Last night before I went to bed I smiled thinking back on the day.  When I got home from work, my oldest (20yo)  daughter called me because my grandson has been quite fussy lately.  So I sat on the phone with Shayna giving her some motherly advice on how to try to soothe my now 2month old grandson. After I got off the phone Shay & Baby seemed to be a bit more at ease.

On my way downstairs to start dinner - my 17yo calls me into the computer room and she shows me the spreadsheet she has outlining the college she wants to addend next year. So I pulled up a chair and together we looked at her 4 college choices and compared them all, looked over her High School transcripts (she will be a Senior next year) then we outlined a few classes that she should take her Senior year that would look GREAT on a college application.  So, we spent about 1.5 hrs at the computer doing this and when I looked up my then 8yo was asking about dinner.

Looking at the clock, I could see the only thing I’d be whipping up for the kids would be bowls of cereal or a sandwich. So, I decided to call out for Chinese Delivery (smile).  While waiting for the food - I went into my son’s room and we wrestled (yes like WWE wrestling) we wrestled for about 20mins on his bed and floor then played his Wii (Kung Fu Panda) for another 20minutes.

After dinner, shower and getting my youngest off to bed… I slipped into bed and smiled about how much I enjoy being a parent to my 20, 17 and 8yo and how different it is to parent them.  Last night truly made me feel like a Jacquelyn Of All Trades

Families all over the country look forward to summertime because it means time in the family pool.  Pools are great when the weather turns warm, but they can also be a safety hazard.  If you have a pool, you’ll want to be aware of swimming pool safety for toddlers.

Toddlers and young children aren’t always able to see hidden dangers like a pool that beckons them with fun.  They don’t realize how quickly they can slip and fall in, especially if no one is around.  As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are safe when playing in the pool with us, but also when no one is in the pool.

The best way to ensure that your child is not the victim of an accidental drowning is to know where they are at all times. Supervision is your first and best defense, not only to keep children from drowning but also to help keep them from other accidents and injuries.

If you’re having a pool party, select one person to do nothing more than watching any children that are young.  You may even want to pay a responsible teenager to keep your youngest family members safe.  Set up a smaller pool for them to play in, especially if there are a number of people attending.

Other than supervision, the next best way to prevent an accidental drowning in your swimming pool is to put a fence with a locked gate around the pool.  Not only will this keep your child from making their way to the pool, it will also keep neighborhood kids from gaining access.

Having a fenced-in pool is a great idea; however, if the gate is left open on a regular basis the benefit of having it fenced does no good.  Make it a rule that the pool gate be closed at all times.  Doing so will make the possibility of injury much smaller.

Teach your toddler to swim, or have your child take swimming lessons.  This will give them some basic knowledge, although you still want to keep them under supervision.  Even though they are learning how to swim, they should wear swim floaters to keep them buoyant and keep them from drowning.

Be sure to learn infant and child cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  No one wants to have to give CPR to a child, but it’s one of those cases where it’s better to know something and not need it, than to need it and not know it.  Knowing CPR and first aid is important anyhow, so this is a good reason to learn it.

Summertime water fun is almost upon us.  Swimming pool safety for toddlers is nothing to be lax about.  Take the above steps to keep your children from being a statistic and keep the fun in summer.
 

What a restful weekend!  Last wee (last Tuesday to be exact) my husband had a mild stroke and was admitted into the hospital.  He spent 2 days there as they preformed test after test.  The end result is that he was released on Thursday and needs to follow up with a Cardiologist.  We rested most of the weekend and I didn’t do much work but was able to do a few things.

Since we spent the weekend relaxing at home, I got to spend some AWESOME time with the family. We played board games on the bed, I cooked a nice dinner on Sunday and we watched a few movies.

Here we are on Monday and its time to get back to the “Real World”  As always, the 1st step I take in organizing my week is to carve  some time out to get cozy with my BlackBerry on Sunday evenings and review the upcoming week and add in my appointments as needed.  I’m an lean mean organizing machine and I find that if I take a look at EACH day of the upcoming week and make sure to move items around so that they aren’t all piled up on one day — it makes my week much more manageable.  Also, the fact that I love to outsource (both at home and within my online businesses) makes it great.

On my list of things to accomplish this week are:

1. Monday - Re-connect with my awesome VA and be sure that we are on the same page.  She emails me each Friday with her list of things that she has completed and I always use Mondays to reconnect with her and check my list - and be sure that she has room for me (smile).   
2. Parenting My Teen  is back form hiatus and I am in the process of securing another awesome guest for next weeks show.  Today I have a few potential guests to contact.  
3. Tuesdays - My Free Coaching Consultation days.  I decided to put aside a few hours on and dedicate them to potential clients. 
4. Tuesday - Hit the grocery store (I love to grocery shop)  and I shop every OR every other Tuesday.  I created my meal plan yesterday  and I already have all the fixins for this week but I make a weekly Tuesday trip to the grocery store using the coupons and ideas I get out of the Sunday paper.
5. Wednesday - I’ve declared Wednesdays to be my content and guest blog days.  I will spent time adding content to my Real Life Solutions site and posting to all of the awesome guest blogs that I belong to. 
6. Friday - Add emails to my auto responder, brainstorm ideas for my awesome affiliates

Daily:

1. Dont go to be bed mad or with a dirty kitchen
2. Wipe the bathroom sinks down with a Clorox Wipe before leaving out of the house each morning
3. Smile, Meditate and Pray

Every  Monday & Thursday

1. Get Isaac off to Tae Kwon Do

I wanted to share this great online resource with you called My Out of Control Teen: http://www.parentingmyteen.com/Out-of-Control.HTML

Don’t let the title fool you. Your teen doesn’t need to be totally out of control for you to reap the benefits of this great program because it is great for any parent of strong-willed children.

This program is an online parent support (OPS) system that includes the following:

• My Out-Of-Control Teen eBook (which contains 150 proven techniques to use with your strong-willed teen)
• Full access to Bonus eBooks Site
• Live audio recordings you can listen to online
• Power Point Presentations and Videos you can viewonline
• Full access to OPS Website

Best of all, it is at a great low price and comes with a no hassle money-back guarantee. Visit My Out Of Control Teen today and try it free!

Are you one of the many moms that feel guilty for doing things for yourself? 

I’ve heard quite few moms refer to ‘Mommy Guilt’ as the third stage of childbirth. First, you deliver the baby. Then, you deliver the placenta. Then, the Mommy Guilt is delivered to you!   Mom’s I am here to tell you that you do not nor should you feel guilty for taking time out for you and the things that you like to do.

I wrote an article that I wanted to share with you - it was written to help you kick the guilt feelings to the curb and learn to really enjoy doing things for yourself and by yourself.  Visit http://reallifesolutions.net/personal/mommy-guilt.html to grab some helpful tips.

As always, I love hearing from you so be sure to e-mail your thoughts to me.

Here’s to more fun & less guilt!

Your guide on your Journey to Joy http://www.reallifecoaching.net/journeytojoy.shtml

It’s time to plan for your annual summer family vacation. For those of us with school-age kids, June, July and August offer the chance to have a longer, more leisurely family holiday.

Sometimes it’s important to just get away from it all.  Traveling to another city or another country can give you a new perspective, give you the opportunity to relax and enjoy the freedom and ambience and being catered to for a change is always a plus. A summer family vacation might be just what everyone needs to reenergize. 

No one can say this winter hasn’t been the worst on record.  Maybe you’ve been indoors so long you need a respite – a change of scenery – like warm weather. Well taking a family vacation not only rejuvenates, but allows the family to breathe, take in sites, engage in activities you’ve never been part of before, and commiserate with people from another city or culture.  All too often we think that having a few weeks off enables us to take out the list of things to do around the home that have been left undone.  But staying home can be the worst thing.  Even though you’re on vacation, and you say you are going to relax and enjoy it, inevitably you wind up implementing new tasks or trying to finish old ones.  That’s not a vacation. 

No doubt after being cooped up all winter long, someone has pushed your proverbial button or hit on your last nerve. You’ve perhaps become a bit agitated or stressed out.  Let’s face it, if you are a working mom, or tend to small children at home – you need a break.  Heck, the entire family needs a break.  To keep everyone happy and sane, the best course of action is a summer family vacation.  To go somewhere where people wait on and pamper you.  Somewhere you don’t have to worry about phone calls, preparing dinner, running around town completing all the errands you have on your list.

Think of it! You and your hubby can relax on a beach looking out at the blue-green ocean while  your kids are having a great time building sandcastles.  You can have breakfast served in bed every morning, enjoy wonderful dinners at different restaurants, engage in a variety of outdoor activities for the whole family, and meet new people and discover new cultures.  Now that’s a vacation. 

Disney World Savings Guide - See How Easily You Can Have A Disney World Vacation For A Fraction Of What Others Pay

Some of the most fun times are the times that are spent doing spontaneous things.  This weekend the family packed up and drove to Delaware to spend 3 days at a beach house.  Here is a picture that hubby took of my 17yo and I (after I was mistaken for her older sister).  I asked hubby to take a picture quick so that I can pull it out when I am feeling old and grumpy about myself… LOL

Here is a pic of my two I’s (Isreal & Isaac)

Handsome Hubby (AKA the Fish of the family) He ended up swiming WAYYY out there into the blue waters

Most children fall behind in reading and math during the summer break.  That’s why when the new school year begins, teachers have to spend the first two months bringing the children “back up to speed” with reviews. 

To help your child keep up with mathematics, try bringing them into the kitchen for the summer.  Invite friends over in varying numbers so your children will have to determine how to extend recipes.  If your recipe feeds four, how much meat would you need to double the recipe, triple it, or quadruple it?  Your children probably won’t complain about having to do math if they have something to look forward to.

Even with gas prices the way they are these days, some families are still planning to drive for vacation.  Ask the children to help determine how far you’ll be able to travel when you fill the gas tank and how much it’ll cost.  You might find that your child can help you find a shorter route that will save you money.

You’re never too young to learn how to handle money.  If you have a yard sale this summer, ask them to make change, as well as allowing them to place some of their own items to sell.  This will help them learn the value of money, and how to keep track of it by helping divvy it up at the end of the sale.

Play games with them.  Scrabble and Boggle are great games to help your child’s spelling while they’re out of school, and they’ll have fun in the process.  Yahtzee and Monopoly are good games for math.  Of course, if you’re children are younger, you may have to play games like Chutes and Ladders or a simpler game.

Go to the library as a family and pick out some books that everyone will enjoy.  Then each night, instead of turning on the TV, have family reading hour.  You may find that your children enjoy having to use their imaginations to see the story that they don’t complain so much when they’re told to turn the TV off.

Get them involved in geocaching.  Geocaching is an activity that the entire family can enjoy together.  You get directions to a secret cache of items that you must find.  Most of the time, these items are hidden in forests or someplace not easily accessible.  Not only will you have to learn about reading maps and a compass, it’ll be a great opportunity for your family to enjoy the outdoors together.

If you look around, there are plenty of great places to pick up some summer learning.  Think outside of the schoolroom and you may find that the best places are right in your own home or very nearby.

Recommended Resource: 

Kids Activity Calendar Weekly Activities, Crafts and Games all about the Alphabet For Your Preschooler.  Each week you will receive coloring sheets and worksheets in your email along with craft and activity suggestions and even a snack list that incorporates the letter of the week. What a fun way for your little ones to learn the alphabet and much more.

Reading Solutions for Kids - Resource which aids in teaching children to read.

Zoobooks - Turn a youngster’s love of animals into a love of reading!

 In today’s hectic world, it’s not always easy to find ME TIME. In fact, sometimes we might feel guilty about wanting a bit more of it. But in reality, without time to unwind or to pursue our own interests we can end up a tightly wound ball of nerves ready to explode. That’s not goof for you or your family.

Download this free guide and learn:

• The benefits of me time.
• Re-evaluating how you’re currently spending your time.
• Finding the time YOU need.
• Pitfalls to avoid.
• …and more.

Visit http://schmoozins.com/free-time-for-me-report/522 to download your free report

This Guide is Brought to You By:  This guide is generously provided by Journey to Joy, your guide to a more fulfilling life as a mom.

*You will need Adobe

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