By Joe Downie, for SparkPeople
Have you thought about how great it would be to include your family in your pursuit to exercise more regularly? Family exercise will improve the health of your loved ones, make exercise more fun, and at the same time develop stronger connections between all of you. With a little creativity, you can find a way to make it work for everyone.
How to Start
First, decide what level of participation your family is ready for. If your entire family is committed 100%, you could go as far as setting up a Family Olympics. If it's a struggle to get your family to do anything together, starting out small might be the better option.
You may simply focus on educating each them about the benefits of exercise-in a smart way.
Bombarding them with stats each morning as they come down to breakfast might not be the best option. Put up a healthy living bulletin board in your kitchen (or use the fridge door) with articles and other resources that will help get your point
As the video above shows, children today are able to use new technologies, such as tablets, with amazing ease. As a result, these tools are quickly becoming the medium through which today's kids are learning and interacting. However, many parents are still hesitant to use tablets as a medium through which children can learn and read . It does not help that games like Angry Birds and Tiny Village encourage kids to spend hours looking at a screen without gaining any educational benefits or skills. However, there are several progressive companies within children's publishing that are striving to change this. These companies are coming up with innovative and new methods that allow children to connect to the story and digest information more easily than ever before.Many eBooks include the following features to increase children's interaction, knowledge, and learning:
Read Aloud:
Read More »from Parents Ask: Benefits of Children's EBooks
For children who have just begun to learn how to read, reading on their own can be a daunting10 Amazing Babywearing Images from Around the World
By Disney Baby | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 4:28 PM EDTBabywearing, which is practiced widely by parents around the world, does a lot of things. It strengthens the bond between Baby and mama (or dad!), it allows your baby to come just about anywhere Mom and Dad can go, and, as any busy parent knows, it frees up your hands so you can accomplish basic tasks while still feeling close to your child. But guess what? Baby wearing also leads to some absolutely amazing photographs! Here are 10 of our favorite babywearing photos from around the world. - By Selena Burgess
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Read More »from 10 Amazing Babywearing Images from Around the WorldAstrology.Com Daily MomScopes -- Friday November 2, 2012
By Astrology.com Momscopes | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 1:57 PM EDT
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
You say 'nap time.' Your baby suddenly develops selective deafness. People will tend to hear what they want to hear today, so be prepared. Speak clearly when issuing instructions and don't be afraid to repeat them.
Today's Aries Reading: Free Sample Love Meter
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
So your tyke asks you if you've heard the one about the man who swallowed an umbrella to put something away for a rainy day? It's a good day to take a walk on the light side and enjoy some good times with your child.
Today's Taurus Reading: Free Sample Life Path Reading
Read More »from Astrology.Com Daily MomScopes -- Friday November 2, 2012
Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
Your little tyke has a keen awareness of their surroundings -- they notice everything all the time. Use that to your advantage today. Like when you can't find your car in the parking lot, they may recall theHow to get your kids to part with all that Halloween candy
By Parenting The Shine | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 1:11 PM EDTAre you freaking out about all the Halloween candy that your kids are going to eat? We have just the ticket for what to do with all that of those sweet treats. She’s called...The Switch Witch. Have you ever heard of her? Well, you’re not alone. When we hit the streets we learned that many moms had never heard of the switch witch.
Here’s how it works…
On Halloween night, explain to the kids that they get to pick their ten favorite pieces of candy to keep, but they have to leave the rest of the candy for the Switch Witch. While they’re asleep, the Switch Witch will come in the middle of the night and replace their bag of candy with a super cool toy. This is a great way for the kids to part with that bag of candy without you being the bad guy. If the idea of a witch sneaking around at night is too scary for your youngsters, call her “the candy fairy” instead.
[Related: 6 Things Kids Can Do With Extra Halloween Candy]
Remember, the toy doesn’t have to be
Read More »from How to get your kids to part with all that Halloween candy6 Things I'd Say If I Were the Mom of Popular Cartoon Characters
By Babble.com | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 12:56 PM EDTIf you're a parent, you've probably seen enough cartoons (more than enough, maybe?) to feel like you know the characters pretty well. Maybe too well. And recently when Phinneas and Ferb was on, I was wondering what it would be like to be their mother. Other than exhausting, I mean. See below for what I would say if I were the mom of these 6 cartoon characters!
Read More »from 6 Things I'd Say If I Were the Mom of Popular Cartoon Characters
DoraDora
Stop blaming Swiper, Dora. If you put your things away, they wouldn't get lost.
SpongeBob Squarepants SpongeBob Squarepants
I wish Old Navy carried square-shaped pants. Ordering custom-made ones is really expensive.
Related: The most dangerous kids toys ever made (what were they thinking?!)
CaillouCaillou
I love you, son, but OMG, you are too annoying.
Phinneas and Ferb Phinneas and Ferb
Does this summer vacation never end?!
Related: 20 totally inappropriate vintage ads involving children
Max and Ruby Max and Ruby
You're going to make some man very happy one day, Ruby.
Curious George Curious George
Stay away from strange men, no matter the color of their10 Ways to Get Rid of Your Kid's Halloween Candy -- Without Eating It
By Babble.com | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 12:10 PM EDTI'm a lucky parent. The act of getting the candy at Halloween is more important to my kids than the actual eating of said Halloween candy. My oldest has actually been heard saying "No thank you, I don't like candy" when people offer him a lollipop at stores. Despite my boys' distaste for candy, they'll plow through chocolate until midnight if we allowed it. Here are 10 ways you can get rid of the Halloween haul so your kids (or you!) don't eat it for the next month. - By Buzz Bishop
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Read More »from 10 Ways to Get Rid of Your Kid's Halloween Candy -- Without Eating ItFavorites: Shine's "Halloween is for Babies" Extravaganza
By Valerie Isakova, Shine Parenting Editor | Parenting – Thu, Nov 1, 2012 10:52 AM EDTThe favorites are in! Thanks to all the wonderful Shine moms who sent in photos. See the full album of entries here. And the most hilarious costumes you inflicted on your babies were...
A Father's Case Against Breast Feeding
By TheAtlantic OnShine | Parenting – Wed, Oct 31, 2012 9:56 PM EDT
Read More »from A Father's Case Against Breast Feeding
Man bottlefeeding baby
This article, "A Father's Case Against Breast Feeding," by Chris Kornelis, was originally published by The Atlantic.
My son is amazing.
Thomas is practically reading Oh, Daddy! to me, and he's only 23 months old (almost two, for those of you without kids). He's off the charts in height, and he's well above average for weight-enough to be strong, but, you know, not an overweight child. Not Thomas.
He helps me unload the dishes. He helps my wife fold the laundry. He's even more incredible when you consider that he's accomplished all this, at such an early age, in spite of his troubled upbringing. Thomas grew up on formula, the stuff Michael Bloomberg is trying to keep away from mothers and infants in New York's hospitals.
Betsy really wanted to breastfeed. She tried. Really hard. It wasn't easy. There were problems with the "latch" and with Thomas getting enough to eat. We went to a lactation consultant, rented a pump, and were up every two hours for a hazy routine of turning on the4 Reasons Fathers Should Talk About Sex with Their Daughters
By YourTango.com | Parenting – Wed, Oct 31, 2012 6:02 PM EDT
Read More »from 4 Reasons Fathers Should Talk About Sex with Their Daughters
New research explains the importance of fathers talking to their daughters about sex.A new study shows when dads talk with their children about sex, those children have less sex during adolescence. While it's traditional in many families for the mother to talk to her daughters and for the father to talk to his sons, here are at least four reasons why it is important for fathers to also talk to their daughters about sex:
More from YourTango: Young Girls Aspire To Be Sexy, Says New Study
1. Research shows when fathers give their daughters the talk, their little girls have less sex when they're older. The first reason is the most obvious. If fathers talk to their daughters about sex, according to the research, they will have less sex during their adolescent years. This also means there will be less STDs and teen pregnancies. This can only be a positive thing as we think about our teen's sexual health and their lack of necessary maturity to make decisions about adoption, abortion and raising a family.
2. Women and men have a different understanding of sex. Have you ever
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