Book Review: How To Raise Emotionally Healthy Children

Asking a child to define the word feelings can mean many different things to different children depending on their family dynamic. I want to focus on the experience of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual" are just a few of the ways we use the feelings to describe our emotions. 


As a writing teacher, I always tell my 4th grade students to show me what your feelings look like, don't just tell me. Sometimes we need to remind parents of this too. The book, How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children written by Gerald Newmark, Ph.D. provides both parents, teachers and care givers with the essential tools to enhance the lives of everyone. 


Now, I'm not just a teacher to sixty 4th grader students, I'm also a teacher and a mother to an almost 1 year old little boy... 


"Being a parent is one of the greatest joys that one can experience in life, but also one of the most difficult and anxiety-provoking responsibilities any of us will ever have. It is among the most important, challenging and complex tasks a human being has in a lifetime, yet we come to it almost totally unprepared, with little or no training. It is also apparent that once one is a parent, one is a parent forever, and frequently it doesn't get easier over time."


I found myself highlighting and bookmarking so many pages of this book as everyday reminders of the parent and teacher I strive to be. With the everyday hustle and bustle of life, sometimes we ALL need to stop, take a deep breathe and remember that everyone, no matter the age all need to feel respected, important, accepted, included and secure. This book is a guide to help meet those five critical needs of children... and parents too. I recommend this easy and practical book to anyone who has interactions with kids. This is the type of book that can change our world, one reader at at a time. 

Want to WIN a FREE signed copy of the book? It's easy! 

Just follow both  Wonder Mommy and The Children's Project - How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Children!! 

Upcycled Butterfly- Flying 'Round

Bradley and I have Mommy and Me every Wednesday and Thursday on a preschool campus. I always love watching Bradley's facial expressions and sounds that he makes while we travel through the hallways and see all the "big" kids learning.

Today something especially beautiful caught my eye that I had to snap a pic of and share with all of you. From a distance it looked like a huge mosaic, but when I walked up closer and realized what it was, I loved it even more. It was a colorful butterfly (cut from a piece of scrap plywood) made out of round plastic recycled caps of all kinds.


I had so many different teachable moments fluttering through my head... This is definitely a great idea to do with kids of any age. Whether it be in school or at home, kids can take so much from this fun and creative activity. The best part is, when your masterpiece is finished, you can hang it up outside as wall art.

Life Cycle of a Butterfly
Earth Day
Grow a Butterfly Garden

Recycling
Upcycling

Counting

Sorting Colors

Sorting Size

Symmetry 

Patterns 

Textures 

The list can go and on... 

Please leave a COMMENT and SHARE with everyone any other ideas you can think of! 

Please link up your Earth Day ideas to help make our families Eco Friendly Everyday!

Here's a list of all the participating blogs:

Hosts: Mommy Labs, Greening Sam and Avery

Teach Preschool | Ready.Set.Read | Living at the Whitehead’s Zoo | The Outlaw Mom Blog | Rainy Day Mum |The Golden Gleam | Inspiration Laboratories | Nurture Store | Experimenting Mom | Kids Stuff World | Artsy Craftsy Mom | Creativity My Passion | Imagination Soup | Caution! Twins at play |Rockabye Butterfly | Explore Education | Getting Messy with Miss Jessy | Daria Music | Mama Smiles |Let’s Lasso the Moon | Reading Confetti | The Educators’ Spin On It | Kitchen Counter Chronicles | De tout et de rien | Our Feminist Playschool |The Wise Owl Factory Book a Day | Mommy and Me Book Club | Dirt and Boogers | Carrots Are Orange | Putti Prapancha | Toddler Approved | Imprints from Tricia | Smiling like Sunshine |

Product Review: The JuJu Band

Do you remember the feeling of bringing home your baby from the hospital? It was the most surreal and exhilarating feeling in the world. As many of us were anxious to embark on this new journey of parenthood, it also came with lots of nerves. I remember calling my pediatrician almost everyday that first week home with my son. I would always have my list question on hand and ready to take notes.  Why was he so fussy at the same time everyday? Or when was his umbilical cord suppose to fall off, was I caring for it correctly? These were just a few of my many questions... Well, the JuJu Band is a new product to help alleviate some of those stressors. 

Julio Guerra  President of JuJu Concepts LLC and Julie Acevedo, Co- Founder of JuJu Concepts LLC  are believers that long-time family traditions like the baby belly binding should be passed down and shared with all, especially since they are not well understood by many cultures. This lead them to creating the JuJuBand. The JuJu Band is primarily used for the protection of the navel when the newborn arrives home from the hospital. The binder is loosely wrapped around the child so that the stump remains clean and dry. Diapers can sometimes be irritating to the baby’s stump.  When the stump falls off then the binder has done its job.  The infant belly binder also helps relieve colic and soothe fussy babies. The snug fit calms and comforts even the most finicky infants. For more information visit http://jujuband.com. In addition to the JuJu Band binder, they have a wide selection of beautiful matching bibs, blankets and comforters made from 100% cotton. Great gift sets also available.  

Like Both JuJu Band and Wonder Mommy on Facebook for your change to WIN a FREE JuJuBand! 

Meet Guest Blogger Gina with The Tres Amigos Playgroup

Each month the Tres Amigos play group gets together for a time of laughs, crafts, food and LOVE, so it only seemed fit that for the month of February I would do a Valentine's Day themed playdate!!! I absolutely ADORE the following quote..."Friends Uplift the Soul" Ahhh...how true is that? Stop and think about it, where would we be without the patience, respect and love of our friends? No matter how old you are (6 months old, 10 years old or 50 years old), you always NEED friends! This playdate was extra special because baby Peyton was in town visiting. 

 

With that said, I wanted to make February's playgroup one to remember centered around both the kids and mommies!!! The mommies enjoyed bagels with all of the fixings, a yogurt parfait bar, 3 different types of muffins (chocolate, strawberry and blueberry), along with cheese (cut into the shapes of hearts from a cookie cutter) and crackers. Oh and who could forget the strawberry fruit dip with fresh fruit? Can we say YUM??? I set up my island with all of the gnash surrounded by hearts of all sizes made out of construction paper. While the mommies enjoyed their spread, the kiddos enjoyed some fresh milk in their bottles along with some good ole organic puffs. They were in HEAVEN! HEEHEE! 

  

After our bellies were full, we moved onto the craft table where the table was set with a red tablecloth, crafts and over sized Hershey kisses made out of rice crispie treats (came from Pinterest). Each kid made a Valentine's Day picture frame, complete with a picture of themselves! They also made "Love Goggles"....super cute idea (Thank you Happyhomefairy.com for the idea). These were created with cut outs of hearts that were laminated. You then hole punch a hole on each side of the hearts, thread some pipecleaner through an viola...you made LOVE goggles. Unfortunately, our very active kids were not fans of keeping them on, so the moms sported the goggles. 

   

Our party was finished with each kid passing out Valentine cards that they made for their friends. It was a great day full of love, laughs and memories for years to come! 


xoxo Gina 

Meet Guest Blogger Jessica with the Tres Amigos Playgroup

The Tres Amigos playdate at my house was themed SNOWFLAKES because of the holiday time of year. We all celebrate a different holiday and I wanted a united theme so we can all celebrate together. Snowflakes are fun, sparkly and every single one is different and unique, just like our boys. 

We decorated cookies shaped as snowflakes from cookie cutters that I found. We used blue and white icing as well as silver sprinkles..they were yummy in my tummy! 

 

We also made snowflake mobiles with glitter, glue and colored cotton balls from Michael's and The Dollar Store. The boys loved to touch the different textures.

 

When it came time for lunch of course the theme had to be carried through, everything was white and blue. We even had tortillas cut into snowflakes that we used for our chicken and white cheese quesadillas. 

I always look forward to our Tres Amigos playdates. Everyone is so creative with their themed get togethers. Its amazing to watch our children grow and I love spending time with great friends! Love you girls!!! Until next time... can't wait!

 xoxo Jessica 

The Story Behind The Tres Amigos Playgroup

Finding out that I was pregnant was the most exciting thing to ever happen to my husband and I. Sharing this exciting news with my family and friends was just as thrilling.  

As my pregnancy journey continued, one by one my phone would ring with news that yet another one of my friends was pregnant too. Little did I know, two of my childhood friends would both be having boys too.  At some point in our pregnancies we made a pact to always find a way to get together, catch up and of course watch our 3 boys grow up. Although we all lived in different cities, had completely different schedules and have formed different friendships, we knew we would always share a bond with our 3 boys and they would forever be 'The Tres Amigos.' 

And so... our playgroup begins at mi casa...

The theme I choose was based on one of my new favorite books I've been reading to Bradley titled, Apple Park: The Picnic Pals Book No. 1; which is all about Picnic Pals going on an adventure teaching children about the environment, living a healthy lifestyle and the value of friendship. As an elementary school teacher, the wheels started turning on the many ways to make teaching moments with the positive message this book sent. 


This was also right around the time I started to fall in love with Pinterest, which is where I found tons of ideas for my theme.  Between crafts, food and decor, I had the vision of what I wanted in my head and I got right to work on planning the first of many Tres Amigos playgroups. 

Activity 1: Apple Tree Handprints

You will need:

white cardstock paper

red washable ink pad

green washable ink pad

Wipes to clean baby's hands

colored pencils/markers/crayons

Activity 2: Sensory Bottles (tons of variations to this idea)

You will need:

clear empty plastic bottles

hot glue gun

assortment of items ex: beads, glitter, sea shells, etc 

water

Fun with Food: 

1. Inspired from Apple Park: The Picnic Pals Book No.1- quackers, bananas, honey and carrots 

2. Watermelon and Feta Salad

3. Froggy Apples

4. Ants on a Log

5. Dirt Cups

6. Honeycomb Cereal

7. Sunflower Shaped Cheese and Grapes

8. Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries 

9. Lemon Lime Ice Cubes

1. 2.  3.                              4. 5.6.

7. 8.9.

Stay tuned for guest bloggers Jessica and Gina as they share details and pictures about their Tres Amigos Themed Playgroup. 

I often wonder who has more fun the mommies or the babies?

Superhero Momtrepreneur of the Day #4

Superhero Momtrepreneur #4- Heather Fitzpatrick with The Day I Saw a Dragonfly

>!<   >!<  >!<

They always say that kids could say the darndest things... well, for Heather Fitzpatrick, mother of two girls now ages 11 and 12, this is true. 

After the death of Heather’s father, she and her girls, then 4 and 5, went for an afternoon stroll. They never realized that this walk would lead to the path of her future, just by spotting a dragonfly on their journey. "Mommy, why do dragon flies have 4 wings?" Her older daughter asked. Heather explained, "legend has it that dragonflies were given an extra set of wings so that angels could ride on their back, smaller than small, yet whenever you see a winged masterpiece, you can be certain that an angel has come down from heaven to visit you." They were sure to believe that the angel was their grandfather. 

At that point, a light bulb went off and the idea for her first book came... She and the girls raced home so she can jot down the ideas for the story.  As Heather carries on her father’s dream to be a published writer and a family tradition of storytelling, The Day I Saw a Dragonfly took off flying. 

The Day I Saw a Dragonfly is a children’s tale that makes letting go a little easier. It is a heartwarming story for both the young and the old to help them deal with losing a loved one. The story is written in the perspective of a child; her daughter. She showed such empathy at a time when she needed it the most. Understanding what happens to a person or a pet after death is very hard to explain to young children. This story aids in that process. You will never look at a dragonfly the same way again! 

Heather, proud mother of two daughters, lives in Warrenton, Virginia with her husband. She dedicates this work to her father, John Doran, her mother, Deborah Doran, and the other inspiring souls she has loved and lost along the way. 

ENTER to WIN a FREE personalized autographed book from the author, Heather Fitzpatrick. 

Follow these 3 easy steps:

1) "Like" both The Day I Saw a Dragonfly and  Wonder Mommy on Facebook.

2) Click, "follow" on Wonder Mommy's Blog

3) Make a comment below this post letting us know if their is something you feel most connected to when you think of someone who has passed and share your touching story with us. 

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‎"I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside." -- Whitney Houston

Superhero Momtrepreneur of the Day #3

Superhero Momtrepreneur #3- Jessica Greenshner with My Hungry Caterpillar



Since Jessica had her son in May of 2011 she has been surrounded by tons of baby products and items. Like many new moms, she was looking for affordable, 100% cotton, ultra absorbent items and felt that their was a void in this particular baby industry. 


After ordering a sewing machine in mid October, she hit the ground running making fun items for her adorable hungry caterpillar son, Blake. From burp clothes, stroller liners, hooded towels, taggie blankets and more, these hot items started to catch on with other moms in her Mommy and Me classes. 


This led her to her small business venture to spread its wings and fly. From cutting, sewing and shopping for fabrics she has created an adorable line of handmade boys and girls children's items that are now for sale at her etsy shop. Check it out now!!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyHungryCaterpi...

Make sure to like both  My Hungry Caterpillar and Wonder Mommy for the next 

FREE GIVEAWAY!!!!