Smoking while Pregnant

I have been thinking about this subject for a couple of weeks now. Every where I go, it seems like all I see is pregnant women or girls. I see them light up a cigarette as if it is candy. It is usually the people who are first time parents and think it will not happen to them because it is their first child or parents who have multiple children and have smoked in the past with their children and says, oh it will not happen to me. It happens to everybody, the signs may not show up until the child is older. I know this is a touchy subject for both pregnant and not pregnant mothers and non mothers for that fact. I know that it's not that these mothers do not care, well, maybe some of them really don't care, but that is pretty sad! Anyway, These mothers are usually not well educated on these facts. Many of them really do not realize the damage they are doing to their babies.

Some facts about smoking while pregnant that I found from American Pregnancy Association.

• When you smoke, your baby smokes! The poisons that you inhale, carbon monoxide, nicotine, lead, and arsenic can harm your baby. These poisons get into the placenta and this causes your baby to lose oxygen. 
• Preterm labor, DEATH, and low birth weight can be caused by smoking while pregnant. Your baby can weigh too little and have health problems, even mental problems through out his/her life. Or worse, your baby could be DEAD! 
• Smoking during pregnancy could cause physical growth problems, learning disabilities, and lung problems. 
• The baby can get more pneumonia and bronchitis through out his/her life. 
• Your baby does not receive the oxygen or nutrients that he/she needs to survive. 

Some people think the risks are not that bad because they know people who have smoked during pregnancy and their baby was just fine. It doesn't always show up at birth. These babies will have long term affects. ADHD, lung problems as they grow up, behavioral problems, and learning disorders. 

I know it is easy for me, as a non smoker to say that you cannot or are not supposed to smoke while pregnant because I have never had to go through the steps or pain that it takes to stop. But, you are having a baby, THE most precious thing in the world (to most people) so this should be cause enough to make you quit smoking. You don't necessarily have to quit smoking, okay, you do for 9 months. But remember, your baby can get second hand smoke, or even third hand smoke and can acquire cancer, lung problems, sickness and ear infections through out his/her life. 

Here are some tips to help you stop smoking while pregnant... Make a list of some of the benefits...your baby should be on the top of that list. 

Some benefits for your baby should be...

• Lowers the risk of your baby being born underweight or too early. Most people don't see this is a problem and those people are the ones who are not very educated on the subject. Low birth weight or underweight means that the baby may not survive because there was not enough oxygen to the baby and may have to be put on oxygen in the hospital for several days, weeks or even months and even then the survival rate is not good. 
• By quitting, you will know that your baby will receive the proper nutrients and oxygen.
• Lowers the risk of your baby having health problems
• Increases the chance that your baby will go home with you from the hospital

Have a strong support system. Keep your mouth and hands busy, chew gum, take up knitting. Ask your doctor for resources.

Helping Your Kids with Homework

Now that Summer is ending and school is starting it's time for homework for the kiddos and not so young kiddos. ;)

So, with the "homework" season coming. I would like to give you some advice on helping your children with homework. How to be organized and make it fun for them.

Most kids will say that they may not have any homework, but if you set up a daily routine with them then they are more likely to be honest with you and want to do their homework.

-Don't have your child do homework right away when they get home. They have had 7+ hours of school already and might be worn out, more likely to lie about homework or slack off on homework if done right away.
-A good time to do homework is after supper and after bath time. By this time school is not in their head any more and are more likely to want to learn again.
-This would be a good time to ask them (or check their bag) for homework.

A couple of ideas for homework time...
-Find a quiet, calm, cool (as in cold), comfortable room for the child to work in. The child is more likely to work harder and concentrate better if he/she are comfortable when they are working.
-Make sure you know what they are working on. Keep checking on them to make sure they stay focused and on track.
-Make sure they ask you for help on problems they may have. This helps them not get frustrated and stay on track.
-Work on one assignment at a time. The child may be overwhelmed if he/she knows how much they have to do.
-It is okay to tell them what they are doing wrong. It makes the child work harder and except criticism. Also, make sure you give positive feedback as well!

Hope these points help. It is also important to find a routine and stick to it.

Keeping Kids Entertained in Summer

Now that school is out and Summer is here, the kids still need to get their "education." I have come up with a plan for the kids to keep them entertained and still learning.

The kids still do the calendar every morning.
This teaches them numbers, days of the week, weather, colors, and words.

The kids have to read for 20 minutes every day.
Keira finds a quiet place (usually her room) and reads
a couple of books by herself (I try and pick out a book that she
has never read before because she has to tell me what happened
in the book, so I know she actually read it. )

Aden and Taygen will sit on the couch between me while I read to them.
We are planning on going to the library every week to get new books.

The kids have to do their work books for at least 30 minutes each day.
Keira has a kindergarten and 1st grade book that she does,
(she will usually get bored with the kindergarten one within
10 minutes and go right to the 1st grade book).
Aden has a preschool and kindergarten book that he does.

Taygen and I color. While the other kids do their workbooks,
Taygen and I will color. In doing this, she learns her colors,
control, patience, what to color certain objects; example,
grass is green, clouds are white, sky is blue, trees are green, etc.,
communication; please pass the green color.
When she wants a color, I will lay 3 or 4 colors out and
she has to pick it out; for example, if she needs green..
I lay out green, white, blue and black and she has to pick out the green one.

In between these activities we will go outside and play on the swings and slides.
Just so they don't get bored, lose focus or lose interest. I also love taking the kids swimming.
It gives them an opportunity to get plenty of exercise and play with other kids their ages.

Just for something fun for the kids, we will have a scavenger
hunt around the house. Example; Find 4 red objects, find 5 circles, etc.
It's pretty fun and it's pretty interesting what the kids come up with,
some things that you may not think of. Aden had to find 3 circles one
time and he showed me the door handles. Pretty clever!
I would have never thought of that. It's just something that you see every day,
so you really don't think of them as circles, even though they are.
You never know what you will learn from your kids each day! 

These activities are fun for the kids and myself.
It definitely keeps them active, but also ready for school.
These activities do not 'weigh' down the Summer time fun and still keeps
school fresh in their minds. A lot of kids lose focus in the Summer time,
but isn't that what Summer is for, to get school off your mind....mmm not really.
Kids still need to learn whether it is in a school setting or a home setting.

Always try to find ways to keep your kids educated, whether it is going to a park;
pointing out trees, animals, the swing goes up and down, you go down a slide,
pointing out that the grass is green, etc... You can make learning fun! 

Toys for Every Age

Many people think differently when they shop for toys for their kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or a friends child. Some might buy blocks, balls, trucks, etc. Most people never think about the appropriate toys for the ages of the children. In this article, I will tell you about some age appropriate "smart" toys for every age.

Babies

• Mobiles- These stimulate vision and head movement. The crib mobiles can also stimulate and develop attention span.
• Ring Stacks- Babies learn about sizes, shapes, colors, and numbers with these. 
• Mirrors- Babies become aware of themselves and develop self recognition.
• Push-Pull toys- This helps with balance, large muscle strength, walking, and gets them ready to explore the world later in life.

Toddlers

• Balls-Encourages hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills and dexterity.
• Shape sorting toys-Encourages problem solving skills. 
• Mechanical Toys-Busy toys with knobs, handles and buttons encourages hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, problem solving and cause and effect.
• Role Play toys- Encourages pretend play, and helps express social and emotional development by expressing emotions to do something.

Preschoolers

• Arts and Crafts-Encourages creativity and self esteem
• Blocks and construction sets-Encourages problem solving skills and hand eye coordination. Helps use their imagination and build self esteem
• Puzzles-Helps with coordination, dexterity, spatial relationships, and logical thinking
• Pretend Play-Identify gender specific rolls as boys dress up as cops or firefighters while girls dress up as nurses or princesses. 

Big Kids

• Jump Rope-Kids learn how to get along with others and take turns. Encourages problem solving and large motor skills.
• Card and board games-Encourages strategy, taking turns, rules, and fair play. Good sportsmanship skills
• Musical instruments- Helps build attention skills, builds fine motor skills and encourages listening.
• Science Toys-Promote discovery, problem solving, improves math skills, and science skills and develops imagination

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Too Much T.V

Children under 2 should not have a "favorite show" because children under 2 should not watch any kind of television. Under the age of 2 is considered the most important time for brain development. This is the time when children need to interact with parents, siblings, play and explore and this determines whether or not the child will develop good physical activities, social development, healthy habits and whether or not the child will be behind academically or socially.

If all a child does is sit and watch television then they will not have any interaction and this will threaten their developmental status. In moderation, T.V. can be a good entertainer and educator. Children who spend more than 2 hours a day watching television are more likely overweight, show aggressive behavior, always afraid and can promote bad behavior.

If you are going to allow your children to watch television, screen the T.V. make sure you monitor what they watch and make sure you are not using the television as an escape for the kids to sit in front of while you do your things!

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