InvitingSmiles Blog

Taking the Kids to School Can be Fun!

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Most of us working moms and dads have our hands full from the get-go every morning. Getting the kids awake and up (no easy chore), coaxing some sort of breakfast down to their little bellies, helping them get dressed for school, and on and on, not to mention getting ourselves ready for the work day. By the time everyone jumps into the car for the short ride to school, the tension sometimes has mounted to somewhat of a grumpy point for everyone.

So I started to wonder how this short ride might make a difference in the way my kids start their day off in school. I think I figured it out. All I have to do is say something funny or act in a funny way, whether the children are receptive or not. It is amazing how grumpy little people can turn their dispositions around in a heartbeat. Here’s an example.

On the ride to school, I asked my 5 yr. old to say something with her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Then I tried to repeat what she said with my tongue held to the roof of my mouth. Before long, the 10 yr. old was chiming in. We really made some hilarious sounds, and my girls could not stop laughing. I believe that kids of all ages, boys and girls alike, find it amusing when watching grown-ups act silly. And it certainly can’t be a bad thing for them to enter their first class of the school day in a better than grumpy mood. Any kind of silliness seems to work.

Yes, it’s hard for some of us grown-ups to be cheerful in the morning, but give it a try for the kid’s sake. Simply use your imagination on the way to school and try to remember how funny things could be when you were that age. It’s a great way to get their school day started…humor instead of grump. Oh, and by the way, it may just help brighten your day also. It does mine.

There are obviously TONS of parenting tips that we all can benefit from. We have had a few of you share some of these with us.

http://www.invitingsmiles.com/good-parenting-tip.html

Posted in Parenting Plus | Comments Off

Create A Kid’s Good Deed Calendar

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

How many times do some kids go through an entire day without doing a single thing to help another person or without saying something that makes someone else feel good?

I started to wonder what I could do to test my own children’s concept of The Golden Rule. While looking at my calendar hanging next to my child’s valentine’s day cards, an idea came to mind….Why not develop a “Good Deed Calendar” for my little ones.

A blank current calendar can be used, or one can be drawn. Make a calendar for each girl and each boy in your family and label each one “My Good Deed Calendar” and have each child put his or her calendar in a secret safe place in their bedroom. Ask each child to perform one good deed for someone else every day and record it on his or her calendar for that day just before they go to bed. The deed can be anything and can be done anywhere and anytime during the day, but it has to be real and can’t be made up. As a guideline for ideas, tell your kids that the deed they do for someone else should be something that they would like to have done to them sometime. And remember, asking for only one good deed per day is best, so they don’t get overwhelmed.

At the end of a time period (probably no more than two weeks) let each child go through his or her calendar and explain the deed that was done for each day and why they thought it was good. Then reward each child in any way you see fit, whether for their effort or for their actual results. Give it a try.

Even a simple thank you note to your child can be very special. It can work wonders for your child’s self esteem and can teach them how good it feels to be more giving by doing something for someone else.

Posted in Parenting Plus | 1 Comment »

Baby Sling, or No Baby Sling?

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Baby sling, or no baby sling? That is the question!

A baby sling is used to hold an infant close to the caregiver’s body. Designed similar to a sling used for an injured arm, but with more safety measures considered. There are many slings available to carry an infant, and some convert to carry older children.

As with most products, there are pros and cons about the use of a baby sling.

A baby sling can help moms free up both their hands to work on the computer, or do simple chores. Some studies show that slings make the baby feel more secure. They also can make the mother simply feel better to have the baby close by.

On the negative side, there are reports each year of children that have fallen out of a baby sling and injured themselves. Some of these injuries can be severe. Choking is another possibility.

Before purchasing a baby sling, do your research and listen to people’s comments about their experience. If you do decide to try a sling, read the instructions very carefully, and follow the guidelines closely each and every time you use the baby sling.

Baby slings can be very stylish, the baby sling shown here is an example. A birth announcement in this same trendy design can be found here: http://www.invitingsmiles.com/shop/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=30636&cat=Fashion+Dot+Pink+PRAS&subcatx=16

Click here for more information on the use of baby slings: http://www.invitingsmiles.com/baby-slings.html

Posted in Parenting Plus | 2 Comments »

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Dec				Mar »
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

InvitingSmiles Blog

Archive for January, 2010

Taking the Kids to School Can be Fun!

Create A Kid’s Good Deed Calendar

Baby Sling, or No Baby Sling?

Join Us on Facebook

Categories

Recent Posts

Be the First to Know

Baby Bits

Blogroll

Parenting Plus

Party Planning

Pregnancy Pointers

Wedding Wisdom

Latest Tweets

Pages

Archives

Meta

InvitingSmiles - Share Yours