Tina O’Connor now has her own space on the World Wide Web! Feel free to pop in, sit down and stay awhile. We hope you’ll enjoy looking around.
www.TinaOConnor.com
Cheers,
The Be That Books Publishing Team







Cheers,
The Be That Books Publishing Team
TGIF! – Boy, has it been a long week! What began as ‘Easter Break’ morphed into a week long ‘Spring Break’ off school. Three kids (plus friends) home full time leaves a lot of time for mess making, but alas… the mess needs to get cleaned up and I’m not about to do it all myself! There is no “I” in team!
These days, family’s are busy and it is more important than ever to get your team working for you! Remember, your job as a parent is to teach your children independence. “Chores” are little life skills that teach your children how to care for themselves and for their environment. Kids of every age can be helping out, no age is too little. Start by teaching your children how to properly do the chores and then let go of your guilt– I’ll repeat it again — You do not need to do everything yourself!
You must allow your children to help around the house. After all, they live there too! If you do not ask them or encourage them to help out, chances are they won’t. They might not do the chores perfectly at first, but eventually in time they will. Be sure to praise your kids when the chores get completed without asking — nag free chores are the BEST!
Here are a few suggestions to help get the chores done smoothly–
1. Keep it age appropriate. Eg; counting out the plates for dinner, filling up water glasses, doing their laundry.
2. Reward them! I love the Melissa & Doug Reward Chart — it makes it easy to change up the chores weekly (so there is never a dull chore moment) and each token earned garners them a quarter. You don’t need a fancy chart by any means, in fact, any old piece of paper will do!
3. Be clear. The chores need to be defined. Empty the dishwasher, set the table, wash the dishes, dry the dishes, empty the garbage and take to bin. Discuss with your children what each chore entails.
4. Let your children have some say in what chores they would like to do. If you are giving them 4 chores, allow them to pick 2 and you choose 2. This way, you are able to encourage them to do the chores that YOU want done, and they are allowed to do some of the chores they prefer.
5. Chores don’t have to be work… they can be fun too! “Whistle while you work”, turn on some tunes and have fun!
Feeling like a part of a family team is important for everyone in your whole family! Chores can be a great way to teach the old adage, “Many hands make light work!” If everyone in the family team helps out, the work gets done quicker and there is more time for fun!
Kids… and feeding them. ~Sigh~ Some days, this task is easier said than done. Between fussy kids and allergies, meal time can become one of those stressful times of day in a pinch.
These 4 simple rules make feeding time a little easier! Remember, it isn’t important to finish all your food, but it is important to try new things.
Institute the One Bite Rule-
The idea is that your children must try everything at least once, before they are allowed to tell you they don’t like it. This will help with their open mindedness when it comes to food. One bite means chew and swallow… if they don’t like it, they can chase it with water.
Do Not cook different things for each family member-
Unless someone has an allergy. Stop picky eaters from developing by sticking to this rule. The old “you get what you get and you don’t get upset” motto is an ideal for developing good eating habits.
Making a game of anything makes it more fun-
Don’t leave that one sad broccoli on the plate! The goal is to make eating healthy things a positive experience, so have some fun at the dinner table. Use anthropomorphism to help explain why that sad little broccoli wants to be in with his family in your tummy! Be positive and let them tell stories as well!
The smaller things are, the more kids seem to love them-
Better yet, have a MINI FOOD PARTY! Involve your kids in making mini sandwiches, pancakes, fruit, you name it- using tiny cookie cutters and mini plates. Healthy food can be fun food!
Ditch the food struggles in your house today!
Ideas, brilliance and genius – they all mean nothing without the guts, passion and tenacity necessary to make your dream a reality. You need to want to ‘Be That Girl’ ! But often, people fall back on excuses and give up on trying to reach their goals.
Fashion Week returned to Vancouver March 18th-25th, and I was lucky enough to attend for a few days with my niece Brooke and my daughter Trinity. Many observers looked on in awe and perhaps felt a bit overwhelmed… but on-lookers needn’t feel discouraged by the looks walking the catwalk. In fact, Fashion Week is the perfect time for people to get inspired!
I would like to inspire women to develop and nurture their own sense of style, even on a budget. Styling workshops are hot commodities and after the cross-country ‘Release Your Inner Girl’ tour, I look forward to seeing what the new trends are and helping women everywhere achieve their own ‘Top Model’ looks.
“There’s a tendency for some women to write off fashion events and dismiss what they’re seeing as a possibility for themselves, saying ‘oh, I could never pull that off’, or ‘I could never afford that, why even try?'” But, women shouldn’t be scared off by the runway. ” You don’t have to copy an entire look—just pull out parts that you like and integrate them into your own wardrobe.”
I really want women to feel excited by fashion trends, not intimidated. Remember, your shape is never a liability, but rather an asset waiting to be discovered!. It’s about learning how to accentuate the parts of your body that you love! “Don’t get bogged down worrying about those parts you don’t—and everyone has them, even models.”
What an exciting weekend!
PS- Go enter our giveaway for a set of Heys Packing Cubes! All the details HERE!
Watch the Pro Pack on CTV, March 13/14
A week and a half ago, my oldest daughter Trinity lost her retainer. ~Sigh~ Despite our every attempt to locate the retainer, it was still nowhere to be found. Those of you who know me, know that I keep a neat and sweet little house, with a place for everything. If it hasn’t been found in a week and a half, it’s not here… I’ve looked. Trinity only needs to wear her retainer at night, but she needs it nonetheless. So, I booked an appointment with our Orthodontist to get a replacement one, for a small fee of $300. The receptionist told me to call back if we happened to find the retainer before the appointment. Perhaps I took that as a challenge, but it meant I still had 5 days to find it!
That Sunday, my kids were watching cartoons, so I took some time to work. My latest project is the release of a book by an author named Eddie LeMoine. This book is in the serious editing phase and I am pulling it apart like a banshee!! LeMoine’s book intrigued me right from start, “Bring About What You Think About” — Yep, it’s literally that simple. At least that’s what Eddie wants to convince you of in his upcoming book.
I spent a good hour or two doing revisions. The content was focused on your thinking, having the reader ask themselves different questions to create better results in their lives.
Interesting, but does it work? I decided to put it to the test. I needed to find the retainer. I had a deadline. If I thought that we could find it, we could. Right?
So, I asked the question. I pulled Ryan and my girls together for a ‘pow wow’, and I said “The question of the day is- Where is the Retainer? We need to find the retainer!“. All 5 of us thought about the question, sending it out to the Universe, with the hope of a most benevolent reply!
Two hours later, Trinity screamed “MOM!”, in a shrill voice that made me think she had hurt herself. She had found her retainer, in a closet… on the floor.
Coincidence? I don’t know. But I’ll probably try that method again. Ask the right question to get the right result.
Have a fun and inspiring day!
(Be creative, and use whatever you can find at home. The kids can help you do a treasure hunt!)
Hope you have a fun, family-filled day!