When you’re a mom, constantly juggling with multiple responsibilities – be it your work, kids’ recitals, drop-offs or household chores – leaves little room (or energy) to focus on your own needs. Consequently, self-care quickly falls by the wayside as you continue with the daily grind.
Even though it may seem like the right thing to do, routinely dismissing your own needs can have an adverse effect on your overall health. It can make you irritable, fatigued, stressed and susceptible to a full-blown burnout. So, in order to save your health (and sanity), make time for self-care!
When it comes to discipline, parenting experts focus on the things that change for parents when their child begins adolescence. This is because teens start to form their identities and need more independence. Therefore, a parent’s job changes from being the person in charge all of the time to being more of a monitor and advisor.
As you notice your parenting job changing, it may seem like your rights and responsibilities as a parent also change. It’s true, some rights and responsibilities do shift over to your teen. This gives them more freedom to make their own decisions and be more independent. However, there are some that will remain consistent throughout your child’s adolescence.
Parental Rights and Responsibilities
Let’s review ten of the most important rights and responsibilities for parents of teenagers.
To Be Treated With Respect
Parents, along with everyone else in the family, have the right to be treated with respect. This includes not only parents and teens, but also siblings and extended family members who may be living in the home.
This is the usual wide-eyed response when people hear that I have four teenagers. Sometimes people grimace, like the mere thought of it is a bitter pill. They are thinking, I know, that teenagers are hard, which, of course, they can be. Everyone assumes I must be insanely busy, or maybe just a little insane, and that raising four teenagers must be nearly impossible.
I’ve always been something of a minimalist traveler. I find that setting off — whether to another city or to a country across the world — with one bag and one pair of shoes can work wonders for both travel spontaneity (why not book a last-minute detour when you don’t have shit to carry?) and for back pain (I don’t have shit to carry!). And when I had my son, I was determined this part of my travel personality would not change — at least not too much.
But, of course, kids come with shit. Both metaphorical and literal. You can’t just forgo a carseat when driving around LA with a baby; nor can you guarantee there’s going to be anything in Africa that your picky kid will eat. That’s why adding toddler-toting to my globetrotting has made it more important than ever for me to pack smartly and efficiently. And no, that doesn’t mean bringing every possible snack food and a week’s worth of extra kid outfits.
Planning a birthday party for your kids can be overwhelming and stressful, especially if you don’t have a plan. You might be thinking to yourself: where do I start, the decorations or the food? If you’re stressed about planning the party, it’s likely you might forget some key parts of the party.
Luckily, following steps can make it a whole lot easier – and fun. Here are the seven steps to planning the perfect birthday party for your kid!
1. Choose a Theme
The first step to planning a kid’s birthday party is choosing a theme. While not all parties have to have a theme, it’s encouraged to think of one to make the party more unique and align with your child’s interests. Think about your child’s favorite activity or movie as a starting place. These can make great party themes. Other areas to think about when choosing a theme are favorite places to visit, toys, or characters they look up to. Some themes will be easier to find party accessories for, more than others, but it makes for a good opportunity to get creative and get the whole family involved in the brainstorming process!
“Women are not second-class citizens who deserve only passing mention in our history classes,” the McMahon explained. “By occasionally name dropping two to three well-known women in U.S. history, we communicate that the role women play in society is secondary and unimportant, which is not legally or factually accurate.”
Here are 4 important reasons learning about Women’s History Month is important for everyone:
Throughout history, females who played pivotal roles in innovation, government, and beyond have not been credited.
I’ve followed some Feng Shui techniques in the past, but to keep it simple, I used to just try my hardest to keep the children’s toys in their rooms or their basement playroom.
I keep all books, papers and office materials in my home office; all clothes in closets, hampers or laundry room etc. And if an item finds its way out of place, I put it back where it belongs, promptly. I am a firm believer that clutter creates disorder and chaos and an settled mind.
Ohdeedoh did a great post years about Feng shuing your baby’s nursery that seemed helpful to me. Essentially, it took all the most sensible, practical advice and enumerated into a simple checklist I loved!
Check out these awesome tips which I know to non-believers in the ancient Chinese principles and techniques may seem a bit odd or different, but those who have some some basic rudimentary studying of it will get it.
Common-sense things you’re probably already doing: :: Use natural materials whenever possible for bedding, curtains, flooring, rugs, furniture, and toys.
:: Keep drawers and closets organized and pruned of too-small and out-of-season clothing.
:: Have different sources of light in the nursery, some for daytime and others for evening and nighttime.
:: Limit the electrical appliances near the crib. This includes various monitors, air filters, vaporizers, fans, etc.
:: Open windows daily for good ventilation.
:: Influse scents from essential oils like chamomile, rose, vanilla or lavender.
Some more interesting tips you might also want to try:
:: Invest in a mattress made of natural organic materials.
:: Choose a soft shade of green, blue, pink, orange or beige for the walls.
Today is Valentine’s Day and if you are scrambling for ideas to celebrated with your offspring(s) as well, here are 20 last-minute ideas of things you guys can do at home!
There are some great at-home activities in here you can do nonetheless, with a few resources scrubbed off the internet!
1. Have an Indoor Picnic in the Living Room
2. Have a Movie Night. Stream movies both like, pop some popcorn and snuggle under the covers.
3. Make Pizza. Be your own Italian Chef.
4. Go for a Drive to the Country a little way from home and back. Use the time to talk and catch up.
5. Go out for Dinner. Get dressed up and have a fancy dinner delivered. Eat by candlelight
6. Go Roller Skating. Have some physical fitness and fun while skating to the hits and oldies outdoors if the weather is fitting, of course.
7. Make Soup for the Week. If you live in a climate experiencing winter, whip up several batches of different soups to eat and save for later. You can pick different recipes from online resources or your crock pot cook book
8. Make Desserts. Cakes, Brownies, Cookies and Decorating fun designs is guaranteed fun.
9. Paint. Roll up the Sleeves, Get out some paper or a canvase and some paint and get creative. Frame your masterpieces and hang them up in your home.
10. Craft. There are loads of crafting projects online. Taking the time to create some crafts is fun and functional if you make some thing that you can use later like an oven mit or a frame.
11. Write Short Stories. Get your creative juices flowing. Get out some paper and pen and write up some fun stories to share or use to enter into writing contests.
12. Have a Game Night. Haul out the Connect Four, Checkers and Monopoly board games and have fun.
13. Have a Dance Party. Put on the Music Video Channel or Crank up the Stereo and Dance in the Basement or in the living room.
14. Have a Karaoke Night. Find Videos with Lyrics on YouTube and set it up so you can have a performance.
15. Do Puzzles. Get out different puzzles, get on the floor and put together some pieces.
16. Tell Scary Stories. If you’re caught in the storm and without power still, it sucks but you can use that time under the dim lights to tell spooky ghost stories to pass time until the light comes back.
