10 Parenting resolutions for 2017

Start an hour by hour I learnt this trick in my network marketing days and have been using it every since. It seems to almost create time. You need an excel sheet and some highlighters. Start by coloring the hours that require you to be at work. Then grey out the areas that you need to get ready and the travel time needed as well, because that's dead time so you can't book any appointments in that time anyways. Get a color for housework and put in some time. I think if you're a working parent then this should be least time priority during the week, which means you'd need to get creative and really organised to get it done in a shorter time frame. Most importantly get a color for "me time," "spouse time" and "kids time." Travel time can be used as quality time. Ditch the screens and create car games. Use that time to reinforce safety rules, body rules and really communicate with each other. Your phone should be off while driving anyway so the distractions will be limited. The trick to making this work is being insanely focused while in an activity. The time will be enough once you stay on purpose. Kids also appreciate and understand more after they've received an hour of undivided attention. Ditch the pity party mom group I absolutely hate sitting waiting on Jess and listening to mom's bitch about how hard they have it. I've even been told before that my life is easy because my child is an angel. I've heard people complain that if I had their kids or their husband then I'd understand why they are so stressed out. If this is you. PLEASE STOP IT NOW!!! We've all read books like "The Secret" and we all buy into the whole "Law of Attraction" Let 2017 be there year you attract a stress free life. Tell the universe (in my case God) that your kids and your husband are the best thing since sliced bread and watch the magic of positivity work for you and your household. Remove all the moms in your network that constantly moan about life. Don't indulge them with your pity. They don't need an enabler. Focus on the positives. Get a box and write down all the cool things that happen throughout the day. Wrote down each I love you, each hug, each cute moment. Not only will you realize that your kids have more positive moments than rotten ones, but you will have bits of positive moments on which to focus when the rotten moments rare their ugly heads. Start the day with a kick ass routine This one is cheesy buy it works. Create a positive statement with which you start your day. My sounds something like this (please don't be lazy, create one that's special to you) "Thank you God for blessing me with another day to get it right. Thank you for not giving up on me, if only I had your level of patience. Thank you God for loving me so much. I have no idea why you favor me but clearly you do because my life is awesome. I'm better looking than most, my kid's cuter than most and you seem to just keep pouring blessings upon blessings. As always, give me strength to accomplish all that you need me to and please forgive even the things I'm clueless about. Help me today to be the woman you need me to be" As you'd notice mine is a prayer, yours can be a simple statement that reminds you everyday that you are simply awesome. Start a joy jar This joy is filled with positive consequences. Chose different colors for different family members. And work together to create treats. It may be an extra bed time story. An extra five minutes of bath time. For some it may be an extra cookie at dinner time. And for the moms it can be 10 minutes of quiet. Then everyone has stuff towards which they work. If I don't lose my cool for the day, then I get to pick a treat from the joy jar. Contact me via my website if you need this or any other of the resolutions explained in greater detail. Consider a consequence cup In the heat of the moment, consequences can evade your mind or they can be too steep depending on how mad you are at the time. Consequences, however, work best when given immediately. This way they can head to the jar and pick one and feel free to have then pick two for the extra naughty actions.

Live like you are being recorded

Before you shout "shut up" or lose it and ring their ears, consider what the world would think if that action was being recorded for the world to view?

What would be our choice of words if the world were watching and judging?

How would we handle the situation?

If it's not what u want the world to see then it's not worth saying or doing, so take a time out, practice in private and try the conversation at a later time when you are calm and collected and camera ready.

Take your head out the sand

Stop pretending that parents and close relatives are not the number one abusers. Stop focusing more on stranger danger than safe home rules. Stop the sleep overs. Just stop. Be vigilant. Childhood curiosity is real and the appetite for sex is developed very much like it is for salt and candy. Don't let them taste it through innocent curiosity. Protect their purity. Have the conversations. Be prepared to answers their concerns.

Use the 4:1 relationship rule

Finally, for every correction you give you must follow up with 4 praises. Don't take good behaviour for granted. Yes it is expected that their chores are done, but they deserve to know that you recognize they're done. Recognize their living actions. Praise their every move. Positive feedback encourages more positive behaviour.

Be intentional about being positive and watch 2017 sparkle before your very eyes.