Kids News Parenting Site

Dear Kids News Readers

Another festive season has come and gone (can you believe it) and we would like to wish you all the best for 2012. I am very positive about this year and hope it is a good one for you too. Although we have been very quiet over the past few weeks, it's not to say we havent been busy at Kids News. 

I am very happy to announce that we have just re-launched our website.  It's a completely new look and new feel. We've kept the best of the old website and added loads more features which will be advantageous to readers, users and advertisers. Please take a look and let us know what you think.

You can also look forward to the introduction of an innovative newsletter next week.

I spent my holiday at home this year with my kids. My son turns 21 this month, my daughter is off to a local university, and my “little” one is headed into Grade 11.  It’s a bit mind blowing for me to realize that I am probably not going to be able to refer to my offspring as “the kids” for much longer.

I must just tell you that parenting never ends. I had thought that maybe it was just me who was still so involved in my kids lives. I am divorced and I always look around and think everyone else’s life is so different to mine. Everyone else’s life always looks so perfect. Also because my business involves parenting, I take parenting very seriously. But I was quite relieved the other day, while chatting in the dentist’s reception, a much older parent told me his “kids” (in their 30’s) still need his support.

This holiday was particularly hectic for me emotionally in terms of parenting. I waved goodbye to my daughter at the airport after matric. She was leaving for her first vac holiday on her own. She and a group of friends went to KZN for 10 days. They organized and paid for the trip themselves and there were no adults with them. This is what matric students do! And nothing prepares you for the experience.

I can recall every goodbye I had experienced with my kids – their first sleep over, when they left for camp, every kiss and hug before hospital visits and surgery. But this goodbye was one of the hardest for me. I wondered how she was going to manage on her own. Should I try and set some rules? Should I warn her (for the umpteenth time) about the dangers of drinking, driving etc? She is not a pampered girl, nor has she led a completely sheltered life. I felt she was relatively prepared for the experience. I decided that all I could do is set her free.

We agreed that we would contact each other by sms every 3 days or so. And I hoped for the best. I had chatted to other moms and realized we all shared the same fears. So, as I waved goodbye, I recollected for the thousandth time that parenting was hard and nothing and no one ever prepares you for any of it.

Well, the good news was that she smsed me when the plane landed and when they reached the place they were staying. A few nights later they planned to travel to Durban and go to a rave and she smsed to say that she just felt she should let me know. I was surprised and amazed at the same time. My daughter had  all the freedom in the world but she still wanted to make contact. My heart swelled with pleasure and I realized that I must have done something right in the past 18 years.

When she came home I was very relieved, but also happy to see some positive changes. She said that one of the high lights of her trip away was shopping with a trolley and paying on her own, doing her own laundry and realizing that it’s not so hard, but it’s not much fun, and she learnt that just because you have freedom it doesn’t mean that you are free.

I guess that my message at the end of all of this is that it’s not the big decisions that you make that  effect your life, but the way you handle them. Does it really matter if your kid gets A’s, B’s or C’s? No, what is important is the relationship that you have with him. Is it important if your kid pierces her nose, or if your son gets into trouble at school for not doing homework? No, it’s not that important. What’s important is that you spend time with and share life on an authentic level with the people in your life.

Kirsten Long returns this year with 9 Cures for procrastinating which I am sure will help you this year.
I have also included an amazing Spinach and Pineapple Salad recipe which can be a meal in itself.

Lets enjoy your parenting journey together this year.
Tell all your friends about our new site and if you enjoyed this newsletter please forward it on.

Jill

Barbie Magazine - the FEB 2012 Issue is on sale now!

For more information on how to subscribe to Barbie Magazine, please call (011) 468 2090 and ask for subscriptions, or send an email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

See what COMPETITIONS & prizes we have for you to win - Enter our competitions Now!!!

We have lots of parenting articles for you to read online take a look

NEW ADVERTISERS

Personalised Labels (Nationwide) - Specialise in small runs! *Sew on school labels *Designer labels for your own range of clothing, cushions, caps, etc.  *Sixes *Washing instructions *Sticky lables for envelopes/bags etc. *Small sticky lables for lunchboxes, shoes, stationary, cd's, Tupperware, etc. *Catalog with samples, pricing etc on website or we can post/fax you one, or you can collect at 142-3rd Ave Edenvale.  Don't delay contact us today  Look at our website or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 011-6092452 or 082 440 2553 Fax 011-6092452

Catrobatkidz (Nationwide) - Pre-School Extra-Mural gym programme to provide all the necessary movement experiences needed to have a profound effect on your child's life.  Prevent low muscle tone and improve brain integration. Tel: 0114750022.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit their website.

 The World of Dogs and Cats and Pet Exhibition(Gauteng-Midrand, Gallagher Convention Centre) WODAC PET EXPO is South Africa’s only all-inclusive pet lifestyle show and the only event of its kind in Africa.  The Expo showcases pets of all varieties as well as a wide range of pet-related exhibits and absolutely amazing arena attractions including dancing with dogs, dog agility, cat and dog show, reptiles, fish, birds and loads more.  Discover the Magic of Animals! Tel:031-7654286 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Visit our Website

9 Cures for procrastinating

1) Take a tablet - set a time limit. This tablet gives immediate relief.  I love using e.ggtimer.com when I am doing a task I don’t enjoy, like filing. I set the timer for 30 minutes, then do the filing as quickly as possible. When the timer goes off, I stop whether I am finished or not. This approach forces me to work quickly and focus on what I am doing. The relief of getting the task done is immense. This tablet works like a charm…

2) See a therapist - acknowledge your feelings AND do it anyway. We all want to be heard, even by ourselves. Never say “I shouldn’t feel like this”. This invalidates your feelings and makes you feel like you have done something wrong. Which you haven’t. Rather say “I don’t feel like doing this AND I’m going to do it anyway”. Know this: you are totally capable of doing something you don’t feel like doing. How often have you gone to work when you didn’t feel like it? How often have you taken off your make-up even if you didn’t feel like it? How often have you gone to see your in-lays even though you didn’t feel like it? Acknowledge your feelings and do the work anyway.

3) Drink a secret potion - make a deal with yourself. If you are feeling very low and don’t know how you’ll get through the work, promise yourself that you’ll only work on the task for 15 minutes. Do this and then assess how you feel. If it still feels bad, stop. If not, carry on. It’s often not so bad once you get going.

4) Stitch your emotions together - write a to-do list: choose 3 or 4 easy, quick things and do them first. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment from crossing those tasks off the list, and will feel more motivated. Now you are ready to do a more difficult task.

5) Inject into the wound - choose the task you hate most and do it first. Painful, but you’ll feel better as soon as it’s out the way. Reward yourself by doing things you love after that.

6) Visit a witch-doctor - visualize the end result. Use all the senses, especially your emotions. Visualize for 4 to 5 minutes until you feel excited and motivated and then get on with the job.

7) Put your email in a plaster cast so that you have total control. Email is one of the greatest distractions and time wasters. Switch off the notification for new mail so that you don’t get distracted when a new mail arrives. First work on your most important tasks for the day, and then check your email. When you are checking mail, be very decisive. Deal with every email instead of glancing at each one. Delete the junk. If a response to a mail can be achieved in less than two minutes, then do it straight away. If you have to decide whether or not to attend something, move it into a maybe folder. If the response to an email is longer than two minutes, schedule time for it in your diary and let the person know when you will be attending to it. Once you have dealt with an email- file it for safekeeping or delete it. This way you should have very few mails in your inbox. 

8) Tranquilize your self-talk. Self-talk has a lot to do with your emotional state. If your self-talk is peppered with “I've got to/ I should/I have to/ I need to”, then consider that this could leave you feeling pressurized and even resentful. Change your self-talk to something like “I choose to/I could”.  Practice this until it becomes a habit.

9) Doctor those interruptions by planning for them. No matter what we do, interruptions will happen. I have a client in the IT industry that battles with long working hours. Through our sessions he found the potion that has helped him manage his work life. He only ever plans for 32 hours of the week. This leaves 10 – 15 hours where he can deal with interruptions or emergencies. This way he copes more effectively with his workload and he feels much better!

Procrastination is a disease that is easily cured. Find the right treatment and sort out the problem….

Kirsten Long



Favourite quotes!

"The ancestor of every action is a thought."   -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

"We are what we think.  All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world."   - Buddha

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought"    - Henri Louis Bergson

SMALLS ADVERTS This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This Months Recipe -Spinach and Pineapple Salad

Salad Ingredients

A packet of baby spinach leaves or swiss chard
I chopped pineapple
1 chopped red onion
Half a cup of soaked raisins
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Toss all the ingredients  together in a bowl.
Add the lemon juice and rind.
Drizzle on olive oil and season to taste.

Enjoy!

Tots n Pots: Learning to love good food

Tots n Pots is a fun filled, hands on cooking & baking workshop experience, dedicated to providing Mom’s, Dad’s and Grandparents some valuable time with their children (both boys and girls) as well as creating a platform to educate children and encourage healthy eating habits. Children are encouraged to experiment and explore new tastes, textures and to use and develop their creative abilities to create a dish of their very own to take home. Tots n Pots is also available as a program to run at schools. We focus on mastering different skills sets for each group whilst getting kiddies hooked on good food in a very fun way! Classes offered: Tiny Tots (2-3) Little chefs (3-6) and ‘I can do it myself’ (6-12) Click here to find our more about a class in your area of SA

Read the Whats On Newsletter to see what events are taking place in your area

• < Prev
• Next >