Shopping with a Toddler: Before you go into the store, tell your child how to act, what behavior is and is not acceptable. They need lots of reminders and they are still learning what is appropriate in what place. Do not assume that after running around the playground this afternoon, your child will remember to be calm prepare them, this gives you an opportunity to say, “Remember, … Continue reading This Works for Me!
It is not your responsibility to get your children out the door on time. It’s theirs! Your only contribution is to complete your assigned tasks on time (making their lunch or combing their hair). As long as you are not hindering your child’s progress in the morning, you can not be blamed if they miss the bus or the carpool. Once a child realizes that … Continue reading How to Empower you Children to get to School on Time
Sewing lace-up cards: Make your own easily by using the cover of a coloring book, back of a cereal box or a Christmas card that has something interesting to your child. Cut out the picture, punch holes around sides, add shoelace or yarn. Good examples would be Barbie coloring book or Batman cereal. Coloring Savvy: It’s so easy to “get involved” with our child as they color or draw … Continue reading This Works for Me!
When your child shares about their day, LISTEN. Even if you have to bite your tongue. I’ve learned a lot about my children from listening to them and not reacting. I also listened to their friends, who seemed quite willing to share “funny” stories that my children were involved in. Don’t judge; don’t react. Just listen. If you must put your two cents in, wait … Continue reading Top 10 Parenting Tips Part II
Crunchy is a relatively new term. Many people have never heard of it. Generally “crunchy” gets thrown together with other terms such as: “granola”, “hippie” and “green”. Those terms will instantly give you the general idea of what Crunchy is but I want to go a bit deeper. Crunchy is a lifestyle. Generally it refers to a style of parenting, but I don’t believe that … Continue reading Guest Post: What a Crunchy Mama is and Why I am One
Long Distance Moves: Be prepared for cash flow problems. New apartments, phone companies, and utilities may require immediate cash deposits but refunds from old deposits can take weeks. When moving to a new state, find out how long you have before you must change your car registration and tags. If changing banks, keep old bank accounts open until all checks have cleared. Some businesses do … Continue reading Moving Tips
Do you want to raise healthy, well-adjusted adults? The beauty of having 3 twenty-somethings is that I can see the fruits of my labor. Through reading, trial and error and my basic belief systems, I raised my children on the following 10 premises: Read about each phase of childhood BEFORE you get to it. You won’t be surprised when you get a call from the … Continue reading Top Ten Parenting Tips – Part 1
Most of these ideas can be used even if you’re not homeschooling. As parents, we are our children’s primary educator. Learning takes place everywhere, anywhere. Look for opportunities to teach in everyday activities. If you’re getting a new rug, have your child help with measuring. Let your child follow a recipe. Talk about measurements using standard and metric. Have them design a house. What size … Continue reading This Works for Me: Tips for Teaching at Home
The first question people asked me about homeschooling was “What about socialization?” By that I suppose they meant, “Would my son be isolated?” My response to this is that there are many ways to socialize and sitting in the school for 6 hours a day with the same children in the same age group is just one way of socializing. It’s not better, it’s not always the most positive … Continue reading Moms to Moms: Homeschooling
While my husband and I were house hunting we never took the children with us. When we did select a house, we waited until the contract was accepted before showing the children their new home. Then we has to sell our old house. We packed away the messiest toys and when someone called to see the house, we’d play the “pick-up game”. I’s race the children to see … Continue reading From Moms to Moms: Moving
ART with Angela DiCicco, The Italian Grandmama's Guide 