Work At Home Business Options

Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’

Back to school is just around the corner. For many toddlers, it’ll be the first day of preschool and the very first day they’re away from mom and dad. My oldest daughter is starting preschool in the fall and just the thought of her going off to school for the first time gets me teary eyed.

How will I handle dropping her off at her first day of preschool? Better yet, how will she deal with her first day? If I know my daughter, I won’t be the only teary eyed person at the classroom door. Not only will there be some weeping, but possibly a tantrum or two while I peel her off my leg and try to make a get away.

To help make a smooth transition into the school year, I sat down with veteran moms and asked them how to survive the first day of school.

1. Tour the school with your child before the first day.
A tour will help your preschooler become familiar with her surroundings before getting dropped off by mom or dad. While visiting, meet the teacher, visit your child’s cubby, and get introduced to other children in the class. Make sure to act excited about everything you see. Your enthusiasm will help your child become more enthusiastic about school.

2. Go shopping with your child.
Yes, brave the toddler tantrums, grab your coupons, and take her to the store. Getting your child involved in picking out their own school supplies, backpack and clothes will help her mentally prepare for school. Give her the freedom to choose those gaudy, pink, sparkly shoes she loves. Tell her that she can wear them to school and show them off there. You can also have your child help you cut out or search for coupons for her school supplies. She’ll enjoy finding coupons for her items and will learn a simple lesson in savings. For a full list of places you and your child can search for coupons click here.

3. Let Her DIY
On the first day of school, allow her to pick out her outfit, help pack her lunch, and prep her school bag. Remember to be over enthusiastic about all her choices and be super duper EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT’S HER FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

4. Saying Goodbye
Now for the hard part — leaving your precious, screaming, teary eyed child at school. Give her a hug, kiss and a big smile at the classroom door. Wave goodbye and walk away. Don’t show any hesitation because, if she sees your uncertainty, it’ll make her uncertain about staying there.

5. Take It Easy Afterwards
The first day of school is over, but there’s one more tip for surviving the first day. Don’t plan on doing anything after school. Your child will likely be exhausted, so take it easy. Plan a nap and put together an easy dinner. The rest of the day, talk about what she experienced during her first day. Be upbeat about everything she tells you; remember she’ll have many more school days when you’ll both want to share the excitement.

###

Maisie Knowles is the founder of BestBabyStuff.com, a website reviewing only the best baby products. She earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado in 2003 and currently spends most of her time at home with her two young girls.

How to keep your little ones busy while working at home by Jennifer May

Many Moms have been trying to solve the issue to finding a great way to still work but keep their children busy so they do not feel overwhelmed or not able to get work done. This has become the case for many Moms who choose to work at home. What most do not realize is that it is more than possible to keep a sane, organized schedule while having your children around. In many cases your children might have to adjust to the new circumstances but as with anything, over time they will adapt. It will allow you to get the much needed work you are doing for them and their future, to get done without feeling overwhelmed.

Here are a few ideas to keep your little ones busy while working at home during the day or evening:

1. Nap Time… (Yes, it is not busy for them but it is busy for you) Most of us with children under 5 years old who are not in kindergarten or preschool have a nap time schedule daily for them and some do not. This is a great way to get work done (especially phone calls) without feeling interrupted. Some children do grow out of it by 3 or 4 years old, but if we keep them on routine daily with their nap time, they will still do it until they reach preschool or kindergarten which allows you that ‘phone call time’ or important work time that needs to get done. I would utilize this time to do your most important things that can not be disrupted.

2. Play office by Mommy… This has been a savior for not only myself but many other WAHM’s (Work at Home Moms) who need something to occupy their little ones so they can get a little work done. Place a play phone, play desk, paper, crayons, etc. right next to your desk or laptop area and let your children ‘Pretend to be Mommy’. Children look up to us as Parents, so not only does this give them something to do but also teaches them a good work ethic at a very young age.

3. Movies/Books… There are many educational movies, shows and books out now a days. Children can learn so much from Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, etc. Now, I would not take this as your only tool to getting some work done. But, do not feel guilty to let your child watch their favorite movie or show while you get a little work done. Placing a TV in near your work area can help, they feel near you while you can still get your tasks done for the day. Books are also great for the children who can sit still and entertain themselves. Get books with lots of colors, pictures and maybe some added interaction to them.

4. Coloring/Painting/Crafts… Being artistic is something almost any little one likes to do. I suggest the Color Wonders by Crayola. Which allow you not to worry about the floor, walls or furniture. With the little office space you set up for them by you, you can set them up on a project or coloring while you get some work done.

5. Online Children Interactive Sites… There are many sites out there like Nick Jr. that allow children to utilize the mouse to interact and learn. If you have an extra laptop or desktop that you are not using to do your work, get them set up and going with one of these sites through many of their educational, interactive programs, coloring or fun games

Jennifer May is a proud work-at-home Mom with Ameriplan® and also is the Founder/Owner of The WAHM Guide. She has experienced years of searching for work-at-home and is now successful from this experience. She has made it her goal and purpose to help as many as she can find and grow work-at-home opportunities successfully. She also shares true work-at-home jobs, home based businesses, research, tips, advice, personal experience and more on her work-at-home Mom website http://www.TheWAHMGuide.com. She has a passion for helping others and changing lives! You can find out more about what Jennifer does from home at http://www.HomeCareerAndFreedom.com.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

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.

Daily Chore Charts by Rachel Paxton

Our family’s cleaning and chore schedules have varied widely over the years. In two short years we have gone from having one teenager in the home to having two teenagers and two toddlers. In the past I have tended to do much of the housework myself, with help off and on from my teenage daughter. Our cleaning schedule was very different then. We got away with vacuuming once or twice a week and didn’t even do the dishes every day.

Our lifestyle changed dramatically when I was pregnant with our twins. It got to the point I could do no housework at all. At the time my daughter was 17 years old, attending community college, and working at a part time job. I was not requiring her to do much housework because of her busy schedule. While I was pregnant we both decided she would quit her job and work for me instead, doing housework, cooking dinner, and doing grocery shopping for me. This arrangement worked very well for us and I enjoyed the extra time we got to spend together. She was able to easily find a new part time job after her brothers were born and I started doing more housework again.

After the birth of our twins my teenage step-daughter moved in with us. It wasn’t until the boys began to crawl and then walk that the housework became totally unmanageable and I had to admit I couldn’t do it all on my own. That is when we started our daily “chore chart”.

First I wrote down the chores with which I needed the most help:

Daily Chores

- Dishes, clean kitchen
- Pick up and vacuum living room and dining room
- Take out kitchen garbage

Twice-a-Week Chores

- Mop kitchen floor
- Clean litter box
- Do a load of laundry

Once-a-Week Chores

- Take out all garbages
- Put garbage can up on street
- Clean bedroom
- Clean kids’ bathroom

This cleaning schedule has worked very well for us. I choose to cook dinner every evening because I enjoy it. Between cooking, feeding the boys, and getting them ready for bed, that is about all I have time for in an evening. Having the girls do the other chores is a huge help.

When I created the schedule, I did keep in mind the girls’ outside activities. For instance, if I know one of the girls has an activity one night I won’t have her do the dishes that night. I have set up a schedule where each night one daughter picks up and vacuums and the other daughter does the dishes. Those are the two biggest chores. Then they usually have one other small chore. Most nights their chores take 20 minutes or less, but save me at least an hour of extra work. On Saturdays they clean their bedrooms, and take turns cleaning their bathroom.

We haven’t had any problems getting the girls to do their chores. First of all, they can’t go anywhere until their chores are done. If they still choose not to do their chores they will not get their allowance. Although one daughter also has a part time job we also decided to give her a small allowance for doing household chores because she spends so much of the rest of her time doing homework and working at her other job. We wanted to give her a small incentive and to let her know her help is appreciated.

We keep track of chores on a dry erase board that has a calendar pre-printed on it. Every month I write in the days for the new month and write in the girls’ chores for every day. There is no confusion as to who has what chores.

You can adjust your chore charts to suit your needs. You may not need your living room vacuumed every day like we do. Chores can be varied according to how many children you have and their ages.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

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.