Setting it Straight with Children

This Momma Juggles

“Im telling mom”, “Mom she hit me, mom shes hitting me, mom she wont stop, I said stop, tell her to leave me alone.” Sound familiar parents? Those are the repeating words many parents hear all day non stop. Why?

What do we do when our children are misbehaving, putting a show, having a temper tantrum, or just being them? Of course, try to be the best parents. Considering the crazy nature of our days, this is not easily accomplished.  

The first thing that many of us might do in these situations is yell and this solves nothing. As parents, when we are under stress, our children may also show signs of stress like…

  • become moody
  • become irritable
  • become clingy or withdrawn

With that being said, it is important to keep this in mind because it could have a lot to do with the behaviors from our children.

When approaching these incidents,  we should always be firm, fair, and friendly. It is important to take charge and show your children that you are the “boss”. Give them two choices and nothing more. Stick to being fair and in charge. Take ownership for your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors such as using “I” statements. Set clear boundaries so your children have structure and rules to follow. Stick to the consequences so it doesn’t just become threats. Most importantly, be a good role model.

Acknowledge your child’s good behavior. When there is a problematic behavior, use a positive approach, and figure out how to reward a new behavior to replace the problematic behavior. Encourage your children to do their best- not to be perfect.

Be a model of patience, stop yelling at them, and listen carefully to your children. Do not compare your children with others. We are each our own individual.

Thanks for stopping by!

-This Momma Juggles

Winter Fun and Safety

This Momma Juggles

After a snowy day or blizzard, what do children want to do? Yes, go play outside, make snow angels, build a snowman, or go sledding. They do not even think twice about the low temperatures and could care less if it’s freezing cold. Parents, on the other hand, know that low temperatures can lead to injuries and other conditions. But that does not stop children from going outside and we must keep them safe.

With that being said, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends etc. please remember safety first and follow the tips below.

  • BUNDLE UP!!! Dress children, babies, and yourself in layers of clothing, wear hats, gloves, scarves, and winter boots to prevent frostbites.
  • KNOW YOUR SURROUNDINGS!!! Even if nearby streets are closed to traffic please be very careful if sledding on the street. Poor Visibility is dangerous.
  • TIME CHECK!!! Remember to check on the children playing outside and ask if they are wet or freezing and have them go indoors.
  • CAUTION AROUND FIRE!!! Wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and outdoor fire-pits are cozy but can present danger – especially to small children. 
  • SAFETY EQUIPMENT!!! Teach all children to wear helmets when snowboarding, skiing, sledding or playing ice hockey.
  • WATER SAFETY!!! TEACH children to stay away from icy or frozen bodies of water.
  • WINTER NOSEBLEEDS!!! Use a cold-air humidifier in their room if they suffer from winter nosebleeds. Saline nose drops can help keep their nose moist.
  • HYDRATION!!! Yes, children still need to be hydrated in the winter.
  • BE AWARE OF DANGER SIGNS!!! Look out for signs of frostbite, pale, grey or blistered skin on the fingers, ears, nose, and toes. If you think your child has frostbite bring the child indoors and put the affected area in warm (not hot) water. Signs of hypothermia are shivering, slurred speech, and unusual clumsiness. If you think your child has hypothermia call 9-1-1 immediately.

Sources: Save the children, national safety council

Thanks for stopping by!
-This Momma Juggles

Buy a House! They said!

This Momma Juggles

Becoming a home owner is what many of us dream. We work on keeping our credit clean, we attend the first-time home buyers class, get our certificate of completion, begin house hunting, and boom we are in our home. Easier said then done.

In the first-time home-buyers class you can expect to learn all about the loans offered to first time home buyers, tax credits, budgeting, the home buying process, the importance of keeping your credit clean and home inspections. (Sounds great! Right) We leave class feeling all ready to buy our very first home.

Not quite. In the home buyers class they fail to mention that you are responsible for all the maintenance on your home. And fail to mention the unexpected home repairs. Some of these repairs include things like water main breaks, pipe bursts, pipe leaks, frozen pipes, non-functional hot water boilers, sewer and toilet back-ups, flooding, broken heating systems, broken home appliances, etc.. There are many more. Oh no, What to do now? With that being said, yes, you the new home-owner will be responsible for. Do you have that $12,000 home repair savings in your bank account, probably not. Yeah! Me either.

Recently, I experienced my first unexpected home repair. (Luckily, my handy husband was able to fix the situation.) I share this to save you some frustration that goes along with being a homeowner. Don’t give up yet. Hear are some tips to handle the unexpected home repairs

  • Set up an emergency fund (savings account)
  • Have 1 or 2 emergency credit cards
  • Check with your homeowners insurance provider to see if your policy covers the unexpected repair
  • Take a loan on your 401K plan
  • Get a loan from family/friend
  • Get you a handy husband

I hope you are still excited to become a new home owner. We need to remember about the once-a- year bills (like car tax, car registration) and the unexpected home repairs that are quite unpredictable.

Buying a home is a big financial move, so be wise to look at the positive and negative aspects. We certainly, don’t want our dream to be our worst nightmare. Yes, being a homeowner is lots of responsibility but also has its perks. Such as…..

  • Privacy
  • Home Equity
  • Fixed mortgage vs. unpredictable rent raises
  • Tax deductions
  • Great investment

To all you potential first time buyers please do your homework and make sure you are absolutely ready to take on responsibility.

Thanks for stopping by!
-This Momma Juggles
@thismommajuggles

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay – we’re all human

This Momma Juggles

Pretty Awesome

Self Empowerment Lifecoach's avatarEmma Ortega Negrete

“In Life, you can’t worry about a bridge that you may have to cross in the future.  For you may find out that worrying was for nothing because you never need to cross that bridge.  Know that if you have to deal with a situation in the future, God (Omnipotent Positive Energy) has given you the wisdom and whatever else you need to conquer the journey of that bridge.  Worrying is an emotion with no value and belongs in the negative energy realm.  You come from the positive energy realm.”©Emma Ortega Negrete

P.S.  Easier said than done?  Well, there are avenues to get you the help you need.  Sometimes, people need a little bit of holistic or medicinal help to get them through stages of life.

Don’t be ashamed to get help.  God created these avenues for you to receive peace of mind and joy.  That’s His promise in John…

View original post 64 more words

Not your Average Sunday!!

This Momma Juggles

What’s your Sunday look like? Does anyone just stay in and spend quality time with family? What is quality time? Does anyone value family? When’s the last time you had a meal together?

Many of my Sundays consist of family time. In my home, it is the day we lounge in PJ’s, bake together, read, play board games, color, or make a craft. It is the day my children look forward to. It is the day they learn how to play a new game, how to be creative, how to relax and learn the importance of bonding. It is the day we hear them say “I love you”.

Yes, many of us have busy lives (including myself) but, that doesn’t mean we can’t have family time. We should dedicate at least one day out of the week to spend with our family. Children enjoy it more than you think. There are many reasons why family time is important. Below are some benefits:

  • Children gain self-confidence by realizing their parents value them. It becomes a win for them as far as building relationships.
  • Children learn to handle stressful situations with ease because they establish relationships with their family
  • Family time nurtures positive behaviors
  • Builds memories
  • Children live healthy life styles
  • Family time conversations help children with stress relief

Today, spending time with our children is a luxury and that is sad to say. We need to make time for the family. We need to teach our children valuable life lessons like kindness and fairness. We need to balance our life and remember that we have children and that our children look up to us. We need to put our children first because they are watching us. We need to be role models. We need to prepare them for the real world.

So, if you can’t remember the last meal you had together or the last time your child said “I love you” please consider this a friendly reminder and give your child some quality time. They will appreciate it. You do not have to do something big. Quality time can just be a simple conversation, dinner at the table, or a movie in your living room, etc…

Don’t forget your spouse too. Your spouse is just as important. Keep in touch throughout the day and do have quality time as well.

Resource
https://www.lifeadvancer.com/spending-time-with-family/

Happy Sunday!

-This Momma Juggles

Keep Baby SAFE with “Lull-A-Baby” NOT!!!!

This Momma Juggles

I came across an ad stating “Keep baby safe with a Lull-a-baby car hammock” and of course, I had to dig deeper. I discovered, that indeed it was a car hammock for infants and was invented in the “1960s”. (Ad Photo above)

I was surprised to see in the advertisement the words “safest, most comfortable car bed ever made.” Really! How could that be? How was that even accepted. I know I could never place my child in one.

Thankfully, times have changed and car seat safety have drastically, evolved and improved.

Did you know:
1900s – car seats were introduced
1930s – available to purchase (for the convenience of the parent rather then for safety)
1962 – invention of car safety seats (thank goodness)
1986 – law on child safety seats were established in all 50 states

It’s scary that car safety laws have been in place for only 33 years. Not too mention that many other countries still do not even have any type of enforcement for car safety seats.

FYI
* Car seats have expiration dates
* Be very cautious with second-hand car seats (you do not know if it was involved in an accident)
* Replace any car seat involved in a car accident
* If you need help installing your safety seat, contact your local health departments, public safety groups, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments have technicians or fitting stations to help parents. (If you go to one of these locations, be sure to ask for a certified child passenger safety technician.)

RI Seat Belt Laws & Car Seat Recommendations

Rhode Island has a primary seat belt law (R.I.G.L. § 31-22-22) that encompasses child restraint and child passenger safety.

  • A motor vehicle operator shall be properly wearing a safety belt and/or shoulder harness system while the vehicle is in operation of any of the roadways, streets, or highways of this state per R.I.G.L. § 31-22-22(g)(1).
  • Any passenger eight (8) years of age or older, in any seating position, shall be transported properly wearing a safety belt and/or harness system per R.I.G.L. § 31-22-22(b)(1).
  • Any person transporting a child under the age of eight (8), less than 57 inches (57”) in height and less than 80 pounds (80 lbs.), in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets or highways of this state, shall transport the child in any rear seating position of the motor vehicle properly restrained in a child restraint system approved by the United States Department of Transportation per R.I.G.L. § 31-22-22(a)(1).
  • All infants and toddlers under the age of two (2) years or weighing less than thirty pounds (30 lbs.) shall be restrained in a rear-facing car seat.
  • All children two (2) years of age or older who have outgrown their rear-facing car seat by height or weight should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness up to the maximum allowed by the child restraint manufacturer per R.I.G.L. § 31-22-22(a)(1).

NOTE: Vehicle operators are responsible for compliance of sections (a), (b), and (f) for all passengers. The fine for a child riding in the front seat and/or over 8 years old not in a seat belt is $85. A violation for transporting a child not in a child restraint system requires an appearance in court.

http://risp.ri.gov/safety/vehiclesafety/seatbelts.php

Resources
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812451

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/auto-baby-toddler.html

Thanks for stopping in!
-This Momma Juggles

$ Ibotta in your Wallet $

This Momma Juggles

Thanks for stopping in!

As promised in my About Me, I am going to share with everyone my first money saving tip. For the past 5 years, I have been using a rebate app called Ibotta. Ibotta is an app that you can download for free to begin earning money on items you purchase. It’s simple, all you need to do is:

* Visit the app store on your cellphone or tablet
* Search “Ibotta”
* Download
* Create an account using an email
* Invite friends
* Begin unlocking offers

How is works

Before your trip to the store, visit the Ibotta app to add offers on products you will need. For example, need bananas click bananas offer on app to unlock offer.) Go shopping, buy what you need and please keep the receipt. (app will not work without a receipt.) Get back home, redeem your offers by snapping a photo of the receipt and Ibotta will do the rest. They will match the items you bought to the offers you selected and give you cash. Ta-Ching, Ta-Ching! Cash is now deposited into your Ibotta account. (Cash can take up to 48 hours, most times I have received cash within 10 seconds.)

What Next?

Once your account reaches a certain amount, you will then be able to withdraw cash. This can be in the form of gift cards listed on the app or cash sent via money transferring services like PayPal.

Yes, the app requires a little bit of your time, but who doesn’t need extra money or who doesn’t want to treat themselves with “free money”. You can also earn money by shopping online from the Ibotta app and earn even larger offers. In addition, they offer cash bonuses on top of the offers you receive.

I encourage everyone to explore other apps like this and start earning free money.

Get started today and click the link below (To Date I have earned $372.48)
http://ibotta.com/r/cpoweyc

Opps! I forgot to mention you can use coupons.

Again, thanks for stopping by!
-This Momma Juggles






Water Safety in the Winter! Yes

This Momma Juggles

“Cheers to the New Year’s” is what thousands of us were just saying last week. Well, that wasn’t the case for myself, my family, and a huge part of the Cape Verdean community living in the U.S and Cape Verde. Last week, two young healthy brothers and a cousin, all took a trip to the ocean and unfortunately, became lost at sea. Days later, the two brothers were pronounced dead. I can only imagine how terrifying this news was for the parents and family of these three young men. On my Facebook newsfeed, bad news,  was all I saw on this drowning incident that happened back home in Cape Verde. I quickly noticed how many people in the U.S. were impacted by this. For this reason, I have decided to create a post on Water Safety in the Winter! Yes.

Most times, many of us only think of water safety in the Summer. Sadly, we should honestly be preparing our children and maybe ourselves in the winter. Learning, how to swim could be the first step we all take. It is very important, attempting to get to safety,while, near large bodies of water, whether that be at the beach, lake, river, pools, or bathtubs.  Water safety in our own homes is often overlooked. Sometimes we don’t think that leaving a little one unattended in the bath tub could be dangerous or forget to properly secure our backyards with pools. As we know, shit happens unexpectedly, and the worst feeling is not being prepared.

I encourage everyone to check in with their local community centers, Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, Parks & Recreation Department, and search for private water safety facilities, organizations, and associations dealing with water safety.

Below are some resources in Rhode Island & surrounding areas offering swim lessons and water safety

https://northprovidenceri.gov/recreation-department/pool-fitness-center-programs-info/
https://www.teamunify.com/Home.jsp?team=neses
http://www.cranstonri.com/generalpage.php?page=64
http://www.podsswimming.com/
https://www.ymcagreaterprovidence.org/
https://bgcprov.org/
http://www.jaycethehealer.org/
http://ndpa.org/

Take it further and please educate yourself on all water safety precautions by visiting some of the websites above.  Hope this Water Safety blog post could help.

Thanks for stopping by! -This Momma Juggles

Introduction

This Momma Juggles

For my first post, I will give you a little more about me.

Hello! I’m Samantha a Cape Verdean juggling momma. I’m a mother, wife, sister, auntie, friend, caregiver, mentor, girl scouts troop leader, and my own human being. I certainly have a good sense on juggling priorities. I have learned that sometimes things go as planned and many times they don’t. But, hey it’s okay. (Remaining positive is key to survival these days). I created this blog, so that I could share my love and experience as a mother with parenting, culture, cooking, DIY projects, arts & crafts, basic money-saving tips and words of advice. If you share a common love or interest for any of the above, then you just scored yourself a new friend and happy place.

I was born and raised in Rhode Island. My parents were both born in Senegal, a country in West Africa. My mother came to the United States at the tender age of four. My maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States over sixty-five years ago and have both obtained their U.S. citizenship. I can speak English, Cape Verdean Creole, and Spanish. My favorite color is orange, I love my family, I love to cook/bake new dishes. I enjoy crafting, scrapbooking, couponing, and culture.

I’m the youngest out of four sisters. My senior year in high school, I met my first boyfriend (now my husband). I put myself through four years of college and earned my Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Business Management. After my second year in college, I moved into my first apartment. In 2011, I married the greatest man alive, my best friend. A year later, we welcomed our first baby girl Zylaa (6), then our second baby girl Zaniya (4), and recently our first baby boy, Zendell ( 6 months).

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my blog posts. Please do drop comments, feedback, and share your experiences as well.

Email: thismommajuggles@gmail.com
Facebook Page: @thismommajuggles
Twitter: Thismommajuggl1
Instagram: thismommajuggles

Photo By: @photosbyjdee