Fifteen Minute Breaks Could Help Kids Stay Focused

When adults take a fifteen minute break at work, they tend to come back a bit less stressed and more able to focus on the tasks at hand. It turns out that kids at school can obtain the same benefits from a fifteen minute break. Schools in Finland have already implemented this strategy. They’ve been doing it since the 1960’s. A typical American public school could include one 30 minute recess per school day. The exact amount of time can vary. Some schools might have recess that lasts for 45 minutes, while others might only allow 20 minutes for recess. … Continue reading

Balancing Blogging and Mothering

I squinted to make sense of scattered letters through the glare on my screen.  Focused attempts at deciphering HTML became distracted by bursts of giggling from the other side of my window.  Rejoicing from finally making a text box that scrolled, I missed a small excited voice asking me to “look at me”.  Dripping hair and sopping wet footsteps ran inside to beckon me to join their mini water park complete with a blow up monkey pool.  Promising just five more minutes I shooed away wet fingers from my computer.  Next I looked up and the time for sprinklers, popsicles, and water slides … Continue reading

FHE with Small Children-Strengthening our Family

I love when simple family home evenings make the best ones. That is my goal by sharing this FHE with Small Children series as often as possible. This past Monday night, we had a family home evening where my kids really listened, the lesson was short, and everyone got to participate. We started out talking about our own family. I asked my kids the following questions: Who is in our family? Do you think we have a happy family? Do we want to make our family stronger? I then told them about The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Since … Continue reading

Settling In To Our New Family Arrangement

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Dylan was going through some tough adjustments as he became a big brother. Now that Blake is almost seven weeks old, we have all had a chance to get used to the way our family is now and things are settling down a bit. I am proud of how far Dylan has come in the past few weeks as far as understanding and working through his feelings about the experience. One thing that I am very happy about is that he no longer thinks that I am going to go away and … Continue reading

Focused on Family

Sometimes it is useful to remind yourself why you do what you do with your home – based business. The past few days have been more demanding than usual, as is commonly the case when I am preparing for a court hearing. It is my experience during these most intense days, when I have many responsibilities for my businesses as well as my home and family, when I am most strongly reminded of why I do what I do in the way that I do it. I am certainly not keeping my caseload small in order to become a rich … Continue reading

Tasty Traditions – Cookies and Family History

No matter what holiday your family is celebrating this time of year, one thing is probably a given. There are likely to be many sweet treats on your table that are not usually there throughout the year. Did you know that if you have European ancestors, they may have started baking Christmas cookies as far back in time as the 1500’s? Sweet treats have long been associated with celebrations throughout the year, as the ingredients used to make them like sugar and spices were too expensive for most people to have on hand all year long. The array of cookies, … Continue reading

Family Tree Magazine Picks 101 Best Websites of 2010

There are a plethora of genealogy related websites out there, and you cannot possibly test out all of them yourself. Sometimes, it’s nice to get an expert opinion about which sites are good, which are only okay, and which are so bad that they should be avoided completely. Family Tree Magazine came up with a list of their picks for the top 101 genealogy websites. Family Tree Magazine was founded in 1999. It is America’s #1 family history magazine. It covers a variety of topics that would be of interest to genealogists, from tips for genealogy research, to ideas for … Continue reading

Stress That Comes From Family Can Cause Angina

Some of the heart problems that run in your family could be due to the amount of stress that your family members cause each other. A Danish study finds that people who frequently fight with their spouses had a higher risk of developing angina. Genealogists may want to look again at the family dynamics of their ancestors. Cardiovascular disease is something that tends to run in families. Some of this has to do with lifestyle choices. People tend to eat the foods that they grew up eating. If your family likes to eat a lot of foods that are high … Continue reading

Home School Blogger Spotlight: Giving Up on a Clean House

I must say that I love the title of this blog. The title, Giving up on a Clean House, is not a statement of the state of her home but a reflection of her state of mind. The mindset that says children and family are more important than dishes in the sick or the socks on the floor. Stacy keeps her head above the piles of laundry (not to say she has piles of laundry) by slowing down a keeping life simple. That simplicity is the focus of her blog which reflects family. She says “I have slowed down, committed … Continue reading

Home School Blogger Spotlight: Mama Smiles

Authored by Mary Anne, Mama Smiles, is a blog about parenting, crafts for children, and the daily life of engaging three young children in the world. Mary Anne is a well educated young mom with a PhD in Medicine, a Masters degree in Education, and a BA in Music. She uses these skills in her adventures of her new professions; a stay at home mom to three children. That gives a mama a lot to smile about! Mama Smiles allows you to enter into this lovely world of Mary Anne and her adorable children. The blog is truly focused on … Continue reading