Brain Development and Early Learning

December 14, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

Child Brain Development and The Science of Early Learning

By Madeleine Fitzpatrick<

Your baby is born with most of the brain cells she will ever have, but during her first 12 months in the world, her brain will become increasingly complex. By the time she reaches the age of two, her brain will already be 75 percent of its adult weight. By the age of three, it will have reached 90 percent of its adult weight.

Almost 50 percent of the brain cells your baby is born with will wither and die during the first few years of life. This process, known as neural pruning, organizes the brain and makes it more efficient. The brain learns through experience.

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Poop Goop for Constipation

December 1, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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Does your child have problems with constipation? Do you want a solution other than laxatives or stool softeners? Tiffany Jensen shared two great recipes called Poop Goop.

Poop Goop 1
1 cup raisins
1 cup prunes
1/4 cup dates
8 ounces prune juice
~Mix together in a blender or food processor. Store in the refrigerator.
Use 1-2 tablespoons per day.

Poop Goop 2
1 orange
1 apple (with skin)
1 cup raisins
1 cup prunes
1/2 cup prune juice
1/2 cup orange juice
~Mix together in a blender or food processor. Store in the refrigerator.
Use 1-2 tablespoons per day.

Lonely Husband

November 4, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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A nicely dressed husband and wife walked into our condo one afternoon. They were in their mid-forties, have two teenagers, and good jobs. They looked successful and like they should have everything necessary for a good life.

After some chit-chat, we asked what they would like to talk about; how we could help them. The wife started by saying, “He has been cheating on me.”

The husband sat with his head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. He admitted he had been unfaithful. When we asked, “Why?” He said, “I’ve been so lonely in our marriage. The girl at work took time to talk to me and showed me she thought I was special.”
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Being Spontaneous

October 16, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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I received the following article from a Malaysian friend, Lai. She has a keen interest in children and helping parents in their challenging task of child rearing. I think it is encouraging to hear about how others raised good, successful children.

Maybe it is because we are so busy these days or maybe it is just out of fear, we do too much for our children. They are capable of so much more. When we teach them skills and then expect them to do them, we are teaching them to be the capable, diligent people we want them to be as adults. See how Lai did it. [Read more…]

Find Your Happy Parent Place

September 22, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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Editor’s Note: This is a wonderful article with good ideas on how to keep your sanity and your marriage in the midst of parenting. Pick one and start doing it today. You’ll be happy you did!
Diane

Admit it: Parenting can be a real grind sometimes. But if you follow these six simple mantras, you’ll have a lot more fun — and so will your kids.
By Scott Westcott

How to Be Happier, Now

Welcome to a typical mom morning. It begins when your toddler dive-bombs into your bed at 5 a.m. You stumble through the dark for an eyes-half-open diaper change. Next comes breakfast. The daily recipe: spilled milk and fistfuls of Cheerios dumped on the floor. Then you do the dishes and get your child dressed, all before you drink your morning coffee. Are we having fun yet? The answer is not so simple.

Being a parent is inspiring and rewarding, but it’s also demanding and thankless. A recent Princeton University survey found that typical childcare tasks are roughly as pleasurable as housework — in other words, not very. But the fact is that our kids are our pride and joy. How can this be, when they’re also a drag on our quality of life?

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