Is anyone else ready for FALL??  I mean, I love the warm weather and all, but I am really ready to bust out my Uggs and scarves!   With this weather it is hard to get into the holiday mode, but if you are starting to think about your photo cards this year, you have to peruse the cute (and reasonable!) designs over at Paperspring.

A certified “green” company, their matte paper is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.   They also offer free shipping on all orders.  The price point is super reasonable too.   Prices for standard photo cards can be as low as $1.29/ea.

Two Paperspring coupon code alerts!

Enter coupon code “TOranges15” at checkout and receive 15% off your order through 12/31/09. There is also a special deal running through 11/1/09 so you can figure out which discount is best for your order.

Use coupon code “TREAT20” and get 20% more cards on orders of 25 or more.   So, order 25, get 5 more…Order 50, get 10 more…you get the idea!

Have a great weekend ladies! Anyone hitting the Pumpkins & Pancakes event this Sunday at South Coast?  Such a great event for a great cause!   Dress up your kiddos in their costumes and check it out.  You will have a ball – I guarantee it!

I don’t know about you, but I can use all the parenting help I can get sometimes, especially with my ever-so-spirited 3-year-old!  Don’t you wish Super Nanny could ride on your shoulder and coach you with how to handle certain situations?

April Thompson is a licensed marriage and family therapist and parent coach with Spero Family Services and offers monthly parenting classes.  The next one called “Empowered Parenting” will be held on November 7th.    She will cover topics like developmental needs, discipline, parenting styles and setting boundaries.   Did she know to create this class just for me?  Seriously.

Here are the details:

November 7th, 2009 * 10am-2pm (lunch provided)
18023 SkyPark Circle, Ste. G
Irvine, CA  92614
$100/person or $150/couple

Register online by clicking HERE or call 714.924.4325

April was nice enough to write an expert advice article for us on the topic of bonding with your children:

WAYS TO BOND WITH YOUR CHILD
By April Thompson, LMFT

Do you struggle to connect with your child sometimes?  Maybe even all the time?  Was that hard for you to admit?  That’s okay, because you’re normal. Welcome to the world of most parents. Many parents are dealing with the stressors of being a family where both parents have to work, or maybe your job is a stay at home mom and you struggle balancing your needs and theirs, or you’re dealing with co-parenting due to divorce, or maybe you’re a single parent.

No matter what, its tough to be a parent and give your child(ren) everything they need.  So what do you do? Your child is constantly probing you for attention, or your child is notorious for interrupting you when you just started a project. Maybe your child wants nothing to do with you at all, or you have a sibling jealousy issue.  The whining little voice that stays in the back of your head, “You gave Johnny more than me”. Or better yet, “Why can’t you buy me those True Religion Jeans, everyone else at school has them?”  As if $200 jeans are going to solve their problems. So what do you do?

For starters, providing some empathy might help them feel understood (even if you don’t agree with their ploys).  Then offering some encouragement or having them come up with some solutions with you. Example: “Sorry you felt left out, that must have been sad for you, what could I do to help you feel more involved?”

Find out what they really enjoy doing and do it with them, if its playing a video game, playing Barbies, going to the park, etc.  Notice when they are doing a good job, and praise them for it. Surprise them with little notes or pictures in their school bag or on their bed.  Have your child help you when you’re doing chores, give them small tasks such as collecting all the dirty laundry. Have 1:1 time scheduled for each child, and stick to it as much as you can.

Most importantly, have family time together every week. Pick an evening for this, let each member have a chance to choose the activity.  These are a few examples to get you started.

If you are interested in finding out more about developmental needs, boundaries, limit setting, or parenting tips, feel free to contact me.

Spero Family Services offers Child & Family Therapy, Parent Education, School Assessments, and In-home Parent Coaching. Check out the website: Sperofamilyservices.com. 714-924-HEAL (4325).

[Coming Soon ‘Raising Baby Safe Seminar’]

Tis the season to take the kiddos to a pumpkin patch and celebrate Fall!  Here is a short list of some local pumpkin patches in Orange County.   If you recently visited that isn’t on this list that you want to share, please comment below!   Happy pumpkin hunting…

Anaheim – Sonshine Pumpkin Patch {More info on Pumpkin Patches & More}

Irvine – Johnson Brothers

Irvine – Tanaka Farms {You can check out my post on our visit last year – we haven’t made it this year – but it was a super fun pumpkin patch!}

Laguna Hills – Laguna Hills Mall {Find more info on Pumpkin Patches & More}

Orange – Irvine Park Railroad {See my previous post for more info on this fabulous pumpkin patch!} Click HERE to download coupons, including $$ off your pumpkin purchase.   Click HERE to download a Halloween coloring sheet.  Every child that brings their coloring sheet back to the pumpkin patch will receive a free Halloween toy!   Lastly, become an Irvine Park Railroad Facebook Fan and read about a special promotion for this Saturday (the 24th.)

Santa Ana, Main Place Mall – The Pumpkin Factory

San Juan Capistrano – Pumpkinpalooza at Zoomar’s {For a really fun time, consider taking the train!  See my previous post on this outing!}

Westminster, Westminster Mall – The Pumpkin Factory

Yorba Linda – Frosty’s Pumpkin Patch /  The Pumpkin Factory

{Lots of great information and a consolidated list can be found on Pumpkin Patches & More where you can find a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay ride & Halloween events near you!}

This guest blog was sent to me by a first time mommy to a little boy.  I checked out the website and listened to some samples. So cool!   Here is what she writes:

“I’ve started to notice my 10 week old little guy seems easily distracted when I breastfeed in front of the TV or talk on the phone (pardon me!).  He seems very soothed by music – it almost puts him in a trance.  So, I went looking for some lullaby music that’s better than the annoying tunes we’ve been repeating in his infant swing.  I discovered Rockabye Baby on iTunes and it’s amazing!!!  Rockabye Baby puts together lullabye versions of your favorite rock bands.  Everything from The Beatles, Bob Marley, No Doubt and U2.  I purchased the Radiohead (my husband’s favorite band) and U2 albums and put them on our iPod.  I’ve set up the iHome docking station and clock in the nursery which has a sleep timer on it also.  It’s a great little routine we started and I think he really responds to the soothing tunes.  Plus, the experience is great for me too hearing our favorite tunes during our middle of the night feedings!”

Hey mamas,  want to be a guest blogger?  Got something you want to share?  Email me at jennifer@tinyoranges.com.  Include your mailing address and I will send you a $5 Starbucks card as a thank you!

This guest blog was written by Peter from South County Law Group.  Peter helped us with our estate planning awhile back.  We loved working with him – click here to read about our experience. As part of his estate planning process, he records an interview where parents get to talk about their beliefs, values and how they would like their children raised for the guardians named.   To me, this was priceless and something that can be passed on down to future generations.    Isn’t it cool to think about your great-great-great grandchildren getting to hear an audio recording talking about who you are and what you believe in?  Such a special heirloom.

Here are some of his thoughts on the importance of preserving your life stories:

PRESERVING YOUR LIFE STORIES, VALUES, & LESSONS FOR YOUR CHILDREN & FAMILY
by Peter Sahin

The following is a summarized version of a story my father shared with me not too long ago….

“A longing for some sleep is the earliest memory I have from childhood…from the age of 6, my day on the farm started at 3AM slogging gallons of milk a couple miles to sell to a vendor before school started…as the youngest of 8, I somehow became the first in our family to make it through elementary school by studying under the light of a single small candle flame after my chores were done well after dark.  I remember getting in trouble once when my sister discovered I had been using her little mirror to reflect extra candlelight onto my papers so I see better!  I left home at 14 and moved to the city with a distant uncle and worked in his suit shop so I could attend high school there.  I barely graduated after being held back two years because one teacher refused to give me a passing grade for reasons I’ll never know.  After graduating, I spent an entire summer in the public library studying for a highway department scholarship to pay my way to America.  One year later, I receive a call that I had won 1 of the 10 engineering scholarships awarded nationally (apparently someone had gotten sick and couldn’t go)…6 months later I was handed a government issued paper suitcase with a one way airline ticket to NYC, 2 black suits, 2 black ties, 2 white shirts and my signed promise to return to work for the highway department after graduation…I was about to be the first person from my village to leave the country!…”

You may be asking yourself why an estate planning attorney is sharing this personal family story.  Hearing and preserving stories like these, of which every family has their own, are what I enjoy the most about what I do.

Traditionally, estate planning has only been focused on passing on assets between generations.  Your family’s monetary wealth should absolutely be preserved and protected.  Heck, you and yours have worked hard for it and it only makes sense to protect it from outsiders so there will be enough protected resources for your loved ones if anything were ever to happen to you.  But to me, your money is only one small part of your overall Family Wealth.

Preserving and passing on stories (or lessons, values, and beliefs) that are personal to your family so they can be heard directly in the storyteller’s voice by your children, grandchildren, and beyond is to me, far more valuable than all the money in the world.  Because I believe so strongly in their value, we conduct  recorded interviews for all our planning clients (on a yearly basis for member clients) so they can preserve their Whole Family Wealth, including who they are and what’s important to them for their children and loved ones.

If you’d like more information about Family Wealth Protection and Preservation for your family, click here for information on  our upcoming free workshops on October 24^th or November 7th.  Bring the kids!  Registration is required. Click HERE to register online.

To your wealth, health, and happiness!

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