After breaking up the 20th argument of the day, my resolve to handle it with grace and kindness often disappears. By that point I am tired and tend to respond with more emotion than wisdom. Over time, I’ve found that preparing a scripted response for issues that come up not only took the emotional pressure from me, but …
I’m so mad! I’m so mad! I’m so mad! Those are the only words I have heard in the past 10 minutes. My 5-year-old has been dealing with some seriously big emotions lately. He has always been our most sensitive child by far, but in the past few months things have escalated. I have worked …
Remember when vacation used to mean relaxing and doing whatever you want? I clearly remember our first vacation with our kids. We had a 2-and-a-half-year-old, an 18-month-old and a 6-week-old. Let’s just say it was memorable, but not for how relaxing it was! I read somewhere that changing your expectations for vacation is important once …
For the most part, I feel like taking my kids along to the grocery store or target is not bad, but lately my 3- and 5-year-old boys are pushing the limits of my sanity with their craziness. They aren’t throwing tantrums or doing anything overtly bad, but they are loud and hyper and feed off …
I have a problem. Every time I see a new curriculum or organization system for homeschooling, I think I need it. Of course 90% of the time it ends not working out as amazingly as I thought it would. The workbox system with all its pretty colored drawers really appealed to me. But I knew …
Just recently I realized I have been missing out on podcasts for my kids. They make car rides so much more enjoyable. Anyone else tired of hearing the same songs over and over again in the car? I feel like I may be missing some good ones, but here are some worth checking out. If any …
It is amazing how lonely a person can feel while surrounded by lots of little people. I spend all day talking and being talked to, and yet I really need some adult conversation to stimulate my mind. Ideally, I would call a friend or meet one for a playdate, but realistically that just isn’t feasible on a …
As weird as it may sound ,I love to reorganize our playroom/schoolroom. Well, I love it until about an hour in, then I am pretty much over it. By that point there is just random odds and ends I don’t know what to do with, but yet shouldn’t be gotten rid of. Up until that …
Morning activities is my attempt to proactively engage toddlers and preschoolers while I am homeschooling the older siblings. I have a closet in my playroom/schoolroom that has bins of toys in them. Each morning I pull out one bin of toys and I try to pull out one table activity. This really does help to entertain the younger …
July brings swimming, the beach and planning for our next homeschool year. I know it seems too early, but we are starting school the second week in August. It gives us the ability to take more time off when we need it. I want to be more consistent with dividing our year into smaller terms with …