Great Children's Books by Local Author!

                 

                        It Was a Wild Ride, Even for Clyde!

 My Mom Thinks I'm a Quack Because I Quack!

                          

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

I wanted to introduce you all to a couple of children's books!

My Mom Thinks I'm a Quack Because I Quack! has a good message on individuality, and It Was a Wild Ride Even for Clyde! is a great reminder of how important it is to listen to Mom! Both of these books are by local author, Brent Paape. I'm happy to have these as part of my collection of awesome resources!  Click on the links above to view and order from Amazon. Enjoy!

-Jessica

You Are Stronger Than You Think! (Psychology Today article)

Hello There!

I read this on the Psychology Today website, and thought it had some really good points. So, I thought I'd share this with you all as it surely applies to so many of us.  

Jessica

Why You're Stronger Than You Think

.. and how you can prove it to yourself.

Post published by Amy Morin on Apr 07, 2015 in What Mentally Strong People Don't Do

Source:  Stuart Monk/Shutterstock

Whether you think you can’t handle being rejected by a love interest, or you’re convinced you can't deal with the uncertainty and discomfort associated with making a career change, second guessing your ability to tolerate distress will only hold you back in life.

In fact, the more you doubt your mental strength, the more important it is for you to prove to yourself that you're stronger than you know.

Allowing exaggeratedly negative self-talk to dictate your behavior will prevent you from reaching your potential. Just because you think you're not mentally strong enough to do or handle something doesn’t mean it’s true: You’re likely able to tolerate much more than you think. 

The Mental Strength to Handle Discomfort

Choosing to avoid uncomfortable feelings offers immediate short-term relief, but avoidance can have long-term consequences:

• If you think, “I can’t stand being hungry,” you may eat to avoid the possibility that you’ll experience hunger, grabbing an extra snack before you head out of the house, or stopping to pick up an extra bite to eat before your commute home. Even when you don’t feel hungry, you may decide not to take any chances and eat as a preventative measure. Eventually, your waistline may suffer the consequences.
• Thinking, “I can’t deal with my job any longer,” will cause you to exaggerate your inability to tolerate stress. You may waste your evenings dreading going to work and spend your workday complaining about your stress level. As a result, you'll inadvertently increase your stress and reinforce to yourself that you're just not strong enough to handle it. Eventually, you'll likely quit—not because you really wanted to, but because you convinced yourself you weren't strong enough to handle the job.
• When you think, “I can’t give a presentation to the whole company,” it reinforces to you that you can't tolerate discomfort. Avoiding a public speaking opportunity, simply because you don't want to deal with your fear, embarrassment, or discomfort could prevent you from establishing yourself as an authority or getting a promotion.

Why Believing Your Self-Doubt is a Bad Idea

Just because you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean you need to give up right away. Prove to yourself that you're strong enough to tolerate more than you think:

• Thinking you can’t stand something influences how you feel. You’re likely to feel a sense of dread, anxiety, or even anger as you approach something you think you can’t tolerate. As you experience more negative emotions, your thoughts can become exaggeratedly negative, creating a cycle of self-doubt.
• You'll struggle to reach your goals. Quitting because you don't want to be uncomfortable will prevent you from growing. The greatest things in life tend to happen outside our comfort zones. Doubting your ability to step outside of yours will keep you stuck. 
• Giving up can become a habit. Quitting every time you face a new challenge can change how you view yourself. You may begin to believe that you’re weak or a failure because you can’t seem to stick with things long enough to see positive results.

When you think you're not strong enough, prove yourself wrong. If you think you can’t stand something for one more minute, stick around for two minutes just to prove to yourself that you can do it. If you think you can’t stand one more week at the office, resolve to work at least two more weeks. Make a conscious decision that you won’t allow negative thoughts to limit your potential.

This doesn’t mean you need to work at a job you hate for 30 years just to prove you can, but by working one day longer than you thought you could, you can prove to yourself that you’re mentally stronger than you gave yourself credit for. If and when you do choose to quit, then it will be on your terms, reflecting a decision based on a choice to improve your life, not made because you had to run away from uncomfortable feelings.

Source: Fotolia.com

Conduct behavioral experiments that prove your self-doubt wrong and eventually, you'll change the way you think. You’ll begin to see that you have more mental strength than you ever imagined. You’ll be less likely to think about all the things you can't do, and more likely to recognize all the choices you have when you're your strongest and best self.

50 Strategies to Beat Anxiety - Psychology Today

50 Strategies to Beat Anxiety 

Many take just minutes; at least one should work for you.

Post published by Alice Boyes Ph.D. on Mar 03, 2015 in In Practice

Source:  Aubord Dulac/Shutterstock

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

Potty Training Tips and Tricks

When searching some great little behavior charts on this site (http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/ ), I found some potty training ideas.  Some I had heard of, some are new.  Also, see below for potty training behavior charts, potty training pics/PECS, and other resources.
*Use a drink and wet doll to demonstrate to your child how to go to the potty. After you pour water into the doll's mouth, you can have your child walk the doll to the potty chair, pull the doll's underwear down, seat it on the potty and watch the doll "pee". This is a good visual aid to motivate your child to do the same.
*Give your child a lot of fluids so that he has to go to the potty more often. The more often he goes, the quicker the child will be potty trained, and the more he will be trained to hold it in.
*If your child looks like she wants to go, then take the child to the potty every thirty minutes or so until he pees.
*If the child does not urinate right away, have him remain seated on the potty for a couple of minutes and maybe read a book together until he is ready to pee. You could also try placing his feet in warm water or turning on the faucet to encourage him to pee.
*Have your child look at learning aids such as books, videos and DVDs as they are an educational and fun introduction to potty training.
*Play games such as the blue and yellow make green game. Put some drops of blue food coloring into the toilet water, have your child urinate and he will see the water turn green much to the child's delight.
*Drop a couple of cheerios cereal into the toilet water and have your child aim and pee at them.
*Use charts and stickers to positively encourage and reinforce the habit. You can give stickers to your child for going to the potty, sitting on the potty, peeing successfully into the potty, or for been accident-free
*Use potty training toys such as musical potty chairs that play tunes when your child uses the potty, or potty training watches that vibrate at a set time to remind your child that it's potty time.
*Get rid of the diapers and put toilet training pants on your child for easier toilet training.

Potty Training Coupons  - look in side column under "Reward Coupons, Stickers, and Other printables"

Potty Training Behavior Charts  - look in side column under "Behavior Charts"

Potty Training Pics/PECS

Potty Training Books

Let me know of any tips/tricks you may have that have worked for your little one!

Jessica

Behavior Charts

I found some great behavior charts that I wanted to share with you all.  The ones I have included below are common to some of my little clients, and are targeted around specific behaviors.  Follow this link to charts you can print and implement. 

• I Didn't Talk Back/Frown When Asked to Do Something (chart 1)
• I Didn't Talk Back/Frown When Asked to Do Something (chart 2)
• I Slept in My Own Bed
• I'm Not a Picky Eater
• No Tantrums (blue chart for boy)
• No Tantrums (pink chart for girl)
• I Got Along with My Sibling(s) Today!
• I Stayed in the Room for Quiet Time
• No Hitting
• I Didn't Suck My Thumb Today
• I Didn't Bite Today
  

Jessica

Turn Taking - An important social behavioral skill

We arrived back in town early yesterday evening from our family's annual 4th of July trip to the NC mountains. There's nothing like fireworks echoing off the mountain tops! I hope yours was wonderful, too.

Below is a description of and link to a Social Behavior activity that involves teaching and practicing a VERY important social activity ... waiting for and taking turns. This is a wonderful tool that I found on http://www.do2learn.com/.

TURN TAKING

Q: Why is this social behavioral skill important? In what areas will this benefit my child/student/client/self?
A: Along with this skill comes a greater peer awareness (rather than only focusing on one's own needs/wants). It also requires impulse control, and formal social thinking/planning.

"Turn-Taking is a crucial social skill that people need to master in order to be proficient in a variety of social situations. Remember that individuals with social and behavioral issues may need a systematic approach to teaching turn-taking behavior. Providing opportunities to practice this skill with different people and in different social situations will increase the likelihood of generalizing the skill and becoming independent with it." http://www.do2learn.com/

Here are some Real Life Examples:
-Child playing tag on the playground
-Adolescent playing a board game
-Adult getting out of a crowded parking lot

In this activity you will:

1. Read the hand-out/ "Taking Turns" Social Article
2. Develop a "Turn-Taking" Board for use with your child/student/client (see below)
3. Follow the instructions for developing structured, turn-taking activities.



This is a great tool! I encourage you to do this one if you feel this fits your child!

Jessica