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    Raising Kids With The Entrepreneurial Spirit

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    We are all hopeful that our children will grow to be confident, motivated and resilient adults, but how do we best set them up for success early in life? Raising our kids with the entrepreneurial spirit can help give them the can-do growth mindset, analytical skills, and leadership abilities that allow them to thrive in any given situation. Today, I will share with you some expert tips for a few ways parents can encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in children from an early age.

    What is The Entrepreneurial Spirit?

    The entrepreneurial spirit meaning is best described as all of the key traits that make an entrepreneur successful. That is to say, the vision, confidence, drive, determination, persistence, and the ability to adapt, grow, and change based on the market. Being an entrepreneur takes a special ability to think for one’s self, to be willing to take calculated risks, and to go after big dreams with a passion that is unstoppable. Leadership qualities are a must and they love a good challenge. A true entrepreneur is full of new ideas and knows how to seize new opportunities. A few entrepreneurial skills include intellectual curiosity around even ordinary things, creative thinking, and developing innovative products. They can be a measured risk taker who knows how to use right people to create a positive business community that takes a good idea to fruition.

    Hosts of the Top 100 podcast The Product Boss, co-founders of The Product Boss Mastermind courses

    Encouraging The Entrepreneurial Mindset

    Raising a child with the entrepreneurial spirit does not mean they have to be an entrepreneur business leader when they grow up. It just means that they have the self-motivation and drive to chase their dreams and be self starters.

    With this in mind, I am so happy to share with you some fabulous tips for raising entrepreneurs from two amazing moms and successful entrepreneurs, Minna Khounlo-Sithep and Jacqueline Snyder, also known to the world as The Product Boss. Together, they use their expertise to help small businesses with savvy strategies to achieve success through their coaching platforms, top-ranked podcast (The Product Boss Podcast), and social media shopping initiatives that promote small businesses.

    With close to 30 years of combined experience in the business venture space, they’ve learned the value of entrepreneurial drive and have been consciously motivating their kids to follow in their footsteps over the years.

    The Product Boss ladies have shared their top three tips for encouraging those “kidpreneur” tendencies and fostering feelings of independence and ingenuity below.

    Ice Cream Shop- pure joy!

    1. Give playtime a purpose 

    While they are young and imaginations are still running wild, encouraging your kids to open up their own shops at home is always a fun and enriching experience for everyone. Whether they decide they want to open up a restaurant, a veterinarian office or a bakery, all of these add a sense of purpose and drive to their free time that didn’t exist before. Getting that first-hand experience, even if just artificial, plants the seed early that one day they too can create a life and career that they dream of if you mix those passions with a little hard work. 

    2. Keep them interested and involved 

    If you’re a small business owner yourself, getting your kids interested in your work is a natural next step. Keeping the business conversations going when the kids walk in, asking them to offer their two cents on career-related predicaments, having them help out on certain activities in your work they might enjoy, and discussing your career goals at length with them are all fantastic new ways to keep them invested. Before you know it, your kids are dreaming up their own aspirations, careers and lives soon to unfold. 

    3. Hold them accountable and offer choices

    It’s never too early to begin to instill a hard work ethic in your kids. If they say that they want that new toy, ask how they will go about earning it. Can they set up a lemonade stand? Can they earn money from completing various household chores? When children aren’t simply given everything they ask for and, instead, are encouraged to go out and work hard for what they want, they begin to see the world in a new light. In addition, giving them these decisions early on sets them up as independent thinkers. It also helps improve low confidence levels and indecisiveness. Setting these standards from the jump and holding them accountable for their actions is the best way to set them straight on their entrepreneurial path. 

    If you enjoyed these tips and would be interested in more tips on how to become a successful business owner, check out the The Product Boss Podcast, A Top 100 Podcast On Apple Podcast Business Charts. You can listen on Spotify or various other podcasting services.

    Additionally, I want to share some of my favorite entrepreneurial spirit quotes with you today for a little extra inspiration.

    Entrepreneurial Spirit Quotes

    “You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end.” –Jessica Herrin

    “You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life.” -Brian Chesky, Co-founder of Airbnb

    “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”-Oprah Winfrey

    “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” -Walt Disney

    “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” -Mark Twain

    “Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

    “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions – in a way that serves the world and you.” –Richard Branson

    “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” -Bill Gates

    Spirit Of Entrepreneurship Conclusion

    I hope you enjoyed these tips to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in your children so that they stay curious, optimistic, eager to find better ways. Developing a positive attitude and the desire to find new solutions will serve them in all areas of life. After all, who doesn’t want to help their kid become more confident and motivated? How will you encourage your young entrepreneur?

    Related Posts:

    Encouraging Passion, Philanthropy and Leadership in Kids

    Interview With A Daddy Entrepreneur

    New Podcast For Kids- Molly of Denali More

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      20 Date Night Ideas For Parents

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      Date nights are all about enjoying each other’s company.  In the beginning, couples are often so excited to do things together that date is just a formal excuse to see each other.  After marriage and kids, date night takes on a new meaning.  They become a chance to reconnect with just the two of you as a couple and do fun things together. They are no longer about getting to know each other as much as they are about getting to have fun together.  As a parent, it is important to set aside date nights in order to make sure you don’t lose the magic that started everything in the first place. I hope you enjoy these date night ideas for married couples.

      The Parent’s Guide To A Successful Date Night

      Kids change your marriage, that’s a fact. Most married folks know and embrace this, seeing the introduction of new life into the world as a more than valid reason to cut back on things like nights out drinking, frivolous purchases, sleeping past seven in the morning… and date night.

      You’re a parent. You love your kids. And you love your spouse.

      But don’t you miss your date nights?

      Don’t feel bad about screaming, “Yes!” right now, whether it’s inside your head or out loud in the driveway, with the windows of the minivan rolled up.

      You’re an adult. You need a little romance, some kickback time, and the company of other adults. Not only are you allowed; you’re required. Date nights are actually super important to keeping a happy marriage. A romantic evening helps recharge your batteries and fill your love tank.

      The Importance of Date Night to Parents

      Whether you have an eighteen-month-old or an eighteen-year-old, there’s always an excuse to not take a night off and spend time with your spouse. The baby has been fussy all week; I couldn’t inflict him on a babysitter. The teenager’s been acting out all week; I couldn’t possibly trust her alone in the house for a night. But let’s face it. You should prioritize yourself and your marriage. You need a healthy adult relationship, and that means protecting the sanctity of date night.

      As busy parents, it is too easy to grow apart.  You know what they say about an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  So, go ahead, have fun on a date night with your partner and don’t feel guilty about. Feel good about it!

      When To Schedule A Date Night For Parents

      Believe it or not, the time when date night feels the least possible is the best time to make it happen. If the kids are sick, work is busy, your kitchen remodel isn’t going as planned, or any other of life’s countless, unexpected bumps in the road has you thinking, “I can’t possibly afford a night off,” remember you can.

      More importantly, you need to.

      When life gets stressful, we tend to convince ourselves that everything is life-and-death, forcing our attention and energy to be consumed by even the tiniest issues in front of us. So, if you’re feeling like life’s too crazy for a break, you’re probably just too stressed out to realize that life is just being life, and a break is exactly what you need.

      Besides that sage advice, set a regular date night too.  At least once a month, everyone can and should make that happen- even married couples.

      Date Night Ideas For Married Couples

      After being married for years, it is easy to get in a rut. Take turns planning out date nights and surprise each other sometimes. Having a regular date night helps ensure that it actually happens and that you don’t let other things get in the way. Always turn off your app notifications on your cell phones for date night and ignore anything that isn’t the babysitter.

      Try Doing New Things

      Try doing new things for your date night that you have either never done before or not in years. Only you can keep things from getting stale! Step out of your lazy, comfort zone and try something new and exciting. Make new memories and enjoy a change of scenery.

      Try going to a golfing range together. Maybe one of you can lean in and teach the other a few good moves… I mean swings.

      Try visiting some tourist attraction in the area that you have never been to since you aren’t a tourist!

      Try a new restaurant or exotic cuisine.

      Get out in nature together. Go for a hike or an canoeing trip.

      Arrange to go horseback riding.

      Take a dance lesson together.

      Do a movie night at the big screen in an actual movie theater.

      Enjoy an evening stargazing.

      Try a spa day and get a couples massage.

      Picnic in the park. Enjoy an afternoon or evening lounging on the grass at your local park and tantalizing your tastebuds.

      Go on a double date. When was the last time you did that? It could be a lot of fun if it has been a long time since you have done it. You could even use a little creativity and pick a funky venue and go roller skating or bowling!

      My husband and I enjoying an evening on the back porch together.

      Date Night Ideas During Quarantine

      Don’t take this easy out too often, but date night at home may be a fun way to ease into date night ideas for married couples. Sometimes a dinner reservation might be hard get (especially during a pandemic) so there’s no rule against hiring a babysitter or using a baby monitor and staying in. Home date night ideas are a great way to enjoy some quality time to connect when you can’t get out. The important thing is make sure you two still get some alone time.

      A candlelit dinner with a glass of wine while the kids are asleep, playing with the babysitter, or watching TV upstairs can be just as romantic as an expensive Italian restaurant—not to mention cheaper, and healthier. The meal can be homemade or takeout as you both prefer and I know I prefer.

      Play board games together (like Monopoly or Trival Pursuit) and make up a few of your own rules about what happens when you land on certain squares!

      Recreate your favorite coffee or ice cream shop at home. Make a huge ice cream sundae with all the toppings together and eat it together too. Don’t forget to feed each the first and last bites! Have fun trying to recreate some fancy coffee drinks or your favorite beverage if that is more your thing than sweets. The idea is to have fun making something you both enjoy and then have fun enjoying it together.

      Grab a bottle of wine and swap stories. Remember when you first met? Tell each other the details you remember about the other person. Remember when you first kissed? Share how you felt. Share some of your favorite memories of trips you took together or things you did together. Dream about fun things to do together in the future.

      Play cards together (strip poker could spice things up after a few friendly rounds of cards).

      Make a scavenger hunt for your partner. Give them a clue that helps them find another clue that helps them find another until finally, they get a reward for all their hard effort!

      Cook together. Slow down, relax, and enjoy cooking, working together, and tasting what each is making.

      Garden together. Planting flowers together can be a lot of fun and then you can think of the fun you had with your honey every time you look at your nicely landscaped beds. Plus, you may need to go clean up together after working in the dirt!

      Go on a virtual date. There are lots of museums with virtual tours so this is the perfect time for you and your sweetie to see those works of art together or discuss history and science.

      Try a Date Night Box subscription. There are some companies like, Crated With Love, that take all the work out preparing for date night and deliver curated fun. It’s an easy way to have fun after a long day.

      Date Night Can Help Keep The Spark Alive

      Take a look at your spouse; you’re still just as wild about each other as you were when you got married, right? You still make each other laugh, still support each other through stressful times, and still want to be the first person each other sees in the morning and the last they see at night. So why aren’t you putting the same effort into your marriage now that you’re parents, as you did when you were newlyweds?

      It’s a scary thought, but many couples end up drifting apart once their kids are grown and out of the house, realizing that years of what they thought was happy, healthy marriage, was just collaborative child-rearing. Getting too comfortable might not be a good thing if you start taking each other for granted.

      You need to ensure that you’re both parents and romantic partners. Kids will never be “in the way,” but you’re likely using them as a mental block to stop yourself from indulging in some well-deserved adult time. That is why regular date nights are so helpful to putting the emphasis back on the two of you.

      Make a point to take a half hour before bedtime to spend time with your spouse, either talking in bed before turning the lights off or sipping a glass of wine on the back porch as the sun goes down. Communication is essential to staying connected to your spouse and each feeling seen and heard.

      Adding a little moment of romance to your daily routine will make carving a few hours for date night to go see a movie or cook a romantic meal together feel more natural—and essential—to your relationship.

      It is all about staying connected and not taking each other for granted. Your partner is special and they need to know you still feel that way. Take the time to show each other through regular date nights for married couples.

      If you are already overdue for a date night, consider taking a day trip together or even an overnight trip so you can catch up on some romantic couple time! Then you may be hungry for more date nights after that.

      Related Posts:

      Finding Time For Your Spouse

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      in Parenting

      Tired of Being the Maid? Try A Family Cleaning Schedule

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      Ever feel more like a maid than a parent? To change your family’s attitude toward cleaning and give yourself a break, try implementing a family cleaning schedule. It is time to get everyone to do their fair share. Additionally, I share 6 useful tips for raising a tidy family. 
      You go from room to room, cleaning up after your kids and making the house look nice, and by the time you’re done they’ve messed it up again. Many parents make the mistake of doing all the household chores themselves, either because they want them done a certain way or because they are tired of battles with the kids. However, this can leave you feeling worn out and unappreciated. What’s worse? It can leave your children with a sense of entitlement. That is why you will love using a handy dandy family cleaning schedule so everyone is on board helping out.
      Family Cleaning Schedule

      A family cleaning schedule is just what you need to make sure everyone pitches in to get the job done. It is a good idea to customize the family cleaning schedule to suit your family. You may be a super tidy mom and feel it is important to do daily cleaning tasks. Or you may be more like me. Everyone pick up after yourself as you go, this includes a daily clean in the kitchen, and everything else can wait till the weekend!
      How To Make A Family Cleaning Schedule
      First, make a list of the cleaning tasks.
      Which cleaning tasks do you consider essential on a daily basis and on a weekly basis? Write them all down.
      Second, assign tasks.
      Then you can assign tasks to suit the age of the family members or you can allow each family member to pick tasks. You set the rules such as each family member will do 5 tasks each week (for example). Have them place their initials by the task when it is complete. First come, first serve for tasks or as assigned.
      Third, set the deadline.
      You set the timeline. Decide whether cleaning items can be done any time throughout the week or if they need to all be done a group clean up time.
      To make things as easy as possible for you, I have included my family cleaning schedule template for you. Here is the weekly cleaning schedule printable pdf.

      You can try out our free printable family cleaning schedule template and make adjustments as needed. Having a checklist cleaning schedule helps make expectations clear as well as providing accountability. I suggest having each family member use their initials by the check mark space so that you can see if anyone is having to carry too much of the cleaning load.
      Tips For Raising A Tidy Family

      Don’t worry about being a perfectionist. Trying to keep things pristine will just stress you out and cause your kids to dread cleanup time. At some point, good enough is good enough. Focus more on establishing habits and positive feelings toward cleaning than on making everything look perfect.
      Make Cleaning Fun
      A huge part of the success of chore time is the attitude you take. First, find a different name for it. “Chore Time” sounds boring and hard; use a more neutral word (like “Cleanup Time”) or create a fun, unique name.  When you break out the family cleaning schedule, play music and stay positive.
      To raise a tidy family, associate cleanup time with cleaning games, music, and fun. Turn on some upbeat music and dance while you put clothes and books away. Strap Swiffer pads onto your children’s feet and let them “skate” around the kitchen to clean the floor. Tell kids that the toys are snakes or sharks and they have to wrestle them back to their spots. The more fun children have, the less whining you’ll hear and the happier everyone will be.
      Use Positive Reinforcement
      No, I am not talking about rewards. I am talking about positive framing and kind words. To ease the transition from nagging your kids to watching them clean on their own, help them recognize the positive feelings associated with cleaning. When you all finish cleaning up, point out how much better the house feels. If you ingrain a sense of happiness associated with a clean space, kids will start to notice and dislike untidiness. Good feelings are a powerful motivator, and eventually most kids will tidy up without being asked.  Notice their tidy habits and praise them for being responsible.
      Keep Chores Short
      Dragging out cleaning time is a sure way to make kids grumpy and resistant. To keep young children happy and get the job done fast, turn cleaning into a competition. Set a timer and see who can pick up the most in 5 minutes. Or challenge younger kids to see who can pick up the most blue items, the most red, the biggest ones, etc. in a certain amount of time. When kids see that they can have fun and quickly move to the next activity, they’ll put up less of a fight.
      Allow older kids to do some cleaning now and some later if they find that helps them to work better. Stress that they can do their items off the family cleaning schedule when they please, as long as they get them done by the deadline you set.
      Work As A Team
      Kids should definitely learn to clean up their own messes and not treat mom or dad as a maid service. But kids aren’t born knowing how to clean! Cheerfully pitch in and clean together as you teach your children how to do things properly. Not only will your kids be learning how to clean better, it will be more fun for them as they get used to the cleaning process. Raising a tidy family is doesn’t happen without you you sometimes showing them how as you clean together.
      Organize And Declutter
      This is one of the most important tips for raising a tidy family: organize and de-clutter!  The fewer items you have to put away, the easier the family cleaning schedule will be to complete. Go through your child’s room with him and get rid of any toys and clothes he hasn’t used in the last 6 months. Establish a habit of going through your kids’ stuff every few months. Make sure everything you keep has a place.
      Teach your kids the “one-in-one-out” rule: every time a toy comes in the house, one goes out. This will keep clutter to a minimum and make the next organizing session much smoother. Plus, kids might think twice about asking for a new toy if they know they’ll have to get rid of one.
      Lead By Example
      Kids learn as much or more by your example than from the things you say. So do your best to be an example of tidiness. Keep your space neat, avoid complaining about cleaning, and pick up after yourself before moving on to the next activity.
      Conclusion
      Attempting all of these strategies at once may be intimidating and frustrating. Instead, incorporate these cleaning tips into your family routine one at a time, and soon cleaning time won’t be such a chore and you will find raising a tidy family very rewarding. Be sure to introduce the family cleaning schedule and customize it to fit your family.  Feel free to share your tips for raising a tidy family in the comments!
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      in Parenting

      5 Fun Ways To Teach Children To Save

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      Nothing eases a parent’s mind more than knowing that their child is aware of the value of money, as well as the importance of saving it. Knowing how to save – and spend – wisely is hands-down one of the most useful traits a child can be raised with. In some households, where financial conscientiousness is habitual, this may be a natural product of childhood. However, it is a great idea to take a more hands-on approach to teaching your kids about smart spending and saving. Here are five ways to teach children to save that show them the both the value of everyday saving and of saving to reach goals.

      How To Teach Children To Save 
      1. Goal Savings Charts
      Sticker charts can be used in a variety of ways when it comes to saving. You can use one to encourage your child to set weekly savings goals. For example, your child can earn a sticker for each week they save $2 and get a whole page of stickers when they save up a total of $10.
      Or you can encourage your child save up to reach big rewards of desired items. This doesn’t just encourage saving – if your kids are buying toys with their own money, you can bet they’ll treat those things a lot more carefully than if said things are just handed to them. Plus, you don’t even have to shell out for the rewards, because the end goal is the reward itself! For example if they want to save up for a $50 video game, you can help them determine how much money they can save each week and how long it will take to reach their goal. Giving them a visual of this savings process is a great way to encourage them and make it fun. With that in mind, here is a PDF of a free printable savings goal chart your kids can use!

      2. Compartmentalized Piggy Banks Or Envelopes
      Nothing’s more exciting than using something you’ve made yourself, so a great way to start kids off on the road to money-saving is to let them make their own piggy banks. There are a fair few methods of crafting and decorating piggy banks online, but the easiest method is still to clean out a jar, cut a hole in the lid, and – boom, piggy bank!
      The piggy bank is another great way for younger kids to actually see their savings and watch them grow.

      You can take things a step further by creating several piggy banks (or by compartmentalizing a single one), each to be used for something different – one for saving, one for spending, or if you’d prefer, one for investing and one for donating. It’s up to you!
      Older children may benefit from learning about the envelop saving system. Carrie Lee offers some great printable envelopes for this.
      Teaching Kids About Everyday Saving Opportunities
      These next 3 teach children to save activities, all fall into the category of learning to save in everyday situations. This type of savings really adds up and helps stretch a budget further. If you child is old enough, this is a good time to introduce budgeting for kids.
      3. Learn To Save By Finding Sales
      If you don’t mind a little field trip, take your kids out with you the next time you go shopping. Show them the difference between full retail prices and the kind of deals you get in second-hand stores or during sales periods. This is a great way to show your kids how to assess items for quality versus price.
      As they get older you can also teach them to avoid false economies and show that sometimes spending more to begin with can lead to savings in the long run.
      4. Learn To Save At The Supermarket
      Food is a crucial part of any household budget, and knowing how to spend wisely on food is a great skill that will serve your kids well when they eventually live on their own. If you can spare the time, take your kids to the grocery store with you and show them how to differentiate between price, quantity, and quality for the best possible deals. This can also be a great way for them to put their maths skills in action!
      You can even use the opportunity to cultivate healthier eating habits by taking them to farmer’s markets and picking out fruit and vegetables for them to try.
      5. Learn To Save With Online Comparison Shopping
      While your children are young it’s encouraged to let them see and handle cash as much as possible so they don’t think of ‘money’ as an abstract concept, but as they grow older it’s a good idea to get them acquainted debit cards and the idea of online spending
      Things like clothes shopping may not work out cheaper online, but books and DVDs can often be much cheaper if you purchase them over the Internet, with options for buying them new or used. Why not challenge your kids to shop around and find the best price for various items?
      Furthermore, there are lots of crowdsourcing sites that offer exclusive deals on events and trips that you could teach your children to use (albeit when they’re older). Whether it’s a subscription to a popular family magazine or great offers for family days out. By taking advantage of sites like these, you’ll be cultivating saving habits for the Internet era – especially useful in this day and age where it’s tempting to make online purchases for the sheer ease of it.
      I hope you find these activities to teach children to save helpful. What ways do you use to encourage your kids to save? Share them in the comments!
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      in Parenting

      Read This When Times Get Tough

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      When times get tough, it can be hard to keep going. Here are some motivational tips to help you get through the tough times and help you keep on going till you thrive again.  I will also share my favorite inspirational quotes for tough times. Breathe, read this, and take things one day at a time.
      When Times Get Tough
      When you’re up against what feels like insurmountable circumstances it can be tempting to toss your sneakers in your gym bag and walk off the field.
      Giving up is easy. Life isn’t.
      But you’re smart. You’re hard working. Your friends, spouse and kids respect you. And everything you have, you achieved because you’re a determined, bright and confident person.
      You knew that, though, and it’s still not any easier to cope with what you’re up against. Maybe you lost your job, someone close to you fell ill, or it’s just one of those weeks—or months—when the little things keep piling up until the proverbial camel’s back is dangerously close to snapping.
      If telling yourself that this, too, shall pass isn’t enough to shake the negativity, you need to take some action. Here’s how.
      5 Motivational Tips For Going Through Tough Times

      Take care of yourself
      Not even Michael Phelps can tread water forever, and trying to keep your head above the surface while life keeps tossing waves at you can get you feeling like a pretty terrible swimmer.
      In fact, it can convince you you’re just a downright terrible person.
      When things get hard, you get depressed. That’s natural. And when you’re depressed, it’s a lot more difficult to find the motivation to do even the simplest things like cook a healthy meal, style your hair, or change into something that can’t double as pajamas.
      But do them anyway- walk, run, exercise, go for a bike ride, lose weight if you need to, get out there and experience life. Nutritional expert Isabel De Los Rios has countless stories of mothers who felt like the world was crashing down on them, only to turn it all around through putting themselves (and their health) first.
      Eat. Get some sleep. Take pride in your appearance. Maybe it sounds like added stress, but it’s the physical and emotional boost you need to stay afloat through this. So first and foremost, take care of yourself!

      Count your blessings
      Literally. Gratitude is powerful. Make a list of everything good in your life—the big stuff, the little stuff, the silly stuff. If it makes you happy, put it on your list. Your kids, spouse and home are probably no-brainers. Your dog? Cat? Iguana? Throw him on there, too.
      And don’t forget your grandma’s amazing lemon icebox recipe; your wedding photos; the way your daughter’s head smelled when she was six months old.
      Anything that has brought you joy, anything that you’re grateful for, put it down on paper. Don’t be afraid to get crafty and glue some photos or trinkets on there, too. Then, hang it somewhere—like the fridge, or your office—so you can glance at it now and then and remind yourself that life is wonderful no matter how awful it may be right now. 
      There is always something to be grateful for and sometimes it is easiest to focus on the small details.  The cool pattern the walls of the tent make, the way the sun pokes around the clouds, the pretty color green of new buds.  Those type of details sometimes pull me into the present moment when I am getting lost in the past.
      Gratitude can also help place things into perspective. Whatever is tough for you right now may be small in comparison to all the good you have in your life or how much it will really matter in a year’s time.
      Relax. Now!
      The worst thing to do to yourself when you’re overwhelmed is add weight to an already unbearable pile. Most of us think that staying busy is the best way to distract from whatever obstacle we’re up against, but knowing when to hang up your cape and let someone else fight the battles is a really crucial skill to overcoming adversity.
      If you don’t power yourself back up with ten minutes of deep breathing a day, you’ll lose your mind. No matter what you’re facing, there’s always time to give your mind and body a few minutes of peace. So take a walk, a bath soak, a nap or meditate. 
      I particularly find the below Wayne Dyer meditation music helpful for relaxing. It helps me recenter.
      [embedded content]
      Take out the trash
      On the opposite side of that same coin, find a constructive way to handle all your negative energy. Maybe your finances are a puzzle you can’t seem to solve, or your marriage is in a rut. Or maybe your son just brought home a bad report card. Whatever’s filling you with angst, find a useful way to drain it.
      My suggestion? Declutter your room. Or your garage. Your basement, storage shed, or under the guest room bed. Wherever unwanted crap piles up in your home, attack it.
      This constructive use of excess energy will keep your mind off whatever issue happens to be monopolizing your mental energy, allowing you to revisit it later on with a fresh set of eyes.
      Plus, getting rid of some of the crap in your life is always uplifting.
      Practice some altruism
      Whether you offer to babysit the neighbor’s kids while they’re at a movie, or offer up your time at a soup kitchen, find a way to help other people out with absolutely no gain for yourself.
      Look, when things feel too big to manage, a new perspective can shrink them back down to size. If you feel like you can’t fix whatever’s beating you down, fix something else. Reminding yourself that you’re a competent, compassionate person might be the jumpstart you need to get out of whatever rut you’re broken down in.
      One bonus tip?
      Look in the mirror and smile. Smiling can actually trick your brain into happiness!  Besides, you don’t want to forget how to smile.
      I am also going to share a few of my favorite when times are tough quotes to help inspire you to to, “just keep swimming.”
      Inspirational Quotes For Tough Times

      “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher
      “Believe in yourself, trust your gut, surround yourself with resilient people who inspire you to be better and work hard.” -Monique Hicks
      “Conflict is growth trying to happen.” -Harville Hendrix
      “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” -Alexander Graham Bell
      “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” -Robert Schuller
      “You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.” -Shaun Hick
      Conclusion
      I hope you found these motivational tips helpful for getting through hard times.  They come to us all and you just have to keep going. I sometimes picture Atreyu struggling to get through the Swamp of Sadness in the Never Ending Story. It feels like that sometimes but you don’t want to let yourself be swallowed up like Artax. You have to keep going.  You’ll get through it and you’ll be stronger.  Of my favorite when times are tough quotes that I shared above, my absolute favorite is the one from Mary Anne Radmacher. Tomorrow is a whole new day! 
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      Sight Word Practice Ideas For Beginning Readers

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      If you are unfamiliar with the concept of sight words, they are words that beginning readers learn to memorize to help them build reading confidence.  In Tennessee, where I live, there are 40 kindergarten sight words that kindergarteners need to master.  A sight word is a word whose spelling is not always straightforward and memorizing sight words helps beginning readers get past that reading hump. Here are some entertaining sight word practice ideas to get your little ones confident with the sight words so that they will foster a love of reading.
      5 Fun Sight Word Practice Ideas:
      My son and I played a fun sight word game the other night that I thought I would share with you.  He wanted to play Tic-Tac-Toe which I find kind of boring so I substituted his sight words and it was more fun for both of us.  I hope you enjoy these kindergarten sight word learning ideas!
      (This post was orginally published in November 2012, but I thought I would republish it to share it with more beginning readers.)
      You can get printable sight words list from This Reading Mama. They will be great to work through and check off the words your child learns through the sight word practice ideas below. Then you can both see how much progress you child is making!
      Sight Word Tic-Tac-Toe Game

      I drew the Tic-Tac-Toe board and filled it in with random sight words.  Then I got to pick the square and he had to read the word.  If he got the word correct, we put a big “O” around it and if he got the word wrong, we put a big “X” over it.  He had to get three “O”s in a row to win and I guess I could have won if I had managed to get three “X”s in a row but I never did.  Trust me, you won’t mind losing when you are so proud of your child’s reading!  He wanted to play this over and over and each time you can use different sight words!
      Other Sight Word Practice Ideas:
      Flyswatter Sight Word Game-
      Place index cards that have the sight words written on them on the floor.  Call out a word and have your child slap that word with the flyswatter.  Kids love an excuse to swat!
      Hopscotch Sight Word Game-
      Draw a hopscotch layout outdoors in sidewalk chalk.  Then have your child fill it in with sight words and say them as he or she hops through the hopscotch!
      Silly Story Sight Word Game-
      Take turns creating silly sentences that include sight words and telling a story at the same time.  Good for laughs as well as using the words!  Have you child write or read the sight words you both use in each sentence.

      Sight Words Memory Game-
      Have your child write 10 sight words that they are struggling with onto index cards. Then have them do it a second time for the same words. Now comes the fun part- they will have 20 cards to play a memory game with. They will have learned a lot while preparing the game and playing it with you will make it fun and I bet they learn those sight words in time with this fun game.
      Sight Word Learning Tips
      Sight words can be intimidating to your child at first so make sure you showing them a lot of love and encouragement. If your child feels you are cheering them on, they will want to practice more and get more right. If your child feels like you are disappointed and frustrated, they will likely not want to learn at all because they will fear failure.
      Try feedback like, “You missed that one but I bet you get it right next time. You just need a little practice.” Or as my grandmother always said with an encouraging smile, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.”
      My kids love having a book read to them. If yours do to, ask them to point out sight words as you read! This should be all about having fun reading and being read to. “Patience is a virtue”, my grandmother always said. Don’t worry, have faith and have fun and the skills will come to them when the time is right. What are some of your favorite sight word practice ideas?
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      Budgeting For Kids: Teaching Your Children To Budget

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      As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children financial awareness. This includes showing them how to budget their money from an early age. Including them as a part of the family budgeting plans is a great thing, but it does not relate directly to them on their level. Therefore, helping your kids set up a budget of their own will teach them on a smaller scale what it is that you do every month with your finances.  If you child is old enough to have an allowance, they are old enough to learn budgeting for kids.
      Budgeting For Kids Provides A Firm Foundation 

      “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with it. I have good advice and sound wisdom; I have insight, I have strength.” ~ Proverbs 8:10, 11, 14

      Being money wise is very important to your child being able to get started on their own and make it in the world. Knowledge about money and how it works should be shared with them naturally as they grow and opportunities for discussion arise. Whether you are teaching them how to look at the price per ounce part of the stickers at the grocery store, or teaching them to save a portion of their earnings, learning these basic principles will help them immensely when they have to manage money on their own. A great place to start is by introducing a budget worksheet for kids.
      Teach Them To Use A Budget Worksheet For Kids
      There are many budget worksheet options out there that you can find to help you with the basics. Or just use a spreadsheet program on your computer. The left hand column can be for the days of the week and the columns that span the page across will be the categories like games, food, clothes, gifts, and savings. A budget worksheet for kids can be made to suit your child’s age and earnings.

      A budget worksheet for kids should include a place for what they earn, expenses, savings, and charity. Explain to them that they need to fill out their chart or do it together the first few times. Help your kids see how to disperse the money into the categories. If you incorporate a rule that 20% goes into savings and 10% to charity, those should come out first as well as any expenses. The rest can be divided into the fun areas and once they spend it, the money is gone. They will learn that they need to earn more.
      You can find 13 different budget worksheets for kids and pick what best matches your child’s age and monetary experience level at moneyprodigy.com
      Set Goals And Provide A Budget Project For Kids
      When you were younger, before the time of children and marriage, you dreamed of having a family and a home. These dreams became goals for you, things to accomplish and make your life richer in a more spiritual way. To be a realist though, money truly does make the world go ‘round. There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel comfortable in your situation or provide your family with a home. In fact, it sets a great example for your children.
      Sit down with your kids and help them learn to set a short term goal (realistic) and a long term goal (big dream). It is great for kids to learn to work towards achieving their goals.  Have them draw a picture of the goal and hang it by the budget chart so they see it every day and remember why they are saving their money. The short term goal can be something as simple as buying a Matchbox car or saving for new clothes. The long term goal can be putting their money towards a car and/or college. Have them pick an actual dollar amount to work towards. Once they reach it, they can set the same goal again or another goal.
      Now that your child has some budgeting goals, give them a project! You should only use this budget project for kids if they are old enough. Also wait until they have become familiar with using the budget sheet. See if they can use their budget sheets to calculate how long it will take them on their current allowance or supplementing with additional earned income of blank dollars each month to reach their small goal and their large goal.

      Reward Your Child For Learning To Budget
      You can expect some hesitation, a little bit of resistance even. As your children begin to take initiative in budgeting, be sure to encourage them with a shopping trip to buy that item they had been saving for. Every new program needs to be tackled with a loving and supportive attitude. When the family steps up and applies the learnings, let them know how much you love and appreciate them back. Your reward comes much later in life when they are financially stable people!
      Being a parent is a true blessing, but one that does not come without its responsibilities. It will feel really good to know that by teaching budgeting for kids, you are helping to prepare them for a successful future.
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      Global Health Crisis–3 Cleaning Questions Answered

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      When times are uncertain, people inevitably have questions. So we thought we would answer some of the common cleaning questions on everyone’s lips to provide a little bit of clarity in these somewhat dark and uncertain times. Can You Get Sick From Contaminated Clothes? Yes, you can. Clothes worn by someone who is ill can […] More