Family Therapy and More with Dr. Lynne Kenney

Lynne Kenney, Psy.D., is a mother of two, a practicing pediatric psychologist at in Scottsdale, AZ, and the author of  The Family Coach Method. She has advanced fellowship training in forensic psychology and developmental pediatric psychology from Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and Harbor-UCLA/UCLA Medical School. Her NEW co-authored book Time-In not Time-Out is available this Spring on Kindle. Combining her love for motor movement and brain development, Dr. Lynne’s newest endeavor, Play Math, is helping children ages 6-11 learn their math facts with playground balls and hoola-hoops for better algebraic thinking.

There are several ways parents and teachers may interact with Dr. Kenney.

I. Read The Book ~ The Family Coach Method (St Lynn’s Press, 2009), is like sitting down with Dr. Lynne in your kitchen. Here’s what two moms have to say:

As a mother of 3, I’ve read many parenting books over the years. Lynne Kenney’s book stands out above the rest! I’ve been able to immediately apply her practical advice and am already seeing results with my children. The activities at the end of each chapter gave me an opportunity to practice the methods and engage my kids in the process. It’s so good you’ll be buying copies for your friends! LW

Dr. Kenney has written an excellent parenting book with practical and useful tips that are easy to implement right away. The book is packed with the whys and hows of raising thoughtful, responsible and conscientious children. The activities are fun for families and the parenting examples relate to real-life situations with easy-to-follow solutions. Dr. Kenney’s tone is very charming, witty and sincere, making the book a pleasure to read. I highly recommend this to book to parents of children 3-8. Even the most well-read of parents will find useful information and practical tips. MM

II. Order The Online MultiMedia Companion to The Family Coach Method ~  Dr. Kenney teaches The Family Coach Method and brain-based parenting strategies online through her multi-media class. 20 hours of editorial, audio, video and lessons to create your extraordinary life.

III. Invite Dr. Lynne to speak at your school. Engaging, funny and full of novel brain-based ways to teach your children new skills. Dr. Lynne has over 100 ways to use Time-In not Time-Out to raise competent happy kids.

IV. Learn about Dr. Lynne’s exciting new motor math program to enhance your child’s conceptual math development through play.  In Dr. Lynne’s simple motor math program, Play Math, we teach meaningful math using soccer, kick and tennis balls, along with polyspots, marker board, markers, cards and base ten blocks to play math motorically.  We say math, play math and build math so that the children begin to develop the ability to THINK mathematically. For children grades 2-5.

Join us for a great conversation LIVE on your time on Word of Mom Radio.

Today our show sponsors are Safety First Bags and If Not You, Who. Visit our Word of Mom Radio website to find out more about our MOMpreneur Made/MOMpreneur Approved product and service providers.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and email us at wordofmomradio@gmail.com with questions, comments and if you would like to share with us here on BlogTalkRadio.

Word of Mom Radio ~ sharing the wisdom of women.

How To Craft Your PR Pitch

Imagine this scenario.. There it was, in my inbox… the request from HARO – the golden opportunity for me to finally get that big break.

A perfect lead for a PR opportunity with a big syndicated network – Totally written for my expertise: How moms can find another hour in the day:

I crafted my email, included lots of details, attached my bio, my head shot and some create visuals, and pressed Send!

Almost as soon as that thing was in cyberspace, I received a message back from my PR Expert that said:

“NO NO NO!!! That will never make it through email, they’ll never open it, there’s too much… ahhhhhh!”

Once I recovered from this terrifying response – I quickly chatted with her to create my second attempt… My DO-Over, 2nd submission, re-sent it, crossed my fingers and VOILA… I was chosen to be the expert in a news article on FOX News.com! See how moms can get 1 more hour out of their day here!

SO – here’s what I learned from my awesome colleague Donna Cravotta at SocialSagePR.com:

1. Create a pitch template and use it over and over again. Customize the pitch letter to be exactly what the reporter is asking for, but keep it brief and to the point. Starting out with a template works well. I store my templates in Evernote, and pull one up when an opportunity arises.
2. Keep your pitch short - Donna suggests that your pitch be no more than 2 paragraphs in total length. Reporters are busy and only want the facts. You will show up as one in a sea of many other emails. Respect their time and what they ask for.
3. Do NOT add attachments with your emails. Emails with attachments will likely be bounced out or land in spam. Reporters don’t want to be burdened opening them and downloading them. Instead, put all your details in the body of your email and then create a link for reporters to link to them if they want further information.
4. Really read (and even re-read) the submission request.  The reporter is asking for something specific, and if you gloss over it, you may not get there and may leave that opportunity open for someone else.
5. Give a few expert tips/comments about exactly what they’re looking for. Donna’s best advice is to read it over and over again, then provide them with some exact content to prove you know what you’re talking about. If they say 3 tips – give them three and link them back to other tips that fill in the gaps.
6. Provide an expert statement about you. You could easily use your elevator speech or a mini-bio here. If you are wondering just how to create one, find an expert PR person like Donna Cravotta, or a great copywriter who can help you distill your message.
7. PUT ALL ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE ON YOUR WEBSITE AND LINK TO IT - this is in caps for a reason. I’ve heard it said by nearly everyone I’ve met in the PR industry, most reporters are too busy, on tight deadlines and are generally underpaid. They want everything distilled and packaged to save them time and be most efficient. If it appears you’re wasting their time – you’ll be dropped out of the running before you even begin. Focus on serving it up to meet their needs, not to stroke your own ego.
8. Provide a Press Page on your site with links - You’ll want to take some time to compile any relevant articles, a media kit, past press opportunities and interviews, and link to professional head shot and bio on your web page. Create a link that is easy to navigate so reporters find it easy to get more information about you.
9. Thank them and give any instructions for how to follow up directly in your pitch - One of the best things you can do is be more efficient and effective than anyone else in the running. Reporters often go with someone less experienced simply because they’ve made it easier to get the information requested. Adding information about when you’re available will be most helpful for the reporter.

If you would like more information, or feel that working with a PR expert is right for you at this time, I have three awesome recommendations: Denise Antoon at TheAntoonGroup.com,  Diane Ennen at VirtualWordPublishing.Com and of course Donna Cravotta at SocialSagePR.com. I’ve worked with all three of these mompreneurs… and they all ROCK!

About Cena Block

Cena Block is a successful MOMpreneur on a mission. She is a coach, speaker, author, and founder of Sane Spaces, (http://www.sanespaces.com) and the upcoming MagnificentMompreneurs.Com – from Mom to Wow®.  Her private coaching, group programs, and teleseminars kick-start MOMpreneurs and help them thrive. She hosts ‘Managing MOMpreneur Mayhem’ a bi-weekly show on Word of Mom Radio.  To access her free training for MOMpreneurs go to http://www.sanespaces.com. You can find her @sanespaces on any of the social media sites, or contact her directly at cena@sanespaces.com.

Get Out and Have Some Fun!

Excited.. nervous.. happy.. scared.. grateful…jealous? These are all emotions that may be going through your child’s head when they hear another baby is on the way.

Children, especially first born, will most likely at some point during the pregnancy or after the birth, have a difficult time adjusting to all the changes that take place within a family when a new addition arrives.

    Each child depending on temperament, age and gender will respond differently to the new baby. In general, preschool aged children will understand better what’s happening, compared to a toddler or infant. Most likely preschool aged children have seen other pregnant women, or small babies and have a sense of the pregnancy process. Now this doesn’t mean they won’t have a difficult time with the adjustment, it just means that if you chose, you will be able to talk with your child and involve them more in the pregnancy and birthing process. Once the baby is born, the most common reaction amongst preschoolers is regression. Children may want to start using a bottle or a baby seat again. If potty trained, they may have more accidents and possibly even ask for a diaper. This is normal, just continue to support, love and include them during this adjustment period.

    There are two completely different times during this process. First comes the pregnancy. This is the time to prepare your child for the new baby. Second, the birth and after, which completely changes their life as they now know it!. Helping your child adjust to the changes in the home or less time with Mom are just a few of the issues that may arise. As always, these are thoughts and ideas that we have found many families have had success using, but adapting and doing what you feel is best for your family is most important.

Pregnancy and Preparing You Child for New Baby;

1. Decide on a time to tell your child the news- make sure they hear the news from you, and not someone else. Make this a special time, maybe give them a book (see #5) and give them the time they need to process, by answering their questions.

2. Allow them to be part of the process- bring them to a doctors appointment, encourage them to talk to the baby or tell a story while in the womb. Make a tee shirt or bib for the baby, or pick out the baby’s first outfit.

3. Show them their baby book- showing them pictures, outfits or any memories you have saved from their newborn/baby stage will help them understand how “growth” and change takes place. Explain that at first their baby brother or sister won’t be able to do much, but they will grow up quickly just like they did!

4. Sign them up for a sibling preparation class- most hospitals offer this and many are actually quite fun! Check with your doctor or local hospital for further information.

5. Read books- there are lots of books out there that will help prepare a preschooler. “I’m a Big Brother” or “I’m a Big Sister” by Joanna Cole is a great place to start. Visit your library for more titles.

6. Practice- let them pick out a “special doll” from the toy store. Make sure this doll is close to the actual size of a newborn. Practice holding, feeding, and dressing the doll before the actual baby is born. This is their baby to take care of, just like how Mom will have their baby brother or sister to take care of soon.

After the Birth:

1. Have alone time every day- whether it’s five minutes or thirty minutes, make sure Mom and Dad are setting aside alone time with the older child every day. Reading a book, playing a game, whatever it is you and your child want to do, but give them your undivided attention during this time.

2. Celebrate the baby’s birthday- have a birthday cake celebration when Mom and baby come home from the hospital. This helps your child relate birthday celebrations to the actual birth of their baby brother or sister.

3. Have a small stash of gifts- lots of people will probably be visiting Mom and new baby and bringing gifts. The child may start to get jealous of all the gift giving, store little gifts like a box of crayons or toy car to give to them once the visitors leave.

4. Let them help- as mentioned above, let the child be part of the process. Once the baby has arrived, there are lots of tasks a preschooler is capable of doing. Bringing diapers to Mom and Dad, picking out clothes, washing the baby with Mom or Dad, are all little jobs that will help the older child feel important and part of this exciting time!

5. Encourage play with their doll- especially during breastfeeding or diaper changing; children might experience a little bit of jealousy. This is a perfect time to encourage them to spend time with their baby, changing their diaper, feeding them with a bottle etc..

As always, we are here at ifnotyouwho.org to answer any questions you might have and thanks for stopping by Word of Mom Radio!

Meet Debbie Dutton and Elissa Sunger

Mother/Daughter Debi Dutton and Elissa Sunger bring us a powerful company making sure our children are ready for  school.  Only half of the 4 million children entering kindergarten each year are actually ready to attend. Life long consequences often follow those children unprepared. If Not You, Who?  is a free website that includes over 300 easy to implement activities, which only take about 10 minutes each and use common household items.  The activities are focused on developing the 5 crucial learning areas kids should be familiar with when they enter kindergarten. Available in over 30 languages, almost any adult can now quickly learn how to positively impact a child’s future!

Her light bulb moment happened when she was shopping for her family and couldn’t find prepared foods that she felt good enough about to serve her own kids!

Mom Made Foods launched Memorial Day weekend 2006 at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market in Alexandria, VA. From there they were approved for the Mid-Atlantic region of Whole Foods, and were on store shelves in January of 2007. After launching into Whole Foods, we were put on the bottom shelf of their freezer and quickly learned that placement and positioning in the stores was critical and by January 2007, we were in 40 stores throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Join us here on Word of Mom Radio Thursday April 25th at 2pmET/11amPT. Be part of the conversation by calling 646 595 3163. Don’t forget that our archives make us LIVE on your time!

Today our show is sponsored by Safety First Bags and Everything Family Visit them here on our  Word of Mom Radio website and see all our MOMpreneur Made/MOMpreneur Approved products and services.

Be sure to Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and email us at wordofmomradio@gmail.com to connect with us.

Word of Mom Radio ~ Sharing the wisdom of women.

Overwhelmed Work at Home MOMpreneurs

 Are you a MOMpreneur who is running ragged because of your out of control office?

Do you struggle to manage every piece of your life and juggle the details of several people in your family?

Are there days when you just wish things were a little easier?

Is the place you call “Executive Headquarters” organized, restorative and reliable?

If not, let’s take a look at a fresh perspective.

Getting more productive is a process.

Launching a new business, or even a new program is a process.

Creating business systems to support a life that works is a process.

Clarity is achieved by focusing on five key sanity dimensions:

• the spaces you inhabit,
• the systems you develop to create efficiency in your business,
• the support you have,
• your own self habits and skills
• and how you use the time you have

The  Sanity Dimensions™ are the areas that with clarity will help you fix root problems, and move forward to create amazing results in your life and in your business.

It’s all about SPACE

Your space is literally the place from where you conduct your business. Where is your ‘Executive Headquarters’? Where do you actually work? Do you have a physical location? Is your business run from your automobile? Or perhaps you have a different type of mobile office – like the local Starbucks! Regardless of where it is, it’s important that the space best suites your needs and your work style. Some people work much better in a busy location, while others need complete silence and isolation to complete their genius work. Regardless, your SPACE should be comprised of everything you need to do the work you are wishing to do. Think of your space as a command center, or the control panel of an airplane. All the tools, gauges and items necessary for you to successfully do your job should be within arms reach, or be easily found or accessible when you need them. Do you struggle with your space? Take a quick Space assessment by clicking this link and see how healthy your spaces are.

Our spaces hold memories, emotions and vibrations, and when you are in locations where you feel cluttered, stuck and overwhelmed… you’ll BE stuck and overwhelmed. Taking a picture, removing yourself from the space, and looking at it from a different view is sometimes all you need to get your creative juices moving again to consider what is possible for the space, and how it might best serve your needs.

Think of the space you call your “Executive Headquarters” and ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the main purpose of this space?
• Does the space have a single or multiple purpose?
• Can it easily transition from one purpose to another?
• What types of results need to happen here?
• Does the space currently function well?
• What is your “intention” or “vision” for the space?
• What is missing now that would make the space better serve your purpose?

Find out how you measure up. Take the Space Dimension Quiz!

How do you struggle most with your Space as a MOMpreneur and why? What keeps you stuck? I’d love to know in the comment section below now! Or, if you have a question about your space – let me know so I can help!

About Cena Block

Cena Block is a successful MOMpreneur on a mission. She is a coach, speaker, author, and founder of Sane Spaces, (http://www.sanespaces.com) and the upcoming MagnificentMompreneurs.Com – from Mom to Wow®.  Her private coaching, group programs, and teleseminars kick-start MOMpreneurs and help them thrive. She hosts ‘Managing MOMpreneur Mayhem’ a bi-weekly show on Word of Mom Radio.  To access her free training for MOMpreneurs go to http://www.sanespaces.com. You can find her @sanespaces on any of the social media sites, or contact her directly at cena@sanespaces.com.

Create a Master Plan

Green Goes With Everything!

With Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, many people are focusing on ways to limit their exposure to toxins. But before we even get started on what’s lurking in your own home that could be causing your family’s health to go downhill, I have some questions for you to ponder…

How many families do you know that have:

• Autism?
• Dyslexia?
• Allergies?
• Asthma?
• Developmental delays?
• Reading/math difficulties?
• Migraines or frequent headaches?
• Irritable bowel syndrome?

Did you know that researchers are looking into the possible causes being antibiotics and hormones in meat?

Do you know where your food comes from? There are pesticides in your foods and you may not even know it.

The Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution in the 1930’s and 40’s was good for a lot of things…unfortunately it exacerbated our level of pollution. 75,000 new chemicals have been introduced in the last 50 years…only a few of them have been tested for toxicity.

There’s been a recent study done on birth defects linked to air pollution. http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2013/03/28/birth-defects-linked-to-air-pollution-in-new-stanford-study/

The Real Dirt on Clean

You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you’ve just cleaned your house? Sorry to spoil it for you, but you’ve just made your home dirtier. Think of it this way…You wouldn’t want your kids to play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let your baby crawl over a floor that’s just been wiped with them? That’s much more dangerous than the orange juice that was just spilled there. How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics…

Some statistics pertaining to toxins in the home:

• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home
• Chlorine bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisoning
• Organic pollutants found in many common cleaners and even AIR FRESHENERS, are found at levels 2 to 5 times higher inside you home than out
• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale 3 times the “acute one-hour exposure limit” for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
• Common cleaners give off fumes that can potentially increase the risk of kids developing asthma, the most common chronic childhood disease
• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160% from 1980-1994
• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical intoxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any intoxicants that are present in water, food, or air.
• If your home is anything like the average US home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste).

While it’s impossible to remove every toxin in your environment, here are some things you can do to limit the number of toxins you expose yourself to.

• Pay attention to where you are getting your fruits and vegetables. I recommend having your own garden if you can…but supporting local organic farmers is another good idea…the main reason is that there’s less chance of pesticides being on them if they are grown organically. If you buy from the grocery store, choose organic if you can.
• Wash your produce before eating it, by using an eco-friendly, safe, biodegradable fruit and veggie wash.
• Try to avoid processed foods (there are toxins in processed foods that we don’t even know about yet).
• Protect your immune system…and especially your families’ brain development by supplementing with quality natural vitamins and supplements that have been scientifically tested in medical journals… (double-blind studied and peer-reviewed by a medical and scientific board of credible professionals…the brand I use has over 100 peer-reviewed studies in medical journals). Quality control tested and proven safe and effective.
• Eliminate traditional cleaners from your home and use natural cleaners. It actually saves you money especially if you use the products I use. For example, what I use to scrub my bathtub is made from ground up cherry pits. The safe, eco-friendly, biodegradable cleaner I use to wash my fruits and vegetables is the same thing that I use to clean my counter tops. Very effective and inexpensive.
• Recycle your plastics, paper, cardboard, electronics, etc…anything that has the recycle symbol…please recycle it.
• Get an air purifier for your home.
• Use a water filtration system, or a good water pitcher with a recyclable carbon filter.

I have just scratched the surface in this area, but I hope it’s enough for you to begin taking notice of your environment…inside and out. If you need more ideas or resources, I find the following book by author, Sloan Barnett  Green Goes With Everything: Simple Steps To A Healthier Life And A Cleaner Planet very helpful to me because Sloan gives info on chemicals, but also gives  ideas and companies/places to shop that have made a commitment to use non-toxic materials in their products. This book is the featured picture at the beginning of this blog post.

I love to hear from you. What are you doing to limit your family’s exposure to toxins? Are there any resources that have been helpful to you? Share what has worked for you.

Your Resident Health Nut,

Renee

Many people steer clear of networking, complaining that there are no ‘real results’. The biggest complaints come from having ‘no time’ to network, that events are inconvenient, and the cost of associations and groups are too exorbitant to participate.  However, I’d like to debunk this myth.  The fact is that successful networking is the fastest way to build your business, and the fastest way to income for MOMpreneurs.

Networking is defined as…

According to Dictionary.com, a network can be defined as a fabric or structure of wires that cross at regular intervals, knotted or secured at the crossing, an interconnected or interrelated chain, group, or system, or an informally interconnected group or association of persons.

The definitions bring to light some of the essentials of successful networking.

You need structure…

Many MOMpreneurs spend a lot of time ‘winging it’ while networking as opposed to setting up a structured approach and targeting certain events, relationships and groups comprised of their ideal customers. Networking for the sake of networking does not produce the same results as targeted networking with groups of ideal customers. Structuring your networking events helps you manage your time and efforts, and will greatly assist your results because you can create repeatable procedures based on upcoming networking activities.

When you know where you’re going and have a setup procedure for follow up, your results will be much more palpable. As opposed to haphazardly showing up to an event, gathering a handful of business cards and throwing them in a drawer when you return to your office… never to be seen again. The conversion POWER of any networking event is only as good as your follow up procedure. Taking time to strategize what to do afterward and creating a communication procedure of high-touch points at least four times after an event will help people remember you, and may be the missing key to your success.

The power of one great referral…

When working with moms who run their own businesses, I often talk about the ‘Power of One’. I have a colleague (whom I’m now proud to call my good friend) who is single-handedly responsible for helping me get the following results:

Cena Block is a successful MOMpreneur on a mission. She is a coach, speaker, author, and founder of Sane Spaces, (http://www.sanespaces.com) and the upcoming MagnificentMompreneurs.Com – from Mom to Wow®.  Her private coaching, group programs, and teleseminars kick-start MOMpreneurs and help them thrive. She hosts ‘Managing MOMpreneur Mayhem’ a bi-weekly show on Word of Mom Radio.  To access her free training for MOMpreneurs go to http://www.sanespaces.com. You can find her @sanespaces on any of the social media sites, or contact her directly at cena@sanespaces.com.