Fancy That!

This is so quick and easy and healthy!!

1 can V8 juice

1 can tomato soup

1/2 bag frozen vegetable medley

optional:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cut up potato or white rice or egg noodles


Enjoy with crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich! Yummy!

Looking to each day I see that the best thing I can do as a Mom is to have a routine and stick with it. A video I watched during a parenting class said that the best-made families have routines for morning and bedtimes. Children can thrive and live in a routine because they know what is expected of them and the rhythm of the home. They may not be able to tell time, but their bodies have an inner clock that wakes them up in the morning. Daily, I remind my little guy that he must be dressed head to toe, and then he can have breakfast. If he cannot dress himself, it takes away from my time to give him breakfast before school because I am too distracted with getting all of us ready to go out the door. I have forgotten to grab him a granola bar. Don't worry, he just ate more for morning snack that day. Routines allow kids to know there are priveleges they can earn with following rules and helping around the house.

Bedtime routines help children to take responsibility getting themselves ready for bed. Usually stacking things they might not like doing with an activity they really enjoy following it, will give them the incentive to complete things better. If they hate brushing their teeth, they will most likely do it if they know it must be accomplished first before you read them a story and have special one-on-one time that they crave soooo very much. The way this can be reinforced is to tell them you will NOT read them a story if they don't brush their teeth, and then follow through on that promise. Over time, this will be the easiest routine ever invented because the child will know what to expect, and what they have to do to get your undivided attention and affections.

I was eating lunch with a friend yesterday who told me this very thing. She said she was tired of trying to get him to stay at the table. There are a couple of things you can do to get this to happen. First, tell children two yrs and up when you sit down to eat that they are to remain in their seat during dinner. If they stay in their seat then they can . . . have dessert? go outside to play? get a sticker? - You pick the incentive that will suit them and can be an immediate reward for their good behavior. Then during dinner when they are in fact, sitting in their seat verbally praise them for sitting in their seat. Praise your husband or other child for sitting in their seat also. This is the behavior you want to see happen, and praise is the key for them to know what good things they can do to get your attention.

If they remained in their seat during dinner - give them what you promised. Get out the dessert, lollipop, sticker or whatever. If they didn't stay in their seat, say, "You didn't sit in your seat during dinner - so you do not get ____". It may take them Not earning the reward once to get the idea. Don't give in and give it to them if they didn't earn it. Tell them they will have another chance at the next meal to earn it. As with any new lesson, sometimes failures are the best teacher. Stay strong, and know that it make take a week or two of this in order for results to happen.

When you are ready to take the plunge into a new area of creativity - what happens? Do you decide to make a craft, change your style and go shopping, redecorate the house, or to bake a recipe with a new ingredient? Expect that there are days when you will try to schedule yourself to ____ and NOT feel like it when the day comes. RRRgh!! This can frustrate me to no end. The BLAh's have a way of dampening creative juices like no other.

Solution Tool Kit

1.) Turn on Your favorite music. Whatever moves you can inspire you. Get it on!

2.) Light a scented candle. Get the senses going. If you are lost without a scented candle and the landlord won't let you light a flame, get out a pot of water and throw in some apple juice and cinnamon sticks. Spray some perfume. Take a bath with scented bubblebath.

3.) Change your clothes. Yes, wearing an outfit that makes you feel good can really help. Wear a color that you adore.

4.) Go for a walk.

5.) Spend time reading the word.

I hope you can take some time for yourself. There's nothing better than enjoying something you fashioned in your own unique way.