Parenting goals for 2011

What are your parenting goals and resolutions for 2011? Do you have specific things you want to improve in your parenting this year?

Regular reflection and goal setting in parenting is important. By choosing to be proactive and not reactive, we can work towards being the parent we want to be.

I am making a goal to play a game of my kids choice every day with them. It's so easy to put off play because of other things that need doing. I've been thinking about this article for some time and how to best make sure each of my kids gets individual time with me and also my husband on a regular basis.

I am also trying to continue being conscious of family traditions and making sure there are many in our family that are not just holiday themed. I have a list that I review and revise regularly.

What about you? What is your parenting goal(s)? Have previous articles here inspired you? What types of parenting articles would you like in the upcoming year? Please share!

By Malina. You can learn more about Malina and her family at her personal blog.

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Natural Appetite Suppressant Increases Fullness Of Stomach

Obesity or overweight has become a very common physical disorder as million people more or less suffer from obesity. As of now lot of study and research have been conducted to find absolutely healthy and competent appetite suppressant supplements. Natural appetite suppressant is qualitative over ordinary weight loss medications and drugs. In addition, it works speedily to minimize food craving. Natural appetite suppressant pills are high in demand and these supplements provide full protection the body from any side effect. It is very safe and highly competent to reduce fat and weight. If you are eating tendency goes down, automatically, fat will decrease, as you are not willing to fill up your stomach with excessive foodstuff, which contains fat and carbohydrate.

From your body, Proactol removes surplus fat. The natural ingredients of Proactol dietary medications like extract of cactus, which takes active role to play in lowering down eating tendency. From the intake of excessive amount of processed foodstuff, an obese person must restrain himself. To reduce appetite so that he should not eat voraciously, he must design a compact dietary program. Proactol is a powerful anti-appetite medication, which provides 100 percent satisfaction to people who like to get slim figures.

This appetite suppressant medication, which produces no side effect. Proactol supplement contains natural appetite suppressing elements. It will check the accumulation of fat in different parts of the body up to 30 percent. It not harms any internal and external part of the body. You can observe that Proactol is stuffed with high quality natural fiber, which can be diluted or undiluted in liquid. Experts told that filmy layer of fiber made gel encircle the fat. It will restrict the suction of lipid creating a block. Therefore, fat doesn’t find any inlet or outlet to mix with blood stream. Lipid molecules are not able to enlarge for ensuring abnormal spread of fat in the body.

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Author is an expert writer on Natural Appetite Suppressant and Proactol Reviews.

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The Wings To Fly: Inspiring your Teens

Believe

Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
You have everything you need
If you just believe

Dream

Taken from the popular movie "Polar Express" this beautiful song sung by Josh Groban reminds us to never give up on our dreams. The New Year (2011) also reminds us that we have dreams to fulfill, goals to reach, and lives to inspire. As parents we must remember it is our job to not only reach our own goals, but to also help our children (our family) find, nurture, and renew their own dreams. ?

Inspire?

But inspiring teens and young adults to cultivate their dreams can be difficult. Many children reach for dreams that are instilled in them by parents or other family members, but not all. Some children come to us singing their own songs and dreaming their own dreams. As parents we must learn to inspire, encourage, and lead with finesse. We must learn to cultivate the magic and balance it with the reality of life. ?

Although I can inspire and encourage my teen, I have limitations as to what I can offer my child. If my child has a passion for boating and I have never owned a boat, it is difficult for me to teach them this skill. When he takes off for college, for a life of their own, I believe I should continue to support him but if he has not experienced all that he wants out of life it becomes his duty to seek it out. My job is to give my children a zest for all that life has to offer. My job is to give them values and morals that will act as a compass throughout their life. Life will teach them what I cannot.?

"Destinations are where we begin again"

Although this song and movie are traditionally associated with the Christmas holiday, I believe it fits nicely with a New Year theme. ?My favorite line is, "Destinations are where we begin again." ?As a parent, it reminds me that my goal is to see my children happy and to help them imagine their future and measure it against their past. If I can help them look forward to each new day then at the end of each day as they reach small destinations they will discover how to cultivate the hope of life. They will begin to seek out new destinations, new goals, and new opportunities that will help them cultivate the love of our family.?

Believe

When we teach our children to believe in something bigger than themselves they find within themselves the power to live. As the song so beautifully teaches we should help our children "believe in what their heart is saying and hear the melody its playing." Only then can we give them their "wings to fly."?

Believing cultivates faith and faith moves them forward into a new year filled with new experience and hope. Many will want to?reminisce over the past years victories or failures, but??Elder Jeffrey R. Holland cautions us, "The past is to be learned from but not lived in." ?It is important to help your child cultivate an attitude of?optimism by showing them what they have learned and how they can continue on their joyful journey.?

Personally I am excited for this new year. I am excited because as I write this I realize that I have never before been the mother of children who are at the particular age they are now (29, 28, 25, 23, 20, 13). Each ?of my children bring such renewed perspective to my life and teach me many wonderful lessons. Each of them have inspired me with their own ability to dream.?

As they do this they remind me of how like each new day, family gives me the renewal to continue parenting and co-leading our family. I am?excited?at the opportunity to inspire my own children to believe in themselves and in one another. I am excited because in doing so their joy is reflected back into my life.?

Parenting comes with many unexpected experiences. Part of parenting is helping your child gracefully balance their dreams with life's reality. ?Life has not always been what I would have expected it to be, but it can be all that I dream it to be if I will believe... in myself.. in my teen.. and in my family. For it is in family that dreams ultimately come true.?

Happy New Year! 2011 Believe!

How have your parents supported you as you reached for your dreams??

How do you believe you can inspire your teens, your young adults, your young children to set goals and achieve them??

Do goals have a greater purpose than to be merely reached??

How do you help your children define their goals??

??

by ?Linda Shaw?

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Making All Those Gifts Fit: Tackling The After-Holiday Clutter

Christmas has passed and that means that there are stacks of new toys, clothes, appliances, etc. hanging around the house. It can look overwhelming, and I know that when my house is cluttered I am grumpy and discombobulated.

Even though it isn’t spring, it is a good time to consider a large “spring cleaning” project with your children while you have them home. It’s the best time to get their help so you don’t have to do it all on your own. If your children won’t help, you can even hold their new gifts hostage until their closets and toy chests are cleaned out and organized.

A few things that can help you organize your children’s closets and your home in general are:

-???????? Make sure there’s a place for each toy. If the toys have a specific home it is easier for your children to stay organized. Shoe box organizers stack neatly and are often clear so it’s easy to know what is inside. Labels are also wonderful.

-???????? Make sure the broken toys are disposed of. If it doesn’t work, it isn’t worth keeping.

-???????? Check clothing for sizes and stains. If there’s no one to pass the clothes down to once they don’t fit – it is time for a trip to the thrift store or a younger cousin’s house. And if the item is stained and your children already have play clothes – the stained items can be gotten rid of.

-???????? Set an example of letting go. Show your children that there’s nothing wrong or emotionally damaging about getting rid of unneeded items. Go through your closets before.

-???????? Look to recycle within your home – then donate.

-???????? “One in, one out” is a good rule to have. For every new toy that needs a home another old toy should be taken away.

Not all of these work for every home, but consider each possibility and find what works for you and your family.

Consider next year doing this before the holidays and disguising it as a service project. When your children get rid of a toy or an article of clothing they can feel good knowing someone less fortunate will be blessed because of it. This may also help motivate them to let go of the things they don’t really care about but keep just in case.

What do you do to tackle the after-holiday-clutter? How do you keep your home organized?

Image from graphicsfairy.blogspot.com

By Brooke
returntosimplertimes.blogspot.com
writerswriteon.blogspot.com

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Custom Lanyards – Attractive Lanyards That Are Truly Your Fashion

A lanyard is a chunk of rope or wire that’s worn as a necklace and is used to carrying one thing vital that must not be misplaced and/or must be visible at all times. The lanyard has a very lengthy historical past, dating back to its use in ships for rigging, as well as within the army for holding hooks used to fire artillery. At this time, the lanyard is used for extra day-to-day kind of objects, comparable to identification cards and cell phones. There are many completely different locations to purchase a lanyard, but it surely has become an increasing number of obvious that making use of custom lanyards is the best approach to purchase a lanyard.
The obvious motive for having custom lanyards made versus just shopping for one from a store is in fact the comfort. Some individuals simply must put their vital gadgets on a lanyard, be it as a result of they’re used to losing things or different such reasons. If you do not want your neck to harm due to the weight, then you definitely need to have the ability to customise the lanyard in keeping with what you might be comfy with. The length of the lanyard can be quite vital, as anything that is too brief or too long may additionally cause added discomfort.
In addition, in fact there may be the design of the lanyard. A custom lanyard can appear to be anything you want it to appear like, seeing as you will be in complete control of the design of the rope that is going to be used. That means, you’ll not be caught with a design that you simply consider tacky or is simply not your style.
There are lots of totally different locations that you may choose from to have your lanyard customized made. Discovering the precise places means that even the most obscure type of design fashion that you really want, be it rainbow coloured with glittery jewels on it, you will be able to get just the lanyard that you desire.
Roland S. Gumb

If you need supplementary information about custom lanyards, pay a visit to the Writer’s Site in a flash!

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Moving Boxes Supplies in Phoenix

Getting Boxed In – Moving Boxes Supplies in Phoenix AZ

Finding the right type of moving boxes supplies in Phoenix, AZ doesn’t have to be a chore. Not with today’s various easy to use resources available to the consumer. Whether you plan to move to or from Arizona, following lists ideas of where to find more information on how to find equipment, moving boxes and supplies in Phoenix AZ.

The first way is by word of mouth. Do you know a neighbor, or a friend who recently moved into, or from the area? Did they use a moving company or a moving supply company? If so, ask them a bit about the company they chose. What did they like about the company? What sort of deals did they get? If they chose a moving box and supply kit, what came in it? Were the movers careful with their items? The answers you get from these questions can help you determine if this company is for you and your family.

The second way to find equipment and moving boxes supplies in Phoenix AZ is to look through the yellow pages of a Phoenix phone book. Search under movers, moving supplies, and moving equipment. Unless you have future plans for equipment like dollies and loading ramps, you may also want to look for moving equipment rentals. Call a company and ask if they will mail out a print copy of a catalog too. Since it is often easier and more cost efficient to use an online catalog, some companies may require a small fee to send you one in print.

Thirdly, go online. A search for “moving boxes supplies in Phoenix AZ” brings up plenty of pages with links directing you to Arizona companies who either sell moving boxes and supplies, who will move your stuff for you, or companies who do both. This method will also bring up directories and databases, including online yellow pages put up specifically for people to find Arizona companies located at various cities in the state. If the moving and packing business built a webpage, odds are you will find it through the search engine with the ranked pages being at the front and newer, lesser known companies further down.

Lastly, should you find a company you’re unsure about, check up on it through previous customer reviews. Most businesses aren’t going to put up testimonials from customers who had a bad experience with their service. Go to consumer opinion and review sites, like Consumer Reviews, Consumer Reports, and Epinion to see if there are any reviews by customers who used the company in the past.

Following these suggestions will help you to find equipment and moving boxes supplies in Phoenix AZ.

To learn more, checkout bible study topics and youth ministry resources

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Family: the most important element. What Teens Want

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Sisters enjoying a moment of laughter

by Linda Shaw?

Family: The Most Important Element

What Teens Want

Gifts, styles, transportation, and the way we communicate all take on new modes, but feelings about families seem to remain constant. A recent poll from April of 2010 showed that 89 percent of those polled reacted positively to the term “family values”. Additionally in an October 2010 poll?76 percent of those polled responded to the statement: family represents “the most important element of my life.” Comparatively, only one percent of this poll responded that family was “not an important element of my life.”

Recently while visiting my own parents, I read a 1997 Readers Digest article entitled “What Teens Really Want,” by Rachel Wildavsky. 1022 teens between the ages of 16-18 were asked what they valued and their views on family. 76 percent believed their values were pretty much the same as their parents, and 96 percent expected to marry. When asked what they wanted out of life or what brought them the most satisfaction, 91 percent responded to “having a good marriage,” and 94 percent chose “raising healthy and happy children.” Other poll choices included: earning lots of money (28%), making a name for yourself (33%), being active in your community (38%), and having plenty of recreational time (42%).

As I read the article I was struck that even though times have changed, and parents are often overwhelmed by the societal empowerment of teens, teens still basically want to belong to family. They understand that family is not about a Hollywood ending where romance and fairy-tale endings make us walk away feeling wonderful, but questioning our own family reality. Nor does it need to be defined by material possessions, income, or even education. Family is about connecting with one another, no matter how hard times may be.

All families go through difficult times. ?Seventeen-year-old (in 1997) Jon Stokes of Dallas said that he learned a realistic lesson from his parents’ tenacious marriage. He said,

“Marriage isn’t all romance and lovey-dovey. You commit to staying through the bad times and you share your life. You think about your actions and you share your obligations.”

As the Christmas season wraps around me, I have been able to consider this “most important element” of my life. I am thankful for my teen -age son, and his older siblings. I am thankful for his love of tradition, and of how he seeks always to remind me to take time to create those “special moments.”
He has reminded me that Christmas isn’t about giving our teens what peer pressure demands of them or helping them keep abreast of the newest trends, it’s really about family and the emotional connections we make at this time of year.

Is it any wonder that Christianity began with a family, or that we associate the giving of gifts with family togetherness? Prophets have long proclaimed the importance of family and its role upon society. Is it any wonder that the Son of God chose to come to us, and to give us his example, through a family?

It is my wish that as the Christmas season draws itself around you, that you might understand the elemental love that families bring to all of us. That you won't worry about the many?inconsequential moments, but remember the most important element, to the most important moments of your life, those found within your family.

Merry Christmas.

Have you asked your teen what he values most?

Have you asked your teen about his values?

Source:
Roper Center for Public


Wildavsky, Rachel, and Nigel Holmes. "What Teens Really Want."?Readers Digest?(1997): 50-57. Print.c Opinion?75th Anniversary Edition?


Dreamstime

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