Guilt is a common emotion that can be uncomfortable to deal with. It can also make you less productive both at home and at work. Here are some ways that you can deal with working mommy guilt if you’re facing this problem.

• Set your priorities to what works for you and your family.  Say for example, your child has an important activity that you’d like to attend and your boss asks you to stay late, don’t be afraid to tell them “no” if this is a top priority for you.  It may help to discuss with your boss early on what is and isn’t suitable for you both this way there are no surprises for anyone involved.
• Write down the reasons why you work outside of the home. You may need to work to help keep your home, you may love your job, or you may have started working when your children all started school. If your reasons for working have changed, don’t be afraid to make changes to your schedule or stop working altogether.
• Realize that you’re not Superwoman. It’s impractical to think that you can continue to do all of the things you did before you began working outside of the home as well as take care of your home. Working too hard will only result in your becoming burned out. Delegate what you can and then do what is left.
• Give yourself a break. Your house doesn’t have to be spotless. Reduce your standards a little bit and you’ll be able to breathe a little easier.
• Take care of yourself. This may seem like a strange statement when you already feel guilty, but if you don’t take care of yourself you can’t take care of others or do the things you need to do.
• When you start to feel guilty, look at your circumstances and identify what the real problem is. What is it that’s causing you to feel guilty? After you’ve identified the problem you can decide how to best handle it.

If you’re beginning to feel guilty about the amount of time you’re spending away from your children, try to fit in some quality time together.  Quality time is more important than simply spending lots of time together.  And you don’t have to do anything fancy either, your children may simply want to snuggle and read books all day – keep in mind that sometimes quality time is more important than the quantity of time you spend together.  We all struggle with mommy guilt from time to time but ultimately you want the best for your children and keeping this in mind will help you positively deal with this guilt.

Plan ahead.  To avoid a rush, gather all of the party supplies a week in advance.  Let everyone brainstorm ideas until the big shopping day arrives.  With list in hand, find games and items for everyone.

Dress each guest to celebrate at the party.  For the girls, give them a candy necklace.  Once the party is over, she can nibble at her necklace for a sweet treat.  For the boys, try candy whistles.  It’ll be the most delicious sound they’ve ever made.

Start with some games.  How about a game of hearts for the card players in the group?  Go online and Google card games to find a simple version of the game for kids and adults to play at parties.
Word games are fun at a party.  Using the words, Happy Valentine’s Day, give kids two or three minutes to write down as many words as they can using those letters.  The one with the most words wins a prize.

Prizes for games can be as simple as paper hearts that function as coupons.  For example, create a coupon that can be traded in for a day with no chores or a five dollar gift from the store.  The more prizes a person wins, the more coupons they can cash in.  If you have invited people outside the family, have a separate prize basket with small prizes like teddy bears and candy.

Teach a craft.  Kids love to make things so give them an opportunity to learn something new.  Since spring comes right on the heels of winter, show them how to plant seeds in a flower pot.  They can start their own herb garden that will grow indoors.  Decorate the pots with hearts so kids will always remember the fun they had on Valentine’s Day.

If the weather is nice, the kids can take turns whacking a Valentine’s Day piñata.  The piñata can be a cupid, a heart, or something else related to Valentine’s Day.  Each child gets three chances to bust it open.  After that, the older party guests get a crack at it.

Even if it is just the family, a Valentine’s Day party can bring lots of laughs and quality together time.  Encourage old and young alike to participate for the most fun.

Why Do We Celebrate On The 4th Of July?

The 4th of July has been an important holiday but today, more and more people do not know why we actually celebrate this day. If you are not up to date on your history of the United States, July 4th, 1776 is the day that the colonies decided to declare themselves independent of Britain. By writing a very detailed decree, they decided that they no longer would need to be governed by the Kings of England that had been so very unjust to the colonists in the years before. On July 4th, America was born. We call the 4th of July Independence Day because this day was the day they declared independence from Great Britain.

Today, we celebrate the fact that we are a free nation that is no under the rule of another. But, there is more to the celebration of independence than just the fact that this is the birthday of the United States. In fact, there are many goals and ideas that are represented in this celebration that until this day we fight for and protect around the world.

The Declaration of Independence, the actual decree in which was signed the independence of the United States, stands as a symbol for all of the things that we, as Americans, believe in. What are the symbols that it stands for?

The right to live with the freedoms of religion, without persecution and with the ability to think and do for yourself.

The courage it takes to protect freedom. It took the individuals that signed the Declaration a great deal of courage to do so as they could have been hung for treason. We use this symbol as a means to remind us that courage is often needed in times when our freedoms are threatened.

A symbol that people can live in a country that is governed by its people and that every person in that country is a very important person for its well being.

We celebrate the 4th of July for a number of reasons. We talk about how the United States of America was born and how many have died for that to happen. We celebrate the fact that we, as a nation, want all people to be free. And, we realize that without the courage and bravery of all those that came before us, we would not have the freedoms that we hold so very dear to us.
Additional Resource:
Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Advice and Tips From Moms & Dads Like You.

Nicola always enjoys celebrating Independence Day. She can help you salute Old Glory in style with 4th of July party tips and news, information and views at independence-day.your-holiday

The tradition of Halloween goes back to an ancient Celtic custom. As far back as the 5th century B.C. Celtic tribes in Ireland believed that the spirits of the dead were allowed to come back to earth once a year on
October 31st. The Celtic New Year began on November 1st and the belief was that, on the night before the border between the world of the living and that of the dead became blurred. The spirits of the dead would then be able to cross over for this one night into the world of the living.

People were afraid of what the spirits may do to them, so they started to
dress up to disguise themselves. They would roam the streets in these
disguises trying to fool the spirits into believing that they weren’t living
beings. Of course the costumes weren’t nearly as elaborate as they are
today, and were usually scary costumes. People would wear rags and smear
ashes on their faces to disguise themselves and keep the spirits of the dead
away.

The tradition of Halloween came to the United States in 1840, with the
arrival of a group of Irish immigrants. From there it slowly evolved into
our modern day version of Halloween, with kids dressing up as Dora the
Explorer T and Power Rangers T, pretending to be their favorite TV
characters.

While the spirit of Halloween and the meaning behind it have changed over
the centuries, it is still a holiday that allows us to pretend to be someone
else, by dressing down in rags and blackening our face to hide it, or by
wearing a fancy costume with a mask, or using face paint to disguise our
appearance.

Additional Resource:

Homemade Halloween Costumes
Would you like to quickly make creative Halloween costumes that you and your children will be proud of — for a fraction of the price of store-bought?

Don’t forget to take lots of picture and have them developed through Snapfish. Sign-up and get your first roll of film developed for FREE! Plus, your photos are placed online for FREE to share with family & friends.

Empty nesters go through a dilemma when their children suddenly are gone. Even if the transition has taken many years to complete, suddenly they are alone. It’s time to redefine their life and who they are now. Maybe take up new hobbies they never had time for; reconnect with old friends or even make that big decision to move to a smaller house.

Whatever they are doing and however they are resolving the internal issues, it always comes back to family. Your mind is free to wonder and suddenly you are back in your child’s soccer years; or those hours spent at the ballet studio; or the hours you spent chauffeuring them to all the different activities, or the times you couldn’t make specific events because you had to work..

Then the questions start popping up; did you do enough; were you too busy; did they know how much you loved them back then? And then suddenly, after all the self doubting, living through memories you did not want to relive, you find you are going to become grandparent! Ah…this is why you have had all the memories. It’s time to pass them on to the next generation.

Now is the perfect time to tell your stories to your new grandchild. Search on the Internet, cruise your local book store and invest in a journal that best suits your needs. You’ll find hardbound, quilted, paperback and even software applications you can use on your computer. Some are made especially for recording grandparent memories.

Now all you have to worry about is how much you can fit into the journal before you decide it’s too much. Why not make the decision to create a keepsake journal for each grandchild that arrives so they each have their own grandparent journal? This way, they’ll all know how special they are and how giving you are to have shared your thoughts, feelings and your life stories with them.

We recommend:
Dine Without Whine
The family friendly menu mailer – Dinner recipes that you and your kids will love send to your inbox everyday. Christine will even create a grocery list for you. Fixing dinner every night couldn’t be easier. Give it a try!

With Valentine’s Day approaching, you’ve decided to cook up something special for your spouse or partner. Creating a special dinner for your valentine can be achieved in the following way.

Decide on what type of dinner you are going to prepare. In other words, make up your Valentine dinner menu. His or her favorite dish is a great place to start. Set the mood by setting a table for two with a red plastic tablecloth under a white lace cloth. Or just use a pretty linen table cloth. Have red and white candles in the center, or a bouquet of red roses as a center piece. Take out your best china, as well as red napkins.

Choose a main dish that you can prepare ahead of time, so you can enjoy the evening. Prepare a simple dessert like cheesecake with a strawberry topping, or melt some dark chocolate in a fondue pot and dip assorted fruit in it. Open a bottle of red wine and your special Valentine’s Day dinner is ready.

Now it’s time to get dressed up. After all, this is a special occasion, so pick something pretty to wear and do your hair and makeup. Perhaps you bought a special dress for the occasion, or pick one of your old-time favorites. Great! Now just before your spouse or loved one comes home, light the candles; lower the lights, and play your favorite romantic music. Pour some of the red wine, and your romantic evening is about to begin.

The Valentine dinner menu doesn’t have to be fancy. Something simple will be appreciated. This is more about spending special alone time together than anything else. It is a time to rekindle the romance; remind each other how much you love each other; and live in the moment. You don’t need ambience to express how you feel. Just being with each other is enough. But, just in case you do intend to go all out; then by all means enjoy every bit of it. Remember, it’s the little pleasures in life that mean the most. “A rose by any other name, is still a rose.”

We recommend:
Dine Without Whine
The family friendly menu mailer – Dinner recipes that you and your kids will love send to your inbox everyday. Christine will even create a grocery list for you. Fixing dinner every night couldn’t be easier. Give it a try!

10 Stress Free Tips to Pamper Mom This Mothers Day

Mothers Day is the day we set aside each year to show appreciation to our own mother and to the mothers in our lives that we love. Traditionally Mothers Day is the big “Flowers and Chocolate” day. While most moms do enjoy lovely flowers and chocolate, below are some ways that we can pamper mom with gifts and activities that she will remember for years to come.

1. Give Her a Massage

Treat mom to a relaxing massage. Besides just feeling good massage offers many benefits to your body such as reducing stress and anxiety, improves circulation, relieves general body tension and muscle stiffness, improves muscle tone, removes toxins from the muscles, improves flexibility in muscles and joints, improves the immune system, promotes healthy skin and much more. (Editor’s Note: Find out more about massage)

2. Spa Gift Basket

Mom will love a gift basket filled with an assortment of stress relieving goodies to pamper herself on Mothers Day or anytime she needs to relax. Some ideas of what you can include in her Spa Basket are scented bath gel, bath salts, body lotions, candles, eye pillow, bath pillow and bath brush.

3. Journal/Scrapbook

Moms love to record special events, especially those events that include special moments with their children. A journal is a great affordable gift where she can record her special thoughts and memories. You can take it a step further by giving her a scrapbook where she can also add pictures, fun borders, scrapbook embellishments and more to her written thoughts. This gift can last forever!

4. Candles

Scented Candles are a really affordable and practical gift that any mom will love. Candles provide a relaxing mood and can help her to de-stress by providing memories of special events. A baby scented candle can remind her of when she first held you. A peppermint scented candle can bring back memories of Christmas you spent together. Candles come in many shapes, sizes and scents so you are sure to find one to remind mom of a special time you both shared together. Once you find a scent mom likes add a little note to the gift card of what special time you spent together the scent you chose represents.

5. Facial

Moms love to be pampered and a facial is a wonderful relaxing way to do it. You can treat her to a spa for a facial by a licensed practitioner or you can give her a facial gift basket filled with skin care products according to her skin type for her to do at home at her leisure. (Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to check out our homemade spa recipes)

6. Clean House

Treat mom to a “Clean House Day” where you clean her house from top to bottom while she spends her day relaxing and enjoying herself doing whatever it is she likes to do.

7. Mommy and Me Day

Mommy and Me days are not just for mom and little ones anymore. You and mom can spend the day doing whatever is relaxing and enjoyable to you both. Having lunch or dinner together, watching a movie, going to the spa for massages and facials together, whatever she would like to do. The point is to give her the gift of knowing that you love her and enjoy spending quality time with her.

8. Send Her on a Date

Sometimes mom just needs a little time to get away from the everyday chores in life like cooking and cleaning the house. Send her on a date with dad to their favorite restaurant.

9. Yoga

Give the gift of good health to your mom this Mothers Day with a membership to a Yoga class. Yoga is great for relaxation and flexibility as well as being a fun way to get fit and stay fit.

10. Give Her a Hug and Tell Her That You Love Her

This tip is sometimes the most overlooked! We all love our moms but sometimes as we get older and get busy with our own lives we take mom for granted and forget the gift that is most important to her- US! Spend quality time with mom. Give her a big hug and tell her that you love and appreciate her. It’s a free gift and one that mom will love most off all.
Erica Brooks is Owner of Stress Away Family Shop which includes Stress Away Bath Shop and Stress Away Bridal Shop. She specializes in offering products, tips and resources to help you to combat the everyday stresses of life. You can reach her at stressawayfamilyshop.com and stressawaybathshop.com or via e-mail at service@stressawaybathshop.com

As parents we are responsible for making sure that our kids have great experiences. During the school year the school teachers enrich their lives through mental stimulation and activities. The issue for many parents is the summer time. The children are out of school and have all of heir days free. The issue is that most parents do not have the time off from work and must be out of the home for the majority of the day. The greatest way to combat your children being left alone to be babied by the television and the video games is to send them to summer camp. Summer camps are a good thing for the children and the parents alike. The parents are able to go to work without having to worry about their children being stuck at home getting dumber by the minute and children do not have to worry about being bored to tears and watching the same talk shows every day.

There are all types of children in the world. Some children enjoy sports and others enjoy crafts and others enjoy totally different things. The summer camps that are available to choose from are just as diverse as the children that attend them. For the kids that love sports there are sports specialty summer camps. When I was a child one of the camps that I went to was soccer camp. I spent the whole day everyday playing the game that I loved. My brother on the other hand loved hockey so when summer camp time rolled around he went to a hockey camp. My other brother loved music and playing instruments. Every year he attended a musical camp. We are just one example of how summer camps can bend to fit all types of children in all walks of life.

Summer camps teach children some very valuable skills in addition to the sports and the like. Children learn to adapt to an environment that is unusual for them. They are used to their teachers and the fellow students that they have grown up with and they are familiar with the rules they deal with day in and day out. Going to a summer camp with new adults and new kids allows them to see how the world changes and how they must adjust their behavior and line of thinking to fit it to their new surroundings.

Summer camp is a valuable experience on many accounts. If you are a parent and are considering letting you child stay home and do nothing over the summer consider letting them know about summer camp. You may find that your child is ready and willing to learn and experience new things at the summer camp of their choice.

For more information about Summer Camp or to check into Teen Summercamps or Traditional Summercamps.

Giving Thanks Placemats
The goal of this craft is to create a collage filled with drawings and pictures of all the things your children are thankful for. Cut photos from magazines, or print some photos from your computer. Older children can write captions under the photos or draw their own. Be sure to put the child’s name and the year on it.

If you make this collage from two standard letter size pieces of construction paper taped side-by-side, you can take the completed collage to a copy shop when you’re done and have it laminated. It then becomes a placemat that you can use every Thanksgiving for years to come.

Thankful Paper Chain
Another way to remind your children of their blessings is to create a paper chain. This is similar to a regular paper chain – where you cut strips of paper and connect them together as loops, but there’s one difference. You write on the strips of paper before you connect them. Write the things you are thankful for with your children. For instance, “Grandma plays games with me” or “My teacher is nice.” The fun part of this activity is to make the chain as long as possible – showing all your blessings. If you’d like to keep this up during Christmas, just use green and white paper.

Thanksgiving Tree
This is another take on the idea above and works really well if you have several kids in the family. Get each child to trace their hand on yellow, red, or brown construction paper. Cut out the hand shapes and write (or have the child write) what they are thankful for on the hand shape. Cut a tree trunk shape out of brown construction paper. Glue it on a large piece of poster board. Let the kids add their hand shapes as leaves above the tree trunk, turning it into a beautiful fall colored tree.

Thankful Book
This idea is similar to the others, except it’s more of a keepsake. Purchase a photo album or scrapbook kit and make a “blessings” theme. Add photos of loved ones, including stories about why they are special to you. Also, include pages of your favorite foods, favorite stories, favorite movies and all the other things that make you happy. Any time your kids feel down, you can open your blessing book to see all the reasons you have to be happy – and thankful for the blessings in your life.

Every Mom wants to take great photos of their babies and toddlers. We all want professional looking photos for our children without paying a fortune! This better baby photo article will help you take the best photos you can and you don’t even have to own an expensive camera. When I had my first baby 4 years ago, I became extremely interested in photography. I wanted to capture every precious moment and every important milestone on film. I am sure you are just like me in wanting to take these same precious photos of your baby or toddler. I now use a digital camera and take professional looking photos everyday of my 2 little boys from these 5 simple tips below. These 5 tips will help you take better baby and toddler photos.

1.) The first tip I suggest is to be aware of the lighting. The best place to take photos is outside in a natural setting. You should take photos early in the morning or late in the evening right before the sun sets. Remember to use your flash for fill flash outside. This lighting produces stunning results!

2.) The second tip I suggest is to get closer to your baby or toddler and get down to their level. Never photograph your baby or toddler from above.

3.) The third tip I suggest is to make the setting/background simple. Try to place your child near a simple or plain background.

4.) The fourth tip I suggest is to take lots and lots of photos. The more photos you take, the more photos you will have to choose from. You may just get lucky with an adorable one of a kind photo of your baby! You may capture the perfect moment! So, never stop taking pictures!

5.) Invest in a good digital camera. It doesn’t have to be an expensive digital camera. You can buy a good digital camera for under $300. I use an inexpensive Kodak digital camera and great photos of my baby every time.

You are now on your way to taking better baby and toddler photos.

Copyright 2005 -All Rights Reserved

About The Author: Amanda Compton is a work at home mom to 2 little boys. She owns and publishes a fun site for Babies and Moms, ContestForMoms.com featuring a free baby photo contest, mom forums, and lots of baby & mom information!

Additional Resources:

Now that you have taken all these pictures, have them developed through Snapfish. Sign-up and get your first roll of film developed for FREE! Plus, your photos are placed online for FREE to share with family & friends.

Digital Photography Success
An Ebook full of great tips on taking better digital pictures. Take the pictures you’re taking from ordinary to extraordinary without expensive equipment or software.