Keeping An Eye On Your Kids Social Media Accounts

How much do you know about what your kids are doing online? Do you monitor their usage on their smart devices and on computers? Do you check usage or use filters to keep your kids from accessing information that might be inappropriate? Or do you just have honest conversations with under-age kids about smart online use?

Experts agree that you should be doing all those things and more. That’s because the internet, social media platforms, and smart devices are pervasive ways for kids to access things they shouldn’t be, or for teens to treat other teens in ways they shouldn’t be. They might be arguing online, which leads to fights in person. They might be losing friends or seeing content that is unseemly.

They’re doing that because almost all kids are getting online, each and every day. And nearly three-fourths of them have or have had access to smart phones.

Use this graphic to get to know your kids and the world of smart phones, online access, and social media even better.

We hope this clarifies some ways you can help your children stay safe online.
Click on graphic to enlarge. 

Source: Fix.com Blog

Summertime Homemade Playdough Recipe

Summertime Creativity!

Are the kids bored? They don't have to be.

Look around your kitchen, gather up the supplies you 

need and make some homemade playdough.

Store it in an airtight container for months of fun.

Pull out your rolling pin, cookies cutters and let the creativity begin.

Color Your Chakras Coloring Book

If you've been a reader of ours for awhile, you know we believe in our energy bodies and the importance of taking care of the health of our chakra systems. So when Hasmark Services asked us if we'd like to be part of Dr. Susan Shumsky's launch we said absolutely! We knew you'd want to hear all about her new chakra coloring book. What a great way to learn about your chakras!

Today we are excited to tell you about a different kind of coloring book. 

It's a glorious way to open your chakras and energy flow through color. In Color Your Chakras, Dr. Susan Shumsky, an award winning, best-selling author presents her gorgeous, original chakra illustrations along with explanations about the #chakra system so you can enjoy its immense power. 

Order #ColorYourChakras Right Now and Receive FREE BONUS GIFTS from Susan Shumsky, DD. PLUS, you’ll receive HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS worth of ADDITIONAL BONUS GIFTS from other famous authors! http://chakrascoloringbook.com

Stay tuned for more book launches, parenting interviews and conscious parenting articles. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected! 
Namaste, Carol and Stacy 

Conscious Parenting With Jessi Elizabeth

“Let children have tales of the imagination. Scenes laid in other lands and other times. Heroic adventures. Hairbreadth escapes. Delicious fairy tales. Even where it is all impossible, and they know it, and yet - BELIEVE.” ~ Charlotte Mason

Welcome to Intentional Conscious Parenting! If this is your first visit please have a look around. We have posts related to conscious parenting and book reviews. We are embarking on a new series of interviews with every day parents! To us, there is nothing more important than the role parents play in the lives of raising their children. Read through the interview and please share it with your parenting friends. Stay tuned, there will be more interviews coming soon!

Today we have a special treat for you! We wanted to share with you a mother who is on a quest to raise her daughter with a deep connection and appreciation to mother earth. We are always so inspired by the daily stories and experiences she shares on Facebook. We invited Jessi Elizabeth to join us on our Intentional Conscious Parenting blog to share a glimpse into her conscious parenting world.

Carol And Stacy: How important is it for you as a mom to instill a love for nature?

And can you tell us about the day you made your nature mandala shared in the above picture?

Jessi: For me it is absolutely crucial to instill a love for nature in Sonora. It’s also something I think comes really naturally to children if given the chance. I think it is monumentally important for a child’s (and adult’s) mental, physical and spiritual well being to be in communion with nature.

I would also like to instill a sense of awe in my daughter. I think with the age of electronics we have lost the ability to be inspired by nature and it’s simplicity. We get stuck in a cycle of instant gratification and nature has a unique way of pushing us out of that pattern.  I think without a sense of awe and wonder about the world we can become complacent and apathetic. My wish for her is to be excited and curious about what life and the outdoors has to offer and to not be afraid of a good challenge.

It was a rainy, gloomy day and all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, but my husband convinced me to get on some rain gear and go out exploring. We were hunting for some mushrooms, but were unsuccessful. I try to make it a point to have a basket along so that if Sonora or I find some forest treasures ( a feather, cool branch, rocks, etc) we can bring it home to put on our nature table or for collecting items to sit and talk about before returning them to the forest floor.

Teaching Children Gratitude is All About Their Attitude

Teaching children gratitude is all about their attitude but more importantly it's about the parents attitude and the mirror image they portray to their children and the rest of the world to see.

Gratitude is such a brilliant gift that has been bestowed upon us if we choose it. The sophistication of this gift is simple. It is a choice. Be thankful for what you have, who you are and who you can be. It's all about perception. It doesn't matter what societal status you come from, what your wallet has in it or how you were culturally raised. Be thankful for what you have and feel right now in this exact moment in time. 

10 Resources To Support You Along Your Conscious Parenting Path.

Parenting is not always easy. It comes with triumphs and tribulations. We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. We were born to be parents. It definitely wasn't always easy, even as our children get older it's not always easy. Once a parent, always a parent. Your roles shift and change as your children grow up into adults, you may still want to take their pain away, protect them from poor choices and guide them, but there comes a time when you have to step back and let them navigate their own path. 

Parenting for everyone is different. Most find it rather hard and some find the answers they need seem to come to them in one form or another. Intentional conscious parenting is about being aware and awake through your parenting process. It's about taking responsibility. It's about learning just as much from your children as they learn from you.