By Sylvia (a member of Productive Parenting)
I arrived in Australia when I was 5 years old, after defecting from Poland. We brought our traditions with us and not much else. We did many things differently from the Aussies, especially our food and our customs....30 years later I married an Australian man from the country, and now I really appreciate the cultural differences.
We finally arrive at our Christmas holiday destination, a campsite which is midway between Sydney and Brisbane on the coast after a six hour drive from Sydney with a 2.5 year old in the back seat.
My husband's mother's side of the family have been gathering at this exact spot for 70 plus years to celebrate Christmas together. I think my 75 year old mother-in-law missed only one such Christmas as she gave birth to her eldest on Christmas Day.
We spend all day at the caravan park unpacking and checking which other relatives or “regulars” have arrived. Helena is beside herself with excitement squealing with delight as she notices the water's edge is 100 metres from our campsite. When her grandparents arrive with the caravan in tow, she is overwhelmed as she hasn’t seen them for 11 months.
Christmas on the coast in December is hot, humid and sunburnt so we spend our days on the beach chasing kids with sunscreen in hand, teaching them about surfing, fishing, worms, pipis, sand castles, native birds, swimming between the flags and why it’s not great to throw sand.
In the evenings, we might get to have "tea" on the headland. Translated, this means a dinner of cold takeaway fish and chips with extended family on top of a cliff with the seagulls (nowadays we make our own version, but I can save that for another time).
When Christmas Day arrives - all the children wake extra early to wake you and then rip open their presents. We have a small breakfast then head to the beach to discuss the contents of the presents. We all pile into someone's house or campsite for Christmas lunch where everyone brings "a plate" to share, including; prawns, vegetable and fruit salads (sadly, this once included a celery, mayonnaise and walnut salad), cold roast chicken, hams and beer in stubbie holders. We end up eating too much Christmas pudding and we return to our campsites and caravans to sleep it off (except for the kids who are still running around on sugar highs with their new toys).
On Boxing Day morning the caravan park fills to overflowing with people from all over the State. For most of them, this is their big holiday for the year so they arrive with boats and esky’s full of beer and sausages. Happy hour starts unreasonable early and goes until there is no one left to tell tall stories to. Music blares all day and night and queues form each morning and night at the amenities block.
This is our cue to leave, so we tear our daughter away from her new friends, kiss the relatives goodbye and hop in the car to enjoy the six hour journey home.
What are YOUR holiday traditions?
Sylvia is a member of Productive Parenting and lives in Australia with her husband, and her 2 1/2 year-old daughter, Helena.
Showing posts with label contributors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contributors. Show all posts
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Producing Productive Progeny: Part 2, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Producing Productive Progeny:
Or how to make your child a brilliant and talented artist in an arts vacuum.
By Kathryn Margaret Evans Ombam
In a three-part series, I'll be sharing creative, low-cost, or free approaches to teaching your children about the arts and encouraging confidence in their own artistic pursuits. Part one focused on infants (up to 15 months), part two is for toddlers and preschoolers and part three focuses on school-age children.
PART TWO: Toddlers and Preschoolers
Busy bodies, expanding brains
You’ve already seen how you can expose the smallest minds to art, but what about when they are starting to show an interest in new activities? Around 18 months, your child may start to show interest in pens and pencils when you are writing, they may be interested in the bigger kids crayons at your nephew’s birthday party, and they may start to sit up and take notice of the things in their world.
Time to seize the opportunity and get them thinking creatively!
Toddlers and Preschoolers: Most parents have a moment of hesitation before taking their spirited toddlers out into public places. That whisper of hesitation turns more like a deafening cacophony of voices screaming “Don’t Do It!” when they think of taking their child to a museum.
Precarious emotions, sticky fingers, and loud voices do not mesh well with the peaceful, sanctuary-like atmosphere of the modern museum. Sure, almost every city has a children’s museum, but there are other options too.
Viewing Art: Visit sculpture gardens, arboretums, and outdoor murals. Point out interesting architecture. Begin to read them the object labels and point out shapes, themes, and materials to them. You’ll be shocked at how much they can retain.
Art History: There are several good children’s books that talk about art, art museums and creating art. Start to read them to your children. Some of them are even board books.
We have one called Magritte’s Imagination. There is a great Babar book called Babar’s Museum of Art that explains what museums are and why they are important. And there is a great book called Ish that talks about being a confident artist, even as a child. In your trips to the art book section of the library, try looking at some Photography books. They may find it fun to identify details in a photograph.
Doing Art: Welcome to the world of discovery! Toddlers and preschoolers will love every kind of medium you put in front of them. I personally think that properly supervised children can try any kind of non-toxic medium. My toddler loves pencils, pens, crayons, and sidewalk chalk. Each of these is available for under $1.
Now is not the time to invest in expensive paints. Get the cheapest paints and watercolors, make sure they are non-toxic and invest your extra money in a good smock.
Note for those that are concerned with keeping things in your home looking nice, maybe make your first painting attempts in an easy to clean place like the bathroom or kitchen. The most important developmental aspect of these art lessons is experimentation, but that takes a lot of parental patience and a fair dose of clean up!
Kathryn Ombam is a writer, editor, and career counselor whose specialty is in business and academic writing. She has most extensively worked with artists and designers.
Her bibliophile status and her editing work were her primary writing outlet until inspiration hit in the form of a writing contest in 2006. Her current efforts can be attributed to a fiction writing group, her blogs, and her ongoing desire to comment on her life.
Ms. Ombam’s first published work of fiction will be published in an upcoming short story anthology. She also writes a children’s book review blog: http://readingbaby.blogspot.com
Want to add to the conversation? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to the Productive Parenting blog.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Fight Against Childhood Obesity: Tips for Fighting Back
Submitted by Sarah Morris on behalf of Primrose Schools, offering preschool programs with The Right Foundation to Build Active Minds, Healthy Bodies, and Happy Hearts®
With childhood obesity on the rise, experts suggest that young children need to accumulate at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical activity every day. Unfortunately, many children are not nearly as active as they need to be. It is clear that along with poor diet, the rise of video games and physical inactivity has contributed to a large increase in childhood obesity in the United States in the past 20 years. The following statistics are unsettling:
Research has shown that children who develop basic motor skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, jumping, skipping, and balance are more likely to grow into healthy active adults. Studies have shown that daily physical activity helps children academically as well. Learning basic physical skills is essential to the healthy growth and development of your child.
So, what can parents do to teach their children about the importance of being physically active and help them learn these necessary skills? Trying the tips below will help you and your family to create a fun environment for physical activity and will contribute to everyone’s physical health.
Tips for Getting Your Family Active:
Times have changed. Children used to go outside and play tag, hide and seek, basketball, baseball, football, or soccer until the street lights turned on. This doesn’t happen as much as it used to as children now would rather stay inside and watch television or turn on a video game or update Facebook. Make an effort to get outside with your children and play and, most of all, have fun.
How do you keep your family active?
With childhood obesity on the rise, experts suggest that young children need to accumulate at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical activity every day. Unfortunately, many children are not nearly as active as they need to be. It is clear that along with poor diet, the rise of video games and physical inactivity has contributed to a large increase in childhood obesity in the United States in the past 20 years. The following statistics are unsettling:
- Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese nationwide.
(Source: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - The percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states. (Source: Trust for America's Health)
Research has shown that children who develop basic motor skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, jumping, skipping, and balance are more likely to grow into healthy active adults. Studies have shown that daily physical activity helps children academically as well. Learning basic physical skills is essential to the healthy growth and development of your child.
So, what can parents do to teach their children about the importance of being physically active and help them learn these necessary skills? Trying the tips below will help you and your family to create a fun environment for physical activity and will contribute to everyone’s physical health.
Tips for Getting Your Family Active:
- Find a place such as a park the backyard, the driveway, a gymnasium, or some place that you all can go.
- Provide several supplies of balls, hoops, hockey sticks, bats, paddles, racquets, musical instruments, jump ropes, etc. This will give them an option of what they want to choose.
- Equipment should be soft, lightweight, and made for children.
- Do it with them! Don’t just tell them to go outside and do it by themselves, teach them; show them how to do it. It’ll strengthen your bond with them and provide you with a workout as well.
- Use sidewalk chalk to create your own four-square or hopscotch grids.
- Play a game of hide and seek or tag.
- Go on a walk or a bike ride around the neighborhood or if near a park walk or bike ride to there.
- Go swimming in a local park pool or your own. If not a pool get a slip and slide from a store or make your own or just set up a sprinkler.
- Always cheer for them and praise them for what they do good, because if they know their good at something or feel that their good at something most likely they’ll want to continue to do it over and over again.
- Or just keep it simple and play a sport that they like to watch.
- With video games being so popular as they are, observe some of their games see what they’re like and then re-create them outside. For instance a shooter game could be used outside with “nerf” guns.
Times have changed. Children used to go outside and play tag, hide and seek, basketball, baseball, football, or soccer until the street lights turned on. This doesn’t happen as much as it used to as children now would rather stay inside and watch television or turn on a video game or update Facebook. Make an effort to get outside with your children and play and, most of all, have fun.
How do you keep your family active?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Turns Out You Can Say "NO" Too Often
By Meagan Clanahan
I can almost remember the exact day the “NO’s” came fast and furious. With two increasingly active babies, my husband and I decided it was time to give our twins more space to run. Like they were horses that needed space to let loose. Anyway, we decided it was time to get the house baby-proofed and let them out of the tiny space in the living room they had been relegated to.
So we bought out the baby superstores for any and everywhere proofing device and let them at it. That first morning, I thought I was going to lose my mind. There were a few things I was not willing to compromise on changing since I had pretty much allowed them to be King and Queen of the house. One was my pulling up my blinds. I live in Texas where we are the midst of the longest heat wave since 1980 and opening my blinds to let in the 180 degree heat just wasn’t an option.
The popular refrain that day was “Ryan, NO SIR!” or “Quinn, NO MA’AM!” as they pulled on my blinds, attempted to climb up on couches, pull over chairs, and rearrange my furniture. And each time, I would say it, they would just look at me and almost smile. I felt mocked, I felt powerless, and I felt like I was losing control of my house. Of course, I understood it --- they were discovering, learning, curious. And although I knew that, I felt like saying “No” gave me some sort of magical Mommy Power.
What I quickly learned is that “No!” said repeatedly has little or no power. It’s kind of like the person you work with that just continues talking all of the time and never stops to take a breath --- they may have good things to say, but you stop listening because THEY.TALK.ALL.THE.TIME. That’s kind of how it got to be with the twins. They stopped listening to NO. My feisty little girl just thought it was hilarious to hear it, and it crushed my sensitive boy’s spirit to see Mommy disappointed in him all the time.
I said repeated “No’s” because it was the easy thing to do. Admittedly, a lot of times I am tired, and I do look for the easy way out. Yet, what I found is that instead of saying “No” until I was blue in the face, I could do a few things:
Go back to that work situation with the guy who won’t be quiet. What happens when the person who rarely speaks up actually says something during a meeting? People listen because they haven’t heard him over and over again. The babies are similar. They stop what they are doing now when I say "No" because they don’t hear it as a broken record of the same boring refrain.
The best thing? I have an expanded vocabulary outside of that word, AND I have a better relationship with my kids. Yes, it took time. And yes, at times it was frustrating. And yes, yes, yes, there are days when I just want to take the easy way out. But now, instead of just spouting off the word "No", I think through the situation and decide whether the situation truly warrants it.
Playing in the Tupperware cabinet and pulling out all of my lids? Probably not. (Even though on certain days that does make me want to pull my hair out!)
Yanking on the lamp cord when the lamp is about to fall on their head? Yes. “No” would be appropriate then.
Don’t get me wrong – I am all about discipline and my children will have rules and guidelines as they continue to grow up. I am a parent, not a best friend. So they will hear no. Probably again and again and again. But saying "NO" isn’t always the answer.
Want to add to the conversation? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to the Productive Parenting blog.
I can almost remember the exact day the “NO’s” came fast and furious. With two increasingly active babies, my husband and I decided it was time to give our twins more space to run. Like they were horses that needed space to let loose. Anyway, we decided it was time to get the house baby-proofed and let them out of the tiny space in the living room they had been relegated to.
So we bought out the baby superstores for any and everywhere proofing device and let them at it. That first morning, I thought I was going to lose my mind. There were a few things I was not willing to compromise on changing since I had pretty much allowed them to be King and Queen of the house. One was my pulling up my blinds. I live in Texas where we are the midst of the longest heat wave since 1980 and opening my blinds to let in the 180 degree heat just wasn’t an option.
The popular refrain that day was “Ryan, NO SIR!” or “Quinn, NO MA’AM!” as they pulled on my blinds, attempted to climb up on couches, pull over chairs, and rearrange my furniture. And each time, I would say it, they would just look at me and almost smile. I felt mocked, I felt powerless, and I felt like I was losing control of my house. Of course, I understood it --- they were discovering, learning, curious. And although I knew that, I felt like saying “No” gave me some sort of magical Mommy Power.
What I quickly learned is that “No!” said repeatedly has little or no power. It’s kind of like the person you work with that just continues talking all of the time and never stops to take a breath --- they may have good things to say, but you stop listening because THEY.TALK.ALL.THE.TIME. That’s kind of how it got to be with the twins. They stopped listening to NO. My feisty little girl just thought it was hilarious to hear it, and it crushed my sensitive boy’s spirit to see Mommy disappointed in him all the time.
I said repeated “No’s” because it was the easy thing to do. Admittedly, a lot of times I am tired, and I do look for the easy way out. Yet, what I found is that instead of saying “No” until I was blue in the face, I could do a few things:
- Redirect their energy into a more positive form of play. I.e.: remove them from the situation and show them other fun things they could play within their newly discovered space.
- Show them what I wanted them to do instead of just saying the dirty two-letter word. This worked especially well when they continually pitched their sippy cups on the floor. Over and over again, I would show them how to “hand it to Momma when you are all finished”. And one day, they got it. No more “no’s” needed.
- Praising them consistently and often for all of the things they did right. Although I know they don’t understand all of the words I say, they do understand the tone of my voice, and it made us all feel better for me to say, “I LOVE the way you are playing so well with your blocks this morning! Great job!” I know it did wonders for my mood --- and they seemed happier as well. Their cheesy, toothy smiles certainly told me that.
Go back to that work situation with the guy who won’t be quiet. What happens when the person who rarely speaks up actually says something during a meeting? People listen because they haven’t heard him over and over again. The babies are similar. They stop what they are doing now when I say "No" because they don’t hear it as a broken record of the same boring refrain.
The best thing? I have an expanded vocabulary outside of that word, AND I have a better relationship with my kids. Yes, it took time. And yes, at times it was frustrating. And yes, yes, yes, there are days when I just want to take the easy way out. But now, instead of just spouting off the word "No", I think through the situation and decide whether the situation truly warrants it.
Playing in the Tupperware cabinet and pulling out all of my lids? Probably not. (Even though on certain days that does make me want to pull my hair out!)
Yanking on the lamp cord when the lamp is about to fall on their head? Yes. “No” would be appropriate then.
Don’t get me wrong – I am all about discipline and my children will have rules and guidelines as they continue to grow up. I am a parent, not a best friend. So they will hear no. Probably again and again and again. But saying "NO" isn’t always the answer.
 | Meagan is a stay-at-home-mom of boy/girl 14-month-old twins, Ryan and Quinn, a full-time wife to husband, Matt, and a part-time Communications Director for a local non-profit. She lives in Houston, TX where she hasn't had a good hair day in almost 6 years. She loves God, her family, and friends --- and feels blessed to be a twin mommy, even on the most difficult of days. To read more about Meagan and her family's story, please visit their blog at www.clanahanfam.blogspot.com |
Want to add to the conversation? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to the Productive Parenting blog.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Four Ways to Improve Your Days
By Amy Butler
You've probably heard the list of things to consider when a baby cries - are they hungry, sleepy, wet, bored, etc.? Well, if you find yourself or someone you love needing an attitude adjustment, picking fights, or just being extra negative, you'd be surprised at how easy it can be to improve upon.
SLEEP - I don't care who you are, how old you are, or what kind of a personality you have, if you're tired and not getting enough sleep, you are probably not the best version of yourself. Sleep for 7 hours or more and then try it all again. Emotions won't run quite as high, and the world is suddenly not such a bad place.
FOOD - This one is two-fold. #1 How long has it been since you/they have eaten anything? If it has been more than 2-3 hours, it's possible things would be better with food. #2 Have you had anything raw and fresh today? If not, at least eat an apple or something to perk everything up. What you eat and how often you eat can change how you feel, react and behave. It might be inconvenient, but it's true.
PLUMBING - And, yes, this is related to the food one. We might not enjoy discussing it (and we won't at length), but if your internal plumbing isn't working, life isn't as nice as it could be. Just sayin'...
BOREDOM - How long has it been since you've left the house, the computer, taken a walk, sweat a little, talked to someone, looked at something beautiful? It all takes a toll. Exercise, doing something outdoors and just generally doing something productive can boost everything!
I've been sleep-deprived this week. Late nights, stress, and trying to keep up with everything has just caught up with me. And yes, it has changed my personality a bit - into the worst version of myself. Cranky, combative, negative, weepy - yeah you name it and I've been guilty of it this week.
But guess what? Except for a 10-minute interruption at about 3:30 am, I slept for 7 whole hours last night! After just doing that, I feel so much happier! I like my husband more, my motivation is back and I can handle so much more! I'm not suggesting it can solve all your problems, but some days it might.
Want to add to the conversation? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to the Productive Parenting blog.
You've probably heard the list of things to consider when a baby cries - are they hungry, sleepy, wet, bored, etc.? Well, if you find yourself or someone you love needing an attitude adjustment, picking fights, or just being extra negative, you'd be surprised at how easy it can be to improve upon.
SLEEP - I don't care who you are, how old you are, or what kind of a personality you have, if you're tired and not getting enough sleep, you are probably not the best version of yourself. Sleep for 7 hours or more and then try it all again. Emotions won't run quite as high, and the world is suddenly not such a bad place.
FOOD - This one is two-fold. #1 How long has it been since you/they have eaten anything? If it has been more than 2-3 hours, it's possible things would be better with food. #2 Have you had anything raw and fresh today? If not, at least eat an apple or something to perk everything up. What you eat and how often you eat can change how you feel, react and behave. It might be inconvenient, but it's true.
PLUMBING - And, yes, this is related to the food one. We might not enjoy discussing it (and we won't at length), but if your internal plumbing isn't working, life isn't as nice as it could be. Just sayin'...
BOREDOM - How long has it been since you've left the house, the computer, taken a walk, sweat a little, talked to someone, looked at something beautiful? It all takes a toll. Exercise, doing something outdoors and just generally doing something productive can boost everything!
I've been sleep-deprived this week. Late nights, stress, and trying to keep up with everything has just caught up with me. And yes, it has changed my personality a bit - into the worst version of myself. Cranky, combative, negative, weepy - yeah you name it and I've been guilty of it this week.
But guess what? Except for a 10-minute interruption at about 3:30 am, I slept for 7 whole hours last night! After just doing that, I feel so much happier! I like my husband more, my motivation is back and I can handle so much more! I'm not suggesting it can solve all your problems, but some days it might.
 | Amy Butler is a wife and homemaker to Mr. Butler, a mama to one happy boy, a piano teacher to a dozen or so fabulous students and a writer of balance and moderation so that she'll have some every time mine hers runs out. You can read more of Amy's writing at her blog: http://www.writebalance.com/ |
Want to add to the conversation? Click here to learn how to become a contributor to the Productive Parenting blog.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Write for Productive Parenting
Would you like to add to the parenting conversation on the Productive Parenting blog?
We are currently seeking blog posts that are 250 - 400 words in length. Pictures are an added bonus, but are not necessary.
Topics should be child related and should not promote a specific business or product.
Writers should be members of the Productive Parenting web site (it's free to join.)
The following posts are examples of the type of content we are looking for:
If you are interested in being a contributor, please contact Anna Luther at annakluther@gmail.com with your proposed topic.
We are currently seeking blog posts that are 250 - 400 words in length. Pictures are an added bonus, but are not necessary.
Topics should be child related and should not promote a specific business or product.
Writers should be members of the Productive Parenting web site (it's free to join.)
The following posts are examples of the type of content we are looking for:
If you are interested in being a contributor, please contact Anna Luther at annakluther@gmail.com with your proposed topic.
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