WISHING EVERYONE A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

As one of  Dove Movement’s Champions, I thought it was appropriate to share my thoughts with all of you to encourage you to support this movement.

 A child’s self esteem is a fragile thing and to damage it could cause untold problems for the remainder of the child’s life. It is said that if you tell a child how special she is, she will grow up with the confidence to face anything, but tell her she’s a failure, and she will become one. Being openly critical of your children can therefore prophecy their future, so building a child’s self esteem starts within the family.

Young children believe what adults tell them, but they are very good at detecting insincerity, so it’s important, if you want your child to believe in your praise, that you believe in it yourself. Girls in particular are extremely sensitive to criticisms about their appearance. By acknowledging her feelings and allowing her to express herself, you can reassure her and help her to overcome a negative self-image.

It is important to teach children that self confidence is more important than superficial appearances. Teach them to feel good inside and this will translate to what they feel on the outside. By feeling good about themselves, they will be more inclined to believe they look good. Creating inner confidence is therefore the key to boosting a child’s self esteem.

This can be achieved by reassurance and praise. Notice all achievements, however small, and praise these to encourage future successes. If their clothes or hair look nice, focus on these rather than directly on their looks. In particular, praise kind thoughts and actions. Remind them regularly about the importance of self-belief and inner beauty. People who believe in themselves can make the world believe in them also.

It is especially important, in this media-driven age, for young girls to understand that everyone’s body is different and unique and that individuality is a good thing. They need to know that television merely re-presents someone’s ideas – which are not necessarily the truth. Explain about the photographic tools used by magazines to enhance appearances of models to present a beautified image.

Being a positive role model to your child will go a great way to improving her self esteem. It is simply a case of practising what you preach, so avoid being hard or negative about yourself. Gently redirect any negative or inaccurate perceptions as soon as you are aware of them and your child’s self esteem will develop naturally, enabling her to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

At Dove Movement, we’re helping to create a world where every woman and girl has the confidence to reach her full potential. Will you help us? Join the movement and share positive self-esteem at dovemovement.com.

Well what’s not to love about my new Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep plus Food Processor? A thoughtful gift for a busy mom like me, I’m just loving the button-touch controls – so easy to use when my hands are full of other things! Just a quick press starts the chopping or grinding from the stainless steel blade, with its innovative sharp and blunt edges and auto-reverse capacity that means it can easily process both hard and soft ingredients! This has saved me so much time, particularly with soft ingredients like cheese and mushrooms, which usually just ‘squash’ in other processors. There are two little receptacles in the lid, for adding oil when blending – great for my homemade pesto’s, dips and hummus!

I also love my mini-prep’s space-saving size – it’s just 5 by 8 by 9 inches, so it’s not too big or heavy for stowing in and out of cupboards! Its dinky size also means it doesn’t clutter up my counter – I keep it there to show off my pink processor! However, because it’s also available in chrome or turquoise, my neighbors quickly bought their own color preferences!

Yet, its mini size doesn’t compromise on power, thanks to the innovative blade, but allows small quantities to be processed quickly and easily! It has dishwasher safe parts, so clearing up’s easy and the three cup plastic work bowl is the ideal size for the appliance but also for using separately for smaller, cup-measured recipes. A great kitchen tool!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, stockings hanging and a board game to bring the whole family together and keep the kids’ anticipation channeled until bedtime – as a busy mom, that’s my ideal Christmas Eve! So, planning ahead I’ve already got this year organized with the Qwirkle Board Game.

I love that this game’s so easy to set up – it’s just wooden blocks with a series of colorful symbols on them – very tactile which is great for kids! With a recommended age of 6 and up, we can get the whole family involved and pitch our wits against each other! It’s easy to learn (which is ideal over Christmas) and once you’ve ‘got it’, it actually builds brain power – it was a Mensa Best Mind Game Award Winner in 2007! That’ll be the logical and strategic thinking that the game requires!

Apparently the game is a bit like scrabble, but with symbols instead of letters: we have to create both columns and rows of matching colors and symbols, so the kids can join in confidently. We can all earn extra points by strategically placing tiles, so it can get pretty competitive which means huge fun for us! Best of all, it only takes 30 – 45 minutes to play a round: long enough for a bit of sustained brain-building time but short enough that it won’t lead to a late night! If you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet, add this game in quick!