parenting - Parenting Healthy

There is no mistaking that if your kids aren’t headed back to school now, they will be soon – the stores are filled with supplies and sales and ads for back-to-school. The beginning of a new school year can be an especially challenging time for parents and children both, although for totally different reasons. For parents, making sure that kids are equipped with the supplies and everything they need to get organized and have a good year is usually the first challenge. Then meeting the teachers, checking out the classrooms, and assessing the curriculum for the year is next on the list.

We just completed our school shopping this week. We also moved to a new town this summer so yesterday I dropped off all papers to register my son in 4th grade at his brand new school. He is excited but also nervous too. The next step for us is to wait for the call on what teacher he gets and if it is the same of some new friends he has met in our neighborhood and on his soccer team.

For kids, the stress of the new school year can be a little different than what we experience as parents. Did you know that one in five children in the U.S. have learning and attention issues, like ADHD and dyslexia? Children with these types of challenges – many of whom have never been formally diagnosed – can feel especially stressed during the back-to-school season as they face new subjects, teachers and schools.

As the new school year approaches, we were excited to get personalized tips from the First-Day Ready Guide to help our kids make a great start. The Ad Council and Understood.org have partnered to promote ways children and their families can be First-Day Ready. Understood.org is offering a free First-Day Ready Guide to help parents with students at every age successfully manage back-to-school transitions. Understood.org is a free, easy-to-use online resource and community designed to support parents and caregivers of children with learning and attention issues.

Having a guide is so helpful. My stepsons are 19 and 24 so it’s been some time since I have sent a fourth grader off to school.

These back-to-school tips from the Understood.org website are an invaluable resource for getting on track and starting the year of on the right foot. They helped my family; hopefully they can help yours too.

Planning early is important to help relieve stress. Creating structure and routine around the start of the new school year—with checklists, calendars and other organization systems— helps prepare kids for class expectations. I loved browsing the Printable Back-to-School Downloads. I am a paper person so this helps me a lot. I also enjoyed the 9 Apps to Help Kids Manage Back-to-School Challenges so we can use them to have mini discussions at bedtime leading up to the first day of school.

You can also take your child on a school tour to help ease fears by showing them how to find their classroom, nearby bathrooms, the cafeteria and other important places the first week of school. This can be a huge stress relief whether the child is new to the school or not. Just knowing where to go can help them feel more comfortable.

Connecting with your child’s teacher early on benefits everyone and creates a great starting point for the new year. This will give you an opportunity to share your child’s needs or learning style while expressing your support for the teacher and the challenges he/she may be facing with a new classroom full of students. You will help create an atmosphere of cooperation while speaking up for your child and his or her challenges.

Finally, get support! Many parents and students are going through the same experience. Understood.org and Understood’s Facebook page connect parents across the country to share information and learn from each other. You can also ask around your community and school to find other parents you can connect with.

So, no matter your child’s age or needs, this Back-to-School season can be a seamless transition and positive experience for both you and your children!

If you could use some help getting started on the right foot this school year, Understood.org is a great place to start.

All kids learn in different ways and at different paces. With the right support, all kids can thrive in school and in life.

Back to School 2017, College Bound, Food, Gift Guides, Parenting

3 College Care Package Ideas For Your Student

August 24, 2017September 11, 2017 Erin Sluka

I am a Premier Protein Ambassador and all feature ideas are my own

Do you have a child or children in college? If you do you know that bittersweet drop off moment where they are ready to run and you can’t let them go. Trust me! They won’t go far. They want food, laundry done, conversations on how to cook rice and many other needs that they will always still need your care. To make them feel even more comforted (and to comfort ourselves) we can send care packages. But what should you send? Let’s get creative based on my own experiences with some suggestions I will give you.

The first 2 weeks were a lot of back and forth by phone making sure he is settling into classes and dorm life. At one point I get a call from him asking for some grocery money in his account. He wanted some cans of soup and protein bars. He said that because his first am class is on the other side of campus and he walks he needs breakfast that he can take and walk with.

He wanted protein bars and in our home we buy Premier Protein so I hopped online and ordered him some to be shipped. Premier Protein bars have no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners and are gluten free. Other brands out there may contain artificial ingredients and synthetic nutrients so we really do our homework and choose wisely.

On our son’s first few days in his dorm room we noticed a small issue. The outlets are never placed in the right spots. This means that by the time they plug in laptops, lights, a mini fridge, alarm clocks that leaves little left for all the chargers as well. Another thing I learned is how much their cell phones do get used. If they have a full day of classes all over campus and need to try and hit the cafe a few times that cell phone battery is done. We love using the MyCharge HubXtra. What is unique about this is that you don’t also have to remember to grab your charging cord like most power banks require. The charging cords are built in and contain a lightning and micro chargers. I carry one myself for travel. This will get used!

One of my favorite options are gift baskets and GourmetGiftBaskets has many care packages to choose from. Some are candy filled, some healthier. This is the Health Nut Care Package above. What is great is that you can choose a basket, enter there shipping address and attach a message that is typed in a card. It is a lot of fun when that gift box arrives and they know it is a collection of foods or beverages before they even open it.

You will be sending packages and they will be requesting (food) mostly so send them the goodies they will proudly pick up when the hall desk sends them that message that they have a package waiting. I assure you these ideas will go over real well.

Let’s get you started! I am giving away Premier Protein samples. If you win you can send your child’s dorm address and Premier Protein will send it their way. Or you can use your own address and try them for yourself. Enter below. Open to US and ends on 9/5. Good luck!

Entry -Form

Books Reviews, Education, Parenting, Tips and Tricks

Managing Emotions with the Home Edition: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 Erin Sluka

This is a compensated post for the review of the Feeling Buddies or Families Toolkit

We have 3 boys in our family. I have helped raise my husbands boys since they were 5 and 11 and they are now 19 and 24. We also have an 8 year old. Having a child much younger tends to result in a bit of spoiled tendencies and he can be a bit dramatic. He is what one would describe as…spoiled. We have tried many tactics that never seem to stick. He remains feeling entitled, melts down easily when he doesn’t get his way and tends to get bossy with others. I heard about the HOME EDITION: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit when I was approached and asked to become an Ambassador for the brand. I knew this may be just what we need before he gets much older and set in his ways.

Getting Started

We have not begun using the program with him yet because we have some tasks to do prior to introducing him to the toolkit. This is explained in the Quick Start Guide that is the first thing to read when your kit arrives. Here is what your first tasks are:

Review and follow the Quick Start Guide: This guide will give you steps with the order in which to use the kit.
Watch the video coaching sessions with Dr. Becky Bailey in the order the Quick Start Guide suggests
Read the provided book, Managing Emotional Mayhem

By the time you get to Step 7 you will have watched 6 videos, read the book, downloaded some materials to be used with your child and get to know your Feeling Buddies plush and how it will be used with our child.

Following this guide will ensure that as you introduce your child to the Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit that it will be used correctly and introduce them as tools, not toys for your improvement on their emotional wellbeing. Make sure you take this time first before getting the kids involved. You will love getting to know Dr. Becky Bailey in the videos.

The HOME EDITION: Feeling Buddies for Families Toolkit is a new product from Conscious Discipline, a leading provider in social-emotional learning and classroom management resources. This toolkit known for use in the classroom has now been modified for use in your home with your children and is only available at www.feelingbuddies.com to purchase for only $99.

Stay tuned as I will post about our progress using this toolkit between now and the end of April including a video by Anthony on how he feels this worked for him at the end.

What do you think so far? Is this a toolkit you can benefit from in your home?

Education, Parenting