When is playing video games unhealthy for my kids? How long is too long to be in front of a video game or a television? How do you create the balance between video games and outdoor activities for my children? Your schedule is full already with after school activities and music lessons; where can you find the time to spend outside doing some fun physical activities with your kids?

Today, the average child between the age of five to seventeen years old require only sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. Sadly, only seven percent of children in this age range actually meet this requirement. Is the rest of their time spent in front of a computer or video game or TV.

How can we, as parents, encourage our children to get involved in outside activities? How can we model, for our children, the benefits of physical activity?

We can start by using the following tips:

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We all wish that we could have Mary Poppins to take over the childcare while we indulge ourselves with a night out. Unfortunately, that is not possible. So, what does a parent do to find the best person to provide childcare for their kids, for just a few hours?

Here are five suggestions for you to consider when looking for your “Mary Poppins”:

•  Start looking for babysitters within your family or your circle of friends. Knowing the family of babysitter will ease your concerns. Even start involving these possible babysitters in caring for your child. When you are at a family gathering, ask for help from the likely candidate. Watch their reaction and interaction with your child.
• Get references. If finding a babysitter within your family or friend circle is not possible, ask other parents at your child’s daycare or school. Even ask the daycare staff. Call these references. Think about the concerns you have and ask questions. How does the prospective babysitter interact with children and even other adults? The babysitter will be interacting with you just as much as with your children. Has the babysitter taken a babysitter course?
• Arrange a trial visit. Have the chosen candidate come to your house for a couple of hours. Watch how they interact with your children. Do they engage your children? Are your children comfortable interacting with this babysitter? Leave your children alone with the babysitter for a few minutes, then pop back into the room to see what’s going on. to continue reading or to comment→

Now that you have established the “family routine” for the new school year; it’s time to help create great study habits for your children. Tests and assignments are part of the school routine and encouraging good work and study habits will help improve your child’s grades and confidence.

The success of a child in school is dependent on their study habits and organizational skills. Establishing a homework routine or habit early will ensure fewer struggles for your child as they continue through school and life.

Tip No. 1: Create a “homework” area, now is the time. It could be the kitchen or dinning room table, the family “den”, even your child’s bedroom. Stock it with paper, pencils, pens, etc, everything that will encourage the successful completion of the assigned homework.

Tip No. 2: Set a time with your child to do their homework. Mark it on the calendar. Hold that time priority, straying from this time discourages good homework habits. Set reasonable consequences for not using this time effectively.

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Finding it hard to stay within your budget for Halloween? Looking for ideas for awesome costumes that won’t break your bank account? Let me know what you think of these ideas.

Why not head to the nearest Value Village or Thrift Shop and look for items to create a Traveling Doctor costume. It’s perfect for little ones and with good picks, the suit could be worn again for Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma’s. Things you could look for:

Black suit (your child’s size)

Hat, Fedora

Doctor’s kit

When I created this costume for my first son, the total cost was $10-$15.

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With all the excitement of the Halloween celebration it is easy to forget about safety. Here are 10 simple tips to ensure a safe and fun Halloween for you, your family and even your family pets.

Safety Tip No.1-Improve your child’s sight range. Use make-up instead of masks. Get creative and use face paint instead. Just remember to put on a little cold cream first, to make clean up easier.

Of course we all know that there are costumes that your child will insist on wearing the matching mask. When the eyeholes are narrow and hard to see through, just make the eyeholes larger with scissors.

Safety Tip No.2-Make your own mask. This is a great opportunity to create something unique with your child. Go to http://hgtv.com, search for Halloween costume patterns.

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With the Canadian Thanksgiving coming this weekend, I thought it would be a great time to share what I am “thankful” for in my life. First, a little history;

An English Explorer, Martin Frobisher, created the Canadian Thanksgiving. He had been looking for a northern passage to the Orient. Even though he did not succeed, he did establish a settlement in Northern America. Which today is called Newfoundland. He then held a formal ceremony in 1578 to give thanks for surviving his long journey. This is considered to be Canada’s first Thanksgiving.

Today, Canadian’s celebrate a successful harvest and for our family, we celebrate all the successes of the past year and what we are thankful for.

I am thankful for my husband. He is super supportive and encourages me everyday to pursue what makes me happy.

I am thankful for my kids and granddaughter. They keep me young and focused on the important things in life, family.

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If you prefer you can listen to this blog post about how to ease your kindergardener into the routine of school by clicking the player below.

For lots of kids, back to school is part of the norm. But for little Johnny, this is his first day at Kindergarten. You have taken him shopping for new cloths, backpack, lunch box and some school supplies. He seems excited to have all the “new cool stuff”, yet he hesitates when you ask him if he is excited about going to school.

What can you do to ease little Johnny’s anxiety?

Here are 10 tips on how you can help Little Johnny;

Tip Number 1: Check your own stress level: this can be an emotional day for many a Mom and Dad. It is very important to ease your own stress; kids will pick up on your anxiety.

Tip Number 2: If at all possible, take the day off from work: kids grow up fast and being part of this milestone is important for you and little Johnny. Johnny will be more comfortable with his new adventure to have you a part of it.

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