The WAHM Shack Blog

I just want to take a quick moment to tell every mom…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

No matter what age your children are, or how you’ll be spending your day, I hope it will be very special for you!

I know Back to School time can be pretty busy, so I want to share a special treat with you. I am giving away a FREE ebook titled:

BACK TO SCHOOL:
A Guide To Making The Transition Back Into School Easier On The Whole Family

You can download it here: Free BACK TO SCHOOL eBook

To save this ebook to your computer, right-click on the link and choose “Save Target As”.

This is a pdf file. You will need a pdf reader to view it. Most computers already have this reader installed. If yours doesn’t, you can download Adobe Reader for free by clicking HERE.

ENJOY!

by The Menu Mom

Planning meals ahead of time is a great idea, since there are many benefits that come along with it. Meal planning affects many different aspects of life, including your time as well as your financial situation. No matter what situation one may be in, planning your meals ahead of time is always a good idea. Meal planning makes it possible for almost any size family to eat healthy meals everyday of the week on a budget. It also gives you more time together as a family while spending less money.

Saves Time

Planning your meals ahead of time will save you a lot of time. When you visit your grocery store, take a list with you that shows everything you need for your weekly meals. This way there will be no return visits to the grocery store for something you forgot, and you won’t waste any time deciding what you are going to have for dinner that night. Forgetting a key ingredient or having to fight in long lines at the grocery store can be very frustrating, but meal planning can completely eliminate that.

Saves Money

Who doesn’t like to save money? And if you can reduce the amount you spend on grocery bills, you can save it up for something really fun – like a special night out or a family vacation. Meal planning saves anyone a significant amount of money, since meal planning is much cheaper than eating fast food. Also, since you will be bringing a shopping list with you to the grocery store, there will be no more impulse buys and wasted food. We’ve all fallen victim to foods that we suddenly have a craving for when we are shopping only to get home and realize that we need other ingredients to turn it into a meal. And having a shopping list will make it easier for you to clip coupons, since you know what you will be purchasing each week. This means even more savings to you and your family.

Meal planning allows you to create a calendar of what you will have for dinner each night. If you create a menu one month at a time, you can ensure that you aren’t having chicken nuggets five nights a week. Have an overall calendar of meals will allow you to shop for foods when they are on sale and buy in bulk whenever possible.

Health

Planning out what you are going to cook for dinner will make it possible to ensure you are cooking a healthy meal every day of the week. While eating out is convenient in our ever busy world, eating fast food or at restaurants is not nearly as healthy as cooking it at home. This is largely due to the fact that you don’t have control over what goes in those meals. By preparing your own meals, you can choose healthy options, like baked chicken, and add any of your favorites for a side like a fresh green salad or steamed vegetables. Most boxed or frozen dinners contain a great amount of fat and sodium, but cooking the meal from scratch can eliminate them. You control the flavor and the fat. You can take steps to reduce the amount of fat by adding seasoning and spices to perk up the flavor.

Prevent Obesity

The rise of fast food chains in the world means that more people are becoming overweight and obese. Obesity can bring on many health issues, including heart or breathing problems. It is important to prevent a child from becoming overweight and teach them the importance of balanced meals. Cooking homemade healthy meals can do this. When you plan out what you are going to make, you can be certain that it will be healthy for the entire family. It allows you to have a better handle on the nutritional content of your meals. You can also tailor it to each family member’s needs. If there is someone who needs to watch their fat consumption, you can cook grill or broil instead of fry. If there is someone that is trying to get more servings of vegetables in their diet, you can help by offering two veggies for side dishes.

Spending More Time With Your Family

Because planning out your meals gives you more time during the day, you can spend it doing something that really matters. Spending time with family should be the first thing on anyone’s priority list, and being able to spend more time with them is a wonderful perk to meal planning. You can use this time to either play with your children outside, or maybe talk with your spouse about their day at work. With the time saved with meal planning, the family can enjoy a walk together after dinner, play yard games such as croquet or bocce ball, or compete in a board game night. No matter how you use the time, it is special and necessary to keep a family running. And when you kids are grown up and look back on their childhood, those will be the times they remember most fondly. Just think about all the home cooked meals that you look back on warmly. No one cooks it like mom does.

Teaching Essential Skills

By including children in the meal planning process, they can learn many skills that will carry with them into adulthood. They can help to plan the meals, and learn about the different nutrition groups. Learning how to assemble a balanced meal is a great skill to have. Measuring different ingredients in the meals teaches children about fractions. Younger kids can just play with the different kitchen utensils, which allows them to explore and learn about the huge world they have yet to explore and learn about. Spouses can get in on the fun, making it possible to bond with one another by cooking a meal for each other. Meals where each person can individually tailor food to their liking, such as making your own pizzas or a taco bar, allow a great opportunity for the whole family to cook and learn together.

Reduces Stress

Our world is hectic. We are being pulled in several different directions each day. Because we live in a fast paced world, it is important to do everything possible to reduce your stress load. We have enough stress with our every day lives without mealtime stressing us out. Planning meals can reduce your stress since you won’t have to worry about everything that goes into making a meal for your family. As long as you bring your list to the store and buy everything on the list, you will be all set. You can choose to either visit the store each week or twice a month, rather than a million times like before. The increased time you have will allow you to relax more often, and even feel great when interacting with your children. If you are enrolled in a food delivery service, having a handy list makes online shopping a breeze. Have it with you when you log in to order food and you won’t have to worry about a thing.

As you can see, there are many benefits to meal planning. From the ever crucial facts of saving money and eating healthier, to reducing stress and spending more time with your family. Meal planning only takes a little extra effort. And once you get the hang of it, it’ll become second nature and make you life so much easier. You’ll be wondering why you hadn’t started meal planning earlier. And will all the time and money you save you can spend on something that really matters – your family!

For more great meal ideas and a FREE Menu Planning Report, CLICK HERE. Watch for a great meal planning offer after you sign up and let me – The Menu Mom – help you take care of dinner tonight!

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

THIS ARTICLE is Free for reprint only if it remains in its entirety, the Author’s Resource Box AND our Article Source Credit Url are included, and ALL links remain intact.

by Audrey Okaneko

By the beginning of August my kids are usually asking to go to Staples to start looking at and buying back to school supplies.

Each year we are always unsure what supplies any one teacher might want. We’ve had some teachers that wanted a different notebook for every subject. We’ve had some teachers that wanted 5 subject notebooks to take notes for class. It is always so hard to second guess what the teacher may want.

Of course if you wait until the first or second day of school to buy your supplies, then many of the stores have very little left. Especially items like compasses. These can be very hard to find that first or second day of school.

One trick we learned was to buy everything we thought the teacher might want. If the kids went to school and discovered they did not need the item, we would then return it. It was much easier to return a few items, versus driving all over town looking for sold out items.

When children enter junior high and high school, the size of the school and the thought of changing classes all day long can be overwhelming. Our local schools give both junior high school and senior high school students their schedules a week before school actually starts. We always walked the path many times. We walked from class to class so that my children felt comfortable the first day of school. We also found bathrooms, the gym and the cafeteria. This walkthrough can help eliminate some of the stress of starting a new school.

Prior to school starting, visit either the library or the book store, so your child has a book to read during free time. I found that in the older grades, teachers expected kids to have a book that first week of school. As the school year developed the teachers often assigned a specific genre but that first week, free choice was almost always acceptable.

The week before school starts, we changed our bedtime and wake up time to coincide with the school schedule. No more sleeping until 8 or 9 a.m. By making this change a week ahead of time, it causes much less stress that first week of school.

All of these preparations have helped make back to school run quite smoothly in our home.

Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.recipe-barn.com

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

THIS ARTICLE is Free for reprint only if it remains in its entirety, the Author’s Resource Box AND our Article Source Credit Url are included, and ALL links remain intact.

Summer is a fun time, but it’s also a time when a lot of accidents happen. Here are some ways to keep your children safe this summer.Water safety.

If you have a pool or plan to be around the water at all, then make sure you’ve got all security devices in place. All gates must be locked, and alarms installed, especially if you have non-swimming children at home.

Some general simple rules for children around any body of water are:

1. No running or horseplay near the pool.

2. Kids only swim with an adult watching them.

3. Make sure your children are taking swim lessons that teach, not only the basic strokes, but also survival strokes and basic water safety as well. All American Red Cross certified programs incorporate water safety into their swim lessons.

4. Of course, if lightening is possible, leave the pool until the weather risk passes.

5. If your children are swimming in the ocean, follow the flag warnings and be cautious of the tides.

Sun safety.

No matter how old we are or how careful we are, that sun will surprise us and we’ll suffer a burn.

Some simple rules to keep your children safe in the sun are:

1. Always apply sun screen – even if it’s a cloudy day.

2. Have your kids wear a t-shirt and hat if they have fair skin.

3. Make sure you have water proof sunblock on your kids if they’re in the water.

4. Apply sunscreen often, especially if your kids have fair skin or are playing in water.

5. Provide your children with plenty of water, juice, or popsicles. Keep them hydrated to help prevent heat stroke.

Bicycle safety.

Some simple rules to keep your children safe on their bikes are:

1. A helmet is a must. Ask any nurse in any Emergency Room and you’ll find out why.

2. If you’ve got a child who daydreams, wear a whistle around your neck when you go on a bike ride together. If you see him or her being unsafe, you can blow the whistle. This is much more effective than trying to yell.

3. Look for bike paths in the woods. These allow your child to ride freely without the hazards of traffic. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it.

So many life-changing accidents are preventable. Make it a safe — and a fun summer!

Nicole Dean is a co-founder of www.kidsactivitycalendar.com — a resource to help parents teach their kids the alphabet in a fun, positive way.

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

THIS ARTICLE is Free for reprint only if it remains in its entirety, the Author’s Resource Box AND our Article Source Credit Url are included, and ALL links remain intact.