More: 4 Mindful Alternatives to Meditation for the Whole Family Adding challenging situations like massive winter storms, losing a job, family health issues, or coronavirus can leave you feeling vulnerable and unprepared. The good news is that when you apply a mindfulness lens you can learn to take charge of what’s meaningful and necessary without needing to control things that are not in your grasp. Here are four simple tips to mindfully take charge when life seems out of control....

Zoonotic Diseases A zoonotic disease is an illness that an animal can give to a human. Different animals have different germs that they can pass on to make people sick. Some zoonotic diseases are mild and easily treated, but some can be dangerous especially for children, those with a weak immune system, and pregnant women. Here are a few of the infections animals can pass to humans. Salmonellosis Salmonellosis is a bacterial infection from salmonella....

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the prospect of evaluating a music teacher for your child, especially if you have no music background yourself. But now you can relax – we’ve taken the guesswork out of the selection process with this checklist. The most important part of selecting a private teacher is to find the right match for your child. Music lessons are a personal activity and the relationship your child has with his or her teacher is key to achieving a successful, long-term educational experience....

5 to 10 minutes Materials Flat empty boxes from shoes, cereal, etc. Directions Deciding where to place things makes this activity fun and is an early lesson in balancing. Show your baby how to stack the boxes and then hand them to him, one at a time, encouraging and assisting with the stacking. Extensions Pile the boxes up and knock them down, encouraging your baby do the same. Exclaim playfully and repeat....

Effort: Easy - no sewing required Materials: 3 black plastic garbage bags Scissors Witch hat Black or stained top Instructions: Take 1 black bag and cut it into a cape by cutting down one side after you have cut off the sealed end. Make holes about 2" apart at one end to thread a plastic tape through. (This you will make from one of the other bags.) Take the second bag and remove the sealed edge as you did with the first bag....

Pull her up to sitting Pull her up to standing Hold her hands to help maintain her balance while standing (or sitting) Help her do deep knee bends and “jumping” Just bouncing your baby up and down on your knee will no doubt delight her. In the coming months, she will enjoy nursery rhyme variations on bouncing. (You can find delightful bouncing rhymes in any good nursery book of rhymes or play rhymes....

Of course, ages 3 to 5 are not without their challenges too. Preschoolers may still be learning to control their frustration and they may not want to follow the rules. Here, we share some parenting tips to help you get through this exciting and challenging stage of your child’s life. Daily Life Three- to 5-year-olds need plenty of sleep, nutritious food, and plenty of physical activity to thrive. Some kids this age may attend preschool, while others may not be quite ready for a structured learning environment....

You want them to eat: Turkey on whole wheat. An apple. Pretzels. After dealing with back-to-school battles over homework and bedtime, many moms would rather surrender than fight over what kids eat (or throw away) in the school cafeteria. The good news: It’s easier than ever to think outside the lunch box when it comes to food. It doesn’t have to be a choice between what’s good for your kids and what’s fun to eat....

Materials needed: Clear, plastic, resealable baggie – sandwich size White paper cut to the size of the baggie. Scissors Permanent magic markers Water What you do:

Effort: Easy - no sewing required Materials: Clothes - 6 hooded or crew-neck sweatshirts and 6 pairs of sweatpants (one of each of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) People - 6 good friends… it helps if they are flexible Face paint and hair dye in those colors (optional) Instructions: Have everyone pick a color and put on their outfit. Paint faces and/or dye hair matching color if desired....

Some students with reading comprehension disorder have trouble learning to read and pronounce words, but grasping meaning from text is their main challenge. However, many students with this learning difference are fluent readers who just have trouble understanding what they are reading. If your child is able to read a passage out loud but can’t tell you much about it afterward, they might have specific reading comprehension deficit. Signs of Reading Comprehension Disorder Reading comprehension disorder is common....

For full frozen meals, always read the label and look for less than 400 total calories, 15 grams of fat, and 800 milligrams of sodium. When choosing soups, avoid the creamy varieties unless you have the option of mixing in your own low-fat milk. Also buy soups that say “reduced-sodium,” “low-sodium,” or “no added salt.” Some nutritious selections include minestrone, garden vegetable, chicken noodle, split pea, tomato rice, Manhattan clam chowder, and the lentil bean combinations....

How to Recognize ADHD Approximately 9% of children have ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ADHD is a neurobiological condition that causes symptoms such as impulsivity, impaired focus, and increased activity. Hyperactivity-related symptoms of ADHD described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM) include: Difficulty sitting still; continually squirming and moving feet and hands, or standing up and moving when others are seatedRunning or climbing at inappropriate timesRarely taking part in play activities quietlyTalking constantly, which can cause problems at school and in social settingsDifficulty taking turnsinterrupting other people...

Many people who say they have passion problems find that they do. It’s amazing how something can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, if you think about the issue in terms of passion obstacles to overcome, it’s much easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. With a little determination and a lot of practice, you can have more passion in your relationship than you ever thought possible....

The required month-to-month subscription and the tricky channel switching feature that takes some getting used to doesn’t take away from the usefulness of the device. For your big kids who aren’t quite teens but are entering the early stages of independence, keeping in contact with them while they’re away from home is an important first step. While your kiddo might not be ready for a traditional cellphone, getting them an option that allows you to keep in contact when they are away from home is helpful for caregivers as well as great for teaching them responsibility....