Struggle, Stress, Strain

As you take on the responsibilty of dependents - whether young or old - it can create varying times of great STRUGGLE.

In the middle of your Struggle - whether financial, mental or physical - there is certain to be an unexpected amount of STRESS.

How you handle the Struggle and the Stress - partially or completely - will determine if your life experiences or manages to eliminate the crippling STRAIN.

(to be continued)

It's A New Year & I'm Back with Some New Dependents!

I apologize for being silent these past few months but I had to do what many of you may have to do one day...

Go from raising your young children to assisting with your elderly parents.

My parents are each disabled senior citizens and I've been busy helping them manage so many of the day to day activities that most of us take our ability to do for granted.

That includes running their errands, getting them to the doctor, writing their checks to pay bills, hiring & firing nurses, etc., etc. After years of living exciting, vibrant, independent lives, they now face life using walking canes, having in-home care workers, and being pushed in wheelchairs.

If you are fortunate enough to still have your parents alive, don't begrudge them the time & care they need from you, just be thankful that you can provide it.

After all, remember that it was your parent(s) who took care of you first... and hopefully your children will take care of you one day, too (our children do watch how we treat our parents!).

School's In Again!

The school year has started again and there's is a lot of NEW excitement!

New clothes and supplies to buy; new teachers to meet; new friends to meet; new schedules to learn; and sometimes even a new school to go with all that.

Give yourself a couple of weeks to recover from the frenzy and then settle into the new structure of it all. Speaking of structure, I'll share a few tips that will make your child/ren's morning & evening routine go smoother.

• Put a list of "Morning & Evening Routines" on your child/ren's wall (you can also use a large calendar) to prevent any confusion about what they should be doing before school and what they should be doing after school.
• Morning routines are things like - wash face, brush teeth, comb hair, make bed, eat breakfast.
• Some evening routines include - do homework, do chores, playtime/tv, bathtime, bedtime.
• For younger children, you need to lay out their clothes for the next school day.
• And if you make lunches, doing it the night before is less hectic.

As you settle into the school year routine, you can also begin to think about extra-curricular activities. Yes, all those sign up slips will be coming at you very soon. But go ahead, relax for a moment in your new found structure and we'll talk about extra curriculars in the next post!!

End of Summer Activities

Wow, August is Almost Over!!!

No matter what part of the country you live in these last days of Summer are long and sunny and the temperature is consistently hot.

Have you run out of ideas to keep your child/ren entertained? After all, they still have a few more days of Summer vacation left.

Well, it's not too late for your girl(s) to plan a pre-school backyard Tea Party complete with dress up make-overs and snacks. And, your son(s) can pull out the tent and plan a backyard camping adventure or build a go cart from scratch.

Whatever you decide that they can do, keep it simple, make sure they are careful, and let them have loads of fun doing it!

Summer Sizzle

Put some sizzle into your Summer!

Use your endless imagination this Summer; Create some great ways to entertain your child/ren and save money in the process.

• Hint: Many stores have already put their summer merchandise on clearance.
• Now's the time to shop smart and load up inexpensive water toys and other outdoor gear for a fraction of their normal cost.
• That's right, you can purchase summer items for as much as 25%-75% off the regular price.
• Encourage your child/ren to learn to sew doll clothes, knit or crochet a scarf, build a model airplane or model car, have a water balloon fight, build a treehouse, or plant a flower garden using seeds.

The possibilities are endless; as endless as your and your child/ren's imagination.

Summer Success Tips

Memorial Day and Independence Day are just around the corner so that means we need to get ready for some really Hot Fun In The Summer Time!!

It's officially Summer so plan enough activities to keep your child/ren busy for the next few weeks. If you're not sure how or where to start, let me give you a few ideas.

Ranked at the top of my list of things to do are:

• Hours of swimming in the pool or ocean; playing tennis; roller skating in the park or ice skating at the rink; mix in summer camp and vacation bible school; before you know it the entire summer will be crammed full with a very long list of things to do.
• Don't forget to check amusement parks for summer discount specials; as well as your local park & recreation programs.
• Shorts, sandals, and enough SPF-30 sunblock should be considered essential as you prepare to settle into the season of heat.

Springing Right Along

The New Year has settled in nicely & Spring is now beginning to look like Summer.

Well, it's true... Easter and Mother's Day have both already occurred and at this time we find ourselves springing into the middle of May.

• The economic strain is still affecting most of us and that means summer camps and other programs may not be doable this year. How are you planning to keep your child/ren occupied and entertained once school is out?
• What is the plan for childcare, if you still require it? And, with children getting out of school in a few short weeks you will definitely need to have extra food on hand, especially if your child/ren will be home all day. Where will the surplus come from?
• Get out your pen and paper and, start to develop a game plan NOW.
• Don't get caught springing forward unprepared!

Share your Summer Survival Tips with us... we would love to hear your comments!