Weekend Reads 12.13.13

If you take only one thing from this week’s roundup, please watch this video.  This weekend marks the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy.  This video, featuring the family of one of the girls killed, reminds us that if we all choose to show love and kindness in our own corner of the world, there will always be more goodness than evil.  She also talks about her faith, but whether you’re religious or not, the message that we can all do something – big or small – to spread love in this world is powerful.

Grab a tissue.  Watch the video.  Go out and do something today to show that evil did not win.

Articles:

 Age of Distraction: Why It’s Crucial for Students to Learn to Focus {Mind Shift}

“The real message is because attention is under siege more than it has ever been in human history, we have more distractions than ever before, we have to be more focused on cultivating the skills of attention.” Interesting connections between attention and emotions as well!

Nearly 25 Years of Fathering — and All I’ve Got Are 3 These Lousy Tips {Jim Higley for Huffington Post}

“…The truth is all three of these ideas require you to stop, think and really focus on what your child needs. They require conscious parenting.  But slowing down, taking time to think, fine-tuning your message, and acknowledging your child’s emotions are collectively some of the best ways to build strong communications.”

The Bully Too Close to Home {Hands Free Mama}

“Every time I came down hard on my daughter, I justified my behavior by telling myself I was doing it to help her—help her become more responsible, capable, efficient, and prepare for the real world.  I told myself I was building her up.  But in reality, I was tearing her down.”  (Rachel’s book, Hands Free Mama, is coming out soon!  Find a link for it in the sidebar of her post!)

Activities:

Learning About Emotions with Snowmen {PBS by Allison of No Time for Flashcards}

Emotional literacy is critical for kids!  This is a simple, but effective activity that is perfect for this time of year, or could easily be adapted for any other season.

Kindness Elves: An Alternative Elf on the Shelf Tradition {Imagination Tree}

I love this idea!  I found a cute rag-doll style ornament from Michaels for just a few buck and plan on introducing this activity on the day my boys get home from school for Christmas vacation.  What a great way to turn attention to others during such an exciting time!

Toddler Christmas Activity: Decorate the Felt Christmas Trees {Buggy and Buddy}

What a great way to incorporate fine motor skills with some holiday fun!  You could also easily work in some conversation about colors and big vs small!

Last Minute Shoppers:

OK, according to my husband (who likes to start on December 24th) it’s not last minute yet.  But if you want to shop online and ship from places like Amazon, you need to have your order in by about the 17th.  Here are some great gift lists put together by myself and some of my favorite bloggers.

Book Plus – Literacy Inspired Christmas Gifts Kids Will Love {NJC}

5 Tips on Getting Relatives to Think Outside of the (Gift) Box {Let’s Lasso the Moon}

Modern Parents Messy Kids Gift Guides (This is HUGE) {MPMK}

My Favorite Gift Picks on Amazon {Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple}

(Note:  Bloggers are required to identify affiliate links in some way.  That might be confusing to some people.  All it means is that when you click their links and buy something on that site, the blogger will get some kind of commission.  The bloggers I know still only recommend items they truly believe readers will value, and that small kickback they get from you using their link is like a “Thank You” from you, but paid for by the brand.)

Guess Who’s On the Naughty List?

Facebook.  OK, they’re not on the naughty list, but new changes are certainly wrecking havoc on people’s feeds.  You may have noticed you’re seeing more paid spots and not actually seeing updates from some of the pages you have liked.  On my own page, I’m seeing that roughly 5-10% of the people who have liked the page are actually getting the posts lately.  So there are some things you can try.

1.  Go to the Not Just Cute Facebook page and click on “Like” (if you haven’t already).

2.  Hover over the “Liked” button and wait for a menu to drop down.

3.  Click on “Get Notifications“.

(*There may also be a “Follow” button to the right of the Like button.  If so, you can click that too!  It will send you a notice every time there’s a post from that page, whether it showed up in your feed or not.)

Hopefully that will help you get the updates in your feed that you’ve asked for!  Generally, interacting with a page by liking, commenting, or sharing increases the odds you’ll see subsequent posts from that page as well.  All that said, Facebook is constantly tweaking.  So the only way I know to ensure you see what I’m sharing is to periodically visit the page itself and scan over the updates.  I’d love to see you there!

Enjoy your weekend!