Children can learn so much from being read to. They can learn about colours, numbers, feelings, places and so much more.  They feel safe when they are in the arms of a loving adult who is snuggling them while reading a good book! They look at the words, they see the colours of the pictures and they listen to all the words. They can hear how you change your voice when you read certain parts of a story and they can be transported into a magical land just by being read to! And guess what? It’s as simple as sitting down with a child and opening a book!  I believe you can never have too many books, or even read a book too many times….so when it comes to supporting anything that promotes reading I’m there! I received an informative e-mail  from Not Just Cute about how to make Literacy Learning Meaningful. I hope you find something here that entices you to grab a book to read to your child tonight at bed time!

Have a read and see if there are any alarm bells ringing in your head.

In her Exchange book, The Top Ten Preschool Parenting Problems,
Roslyn Duffy observes that one of the hardest challenges parents face is
limiting the impact of television on their children’s development.  Duffy
cited research showing that children imitate aggressive behavior they observe
on television, and that children who engage in heavy television watching are
less likely to be able to read and less likely to spend time outdoors.
Here are some of the steps Duffy suggests to parents to limit the impact of
television…

• Do not place a television or computer in a young child’s bedroom.
• View programs together…..Watching a program with a child gives an adult the opportunity to question, discuss and help a child interpret what she sees.
• Choose non-commercial programs.  Most videos from the library…do not promote consumerism.
• Read. Raise a reader.  Read to your children.  Read with your children.  Model reading.  Make time for reading.

We have a park down the road from our house and there is a swing there that is an accident waiting to happen. Yet as I watch the 10 and 11 year olds stand on it and jump off when it’s at it’s highest I see that they have perfected the art and have no fear. My daughter has tried twice to climb off the swing while it’s moving, not realizing that it is going to swing back and smack her in the face.

After reading this article in the New York Times I’ve realized that I’m becoming one of the New Age ‘Don’t Risk It’ parents! I told her that she is not allowed on the swing until she has learnt how to get off it properly, but how else is she going to learn if she hasn’t tried it?

So this weekend, it’s off to the swing we go!

If you’re a parent looking for Day Care for your precious child and you’ve stumbled upon my website because you’ve heard a bit about Family Day Care you might be asking yourself, “What exactly is Family Day Care?”

Well, I’ve found a Media Release that states all the facts in one simple document, have a read and if you still have questions I’d love to hear from you.

Family Day Care Fact Sheet.

With a definite drop in the temperature winter is here. Rainy, cold days offer a great opportunity to stay inside and try some new craft ideas. With this in mind we have created a list of simple projects you might like to try with the kids in your service.

Toilet roll penguins – with a little bit of help even the youngest kids will enjoy decorating these cute little guys.

Paper snowflakes – an oldie but a goodie, cutting snowflakes is a simple activity which never fails to surprise and delight kids.

Winter mittens – these sweet mittens can be decorated with anything and then hung on display.

Bottle snowmen – this project gives used plastic bottles another life as snowmen.

Sparkly pinecones – a great way to jazz up the lovely fragrant pinecones that can be collected from under pine trees at this time of the year.

Cotton ball snowmen – smaller kids will love making these sticky furry little snowmen.

Circle polar bears – a fun way to teach kid about shapes.

Winter crowns – if the indoor weather is making everyone a little crazy have them make one of these crowns and hold a winter parade.

Winter themed scissor skills – smaller kids love snipping and gluing, use these simple templates to encourage them to snip with a purpose!

I receive daily e-mails from “Life… Your Way” and this one is very important to me! Working with your own children is hard enough, working with other people’s children AND your own, leaves very little time for yourself. Take 5 minutes, put your feet up and have a read…..

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The following is a guest post from Angelica at Modern Familia:

I know plenty of women who sleep somewhere between 4 and 5 hours a night. They say they just don’t have the time to sleep any more than that. And I know many more women who skip meals, especially breakfast, because they are too hurried in the morning. Exercise? Forget about it. That’s considered a luxury.

When we do too much, the time we spend on self-care is one of the first areas that suffers. From a logical point of view, this makes absolutely no sense. If self-care energizes and invigorates us, why do we sacrifice our source of energy? It’s no different than driving a car with an empty tank of gas. At some point, the car will stop just stop driving.

And so will we.

Consequences of Poor Self-Care and Maintenance

I’m sure you know what happens when you don’t sleep enough, don’t move your body enough, and don’t eat well. You end up depleted. And when you don’t take the time to reconnect with your self and your friends — or, as I call it: fill up your soul tank — you face the risk of:

§ Fatigue and chronic exhaustion

§ Irritability, sadness, melancholy or depression

§ Feelings of emptiness

§ Lower back aches and/or joint pain, headaches

§ Decreased libido and/or marital conflict

§ Poor decision-making and poor judgment

§ Difficulties concentrating or focusing

Carving the time to take care of yourself through regular maintenance, personal tune ups and filling up with invigorating life activities will make you a better mother, wife, friend and career person. Incorporating healthy and energizing practices into your daily routine is key.

Here are “7 agreements” to live life with a full tank of energy:

1. Agree to Wake Up 15 Minutes Earlier

Regardless of how early or late you you already wake up these days, creating the new habit of waking up just 15 minutes earlier to purposefully invigorate yourself is a bold statement to yourself on self-care. Take this time to acknowledge your body, mind and soul.

We often think of meditation as focusing mostly on the breath — I find that for busy moms, it is equally important to focus on how our body feels that morning right after awakening. Sitting in a comfortable position, on the floor or chair:

§ Ask yourself: Where do I feel the stress in my body?

§ Move your shoulders, your waist, and your knees

§ Wiggle your fingers, your toes, and extremities

§ Move your facial muscles and sense any tension there

§ Smile

2. Take 5 Minutes to Review Your To-Do List

Go over your list of things to be done today (I’m assuming you keep a to-do list) and, immediately and without over-thinking it, do the following:

§ Choose 3 MIT’s (Most Important Items) you will focus on today

§ Find 3 items you can delegate to someone else

§ Scratch 3 items you do not really need to do at all (trust me, there are plenty of those)

Why only 5 minutes? Because the goal is to not waste time pondering on what to do. The goal is to go with your instinct on what you need to get done, and do so as efficiently as possible.

3. Agree to Sleep at Least 7 Hours.

The literature on sleep is replete with data showing that lack of sleep is associated with obesity, mood problems, and plenty of medical conditions. Sleep is our main source of rejuvenation and recovery. It is the most important source of energy for our mind, body, and soul. Sleeping at least 7 hours will guarantee better concentration, increased overall efficiency, improved mood, and beautiful skin (!).

4. Agree to Take Your Time in the Shower.

Don’t hurry your showers. Showers are not only very relaxing, but they can also be therapeutic for your body, your muscles, your joint and your mind. Ever wonder why you do your best creative thinking while in the shower? There is something magical about water — it’s refreshing, relaxing, soothing, and healing. So, do take your time — and don’t forget to sing.

5. Carve out 45 Minutes for ME Time Every Single Day.

This may sound like an impossible idea. But honestly speaking, it is easier than you think. You can carve out the time before your kids wake up in the morning, when they’re at school, or right after they go to sleep. Or you can have someone help at home for an hour so that you can either sit and read a book, talk to friend on the phone, get your nails done, or take a nice long shower. Better yet, do nothing. Doing nothing is doing something.

6. Move Your body. Start with 5 Jumping Jacks Daily

I’m trying not to use the E word here because I know many of us are sick and tired of people telling us how important E is. When we hear this E word, we often think about jogging for an hour in the park, doing weights at the gym, sweating at an aerobics class and taking precious hours out of our day.

But, the real truth is that exercise (okay, I said it) does not need to be a workout; it can simply be a walk around your neighborhood, 15 minutes of dancing to your favorite music at home or going to the gym for just 30 minutes.

Start with 5 jumping jacks. Go ahead, get up right now and do it. It takes about 30 seconds.

7. Agree to Fuel your Marriage

When we become so focused and consumed with parenting and work responsibilities, we might find ourselves disconnected from our partners, especially if time for fun and intimacy are compromised. We notice that our conversations might only focus on the kids, the new leak in the house, or the latest bill, and somehow, the couple that we once were gets lost in the day-to-day busyness of our lives. As you begin to take care of yourself, consider how you can also take care of your relationship with your spouse. Figure out ways to fill up your relationship tank with love, laughter and intimacy. A happy marriage makes the soul dance.

Do you make time for self-care every day? Which one of the above items will you do today?

Angelica Perez-Litwin is a practicing psychologist and mother of 4 children, ranging in ages from 1 to 16. She’s the founder and writer of Modern Familia, a progressive website on motherhood, parenting and families, for moms who want to live remarkable lives and raise remarkable children.

If you don't have a tree in your garden, explore your neighbourhood and go and find a 'free range' one!

I grew up in my garden! I was allowed to watch one hour of tv after school and then I had to spend the rest of the day outside. I had hiding places in my Mom’s flowerbeds and I had trees that I could climb. When I was sad I hid behind the bushes, when I was angry I climbed a tree and when I wanted to explore and carry out the stories in my imagination I would head outdoors. I even had a spot to do my homework (under a tree in a very deep flowerbed)!

As I headed into my teenage years the garden at our new house was bigger and better. It had more trees (which I wasn’t agile enough to climb), it had a fish pond with a bridge over it (where I would sneak a kiss with boyfriends) and it even had nooks and crannies that I could hide in to puff on a forbidden cigarette!! I would spend days lying around the pool and hot Summer evenings entertaining friends outdoors….

Such happy times! Now I live in Perth and I have the sea and beautiful beaches just a short drive down the road. I have fantastic parks and pine forests, but I don’t have the garden that I had growing up. All I want is a tree for my kids to climb, but I suppose I have to plant one first So I resort to taking my children to parks, to empty blocks with bushes, thorns, stones and hidden treasures. We walk around the neighbourhood looking at beautiful flowers, we stop and smell them.

I have found that Nature is important for children, but it’s also important for me. Adults need nature too, it clears our minds and it slows us  down. I could start another blog about why Nature is important for adults, but I’m here for our children…

Today I was directed towards a very interesting article about Why Kids Need Nature and I wanted to share it with you.

Enjoy!!

While trying to catch up on all the action in the land of Facebook I got side tracked on Lea’s Family Day Care Page.  She is an Educator in Queensland and has some wonderful entries on her page.  The one that caught my eye was her Rainbow Day.  I looked at the slices of colourful bread and wondered how they are made. Another Educator asked her how it was done and after a bit of reading turns out that it is a complicated process.  I have a Thermomix and making bread is as easy as 1-2-3, so after a discussion with my kids, we decided to try it out.  I made the bread dough, broke it into a few balls and added some high quality food colouring to it.  We then sat kneading the colour into the dough.  After 25 minutes in the oven, the bread smelt good and looked colourful.

We took it out and let it cool down. Hubby, children and I were all crowded around the bread wondering what it would taste like.  I must admit, eating something that looks like a rainbow made tasting it very difficult.  Hubby closed his eyes to taste it, “Mmm, needs a bit more salt, but it tastes like bread”. I put butter and vegemite on mine and tasted it again, “Tastes like bread”! I’m thinking of making their school sandwiches out of that bread just so that I can see what their friends say!!

I was looking at my 7 year old son’s bedroom this morning.  It was his birthday a few days ago and the presents that he got from his family are all over the place.  His cupboards are over flowing as are his shelves and his drawers and it dawned on me that Christmas is around the corner. What this means for me is MORE TOYS!!! In my days I had 7 Barbie dolls, my daughter has 15 and counting and she is only 4 years old! I had 1 Cabbage Patch, Katiana has 3. How much more can they possibly get? On the way to school I was trying to explain to my kids that they have too much stuff and next year they are getting NOTHING from me (other than birthdays & Christmas). My daughter volunteered to give her toys to the poor people because they are sad because they don’t have enough toys. I told her that having only ONE toy would make them happy. I tried to explain that having more stuff doesn’t make us happier.  I used her brother as an example. He has 1 ZuZu pet, but he’s not happy because he wants 2. He has one Nano Pet, but no, he wants TWO. He has enough lego to build a house, but he still wants MORE, MORE, MORE! I asked her, “Is Stelio happy?” She thought about it and then shook her head. So now I have to figure out how to thin  out his toys.

When I got home I found this e-mail in my inbox about being happier with less! It’s almost as though the Universe is telling me that I’m on the right path! I have to do something about it.  I picked up some very valid points from this e-mail and thought that it would be nice to share it. If I can make a difference in someone’s life today then I have served my purpose.

Enjoy……

7 Surprising Areas Where You’ll Be Happier With Less.