www.1001TopWords.com |
Mommie Moments ? Taking Time For Yourself
Being a parent is a role that requires a large majority of our attention and time. Whether you have one child or fourteen children, you are more than likely aware that personal time is at a minimal. As a mother your attention is always on demand. There are meals to be made, clothes to be washed, and rooms to be cleaned. Not to mention other responsibilities like entertaining hungry little minds. So where does your time fit into this equation? Regardless of time restraints, it is imperative for a mother's well-being to have a little down time. Even a half hour to an hour a day can be a refreshing overhaul for a mother's daily routine. A moment to gather your thoughts without distractions can refresh your spirit and attitude, making you that much more prepared to meet the demands of your children, your family, and your life. Nurturing our children begins with us nurturing ourselves. When we view our personal time in this way, we are able to see what a priority we really should be. Take time to dedicate to personal reflection like journaling, music, or art or whatever activity that makes you really feel apart of yourself. If you only get small increments of time daily then make a weekly list of what you would like to accomplish. Manage your time, don't allow time to manage you. Everyone needs personal time to listen to their own voice and reflect on their lives. But for mothers that time isn't always readily available. And often your personal time is overlooked by those around you. The only person that can make your time a priority is you. So make sure you set boundaries wherever necessary. While your children are napping, utilize that time for yourself. Let the dishes wait and grab a book or do some exercise instead. Remember that the time you invest in yourself is time well spent. Artist and Inspirational Author Heather J. Tait work and articles are displayed internationally. She is the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and the Editor of Intrigue Magazine. Published books include, Making Your Purpose Your Business and Recognizing Unhealthy Relationships. Email: contact@silencespeaks.com Silence Speaks http://www.silencespeaks.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Tips for Single Parents Prioritize.Learn to say No.Steal some time for yourself.Don't be too proud to ask for help.Don't be too proud to accept help.Listen to those people around you that have been there, done that and got the t-shirt to prove it.Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do.Don't let this stop you from trying to acheive your dreams and goals. You've just got to be more creative in trying to accomplish your goals because you have someone other than yourself to think about now.Get a good life insurance policy.I know this sounds kind of obvious, but you have got to take care of yourself, because you are all that your child has.This means you have to go to the doctor, eat, work out, sleep(yeah right what's that?).Above all else, make sure you have some people around you that you can lean on when times get hard. Parenting Predicaments Predicament: Child Separation Anxiety: Does Your Child Have It? If you are a parent, then more than likely you may face the common problem of separation anxiety in your child. What exactly is child separation anxiety? In a nutshell, this is the type of anxiety or stress your child may encounter when you leave him/her alone and they get upset or cry due to the separation involved. The reason they get upset or cry is because the child learns to remember objects or specific people, and when those objects or people become absent, anxiety sets in. The Better Behavior Wheel - A New Kind of Calm in the Family There's a new kind of fun and calm out there in the name of the Better Behavior Wheel, invented by Julie Butler and her family in central British Columbia. In an interesting twist on charts and discipline, this versatile wheel can be hung on a wall or toted with you in the car and on vacations. Developing a Fantastic Relationship with Your Child Here's a scene: A parent "might suddenly grab a happliy playing child and shower him with excited hugs and kisses without warning." What's wrong with this picture? Challenges for Our Children Researchers have estimated that 25-35% of children in the United States have Learning Disabilities. At least 5% have Attention Deficit Disorders. All too many times during the course of their academic careers these children are labeled by teachers (or parents) as being "lazy," or "stupid." Remarks of this type are typically interpreted by the child as, "You're no good," and the self-esteem levels drop. You Make Me Sick And Other Things Parents Say in Anger Maryann is so focused she's blind. She's slipped over the edge of responsibility and forgot the real reason she is working so hard. It's for her daughter. 5 Ways To Help Your Kids Do Math Uh oh. Parenting Your Teenager: 6 Tips for Effective Discipline and Consequences A parent writes in, ``We are having a hard time in our family deciding on appropriate punishments when our teen-ager breaks family rules. We can't tell if we are too strict or too lenient. What can we do?'' When Time Out Dont Work Joey steps away from his time out chair "I won't sit!" His mother is frustrated and throws her hands in the air..Time out is just not working for this mom. Many kids do not respond to time out so what do parents do??? Selecting A Quality Day Care Center Many working families choose a commercial or individual day care center to care for their child during the workday. We've listed important aspects of a daycare center's environment to evaluate when making your choice:Staff to Child Ratio. This is the number of children each staff member is responsible for. Most states regulate the minimum number of staff to child ratio. This will vary based on your state and the ages of the children. An average guideline follows, but check with your state department for what to expect in your area. An infant room will have one to four or six staff to child ratioA young toddler room will have a one to six or eight staff to child ratioFor 2s and 3s room, an eight to ten staff to child ratio is averageChildren 4 and 5 years old average a one to ten staff to child ratioDiaper Changing. There should be a dedicated area for diaper changing, equipped with sanitary diaper pad covering, disposable gloves, wipes and diapers and a dedicated waste receptacle for waste that is emptied on a regular schedule.Sick Policy. Most daycare centers will require that a child sent home with a fever or after a bout of nausea or diarrhea be kept home for 24 hours. While it inconvenient for working parents, it is the safest practice to prevent contagious illnesses from spreading within a classroom. Some centers may have a separate infirmary and onsite nurse or share the operating costs with other centers in the area.Discipline, Biting and Dismissal Policies. Find out how the center handles discipline and what the process is for misbehavior that affects other children, such as biting or hitting. As if there is an escalation process, what the coaching and dismissal policies are. You will want to know both sides in the event your child is the aggressor or the victim.Feeding. Some centers serve prepared food and some have families bring lunches and provide morning and afternoon snacks. Find out if the daycare providers will heat up food in your child's lunches, if there is a refrigerator available, if they provide milk and filtered water for drinking and what kinds of snacks are served. Supervised Lunch and Snacktime. The center you choose should support your nutrition preferences and provide healthy options served in a clean, supervised environment. Staff should use the opportunity to teach manners and model good eating habits. Ask about the center's policy on sharing food at the lunch table if your child has allergies.Toilet Training. Some centers will help potty train your child, others require that the child be fully potty trained by a specific age. Your center should reinforce good bathroom habits, including wiping, flushing and thoroughly washing hands. Some centers also add brushing teeth to the regular routine.Napping. Most young children benefit from regularly scheduled nap times during the day. Most centers will have young toddlers take a nap in the morning and one in the afternoon. Older toddlers and preschool age children may have one name in the afternoon after lunch. Ask whether you are responsible for bringing bedding or if it is provided. In the latter case, your child should have his own dedicated linens that are laundered each week.Parent Visits. Parent visits should be welcomed throughout the day, whether announced or unannounced. There should be observation windows available for you to observe your child's day or you should be welcomed into your child's classroom.Schedule. Hours of operation often play a key role in whether a center is acceptable simply by default of being available when you need them to be. Some centers have two tuition schedules, one for standard daycare (i.e. 9am ? 4pm) and extended daycare (i.e. 7am ? 6pm). Ask what the late policy is, whether you will have to pay on pick-up, if that payment must be in cash, etc.Safety and Peace of Mind. Does the center have controlled access, with locked doors after the usual drop-off times? There should be a sign-in/sign-out process to account for each child. When you register, you should be asked to supply emergency contact information for yourself and partner, two people who can be contacted and take your child if either of you are not available. Some centers will also ask for an out-of-state emergency contact in the event of a regional emergency, like an earthquake.Emergency Plan. If your area is prone to natural disasters like flooding or earthquakes, ask about your center's emergency plan ? how they will notify parents, where their evacuation location is, if there is a lockdown procedure.Daily Status Reports. A daily status report will give you detailed information about your child's day, including feeding times, diaper changing information and activities during the day. This is especially important for infants and young toddlers.Classrooms. Children love rooms that are bright, cheerful and full of visual stimulation created by creative artwork, children's projects and family pictures.Classroom curriculum. Each classroom should be equipped with age appropriate activities, equipment and toys to stimulate your child's development in fine/gross motor activities, sensory and cognitive skills, language development, number concepts, music and art.Bonuses and Special TouchesEmailed Progress Reports and Photos. Many daycare centers are now emailing daily progress reports with information about activities and care routines like eating, napping and diapering to parents. Some centers also take photos of your child during the day and post them to an intranet you can access securely with a username and password.Extra Curricular Activities. On-site enrichment classes are usually an additional charge to the monthly tuition and can take place during regular school time or after school so parents can partake in the experiences with the child. Activities can include dance, gymnastics, martial arts, Spanish, basketball and computers. Where to Look for Affordable Baby Clothes Once the newness has worn off a little, you will realize that your baby grows very fast. So fast, in fact, that he may need new clothes on the average of every two months during the first year. The sizing of baby clothes just does not apply to most children. For example, my four month old is now wearing 6-12 month clothes. There is no way he will still be in 6-12 month clothes when he is a year old. Teenagers Taking Risks It can be hard being a parent with a teen going through what I term the 'I'm Invincible' phase. This is the phase when teens start doing scary and dangerous things (according to us parents) as a way of testing out their physical limits. The Great Baby Name Debate Winifred or Willow? Thomas or Troy? The name you choose for your child will last a lifetime. Whether you're looking for something original that will stand out from the crowd or a traditional name that people will instantly recognize, choosing a name for your new baby is a huge responsibility. Discipline Without Damage If your parenting methods include abuse of any kind; physical, sexual, emotional or verbal, please get help to stop as soon as possible. Adults are supposed to safeguard and protect the young among us. You may be repeating patterns learned in your family of origin or not know any other methods of parenting. Poker Parenting: 4 Ways Poker Skills Produce Parenting Thrills Even as a busy parent, I'm sure you've seen a poker show on TV or at least heard your friends or relatives talking about it. You might even be someone who's caught up in the poker craze of the past two years, riding the wave of a steep learning curve. As an avid poker player and father of two, I realize more each day how my poker skills help me raise my kids. Want to know how? Here are four ways to turn your poker skills into parenting thrills: Parenting Your Teenager: Of Course You Can Search Your Teens Room Q. We recently caught our son smoking pot, and we wonder whether he's doing more stuff. We have reason to believe he has been hiding drugs in his room, and we're wondering whether we should go into his room to see whether we can find anything. Some parents we've talked to say yes. Others say, "Don't invade his privacy because you will lose his trust." What do you think we should do? The Graceful Art of Defrazzling - For Mothers "I wipe my baby's chin with my college diploma and wonder, 'How did I ever get here?'" Your Big Yellow Bus The big yellow school bus is coming down my road again. The neighborhood kids seem happy. The dogs are not. The kids are no longer around during the day and Jersey is going to drop a little weight without all the treats they have been bringing her this summer. I must admit that when I see the bus, I feel sorry for those poor suckers. And I express my gratitude that I'm no longer going back to school this time of year. Confident Children - Avoid Overparenting For many years underparenting was perhaps the biggest problem facing children. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |