May Calendar

Here is the May Calendar. Now that the weather is getting cooler there seem to be a lot more events happening in Cookeville. Again, just click the icon on the right. The Calendar is created in Google Calendars, so there is a slightly different layout. Hope you are able to use the calendar and plan some fun events for your family!

New Calendar

Hello again Cookeville and Blog World! We are back and ready to start blogging. We have added a new gadget to the side of the blog page. It is a monthly calendar that highlights many different events and happenings in Cookeville and the surrounding areas. There are kid related events, family events, and even some adult only events:) We will be publishing a new calendar each month. Our hope is to help all of you busy moms discover new things in Cookeville. We have scoured the internet and have talked with local business to put together this calendar. We would like this to be your go to spot for things to do in Cookeville. To get more information about an event, hover your mouse over the words and you will see information pop up along with a website. Be sure to look at the bottom of the calendar for links to the Art Mill's calendar and The Kiwanis Children's museum calendar.

Mom Management Home: 3 Things to Simplify Family Life

The following post is taken from imom.  For more great articles, click here.

Your life is not about being a juggling act. It's about choosing what is most important to you and toning down everything else. Even the enjoyable things in our lives can distract us from what is truly important.

Life Is All About Relationships

And what is important? Relationships. Relationships with God, your husband, your children, your family and your friends. As you look back one day, it will be your time with your loved ones that you will truly treasure. And again, it's not that you should shun all other activities or careers or community organizations. But put your focus on your relationships, with everything else coming behind that as your time and energy levels permit.

1. Enlist Some Help Around the House

Are you the only one who bothers with housecleaning or cooking in your home? Maybe now is the time to discuss household responsibilities with your husband and children. If your kids don't have any weekly chores, start giving them tasks. Not only will that help your burden, but it will teach your kids how to be responsible.

• [Chore Chart]
• [Clean-Up Cards]
• [Home & Property Department]

2. Letting Go of Obligations

Perhaps you're a mom who loves to help others. You volunteer at your church, at your children's schools and even at the local nursing home. And volunteering is great -- people in this world need help. But if you find yourself spending more time helping people in the community than your own family, or if you find yourself feeling "obligated" to help and not enjoying it, perhaps it's time to cut back on some of those activities.
So when the PTA calls you up to lead a fundraising event that you know you don't have time for, don't feel obligated to put in the hours. It's OK not to help with every project that comes up. You know the phrase, "Just say no" -- repeat those words to yourself whenever you feel pressured or obligated or guilted into doing yet another activity you don't have time for.

3. Managing Your Hobbies

Having time for yourself is critical. You need that time away from your family to relax, to bond with friends and to stay physically fit. But if you find that you are over-committing yourself to spinning classes, tennis lessons and scrapbooking groups, you may find that your family time is suffering.
So if you find yourself always wanting to try something new -- a sport, a hobby or learning a new language -- tackle one new project at a time. Sometimes we get so excited about trying new things that we want to do them all at once. Unfortunately, there's just not enough time in the day. So choose one activity for now, and come back to the others later.
 The point of this article is simply: not overscheduling your family starts with you. Choose those relationships and activities which are most important to you and don't feel guilty about the rest of it.
© 2011 iMOM. All Rights Reserved. Family First, All Pro Dad, iMOM, and Family Minute with Mark Merrill are registered trademarks.

Mom Management Home: 3 Steps to Dig out of Clutter

The following post is taken from imom.  Check out more great articles here.


Expert organizer, Sandra Felton, says you can stop the clutter cycle.  How?  Start with these three steps.
How to Begin
Sure, you feel overwhelmed. That's the way we all start. Let's simplify this into three powerful steps. You can start out easy, but you do need to start by doing something every day. If you follow these steps consistently, you will notice that little by little your life and your house will change.

Step One

Make a strong take-off every day. A good take-off sets the tone of the day. When you:

WAKE UP JUMP  UP MAKE UP EAT UP WASH UP BRUSH UP DRESS UP LOOK UP

set a time don't lie in bed, there's a wonderful world waiting the bed immediately, automatically something nutritious bathe body or wash face take care of your teeth completely from head to toe including hair, shoes and makeup of some kind on your face somewhere during the day you need to turn your ear upward to God

And any other steps you may need to add to your flight plan, like TAKE A WALK. They don't have to end with UP.

Step Two

Change habits one at a time. Let's start with The 30-Second Rule. "If it takes thirty seconds or less to do a job, do it immediately." This applies to putting up packages when you come in, putting the scissors (or whatever) back where you got them, hanging up the clothes you take off and other things like that.
The second powerful habit is this: when you get something out, put it back — and here's the kicker — right away.
Remember STOW AS YOU GO!
Commitment to these two habits will change the condition of your house immediately.

Step Three

Attack the mess — bless the house! We don't attack the house. We attack the mess that is hiding the wonderful possibilities of our house. Use one of the two methods below to get rid of the junk and organize the house.
Mt. Vernon Method
Get three BankerBoxes™, about 12 X 18 inches. Label each box, GIVE AWAY, THROW AWAY, STORE SOMEPLACE ELSE. Starting at the front door, go around the inside periphery of the room from drawer, to cupboard, to nook or cranny emptying the contents of things that don't belong in that area into one of these boxes. Organize neatly what does belong in that area and move on to the next area.
Mt. Vesuvius Method
Use if your house is a shambles, your marriage is in trouble because of it, you fear the health department or your landlord, your adult children are distraught about your place, or you face some similar emergency. Like Mt. Vesuvius, this is a quick and powerful method. It avoids the hang-up of decision making and clears the clutter quickly. What do I do with all of this stuff?
Go here for details on the Mt. Vesuvius Method.

Used with permission from Sandra Felton.

Communication: Explaining Your Needs and Desires to your husband

The following article came from imom.  To read more articles like this and other great encouraging things, head over to imom.com!

By: Dr. Gary Smalley
Not every husband likes to be approached the same way, but, generally, Dr. Gary Smalley says this advice applies to most men.

1. Make a List

Make a list of the needs and desires you would like to see your husband fulfill. Divide your list into four categories: emotional needs, physical needs, spiritual needs, and mental needs. In some areas you may have an overflow of needs, and in others you may have to struggle to think of one need. But delve into your feelings until you believe your list is complete. Condense the list into the smallest number of vital needs so it doesn't appear overwhelming.
As you explain the list to your husband, remember to discuss one need at a time until you've covered each subject. Your husband may have trouble accepting the importance of some of your needs, so you may have to discuss the difference between men and women where sensitivity is concerned. But be sure to maintain the right attitude while explaining. When you appeal to him for understanding, avoid self-pity, jealousy, and whining. These approaches are repulsive to anyone, especially your husband.
Finally, as you begin to discuss your needs, be careful not to accuse or imply failure on his part; just explain how you feel.

2. The Worst Approach

One woman told me she was extremely discouraged about her husband's lack of interest in her. He had a tremendous drive and interest in his work, his friends, his pastimes, but almost no interest in her or their children. She talked on and on about how much she had tried to get him to change. Nothing seemed to work. When I discussed it with her husband, I found she had continually confronted him with his failures as a husband. He said she always seemed to choose the wrong time to talk about their problems -- "Just when I was trying to unwind." To top it all off, she came across as a combination of prosecutor, judge, and jury. Just before he went to bed, just as he got home from work, almost anytime he "let down" around her, she started condemning and reasoning.
I began to see that she had what I call a "contentious spirit," one that always contends for its own way. She was constantly pushing him into a corner, trying to make him see her point of view. Even the Bible describes the effects of a contentious woman. She drives out a man like the searing desert sun; she drives a man to the corner of a rooftop; she drips on a man like a steady rain (Prov. 25:24; 21:19; 27:15).
What perfect analogies. Around the house this woman's habits were as annoying as a constant dripping -- like a leaky faucet. Her contention was like the sun beating down on a wayfarer in the desert. No matter where her husband turned, he couldn't get away from it. He found no oasis of relief because she continually reminded him of his failures. Finally, her actions forced him to the corner of the rooftop with nowhere else to go.
Want to know what brought him down off the rooftop in a hurry? His wife got rid of her contentious spirit. Consequently, she inspired a tremendous change in her husband. Today she describes him as a much more loving husband who meets her needs in ways she never even dreamed possible.

3. Sharing Not Complaining

Explaining your feelings and needs is not the same as voicing complaints. One couple, who constantly bickered, determined to go through a whole week without voicing any criticism. Rather than argue, each time either of them became irritated, they wrote it down. Each time either was annoyed by the other's failure, he or she wrote it down. They placed each "complaint" slip in one of two boxes, a "his" and a "hers" box. At the end of the week, they planned to open the boxes. He would read her complaints and she would read his.
Saturday night finally arrived, and he decided to go first. He opened the box and began to read the dozens of little notes, one at a time. His eyes reflected the hurt and disappointment in himself as he read the complaints. "You've been promising to fix the screen door for six months, and it's still not fixed." "You never put your socks in the dirty clothes." "I'm getting sick and tired of having to pick up after you everywhere you go." He was sincerely grieved by all the ways that he had offended his wife.
Then it was her turn. She opened the box and pulled out the first slip of paper. She read it with a lump in her throat. The next note brought tears to her eyes. Picking up three more notes, she read them quickly and began to weep. Every note in the box read, "I love you." "I love you." "I love you."
Like many wives, you have been fooled into thinking that one day your complaints would finally remold your husband into the perfect mate. But I hope the example above clearly illustrates that unconditional love and tenderness, not complaints, can transform a cranky opponent into a humble, loving partner.
However, it is important to verbalize your feelings. One wife touched her husband's heart with the note she wrote him. He actually changed his weekly schedule to include more time with her. The note read: "Many days I feel like a shining little red apple -- one of the top ones in a barrel. Everyday you come by and choose one, but never me. Your hand comes close, sometimes you even lift me up, but always you choose another. I've got a little worm growing inside me, and each day I become less attractive. I long for the day that you choose me!"

What to do this week????

Here is a list of child friendly activities going on in the Cookeville area this week!

Monday March 26, 2012:  Wiggle Time / Jumpville open from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
                                         Messy Monday - Cookeville Children's Museum 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday March 27, 2012:  Story Time - Putnam County Library (Cookeville Branch)  10:00 a.m.

Wednesday March 28, 2012:  Story Time - Putnam County Library (Cookeville Branch)  10:00 a.m.
                                             Todler Time - Cane Creek Rec Center 10:00a.m.                                            
                                             Picnic and Play - First United Methodist Church - 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Thursday March 29, 2012:  Wiggle Time / Jumpville open from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
                                          Story Time - Putnam County Library (Cookeville Branch)  10:00 a.m.

Friday March 30, 2012:  Wiggle Time / Jumpville open from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

We are working on compiling a more complete list of activities.  If anyone knows something else going on, please e-mail us at cookevillemops@yahoo.com and we will add it to the list!

The Health Benefits of Chocolate

The following article came from imom.  To read more articles like this and other great encouraging things, head over to imom.com!

Do white chocolate and milk chocolate have health benefits?
Sorry, but, no. They lack the flavonoids that make chocolate beneficial. Flavonoids are the natural compounds that have antioxidant properties.

So is all dark chocolate good for you? 
Unfortunately, it's the healthy part of dark chocolate--the flavonoids-- that gives dark chocolate its bittersweet taste, so candy makers often remove them. And since manufacturers are not required to label the amount of flavonoids their product contains, if it doesn't say it has flavonoids, you can't assume it does. 

But, if you find a dark chocolate bar with flavonoids, studies have shown that it may help to improve your circulation, and lower your blood pressure. Some candy makers are now producing dark chocolate bars that are high in flavonoids to meet the growing consumer demand. 

How much dark chocolate do I need to eat for it to be beneficial?
The studies showed that as little as 4g is beneficial (that's about 1/3 of a Hershey's Dark Chocolate Bar). In the blood pressure lowering study, the patients ate the equivalent of 1.5 Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses.

So should my chocolate motto be, "the more the better?"
Regrettably, the answer is no. Chocolate has lots of fat, sugar and caolries that need to be accounted for in your overall diet.
Remember, as in all good things, moderation is the key!

Information compiled from studies reported in the American Heart Association and The Lancet medical journals.

Medical information within this site is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition. Please consult a licensed health care professional for the treatment or diagnosis of any medical condition.