How to Make a Fruit Trifle Recipe | eHow.com

How to Make a Fruit Trifle Recipe | eHow.com

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How to Host a Great Slumber Party | eHow.com

How to Host a Great Slumber Party | eHow.com

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Getting Kids to read

Do you ever find it almost an impossible task to get your kids to read? I think they like the idea of reading but then don't want to take the time to sit down and actually put it in practice. I have had this hard fought battle for years and while I am an avid reader, thinking all along being a role model would make it just fall into place, I am still left with kids that like to read but aren't doing it! I have been taking them to the library more often, there is something about going to the library and checking out a book that seems to help get them reading. They have their cards and the responsibility of making sure they read the book in time to return it. Making evening time television free time gives them the incentive to read more. If they have no other distractions, they are more apt to pick up a book! I have been playing more trivia games with them and this has created a hunger to read to learn more things so they can win more frequently. At least with them being competitive the games are helping to push them in the right direction without them realizing it.

My entire point with reading is that it is a way to open their imaginations and fill their head with new vocabulary that will allow them to move forward into adulthood with some semblance that they are educated even if I do have to compete with the likes of the internet, television and video games. I think that I have after years of battling the reading blues, found some new avenues that are helping me to win. It may just be a small battle but in the long run I hope that I win the war and raise three well rounded adults that enjoy the art of literature and reading.

Teenagers

Having teenagers can be quite trying for parents, ages ranging from 14 to 19 are very different phases and a new learning experience I am finding. I have a 14 year old and a 19 year old and I am learning new things from them every day. Both of my teenagers are boys, my youngest is 10 and she can be difficult in her own right.
The mood swings of the younger teen are coming more frequently and the sighs, grunts and eye rolls, as if I have never been a teenager myself nor have another one older than he is and have been there already, are coming more frequently. He finds everything I say dull and old fashioned and every request a personal insult to him and his attitude can go from excellent to that of a temperamental three year old in a matter of seconds. I understand that there are more challenges for teens now days and that there are expectations of them to learn to be quality young adults that put pressure one them, but being their parent is a challenge all in itself.
My older teen is teaching me there is a new parenting role that I am having to learn about, the young adult to adult relationship that sometimes feels very strong and positive and others quite frustrating as he can resort to that mentality of the 14 years old in a matter of moments. This can be quite aggravating when you are trying to treat the young man as an adult. These new times and new challenges in parenting teens can be quite frightful when you worry about drugs and gangs and violence that appears everyday in their lives and we can only hope that although sometimes difficult with their attitudes they are hearing something we are trying to teach them and will learn the values and morals we want to instill them to keep them away from the dangerous side of life. So far, a few little bumps in the road but for the most part my boys are good boys and are showing me they do have values that I want them to take into adulthood. This makes all the frustration worthwhile in the long run and allows me to sit back and ponder the pride I feel for the young men I'm watching grow.

That time of year again! :(

It's that TIME of year at our house with illness taking over and the worst to get hit is always me. Being diabetic its one of those things I deal with everytime I catch something I get it worse than everyone else. I swore we had the flu we all had the symptoms and I can't imagine we got it so early but if we did, then we at least got it over with already.

Now I am fighting a lovely bout of bronchitis. This is a miserable condition with all the coughing and feeling exhausted and not to mention the sore ribs feeling like you've been beaten with a stick!

It's so important that when you get sick that you take care of yourself, I know that it's important that I take my own advice and rest and relax as much as possible so that I will mend much quicker. Drinking as much liquid as possible and taking my blood sugar readings more frequently. It's been very trying and I'm feeling as if I will never see that feel good healthy day coming but I know its there! I just have to wait all this out.

It never fails that the beginning of the school year my family catches whatever is floating around at school, the kids bring it home like mud on their shoes and it infiltrates our home like a dark cloud. The bright side, once it's over we are usually good to go for the next year, but getting through this is very miserable.

There are a lot of remedies for bronchitis or upper respitory infections and for me the most effective is a nice pot of hot water with a towel over my head inhaling the steam. Of course, good hot steaming tea, my favorite is peppermint and good menthol chest rub. You can't beat a nice bowl of piping hot chicken soup to help make you feel better, the best thing to eat when your appetite is not at it's best. There are many, many diabetic recipes out there on the internet for soup.

If you want a little heat to your pallet there is a cajun chicken soup recipe that is wonderful to open up your head.

All I can say is thank heavens for Big Brother 10 live feeds during my recuuperation thats all thats kept me entertained. I am not usually an ADDICT of big brother, I do watch the show religiously and have NOT missed one season, but since coming down with this illness and TAKING a lot of down time instead of pushing myself so that I can recuppearte quickly, I have been enjoying the hamsters in the house they have kept me quite entertained!

I think my family is beginning to worry that I am never going to turn it off, they are quite bored with the antics of the ones left in the house and it seems to be the topic of all my conversations, being that is all that I find comforting. Politics seem to be all the rage on the television and I'm quite bored with it and the only other topic that I seem obsessed with is the search for that little girl in Florida, Caylee Anthony, and although in my mind and heart I know they are never going to find her alive I hold out hope and keep constant vigil on the news waiting to see if her mother will EVER tell the truth or be honest about the sitaution! The family of this little girl is in my prayers and I do hope that the mother of this little girl is given justice for what she has allowed to occur.

Challenges in parenting

Do you ever feel like you are standing in quick sand as a parent, sinking slowly as you try hard to do what is right? I feel that way a lot of the time with my kids. I want them to be happy and have great values and self esteem. I try to guide them without stymatizing them and I try very hard to keep all communication open. Sometimes though, no matter how many times you say things, how many times you try to guide them they make bad choices anyway!

I spent the weekend reevaulating my parenting, questioning myself and feeling downright miserable after my 18 year old son spent the night in jail for something just plain stupid. How did this happen? He graduated from High school with honors and is beginning college in just a couple of weeks. Where did this boy's head go? I cried and I fumed, I felt sick and devastated as well as disappointed and then sorrowful. It was quite the roller coaster ride. I finally came to terms with it all and just decided to dig in and do what I do best, be his mother. We are now dealing with his mistake and although I'm still shaking my head and feeling very confused to what he and his other friends, also very good kids decided on that night, well its all just hard to wrap your head around. Either way, its all going to work out, he will have to pay for his play and the price is steep. A very good learning lesson in that regard!

I just find it hard to accept that he made a bad choice being so smart, and having to get over the embarassment that I feel inside. I feel like somehow I failed as a parent, but then again, I can't always feel responsible for what he chooses as a new young adult. This new stage in our lives, this parent and young adult is a new phase. Very hard to find my footing with, but every day I wake up and try to accept it and learn from it. I know this will be a great learning lesson for me as my other two grow up and become adults. I think its much easier to be a mom when they are kids then when they are starting off into adulthood.

Summer with Kids

The summer days are long and hot and the kids are always bored, no matter what you do or suggest for them. It's a long period of time for all involved and it can get very frustrating. The mess about the house, the higher food bills for snacks and of course if your house is like mine, you have suddenly gained at least three extra children. I thought I would look up some sites that would make summer less daunting and overwhelming and more fun for everyone.

This one has some cute ideas for the kids. We don't want to leave out the older kids as well and I think this one looks like a great idea. Of course you have your traditional amusement parks, and water parks and such, but that can get costly and with the price of fuel it's time to think thrifty and close to home. My older kids enjoy a good game of tennis or basketball and they have taken up croquet. My yard at times can look like a sports mine field until I urge them to clean it up. Hiking is a great favourite but of course we live in the mountains. Be careful if you have adventurous kids they should know the do's and don'ts of such things and be aware of the poisionous snakes and spiders and always always check them well for ticks. Reading is a big favorite at my house and with my oldest starting college we went and got his semester read ahead of the time for him to start with its called Three cups of tea. I've read a bit of it and it seems like a touching saga. For my daughter she received a list of books to catch up on over the summer for the reading bowl next year in school. So far, she's getting ahead of the game as I went ahead and purchased a few of the titles to keep her busy this summer. My middle child is a challenge he still hasn't found his genre but is always amazed at how good a book is once recommended. He seems to like historic adventure, but of course I can't TELL him that, that would make me WRONG haha.

Cooking and grilling out is always fun and making home made ice cream. It seems once the day is come to a slow pitch in the evening we are all ready to spend time enjoying each other and a meal together is the best way to do that.

Whatever you choose to do to entertain your bored children over the summer I wish you luck, I know how frustrating it is to try to find a balance and keep somewhat of a schedule going. It's so difficult.