The most prevalent trend for Mexican immigrant families in the southern United States with children in public schools has been to have their children immersed in the school systems through exposure to English speaking classes, spending time with natively English speaking students, and being taught by teachers who do not speak Spanish at all. In border states like Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico families from south of the border have dealt with this, working with their Anglo friends and associates to help teach their native Spanish speaking children to be bilingual. Unfortunately, this is not always the best course of action – especially when the families of the students are not speaking English in the home at all.

So we finally broke down this Christmas and Santa brought the kids a Wii. We thought long and hard about whether or not it would be the best thing for them, but now we are so glad we got it. I was afraid that they would avoid going outside to play because of it, but really they still want to be outside on pretty days. On cold and wet days, like we have been having the Wii is a blessing. When the weather is like this all you can really do is stay inside and in the past we would just watch DirecTV in Minnesota. Now the kids can get out all of their energy without tearing all the toys out into the house with the television on. Finding games for the kids was not as difficult as I had thought either. I wanted games that would be really fun and appropriate. If you are looking for these types of Wii games for your kids, here are some great options.

There are many benefits to living a life that is family centered, and psychologists have begun to revise their opinions on the value of a traditional “nuclear” family as opposed to any family structure at all. Certainly, there are some positive things to said about the nuclear family structure involving a male and female parent, and more than one child, who stay together for life – but even families that veer from this model enjoy the same benefits, as long as stability is maintained. This stability includes living in a positive environment, and enjoying the protection of adt home security and other factors that lend a sense of safety and well being.

Each day I am asked quite a few questions from parents. Sometimes I have absolutely no answer to give, but other times I have had so much experience in the matter I should be certified. One of the more common topics is food and nutrition for kids. This is one thing that I know a ton about. I mean after four kids, you know how to sneak healthy foods into anything and how to take on a picky eater. I thought I would share some of the most common questions, and give you my take here today. Hopefully, this Q&A post will be helpful to you too.

It seems like you cannot turn on any type of media outlet without hearing something about the issue of bullying in schools today. As a parent I feel better knowing that this problem is being addressed and talked about. At the same time, I feel like all of the talk about bullying is making some parents feel like they do not have to still talk to their children about it. Just because there are people on television addressing the issue, as a parent, it is still necessary for you to talk with your kids and make sure that they understand both sides of bullying. You don’t want you child bullying or being bullied. If you find that your child is being bullied at school, there are ways you can help him or her to avoid it. Here are some tips for keeping the bullies at bay.

My husband and I decided long before we ever had children that if we did eventually decide to have kids that we would make certain that they had a social life outside of the family. Before children it seemed a little silly to us, but we remember our childhood friends fondly and wanted the same for our little ones. Now that all the kids are in school, I am so glad that we chose to be a part of neighborhood play groups and separate play dates with them. Not only have our children made friends that they can grow up with, but my husband and I have friends that are going through the same things we are with their children. Over the years we have learned and gained so much through planning these play dates.

I remember when we had our first child. We bought the best of everything. The more expensive it was, the better it had to be for our little one. Does that sound familiar to you? Not only were we getting expensive diapers that should have been able to change themselves for that price, but baby food was another thing we were spending a fortune on. We assumed that if it cost more, the ingredients had to be better for the baby. Well, it took another baby and a third on the way for us to realize that we simply could not keep on spending the way we were, oh and expensive baby food does not necessarily mean higher quality ingredients either. I went on a mission to find recipes for making homemade baby and toddler foods that were budget friendly and far tastier than the store bought versions. If you want to hop on board the homemade baby food train, then I say go for it! It is far easier than you think, and even you might enjoy some of the creations. Here are my favorite recipes from over the years.

My children can tell you that I am not the best at keeping calm when all chaos seems to break lose, and I will admit to you that they are absolutely correct. Chaos is, well, incredibly overwhelming. Most days though I live in a state of confusion thanks to the madness that is having four children, oh and a husband and two dogs. Our hectic lives and schedules make it seem like there are more conflicts and unnecessary issues that arise, but we still make it through each day. I learned early on that while chaos does inevitably ensue, there are ways to control it so that life can be just a little less demanding. Here are some of my tips for controlling the chaos and helping to have a less stressed and happier family.