Search Results for: journal

For about a year now, I’ve worked with many of you to put together a beautiful, custom-designed, parent-child journal. It is time now for the big unveiling…

The “Executive Summary” Version

And all this while requiring just a few minutes of your time, and done at whatever pace that works for your family’s schedule.

Got elementary school-aged kids? Then you don’t want to miss this!

What Makes the Connected Hearts Journal So Special?

You can walk into any bookstore and pick up a journal. So what makes this journal special? (And why should you absolutely get one for your kids? 🙂 )

The devil is in the details. And we have spared no effort. [Read more…]

I love learning. I love knowing and discovering new things.

It’s one of the reasons I decided to homeschool my children. I wanted them to observe my excitement about discovering new things and develop their own love of learning.

In the third year of our homeschooling journey, I read a book that suggested I compose a mission statement for what I wished to accomplish during our homeschooling years.

Aside from teaching our children to be compassionate and caring individuals, the third value I wanted to instill in them was to be lifelong learners.

That was two years ago, and since then I’ve learned a few things about raising lifelong learners.

Lifelong learners is a term to describe someone who desires to be a forever student. They’re always exploring, thinking, creating, wondering, discovering, questioning – maybe about a particular subject or generally.

Any parent wants their child to learn, but I wondered: what’s the value of being a lifelong learner?

Research has shown that lifelong learning has a vast impact on brain health, building confidence, and furthers children’s socialization skills. It also provides greater career opportunities and sharpens the ability to communicate.

Raising a child who is a lifelong learner is not hard. But it takes time and patience, just like any other aspect of parenthood!

When we give our children the gift of loving to learn we equip them in an insatiable desire to understand their evolving world and the relationships they have.

One of the most beneficial aspects I’ve experienced in my journey to creating lifelong learners is the relationship I’ve developed with my children. I’m able to watch their face light up when they understand a concept or witness them walking themselves through a process of steps to build a fort.

I’m reminded that they’re real people, with passions, desires, and creativity coursing through them like a river.

When we show them we’re on their side, that we want to help them, they learn the value of being a good parent.

And that’s the best thing they can learn.

Here are some ways to I’ve begun cultivating the lifelong learner in my children.

[Read more…]

In our house, Christmas is a work in progress, as far as gratitude goes.

Last year we celebrated with just our small, immediate family. And thankfully (or maybe not), there were not a ton of presents underneath our tree. Most of them were either for our older son or for the entire family, so we let him have the pleasure of opening them.

Not surprisingly, we found ourselves repeating a refrain familiar to parents everywhere during the holidays and at birthday parties:

Slow down!

Take time to look at it!

This is not a race!

What we really meant, of course, is that we want our kids to actually appreciate the gifts they’re given. Birthdays and holidays should be more than just a flurry of presents and torn wrapping paper. Everyone likes receiving gifts, but it’s important that we take the time to acknowledge them.

And, more important still, to be thankful for them.

Saying “thank you” is a great start. Maybe give a hug, if both parties feel so inclined. At the least, we want time to mentally note who gave what so that cards can be sent later.

Fact is, we know that our children appreciate the gifts they’re given. Just as they appreciate the other important parenting roles we play.

When our kids are babies, of course, we don’t expect gratitude. We’re content to be their whole world—for those first few months, anyway. We don’t expect to be thanked for [Read more…]

A few weeks ago I discovered a wonderful opportunity to take a course that involved traveling from away from home one weekend a month to train in creative writing as a therapist.

Creative writing has been my personal therapy since my angst-filled teenage years and the idea of being able to offer this in a professional capacity to others felt amazing.

My husband was all for me taking a vocational training to further develop my career. My daughter was looking forward to weekends filled with daddy time, TV dinners, and going out for ice cream.

Then, following a conversation with my mum in which she questioned the practicalities of leaving the country on a monthly basis fear kicked in.

Could I really afford it? Would I be able to find a babysitter since I had to leave on the Friday while my husband was still at work? Would my daughter really be okay with me traveling so often?

I started to feel huge anxiety that I would end up with a financial deficit and a disconnected daughter; and that there was something terribly self-indulgent and wrong in me taking all this time and spending all this money on myself.

My husband, and best friend, reassured me it was a good idea, that it would be no big deal making the trip once a month.

I knew rationally it was a good idea. As a Hand in Hand Parenting instructor I’m always telling parents to take care of their own needs; that a happy parent equals a happy child. I also knew it was an investment for the whole family and our future.

So why did I feel like I was being selfish? Why had my initial excitement derailed into guilt and fear?

I needed a reality check so I asked a group of online mothers what they thought about it. [Read more…]

Racing around the house, tensions are mounting, and the clock in my head is ticking louder and louder.

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! We’re late! We’re late!

My underlings continue to amaze me with their expert aptitude for crafting new versions of dawdling. Like a leaky bucket, minutes dribble onto the floor behind us.

Sibling conflict is a major culprit today. “Brother isn’t talking to me. He farted and I told him to say, ‘Excuse me’ and he didn’t answer.” Two minutes down the drain as his story painstakingly makes its way into words.

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!

Another two minutes pass as I stand there scratching my head. I don’t even know how to answer him, except to say, “Just put your shoes on.”

The later it gets, the less I am able to cope with the fact that I am still wearing pajamas. Every effort to dress is circumvented. “I don’t like that kind of bread!” “Where is my other shoe?” “Can you get down my lunchbox?” “Can you pay me $2 since I took the dog potty and cleaned my room?” “Mom, this ponytail is fuzzy in the back. Can you redo it?”

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!

Frustration builds alongside foiled efforts. Tension in my body mounts. Their silky faces, clumsily formed words, squeaky voices, and large, innocent eyes are shamefully inadequate to ward off the volcano preparing to blow.

What happens next is nothing short of a miraculous moment.

[Read more…]