Getting your child to do their chores...the easy way.

There is finally a way for parents to enjoy positive time with their children instead of nagging, complaining and pleading with them to do their chores. With My Reward Board, you will be amazed when your child practices their musical instrument, does their homework,or tries everything on their plate. Stops whining, stops bossing around their sibling, brushes their teeth, and gets ready for tomorrow. These are just a few of the things my children do happily now on a daily basis. They can't wait for tomorrow so they can do their chores all over again. What's the secret to happiness and less arguments? My Reward Board is the answer.
My Reward Board is a computer program that has interactive features for both children and adults. Their is a chore chart that enables the parents to choose the childs chores and record them on the chart. At the end of the day your child drop smiley's into the place where the flag is for the appropriate task and day. The animated happy face characters will even give a big thumbs up and cheer. They really have a great time. At the end of the week click the payout handle for star points they have earned.
Encouraging your child to meet their own specific goals (sharing, doing good deeds, or not whining) is easy with the motivational Goal Gizmo. When they achieve each goal an achievement certificate is printed and bonus star points are awarded, resulting in an accomplishment they are proud of and want to complete again.
Star Points are unique currency that keeps children motivated from week-to-week and month-to-month. Reward coupons for special privleges, treats and gifts are approved by you and then "bought" with star points they have earned and can be printed by your child. You decide which rewards are available, set the point cost of the rewards, and can even create completely new custom rewards suited to your child.
The cute and extremely smart Piggy Bank not only keeps track of your child's allowance (so parents - no more excuses!) but also lets your child set their own savings goal and what they are saving for. You set the amount of weekly allowance and can decide whether or not the allowance should be tied to your child's success at weekly tasks and chores or just given freely.
Suitable for framing or posting on the refrigerator the achievement certificates show your child's overall success and their completion percentage for each task or chore. An achievement certificate is also made available when they meet their goal in the Goal Gizmo.
You should use positive reinforcement and motivation whenever possible. But, as we know, there is sometimes a need for consequences for negative behavior. The optional Demerit Tracker lets you set the current number of demerits, and, if desired, causes their allowance to be lost for the week if the demerit count is too high. You can specify how many demerits until they lose their allowance.
This is a terrific program that has made my life a whole lot easier to manage. I no longer have to fight with my children to do their chores and it is a lot more peaceful and clean in my house. I don't know how I ever lived with out this program.
On the My Reward Board website which is: http://www.myrewardboard.com You can download a free 15 day free trial. After that, once you see that it will work for you the program is $19.95 and it's yours to use forever. That's a great investment in your and your child's life. Definitely worth the money. Try it and let me know what you think. Happy Parenting!

STRONG FAMILIES HAVE MEMBERS WHO GIVE OF THEMSELVES

I found this article and wanted to share it with everyone. Below is a link to the page where it is found. Building a strong family is worth the time and investment. With the holidays fast approaching this is a perfect chance to start building those relationships.

During the holiday season, people often believe that the only gift they can give is something expensive or store bought. It is not necessary to spend money to give someone a meaningful gift. A handmade gift or a promise to babysit once a month can be more meaningful than a gift you buy. Remember, the best gifts come from the heart.

Here are some holiday gifts to make:

Use your hobby skills, such as painting or woodworking, to make unique holiday gifts.

Give a package of coupons redeemable for chores you'll do during the year: wash the car, clean the garage, cut the grass, vacuum the house, iron the clothes. There are many chores to choose from!

Write a letter to each family member. Include things you appreciate about that person, fun memories shared together, and shared jokes. Type the letters, make covers for them, and wrap them as gifts. They'll still be treasured when store-bought gifts are long forgotten.

Put together a photograph album with pictures of family activities from year to year. This is an ideal gift for a grandparent or a grown child who has left home.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
1. Address and mail holiday greeting cards.

2. Work together on gift ideas.

3. Visit a friend or a relative who lives alone or in a nursing home.

4. Adopt a family through your church or other local organization. As a
family shop, wrap, and deliver gifts for them.


For this and many more articles on tips to building strong families visit this site.
http://www.nncc.org/Parent/sf.series.html

Moms and Dads: Take a break, RELAX and ponder on this...

Why do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't have?

Why do you press harder on a remote control when you know the battery is dead?

Isn't Disney World a people trap operated by a mouse?

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only a "penny for
your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to? Taxes?

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life, we could simply
press Ctrl Alt Delete and start all over?

Why do you click on start to exit Microsoft Windows?

Why is it good to be a Daddy's girl, but bad to be a Momma's boy?

When you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you,
but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window.

I just thought it would be fun to take a break from the daily grind and have a little fun pondering on things for awhile. Have a fun-filled day. See you again soon.

The importance of communicating with your child!

Did you know that on average a mother spends less than 30 minutes a day talking to her children. The average father only 15 minutes a day. There is definitely a problem with communication in the average American home. Few subjects in parenting are as fundamental, or as important, as communication. Humans function so much by language, whether implicit or explicit, that learning how to communicate effectively affects virtually every aspect of family relations, and interaction with others outside of the family. A child needs to see that their point of view is respected and they should be allowed to discuss their opinions without fear of persecution. When given this opportunity to communicate openly with the parents children will learn with time and persistence that they don’t know as much as adults and will seek an adults input. The parents need to being willing to listen attentively and fully to the child’s point of view. The child’s honest opinion of what they have observed often gives a parent insight to how the child is viewing the world around them and reminds them of what it was to be that age. After listening to your child, repeat in your own words what you have heard them say. This reinforces the fact that they have been listened to, and also gives you an outlet to give your child some "parental advice" that they so desperately need at this time in their life. The next time your child wants to talk help them, help yourself and help your relationship. Stop whatever you are doing completely, look directly at your child, dropping to their level if necessary and listen to what they are saying completely without interrupting them before you respond with your comments.

My limelight...

As a parent I strive for perfection and recognition. It makes me feel awesome to see what I have accomplished. My article Benefits of Wheatgrass juice was featured on the front page of helium today. This really made my day, if your interested in viewing it...check it out at helium.com I'm not sure how long it will be on the featured homepage, but regardless this has made me one happy individual. Thanks for your support.

Domino's Pizza Making it easy for on the go dinner!

Domino's Pizza just made an on the go parent's job of dinner a whole lot easier. Now customers who have web-enabled cell phones can place their order from nearly 2,500 of Domino's 5,128 U.S. stores on mobile.dominos.com. Here's how it works. From a web-enabled cell phone (supported by any carrier) visit mobile.dominos.com Then, you enter your favorite pizza, side-item and drink order and then enter the delivery address. If you are paying by credit card, enter your credit card information which is transmitted over Domino's secured network. Be at the address you placed the delivery for in about 30 minutes and you've got dinner. This is a great option for people who are very busy with other activities...like being a full time parent and who don't always have a computer or phone book handy, who carries these things anyway? But we all carry our cell phones...use them to order dinner and relax with the kids and a pizza!

How women can juggle employment and a family

Women tend to "wear numerous hats" in modern society. These "hats" are usually things like: Wife, Mother, Nurse when the family is ill, Cook, Counselor, and Caretaker. The majority of women are also trying to juggle a career. Women must find a way to balance both her family and her career. Although it is not always easy there ARE indeed ways to balance everything.

The stress and eventual breakdown of performing all the positions can lead to things such as: Strain on her relationships with people she must interact with. A deterioration in health. Anger, depression, anxiety and lead to possible substance abuse.

Here are a few ways to manage a family and career. Set goals both short and long term, periodically check to make sure that you are still attaining your goals in life, both personally and career oriented. Know your priorities, set aside a specific time or day of the week for family time. Make time for yourself, and also keep work problems at work. Never bring them home with you. Have supportive people in your life that will offer help if you need it. A babysitter so you can go out for a night on the town and just relax, etc... No matter how bad things seem it is always a good idea if you can find things that make life a little easier. Rewards for yourself, a chocolate bar, a massage, a bubble bath, a day at the spa. These things will encourage you and revitalize your body and mind. Never give up. It will get easier with time.

Bad Sportsmanship

We all want our child to learn good sportsmanship when playing something competitive. However, on the sidelines is usually the complete opposite of this. As parents or even role models. We should set the example that we want our children to follow. It is amazing to me that there is so much hostility and anger that stems from adults that are spectators of the sport. You can not possibly think that it is okay for you to act in an immature way and then expect your child to act like the adult, and shake hands with the people that they just competed against. Children live what they learn. This starts in the home.

Encourage the child to try his/her best and to always play fairly. Explain that it is the team that makes the difference. If they played a good game, congratulate them. If it wasn't their best, keep encouraging them and be positive. Don't let them see you being a "bad sport" this will eventually cause them to be a "bad sport" as well. You set the examples that our children follow and they look up to us adults to help mold them into good members of society. Be a POSITIVE role model, not a NEGATIVE one.

Working with the school, we can make a difference.

The future of children can be either a brightly lit path or a dark endless road. As a parent it is up to us to do whatever we can to ensure the best start for our children.

Volunteer your time, if possible, to help your child's school. Your school's PTA can give you more information. They are always in need of volunteers and opportunities can be anything from classroom parent to being a chaperone for an upcoming field trip. The possibilities are endless. This is also a great way to get to know other parents and your child's friends as well.

If problems arise with your child, work with the school counselor or the child's teacher to resolve the issue and find ways to prevent this from occurring again. Keep in touch with your child's teachers and find out if they are having difficulties in any areas, so that you know where your child needs help.

Don't wait for parent teacher conferences if you have an issue that needs to be discussed. Waiting until then may make the problem harder to resolve.

In any case, it should always be important to you as a parent to ensure that your child is receiving the things that are necessary to light the path under their little feet, paving the way to success.

Computers: Do they add to stress or make life easier?

This morning I realized how much stress a computer can sometimes cause. They are a wonderful piece of modern technology. That is, until something goes wrong. So is it safe to say that they add to the current overload of daily stress? Or do they make tasks a little easier to accomplish? Only you can determine that for yourself. What do you think?

Look no further...here's the solution

Are you in need of someone to do a writing assignment for you...well, look no further. There is a solution. A freelance writer that is willing to do their best to make sure that the customer is always satisfied. Check out the web page and see for yourself just how they can help you today!
Keepin It Simple Publications for all your writing needs
http://home.comcast.net/~keepin-it-simple/

Mending a relationship

Relationships are essential to our life. You have so many relationships with different people in your life. They can range from your spose or significant other to the mailman who delivers your mail everyday. But how do you begin to mend a relationship that has gone bad?

Take things slowly. For the couple that is in a rocky relationship or has spent a generous amount of time being seperated, time is key. Do not force or hurry the relationship. Let things just happen. Spend more time together, go out for dinner together,or watch a movie. Remember what is was about this person that made them so irresistable to you in the beginning. Set aside time for just the two of you and stick to it. Start with a "clean slate" and find ways to improve your trust and communication. Don't believe that the problem will fix itself. Seek professional help if it is necessary.

Take responsibilty for YOUR actions. Was this relationship hurt because of something you done but are too proud to admit you were wrong? If this is the case, make ammends with those people and admit wrong-doing on your part. Remember the best way to "make" other people change is to evaluate youself for flaws and work on changing you, NOT them.

Be thankful for the people you have in your life and never let a single day cause you to regret something. Love those people in your life and work on building strong, productive relationships.

ADHD or is it a food allergy?

My daughter is normally a very easily to get along with person. However, there were times and still are that she would just seem to be running by an energizer battery. She would sleep just a few hours and then off she'd go in a completely non stop, high energy mode for a day or two at a time.

We started to believe that she was suffering from ADHD, so we began talking to a physician about the problems we were having. He suggested that it may not be ADHD, but an allergic reaction to red-40 food coloring. We began cutting this out of her diet slowly. Red #40 is in almost all things so this is a very difficult thing to completely omit from a diet. After a few weeks of dramatically reducing her intake of this substance, she began to calm down. It seemed like magic.

If you think your child is ADHD, try watching their intake of Red #40 listed in the ingredients label on products, it just might make the difference between sedating medications and a normal life for them.

Top kids toys for 2007

There are so many things to buy for kids today. Heres a list of the top toys for Christmas 2007. Through the shiny wrapping paper you will see your childs face light up with joy as they open the best present ever. Shop early and make sure you have these must haves before time runs out and you have to give them the next best thing.

Webkinz- cute little stuffed animals that you "bring to life" in the virtual Webkinz World. Name them play with them, take care of them. Play games and chat with friends in a controlled web environment.

Kid Tough Digital Camera- An easy to use ergonomical digital camera for the children. It feature a 2 eyed viewfinder for less strain on the eyes. Two large handles provide maximum stabilty. Large over-sized buttons also make this a snap for younger chiildren to operate. Has a high quality resolution. It is designed and focused around the tech savvy children in today's society.

Nintendo DS Lite Portable Gaming System- It has extra-bright dual screens, one being a touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity for multiplayer fun on the go, and great game titles like Donkey Kong Jungle Climber. Sure to be a hit with kids young and old.

These are just a few must haves for this holiday season. Shop early and find great deals before you can't find them.