"Beauty might get you through the door, but your brains are what get you a seat at the table."
Let's talk mother/daughter relationships today. No matter what age your children are this relationship is one of the most important relationship your daughter/s will have during their lifetime. There are so many girls growing up today that don't have a strong parental presences in their life. A lot of kids, not all, are growing up without boundaries, without good self-esteem, or a parent who is a friend instead of being a parent. I read an article today from Parenting.com that I really connected with. The article talked about how girls these days need to grow up knowing that beauty is not the only important thing. That beauty can only get you so far and that there is more to life than looking like Paris Hilton or acting like Lindsay Lohan.
Afraid your daughter is going to turn into one of these girls someday? Well, you can help to prevent that. Mother's,
1. You need to take an active role in your daughters life from an early age. They may not like it, but you have to do it.
2. Try to build their confidence every day. Show them and tell them that they are good at something.
3. Encourage them to think outside of the box and be unique and who they really want to be.
4. Enroll them in actives. Not just sports, but other social or learning actives. Like a book club, for example.
5. Make sure to encourage their "brains" and not just their "beauty."
6. Don't be afraid to set rules and hold your daughter's (and sons) accountable for their actions. A lot of kids these days get away with anything.
The more involved you are in you daughter's life the more they will appreciate it when they are older. My mother (and father) were always in my business. They always had rules and if I didn't follow them I was in TROUBLE. I probably told them I "hated" them once or twice, but now that I am the age that I am, I truly understand why they were so involved. And realize that I would not be the woman that I am today. So mother's, get involved and encourage your daughter's to NOT be like everyone else!
Remeber....Mypersonalizedprint.com has great placemats to help grow those "brains." We've got great activities on the back! And....you can follow me on Twitter at @Mycreatedprint
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Bringing the Family Together
Need a fun end of the summer activity that brings the whole family together? I have a great idea!
This past weekend I went fishing with my family for the first time! It was so much fun and very relaxing. We all had a great time and got a chance to visit before things started to get crazy! Spending time with family is very important to me.
Choose a day, that isn't to hot or humid, to go to a local forest preserve. Pick a spot with a good sized lake that has picnic tables fairly close to the lake. Whoever has a fishing license should bring their poles. If you don't have a licences you can pick one up for $15 at your local Wal-Mart or gun emporium. (Yes, I know, that sounds a little funny) But, if you don't have a license you can get fined quiet a bit of money. (In case you were wondering....the money goes to the fund to re-stock fish in all of the lakes every year)
Have each family bring a dish to pass, picnic style of course. And make sure you have a spot with a grill. It would be fun to bring some picnic style games as well. Like...Bago, ladder golf, Frisbee or wiffel ball. There will be something there for everyone!
Just sit back, relax and enjoy the day with each other. Sometimes the most fun you have is just sitting around and catching up!
Mypersonalizedprint.com has great personalized placemats. We even have a forest themed placemat with a fishing bear! Perfect for your family fishing outing or afterwords to keep the memory fresh!
This past weekend I went fishing with my family for the first time! It was so much fun and very relaxing. We all had a great time and got a chance to visit before things started to get crazy! Spending time with family is very important to me.
Choose a day, that isn't to hot or humid, to go to a local forest preserve. Pick a spot with a good sized lake that has picnic tables fairly close to the lake. Whoever has a fishing license should bring their poles. If you don't have a licences you can pick one up for $15 at your local Wal-Mart or gun emporium. (Yes, I know, that sounds a little funny) But, if you don't have a license you can get fined quiet a bit of money. (In case you were wondering....the money goes to the fund to re-stock fish in all of the lakes every year)
Have each family bring a dish to pass, picnic style of course. And make sure you have a spot with a grill. It would be fun to bring some picnic style games as well. Like...Bago, ladder golf, Frisbee or wiffel ball. There will be something there for everyone!
Just sit back, relax and enjoy the day with each other. Sometimes the most fun you have is just sitting around and catching up!
Mypersonalizedprint.com has great personalized placemats. We even have a forest themed placemat with a fishing bear! Perfect for your family fishing outing or afterwords to keep the memory fresh!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Are your kids ready for school?
Summer has been great, but it's time to start thinking about the school year. In a little over a month the kids will be back in school, but area they ready? You should still let your kids have fun and enjoy their freedom, but prep them for the fall school year. Try using these simple 5 tips from Susan Stainsby. Remember, to make them fun!
1. Read
-If you haven't done so already have your kids start a small ready list. Or have them finish the list they already started. This will help to keep your child's mind active and sharp. Make this fun for the kids. Take a trip to the library or give them an incentive/goal to reach by the end of summer. What kid doesn't love winning at something?!
2. Make sure your kiddo gets enough sleep
-I'm sure you've loosened up on bed time these past few months. But, make sure your kid is still getting his/her full 8-10 hours. I recommend starting a school like sleep schedule about two weeks before school starts. Whatever their bed time is during the school year is when they should head off to sleep. You can be a little leanient on their wakeup time. (I'm sure you like your sleep too) This way, you won't have a crabby kiddo the first few weeks of school.
3. Emphasize the positive
-Make shopping for back to school fun! If you send out a negative vibe or make the shopping seem like work then your kids will have a sour feeling about going back to school. Let them pick out a school supply that is fun. i.e. Let them get that sparkly notebook. Also make school clothes shopping fun by taking a trip to McDonald's for lunch afterwords.
-You can also make some fun crafts that will get your kids in the school spirit. Try making homemade bookmarks, play number mazes, tic-tac-toe and create some fun crossword puzzles!
4. Don't wear them out
-This might be a little late, but don't sign your kids up for "five different summer camps." If they are already enrolled in a lot keep things low key the last few weeks before school. Give them some down time and let them play.
5. Practice handwriting and spelling
-"Kids who don't write during the summer have to relearn to write and spell when school starts." Have the kids start a journal and let them write about their daily summer adventures. Or spend certain days letting them create their own stories. If you've got a little one in the house you can also stop at a local teaching store or office supply store and find alphabet tracing sheets.
Hope you've all been having a great summer and I hope your looking forward to the school year!
Check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for personalized placemats! They have great games and activities on the back, perfect for that end of summer school prep!
1. Read
-If you haven't done so already have your kids start a small ready list. Or have them finish the list they already started. This will help to keep your child's mind active and sharp. Make this fun for the kids. Take a trip to the library or give them an incentive/goal to reach by the end of summer. What kid doesn't love winning at something?!
2. Make sure your kiddo gets enough sleep
-I'm sure you've loosened up on bed time these past few months. But, make sure your kid is still getting his/her full 8-10 hours. I recommend starting a school like sleep schedule about two weeks before school starts. Whatever their bed time is during the school year is when they should head off to sleep. You can be a little leanient on their wakeup time. (I'm sure you like your sleep too) This way, you won't have a crabby kiddo the first few weeks of school.
3. Emphasize the positive
-Make shopping for back to school fun! If you send out a negative vibe or make the shopping seem like work then your kids will have a sour feeling about going back to school. Let them pick out a school supply that is fun. i.e. Let them get that sparkly notebook. Also make school clothes shopping fun by taking a trip to McDonald's for lunch afterwords.
-You can also make some fun crafts that will get your kids in the school spirit. Try making homemade bookmarks, play number mazes, tic-tac-toe and create some fun crossword puzzles!
4. Don't wear them out
-This might be a little late, but don't sign your kids up for "five different summer camps." If they are already enrolled in a lot keep things low key the last few weeks before school. Give them some down time and let them play.
5. Practice handwriting and spelling
-"Kids who don't write during the summer have to relearn to write and spell when school starts." Have the kids start a journal and let them write about their daily summer adventures. Or spend certain days letting them create their own stories. If you've got a little one in the house you can also stop at a local teaching store or office supply store and find alphabet tracing sheets.
Hope you've all been having a great summer and I hope your looking forward to the school year!
Check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for personalized placemats! They have great games and activities on the back, perfect for that end of summer school prep!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Beating the Summer Heat
Hi everyone! Sorry about the whole, "too busy to blog thing." Life and work have been CRAZY lately, but I'm back! Hope you all are enjoying your summer. The weather here in Chicago is going to be super hot, sticky, humid, and rainy these next few days. What the heck are you going to do with the kids? It's too hot to be outside and it's the end of summer and they don't want to be stuck inside. Here is what I suggest!
1. If the kids are going crazy and have to go outside....Make sure they are playing in some sort of water. Conduct sponge races, have them swim, set up a sprinkler obstacle course. Make sure to have them take breaks in order to drink some water and eat some refreshing fruit. You need to make sure to hydrate them and fill them with the good sugar in weather like this.
2. Take a trip to the local library or local children's museum. Let the kids go loose and let them explore. This kind of trip will be educational and will give you some quiet time.
3. This is the time to go see that movie the kids have been wanting to see. Pop a bag of popcorn before and distribute it into little plastic bags for each kid. Sneak in some juice boxes as well. This will save some money and give you some time to cool off.
Try these ideas and remember to stay cool and hydrated!
Remember to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for cute placemats for the end of summer or beginning of the school year. Yikes...did I just say that?
1. If the kids are going crazy and have to go outside....Make sure they are playing in some sort of water. Conduct sponge races, have them swim, set up a sprinkler obstacle course. Make sure to have them take breaks in order to drink some water and eat some refreshing fruit. You need to make sure to hydrate them and fill them with the good sugar in weather like this.
2. Take a trip to the local library or local children's museum. Let the kids go loose and let them explore. This kind of trip will be educational and will give you some quiet time.
3. This is the time to go see that movie the kids have been wanting to see. Pop a bag of popcorn before and distribute it into little plastic bags for each kid. Sneak in some juice boxes as well. This will save some money and give you some time to cool off.
Try these ideas and remember to stay cool and hydrated!
Remember to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for cute placemats for the end of summer or beginning of the school year. Yikes...did I just say that?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Our Founding Father's
Hi Everyone!
I just got back from the most amazing trip to Washington D.C.. There are so many things to do and see. I recommend a family vacation to D.C.. Your older kids will appreciate it the most, but there is fun stuff for the young ones to do as well. Take a look at this list below and start exploring. I recommend going around the 4th of July. There is nothing like it. But....if you want to avoid the heat and humidity try a trip during the spring or fall. The landscape is beautiful during those times.
Places and must-sees while in D.C.:
1. Take the kids to see the monuments (Lincoln, Vietnam Memorial, World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument) at night. There is a certain magic to them and they are breath taking at night
2. Arlington Cemetery: There are so many things to see at the cemetery. You can take a bus tour around the cemetery. I recommend seeing the changing of the guards.
3. Mount Vernon: You can tour George Washington's house, see some breath taking views, tour the grounds and take a short trip through Virginia.
4. If the kids need a snack break I suggest stopping in Georgetown at Georgetown Cupcakes. Ever watch TLC's D.C. Cupcakes. Yup! That's Georgetown Cupcakes, the Strawberry is delicious!
5. Any baseball fans? The Washington Nationals baseball stadium is a must see. The kids can take pictures with bobble head mascots and you can enjoy a game as a family.
6. Smithsonian: There are about 10 different ones you can go to. Check out the American history and natural history ones. You can see exhibits like....The Hope Diamond, the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, the First Ladies dresses, and much much more!
Other monuments and things you must see: Ford's theater, White House, Library of Congress, the Supreme Court Building and the Capital.
This will be a worthwhile vacation that you will never forget. And....it's educational!
Don't forget to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for personalized placemats!
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