BATTLING THE BACK–TO–SCHOOL BLUES

Parents can make the first days of school fun rather than frustrating

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Too frequently, children begin the school year unprepared to succeed, quickly experience frustration and failure, and get turned–off to learning. However, kids can love instead of loath the first days of school; they just need a little help from mom and dad. Here’s how:

Tip #1: Give your children the gift of chores

Children who regularly do chores at home find it much easier to do assignments at school. Why? Both schoolwork and chores require perseverance, delayed gratification, and attention to detail. When parents expect chores to be done without reminders and without pay, children also learn how to work independently and to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of accomplishment.

Tip #2: In a loving way, hold your children accountable for their chores

Parents who nag and remind their children to do chores raise kids who expect their teachers to nag and remind them to do assignments. These children don’t do well in school. Smarter parents ask their children to do their chores, bite their tongues, and let empathy and consequences do the teaching. Why empathy? When parents deliver sincere doses of empathy or sadness before describing consequences, their children learn responsibility rather than resentment. A parent might say:

How sad… I love you so much, but you forgot to clean your bathroom today. Now I don’t have the energy to take you swimming. This really stinks.

Tip #3: Limit television, videos, video games, and other "entertaining" activities

Children who are used to being entertained during the summer by fast-paced TV shows, movies, games, and trips to the amusement park go into shock when they enter the classroom. Before long, they begin to complain about how "boring" their teachers are and how much they dislike school. Love and Logic parents help their children transition back to school by making their homes so "boring" that their kids can’t wait to be back in class!

Tip #4: Have fun with reading and writing

During the first week of school, teachers can always tell the difference between the children who’ve been read to during the summer and those who have not. Spend at least 20 minutes per day reading with your kids. Experiment with reading one page, asking your child to read the next, and alternating back and forth. Writing is important too! Experiment with having your child spend the two weeks prior to the start of school making and writing cards for friends and relatives. Your child’s writing skills will grow… and so will these relationships!

With these practical tips , you can give your kids an advantage in school that will last for months, years, and a lifetime! Parents around the world have benefited from the power of these four down-to-earth tips. Now it’s your turn to give your kids the head start they deserve!

By Dr. Charles Fay

Tidbit Tuesday!

For today's Tidbit Tuesday I seen this and thought it was pretty cool. It is called Goog-411.

I hate to pay for the 411 calls so when I seen this I was so excited. If you go to the site I listed you can access the you tube video that also tells you about have a map sent to your phone and texting the # as well.

Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone.

State the location and business type

Connect to the business for free

Done!

Make It Yourself Monday

Newspaper Hut


I found this cute little project by Pepper Paints and thought it looked like a really fun project for the kids that would not only give them hours of enjoyment after it is finished but would be a great project to keep them busy for a while as well.

This project uses A LOT of newspapers. Also, you will need tape, a pencil, stapler, a sheet is optional.

First lay 4 sheets of newspaper on top of each other. Place the pencil in the corner and roll the 4 sheets diagonally to make a tube.

Tape the middle and let pencil slide out of tube. Repeat 25 times. The 25 tubes should be close to the same length-trim if you need to.

Use 3 tubes to make a triangle and staple at each corner. Repeat until you have 5 triangles.

Connect the triangles in a long line, staple together.

Use tubes across the top and staple in place.

Get help! Stand the triangles up and staple the two ends together. Add a tube to the last top spot.

Use the 5 remaining tubes to make a star stapled in the middle.

This is the roof. Staple in place.

A sheet or other light weight material can cover your hut if you want. Get inside and play!!!!

Family Friday! The Family That Plays Together Stays Together

Bonding time with the family is more important than bonding with friends. The family is intact therefore the ties and the memories experienced will be forever remembered.

There are a lot of things that families can do in making those ties stronger. A simple gesture of helping one family member pick out what clothes to wear is one way of proving that a family is really bonded.

Also, the mere comments or opinions of what each family member does are given utmost consideration. Having a family is something people should really learn to appreciate because not all individuals have families to take care and love them.

Tantalizing Thursday

"Greek Chicken Pasta"

"This pasta dish incorporates some of the flavors of Greece. It makes a wonderfully complete and satisfying meal. For extra flavor, toss in a few kalamata olives." Yield: Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1.) 1 pound uncooked pasta
2.) 1 tablespoon olive oil
3.) 2 cloves garlic, crushed
4.) 1/2 cup chopped red onion
5.) 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into bite-size pieces
6.) 1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
7.) 1 large tomato, chopped
8.) 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
9.) 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
10.)2 tablespoons lemon juice
11.)2 teaspoons dried oregano
12.)salt and pepper to taste
13.)2 lemons, wedged, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion, and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and cooked pasta. Stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.




"Balsamic & Rosemary Grilled Salmon"

"This is a quick and easy way to grill salmon. It's wonderful served with baked asparagus with balsamic butter sauce and boiled new potatoes!" Yield: Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1.) 4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets
2.) sea salt to taste
3.) 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4.) 3 tablespoons olive oil
5.) 1/4 cup lemon juice
6.) 1 clove garlic, minced
7.) 1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced

Preparation:
1. Season salmon fillets to taste with sea salt, and place into a shallow, glass dish. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary; pour over salmon fillets. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.
3. Remove salmon from marinade, and shake off excess. Discard remaining marinade. Cook on preheated grill until fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes per side.



"Watermelon-Yogurt Ice"

Ingredients:
1.) 1/4 cup water
2.) 1/4 cup sugar
3.) 4 cups diced seedless watermelon (about 3 pounds with the rind) (see Tip)
4.) 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
5.) 1 tablespoon lime juice

Preparation:
1. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, over high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a glass measuring cup and let cool slightly.
2. Puree watermelon in a food processor or blender, in 2 batches, pulsing until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in the cooled sugar syrup, yogurt and lime juice until combined. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another large bowl, whisking to release all juice. Discard pulp. Pour the extracted juices into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. (Alternatively, pour into a shallow metal pan and freeze until solid, about 6 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer to defrost slightly, 5 minutes. Break into small chunks and process in a food processor, in batches, until smooth and creamy.) Serve immediately or transfer to a storage container and freeze for up to 2 hours. Yield: Serves 8.

Tip: Melon selection & storage: Look for symmetrical unblemished melons, without flat sides, that have a creamy yellow spot on the bottom indicating ripeness. At 92% water, this fruit should feel heavy when you heft it. Precut melon flesh should be dense, firm and appear moist. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or keep in a cool, dark spot. Cover the cut surface of melon with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Guiding Children to Solve Their Own Problems

Step One:

Empathy.

• "How sad."
• "I bet that hurts."

Step Two:

Send the "Power Message."

• "What do you think you're going to do?"

Step Three:

Offer choices.

• "Would you like to hear what other kids have tried?"

At this point, offer a variety of choices that range from bad to good. It's usually best to start out with the poor choices.

Each time a choice is offered, go on to step four, forcing the youngster to state the consequence in his/her own words. This means that you will be going back and forth between Love and Logic steps three and four.

Step Four:

Have the child state the consequences.

• "And how will that work?"

Step Five:

Give permission for the child to either solve the problem or not solve the problem.

• "Good luck. I hope it works out."

Have no fear. If the child is fortunate enough to make a poor choice, he/she may have a double learning lesson.

by Jim Fay

Tidbit Tuesday

Ok for today's tidbit I wanted invite those of you that have not done so already to take minute and stop by Posh Mama's Online Magazine and Social Network.

Before I became a Posh Mama myself I kept visiting all of these blogs that belonged to Posh Mama and I kept wondering what it was all about so one day I decided to check it and I joined right then. Posh Mama has a lot of great information and lot of great mama's as well. I am proud to say I am a Posh Mama! Won't you join us?

Posh Mama Online Magazine and Social Network is a positive and upbeat community made up of women from around the world. You will feel immediately welcomed as it is the sweetest spot on the 'net. Come hang out, network and make some great friends at www.poshmama.com.

Don't forget to check and see what Melinda Zook's tidbit for Tuesday is.