Family Mealtime is Important

family meal time - north texas kids magazine

How to Get Your Family Back to the Dinner Table for Family Mealtime

It may seem simple, but eating together as a family has been proven to be very beneficial. Studies have found the frequency of family meals to be associated with greater intakes of fruits and vegetables, milk, less fried foods and soft drinks, and higher intakes of several nutrients, including calcium, iron, vitamins, fiber, and less saturated and trans fat intakes.

In addition to the nutritional advantages, family mealtime has been shown to provide opportunities for children to learn vocabulary-building words that help them read well and have been associated with improved school performance. Family mealtime provides an opportunity for families to come together as a group and develop a sense of belonging. Some research even suggests families that eat together have children who experience fewer behavioral problems and reduce the risk that a teen will smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs.

Scrapbooking for a Positive Family-Image

Scrapbooking with Family

As the Holidays Approach, Start a New Family Tradition with Scrapbooking

By Dr. Caron Goode

We are all aware of what a positive self-image can do for a person. It gives him the confidence to achieve more. It picks him up when he is down. It makes it possible for him to enjoy life to the fullest. The same holds true for families. Like individuals, every family has its ups and downs. Situations such as illness, separation, divorce, and parent-child power struggles can dent a positive family-image. One way to offset the effects of these situations is to involve the family in a group project.

Is Your Family Overscheduled?

Overscheduled Child

Seek Balance with Kids Activities

 

by Kerrie McLoughlin

It makes my head spin to think about how overscheduled some families are these days: school, afterschool care, homework, dinner, sports or dance once a week, swim lessons or another activity twice a week, games, birthday parties and campouts on weekends. The range of extracurricular activities available to children today is mind-blowing, but of course we want our kids to have everything. But Jill Connors, mom of five, says, “I know friends whose kids are in school that are so scheduled that anytime they are home they are ‘bored.’”

So where’s the time for fort building, skateboarding, cops-and-robbers and other free activities that let a kid’s imagination run wild? Dad Jeff Pearlman is outraged by this overscheduling dilemma and wrote in a piece on CNN.com, “Kids are gifted with 18 years of childhood. … Yes, I want mine to do well in school, and learn the virtues of compassion and empathy and hard work. But I also aspire for them to jump on our trampoline until their legs sag from exhaustion, and ride their bikes up and down the street, … and chase down the ice cream man and watch in amazement as the pink petals fall from our cherry blossom tree.”

How to Nurture Yourself and Your Relationships

Family Time

Family Matters – Nourishment

 

By Wendy Darling

At the time I’m writing this, it’s Valentine’s Day – a day when we take the time to acknowledge and express our love for each other.  In my world EVERY day is LOVE day!  Valentine’s Day is a wonderful reminder of how important it is to nourish the special relationships in our life!

So first of all…how are you nourishing YOURSELF?  As a parent, it’s very important to ‘put your oxygen mask on first’… and that’s not always easy to remember!