Wondering Wednesday

In this podcast episode, Donna Reish (author of “Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar” and over forty curriculum books and blogger {Character Ink and Language Lady}) answers a reader’s questions about solving common preschool behavior problems. This episode is a sequel to last week’s handling of preschoolers who are unusually high need during the day, uncooperative, and somewhat bored. As usual, Donna begins with two opening thoughts: (1) Taking behaviors (and your handling of them!) from gray to black and white and (2) Helping children learn to take responsibility for their behaviors.

In this podcast episode, Donna Reish (author of “Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar” and over forty curriculum books and blogger {Character Ink and Language Lady}) answers a reader’s questions about preschoolers who are unusually high need during the day, uncooperative, and somewhat bored. As usual, Donna begins with opening thought about behavior absolutes and setting the stage for successful days. She then delves into structuring a child’s day to ward off some of the problems before they begin (schedules in terms of time blocks, involving the preschooler, teaching him, teaching focusing skills, etc.). Finally, she tackles three “biggies” with this age: fighting, whining, and not accepting Mom’s answers.

In this podcast episode, curriculum author and seminar presenter, Donna Reish (of Character Ink, Raising Kids With Character, and Language Lady), answers readers’ questions about getting children onboard with housework—and getting beyond the “have to do it or you don’t get to play video games” mentality. Donna describes how to approach older kids who currently do not do much housework (including what to focus on first in those scenarios), how to build family unity through family work, how to create a mindset in your home of “we all dirty, so we all clean,” going deeper to create a teamwork approach and way of thinking/living in which we all work because we love each other and want to help our family, how to teach kids to work fast and thoroughly, and instilling in our children a love for completion and understanding of the benefits of work.

Donna Reish, author of numerous writing and language arts books as well as Character Ink blog, Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar, and Language Lady blog, answers readers’ questions about efficiency in the kitchen. In this follow-up to Five Tips for Kitchen Efficiency, Donna shares more kitchen efficiency tips—especially meal planning for busy families. In this podcast episode, Simplified Meal Planning, Donna describes two “thinking” processes for deciding what to have for meals: (1) Basing meal lists on meats or main ingredients and keeping a running list of the things you make and (2) Keeping staples for the most common meals on hand. Donna shares her master entrée list in the accompanying handout to help get your creative juices flowing. She also focuses on making quick decisions and not getting bogged down mentally or time-wise with indecisiveness.

Donna Reish, author of four curriculum series (including Character Quality Language Arts, Meaningful Composition, and Really Writing) and co-author/co-presenter of the parenting seminar (Raising Kids With Character) tackles a reader’s question about when to give “chances”/when to take action/allow consequences to fall where they may and when to give grace—or as Donna puts it “mulligans”-- to our kids. She takes a look at what some have told her is their take on “grace-based” parenting (it isn’t forgoing training or consequences altogether!) and applies this to character training. Follow Donna as she describes her family’s walleyball game and explains why they gave “mulligans” to the ones they did in that game and why others did not get “mulligans.” And finally, she applies these walleyball “mulligans” to “mulligans” in parenting.

Ray Reish, owner and operator of Character Ink Publishing Company and Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar, brings you this short, informative, motivating podcast episode in which he answers readers’ questions about husband involvement in goal setting, connecting in marriage, and leading the family. Ray offers fathers three connecting times that he has found to bring about real change in his home and security to his wife (and children): (1) Husband-wife meetings; (2) Daily Connect Time; (3) Dates. Pass this episode on to fathers who want to lead their families with love, selflessness, and faithfulness!

Donna Reish, author of Meaningful Composition, Character Quality Language Arts, Character Ink blog, and Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar, brings you another episode of Wondering Wednesday. This week Donna answers a homeschooling mother’s questions about turning her day into one of routine and control rather than rowdiness and chaos. Donna gives her two important tips—think baby steps and consider how you will get better and better at home management through the years. Then she delves into things to consider for you personally—situations and scenarios that affect your day and follows that with a systematic order for managing your school day. Finally, she leaves listeners with lots of tips for morning routines, chore schedules, tutoring blocks, and more—along with tons of links from previous podcast episodes and blog posts!

Donna Reish, author of character quality language arts and meaningful composition, answers a couple of readers questions about kindergarten. In this podcast episode, she specifically talks about what types of behaviors parents should expect from a four to six year-old child before starting formal academics and the six most important things to focus on first, including obedience, morning routines, chore times, and informal learning. She describes the optimum learning environment and gives insight as to what to look for in readiness to learn to read. Join Donna as she describes some of the best years of parenting.

Donna Reish, author of forty curriculum books for homeschoolers and Christian schools and co-author/co-presenter of “Raising Kids With Character” Parenting Seminar (and blog), brings you another practical episode of Wondering Wednesday! In this week’s episode, Donna explains her “cycle cooking” for freezer entrees and starters, including how to freeze entrees, how to freezer cook efficiently, how to utilize “meal starters” and “soup starters,” and much more. She takes the listener through all of her cycle types—shredded chicken, whole chicken breasts and fish pieces, crumbled ground meats, and shaped beef/roasts and teaches the ease in which a cook can get started and continue to fill the family freezer with meals.

Donna Reish, author of forty curriculum books for homeschoolers and Christian schools and co-author/co-presenter of “Raising Kids With Character” Parenting Seminar (and blog), brings you a practical episode of Wondering Wednesday! In this week’s episode, Donna answers some of the questions that she is often asked about freezer cooking—with ten questions you want to ask yourself before you begin freezer cooking. Donna gives you insights into freezer cooking by looking at areas such as what stage you want your freezer meals in when you defrost them, what containers can you afford, what types of meals do you want to end up with, and what kind of cook are you. By answering these (and several other) questions, you can be ready to dig in to freezer cooking and get organized for healthy meals for your family.

Donna Reish, author of Meaningful Composition, Character Quality Language Arts, and Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar as well as the Character Ink blog, brings you another episode of Wondering Wednesday. In this episode, Donna answers questions about efficiency in the kitchen. She gives her five top tips for becoming more efficient in the kitchen including: 1. Using a crock pot 2. Having 10 meals that you always have ingredients on hand for 3. Cooking meat in the crock pot and freezing it 4. Making combination meals whenever possible, and 5. Putting something in the freezer each week. Join Donna and she gives you inspiration and ideas for becoming more efficient in your kitchen.

Donna Reish, author of fifty language arts and writing curriculum books, answers a reader’s questions about preparing a preschooler to learn to read. Based on Donna’s graduate thesis about natural readers (children who learn to read with no instruction at all), this audio answers questions about what reading readiness is and what to do while waiting for it, what characteristics are common in homes of natural readers, the outcomes of creating a natural reader’s environment in your home, and more. Donna also gives twenty tips for teaching letters and sounds.

In this episode, Donna Reish, author of the “Raising Kids With Character” parenting seminar and fifty curriculum books for homeschools and Christian schools, answers parents’ questions about toddlers. This is a follow up to Donna’s “What to Do With a Wonderful One Year Old” episode. In this episode, Donna gives you two tests to consider in dealing with problems with fifteen to thirty-six month old toddlers-one test for you (the car seat test) and one test for your toddler (the high five test). Donna also tackles many toddler behaviors that you want to stop, including slapping, hitting his head on the floor or crib, saying no, throwing food, getting into things, throwing fits, not coming when called, and not eating/getting enough “real” food. (For information about Character Ink’s seminar terminology and phrases, listen to this podcast episode. For more about toddlers, listen to this podcast episode.)

Donna Reish, of Character Ink Publishing and Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar, continues her answers to questions about “getting it all done” in this follow up to last week’s “Foundations for Becoming an Efficiency Expert.” In this episode, Donna answers questions about to do lists (which ones are the most valuable and which ones are just lists that we easily forget or give up on), procrastination, overwhelming situations, and more.

In this episode, Donna Reish (author, editing, and teacher at Character Ink Publishing Company and Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar) answers foundational questions about becoming more efficient at home, work, and school. Donna lays the groundwork for next week’s episode (“Efficiency Tips”) by introducing three major aspects that are foundational to becoming efficient: narrowing your focus/not trying to do too many things (i.e. NOT becoming a “Jane of all trades”!), giving up perfectionism, and truly working hard (with two benchmarks to measure your work output). She includes interesting research by Malcom Gladwell (author of “Outliers” and many other books about people, research, and success) about how one becomes an “expert”—and applies this research to parenting as well as becoming outstanding in your areas.

Donna Reish, curriculum author and parenting/homeschool speaker, answers readers’ questions about bringing an elementary student up to grade level in reading during the summer. In this episode, Donna helps parents learn what to focus on in bringing their child to reading fluency, including terminology, phonics programs, reader selections, and steps in helping children learn to read during the summer school break. She has many links to help parents find the phonics program, readers, and methods that will work best for them and their children.

Donna Reish, from Character Ink publishing and Raising Kids With Character, answers parents’ questions about children and chores. Donna introduces some foundational diligence training tips that have helped her in her home management for over twenty-five years. She then introduces toddlers and preschoolers habits and chores and then branches out chore sessions, dividing up chores, paying for chores, and much more!

In this Wondering Wednesday audio podcast, Donna Reish of Character Ink Publishing and Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar, explains many of the terms and concepts foundational to the Reish's Raising Kids With Character Parenting Seminar. In it, Donna explains foolishness versus childishness, bringing in boundaries, expectation explanations, parenting in the black-and-white versus parenting in the gray, and much more.

In this episode, Donna Reish of Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar and Character Ink Publishing, answers our readers questions about training and enjoying one-year-old toddlers between the ages of twelve or fourteen months and twenty-four months. In this Part II episode, Donna elaborates on ten potential goals for this age group, including, but not limited to; sleep training, highchair behavior, coming when called, eating meals, and getting out of dangerous things.

Donna Reish of Character Ink publishing and Raising Kids With Character parenting seminar answers questions about what to do with a child from twelve to twenty-four months in this week’s Wondering Wednesday podcast episode. In this first of two parts about sweet one-year olds, Donna discusses the basics of parenting and child training for this age group: your parenting paradigms, your parenting absolutes, three important truths, things to always remember (“Don’t say NO unless you’ll go!”), and potential goals for this age group.