Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Goal Setting for Kids

Goal Setting with your Kids - Tip of the Day!

When goal setting with your kids, it's a good idea to encourage them to draw pictures of their goal or find and cut pictures out of magazines. Scrap booking is fun for kids of most ages anyway, but just think how much extra momentum they will have if they are constantly drawing or seeking out pictures to remind them of how great it will be when they have achieved their goal!

Even tiny kids can enjoy pictorial goal setting. When they are too young to write, what better way to introduce goal setting than to encourage kids to find and enjoy pictures that represent what they want to achieve. As always with young children, remember to keep the timescales appropriate. A goal could be as simple and immediate as wanting to go the park and feed the ducks this afternoon ... by helping a small child visualize and plan a goal like that, perhaps with a step that says "I'm going to get ready to go out and help put on my own coat and shoes", you are setting up a success mechanism where he or she is learning ... I want something ... I'm willing to do what it takes to get it (in this case, put on my coat without a fuss and maybe do up my own laces) ... then I successfully achieve my goal.

It might sound tiny or even silly, but these little introductions to goal setting will grow with you and your child!

Happy goal setting with your kids!

Cassie
KidsGoals

What is a Mother worth???

They say you can't put a price on a Mother but recently I read an article that said that a Mother does have an actual dollar figure worth. If you take into consideration all that a Mother does;
  • Raising children- A full time Nanny
  • Keeping house - A full time Maid or Housekeeper
  • Cooking meals- A Chef
  • Kiss the boo-boos and make everyone better when they are sick- A Nurse
  • Manage Family Finances- A Bookkeeper
  • Transport children to sports activities, Dance, Dr. and Dentist Appointments- A Chauffeur
  • Help a child with homework- A Teacher
I could go on and on but you get the picture. So taking into consideration of all that a Mother does, no weekends off a financial firm came up with the conclusion that based on 17 professions a Mother's worth in US Dollars is drum roll please...........$635,700 per year or nearly $53,000 a month.
Monicka

Monday, June 26, 2006

Goal Setting for Kids - Intangible goals?

Goal setting for Kids - Intangible goals?

What to do if your kid sets a goal like "I want Joey Smith to be my best friend"? A goal like that isn't necessarily all that healthy. Maybe I'm wrong to call it an "intangible" goal as it's certainly very specific - which is supposed to be good for goal setting.

But it depends too much on things outside your child's control. What if Joey already has a best friend ... or if he moves away?

When teaching our kids goal setting maybe we need to emphasize that our goals need to be defined in terms that enable us to be in control, at least largely, of whether we reach them or not.

A better goal might be, to be the kind of kid that everyone wants to be friends with?!

What do YOU think?

Cassie
Goal Setting for Kids

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Accentuate the Positive Eliminate the Negative

According to scientific research, the average child is told "no'' or told that they cannot do something over 148,000 times before they reach the age of 18. That is a lot of no's. I tend to think of any negative thoughts as planting weeds and if you think of your child's mind as a garden that is a whole lot of weeds!!!

What then can you do as a parent to help your child get rid of the weeds and start planting flowers? Well if you think about all the negatives as being negative programming then we must help our child do a bit of positive programming to undo all the negatives. Although that may sound a bit difficult it really isn't, it just involves repetition. Scientific research has shown that 77% of our thoughts are negative and counterproductive. Since our brains learn by repetition, the more you repeat something the more it becomes ingrained in your psyche. Positive self talk and thinking will not work unless you practice it again and again.

When you catch your child berating themselves teach them to turn those thoughts around. Positive self talk is learned and can become a habit through repetition.

Hoping you and your children have a positive day

Monicka

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Fussy Eaters

Hi everyone and welcome to the Kids Goals blog!

Do you have a fussy eater in your family? Or maybe you even used to be a fussy eater yourself as a kid?

There were lots of things I hated as a small child ... olives and omelettes are the ones that bring back the worst memories - both of which I love now, as an adult. A lot of the foods kids don't seem keen on is quite strong in flavor...

I have many fond memories, on the other hand, of eating Farleys' Rusks. If you don't get Farleys in your country, they are a mild flavoured rusk that goes soft and soggy in milk. They are meant for little babies but I adored them throughout childhood and still think about them! Imagine my disappointment when I tried a Farleys' Rusk recently and found that it had No Taste At All!!!! It had the flavor of soggy cardboard!

My theory is that as we grow older, our taste buds mature and become less sensitive, so we enjoy the stimulation of stronger foods. Unfortunately, it also means that some delicious things, like good old Farleys, become utterly and depressingly tasteless. Anyone else find this?

Cassie

P.S. Check out the new Child Nutrition article on the site, and if you're interested we also have all kinds of recipes for cooking with your child

Friday, June 16, 2006

Internet Safety for Kids

My youngest son is very involved in an online adventure game. He has been playing it for over six months as a non-member but after awhile he grew bored with the available quests and pleaded with his Father and me to let him become a member. He showed us all the cool things that full members could do and what the $7 a month would cover. After a bit of thought we agreed to let him.

Things were going along fine until yesterday when he came to me and told me someone hacked into his game and stole his password. He was very upset and rightly he should have been. If something like a password can be stolen what else can these hackers steal!!!

Make it a point to teach your children internet safety. Do not get complacent when it comes to your child and his computer games. There are predators lurking waiting for a chance to befriend your child, make no mistake about it!!!

We will be providing a quick start guide you can download from our website at KidsGoals that will be available in July, watch for it.

Monicka

Goal Setting for Kids - But what do they REALLY want?

As the step parent of a 16 year old girl I am pondering, at the moment, what one should do to help children of that age adopt positive goals?

It's particularly tricky if you are a non-resident parent (or in my case, step-parent - with even less influence!) especially if you only see the child once in a long while.

But I guess even parents who are lucky enough to have their young teenagers living with them full time may come up against the conflict that happens naturally when youngsters are ready to stretch their wings and perhaps make mistakes that we the adults wish we could guide them away from.

What's your experience??

Happy Goal Setting with your kids!

Cassie
KidsGoals

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Just do it

Hello everyone and Happy Tuesday

The whole point of the KidsGoals is to help parents and caregivers teach children to be proud of who they are and that anything is possible if they put their mind to it. One of the most important aspects of goal setting for your children is follow through. Rather than putting off something that needs to be done at a more convenient time, teach them that that there is no time like the present and to just do it!!!

Lately Cassie and I have made a pact that when an idea for our kidsgoals website, blog or newsletter comes to us we will stop everything that we are doing and get on it. It has made a huge difference. We are getting things accomplished that we would normally drag our heels on until the last minute. I am starting to realize being the Queen of procrastination that I am or rather was, that you can unlearn a bad habit and replace it with a much more positive one. Something like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets.

We all know that children learn by example so make it a point to show your children how important it is not to put off things that need to be done. I find that unfinished business haunts me and makes it difficult to move forward. On the other hand when I follow through and get it done it gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. What a great thing to teach your children and something that can only benefit them in their adult years.

Cheers, Monicka

Monday, June 12, 2006

Need some incentive??

It has been a few days since I have had a chance to blog, but more times then not I will come up with an idea during my workouts. So during my morning 30 on the treadmill I thought of a post on a diet forum that I had read about a man who had lost 30 pounds. He was really concerned about gaining it back and figured out a way that really kept him on the right track. He filled up a sandbag with enough sand to weigh 30 pounds and every time he had the urge to go on a binge he would tell himself OK you can eat what you want but first of all you must carry the 30 pound sandbag around with you for half and hour. It never failed to work for him and he kept the weight off. After hauling a thirty pound bag of sand around for half an hour that bag of taco chips just didn't seem to be worth it.

That got me thinking. Since I turned forty it seems to be harder every year to keep the pounds off. My daily workouts help but I still have to watch what I eat. I have been successful at losing just over 15 pounds. I think about how hard it would be for me to carry the weight I lost around for half an hour, but that is precisely what we do when we are overweight, only we can't just drop it after thirty minutes.

So next time I get the urge to binge I will take a 15 pound turkey out of the freezer put it in a pack-sack and carry that around for awhile and see if the siren song of the peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream still has a hold over me.


Monicka

Goal Setting with Children - is it rare?

Hi everyone,

I am wondering how many parents nowadays actually do set goals with their kids. Is it rare or common?

The importance of goal setting is pretty much common knowledge these days, I think.

I know for sure I wish my parents had taught me how to set goals when I was little! I think I could have achieved much more, much sooner, if the importance of using goal setting and other related techniques was passed on to me when I was small enough to absorb it to the extent that I was using it almost without thinking. A bit like brushing your teeth, it's no effort because you've always done it, day in and day out. Wouldn't it be great if goal setting could come that naturally!

I would love to hear from all you parents out there about whether you use goal setting with your children or not, and if so what success you've encountered.

Happy goal setting with your kids!

Cassie

KidsGoals

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Kids Goals - Sell your stuff $$$$$$$$

I am constantly looking for ways to earn money to fund my trip to the UK, so I was thrilled to find an email from Amazon saying that if I sold the used books I had bought in the last year through their marketplace, I could make almost $300 Canadian. Woohoo!!!
I am an avid reader and although there are some books I would never part with, there are a few that are just gathering dust. I quickly collected the ones I was willing to sell and one by one entered the ISBN # to see what I could get for them. To my amazement I found I could get a least half of what I paid and that was with the commission that Amazon deducted for each sale. Sounded pretty good to me. I had tried to sell a few of them last year, through a local consignment bookstore and was unhappy to find they would only give me $10 and that was for the whole flipping lot of them. No thank you!!
Anyway,as I was going along happily adding some of my collection to my sellers list I came across a book that I had purchased a few years ago. When I put in the ISBN # to see what I could get for it I was amazed that the book was selling used for $125.00 and you couldn't even buy it new. I think I paid $10 for it!!! Anyway I listed mine for a mere $75.00 thinking that if anyone really wanted it for their collection they would choose the lowest price. After a bit of thought I went back and changed it to $100 after all I didn't want to give it away.
Doesn't it make you want to go through your bookcase and see what yours are worth???
Happy hunting - and Happy Goal Setting with Your Kids
Monicka

In the midst of goal setting with your kids, something to make you laugh!

When it comes to kids, my own personal goal has just been to be blessed with having one! My husband and I have tried for years to get pregnant - and that's a story for another day! - but I'm pleased to report that we are both philosophical enough now to laugh about it. So here's a good joke for you!
Are you ready to have a baby? Some tests to take before you decide...
1. Buy two bumper packs of Lego bricks. Throw them all over the floor in the living room, and scatter them up the stairs. Now walk from the kitchen to the bathroom upstairs without yelping.
2. Place a very irate octopus into a plastic carrier bag. Ensure all tentacles are safely inside.

3. Take two goats shopping at your local supermarket. At the checkout, pay for all they break or eat, and provide any necessary apologies - without blushing!
There are more jokes on our Kids Jokes page, Jokes for kids
Happy Goal Setting with your Kids!
Cassie

Goal Setting for Kids - Motivating your Child

Now here's an idea to help with kids' goal setting! I was chatting to a lovely grandfather the other day and he told me that for the past week he had been on duty with his 15-year-old grandson to make sure he got up bright and early to study for his exams. As we know, teenagers often find it hard to get up early in the morning!
So I asked him what trick he used to get his grandson up, thinking he would say something like turning the light on and opening the curtains and talking loudly. Not a bit of it. This lovely man would go in and sit on the boy's bed and gently wake him, then start calmly and quietly talking with the child about something he was really interested in. Within a few minutes the boy would be wide awake.
What a loving way to start a child's day! It reminded me that the best way to motivate someone is to talk with them about something that is important to them. And kids are so passionate and interested that there are plenty of things to discuss!
Happy Goal Setting with your Kids...
Cassie

Goal Setting for Kids -Meet the Editors

Whilst having a regular daily chat on Skype with Cassie this morning, I started thinking that our lovely readers have no idea who we are. So I am planning to remedy that right now
My beloved friend Cassie and I have known each other for just over two years but have never actually met in the flesh.
The kidsgoals web site and fortnightly newsletter is actually her brainchild. She tried to launch it before but couldn't seem to find the time and inclination to keep it going. In comes Monicka. I was at a low point in my life when I first connected with Cassie. I had sold my business and was contemplating on what to do with the rest of my life. We actually met on a forum where she had asked a question about relationships and I had answered her. She thanked me for my reply and left her email address and lots of cyber hugs and the rest as they say, is history. We bonded instantly and through emails, photos and msn, slowly got to know each other. It was not long before we both agreed it was time for a phone call. I am pleased to say that we had no problems communicating with each other and I was even more positive I had discovered my 'Soul Sister.'
Cassie had proposed the idea of starting an Internet business together with a parent resort web site and newsletter but I was wondering what I could possibly contribute?? Well, what can I say the girl wore me down and I agreed to give it a go. I guess mostly out of fear of disappointing her I kept dragging my heels when it came to making meetings doing research etc. In December 2005 we decided that January 6, 2006 would be the official launch of the kidsgoals newsletter. I was shocked at how easily it all came together once we actually put our minds and heart to it. It was and still is a labour of love.
Now that you know how we met I will give you a little bit of a bio on the two of us. Cassie is a thirty- something bundle of energy and self professed computer geek. She lives in England with her hubby Kevin and Cassie's baby, an Elkhound named Eddie. I am a forty-something Mother of 4, on second marriage (hopefully my last). I live in British Columbia, Canada with my husband Brian and my two youngest, a girl 14 and a boy 9. I also have a 23-year-old son and a 22-year-old daughter from my first marriage that reside in Alberta.
Even though Cassie and I live thousands of miles from each other we have developed a very special friendship. She is my confidante, my shoulder to cry on and my inspiration. The kidsgoals web site and newsletter, not to mention our incredible friendship has brought us untold joy and has changed both our lives for the better.
Cassie and I will be meeting in person this year and I am so looking forward to finally being able to give her a great big hug.
If you have a special friendship we would love to hear about it. Feel free to comment on anything you see on the web site or would like to see. We want you the reader, to feel like a valued friend also, tell us about you.
Monicka
Happy Goal Setting with Your Kids!

Goal Setting for Kids - Do you know where your children are???

Being a Mother I try and instill in my children not to talk to strangers, look both ways before you cross the street, and anything else I can think of to keep them from getting injured or harmed. They understand it is for their own safety and because their Father and I love them and want to protect them.
On the other hand, living in a small town as we do I tend to get a bit complacent when it comes to locking doors and other safety precautions. In a small town the crime rate is lower and there is just a general feeling, that all is well. So it was to my utter horror to hear that an 11 year old girl had been abducted in another small town not more than 15 minutes from where I live. Apparently her parents had allowed her to walk to the video store alone to get a movie and while she made it to the video store, through no fault of her own, she never made it home. A Mother's worst nightmare!!!
An event such as this makes you realize that in this day and age, small town or not we as parents need to be more diligent in knowing our children's whereabouts. It is sad but true the days when we could allow our children to walk to school unattended or to the candy store for some sweets are all but gone. Our job as parents is to protect our children at all cost. We must understand that there are people out there that wish to harm our children and take the appropriate measures to make sure it doesn't happen. Make it a habit to talk to your children regularly about safety and the how imperative it is that you know where they are at all times.
I am so happy to say that this blog has a happy ending. The little girl was found alive although somewhat traumatized and the culprit apprehended. The sad reality is that normally a much graver outcome would have been the case.
Use this example to look at your own children, make it a point to always check up on them when they are away from you, even if they say they are going to a friends house. It only takes a quick phone call to give you a little peace of mind.
Watch out for issue #12 where we will be doing a special feature on Internet safety for your children.
Monicka
Happy Goal Setting with Your Kids

Goal Setting for Kids - A Child's Self Esteem

After a hectic and annoying hour or so tramping round the busy supermarket last Saturday, I was starting to scowl at everyone. So it was refreshing to see a beautiful interaction between a father and daughter in the checkout lane next to mine.
The kid must have been about five years old, and her father was holding her and talking to her as he piled the groceries onto the conveyor.
Dad: "Shall we put you on here and have the cashier scan you?"
Kid (laughing): "No!"
Dad: "What price do you think would come up if we had you scanned? 10 pence?"
Kid: "No!!"
Dad: "You're right, you're worth a lot more than that! Millions of pounds, do you think? BILLIONS?? If we had the cashier put you through the scanner, it would probably BLOW UP! And you know, if EVERYONE in the whole world put ALL their money together, they would never be able to afford you. 'Cos you are PRICELESS."
Wow. I'm still speechless. Just seeing that kid's face, grinning from ear to ear, made my day.
I would LOVE to hear YOUR stories of how a child's self esteem has been boosted! :)
Cassie
Happy Goal Setting with your Kids!

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