{"id":399,"date":"2012-01-02T16:23:09","date_gmt":"2012-01-02T16:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.positivelyparenting.com\/?p=399"},"modified":"2015-12-04T12:49:53","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T17:49:53","slug":"four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Four easy steps to a better week, post-holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Okay, they aren’t that easy. \u00a0But these steps work. \u00a0So, be brave.<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0 Lower the bar.<\/strong> \u00a0I am not telling you to throw your expectations out of the window.\u00a0 Just expect some push back.\u00a0 The kids have probably been up later, eating more sugar, and lounging in PJ\u2019s\u2026and like their parents (ahem) it is not easy to drop those lovely and slovenly habits.\u00a0 So, don\u2019t expect them to line up like good little soldiers.\u00a0 It ain\u2019t happenin\u2019.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0 Call a meeting.<\/strong> \u00a0Call all pertinent members of the family to the table and have an AGE APPROPRIATE meeting about the future.\u00a0 This can involve reviewing calendars for the week or simply reviewing nighttime and morning routines.\u00a0 Not only does this help the children transition, it helps you, too!\u00a0 Say things like, \u201cThe holidays are special and this has been awesome!\u00a0 It is time to go to sleep and eat at our normal times\u2026who would like to plan the menu with me?\u201d\u00a0 You may get takers; you may not, but it moves the conversation to a positive and proactive place.\u00a0 It also re-introduces the kids to the boundaries that are already in place in your house.\u00a0 Get ready to hold them\u2026<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0\u00a0 Parents, the children are only as stress-free as you are.<\/strong> \u00a0Are you ready for the week?\u00a0 (As I type this, I am getting there\u2026).\u00a0 Lunches, school-clothes, work related issues, play dates, after-school activities, school paper-work, dinners planned, breakfast foods at the ready (leftover cookies don\u2019t count), YOUR clothes, the list can go on and on.\u00a0 The point is, wake up EARLY this week to avoid the rush.\u00a0 Have your own act together so you can have the strength to parent your children, as they drag about the house, moaning about video games, My Little Ponies, and Legos.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0 Cut yourself a break.<\/strong> \u00a0I forgive myself, quite a bit, after a break.\u00a0 Everyone is rejiggering, and isn\u2019t always pretty.\u00a0 If everyone gets to where they need to be, in a somewhat decent fashion, not terribly late, and fairly happy\u2026.SUCCESS!\u00a0 Just keep holding your boundaries in a clear, kind, and respectful manner and the kids will come around.\u00a0 Don\u2019t spend time beating yourself up about your \u201cspoiled and bratty\u201d kids\u2026they are taking their cues from you, so keep a smile in your eye and saying things like \u201cI know it can be hard to start our routines again, but I have the confidence we can do it.\u201d\u00a0 If I say it enough, I actually start to believe it!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, they aren’t that easy. \u00a0But these steps work. \u00a0So, be brave. 1)\u00a0\u00a0 Lower the bar. \u00a0I am not telling you to throw your expectations out of the window.\u00a0 Just expect some push back.\u00a0 The kids have probably been up later, eating more sugar, and lounging in PJ\u2019s\u2026and like their parents (ahem) it is not easy to drop those lovely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting"],"yoast_head":"\nFour easy steps to a better week, post-holidays - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Four easy steps to a better week, post-holidays - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Okay, they aren’t that easy. \u00a0But these steps work. \u00a0So, be brave. 1)\u00a0\u00a0 Lower the bar. \u00a0I am not telling you to throw your expectations out of the window.\u00a0 Just expect some push back.\u00a0 The kids have probably been up later, eating more sugar, and lounging in PJ\u2019s\u2026and like their parents (ahem) it is not easy to drop those lovely [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-02T16:23:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-12-04T17:49:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meghan Leahy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Meghan Leahy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/\",\"name\":\"Four easy steps to a better week, post-holidays - Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-02T16:23:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-12-04T17:49:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#\/schema\/person\/e4e0d31e5da894d0dcd2c68ae07bcdc3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/parenting\/four-easy-steps-to-a-better-week-post-holidays\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Four easy steps to a better week, post-holidays\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlparentcoach.com\/new\/\",\"name\":\"Meghan Leahy Parent Coach\",\"description\":\"Helping parents. 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