teach children to be self-reliant

Teach Children To Be Self-Reliant – 3 tips (she: Heather)

ByHeather

There has been a lot in the media lately about different parenting styles. Specifically helicopter parenting vs. free range parenting. The differences between the two can be a discussion for another time as there are very strong opinions one way or the other. Regardless of the differences, we should all be able to agree on one thing, the need to teach children to be self-reliant. Our parenting style has a huge affect on our children’s ability to take care of themselves. Here are three tips for encouraging our children to be self-reliant.

bedtime tips

Bedtime Tips for Getting Kids to Bed Without Fits (she: Jen)

ByJennifer from PinkWhen

Happy Monday everyone, it’s Jen from PinkWhen back to share with you Tips for Getting Kids to Bed without Fits. Having four kiddos can be a little trying at bedtime. I never really have an issue with the older three, but it’s the youngest one who has had an issue with going to bed. I am going to share with you some tips that I learned that helped me save my sanity in this last year. If you have a toddler who refuses to go to bed and is constantly trying to get into your bed, then these bedtime tips are for you.

toilet training

Toilet Training – Is Your Child Ready? (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Heather here, from FamilyVolley.com, ready to talk about one of the most dreaded milestones in parenting: Toilet training! It can be hard and frustrating and stressful. Some would argue it is a nightmare. Today I offer some tips and tricks to help things go a little more smoothly for you and your little ones. The best place to start? Determine if you child is ready to toilet train in the first place.

Did you know that mothers report that as a child grows older, the lack of toilet training causes progressively greater strains and tensions on family life, and on the mother/child relationship?

Here are some things that parents can do before they toilet train to help get kids ready, as well as how to know if your child is ready to be trained:

Photographing kids
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Photographing Kids – 10 Tips for Taking Successful Blog Pictures (she: Cami)

ByCami

I often get asked how I get my kids to pose for pictures, especially when they are often for my blog. Children don’t generally love being asked to sit still and smile, or stand just a certain way while we snap picture after picture in their face. They would much rather be off playing, I assure you. The thing is, for general life capturing moments – it really is best to take pictures that represent the moment as best as we can. However, being a blogger, I am often after a certain shot and trying to showcase an item as best as I can on a wiggly, impatient child. Photographing kids like this can bring many challenges for the mommy behind the camera.

good better best
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Good, Better, Best (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello my friends!! I’m so happy to be back this year as a contributor for “Or so she says…”. For those who don’t know me yet, I thought I’d briefly introduce myself. My name is Veronica and I’m married to Ricky…AKA Big Daddy, a good ol’ southern boy. I’m the mom of 9 amazing kids. We are literally a “his, hers and ours” family, which is never the ideal situation, but we are proof that it CAN work! I live in the south…which I love! By day, I can ALWAYS be found at my little table making bow ties for my Etsy shop. I’m also over the teenage girls at church, who keep me crazy busy, but I love them! I have many favorite things (my kids being #1), but with 9 kids, my favorite things are simple. Like the fact that Big Daddy was able to fix my 10 year old washing machine this weekend, or how happy I was to sit in a house of sleeping creatures and watch the episode of Downton Abbey that was recorded. Then there’s always the day last week when I found a forgotten hidden stash of chocolate in my t-shirt drawer. Now THOSE are my favorite things…

Anyhoooo…

I’m not your typical blogger. Actually I’m not a blogger at all.

But, I once was.

I knew exactly what I wanted to share this month, and it made me think of my old blog. I really wanted to do the “blog” thing a couple years ago, with the intention of keeping a better record of the little moments in our lives. And I loved it more than I can tell you! I was constantly writing things down, taking pictures, planning what I was going to do for what day, etc. I found myself sitting at my computer more and more. I could easily justify it, because I was being a good mom and recording our lives. Future generations would LOVE me!!!

One day, everything changed. It was a day when I was “BUSY”. Busy with life. Busy with little things…that seemed like big things. Not busy with bad things, just not the best things. I won’t share the whole post, but you can read it here if you would like.

Helping Your Family Keep New Year’s Resolutions (she: Heather)
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Helping Your Family Keep New Year’s Resolutions (she: Heather)

ByHeather

I know, it is hard enough to keep your own personal resolutions and goals. Why would you want to set goals with your family too? Well, because setting goals together and working towards goals, brings us closer as a family. It builds unity, trust and is a great opportunity to teach our children skills and values.

Whether your family has a word of the year, sets resolutions, or you have goals that you want your family to work on this year, here are tips to help your family stick with those resolutions so you can improve and grow together.

Have a grateful heart!! Get a full family night lesson on gratitude in today's post. www.orsoshesays.com #familynight #fhe #ldsblogger #churchofjesuschrist #familyfun
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Family Night on Gratitude (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello friends! It’s Veronica and I’m so happy to be back sharing another fun Family Night Activity. I’m always looking for fun new ideas on how to strengthen my family.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’ve been talking a lot about gratitude. It’s very hard sometimes when I realize my children are growing up in a world of “entitlement.” I think it’s easier than ever before to be ungrateful and to not recognize all the amazing things in our lives.

dental health

10 Tricks for Teaching Dental Health to Kids (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

Hi it’s Jamie again, visiting from Prepared Housewives! I know I’ve recently talked about ideas to make going to the dentist easier, but today I’m going to give you some inside tricks on teaching your kids proper dental health. Hopefully after reading this you won’t have to visit the dentist as often, or help finance any more of their cars 😉

First off, children learn their healthy (or unhealthy) dental habits from you, so don’t be embarrassed to practice a few of these tricks & tips yourself!There are a lot of fun and creative things you can do to help teach your kids about dental health! You can download a fun brushing app, learn to make your own toothpaste, or even conduct a teeth experiment!

Be sure to remember that your children look to you and follow your example, so set a good one (no pressure or anything ;)).

15 tricks for picky eaters

15 Tricks for Picky Eaters (she: Mariah)

ByMariah

Hello again! I’m glad to be back today with some great posts that I’ve rounded up that just may make living with your picky eater a little bit easier. To be honest, I don’t have much experience with picky eaters. My baby hasn’t quite figured out how to refuse what I choose to spoon into his mouth yet, so for now, life is good! However, you better believe I’m pinning these posts in case I need them for future reference. I hope you find some of these tricks for picky eaters helpful!

Tips for Parenting a Shy Child

Tips for Parenting a Shy Child (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Heather here from FamilyVolley.com. We shouldn’t be surprised when we have kids, to find that each of our children are different. They like different activities, are scared of different things, and some are more outgoing than others. Today we are talking about those kids of ours who are not quite as outgoing as their siblings and peers. You know, the ones we label “shy.” Here are 9 tips for parenting a shy child and growing to love them more and more along the way.
All kids are different. Instead of labeling our children as shy, work with them a little and you will not only see huge differences in their actions but your relationship will be strengthened along the way as you are patient, understanding, and show love.

teaching kids not to gossip
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Teaching Kids Not to Gossip: A Great Family Night Topic (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello everyone! It’s Veronica and I’m so excited to be here this month sharing a fun Family Night idea with you: teaching kids not to gossip. I know Mariel has explained the concept of Family Night before, but for anyone new to this idea, we basically gather our family once a week, we have a short lesson, play some sort of game and then have a treat at the end. It’s such a great way to reconnect as a family, but also a great time to teach your children in a fun and uplifting way.
When school gets back in session, I always feel a bit nervous for my kids. I want them to learn new things, make new friends and be happy as they go through their school year. But, it doesn’t seem so easy anymore. The world seems to be a lot harder to navigate than it was for me as a child. They deal with so much pressure, beginning at very young ages. Friendships seem a bit trickier at times and it feels like more kids struggle with a good solid sense of who they are. And with the awesome tool of social media, these things seem to be magnified. One of the other struggles they face is gossiping. It’s been around forever, and always will be, unfortunately. It can be so damaging and destructive to anyone involved. Recently I’ve seen the effects gossip can have, so I wanted to take the opportunity to teach my kids about it. I think it’s a great reminder for ALL of us, regardless of our age.