Radio Show: The Soulful Parent

Listen to our recent radio show as we talked with Sandra Huber the soul and coach behind The Soulful Parent.  We talked about what it means to be a soulful parent, how to become one if you aren’t, and back talking kids.  You can listen live by using the player below, downloading the mp3 file to your computer, or via iTunes.

My Top Four Reasons to Exercise

By: Laura Rolands of My Attention Coach

Spring is finally here!  The recent good weather in Michigan inspired me to write about getting more exercise for this month’s article.  Sure, you can exercise indoors and I have friends who run outside all year, but there is nothing like getting outside for some exercise in the fresh spring air.  It is so invigorating!

While I traditionally thought about exercise from the traditional “I need to lose a few pounds” perspective, I recently began reflect on other benefits.  Here are my top four.

ADHD Help

As physician and author, John Ratey, M.D. writes, increasing your exercise can help to increase the brain’s norepinephrine and dopamine neurotransmitter levels.  Increasing these neurotransmitters can help increase attention levels for both children and adults.  For me as an Attention and ADHD Coach, this reason alone gets me excited to start moving more!  Exercise is a great way to complement the many other things you can do to improve ADHD symptoms.  (see http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/print/3280.html for more information)

Family Time

There is nothing better than being outside and exercising with my family.  Whether we are riding bikes, playing soccer or going for a walk, we make great memories every time.  Your kids are more likely to get away from those video games if they have a fun alternative.  Find something they love to do and exercise will seem like less work.

General Health

Even if you do not have a goal of losing weight, building the habit of exercise is important for countless reasons.  The website www.letsmove.gov tells us that if kids get at least 60 minutes of exercise each day they are more likely to have a healthy weight in adulthood.  This is so much easier when we can get outside.  What is your child’s favorite way to get their 60 minutes?

Energy

Regular exercise can provide more energy even when you are not exercising.  In our busy world that asks so much of children, a natural way to increase their energy is an excellent benefit.  Sometimes it seems counter-intuitive though.  I often feel that I am too busy to exercise when work and life in general get so busy.  The great weather reminds me that I am too busy skip exercising!  I’m so grateful I can do more of it outside now.

The benefits are countless really.  I hope my top four reasons get you motivated to start moving as we move into Spring.  I’ll be looking for more ways to get my family moving.  Share your ideas and reasons with us here!  I would love to hear from you.

Laura Rolands is the founder of LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC. She is a coach whose passion is to support, lead and inspire independence and success for people who have either been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or who are facing other attention-related challenges. Her clients include individuals with attention-related challenges and/or their parents. If you have any questions or more suggestions to add, please visit her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com .

Values vs. Beliefs

By: Sandra Huber of The Soulful Parent

One of the most surprising realizations for me as a parent was the awareness that I had jumped in into the job of mom without clearly understanding my own strengths and my own personal values. I recognize today that in order for me to be as effective as I want to be as a mom, I need to not so much determine what kind of mom I want to be but rather what kind of family I envision for myself. It’s hard to get somewhere without having at least some semblance of a road map, don’t you think? When you are aware of your values, have inspiring outcomes in mind and are willing to go the extra mile because you know the investment you can make in your family, parenting starts making more sense. You will begin the liberating process of creating the family life that nurtures everyone including you!

Here are some helpful tips:

1. Determine your core values as a family, because that’s really the only way to evaluate if you are living a happy, fulfilling, and meaningful family experience.

2. Values, as opposed to beliefs, truly come from your heart center, not from your intellect. When you identify what your core values are, you will know the direction you are heading and if/when you get off course. Your values become your “inner compass”.

3. If you are not sure what your core values are, consider asking yourself: “What is most important and meaningful in my life? Could you name 5 top values and prioritize them? The ability to do that will help you make decisions that bring you closer, not farther, to your desired future!

4. Understand that like everything else in your parenting journey, change is inevitable. Be clear that your family life values will continue to shift and be reshaped as you go on this journey.

5. Give up wanting to control EVERYTHING. I know by now you have figured out that our children are living systems, organically changing and moving which is an invitation for us to stay connected and in touch.

Remember: in parenting as in life, it truly pays off to be active, not reactive. Be as prepared as you can with clarity and focus. You and your family will be grateful for it!

Sandra is the “soul” and “coach” behind the Soulful Parent. She has worked in Early Intervention, Special Education and has supported many families in the road to successful parenting. She became a PCI Certified Parent Coach® because she’s deeply passionate about changing the world, one family at a time. Sandra believes that life becomes a more enjoyable journey when you lead from your strengths! She can be contacted Sandra {at} thesoulfulparent(.)com and www.thesoulfulparent.com for more information about seminars, presentations and individual coaching services.

Got Dinner?

By: Susan Heid of The Confident Mom

“We are so busy!” Sound familiar?  This is the most common excuse for families eating on the go and eating apart.  Now, I know for me, the last few weeks have been just the beginning of things to come.  We have two boys in baseball and it means baseball nearly 6 days a week! I can honestly say that I am thankful my high school daughter did not make the softball team this year; we would never have all the children home at the same time!  But with just the boys in baseball, we will be lucky to have one evening off to enjoy a leisurely dinner together as a family, and I am dreading it.

With the burst of spring also comes the flood of activities for families and the reality that dinner around the table is more like dinner in the mini-van.  But it doesn’t have to be and I think I have come up with some creative ideas that can help busy Family Managers tame the fast-food drive thru temptation and keep the focus on family and time together – even in the midst of some crazy schedules.

· Creativity is key

So, it may be reality that dinner at 6 PM will no longer be possible.  But how about an earlier dinner?  Does your family have a flexible schedule?  Can you eat right when kids get home from school rather than later?  Skipping the snack after school and having dinner right away has worked well for us at different times depending on the various activities our kids are in.  You can just swap snack time and do snack later in the evening while you are at an activity or coming home from an activity.  Or, have a family breakfast in place of the dinner hour.  Nothing says that you have to have “dinner” together, why not make a breakfast casserole and share that as a family in the morning before everyone leaves?  Figure out what other alternatives may work for your family to eat together, it is extremely important, research has shown – so make the effort rather than just throwing in the towel.

· Picnic anyone?

This is another “creative” idea that tends to get sidelined when you are not planning for a special outing.  When I know ahead of time that our family will be at a baseball game at 7 PM that evening, I plan to pack a dinner for us all to share while watching the game.  Are we all together?  Well, not exactly, one child is always playing or practicing, but the feel of ‘most’ of us eating together makes a difference.  It also cuts down on the expense if I have taken the time to make sandwiches or a big pasta salad to enjoy together rather than stopping off for fast food or another unhealthy alternative.  Although I will say, Subway has a great deal on those $5 foot longs and sometimes a mom just has to do it – sanity is important!  But we always just buy sandwiches and bring veggies, drinks and other small snacks from home.

· ‘To Go’ Snack Bin

We have a bin in our big suburban that contains snacks and bottles of water.  It is always someone’s job to keep it filled with granola bars, beef jerky, nuts, and other non-perishable snacks that will help ward off the grouchiness of hunger for everyone – even mom! Now, before I get any bad comments, we always try to put an emphasis on bringing along drinks in re-useable containers, but when we have rushed out or have unforeseen “thirst” these bottles of water are there. Now, whether we are at a baseball game, going to practice or just out doing errands there is always a healthy snack and drink available and I am not tempted to stop or do I have to listen to the often accompanying whining that occurs when a child is on the verge of starvation.  You know the one…..long and drawn out.  This bin is also filled with gum and a few other treats which are often “desired” when you are at sporting events. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like we never support to Little League Snack Shack, but we do not do it every game!  It is a special treat and much easier on the budget.

· When things get back to normal

So, when things calm down again and you find time to enjoy dinner at home – maybe sometime around mid June, I want to share with you my sanity keeper! As busy moms, dinner preparation and planning is a big thorn in our side. I can totally relate and was getting rather frustrated with the whole process; picking recipes that my family liked, shopping, preparing and staying within our budget. For those who have followed me awhile, you know my secret weapon: EMealz. Since I have been using this service for menu planning my life has been changed and I am a much happier person when the dinner hour approaches! I get a menu with 7 meals and recipes on it each Wednesday – including a shopping list. I can easily get all the ingredients I need and then I am not running to the store at the last minute because I need something for a recipe. I can know each morning what is for dinner and each recipe is quick, easy and very tasty! A little bit of planning has saved my sanity, produced better meals for my family and reduced our food budget. If you haven’t check it out, please do not let another day go by, you will not be sorry!

Hopefully a few ideas were new to you on how you can plan dinner with more ease whether you are eating in or eating on the go.  I know as your children get older more things creep into the sacred family dinner hour.  It is hard to put your foot down.  More often than not, just as most moms do so well, we tweak things just a bit in order to work with what we have and make the best of things!  I would love to hear if you have additional ideas from you on this topic – please share.

Susan Heid helps moms get the BIG picture on how their home is functioning and then helps them gain relief with a personalized plan of action to give life changing results.  Susan’s training as a PCI Certified Parent Coach. a Certified Family Manager Coach and a ScreamFree Certified Leader gives her a unique combination to encourage and support busy moms in the art of Home and Family Management.  Empowering Moms and Strengthening Families is her passion.  Are you ready to make positive changes that will impact your family for generations?  You can start by visiting The Confident Mom and requesting her FREE ebook, “Getting Kids to Cooperate and Become Team Players – 10 Essential Strategies and Solutions”.

Simplifying Easter

By: Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way

As with any other holiday, it’s easy to get caught up in commercialism at Easter. In any given store across America, you’ll find large pre-packaged Easter baskets filled with cheap trinkets and candy, fluffy stuffed animals just begging to be taken home and aisles lined with chocolate and marshmallows of all kinds.

In our home, we prefer to take a low-key approach to Easter, focusing more on the historical and religious significance of the day than on the pressure to shower our kids with gifts. Here are a few ideas for focusing your Easter celebrations as well:

Separate the Bunny-Stuff from the Easter-Stuff

I like bunnies and chocolate as much as the next person, and I have wonderful memories of dyeing Easter eggs and going on egg hunts with my family. Rather than turn into an Easter scrooge, we simply separate those things from our Easter celebration. For example, this week we’ll be doing projects focused on spring with our girls, including dyeing eggs, planting grass in little gift baskets and making crushed shell art.

In the days leading up to Easter, we’ll be focused on the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and our crafts and activities will reflect that focus with things such as paper palm leaves, resurrection eggs and crescent roll tombs.

I’ve never quite understood how chocolate bunnies relate to such a significant holiday, but separating the two helps our family find a balance that works for us.

Select Meaningful Easter Basket Items

Rather than heading to your local superstore and picking up a basket of toys that will likely end up broken, lost or set aside after a few days, choose meaningful items to put in your children’s Easter baskets. We always start with a new pair of sunglasses for each of our girls, but your baskets should reflect your children and your family values. The key is to be thoughtful in your selections rather than just filling a basket to keep up with the Joneses.

Here are some more ideas:

:: Pretty stationery and pencils

:: A special necklace or bracelet

:: A family game

:: A travel or nature journal

:: A sketchbook

:: Crayon roll or art supplies

Create Family Traditions

Most importantly, take the time to thoughtfully plan family traditions that will become part of your family’s fabric over the years. Whether these include making breakfast together on Easter morning, having an early-morning egg hunt or reading the story of the resurrection while curled up together in bed, your children are sure to remember them for years to come!

Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way - to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle - and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.

Radio Show: Keeping Our Kids Safe

From choosing the correct car seat (did you know car seats over 6 years old shouldn’t be used?), to letting our kids play safely outside, Kay Green from My Precious Kid educated us all in this week’s radio show.  You can listen to the show using the player below or by downloading the mp3 file to your computer or player.

Radio Show: Keeping Our Children Safe

Join us on Monday, March 22nd for the premier of the Families with Purpose Radio Show.  Our guest will be Kay Green, child safety expert and owner of My Precious Kid.  You can join us live at 6:00 PM CST/7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST as we discuss how parents can keep their children safe, the top safety concerns facing our kids, and how to balance keeping our children safe while not being overprotective.  To listen live to the show, simply visit Toginet Radio and click on the Listen Live button in the top right of your screen.  Callers can call in live to the show and ask questions, or leave a question in the comments.

All New Clutter Conquering Tools

Get a handle on your clutter issues once and for all this spring with our all new cell phone charging organizer and mail sorter.  The 2 pod cell phone organizer is a great way to store your family’s cell phones or other electrical devices and keep cords hidden from view.  No more looking for missing cell phones or leaving home with a low battery. Read more

Getting Ready for Kindergarten!

By: Sandra Huber

It’s that time of the year when parents of pre-school kids to start thinking about the end of the school year and the decisions they need to make about pre-K or Kindergarten. Many questions come to mind: Will my child be ready to start in a classroom with a different routine? Is she learning everything she needs for Kindergarten readiness? Should I hold him back a year and wait for him to mature some more?

Many parents worry about their child’s first day in kindergarten, because they are concerned that the child might feel scared or lost, or that learning to get along with a group of new children might be overwhelming. Most children do just fine and are excited about entering into this new phase of their learning!

Here are 3 simple ideas to help you prepare for the transition:

1. Be Sensitive. Validate your child’s fears and reassure him or her. Point out how he or she has succeeded in new challenges in the past, and will be fine with this challenge too. Point out that you, too, have felt nervous about starting something new, such as a new job. Give specific examples when your child might have felt jitters before and how they handled it well, such as performing in a dance recital or ballgame.
2. Stay Positive. Keeping the topic of school positive and exciting is important. Don’t let your own emotions influence your child’s feelings about starting school.
3. Adjust Schedules Early. Don’t wait until the day before school starts to give your child an earlier bedtime or wake up call. If your child knows the routine of what is expected on a school morning in advance, it definitely will make school mornings less stressful.

It is also very helpful to meet his teacher before school starts and to walk the halls of his new school in mid-August . It will make both of you more comfortable and off to a great start!!!

Sandra is the “soul” and “coach” behind the Soulful Parent. She has worked in Early Intervention, Special Education and has supported many families in the road to successful parenting. She became a PCI Certified Parent Coach® because she’s deeply passionate about changing the world, one family at a time. Sandra believes that life becomes a more enjoyable journey when you lead from your strengths! She can be contacted Sandra {at} thesoulfulparent(.)com and www.thesoulfulparent.com for more information about seminars, presentations and individual coaching services.

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