Labor Day - Mom Style!

Celebrate this Labor Day by knowing you have the best job ever- being a mom! Please see the following job description from SuperKids~

POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three sec onds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

10 Simple Ways to Have a Happier Family

Wish you could slow down and take the time to really connect with your kids? Here’s how to slip small moments of love and closeness into the busiest days. By Ron Taffel, Ph.D.

1. Snuggle time Take advantage of Saturday mornings to have all the kids come in bed with you for a fifteen-minute cuddle. One day a week, try not to schedule anything early so you can just hang out and feel close to each other.
2. Mood music Here’s a tip from the folks who make TV shows and commercials: Use background music to set the mood. When cabin fever strikes and the atmosphere around the house gets tense, pop some lively music in the CD player and watch the emotional barometer rise.
3. Indirect compliments When you want to praise your child, occasionally let her overhear you say something good about her to someone else. Sometimes kids discount direct praise as empty or embarrassing. An overheard compliment can be a powerful boost to self-esteem because your child knows that it’s from the heart.
4. The never-ending game Set aside ten minutes at the same time each day to play a game with your child, one you can return to daily. Some families play a round of backgammon. Others work on a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. Reading a couple of pages of a story is popular with younger kids. The ritual aspect of the activity and brief time-out from stressful demands help kids and parents calm down and connect with each other.
5. One at a time Once a week, allow each of your children to have you all to himself for an hour, doing anything that the child wants to do (dress-up, computer time, art, etc). When your kids know they’ll each have a long turn to get your undivided attention, they learn to respect each other’s special times as well.
6. Counting blessings Take some moments in the evening, at dinner or bedtime to acknowledge the good things in your life. Don’t be heavy-handed about it. Just say, “You know, the nicest thing happened today…” and ask your child and other family members to share any good things that happened to them. Counting blessings is a way to end the day on a positive note.
7. A very merry half-birthday Mark this mid-year milestone in a lighthearted, inexpensive way. For instance, it’s fun to bake half a cake, give half a pair of socks as a present, and put up half a birthday sign. Any reason to celebrate, no matter how small, lifts the spirits and breaks up the ordinary routine.
8. Sunday-night soiree I’m sure that, like most families, you have experienced the letdown that occurs as the weekend draws to a close. You also probably have a refrigerator full of leftovers. On Sunday evening, invite a few neighbors with kids over for dinner and have them bring along their leftovers. The food may be an eclectic mix of cold turkey, ham, Chinese food, and parts of pies served on paper plates. This low-key but festive gathering takes the edge off the end-of-weekend blues.
9. Media blackouts For one night each week, declare that no one in the house will turn on televisions, computers, or stereos. The uninterrupted downtime means there’s more of an opportunity to play truly interactive games, the old-fashioned kind in which two people actually communicate. Think of a variety of ways to have low-tech fun, such as playing musical instruments and singing, reading aloud, telling jokes, or just talking.
10. Think small Remember the bumper sticker that read HUG A TREE? Why not make some time to help your child appreciate the natural world around him? Let him try to wrap his arms around a tree, stop and smell the roses, or go outside and gaze at the stars in the evening sky. Think of these activities not as educational but as ways to let your child feel part of something greater than himself. So much in our society and child-raising practices tends to encourage kids to feel too big, powerful, exceptional and alone. The truth is, children are less worried and more secure when they know they’re not the center of the universe but a small part of the whole.

Ron Taffel, Ph.D., is the author of Nurturing Good Children Now and a well-known author and speaker on raising children with values in today’s world. He is a contributing editor of Parents magazine, from which this article was excerpted.

Clever Everyday Tips

1. Use bathtub crayons to jot notes down that come to you while in the shower so you don't forget them.
2. Clip a clothespin with your child's name onto your child's towel after bathtime. Now there will be no confusion over who gets what towel.
3. When travelling, purchase a postcard and use the back to jot down memories from the trip.
4. Tuck extension cords and other electrical cords in toilet paper tubes to prevent them from tangling around each other.
5. Use a dryer sheet to rub crayon off of your table
6. If can't seem to use a complete bottle of juice before the expiration date try this: Pour leftover juice into ice trays. Once frozen pop out the frozen juice and store in a freezer-safe bag. When your child wants juice next just pop an ice cube into a cup of water and you have diluted juice.
7. Using a piece of colored paper, trace the outline of your child's foot onto the paper. Cut it out and then store it in your purse. Now you can shop for shoes without your kids (and probably make each of you a lot happier).
8. Store plastic straws inside a travel toothbrush holder. Keep this in your purse or child's diaper bag to use when you are eating out.
9. Take your child on a free field trip ... to Home Depot! Let them flip on the switches, open doors, and play with all the other gadgets on display!
10. Staple clothing receipts to the tags on newly purchased items of clothing. This way you don't have to worry about complications when returning the item.
     
    * Taken from http://cefcmops.blogspot.com/
     

Back to School Traditions

Many of us have little ones who are starting preschool or kindergarten for the very first time. It can be a bittersweet time for us as moms. Here are a few links with some great ideas for back-to-school traditions.

*Leave us a comment on this post if you have any memories of back-to-school traditions you did when you were a child or what you do/ plan on doing with your children.

A Purse Full of Cheerios

Gazettenet.com

Tip Junkie

Encouraging Independence & Responsibility In Young Children

"Never do routinely for your children what they can do for themselves."

Susan Reichart, MOPS mentor

Encouraging independence in preschoolers is vital if you want them to grow to be a responsible adult. Not only is a natural desire for a young child, but it is a healthy desire for them to have! A child encouraged to do things for him/herself grows to be a more confident child, willing to take risks and learn from mistakes. For a preschooler, a sense of self-worth comes from being able to do something without an adult's help. Here are 7 ways to encourage your child toward independence and responsibility:

1. Encourage your child to complete self-help tasks, such as cleaning up spilled juice or sweeping up paper from a cutting project.
    
2. Break complicated tasks into small steps and celebrate all the little successes along the way.
    
3. Praise the effort, not the task: “You didn’t give up and kept trying until you opened the toothpaste. Way to go!”
    
4. Build extra minutes into your daily routines to allow your child to complete tasks without being hurried — such as putting on his own socks, buckling her own seat belt, etc.
    
5. Allow your child to brainstorm and try his own solutions to a problem. Resist giving him what you think is the easiest/fastest/best solution.
    
6. Help your child make a book or poster of all the things she can do. Read it when she is feeling frustrated or disappointed about not being able to complete a task. Adding photos of your child doing things for herself would be fun, too!
    
7. Give your child simple chores around the house such as setting the table, putting away the silverware, watering a plant, or feeding the family pet. Other age-appropriate chores for preschoolers include: dressing themselves, wiping the table or counter, wash their hands, dusting (Swiffer Dusters are wonderful tools for little ones), picking up toys, folding towels, putting books on a shelf, etc.

For these tips and other resources related to helping your preschooler be more responsible and independent check out the Let's Explore Blog.

If You Give A Mom A Muffin

by Kathy Fictore, adapted from If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff

If you give a mom a muffin, she’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She’ll pour herself some. Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She’ll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She’ll remember she has to do laundry. When she puts the laundry in the washer, she’ll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper. She will get out a pound of hamburger. She’ll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow. She will look for her checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She’ll smell something funny. She’ll change the two-year-old. While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring. Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. She’ll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee. Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup. She will pour herself some. And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Potty Training HELP!

Every Single Stinkin' Thing I Ever Learned About Potty Training

 

Here is a link to an article about potty training. Some of our mom's are going through this process right now.  For a lucky few it is incredibly smooth and easy....but for most, it is frustrating and tedious!  

Here are the main points: (The author elaborates on each point in her article!)

1. Don't do it until they are ready

2. Don't do it until you are ready.

3. Treat them like big kids.

4. The specifics are up to you.

5. Keep it positive

6. Don't sweat the nighttime potty training.

7. What about regressions? Or really stubborn kids?

8. Don't compare yourself- or your kids- to others?

9. Limit the use of disposable training pants.

10. I am not a fan of the potty chair.

As you read, please keep in mind that these are just ideas to help you succeed on what can be a very frustrating part of "toddler-hood"!   Every situation, child, and family is different. (For example, she says she doesn't like a potty chair - my oldest son didn't need a potty chair and we never even bought one...but with my daughter, it was an essential part of the process for her and we couldn't have done it with out her beloved Froggy Potty!) 

 

Stay strong......Potty Power!

Android & iPhone Apps for Moms

Nowadays, if you have a cell phone there is a really good chance that it does a lot more than call people!  In fact, if you have a phone, chances are you also have a calendar, a calculator, e-mail access, and much more.  For our moms who cannot live without their smartphones and for our moms who are looking to maximize its use and make life a tad bit easier, here are some apps that might come in handy!

*List compiled by Heather Leister, www.babble.com - - Check out her website for more,The iPhone Mom

Top 25 Android Apps for Mom

1. Out of Milk
2. Epicurious
3. ShopSavvy
4. The Coupons App
5. Seasonal Harvest
6. CPR-Choking
7. iTriage Mobile Health
8. Endomondo
9. Calorie Counter from MyFitnessPal
10. Pink Pad
11. Baby Bump
12. Baby ESP
13. Baby Monitor and Alarm by Tappy Taps
14. Lightning Bug Sleep Clock
15. Baby Name-o-Matic 10K
16. Cozi Family Organizer
17. Family GPS Tracker by Life 360
18. ICE
19. Mint
20. Carr Matey
21. Google Sky Map
22. Kid Mode by Zoodles
23. Movie Reviews by Kids In Mind
24. Easy Kid Timer
25. MommyCount

Top 25 iPhone Apps for Mom

1. Grocery Gadget
2. How to Cook Everything
3. Safe Browser
4. Web MD Mobile
5. Red Laser
6. Craft Finder
7. Mint.com Personal Finance
8. iHealthTrax
9. Pageonce Bills
10. Weather Bug Elite
11. Allrecipes.com
12. Edibles-Diet Journal
13. Amazon Mobile
14. Coupon Sherpa
15. iReward Chart
16. Mom Maps
17. Angry Birds
18. Lose It
19. Better Gift List
20. Baby Activity Logger
21. Silent Bodyguard
22. Sprout
23. Betty Crocker
24. Grocery IQ
25. Smart-ICE4family

Problem Solving and the Preschooler

8 Ways To Help Preschoolers Develop Better

Problem-Solving Skills

1. Provide a variety of open-ended toys that encourage creative thinking and experimentation.
    
2. Talk out loud while you solve problems to model effective problem-solving strategies.
    
3. Ask questions more often than you give answers. Get in the habit of saying, “What do you think we could do to solve this problem?”
    
4. When your child is trying to solve a problem, think of yourself as a coach. Guide your child through identifying the problem, brainstorming possible solutions, choosing a solution to try and trying it, and evaluating how the solution worked.
    
5. Help your child view mistakes as opportunities to learn.
    
6. Try puzzles, tangrams, various math manipulatives, etc.
    
7. Create your own scavenger hunt with clues – make them just tricky enough that your preschooler has to think without getting frustrated.
    
8. Do simple science experiments together – practice making predictions and seeing what happens. Start with a sink/float experiment or search for things that are magnetic.

To find these tips and more information on problem-solving visit the Let's Explore Blog.

Android & iPhone Apps for Kids

You may view your phone as a communications device, but your kids know that it’s actually an awesome mobile gaming center. When you’re caught in traffic or facing an unexpectedly long wait at the pediatrician’s office, you are going to hand over that phone. The kids will be happy, you’ll be relieved, and, if you choose your apps carefully, they might even learn something while they play. — Sonya Mukherjee (babble.com)


The Top 25 Android Apps for Kids

1. Angry Birds
2. Fruit Ninja
3. Spaghetti Marshmallows
4. Dropwords
5. Shape Builder Preschool Puzzle
6. Doodle Jump
7. PopMath
8. Celeste SE
9. Kids Socks
10. Airport Mania
11. Kids Piano 
12. Pocket Soccer
13. The Cat In The Hat
14. All By Myself
15. Math Attack
16. Space Physics
17. 50 States
18. Kids Doodle
19. Bubble Blast 2
20. Rush Hour
21. Labyrinth
22. Alphabet Bingo
23. Benjamin Bunny
24. LOL Libs
25. Three Little Pigs

Top 5 Preschool Android Apps

It's true: You're never too young to play with Mom's Droid. Preschool kids are naturally drawn to touch screens, where they can tap and swipe with the best of them. These apps are electronic versions of preschool classics, like matching games, letter puzzles, and toy pianos.

1. Shape Builder Preschool Puzzle
2. Kids Socks
3. Kids Piano
4. Kids Doodle
5. Alphabet Bingo

The 25 Top iPhone Apps for Kids   - by Heather Leister, www.babble.com

1. Weet Woo!
2. 123 Color
3. Elmo's Monster Maker
4. Kid Calc 7-in-1 Math Fun
5. Duck Duck Moose Apps
6. Math Bingo
7. Pocket Zoo
8. Dr. Seuss Books
9. Count with Sesame Series
10. Preschool Connect the Dots
11. Highlights Hidden Pictures
12. Jelly Doodle
13. Harry Potter Spells
14. Fish School
15. ABC Pocket Phonics
16. Jack and the Beanstalk
17. The Oregon Trail
18. Wacky Chatter
19. Peekaboo Barn
20. Olivia
21. Faces iMake
22. Letter Writer Oceans
23. Doodle Find
24. iBooks & Kindle
25. Triazzle

How to be a Good Mom - Instructions

How to be a Good MomDifficulty: Challenging

Things You'll Need:
Love
Patience
Respect
Responsibility
Goals
Traditions
Influence
Kindness

Instructions:
 

1. Love your children no matter what they do. They show to others what they are given, and love is the most important gift you can give them! Hugs and kisses are mandatory. Hug them no matter how "old" they may think they are. Everyone needs hugs to survive.

2. Be patient when they spill the milk and get cookie crumbs on your brand new carpet. Count to ten and breathe. It's often hard not to yell. All mothers yell at some point and if you don't, you shouldn't be reading this! Train yourself to count. It might not save tears, but it will save pain.

3. Respect your children and they will respect you. Appreciate the things they do for you, and they will do them more often. Rewards and praises for jobs and tasks well done will teach them that working hard, being a good person, and doing it all unconditionally is key to sustaining a great life.

4. Show your children you are a responsible person by working, providing for them and caring for their needs. This will teach them to do the same for their families in the future. Building a loving home for a child is the ultimate responsibility. Cherish the moments of family and show your children how much you are willing to do for them.

5. Have goals for your children, your family and yourself. Involve your family in your goals, teach them to make goals of their own and challenge them to achieve them. For example, if they want a new toy and it's not close to Christmas or a birthday, have them do a few extra chores around the house they don't normally do to earn the toy. If your son or daughter is great at a sport or school encourage them to go the distance and beyond. Support the team, reward excellence and participate in their achievements.

6. Pass on traditions to your children. Some families have holiday traditions, others have daily traditions. Teach your children about your family history. Cook old family recipes together, try a family craft project or plan a party together. Keeping family traditions alive keeps the family close.

7. Influence your children to be the best they can be. Talk to them, learn what they want out of life and answer their questions. Children would much rather hear about life from people they love and trust than from complete strangers or friends. Your children will love and respect you more for talking with them, not to them.

8. Be kind to your children. They are born innocent. Keep them that way as long as possible. Treat your children with dignity, respect and love and they will treat you with the same!

By Jami Mack, eHow Contributor

A phone call....

A lot of people don't realize the work that goes into being a mother. Only a mother knows what a mother really does, and only a mother can tell the story. Here's a little tidbit that will hopefully give the rest of the world just a tiny bit of insight on just how hard us mothers actually work!

THE INTERVIEW

The phone rings...

MOTHER: Hello?

INTERVIEWER: Hello, Ma'am. I'm a reporter and we're choosing women at random to give brief accounts of their job descriptions to run in next week's issue of our career paper. Do you have a minute?

MOTHER: Not now, I'm busy!

INTERVIEWER: OK Ma'am, I won't take anymore of your time.

MOTHER: Oh, I'm sorry, I was talking to my two-year old. She's trying to get me to pour her some milk.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, I see. So you're a mother?

MOTHER: I can't just yet, I'll do it in a minute!

INTERVIEWER: Excuse me, what was that?

MOTHER: Oh, my apologies. I was talking to my 4 year old, he needs help wiping his bottom.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, well I'll be brief. First of all, do you work?

MOTHER: Of course I do.

INTERVIEWER: Great! What is your occupation?

MOTHER: I'm a mother.

INTERVIEWER: Oh. But you don't work for pay, right?

MOTHER: I have the highest paying job I know!

INTERVIEWER: But I thought you were a mother. Do you have another occupation?

MOTHER: Isn't that enough?

INTERVIEWER: I suppose. (pause) Well, I'll let you get back to your children Ma'am. I have some interviews to collect.

MOTHER: Wait! Don't you want to hear my job description?

INTERVIEWER: Uhhh.... (Thinking about a potential lawsuit if he should say no) ..... OK, go for it.

MOTHER: Could you hold on just a minute? Let me take care of my son in the bathroom. This should just take a second.

INTERVIEWER: (sighs) OK. I'll wait.

About 5 minutes pass...

MOTHER: I'm back. Whew, that one was above and beyond the call of duty!

INTERVIEWER: I think I'll leave that out of my article.

MOTHER: Good idea.

INTERVIEWER: Well let's hear the job description. (He mutters under his breath), This shouldn't take too long.

MOTHER: I hope you have lots of paper...hmmm. Well, here it goes...

I have the world's most important job. I'm a Manager of Miracles (or MOM for short). I train people for life. I teach them morals and right from wrong. I make sure that they get the proper education that will help them to one day have the ability to rule the world if necessary. I also teach them the small things that go along with good civilization such as good hygiene and manners.

The training process takes a lot of patience and requires me to hold a number of different job titles. I'll share just a few with you for time's sake.

For one thing, I'm a nurse. There are times when my little "trainees" (hereafter referred to as my children or kids), will get scraped knees and little tears will stream down little faces. It is my place to put a colorful bandage on it and kiss it. This has an amazing healing effect. Usually, the child will then wipe their eyes, smile and run back and do the same thing that made them get the scraped knee in the first place. However, there are more difficult times like when my kids have the flu. It is then my place to be on call at any given moment to come and check temperatures, administer medicine, or even hold a barf bag. If I don't get there quickly enough, it may require cleaning messes out of the carpet. I often give up my own sleep to make sure that my child is comfortable.

Also, I'm a referee. Believe it or not, there are times when my little "angels" grow horns. Fights break out between siblings and it's my place to break up the fights and restore the peace.

Sometimes as a MOM, I must be a psychologist. I have to delve into the problems of my children and find the root causes for their behavior and help them change it.

I'm a teacher 24/7. My children are constantly learning from me whether I'm trying to teach them or not. This requires me to be very careful about everything that I do and say, for they learn the bad as well as the good.

Another one of my jobs, and one that I'm really good at is that of an attorney. There are times when the judge, (dad), lays down the law. Although I agree with Judge Dad that punishment must be received for wrongdoings, I look into what caused the child to behave the way they did. I've been know to get "sentences" reduced if the child can present good reasons for why they did what they did. (Judge Dad don't seem to think that this is an attorney role, he thinks it's a soft Mommy's heart).

I'm a chauffeur, a maid, a cook, and....did you say something sir?

INTERVIEWER: ZZZZZzzzzzzzz

MOTHER: Well, I guess he got tired just listening to all I have to do. 'click'

Let's go get your milk now sweetie