SMORE Thought of Week for Moms

SMORE Theme:  Nutrition Matters

My dad said eating healthy is less expensive than medical bills.

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What new and healthy food can I serve this week?

Why Not Influence Your Children?

Some Parents say, “We will not influence our children in making choices and decisions in matters of religion.”

DO YOU?

WHY NOT?

The ads will!

The press will!

The T.V.  will!

The movies will!

The neighbors will!

The politicians will!

The forces of evil will!

We use our influence over flowers, vegetables, cattle, grass, fads, politics, decisions for city, state, and country, etc.

Shall we ignore our children? May God forgive us if we do!

–Unknown

It’s NOT Too Expensive to Eat Healthy

On of the SMORE Themes is Nutrition Matters. Here our local Registered Dietician, Kelli Worley, share her thoughts.

“It’s too expensive to eat healthy.” I hear this all the time. I’m going to prove that it’s not too expensive to eat healthy. By following this one simple step, you will be well on your way to saving money at the grocery store.

Go to the store with a plan. When I was single and living by myself, I never had a plan. I just bought the same things and made whatever I had on hand. It got boring. I spent more money than I should have. I didn’t eat as well as I do now. Since I’ve had a family to feed, I never go without a plan. I set aside time every week to plan our dinner menus. I make my shopping list based on what we need for those meals. Plus, I buy a little extra to store food for emergencies. In fact, we have a bedroom closet full of non-perishable foods that we keep in case we run out of our staples or if there is an emergency and we can’t buy food for some reason. (I’ve got a whole system for this, but that’s a post for another time.)

When you go without a plan, you buy on impulse and what sounds good at the time. You tend to buy the same foods and get stuck in a rut. You don’t take into consideration what you already have at home, what’s in season, or what’s on sale. Then you get frustrated at dinnertime because you want to try a new recipe but you don’t have the ingredients. You opt for take-out more than you like because it’s easier. Does this sound like you? If so, I encourage to take out a piece of paper and write down five of your family’s favorite dinners. Make a grocery list based on those recipes. Don’t forget to add in vegetables, fruits, snacks, and breakfast foods. Take that list with you on next your shopping trip and you’ll be well on your way to eating better and less expensively.

 

Kelli Worley, MS, RD, LD
Nutrition Solutions
Weight Management Specialist
Beaumont, TX
www.kelliworley.com
www.Facebook.com/NutritionSolutions
ph: 409-454-0417
fax: 409-861-2021

Valentine Give-aways

During the week of Valentine’s Day, February 12-18th I will give away two books, one nonfiction and one novel. Keep up with us by clicking “Follow” in upper left corner on black bar.

Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’ Easter by Lisa Patton

How to Avoid Falling in Love with a JERK  by John Van Epp, Ph.D.

SMORE Thought of Week for Moms

SMORE Theme:  Setting Boundaries

We all need to feel comfortable saying, “No.”

Our children should be allowed to protect their personal space – to say, “No.”

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Do my children feel free to say, “No” to protect themselves?

I will teach them to respect themselves.

Parenting Gently

It can be so awfully difficult when parenting alone to keep your cool, be patient, and still maintain a sane household. Here is a quote that I received today from one of our single moms.

“Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s (child’s)  growth without destroying his roots.”   – Frank A. Clark

How to Set Boundaries

How to Set Boundaries

By Rebecca Fein

One thing that has always amazed me is the way people view setting boundaries. People view setting boundaries as being mean, cruel, and/or having other negative connotations. People also view it as something done only to hurt other people.

I challenge these views for two reasons. The first reason is the entire reason for setting boundaries is to protect and keep safe, and this is true in relationships as well. We set boundaries for children does that make us mean? We set boundaries for our spouses does that mean we don’t trust them?

We often don’t set boundaries for ourselves and this is a huge problem! By failing to do so for ourselves we are hurting our relationships. We are giving away our power to others and allowing situations to occur that cause us pain and suffering.

Decide what you will and will not take into yourself. Sit down and do this in a boundary setting journal and then enforce the boundaries. Boundaries are healthy and protect our relationships from destruction by any cause.

When setting boundaries ask yourself:

• What am I tolerating?
• What do I need to stop tolerating?
• How do I need to change to stop tolerating this?
• How does tolerating this serve me?
• Who will I have to become to stop tolerating this?

These questions will guide you in setting good boundaries. Boundaries are more effective if you word them positively. For example a boundary I set for myself is, “I assign all time from 7pm on Monday-Thursday to spend time with my husband.” I find this works better than saying, “I won’t work after 7pm Monday-Thursday.”

Restructuring my boundary language allows my unconscious mind to process it correctly. This is a process that is made difficult only in the way we as individuals view setting boundaries. Other people will be dragged kicking and screaming into our boundaries, but as long as we are firm in our boundaries and understand the reasons we are setting them our stress levels don’t have to be impacted. Once we understand that setting boundaries isn’t about punishing someone else or creating a conflict, we are in a better position to feel good about what we are doing. Feeling good about what we do is important and it allows us to not be bothered by others.

When setting boundaries it is important that we let others know that we are not doing this to threaten them or make them feel bad, but that we need to know that these limits are respected.

Rebecca is the Founder, CEO, and Owner of Fein Life Coaching. Her coaching programs empower people to build their dreams, design their future, and lead their fein life! Rebecca’s greatest joy is seeing her clients transform their lives and to hear their success stories. When Rebecca isn’t coaching she can be found spending time with her husband, writing, or reading a book. Rebecca and her husband live in Canton, GA. Schedule your FREE 30 Minute Dream Design Session NOW! Visit http://www.feinlifecoaching.clickbook.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Fein

Featured SMORE Supporter for January 2012

I’m a little late getting started this year and a few months behind after some really busy, but blessed holidays.

Our Supporter this month is Sandra Aldrich. I’ve ‘known’ her for years over the internet waves. She is on the Single & Parenting videos and has written books that are just what readers need. Sandra will by my guest on AM1300 KSET radio on “The Family and SMORE”  March 7th 1:00 CST. If you are out of our area you may listen to us at www.mykset.com
Sandra P. Aldrich, president and CEO of Bold Words, Inc., in Colorado Springs, Colorado is a popular speaker and award winning author or co-author of 18 books, including From One Single Mother to Another: Heart-Lifting Encouragement and Practical Advice. She has a Master of Arts degree in literature and communications, but says her “Ph.D. in the School of Hard Knocks” is more useful when speaking to varied audiences. Thrust into single parenting by brain cancer when her son and daughter were 10 and 8, Sandra treasures the reality of God’s abiding presence.

You may reach Sandra at www.sandraaldrich.com

SMORE Thought of Week for Moms

SMORE Theme:  Job Jump Starts

Our job history reveals a lot about us – jobs we’ve quit, jobs we’ve loved, jobs we’ve lost, jobs we wanted but didn’t get.

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What good qualities does my job history speak about me?

Listen or logon to “The Family & SMORE”

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 11th  1:00 -2:00 CST Gail will interview Lisa Pickett, Dental Program Director for Ubi Caritas and marketing manager for Family Smiles.

She will share about the dental clinic that makes dental care possible for parents who have children on Medicaid and CHIPS.

You may listen to AM1300 KSET, The Talk of Southeast Texas OR Logon to www.mykset.com