October 2010 Archives
Jodi Skulley-October 29, 2010-
Joshua's original artwork on a restaurant table ... so sweet!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Fun Friday Photo." E-mail your photo and a suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
Jodi Skulley-October 28, 2010-
Last night I had some extra responsibilities to take care of at my church, so I found myself headed home later than usual. As I was driving home, my mind was wandering to what I wanted to do when I got home, which (to be completely honest) was to crash on the couch and watch a little bit of TV before crawling into bed after a long day. Quickly, I reminded myself that there were certain things I had to take care of before I could crash, such as packing lunches and picking out clothes for the next day. That's when it hit me!! I had completely forgotten that Jack's mother's day out class was having their fall fest party today and ... I had volunteered to bake brownies! So that's what I did. I went home and made brownies (with a little help from the Pillsbury dough boy)! Even though it was way past my bedtime, I enjoyed having the chance to make brownies for Jack's first official class party!
Today, I have found myself thinking about Jack all day, wondering how the party went and if he had fun, how much junk food he ate and what he'll get in his goodie bag! I can't wait to go pick him up and hear about his fun day!
What has your family done to celebrate fall this year? Do you have big plans for this weekend? Tell us all about your family's fall fun festivities!
Jodi Skulley-October 26, 2010-
For years you have trusted ParentLife as the go-to source for Christian parenting advice for families with preschoolers and children. Now the ParentLife team is excited to announce a new and improved ParentLife launching in March. And you can glimpse a preview of the new design today!
Check out our fresh, new March 2011 cover! Featuring a new logo, each cover will feature a moment-caught-in-time photo, real kids in real life moments. We hope each cover will make you smile and draw you inside for more.
We have expanded our long-time favorite "Growth Spurts" section, now including information for expectant parents. Each “Growth Spurt” offers the best developmental advice for the whole child and a ParentLife best product recommendation.
"A Life of Worship," ParentLife’s family worship and devotion department, now moves to the center spread of the magazine so it easily can be pulled out and hung on the refrigerator or somewhere visible in your home. It includes family worship time plans (based on the LifeSpan concept Hear-Know-Do that ties in with Sunday School) as well as a calendar with extra on-the-go, everyday, worship times for families to use throughout the month.
We are continuing our monthly departments "Real Life Solutions" with Dr. Linda Mintle, "Mom's Life" with new columnist Angie Smith, and "Dad's Life" with Carey Casey.
We are committed to partnering with parents churches to provide the latest cutting-edge information that you need as you seek to raise your children to the glory of God.
Tell us what you think of the new design!
Jessie Weaver-
October 21, 2010-
You may have read about the national movement Make a Difference Day in last Sunday's USA Weekend. Last year, more than 3 million people joined in community service projects around the nation to celebrate the holiday!
This year's Make a Difference Day is this Saturday, October 23. USA Weekend has a whole database of local projects to search (for instance, here are the listings for Tennessee). Or connect with your church or another organization you know is making a difference in your community!
Doing service together is a great way to show your kids what is really important and to model Christian life for them.
In concordance with Make a Difference Day, Blue Marlin Publications is releasing The Good Fun! Book, a handbook of 12 "service parties" that kids can organize and participate in. "Whether it's a party to help animals or to collect sports equipment for needy kids, the 12 party plans in this book help elementary school children make a real difference in their neighborhoods – and the world – all year long. Filled with fun ideas that encourage participation and problem-solving, The Good Fun! Book includes themed party ideas, invitation suggestions, craft details, recipes, and even charity profiles."
Are you showing your children how to make a difference? Consider how you could be doing more--and get out and do SOMETHING this weekend!
Jessie Weaver-
October 25, 2010-
Before I had my son, I knew nothing about children. I never had siblings or cousins to "practice" on and babysitting wasn't my thing. So the first time I walked into the big baby warehouse with my husband I was floored! Who knew babies needed so much stuff?
Well, I've since found out that children don't need much. Diapers, clothes, a lot of love, and — if you don't have empty boxes and plastic containers around — a few toys will keep them occupied for hours.
Picking out toys for our children, though, can be quite cumbersome. If you frequent one of the big toy warehouses you may know all too well the temptation to buy every single toy in the store. Even trips to the consignment sale and discount store can tempt you into buying more than needed, because the toys are such a good deal! Toys are tricky. As parents, we want to provide our children with every opportunity to learn, but we don't want to overwhelm them with so many choices that they don't even know where to begin.
I've decided to be quite choosy with the toys my son has at home. The toybox isn't overflowing, so we try to be very purposeful with the toys he has to play with. The goal is for each toy to help instill the Word of God in his heart and reinforce the principles and stories of the Bible.
Instead of choosing a cartoon coloring book, I'll choose one with a Bible story theme. Instead of letting him watch cartoons on TV, I'd rather he watch something like VeggieTales. When he's learning shapes, we'll choose the toy pictured here most often so he can hear the story of Noah's ark.
Being choosy with toys won't necessarily ensure that our children will grow up to love God with all their heart, soul and strength. But I want to utilize every opportunity to teach my son (and future children) about God and His Word. I want to live out Deuteronomy 6:5-9 and literally repeat His Word to my children, talk about it when we sit in our house, walk along the road, when we lie down, and when we get up.
Christine Satterfield loves Jesus, her family, and the church. She spends as much time as possible playing with her son, and she's constantly cleaning his toys. You can find out how she cleans them on her blog iDreamofClean as well as learn other household cleaning tips and tricks for the busy mom.
Jessie Weaver-
October 20, 2010-
In the October issue of ParentLife, our lead feature was "4 Parenting Styles to Avoid" by Dr. Tim Elmore. Here, we supply an easy quiz to figure out if you fit one of these parenting types. For the parenting descriptions, see the article on pages 18-21 of the October issue.
Jessie Weaver-
October 18, 2010-
The best way you can help your child develop healthy friendship skills is by modeling healthy social skills and friendships. Your child is watching. Here are some quick tips on how to do that.
- Watch your words. Do not gossip. Do not make disparaging remarks about others.
- Teach your child how to make friends and what to do when others are unkind. Roleplay common scenarios.
- Talk about cliques with your child. Acknowledge that your child will not be friends with everyone but can be kind to everyone.
- Provide opportunities for your child to make new friends in a variety of settings with a variety of peers. Schedule playdates. Head to the park. Get your child involved in the children’s ministry at your church.
- Praise your child when he is friendly and goes out of his way to include others.
- Be a good listener. What may seem like unimportant playground drama is significant to your child.
How else can we teach our children to be good friends?
Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons. Click on photo for source.
Jodi Skulley-October 15, 2010-
Chase is doing what he loves best ... relaxing with the fish!
Jessie Weaver-
October 27, 2010-
** Congratulations to Joanne ... the winner of these Kenney Truly CordFree Roman Shades! Thanks to everyone for participating! **
Safety is a concern for everyone, especially parents. An important part of raising children is careful supervision of their activities in the home. Parents need to be aware of their children’s surroundings at all times in order to anticipate and prevent potential injury. One of the most overlooked areas in the home is the window. Whether open or closed, windows are a potential hazard to the safety and well-being of toddlers and young children.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) and independent retailers joined forces to designate October as National Window Covering Safety Month to raise awareness of the dangers posed by window covering cords. CPSC data shows that since 1996, there have been reports of 147 children having died as a result of accidental strangulation from window covering cords.
In recent years, the window covering industry has redesigned its corded products and developed cord-safety standards. However, millions of older corded window coverings have not been retrofitted by consumers and many new parents are sometimes unaware of potential cord dangers.
The campaign urges parents and caretakers to replace their blinds with cordless window coverings. We're here to help you do that!
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post sharing one thing you worry about in your home, pertaining to your kids or grandkids. We will select a winner on November 2 from all valid entries. LifeWay employees are not eligible.
Jessie Weaver-
October 13, 2010-
From the Vonda Skelton, writer of our October 2010 ParentLife feature "A Healthy Life: Kids, Colds, & Flu;" Dr. Rebecca Woodlief; and BabyCenter.com, here are some common misconceptions about colds and the flu.
Colds and flu are NOT caused by:
- Getting chilled
- Going outside with wet hair
- Moving from warm to cold environment
- An uncovered head
Myth: Over-the-counter remedies are good for children. In fact, they can be more harmful than helpful in children under 6, and even older children are at a risk of being overmedicated. "Every year, 7,000 children under the age of 11 are treated in U.S. emergency rooms after taking too much cough or cold medication," cites a BabyCenter article.
Myth: You can catch the flu from a flu shot. You cannot catch a virus from a dead virus. Any reaction is to the shot, not to the deactivated virus. The nasal spray vaccine is a weakened, not dead, virus, however, and therefore should not be given to people with weakened immune systems.
Myth: Kids in daycare catch more colds. This is true only to a point; after the first year of daycare, children are at no more risk for catching colds than those at home. Exposure to infections can also help build the immune systems of children so they catch fewer colds in later years.
Myth: Antibiotics can treat a cold or the flu. Because colds and flus are viral, they cannot be touched by antibiotics, which kill bacteria.
Myth: Green drainage indicates a bacterial infection (not cold or flu). In the past, this was thought to be true; however, "Recent studies have dispelled this old myth showing that viral infections often have colorful mucus and that the majroity of these head colds clear without any antibiotics," writes Dr. Jim Mitterando.
For more on myths about common colds and flu, this BabyCenter article by Karen Miles has a wealth of information. Also check out this past article on differentiating between allergies, cold, and flu.
Do you spend the whole winter battling colds or is your household relatively healthy? Don't forget, to enter our monthly giveaway, just leave a comment during the month of October!
Illustration used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons.
Jessie Weaver-
October 12, 2010-
I'm pretty sure that those women who say they love being pregnant are lying.
It's not that I don't love feeling the baby move (except when, say, he's sitting on my lungs so I can't breathe at all). But pregnancy doesn't agree with me. I do not love it. I love the results.
Most of my current pregnancy has been characterized by intense fatigue. Some days, I can barely make it to the end of the day. Many days, I join my toddler for naptime.
And yet, as a pretty new stay-at-home mom, I feel like I should be getting my daughter out and about all the time. She needs to see the other kids, I tell myself. I sacrifice my sanity to go to playgroups and museums and meetings. We both end up exhausted.
I was really encouraged by several "more experienced" mommas lately. One is author and actress Lisa Whelchel, who gave this interview and advised moms to just be moms. Another friend who came home to be with her son after working full-time experienced the same "have to's" — have to keep the house perfect, have to be a perfect chef, have to do crafts, have to have the kiddo in every playgroup imaginable. After months of this, she was burnt out and admits the most important thing is being a mommy.
Last week, I backed out of several activities with my local MOMS club. Good things, but not as important as being a good mom. An exhausted woman does not make the best mommy to an insanely active almost 2-year-old. I keep clinging to the fact that these are the last few months I have alone with my Libbie. If making them count means doing puzzles with her on the floor and reading books all day, I am happy with that solution.
Do you struggle with the "have to's"? I'd be happy to read any pointers from moms — and dads! — with more experience.
Jessie Weaver-
October 11, 2010-
We are proud to have Dr. Linda Mintle in ParentLife each month answering questions submitted from readers. To submit a question for Dr. Mintle, e-mail it to parentlife@lifeway.com and include "? for Dr. Mintle" on the subject line. This month we have an extra Q&A from Dr. Mintle we wanted to share.
Q: My 8-year-old son is on a recreational soccer league. He loves to play sports but is a bad loser. After a game, he is irritable and upset. I don’t like how he talks about losing, but my husband says I am overreacting. Am I?
A: The number of children that participate in recreational sports has grown exponentially in recent years. However, we are seeing some disturbing trends — kids who are overly rewarded for mediocrity in order to prevent them from feeling bad to kids obsessed with winning.
A survey in Sports Illustrated for Kids asked its readers what they observed about their parents, coaches, and adults when they played sports. Seventy-four percent said they witnessed out-of-control adults at their games. The most common behaviors cited were parents yelling at officials and coaches and parents yelling at children.
Parents need to chill out and allow coaches to do their jobs. Unfortunately, when children see overly intense adults get angry, they learn the same behavior. Therefore, observe if the adults are exercising self-control at the games.
Another possibility relates to how your child feels about himself. Usually kids who are sore losers worry too much about what others think of them when they do not win. Or a child may feel that he is only accepted when he wins. Discuss the value of doing your best on that particular day over winning.
Additionally, some children easily are frustrated and need help winding down from a losing game. They do not know how to handle frustration, so they get angry. Parents who can talk about their own frustrations and disappointments when they lose model for their children how to accept losses.
Evaluate the messages you may be sending about the importance of winning; teach your child that his identity does not come from being a winner — character matters more; help your child deal with frustrations and losing in ways that are acceptable; and practice graceful losing. Winning is not always possible, and learning to lose gracefully is what builds character in a child.
Is your child a good sport? How have you taught your child good sportsmanship?
Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons.
Jodi Skulley-October 8, 2010-
Abigail says, "Excuse me, Daddy. I need to take this call."
Jessie Weaver-
October 7, 2010-
Just a few weeks into the school year and already out of ideas for school lunch? Try the 4-to-1 method (4 healthy, whole foods, and 1 treat). Post this list on your fridge, and then select one item from each category for the lunchbox. (Packing in a divided Bento box helps keeps everything separate and doesn't produce as much waste as packing everything in baggies.)
You and your children can work together to add to these lists with items they love as well.
Protein/grain combo: tuna in whole-wheat pita, turkey and avocado on whole-wheat bread, ham and lettuce on rye, cheese and whole-grain crackers, peanut butter and jelly on whole-wheat tortilla, hard-boiled egg, slice of cold pizza, spiral pasta with chick peas, soup in a thermos
Dairy: plain low-fat milk, flavored low-fat milk (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) yogurt cup, kefir, yogurt smoothie, string cheese stick, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese with cinnamon and honey
Fruit: apple slices, banana, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, melon cubes, pear, kiwi slices, nectarine, applesauce, mango, pineapple, plum, fruit cup in its own juice, 100-percent fruit juice
Veggie: cherry tomatoes, bell pepper strips, baby carrots, broccoli florets, cucumber slices, celery sticks, spinach salad, coleslaw, pickled beets, cold corn in vinaigrette dressing, mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon
Treat: snack-size candy bar, homemade cookie, popcorn, pretzels, baked chips, dried fruit and nuts, granola bar, cereal bar, homemade fruit muffin, graham crackers, pudding cup, dry cereal
For some unique menu ideas and recipes for little ones, check out Weelicious.com and don't miss Beth Bence Reinke's article "Healthy School Lunches" in the October 2010 issue of ParentLife.
What is your child's favorite lunchbox menu?
Jessie Weaver-
October 6, 2010-
In the October issue of ParentLife, Tonya Grant's article "Innocence Lost: Movies, TV, and Preteens" provides tools for navigating the tricky world of media choices. Tonya gave us a few extra questions for the blog to help you get your preteen talking about media choices and peer influence. - Is it possible to be liked by everyone? (Role-play some examples.)
- How is this (activity/friend/pursuit) going to make you a stronger person? Are there any ways it could hurt you now or later?
- Will the group still like you if you choose not to participate? If not, how will you handle that? If not, what does that say about the group?
- When did this (person/form of media) start getting popular? Has it always been popular? Do you think it may one day not be popular anymore?
- Tell me some reasons you like this (song, style, movie).
- What do you know about the example this (music group, actor, person at school/church) sets? Do you aspire to act like that or have a similar reputation?
- Do you think I would allow this star to babysit (you or younger children)? Why (not)?
- Do you think how this person acts is okay? Why (not)? What do you think are the long-term effects of choices, behaviors, and lifestyles like this?
- What do you think Jesus might say if He was sitting down having a conversation with this person you admire?
- Have you read any reviews about this movie? (Direct your child to pluggedin.com; read and discuss the information presented there.)
- How do you feel when I tell you “no” about this, but your friends are allowed to participate in it? What would make you more willing to feel that way?
- Is this person’s main message in agreement, opposed to, or neutral about our Christian values? How can media that is strongly opposite our values affect our thinking?
- How do you want to be remembered?
Initiating conversations like these will not only guide your teen in his decisions, it will also help your know his heart better. Be open to having your mind changed as well; but remember, you are the parent. You have the right to lay down the law in your home.
What topics have you struggled with when it comes to talk to your teens and preteens?
Related articles that might be helpful to you:
Preteens and Dating Terms
Preteens and Porn: What I Wish I Had Known
Listening to Our Kids
Jessie Weaver-
October 4, 2010-
It's another new month! Fall is definitely in the air here in Tennessee. Is it where you are?
This month, we're giving away 5 copies of the brand-new Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary for Kids. It's a fantastic resource for kids ages 5 to 10 to look up Bible definitions on their own or with a parent. Over 500 of the entries include full-color photographs, illustrations, or maps! I can just imagine how much I would have loved this as a kid.
To enter, simply leave a comment on any post here at the ParentLife Blog during the month of October. Best wishes! We love to hear your feedback through comments, here and on our Facebook Fan Page.
LifeWay employees are not eligible to win. Winners will be announced on the blog November 1, 2010.
Jodi Skulley-October 1, 2010-
Fourteen-month-old Lucas enjoying a banana
Thanks to Betty H. for this great photo!
Photos wanted! Send us your funny, cute, or just plain fun pictures for our Fun Friday Photos. Each Friday we will post a new "Fun Friday Photo." E-mail your photo and a suggested caption describing the photo to parentlife@lifeway.com. Visit the blog each Friday to see if your photo was chosen!
Thanks to everyone who entered our September giveaway! We enjoyed reading your comments on how ParentLife is used in your churches. Please keep the feedback coming.
Here are the 10 winners for September:
- Andrea Nicholson
- Shannon
- Diane Rice
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Debbie Lacey
- Cathy Baker
- Michele Choate
- Dara Harmon
- Jennifer Holmes
