A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

5 Important Back To School Subjects To Discuss with Your Children
by Shelly Hill

Summer is over and it’s time to get back to school. This time can be stressful for many families as they all try to adjust to new routines. You can lessen this stress and set up some guidelines by sitting down with your children for a family discussion.

Here are some important things you should be discussing with your children, before they head back to school this fall.

1. School Bus Safety – It is important to speak to your child about what kind of behavior you expect from him or her while they are at the bus stop or riding on the school bus.

2. Classroom Behavior – Let your child know what kind of behavior you expect them to exhibit while at school. All teachers expect different things from each child, remind your child to be respectful of others at all times. I think this is a good time to bring up the topic of bullying with your child. Let them know how to report this to their school officials and to you, should they know of any children who are being bullied or those who are doing the bullying.

3. Homework and Grades – If you expect your children to follow a homework routine, now is the time to outline that routine with them. I found it helpful to let our daughter know up front what the consequences would be if she did not complete homework assignments on time, or if she got unacceptable grades.

4. Stranger Danger – Your child will come into contact with many people while involved with school activities or while attending classes. It is important to go over with him or her all of the safety precautions that they need to know to protect themselves from stranger danger.

5. Family Emergency – When our daughter was young, we gave her a new family password every few months. If a family emergency would occur and we would need to send someone to the school to pick her up, they would have to provide the secret family password to her before she would even leave the school office with that particular person. Even if your child knows the person who is picking them up, it is important for that person to provide the secret family password to your child.

Heading back to school doesn’t have to be a stressful time for you and your family. Take the time out of your busy schedule and communicate with your children about what you expect from them this school year. It is important to be flexible and to have an open door policy in regards to communication.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly is a mother and grandmother living in South Central Pennsylvania and found that she could reduce back to school stress for her family by being prepared ahead of time. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for free recipes.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

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Secrets Every New Mom Should Know (that no one else will tell you!)
By Jen Klein
Published by Adams Media
April 2010; $12.95US/$15.99CAN; 978-1-60550-144-4

Because SHEKNOWS® Parenting

And Jen Klein knows motherhood. She’s survived changing a soiled diaper in a truck-stop bathroom while suspending a baby in mid-air. She’s witnessed the judgment of the so-called “Mommy Mafia.” She’s found dried applesauce on her shirt. And in her hair. And the baby’s hair. And the dog’s fur.

Here she reveals secrets she’s learned along the way about mastering the art of motherhood, from how to handle strangers who ask how much weight you’ve gained to (finally!) getting your little ones on the big yellow bus — on time and with clean underwear. Inside SheKnows.com Presents: The Mommy Files you’ll find:

.Your mom didn’t know what she was doing either
.A pediatrician is your partner, not your adversary
.Playgroups are for moms more than they are for kids
.Just because they can talk doesn’t mean they can reason
.Being a supermom is all about asking for help

Disclosed here in a friendly, wry look at motherhood, Jen Klein takes you through each lovable (and less than enjoyable) step toward that coveted title that will be screamed at you so many times in the years to come: “Mommy!”

Author Bio
Jen Klein is a mother of two boys and a girl, the youngest of whom just started kindergarten. After earning a thoroughly useful degree in art history and studio art, she writes technical documentation. But in her primary job as mom, she’s dealt with nearly every parenting scenario imaginable, and appreciated every slobbery toddler kiss along the way. Klein has been a contributor to SheKnows.com for the past two years and writes a weekly parenting column called “Monday Mom Challenge” in addition to regular articles. She lives near Boston, MA.

For more information, please visit www.SheKnows.com.

I can’t tell you how long “Learn to Meditate” has been sitting on my life-goals list. Not on my ho-hum to-do list, next to “schedule teeth cleaning” or “buy Huggies Pull-Ups.” I’m talking about the biggie, the list that serves as the repository for my deepest desires for myself, like “Find Hubby” and “Have Baby.” That’s how important I consider meditation to my overall health and wellness.

So if it’s so important, why haven’t I tackled it before now? I guess I wasn’t ready. Though I’m sure I could’ve benefited from meditation at earlier stages of my life, I was just too antsy to explore it (and yes, I see the irony in that). Another big reason is that I’d always assumed meditation required a lot of skill and knowledge. Not so. As it turns out, meditation is just like so many other things in life. Sometimes you just have to wade into the shallow end and start splashing around. “There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ with meditation,” says intuitive guru Michele Bernhardt, a multitasking healer, astrologer, and metaphysician who’s produced several guided meditation CDs. (Learn more at her brilliant website, www.myinnerworld.com.) ”A big part of meditation is your intention.”

So at least intend to give meditation a shot, and in the process, you’ll be giving yourself the opportunity to relax, gain mental clarity, and connect with your spirituality.

Go with the Flow

As I said, I hope you don’t take a page out of my book by contemplating meditation for a good ten years before actually trying it. To help you move your intention into reality and make the whole shebang that much more compelling, here’s a list of tips:

•Designate a sacred space: For me, it’s my walk-in closet. I love the girl-power vibe — the shoes, the dresses, the purses. Attached to my office, my walk-in is a key part of my “Dana Zone.” I’ve stocked it with a few small pillows and a beautiful meditation mat Bernhardt gave me years ago. In one of my shoe cubbies, I’ve stashed a gorgeous sand timer, pictures of the ocean, candles, meditation CDs, and a player. Though pillows and candles are the norm, trick out your own sacred space with treasures that speak to you.

•Create a ritual: This can involve repeating a mantra, listening to particular music (I like Gregorian chants, but you might prefer wind chimes, Tibetan bells, etc.), or inhaling certain scents. “I think, deep inside, most of us love a ritual,” says Bernhardt. “So use sounds, a candle, or some kind of scentlike incense or myrrh. Patchouli is also perfect. With a scent, right away your body says, ‘Okay, I’m ready.’”

•Make sure you’re comfy: Sorry, that means no Spanx. (Kidding. Sort of.) If you’re not keen on sitting on the floor with your back erect and your hands on your knees, you can sit in a chair. Just make sure you’re maintaining good posture, that you’re positioned a few inches away from the back of the chair, and that your feet are on the floor. Kneeling is another possibility, though you might want to use a pillow for support.

•Observe your thoughts without “feeding” them: We discuss how tricky this is below, but it becomes easier once you realize that it’s all about detachment. For instance, if, midmeditation, you think about the fact that you need to take your DD to the doc, you say to yourself, ”I’m having a thought about needing to take the baby to the pediatrician.” What you don’t do is take that original thought to the next level, as in, “Next Tuesday afternoon might work” or “I hope the poor little doll doesn’t need too many shots.” Just let those snippets pass in and out without reaction.

themotherload

“I’ve gotten much more deeply spiritual since I had my child. I trace it directly to being pregnant with him. I was introduced to the notion that our babies choose us as parents. Well, that terrified me to my core. So, I started an intense inner dialogue with my unborn child about who I really am, what kind of mother I hoped to be, my hopes and dreams, etc. To do that, I had to really dig deep and explore the whole ‘Who Am I? Why Am I Here?’ business. It got me on the path that has led to my becoming a meditation coach. I meditate daily and love it. ”

Copyright © 2010 Dana Wood, author of Momover: The New Mom’s Guide to Getting It Back Together (even if you never had it in the first place!)!

by Johann Christoph Arnold
for Father’s Day 2009

Many problems in our society will be solved when young men are willing to become good fathers. Of course, they can do this only if they have an example to follow. As fathers, we need to be the strongest role models for children, especially for our sons.

I loved my father. He had a tremendous sense of humor, but he also was strict and set boundaries which I didn’t always appreciate at the time. I always knew he loved me. Once when I was eight or nine, I angered him so much that he threatened to punish me. I looked up at him and, before I knew what I was doing, blurted out, “Papa, I’m really sorry. Do what you have to do-but I know you still love me.” To my astonishment, he leaned down, put his arms around me and said with a tenderness that came from the bottom of his heart: “Christoph, I forgive you.”

Like many fathers today, my father’s work sometimes kept him away from home for long stretches. I remember as a five-year-old, if I refused to obey, all my mother needed to do was to show me his picture. “Your Papa wouldn’t like it,” she’d tell me, and I’d give in.

I felt very secure just being with my father. As a small boy I decided I wanted to be like him when I grew up. This relationship held me through hard times, even after his death. Now I want to pass this on to my children, grandchildren, and to all of you.

Fathers, if you love your wife and if you love your children, give them your time.
Spending time together will give your family inner and emotional security. This is much more important than financial security. The Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral writes, “Many things can wait. Children cannot… To them we cannot say ‘tomorrow.’ Their name is today.”

The love we show our children by giving them our time and attention can hold them in good stead even years down the road. As Dostoevsky reminds us in The Brothers Karamazov, “You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of childhood, of home…For if a man has only one good memory left in his heart, even that may keep him from evil.”

To be a father is to fulfill a noble vocation. But fatherhood is not for everyone:
it is not for cowards or for those who are unsure of themselves. Once we become fathers, we remain fathers until we die. A true father must be a leader-a captain who guides his family’s ship through perilous waters to safe shores, a general who rallies his troops to take on the daily battles.

On the other hand, a father should also model love and compassion. Jesus was not afraid to compare himself to a hen gathering her chicks. He also wept. These qualities belong to true manhood, and a true father will seek to embody them.

Finally, I believe even the best intentioned fathers will not be able to fulfill
their task without finding a firm faith in God. When they do, our families and the entire country will be strengthened, because strong families form the backbone of our nation.
About the Author: Johann Christoph Arnold is a pastor and author of ten books, which are now available as free e-books at www.plough.com.

Barbara Tripp
barbarann@cfl.rr.com

Frustrated, my ten year old daughter, Rebekah, announced, “This time
I’m going to put a dime in the grumble box instead of a penny.”
For several days, her contributions to the grumble box had been more
than anyone else’s in the family.

“Maybe this will last me the rest of the week,” she said.
I was looking for ways to teach my children not to be whiners and
complainers when I came across the grumble box idea from a book
called “Little visits with God” by Allen Hart Jahsmann and Martin P.
Simon.

I also wanted to see a permanent change in their behavior. If my
children weren’t enjoying their lives now, I worried, what was going
to happen when they hit the teenage years? Would they become
apathetic or depressed? Would they be able to handle the temptations
of drugs and alcohol? I believed if their attitude changed now, we
could avoid these problems later on.

Consequently, I bought a piggy bank, labeled it “Grumble Box” and
set it in a prominent area of the house. Whenever anyone
complained, they had to put a penny in the Box. To avoid any
resentment, my husband and I joined in the fun.

Right away, the grumble box began to work like an enormous spotlight.
The weather was too hot or too cold, too dry or too wet. We didn’t
like school work, yard work, or housecleaning. We didn’t have enough
but we had too much clutter.

Apparently we were focusing on unhappiness instead of being content.
Was it any wonder that when stress and a busy lifestyle were added to
this mix my husband, Bill and I, didn’t feel the joy we use to feel?
Or that the big grins that use to be so spontaneous and plentiful on
our children’s faces had dwindled?

By the end of the first week, the changes the grumble box made in our
behavior were astonishing. We became aware of our attitude, our
speech, and how we treated one another. By the end of six months we
had completely changed the atmosphere in our house. We stopped
complaining about trivialities. We thought about what we were going
to say before we said it. We were more considerate of each other in
every respect. We appreciated simple things like sunrises, sunsets
and starry nights. We enjoyed keeping company with each other. We
lightened up and found we could laugh at the things we once
complained about.

I realized the grumble box had done its job, far surpassing my
expectations. I put the grumble box away and never used it again.

The grumble box earned an incredible $20.00. That’s 2000 complaints
that my family of four made during a six month time period. Most of
the complaints occurred during the first three months. Grace, my
youngest daughter, learned the fastest. She saw her older sister
paying in most of her allowance, sometimes having to borrow from her
allowance for the following week. Grace decided early on to use her
money to buy toys for her hamster rather than pay the grumble box.

What surprised me most was how much I complained. The grumble box
helped me realize my daughters complained, in part, because they
learned it from me.

At first we planned to take the money from the grumble box and go out
to eat. But when we heard that a local charity, which cared for
disabled children, needed money, we decided to give the money to
them. This had an unforeseen outcome. We were so moved by the
children we met, that we started volunteering an afternoon a week.

It’s been 15 years since we used the grumble box but the changes it
made in our lives were permanent. Our daughters are now in their
20′s and thankfully their teen age years were free from drugs,
alcohol or depression. Rebekah has been cited by her bosses as being
an inspiration to others for her upbeat, get-the-job-done attitude.
Grace has a special knack for making people feel comfortable and at
ease, both at home and at work.

If you see a need in your family for a grumble box here are a few tips:
1. Don’t charge for legitimate complaints such as someone getting hurt.
2. Parents should participate in the project with their children.
3. Sit down with your family before you set it up to explain what you are
doing and why.
4. Set the grumble box out in the open where it is easily accessed.
5. Set the amount that the complaint costs so the child will notice they
are losing money. We only gave our daughters a quarter per week allowance
so a penny a complaint was felt.
6. Be consistent. There are times when it isn’t convenient but do it
anyway. If you’re away from the house, take note and pay the box when you
return home.

Bio:
Barbara Tripp became inspired to write for children after the birth
of her first grandchild.
Before she entered the world of writing, she was a pre-K thru 12th
grade homeschool teacher, editor of a Christian Education Newsletter
and attended a Christian Education seminar.