I Can’t Right Now, I Have To Work: Playing With the Kids

Don Harrold www.practicaldad.com As kids grow and the schedule tightens, it’s easy to say ‘no’ to a child who wants to play.  There is a long list of items to be checked off in a finite period of time and that leaves little room for messing around.  But the reality is that playing with your [...]

What are Multiple Intelligences?

Maria Chesley Fisk, Ph.D. www.ThinkParenting.com There are lots of ways to be smart!  We need a range of abilities—analytical, creative, social & emotional, and practical—and the motivation to use them.  Yes, we are probably born with tendencies toward particular strengths and thinking styles in these areas, but all of them are affected by what we [...]

Inside Your Wife’s Head: Defragging the Hard Drive

Don Harrold www.practicaldad.com She’s not as playful as before the kids’ arrival.  Perhaps she’s more curt and distracted and it seems harder to engage in the same conversations that you had when it was just the two of you.  You look at her and wonder, what’s going on inside her head?  If you want to [...]

Spring is Right Around the Corner: How to Prepare Your Grill

John Kuntz www.thepelletbbqgriller.com As the average household budget continues to shrink, statistics show less people are eating out. More people are staying home and practicing the age-old culinary art of barbecue and grilling. As the warm weather arrives, grilling can be one of the most enjoyable and affordable ways to feed your family. It is [...]

5 Steps to a Calmer Evening

Erin Kurt, B.Ed. www.erinparenting.com Whether you work outside the house or stay at home full-time, the toughest part of the day is the same: those frantic early evening hours when there are mouths to feed, homework to do, and cranky kids to handle. The trick is to streamline your to-do’s so you can feel calmer [...]

The Punch That Parents Don’t See

Vaughn Alaine-Marshall www.uberstarthebook.com The job of nurturing an impressionable mind has always been a challenge. The once gradual ascent into adulthood is now a sharp rise. Every single day parents in America are confronted with the task of monitoring their child’s influences. New technologies, social crazes and information portals emerge on a monthly basis, making [...]

Ten Ways to Save Big on Baby Gear

Sandra Gordon www.babyproductsmom.com Baby products are an 8.9 billion dollar industry in this country. There’s a lot to choose from—and a lot of stuff you can live without. A typical middle-income family with one child in the U.S. will spend an average of $13,590 on baby’s first year alone. But you get better value, and [...]

The Bully in Pigtails: Girls & Bullying

By Erik Fisher, PhD, AKA Dr. E www.erikfisher.com I think we all have begun to see a disturbing trend in recent years. More and more often we are seeing girls bullying girls, but not like it used to be. Historically, girls have not been immune to bullying, but the way they approached it was through [...]

Redefining “Enough”

Pavel Somov www.eatingthemoment.com Shifting from Unpleasant Fullness of the Body to the Pleasant Expansion of the Mind Portion control, the good ol’ divide (the portion) and conquer (overeating) approach, is not without merit. But what if you redefine the portion size from how many mouthfuls you can have to how many mindfuls you need to [...]

Exercising While Pregnant

By Tasha Lawton www.pregalates.com To drag your body up to do anything when you’re pregnant is hard enough, but to be motivated to exercise – get outta here!! Pregnancy is a time for sitting comfortably on the sofa with your feet firmly OFF the ground and your hand firmly IN a bag of chocolates…is it [...]

What You Need to Know When Your Teens and Tweens Put Up a Fight

Sharon M. Rivkin, M.F.T. www.sharonrivkin.com Never forget that our children are not our enemies.  They need our guidance, support, and a feeling that we’re on their side…even when they’re wrong!  Many parents do not understand the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with their teen or tween no matter what.  NO fight is [...]

Sugar, Sugar Everywhere!

Linda Miner RNC, CHN, CMTA www.MyHealthyBalance.com When I was a young girl, I can only remember one boy in elementary school who was overweight.  Actually he was obese.  Poor Robert, he really stuck out because it was just so unusual.  I remember feeling really sorry for him and wondering why he was fat when no [...]

Now Aren’t You The Prettiest Little Thing?: Helping Your Children Find Beauty from the Inside Out

Erik Fisher, PhD. AKA Dr. E… Author of The Art of Empowered Parenting I picked up my 2 and a half year-old daughter from our caregiver’s home and to my shock her caregiver said, “Show Daddy your pretty nails.” My daughter then showed me her painted nails. They had a nail painting party that day. [...]

Excuses be Gone!

Dr. Wayne Dyer www.drwaynedyer.com “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.” — from Walden, by Henry David Thoreau There are four words in Thoreau’s quote that I want to highlight—encouraging, unquestionable, elevate, and conscious. Excuses Begone! is encouraging you to challenge [...]

Child Identity Theft: A Growing Concern

John Sileo www.ThinkLikeaSpy.com Are you as protective of your kids as I am of mine? My wife and two highly-spirited daughters are more than just the center of my universe – they are the compass by which I set my course in every aspect of life. If something is not good for the family, then [...]

Keeping Your Kids Safe from Sexting

Erik Fisher, PhD. AKA Dr. E… Author of The Art of Empowered Parenting My kid may be doing what? Yes, Mom and Dad, the phenomenon of “Sexting” is taking off (no pun intended). If you don’t know what “Sexting” is, it involves people, mostly teens, taking nude pictures of themselves and sending them using their [...]