What Mom hasn’t dreamed about having more time to herself? Moms are great at organizing their time each day to make sure that the household runs smoothly and the children’s needs are met; but they lack in the simple skill of setting time aside just for them.

Without their own “Me” time, Mom’s face burnout and stress. This can ultimately affect your spouse and children as well, so it’s important to find that Mom time for yourself and keep your sanity as well as your family’s. There are many ideas you can use to incorporate Mom time into your life and here are some of them:

Mothers’ Day Out – There are many childcare centers that provide a Mothers’ Day Out program. These programs don’t require that your child be registered for daily care, so you can use it only as the need arises. This is a perfect solution for mom time, because this allows you an hour or two a week to shop, hang out with friends or just pampering yourself.

Play Dates – Take a look at who your child’s friends are. Will their moms be willing to join you in a play date group? The moms in these groups can trade off and watch the other children while those moms get a short break. When it’s your turn, you return the favor and watch their children while they take some time for their own short break.

Tea Time – Taking even a short break during the day can be enough to recharge your batteries. See if you can keep your children entertained with a movie or some kind of game they can play amongst themselves. While they’re busy, you can sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or a drink of your choice. Take those couple of minutes to just sit back and enjoy a peaceful moment to yourself.

Date with Dad – It’s important for the kids to spend some quality time with dad. Why not suggest he take them out for a few hours, while you stay home and relax. The kids can go on an adventure with dad and you can stay home and appreciate the quiet atmosphere that you don’t normally experience.

Mothers’ Helper – Ever thought of having another person to help you out a couple of hours a week? If you don’t feel comfortable leaving your children with a sitter; consider having a sitter come in while you’re there. Some young teenagers that are fresh out of babysitting courses can use some experience before they go off on their own. This would be the perfect way to relieve you of some of your motherly duties and enable you to be just a “supervisor” of sorts while the sitter learns the trade.

These are only a few examples of what you can do get some time for yourself. Check with other moms and see what they do for their own Mom time. As a mom, you’ve done a great job with your family, but don’t neglect yourself in the process. Mom time is not only something you need, but deserve as well.

For more help, visit Real Life Guidance for a happier and more fulfilled you.

Are you tired of hearing all the grumbling and complaining around your house?  Do you ever find yourself just feeling down for no reason?  Maybe it’s time the family has a positive attitude adjustment.  It may take some time to get everyone in the swing of things, but before you know it everyone will be enjoying life more.

Growing up, many of us heard “Can’t died in the poor house”; meaning that saying you can’t do something will get you no where.  How can you bring that phrase to life? Simple –put it into practice. Set up a money jug, and every time someone says something negative, they have to contribute a set amount of money, like a nickel, every time.  You could make it a contest, maybe even between the kids and the adults. Whoever wins by being the most positive, having the least amount of money in their jar after a set period of time, gets both jugs of money.

If you don’t want to deal with using change, you could keep a chart.  Figure out what the reward will be for having a better attitude. Instead of penalizing people when they are negative, you could give a point every time someone is “caught being good” or being especially positive. You could even award bonus points if they are positive despite something disappointing happening, like failing a test at school. 

Another idea is having a time set aside to just share what we’re thankful for. Even though most people do this at Thanksgiving, it is a good thing to do year round.  We tend to take the good things for granted. By being thankful more often, it’s hard to be negative.  Just shifting your focus that little bit can make a huge difference.

A praise board is another way to help the family be more positive.  Set up a bulletin board somewhere everyone will see it.  Give each family member a section of it, or maybe even use small, separate ones for each of the kids on their bedroom doors.  Then everyone gets index cards and they have to write something nice about the person and put it on their board.  Tell each other the things you appreciate about them. Give them compliments.  Encourage them if they are down about something.  When the board is full, take the cards down and put them in a file box. Then if they have a bad day, they can either look at their board, or back through the box of cards with encouraging words just for them.

By just making a few changes, it is amazing how quickly the household’s mood can change.  The little things can really mean a lot.  Once your family starts being more positive with each other, take it a step further and share your good mood with your family and friends.

P.S. Grab your copy of Journey To Joy, your step by step guide to help gain the happiness that you deserve and to help you maintain a positivie attitude visit ALSO stop by Real Life Coaching and sign up for a coaching pagage of your choice and receive a 20% off discount between now and Jan. 31st.

P.O. Box 92439
Washington, DC 20017

Parenting is a difficult. Struggling with children, adding in work, then placing on top all of the other little things that you do – bills, chores, and the rest of life – your life can use some help in balancing all the levels of you.

Real Life Guidance can help you work through how to balance your life and also can help you gain back some time for your family.

Real Life Guidance offers e-books from 18 to 46 pages filled with tips and suggestions on everything from balancing life to understanding your teen.

Stop by http://www.reallifeguidance.com today

A few days ago, I told you about Aurelia Williams’ helpful “Real Life Guidance to Getting out of the SuperMom Trap.” If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I really recommend you do:

http://www.reallifeguidance.com/super-mom-trap.html

It’s your practical guide to staying sane during the upcoming holidays and all year round. Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams shows you that it actually IS possible to say no guilt-free, become more organized so you can fit more into your day and even take some time just for you.

Again, here is the link: http://www.reallifeguidance.com/super-mom-trap.html

Think you don’t have time to look? Then you REALLY need to get yourself out of the SuperMom Trap. Take a few moments now for a lot more sanity later.

Most of us have been there. School is back in session and the stress and insanity have reared their ugly heads. It does not really matter if your child is in preschool or high school. The insanity comes if they are in private school, public school or even home schooled.

So how do we keep our sanity, when the rest of the school age families are going insane? There are several different methods. Each family has to find their own route to the path of sanity, but there is one. Don’t give up hope.

Organization is a big factor in keeping your sanity during the school year.  There is nothing like the search for the homework paper ten minutes before the bus is due on the doorstep. Looking for your sons basketball shoes before practice is starting can be another sanity buster.

Learning to organize your home, and get your kids to stick to that organization may be two different tasks. Most parents have the best of intention when it comes to organizing. They set up area for their kids to put their “stuff”, but it inevitably ends up all over the house. Shoes are scatted from the front door, up the steps and down the hall. Schoolwork spills out of backpacks, over the table to the kitchen counter. How do we get the kids to use the organization that parents set up for them?

The best way to get the kids to use the organizations methods that are set up is to have them help to create them. A child is more apt to participate in keeping up with organization when they were a part of setting it up. When setting up a place for the child to do homework, ask them where they would like it to be. Maybe they prefer to do their homework in the kitchen while the parent prepares dinner. Setting up an area in the kitchen or dining room for them to do their work, may help them become more organize. Give them a space to keep their school supplies and backpacks. Have them set it up so it works for them. Give the child the responsibility to keep their area clean and tidy.

This same method can be used for anything the child or parent needs to be organized. Keep the child involved in the organization. From sports equipment, shoes, and homework, the more organized the better the sane the atmosphere.

Another sanity buster is the over committed child. How many activities your child is involved with can raise the stress and insanity levels of your child’s life. Reducing the number of activities your child is involved in can help you and your child save sane. Chose activities they have a passion for.  Some children and parents feel they must be involved in everything. Your child will have a well-rounded education with fewer activities. Just being more particular about the activities they are involved in and the time that they spend doing them.

Remember that not every minute, of every day has to be crowded with activities. Give you and your child time to relax. This will be a sanity buster by itself. Planning an outing that the child can look forward to on the weekends or a day off may also help. Spending one on one time with your child during the busy school schedule will help you keep involved in your child’s life.

Answers to your family’s toughest struggles are at Real Life Solutions by Aurelia Williams.

If you’re like most families, you all have such busy lives that sometimes it’s tough to connect. It seems impossible to get EVERYTHING done and have QUALITY time together.

And if you’re like many busy moms, you probably constantly find yourself saying, “…as soon as I’m finished” or “maybe later…”

Well, later might just be too late. Don’t let another day pass by like this.

If you’re ready to find easy solutions to organizing your life to have more time together, I recommend picking up a copy of the “Real Life Guidance to Finding More Family Time” report.

This report was created by Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams, and is just what you need to get things back on track.

The report gives you practical solutions for:

- Being realistic in your family goals
- How to find balance between your work and life
- Organizing your life to find more time
- Routine and scheduling tips even the most spontaneous families can get into
- Plenty of activity ideas (never say there’s nothing to do!)

This 20-page report is perfect for the busy mom who needs QUICK and EASY help to finding that precious time with family. It’s also available instantly, so even if it’s the middle of the night while everyone else in the sleep, you can all wake up with a plan to reconnect as a family.

Learn more and grab your guide here

Every year children and adults alike look forward to the holidays.  Unfortunately, along with the fun there’s also a good deal of stress associated with them.  Here are some ideas that may help you avoid the holiday stress and actually enjoy it instead.

Don’t dwell on the past – Your family may have had great holiday traditions that you remember fondly.  Or your memories may come from the other end of the spectrum where the memories aren’t good at all.  In either case, you may feel you either have to meet those traditions and surpass them, or you may feel pressured to create some great holiday traditions of your own.

What happened in the past, for good or bad, is just that – past.  There’s nothing you can do to go back and change it.  Even if you could, it may not be the best idea.  Instead of trying to meet or exceed your own expectations about the past, take the good memories and think of them.  You don’t need the added stress during the holiday season.  Be in the present with your family.  You’ll all enjoy the holiday much more if you are.

Avoid perfectionism – Nothing in life is perfect.  That includes circumstances surrounding the holidays, the amount of money in our checking account, our homes, or our families.  Instead of trying to attain a perfect holiday meal, work toward enjoying the time you have with your family.  Learn to let go of perfectionism and embrace imperfection because that’s where we all are anyhow.

Take care of yourself – No one takes care of themselves like they should during the holidays.  Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, no exercise, and spending too much money can all contribute to holiday stresses that we don’t need.

Give yourself permission to rest on the weekends leading up to the holidays rather than stuffing another party on the already cramped calendar.  Let other people in your family take on some of the responsibilities for the family dinner.  There’s nothing written in stone that says you have to do everything.

Plan ahead – Don’t wait until the last minute to buy presents or purchase the food that you’ll need for the holidays.  Wrap any presents you already have well in advance.  That will mark one more item off of your holiday to-do list.  Start baking cookies and pies weeks ahead and then freeze them until they are needed.  This will remove a lot of unneeded stress and give you time to enjoy the holiday.

Stress is always a part of our lives.  It’s what we do with it that makes or breaks us.  Avoid the holiday stresses of the holidays by following some of these ideas.  Find time for yourself and enjoy the holidays with the rest of the family.

Part of the fun of Halloween is playing silly Halloween games. When planning the Halloween games, it’s best to keep the costumes in mind and plan things that will work around them. Games should be simple with easy to follow rules.

Bobbing for Apples – A classic Halloween game has always been bobbing for apples, however some kids don’t like putting their face in the water or don’t want to mess up the make up that took a long time to perfect. One variation of this game is to tie the stems of the apples to varied lengths of string and then hang them up. Then the people have to put their hands behind their back and try to take a bite out of the apple. You can also play the game using marshmallows.

Mummy Wrap Up – Divide guests into small groups. Provide them each with a roll or two of toilet paper and see who can use the tissue paper to wrap up one of their teammates the fastest. The first one to complete their mummy using the entire roll wins.

Jack-o-Lantern Faces –  This Halloween game is always fun.  Hang a picture of a jack-o-lantern on the wall and have matching face pieces cut out of black paper for the eyes, nose and mouth. Place sticky-tack on the back of the pieces. Blindfold each player when it is their turn and play the same as pin the tail on the donkey except players put the eyes, nose and mouth on the pumpkin face. Younger children can do just the mouth, while older children and adults can do the entire face for more of a challenge.

Ghost Hunters – Cut out several paper ghosts and divide the players into two groups. Have one team hide the ghosts around the room. The other team has to hunt down the ghosts. Play continues until all ghosts are found. The team that hunts the most ghosts wins.

Ghost Bowling – Collect ten empty one or two liter soda pop bottles (use the larger bottles for younger guests). Paint the bottles white and decorate with silly ghost faces. Use a small playground size ball as the bowling ball. If you can find orange ones, decorating them as jack-o-lanterns can add to the fun.

Upset the Candy Dish – Place chairs in a circle, facing in, having one less than the number of players. Whisper in each child’s ear the name of a favorite Trick or Treat candy. They will become this piece of candy in the candy dish. Have one person stand in the middle of the circle to be “it”. The child in the middle will call one or two types of candy. If the candy name that’s called is matches the one the children are, they should stand up and try to move to another empty seat. Occasionally, the child who is “it” calls out, “Upset the candy dish.” and all the players need to move to a new seat. If any of the candy kids can’t find a seat they then become “it.”

Pirates’ Treasure – Fill two small buckets with sand and place inside a larger washtub or box. Bury treasure in the buckets such as small prizes or candy. Each player receives a plastic spoon to dig for their treasure. Divide players into two teams. Position players around their designated bucket and tell them when to start. They dig in their treasure “chests” until every piece is found. The first team to find all their treasure wins.

Halloween games are fun for the entire family. 

Would you like to quickly make creative Kids Halloween Costumes that you and your children will be proud of — for a fraction of the price of store-bought? Susanne Myers has co-authored a book to show you how — no sewing involved. Visit www.ILoveHalloweenCostumes.com to learn more.

What Mom hasn’t dreamed about having more time to herself? Moms are great at organizing their time each day to make sure that the household runs smoothly and the children’s needs are met; but they lack in the simple skill of setting time aside just for them.

Without their own “Me” time, Mom’s face burnout and stress. This can ultimately affect your spouse and children as well, so it’s important to find that Mom time for yourself and keep your sanity as well as your family’s. There are many ideas you can use to incorporate Mom time into your life and here are some of them:

Mothers’ Day Out – There are many childcare centers that provide a Mothers’ Day Out program. These programs don’t require that your child be registered for daily care, so you can use it only as the need arises. This is a perfect solution for mom time, because this allows you an hour or two a week to shop, hang out with friends or just pampering yourself.

Play Dates – Take a look at who your child’s friends are. Will their moms be willing to join you in a play date group? The moms in these groups can trade off and watch the other children while those moms get a short break. When it’s your turn, you return the favor and watch their children while they take some time for their own short break.

Tea Time – Taking even a short break during the day can be enough to recharge your batteries. See if you can keep your children entertained with a movie or some kind of game they can play amongst themselves. While they’re busy, you can sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or a drink of your choice. Take those couple of minutes to just sit back and enjoy a peaceful moment to yourself.

Date with Dad – It’s important for the kids to spend some quality time with dad. Why not suggest he take them out for a few hours, while you stay home and relax. The kids can go on an adventure with dad and you can stay home and appreciate the quiet atmosphere that you don’t normally experience.

Mothers’ Helper – Ever thought of having another person to help you out a couple of hours a week? If you don’t feel comfortable leaving your children with a sitter; consider having a sitter come in while you’re there. Some young teenagers that are fresh out of babysitting courses can use some experience before they go off on their own. This would be the perfect way to relieve you of some of your motherly duties and enable you to be just a “supervisor” of sorts while the sitter learns the trade.

These are only a few examples of what you can do get some time for yourself. Check with other moms and see what they do for their own Mom time. As a mom, you’ve done a great job with your family, but don’t neglect yourself in the process. Mom time is not only something you need, but deserve as well.

For more help, visit Real Life Guidance for a happier and more fulfilled you.

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Do you ever feel like you’re next in line for the ‘Bad Mom of the Year’ award?

You’re not alone. I’ve never met a mom who didn’t feel like they’ve let their kids down a few times. We’re only human after all. Having kids don’t make us perfect much as we might hope otherwise

Be a Great Mama is a packed 29 page guide with advice and creative ideas for being the best mom you can be.

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