Raise Your Child . org » Mother’s Wellness

8 Tips For A Stress-Less Holiday To Make

Raise Your Child — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:27:22 +0000

By Marilyn Bohn

I think GPS systems are the greatest. (Global Position System) I know a few people who definitely need them. A few years ago we had guests driving from California to our home in Utah to stay over night. It was about a ten hour drive. I gave what I thought was excellent instructions and directions so they would not get lost. The night (early morning) my guests were to arrive I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a start as Maggie hadn’t arrived. (She didn’t follow my directions, instead made up her own). From our place they were driving back to Washington D.C.. Her sister said she was afraid to take a nap because she was afraid she would wake up in Mexico. A GPS in her car will save her hours of frustration and time.

With the holidays arriving GPS is a great idea for all of us to have. The GPS I am talking about is: Great Planning System. By planning ahead we can have a happy stress free, joyous holiday season. Christmas can be one of the most stressful holidays. But with forethought and organization it can be fun and a holiday to look forward to instead of dreading.

First of all we need to decide what it is we want to get from the holidays. Do we want to have big dinners, entertain friends, and attend every function we are invited to, decorate, bake, spend time with family, send out Christmas cards, exchange neighbor gifts, establish traditions, give to charity or do something unique this year?

Once we have our goals in mind then we can move forward.

•Take some time and decide what is important for you to do this year for the holiday. Then write it down, map it out.

•Establish a time frame to accomplish each task. If it isn’t accomplished in the time we thought it would be, no beating up on ourselves or negative self talk. And if it doesn’t get done ask yourself what is the worst that can happen?

•Cook food ahead of time and freeze it. Some pies freeze well as do cookies. Check your recipes to see what else you can make and freeze.

•Plan on delegating. Who can put up the outdoor lights? Who can do the food shopping? Who can help decorate? Get a crew together to share in the fun.

•Plan a specific time to decorate, another to bake, another to deliver gifts—whatever you plan break it up into little jobs, a little at a time.

•If you send out Christmas cards, organize a basket with the cards, addresses and stamps, and then while watching a T.V. show address the envelopes on the commercials. Do cards in November to save time in December. OR Instead of sending cards, call your friends to wish them a Merry Christmas. Long distance calls have become so reasonable it may cost less than sending a card.

•Keep a notebook with the names of those you are giving gifts to. Check off the gift as it is purchased and make a note when it is wrapped and sent. You could do this on a spread sheet if you use the computer.

•If your family will let you mix up your traditions, try a new one, customize to your own personal preference.

Through all the planning remember this is to be a joyous season; don’t get sucked into thinking you have to do it all. Actually you don’t have to do any of it so have fun with what you decide you really want to do.

About The Author
Marilyn Bohn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Go to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

Hand Yoga For Stressed Mums

Raise Your Child — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:07:07 +0000

By Carole Fogarty

Life is peaceful one moment and then with little warning the harmony is broken into one million little pieces. You go from being in the zone, I’m such a ‘clever got it all together’- mum into having a frantic mind and stressed body.

Enter the very useful and very de-stressing yoga in your hand postures. Known to all the “in crowd” as mudra’s. Mudras are hand postures that when held for as little as three minutes can encourage the flow of specific energy channels in your body. They are very subtle and allow the body when given the chance to re-balance itself.

No flash outfits, groovy eco-friendly yoga mats or super flexible bodies needed here.

All you need is your good self and 3 minutes to allow your mind and body to release the tension and stress through clever movements and positions with your fingers, hands and palms.

Enter the healing rejuvenation mudra

Sit comfortably somewhere, anywhere. You can even do them right here and now in front of your computer. Alternately it might be in your car, locked in the toilet (sometimes necessary with young children) your secret hiding place, kitchen, lounge or bedroom.

Make sure your back is straight. Your eyes can be kept open. Place both palms of your hands directly on your ears. Place your left palm on left ear and right palm on right ear. Gently move your hands as if massaging your ears in a smooth circular motion. Repeat this circulation motion in a counterclockwise direction for at least 3 minutes.

During those 3 minutes listen to the sounds of the ocean which you can hear naturally in your ears. Your breathing should be long, slow and deep. You can also close your eyes if you feel more comfortable.<

Make sure your inhale and exhale go all the way down to your abdomen releasing any stale air and energy.If your mind is having trouble staying focused then give it something useful to do by repeating the following mantra: "I am calm, relaxed and rejuvenated", "I am calm, relaxed and rejuvenated".

A healing mudra to prevent exhaustion

Sit with a straight back. Lift your arms and get a hold of your earlobes with your index fingers and thumbs. Hold onto your ears and let the weight of your hands pull on them.

Relax and feel the energy shift and drain away from inside your head, down into your body and then back into the ground.
Hold for 3 minutes focusing all the time on long, slow deep breathes. Again if your mind is restless simply repeat a mantra that feels comfortable for you: “I am easily releasing all stress from my mind and body”.

A healing mudra for strong nerves

Sit with a straight spine. Women: Lift your left hand to ear level, palm facing out. Connect your thumb and middle finger and stretch your other fingers. Place your right hand in front of your solar plexus (stomach area), palm facing up. Your thumb and little finger are touching; the other fingers are straight. Men reverse the position.

Inhale with four breaths and exhale in one strong breath. Stresses have little chance of depleting you when your nervous system is strong and healthy.

Thanks for reading my article. Peace, love and mudras to you all.

About the Author

Carole’s blog The Healthy Living Lounge offers regular doses of inspiration, comfort and wisdom for your body, mind and soul.
http://www.thehealthylivinglounge.com

The Anti-Soccer Mom

Raise Your Child — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:23:22 +0000

By Kristin Hartshaffer

Get up… take the kids to school… Starbucks venti skinny vanilla latte triple shot… go to work… first bite to eat at Noon… five-thirty… pick up kids… McDonald’s fly by… drop one off at soccer practice… drop one off at football… back to pick up first from soccer… pick up second from football… home by 8:30… help kids with homework… snack… tuck kids in bed… collapse… oh – and who was that strange man in my bed I call my husband?

Sound familiar?

Today’s society places great importance on how involved our kids are in sports and activities. Our children are so overscheduled now that families are completely torn apart. Mom is on one side of town watching one kid’s game while Dad is at the other’s. And if you have three, forget it! Fast food is the norm and the parents and kids are exhausted and disconnected.

Reasoning for such aggressive schedules is typically quite honorable, “I want my children to have the opportunities I didn’t have.”… “Sports teach discipline, hard work, and team work.”… “They make great friends through their activities, friends they’ll have for life.” These are statements from parents who love their children and truly want the best for them. However, what is often overlooked is that the downside of heavy involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities may greatly outweigh the upside. Parents know they’re tired, they know the kids are cranky, they know their marriage is lifeless, but due to today’s societal pressures it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment to even consider cutting back on this crazy lifestyle and deprive their children. Friends will look down upon them and the children surely won’t do as well as their peers who have spent countless hours on the soccer field and even more going through drive-thru’s.

It has gotten so out of hand that one news reporter didn’t even catch the hypocrisy when he said in one breath that “obesity in children is at an all time high” and then stated, “Sports involvement is also at an all time high which is a great way to battle the obesity epidemic.” Is it too far of a stretch to believe that maybe one is actually responsible for the other? If we know that 80% of health is related to eating habits, and these kids’ eating habits border on horrific, then wouldn’t it be a logical conclusion that this crazy lifestyle may actually be causing obesity in kids? It’s certainly something to consider.

But even beyond the obesity debate, there’s the problem of the disconnected family. Most children today live in some sort of a split-parenting lifestyle due to the extremely high rate of divorce. So these kids are being shuffled from house to house and then shuffled even more when they are at those houses. The new definition of “family” is fuzzy at best and we exacerbate this when we split up the newly blended family (2nd or 3rd marriage) with everyone going in different directions.

While the kids have structure they have little down time just to be a kid and develop their wonderful ability to be imaginative. When they’re not scheduled for something they often don’t know what to do. The have little sense of family and what is truly important in life (family, love, relationships) as winning a game can be more important than visiting with grandparents not seen for six months. And they are learning that what should be the most important relationship in the family (between Mom and Dad) comes last on the list of priorities. And we wonder why the divorce rate is so high! On top of all that, how close can a parent really be with their child when they are watching them, not engaged with them. When there is no time to have deep conversations, they won’t happen.

So it’s pretty easy to see how these activities can literally pull a family apart and drive us away from what is most important. Family time, having a close relationship with our spouse and children, and experiencing life to its fullest. These are typically the items at the top of everyone’s priority list but wind up falling to the bottom in the soccer mom’s reality lifestyle. That’s where the Anti-Soccer Mom can make a difference…

Take Back Control

All the chaos is not good for anyone in the family. With everyone going in different directions, it’s impossible to live in accordance with your values. So you need to take back control. While it may not be easy at first, you need to cut back the kids’ schedule. Likely they will be resistant, just be sure to explain to them why. When they begin to understand that you are doing this because you love them and actually want to be around them, you may be surprised what a positive impact that can make. Typically these kids are feeling pretty neglected and misunderstood anyway, but just don’t know it. By slowing life down a little they will be getting the type of attention they have been missing dearly.

Once you’ve cut back on their schedule, then you need to fill the time with activities in line with your values. Here’s a bullet list from the Anti-Soccer Mom:

~ Rearrange your life in order to have sit-down meals together.
~ Invest in some family board games like Cranium and make sure to carve out the time to play them.
~ Purchase a subscription to the USA Today, skim it, and debate current world topics at the dinner table. Make sure no opinion is “right”, rather discuss values and ethics as it pertains to the subject.
~ Turn off the TV.
~ Play together – there’s nothing better than heading to a park and tossing a football around.
~ Illustrate how to have a great marriage by living it.
~ Show them how to take care of their bodies by taking care of your own.

It’s what we do every day that teaches our children how to live and love. Make sure your actions and messages are congruent with what you believe and want to teach.

And don’t be afraid to be the Anti-Soccer Mom on your block. You might be surprised that they likely will envy your new and wonderful lifestyle.

See more articles from www.figureforlife.com!
http://www.figureforlife.com

Find Your Balance with Flowers – Before, During and After Pregnancy

Raise Your Child — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:06:32 +0000

Article on Bach Flowers.

Flowers have symbolized the expression of our emotions for centuries. We offer flowers upon births, deaths, and marriages. We present a large bouquet of roses to someone special. We deliver flowers to those who need cheering up or get well wishes. Dining tables are adorned with fresh cut floral arrangements. It follows, then, that flowers also hold an amazing ability to heal and calm emotionally and physically.

Pregnancy is an amazing, miraculous, and sometimes trying period of a woman’s life. The sheer delight of having a baby is also accompanied by changes – changes in one’s body, changes in how one feels through the nine-month period. There are changes in how others perceive and treat you. One may experience change in their personal (family) relationships, and even changes in how one lives through the day, as the pregnancy term advances.

The subtle yet powerful healing system of Bach Flower Remedies supports emotions, moods and attitudes – turning negative ones into positive ones. This natural support, in turn, strengthens the immune system and allows for a healthier emotional outlook and therefore and healthier turn out for all of our mind, body and spirit(s) life situations.

Dr. Edward Bach, a noted physician, immunologist and avid researcher discovered flower remedies (classified as energy/vibrational medicine) during the 1920’s and 1930’s. He felt that preventative medicine should take precedence over treating symptoms. He knew once harmony and balance was achieved, healing was promoted. Bach® Flower Remedies work according to an individual’s personality type, mood and emotional outlook. Once we achieve balance in mind, body and spirit we become more of “who we are” and live life with more energy, direction and purpose.

The essences are derived from tree blossoms, wild flowers, and waters from the English and Welsh countryside. They are licensed homeopathic remedies governed by the FDA and have been used for over seventy years by physicians, dentists, veterinarians, psychotherapists, chiropractors, and lay people. Flower essences are virtually free of side effects and can be used as a complement to other forms of treatment from infancy through the senior years.

Flower essences are typically taken under the tongue – four drops, four times daily. They can be sipped in a beverage or even placed on the pulse points (wrists, ears, knees, and ankles). Some place twenty drops into their bath water, while others place drops of flower essences into an atomizer and humidify the room with the healing essences, to set (or correct) the mood in the room.

Consider discussing your options in taking flower remedies before, during and after your pregnancy with a registered flower practitioner. It could be important, in addition, to discuss the correct flower remedies available for your partner, other children, and the new baby, too. Mimulus is a wonderful remedy for the period of time you are afraid -of the birth, the pain, concern for the baby, or fear of being a good parent. Elm is helpful for those times when this new state of your life has brought on feelings of being overwhelmed. Walnut is certainly helpful for protection from others’ influence, and to help ease in the transition of pregnancy to birth to motherhood. Interestingly, Impatiens offers patience for the exciting period of time when the baby is about due, and you “just can’t wait”! Use Olive for the extreme fatigue related to the energy used during gestation, and is especially helpful (with Rescue Remedy®) for the exhausting period related to the birth process itself.

Crab Apple is especially useful on stretch marks, and for those times when you are uncomfortable or not so accepting of the changes to your body during the pregnancy. Be aware that Rescue Remedy Cream is wonderful to use on stretch marks, as well as hurting nipples from nursing and even a great help on diaper rash!

Discussing all your healthy options with a registered Bach practitioner encourages individuals to identify feelings, commit to smoother change, and allow a wonderful process to be natural and peace filled The practitioner will familiarize you with the flowers, discuss events and attitudes you may be facing, and help formulate a combination of essences that will help lessen negative feelings, and improve the hidden strength within in you to be and experience what is meant for you in order to have a happy and fulfilling life. Certainly, when discussing issues with another, one finds relief and new direction in putting problems into perspective, and gaining insight and inspiration to heal, grow and change.

Flowers – what a wonderful way to find your balance!

About the Author

Mary Ann Dittmeier is a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner and President and Founder of FIND YOUR BALANCE, INC. Mary Ann offers consultations, workshops and lectures by appointment. Phone consults available on a limited basis. Mail orders on all Bach Flower Essences¨ and literature, no minimum order requirement and no shipping! Call 631-475-8308.

Have a Family New Year’s Eve Blast!

Raise Your Child — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:41:12 +0000

By Norma Schmidt

Believe it or not, you CAN enjoy a New Year’s Eve bash with kids – even if you CAN’T get a sitter!

Infants and toddlers make it simple. Tuck them in, turn on the baby monitor, and you’re free to party – as long as you limit alcohol consumption and keep the noise down.

Preschoolers and kids in the early elementary grades love getting into the New Year’s spirit.

To build excitement, announce a day or two ahead of time that you’re going to have a night-time New Year’s party with pajamas on.

Then, when you go grocery shopping, you can let your child pick out a party snack. A trip to a party store for some inexpensive noisemakers will add to the excitement.

Or, create home-made noisemakers and decorations together. Visit www.familycrafts.about.com/od/newyears or www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/newyear/ for ideas.

On the afternoon or early evening of December 31, sit down together with some ove-rsized construction paper, glue sticks, markers, crayons and scissors and make party hats.

Now, here’s the sweet part: Young children don’t seem to mind at all if “midnight” comes at 9 PM – or even earlier!

All you need to do is put on your party hats, pick your time, count down from 10 and yell “Happy New Year!” with lots of noise and hugs and kisses. Then enjoy your party snack.

Have older kids in the house?

Print out the words to “Auld Lang Syne” (“times long past”) from the Internet and learn to sing it as a family. You can get the words and hear the tune at http://wilstar.com/xmas/auldlangsyne.htm

Put into a box all the ticket stubs, souvenirs and photos you’ve saved from the year that’s ending. Take turns pulling items out of the box and sharing fond memories.

With adult supervision, let kids make home-made party snacks.

Rent funny movies or old sitcoms to watch together. Maybe Abott and Costello or “The Honeymooners” will tickle your family’s funny bone.

Invite everyone to write down on a strip of toilet tissue events from the year that they want to put behind them. Then ceremoniously (or unceremoniously!) flush away.

Play an old-fashioned game of charades. You might want to print out the special charades sign language from www.answers.com/topic/charades-2

Invite family members to write down hopes and intentions for the coming year on slips of paper. Each person can seal their paper in an envelope, to be opened the following New Year’s Eve if desired.

After your celebration, consider saving your noisemakers and decorations to use again. Kids enjoy rediscovering their old favorites from year to year.

And maybe you’ll rediscover the kid in you.

Happy New Year!

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