Wonderful creed to live by and that is why I am sharing this.

Promise yourself to be strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but great deeds.

To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

Christian D. Larson 1912 – The Optimist Creed

Choose to be an optimist; to be happy and spread joy!

Please share this with others.

I wrote this a few years ago for my children.  I love it and  I want to share it with you.

Some days are so busy my love doesn’t show.
That’s why tonight I’m telling you so.

I love your eyes.  I love your style.
Your bubbly laugh always makes me smile.

I love your ears.  I love your cheeks.
Wouldn’t it be funny if we both had beaks?

I love you all over; I want you to know.
From the top of your head, to the tip of your toe.

I’ll hold you close for a great big hug
Now climb under the covers, all cozy and snug.

It’s getting late and it’s time to sleep
Here’s a big kiss for you to keep

You are so precious and for you I do care
Now close your eyes and snore like a bear.

Good night…I love you.

One of my favorite posts is How to say “I love you” in sign language.

I hope you enjoyed this and if you did, please share it with others!

Affirmations and belief in ourselves creates happiness within. I want to share a post called The Power of Positive Thinking written by Lorelei, a friend of mine who has a wonderful blog for parents.

Within the post she shares a You Tube video called Jessica’s Daily Affirmation, which is so adorable, you don’t want to miss it.

Here is the direct link to the article and video:   http://raisingcreativechildren.com/day-smile/

Share this video with others and pass along the joy!

Do you have goals and dreams but have not taken any action on them or just don’t know where to start?

Goals Mentor is a powerful 5 month program that will help you achieve your goals and dreams. I have seen this program work and the members are achieving what they only dreamed of before the program.

The program consists of recorded lessons with assignments and exercises, along with live question and answer calls with my partner, Ken BrockBank, and me. You’ll have access to us through email whenever you have a question or need advice on your goals.

When you have clearly defined written goals, this is what you can expect;

You will have an improved attitude
You will have direction in life
You will wake up refreshed every morning
Goals give you personal satisfaction
You will achieve things you only dreamed about

I can’t say enough good things about goals. I have seen them change many people’s lives.

Here are two links you can visit for more information:

Goals Mentor Website Visit this page for some positive and informative articles

Goals Mentor Program sign up page Visit this page for more information on the mentoring program

What if your child could write a positive poem about him/herself easily?  Using the format below, they can! 

My sixth grade daughter shared a poem with me that she had written.  I couldn’t believe how great the poem was!  I asked what gave her the inspiration to write the poem and she told me it was a project in school and there was an outline she followed.  She shared the outline with me and I have posted it below, along with two completed poem examples.

After your child is done, the poem is like a big, positive affirmation that they (or you) can hang somewhere visible. 

           I Am Myself    (Name of poem)  

*I am (use 2 or 3 adjectives)

I wonder__imaginary____________

I hear ________________________

I see__________________________

I want_________________________

*I am (same as first line)

I pretend______________________

I feel__________________________

I worry________________________

I cry__________________________

*I am(same as first line)

I understand____________________

I say___________________________

I dream________________________

I hope_________________________

*I am (same as first line)

             I AM MYSELF   (an example from a younger child)

I am smart, funny, and kind

I wonder what I will look like when I grow up

I hear music in my head

I see friends playing on the playground

I want to be a great person

I am smart, funny and kind

I pretend to know what is going on

I feel loved when somebody says thank you

I worry before tests at school

I cry when I get hurt

I am smart, funny, and kind

I understand when people are sad

I say to always be happy

I dream I will become a writer

I hope my family will live for a long time

I am smart, funny, and kind

               I am Myself  (Example from an 11 year old)

I am friendly, forgiving, and trustworthy

I wonder what everybody thinks at this moment

I hear music in my head

I see everyone having fun in their own way

I want to save up for college so I can become a veterinarian

I am friendly, forgiving, and trustworthy

I pretend I am in a basket full of flowers

I feel loved when I am surrounded by my friends

I worry there will be no peace between continents

I cry when I hear that an animal died

I am friendly, forgiving, and trustworthy

I understand when my friends feel blue

I say that your attitude makes a big difference on your life

I dream someday I will be a veterinarian

I hope my family will live for a long time

I am friendly, forgiving, and trustworthy

I hope you enjoy sharing this activity with your children.  I felt so much joy when I read the poem my daughter created using this format.  Please feel free to share the poems you create with us!

Isn’t it amazing how our perspective of life can differ so greatly from our children’s perspective?  I was fortunate enough to have this piece sent to me and I want to share it.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family..

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son , “How was the trip?”

“It was great , Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah, ” said the son.

“So, tell me , what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered:

“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

I am not sure who wrote this so I can’t give anyone the credit but I think it shows the we should be more thankful for the things we do have in life and if we don’t like what we have, maybe we should ask for a child’s perspective!  That would open a whole new world for us.

Does your child need a boost in being positive?  Here are 10 examples of very simple affirmations your child can read and then repeat daily.  If getting your child to read affirmations isn’t realistic, here are some other ideas you can implement. 

1. Print affirmations out individually and tape them to a mirror that your child uses every morning.  Make them look fun, pretty, or tough; whatever will interest your child.
2. Tape the printed affirmations to a piece of paper and put them in a waterproof, ziplock baggie and hang them in the shower at shoulder level. 
3. You can say them in a different tense to your child such as “It is so much fun to get good grades” or “You are such a good friend to____” or “You are so much fun to be around.”   

Examples of simple affirmations for children:

• I enjoy school.
• I am fun to be around.
• I am a great friend.
• I have fun and work hard during school time.
• I do my best on my homework.
• I like doing extra credit.
• I strive to good grades.
• It is fun to get good grades.
• I am kind.
• I help others whenever I can.

Create your own that is specific to your child’s area of need.  The power of affirmations is incredible.  Find a way to put them in your child’s life.

Keep up the great parenting!  It is so much fun to see your children grow!

Links on positive articles in this site:  20 POSITIVE WORDS FOR KIDS AND POSITIVE WORDS FOR SCHOOL

For an excellent way to stay connected with your children and teens visit www.conversationjar.com This is a family friendly game where you get to ask thought provoking questions to each other.    Using the conversation jar makes staying connected with children, family and friends fun and easy.

The first year in junior high or middle school is a big jump from elementary.   Now your child/teenager has to write their last name and be sure they put it on everything they turn in!  Wow seems easy, but for some kids it’s a new habit they must form.

Getting some students to use a planner or organizer is a far-fetched dream.  If your child/teenager isn’t as self motivated or as organized as you would like, here some ideas you can take to keep your child/teenager on task.

• Look at the student progress report 3 times per week.  This way if an assignment is missing, they know to look in the “no name basket” or talk to the teacher about the assignment before too much time passes.
• If you know about a deadline for a reading assignment or a large project, mark it on your calendar and continuously check to see how far along your child/teenager is to keep them on task.
• No computer or television until homework is completed each night.
• Use weekend downtime to catch up on reading, musical instrument practice, etc.
• If you child’s grade is below what is acceptable to you, talk to your child and/or the teacher about extra credit assignments or about other ways to get the grade up.
• Create a folder or a location where you keep each class syllabus.  Review each syllabus and create a schedule with the student.  Question your child any items on the syllabus that you are unsure about.  If you don’t have the syllabus, email the teacher to obtain one.
• Email teachers with any questions or concerns.  They are usually quick to respond.  Build a relationship with your student’s teachers.
• Incentivize your child for getting good grades.  Incentive ideas: 

1. Money for each A or B
2. Remove a few chores
3. Go on a short trip
4. Have a friends gathering
5. Have a special day out with you
6. Choose an item your child wants and buy it when they receive the grades agreed upon

These ideas are working for me.  If you have some ideas you would like to share with other’s please leave a comment.    

Link to older emomsblog post:  Study Habit Ideas 

We always want to be aware of where our children are to keep them safe.  Sometimes it only takes turning our back for 30 seconds or letting your child go into a restroom alone.   We need to teach our kids what strangers are while teaching them in a manner where they won’t be scared of the world.

There are a lot of good people, who are strangers, who can help them in an emergency situation and we don’t want to remove that option for our children.

Here are some ideas you can go over for Stranger Danger:

• Be sure your child knows their phone number and home address.
• Never accept anything from a stranger including candy and gifts.
• Use the Buddy System whenever possible.  The bigger the group, the better.
• If they feel they are being followed, run for help immediately.  This is where they may have to seek help from a stranger. 
• If someone tries to pull you into their car, Scream, Kick, Bite and Claw.  Call out STRANGER  and/or THIS IS NOT MY DAD (OR MOM).
• Get a description of a car, person, or license plate only if they can without putting their safety at risk.
• Have a code word and review it regularly.   Review the rules of the word which, in our family are:  (1) Don’t tell anyone our password.  (2) If someone says they are a friend’s Dad they must have the password.  (3) If a policeman doesn’t have the code word, he may not be a policeman.  Mom or Dad will give a policeman the password if we sent them for you.

Go over these and/or other methods you employ regularly with your children.  A frequent reminder of stranger danger is important.