Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

How many of you plan to check this one out? What movies does your family like?

)

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Some posts from the Twigtale experts that I enjoyed

I was browsing the blog posts on Twigtale. They have some really useful things concerning raising children and the problems parents often face. I got permission to repost a couple that struck me as being especially helpful. I suggest you check them out as well.
As a parent, I have to learn to step back and let my children grow. They have to learn some things by experience. Part of that is getting bumps or scrapes. Its those awkward moments of meeting another child and finding out how to interact with them. This is what Twigtale expert, Dr. Wendy Denham, PhD had to say on this issue:
 

Tuesday Toddler Tip – Let It Be, Knowing When Not To Step In

Like the Beatles said… one of the most important things parents have to learn is when not to step in to the rescue. Tempting as it may be!
Try not to rush in and save your child from uncomfortable experiences, whether it be an awkward social interaction at the park, difficulty holding a crayon or figuring out how to use a toy. These experiences provide invaluable learning experiences for your child in seeing that they (and you!) can survive these feelings, and that feelings (even hard ones) come and go. This builds frustration tolerance and an ability to persevere through difficulty. If you’re not sure what to do, try narrating their experience. This can be just the facts, eg. ‘You’re really trying to hold that crayon and it keeps falling down’. Or maybe you notice how they’re feeling eg. ‘you’re really frustrated because you’re trying to hold that crayon and it keeps falling down.’ Your child will feel like you are paying attention, and that you understand. You are helping to give them the tools and introduce them to the all important language of feelings and emotions.
Toddler Tip brought to you by our new Twigtale child development expert Dr. Wendy Denham, PhD.

The other post I thought was a good one, was posted by the Twigtale Team:

Guest Post: How To Raise Clear, Confident & Kind Girls

Raising a Girl:  A Blog Entry from our Twigtale Co-founder.
Raising two daughters, in LA, in the 21st century?  Terrifying.  I jumped at the chance to attend, Tandy Parks‘  class on “Raising a Girl.”  She had awesome suggestions on how to raise “clear, confident and kind” girls, and below are 3 of my favorite take-aways.
1) Focus on the Internal, Not External
One suggestion Tandy had to help our daughters cope with modern society’s obsession with aesthetics is to avoid focusing on their looks.  Instead, focus on something from within.  Instead of saying “you look pretty in that dress,” try saying “oh, you look happy in that dress.” It will help your daughter learn to find pride in who she is, not what she looks like.
2) Celebrate Your Daughter’s Emotions – ALL OF THEM!  
Help them learn it is ok to be angry and assertive!  Tandy suggests that the “mean girls” phenomena is likely a result of parents telling their daughters to “be nice” and “good little girls.”  These statements teach girls to internalize their anger.  We need to teach our daughters how to openly, and appropriately express their emotions – which will lead to more confident girls with better conflict negotiation skills.
3) Activity and movement is key!
We need to encourage our daughters to move their bodies, so they ultimately have confidence in their physical skills, develop assertiveness and learn to take appropriate physical risks.  Helping your daughter find confidence in her physicality is a great way to combat society’s unhealthy image of beauty and sexuality.
Tandy Parks, MPH is a parent educator in Santa Monica.  She hosts multiple discussion groups for parents every month.  She also is available for individaul consultation: http://tandyparks.com/index.htm
Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 10.11.42 PM

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A yummy dinner that's easy to make from Alisa

All you need is:
Cheese (any kind you like)
1 package of buttermilk biscuits
and about 1 lb of ground beef
You will need a cup cake pan and stone pan to bake them with.

I put it on 350 degrees.
I put the beef in my stone pan and put it in microwave for about 7 or 8 minutes. 
Then you take it out and put cheese on it. Let it melt on the beef while you put the 8 buttermilk biscuits into the cupcake pan. I used a brownie pan and split the biscuit dough so that I had tops and bottoms. 
I put the beef with cheese onto the buttermilk biscuits and then I cover it with the the biscuits I had separated. 
Put it in the oven for about 10 mins or until it turns a golden brown. 
My kids love them.  Enjoy!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Let's build memories with specialized books from Twigtale!

As a mom, I love promoting my children to learn. I want to build their self worth views and let them grow with memories of love and happiness. As such, I enjoy building photo books for them. I was recently contacted by the CEO of Twigtale, Carolyn, about hosting a review and giveaway, as well as offer my readers a discount towards purchasing books.
Twigtale offers you the ability to make personalized books that promote learning, self esteem and teaching life lessons while using personal photos and information that bring it all home to young children. These books are written by child experts. I chose the Loved book.
It shows children various pictures that help them associate what it means to be loved. Being loved is not just something you feel, but it comes in the forms of actions taken by others to you. Things that make you happy, keep you well, and provide that warm fuzzy feeling that is typically associated with love. That's what real love is. But how do you explain that to a child? This book tells the story of love in pictures of the child with the parents/caregivers feeding, changing, bathing, hugging, teaching and otherwise "loving" the child.
This is how children learn, by seeing and hearing. Especially at younger ages.
I chose to make my book for my youngest. Uploading the pictures was a snap. The book is completely ready and all you have to do is adjust which wording you want, such as names and age. Then put the pictures that best match the wording on each page. Its short and simple. They provide you with a list of which kinds of pictures you should have ready. This helps you to know what to expect when getting ready to build your book. I highly suggest checking the list against your photos before attempting to make the book. 
Each book is only $20. Plus shipping which is about $5.50 and is priority. After making my book, it took a week (or less) to be made and shipped! There are several books to choose from for just about every stage you might go through with your little ones. Transitions that may be difficult for your child such as potty training, new siblings or starting school. 
So about my book. I love how well it's made. Great binding. The colors are vibrant and the printing is so nice. 
I love the way it's written out. The thought that was put into it's wording is really special. Telling my daughter I love her won't put it into perspective. Not like letting her see pictures with explanations of how I care by changing her diaper and clothes.
It's in the way I give her a bath to help her stay clean. It's how she gets her morning hug. She also knows we are thinking about her even when she sleeps. I'm very pleased with the shipping. Using priority might cost a little more, but it's going to get here quicker.
Over all, its been a wonderful experience to make, order and read this amazing book with my little girl. You can check out their blog with has a great number of helpful posts. Now that I've shared my experience with you, I get to offer all of you, my dear readers, a unique code that gives you 10% off any book you choose. Simply put in TWIG10 at checkout. And then, you can also enter the giveaway for one winner to get a FREE book with free shipping. Check them out and tell me what you think.
a Rafflecopter giveaway