When my daughter was quite young we began baking together, as a diversion, on a snowy day. We started with a simple no bake cereal treat and as she grew we moved on to more complicated recipes for kids. Even now, as a busy teen, she will make time to bake with me. I truly enjoy these moments together.

Safety is the most important thing to remember when cooking with a child. You must use common sense and keep the child away from sharp knives, anything breakable and of course the hot stove and oven. l would set everything up in measuring cups and then let her pour each item into a bowl and stir or mix things together. I would give her a tablespoon to scoop up batter and roll into cookies. But my rule was that when it was time to open the oven door, to put things in or take them out, she was out of the way. She stood where I could see her but she was safe from getting burned.

One of our favorite recipes to make is Apple Crisp. This is a very basic recipe that I got from my mom a long time ago. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. You will need 4-6 of your favorite apples. I like to use some Macintosh and Granny Smiths. I prefer to core, peel and then slice them. You can have your child arrange the apple slices in an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.

Now, in a separate bowl, you and your child can put together the crisp topping. You will need 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of oats, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and a 1/2 cup of softened margarine or butter. You can also add 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, at this time. Mix all these ingredients together with a fork and then have fun sprinkling the topping over the apples.

Bake uncovered until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender. This takes about 30 minutes. Enjoy your apple crisp warm or cold with a little whipped cream.

When summer swings round to your part of the world it means a dip in the pool and also it is a kid’s right of passage to plunge into the home pool. But child safety should be a priority.

Yes, it’s fun - but for some there is going to be heartache with the loss, by drowning, of a loved one, especially a child - that, perhaps is the most hard-hitting. Australia, a nation which enjoys a high portion of home swimming pools also has a high record in toddler and child drowning. Queensland, Australia’s Sunshine State holds highest toddler drowning record in the nation.

This is not good and legislation is at hand to tighten up the already nation-wide tough pool safety regulations. It can be prevented. Prevented by strict adherence to good Child Pool Safety tips. Child Pool Safety Tips are everywhere, but with the warmth, the fun and that cool, inviting water, it becomes so easy to ignore them. Owning a home pool brings responsibility and in a lot of cases, changes to house and the backyard. Let’s have a look at some Child Pool Safety tips and make your summer hassle and tragedy-free.

1. CHILD POOL SAFETY - EDUCATE.

Teach your child to swim and learn about water safety - there are swimming classes and talks about safety available from the municipal swimming pool operators. They’re trained in child pool safety.

2. CHILD POOL SAFETY - IN SIGHT, PLEASE

Ensure that the pool can be seen from a designated family are, ideally it should have a doorway leading to the yard for quick access. If you are building the house, this needs to be addressed. For those with an already established house and pool, then you’ll need a Home Safety Camera. These are many and varied and your swimming pool supplier can help you decide on the best one. Just as a navigation aid is a valuable tool to motorists, a pool safety camera is integral for child pool safety. The camera should be placed in the room where there is access to the yard.

3. PLEASE FENCE ME IN

In some countries - like Australia - fencing a pool is mandatory. Where it is not required by law, then common sense should prevail and pool owners should endeavour to erect one. Ideally it should be about four feet (approx 122cms) and lockable. There are plenty of attractive styles to choose from - your home hardware store can help here. Oh! Most reputable insurance companies demand that you have a fence. Ideally, an alarm should be fitted so that if someone opens the gate, you’ll know. The responsibility for child pool safety is yours.

4. CHILD POOL SAFETY SIGNS:

You have the pool. It is a magnet for your friends and neighbours and their children. You will need to let the pool users know that as well as being a fun part of the yard, it is also a drowning hazard. Preferably it is best to have them posted every 15-20 feet and please have one erected at the gate to your pool. Again, check with your pool supplier or home hardware store for appropriate safety rules, and what to do In An Emergency, signage.

5. DEPTH

As with municipal swimming pools there is a deep and shallow end. The same should apply to your home pool. It should be shallow enough for the smaller child to be able to stand up with his or head well above the water; as an added child pool safety tip, ensure you should emphasize and have a sign telling swimmers not to dive into the shallow end.

6. CHEMICALS:

You want to keep your pool sparkling clean and germ-free so of course, you’re going to need chemicals to keep it so. Chemicals - a good aide - can also be nasty little things causing burns, blindness and even death. To ensure this does not happen, be very careful even to the point of fussiness of child pool safety and safety from harmful chemicals, so:

a. Maintain the correct balance, and
b. Keep The Chemicals LOCKED AWAY.

7. FLOATERS:

Keep these on hand and ready to throw into the pool at all times, a struggling swimmer will need one to grab on to.

8. DIAL EMERGENCIES:

If you can, install a phone close at hand, ready to dial the emergency number for example 911. Please don’t use a cell/mobile phone unless it is emergency number capable. Most of them are today.

9. FILTERS:

A must, and please, have a filter fitted that is capable of pulling water from the top - use of a leaf finder is helpful - and not from the bottom - this is a trap for the kids and can suck a small child down to drown. Child pool safety has to be foremost in all pool owners’ minds at all times.

10. LET THERE BE LIGHT:

Night swimming is fun and dangerous. Ensure the pool is well lit, especially for night swimming - no dark places, please. If you can’t see you can’t save. Children are prone to sneak out of the house for a duck in the pool - s, so tempting. Child pool safety for the kiddies going on a moonlight swim is paramount at this time. Remember child pool safety, so, Let there be light.

11. GLASS AND OTHER SHARP NASTIES:

Child pool safety- well any safety means no hazards in or around the pool - especially breakable glass. Make sure any receptacles are either plastic or other non-hazardous material.

12. HORSEPLAY.

By horseplay I mean rough stuff, such as wrestling poolside, pushing or throwing someone in (It was fun at the time, but my brothers and I almost drowned - many times, because of this) Child pool safety was not practiced by us then.

13. OLD SOL CAN BE CRUEL

Poolside Fun on Sunday - you’re sore as heck on Monday. So be aware and keep discomfort and possible melanomas at bay with a good sunscreen - SPF 30 or higher. A big must if you are planning to spend more than fifteen minutes in the pool. Another child pool safety tip - and adult too - to preserve health.

14. THE LIFEGUARD.

Use the pool only when a trained person is available - preferably someone responsible over 16 years. Ensure the person designate and other pool users know who’s in charge. Please make sure that person is well versed in child pool safety. You know, it’s perfectly normal to be uneasy about your child’s safety not only in the pool, but other places. Sure, there’ll be accidents and sickness,

If that’s all - well, that’s fortunate. At the risk of portending doom and gloom, there are going to be little ones who drown, due to lack of child pool safety. You don’t want to be one of those statistics. Go, seek help from all agencies. Make sure child pool safety is top of the list - and have a good swimming summer.

15. CPR! CPR! CPR! - Learn it.

In Jean Piaget’s schemata of cognitive development the child development stage is described as concrete operations begins when the child is about seven and continues until about twelve.

In concrete operations Piaget states that the child can assimilate a great number of facts and apply rules of action to behavior, games, math, and grammar. He or she can think and reason logically with factual material, but more advanced thought processes that require abstract concepts are not yet possible.

With the coming of concrete operations, a child’s moral development moves to a new level called instrumental exchange. Now he or she can understand and comply with a requirement of equal benefit between two people. His or her moral attitude centers in fairness-you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. Generally, children, or indeed many adults, raise the cry “It’s not fair!” when they personally have been offended, but rarely when they have benefited from the unfair situation. Life is rife with unfairness, and learning to deal with unfair situations is vital to a calm and serene attitude. The parent or coach or teacher may be able to point out some benefit that will compensate for the apparent inequality even though the child would not understand it alone. “Your reward will come later.” “You still have a chance next time.” With this kind of encouragement he or she can still anticipate a good outcome to a bad situation.

In the area of ego development Erik Erikson emphasizes the conflict between industry and inferiority. This stage seeks to build competence. It is not a question of skill in school, but of effort. Not every child is gifted in math or science or music, but every child must put forth the effort to learn all he or she can. In this endeavor a child learns to value hard work and rejoice in producing a good product. The school environment offers the opportunity to practice his or her competence and perfect the level of industry required to achieve it. Competence is difficult to achieve for a child who is smarter than average and finds school work easy. To achieve competence, the child needs a challenge and the encouragement to rise to meet it.

James Fowler calls this stage of faith development the Mythic-Literal Stage. Consistent with the other areas, the child is interested in things that are real and concrete. They are drawn to stories of victorious heroes and fair maidens, David slaying Goliath, and Deborah leading armies in battle. Applying spiritual concepts is too long a jump at this age, but they can identify with the heroes and place themselves in tough situations and envision the outcome. They may envision it as they want it to be, rather than entertain any negative vibes.

In this stage they still want to belong to the family and culture. They still seek the security of the place they know best. Stepping out into the future will bring challenges to the family structure and belief system. Building a firm foundation of competence through industrious effort will help them face the next stage.

The author has a Master’s Degree in Psychology form the University of Texas at Tyler. She has six children and eleven grandchildren. He interest center around her family, church, and writing.

Do we really live in an unhealthy society? Is child development difficult in an unhealthy society ? Are children still our future? These questions and many more are a topic of great concern for many mothers and fathers searching for ways to raise healthy children.

An Unhealthy Society
Thanks to rising cases of childhood obesity it is fair to conclude that we live in a society where the strategies, techniques and methods taken by parents in raising healthy children are being severely questioned. Unfortunately, an unhealthy society can only be created by people who are following unhealthy practices. The truth is, unhealthy food choices are being made all too conveniently, and this can be accredited to an increasingly frantic and fast paced working environment. Constraints on time, inexpensive and plentiful fast foods restaurants and the incessant onslaught of media perceptions and advertisements have seriously affected our diets; especially our children.

Childhood Obesity
By now we should be quite familiar with the term “childhood obesity”. It’s a severe medical diagnosis interferes with the process of raising health children. A child is considered to be obese when they are well over their normal weight based upon age and height. Childhood obesity is a troublesome health issue because the additional pounds are usually precursor to serious health issues such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes in children. The only solution for this problem is to improve or completely change the child’s eating habits and incorporate appropriate exercising regimens for children.

Raising healthy children in a society that isn’t too concern about everyone’s health can be extremely difficult; however, there are options and choices parents can take to prevent their children from becoming a statistic in the childhood obesity crisis.

BabyExpertAdvice provides invaluable eBooks for assisting parents in raising healthy children. By visiting BabyExpertAdvice today or throughout the month of March you can be the proud owner of a Free PhotoBook from Pick-a-Boo.

People all over the country are trying to lose weight. They may try counting calories, skipping meals, cutting out certain foods, or working out long hours to try to pare the pounds. One thing weight-loss experts recommend to anyone trying to slim down is that they create a food journal to help lose weight especially for child care.

You can create a food journal out of any number of materials. You can get a three-ring binder with notebook paper, a spiral ring notebook, create a journal to suit your needs, or print out pre-made food journals which you find on the internet.

The purpose of a food journal is to track what you’ve eaten during the day. This will give you an accurate picture of what you’ve eaten all day long. It will ensure you’re getting all of the nutrients you need as well as helping you keep track of how much water you’re getting each day.

* Choose the type of journal you’ll use. As stated above, you can use nearly anything as a journal as long as you can carry it with you to track what you’re eating. Online journals aren’t recommended unless you write everything down during the day and then record things at the end of the day.

* Write down everything you eat during a 24-hour period. This includes all meals, snacks, chewing gum, hard candies, or beverages. You may want to use two pages per day to ensure you have enough room to write everything down. You can also use the space for the day to write down if you’ve eaten alone, with friends, what mood you were in when you ate, or other information which might affect how much you ate during the day.

* Throughout the day, look at your journal to ensure you’re getting enough of each food group. Did you eat get five servings of fruits or vegetables? Did you drink enough water? Did you eat too much of any food or too many fats?

* By keeping the journal, you can see what you’re actually eating, which foods you’re eating too many of and can cut back on, and which foods you need to eat more of. You can also determine how many calories you’re eating each day, and then make a decision as to where you can cut back.

Some pre-made journals will break down what you’re eating into categories such as fats, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, fruits, and vegetables. You decide how in-depth you’d like your journal to be; if it’s too detailed and is more trouble than it’s worth you may not continue using it. The simpler you keep your journal, the more likely you’ll be to use it.

What can you learn when you create a food journal to help you lose weight? You can see if there are certain foods that cause you to stumble. You can also note if there are certain times of the day which you struggle most. Finally, you’ll have a better understanding of how much you’re actually eating during the day so you can decide what changes can be made to help you shed those unwanted pounds.

Children usually look for any excuse to ride their bicycles during the summer. These children activities are all fun. While you’re planning your 4th of July festivities, why not organize a 4th of July bike parade in your neighborhood? It will give those in your neighborhood an opportunity to show off their bikes, celebrate the holiday, and have fun at the same time!

The bike parade doesn’t have to be limited to children; adults can and probably should participate as well. Here’s what you’ll want to do to plan and host your own neighborhood bike parade.

1. Gather the neighborhood together to discuss your idea and see how many people are interested in participating. After you know who will be involved, you can determine the parade route through your neighborhood. Don’t make it too long that little children won’t be able to participate, but don’t make it too short that adults and older teens won’t be interested.

2. Announce the event in your area at local businesses. Create colorful flyers with the important information – date, time, and place. You may want to include a tear-off with your telephone number so others in your area can contact you if they need more information.

3. Ask the children to decorate their bicycles, tricycles, wagons, or scooters with streamers. Leaving the type of transportation open will allow more people to join in the fun. The only limitations necessary are that the decorations not be dangerous such as things poking off of a bike that a child might be injured on. Otherwise, the sky is the limit as far as the decorations go.

4. Allow the children, and adults too, to dress up in patriotic clothing or have a face painting area set up at the beginning of the route so those interested can have their faces painted with red, white, and blue flags, stars, and Uncle Sam hats.

5. Plan to arrive early on the day of the parade. Mark off the route and be ready with other adults to help you. Take your time getting everyone arranged so the parade will be safe (adults or teens at the front and back to keep an eye on the children).

6. Choose a teen or adult to lead the parade because they’ll need to carry the music. Remind the participants to stay together rather than running off on their own. This is a parade, not a race, so it’s important that the parade go slowly enough for young children but quick enough for older children not to become too impatient.

7. Ask those viewing the parade to take pictures to remember the day by. You may even want to call the local newspaper to come and cover the parade.

8. At the end of the parade, you can have refreshments or a picnic for everyone to enjoy together.

July 4th is a great day in the United States’ history. You can organize a 4th of July bike parade for your children and others to enjoy. They can show of their bikes and have a great time celebrating the day. If it’s a success, you may want to consider making the bike parade a yearly event.

If you’ve been having back pain, the reason could be that you also have bad posture. Sitting up straight and walking tall do more for child development than making kids look good; it can also affect how well your muscles and joints perform. Posture and health go hand-in-hand in ridding you of back pain.

Posture can be defined as the way in which you carry yourself or the position of your limbs in regard to the remainder of your body. To maintain good posture, you want to be aware of how you sit, stand, and walk to ensure your back is healthy and free of pain.

Poor posture can be caused by a number of factors. Obesity, pregnancy, weak muscles, high-heeled shoes, poor working environment, and laziness are a few contributing factors to poor posture.

Maintaining a good posture takes a conscious effort, much like any other habit. If you do something often enough, even standing or sitting straight with your stomach sucked in, it will become second nature and you won’t have to think about it.

Besides getting rid of back pain, having proper posture can also affect the other joints in our bodies. If you slouch while seated, your back, knees, and neck may hurt. If you let your posture go while driving, it could actually be a contributing factor to an accident because you won’t be able to see properly out the rearview or side mirrors.

Your back is the workhorse of the body. Not only is it involved in nearly every movement we make, it is central to balance and keeping our head on straight, so to speak. Backaches and injuries are some of the most common complaints when people visit doctors or when they call in sick.

If back pain is causing you problems, you’ll want to discuss it with your doctor. They may recommend a physical therapist or medication. You may also want to consult a chiropractor to help you correct bad posture.

Take time to be aware of how you stand, walk, sit, and lift. If you relax too much you may get lazy and begin slouching instead of keeping your spine straight and stomach pulled in. Keeping your posture intact helps strengthen the muscles along the spine and can help reduce or eliminate back pain.

Learn exercises that will strengthen your back muscles as well as those in your stomach. You’ll have an easier time maintaining good posture if your muscles are in shape. Strengthening the abdominal muscles, particularly, can aide your back as well.

Children are often told to “sit up straight” or “don’t slouch.” What may seem like a trivial thing to them may actually go a long way to helping them avoid back pain in the future. So, Mom, stick to your guns and keep encouraging them to have good posture. And don’t forget to model a good posture for them; pay attention to maintaining your posture, too.

When you work outside of the home, you may bring work home or postpone children activities with your family so you can work late. You know there has to be a better way. Consider trying one of these ten ways of better work/life balance so you’re not torn between the two.

1. Prioritize what’s important – Before you can have a more balanced life, you’ll want to know what things are important and learn how to prioritize them. Focus on your family before work. Don’t let your boss bully you into working late if you already have a family activity planned.

2. Drop activities that are too much – Check your calendar to see what’s upcoming. To free up time, drop any activities that make your schedule too busy or that aren’t necessary. Try to limit activities to only one for each child.

3. Learn to say “no” – Remember it’s alright to say no if your boss asks you to stay late. If they offer you overtime work, tell them thank you but you have plans you can’t break it. Ask them if you can work overtime on another date.

4. Plan for the future – Take time to get away for a day or weekend to plan, dream, or just relax. Give yourself an opportunity to look forward to what the future can hold when your work and life are more balanced.

5. Reduce clutter – Try to clean your desk off completely before leaving work on Friday. Put all important dates on a centralized calendar and get rid of the papers. Organize your office and home as well as reduce clutter to give you more time to do things you want.

6. Plan time for yourself – Don’t neglect yourself while focusing on work and family. Taking time out for yourself will help you be a better parent, a better partner, and a better employee.

7. Get help when needed – Don’t be afraid to get help when needed. Hire a babysitter or ask grandparents to take the children while you’re working. Do you work from home? Find a virtual assistant or hire someone to do work for you while you attend to family needs.

8. Know your limits – There’s no such person as Superman or Superwoman. You’re not able to do everything without something having to give; most of the time the thing that gives is your health.

9. Plan for balance – Unexpected things may happen, but if you put time for you to enjoy a hobby or spend time goofing off with your children on your calendar and guard that time, you’re more likely to actually make those plans possible.

10. Ask your employer about flex time. Some employers offer flex time where you work overtime without pay so you can take time off at a future date. It can’t hurt to ask your employer about this. The worse they can do is tell you it’s not available.

These ten ways of better work/life balance are a few of the many changes to consider if you’re working too much. You may feel the need to work but there’s no reason it should take over your life. Using one or more of these ideas may help you get your priorities in order and give you more time to spend with your family.

Depending upon the age of your children, they may be involved in a myriad of children activities. You know the importance of striking a fair balance between allowing children to be involved in activities and having time for the family to spend together. Unfortunately, the children may not agree with your definition of “fair.”

Perhaps your older children are interested in a number of activities. They may want to be involved in baseball, football, soccer, martial arts, gymnastics, softball, basketball, or ice skating. Then there’s band, dance, musical instrument lessons, or voice lessons they’re interested in. Throw in scouting or volunteering and the number of possible ways to be away from home increases even more.

It’s important to make sure kids aren’t involved in too many activities. Children, like adults, only have 24 hours in each day. They have to attend school and sleep at least eight hours a night. This leaves eight hours for eating, doing chores, doing homework, spending time with family, and then extracurricular activities.

You can choose to limit each child to one extracurricular activity per season. If your child is athletic you might allow them to play two sports each school year as long as they don’t coincide with one another. Do you have a music lover? Allow them to play in the band, but you could ask them to wait until summer to take individual lessons.

How do you maintain balance among the different family members? While you may not favor one child over the other, it may seem that way to your children. Try to spend quality time alone with each child at some point during the month. In fact, you may want to plan a special “date” with each child. This will enable them to have undivided time with you or your partner and squelch any complaints about you not spending time with them.

You’ll also want to be sure you to spend quality time with your partner so they don’t feel left out. Planning a weekly or bi-weekly date night is important for maintaining your relationship. Instead of spending your time talking about the children, take the opportunity to dream about your future.

While you’re spending time with others in the family, don’t forget to take care of yourself. You can’t be expected to be able to meet others’ needs if you’re overly stressed or burned out. A trip to a day spa which will pamper you may be just what you need to rejuvenate.

So, you’ve limited the number of activities each person in the family is allowed to participate in. You are also spending time with each child to ensure they feel loved. Now it’s time to keep all of the activities from cutting into the family’s free time, but what can you do to accomplish this? One thing you might consider is actually scheduling activities for the entire family to do together.

Talk about activities that everyone in the family would enjoy. This could be anything from visiting a museum, going fishing, or watching the latest movie. If your children range in age, you may find it difficult to find activities everyone will enjoy. In this case, switch up the types of activities you choose so everyone has at least one or two activities they enjoy.

Keeping your family running smoothly isn’t easy when each person is running in and out of the house to different activities. You know the importance of striking a fair balance between outside activities and family time - using some of these ideas may help create the balance you seek.

Life can be stressful, there’s no doubt about it. You may be wondering how to turn down the pressure and learn to de-stress. Why not try one or more of these ten tips to de-stress and watch your pressure level drop; it will help parenting and child development.

Full-body breathing

Deep breathing, or full-body breathing, is considered to be one of the best ways to lower stress. Breathing deeply sends oxygen throughout your body and encourages the brain to calm which allows the body to relax. This is a great way to de-stress that won’t cost more than a little bit of time and effort on your part to master.

Stop your temper from flaring up

Failure to control anger can be detrimental to emotional and physical health. In fact, anger can result in additional stress you may not want, whilst controlling your anger can help you de-stress and relax. Learning to not take things personally can help anyone control their anger which will result in their being less stressed.

Head massage

If you’re stressed you may end up with a pounding headache. Although many people instinctively rub their temples to reduce tension and eyestrain, learning more about head massage or finding someone trained to give them may be one way to turn down pressure in your life.

Think positive

You may have been instructed to “think positive” on occasion. Positive thoughts and self-talk can actually reduce stress by focusing on good things rather than bad. Some researchers claim optimists will live longer, have better health, and have less stress. Try it today and see if it’s true for you.

Get some exercise

Exercise is a tried and true method to reduce stress. Not only is exercise good for you physically, it also releases endorphins which will improve your mood and outlook. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to do your body good - a daily walk outside can do wonders to relieve stress and help you feel better.

Find something to laugh about

It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine, and it seems science has proven this fact. Laughter reduces stress and exercises the internal organs. The effects of laughter can also remain after you’ve stopped laughing. Find a silly movie and laugh away; it does your body good.

Keep a journal

Writing out things that frustrate you helps reduce stress as well as give you clarity of thought. If you’re able to see a situation clearly, you’ll feel less stressed about it. Grab a pen, some paper, or your computer, and feel the stress ease away.

Meditate

Meditation has long been used to combat stress. It also helps with physical pain and enables you to feel more peaceful. Spending fifteen minutes in meditation can calm the mind and help you re-focus when you have to return to your normal day.

Take a bubble bath

Women have this relaxation technique mastered, but the benefit of bubble baths isn’t only for women. If you’re overtired and stressed, time in bubbles can do wonders to restore peace to your mind and reduce the effects of stress on your body.

Get plenty of rest

If you’re not sleeping well, it’s not unusual to feel stressed. Lack of sleep can also lead to a short temper, lack of concentration, and physical tiredness. Sleeping will help reduce stress, and re-charge your mind and body for what the day holds in store.

Life can be stressful, but there’s no reason you can’t use these ten tips to turn down the pressure. You can use them individually or in combination for added stress-reducing benefits.

Some families are busy and some are homebodies. If there’s more than one person in the family, knowing how to create your own household planner can help keep everyone in the family more organized especially for child development.

Household planners can be made from nearly anything, but three-ring binders seem to work best for many families. Purchasing a binder with a clear pocket on the front and back will allow you or your children to create a colorful or pretty cover for it. Choose a 1-inch, 2-inch, or 3-inch binder to meet your family’s needs.

After creating the binder itself, you’ll want to have the following items on hand to fill the household planner:

* 8 1/2” x 11” calendar (purchased or one you print for yourself)
* 3-hole punched dividers with pockets
* 3-hole punched dividers with tabs
* 3-hole punch

Decide which categories you’ll need in your household planner. Common categories include calendar, finance, contacts, school, medical, manuals, planning, insurance, automobile, warranties, favorite recipes, and take out menus, among others. Use the categories that will work best for your family and make a tabbed divider for each category.

Print off blank contact pages which include name, address, telephone, and cell phone numbers. There are many sources online which offer this type of file to print out for free. You can also find blank calendars to print off to include in your home planner.

Find papers that have accumulated in your family – notes from school, old calendars, take-out menus, etc. – and determine which category they’ll fit into. Three-hole punch them and place them behind the tab they belong to. Smaller items that can’t be punched can be placed in the dividers with pockets to keep them from being lost.

After you’ve found papers with important dates on them, transfer those dates to the calendar you have or have printed out. You may want to color code your family so you can see at a glance which person in the family has activities on a particular date. Don’t forget to write down standing dates such as birthdays and anniversaries so you can plan for them.

Not sure if you’ve paid a bill for the month? Having a schedule of all bills owed, when they’re due, and when they’re paid behind the finance tab can make that problem a thing of the past. The household planner is also a good place to put all bills as they come in so they’ll be available when it comes time to pay them.

Meal planning is another task that can be made easier by having the household planner. You can create monthly meal plans and store them in the planner. Don’t forget to include a blank shopping list in a sheet protector which can be written on with a marker or India crayon and reused each shopping trip.

When you figure out how to create your own household planner, you may find actually putting it together can be fun. Be creative and make your planner something you and your whole family can use. Of course, after your planner is made and you’ve used it for a while, you may wonder why you didn’t put one together sooner.

You’ve finally done it! You’ve completed your family history as far back as possible and would like to publish the information for family members to see and child education.

You’ve thought about putting it all in a book, but book publishing can be expensive. Here are easy steps to publish your family website online and save yourself the expense of a bound volume.

Why do you want to publish your family website online? Some want to share the information with family spread around the world. Others do it in an attempt to find other family members they haven’t met. Whatever your reason, know that you can do it with some time and effort.

Your first step is to decide what and where you want to publish it. Do you want family around the world to add what they have? Or do you want to publish what you have with photos of family members and any pertinent source documents? Knowing exactly why you want to publish the information will help you decide which type of website you’ll need.

You can create a searchable database by submitting GEDCOM files to other websites which already offer this service. Websites such as Ancestry World Tree, RootsWeb World Connect, and GenCircles are a few to consider. This is the simplest way to publish your family data, but it may not be enough.

Creating your own website requires you to get a domain name and web hosting service. There are some websites which are designed for genealogists; some which will do so for free. If you have to pay to host the website, you will probably get extra features to make the price worth paying.

Some genealogists have chosen a blog format for publishing family history. You can do this as a type of journal detailing the information you’ve found or you can modify most blogs to include photographs, links to documents, or other content other than mere text. Depending upon the information you want to include, you may be able to do this yourself. If you don’t have the ability, it’s generally easy to find people who will design a website for you for a price.

Create a sitemap which is a list of the pages your site contains. What categories or sections will there be? You may want to plan on leaving room on your sitemap to add more pages in the future. If you do this step it will allow you to organize your thoughts and help you decide what content needs to go on which page.

Write the content for the website - whether it is a narrative of the family history, stories told to you by various family members, or descriptions of what you’ve done to find the information you’re presenting. Then you can link to copies of actual documents showing birth, marriage, or death certificates or others you may have.

Try to add photographs if possible. While most people will be glad to have documentation about their family, they’d probably enjoy looking at pictures, too. It is also important to proof-read everything to ensure the information is correct and names are not misspelled.

Once you have everything ready, publish the website. This may be the easiest step, but it may have taken you a while to get there. Remember, these steps to publish your family website online may be easy, but the effort and time to get to this point may have been more difficult. When your website is up and family members are visiting, you will be glad you spent the time.

Monitoring child development isn’t an easy job. If someone tells you it is, they obviously aren’t a parent! As a parent, you may be involved in many things – caring for the home, children, working outside of the home, and possibly volunteering. You may not have the time to care for your own needs, but it’s important that you do; a happy parent equals a happy family.

Take time out to pursue your own hobby or interest. Nearly every parenting book will espouse the need of parents to pursue some of their own interests to avoid burn-out. Perhaps you played a sport before becoming a parent. Being active will keep you healthy, show your children how to be healthy through activity, and increase endorphins in your body which will improve your mood.

Include your children in your hobby. Maybe you loved to roller skate as a teen. It may be time to take up skating again. Get skates for the whole family and everyone can have fun together.

Maybe your interests lie in another direction. Are you fixing up a room in the house? Children can learn how to help with do-it-yourself projects as well. They generally like painting even if they can’t reach the ceiling. Why not let them help? You’ll be able to share your interest with your child and get more accomplished at the same time.

Give yourself a time out. This might be associated primarily with disobedient children, but time outs can be a great idea for helping you to de-stress, which can definitely improve how you feel. This can also help you be a better parent because you’ll be calmer and more able to handle your children.

How do you know when you need a time out? Here are some indicators:

* You might talk louder
* You may clench your teeth
* You may feel your heart race
* You may feel your muscles tighten

If your children are safe, try leaving the situation. You can also ask another adult to keep an eye on them until you’ve cooled off. Go to your room or the bathroom where you can be alone for a few minutes. Take some deep breaths and then call a friend to help you talk thing through before returning to the stress-causing situation. When you’ve calmed down, you’ll be able to handle the situation better.

It’s important to realize you can’t do things for others – whether partner, children, or boss – if you’re tired, worn out, and frazzled. The old saying goes, “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” That may apply to parents in general, so do what you can to make yourself happy. Experts agree a happy parent equals a happy family.

It’s often been said “Laughter is the best medicine.” If you’re having a bad day, surround yourself with people who are having a good time, and before long your bad day will be a thing of the past. Humor is important; it’s one way to get the fun back into your life and help you feel good. Child behavior problems will stop erupting if children have a nice sense of humor.

There are many benefits of having a good sense of humor and laughing each day. Laughter, when it’s shared between friends and family, can actually improve your relationship. It can also have a domino effect by being contagious. All you need is for one person to begin laughing and others will soon join in the fun. Laughing actually triggers physical changes in the body which means there are health benefits of humor as well as emotional ones.

The health benefits of humor and laughter include reducing the effects of stress, lessening the sensation of pain, and giving you a boost of energy. You can also expect to feel better emotionally after laughing, particularly if the laughs were deep, sustained belly laughs. Laughter can also boost your immune system which could keep your entire body healthier.

Some experts believe laughing can be as good for you as exercise. In fact, some experts think of laughter as jogging for the inside of the body. The good thing about laughter is that you don’t need any special equipment, don’t have to pay for classes, and it can be enjoyed anywhere. Best of all, it’s free!

Humor and laughter reduce stress. You can’t be stressed out if you’re laughing; it’s simply impossible. When you laugh the body releases endorphins which help reduce stress. It also improves your mood which can have a large part to play in how stressed you feel. Laughter relaxes your muscles and can help you remain happier for up to 45 minutes after the laughter stops.

How do you get humor back into your life if it seems to be non-existent? There are a number of things you can do.

* Start with a smile. Smiling, like laughter, is contagious. If you’re already smiling it will be much easier for you to break into laughter. Think about something pleasant or enjoyable. Then when something does or says something silly or funny, you’ll be laughing with them before you know it.

* Move toward laughter whenever you hear it. In most cases, if someone is laughing loud enough for others to hear them, it’s unlikely they’ll be upset if you come near. You can actually ask people, “what’s so funny,” and they’ll likely tell you so you can join in the fun.

* Spend time with people who are fun to be with. Children are great for being able to laugh easily. Some adults can easily laugh at themselves or at funny things that happen around them. When they start laughing, it’s easy to get caught up in the joy, too.

* Watch older comedies that you found funny in the past. Some of the newer comedies simply aren’t as funny as they’d like us to believe. Find comedies that make you laugh and enjoy them regularly.

You may have heard the song lyrics “Money makes the world go around.” That may be partially true. However, you may want to try humor instead. Learn how to get fun back into your life and feel good by laughing every day.

Springtime is a great time to spend the weekends doing things together as a family. Not only does the warmer weather encourage everyone to get outside, it will also help everyone feel more like exercising after a long winter cooped up inside. Use some of these ideas of springtime children activities for the whole family to enjoy.

New life abounds outside. There are trees budding and flowers blooming everywhere you look. This is the perfect time to start planning a garden to supply your family with fresh vegetables during the summer and fall months.

Begin by starting seeds of any vegetables you want inside and then transplant them into your prepared garden when the threat of frost has passed. Mark off the garden to indicate where you want each type of plant to be planted. Or you can choose to plant your garden using the square foot plan, where you create a grid and plant in those squares. Whichever plan you choose for your garden, now is the time to think about and plan for it.

Take the time to enjoy the outside and have fun at the same time. Let your inner child out as you and your children blow bubbles with home-made bubble solution. Here’s how you make it: Put ¼ cup of corn syrup in a bowl. Add 4 cups of water followed by 1 cup of liquid dish soap. Stir well. You can use a wire coat hanger, pipe cleaners, or jewelry wire to make a bubble wand. Now take time to enjoy making bubbles with your children.

If each member of your family has a bicycle, why not take them out, clean them up, and then go for a bike ride? This family activity is great exercise and will help you get the kinks out of your body after being indoors. You may want to have one adult up front and one following behind the group for safety.

Go for a hike and look for signs of spring. You will probably find crocus, daffodils, and violets along with other native flowers. Don’t be surprised if you also find ladybugs, bees, and wasps. You might even find some small frogs or toads along the way if you’re near water.

Springtime is also a great time to go to the nearest zoo. Many animals have their young during the spring, so you may see some babies while you’re there. Take the time to see if the zoo has a website so you know what the layout of the zoo is, where your family’s favorite animals are housed, and where the restrooms and food pavilions are.

Finally, you can always go fly a kite. Springtime winds are usually perfect for kite flying. You can purchase kites for less than $10, often much less than that. Find an open field, a breezy day, and then let the kites fly. Don’t be surprised if younger children are mesmerized by the kites as they soar through the air.

Be honest, the warmer weather of springtime is beckoning you to go outside and have some fun! Use any of these springtime activities for the whole family, or come up with some ideas of your own. After being indoors all winter long, your whole family will enjoy spending some quality time together outdoors.

Sun worshippers make their way outdoors to catch the first rays of the sun, often before temperatures outside have stabilized. However, spending too much time in the sun without protection has been proven to cause skin cancer, very wrong for child care. You can reduce your risks of being a skin cancer statistic by following any of these five tips for being sun smart.

The medical profession has determined that at least 90% of all skin cancers are caused by over-exposure to the sun. If you’ve gotten sunburned just twice before you turned eighteen, you have double the risk of developing melanoma later in life. To avoid skin cancer:

1. Use sunscreen. This is probably your easiest and best plan to avoid damage from over-exposure to the sun. Applying SPF 15 or higher sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays to your skin and lips will help protect you. Apply sunscreen thirty minutes before you go out in the sun and reapply it every two hours while you’re in the sun. If you’re wearing sunscreen and bug repellent, be sure to apply the sunscreen first.

2. Cover up. When you’re going outside, after applying sunscreen, planning your wardrobe is another easy option. Even though it could be hot outside, wearing lightweight long-sleeved shirts, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses will limit the amount of skin that will be exposed. Covering up can also shield you from poison ivy, bug bites, as well as cuts and scrapes.

3. Seek shade. If you don’t want to be covered from head-to-toe, plan on avoiding the sunshine as much as possible. The hours of between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. are the worst times for being outdoors in direct sunlight. When those hours arrive, finding a place in the shade or going inside will keep you safe.

4. Guard your eyes. Sunshine can do more than damage your skin; your eyes can also be affected by UV rays. Finding sunglasses or other eyewear that blocks 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays is important. It would also be helpful if they wrapped around to offer more protection to your eyes.

5. Try a fake tan. You may love sun-kissed skin, but you know that spending too much time in the sun can increase your risk of skin cancer. To have the best of both worlds, use a fake tan product such as a self-tanner that changes the color of your skin over a period of time. You can have the bronze glow of a sun tan without having to worry about cancer in the future. Don’t forget to use sunscreen with a fake tan; they don’t protect your skin, just make it look tanned.

Having a tan has long been considered to be a sign of health. Times have changed, however, and people know that tanning is risky business. Don’t forget to safeguard children’s skin by using these same five tips for being sun smart. You can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer as well as your children’s.

Children love to fly kites, but that’s not the only thing you can do with them. You and your child can create a 4th of July ceiling kite to help them remember the fun of the holiday for children activities.

Perhaps you and your child have made kites before. If this is the case, you know how. In case you’ve never made a kite, or not since you were a child, these instructions should help you make a kite you and your child can be proud of.

You’ll need the following items to create a 4th of July ceiling kite:

* One 24” wooden dowel
* One 20” wooden dowel
* One piece of fabric – red, white, blue, or patriotic – at least 26” by 26”
* Tape or hot glue gun
* Lightweight kite string
* Craft knife
* Ruler
* Red, white, and blue ribbon

Make a cross out of the two sticks. Tie them together and put a drop of glue on the joint to make it stronger.

Cut a notch at the end of each stick making sure that each notch is deep enough to keep the string in place. Wrap the string around each notch twice, keeping the string tight. This will create the framework of the kite and should create a diamond.

After you’ve gone around each notch, move the string up to the center of the kite and make an “X” around the crossed sticks. Make another “X” with the string to keep it together. Tie it off and glue the string to the sticks.

Cut the fabric so that it’s at least an inch larger than the diamond. Wrap the fabric around the string and then tape or hot glue the ends to the fabric. Be sure the fabric is tight rather than loose.

Poke two small holes in the top and bottom points of the kite. Tie a piece of kite string, about two feet long, and tie a knot in each end. Tie a two foot piece of string on the bottom of the kite. Make bows and tie them in alternating colors about three inches apart on the string to make the tail. Tie the spool of string onto the string going from top to bottom as the flying string.

If your kite was made from a solid fabric, you can decorate the kite with paints, markers, or other fabric. Use patriotic symbols such as stars and stripes, eagles, or rockets. After you’ve taken your kite flying, you can hang it from your child’s ceiling. Using glow-in-the-dark paint or stickers to decorate the kite will help the designs stand out when the lights go out.

With cut-backs in child education budgets, one of the areas to suffer is allowing children to have recess during the school day. You know how being physically active can help you feel better, look better, concentrate more, and be healthier than leading a sedentary life. The same is true for your children. Use hula hoops and jump ropes as a fun way to get you and your children moving at home.

Unstructured recess may be a thing of the past at your school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your children unstructured play at home. Purchasing play equipment like hula hoops, jump ropes, and balls can make active play something your children look forward to each day. Science has proven that having this type of equipment available may help your children be more active and play for longer periods of time.

You know increased activity can help stave off obesity in your children, so why not do what you can to help improve their health? Is there a better way to encourage them to get moving than by providing them with fun activities they can do? And, while you’re at it, why don’t you join in the fun with them?

What can you do with a hula hoop? Actually, you might be surprised. Obviously, you can use the hula hoop as it was intended. You swing your hips in a circular movement and try to keep the hoop moving. Did you know that using one of these hoops, especially if it has been weighted, is a great abdominal exercise? They can also be used as a prop in rhythmic dancing or gymnastics. You can also use them at different points on the body, so you can concentrate on separate areas and give them a great workout.

Jump ropes are also wonderful pieces of exercise equipment. Of course, if more than one person chooses to use it at once, you will probably want to get one for everyone in the family. Again, you can use these as intended, jumping rope, but you can also incorporate them into gymnastics or rhythmic dancing. If you’re not sure what you can do with a jump rope, take a look at double Dutch jump roping. You’ll be amazed at the way some athletes use a simple pair of ropes.

Find hula hoops and jump ropes at local department stores. If you don’t think those will stand up to use, you may want to look at school supply stores. If there aren’t any school supply stores nearby, you can always look online to find them. You may find other pieces of exercise equipment that you’ll be interested in, too.

Remember that the goal is to encourage your child to get active rather than sitting in front of a computer or television. Give them a couple of pieces of exercise equipment and they’re more likely to use them. If you really want to encourage them, let them see you use the equipment, too. There’s nothing like exercise to get you and your whole family healthier and quite possibly happier.

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. On a family trip to an amusement park, their child is separated from them and is lost. If that family had used personalized child safety tattoos, their child would have been able to go to a park employee and they could have been quickly reunited with one another.

You can explain to your child the importance of staying close to you when you’re out in public. However, even though you and your child do your best, it is still possible to get separated. Temporary tattoos can be used to help keep your children safe and give you peace of mind. Here’s how they work and why they’re such a great idea.

Temporary tattoos are a fun, colorful ID product that can be used to keep children safe. They come in a variety of tattoos. The tattoos, which remain on the skin for three to seven days even through bathing or swimming, can be used to provide a telephone number to contact in case a child gets lost or otherwise separated from a parent or caregiver. There are also temporary tattoos which alert others to emergency medical information.

Lost and Found temporary tattoos are perfect for children or adults with autism or another medical condition that makes verbal communication difficult. They attach emergency contact information directly to the skin. They cannot be removed in the same way as a lanyard and ID or a piece of jewelry.

Made of safe, non-toxic, and hypo-allergenic pigments, the temporary tattoos are FDA certified. Temporary tattoos are not to be used on or near the eyes. They are easily applied and can be removed with rubbing alcohol or baby oil.

Besides giving your peace of mind should your child be lost while out and about, they may actually save a child’s life. Suppose your child has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts or another substance. Wearing one of these temporary tattoos will enable teachers or others to contact someone who can help because the tattoos have an emergency number on them.

Even though parents do everything they can to ensure their children are safe, children can quickly move away from a parent or caregiver. They can slip away and truly be lost. If the child is young and doesn’t know their telephone number, temporary tattoos provide the information needed to get you and your child back together.

There are several temporary tattoo manufacturers. To find one, you can search for them online. A few possible manufacturers are Safety Tat or Tottoos, however, there are others. You can also check with local Child Advocacy Centers to see if they know of manufacturers of these personalized child safety tattoos.

Sun worshippers make their way outdoors to catch the first rays of the sun, often before temperatures outside have stabilized. However, spending too much time in the sun without protection has been proven to cause skin cancer especially for child safety. You can reduce your risks of being a skin cancer statistic by following any of these five tips for being sun smart.

The medical profession has determined that at least 90% of all skin cancers are caused by over-exposure to the sun. If you’ve gotten sunburned just twice before you turned eighteen, you have double the risk of developing melanoma later in life. To avoid skin cancer:

1. Use sunscreen. This is probably your easiest and best plan to avoid damage from over-exposure to the sun. Applying SPF 15 or higher sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays to your skin and lips will help protect you. Apply sunscreen thirty minutes before you go out in the sun and reapply it every two hours while you’re in the sun. If you’re wearing sunscreen and bug repellent, be sure to apply the sunscreen first.

2. Cover up. When you’re going outside, after applying sunscreen, planning your wardrobe is another easy option. Even though it could be hot outside, wearing lightweight long-sleeved shirts, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses will limit the amount of skin that will be exposed. Covering up can also shield you from poison ivy, bug bites, as well as cuts and scrapes.

3. Seek shade. If you don’t want to be covered from head-to-toe, plan on avoiding the sunshine as much as possible. The hours of between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. are the worst times for being outdoors in direct sunlight. When those hours arrive, finding a place in the shade or going inside will keep you safe.

4. Guard your eyes. Sunshine can do more than damage your skin; your eyes can also be affected by UV rays. Finding sunglasses or other eyewear that blocks 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays is important. It would also be helpful if they wrapped around to offer more protection to your eyes.

5. Try a fake tan. You may love sun-kissed skin, but you know that spending too much time in the sun can increase your risk of skin cancer. To have the best of both worlds, use a fake tan product such as a self-tanner that changes the color of your skin over a period of time. You can have the bronze glow of a sun tan without having to worry about cancer in the future. Don’t forget to use sunscreen with a fake tan; they don’t protect your skin, just make it look tanned.

Having a tan has long been considered to be a sign of health. Times have changed, however, and people know that tanning is risky business. Don’t forget to safeguard children’s skin by using these same five tips for being sun smart. You can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer as well as your children’s.