Connecting with our children when they come home is probably one of the biggest challenges when we all get together. There’s a lot going on at once. If there’s more than one child then multiple pulls often in different directions. Add to that the need for speed to get somewhere or the overwhelming tiredness it’s all too easy for… View Post
Family values help glue our families together. Yet we don’t often talk about it openly within our family or to our children. Our children learn our values from seeing what we do and watching others. It’s not until we see something happen right before our eyes that we realize that maybe we haven’t shared this value very well. A… View Post
Remember that time when you just knew you were right and you were little. How do you disagree with your parents appropriately? During the heat of the moment the subject of the argument gets lost and as a parent we focus on the sass, anger, rudeness and sarcasm. But don’t you remember that sometimes you knew you were… View Post
How we use media, screens and devices creeps up on many of us. Devices multiply and soon there are a bunch of portable devices to manage. Before going back to school I love to go back over what worked and what didn’t work so well the previous school year. Doesn’t have to be long or written but there are usually… View Post
Summer is a great time of year to focus on some of the life skills we’ve skipped over during the year. No matter what the age of the children there’s probably been something they didn’t do this year ALL because we didn’t think they had the skills yet. During the show I’m sharing 12 life skills to revise with… View Post
Lauren Fire talks about the tender subject of finding joy and happiness in the midst of motherhood. This was a fun interview and Lauren of inspiringmama.com has a lot of great information and practical advice. Since recording this interview I’d encourage you to check out her show on mom dating. (After you’ve listening to this show you’ll see how that show… View Post
When there’s a place for everything and everyone knows that place it is easier for anyone in the family to have a good idea to find it. It means that we’re not waiting for one person to find the socks or only one person knows where things are. It’s a burden lifted. It’s actually a joy to hear the boys… View Post
In part 1 Peaceful solutions to minimize family strife there are some ideas for getting things done the by teaching and reteaching, often. Many times we apply blanket solutions to problems but maybe this time we need to look in more detail at this child and this place:Peaceful Solutions to Minimize Family Strife with Specific Solutions was part 2. We can find things… View Post
February has been a bigger blend of busy and slow. We’ve had a day here and there when we were going a lot but we then had lots of very slow days which seemed to even out everything. Mostly our days are slow and it’s learning how to navigate the busier days when they come along that’s often the more… View Post
One of my favourite early pictures of my son is this one. Our kids come in stereo surround sound and our homes can often be full of sound and activity. We don’t have to connect with our children only through sound. Using non verbal communication is powerful, useful and comforting in many situations. There’s an affiliate link in this… View Post
Setting up a family ritual takes time as you try things out in your family. As the children get older we try new things and because sometimes we fancy a change. Last time we talked about the need for a family ritual and explained the ritual from beginning too just as we were about to eat. You can read this… View Post
Family meal times are a great place for connection, catchup and comfort. Like all things it changes over time as our family grows and changes. It’s a chance to put our values into action. We wish for good conversation food and a pleasant atmosphere Building family rhythms help families create those 3cs of connection, catchup and comfort. The family meal time… View Post
