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When my daughter was a little girl we used to have mealtime struggles on getting her to eat healthy nutritious foods. I would often hear “Mom, I don’t like that, I won’t eat that, I would rather starve” when it came to dinnertime. Over the years I learned that it was better to not fight and argue with her on her food choices, but to instead focus on what I had in my house. You know the old saying, ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind” came in to play.

Today I would like to share a few tips with all of the mother’s out that who deal with picky eaters. When I started the ‘change’ here in our home, I did it gradually so that she wasn’t really aware of what I was doing…I guess you could call me a ‘sneaky mom’, but it did work!

Here are my top 5 tips!

1. If the child wants junk food 24 hours a day, just don’t buy it or just buy it in moderation. There is nothing wrong with giving them an occasional treat, but it certainly should not be on a daily basis. If you are buying junk food and giving it to them occasionally, keep it hidden and out of sight.

2. Twice a week hold a family ‘new recipe’ taste testing night. Find a few healthy recipes that your child has never tried before and make them. Ask the child for his or her feedback. If they liked it, add it to your normal evening meal rotation. If they didn’t like it, toss it and find a new recipe to replace it. These family ‘taste testing’ evenings should be a fun family time, so hype it up and plan it out accordingly.

3. Let your child help you in the kitchen with the food preparation. Even young children can help stir ingredients together or toss a healthy salad. Getting them involved in the food preparation helps them to ‘feel’ like they are part of the decision process when it comes to preparing family dinners.

4. Keep healthy snacking foods available at all times! When you purchase those fresh vegetables, wash them right away and chop them into bite sized pieces. Refrigerate them accordingly so that they can get into the refrigerator and eat them whenever they choose to have a snack. As the first few weeks go by, they might not bother with the fresh vegetable sticks too often…but, if there is no junk food in sight and they are hungry, they will eventually snack on it. One way I was able to turn our daughter onto snacking on veggie sticks was for me to prepare homemade healthy dips to go with them. This replaced the potato chips and dips in our home.

5. Finally my most important tip! Children typically follow in their parents ‘food eating’ footsteps so if you are a picky eater who consumes unhealthy food…your children are more like to adopt that same bad eating habit. You need to make the change right along with your children and be a good food eating role model for them.

There are additional things that you can do to turn your picky little eater into a good healthy eater but I think these 5 tips will get you on the road to solving the problem. Just remember, it is your job as the parent to set the example in your household and you make the final decisions on what you prepare and feed to your children. If in doubt on what to do or if these tips don’t work for you, I suggest you talk to your physician or licensed nutritionist for additional suggestions.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania who enjoys cooking and baking a variety of healthy foods for her family. You can visit Shelly’s online foodie blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for free menu ideas, cooking tips and free recipes.

If you are expecting a new baby or if you are already a parent, it is extremely important that you take time out of your busy schedule to childproof your home. When it comes to purchasing safety items to make your home child-safe, most parents just think about outlet covers, cabinet and drawer locks. However, there is a lot more that you need to be doing!

Before I get started with giving you my checklist of items that you will need, I first want to remind you to invest in a good infant and child first aid kit and a few up-to-date fire extinguishers. It is always better to prepare ahead of time for an emergency than to have an emergency you are not prepared for.

Childproofing Items Every Home Should Have

Door Alarms – These are great for all doors leading to the outside and for doors that lead to a flight of stairs such as your basement entry door.

Window Guards – These will help to prevent accidental falls out of the windows. All windows that children have access to should have window guards and/or alarms on them.

Safety Gates – You should use safety gates to prevent falls from stairs or to block off entryways to rooms that you don’t want your children to wander in to. When it comes to purchasing a gate, always look for updated new models so that you avoid outdated or possibly recalled baby gates.

Toilet Locks – These are pretty inexpensive and can be found in most department stores. You will want to place one on each toilet in your home to prevent accidental drowning’s or expensive plumbing costs should your child try flushing something they shouldn’t!

Electrical Outlet Covers – These are probably the most common type of safety item that most parents purchase. You can purchase plastic plugs that insert into the outlet or you can buy child-safe outlets that have sliders that slide across the open receptacle.

Hard Surface Corner Covers and Edge Covers – These are soft cushions or covers that you place over hard corners (like the fireplace hearth, corners of coffee tables, end tables, night stands, etc.).

Cabinets, Drawers and Appliance Locks – You can purchase metal or hard plastic locks and latches that easily attach to your cabinets, drawers and appliances. To save money, look for packages that contain multiple locks and latches that are sold in bulk packs as you will need more than one!

Video Camera and Monitors – If you can afford it, every baby’s nursery or child’s bedroom should have a well-placed video camera or monitor in it. I also like to recommend that as your child gets older that a video camera be placed in the room that they play the most in, such as their playroom.

Before heading out to purchase your supplies, sit down and inspect your home and make a list of every item you think you will need. If you can’t afford to buy it all now, purchase the most important things first and then pick up the rest of the items as soon as you can.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania who enjoys writing, blogging, cooking and crafting. You can visit Shelly’s Shakin ‘N Bakin in the Kitchen blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for free menu ideas, cooking tips and recipes. You can visit Shelly’s crafting blog called Passionate About Crafting at http://passionateaboutcrafting.blogspot.com for free craft project ideas, crafting tips and several great craft projects geared towards kids.

During the Winter Season we are often hit with bad winter weather here on the North East Coast. That bad weather can consist of blizzards, snow storms, ice storms, sleet, freezing rain, you name it, we pretty much get it all here.

When the bad weather strikes, businesses, schools and daycare’s close down by the thousands, leaving many children stuck at home with not much to do. When our daughter was little, we decided to make “bad weather days” our family’s arts and crafts day. As I look back over the years, we made some pretty awesome things…many of which I still have today.

The first thing I recommend that you do is to make up an arts and crafts bin by purchasing a plastic bin at your local discount store. Then, you will head to the dollar store and your local craft store and pick up some supplies. You should really fill up that bin! Here is a list of general supplies that every craft bin should have.

Straight Edge Scissors, Designer Edge Scissors
All Purpose Liquid Craft Glue and Glue Sticks
Construction Paper, Watercolor Paper and 8″ x 11″ sized scrapbooking paper
Stickers, Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads, Magnet Backs, Wiggle Eyes
Scraps of Ribbon, Lace, String, Yarn, Feathers, Popsicle Sticks, Craft Sticks
Buttons, Charms, Beads, Faux Gems, Rhinestones, Small Silk Flowers, Jewelry Findings, Blanket Keychain Rings, Blank Hair Barrettes and Pony Tail Holders
Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Water Paints, Finger Paints, Acrylic Paints and Paint Brushes
Modeling Clay and Optional Clay Molds
Paper Mache ~ Trinket Boxes, Ornaments, Photo Frames, Etc.
Coloring Books, Water Paint Books, Activity Pads
Foam Craft Sheets and Sheets of Craft Felt

A Few Project Ideas: Make refrigerator magnets, jewelry items, holiday ornaments, paintings, molded clay figures, homemade greeting cards, refrigerator art, picture frames, holiday decorations, decorate paper mache trinket boxes, hair items for girls, gifts for various holidays, keychains holders, shoe charms, etc.

Once you purchase the basic supplies which are suited for both boys and girls, you will want to keep your bin in a handy place. Once all of those “bad winter weather” days hit, you will be prepared for some Arts and Crafts fun with your children! You can visit various online web sites to get some great craft project ideas to use up all of those supplies. Keeping children busy during bad weather days doesn’t have to be a stressful task so view it as a great way to have some family bonding time.

This article was written by me (Shelly Hill) and is copyrighted 2011, All Rights Reserved. This article can not be reprinted without my permission or without my official author’s box attached to it. Contact me for it if you wish to reprint this article on your site.

Cooking With Your Kids–Fun Ideas and Tips by Tammy Embrich

Cooking is much more enjoyable when you have your children around you. Making them a part of things in the kitchen is so very important. There’s just something very special about having your kids share in transforming favorite dishes into delightful, edible creations.

Younger children will be more eager to help you with preparing the family meals than the older ones, unless you have been involving your kids in the cooking activities from an early age…which is encouraged.

Let’s face it, what busy Mom couldn’t use a couple of extra set of hands in the kitchen? Special treats like chocolate chip cookies, rice crispy treats, and double-layer chocolate cake seems to magically turn out more delicious on the pallet when prepared by you and your children.

Below are some fun ideas to help encourage your children to want to help you in preparing daily meals and other special treasures. Get your children involved!

* If you have more than one child, give each child their very own special kitchen chore such as cleaning off the table, setting the table, or gathering ingredients.

* Younger children do better with one-step, uncomplicated chores

* Provide each child with their very own step stool high enough to reach the counter or table

* Purchase a small chef’s hat for each child (preferably with their name on it). Your children will really appreciate this and it will also help make them feel that they are a part of things and special.

* Purchase individual cooking tools such as brightly-colored, plastic utensils for measuring and mixing ingredients. Choose different colors for each child. This will help prevent fighting.

Take your children with you when you go to purchase these tools. Make it a fun outing and maybe go out for lunch afterwards.

* Prepare finger foods such as chicken nuggets. These are always a big hit with children. Make it a habit of always keeping a few batches in the freezer. Foods on a stick such as various types of skewers are also popular with kids as well as homemade pizza. Homemade pizza can be lots of fun using lots of variations of toppings and cheeses. Try and be creative and prepare fun foods that you think your children will find enjoyable.

* Assign each child clean-up tasks. A good idea for cleaning up the kitchen is using sticker charts. Make up a chart with each child’s name and chore. If your children does their special clean-up chore (without complaining or whining), award them with a special sticker. Make a sticker chart up for each day of the week.

Using the tips above will surely aid in getting your kids into the kitchen and happily helping you. Sharing cooking and baking activities will prove to be fun and rewarding for both parent and child. Plus, it’s a great learning experience for your children.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet marketer, article marketer, and ghostwriter. You can find more parenting and grandparenting articles, tips, and more at Grandma’s Home Blogger Place

Tammy also offers work at home articles, free job leads, work at home tips, recipes, and more at Work At Home Jobs

Article Source: WAHM Articles

Are you planning a Birthday Party for your small child? Looking for some creative places on where to hold the party that young children will love? If so, I got some great ideas to share with you! Some of these ideas are low cost places and other’s are more expensive. Most of these places are great unisex places but a few are more geared towards boys or girls.

Before you try to find a place to hold the Birthday Party, you will want to come up with the guest list first, as the places you contact will ask you how many will be attending and that will include your adult chaperons too. They will also ask you about the food, will you be providing it or will you need it catered by them?

Once you find the perfect location to hold the party, you can then work on picking out a theme and purchasing all of the food and supplies that you will need. A piece of advice, always plan for a few extra guests when making your reservations and purchasing your supplies!

My Top Places On Where To Hold A Party List

1. Your Home (always works well if you have space and a backyard)
2. Bowling Alley
3. Salon or Day Spa
4. Pottery, Arts and Crafts Studios
5. Horse and Pony Stables (for horseback riding)
6. Snack Food Factory (a lot of them have children’s parties with factory tours available)
7. Zoo, Aquarium or Local Farm
8. Circus or Hire A Clown To Attend Home Party
9. Ice Skating, Roller Skating Rink or Ski Lodge
10. Movie Theater for Private Showing
11. Sporting Event or Athletic Arena (football, baseball, hockey, basketball, etc.)
12. Music Concert (geared towards children of course)
13. Puppet Theater (for a Puppet Show)
14. Local Outdoor Park, Picnic Area or Beach
15. Cooking & Baking at local Culinary School or Bakery (kids love to cook and bake)
16. Tea Party (at a local tea house)
17. Restaurants (if you child has a favorite place that they like to eat, contact them to arrange a party)
18. Outdoor Camping (with plenty of adult supervision)
19. Miniature Golf
20. Arcade and Game Center, Amusement Parks
21. Nature Science Center or Museums
22. Airports (usually your smaller community airports allow parties)
23. Music Recording Studios
24. Ballet and Gymnastic Studios
25. Local Fishery (for boy’s fishing party)
26. Local Speedway or Racing Facility
27. Train Stations or Train Museums (boys love trains!)
28. Boating Facilities (near big lakes, rivers and oceans)
29. Rock Climbing Facility
30. Pet Shop, Pet Rescue Group Facility or Shelter

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

5 Tips to Potty Training Your Child by Amber Bishop

Potty training a child is one of the most exciting milestones of a young parent’s life. I have potty trained three children, both boys and girls and they have all potty trained in different ways. Each child has their own unique personality and learning style so it was interesting to me as a mom to watch them all pass through this milestone in their development.

As you begin to think about potty training your child, the first thing to remember is, don’t get stressed out. They will not be wearing diapers to kindergarten. With that being said, here a re a few practical tips that will get you and your child started on the right foot.

Step 1 – Don’t wait too long. Get them used to the idea of the “potty” early. Keep a small potty on the floor in the bathroom that they can sit on before and after baths or whenever you are using the bathroom. They may be completely clothed, but the simple act of sitting down on the potty gets them used to the idea early on. Our first child was not comfortable at first sitting up high on the traditional potty, so the small stable seat on the ground gave him the security he required. They will be observing your own bathroom habits as well. You will notice their curiosity kick in quit young. I think our first was saying “potty” at 1 although he didn’t begin training until his 2nd birthday.

Step 2 – Your child is smart. Don’t underestimate what your child can comprehend. They are learning new skills and new words and an astonishing rate. They are able to understand the concept. They may not have the muscle control for some time, but they have the cognitive ability to understand what is happening with the potty. Give them some visual clues. Show them what goes in to the potty and give the opportunity to flush afterwards. At times, I would even put the contents of their “dirty” diaper into the potty to show them where it goes. These are all important clues that are helping their brain assimilate information that will help them be successful in their training.

Step 3 – Stay in control. We call this “potty training” because they are training for something. They are working on learning a new skill, not waiting until they have the skill perfectly accomplished before the undertake it. Parents and children can get a little lazy or busy and forget what needs to be happening. In our family we set up a little system to help us remember to use the potty. With 3 young children and home schooling, we all get busy and forget the task at hand, so I use the timer method. I would set the timer at different intervals to remind us when to use the potty. That and I would make sure to give them enough water throughout the day to give the opportunity to practice. The first day of training I did about 15 minute intervals to get used to the idea of pulling up and down their pants, getting on the potty and the muscle memory needed to go when needed, as a voluntary response and not an involuntary response. The second day we increased the time and the third day a bit more time was added. We still had accidents, but tons of underwear sitting on the back of the toilet helped us move through the accidents with ease.

Step 4 – Be consistent. Once you have decided to start. Don’t stop when it may be hard, or it is taking your child longer than all of the little stories you hear form friends or on the internet. Some kid’s potty train in a day, or three days or some take months of reminding and practice just because of their particular makeup. Keep up with the training of skills, like, how to pull their pants on and off, change themselves, wash their hands and get on the potty themselves. You will see that consistency pays off in the end. I would carry a travel potty in the car with me, so that we could quickly use the potty when we were at stores or traveling, so we didn’t have to visit a dirty bathroom that was unfamiliar. That helped us stay consistent and flexible at the same time.

Step 5- Give it time Our first child potty trained in a week both 1 and 2, our second child (a girl, potty trained in a day on 1 and then 6 weeks later on 2 and our third child has taken a couple of weeks. This is partly because he is a boy and partly because he is the third. Never the less, they are all well adjusted potty trained kids. I have found the process of potty training, is one of teaching a parent how to be patient and teaching a child how to be independent. Isn’t that a metaphor for all of parenting? Most of all, enjoy the process, it won’t be long before they are asking for the car keys and these will be found memories you look back and cherish.

Amber Bishop is the co-founder of http://www.smartmoms-smartbusiness.com and http://www.smartmoms.freeforums.org online resources for work at home moms. She is also the owner of http://www.homeschool-diva.com She stays home and home schools her three children will building a successful home based business.

Article Source: WAHM Articles