Merry Christmas from Coachella Valley Adult School 

The school will be closed from December 22-January 5th, 2018 

 We have two weeks off and on behalf of all of CVAS, we wish you all the best during this warm cheerful season.  As we prepare for our two week Winter break, the counseling department wanted to share some tips for maximizing the holiday cheer.  

1.  Expenses: Our children are not in school and will be home 24 hours a day.  This means lots of eating around the clock!  This can become a challenging and expensive time.  Since our children will be home, take the time to sit down casually, to come up with a menu and an eating schedule.  Begin this task with a casual conversation along the lines of: “I have (insert your budget here $), and I want to make sure we can make it to the next pay check. Can you (insert your child’s name here), help me?”  Ask your children if they can give you ideas of foods they would be willing to eat within your budget.  Set up a schedule of eating times and the foods that can be consumed at that time.  This approach helps increase communication and may help you save considering how expensive this month can get.  If you plan it right, this might mean eating every 3 hours in a more organized, controlled and healthy way. Be kind to your sugar levels.  

Encourage drinking plenty of water as it helps your stomach keep full and it will deter eating out of boredom.   

1.  How to stop eating when bored:   

• Drink a glass of water.  Dehydration and thirst can easily be mistaken for hunger.  
• Plate the food.  When it comes to eating out of boredom, the mind may be running aimlessly.  
• Take a walk.  Instead of taking in unwanted calories, burn some off!  
• Read your favorite book.  

• Chew on gum.   

It is easy to fall into snacking mode or over eating during this time of year.  Be kind to your sugar levels. This is great advice for setting up those New Year’s resolutions as well.  

1. Family Quality Time: Always monitor what your children are watching on electronics.  It is not recommended to have electronics in the rooms where our children are out of adult supervision.  Limit tablet/phone/computer use to no more than 2 hours a day.  Keep your children busy so that before you know it, it is bed time and they are exhausted.  Make a big deal about things they do that make you happy. “Watch Ya Mouth” is a hilarious board game that can be played by several to ensure a good laugh. 

1. Give your children chores and tell them you need them done at a certain time.  Be sure to explain why they need to get done and what that means to you.  Use “I” messages with your children instead of yelling at them.  Example: “I feel (insert emotion), when you (insert an action or a behavior), because (fill in the blank)”. A more detailed example: “I feel happy when you help me with laundry because it makes my back hurt a little less and that makes me feel loved and helped by you”.   

From all of us at Coachella Valley Adult School we wish you Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!