Kids are so smart!  They saw that I had become a workaholic!  They challenged me that I had become addicted to checking my emails and all my favorite social media sites, especially Facebook and Twitter and sadly they were so right.  Truthfully, I was spending 18 hour days in our home office trying to get through my 500+ daily emails, all my social media posts and trying to keep this blog going daily and it was starting to take its toll!  I wasn’t as happy as I knew I deserved to be!! 

Now that my kids have entered the world of cell phones and social media, I am glad that I went cold turkey to set an example in our house that phones and Facebook have a place in our lives but they need to be in used in moderation.  I didn’t want to be one of those parents who goes to their child’s sporting event but spends the entire time on their phone or blackberry!  I must admit that I rarely did that!  Instead, I was guilty of being tied day and night to my email, Facebook and twitter! 

Are you addicted to your cell phone, Facebook or Twitter page?  Tell us your story!

http://www.facebook.com/momcongress

After attending the 2nd Annual Mom Congress 2011 Conference (#mc2011) in DC along with educational leaders, 2011 Mom Delegates from each state and 2010 Mom Delegate Mentors from across the country, I would love to know your thoughts on how to walk this tightrope without getting hung up on each political agenda?  For additional information or to join our voice, visit us at http://www.facebook.com/momcongress.

Congratulations to my Green Bay Packers who continued to preserve and fight each and every week even to the last play of the Super Bowl to become Super Bowl Champions!!  WOO HOO!

http://www.parenting.com/forward?path=node%2F123833

Go Pack Go!

And if the Packers win on Sunday….

Let’s Get Ready For The SuperBowl

Congratulations to my Green Bay Packers

So in the spirit of Sly on the Radio mocking Wisconsin’s Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch’s efforts to make cold calls to businesses in the state of Illinois to drum up business for the State of Wisconsin, yesterday I made cold calls to Sly’s own sponsors listed on the front page of his own website, to see how they felt about his comments.  Of course, being business owners not one of them agreed with his comments.  I was even more upset when WTDY Web program director Rex Charger defended the appropriateness of Sylvester’s remarks.

“It was obvious sarcasm and was not intended to be taken literally.”

So Charger if you stand by the remarks than answer this question…which part was sarcasm?

Being outraged that she is picking up the phone to cold call businesses in Illinois?

Calling her a “pantie entrepreneur” as if you can’t run a successful business from your basement and is if panties are some how unneeded or beneath him?

Or would you call it sarcasm to say that Wisconsin’s Lt. Governor got her job by performing “fellatio acts”?

Or is it called “sarcasm” to mock Rebecca Kleefisch’s colon cancer? 

To quote WTDY’s own site on a recent story that made headlines in Wisconsin:  “The man that attacked a beer truck with a metal pipe has committed a great sin in Wisconsin. This is a HATE crime.”

Thus I would not label it “sarcasm” instead I would call it HATE SPEECH. 

I had a great time cold calling Sly’s sponsors!  They are all small business owners and entrepreneurs who are trying to keep their own businesses going by utilizing advertising to bring in customers, regardless of their own political views.   Many of them have the same views that I do on government and business:  we can’t run a successful business if we are $14 trillion in debt and owe our debt to our own competitor, in America’s case:  China.    I certainly met some great businesses in my cold calling yesterday and one thing is for sure, we can all agree that we are united in the power of entrepreneurship because entrepreneurship made our country great and it is what will keep our country great!  I will echo what many of them said to me yesterday:  At least we have a Lt. Governor who is willing to pick up the phone on behalf of Wisconsin!

I challenge Sly to pick up the phone to learn more about his own advertisers because if their advertising dollars dry up, will he even care enough to find out why?

I remember learning to read.  I used the Dick, Jane and Spot books.

They were word picture association books with three words on each page.  They were perfect for learning to read. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0448434113/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0448434040&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=06PHQAY1K1PBZATNZ3NM

http://www.amazon.com/Read-Dick-Jane-Go/dp/0448434059/ref=pd_sim_b_1

I think part of the problem for parents is that we are not professional teachers, who specialize in teaching children how to read and we might be using the “wrong” books to help our children learn to read.  As an author and publisher, I am shocked by the number of books that are labeled as “early reading” and yet are not using the appropriate “early reading” vocabulary by age group.   I love Dr. Seuss books!! They are fun and engaging and full of repetition and rhyming patterns, but unless they are part of the early reading series from Dr. Seuss, they are not always the best choice for word picture association and learning to read.  WHY? Because word association doesn’t always work with Dr. Seuss; he uses silly off-the-wall rhymes that don’t add up in a child’s head.  They would not automatically put together green eggs and ham, unless they already knew the book and the rhyme.   

Top tips for helping kids learn to read. 

1. Empower kids into the process with simple “early reading” books that use word picture association and stress word/picture connections.
2. Practice getting kids to draw one page word picture association, such as draw:  Tom has apples. 
3. Getting them to make the connection and guess what the next word is – Tom has…they can see the apples so they can say, apples.
4. Play games to get children to guess word association: if I say peanut butter, you say: __________.
5. Practice, practice, practice with the early learning books that specialize in word picture association and using words in the early learning vocabulary. 
6. Make it fun with lots of picture books with repetition and rhyming patterns that are geared to “early reading”. 
7. Read out loud time makes for better students.  Studies have shown that preschoolers who have frequent read–aloud time with their parents have stronger language skills later in life—including higher reading, spelling and IQ scores at age 13.

Have you pledged to help a child learn to read?  Visit www.target.com/reading to do your part to change our world!

Wash those hands long and often!

I can’t say it enough: Wash, wash, wash those HANDS especially if you are sick to help keep everyone else stay healthy!  Wash long and often, especially after touching your eye, nose, mouth; before and after eating; coughing and sneezing; and of course, after the bathroom.  I still listen to the sound of the water and if I don’t think it was long enough I will say definitely say something!

Make a Steam Room!

Shut the door, run the shower to create a warm sauna room upon entry.   The girls love soaking in the whirlpool tub or take an extra long shower that helps to open up clogged airways.  I have a television in our master bath room (my way of seeing the news without alarming my kids – especially during 9/11) so they enjoy watching TV as they soak in the whirlpool tub inside their steamy sauna room!

Hot Chocolate or Soup!

It’s a family tradition for hot chocolate and something to dip depending on how sick they feel: toast, graham crackers or cookies!  How about some Chicken Noodle Soup!  It really does work!

Gargle with Salt Water or Nasal Rinse

You know they don’t feel good when they request to gargle with a mixture of warm water and salt or a nasal rinse.  We have a nasal rinse kit from the drug store.  It has a salt solution packet that you add warm water; it comes with a spoon to mix and a special genie shaped bottle that you pour in one nostril to drain out the other nostril.  It sounds gross but it really does work.  Have plenty of tissue on hand because you will definitely be in need of blowing to clear and clean passages!    

Cuddle Time and a Movie or Book with Mom!

We curl up on the sofa and watch a movie or read books together for a few hours of cuddle time. I make them sleep for a few hours while I work in my home office and only after I feel that they got enough extra rest, I allow them to have homework, play, books, crafts, laptop, iPod and/or television time! 

Wash, wash, wash those HANDS and stay healthy for the holiday season!!!

What is your secret tip to keep your family healthy?? Leave a comment and keep us all healthy!

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