It can’t just be me. All too often when I get a review item for my boys, I find myself looking for reasons and ways not to share it with them. Why, you ask? Because I want them. I also don’t want my kids to get them dirty with their grubby-graham-cracker-encrusted fingers on them. When we received the package from Yoo Hoo and Friends by Aurora World I tried to hide them. But those sneaky kids
Over the course of 2009, the 3 Kids and Us family has had the pleasure of working with a over 100 companies and brands, testing and sharing opinions on products we’ve come to know and love. These are products we’ve not only tried ourselves, but products we continue to use and put our name behind.
In [...]
Rather than one big long post of resolutions, old posts, and so on, I’ve decided to break them all up into fun little “2009 Rewind” episodes. While my blog has covered a lot of different topics over the course of the year, the one that is nearest and dearest to my heart is my children. [...]
As the last days of 2009 tick off of the calendar, many people are drawn to introspection and reflection. For parents, these last days of the year offer space to sit down and intentionally consider how you are working to become the parent you want to be for your children.
If you have a few moments of downtime this week, I encourage you to not only think through the answers to these questions, but also take time to write down your answers. If you don’t have time for a written response, consider speaking your answers out loud to increase the impact of your reflections.
If your children are old enough to respond (and if you are feeling brave!), you might ask them this question. For those with younger children, take a moment to get behind their eyes and think about how they see you and experience you on a day-to-day basis.
I desire for my children to know that people are more important than projects. For me, that means I need to be more attentive to how I manage my time. I want for my children to experience me as a mother who is genuinely engaged with them throughout each day. In the coming year, I want to be more affectionate, less frazzled, more gracious, and less preoccupied.
It is so easy at the end of the year to think back on all the ways we believe we missed the mark, rather than celebrating our personal best. Take time to relive and relish your Parenting Hall of Fame moments from this past year.
As our toddler grows through the twos and into the threes, I know we have exciting times ahead. I can only imagine how her vivacious, life-loving personality will develop as she matures in the next year. We are taking a special trip as a family in the summer, and I know we will come home with many memories and stories.
Photo by playingwithbrushes
I know exactly which tools I need to seek out and add to my own parenting toolbox. I want to learn more about how to respond rather than react when situations become tense. I know that the moments I choose a calm response rather than an agitated reaction are the moments when the outcome is more peaceful for everyone.
Of the tools that are working the best for me as a parent, I have to say the most helpful is connecting with parenting communities (online and face-to-face) to share insight, advice, feedback, and perspective. The older my children are, the more I realize that I need the support and friendship of others to encourage me in the day-to-day work of parenting. I have been blessed by amazing communities of support in the past year.
Sometimes we take for granted that our children want to be known by us. Children are not developmentally able to grasp many abstract concepts such as love, interest, and devotion. Parents must find concrete ways to deliberately and demonstratively put actions to our words of love.
With babies and younger children, this can be something as simple as spending a little extra time reading favorite books or splashing around in the bathtub with them. For older children, a genuine interest in what interests them might show them you want to really get to know the person they are becoming.
Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt
The dawn of a new year is an ideal time to start fresh and new. Every relationship will have pain, misunderstanding, and frustration at some point. Now is the time to examine the reality of your relationship with your children – not to bring more pain to the surface, but rather to actively seek out healing.
I had to stop and ask for the forgiveness of my daughters today in the parking lot of our local discount store after a particularly unhappy shopping trip. I had been terse, short, and unkind to each of them as we zoomed through the store. There was an obvious disconnection between the three of us, and it is remarkable how quickly we can reconnect once forgiveness has been asked for and given.
A great way to promote engaged parenting is to build in checkpoints through the day or through the week. Perhaps each night at bedtime could become a special time of conversation in which you talk through the joys and the pains of the day. Maybe every Sunday night in your home allows time for a family meeting in which each member of the family has time to share thoughts, problems, hurts, and encouragement.
Engaged parenting doesn’t happen by accident. It requires action, reflection, and assessment. As we embark on the journey that is 2010, there will be bountiful opportunities to grow more into the parent you want to be.
Do you have year-end rituals or practices that pertain to parenting to share? What questions or comments would you add to this starting point?
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Every 2 hours last night, Jake got up screaming. Last night he had macaroni and cheese with peas and carrots. But if you went into his room last night, you would certainly know that because little cubes of carrot and tiny round peas were making a repeat performance.
4 pajama changes, 3 bedding changes and 1 pajama change for me (I was the lucky recipient of one of the peas and carrot showers)
Sorry, friends. No You Capture this week, I can’t even open up Wordpress let alone add photos to a dang post. Whomever invented spotty Internet should go straight to jail.
So, next week be prepared to share your YEAR in review photos for You Capture. Got that? Keep taking your photos this [...]
I have always had a love of reading and I attribute that to my mom who always read to me when I was younger. I intend on making sure that my children learn how to read as soon as possible. We have read to the boys practically since they have been born and they already choose to “read” books instead of play with toys. So when the author, Joan Holub, contacted me to review a couple of her childrens
Today I’m at (in)courage, where I’ve posted my annual 20 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection. Comments are closed here, so I hope you’ll participate over there! Here’s a snippet from the post:
I’m in favor on new year’s resolutions – but why not also use the turn of the clock to reflect on this past year? Before deciding on how you want 2010 to be different than 09, take a moment with your journal and answer some – or all – of these questions.
These questions can be a catalyst for digging deeper into personal reflection, or they can be icebreakers between you and your spouse for a New Year’s Eve conversation. However you want to use them – use them to your benefit.
If you’d like to print out 20 Reflection Questions for 2009 to use at a family gathering or intimate party, or to jot down your personal answers with a pencil, head to Simple Mom’s download page and get your free copy. Enjoy! Head here tomorrow to download a free worksheet to help you generate good personal and family goals for 2010.
And have a fun, safe New Year’s Eve.
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CURRENT SPONSORS:
© 2008-2009 SimpleMom.net | Simple Living Media, LLC | all rights reserved |
Our first complete family photo
(Left to Right) back: Hubby, Me, Nate front: Jake, Luke
I know Luke is looking off to the side but this was the best we could get
I feel so lucky to have even gotten this!
Hats are courtesy of my BFF Doreen who made these for us
Photos is courtesy of her husband Adam, thanks guys!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HAPPY HANUKKAH,
HAPPY KWANZAA or HAPPY FRIDAY.
(I
How do you play along?We all have tons of photos from the days before the digital camera. I figure if I just scan a few each week, eventually I will get them all safely into my computer. But you don't need a scanner to participate - Just find a photo that takes
