Tidbits From A Mom

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Bloggers Wanted: iPad3 Holiday Event

iPad3 Holiday Event is hosted by Mom Blog Society.

Prize: iPad3

The event dates: 10/4 - 11/1

Free Event ~ Sign-Up Here

This will be a huge event - who wouldn't want to enter an iPad3 giveaway?! Get exposure for your blog with this event!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Bloggers Wanted: Thanksgiving Give Thanks Event

Thanksgiving Give Thanks Event is hosted by Mom Blog Society.

Prize: Rachael Ray Porcelain Enamel II Nonstick Cookware Set, 10-Piece

The event dates: 10/31 - 11/14

Free Event ~ Sign-Up Here

Bloggers Wanted: Creating Holiday Memories Fujifilm Finepix Event

Creating Holiday Memories Fujifilm FinePix Event is hosted by Mom Blog Society.

Prize: Fujifilm FinePix S4250 Black 14MP Digital Camera

The event dates: 10/8 - 10/22

Free Event ~ Sign-Up Here - Bloggers Wanted Creating Holiday Memories Event

Friday, September 14, 2012

Guest Post: 10 Ways to Have a Great Dinner With Your Family

1. Make Dinner a Priority
When you first tell your family members that their presence is required at dinner, especially if this has not been a common family occurrence, excuses will fly. Whatever the excuses, parents need to explain that dinner is a family affair, and everyone will be there. Work with them if you need to, but bottom line – everyone’s gonna make it.

2. Schedule Dinner
Schedules run over with appointments. It is difficult for families to coordinate the schedules of all the family members. Having a great dinner with the family starts with coordinating schedules so everyone can plan with family dinner in mind and put it on the calendar week after week.

3. Plan Meals
Nothing spoils a dinner faster than children turning up their noses at what's being served. Children can hardly complain if they become part of the planning process. Explain to the children what constitutes a healthy, well-balanced meal, and then allow them to help out.

4. Prepare Meals
Part of what makes a great dinner is ownership. Let the children help with the grocery list and, if possible, do the shopping together. When it comes time to prepare the meal, give each child a task according to age and ability. Young children can get out apples or unwrap cheese. Older children can
learn to measure, chop and bake. When the meal is served, everyone can take pride in the result!

5. New Dishes
Family favorites can get boring. Make a dinner great by preparing and serving new, unusual dishes. If you don't want to take your children too far out of their comfort zone, start by trying new spices or fixing favorite foods, such as potatoes, in new and different ways. Let the children use their creativity in food preparation too.

6. Encourage Conversation
A great family dinner includes good conversation. Parents can initiate conversation by talking about interesting things that happened during the day, before asking children to share something from their day. Good family dinner conversation won't happen if one person is texting, another waiting for a call, another is listening to music or television. The rule for family dinners is no distractions – remember it!

7. Choose Topics Wisely
At each dinner, let family members take turns choosing topics to start the conversation. One child may wish to talk about sports, while another one might bring up a news story. Mix it up and encourage everyone to participate.

8. Celebrate
Celebrate events and holidays with special foods, napkins, and desserts. Decorate the table for Christmas, Independence Day and birthdays. Fun decorations help make for great family dinners. Use dinner time to praise children for good grades, awards earned or for something positive they have done.

9. Plan for Take Out
A family dinner doesn't always have to be homemade to be great. Make dinner special with a family- favorite take out.

10. Clean Up
Cleaning up extends family time into the kitchen. Discussions continue and children learn responsibility by cleaning up after they eat - plus, you save time!!

Alex Taylor likes to write about parenting and saving money.

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Book Review & Giveaway: Growing Up Brave (THREE Winners!)

I will be brutally honest. I have struggled with anxiety my entire life. Even though I am a licensed mental health counselor (ya – I know, funny right?), I don’t always listen to my own advice. It is heartbreaking to me to watch children struggle in similar ways because I know exactly how they feel. It is so easy for us as adults to dismiss children’s fears and worrisome thoughts; however, to the children, they are incredibly real, immense, and life-controlling.

“Growing Up Brave – Expert Strategies for Helping Your Child Overcome Fear, Stress, and Anxiety”, written by Donna B. Pincus, Ph.D., is a book that was written to help parents understand anxiety and how to help alleviate their child’s anxiety at home. Dr. Pincus is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at Boston University. Pincus discusses the various types of anxiety (i.e, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, etc.) and uses case studies to help readers understand the symptoms apparent with these disorders and how they impact children and adolescents. Pincus explains which anxious behaviors are considered normal and those that are atypical. Concrete tips, strategies, and tools/activities are thoroughly presented to parents, in the hopes that parents can address problems themselves and (hopefully) help prevent a disorder from developing or worsening to the point that it is negatively affecting their child’s life.

What other experts are saying about the book: "Growing Up Brave is an essential read for ALL parents, empowering them with proven strategies and practical advice. All children experience stress and fears in their development. This book is a manual for how to best respond in order to help children develop confidence and self-efficacy. Parents will be inspired to gain insight into their own reactions and utilize the clearly explained, scientifically supported techniques offered here. Dr. Pincus skillfully delineates what to do, and what not to do in responding to childhood anxiety." (Bonnie Zucker, Psy.D., author of Anxiety-Free Kids and Take Control of OCD )

My thoughts about the book: I wish my mother had owned this book when I was young. I have always been considered a “worrywart” or an anxious person my entire life and although my mom attempted to help me in her own way, she didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, I didn’t suffer from panic disorder, but my anxiety certainly limited me more than it should have. As a parent, I think this book is fabulous. I will definitely be using some of these techniques with my own daughter in the near future. Particularly, I think that both of my children could benefit from the “Five-Minutes-a-Day Time” strategy. As a counselor, I was visualizing the faces of some of my students that can benefit from what Dr. Pincus discusses. I have often assisted children in evaluating their anxious thoughts, but I haven’t worked with them on accepting their physical feelings, which helps them understand that these feelings are completely normal and will go away in a brief period of time. I think “Growing Up Brave” is a tremendous resource for both parents and professionals in the field.

Growing Up Brave can be purchased at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to host a giveaway for “Growing Up Brave”. I have THREE copies to give away to three lucky Tidbits From A Mom readers. Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

K5 Learning - Open Invitation for Bloggers!

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

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