Make sure that you and your spouse have individual as well as common goals. Just as you personally can feel lost without knowing what your purpose is or having something worthwhile to pursue in life, so can your relationship suffer without goals to strive toward. Name your goals for how much money you’d like to retire with and vacations you’d like to take together, for example. In making these goals, your imagination is the limit!
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does—television, that is. One of the best decisions I made years ago for myself and for my family was to cut down on television drastically. At first this may seem like a daunting task, but with a few simple tips, parents find it’s much easier than they suspected it would be.
First of all, there is the matter of reducing the amount of TV your family watches to just a few shows a week. In order to do this, I recommend a family meeting to discuss your goals as a family and as individuals. Then take an honest look at what everyone is getting out of television. Everyone will agree that they should watch less TV and spend more time pursuing their own goals. With a meeting like this, your kids and spouse will be much more likely to go along with their new lifestyle of less TV because they’ll understand the reason behind it.
I highly recommend implementing a service such as TiVo ® to help keep TV watching to a minimum. After deciding on the reasons for watching less TV, each family member can decide on a handful of shows to watch together as a family, plus a personal favorite or two, to watch only during designated watching times—Friday nights or Sunday afternoons, for example.
Finally, come up with stimulating alternatives. Take the kids to the library or play board games. Have larger, longer family dinners at the table. Keeping everyone busy will get their minds off this missing element in their lives. I highly recommend using this time to get the kids to strengthen their reading skills and develop a strong interest in reading. Soon you might find that your family—gasp!—may prefer reading over watching TV.
Tina Turbin
A trend that has taken off among baby boomers is foregoing malls and shopping centers in favor of online stores. In my busy work as an author, researcher, and humanitarian, as well as a mother, I find that shopping online is an invaluable, convenient tool in saving money and time and in obtaining hard-to-find items. You should give it a try as an alternative or addition to your regular shopping.
Tina Turbin
As a concerned mother and a children’s author who cares very much for families and children, I found the following article to be both appalling and at the same time refreshing to know that such a critical issue is being exposed.
While it has been known that pesticides used for our food and vegetable supply pose a variety of health risks, the fact that these same pesticides are linked to so-called ADHD in children is a truth that every parent needs to know about.
Click here to read the full article. Afterwards, browse through this section of my website for MANY helpful tips, resources and information to improve your family’s and your children’s quality of life.
I hope the above information helps you.
Tina Turbin
Get your family to pitch in with chores around the house, especially the kids. Children may not be expert dishwasher loaders and you’ll always be able to do the chores better yourself, but learn to let it go and get them to help you out with some of the things they’ll be able to handle on their own, even if it’s just pairing together and folding socks. Studies show that children who participate in family chores have a higher chance of growing up more successful than other children. It will raise their feels of self-esteem, make them more competent, and it’ll give you some time to do the following energy-boosting tips.
Tina Turbin
I am a proud member of the NABBW ( National Association of Baby Boomer Women). Through this site many women are truly helped and many women are united in ways to helps others. Really no one understands us better than us. Being a woman is a unique and important role in life and society. We should to help one another!
Please enjoy my latest article on NABBW: http://www.nabbw.com/display_marticle.php?marticle_id=158
Tina Turbin
Deb Luster, an entrepreneur, woman with a purpose, mother, and proven executive published with her family their first book in November 2004, I Can Do Anything. If you live in her neighborhood, you’ll recognize many familiar faces along with her own three children in this creative picture book.
A mother of three, Debrah soon realized there was not enough positive reinforcement in a child’s environment that encourages a positive attitude and self-esteem. She decided to write a book with her family, which became the start of a movement, a company, and a culture—Can Do Kid, Inc.
The first in a series of Can Do Kids books, this book features nine wonderful children from a very special neighborhood, the Can Do Neighborhood, where multicultural children build positive attitudes and build self-esteem.
This 32-page picture book is a wonderful addition to any 2-to-8-year-old child’s library, sharing the concept of having a positive attitude towards life and others.
While reading the book, a child will easily realize life is fun and attitude is everything. He will shift his attitude, become positive, and truly be able to make anything happen. Now, who wouldn’t enjoy a book that conveys such a message with vivid illustrations and unique character renderings?
I recommend I Can Do Anything by the Luster family and encourage all families to visit the I Can Do It website to connect up with the “culture” of positive living with Deb Luster, her family, and their growing number of many friends.
Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.info
Home-schooled 12 year old Logan and his dad Matt Winkler are traveling all 50 states during Logan’s 6th grade year and skateboarding wherever they go.
This weekend they are staying at Bobbi Burger Brunoehler house in the Los Angeles area. They still have the following states to go to:
HI, AK, OR, WA, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, W Va and Va.
The travelers are staying with friends, family and couch surfing. According to Bobbi they are wonderful guests. Bobbi shares, “Matt is a fabulous dad and a great conversationalist and Logan is a pleasant young man. I recommend them highly as guests, especially if you also are into skateboarding.”
If you would like to invite the Winklers to stay with you or know someone in the above states who would like to host them for a couple of days, you can contact them at: 50skatekid@gmail.com Their story is being documented at:
www.50skatekid.wordpress.co.
Tina Turbin
I am sharing a lovely acknowledgement from a mom-to-be, that wrote in to me.
Sara is a gluten-free employee at the wonderful company, Bio-K Intl. in Quebec.
SARA Gluten- Free Mom-To-Be
Though never officially diagnosed as Celiac, I discovered with my naturopath that I was wheat intolerant. After struggling to eliminate this staple from my diet (it took me more than a year to kick it completely!), I finally started to recover from the migraines, lethargy, chronic pain, fatigue, extra weight, and “brain fog” that had plagued me most of my life. I have now been wheat free for 5 years, and strive for a gluten free diet whenever possible.
Now, as an expectant mom-to-be with a new family (Spouse and stepson), feeling good and eating well are more important than ever. Resources like GlutenFreeHelp.info make living with a restricted diet much less overwhelming. A lot has changed in the 5 years since my diagnosis, and there’s more information and GF food available than ever before. This gives me great hope for my unborn daughter, as she is likely to inherit the same condition. Knowing that people like Tina are working hard to make the GF lifestyle attainable, stress free, and even enjoyable gives this pregnant lady one less thing to worry about.
Sara Lomas 32
Sara Lomas
Bio-K+ International Inc.
www.biokplus.com
We had SO much fun baking to our hearts content, decorating with our imaginations soaring, eating Pamela’s Products and enjoying one another’s company.
I am honored and grateful be able to have incredibly delicious ingredients and fun give-aways for my parties, all from Pamela’s Products as well as Nature’s Food Patches LOADED gift bags , once again.
If anyone is interested in helping to spread the word about making the AWARENESS of celiac much more broadly known, as it should be, please e-mail me and I will share how to bring this about in your area.
We need everyone’s help and support! We need to unite and share each and everyone’s special skills and interests in this area. The profits from this party were all donated to National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.
Thank you, Tina Turbin
