Happy New Year! We've all made it through our first week back and I hope it has gone well for you and your families! My household always runs smoother when we have structure and a routine. So while it's been hard to get up early and get back at it, we've settled in with our routine and are doing well!

On another note, I do hope you had a blessed time with family and loved ones during the holiday break and found some time to relax, refresh and recharge your batteries.

I look forward to journeying with you in 2019!

This edition of Parent Perusals catches you up on some events and information to help get you and your kids going strong in this new year!

I want to share an idea that I started 2 years ago with my family. It's an idea I read about and it's become a tradition and something that we look forward to.

I created a Blessings & Gratitude Jar. It sits on our table. I keep strips of paper and a pen in it. We don't necessarily add something to it everyday, but having it on our table is a visual reminder for us.

The text of the jar reads:

"Starting January 1, we will write good things that happened to us on little pieces of paper.

• surprise gifts
• accomplished goals
• the beauty of the natural world
• funny moments
• memories worth saving
• blessings.

Then on December 31, we will open the jar and read all the amazing things that happened to us in 2016! (I would change that to be 'during the year')."

It's amazing what happens in a year! We sometimes tend to focus on the negative or struggles (and we all have them). This is an opportunity that despite the struggles and hard times we encounter within a year to be reminded of all the blessings and good that occurred.

I keep all the strips in there from all the years. We write the date on the back of the card.

Now that my girls are a little older from when we started it, they are getting in to it and understanding the value of it more. Just this week Lynette told me she had something she wanted to write to add to the jar. Made my momma heart smile!

Pictures below are of the Baumgardner Blessing & Gratitutde Jar.

Applications are being accepted for the 7th cohort of the Parent Leadership Academy. Click on the SMORE newsletter below to read about all the details and download the information packet and application.

If you have any questions about the program, please email me!

ESC-20's Free Parent Trainings and Webinars kick off this week!

Check them out and plan to attend!

CentroMed is hosting Texas A&M Agrilife EFNEP for a fresh set of 8 Family Nutrition Classes!

Please note there are English and Spanish classes at two different locations

English Family Nutrition. Free and Open to the Public.

Starting Thursday, January 17th, 1pm-2:30pm, continuing on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 8 total sessions. Class held in the Centro Fitness studio at CentroMed’s newest site the John L Santikos Family Wellness Center: 5427 Ray Ellison Boulevard, 78242

Please call Kristen to register for the class in English (210) 334-3768

Spanish Family Nutrition. Free and Open to the Public.

Starting Monday, January 14th, 1pm-2:30pm, continuing on Fridays and Mondays for 8 total sessions. Class held in the Centro Fitness at CentroMed’s Southside Health and Wellness Center: 3800 Commercial Avenue, 78221

Please call TAMU EFNEP to register for the class in Spanish (210) 732-9300

Our full calendar of events can also always be found at https://CentroMedSA.com/wellness

For more information, contact:

Kristen Hall Pudleiner, MPH

Wellness Coordinator at CentroMed

3800 Commercial Ave.

San Antonio, Texas 78221

Office: 210-334-3768

Mobile: 703-609-1205

Download the Flyer BELOW!

If you are a grandparent raising a grandchild, check out this new support group being formed!

Download the flyer below.

If you have questions, contact:

Christina Gonzalez, Intern

Christian Hope Resource Center

cgonzalez@sachrc.org

210-640-2902

Check out the information about scholarships available through the Alamo Colleges Foundation, resources to help your high school senior develop a strong application and information to help with the submission process.

https://www.alamo.edu/foundation/scholarships

The Tobin Center is providing another Sensory Friendly event, “Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly.”

Our Sensory Friendly events are free to non-profit organizations and Title I schools. We also provide scholarships to families upon request.

Check out the Details HERE.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Kimberly Stephenson

Director of Education

O: 210-223-3333 x7035

C: 210-790-0326

www.tobincenter.org

FIND OUT HOW TO…

• Resolve conflict and improve communication
• Improve your child’s behavior problems
• Deal with complicated emotions
• Learn about valuable community resources

Also receive:

• Light meal/ snacks provided
• Assistance with Basic Needs
• Incentives given at each class
• Graduation certificate and gift
• Case Management and Counseling services available

Eligibility:

• Have a child 6-17 years of age
• Reside in Bexar County

For more information, contact:

Danielle Young MSW Star Family Specialist

BCFS Health and Human Services-San Antonio

4346 NW Loop 410 | San Antonio, Texas 78229

office (210) 283-5183 | fax 210-233-5840

direct (210-283-5185)

website www.DiscoverBCFS.net

Download the Flyer Below!

An hour at the gym? Fewer snacks? Less time on Facebook?!? How about a New Year’s resolution you can actually get excited about—like having fun with your kids every day?

A resolution like this will not only have you enjoying getting into your kids’ worlds, but it will also help you improve their behavior (it’s true!) and develop a closer relationship. And all it takes is 10 minutes a day with each child.

Here’s the idea: kids are hard-wired to need attention from us every day. If they don’t receive a sufficient dose of our attention in positive ways, they’ll resort to negative behavior—whining, power struggles, interrupting, etc.—to get it. With this New Year’s Resolution, however, you’ll be meeting their needs for attention during your 10 minutes with each child and reaping the benefits all day, every day.

Sound as impossible as a daily 5 a.m. run? Read on for how to make it work, and why it’s not that hard.

Read Ten Minutes Per Child, Per Day

If you’re struggling to get the kids back on track with their behavior and responsibilities in the New Year, you’re not the only one. We all enjoyed a holiday season of broken rules, schedules, chaos and indulgence — and we wouldn’t change a thing. But now, just weeks into the New Year, it feels like we already need a complete overhaul. Don't give up; consider a 2015 parenting reboot.

These five strategies can get your family back on track.

As children become more active online, parents and caregivers must teach them about internet safety. That’s why the National Child Traumatic Stress Network created “Staying Safe While Staying Connected: Tips for Caregivers,” a fact sheet to help parents and caregivers address online safety. The fact sheet includes information about bullying, privacy and identity protection.

Download a PDF of the fact sheet.

"Here are some tips to help teach your child that “stranger” doesn’t always mean danger, but that self-protection always comes first."

Read the tips HERE.

Email: kimberly.baumgardner@esc20.net
Website: www.esc20.net/parentresources
Location: 1314 Hines, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210-370-5431
Facebook: facebook.com/escregion20
Twitter: @ESCRegion20