Children Learn From Watching and Listening

Our Children learn their greatest lessons from watching and listen to us every minute of every day. What are you teaching the children who are watching you?

YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S GREATEST TEACHER

It’s the holidays! Kick off your shoes and relax. This fabulous moment in time brings so many wonderful gifts, the most precious being the time to teach your children all that you can about life. We tend to disregard that we are our youngster’s greatest teachers. In our pursuit of the finest education we pay private schools large amounts of money to educate our children, forgetting that the most significant lessons they will ever learn are from watching and listening to us.

Teaching your children to think critically and make their own decisions is one of the most valuable gifts you will give them. Thinking critically protects them from peer pressure and empowers them to explore all options when problems arise. Ask your pre-teen what she knows about drugs while taking a walk on the beach together. Discuss with her how making an impulsive decision like driving drunk can impact her life forever.

Talk to your 3 year old about his feelings while having a picnic in the garden. Ask him when he feels sad, happy, and  frustrated. Acknowledge his feelings and talk about how the way we behave impacts others, thereby teaching him empathy and increasing his EQ. Role play with your children ways of protecting themselves if tempted by strangers.

Chat to your 9 year old daughter about the physical changes she’s experiencing while enjoying an ice-cream in the park. Empower your children with life saving skills if they get into trouble in water, such as don’t panic, turn around and swim to the edge of the pool.

Seize the opportunities that life presents to not only teach your children interesting facts, while travelling, but morals and values as well, thereby enriching their life. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

By Claire Marketos at http://www.inspiredparenting.co.za

Christmas Gifts for Friends, Family, Coworkers or Neoghbors

It’s time for Christmas, my favorite time of the year. Here are your mom-stuff links to help you get some ideas for friends, family, coworker’s, and neighbor’s gifts.

12 Days of Christmas This was are most popular post, ever. It is twelve great printouts you can put with a simple gift for friends and neighbors. You can use any one by it’s self or you can use all twelve to make someone Christmas extra special.

More fun and easy gifts for friends, family, coworkers or neighbors:

Christmas Friend Gifts #1

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #2

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #3

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #4

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we turn the corner to the Christmas countdown please remember the reason for the season. Make sure you do not get lost in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping and lose your Christmas spirit. Slow the pace down when needed. Say no if the demand cannot be done without love. Do not sacrifice your peace for someone else’s view of happiness. When the Christmas season is over what will you remember? What will your family remember? If it is important to you make time for it, if it is not let it go. The most important thing you can do for your family is for you to be happy.

Thanks for being a part of the mom-stuff community. We believe in Moms helping Moms and we are so glad you are a part of our circle. We want to hear from you. What can we do to help enrich your life? What can you offer to other Moms? If you have any ideas that you would like to share for Christmas please email them to me. dianne@mom-stuff.com

Thanksgiving Dinner

I wanted to share this resource with all of you cooks this Thanksgiving. If you need help with the turkey or menu ideas. This is the place.

Elise Bauer the owner of Simply Recipes has a great titorial on cooking your Thansgiving turkey.  Here is the link http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moms_roast_turkey/

Simple Recipes is Elise’s personal website, with only a few hundred recipes, all tested by her, her family or her friends. I invite you to visit her site and try the recipes.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. I am so grateful for all of the moms that are a part of the mom-stuff community. We believe in Moms helping Moms and we are so glad you are a part of our circle. We want to hear from you. What can we do to help enrich your life? What can you offer to other Moms? If you have any ideas that you would like to share for Christmas please email them to me. dianne@mom-stuff.com

Teach Children Gratitude

If you could teach your children a skill that might help them be happier as adults, live longer, and reach goals better, wouldn’t you jump at the chance?  What if there was evidence that this same skill also improved kids’ attitudes towards school and family?  What is this amazing skill? Simply, gratitude.

There is an increasingly large amount of research showing that a grateful attitude can affect many different facets of your life.  Dr. Robert Emmons, at the University of California, Davis, has recognized and published information about the benefits of gratitude for over a decade.  Grateful people tend to be more optimistic, energetic, and empathetic.  There is even evidence that gratitude can improve your physical well-being, helping your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

How can you help your kids become grateful people?  The possibilities are endless. Here’s a few ideas:

• At Thanksgiving, take turns announcing something you are thankful for.
• As part of a bedtime routine, talk about 2-3 things from your child’s day that he/she is grateful for.
• Use words like “grateful,” “thankful,” “thank-you,” and “appreciate” frequently so your young children can learn them.
• Draw pictures with your kids of things they’re grateful for. Display these pictures and talk about them.
• Redirect greedy attitudes toward grateful attitudes. When your children say, “I want…” respond by helping them identify things they have that they are very grateful for.  Help them remember how happy they were when they received different toys or treats or experiences.
• Young children learn habits easiest that they observe in people they are attached to.Practice being grateful!  Look for things to be grateful about and announce them aloud.  Try “I’m so glad today is warm and sunny!” “I appreciate your smile!”  “Thanks for helping me sweep!”  “What a great parking spot we found,” or perhaps more often, “Isn’t it wonderful that our legs work so well and can carry us all the way to the store!”  You might just reap some of the benefits you’re trying to give to your kids!

original article posted at http://houstonparentsmagazine.com/ I thought this was a perfect subject to think about this week. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Adopt the attitude of Gratitude this season and help teach the children around you.

Maple Glazed Donuts

I can’t wait to make these after Thanksgiving. I am going to save some left over mashed potatoes for them. These are not the prettiest donuts but they are the best tasting and the easiest.  These are fun to make with your kids.

Maple Glazed Donuts By:  Erin Mylroie, Blogger at “Prudence Pennywise”

Video http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=204&sid=13255481

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup mashed potatoes (I use 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes or buds)
• 4 and 1/2 cups flour, DIVIDED
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch of nutmeg (two quick shakes)

Method:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and beat well. Add buttermilk butter, vanilla. Stir in mashed potatoes. Sprinkle exactly 3 and 1/2 cups flour, plus powder, soda, salt and nutmeg over the dough. Stir until just blended. The dough will be extremely sticky. Line a dinner plate with waxed paper. Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour on top of waxed paper. Gather sticky dough up and press onto waxed paper; sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup flour. If you need to pat atop a little more flour to be able to work with the dough, go ahead and sprinkle/pat it on top but DO NOT mix it in. ( You can refrigerate dough for a couple of hours at this point if you want, but not for too long or the dough will turn black from the potatoes.) Let the dough rest on the plate for five minutes. Meanwhile, heat large heavy pot with 1 inch of oil until oil is about 375 degrees. Turn donuts out onto flat floured surface. Pat the dough into a square only slightly larger than the plate. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. (Do not knead in the flour that have you sprinkled on the donuts. It will cook away on the outside, promise.) Cut donuts with donut cutter, or use the top of a prescription pill bottle for donut holes. Holes are the best in my opinion. Fry donuts until pale golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Cool for five minutes before glazing.In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar and beat well. Add buttermilk butter, vanilla. Stir in mashed potatoes. Sprinkle exactly 3 and 1/2 cups flour, plus powder, soda, salt and nutmeg over the dough. Stir until just blended. The dough will be extremely sticky. Line a dinner plate with waxed paper. Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour on top of waxed paper. Gather sticky dough up and press onto waxed paper; sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup flour. If you need to pat atop a little more flour to be able to work with the dough, go ahead and sprinkle/pat it on top but DO NOT mix it in. ( You can refrigerate dough for a couple of hours at this point if you want, but not for too long or the dough will turn black from the potatoes.) Let the dough rest on the plate for five minutes. Meanwhile, heat large heavy pot with 1 inch of oil until oil is about 375 degrees. Turn donuts out onto flat floured surface. Pat the dough into a square only slightly larger than the plate. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. (Do not knead in the flour that have you sprinkled on the donuts. It will cook away on the outside, promise.) Cut donuts with donut cutter, or use the top of a prescription pill bottle for donut holes. Holes are the best in my opinion. Fry donuts until pale golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Cool for five minutes before glazing.

Maple Glaze
Notes: This makes enough for half a batch of donuts, in case you want to make some powdered sugar donuts or plain sugar.
Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons maple extract and about 4 tablespoons cream (or milk) until smooth.

www.prudencepennywise.blogspot.com

New Modern Napkin Folds

Yesterday on my local TV station, KSL Studio 5 had a quest who showed some wonderful ways to fold napkins to make your Thanksgiving table special. I had to share them with you

Megan Sorenson with Temple Square Hospitality, gives traditional napkin folds a modern twist. Wait the video herehttp://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=61&sid=13271178

for downloadable instructions http://media.bonnint.net/slc/2488/248845/24884595.pdf

I love this show I DVR it everyday. Since most of you do not live in the viewing area visit their web site for lots of great  ideashttp://studio5.ksl.com/ for your home.

Give Gratitude to All of Our American Veterans

Today is a very special day brought about after the ending of WWI. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said …

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

To our friends throughout the world this is a Remembrance of the cost of freedom to us all. We recognize each person’s love of their country and on this day, as Americans we acknowledge and remember the courage and commitment it takes to be free and to remain free.

Mary Robinson Reynolds [from@MakeADifference.com] ivites you to join Americans everywhere and take a few minutes to enjoy the musical artistry of singer and song writer John Schmidt:www.AmericaHeartandSoulMovie.com an Inspirational Movie for Veteran’s Day, November 11.

We cannot help but see how blessed we are to live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave! On this Veterans Day may we all take and minute and thank our men and women for their service to our country.

To all of America’s Veterans, we love you and thank you for our freedom!

Only 45 Days Until Christmas

I found this article today on Mom Stuff Facebook page and I have to admit, I was shocked. Really only 45 days and so much to do?

Only 46 Days Until Christmas!

By Tired Mom Tésa

I know it seems early to be in the holiday spirit, but with two preschoolers whose birthday’s sandwich Christmas, the holidays are on their minds a lot this time of year. We had a few big, wet flurries the other day and it was all I could do not to sing, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Kora & Logan immediately started asking, “How many days until my birthday?” and “How many days until Christmas?” So I got out the calendar and we started counting. http://networkedblogs.com/ahtqM

I do not like to start the Christmas season this early but with only 45 days left I am giving you some of our most popular links to help plan your gift giving. These links are for fun, creative and  inexpensive gifts.

12 Days of Christmas http://www.mom-stuff.com/public/180.cfm

Christmas Friend Gifts #1 http://www.mom-stuff.com/public/177.cfm

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #2 http://www.mom-stuff.com/public/178.cfm

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #3 http://www.mom-stuff.com/public/179.cfm

Christmas FRIEND Gifts #4 http://www.mom-stuff.com/public/193.cfm

How Moms Can Create Big Changes

The power of moms. You have to read this article and find out for yourself  the power of moms. I found this article in About Working Moms one of my Linkedin groups. It was shared by Carolyn Parrs.

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble: 

How Moms Create Their Own Tipping Point 

For Change, by Mary Clare Hunt

Click on the title and read the whole article. If you have kids or grandkids you will be very impressed by the actions these moms took. They put child safety about money. I am so proud of them for taking a stand against promoting dangerous ingredients in a children’s product. Thieir story is inspirational.

Mom-Stuff Thanksgiving Pages are Live

Visit for fun ideas to help make your Thanksgiving celebration the best ever.

Glitter up your Thanksgiving table with:

Wheat Thanksgiving Arrangement

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Leafy Napkin Ring

Thanksgiving Name Tags

Ideas for family fun:

Thanksgiving Games and Songs

Thanksgiving Family Fun

Thanksgiving Recipes

Kids crafts Pinecone Hand Turkey

We will be adding more ideas for you this week so visit often.

Give Thanks Month

As the mood of our country is so affected by the economy I decided I need to lift my spirits. So the month of November I am declaring as my “Give Thanks Month” When we focus on our assets we are feeding ourselves with positive attitude, the attitude of gratitude. Each day this month I am going to post at least one thing I am grateful for.

I want this Thanksgiving season to be filled with more gratitude. There is so much to be grateful for, no matter who we are or what circumstances we are experiencing. Life is constantly filled with both problems and successes. We cannot control this but we can choose what we dwell on.

When we choose to look at life from a perspective of gratitude, we feed the positive rather that the negative. What we focus on the most is what we create more of in our lives. So l am going to make the effort to be grateful. How about you? Will you join me? Let’s focus on what is good about our life and have a happier Thanks giving. I will be posting on Facebook if you want to add your thoughts to mine. http://www.facebook.com/dianne.mom.stuff

Pinecone Hand Turkey

 Ashley has a really fun kids craft to make this month to celebrate Thanksgiving. Go to Ashley's Craft Room. She has all of the materials and instructions http://ashleys-craftroom.blogspot.com/
This month we want everyone to take some time to be grateful for the