your kids. Making them laugh is the very best feeling in the world, in my opinion. Giving them a chance to be silly with their facial expressions or their mannerism. Find your inner child and laugh with them as often as you can. Raising a happy kid feels so good. As your child develops their sense of humor, remember it is okay to find and work on yours as well. Future I think most parents can agree, they want to pave a path for their child to have a bright, successful and rewarding future. As a parent, you can help set them on the right track in many ways. Teach them to have a healthy lifestyle and make good choices around food and exercise. Let your kids play and have free time, and join them in those times as often as you can. Allow your kid to make mistakes, they will learn many life skills from them. Teach your children how to budget and save money so as they grow older they understand the importance from a young age. NEXT UP - THE LETTER G. BACK TO - THE LETTER E. What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter F? Feel free to share in the comments! If you want, feel free to read our post about Teaching Kids to Use Good Manners. Can you pass this basic parenting quiz? Read the full article

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THE LETTER "E"

ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES The fifth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter E. The letter "E" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter E. Eager Kids are naturally eager to learn. From the moment they are born they are eager to communicate with the people in their lives. They start trying to explore their environment from a very young age. The best way for a child to learn about the world around them is to allow them to question everything. Be prepared with answers or ask a question back to them to get them to think it through. Early Children learn from an early age how to function in the world you are creating for them. Early childhood development is considered from Birth through Kindergarten. This is the time they learn to interact with people and also when they start to develop specific interests. Think about this early education as laying your child's foundation for their entire future. Use this time to develop their skills to set them up for great success! Educate Education does not happen only in a classroom. Think about ways you can educate your child at home as well. We like to turn games into learning adventures. For instance, when we are in the car we play :"eye spy" and as they get older you have to spell the answer. We also shout out math facts and word problems. The kids have developed many math and language skills from these simple activities, and the car rides go by much faster. Elephant in the Room Kids are very intuitive and they certainly know when something is going on. We call it the Elephant in the Room when there is something no one really wants to talk about. It is usually a problem that will make someone in our family uncomfortable or embarrassed. When there is an elephant in the room, talk about it! As you talk about it, you can verify if it is a real issue. You really need to acknowledge it because most likely it won't go away, it may actually grow bigger. As you talk about this elephant, be aware of your families emotions and be mindful of everyone's feelings. Emotional Intelligence The emphasis on emotional intelligence in children has been seriously neglected over the years. We have been so focused on education and intelligence that we have forgot about emotional maturity. We need to foster in children, awareness of emotions and also an understanding of our own and others emotions. A child needs to be able to express and also control their emotional responses. It seems obvious to me that a child with good self control and emotional intelligence would be less likely to break the law or have addiction issues later in life. Empower An empowered child tends to become a well adjusted teenager and adult. By giving your child choices and allowing them to take risks you are giving them the power to feel strong and confident. Teach them to follow through with there passions and interests. Give them confidence in themselves when it comes to their choices. Building confidence and self-esteem makes children find comfort in who they are as well as teaches them they can be independent. Encourage Encouraging a child does so much more for them that praise does. Encouragement uses "you statements" rather than "I statements". For example, "you must be so proud" rather than "I am so proud". Think about the difference. A "you statement" makes them look inside of themselves, whereas the "I statement" makes them look at you for more information. When you encourage a child, you empower them to see the great inside of themselves. When you praise with a "I statement", they will always be seeking approval from others. In terms of setting a child up for success, in the long-term, encouragement is far more effective than praise. Engagement There are so many ways to engage with your child to help foster the bond and trust between you two. A simple and easy thing is to actually look at them when they are speaking to you. Get down on their level and actually listen to what they have to say. Smiling is another easy one, show them the joy they bring to you. Whenever possible, say yes to them! Let them know they can ask you things and you will follow through. Build the fort in the living room with blankets and pillows. Make shadow puppets. Let them stir the batter for cookies. I bet you will find you will have more fun too! NEXT UP - THE LETTER F BACK TO - THE LETTER D What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter E? Feel free to share in the comments! If you want, feel free to read our post about Teamwork Works! You might also enjoy a quiz to find out your Parenting Motto! Read the full article

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THE LETTER "D"

ABC'S OF PARENTING SERIES

The fourth part of our ABC's of Parenting Series is The letter D.

The letter "D" has a full range of words that relate to Parenting! Below is a small list that we think are important while dealing with our kids. We have included our thoughts, tips and tricks related to the letter D.

Daily

Creating a daily routine that builds a positive connection with your kids is so important. There are many ways to create that daily bond. Each day, take five minutes to snuggle or be close with your child. Sit down at the dinner table for meals. At Breakfast you can talk about what they look forward to in the day or in the evening take a moment to find out the best thing that happened to them that day. Read with your child every night before bed. Books are a great way to form a close connection.

Think about your daily life and choose three things you can do with your child. Make a plan to make them happen. A daily routine that creates a positive connection is easy to do if you set your intention to do it!

Debate

One huge part of parenting is being prepared to debate. You will debate parenting philosophy's with family, friends and even strangers. Everyone has an opinion on parenting and you might as well be prepared to hear them. Remember, a debate is thinking about things from different viewpoints. There is no need to turn things into an argument, where you are defending your position.

Decision

As a parent, you will make a lot of decisions. Some will be good and some will be just plain wrong. Remember to teach your children as you go. When you make a wrong decision, don't hang your head, use it as a teaching tool and talk about it.

Decision making is a critical life skill that you will need to teach your children. Without this skill how will your child be a mature and healthy adult? Always remember, no matter the outcome of their decisions they will learn something. A good choice and they gain self confidence, a bad one and they learn from it and make better choices later on.

Delegate

It is easy to feel overwhelmed in parenting. Learning how to delegate will help ease some of those feelings. Think about your routine tasks and which ones someone else in the house might be able to do better than you. Everyone should have chores and should contribute to making the house run smoothly.

Dependable

The mark of a dependable parent is one that is consistent, reliable and trustworthy. Your children need to know you will hold true to your word. If you say you are going to be some where, be there. If your child has an appointment, get them there on time. Follow through with your word, always. Of course, everyone has a bad day here and there but overall, let your kids know they can count on you!

Discuss

Taking the time to have discussions with your kids from an early age can really make things easier as they age. If you and your kids have lots of conversations throughout their whole lives, they will be more apt to talk to you when difficult things come up.

Discipline With Kindness

Let's start with the fact that discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline has more of a teaching element than punishment ,which is just a negative consequence.

When a parent is angry or upset they usually punish more harshly than when they are calm. If a parent is able to remain calm and in control they can discipline with kindness rather than react with anger. This is a much better long-term strategy.

Don't Over React

Our kids learn from hour behaviors and our reactions to situations. If you have a tendency to over react as a parent, you may notice it in your children's reactions. When a parent can regulate their own emotions they can more easily teach their children to do the same. You really do set the example as a parent. Your kids are always watching and mimicking you. If you want even and calm children, you must be an even and calm parent.

NEXT UP - THE LETTER E

BACK TO - THE LETTER C

What is your favorite parenting word that starts with the letter D? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you want, feel free to read our post about Raising Free Thinkers!

You might also enjoy Parenting 101!

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