Children Archives - Page 3 of 27

A Portrait Painting to Cherish your Child’s Memories

November 5, 2018 by Mandy

Handling a child can be a strenuous process but a rewarding one too.

There are times when they get on our nerves but there are also times when they put a wide smile on our face.

Thus a child can be an immense portal of happiness for everybody around and childhood is the time of some unforgettable memories.

We all wish that we could live these childhood days but one does inevitably grow old so it cannot be helped.

You can still turn photo to painting of your children’s most beautiful memory and cherish them every single day of your life.

Even though it is said that people become more smart and wise as they grow old but an adult can learn a lot from the mentality and outlook of a child can certainly teach us a lot.

Their ability to derive pleasure from little mundane things, their belief and their ability to learn from their failures are a few examples.

A baby may not be a baby forever but you can get a baby portrait done to remember those golden chaotic days.

A portrait painting of your baby can thus be the perfect memoir for you.

It could be a painted portrait of any moment, be it the first time your child walked or the smile on his face when he got his first cycle.

The best thing is that with a child in your house there are seldom any moments which are not filled with frantic movements and large smiles.

PortraitFlip is one of my choices and recommendations where you can get your portrait painting from.

You have a wide variety of mediums to choose from such as oil portrait, charcoal portrait, acrylic portrait and more.

You can also avail of a custom portrait whose dimensions as in the length and breadth can be customized according to your wish.

They need not be confined to your regular ones such as the small, medium and regular sizes.

What else can one ask for!

A custom made baby portrait is also a great way to attract the eyes and capture the heart of any human being.

It is an awesome way to make your house a storehouse of positive energy and great vibes.

Capturing any moment has become comparatively easier than it was in the olden days thanks to the blessing of modern technology.

Art can be a great way to transform and transcend a picture or moment into something better.

A portrait painting or baby portrait is not only visually appealing but also has a great aspect of intrinsic beauty attached to it.

It is the perfect way to recreate some beautiful childhood memories.

Childhood is the time when you can live carefree without much thinking about what you will do tomorrow.

There is no extra pressure or burden of any sort.

Turn picture to paint and watch as you immortalize those beloved memories which you hold so very close to your heart.

Time flies by and things change rapidly, one day they are holding your hand trembling with fear as you take them to school on the first day and another day they are starting a family of their own.

I would urge everybody to relive their childhood along with their children once again.

The smiles, the cries, the pain as well as the happiness, it is all one crazy roller coaster ride but in the end it is totally worth it.

Get a baby portrait and enjoy your baby’s childhood while you can for the words once said the stone once thrown and the time once gone can never come back.

Super Cute Ideas for Your Toddler’s Bedroom

October 31, 2018 by Mandy

It probably seems like it happened overnight: your baby suddenly transformed into an energetic toddler who is walking, talking, running, laughing and getting into everything. To celebrate your happy and healthy toddler, you want to do a room makeover, transforming the original nursery into a space that is more fitting for an active young child.

Fortunately, there are a variety of ideas and themes for your toddler’s room that will look adorable while not breaking the bank. Here are a few to consider.

Idea 1: New furniture

Whether you have a young boy who is all about cars or a little girl who adores trains and dolls, every toddler’s bedroom should have an area where they can spend quality and cuddly time with you. For example, a comfy chair and sturdy ottoman is a great place to read books together.

In addition to a cozy place for snuggling, invest in some colorful fabric bins and storage cubes for your kiddo’s toys; by keeping them on the ground, you can make it easy for your little one to learn the art of cleaning up all of those cars, trains and blocks.

Finally, change out the crib for a toddler bed. They use the same sized mattress but can be dressed up with themed bedding that tends to be reasonable in price and is super cute. Take your toddler shopping and see what patterns and colors he or she might like for the bed.

Idea 2: A space-themed room

If you have a toddler who is obsessed with checking out the moon every evening, a space-themed room might be just the ticket. Shop for decals that apply to the walls and can easily be removed later in designs like planets, cute aliens, astronauts and of course, the moon. Purchase stick-on glow-in-the-dark plastic stars and decorate the ceiling with constellations and add some space-themed artwork on the wall. As Parents.com notes, keep some of the accents non-themed like solid-color sheets, pillows and rugs — this way, you can easily update the theme as your toddler gets older and his or her tastes begin to change.

Idea 3: A room ideal for a tea party

Many little girls (and boys!) love nothing more than setting up and serving a fancy tea party. If this sounds like your little one, Babble has some ideas for a tea-party-themed room complete with a table and toddler-sized chairs that are perfect for a spur-of-the-moment serving of tea and cookies. Of course, the table can also be used for coloring, blocks and other activities as well; choose a low-to-the-ground table in a neutral wood shade and make sure the chairs are capable of supporting an adult weight — you don’t want to accidentally break a chair while in the middle of a fancy tea party. For the walls, stick-on decals can create a lovely flower garden accented with birds. You can also paint one wall a vivid shade like a deep pink or bright green to complement the bedding.

It may be hard to believe, but before you know it you will be redecorating the room again with a big boy or girl bed and other accessories. But for now, you are happy to transform your nursery into a cute and welcoming place for your toddler to play, sleep and cuddle with you.

How Poker Can Aid your Child’s Mental Acuity

October 19, 2018 by Mandy

Many times poker is typically associated with seedy casinos, smoke-filled rooms, and unsavory gamblers, but push that stereotype aside. Here, we’re discussing poker as a fun family game that can be used to sharpen your child’s cognitive abilities. You don’t have to bet actual money, simply play as you would any other board or card game. An extra bonus—in our digital-obsessed world, poker is a screen-free activity that can be played anywhere with family and friends.

Let’s talk about how poker can bolster your child’s intellectual development.

Strengthen Their Memory

For starters, when you teach children poker, they’ll need to remember the suits, rules, card values and depending on the version—how to bet. If you need a refresher yourself, here’s a comprehensive guide that breaks down the rules for multiple types of poker. For children, understanding the game is a test on to itself.

Once a child comprehends the foundation of poker, the game is cognitively challenging to play, it incorporates strategy, attentiveness, and memory. Multifaceted card games that require counting and concentration keep the brain alert and sharpen skills. For this reason, a similar card game, bridge, is popular with the elderly. Research and studies have proven that mentally-challenging card games can help with brain development later in life, and slow cognitive decline while improving memory. The same principle can be applied to young poker players.

Sharpen Math Skills

Poker requires quick mental calculations with both your hand and when you need to bet. Depending on the age of your children you might want to help them out a bit or let them use paper and pen. Poker is a math-heavy activity, but your child will be so caught up in the competition and fun of the game, they won’t realize their practicing math skills.If you have older children, you can take the math lesson one step further and dive into the probability of outcomes based on cards and hands that have been played.

This practice can also lead to an experience in money management. A poker player only has so many chips in their pot. Based on observations and calculations children need to show self-control, diligence, understand the slow accumulation of savings, as well as know when to take risks to go all in.

Boosts Confidence in Their Intelligence and Abilities

Once your children understand the game and get some practice under their belts, they’ll slowly begin to trust their competence. After they experience a few wins and losses, they won’t feel too shy to make bets or put themselves out there. As well as understand that while card games require skill, they can also be affected by luck. (A valuable life lesson in general!)

By teaching children the game, how to take turns, and how to be confident in their decisions, you’re not only strengthening their mental capacity but their self-confidence in those abilities. Educational psychologist, Sean Flanagan, explains: “Card and board games can promote oral language skills, problem-solving, vocabulary development, assertiveness, and other reciprocal exchanges.”

Poker Enhances Skill While Encouraging Family Time

Bottom line — as parents, we all want to find challenging and engaging activities that promote learning for our children. It’s often difficult to find traditional pastimes that don’t involve video games or a wifi connection. A family poker tournament can achieve this while offering a chance for everyone to gather around the table and take part in some healthy competition. Not too mention, a chance to beat Mom and Dad. “To be able to compete against parents and sometimes win is symbolically important to kids. [They] can learn to win and lose gracefully, to be happy but not gloat, and to lose and not pout,” says William Doherty, professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul.

So find an old deck of cards and dust off the chips, it’s time to teach your children to play poker!

8 Ways Treating My Alcohol Addiction Made Me a Better Parent

September 25, 2018 by Mandy

The main difference which exists between alcohol addiction and being addicted to other drugs is that people make too many excuses for alcoholism. I used to make those excuses to myself and people around me. However, the day that I almost crashed my car with my daughters in the backseat, and got a DUI is when I realized how deep I was in trouble. I started the journey to make amends in my life, and things haven’t been the same since. Here is how quitting has made me a better parent.

1. I am more present

Previously, I rarely used to have time for my kids. I was always out there with my friends drinking and hopping from one entertainment spot to the next. I had left the parenting role to my wife and I would sneak in past midnight totally drunk and then leave for work before they woke up. However, now that I have stopped drinking, a huge chunk of time is available for me to bond with the kids.

2. I listen more

If there was a penny for every argument that I have had with my wife over my drinking problem, it would possibly add up to millions or more. The think about being addicted is that others see it and you just do not get why they keep nagging about it. The fights were horrible for the kids, I know I have a lot of emotional damage to repair, but I am glad to have the chance to model better behavior.

3. I stopped yelling

There is a strange connection which exists between being addicted to alcohol and general lack of patience. I would yell like crazy to my kids because they made a small scratch or soiled the car and other small inconsequential things. Fortunately, I can now manage my emotions better, and when they are doing something wrong, I patiently explain why they need to stop.

4. I attend more of their functions

My wife must have warmed a thousand spots in the bleachers over the years as my daughters played tennis. I always had excuses to wriggle out of the responsibility. Now that I am sober, I am present for everything from the school play, picnics at the pack and hopefully, the upcoming graduation speech for my daughter. I love the fact that I have been able to reconnect with them and form that father daughter bond which had been lost.

5. I am a better example

They say that a girl learns about how men should treat her from the way her daddy treats her mother. Well, I am not ashamed to say that when I was addicted, I was a terrible example to my daughters with all the yelling and the abandonment. To be honest, I am lucky that she stuck around and I know how blessed I am to have her. I am most glad that I get to show my daughters how a gentleman treats a lady and hopefully, I am now setting a precedent for healthy relationships with men who will come into their lives.

6. I have discovered more hobbies

Apparently, I am an excellent painter. This is what I learned when I was helping my youngest with her art project a few months ago. Nowadays we paint and visit art galleries during all the free time that we can get. It is an awesome shared talent to bond over.

7. The guilt is disappearing

No one should lie to you that alcohol is effective in numbing emotions. There is always that lingering guilt because you know that you aren’t present as you should be but you also do not know how to get out of the mess. The guilt often leads to lashing out which isn’t pretty. I am glad that slowly my guilt is disappearing.

8. I am more stable financially

You have no idea how much alcoholism has compromised your finances until you quit. There is the time that it takes away from you and the opportunities you do not pursue because you are stuck in something else. When I quit, I did a refresher course and got that promotion and now my family can have what they need far more easily than before,

The benefits of quitting are countless as a parent. As you struggle to clean up, remember the reward will be really worth the struggle.

4 Skills That You Should Think About Teaching Your Kids

August 23, 2018 by Mandy

Source

Having and raising kids can be an extremely joyful experience. It’s an opportunity to raise little humans who could grow to become positive influences in their community and environment. However, the road to raising kids is often full of many twists and turns. There are a vast variety of decisions you often have to make, and one of them is what life skills you want to teach your kids. You may be reading this because you’re thinking about where you should start. The good news is that you’re going to find four skills that you should think about teaching your kids in the below article.

Speaking a New Language

One of the first skills every parent should consider teaching their kids is how to speak another language. This skill can be beneficial in so many ways as it could make them more valuable assets in the future. It is likely an easier task if your native language isn’t English as it’s something you can teach them on your own. However, if you do happen to be bilingual, it’s imperative that you try and have one adult speak the second language at home so that they hear it a lot more frequently. Some general tips for teaching your kids another language include creating a casual learning environment, teaching them a word at a time, and having reasonable expectations. Also, your child knowing another language can help improve their problem-solving skills, improve their concentration and give them a competitive edge in the job market when they do eventually get there.

Playing an Instrument

In addition to teaching your child to speak a new language, you could also think about getting them to learn an instrument or two. In case you need a little convincing regarding why you should teach your kids this skill, science shows that learning to play an instrument generally can improve their academic results by helping them develop neurophysiological distinction. It is a great way to keep them occupied, give them a creative hobby to find joy in and also increase their skillset. There are so many instruments that they can choose from, so you can make it their decision which one they want to try. Some of them include the keyboard, piano, violin, the drums, or ukulele, the guitar or bass guitar. If you’re worried about the cost of buying instruments, consider looking for Guitar Center promo codes 2018 if they’ll be learning the guitar. Likewise, you can look for second-hand instruments or ones on sale for any other instrument they may end up playing. Regarding lessons, see if you can find them at discounted rates or look for a student that can teach them as they may have lower rates.

Cooking

At some point in their teenage or adult life, your child is going to have to cook for themselves unless they want to live off takeaway meals! In light of this, cooking is another skill that you should teach them at some point. Not only is it a basic survival skill for when ordering a takeaway isn’t an option, but you may also find that it’s something they thoroughly enjoy, especially if they grow to become a food lover. Their age will typically determine the kinds of dishes that you can teach them to cook but perhaps start with things like kitchen safety, sandwiches, pasta, and other basic foods. Some tips for cooking with your kids include not using your sharpest knives, encouraging messiness, and not waiting for the perfect time.

Sewing

Another skill to think about teaching your kids is how to sew. You never knew when they might have a loose button or one of their favorite tops may have a tear in it, so they should know how to put it back together. The good thing is that they don’t have to become a pro sewer and you can take time out to teach them the basics. All they should know is how to work a needle and thread in desperate times!

There are many things that you will teach your kids over the course of their life and life skills will be one of them. Seeing as most parents want to prepare their kids for the real world and give them a competitive edge, this is one of many ways to do it. However, the reality is that it won’t always be easy and you may often have to play the role of cheerleader and encourager. It is likely that in years to come when they find it easier to navigate their way around the world that they’ll be grateful for the skills you’ve equipped them with.