Pediatricians continue to acknowledge that babies do not always need to start solid foods with bland and pasty infant cereals. Many suggest the goodness of avocado as a first food for baby. It is said that an avocado is so packed with nutrients that it is the only single food that a human could survive on if lost in the jungle!

Babies need carbohydrates, and fats as well as proteins for their growth during the crucial first year and avocados deliver these essential nutrients and many more! An avocado is smooth and creamy when mashed – a perfect food that will be more readily accepted as baby begins solids. A wonderful “good fat” food for baby’s brain and physical development, try an avocado as baby’s first food instead of refined cereals! Avocado may be offered as early as 4 – 6 months old! As you begin to introduce a wide variety of foods, you will find that mashing an avocado and mixing with applesauce, peaches or pears, bananas and even yogurt make a wonderful meal or snack.

Do you doubt the goodness of avocado? Have a look at the nutrients in one medium avocado:

VITAMINS: (one medium)

Vitamin A – 1230 IU

Vitamin C – 15.9 mg

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – .2 mg

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – .25 mg

Niacin – 3.9 mg

Folate – 124.6 mg

Pantothenic Acid – 1.95 mg

Vitamin B6 – .56 mg

Contains some other vitamins in small amounts.

MINERALS: (one medium)

Potassium – 1204 mg

Phosphorus – 82.4 mg

Magnesium – 78.4 mg

Calcium – 22 mg

Sodium – 20 mg

Iron – 2 mg

Also contains small amounts of selenium, manganese, copper and zinc. USDA-NAL source

“Sodium- and cholesterol- free, avocados contain valuable nutrients including 8% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for folate; 4% DV for fiber and potassium, 4% DV for vitamin E; and 2% DV for iron. A serving of avocado also contains 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. Per serving, avocados have 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain. “California Fresh Avocados

Avocados are high in fat and calories and we are often told to stay away from them due to this. A medium size avocado contains approximately 700 calories and up to 30 grams of fat – WOW! While avocados are indeed full of fat, infants should not be on a “low fat” diet so disregard any advice to not feed avocados because they are high in fats! If you have any doubts, as always we recommend you consult your pediatrician. The benefits of avocados far outweigh the “risks”. Avocados contain monounsaturated fats which are said to lower “bad” cholesterol and also aid in maintaining a healthy heart. Also high in fiber, avocados are great aids in reducing the risks of cancer and heart attack.

Just how does one select the perfect avocado for baby’s first solid food? When selecting an Avocado, you want a dark green color with bumpy texture. The fruit should be firm yet yielding when gently pushed. When an avocado is sliced in half, the flesh color should be a green that gently transforms into a buttery yellow around the pit. Avocados are served fresh from their peels! There is no need to cook avocados for baby or adult! Give an avocado a gentle roll around your counter to help separate the meat from the shell before you slice!

If you want to freeze avocados, I suggest peeling and piting then freezing avocados in slices. You may then take out a slice, mash it up and then serve at room temperature. You can also create a bath of:

1/2 cup water and * 2 squeezes-drips of lemon juice Bathing the slices in mixture will help to retard browning.
**Don’t feed citrus or acidic fruits to a baby before 1 yr esp. if your baby gets rashy from other foods! Using a drip or 2 of lemon juice in a puree or to bathe several avocado slices is not the same as pureeing up a few orange slices and serving them!**

Enjoy some simple avocado baby food “recipes”:

Mashed Avocado

(4)6-8 months old

Peel and pit a ripe avocado

Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork

There should be no need to use a machine as just like bananas, avocados have a very soft consistency and texture. Avocados do not need to be cooked.

Banana-Cado
(4)6-8 months old

Peel and pit a ripe avocado

Cut “meat” out and mash with a fork

Peel and mash 1 banana

Place in a blender or food processor and puree until desired texture is achieved.

Avocados and Bananas do not need to be cooked.

Guacamole for Baby
8 months (due to wheat germ & Cheerios)

1 ripe avocado

wheat germ or crushed cheerios (optional)

pinch of garlic powder, pepper & basil

Peel and pit a ripe avocado and cut “meat” out and mash with a fork. Mix avocado, wheat germ/cheerios and spice then blend.

Fold in plain whole milk yogurt until a texture good for your baby is achieved. Allow baby to dip toast, soft cooked veggies or even her own fingers in the guac. for a yummy meal accompaniment.

Avocado & Cream Cheese Delight
8months

Prepare avocado as shown above then blend with Cream Cheese until a semi-smooth mixture is formed.

Add wheat germ or crushed cheerios and shape into little balls or spread on toast or crackers or blend with cereals.

Avocado Fruit Salad

6-8 months

3 or 4 ripe avocados

3 or 4 ripe bananas

3 or 4 Pears (steamed)

A couple of dollops Yogurt (for 8 months +)

Peel, deseed and slice fruits as needed.

Place in a blender or food processor and puree until desired texture is achieved

Add a couple of dollops of Yogurt if desired

*Use diced fruits as a Baby Finger Food snack for older infants and toddlers – drizzle the Plain Yogurt over the fruits.

Here are a few great foods to mix with avocados for baby:

Bananas

Pears

Apples

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Yellow (Crooked Neck)

Chicken

Yogurt

Always consult your baby’s pediatrician prior to introducing solid foods. Generalities may not apply to your baby’s particular circumstances!

How do you know if your baby is ready for solid foods? Your baby may be 3 months old or 4 months old when you start to feel she may need “something more” than formula or breast milk. Maybe she is beginning to awaken more often at night or eat more often than “usual” and you wonder if introducing solid foods may be what she needs.

Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age. Your baby may begin to wake more frequently at night for a feeding and/or may begin to eat non-stop (cluster feed) as she once did as a newborn. This growth spurt often accounts for the increased hunger in your baby and it should not be taken as a sign that your baby needs solid foods added to her diet!

Offer your baby more frequent nursing sessions and/or bottle feedings instead of solids; you will find that within a week or two, your baby is oftentimes over the growth spurt and back to feeding “as usual”.

My Friend’s Baby Started Solids Early – Why Shouldn’t My Baby?

Many parents say that their own pediatricians or their friends’ pediatricians have said that it’s fine to start solids (typically cereal) at 4 months of age. It is still common for pediatricians to just say “start solid foods when your baby is 4 months old” because this has been the norm for many years. You will find that the vast majority of pediatricians are not experts in pediatric nutrition and many are not aware of their own governing body’s guidelines!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) acknowledges that there are no “strict” age guidelines on introducing solid foods to your baby. However, the AAP, along with the CDC and the WHO do recommend that you offer nothing but breast milk and/or formula until you baby is at least 6 months old.

This ensures optimal nutritional exposure and may stave off food allergies amongst other issues. Further studies have shown that an infant’s gastrointestinal tract has not or may not have matured enough to properly digest/utilize solid foods until around 6-8 months old!

Studies show that babies are highly individual in developing a readiness for solid foods. One baby might seem to be ready for solids at 4 months, while another shows no signs of readiness until around 6 or 7 months. Just because your friend’s baby may have began eating solid foods at 4 months of age does not mean that your baby should. **Please keep in mind that “outward” signs of being ready for solids do not mean that your baby’s inner digestive system is mature and ready! You should thoroughly discuss starting your baby on solid foods with your baby’s pediatrician.

If your pediatrician insists that you start your 4 month old infant on solids, ask him or her to explain the benefits of starting solids early. You might be surprised to hear the answer is not based on nutritional science! And remember, you never HAVE to begin introducing complementary foods simply because your pediatrician has suggested that you do so! Only when you have thoroughly discussed the pros and cons of introducing solid foods with your pediatrician will you be able to have a better grasp of just when you should begin offering baby solid foods.

Won’t My Baby Sleep Through the Night If We Start Solids?

Some parents believe that if they start solids “early” then their infants will sleep through the night sooner. As your baby grows, his sleeping patterns as well as eating patterns change continually.

Around the time a few parents begin to offer solids early is just about the time that an infant may be sleeping for longer periods at a time. This is a natural progression as an infant ages and it oftentimes coincides with the addition of early solids. This coincidence perpetuates the dangerous myth that early offerings of solid foods will help an infant sleep “through the night”.

To further this explanation, let us recall that between 6-8 months old, baby is often back to waking at night for a feeding. By this time baby should be eating solids and it appears that those solids are no longer helping baby sleep through the night. In reality, baby is hitting another growth spurt and may wake again during the night for more feedings regardless of eating solids! This really is “normal” and your baby may wake again during the night for more feedings regardless of eating solids!

The best advice when considering starting solid foods for your baby, “Watch the Baby – Not the Calendar!” This is true for both breastfed and formula fed infants.

My Parent’s Insist That My Baby Needs “Real Food”.

Some parents may be tempted to give in to relatives, grandmothers and sometimes even their own mothers, who say “Give that baby some real food, she’s starving!” or “Nursing that baby isn’t enough to, he needs some real food”. Remember that “real food” is breast milk and/or formula and these contain all the important nutrients that an infant needs to develop properly! Breast milk in particular, and/or formula, will be enough to sustain your baby’s nutritional needs for up to age 1 year old if required.

A Few “Signs” That May Indicate Your Baby is Ready for Solid Foods:

Loss of tongue-thrust reflex (this allows baby to drink and swallow liquids with ease; with the tongue-thrust reflex still present, baby may simply “drink” in any solid foods presented) Ability to let you know she is full from a “meal” with signs such as turning away from the bottle or breast. This is important so that baby is able to self-regulate the amount of food being eaten. This helps stop baby from accidentally overeating as parents may continue to feed baby thinking that she is still hungry. Ability to sit up and hold head up unassisted Interest in your food (we tend to disagree with this one as when a baby reaches the age of 4-6 months, he is interested in putting everything in his mouth!) Doubling of birth weight Frequently waking in the middle of the night when a solid sleeping pattern had been established. This may not be the best indicator that your baby is ready for solids! Please keep in mind that a growth spurt will occur between 3-4 months of age, 6-7 months of age and also 9-10 months of age. Baby may also be waking due to an illness or teething.
Again, always remember that you should watch your baby for readiness and not watch the calendar!

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How to wash cloth diapers.? This is the question everyone new to cloth diapering asks. Do you have to soak them in water? Do you have to use special soap. It can be kind of confusing and you may find a lot of contradictory advice online. It will wash routine will ultimately hinge on a few factors and your routine will eventually be your own.

Factors in washing cloth diapers

Your water. Is your water hard or soft? Does it have lot of minerals in it? This will make a difference in how much and which kind of detergent you can use on your cloth diapers.

Your washing machine.

What kind of washing machine do you have? If you have a front loader your routine for washing cloth diapers will be very different than someone who has a top loading washing machine.

The front loading washing machine uses a lot less water than a top loading machine. This is great for the environment, but makes washing cloth diapers a little more difficult. Here’s how I wash cloth diapers with a front loading machine.

Front Loader ~ this is the kind of machine I have and here is how I wash my cloth diapers.

Short cycle cold wash cold rinse. Wash cloth diapers through one cold cycle to rinse them off and get any left over feces off of them. No detergent in this cycle hot wash/hot rinse. Wash cloth diapers on a long cycle with the stain rinse and an extra rinse cycle. Use a detergent free from dyes, perfumes and any additives. Hot wash/hot rinse. Third cycle to make sure any detergent residue has rinsed free.

The discussion of detergents for cloth diapers is confusing at best. Make sure you get one that is free of dyes, perfumes and additives, but understand you may have to try a few different brands to find one that works well with your machine and your water.

If your detergent is leaving residue on your diapers you will know because one of two or both of these things will happen. Your diapers will start to stink or your baby will get a rash.

Best way to get rid of residue is to run your diapers through a few cycles in the washing machine with really hot water. If you see any suds at all in the water or on the machine run them through again.

I have suffered with residue problems. It’s best to avoid the problem in the first place and washing cloth diapers with this process with a front loading washing machine has virtually eliminated the problem. I did find the detergents specially made for front loading washing machines worked much better for me. You can find these detergents free of dyes and perfumes as well. Having a front loading washing machine can make things a little more complicated, but once you figure out a system that works with your diapers, your water and your machine it will be easy enough.
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Making a handmade quilt for a new mom is a gift that will be treasured and loved for generations. There are many people who choose to keep handmade quilts as family heirlooms, and you may find your quilt baby blanket turns into something that is passed down from generation to generation.

It is pretty to learn to sew quilt squares, you can do it by hand or with a machine. You can find an entire kit at the craft store that will provide you with the instructions, and all the material you need to make a square. Most of these kits you buy one square at a time, then put them all together. This makes quilting a little less overwhelming, since you only have to focus on getting one square at a time done. When it comes to the actual quilting of the blanket you can do it yourself or you can also pay someone else to do it for you. There are machines that make quilting very easy, but unless you are going to do a lot of quilting it might be more economical to have someone else do the quilting or do it by hand.

A great way to make a memorable quilt baby blanket gift is to get the whole family in on it. Each family member can make a square or two. You can use cloth markers to inscribe special messages from each member. You can choose to have everyone work on the same type of squares or you can have a mix and match baby quilt with a variety of square patterns. Both are lovely.

You can also get ahold of the grandparents to be and see if they have any clothes or blankets saved from the parents’ childhood. If they do you could include these fabrics in the quilt for their child making it a multi-generational quilt, which will no doubt be a family heirloom.

When choosing colors and themes for a baby quilt the sky is the limit. You can go with bold exciting colors, cartoon characters, or you could even call and talk to the parents and find out what color they are planning for the nursery to match your quilt to the theme of the room.

Making a quilt takes some time and effort. You may want to get started as soon as you find out your loved one is having a baby. This will leave you plenty of time to get the quilt done, and contact other family members who want to be involved in the project.

I know the quilt baby blanket gift we received holds a very dear spot in our hearts. It is a family treasure, and although we use it now, I may be tempted to put it away and save it for when my daughter has a baby.
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You’ve probably heard it over and over again, “Do not add sugar or salt to baby food”. What about adding herbs and spices to tempt your baby’s palate? Many parents neglect spices and the wide variety of tastes that may be introduced simply by adding a spice! In many countries, babies are not fed bland rice cereals as their first foods rather they introduced to spices from the start.

Making your own baby food allows you to experiment with different tastes and textures for your baby and further offers you the chance to use a wider variety of ingredients than do commercial jars of baby food. When you make your own baby food, you are doing so for a variety of personal reasons. One of the most common reasons that parents make their own baby food is the benefit of being able to control exactly what their babies are eating. This control helps to ensure that your baby is eating healthy, nutritious foods without any additives or “fillers” that are commonly found in commercial baby foods. These additives and fillers typically enter the commercial baby food chain in the “Stage 2″, Dessert, “Stage 3″ and “Toddler Meals” varieties. Reading the labels of these foods may have you wondering “Well if there’s sugar or cinnamon in the commercial foods, why can’t I add a wee bit to my homemade baby food?”

While it is never recommended to add sugar or salt to baby’s food, we do advocate adding some things to “spice up” or flavour your baby’s food. Often when we think of additions to food for kids, sugar and/or salt immediately come to mind. Parents may seldom think about adding herbs and spices such as:

vanilla pepper garlic powder basil rosemary dill oregano lemon zest ginger cinnamon mint nutmeg anise

These aforementioned spices can be lovely additions to your baby’s foods! Introducing baby to spices that the family typically cooks with does not have to be left until baby has reached toddlerhood! Early introduction of spices may one day find you thinking, “Wow, we have never used salt or sugar in any or our kid(s)’ foods!”. Imagine raising a child that is not reliant on artificial sweeteners to entice the appetite!

A majority of pediatricians will recommend waiting until an infant is 8 months or older to introduce spices. This recommendation often has more to do with staving off digestive upsets than it does with possible allergic reactions. Like any other new food, please follow the “4 day wait rule” when introducing spices! As always, please discuss the introduction and use of herbs and spices with your baby’s pediatrician!

Try these spicy mixtures and put some baby zing into those everyday foods for baby:

Apple(Sauce) with cinnamon

Pears with Ginger and vanilla

Bananas with ginger

Plain Yogurt with mint

Sweet potato with nutmeg, cinnamon and/or cardamom

Pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and dash of vanilla

Chicken with cinnamon and/or coriander

Chicken with garlic powder and basil

Carrots with basil & garlic – baked cinnamon carrots are yummy too!

Green beans with garlic powder

Mashed potatoes(white) with dill weed or garlic

Pasta with wee dab of butter and oregano and/or basil

Oatmeal or other cereals with fruits and cinnamon & nutmeg, dash of vanilla

Rice Pudding/Custards with cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of vanilla, cardamom, ginger



Spices may offer additional benefits other than changing a boring food into a new experience. Did you know that herbalists tout the following spices for their benefits.

Ginger – good for tummy upsets Cinnamon – good for tummy upsets, diarrhea, possible anti-fungal and anti-bacterial Garlic – anti-biotic, blood pressure Coriander – aids gassiness, stimulates appetite, helps rheumatisms and joint pain Dill – hiccups, colic, digestive troubles Mint – stimulates healthy digestion, helps respiratory issues

Break out the spices and introduce your baby to the wonderful world of healthy flavour!

There are various benefits to toddler computer games: language and coordination development, to name but two.

However, it is important to take into account certain things when playing online games with young children, in order to make it a positive and fun learning experience.

Time Limits

It is imperative to restrict the time that your child spends on the computer. Why is this? Ask yourself: do you want him to become reliant on technology to concentrate and enjoy himself?

Endless hours in front of a computer monitor will rob a child of the self-reliance needed to develop into a rounded human being.

In addition to this, limited time on the computer stops young children from taking such an expensive piece of equipment for granted. It is a good idea for online games and so on to be a reward or called Special Time. A maximum of 30 minutes is the absolute longest that a young child should be allowed to be online for.

Repetition

You will probably get bored because your toddler wants to play the same games again and again. Be prepared for this. It is actually necessary for children of this age to repeat words and actions in order to remember them. Be patient!

Direct Supervision

An obvious point, but worth stating anyway. You need to take an active part in playing the game with your toddler. Aside from the obvious safety issues, your child will need your help to use the keypad and/or mouse.

Not All Websites Are Created Equal

There are some excellent games for under children under the age of three on the Internet, but unfortunately they can be hard to find. If you Google online toddler games you will find far too many websites that are aimed at preschoolers and require greater manual dexterity and counting skills than toddlers have.

You definitely need to try a game out before playing it with your child, or frustration and tears will be the order of the day.

It seems normal for everyone to use a pillow when they go to sleep. You might even think it’s the only way you can sleep comfortably, however, when you are talking about a baby you would be wrong to think they can’t sleep without a pillow

It doesn’t make a lot of sense, all the crib bedding sets come with a pillow and yet the experts tell you not to put a pillow in a baby’s crib. So what are the facts and what do you need to know about baby pillow safety?

First of all even though most bedding sets come with pillows do not use them in a crib. Having a baby pillow in a crib increases the risk of a baby suffocating because they are unable to move away from the pillow if they should happen to end up with their face in it.

How old does a baby need to be before you are able to give them that beautiful pillow that matches their crib bedding? Well unfortunately you really should wait until they are out of a crib and into a toddler bed. Doctor’s also say around two years of age you can start giving a toddler a pillow if you want.

Don’t be fooled, just because you find it more comfortable to sleep with a pillow it is not necessary for a baby or toddler to sleep with a pillow to be comfortable. A toddler can very easily sleep comfortably without a pillow for a few years. However, you may find they begin to think of their pillow as something that provides security more than comfort for sleeping.

What do you do with that beautiful pillow that came with the crib bedding, since you can’t use it now? You can do a few things with it to keep you baby safe. You can use it for tummy time while you are supervising your child on the floor. You can use it as a nursing pillow to help prop your baby up while you nurse. You could also turn it into a momento, and have it embroidered giving you a personalized baby pillow you can hand down to your baby when they get older.

Even though the bedding may have come with a baby pillow please be aware of baby pillow safety and keep you baby safe by not use a baby pillow in her crib.

If you have decided you want to give a memorable and unique gift to the new infant in your life but don’t know exactly what to make, here are some ideas.

You will find 4 ideas for homemade blankets. Some involve some sewing and craft skills others don’t. A little something for everyone.

Baby Quilt

A quilt is a wonderful gift to give. You can make the quilt yourself, or you can get other family members to help out. A family gift is very special. You can use fabric pens to leave a special message on your square. If you don’t have a quilting machine you can either quilt it by hand or even have it sent out and have someone else do the quilting for you.

Crocheted Baby Blanket

If you don’t know how to crochet, don’t worry, it’s not hard and there are plenty of places you can learn.

You can find directions online or you could check at your local craft or yarn store. Many times these types of stores will hold classes. You might also find a friend who knows how to crochet. She will most likely be willing to teach you how.

A hand made crochet blanket means so much. Make sure you choose very soft yarn and yummy colors to make it a lifelong gift.

No Sew Blanket

A no sew blanket is a great option for people who just don’t want to sew. It is easily made with only scissors and your own two hands. It simply involves tying two pieces of fabric, usually fleece, together. You can easily find instructions for making this type of blanket online.

When you make these blankets make sure you choose great colored fleece, maybe a pattern on one side and a coordinating color on the other.

Baby Blanket Gift Basket

Not feeling crafty at all? No problem, you can still create a fantastic baby blanket gift. Just go and find a bunch of color coordinated baby blankets. Use some fabulous ribbon and roll up the blankets and tie them with the ribbon.

Once you have them tied add them to a decorative basket along with other small toys, clothes or baby things. This makes a great practical but memorable gift.

If you are looking for unique infant gifts that you still want to be practical baby blankets can be great.

Just use a little creativity and you will make a beautiful handmade gift that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Do you believe in asking God, or whatever higher power you choose to believe in, for the answers you need, when you need them? Read below for an enlightening story about my 11 year old daughter’s missing homework papers.

The problem started when my daughter took a break from her homework to eat dinner. She asked me if she could take it in her room and work on it while watching TV.

(Not a good idea, BTW).
Even the best of us moms have our weak moments. )

Anyhow, by the time dinner was over, there was no homework to be found.

As with all lost items, I suggested the usual mom replies.
“Retrace your steps.”
“Think, where was the last place you wrote an answer down on it.”

She spent 15 minutes of looking, another 10 minutes of tears for fear of getting detention, during her first week of middle school, (for not turning in homework.) All the tears and whining in frustration were followed with another 10 minutes of both of us looking, and still no homework.

Can you relate?

I bet as a mom, you have probably, been there, done that, if not with homework, with a child’s shoes, your car keys. etc…..

I had recently been reading and studying up on manifesting your life, and creating the life you want by projecting a positive attitude, following your intuition. I had been real motivated and psyched with what I was learning.

“Okay mom, I thought to myself,”
“now you can put all this philosophy to the test.”

I said,

“Let’s kneel down on the floor right now, and ask God to help us find your homework.”
She started to giggle as if to say, but she knew not to dare say it out loud,
“Yeah right, Mom!”

We knelt down and I lead her in a short but to the point prayer. Although small in time, it was still filled with gratitude but we did request immediate help to find her homework.

I can see some of you laughing at me, as this story unfolds.

As soon as we were done, I stood up. I told her to take a deep breath and relax. I did the same. Then I went to the kitchen. I thought to myself,
“maybe she was still hungry and brought the homework out here while looking for something else to eat.”

I started to walk to the refrigerator. ) Well who knows, it could have been in there. But before I even got that far, I glanced over to the counter, and there sat her homework packet, on top of the toaster.

I picked it up and took it back to the living room. Now remember, I told her to take a deep breath and relax. She wasn’t even through relaxing and I had already found her homework.

Needless to say, my daughter had a hard time believing that I hadn’t known it was there all along.

She did know that though, because she had heard my anguish and frustration just minutes earlier with her misplacing it.

Was it just coincidence?
Did I just get lucky?

I believe we create our own luck. I have been studying hard lately to eliminate negative thoughts and replace them with power affirming thoughts instead.

I believe God did just what I asked him too. It was my intuition that led me to the kitchen with the thought about her maybe being hungry. The fact that she might have been looking for food when she set down her homework led me straight to the toaster.

In my humble opinion, it was God who planted those thoughts into my mind, because we asked him for some help. When He answers us so quickly, it is really almost impossible not to believe and have faith.

If it was only that easy to have the same type of faith if we were to ask to win the lottery, (which I don’t feel is really an appropriate prayer,however). To believe that he could remove all thought, or doubt in our minds that we wouldn’t, it might just happen too.

How many of you can honestly say, when you buy a lottery ticket, it is an absolute winner, that you have not one flickering of a doubt that you will have the winning numbers? You would have to have miraculous faith to do this.

You can’t really, because it is next to impossible for the human mind, knowing the odds of actually winning, to eliminate all traces of doubt in that particular scenerio. Some of those thoughts are buried so deep in your subconscious that you are not even aware of them.

In contrast though, it was fairly easy for me to have faith that God could help me find my daughter’s homework, because I knew it hadn’t grown feet and walked out the door. )

An important part of implementing a household chore system is creating a formal agreement, commonly called a contract, for every member of the household. A contract defines the parent’s expectations and provides direction and parameters for the children. A contract can be a general form explaining household rules or a complex detailing of chore responsibilities for a specific person. For households with teenagers or even adults who shirk their responsibilities around the home, contracts can help pave the way to a new, orderly household in where everyone formally agrees to carry their own weight.

One main advantage of using contracts as part of a household chore system is that it reduces confusion about what needs to get done how, when, where and by whom. Contracts allow both the chore assigner and the chore assignee to agree on specifics. If chore processes are outlined in black and white, expectations are more likely to be understood and chores are more likely to be completed. For a household newly introduced to a formal routine of chores, contracts can be an invaluable tool for negotiating the maintenance of and organization the home.

Contract types aren’t limited in content. It should reflect the family’s personality and values. When devising your own, consider important areas that you’d like it to cover. Some common topics touched upon in contracts are listed below.

• Behavior. Outline acceptable and unacceptable behavior and attitudes towards chores. Provide guidelines for interaction with other household members also participating in the chore routine.

• Description of chores. Detail what specific chores are expected to be completed by each family member. Step-by-step descriptions reduce confusion and make the successful completion of each chore non-negotiable.

• Timeline and dates. Define the timeline that chores are to be complete. Also take the opportunity to insert clauses about periodic contract review times in which a signer can look forward to having their contract modified.

• Consequences and Rewards. Make signers accountable to their contract by reminding them what the consequences and rewards are for abiding by the contract or by breaking it. Define specific consequences and rewards, including punishments. Put figures into contracts if you’re working with allowances.

• Miscellaneous. Add anything else that you feel is important to include in the contract. Many parents think to add stipulations to the contract here. For example, they may say that rewards for completed chores are forfeited if homework is not completed, household rules aren’t respected or if the chore performer is disrespectful about completing the chore.

It’s inevitable that as a household evolves, its needs will change as well. Making an allowance for future contract modifications, on top of the agreed to review period, can keep all family members satisfied with its contents.

By developing contracts that parallel the needs of your family, its members perceive their agreements to keep a household functional to be binding. Don’t be surprised if you find a new, more committed attitude toward the upkeep of your home, from the entire family, when a formal agreement is in place.