INFO-GRAM

Change the name and the content stays the same.

In my quest to find my niche here on the blogosphere, I have decided to call my blog…”The InfoGram”  I am the gram(a) and I give you info.

The purpose of everything I do here on the internet is to make life easier for moms and dads.  Being a parent is probably the biggest challenge you will ever have AND there is no manual.  You do most by the seat of your pants.  You make mistakes and learn from them and some things come out awesome.

Most of what you do is from what was done when you were a child growing up.  The husband-same.  Hopefully the two of you have similar ideas cause that could be another challenge.

Another hopeful- you study others who are experts and put their ideas to work.  Especially when it comes to communication and, my favorite, consequences.

There are lots of savvy experts out there, write to me if you don’t know how to choose one.  Be glad to help you out.

Don’t forget the KIDSCLEAN program.  A comprehensive program teaching your kids to clean their rooms.  And check out my website and meet BUZZ, the kid’s daily reminder to do Evening Events. http://bit.ly/jLUB8

Follow me on Twitter.  I give daily hints on cleaning and organizing.

Twitter.com@SallyDouglass.

Can’t wait to see you there!!

The 5 absolute musts for getting your kids to clean their rooms..

Parent:    I can’t believe that she just said that. You mean there is hope for me ?There is a way to get my kids rooms clean?

Grandma:    I’m a grandma, trust me on this one.

P:   Well let’s get going, already…

G:  All-righty then…

#1.   The first and most important thing you need… Are you ready for this? I bet any money you will argue with me.

P:   Get going, I don’t have all day. I have to go change the baby.

G:   Ok,   #1. The absolute most important thing all parents need is a SENSE OF HUMOR. Without a sense of humor you are just eating yourself up inside. Without a sense of humor, you are heading for crash and burn, you’re just needing something to complain about.

I am a get- it-done kind of gal, if I have a problem, I want to find the answer and get on with my life, playing, having fun, gardening, going to the beach.  Who can go to the beach with all that ____ piled up in your kids room and in your brain. So dump the ____ and get a sense of humor.  I saw them at Sear’s on sale last week.

P: HMMMM

G:  #2.  The next thing you need is a Bull-Dozer. Now I know you can figure out why you would need a bulldozer. P:  To bulldoze everything in the room out the window. G:   Good guess but not quite. You need a bulldozer to keep the kids busy watching while you get in there and start the “Cleaning their room” process.    Trust me on this one too, those kids will sit for hours just watching that bulldozer. You can get some laundry done too : ) P:   HMM, that wouldn’t be so bad. Kinda like the BULLDOZERBABYSITTER.

G: 3. The third thing you will need is a cup of coffee. P: OK that is enough, why the heck would I need a cup of coffee? G: Because, the kids are watching the bulldozer, you have plenty of time to get things done, get a cup of coffee and watch the bulldozer with them for a few minutes, take a break.  OH btw, did I tell you that the bulldozer operator is digging a swimming pool in your back yard until you let him know you are ready to have him bulldoze the kid’s room? P: Yikes!!!! Wait!!! I didn’t… G: Don’t sweat the small stuff.

G: OK on with # 4. You will need a camera. P: FOR WHAT?##$&*#@&& G: So you can take before pictures of your kids room and after pictures so you can have something to compare it to. OH< yes, take pictures of the bulldozer too because when you and your husband are 80 and sittin’ on the front porch on a warm, sunny day, just a rockin’…, you will both be lookin’ at the pictures and just a laughin’…, even though you don’t have your teeth in yet, just a laughin’ at that time when Junior, who is now the lead scientist at the worlds largest French National Center for Scientific Research, needed his room cleaned and all you could think of was to hire that bulldozer to dig a hole big enough for a swimming pool in the back yard, just so you could have a cup of coffee and watch him keepin’ the kids busy.

lol, lol, lol P: Hey, that grandma never got to #5. What do you suppose that one was????????

Check the next post down…:)

Just what is SELF TALK?  When is it in life that we learn SELF TALK?  Does anyone sit down and teach us this important lesson?  Do we get any guidance from anyone who matters?  How important is SELF TALK?

I had an eating disorder when I was 12 years old.  I created that to deal with stresses  in my life.  I didn’t know it then but I did need a coping mechanism.  Otherwise the pain was too great to deal with.

I kept this eating disorder around for 30 years.  I did go into “In Patient Treatment” for 3 months, followed by therapy for… well I am still going back for “Tune-ups”, I am 57.

It was only 8 years ago that I stumbled upon Self Talk as a way to prevent myself from over-eating.

Self Talk pops in when I may be considering buying that candy bar.  If I continue to entertain the idea, I will be walking out of the store with the candy bar.  When my “ON PURPOSE” self talk kicks in, I can remind myself that I have a bigger goal in mind and I will walk out of the store empty handed.

So what is SelfTalk?  It is the conversation in our minds that goes on all day long, every day of our lives.  It tells us good things and bad things about ourselves, life, how people feel about us, how we feel about others, when to discipline our kids, whether we yell or whether we are patient. Whether we buy the $500.00 hand bag or whether we go with the more affordable $100.00.

We learn self talk as we grow as kids.  So where is all this going?  Watching my grandkids grow up and watching them receive discipline, I noticed that no one was teaching them about  SELF TALK . No one was explaining to them how to deal with an issue in their minds.  For example: Mom would tell them not to play with Johnny any more because Johnny was a bully. Mom did not tell them how to tell Johnny  they couldn’t play with him or  what to say to themselves when they saw Johnny.  So they might go outside and there was Johnny and they were embarrassed or ashamed and they just let him bully anyway. Haven’t you ever encountered a situation you didn’t know how to deal with?  Think about kids.  They encounter every minute of every day.

If Mom had said,” When you see Johnny, say hi Johnny, we can’t play with you anymore, Sorry.”  And then go somewhere else to play or come back in the house.”  That may be all that is needed.  So the child has some ammunition.  Sometimes you can even rehearse that with your child.

Then we get a little older and there is Johnny again.  OK Jr. has already told Johnny once.  Now he needs to remind himself that ” I still can’t play with Johnny, I will wave, say hello and go to my house to avoid any contact ( that is coached from MOM or DAD.)

Or, we are told to not go to McD’s after schoolbecause we are working on our weight.  The moment arrives, I round the corner , I see McD’s and I have to say to myself, (No, I am not supposed to go to McD’s to eat, I will go home and eat.  I will then ask MOM, when can I go to McD’s the next time because I like it so much?) Again, coached by MOM.

If Mom’s and Dad’s aren’t teaching kids what to say to themselves, then they are making it up based on their experiences. So not only what to say to the kid selling drugs on the corner, but what to say to themselves when they are about to walk past this kid, what words to use in their minds that keeps them on the straight and narrow.

Now parents, I know we have an awful lot of stuff to do in life and with our kids, so you may be saying, when will I have time for all this?

Keep this in mind, had my folks talked to me a little bit about telling myself a certain thing when I wanted to eat, I may have been able to avoid an “Eating Disorder.”

You make time for the things you WANT TO DO!!!!

All content here should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the advice of your doctor regarding your health or the health of your children.