In the Philippines, having a helper at home is very common. It helps make the life of a mom easier by assisting her in household chores and keeping watch over the kids while the mom is busy. In our household though, we haven’t had a stay-in helper for the past 4 years. I figured since the kids were no longer infants at that time, and I was a stay at home mom, it would do our family good not to hire a helper anymore.

True enough, the past years have shown us that there are several advantages of not having a household helper at home:

- It made everyone in the house more responsible. Every one in the house has their own household chores that they need to do. Dad does the cooking when he is home, daughter washes the dishes and gets the clothes from the wash area, son sets the table and helps in the yard work. When cleaning day comes, everyone helps in their own capacity. Oriental rug cleaning and other specialized cleaning tasks warrants that we hire additional services.

- It helps the kids realize that living requires hard work. They don’t grow up with a sense of entitlement to the pleasures of life. They learn life skills early on.

- It gave the family a sense of teamwork and goal-orientedness. Every one needs to cooperate if we want our house to look tidy and neat. If we want to make the living area more spacious, everyone needs to consider one another’s needs and compromise to achieve our goal.

- It gave us a spare rooom which we converted to our study room. It was God’s perfect timing when our helper left, we have also decided to homeschool our daughter. We eventually coverted the helper’s room to a mini library area and study room.

I definitely like it that I don’t have to worry about an additional person in the house. Moreso, I like it that the family has many bonding memories inside the house. It provides many opportunities to come to know each other and enjoy the atmosphere of our home together.

It’s that time of year, when you can pick up some fantastic bargains on summer holidays for you and the brood. Whether you decide to head abroad during the May half term or you’re saving your stint for a summer jaunt, one of the key aspects of a stress-free trip is ensuring that you travel light.

The hassle of lugging hefty suitcases through airports can be a real drag, especially so when you have kids hanging off each leg and one in your arms. Keeping your luggage to a minimum will ensure that you won’t have as much to carry, as well as potentially saving several pounds if you go over your baggage allowance.

Whether you’re travelling for a couple of days or a week or more, it’s surprising how much you don’t really need. Pack the essentials for you and your family and keep the unnecessary bits at home – you’ll be surprised at how much you can shed.

Shoes

While many people would love to be able to take different shoes for various activities and occasions, in reality they take up room and weight and aren’t really required. Girls and boys shoes don’t need to extend past a pair of comfortable sandals, while guys can get away with a pair of cool loafers or some cushioned trainers. Ladies may love their heels but wouldn’t look out of place in a pair of sandals that can be dressed up or down. If you’re planning on walking a fair deal, pack some canvas pumps too. You can pick up a pair of shoes cheaply from supermarket retailers. Make sure to look at ASDA George girls and Boys shoe range.

Swimwear

Let’s face it, if you’re travelling with the children, they’ll far more likely prefer to hang out around the pool all day or play in the sand at the beach than explore further afield, and for this, you’ll need some swimwear. Swimming trunks or shorts for the lads and a cozzie or bikini for the girls will suffice, with a wraparound sarong as a cover up. Pack a UV swimsuit for any little ones to protect their delicate skin.

Casuals

During the days, when you’re not in the pool or basking on the loungers, you’ll need some casual apparel. It’s particularly important to cover up if you’re exploring places that expect you to be clothed in order to be respectful.

Choose lights or brights to stay cool. White maxi dresses or t shirts will help to reflect the sun, while pinks and azures will help you stand out. For the boys, funky graphic T’s teamed with a pair of cotton chinos will be perfect.

Smarts

If you decide to dress up in the evening, you don’t need to be too OTT in most places. A simple maxi or summer dress for the girls and some cool chinos and a nice T or short-sleeve shirt for the boys will be fine unless you’re planning on fine dining at any point.

Accessories

Luckily, accessories don’t take up much space and can help to make a casual outfit look smart. Pack some jewellery to add a little glitz and a pashmina to help keep the evening chill at bay. A cardigan or light sweater will be ideal for the children. Don’t forget your sunnies either!

Travel light and pack the essentials for your upcoming summer holiday. Shop for summer for less at ASDA and you can fill your suitcase with all the latest trends affordably.

With all the products available in the market for kids out there, buying gifts for children has become complicated. From the different genres of books, to the different styles of dress  to the multiple digital gadgets, it can make gift giving a hard task.

Here are some tips to make gift giving to children more meaningful and less stressful:

1. Choose personalized gifts for kids. Personalized books would work wonders as it would make reading even more fun for the children and instill a love for reading and learning in them.

2. Choose age appropriate gifts. Knowing the age of the recipient of the gift is a must to be able to choose a gift wisely. For younger kids, it is best to give them gifts which would allow them to explore, create and learn. Whereas older kids can get digital gadgets.

3. Choose handmade gifts over ready made ones. These kind of gifts can inspire children to become more creative themselves.

4. Choose to include a hand written note. It can make the gift more personal and memorable.

5. Choose gifts which can inspire creativity and resourcefulness over gifts which are easily forgotten.

Gift giving can become a way to inspire others. Whether it is a birthday gift or a Christmas gift, gifts should always come as a blessing to others.

 

I have been shared with you last week that you should watch out for the grand launching of a great parenting resource, The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller RN, BSN. I have been given an advanced copy to review this book and I must say that it is one of the  parenting books you’ll want to have in your shelf.

Here are some reasons why I really like this book:

There are no formulas in parenting but the advices given are practical suggestions which you can easily follow in your own home. The strategies are all heart-centered which would cause a lasting impact in the life of the children.

The chapters are short and easy to read. The book consists of 50 parenting tips and each chapter’s length is just right.

The tips are relationship focused, enabling the parents and the child to look beyond issues and resolve differences together.

As I read the book, I feel encouraged and know that I can do better in parenting. The author doesn’t put down or criticize other parenting styles but encourages parents to try their suggested tips. I know that I am a work-in-progress with my children and  the lessons I am learning through this book will be a great help to my parenting.

Here are some lessons I learned through this book:

- Affirm right behavior. Instead of always pointing out your child’s mistakes or weaknesses, as the parent, we should affirm their right behavior more.

- Move from the issue to the process. It is not enough to get the results but how the results were achieved is even more important.

- Teach kids to add energy to family life. The kids need to learn to honor their parents or their siblings so that they eventually can become a good part of the society one day.

- Consequences aren’t the only answer. Children need to know what is the positive thing to do instead of just receiving consequences to their action.

There are so many more good parenting tips so I encourage you to buy a copy of this book. Now, if you have decided to buy this book, I recommend that you buy this book this week. Why? Because if you buy a print copy of The Christian Parenting Handbook between April 29 and May 5 , you get a package of free resources valued at more than $400.00. 

There are 8 video, audio and electronic items contained in the Bonus Parenting Package.

Here’s what’s included in the $400 package when you purchase the book!

• The Christian Parenting Handbook electronic versions for iPad, Kindle, Nook or any mobile device ($29.97)

• Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, in You and Your Kids Lesson #1Complete Package including Lesson 1 on Video, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, in You and Your Kids Lesson #2Complete Package including Lesson 2 on Video, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• Teach Kids to Listen and Follow Instructions on Video, Workbook, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• Correction Ideas that Touch the Heart on Video, Workbook, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• Addressing Bad Attitudes in Kids on Video, Workbook, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• Everyday Parents CAN Raise Extraordinary Kids Session #1 on Video, MP3, Study Guide, and Children’s Lesson. ($59.95)

• How to Use The Christian Parenting Handbook 30-minute Video ($24.95)

That’s $404.60 of biblical parenting resources forFREE!!!

In addition, you can get The Christian Parenting Handbook Companion Guide (This is a workbook with audio clips that will help you apply the material in The Christian Parenting Handbook.) for free if you purchase 5 copies or more of the book. You can make your purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BAM (Books A Million), CBD or Parable.

To  claim your premium, simply forward your purchase confirmation to Gift@biblicalparenting.org and they will send you your special product code for the $400.00 package. If you purchased 5 or more copies of the book, they will send you the PDF version of the Companion Guide along with the audio segments.

To celebrate this launching week, the National Center for Biblical Parenting is hosting  a mega giveaway!

Also remember to come hang out on Tuesday evening April 30, 2013 at 7:30pm ET. “Live Google Hangout” Don’t forget the Twitter Party on Wednesday evening May 1 at 8:00 pm. Hashtag for the Twitter party is #heartparenting.

When I started my journey as a stay at home mom 9 years ago, I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that I wanted to personally care for my child and be there as she grows up. I knew that my lifestyle was about to change and I needed to learn new skills to become effective at home.

I didn’t know how to cook. I never had taken care of an infant before. I didn’t know how to manage the household. I didn’t know where to start. Looking after children below 5 and staying at home is not easy. The schedule can get pretty full and there are so many chores that needs to be done. How can you, as a mom, enjoy staying at home with your kids, when there are so many things that needs to be done at home?

Here are some lessons I have learned over the years:
1. Hire help. You can hire outside help to come at least once a week to your place to help clean up. Just like those carpet cleaner nyc services from the States, you can call someone to clean up your lawn for you, clean the bathroom or do some major cleaning around the house.

2. Plan your day. Make sure you do the important chores for the day and leave the things you can do later for another day. Errands that needs to be done before due date like electricity bills, grocery chores and credit card payments need to be done first.

3. Schedule a “me time” each day. Whether it is an hour of reading a book, watching movies or being online, you need to schedule a time that you do something that can help you relax.

4. Learn to say “no”. You shouldn’t be joining all activities since this can cause additional stress to your family life. Prioritize which social activities are necessary and important.

5. Don’t be afraid to learn new skills. Whenever there are things that you don’t know, don’t fret. Look at it as opportunities to learn new skills and grow as a person.

Amidst all the horror stories we have been hearing, staying at home can be an enjoyable experience. We just need to learn to balance and prioritize.

Do leave a comment if you have any other tips you’d like to share.