Things are changing here at Shared Ventures and as a result our April newsletter did not make it out. SORRY!

We are calling the May newsletter our “transitional newsletter.” It’s a little bit like adding an addition to your house. Just when you think you’ve got it right, someone comes up with a great idea and you are back to the drawing board. I can’t give you any more details, but I can say in June, both the newsletter and the website will have a fresh, cohesive new look. Thank you for all of your support. We appreciate you all.

Please read our recent announcements (First Parenting On Track One-Day Workshop and New Parenting On Track Web Site…,) articles (Mommy Guilt? Say What?) and updates (Sibling Rivalry) below.

Be well,

Vicki

Read More . . .

Share This

By Meghan Olsen
Staff Writer and Mother of 2

When that first cold wind blew in November, and the first snowflakes hit the ground soon thereafter, what were you thinking about? For many, including myself, some of those thoughts were consumed with dread. Dread for all of the runny noses, stomach bugs, and earaches that being indoors seems to breed in small children. Dread for the countless times I will help stuff a leg into snowpants, a foot into a boot, or a hand into a mitten (not an easy thing to do with a toddler!).

Well, it is March and we are now nearing the end of this earache and mitten season, and I thought it might be helpful to think back on the last few months and find some of the good moments to get me through what still remains. Even as I write this I have two sick kids in bed – one with the ear, the other with the stomach – and I find that all of the runny noses and mitten struggles sort of blend together and are already becoming a bit fuzzy.

Read More . . .

Share This

As you may know by now, subscribing to our newsletter definitely has its benefits! One of those benefits is our free Tele Class series, which we started offering just this year. In January, Amy Lew spoke with parents about how to make the most of their family meetings, and in February, Porter Knight got over one hundred listeners charged up and inspired to get ORGANIZED!

Our next FREE Tele Class on March 24 features Certified Financial Planner Christine Moriarty, and you definitely don’t want to miss it!

Whenever I first talk to parents about teaching children as young as 3 about money management, I hear sighs of exasperation and see much eye-rolling as I look out into the audience. However, Christine and I both agree that this is an important topic that deserves a robust conversation. We’ve spoken often about money management and young children, as well as the changing face of finances in today’s families. By joining us for this free Tele Class, you can hear straight from Christine herself her thoughts on money management for today’s family.

So what have you been waiting for? If you haven’t yet subscribed to our newsletter, take this opportunity and sign up below.

Share This

Register now for the Parenting On Track classes being held at the Middlebury Marbleworks sponsored by Turning Point. These classes are specifically designed for parents with children 10 to 16 years old. Space is limited so register below.

Don’t see a class in your area? Contact us to bring a 1 Day Parenting On Track Workshop to your town!

Share This

It’s Here
The One-Day Parenting On Track Workshops

Shared Ventures and the Parenting On Track program have experienced “hyper growth.” Our local classes are filled to capacity and our schedule is booked a year in advance.

This is reason for celebration —and it signals that it’s time for something new.

And just what is that something new? Our One-Day Parenting On Track workshops!

Our FIRST one-day workshops will be held in March

Saturday, March 8
Burlington, Vermont
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturday, March 22
Stowe, Vermont
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Click here for details on how YOU can participate in this dynamic workshop.

Share This

One of things I DETESTED when my kids were young was the constant wrestling . . . especially between the brothers. Oh, those boys . . . How they LOVED to wrestle!
My two wonderful sons were forever climbing on top of each other, throwing each other over coaches, around corners and on anything stationary. They would hop, run and jump their way through the house making noise that made me think I was at one of those professional wrestling events.

It made me crazy!!!

My Unsuccessful Attempts

I was forever putting myself between my young sons, pleading with them to STOP! I’d banish them to opposite chairs and tell them in no uncertain terms that “Neither one of them could MOVE without the other’s permission.” What was I thinking? How could I forget, that fighting or wrestling is the MOST cooperative activity on the planet? What came next should not have come as a surprise to me, but it did. Within minutes they would look at each other, let the other one off the hook and get right back to what they were doing before I so RUDELY interrupted them.

Read More . . .

Share This

Disturbing News

I recently read an article in Reader’s Digest, titled Field of Screams, in Michael Crowley’s That’s Outrageous! column. Read the article — which is about the angry and sometimes even violent behavior displayed by parents at their kids’ sporting events — and you’ll see what’s so outrageous! This article touched me in a personal and individual way, and I wonder if it will do the same to you.

Read More . . .

Share This

To sign up for Parenting On Track classes Sponsored by the Family Center of Washington County at Barre City Elementary School please complete the registration form below.

Don’t see a class in your area? Contact us to bring a 1 Day Parenting On Track Workshop to your town!

Share This

This past September Shared Ventures rolled out a new format for its “Parenting On Track” program – a series of 4 weekly live classes combined with 2 support tele-classes and a brand new workbook.

The live classes, each clocking in at 2 hours, focus on the development of respectful, cooperative relationships between parents and children, and include visual aids, handouts, and question and answer segments.

“But what if additional questions arise after the live classes are over?” . . .

That’s where the support tele-classes come in – they provide parents with a forum to ask the questions that will inevitably pop up once they start putting the concepts they’ve learned into practice. They’ll get the guidance they need to incorporate the techniques learned in the live classes into their families’ daily lives – all from the comfort of their own homes.

Read More . . .

Share This

Tips on Cooperation for 0- to 5-Year-Olds

Problem: You’re beginning to wonder if you’re the maid or the parent – from morning till night you’re either picking up or cleaning up after your children!

Goal: To quit your “job” and get your kids to cooperate with you and take care of themselves – after all, when they leave home at 18 they won’t be able to take you with them!

Read More . . .

Share This