GottaLoveMom

You know something works when your children insist on taking the vitamins you had been reminding them to take. About 10 years ago, my 3rd child was diagnosed with borderline ADD/ADHD and mild Tourette syndrome (involuntary and repetitive eye twitch). Our neurologists gave us two options: 1) Wait to see if our son will outgrow it 2)  Put him on medication if the tics and ADD/ADHD affect him academically and socially. We always prefer to hold off on any medication, if possible. And doing nothing was just not an option. So needless to say, my husband read up on various studies and information on message boards. We monitored our son's eating patterns, minimized (eliminated) sugar from his diet, encouraged him to get enough sleep and started giving him fish oil. (Fish oil was also thought to help improve brain functions.) There are a lot of fish oil supplements out there, but for a 7 year old, it has to taste good enough, no fishy aftertaste or fishy burp. We tested...

Playtime is very important to children, and yet, as new technologies emerge, less and less time is dedicated to unstructured playtime. Children love to explore, be creative and play pretend – even with a simple toy. I think a big cardboard box is the best toy a kid can have. My little guy (FOUR) had the best time hiding inside the box! Even a simple toy can allow a child’s mind to explore complex ways to make the playtime fun. "Children are our most valuable natural resource." ~ Herbert Hoover

We’ve heard it in various studies that physical activity makes someone happy, confident and feeling good about himself or herself – and spontaneous dancing is one of the fun activities that the kids and I enjoy! There’s no pressure, no planning, no stress – just pure fun! We burst out laughing while we sway our bodies left to right – even when the only music playing is the one in our minds. “You’ve got to dance like nobody’s dancing, and love like it’s never going to hurt.” Keep smiling :) 

Just a simple note in your child's lunch bags can have a positive effect. Try it! I have been inserting post-it of love-notes in my kids’ lunch bags just to remind them that I do care and that I want them to be happy. I never knew whether they read them or not until recently when I heard my two little ones talk about it. It was one of those busy mornings – the precious 15 minutes before the school rush. The kids were having their eggs, toast, oatmeal and milk for breakfast. I just finished writing “You’re a Rock Star for being yourself. Keep smiling” on my 16yo’s brown paper lunch bag. I didn’t realize my 10yo read what I wrote. “ Kuya Jonathon, you’re a rock star!” my 10yo said to my 16yo.  ( Kuya is a Tagalog-Filipino word which means big brother.) My 16yo smiled ear to ear, and gave his little brother a big hug – which of course, made my 10yo happy! We had a great start. Perfect morning. I didn’t think my 16yo noticed what was written ...

Sunday. Quiet. No schlepping to any gymnastics event, music camp or leadership conference. Hubby woke up late, with a wide smile beaming on his face! I guess he discovered something new! He was listening to WOR’s The Travel Show with Arthur andPauline Frommer . And today’s new discovery was about Dr. Albert Coombs Barnes. “Honey, there’s a doctor, Dr. Barnes, who helped develop a treatment for gonorrhea. Not only was he Doctor, but he was also an art collector. He collected various paintings from Picasso, Matisse, and Renoir – paintings which are not available anywhere else! So it means no reproductions! His foundation just expanded to Philadelphia . It’s an extensive museum  which will house his collection. It’s definitely a great place to take the kids.” , Hubby said. So I immediately Google-d Dr. Barnes.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined." ~ Henry David Thoreau A new year, a new timer in our alarm clock of "what I need to accomplish." A few things I learned: 1. Be simple. Don't complicate things. 2. Be true to yourself. Stop being someone else and just do what you yourself wants to do. 3. Don't wait for perfection. If you wait for things to be in it's perfect mode -- you'll be in "work-in-progress" mode all the time. 4. Be brave. Take that step in moving forward. Don't worry about the "what-ifs". 5. Stop trying -- and just DO IT! Dream BIG and keep smiling!