As parents, we have high expectations for ourselves. What happens when we aren’t living up to those expectations? It is helpful to understand your preconceived notions of what you think parenting involves or even your ideas about what constitutes a good parent. If your expectations are too high and unrealistic you will be making lots […]
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After I give a class, I always reflect and sometimes even obsess over whether I gave over the information clearly and in an organized fashion. I have gone to many parenting lectures where I have come out feeling inadequate. So I worry, have I inspired and encouraged the participants or made them feel discouraged? Last […]
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We had a gorgeous day in Cleveland and I wanted to report on our Spring/Passover Cleaning: Garage: Done. Can you say that a garage looks beautiful? It has been swept, organized and hosed down! A shout out to my husband and two youngest kids. Pantry closet: Done. Threw away: Old canned food Old art projects […]
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My son had some minor surgery this past month. His salivary gland had become clogged and he developed a mucocele on his mouth. In laymen terms, he had a bubble on his lip which he named Bobby. He was very proud of this bubble and used it to gross out his siblings and friends. It […]
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3 more weeks to Passover. Am I nervous, anxious, confused? No, not at all. Ok, maybe a little. But I really am one step ahead of the game. Most of the house is cleaned. Remember, Soclof Cleaning Room Day! That was an excellent day and was probably one of the highlights of my life. Did I […]
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If your child struggles in school, it stands to reason that homework time might involve things like: Whining Procrastination Flurry of physical activity Does this sound at all familiar? It does get...
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Monday night was great. We had lots of parents join us. We had our first live class of “Simple Ways To Parent Without Anger” Here is a quick review of what we covered. We learned the following: What Haim Ginott and Sara Chana Radcliffe have to say about anger. Hint: Anger is not the horrible […]
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I spent some time reflecting this past weekend on all the Spring/Passover cleaning. I also spoke to my husband about it as well. And this is what I came up with: I need to work on keeping my cool when I enlist my family’s help to clean our house. I have been driving everyone a […]
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Everyone seems to be in a rush these days. I feel like life has sped up and I am always doing things on the run. It is really important to me to slow down, stop and smell the roses. If I don’t I feel like I am in a car with no brakes. I start […]
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As I have mentioned, we have been doing lots of cleaning for Passover aka Spring Cleaning. On Sunday, the Soclof Clean Your Room Day, we finished 2.5 rooms. We just need to finish my daughter’s closet. Not bad! After about an hour of intense cleaning, my husband decided to go the gym and he graciously […]
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So you might be wondering how the Soclof Cleaning Your Room Day went. Here it goes: I made the announcement on Friday that we will be cleaning from 1-3pm on Sunday. Here are the responses: E rolled his eyes and said okay and T was kind of excited. A said, “Why do I always have […]
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I watched a lot of “Little House on The Prairie” growing up and I am pretty sure that Ma and Pa Ingalls said, “Patience is a virtue.” If I didn’t hear it from them I am sure I heard it from one of the many adults in my life. I never really took it to […]
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I am really gearing up for Passover aka Spring Cleaning. Up until now, I was just playing around, but now things are getting serious. We are at 5 weeks and counting. I am designating this Sunday as Soclof Room Cleaning Day. Tonight I will make the announcement: “This Sunday we need to get to work. […]
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Yesterday, I told you I had more to tell you on the Passover aka Spring cleaning front. Here it is: When I picked one of my older children up from school last week and I had him trapped in the car...
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I promised to let you know how my Passover, aka Spring cleaning is going. Passover is now 5 weeks away and counting. 1. I had a conversation with T. This is how it went: Me: “This is the story, Passover is 6 weeks away. I am making a list of all the things that need […]
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Dear Adina, Whenever I pick my 2 and 3 year old up from preschool they run ahead of me and go into the street. I really don’t want to hit them even lightly on the hand when they do it, but what else can I do? Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, hitting […]
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People always ask me if I yell at my kids and I always get kind of flustered. If I say no, I would be lying, (there it is, I do yell). If I fess up and say yes, will I lose their professional...
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Passover is 6 weeks away! Yikes! I decided that today I was going to start my Passover cleaning, aka, Spring cleaning. As I have mentioned before, I have been putting in a lot more hours at work, so I know that I will need my kids to help out lots more. I was thinking about […]
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In a previous post, I spoke about the right way to praise kids. This is one of the hardest skills for me to learn. I know many parents in my classes have asked for more examples on how to use this technique. You ask and I try to deliver. The key to praising effectively is […]
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When my kids were little, my mornings were a mess. By the time I had dropped my 3 year old at preschool and lugged my baby back and forth to the car it was 9:15am and I was ready for a nap. Throughout the years the mornings did get better, although I […]
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