It can be hard to be a parent – especially of young children. I remember worrying over my two girls – are they developing properly? What can I do make sure I give them the best chances possible in life? Mark K. Claypool and John M. McLaughlin are CEO and Director of Research and Analytics respectively for ChanceLight Behavioral Health, Therapy, and Education, have some tips below for us parents! While parenting young children is a joy, it can be filled with uncertainties and worry, especially if there are concerns about developmental milestones. How does a parent know when…
It seems like the smoke from our Fourth of July fireworks just cleared, but if you look at the calendar you see it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school. In most places, the kids have less than thirty days of summer vacay left. And if you’ve been to the big box stores lately you know the shelves are lined with all sorts of school supplies, which means it’s time for parents to get ready to spend a big wad of money on school supplies, back to school clothes, sports fees, lunch accounts, and…
Your child’s room shouldn’t be used only for play. There are a lot of creative tasks that they’ll try to tackle such as homework and art projects, so if you’re trying to foster an environment where they can grow and prosper, it is important that you find ways in which your child’s creativity can flourish. Keep it Open Keep their rooms open when designing them because many times children will think outside the box more than adults would expect. Creativity can develop just about anywhere – however larger spaces help…
With the pandemic in full force, we haven’t really taken any family vacations – except for camping in our trailer. With teens, it’s pretty easy except for the bickering, but with toddlers first learning to camp, it can be tough! Spending time in nature is beneficial for kids on so many levels! It ensures a complete sensory experience and helps increase spatial awareness. There are plenty of activities for kids of all ages to do while camping, from exploring bugs, imitating owl sounds to nature art, rock sculptures. But, there are a few things to know before you…
Spring is here, and I don’t know about you, but we are spending more and more time outside working on our property! It’s time for pandemic-weary homeowners to ready yards and landscapes for backyarding. Yes, backyarding is a word – and one that we all need right now. The pandemic thrust us into a new reality, and the backyard has a starring role. With a year of limitations on where we go, how we gather, and who we connect with, yards and other managed landscapes became a safe haven. Backyarding became a way of…
We LOVE our family movie nights – it’s a great way for us to connect as a family! This is sweet treat movie night addition for those of you that have a sweet tooth. And the bonus is that it’s dairy-free, although it is certainly not SUGAR free! This is a SUPER easy and quick recipe. You start by melting two 8.8 oz bags of dairy free white chocolate chips and popping two bags of popcorn. While dairy free “milk” chocolate chips are becoming easier to find, the white chocolate chips can be challenging to find…
Since January we’ve been bombarded with ads urging us to slim down and “get your body in shape by summer.” “Lose weight by Memorial Day.” While some women manage to meet their weight loss goals in time to feel confident in their swimsuit, the majority of us don’t. While we can disguise unwanted pounds in heavy layers during winter, in summer there’s nowhere to hide when you’re invited to that pool side BBQ. Why should we have to hide? For me personally, this is a constant battle – I DO need to lose weight…
Halloween is one of my FAVORITE times of the year – I decorate almost as much for Halloween as I do for Christmas. This year, up your Halloween games with this easy (15 minutes!) and inexpensive wreath. You’ll need: 1 metal wreath frame 1 roll of natural burlap Purple Deco Tubing Ribbon Green Bendable Glitter Rope Ribbon Artificial Cobwebs Artificial Halloween colored flower (I went with black and white) Plastic Spiders Hot Glue Gun To Make It: Start by wrapping the burlap around the wreath frame. Secure it with hot glue and wrap until you meet your starting…
This is not how high school and college students (or anyone for that matter) imagined their 2020 summer would play out. Internships have been canceled, summer jobs are limited, and social distancing is making networking challenging as everyone works to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this summer may be non-traditional, there are still ways for students to build out their resumes as they prepare to apply for college and/or internships. Outlined below, you’ll find four tips from Eric Oldfield, father of two school-age daughters and Chief Business Officer of Brainly— the world’s…
I was sitting on the couch after a long day of working from home the other day, and Patrick and the girls and I were trying to answer the age old question about what to have for dinner. I honestly just couldn’t decide. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t want to decide. Turns out, that’s not so crazy! Judy Gaman is the CEO of Executive Medicine of Texas, and she has some tips below for dealing with decision fatigue. During this pandemic people have found themselves at home either more of…