From Twitter...

Your typical Bond villain. If your typical Bond villain's a squirrel. @McElweeWriter's E.V.I.L. vs The Freedom Force http://t.co/OXLqjGUZ3N

— IndieAuthorLand (@IndieAuthorLand) September 27, 2013

Clever Parent's Guide to Discipline

Are you frustrated when it’s time to discipline your less-than-well-behaved children...again? If you feel like pulling out your hair, just implement the mindset of a clever parent.

1.  Stay as cool as a cucumber. Children expect yelling when they’ve broken the rules, so make it your policy to stay calm. Use a measured tone of voice to let them know which rule they’ve broken and what their consequence will be. Don’t argue with them. You’re the parent in charge, and the parent in charge doesn’t argue. Use respectful language, speak clearly and plainly, and close your ears to any ranting and raving that might occur.

2.  Make the punishment fit the crime. You might want to ground your children for the rest of their lives and send them off to military school, but that’s extreme for offenses like talking back or not picking up toys. If you jump to the ultimate consequence right away, then you don’t have anywhere to go in the future. So, pick a lesser consequence and build from there. For example, start your child on two days without a cell phone and then you can add extra days to the duration, if needed.

3.  Consequences should inconvenience the child, not the parent. A consequence should only make one person unhappy, the child who receives it. Pick penalties that get the child’s attention and help them realize that you mean business. Administer them calmly (remember, cool as a cucumber) and without interrupting your life. Does it matter if your child watches TV? Nope. It’s not your problem, is it?

4.  Think outside the box. You might feel the need to freshen up your rotation of consequences, so occasionally add a few new ones to the mix. Often this brings protests from the children, but while they’re not watching television, they can scrub toilets, rake leaves, and fold laundry. I once felt the need to get my daughter’s attention, so I removed everything from her bedroom except for furniture. Her basic needs were still being met, so it wasn’t a problem that the room was mostly bare. That was a consequence she never forgot, and the mere mention of it usually snaps her right back into line.

5. Remind your children who’s in charge. Children who are bit too big for their britches need a gentle reminder of who’s the boss. That person is the parent who provides for all their needs and guides them through childhood on the road to successful adulthood. Yes, there are bumps along the way, but clever parents use these to teach lessons and reign in the children who’ve gotten out of hand.

The clever parent never loses her cool, even
when the going gets tough!

6. Consistency is key. Parents must follow through with the consequences they administer. To cut short a consequence tells children that you don’t mean what you say. Choose wisely so the consequence will be effective.

The clever parent is calm, cool, and collected. The clever parent doesn’t argue. The clever parent knows that consequences are important and administers them with love. The clever parent never forgets the goal – to raise productive members of society. Hang in there, parents. It’s all worth it in the end.

Teach Money Sense with Coupons

Photo courtesy of OOingle.com, Creative Commons License

I recently turned my 12-year-old daughter into the chief coupon clipper at our house. I wanted to increase her money sense and shopping savvy. Instead of telling her which coupons to cut, I devised an entire program. Here’s how it works.

Each week we get the coupons out of our Sunday paper. I give them to my daughter with the barest of instructions, “Cut these.” It’s her job to decide which coupons get cut according to the products she knows we use at our house. She’s allowed to ask me questions, and she also can search through the cupboards to see what products we normally purchase. After she cuts the coupons, she puts her initial somewhere on the coupon. She then must go through our coupon organizer and remove any expired coupons while also adding the new coupons. Now it’s time to shop!

When I go the grocery store, I make a list of any coupons I use with her initial on them. At the end of the trip, I total how much she “earned” with her initialed coupons, and she receives that amount of money as payment for her work. Granted, it reduces the amount of savings on my grocery bill, but I believe the lessons she’s learning are more valuable. Since we’ve started this program at our house, I’ve noticed that my daughter has grown in several areas.

Her money sense has improved. The value of a dollar has to be taught. She’s starting to understand what food and household items cost by looking at coupons and thinking about the products we need to buy for our household.

She understands why it’s good to save money. My daughter now realizes that a coupon helps the family spend less at the grocery. Several dollars shaved off the grocery bill means there’s more money to be spent elsewhere. Cutting coupons is worth the time and effort. Hopefully, this early exposure to the concept of saving money will stick with her as she grows to adulthood.

She’s learning about brand name products versus generic ones. As she makes choices on which coupons to cut, we have conversations about brands. In our house we have certain items, like laundry detergent, where we are brand specific. For other products we have no brand loyalty. She’s learning lessons about choosing the right products for our family.

Photo courtesy of OOingle.com, Creative Commons License

Her organizational skills get a workout. She cuts, sorts, and categorizes as she works with the coupons. This process helps her learn more about organization.

Her work ethic is strengthened. I’m not going to lie, cutting coupons and organizing them is not always high on the list of my daughter’s favorite tasks. However, she enjoys receiving her earned money after I come back from the grocery. This gives me a chance to remind her that the money is a direct result of the work she did earlier in the week. She’s beginning to make a connection between working and earning money. There’s a bonus lesson, too...the work has to be done, even if it’s not much fun.

Try the coupon method in your household and see how it begins to introduce your child to the world of money management and savvy shopping.

Bye, Bye Summer...Hello, School!

Summer is over, and parents everywhere must work to get their kids back into the school time routine. Here are a few things you can do to move from the summer mindset to a school mindset.

1. Set a regular bedtime. Late bedtimes and sleeping in may work in the summer, but this type of routine doesn’t equal success for the school year. Pick a bedtime and stick with it no matter how much the kids might want to stay up late. Not only does this ensure your kids get an adequate amount of sleep, it gives mom and dad some quiet time in the evenings.

2.  Make homework a priority. With school starting, many extra-curriculars start up again, too. However, keep homework at the top of the priority list. Make sure kids know it should be completed every night, no exceptions. It’s the child’s responsibility to keep track of homework and to get it completed with minimal assistance from parents. If grades start to slip, then cut back on the extra-curricular activities.

3.  Provide quiet study space. In addition to making homework the priority, ensure that kids have a quiet place to study and do homework. Keep the TV off and music low during homework time.

4.  Eat dinner as a family. This may not seem to have anything to do with school routines, but it’s just one more routine that helps to set a schedule in the evenings. Plus, this gives the family time to talk about the day and to share information. Kids who participate in regular evening mealtimes learn how to hold conversation with adults and how to use table manners. All of these skills are beneficial for the future.

5.  Prepare clothes at bedtime. Nothing makes for a crazy morning like running around looking for clothes and shoes. Lay all these out the night before to save time in the morning. This is a good tip for the adults, too.

6.  Pack backpacks at night. In addition to clothes, have the backpacks and lunches ready to go before heading to bed. In the morning, kids just pick up the packs and walk out the door. This helps lessen stress in the mornings.

7.  Teach kids to use an alarm clock. As kids reach late elementary school, they can begin to use an alarm clock. Not only does this help teach responsibility, it’s one less thing that mom and dad have to do in the mornings. Basic alarm clocks aren’t expensive and are easy to use.

8.  Use a calendar. Train your children to write important dates and events on the family calendar. A calendar that’s located in a central area, such as the kitchen, provides a convenient place for everyone to write and check upcoming events. This also helps train kids on using time management devices.

9.  Limit screen time. Only allow screen time, such as TV, video games, or computers, after all homework and chores are completed. Even then, keep it short and monitor the content for age appropriateness.

10.  Encourage exercise. One hour of exercise is recommended every day for kids. Be sure to get kids outside and moving each evening, especially if they’ve been sitting most of the day.

Back to school time is always busy and hectic, but establishing good routines helps keep the entire family in a groove.

Buy my book on Amazon!

My first novel is now available for download on Amazon. Check it out at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZZSPVW

Evil squirrels. A mind-control device. Plans for world domination. Led by Dr. Aryoo Nutz, the squirrels of E.V.I.L. will stop at nothing in their quest to control the human race.  The only thing standing in their way is the Freedom Force—a powerful team of spies with three brilliant teenage siblings at its helm.  Only the Freedom Force can put a stop to the squirrels’ nasty caper.  Will they make it to E.V.I.L.’s secret lair in time to stop them? Will they find the mind-control device that could turn the world upside down? It’s a race against time to save humanity and destroy E.V.I.L.

~ For ages 8 to 12

Also, visit on Facebook: www.facebook.com/evilsquirrels