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If you want to take that vacation or visit those distant family members, and you would like to bring the kids, there are ways to make things easier on yourself. Unfortunately it can be difficult to keep kids sitting down and behaving comfortably for long periods of time in order to get to our destinations safely. Many parents dread any sorts of long trips when it comes to their kids. We know there may be whining, crying, and irritation. Possibly bad behavior due to the frustration of having to hold still for so long. We have all heard the famous *are we there yet* and *I want to get out of the car* quotes. Thankfully, if you put some time and effort into it, you can make a long trip with kids a little better.

We all know it can sometimes be a challenge to get our kids to brush their teeth. It can be something of a chore, it takes time out of their day, and it is just plain boring. Due to this, we have kids that complain about doing it, or just outright refuse to do it. Of course, it is so important that they brush their teeth. Not brushing can obviously cause cavities or tartar, even gingivitis. We do not want that!

As parents, we have all learned new things about Christmas time (and all other celebrations, respectively) now that our kids are around. There are now new traditions, new safety practices, and new purchasing skills all revolving around our holidays. We learn what kind of things to buy, how much to spend, and how to make things fair. Before kids, we could just get a couple of gifts for each other and family, set up the Christmas tree, and eat dinner together and that was it. Things are certainly different now!

It is always hard when our little ones come down with a cold, or anything similar. They are tired, cranky, uncomfortable, and unhappy. Their little bodies are aching and they can't breathe through their noses. A good night's sleep is far from attainable. Instead of running and playing, they are laying miserably on the couch or in bed. Snot-filled tissues are piling up everywhere. Life just isn't the same. As parents, we feel helpless, because all we want is to take it away, but in reality all we can do is try to keep them comfortable while we wait for it to work itself out. Luckily, there are a lot of great products and ideas out today that can help a cold feel a little less yucky.

My four-year-old has a lot of stubborn issues with food. For some reason, eating is a chore to him, and he is extremely picky about what he will or will not eat. He is very against trying new foods, never finishes his plate, and doesn’t seem to understand the concept of getting a full belly. Certain textures gross him out, and his food has to be a certain temperature. Many tastes and smells just immediately turn him off. He is a very picky eater, and always has been ever since he was an infant. He has been refusing food from the time I started offering it to him, unless of course it was something sweet or salty, or otherwise not so good for him. Due to this, I have picked up a lot of experience on how to deal with a picky eater.

Bedwetting is a common, and also very normal, problem among young children. Whether it be because the child isn't physically able to hold their urine while sleeping, or perhaps because they are too comfortable to want to get out of bed, there can be many reasons for bed wetting. Sometimes kids just sleep too deeply to be aware enough of themselves to wake up and go to the bathroom. Some kids can even be afraid of going down the hallway in the middle of the night when things are dark and everyone is in bed.

A lot of people don't realize the importance of car seat safety. There is more to keeping a child safe in a vehicle than just buckling them in. So many children each year are injured or killed in a crash due to improper car seat usage. The concept seems pretty simple. Purchase a car seat, strap it into your car, and buckle in your child. However, there is actually so much more to it than that.

Anyone who has had, or been around, a school aged child knows that homework can be a big deal. I personally am not a big fan of homework, however it exists whether I like it or not, and it must be done! A lot of kids have trouble getting homework done, it is a very common problem that a lot of parents have a hard time getting under control. I have known kids that would actually fail classes just because they never did their homework, even though they did well on school work and tests. Kids need to understand the importance of getting their homework done, and often times they need help making sure it's done. Ignoring homework troubles can lead to poor grades, falling behind, and an urge to give up on school. There are several things you can do to prevent this.

One of the things I love the most about being a mom is bath time. I absolutely adore giving my kids a bath. They both really enjoy it, it is innocent every day fun, and it is a great time to bond. However, I realize that sometimes bath time is just business and not all kids find it fun. Some kids need a little more encouragement, and on occasion may need to be pried away from more interesting things to get into the tub. Sometimes it just requires a little extra work to get the fun going on our part.

Learning to take pictures of your kids is like mastering a form of martial arts. It takes time, patience, practice, and skills to really lock down the ability to get good pictures. To some, getting a good picture might not be that important, but to me photographs are the only way I can get time to hold still for a moment. It is so important to me to take great pictures of my kids, to really shoot the moment and pause it forever in an image for me to keep and look back on. I love having the memories, and I love knowing that someday my family will be able to look back on these moments and feel as if they are in them once again. I want to remember what my kids looked like when they were little, because I can't keep them little forever. I thank photographs for giving me the ability to remember clearly, and I am always trying to better my skills in order to make my memories even better. There are several things you have to do to get good pictures.