Carnations are my favorite flower and I did not know it but the White Carnation is the official flower for Mother’s Day. Here is a little History from Good Housekeeping: “Anna Reeves Jarvis is most often credited with founding Mother’s Day. After her mother Ann died on May
Have you ever listened to how many times we say to our children, “don’t!” That four letter word seems to roll out of our mouth so easily. “Don’t touch that; don’t spill that; don’t stay out too late!” Don’t is not a teaching word. Don’
Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. The need for teaching empathy to our children seems to be growing in our society. I am finding more and more articles as well as books being written to help instill this ability in ourSELF and our children. Empathy leads
I was asked this week if I had ever thought about the difference between listening and hearing. Thought I would share what I have learned - listening and hearing are verbs. They are “doing” words. According to English Teacher Melanie - http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/how-to-use-the-english-verbs-listen-and-hear/ there is a very
I wrote this in 2016 on my oldest son's birthday. It is worth sharing... "After almost 32 years, my home is Feeling smaller. All five of my children are on their own path and on with their own lives. Rarely do I do laundry for them anymore,
Family traditions always seem to resonate during the holidays. Growing up, we started with an Easter Sunrise Service with my dad at the forefront of the ceremony. The beauty of the sunrise and the time together brings very fond memories…as does the early morning, “I don’t want to
Listening is a skill. We need to listen to our children. We need to listen when they are speaking, and when they are quiet. We need to listen when our children are talking to others. We can learn a lot about our children when they speak to their friends and
Families and chores have given opportunity to many conversations and debates. Chores can be described as a routine task or an unpleasant but necessary task. Survival Skills For Healthy Families and Love and Logic teaches chores are just a part of being in a family. Chores never go away, no
Parents often negotiate with their children and truly, learning and teaching the ability to negotiate is a positive tool we need in life. After all, negotiating is to agree on something as the end result. Negotiating can provide an opportunity for children to think and plan, to have a little
One of the greatest needs our children have is to have hope with the ability to look to the future. So many children seem to be overwhelmed. Life over the years has become very busy and complicated for families to navigate. Simple living is worth the struggle to strive for
As a parent, raising my children and now watching my children raise “my grandchildren”, I remember how HARD it is. Our lives are so busy and our children are so busy and there is so much turmoil in workplaces, on the roads as we travel, in our government, pretty much
And let’s not forget the strength of a loved and satisfied heart. Just a quick note on the importance of touch. The response our bodies have to touch is said to decrease heart rate, reduce blood pressure and cortisol. Touch is also known to increase oxytocin and according to