CrAzY Working Mom: school

Showing posts with label school. Show all posts

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Confessions of a First Time Homeschool Mom

As I write this post, we are 5 months into our homeschooling journey. I began teaching my pre-schooler, 2nd grader, and 5th grader from the comforts of our own home at the beginning of the second semester this year.

Tyler came to school a/k/a the kitchen table like this.

We began a new year and a new chapter in our lives in January of twenty-fourteen. I had struggled with the fact that I felt God was calling me to home school my children for quite some time. I didn't know if I could be with my children twenty four hours a day, seven days a week (and I still don't!!). I didn't want to lose that freedom I had during the day. I take care of the office side of my husband's plumbing business from home. With that comes responsibilities, but I can take time during the day when needed for pedicures, shopping, etc. I also had plenty of time to keep up with laundry, dishes, and housework. How in the world could I ever fit in teaching my kids...and the biggest excuse of them all...I'm not smart enough. The kids are home with me in the summers. We "home school" then...we just don't have books in our laps when we do. We take field trips to the zoo, movies, and visit the water park. We do community service, and attend camps. Life always goes on even when the kids aren't doing time in public school. So, why should it be any different from August to May?

I finally gave in to all of those preconceived notions this year and decided I'd give it a trial run for a semester. I ordered curriculum, made schedules, planned, and we were ready! The first week went by like clock work. The kids were excited about the change in their routine. Every day they got up without fuss, got dressed, brushed their teeth (yes, home schoolers still do all of that!!). It was an amazing time. Then slowly and surely, they wanted to sleep in later, forgot to brush their teeth and wanted to do school in their pajamas. I tried to be a stickler to rules, we needed to get school done in a timely manner. We have to complete so much work per week. We can't be failures. The world is watching...or at least my parents are!

When snack time and Science collide! Experiment time.

If I could go back five months, I'd tell my worried, stressed out self that "home school" is nothing more ~~structured~~ learning scattered throughout (most of the time). I would not be overwhelmed with trying to get a month ahead on "lesson plans". The truth is, I have found that the kids will do much more work when I just tell them to do however much they feel like they can get finished today instead of giving them "X" amount of pages to complete. I would toss the books aside on a pretty day or better yet, take them to the park and get a few pages in between the merry go round and teeter totter. Yes, we still set goals and strive to achieve them, but in the end it's not about "making the grade" or getting finished at a certain time. It's about learning things that they will take with them for a life time. It's about being realistic and letting the kids explore and seek out what they enjoy. I'm not saying that they shouldn't do math, grammar, reading, etc. But, sometimes they will do a lot more if you aren't shoving it down their throats. There will be days when you may not get much accomplished. The sunshine and cool breezes can trump school sometimes. There will be plenty of time to make up that missed day of work in the winter when it's minus ten and the ice is frozen solid, provided there's no snow, 'cause then we'd have to call a snow day. ;)

While I won't say that every day is bliss, I do not regret the decision to pull my children from public school and teach them at home. One of my home schooling girlfriends put it best when she said, sometimes your "pros" are also your "cons" when home schooling as far as being with your kids all of the time. We do have to have trips to grandma's house...or sometimes mom just has to get in the car and drive around the block when Dad gets home because she needs to clear her head and have some Jesus time. I get a little emotional when I think of all of the wonderful things I missed out on by sending my kids to someone else for 7 hours a day to get "educated". I know that I have really gotten to know my kiddos this last five months. We laugh and cry together, we play and learn together. We still do drama, baseball, softball, church, and community service. We still have sleep overs, birthday parties, and the likes. They still have friends, and while they do miss some of their public school acquaintances, I believe that they are some of the most socially interactive kids you'll meet.

School at the park on a sunny day.

With that being said, I cannot imagine ever sending my kids back to public school. Although circumstances could some day change and the need may arise where it is our only option. I pray that God will continue to allow me to do what he has designed me to do, and that is to raise God fearing, loving, caring, self-sufficient, well rounded, properly educated children.

Shelby reading from a tree.

Now, to brag a little bit...my pre-schooler is on her 4th book. She's learning to read and that is astounding to me!! My 2nd grader has some difficulties reading, but he's a whiz at math and I love to see his brain work around those numbers in ways that mine doesn't process. He doesn't like to read, but he does LOVE to be read to and his favorites subjects of course are math, history, and science. My 5th grader is my little book worm. She's constantly reading. We frequent the library and she will check out (and read) at least 3 books a week! All three of my kids, from the 5 year old to the 11 year old can recite (in order) all of the books of the Old and New testament in the Bible. They continue to amaze me at all they absorb and I pray that God will continue to lead me on this amazing journey as a home schooling mom of three.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

School's Out!

Today is the first official day that I am working from home with all three kids. So far it's great...they are still sleeping! I am going to try getting up with the boss (hubby) leaves to go to work. This should give me a few hours to get office work completed while they are asleep. Of course there will be times when I have to do office work after that time frame, but the majority of the necessary work can be completed during their sleep time. (fingers crossed)

Shelby ended the school year on the A-B Honor Roll for all 4 Nine weeks! I am very proud of her. She was promoted to 3rd Grade. Along with her class, she is also a published author now. In fact, after the awards ceremony last week, the parents were invited to an author's tea party where the children revealed their published books and were able to read their stories to us. Here are a few photos from the awards ceremony and author's tea:

2nd Grade Book of Fairy Tales

Shelby's story and artwork

Tyler ended the year with water day, and oh what fun he had! They rotated to 5 different stations and got to do all sorts of activities involving water. Thankfully the weather held out and it didn't rain on them. It also wasn't miserably hot like I remembered it being during Shelby's Kindergarten water day. Tyler's class began with a relay. It was boys versus girls as they put on rubber duckie floaties and ran around a cone and back. The boys dominated in this challenge. Next up was the bubble station. The boys tended to migrate to chasing the bubbles that the girls were making. The third station was popcicles and sidewalk chalk. This was our halfway point, so popcicles were very welcomed! The fourth station was sponge relay. The kiddos were to take a sponge full of water to a bucket, but they had to hold the sponge of water over their heads and squeeze it in the bucket. The team with the most water in their bucket at the end was the winner. This was Tyler's favorite and where I got some great shots of him running, like the "hulk face" shot you see below. The final station was a wading pool filled with water. The kids were to step in and grab out various sea life sponges with their toes. Unfortunately by the time we got to this station many other dirty toes had been in it so the water was gross and there wasn't much water left. This didn't seem to bother the kids in the least, however! They still enjoyed and had a wonderful day over all. Here are a couple of photos from Kindergarten water day:

Chasing Bubbles

Tyler's Running "Hulk Face"

Don't forget to enter our $25 Wal-Mart gift card giveaway (one post below) by leaving us some great summer fun activity ideas!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Being a Parent is NOT for the Weak!

Being a parent is one of the most rewarding positions I have ever filled. I get "paid" with hugs, kisses, and lots of love and smiles. As a mom of three, I am constantly on the go. My children are 8, 5, and 2. As the school year winds down, my husband and I were faced with one of the most difficult decisions we've had as a parent thus far.

Let me back up a bit and tell you that Tyler started Kindergarten only 9 days after his 5th birthday. He cried the first three weeks of school EVERY day. The first day of school he cried over an hour in class. It was a difficult transition for him even though he had gone to daycare/preschool most of his life!! At the beginning of the year he began to have troubles in class. He has a hard time focusing. Instead of doing his work, he's daydreaming about recess and P.E. Halfway through the school year, his teacher told me that she could tell he was working hard and we were studying hard at home. She said that unless something drastic happened between Christmas break and the end of the year, she thought he would be okay to move on to 1st grade, although Summer school was a good idea to keep him on track. I was elated to know that he was doing so well because to be quite honest, I had gone into the year with the realization that more than likely he would be repeating Kindergarten.

Now, we're back to present day. Last week, on my Tuesday volunteer day the teacher asked me to go over sight words with the kids each individually. I was happy to do so. When it came to my son, unfortunately he was below basic on his recognition of the sight words that we'd worked so hard on earlier in the year. I was immediately concerned. By the end of the day his teacher had contacted me not only about the sight words, but about his reading scores for the end of the year as well. He had only moved up one reading level (which is where he should have been around Christmas break). We immediately scheduled a conference with her.

Brien and I met with the teacher the very next day during the children's activity period. I tried to hold it in, but I could do nothing but cry as we tried to decide his fate. I could only think of all of his friends moving on to 1st grade and him having to start all over again next year if we hold him back. I left the school, got in my car and cried...I cried to myself and I cried out to God to give us the answers we need on whether or not we should hold him back. The teacher left the decision up to us, saying her gut told her to hold him back because of his age.

Over the next few days, Brien and I talked to each other, we talked to Tyler and we sought the advice of friends and family who know Tyler well. I am so thankful for my preacher's wife who is also an educator. I took her Tyler's writing samples, sight word recognition, and reading scores. She shed a lot of light on things for both my husband and myself. She said that if it were her son she would definitely retain him this year. She made very valid points about his age and maturity level. If we were to send him on to 1st grade, he would be starting out behind! We already struggle with trying to study and keep up. 1st grade is more work, harder work, and more responsibility so we're basically starting out behind the 8 ball so to speak.

After talking with her, Brien and I came home and talked to Tyler and he seemed to be excited about NOT going to summer school and repeating Kindergarten. We did explain to him that his friends would move on to 1st grade but that he would be able to make new friends...and that the friends that he plays baseball with would probably be starting Kindergarten next year and that he might have some of those friends in his class! He was very excited about that fact.

It was a hard decision...probably one of the most difficult ones I've had to make concerning my little Tyler thus far. I know they will only get more difficult! But, the reason I post it here is just in case someone else might be going through the same thing. Just know that you are not alone. I know it is tough to know that this one decision you make will have a direct effect on his entire academic life! We were in constant prayer and sought lots of advice from friends and families. It was not a decision that we entered into lightly. We are happy with our decision and feel like it will be the best decision for him. Only time will tell.

Friday, March 04, 2011

Who Said Being a Mom Was Gonna Be Easy?!

The older my children get, the more I realize how different each of them are. The oldest is 8 years old and she is so creative and crafty. She is a very imaginative thinker. She is stylish and fun and such a great little singer. She is a whiz in school, in fact she loves school. She used to be very shy and timid, but has really come out of her shell in the last couple of years and has some really great friends. Learning comes easy to her, with a few exceptions. She has always done very well in school and never really had to study because for the most part doing the work in class was enough to get her by.

The middle child, our only son was just barely five when he started Kindergarten this year. He was very reluctant to go even though he went to daycare/pre-school for 3 years before he started school! He cried for over an hour on the first day of school. I had to walk him to class every day for the first semester. The only things he really likes about school are P.E., lunch, and recess! He used to ask me every day what activity he had and on the days when I told him he had library he would cry and say he didn't want to go to school until it was P.E. day. He is such a boy. He loves to play rough (fight), run, etc. He has a very hard time sitting still. He thrives on structure. He is energetic, fun, and so very loving. He is a true "cowboy" at heart. He loves the outdoors and his favorite past time is horseback riding.

Our youngest, who is two and a half is care free. Literally she has not a care in the world about anything. Well, with the exception of her "blankie" and "cuppie". We broke her from the bottle and sippie cup before she turned one and she turned to a sippie cup to drink her milk. She has since turned it into a paci and using it as a soothing tool instead of a drink mechanism. I know this is not good and I realize I need to break her from it. But, this is so easy on paper (or in this case on screen) but I just haven't psyched myself up enough to actually follow through just yet. She is very articulate and expressive. She speaks like an adult. In fact, one of the teachers at her daycare informed me that they think she's a grown up in a kid's body! She will put you in your place very quickly and nothing slips by her. One of her favorite things to say is, "Do you hear me?"!! She potty trained very quickly and easily. She is loves all things Dora and Minnie-Mouse and her favorite food is cheese dip. She prefers, however to eat it with a spoon and not on a chip.

My point in this post is that they are all different. We cannot discipline them all the same because their needs are differently. We cannot compare them academically, socially, or emotionally because they are so different. This is something that I struggle with, especially with the older two who are attending the same Elementary school. They are not on the same level academically and they most likely never will be. The oldest started school later because her birthday falls in November. The middle child was only a few days shy of the cut off for Kindergarten so it seemed like we just cut the cord and sent him to school. With every decision I've made with him this year, I wonder is it the right one. Sometimes I look for that instruction manual that will tell me each step I need to make but, it has yet to be found. It's probably under that big pile of laundry!

Needless to say, the middle child's first year of school has been vastly different than the oldest. Enjoyable at times, but at others (like today) at the end of the day I am just left with a sigh wondering if we've made the right decisions as parents. Only time will tell...

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Teachers Make Cheap Babysitters!

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan. That equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30?
So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....

That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day.
30 students = $9.25. 6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!)

WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Tyler's First Spelling Test

My kindergarten son had his very first spelling test today. He worked hard last week to learn the words. Tyler and working hard aren't words that flow together freely. It takes LOTS of effort to get that boy motivated! He would much rather be playing outside riding his bicycle or inside his room with his matchbox cars and monster trucks than doing homework.

In fact, we've been doing sight words for a couple of weeks now. He has to recognize the colors and numbers (zero to ten). I understand sometimes it takes kids a bit longer to catch on. Tyler struggles with the color black. For most kids this wouldn't be a problem, but for Tyler since it is his last name, I feel like it's something he should already know!!! So, I've been really drilling him on this one...and he STILL struggles with it.

Last night when we had our practice test, he made a 100. This was with no help from me. So, I said a prayer for him today that he'd pull through and not cave under pressure. This is what he brought home:

Yes, he made a 100 on his very first spelling test. I am so proud of him. He is a smart boy, we just struggle to keep him interested in his school work. His favorite part of school is lunch, recess, and PE. In fact, I quit telling him when he had library because it put him in a bad mood before he even went to school!

I am so grateful that he has a wonderful teacher. I don't know how she does it, but she does and she does it well! Thanks, Ms Amy for all you do to keep Tyler on track.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

How would you like to sit on a turd!?

Disclaimer: If you find this post offensive, then you probably don't have kids, a sense of humor, or maybe neither.

Emily was told by her teacher at school to sit down to which she promptly replied, "No!"

The teacher, more sternly this time I'm sure told her once again to sit down to which she responded, "I can't, I've got a turd."

The teacher told Emily, "We don't say that".

Emily's response..."Well, I do!!!!!"

Yes, I'm certain it's my fault that Emily refused to sit on her turd. You see, she used to do really well about telling us when she needed to potty, now she sort of runs and hides. She will not tell the truth if you ask her if she's stinky. I will ask her and she will usually say no, only I know she's lying because the smell is causing my eyes to water and the paint on the walls to curl!

When I change her diaper, I have been known to inform her if she has "goat turds" in her diaper. So, dear teacher...it is her mother who taught her such improper behavior. From now on I will teach her the proper way to tell you she has a stinky diaper: "Excuse me, ma'am would you mind removing this rather stinky diaper from my bottom?" Better yet, I'll work on getting this chick potty trained so we don't have to bother with it anymore! We are going to work on this during Christmas break. Wish us luck...and continue to pray for the sanity of her teacher.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Kindergarten Day 2

Drop off this morning wasn't much better than it was yesterday. In fact, I will go out on a limb and say it was a bit worse. Yesterday he didn't start crying until he got in the classroom. This morning, he started crying as soon as we got in line to go inside. He tried bargaining with me. He wanted me to come pick him up early and he'd stop crying. I assured him that I would be there waiting on him when he got out of class but I was not going to pick him up early. He then asked me if I would go in his class and stand by the door. If I would do that he'd stop crying. I knew that bargaining with him would only make matters worse and he'd end up doing this every day. So, I stood firm that he was going to be okay there and his teacher would take care of him and he'd have fun but I could not stay. I did not go in the classroom today because I knew that was only prolonging the inevitable by doing so. He was crying and he would not stop as long as I was there. So, when the teacher took his hand from mine, I turned and walked away leaving a sobbing little boy. Inside I was falling apart but on the outside I was as cold as ice. I could not let him see me upset. I think that is what made things harder for him yesterday. I had broken down when I dropped Emily off at the daycare and he went in to say goodbye to his (former) teachers. But today he would not see me cry. He'd only see me walk away with a promise that I would be there waiting on him this afternoon when he gets out.

This is a picture his teacher sent me via text message telling me that he was fine (and smiling) about 8:30 so he didn't cry as long as he did yesterday (until 9).

He didn't speak much about his day yesterday only that nap time was okay because it wasn't very long. They didn't nap as long there as they did at daycare so he was okay with it. He made some friends on the playground and had a great time!

Shelby LOVES her 2nd grade teacher. She went on and on about how much they had in common. They both like to sing, dance, and read! She loves the classroom which is set up like a circus. There's even a tent that you can go into to read. I am really excited about this year and I think that Shelby's enthusiasm will show in her grades! I can't wait to see how much fun she has in class throughout the year.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

First Day of School

Today was the day I've been waiting on all summer long! Today was the first day of school. It was bitter sweet for me. Shelby started 2nd grade this morning. We really like her teacher. She is a young teacher, full of energy and new ideas. She is very well organized (which I LOVE!). Shelby said, "She seems really nice. Not the kind of nice that is just nice when the parents are there, but really nice...even to the kids."
We were lucky enough for Tyler to get a teacher that we know and she's a great person so we were all very excited about that. She is also young and enthusiastic and have high hopes that she will be a great fit for Tyler.

This morning, Shelby woke up with excitement and ready to see her old friends and very thrilled that she is in the same class room as her cousin (my sister's daughter) Katie! She was up and dressed in no time flat. We had her back pack full of all of that first day of school paperwork that you have to fill out. She had a drink and snack and was ready for the day!

Tyler, on the other hand was not as enthusiastic about starting Kindergarten. He got up, but not as thrilled as his 2nd grade sister. He knows no one in his class. Sure, there are kids in the school that he knows from daycare but as far as in his classroom, there is not one familiar face. Photobucket

Since there are two different driveways, naturally my children have to wait in separate places. They line up according to which side of the building their classroom is located. We parked in the big driveway where Tyler will wait on the sidewalk out front for the morning bell. We walked Shelby through the school to her driveway. Since she's an old pro at this, we left her in good hands waiting with my sister and her daughter since they are in the same class. She was very excited and not a bit nervous!

Tyler was nervous and you could see the fear in his eyes. The poor guy was terrified. As he waited in line and all of the parents surrounded their children snapping photos, Tyler stood in the sea of Kindergartners with a lost puppy dog look on his face. As the line began to move and the kids headed to the classroom, Tyler looked back at us one last time and then headed that way. He wasn't crying and seemed okay, so I turned and walked away. I was teary eyed and afraid that if he saw me crying that he would get upset. Brien asked if we were going to go in and I told him I didn't think it was a good idea.

So, we headed out and I was of course an emotional wreck. Yes, all summer I have prayed to get those kids in school and find some peace and sanity, but as I left my baby boy in Kindergarten all I really wanted to do was go in and grab him up and hug him, take him home and tell him that he can't grow anymore!!!

As I got ready to leave, my sister called me to tell me that she got Katie and Shelby in class okay and that they were doing fine when she left. She poked her head in to check on Tyler on her way out and that he was crying. She assumed that we knew he was upset and that I was upset as well. I had no idea he was upset. When we left, he was fine. Of course the mothering instinct kicked in and I wanted to go comfort him. I got out and started walking in and half way through I stopped and thought to myself that it could be a bad idea to go in there...

What's a mom to do?! Do I go in and risk the possibility of him getting REALLY upset when he sees me and wants to go with him or do I just leave and let him cry thinking his mother has abandoned him? Well, of course I couldn't just leave. When I approached the classroom I felt my knees get weak and I just told myself to be strong and not get upset with him! When I saw his little face and how upset it was, it broke my heart! He was red faced and gasping for air because he was crying so hard he could not catch his breath. I went in the class and walked over to him and immediately he latched on to me and held on for dear life pleading with me to take him home and let him miss "just one day of school". I tried reasoning with him that he had to stay at school. It's not like daycare where you can go when you want. He was so upset by this time that there was no reasoning with him.

His teacher was so gracious, she went on about classroom procedures telling the children to empty their back packs and lay the papers on their desk and such. Tyler was the only child crying so she was trying not to make a spectacle out of him. In the same token, there was a man in there with a camera. I'm assuming that he's from the local paper. He kept snapping photos of me comforting Tyler and I wanted to go shove that camera where the sun don't shine. But, I kept my class about me. Can't you see the headlines? CrAzY Working Mom sends photographer with his most prized possession lodged in...well you get the picture! Can't have that on my resume. So, anyhow he pleaded with me for a little bit but obviously we were getting nowhere fast and he was only getting more upset.

He spotted his daddy waiting by the door and I assume that he realized that he was not going to melt my cold as ice heart into letting him leave, so he wanted to work on his dad. He asked me if his daddy could come give him a hug before we left. I told him if he would make me a promise that he would stop crying he could. He straightened his back, loosened his grip of me and wiped his eyes. I thought to myself that I might have gotten through to him and he was going to be okay.

WRONG! When his daddy got over there he started the same song and dance with him. Finally, we told him goodbye and just left him to cry. The poor little guy was so upset. Of course, I was right there with him once I got out of the classroom, hating to leave him so frazzled. Fortunately he has a great teacher, and she gave me her phone number and told me to text her after while and she'd report back.

I am happy to say that she texted me and told me that he was doing fine. Of course I knew he would, but it was the initial leaving him that was so hard knowing how scared he was!

I am anxious to find out how their day has gone. Mine has been okay. I've had lots of traffic in and out of the office, so not much peace and quiet as I had hoped for, but none the less I'm managing.

What kind of back to school horror stories do you have?! Do you have a "Tyler-like" story? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear them.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Pre-School Graduation for Tyler

On Thursday, my little man graduated from Pre-School. He asked me afterward if he gets to go to Kindergarten tomorrow! He is super excited about starting Kindergarten and going to school with Shelby. Of course I cried during graduation. They had a beautiful slide show presentation with some moving songs playing in the background, Trace Adkin's "You're Gonna Miss This" and LeeAnn Womack's "I Hope You Dance" to name a couple.

Tyler had a great day and I hope that he knows how proud we are of him for all of his accomplishments. It seems like only yesterday I was dropping him off for his first day and so nervous for my baby boy! Time flies by...I know it sounds so cliche but it really does. Before we know it he'll be dating, driving, and graduating High School!!! I love you little buddy, all the way to the top of the moon and back! Mwah! ♥

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Tyler's Happy Mother's Day

My 4 year old son, Tyler is in pre-school. Every year they do a mad-lib style mother's day sheet with the kids. It's always so fun to see what answers the kids come up with! When Shelby was in pre-school (in 2007) she had THIS to say about me. Tyler's answers not only made me laugh, but the teachers got a kick out of this one as well.

Happy Mother's Day:

My Mom is 40 years old. (For the record, I'm only 32.)

She has black hair and green, blue, and white eyes. (ummm...brown hair, and my eyes are hazel, so I guess he's partially right.)

My Mom loves to relax by sitting in the chair to drink . (sweet tea of course.)

Her favorite chore is cleaning the house . (I think this is a trick question. Is there a such thing as a "favorite chore"!?)

She loves to cook chicken legs and rice . (We do eat a lot of chicken 'round here.)

Her favorite TV show is American Idol . (I like AI, but it's not my favorite...not this year anyhow!)

When my Mom shops she loves to buy Rice . (Yes, I do like rice!)

If she could go on a trip she would to go Harps or Sonic , and she would take a drink and purse with her. (See a theme here?! Drinks and rice!)

Mommy always tells me to go to my bedroom . (The kid's not lying!)

I love it when she lets me play outside . (He just cracks me up. Not I love it when my mommy hugs me, or when she kisses me, when she lets me play outside! Gotta love his honesty!)

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!!!

Monday, March 01, 2010

How Do I Do It - A Day in the Life (Part One)

How do you do it? I've been asked this question many times. How do you keep up with the responsibilities of raising three kids, co-owning a business, and everything associated with it? The answer is preparation and planning ahead! This is my motto. I live for planning ahead. Most of my day is spent figuring out my next move. In the evenings I spend lots of time preparing for the next day from choosing outfits for the children and laying them out to preparing lunches. A day in the life of a CrAzY Working Mom is indeed crazy and busy! There are a few things that I have found to make my mornings and evenings go much smoother.

Rise & Shine: Getting up first allows me to have time to wake up before catering to someone else's needs as well as get dressed, hair and make up done before having to do it with children at my feet. I wake up at 5 AM. Although I do not have to leave the house to begin the transporting of the children to their various destinations until after 7, I have lots of work to do before we can get out the door. Thank goodness we invested in an auto-brew coffee pot a few months back. My coffee is brewed and greets me with a sensational good morning as I stumble out of bed each morning. This prep-work is done at night as I clean the kitchen after dinner.

Lunches: Making things ahead can be very helpful for saving time in the mornings. I have to make lunches for both hubby and oldest child. I usually prepare what I can of their lunches the night before. This includes getting their thermos filled with sweet tea and having it in the refrigerator so that all I have to do is put it in the lunch box and go. I also put snacks and chips (non-perishables) in the boxes. This just leaves me to make the sandwiches (which could become soggy if you make ahead) and add in the ice packs in the morning. This could shave up to 5 minutes off my morning. When you're getting three kids and yourself ready, five minutes could make or break you!

Getting Dressed: Choosing your clothes and accessories the night before will save you valuable time getting dressed and avoid melt downs!! In the evenings, usually after baths Shelby and I (or her father) will choose her outfit for the next day. We have found this to be more productive. It gives her time to look through and choose what she wants to wear and we're not pressured for time. If she wants to wear something new and different, she has time to try it on. We gather everything from shoes and socks to accessories so that it is all in one place. That way when they begin to get dressed the process is not delayed while looking for something! With the younger children, I also lay their clothes out, but they are not picky (yet) as to what I choose for them.

Breakfast: The snack sized ziploc bags are perfect for dry breakfast cereals, cheese crackers, or fruit and nut combos to make your own trail mix. Make up a few of those and keep them in a designated "snack drawer" along with pre-packaged muffins, etc. so the children can choose their on-the-go breakfast before heading out the door. Usually we do breakfast on the go. My children like to drink milk when they wake up. Emily drinks white, Shelby drinks strawberry, and Tyler likes chocolate. I buy the syrup and add it to the white milk. I usually prepare this the night before and have it in the fridge so it's easily accessed when they wake up in the mornings. They are cranky if they don't have their morning milk. Most of the time the milk will fill them up so they will eat something like a bagel, muffin or dry cereal on the way to school. The little ones are offered breakfast at the daycare and most of the time will eat there if they are hungry. Shelby takes after her father and just doesn't really eat breakfast. She saves it in the van to eat as a snack on the way home.

Off We Go: Keeping the things that you need by the front door makes things easier. Backpacks can hang on coat racks. Make sure each family member hangs their things on the same hook each time to keep from getting things mixed up. Put gloves, hats, scarves in jacket pockets if possible. This time of the year is tough when we have coats, hats, gloves, scarves, backpacks, lunchboxes, etc. I usually have to make a couple of trips to the van to get things out there (and start it to warm) before we actually all head out the door. By the time I fill my hands up with all of the "stuff" required for the day there's no room to help little Emily down the stairs from the house. If we're running on time, we take the little ones first because their daycare is before Shelby's school. We drop them off and take Shelby to her destination - 1st grade. If we're running behind we take her first. She has a tardy bell to beat, but the little ones have a 10 o'clock cut off time so we don't have to worry so much about them.

Of course while I am at working doing everything from auto insurance quotes to payroll, it's more like a quiet time for me away from my children! My job can be stressful at times, but for the most part hubby and I work very well together and things usually go very smoothly.

That is only a small part of a day in the life of CrAzY Working Mom. I'll touch on our evenings in future post. I hope that you all have a great Monday! I have some exciting PR news coming later on this week and a great give away that you are all going to want to come back for tomorrow!!!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

I received this beautiful arrangement of roses yesterday at the office. It was totally unexpected. I love my husband, but normally he's not much of a planner. He's usually right in the middle of the sea of men shopping the day before or the day of Valentine's Day. This year, he thought a head at least a few days! Since he knows I am on a diet, he didn't do the chocolate covered strawberries that I normally get. For that, I am thankful because I have NO self control when it comes to eating those things. But, I tell ya this time of year, a person could seriously consider switching careers into the flower business! The guy that brought my flower arrangement yesterday had a tough time finding mine in a van of roses! I also got a mani-pedi. How do I know this already, you ask?! Well, my brilliant husband bought it with his business debit card. I do all of our banking online, so yesterday when I was doing the daily report, my favorite nail place showed up in the bank register, so I knew what he was up to! So, a lesson to all of you men out there...USE CASH to buy gifts for your girls! I still haven't used my massage he got me for Christmas, so I think maybe very soon I'll combine those gift certificates and have a "ME" day!

Shelby celebrated Valentine's Day with her class at school yesterday. She had a great time. She came home with lots of awesome cards in her home-made box. I think she went into sugar shock on the way home due to the brownies, cookies, juice, and candy she consumed at the party and in the van. I thought back to my days in Elementary School. I loved the class parties, but V-day was always my favorite. I loved getting the cards. The candy was great too, along with the games but my absolute favorite was the card exchange.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone from our house to yours.

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Ruby Tuesday - Valentine's Day Boxes

The kids had to make boxes to put their Valentine's Day goodies in from school.

Shelby went with a red paper with hearts and decorated with stickers.

Tyler chose a blue box and decorated with Spiderman.

I wrapped the boxes for them and placed the letters for their names, but other than that they decorated them all by themselves. I think that they did a very good job. We're all ready for Valentine's Day parties now with the exception of filling out cards for their classmates.

For more Ruby Tuesday photos, click the badge below to visit Mary, The Teach.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

"Flirting" in First Grade!

It's so hard to accept that my little girl is growing up. Yesterday, I was given a stern reminder that she is doing just that. The drive between her school and the daycare, given school traffic can sometimes be 10-15 minutes. She and I usually have conversation about her day. I can usually tell how the conversation will go when I pick her up. If she's smiling when she walks out the door and reaches for my hand, we'll have good conversation. If she's frowning and has her hands full with her things while hardly passing me a glance as we walk to the van, I usually know to keep the conversation to a minimum. Yesterday, she was cheerful so I asked her how her day went. She informed me that her friend was "kinda mean" to her. I asked her what that meant and she said that her friend didn't want to play with her. She and some other girls were too busy running around "flirting" with boys.

Upon this word, my heart must have skipped a beat. Did time fast forward ten years? Am I speaking to my teenage daughter or is this still my first grade, 7 year old daughter? I sputtered a bit and asked her what "flirting" meant.

Flirting: You know, chasing the boys around!

Ohhh, so if you chase a boy you are flirting with him? Okay, that's not so bad, I guess. But, still...

She informed me that she didn't care about chasing boys. She just wants to
"play". Ya know, swing, climb the monkey bars, slide, etc. YES!!! This was music to my ears!!! She didn't want to "flirt" with boys, she wanted to SWING! I was inclined to ask if she wanted me to come to the playground at recess and ~~shoo away those boys~~ swing with her, but I held my tongue in fear that she might take me up on the offer right now.

So, right now...January, twenty-ten my 7 year old daughter would rather "play" than "flirt" with boys. I am okay with that. In due time I know this will change. I will have to accept that fact. In the mean time I am perfectly content in her letting her friends do all of the "flirting" with boys! ;) I can go on searching for plasma mounts. Well, maybe I need to find a plasma television first, right?!

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Rules - They Were Made to be Broken, Right???

Yesterday I had lunch with my 1st grade daughter. I used to have lunch with her a lot since I volunteer at the school on Tuesday mornings helping out the teacher with various things such as making copies, stapling books, etc. Usually when I bring lunch for her, I will also bring lunch for my niece who is also in 1st grade. I always have permission from my sister to bring her lunch as we usually plan it a day or two in advance so she doesn't bring lunch on that day or plan to eat the lunchroom food.

We received a memo from the principal addressing some issues that they were having with parents coming to the school and eating with their children. New rules were implemented and yesterday was the first day I had been since the induction of said rules. You are not allowed to bring food for any child other than your own child. They must sit with their class, not at the back tables which are used for children who are misbehaving, if need be. You must sit with them and their class. This is to prevent "hurt feelings".

After having lunch with my daughter yesterday and following the new guidelines, I have many issues with the new policy. First of all, I brought Sonic for she and I to eat. I had a drink carrier, a sack, and a box. I had to try to keep all of these items contained in a tiny spot because there were children all around us. Secondly, the little boy beside me did not sit still. He elbowed me, fell on me twice as he could not sit down and be still, and multiple times, leaned against me. The girl across from me was obviously not feeling well as she coughed several times, right into the air with no effort in covering mouth.

My thoughts on the matter are, if children are getting their feelings hurt because I am pulling my daughter to a separate table to have lunch with her, how do they feel when they see me having lunch with her sitting right across from them?! If they are getting their feelings hurt when they see me bringing lunch to my niece, how do they feel when they see us at McDonald's and they are not invited to sit with us?! Kids have to learn at some point that they might not get invited to a birthday party when all of their friends do, they might not get to play with friends at recess because on that day the friends don't want to play with them. As parents, it is our job to teach our children these things.

Not every parent can go have lunch with their child. I don't recall my parents ever having lunch with me. In fact, my parents rarely ever visited the school. I turned out fine. My feelings were probably hurt multiple times every day in school. That is life. Children are going to be hurt and upset. We have to teach them how to deal with this hurt and anger so that they can become civilized members of society. I don't know how many other parents have issues with this new rule, but I saw four different parents with their children at the back tables and one even had two children that were not hers eating with them. Either they didn't get the memo or just chose to not follow the rules.

If we have to follow these guidelines, it would most likely deter me from eating lunch with my daughter, as it was not an enjoyable experience for me. I am thinking that I should speak with the principle and let him know my concerns on the matter...or just not follow the rules next time I go to school. But, then what is that teaching my daughter? It's an odd situation to be in, really. I have never been one to "make waves", so to speak. I try to follow the rules. What would YOU do in this situation? I look forward to reading your comments.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Fire Safety Week Means Field Trip

Shelby was lucky enough to get to visit the local fire station with her fellow 1st graders on Thursday. It is always a neat experience for the kids. They get to see the fire trucks, including all of the gear inside and meet firemen who dress out in their gear in front of the kids so that the children can understand that underneath all of that equipment is the nice firemen that they met at the station. More often than not children will hidefire safety in our home in closets or under beds because they are scared of the firemen who are hidden under oxygen masks and fire proof equipment. The children also get to spray the fire hoses, tour the fire hose, and most importantly visit the "smoke house". This specially designed house is two stories. It fills with smoke and when the smoke alarm goes off, the children practice climbing out a window and down a flight of stairs, simulating an escape from an apartment followed by crawling down a long hallway simulating an escape from inside a house. We have talked to our children about fire safety in our home. We have devised an escape route for the children and discussed where we will meet up should a fire occur in our home. I strongly urge you to do the same thing with your children. If you don't have children, or they are grown talk it over with your significant other and make sure that you both know where you would meet should a fire break out in your home. Whether you are an orange nj dentist or White County country folk like us, be sure to check the smoke alarms in your house and plan an escape route. It just might save a life!

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Can Someone Pass the Parenting Instruction Manual, Please?!

Emily made it through her second day ~~away from Mommy~~ in daycare. I got a good report from her teachers saying that she did really well today. Tyler reported that he did not "hear her screaming" in his classroom, so I'm sure that this is a good sign!

This is day 5 with no paci or bottle. We're still in it to win it. We had a bit of a set back this morning when Tyler tried to give her one he found. She was crying and he knew that would calm her, so as he was about to put it in her mouth, Shelby caught him and took it away from him. Of course Emily was NOT a happy camper at this point, but there was nothing else that we could do but put it up and let her tantrum pass.

We've been having problems with Tyler since he's moved into the preschool class. He's been fighting and being mean. It's been very trying for me, although not unexpected. He's full of energy. Most of the time he is not being mean, just rough. He doesn't understand that you just can't go around hitting people or pushing people...especially girls. He tried to skewer a classmate with a stick! Last week he was in trouble two days in a row (Wed & Thurs). To punish him, we made him sit in the living room all evening and was not allowed to play outside, in his room, or with any toys. This seemed to get his attention and we got a good report on Friday. To reward this good behavior, we had a short play at McDonald's on our way home from school.

After the long weekend, he must have forgotten the punishment because yesterday when I asked about his behavior, I was told that he was rowdy again. I would much rather be on one of those Vegas vacations rather than discussing with my child's pre-school teacher how mean he is! I really don't know why this behavior has suddenly began. He's been going to this pre-school for two years and other than a few minor incidents, we've not had any problems out of him. When he got home yesterday, he was informed that he was to sit on the couch and watched out the window as his sister played in the back yard. He was not allowed. He was also not allowed to play with any of his toys. He was nothing short of miserable.

I am happy to report that today when I picked him up that we got another good report. We talked to him about the importance of being good in school and the consequences for bad behavior. I am certain that if he's reminded of this every morning (especially on Mondays or Tuesdays after a long holiday!) then we can stay on top of this and hopefully not have to hear how bad he was during his day.

It never ceases to amaze me how trying it can be to raise children. The differences in their personalities require different parenting techniques and skills with each child. Although we've had one go through daycare/pre-school in the exact same place as another, we're having different experiences the second go around. They are all three so different, but I love them all three just the same. I can't imagine my life without these children. Although there are times when I just want to throw my hands up and shout "I Quit", those are the times when they will come and put their little arms around my legs and tell me how much they love me or ask if they can crawl in my lap. This is what being a mommy is all about. It is full of ups and downs. The rewards, and learning are endless!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Shelby's New Do (AGAIN)

Shelby went from this:

to this on Friday:

She has been saying for a while that she wanted her hair cut "short". Last time we cut it, it was pretty short. She plead her case and talked her father and I into letting her go a bit shorter than last time she had it cut. I spoke of creative control for young girls back when she wanted her hair cut before. I decided that hair was not a battle I wanted to fight too much as long as it was a reasonable request. Who wants to run marathons on treadmills? It will do you no good. I must say that when the first cut was made in the back, it looked VERY short. I just knew my husband would have a fit. But, upon seeing the finished product, he was okay with it. It was a bit shorter than he had anticipated, but over all we are all happy with her new hair cut. The "bob" is a cute look for her and she's very excited about it, so that is what matters in the end. She is stoked about going to school tomorrow so everyone can see her new hair do.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The First Day of First Grade - The REST of the Story

Today was the big day. Shelby started first grade. She was so excited last night as we sat out her outfit, accessories, shoes, and got her back pack all loaded down with the seemingly endless papers filled out by yours truly. She laid down last night and informed me that she could not go to sleep. When she closed her eyes, they just opened back on their own.

I was up at 4am with her four year old brother who is STILL sick. He's got some sort of viral infection, I suppose. We went to the doctor on Monday. We're alternating Tylenol and Motrin every four hours. The fever has been getting over 102°. He's got a cough and runny nose now. The poor little guy just has NOT been feeling well. We were up early this morning, so I brewed a pot of coffee and about had it finished before hubby and the girls even got out of bed.

Shelby woke up at around 6 and was ready to put on her clothes and get her hair fixed just right. She was so cute and so grown up. Much different than my little girl who wanted her mom to do everything for her last year (see picture on the right) as she prepared for her first day of Kindergarten. She has changed so much since then. She's become so independent and outspoken. She's also become quite the fashionista. She never ceases to amaze me daily with her antics!

We left the house in what I thought would be plenty of time to get her to school in order for me to walk her to her class. As it turns out, some pranksters let all of the air out of the tires on the school buses in town, so there were only three buses running. Most parents ended up bringing their children to school so it was a mad house. Parking was a nightmare. I had to park at a nearby grocery store and walk to the school! No need for searching for diet pills that work, I did enough walking to supplement a week's worth! We were still late getting there. I'm never late for anything in fact we were never late a single day last year. I was never more embarrassed to get her late to the first day of school! We were only minutes late, so it wasn't such a big deal, but I can't stand to be late, so I was angry at myself. Especially due to the fact that we'd been up since 4am!!!

Shelby had a wonderful day at school. She got to meet some new friends and reconnected with old ones. I got to see some parents that I'd not seen since last year. All in all it was a good first day for the both of us, I suppose. Tomorrow, I believe that we will be at school waiting in the parking lot for them to turn on the lights!

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