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There can be friction in the air when your children try to finish their homework when they would rather turn on the television or fire up their DSi. Delivering parents’ views on the matter to the stressed child can lead to a meltdown. Here are some tips to help you avoid those issues.
Complete the homework in a quiet, well-lit area. Avoid distractions to maintain a quiet calm. Teach your children to make sure they have all the materials they need to …

How many times have we heard this and thought how true this is! The joy I get from giving someone a heartfelt gift, time, or a shoulder to cry on is so much more rewarding and brings so much more joy than any materialistic gift. This is never more true than at Christmas time. There are so many people in need and with the holiday season upon us, it is so important to remember those who are often forgotten throughout the year.
There are many organizations that gear up at this …

by Olivia Lennox
As a parent, being positive helps to maintain your child’s enthusiasm. A way to show this for real is to do what your children do. If they read a book, settle down to read at the same time. If you balance your checking account when they are doing their math homework, they will be able to see why math is important.
You shouldn’t give your child answers, but help them find the answer to any problems they can’t initially solve. Guiding them to an answer will prove more useful …

Penguin Foot Print
This craft is a super cute craft that is fun for kids to make and makes a great gift for grandparents or someone special in your child’s life. I took the print and placed a mat and frame around it to give as gifts to grandparents and I know they will be thrilled when they unwrap this treasure!
Items you will need:

White paper or cardstock
Black acrylic paint
Orange acrylic paint or orange crayon
Sponge or paintbrush
Googly eyes

Directions:

Simply paint your child’s foot using the black acrylic paint, leaving the inside area of …

If money for Christmas is tight this year, there are things you can do to ease the burden yet keep the Christmas spirit alive. Set a budget and stick to it. A good way to make sure you stick to it is to use cash. If you leave your checkbook and credit cards at home, you will not spend more than you have. Consider it a chance to be creative, unique and genuine. Christmas on a budget can be the best one you have ever had.
Gifts of Time
There are better …

Buckeyes
Buckeye making has become a yearly tradition in our family. My daughter gets so excited when I announce that today is buckeye making day. We make three to four batches every year so we have plenty to share. I purchase inexpensive tins or buckets at the dollar store and fill them with these homemade treats to include as part of the teacher gifts we present to our children’s teachers each year. I hope you have as much fun making and eating these tasty treats as we do!
Ingredients:

1 ½ cups peanut …

by Heather Dugdale of http://www.recoveringworkingmom.com/ 
It’s that time of year where mommies over-schedule and over-commit themselves only to add a trip in the middle of the madness.
Here’s what I learned about holiday traveling with kids:

Don’t do it!  Tell your relatives they can bring their @$$es to your house until the children can pack and drive themselves.
If you decide NOT to heed #1, try these “tricks”:

1. Separate clothes. Pack kids’ clothes in gallon size plastic bags separated by child, by day.
2. Make sure the children pick the outfits or you will surely choose clothes they …

Every year for the entire month of November we learn about the brave voyage the Pilgrims made and the important friendship that formed between the Pilgrims and Indians in my kindergarten classroom. I chose to dress like Indians for our family Thanksgiving feast because the kids can get creative with their art. As we learn about the Indians I teach them a few writing symbols the Indians used and the kids use them as they decorate.
For the headband and necklace I dye uncooked noodles. Pour rubbing alcohol and a few …

Being a mom can be exhausting. Your children constantly need your help with things. They especially need to be counseled and sometimes you just don’t know exactly what to say. Good thing there are plenty of children’s movies that provide some great insights as to what kids need to hear.  Here are some lines from movies that you can use on your children in certain situations.

 
When they don’t want to eat their vegetables:
 
“Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is …

Fall is finally here! It’s time to put away the shorts and tank tops and break out the cardigans and warm boots. While the turning weather may dictate what you’re wearing this season, it also plays a role in what nail polish is hot, and what’s not. This year, it’s in style to express yourself through your nail polish color or colors, and whatever decal or print you may choose to adorn your nails with.
While it is traditional to opt for darker, muted tones in the colder months, women are …

Cooking with your children is a wonderful way to create quality family time together while also remaining productive with other aspects of your day. With our days constantly getting shorter, multitasking has become a busy mother’s forte. Making homemade yogurt is a fun and useful way to spend times with your kids at home. Yogurt is a deliciously healthy treat that parents and children alike can enjoy and reap benefits from. While many of our youngsters may not like the taste, feel, or smell of plain white yogurt, there …

The author of this post is Kory Dotson
My wife got me the direct TV NFL package for my birthday last year and it’s been the best gift ever. I actually was in the process of redoing the deck so I added in a waterproof TV and some great outdoor furniture and now I have my buddies over each and every Saturday to watch college ball all day long. I’ve got the best wife and she’ll always make us burgers or a big pot of chili or something to make it …

The weather’s getting warmer and Moms everywhere are looking for fun ways to fight the rays this summer for their littlest tikes. Here are some mom-approved picks that can help beat the heat:
Reversible sunglasses for infants: Designed to be worn right-side up or up-side down, these fun shades protect little eyes from dangerous rays with specially designed UV lenses.
SPF-protective swimwear: Bathing suits, UV shirts, sun hats, and swim shorts that double as diapers and protect from dangerous rays are available in sizes 0-3 months …

Father’s Day is coming up and you want to do something really special for the man in your life and the father of your children, right? While it’s true that a new golf club might bring a smile to his face, what you really want to do is bring a tear to his eye. Put the little hands of your little ones to work and craft a Father’s Day gift he’ll never forget. Not the crafty type? This Father’s Day project is so simple that you …

One of the latest of trends in gifting for little ones is personalization. With more and more emphasis placed on unique and fun bestowals at showers and birthday parties everywhere, personalized baby gifts are popping up all over the map.
You can buy adorable bloomers with your baby girl’s initial on the backside, gold rings made for the tiniest finger and engraved with her name, or a letterman-style jacket with his moniker emblazoned on the chest. These gifts are undeniably cool and …

If you are anything like me, time is a very valuable commodity in your life. Something that you probably always need more of. More time to sleep, more time to blog, more time to spend with the kids…it never ends.
That’s why, when it comes to figuring what you need to be reading in blogland, the task can become very overwhelming, very fast. What are the posts you need to be familiar with in order to grow your audience and drive more …

Your bestie, your baby sister, Grams, and the neighbor who’s known you since you were six, are all out searching for the perfect baby gift for the new arrival. Babies are to be celebrated, smiled upon, and spoiled a bit before they even know it. So what are the best shower gifts for 2011? We’ve found some phenomenal gifts for a wide array of budgets. Check out some popular presents that we think you should know about:
The jogging stroller: Moms …

As we welcome in Spring and Summer, our days have consisted of lots of outdoor play. While most of our days are sunny and bright, we are occasionally stuck indoors due to rain. Do rainy days have you singing the blues? Shake them away with these fun rainy day activities! I hope you enjoy them as much as my girls do.

Make and Take ~ First the girls pick someone they would like to make something for. Then we pull …

They’re running through your yard. They show up in stores. That’s right; bunnies are practically blooming in Springtime. If your child is in the mood for a some furry entertainment, check out these great story books, featuring some very fun bunnies:
Rescue Bunnies by Doreen Cronin
Rescue Bunnies is a story about a little bunny with a big heart. “Newbie” is a Rescue Bunny trainee, called upon to demonstrate his new professional skills during a giraffe rescue. When a “Code …

Things have changed a lot since I was a kid and I know for a fact that when I was growing up, we were a lot more active. I remember often that, during the summer months, we would come home, as the sun was getting ready to go down. This was, of course, just in time for supper. Now kids seem much more prone to stay in doors and with cell phones, the Internet, and video games, it seems like kids are becoming more hermit-like. This concern seems to be …

“Are you going to recycle that, Mom?”
I love that my five year-old knows to ask this question, when she sees me cleaning out a milk carton. I feel like I’ve done a good thing by setting an example of recycling plastic, glass, aluminum, paper, and even old clothing. With Earth Day (April 22nd) fast approaching, I have been looking for more resources to help focus my daughters on things they can do to help keep their planet healthy. Here are …

Are you deciding where to take your kids for summer vacation or spring break? Let’s face it: choosing the right location can be stressful for both you and your wallet. In addition to considering your finances, you should also analyze other factors such as the age of your children and their respective interests. Here are some tips for choosing the right destination for your children. You can make every family vacation a memorable one with these simple suggestions.
Age Isn’t Just a Number
Some parents make the mistake of taking their newborns …

I know; I know. It’s still winter. Your car is buried in snow and your still paying off the Christmas presents for the kids. The holiday season was exhausting, and you’re trying to be thankfully for the peace of the post-holiday season. However, for your family the holiday season hasn’t ended as they prepare for Mother’s Day.
While it is early, it’s a good idea to shop early for gifts to avoid the rush to find a  suitable present as the day approaches. Here are a list of gift ideas …

No Name-Calling Week will be celebrated in schools all over the United States during the week of January 24th-28th.  As teachers and counselors plan group activities and discussions around this important theme, you can emphasize the same message at home with these great children’s and tweenage reads:
Jungle Bullies by Steven Kroll
Jungle Bullies is a picture book for preschoolers that uses rhyme and repetition to share important messages about standing up for yourself and learning to share.  With engaging, child-friendly illustrations and inviting jungle animal characters, this is a great choice …

I admit it.  I’m a holiday junkie.  I’m the type of mother who loves to do special little things for holidays, and Valentine’s Day is probably one of my favorites.  However, I like to keep things frugal and relatively simple.  It doesn’t take much to show your kids that you care and the small, inexpensive efforts often times pack the most punch.  Two things I love to do are make a special breakfast and do a holiday craft.
Blissful Breakfast
Having a special breakfast sets the tone for the day.   My son …

Even though the holidays are all about spending time with those we love, it seems that we spend half the season running around town shopping for gifts, dreading the big family dinner, comparing yard decorations across neighborhoods, counting calories, not counting the growing numbers of your credit card debt, tearing out our hair, and all in all being kind of a Grinch.
This article won’t solve all your problems, even though I wish it would.  What it will do, however, is present you with a list of DIY gifts that will:
a)      …

While clinical depression is a well-known psychiatric disorder among adults and adolescents, it is not as frequently reported in pre-adolescent children, simply because most people think children are immune to such a disorder. What’s more, many adults will dismiss symptoms of depression in their children because they mistaken such symptoms as the usual mood changes witnessed in kids approaching their moody pubescence.
While depressed children exhibit similar symptoms as do depressed adults, here are a few warning signs that are especially common in children. If your child is exhibiting even a …

As a clinical social worker, I was trained in the nurture end of the Nature vs. Nurture debate, believing that a persons environment (family life, early experiences, traumas, etc.) was the dominant factor in shaping their personality and preferences. As a mom, I learned from the first days of both of my daughters lives how important a role nature (temperament, genetics, etc.) plays in shaping who a child becomes. I guess you could say I am official fence rider now, when it comes to the nature/nurture question dash citing …

I just finished purchasing school supplies for my 3 girls.  Talk about a beating for both my and my wallet!   Wow!  Normally I buy them through the school so now I know and forever more will buy them via school.  Well, Kelly Wilson has some great helpful ideas and while it may be too late for a few of them for this year, who says you cannot teach us old dogs some new tricks, hmm?

Guest Blog by Kelly Wilson, an editor for Teaching Resource Center.
Your child’s school supply list …

Last week, I told you to quit whining and get rid of the laundry and Badger Mom wanted to know how many items her kids actually needed, anyway.
Instead of just replying to her comment, I thought it would be best to write a post with my answer.   Now, please understand that everyone’s needs are different, but this should be the bare bones of each person’s wardrobe.
You need to sit down and plan how many outfits each member of your family needs. Most families wash the laundry once a …