Tag Archives: motherhood

Kid-Friendly Tips for Seizing the Day

Kids need to prepare for the day ahead, just like the rest of us. However, their goals are quite different from those of adults. That’s why it’s important to tailor your action plan around your child’s individual needs.

Not sure where to get started? No problem, NieCat Life Coaching shares some effective ideas to get your kids motivated for school, extracurricular activities, and more.

Role-Modeling Self-Care for Your Children

Being a parent can be exhausting. Between the time you spend caring for your child and ensuring they’re meeting their needs, it’s easy to forget about taking care of yourself.

It’s important, however, to make time for self-care in order to take care of yourself and your children. One way to show kids that taking care of themselves is important is by modeling it for them.

If you’re dealing with your own stressors in life, it can affect your child’s self-care routine. Therefore, you should find ways to reduce work and life stress. Some helpful ways of achieving this are by mixing up your daily routine, eating and exercising well, and striving not to be a perfectionist. If you run a business and struggle to find enough time to spend with your children, consider hiring an administrative assistant or what accounting software options are available to free up your time. As a parent, you are the most important person in your children’s lives, so it’s vital that you have enough time to spend with them.

Improving Sleep

One thing you can do to improve your child’s sleep is teach them how to fall asleep on their own. This can be difficult for some children, but with the right guidance and routine, they’ll be able to fall asleep on their own in no time.

The first step to teaching your child is to make sure they’re tired enough. One way to help them grow tired enough is by making sure they exercise or play outside before bedtime. If they have trouble falling asleep after a long day of playing, you can also suggest that they read in bed or play an easy game for a few minutes before going to sleep.

Once your child is tired enough, give them a set of rules for what time their lights go off and how long it should take them to fall asleep. These rules should include not using any electronics at all in the hour before bedtime and keeping their room very dark when it’s time for lights out.

Children can have a difficult time preparing for their day ahead if they don’t get enough sleep or if they have to wake up too late. To prepare children for the day ahead, encourage them to establish a self-care routine and make time for themselves before they start their day.

Boosting Mood and Mental Health

Kids can find many ways to boost their mood and mental health. Some of these include exercising, meditating, practicing gratitude, breathing, creating art, and listening to music. Exercise is one of the best mood boosters for kids.

It releases endorphins which give kids feelings of joy and happiness. This makes them feel better about themselves. When kids exercise, they also get a lot of fresh air, which helps their bodies detoxify. Being able to take in the fresh air also gives kids more energy to do things throughout the day.

Meditation is another great way for kids to feel better about themselves and have more energy throughout the day, as it slows down breathing and helps you focus on your favorite calming activities such as listening to music or watching a movie that relaxes you. This helps your brain release serotonin, which makes you feel happier and calmer overall.

If you’re struggling with your role as a parent and need support, contact NieCat Life Coaching today!

Dana Brown

dbrown@healthconditions.info

Back to Basics: (Non-ecommerce) Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Parents

Back to Basics: (Non-ecommerce) Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Parents

If you’re a stay-at-home parent, it can be difficult figuring out how to start a business from home. This issue is further complicated if you want to avoid the crowded, competitive ecommerce markets. To succeed, here are a few good ideas to consider, courtesy of NieCat Life Coaching.

Pet Care

For millions of Americans, pets are a major stressor throughout the working week. If you’re good with animals and you have patience, you could provide a solution for this dilemma with pet daycare, walking, or training. Whilst not mandatory, it’s a good idea to go down the route of correct accreditation – this means, for example, earning your NAPPS Certification, with education in pet safety and pet first aid.

Musician

The internet has done a lot for the democratization of music, meaning that everyone has the opportunity to find success via apps like Tiktok or sites like Soundcloud. If you have a musical talent and you want to earn from it, you could try collaborating with other artists, streaming your music live to build a following or playing in good old-fashioned venues. The options are truly unlimited for a skillful, wilful musician with a penchant for live performance.

Writer

Despite advances in AI and automation, creatives are still in a position to earn with words. You could try pitching articles to your local paper, working with brands to produce web copy or advertising collateral, or you could even turn your hand to fiction and try penning a novel or screenplay. The best part of being a writer is that you can often fit the work around your schedule, making it the perfect vocation for those pockets of time when you’re not looking after the kids.

Child Tutor

Tutors are an essential asset when it comes to the education of our kids. They provide one on one focus outside of busy classrooms, they help with confidence and they can offer alternative learning styles for when a child is not engaging with a topic. Your experience as a parent could make you a prime candidate, but if you want to take on this important role, you’ll also need experience in a particular field of study and a high school diploma.

Planning

Whatever business you decide to pursue, it’s important that you plan carefully in advance. Typically, you can expect to pay as much as $11,000 in the initial stages of business development (though this number fluctuates depending on its type and expenses). You’re likely to pay up on licenses, insurance, inventory/supplies and you may also need to rent out space or pay subscriptions to services to help find clients. For your own financial wellbeing, it’s important that you write a watertight business plan. This should clearly describe your proposed company, detail a sales structure, project expenses and consider any required funding. You’ll be amazed, when laying these details out on paper, how much it can cost to kick things off.

Remember that if you need money to start your business, you may need to contact a lender to discuss a business loan. During this process, the lender will take a hard look at your finances, which make or break your chances at getting a loan. Before heading down this road, figure out your debt-to-income ratio and see if you can boost your credit score. This way, you won’t hit any obstacles when you sit down to secure that business loan.

Also, last but not least, don’t forget to create a great space to facilitate your work. That way, you can separate home and business and enjoy a better balance in your lifestyle. For instance, simply investing in ergonomic office chairs and a DIY peel and stick wallpaper allows you to add a little style and comfort to your home office, making it easier to stay focused.

Balancing parenting with business can be tricky, especially if you want to avoid the internet buying/selling process, but if you have a skill or experience in a certain field and you’re willing to head out and handle things in person, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t succeed in your endeavors.

NieCat Life Coaching – https://www.niecatlifecoaching.com/

NAPPS – https://petsitters.org/page/NAPPSCertificationCourse

Soundcloud – https://blog.landr.com/8-ways-actually-get-heard-soundloud/

web copy – https://thegood.com/insights/copy-that-converts/

experience – https://www.moneycrashers.com/become-tutor/

$11,000 – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business-insights-ideas/resources/money-start-business%20-%20BLAH%20!!!

business plan – https://www.zenbusiness.com/start-a-business/

DIY peel and stick wallpaper – https://www.spoonflower.com/en/peel-and-stick-removable-woven-wallpaper

Best Parenting

I Am the Life Coach for You!

The Life Coach for You!

Are you looking for someone to mentor/guide your teenager?

Are you looking for support with your parenting style?

Do you need to be motivated and empowered to accomplish your life goals?

I am the Life Coach for you!

Inbox me for details :

Four weeks for the price of THREE!

Coach Arthur

Certified Professional Life Coach

http://www.niecatlifecoaching.com

http://www.niecat.com

https://www.facebook.com/Niecatlifecoach

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/carlota-arthur/56/425/813

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Radio Interview

Radio Interview

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Life Coaching Session

In this TV show, Coach Arthur introduces herself, shares the meaning of Life Coaching and conducts a true life coaching session

Enjoy!

Coach Arthur
Certified Professional Life Coach
http://www.niecatlifecoaching.com

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Our Children came from us but they are not us!

Our Children came from us but they are not us!

Don’t cut your child’s wings because of your dreams and aspirations. Your dreams are yours. Their dreams are theirs! As parents we are here to Guide, Cultivate & Support their dreams!

The Late Rev. Dr. Mary A. Tumpkin taught me many things during the 20 years that she was my Spiritual Teacher. One of the lessons that I received, and understood without much studying was: My two girls, Nie and Cat came from me but they are not mine. GOD sent them here for a reason; GOD put within them EVERYTHING they needed in order to fulfill their Destiny. GOD has a plan for them and I have no right to tell them who they should become.

I guided them into activities and they selected the activities which made their Hearts soar. Nie is an actress by birth. Is in her blood, and though a lot of people would disagree with their child following an acting career, my thought was, that is what makes her happy.

Cat is a speaker, a writer, a spinner. She might be a lawyer, she might be a writer, she might be a journalist, she might be an activist, she might even be a Politian. These are things I see in her, but never will I influence her (only guide) on who she will be in life.

Parents, it is not our job to divert our children’s dreams. Our job is to guide them, to show them their options, and ultimately, only our children can make that the decision.

Parenting with Wisdom,

Coach Arthur
Certified Professional Life Coach
http://www.niecatlifecoaching.com

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Say YES to Your Teenager!

Say YES to Your Teenager!

I read a very interesting article in “One Tough Job.org” which shared guidelines on having a GREAT relationship with your teenager. I found the article very interesting and the strategies are ones that I have actually used during my parent life coaching sessions, so I wanted to share it with my readers.

Out of the gate, I must say that raising teens is an adventure that is manageable if you arm yourself with the proper tools.

It might look like your teen is not interested in what you are doing and specially what you are saying, but the TRUTH of the matter is that our teens need us now more than ever. Yes, they are busy and at this time in their lives their friends mean a lot to them, but remember, you are the parent, you have been there from the beginning of their time. Choosing to spend time with your teen and LISTENING without JUDGMENT is paramount. I don’t know how you feel about what you just read, you may need to take a deep breath because LISTENING & NON JUDGMENT is the key to a POSITIVE relationship with your teen.

There are 4 suggestions the article features to have a more positive relationship with your teen: Be actively interested in your teen’s life, Talk with your teen, not at them, Share things with your teen and Schedule in family time.

Be actively interested in your teen’s life – I heard a strategy that Our First Lady Michelle Obama uses with her girls and I immediately began using this strategy with mine girls. On the ride back from school I asked two questions, Share a rose with me from today’s experience and share a thorn with me from today’s experience. I found that when Cat got in the car, she was ready to share. In about 5 minutes I was able to gauge the type of day she had and she was happy to share. Become the Mom to their group. I was a Drama Mom, a Color Guard Mom, a Super Star Mom, whatever the girls were involved in, there I was in the mix of things. Some of their friends actually called me a cool Mom. I was the Mom giving rides to their friends whose parents were to busy to pick them up from whatever activities they were having. Needless to say NieCat were physically not happy about this, but I knew in their Hearts they appreciated me being there! Well, at least that is how I am telling the story! 🙂

Talk with your teen, not at them – I go back to one of my first blog post ever. Please remember what it was like being a teen! Stop preaching! When ALL you do is preach, your teen will tune you out. Have a discussion! LISTEN! Listen to what your teen says and actually give it some thought! Listen!

Share things with your teen – Share your past experiences. Let your teen know you were a teen once. My Girls use to LOVE to hear that I got in trouble with GrandPaPa! That would be the highlight of our conversations. Share what is going on right now with them. Explain to them why at this time you may not be able to pay for that $500 ring. Tell the TRUTH. They can handle it, and they will know you are Human! Sometimes our teens think we are not from this world!

Schedule in family time – The time you are experiencing now with your teen will NEVER come back! Choose to make time for your teens. Sometimes when I come home from a crazy day as a school administrator I have nothing else to give the world, so I invite the girls to my room (actually they just follow me to my room) and we all lay in my bed and talk. I am resting my body and my brain, I am listening to my Girls and that is considered family time! Visit them in their room, at your own Risk that is! Don’t criticize how junky and smelly their room is (I must work on this one), just be, see where the conversation leads you!

Our teens are enjoying a very challenging stage, as parents we MUST choose to do parenting differently to achieve teen parenting success!

Happy Teen Parenting,
Coach Arthur, Cerfified Professional Life Coach
http://www.niecatlifecoaching.com

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It ALL Begins & Ends in Your Mind!

It ALL Begins & Ends in Your Mind!

One of the most difficult and rewarding jobs we can have during our earth existence is being a parent. That being said, there are no manuals for this GREAT Task.

I submit to you that if we begin parenting with the thought that parenting begins and ends in our minds, we will accomplish more successful encounters with our children.

If you give Power to following thoughts: I am a good parent, I am patient with my children, I am understanding of the life my children lead when they are in school, I am firm but LOVING to my children, I discipline my Children with respect, I LOVE my children. I know these qualities will take over your life once you allow them into your mind.

Think about it, what if you woke up tomorrow with the above thoughts, plus the thought of having a GREAT weekend with your children in-spite of whatever happened tonight!?

Try it!

It all begins and ends in Your mind. What you give Power to, has Power over You, if you allow it!

Happy Parenting,
Coach Arthur
Parent/Teen Life Coach

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The Four Agreements for Parents

The Four Agreements for Parents

The agreements you are about to read were taken from the book: “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.

There are Four Agreements that parents should follow when it comes to parenting:
1. Be Impeccable with Your Word.
2. Don’t take anything personal.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions.
4. Always do Your Best.

Be Impeccable with Your word:
I have addressed this issue before in other posts. Children really learn and do what we do, seldom they learn what we say. Being impeccable with your word teaches children to do the same. As parents we must follow through on what we say to our children. If you plan to go some where don’t tell your children until you are 100% sure you can go. If you give your child a consequence you MUST follow the consequence through. That is what teaches your children you mean business. Being impeccable with your word is what teaches children to be impeccable with their word.

Don’t take anything personally:
As a school administrator I have to tell parents this one all the time. When your child does something wrong, something that perhaps brings embarrassment to your family name, please get over yourself. Yes, I get it! I have been there and done that. However, the truth of the matter is that because your child stole candy from the store does not mean that you are a thief, or that your child sees you stealing (ideally your child should NEVER see you doing anything illegal).
Here is an example: I have made my bed everyday for the last 23 years ( that’s how long I have been a Mom). NieCat are aware of my bed making passion. As they were growing up, I always told them to make up their beds. Now at 22 and 18 they NEVER make up their bed. At first I considered myself a failure for not teaching them correctly, however, now following the Four Agreements, I don’t take it personally. Our children are their on persons, they came here to learn their own individual lessons and sometimes those lessons are independent of us.

Don’t Make Assumptions:
You children consider you their Hero. Don’t assume that because you have to give them consequences/punishments they will not like you or think less of you. Don’t assume that because your neighbors children look nice from the outside that they don’t have issues. Stop assuming your parenting skills are not adequate. Stop assuming period! When you assume you make the assumption about you and you MUST remember agreement #1, don’t take things personally.

Always Do Your Best
You can only do what you can do. You are doing the BEST parenting possible with the tools that you have. You are right where you need to be. There is a Higher Forth in your life directing your steps and finally, if you need direction, if you need someone to encourage you, support you and help you to establish parenting goals seek someone like me (shameless plug), seek a Parenting Life Coach. Everyone needs help once in awhile is okay to ask for it.

Think about these Four Agreements as you do your parenting from moment to moment and you will be on your way to parenting success!

Happy Parenting,
Coach Arthur