admin, Author at 3 Kids and Us

Recharging Your Mom Batteries

November 20, 2017 by admin

From the moment you become a mom, it seems like your motor can never stop. It begins with midnight diapers and goes on to homework, soccer practice, band camp, and watching curfew. There is never time to slow down.

For the busy mom, it is important to figure out how to rebuild your stores of energy so that you can keep up with all the things your kids need you to do. That includes not just your physical energy but also your physical condition and your mental state. If you pay close attention to these, you’ll be able to maintain your Super Mom routine. If not, you’ll find yourself tired, frustrated, and irritable, and your family will suffer as well.

First, you’ll want to take care of your physical needs with your demanding schedule. As we age, things change with our bodies. Everything from our joints to our circulation isn’t what it used to be, so it is important to take care of those things. Therafirm offers a line of compression socks that does just that when you’re on the go, providing comfortable but stylish socks and stockings that will be easy on your body even as they make you look great.

Next, get some exercise. It may sound backwards to say that more activity creates more energy, but it’s true. In between all the commitments of school-age kids, find a time to load up and take a hike together. It can make an incredible difference in your mental state, and the exercise will help you lose weight, lower blood pressure, and feel more energetic for the rest of the day’s endeavors. As a bonus, it will help the kids go to bed earlier!

Speaking of sleeping, make sure that you get good rest too. Those hours are the times when you are least likely to be interrupted with the demands of parenting, so make the most of them. Invest in a good mattress will help you get the most hours of body-soothing sleep, helping you get up in the morning with the ability to pick up where the previous day left off. And as tempting as the bed may be for some catch-up time on social media, leave the screens alone until morning.

Another great strategy is to find a way to make a daily routine into something enjoyable. There is something about making those activities fun that takes the work out of doing work. Teach the kids how to do certain cleaning tasks, yard work, and even decoration, and then find a way to make a game of it. See if you can make a competition out of folding laundry or raking leaves. Not only will the kids help you get some work done, you will also have a different viewpoint on those daily needs that is a little more fun and a little less drudgery.

Finally, don’t forget to be an adult sometimes. We can get so caught up in all the essential activities of our kids that we neglect our adult lives. We lose touch with friends, costing us that adult interaction that we need. It is so important to come up for air once in a while, and you need adult time to do that.

Go out with friends. Go to a concert, a play, or a museum. Don’t go shopping; you’ll spend the whole time looking at things for your kids and you’ll miss the entire point.

Raising kids is a great responsibility. To keep up, we have to take care of our bodies and minds. Keep that perspective and you’ll find your stress levels will be lower and your happiness will be higher.

Do Your Children Love Playing Football? Check Some Useful Tips For Beginners!

November 19, 2017 by admin

If you have kids at home and they love playing football, this article will help you explain the football game as well as helping your kids to become a better player.

Every parent should encourage their kids to play sport because it will teach them a lot of skill (more on this later).

Whenever you just begin a new thing in your life it is easy to feel confused and lost. Not every person has learned to play football from the primary school when everything comes naturally. So, before you start, it is useful to learn a few tips out the field.

What is football?

Football or American football is a team game that combines physical activity and strategic thinking. The goal of football is to advance the ball up the field. It can be achieved by running and passing the ball. The players score a touchdown by crossing the ball into the end zone. Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States.

What is the history of football?

The roots of modern football can be found in a primitive game of rugby. It was played in America and other countries in the mid-nineteenth century. People liked this game so much, that started developing it, making the rules more complicated and interesting.

The Father of American Football is considered to be Walter Camp, who exchanged the traditional rugby scrum for a line of scrimmage in 1880. Two years later, in order to negate Yale and Princeton’s strategy to hold the ball without scoring, the four down system was introduced.

The following year the number of players was reduced to eleven, the seven-man offensive line with a quarterback, two halfbacks, and a full back was proposed. The first professional American football game took place in 1895, and in the early 1920s, the National Football League (NFL) was established. Now it is impossible to imagine the modern United States without football. It became not only a game but a whole symbol of a disciplined and energetic nation.

What are the basic football tips the beginner should know?

#1. A good football player must be fast and agile.

You can improve your agility by practicing with jumping rope, leaping over cones and running through tires.

#2. The lesser contact versions of Football are also available.

While Tackle Football is considered to be a professional sport and practiced by major professional leagues, there are a variety of other options, like flag football and touch football. They are more save and allow female teams to get engaged without fear to be injured.

#3. Football equipment or gear play important role in protecting the players during the game.

They include a helmet, shoulder pads, football pants, cleats, a mouth guard, and some other elements for extra protection. Choosing the football gear for the first time it is better to take a look at the famous brands, whose quality has been proved, like Under Armour, Nike, Epic Sports and others.

#4. When you lose, you don’t lose a lesson.

This tip is applicable to any sports, but it can be very difficult to understand to a newcomer. Every game is an experience that you learn, so with every single game, you only win to build a better, stronger and smarter version of yourself.

#5. It’s not about me, it’s about we

To succeed at playing football, you need to work as a team. You will need to develop leadership skills and other soft skills to help you and your team achieve your common goal. Team playing is a major key to success. You need to be able to motivate and encourage other team members and be an example.

4 Fun Stepping Stone Ideas For Your Family Friendly Garden

November 17, 2017 by admin

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Are you and your family planning a garden together? As you search for possible designs, think about including elements that add value to your kids. This could be an educational value or health value. Placing stepping stones throughout the garden gives you a great way to add an interesting design element. These three stepping stone ideas should get your gears turning!

1. Hopscotch

When you place stones in your garden, think about setting them in a way that gives your little ones a built-in hopscotch platform. You can use square or round rocks, embedded along the garden path and painted with bright numbers. Have them work towards the goal of reaching a water fountain in your garden which they can then toss a stone into as part of the game. This game will get your kids an excuse to play in the garden, and actively move around. Jumping has proven benefits to the lymphatic system.

2. Alphabet Stones

Place a winding path through your garden with the letters of the alphabet written on them. This is perfect for families with kids who are just learning to enjoy the magic that the alphabet has to offer. Your garden will become an interactive learning zone.

3. New Numbers Every Day

Use slate stepping stones, and keep the chalk handy. When you go out to the garden, you can draw numbers on the slate stones. You could also encourage your children to mark down the new numbers each day.

When you make playing with numbers into a game, rather than “work” children are more likely to find math enjoyable. Try writing simple arithmetic problems out on the stepping stones. On three four blank slates you could mark out “2+3 =”, and leave the fifth stone blank. This might become a fun, math related game for the family.

4. Playful Logs

If you have a source of wood around the house, try cutting disks from complete logs. Paint each piece with a bright, primary color. Place these above a pathway made of pebbles or small stones. These fun and playful stepping stones encourage kids to learn the colors. Children love jumping from one object to the next, and this gives them a safe place to play.

Many backyard gardens include intentional paths. This is because you don’t want to be stepping on your plants, yet you want to enjoy the environment you have created. Use your pathways in a way that is fun and exciting for the whole family. Create a hopscotch court, an alphabet trail, or a perfect place to write numbers and make math problems. Each design adds value to your family.

Getting Fit With Your Kids

November 10, 2017 by admin

Staying in shape is so important to a healthy life, and yet sometimes – more times than we’d like to admit – working out and exercising takes second priority. Everyone works so hard, hours are long, and downtime is precious. That’s why, when we want to spend time with our families, we don’t want to forsake them for the gym. What if you could do both, though? What if you could get fit and healthy and spend time with the kids? What if the kids benefitted too? Now wouldn’t that be awesome? Well, here are some ideas on how to do exactly that.

Get Outdoors

Getting fit and healthy doesn’t necessarily mean lifting weights or going for a run. You can take it pretty easy and still get some goodness into you. Going for a walk when you would have normally taken the car is a great start. Children spend a lot of time strapped into car seats, chugging along the road. Try something different and go exploring in your local neighborhood, or head out to the park and run around.

Join A Kid-Friendly Gym

If you do want to join a gym, do your research before picking the one that’s closest, or has the best deals. They might not be the best ones in the long term. There are gyms that are family friendly, and these are the ones you want to look out for. These gyms will have family days, with activities for everyone, or they might have kids’ classes which they can enjoy while you work out – afterwards, you can meet up for a healthy meal, and a debrief on how your various classes went! This is perfect for having a little bit of ‘me time’, which is something we all sometimes need. If you want complete solitude at the gym, don’t forget to find the best wireless headphones for working out so you can really enjoy it.

Another selling point can be whether the gym has a swimming pool – not only can this provide swimming lessons for younging children, but it’s also a great way to keep the whole family in check without it seeming like exercise!

Sports Night

For super busy moms and dads, organising a weekly sports night could be the answer to getting fit and spending time with your kids at the same time. It could be anything; you could even pick a new sport each week if that’s what you’re into. For the more competitive families you can tally up the scores and the monthly winner can get a prize. For those who prefer the taking part to the results, just go ahead and have fun. Swimming, tennis, soccer, baseball… there are dozens of sports to choose from, and all of them will make you feel healthier.

Around The House

You don’t even have to leave the house to get fit. Does the yard need tidying? Spend an hour out there with the kids and get it looking good. Working hard sweeping leaves or picking weeds is still exercise, even if it’s not a sport or a gym class. Washing cars, cleaning windows, walking the dog (okay, that one requires leaving the house, but you get the idea), anything and everything that means moving about is good. There will be a huge sense of achievement when the jobs are done, at which point you can reward yourself – and the kids – with a movie, a video game, or whatever else makes you all happy.

Tips For Mastering The Art Of Parenting

November 9, 2017 by admin

Most moms and dads strive to be good parents. That doesn’t mean all will succeed or that it’ll be a smooth ride. Remember the positives and focus on what keeps you going each day. What matters is that you hang in there and do your best.

The more effort and energy you put toward being a stand-up parent, the better you’ll feel about how you did, no matter the outcome. It’s not an easy job, and you’re going to face many challenges, so be careful about letting your guard down. Educate yourself and remain level-headed to give yourself a fighting chance. See tips for mastering the art of parenting.

Manage your Own Stress

It’s hard to be there for your children when you’re not taking care of yourself. Your health matters and the better you feel, the better equipped you are to attend to the needs of others. When you’re stressed out, you tend to yell more, make rash decisions and not have much energy for what truly matters in life. Exercise, eat right and get a proper amount of sleep each night. Schedule time for yourself and self-care activities that make you feel refreshed and joyful.

Teach, Demonstrate & Delegate

It’s easy to tell your kids what to do, but that doesn’t help them learn as quickly. Practice teaching, demonstrating and delegating tasks so that they can take on the responsibility themselves. For example, put your kids in charge of helping out with the family dog. Go over bathing, food and exercise requirements, so they know what to do when it’s their turn. Also, explain to them that it’s necessary to apply Advecta to prevent pests from clinging to your dog and being brought in the house. Understanding the health risks associated with fleas is very important in order to ensure that your dog or cat is safe all season long. The mission of the product is to keep your pet healthy by providing a fast-acting and long-lasting solutions to treat and protect your pet from fleas, flea eggs and larvae and chewing lice.

Take Charge

As a parent, you have to learn to say no and say it like you mean it. It’s important to tell and show your kids who is boss, so they don’t try to walk all over you. Be assertive and direct in your delivery and interactions. If you let them sweet talk you once, then you risk it becoming a habit. You’re the adult and one who should be calling the shots based on your opinion, even if your children don’t agree with you. Ultimately, you’re doing it out of love to protect them from harm and guide them to make better decisions.

Ask for Help

You aren’t expected to do it all alone. Whether you’re a single parent or have a spouse, every parent has a breaking point. Reach out and ask family members or friends if they’re available to help you out when you need it. Find a babysitter you trust and who you can call on when you’re in a tight spot. Organize a carpool in your neighborhood and switch phone numbers with other mothers in the area in case any of you needs assistance. The point is that you can’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help when you need it.

Be Patient

It’s critical you build patience as a parent. Kids are unpredictable and oftentimes a handful, so be prepared to have your tolerance tested. Remember that they’re children, and they all learn at a different pace. Your kids are going to make mistakes, and it’s your job to help them see what they did wrong and learn from it, so they don’t repeat the same mishap in the future. Have a ritual each morning that helps ground you for the day and get your mindset right to handle whatever may come your way.

Listen & Communicate Clearly

Master the art of parenting by being a good listener and not jumping to conclusions. Hear your children out and let them explain to you what they’re thinking and feeling. Practice communicating clearly back and forth when you have their attention, and you’re talking one-on-one. Repeat back to them what you hear and make sure you understand them correctly. Encourage your children to come to you with their problems and explain what’s going on, instead of bottling up their emotions. Prove to them you’re a good listener when they choose to come to you and open up.

Spend Quality Time Together

Don’t be afraid to have fun with your kids. Laugh, be silly and let loose as a family once in a while. This is a great way to destress and strengthen your group bond. Schedule family game nights, bike rides or dinners where you can all reconnect. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to let quality time slide when you don’t put it on the calendar as a regular occurrence. Use it as a time to have fun, talk about a serious issue or simply be together on the couch watching a movie. Be flexible and avoid forcing conversations that will only create conflict. Table it for a different night where you can discuss in private.

Don’t Give Up

Parenting is a full-time job that will take up a lot of your energy and always keep you on your toes. Whatever you do, don’t give up or stop trying. Keep all of the good times in the back of your mind and tackle each hurdle one at a time. Be open to hearing suggestions from other parents and trying different approaches, based on what’s working and what’s not. Walk away for a few minutes if you need to, but come back ready to face reality with a smile on your face.

Conclusion

Being a parent is rewarding, and it comes with many obstacles. Use these suggestions for helping you to keep a level-head and have a positive experience as a parent. These are tips for mastering the art of parenting.