API's Mission Statement

****************Our New Address is**************** www.fredericksburgapi.blogspot.com

"Our mission is to promote parenting practices that create strong, healthy emotional bonds between children and their parents. We believe these practices nurture and fulfill a child's need for trust, empathy, and affection, providing a lifelong foundation for healthy, enduring relationships."


Striving For Balance In Personal And Family Life

Helpful Tips for Getting Yourself the Nurturing You Need to Be Fully Present to Your Children:
Take a warm bath
Rock or swing
Get a massage, haircut, manicure, pedicure, etc.
Take time and give yourself permission to just enjoy holding your baby
Seek out people who support you in your parenting
Avoid people who complain a lot
Avoid complaining yourself
Get outdoors
Exercise
Dance with your baby
Enjoy nature
Sleep when your baby sleeps
Take your watch off permanently
Read a wonderful book
Listen to upbeat music
Limit TV watching
Prioritize housework
Forget housework
Set aside periods of time to do nothing to be fully present to yourself
Cook double when you're feeling strong and freeze one meal
Limit and coordinate errands
Don't answer the phone
Spend time with good friends
Treat yourself to an unusal gourmet food or some exotic fruit
Concentrate on the present moment
Take the "shoulds" and "have tos" out of your vocabulary
Meditate on the goodness of God in His creation