Bloggy Friends

   I recently joined Blogelina, a new site for Bloggers.

While I am definitely not a beginning blogger, I have learned a few things.

    Ive also been paired up with some great ladies in a little group to offer support and encouragement to each other. I can't tell you how great it is to get feedback from some one outside of your blog.

    I wanted to introduce my readers to my new bloggy friends and their wonderful Blogs.

 
Ashley C Thompson
 Owner of And the Little Ones too 

I'm a "mom" blogger that writes little pieces of our lives. I am a cloth diapering, baby wearing mom that loves to do reviews and giveaways of products and books. I have 2 wonderful boys that I love taking pictures of! 

 

Lesli Sieminski

Owner of Put A Little Umbrella in Your Drink

 

Put A Little Umbrella In Your Drink? What's that all about?
I always try to be optimistic and well "put a little umbrella in my drink". It is a metaphor for my take on easy peasy ways to make your life more glamorous and lovely without being a gazillionaire sipping a pina colada on a beach. You may just be sipping on a Vitamin Water or a sweet tea in your living room {my personal faves}. Add a little umbrella, you will see what I mean!


So what do you write about?
I write about finding fabulous online deals, my hobbies which include paper crafting and photography, with some what's going on in my life thrown in. I also love finding new and innovative products to review and giveaway.

Theresa Grisanti 
Owner of It's a Mom's World

Since I was young I dreamed of "living off the grid." To me this meant having the focus of time and attention on nothing but providing for my family. Through the years I see how my commitment to creating a sustainable community and environment has taught me some of the skills necessary to for fulfilling that dream. We aren't there yet but even in the midst of the suburbs we are striving for the clean living I imagine to one day take part in.

For now I blog about what it means to tap into the power of nature to provide for my family. I study herbs and their uses for healing and health, I experiment with new health products to determine their effectiveness in healing, I preserve food all summer to provide for my family in the winter, I am learning (slowly) how to garden, and teaching my children how to act responsibly in caring for our environment. I weave all these things into my children's life whenever possible and hope they see the value in caring for the earth as they grow older.

Someday I will have my oasis in the country. We will live in a house we design and build powered by renewable energy, grow our own food and live as locally and respectfully from the earth as possible. Until then, we use our daily lives to experiment with what works best as we balance our life between technology/consumerism and sustaining our environment.

                                               

Amber Abbott 

Owner of Wellness with Diabetes 

I started blogging because I have had diabetes since I was 17 months old. I woke up one day feeling that I had more potential than what I had achieved thus far in my life. Plus, as a diabetic I have dealt with doctors my whole life who recommended artificial sweeteners and prescriptions to the diabetic population, which only kill you faster, so I decided "who better to write about it than a person who has lived with it and experienced the disease firsthand and found natural alternatives"...and maybe even help others or at least give them some information they weren't able to get from "doctors".

So here are a few of my bloggy friends. Stop by their sites, they are great ladies with great blogs!  If you are looking to make some friends of your own, stop by Time4Mommy's New Community.

                                                                     

I'm Back and I brought a friend

         

             I’m doing the happy dance because

                 I’m back from my sabbatical after my computer crashed. 
I wasn’t sure if I would be coming back because blogging can be so time consuming but I found help! Taking time for Mommy now has a co-owner named Amanda. She’s such a happy positive person. I knew right away that she was the perfect person to work with. We have big plans for Taking Time for Mommy and our Time 4 Mommy Community. So please keep checking back.

     Here is Amanda.......

        Hi, I'm Amanda and I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of the Taking Time for Mommy team!

I'm the mom of 3 teenagers, and my dh Jay and I are vegetarians who have been working from home online since 1999, and homeschooling our girls since 2007. We feel so blessed to have the freedom to work and learn from home as a family.

In addition to "Taking Time for Mommy", work-from-home and homeschooling articles, I'll also be sharing my time management and organization journeys with you lovely ladies. I'm an ADD closet hoarder married to a neatnick, so I'm constantly working on letting go of clutter and sticking to a schedule.

Thanks for taking the time to follow Taking Time for Mommy! Remember to join us on Facebook and at the Time 4 Mommy Community!

I look forward to reading your post comments and sharing with you my crazy adventures in working and learning from home, being a mom of teens, vegetarianism, weight loss, and even my funky hair colors.

Friendly Follies

“Mommy, do we have to go play with Mary today?” asks your daughter, and once again you feel a twinge of regret. You’ve made a commitment for a play date or group outing, and your children are less than enthusiastic.

As adults, we understand that friendships ebb and flow. We know that sometimes we might not enjoy every visit, but we grit our teeth and get through it. Kids don’t always see it that way.

Children are not always the kindest creatures. They play rough, they say whatever might cross their minds and they can be spiteful. We bring up our own kids to be as kind as possible, but we can’t protect them from every hurt.

But it can be a very delicate situation. How do you explain to another mother that your children don’t mix well—particularly if you and the other mom are friends?

There are a few options, but I’m afraid none of them are good ones. If you feel that you know the other mom well enough, you can tactfully approach the subject with her. It will take a great deal of delicate maneuvering to share with her that her child has been unkind or even that your kids’ personalities don’t mesh. If her son or daughter has put your child into a dangerous situation of any type, then you simply must be honest and tell her that while you enjoy the time spent together, you can’t subject your children to that kind of situation.

Another choice is to simply back away from the situation. You can gradually stop making dates and plans with that family, and pretty soon, they’ll get the message. Of course, that may cause more hurt in the long run, and it probably isn’t fair.

Then there are circumstances wherein your child has to grin and bear it. If the other child is an extended family member, for instance, you can’t write him off (although you can certainly minimize the amount of time your families spend together). And if the offending kid is a long-distance friend, it can be easier to console your offspring that this is only a “once in a while” problem and not worth causing upset to anyone.

My own children have experienced this. While we have taught them to be gracious hosts and to always acquiesce to the wishes of a visiting friend, those visitors often take advantage of this courtesy. We’ve also known the situations where the children just don’t get along. Sometimes we’ve gradually removed ourselves from the relationships, and other times, we have not been able to do so. We’ve found that talking about it with the kids is helpful; when they know that Mom and Dad have sympathy for their plight, they seem to be able to bear it a little better. We praise them for their continued kindness, even in the face of hurts and cruelty.

The important thing is that your children realize that you are on their side and that you recognize their distress. We’ve frequently had conversations where we discuss why little Mary is so difficult to get along with or why little Billy hits all the time. When we point out some possible reasons, the children tend to have more compassion and patience.

The easiest solution, of course, is to avoid developing these sorts of toxic friendships at all. Be cautious when making new friends; don’t jump into activities or regular dates until you’re more sure of how your children will get along. It’s far simpler to go slower and then commit than it is to pull back!

Hang in there. With some time, patience and understanding—and perhaps, if possible, a few well-spoken words—it’ll all work out, and you can spend your time with fun, relaxing pals!
Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE. You can also follow Tawdra on twitter and her blog, Publishing Quest

How to Help Your Child Conquer Shyness

I completely understand the effects of shyness on people in general and children specifically. I was very shy as a child and my timidity lasted well into my adulthood. I remember as a child wanting to participate in various activities, but did not because of fear. Although timidity is quite common place, it is imperative that it is kept in check, in order to ensure it is not hindering your child's social development. As a timid child, I often wish someone would recognize the issue and help me. Here are some tips to aid in assisting your Child in Conquering Shyness.

1. Compliment them: Reinforce the Positive

Most kids are shy as a result of negative thinking. They are thinking they are not good enough. They feel as everyone will laugh if they make a mistake. It is necessary to reinforce their positive attributes. Give them compliments as much as possible and be sincere.

2. Teach them: Communication is Key

Let them know it is okay to say "hello" to others. To ask "How are you doing?" Give practical advice such as showing sincerity and listening attentively. Even allow them to see you communicate with someone you do not know well. Let them know it is okay to inquire of other's interests.

3. Help them: Locate their interests

It is important to find out a timid child's interests. In some cases, some may need assistance in discovering their interests. Look for various activities in school and the community. Encourage your child to be a participant in them.

4. Notice them

Shy children have a tendency to endure unmet needs. Everyone wants to feel as if they are special, loved and that they belong. Set aside time each day to talk with your child. Discuss the day's events and their reactions/feelings toward them. It is extremely important that you make them feel valid and loved.

Timidity is very prevalent in our society. However, it is necessary to overcome in order to live a fulfilling life. It is even better if the issue of timidity is conquered at a young age.

Monique Willis invites parents to help their timid children become bold and active. Read "How to Help Your Child Overcome Shyness" and a wealth of other resources to aid in your child's social and academic development at http://www.tutorfi.com.
 Source

Fence Me In!

“You don’t mind driving the kids both ways to soccer practice today, do you?” User Mom said brightly. “I figure since you’re going there anyway. . .”

“I put you down as little Jane’s emergency contact with the school,” Assuming Mom announced to me. “I mean, you’re home all the time. . .”

We’ve all been there, haven’t we—stuck in that uncomfortable place where we’ve said “yes” one time too many. It happens to everyone, regardless of sex, race or creed, but in my humble opinion, we mothers are at a higher risk than other people. After all, we WANT to please people, to be acquiescent and kind. . until we DON’T want to be that way anymore. Until we’re so fed up that we stomp our feet, stick out our lower lips and roar—“NO!!! NO MORE!!!”

Boundaries are beautiful things. This is something I am learning more and more as time goes on. My former MO looked something like this: I would say yes, over and over again. . .I would keep a happy smile on my face at all times and offer to be there for everybody. . for crying out loud, I was the room mother for my oldest daughter’s class for five years running! And then something would happen—the last straw, as it were. And I was finished. I would simply end the relationship or the activity that was causing me such stress and angst.

I’m learning, though, that boundaries enable us to maintain some level of relationship or activity without giving of ourselves to the point of complete draining. It’s not easy; it’s a delicate balancing act. And it involves saying no with a smile on my face. To User Mom, I might have to answer brightly, “Well, yes, I do have to go anyway, but we have plans after practice, so it would probably be better for you to take little Sammy yourself.” For Assuming Mom, I would likely would warn her that I can’t commit to being home if the school nurse has to call. Of course, if I were home, I would be happy to help out.

I struggle with not holding grudges against the people who continue to assume that I’m there to make their lives easier. I work hard to maintain those friendships at the same time that I maintain those boundaries. It’s wonderful when the reward is a true relationship of give and take, where neither party feels exploited or presumptuous.

When you intentionally create and maintain boundaries in your relationships, you’ll be far less likely to experience frustrations that build to the point of explosion. Practice it. Say “no” at least once a week. Say it with a smile and without guilt.

Sometimes being fenced in isn’t half bad.


Tawdra Kandle is stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four children who range in age from 9 years to almost 21 years. She and her husband of over 22 years live in central Florida, where he is in seminary. Tawdra spends most of her precious free time writing and reading, and she loves to travel. She is also a resident writer for Taking Time for Mommy. View more of her Articles HERE