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!

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Saying Online?

Like any other parents, I’m very cautious when I let my kids go online. You never know what kind of paedophiles or cyber bullies out there who are waiting to prey on our innocent kids. While I always feel one can never be too careful, we also cannot deprive our kids from learning through the internet.

Here’s some useful information that I would like to share with some of you parents. TrueCare, a provider of a comprehensive Internet monitoring service for parents, has announced the availability of a new eBook titled “IDK (I don’t know) What My Kids Are Saying Online”. The best thing about it is, it’s FREE for download. The book  includes some of the most commonly used online abbreviations used by kids when they instant message, email or chat online using social networking websites. But be warned, some of the abbreviations are not for children. The ebook includes a number of abbreviations that may be warning signs that your kids are chatting with strangers or engaging in dangerous online behavior.

“Parents have a responsibility to know what their children are doing and  saying online,” said David Barker, spokesperson for TrueCare.net. “At TrueCare, our primary concern is keeping children safe from the dangers of online social networking. We’ve released I Don’t Know What My Kids Are Saying Online because we want to give parents easy access to this ever-changing language, so they can decode what their kids are saying to their friends.” Parents can download a copy of this free eBook at: www.truecare.net/idk. I suggest you download the ebook and evaluate for yourself how useful the information can be.

About TrueCare

TrueCare developed this best-of-breed service, in conjunction with parents as a way to effectively monitor their child’s online social networking activity without invading their child’s privacy. TrueCare helps parents identify potential online dangers and keep an open dialog with their children about their online safety. For more information please contact TrueCare at 1-877-368-6390 or visit them online at www.truecare.net.

 May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump

May your potatoes & gravy

Have nary a lump

May your yams be delicious

And your prize takes the prize

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs

Well, the Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 kit I bought for my nephew’s birthday has proved so popular; it’s now on my Christmas shopping list for his cousins! With a recommended age appeal of 8 – 12, this kit is great for young science, technology or construction enthusiasts and offers the chance to build over 100 fascinating electronic light and sound projects, including burglar alarms, door bells and even a flying saucer! No wonder my nephews and nieces are clamoring for one of their own, although it’s definitely not for the little ones due to the small parts!

Set up and actual construction is easy: the building blocks house all of the electronic components, it’s just a case of snapping them into place on the sturdy work board provided – no wires, no soldering! The only real electronic downside is that my sister was spending a fortune on batteries (as these aren’t included), but using rechargeables quickly remedied this and means that there are always batteries charged and ready for play!

It takes only a short adult introduction to get the kids started, but after this input, don’t imagine that this kit will necessarily keep the kids quiet – it incorporates lots of exciting sounds, prompting sounds of excitement from the kids, but that’s what you want, to build their enquiring minds and their willingness to both play and learn at the same time, right? There’s both fun value and educational value in Snap Circuits Jr kits, and that’s what a present from auntie is all about!

I have always been using pantyliners for as long as I can remember. While I do not have any issue with incontinence so far, I am a hygienic freak. Nevertheless, not every woman is so lucky as having light leaks is actually a problem quite common to many. It’s just that not many of us are open enough to talk candidly about it.

When Parent Reviewers offered our panel of reviewers an opportunity to review the STRIDE Everyday panties, I quickly jumped on the bandwagon. I was curious to test out these panties which come with built in  OQUOS™ patented fabric technology. It claims to have the  ability to wick moisture from the surface, convert it to a gel that is dry to the touch, deodorize and stay waterproof.

My package arrived last week and the first thing I noticed about the panties were how light and flimsy they looked. So, I decided  to wash them  first (please no hard scrubbing). I expected the panties to be out of shape after the wash but to my surprise, they were definitely not! I have to admit when I put the panty on, it felt really comfortable…..like a very thin barrier between my skin, not at all like any of my existing panties.  I also love the fact that these panties are seamless, especially when I often wear tight skirts to work and was afraid of visible sign of panty lines. 

To be perfectly honest, I was a little worried about the issue of odour due to not wearing any panty liner. However, after a full day of trial, it appears that the OQUOS™ patented fabric technology proved to be excellent. It was able to absorb moisture, deodorize it and keeps me feeling fresh and confident. What can I say? I am a believer in STRIDE Everyday now. Gone are the days I had to peel and unpeel panty liners off my undergarments and contribute to landfills.

Keen to try them out? Get yours at STRIDEEveryday.com for $19.99 to $29.99. Oh yes, they come in pretty styles too!

Disclosure :  I received the above products necessary to facilitate my review. I was not compensated for this post and all  opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Well, how did I ever survive my hungry brood’s busy breakfast bustle without my Back to Basics TEM500 Egg-and-Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher? The appliance boasts a two slice toasting unit plus an egg poaching element, useful for families because it can be cooking the whole breakfast by toasting the bread and simultaneously poaching, boiling or even steam-scrambling up to four eggs at a time!

My kids love it because they can toast a muffin alongside their egg, re-creating that world famous fast food McBreakfast item in our own kitchen and the fussy ones are catered for because the handy measuring cup that’s included with the appliance clearly shows the water measures required for any texture of egg yolk, so everyone gets what they like!

I love it because it’s convenient, easy to use and the cooking is fast –a wholesome cooked breakfast from fridge to plate in just under five minutes! It can even re-heat a pre-cooked slice of meat and, if the kids have used all the eggs up, I can still use it as an independent toaster for my own bread, muffins or bagels, any of which can be accommodated through the wider toaster slots!

Cleaning’s easy too: a quick wipe of the heating and poaching tray and an empty out of the crumb tray, even the control touch pad is easy to use and clean – no knobs or dials to gum up! It’s my ultimate home help for a busy kitchen and mom!