Gina Ogden

make a plan for a better breakfast

It’s Time to Make a Plan for a Better Breakfast

By / 4 minutes of reading

We’ve all heard that breakfast is an important meal. After fasting all night, our bodies need some fuel before heading into another day. This is especially true for children. And since September 26 is National Better Breakfast Day, it’s a great time to reconsider how we do breakfasts with our kids. Let’s look at how we can make a plan for a better breakfast for our families. The convenience issue Mornings are hard. If we aren’t heading to work or trying to get to school, then we might be juggling young children at home after very little sleep. No matter …

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encourage your kids to be themselves

Encourage Your Kids to Be Themselves

By / 5 minutes of reading

While in theory, kids have little responsibility or pressure, the opposite can often be true. Kids can feel pressure from both family and friends to have to be all kinds of things. Some of the things we expect of our kids are necessary and important for their character growth. But sometimes we can expect our kids to fit the ideas that we have for them. We can even be guilty of expecting them to be just like us. It’s easy to fall into any of these pressures that we as parents can place on our kids. So let’s look at …

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make some fun memories this fall

Make Some Fun Memories This Fall

By / 4 minutes of reading

The calendar changed again last week as this year charges on full speed ahead. Here we are in the month that officially begins the fall season. Do you celebrate the changing of seasons in your family? Are there any special fall traditions you enjoy? Do you always decorate for fall? When you think of all this, the beginning of fall is a wonderful time to learn together and to find things to enjoy with your family. Let’s make some fun memories this fall! Memories and Traditions I grew up in a place where the autumn leaves were just amazing. When …

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Let’s support each other as parents

Let’s Support Each Other As Parents

By / 4 minutes of reading

Are things a little crazy at your house lately? They are at mine. With all the back to school activity, it can be easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. We’re dealing with early morning chaos and with kids who are beyond exhausted. When you add in extracurricular activities and after-school commitments, our calendars are more than full! As our families adjust to new, busy schedules, we also face the challenge of our own individual stress and irritability. There’s a lot going on! So, in the middle of all the craziness, let’s support each other as parents. There are so many …

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help our kids with separation anxiety

National Lazy Mom’s Day is Coming Up!

By / 4 minutes of reading

Did you know that September 3rd is National Lazy Mom‘s Day? When I first saw that, I was a bit annoyed. Lazy moms? What kind of a day is that? It sounds so judgy, not at all like supporting each other as parents or thinking the best of someone. Thankfully, it’s a joke! It’s a day for moms to intentionally take a break, to make a choice to be “lazy.” Yes, there’s Mother’s Day, but that ends up being a very busy mothering day for most of us moms. Lazy Mom’s Day is supposed to be a time to plan …

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talking to our kids about difficult issues

Talking about Difficult Issues with Our Children

By / 4 minutes of reading

Our world has been in a state of unrest, conflict, and tragedy for a while now. Even if your kids don’t watch the news, they are likely to hear you discussing some of the difficult things going on in the world. While we don’t have to expose our kids to every ugly thing, we can help them become strong and compassionate by helping them understand the difficult issues. When we help them see every part of the world they live in, we help them grow personally as well. So how can we get better at talking about difficult issues with …

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using stories to help our kids

Using Stories to Help Our Kids Learn and Grow

By / 4 minutes of reading

It’s the beginning of a new school year, and as parents, we want our kids to have good goals. Some of our kids will come up with goals of their own, and they may have a list already. Either way, we all hope our kids will be determined to do their best academically, to succeed socially, and to grow personally. And yet, many of us parents know that if we launch into a lecture about these goals, our words will not go far. Fortunately, there are many ways to communicate good things to our kids. And for some reason, round-about …

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get into the Olympics with your kids

Get Into the Olympics with Your Kids

By / 3 minutes of reading

We’re finally in the middle of the 2020 Olympic Games…in 2021. Another odd part of life from COVID-19. In fact, did you know that the Olympic Games have never been held in an odd year? And here’s another interesting piece of trivia. This is the second time Tokyo has had to cancel or reschedule their hosting of the games. The previous time was in 1940 during World War II. While young children may or may not get into the Olympics, you can help them to appreciate their significance. Here are some ways you can have fun and get into the …

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squeeze in some end of summer fun

Squeeze in Some End of Summer Fun

By / 3 minutes of reading

Are you feeling like this summer flew by? I sure am. My kids are mourning the end of summer, and I keep trying to remind them that we do have a few more weeks to enjoy. At the same time, my own mind is also telling me that summer is pretty much over. Our focus is on all the back-to-school activities, not on summer fun. But is there a way we can squeeze in just a little more fun? Let’s think about ways we can squeeze in some end of summer fun! What did you not get to do? Let’s …

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Learn Some Picnic Signs This Month

Does Your Child Know How To Be a Good Friend?

By / 4 minutes of reading

Did you know that there is an International Friendship Day? What a great thing to celebrate! And what a wonderful topic to celebrate with our kids. Do your kids know how to make friends? Does your child know how to be a good friend? Since International Friendship Day is coming up, this is a great time to teach our kids about how to be good friends and how to deepen the friendships they have. You can start with learning the sign for friend! Where did Friendship Day come from? The idea of a Friendship Day actually began in the early …

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