Parent Newsletters - Issue 6

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 6/ April, 9th/06

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
2. MANAGE YOUR STRESS
3. HELPING YOUR CHILD SLEEP
4. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS
5 TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
6. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
7 SPONSORS

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the next issue of kidsgoals.com Newsletter

I am sure you have all heard the saying, “When Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” When we as parents are under too much stress it can affect our children and our significant other negatively. In our first article, learn how to manage stress so you have the energy and patience to parent more effectively. On the same note, it can be very stressful on new parents if they have problems getting their babies to sleep through the night. Our second article offers tips on how to accomplish this in as stress free a manner as possible.

If there is someone you think will benefit from this free ezine please invite him or her to join our growing list of subscribers. The More the Merrier.

Please help us by emailing Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com with your questions, comments and suggestions for future issues.

2. YOU DESERVE A BREAK TODAY

Stress is a natural part of our day-to-day lifestyle. It is our bodies’ defense system. When we sense a danger –such as a vicious dog ready to attack - our bodies will release adrenaline and other chemicals that make us alert, increase our strength and stamina, raise our blood pressure and speed up our reaction time. This is its positive effect and it can be utilized for short-term goals. For instance people that usually procrastinate seem to be able to get projects completed much easier when time is of the essence and they are under the gun.

On the negative side, if stress is prolonged it can result in feelings of frustration and anger, which may lead to depression. There are also a myriad of health problems that can develop such as ulcers, high blood pressure, insomnia, and on the much more serious side, heart disease and stroke.

The plan is not to totally eliminate stress but learn how to manage it and use it to motivate, without overwhelming our lives.

Here are some possible solutions that you can use as a parent to help manage your stress. So even if the average day for you starts at the crack of dawn and doesn’t end until 11 PM, you can still incorporate these tips into your daily life to help you cope with stress better, so it doesn’t get the better of you.

Exercise - it may seem like the idea of a 30-minute jog or walk is just added stress but in truth it is one of the best stress relievers around. Set your alarm a half hour earlier and make it a daily routine just for you.
Learn to say no - If you are feeling like you are juggling too many things at the moment and someone asks something of you that you really don’t have the time or inclination to do, say no. If you have trouble doing that without feeling guilty, remember practice makes perfect.
Delegate - Have your older teenager get supper started such as making a salad, or get the little ones to set the table. It is really OK to ask for help - you don’t have to be Super Mom or Dad.
Make sure you get some “ME” time on a regular basis. Do something you enjoy such as a weekly massage or lunch with your best friend.
Learn to meditate - Neuroscientists have found that test subjects that meditate on a regular basis change their brain activity to different areas of the cortex - brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the more tranquil left frontal cortex. This decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety.

Give yourself a break today and every day, even if it is for only a few minutes. Take this time for yourself and everyone around you will benefit, especially your children.

3. ELIMINATE YOUR BABIES’ SLEEPING PROBLEMS AND HELP YOU BOTH GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST

Sue was a first time mother who was eager to enjoy the first few weeks at home with her baby, Scott. She was advised at the hospital to feed Scott on demand to ensure that he got adequate nutrition. He cried every 1 ½ to 2 hours throughout the day and night! Within a few weeks Sue was exhausted due to her baby’s sleep problems, feeling ill from lack of sleep herself and suffering from painfully cracked, sore nipples.

These kind of sleep problems with babies are very common – and mostly due to a lack of a sensible routine. This article will give you simple things to concentrate on that will help eliminate those problems and help your baby get a good night’s sleep.

Babies’ Sleep

The most important needs a baby has (apart from love of course) are food and sleep. A newborn needs 16 to 20 hours sleep. There is no getting away from the fact that a new baby needs to eat every few hours, but by 6 or 7 weeks old it’s entirely possible to have a healthy baby sleeping without problems for 7 hours during the night – giving you some much needed rest.

The key to success is routine. Top tips for preventing and curing babies’ sleep problems include:

1. Make sure that the baby gets plenty of feeds during the day – otherwise he will wake up hungry more often at night.
2. For good sleep habits put baby to sleep in her own cot in a dark room – if you expect her to sleep anywhere and everywhere at your convenience baby sleep problems are likely to develop.
3. The “startle” reflex in newborns is another cause of baby sleep problems. New babies benefit from tight swaddling - otherwise they often wake themselves by startling. Gradually loosen the swaddling as the baby reaches a few months of age.
4. If baby is sleeping too much during the day, don’t be afraid to gently wake him by opening the curtains and loosening the swaddling and talking to him. If he gets too many hours sleep during the day, you can’t be surprised if baby has sleep problems and wants to be awake most of the night!
5. The baby needs to learn to settle herself back to sleep after half-awakening during her sleep cycles at night. If she wakes when she is not needing a feed, try to settle her by talking/petting gently rather than picking her up and cuddling her to sleep. When you feed her at night, if she falls asleep at the breast or bottle, gently half-wake her before putting her into her cot, so she goes to sleep in the cot rather than being placed in it fast asleep. Otherwise, when she half-wakes later she will be confused. Gradually she will learn that she can get to sleep herself rather than needing you.
6. When you start weaning, don’t reduce baby’s milk intake too quickly, or else he will start waking up more at night again because he is hungry.

Sue’s story had a happy ending – but not before Scott was several months old and the baby’s sleep problem was so bad that his parents were driving him round the block in the car to get him to sleep at night! It was a painful lesson for Sue and her husband, but once they planned and stuck to a regular routine, Scott was able to learn to sleep through the night without problems.

4 KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS

Chocolate Spiders ( with adult supervision for younger children)

1 package (6oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
16 large marshmallows
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oatmeal (quick cook oats)
1 cup flaked coconut
uncooked ramen noodles for spider legs / red candies for spider eyes

Heat chocolate chips, butter, and marshmallows in 3 quart pan, over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Drop by teaspoons full, onto waxed paper or onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Shape into clusters with your hands, to look like spider bodies. Break off romaine noodles to look like legs, put 8 on each spider. Refrigerate until firm. (about 30 minutes) Put the eyes on after refrigerating. If you put the eyes on before refrigerating, the candy will get soft and the colour will smear.

PINWHEEL (adult supervision for younger children)

1 sheet paper 8 ½ by 11 inches
1 short pushpin
Masking tape
Drinking straw

1. Measure 5” in diagonally toward the center of the paper from each corner. Mark the 5” measurement off lightly with a pencil.

2. Cut in from each corner to the 5” mark (draw a line with your pencil if necessary). The sheet of paper should now be divided into four sections.

3. Rip or cut off a piece of masking tape, fold the ends back so they are touching and both sides are now sticky. Press the masking tape to the middle of the piece of paper where it is uncut.

4. Starting at the left hand corner, fold the corner of the lower part of the section in toward the center and press the corner to the masking tape in the center. You don’t want to press the folded area down flat; it should have a rounded edge. Continue folding the corners to the middle, skipping the second corner of each section. This remaining corner should be standing straight up.

5. When you have all the corners folded inwards that need to be folded it is time to assemble the pinwheel. Press a small pushpin into the center of the pinwheel through all the corners of the pinwheel in the center carefully so you don’t prick your fingers. Press the pin through one side of the straw. Give your pinwheel a spin or take it outside and let it go (if it is windy).

5. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE

Q. What did the judge say when the skunk walked in the courtroom?
A. Odor in the court.

Q. What happens if you eat yeast and shoe polish?
A. Every morning you'll rise and shine!

Q. What do you get when you cross a cow and a duck?
A. Milk and quackers!

6 WORDS OF INSPIRATION

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it's time to get up. ~Author Unknown

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. ~Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. ~Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way. ~Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

7. SPONSORS

If you can suggest any organizations or websites that might want to either sponsor this newsletter, or exchange links with KidsGoals.com, please email Cassie or myself.

Thank you, from Cassie and Monicka
*****

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