Total Attention Challenge » Group

Hello - i love this idea and have decided to give it a go. i have a very spirited 4 year old who has been having a hard time adjusting to his new sister - i think this will help!  re: yelling - i made a new year's resolution to give up yelling...at my kids, hubby, whatever.  i did really well through Feb. but have slacked off in March, so this will help me recommit.  Incidentally - yelling is the hardest thing i've ever had to quit, ever.  quitting smoking a few years ago was difficult, but a walk in the park compared to giving up yelling!!!!

anyone else just now getting started on this?

I am back and raring to go.  What has happened in here though?  Seems to have gotten quiet while I was off Minti.  Hmm, I hope you all are getting quantity of quality time with your children and significant others each week. 

As I have been catching up around Minti I have noticed how often spending quality time is mentioned along with millions of different ways to do it, be it photography, craft, kitchen things, days out, travelling, movies and just decent bedtime stories and cuddles.

Looking forward to doing some more challenges with you all over the next few months.  This weekend is a holiday weekend in the UK and E and I found some money in my account today, so we went grocery shopping and bought loads of salad and summery drinks home for tea.  We have planned loads of different summery meals to have over the weekend and tomorrow will be heading for the abbey grounds for a picnic. 
Peace
EF.x 

Hi! I have a high needs 3 y/o and a very active 9mth old.  I have been struggling with his behaviour recently and decided that I think he is wanting a LOT more focused attention (see my blog here).  I am an at home mum so the kids get all my time (well, most of it) but I think it is the quality of the time that is the issue.  I am keen to follow some of your challenges and look forward to getting some tips off you guys!

We've made it through two challenges designed to get us to connect with our kids.  This week's challenge is to have a family game night!  So pick a game and have some fun.  We'll report back next week!

Okay, guys!  Time to check in (a week late!).  How did your family meeting go?  We held ours by going out to dinner at the restaurant of our kids choice, Fridays (gotta get those free balloons ya know!).  I served as chair.  We completed the initial chekck in.  Since report cards had just come out, we celebrated the hard work they both had done so far this school year. We closed by discussing whether anyone had any worries or concerns.  That certainly opened up some interesting discussion mostly between the two kids, e.g., "Nick comes in my room without knocking,"  "Hailey is always touching my stuff," etc.  With some gently guidance, they were able to discuss their concerns with each other and come to some agreeable solutions, e.g., "I'll knock before I come in to your room," "I'll be sure to ask for your permission before I touch any of your stuff," etc.  It was a productive meeting!

So, how did your meetings go?  Share your results!

Now that we have made it through our first challenge, it is time to gear up for another.  This week’s challenge is to hold a family meeting.  For those of you who are new to family meetings, check out this article:  http://www.minti.com/parenting-advice/4483/Connecting-with-Your-Kids-Try-a-Family-Meeting/.   It gives some ideas, tips and resources on how to hold a successful family meeting. 

Feel free to post your plans or any questions you might have.  We’ll do a check in next week to share how we did :)

Okay guys, how did date night go?  I’m a little late posting here, but didn’t want to forget the accountability part of the challenge!  So, how did date night work out?  I can happily report that I successfully completed the challenge despite being sick and a blizzard.  Am I dedicated or what?!  My plan was to take my daughter to see Charlotte’s Web.  Unfortunately, we were unable to as it was not showing any longer at our local theater and it was too snowy to drive to one further away.  Instead, we did a little shopping and then had dinner at the restaurant of her choice.  What a wonderful time we had!  As I sat in the restaurant listening to her share all the current kindergarten gossip, it made me recall all the wonderful girls nights I had with my mom.  To this day, we still carve out some time while the kids are in school to have lunch and get in a little shopping. 

As we sat in the restaurant, I thought about what the future holds for my beautiful, bright and full of life daughter.  I really had a great time and so did she.  We ended with a little snuggle time on the couch while the boys were out for guys night.  So, how did your date night go?  Share your story and keep watch for this weeks challenge!

All in one!!!  I hope that this link works
Enjoy!
Peace
EF.x  

Just a quick entry for all Aussie's. The docufilm THE SECRET is on ch9 at 10:30pm saturday 3rd Feb eastern daylight savings time. I recommend it for anyone who is striving for change. TAPE it so you can rewatch it, you will need to. For everyone else, sorry. I will endeavour to write a bit about it soon. Take care all.

x D x

Hey guys!

I'm feeling refreshed today and ready to take on the TAC for this week!  You see, my kids spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!).  I had time this weekend to take care of all those little chores that pile up, consume my brain power and get in the way of me being totally present with the kids.  Not to mention I've been able to catch up with my blogging and Minti time.    

Jen and I had talked about maybe having a specific challenge each week that as a group we could try to tackle.  Here is my challenge for the week: to have a date night with one of the kids.  I used to do this more regularly but have fallen off the wagon.  I think I've blogged about this before, but my husband and I take turns taking the kids out on a date.  They each get a date once a month (when we are on track) with one of us.  The dates sometimes involve going to a movie, bowling, the mall or the library.  One of the favorites is a trip to the bookstore.  The car show is in town this week, so hubby is going to take the boy while I take the girl to go see Charlotte's Web.

So I challenge the rest of you to have a date with one of your kids this week.  Report back on your progress and the results!