Tuesday’s Mommy Tip: Clean Lines

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OK, on to this week’s Mommy tip…

Clean Lines

I have been doing a lot of cleaning and rearranging over the past few weeks to prepare for the new homeschool year, and get some much needed deep cleaning done. As I have been doing all of this, I am also redesigning the way everything looks, and I have discovered that clean lines look best and give the appearance of neatness and organization. One example of “clean lines,” is how you align books on your book shelf.

Instead of pushing them back, or trying to line them up from the biggest to the smallest and have this tiny little section at the bottom, follow these two steps…

1. Arrange Books by Categories. Put all your reference books in one section in size order. Then, maybe your readers or literature section next to that, again in size order. How you order them is your business. Obviously if you do not homeschool, you will have different categories!

The books will fluctuate up and down since they are set up by category, however, they are in order of subject, which will make it easier to find.

2. Pull them up to the edge. All your books should be lined up to the edge of the shelf for a clean and organized look. It will also save you on dusting!

I hope this helps you get ready for the new school year, homeschool Moms…It is also a great tip for anyone with books! LOL!

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Homework for a Three Year Old

The expectations on children attending school have become exceedingly high since my childhood years. I was recently made aware of these expectations because my 3 ½ year old is moving to the “Academic Three’s Class.” Anya has been going to daycare/private school since she was a baby. A decision I grappled with for a long time. Minus a few scraps, and my own motherhood neuroses, for the most part daycare has been a pleasant experience for the both of us. However, I was taken aback when I learned that there were a few rules for the Academic Three’s. Rule 1, all students must wear uniforms; Rule 2, I have to order books for her because she will have homework; Rule 3, if she arrives after 9:05 am three times in a 30 day period than she is suspended. I was not thrilled with these rules, to say the least. I agree that children should receive the best education possible, and I also believe that parents should never underestimate their children, but isn’t three a little young for homework?

This situation has made me question, whether we are pushing our children too hard? Are we allowing them to be children or are we taking away the fun of childhood? How much is too much? One of our responsibilities as parents is to expose our children to as much as possible and ensure that they receive a quality education. However, it is equally as important that they explore through play, imagination, and creative outlets. It is disturbing that children are under such pressure to succeed. They are not adults regardless of how mature they may seem for their age, they are children and deserve to have a childhood.

With a new school year around the corner, kid’s schedules will quickly fill up. It has become common for children to be on overload with academics and extracurricular activities. Are they well rounded or over booked? In order to answer this we have to take a good look at our children’s interest, temperament, and how much they can handle. Are they enjoying these activities or do they feel pressure to participate, because that is what is expected of them? We may find ourselves reaching back to our own youth and reminiscing about unfulfilled dreams and then project them onto our children. We must respect and accept that our kids have their own unique personality, desires, and goals.

Here are some steps to protect your children from overload:

Research the School – We do our research when purchasing a home or car, we should be just as diligent when researching the school they will be attending. Examine the curriculum, the expectations for students, the activities the offer, become acquainted with their teachers, and try to determine if your child is a good fit.

Know What Your Child’s Interests Are - Discovering what your children’s interests are can save a lot of money, time, and frustration. Zone in on their likes and help them find activities that encourage their interests. If your child is happy they will succeed naturally.

Talk to Your Kids – Keep an open dialogue with your kids. Let them know you are interested in their life and they can come to you in any circumstance. If they are feeling under pressure they will be more likely to tell you if your door is open. Ask them if they are taking on too much if they say yes, then discuss the situation and work on a solution together.

Encourage Creativity- Creativity is its own type of education. Education happens in and out of the classroom. When a child taps into their creativity they may get closer to their God given spiritual gifts which leads them to their purpose. God’s purpose fulfilled in our lives is the only real success that matters.

Be Observant - If your child is taking on a hefty load pay attention to their mood. If you notice depression, agitation, or fatigue then address the situation. Use your intuition, if something seems wrong than it probably is.

Instill a Sense of Self Value – I can’t stress enough how crucial it is to instill in a child that they are of infinite value, created by our Father in his image, more valuable than any honor roll or football team. Teach them that their worth is not tied up in their achievements. They do not have to be anything other than what they are and they are loved unconditionally.

Upon careful consideration I have decided to allow Anya to attend her new class. After speaking to teachers and other parents at my daughter’s school, I was assured that there would be plenty of creative play time. Also, even though they stress academics, they were appropriate for her age, and they understood the importance of a three year old being a three year old.

Encourage your child to do well but also encourage them to be a kid. Childhood only comes around once.

Copyright © Chere Williams, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Time Management Guide for Busy Families

If you’re like most families whose members are running here and there, you may be wondering how to keep your head on straight while you try to get everyone where the need to go when they need to be here. You know there has to be a better way to manage everyone in the family’s schedules without losing your mind.

Time management for families is important, perhaps now more than ever before. With family members going in a multiple of directions each day, your family really can’t afford not to consider time management. By using some of these time management techniques, it can make a huge difference in how your home is run, how stressful your home is, and how much time you have available to spend as a family rather than everyone running late to their respective activities.

It’s important to note that time management for families and team work go hand-in-hand. The sooner your family realizes the parents can’t do everything around the home, as well as running the children from place to place, the sooner your family’s life will improve.

There are many ways you can begin to implement time management skills in your home, but it’ll take your entire family to make it work. Where do you begin?

Know your family’s activities

You can’t improve the way your family’s household runs if you’re not sure where your family members are supposed to be each day. So, your starting point is to gather a few items:

* Each family member regardless of how old they are
* A large, new calendar with spaces you can write in
* The calendar you currently use to keep track of appointments
* Any papers your children may have brought home with important dates on them
* A pencil, pen, and possibly markers for color coding
* Paper to take notes
* Any individual calendars your family may keep

Once you have the above items gathered together and you’re ready to work on getting your family better organized, it’s important to not be interrupted. You may not get another chance to accomplish this task; ask someone to be sure the answering machine is on so it can catch any calls that come in. Try to disregard the phone until this part of your time management planning is complete. If the telephone call is important, they’ll call you back or leave a message that can be returned later.

Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. Ask them to write down every activity they’re involved in. This includes time at school, work, and commute time. Have them write down regularly scheduled meetings, practices, lessons, doctor appointments, dentist appointments, or weekly religious activities if your family has them. Younger children may need someone to help them complete this task but they shouldn’t have many activities that another family member isn’t involved.

Next, go through each person’s individual calendar to see if any appointments were missed. Write these down on that person’s list. After you’re sure you have everyone’s planned activities written down, it’s time to look at papers you may have kept with important dates on them. Add those appointments to the respective lists.

Instead of writing everything on the new calendar right away, you might want to start a list for each day during the month: first Sunday, first Monday, first Tuesday, first Wednesday, first Thursday, first Friday, first Saturday, second Sunday, second Monday, second Tuesday, and so on for each of the days of the month.

Go through each person’s list and write the meetings, appointments, or normal activities on each corresponding page. This accomplishes two things:  1) it allows you to see what activities are scheduled on the same days so you can decide who will be responsible for transporting people, and 2) it allows you to decide if there are too many activities planned for any particular day.

Another thing you might want to do before transferring information to the large calendar is to assign each person a particular color – use their favorite color unless two people like the same color. If you color code your family with their activities, it will be easier for each person to see at a glance if they have an activity on a particular day.

After you have all appointments, meetings, activities, and normal daily events listed on the daily pages, it’s time to start putting them on the large calendar. Use the color coding system if you’ve chosen to do that.

Set aside a central location for everyone in the family to place papers with future important dates on them so they can be added to the family calendar. This will make over scheduling a thing of the past because you’ll be able to see quickly if there’s already something else planned for that time on a particular day.

Get Everyone Involved

It’s amazing how having a master calendar with everyone in your family’s activities in one central place can be freeing. Updating it as needed affords you an opportunity to think about things a little closer to home. You know how much time each person has at home and which days they’re at home so now it’s time to think about chores.

Before everyone heads off into myriad directions, you may want to approach the subject of your house and making sure it runs smoothly. Today people don’t follow traditional roles quite as much as in the past. Men can cook and clean just as well, if not better, than some women. Some women have a green thumb and thrive at keeping the lawn manicured. With this in mind, there’s no reason why the adults in the family should be responsible for keeping the house clean and organized.

There are enough things to be done in any home to allow each person to chip in. Not only will having children help take care of the household chores train them for the future, it will give the parents in the family much-needed help. They may actually be able to enjoy some relaxation during the weekend rather than spending both days cleaning up after a long week.

If you look on the internet or in parenting books, you can find a list of chores children can do at different ages. Even toddlers at 2 or 3 are able to help. They can learn to pick up their toys and put dirty clothes in a hamper. Obviously the older the child, the more skills they should be able to master.

Perhaps you’ve never asked your children to help with chores before. Don’t despair, it’s not too late! You may have to start by showing your child how to do a particular chore, but before long they’ll be doing that chore on their own without your supervision. Of course, the younger you start expecting your children to help, the fewer problems there are likely to be as they get older.

Take the pen and paper back out and talk with your family about household chores. Make a list of all chores your family can think of. Include outside and inside activities as well as chores that would be seasonal. There are many home organization books you can either purchase or find at the library which might give you a list of typical chores. You can also look on the internet at home organization websites. They may even have free printable chore lists to make this task much easier. Go through the list and assign chores. Each person should have several depending upon the size of your family. You can create a weekly schedule for each person in the family, if you’re so inclined, so they know what activities they have for the week, when you expect them to do chores, and when they have free time. Of course, this isn’t a requirement, but it may make the transition from being time challenged to having your family’s time managed.

How can you encourage everyone in your family to do their share of the household chores? Here are some things you can do to make doing chores less of a dreaded task:

1. Make doing chores fun, especially for younger children. Have a race to see who can pick up the most toys out of the floor in five minutes. Ask them to pick up only items that are green and you pick up items that are red. Count to see who picked up the most items and give a small prize such as a piece of chewing gum.
2. Make sure your family knows how. If you’ve never expected your children to help keep the house clean, it’s unlikely they’ll know how. Take the time to teach them how to clean the refrigerator before leaving them to do it on their own.
3. Follow up. You must check on their work.
4. Make sure there are consequences if the chores don’t get done.

Setting priorities

You’ve come quite a ways with your time management for your family. They know what they’re doing each day by looking at the calendar. They are helping you around the house so you’re not doing everything. Now it’s time to think about teaching your family about priorities.

Prioritizing tasks and activities each day can help you avoid being overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated. By learning to prioritize, you and your family can determine what is most important to get done right away and what can be put off until a later time or date.

Multi-task

You know the time will come when you’ll be waiting with your child for a doctor’s appointment. Instead of sitting there mindlessly reading a magazine, you can use that time to accomplish something. Go over your calendar to see if it’s up-to-date, plan your menu for the next week and then make a shopping list.

If you’re sitting during your child’s sports practice, you can make telephone calls you’ve been putting off. You can also write a letter to a friend who doesn’t have the internet. Commuting time is another opportunity to multi-task if you take a cab, bus, or train. It’s amazing how much you can get done while you’re waiting.

Turn Media off

Most families don’t realize how much time they spend sitting in front of one screen or another. You may spend 6 to 8 hours a day sitting in front of the computer for work. Then you go home and watch television while you check your personal email. This goes back to priorities and deciding what is more important to you.

Sure, you and your family can watch particular programs you may enjoy, but that doesn’t mean you leave the television going after the show is over. Instead of spending the little family time you have in front of the TV set, why not plan a family game night?

Drag out the family’s favorite board games and set it up. If you don’t have any card games or board games, or the ones you do have are for toddlers, you might want to start a new collection. Playing games as a family enables you to bond while having fun. It also keeps the communication lines open with your children, no matter what age they are.

Set family goals

Goal setting as a family is a foreign concept for most families. The parents may be aware of setting goals for business, but they may not have considered setting goals as a family. What types of goals would you like to meet as a family?

Life is precious. Each day you’re given 24 hours to spend as you see fit. You can squander your time on things that aren’t important, or you can start setting family goals you can work on together.

Have you dreamed of a week-long vacation at an exotic destination? Your family can make that dream a reality if you start planning for it. What types of goals would you make to reach that goal?

Working together as a family isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time for everyone to get used to the changes you’ve made. It’s important to remember you’re only given a certain amount of time each day. Choose to make the most of the time you have while you still can!

Copyright © Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Organize Your Home Life Before the New School Year Starts

With a new school year starting soon, an organized home life will be needed for a smooth transition and stress free days. A simple and affordable way to get your home life and family activities in order is to create a home life planner.

It does not have to break the ban either. I have shopped around for ready made planners and have found them very expensive and not tailor made to my personal needs. Creating your own can be fun, include the kids and very affordable.

First, you will need to buy a 2 or 3 inch three ring binder. Let the kids pick the color and design a fabulous cover for it. This way they are involved in the pending order that will make Moms life less stressful!

Once that is done, you’ll want to have the following items on hand to fill the home life planner:

• 8 1/2” x 11” calendar (purchased or one you print for yourself)
• 3-hole punched dividers with pockets
• 3-hole punched dividers with tabs
• 3-hole punch

Decide which categories you’ll need in your home life planner. A few category ideas to get you started are;  finance, contacts, school, medical, scheduled activities, church events, bills, take out menus, etc. Tailor make the categories to fit your family’s needs.

Print off blank contact pages which include name, address, telephone, and cell phone numbers. There are many sources online which offer this type of file to print out for free. You can also find blank calendars to print off to include in your home planner.

Find papers that have accumulated in your family – notes from school, old calendars, take-out menus, etc. – and determine which category they’ll fit into. Three-hole punch them and place them behind the tab they belong to. Smaller items that can’t be punched can be placed in the dividers with pockets to keep them from being lost.

After you’ve found papers with important dates on them, transfer those dates to the calendar you have or have printed out. You may want to color code your family so you can see at a glance which person in the family has activities on a particular date. Don’t forget to write down standing dates such as birthdays and anniversaries so you can plan for them.

Not sure if you’ve paid a bill for the month? Having a schedule of all bills owed, when they’re due, and when they’re paid behind the finance tab can make that problem a thing of the past. The home life planner is also a good place to put all bills as they come in so they’ll be available when it comes time to pay them.

Meal planning is another task that can be made easier by having the home life planner. You can create weekly or monthly meal plans and store them in the planner. Make sure you allow for fast food and take out nights. Especially on days that are busier than others. The home life planner is meant to help make life easier and less stressful for Mom.

Be creative and make your home life planner. Of course, after your planner is made and you’ve used it for a while, you may wonder why you didn’t put one together sooner.

Copyright © Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Don’t Allow Your Kids to Fall Prey to Bullies

Bullies used to be big kids, with big mouths, that had a loud bark, but no bite. Unfortunately, bullies aren’t just barking they are biting. Violence between children is alarming and dangerous. Bullying has become more than name calling and a push against the lockers, some bullies use physical violence, weapons, verbal abuse, and even sexual abuse to intimidate others. The repercussions children suffer from bullying can be severe and long lasting. With the new school year looming parents should take the time to discuss with their children what to do if they encounter a bully. As parents we also need to take the appropriate steps to resolve the issue before it escalates.

Before school begins I suggest having a family meeting for an overall discussion of the rules for the new school year. Discussions on expectations, homework, bedtime, etc. will get everyone on the same page. During the discussion bring up the subject of bullying. Many children are reluctant to bring up issues that they may find embarrassing. Ask them if they have had any problems during the past year or over the summer with any other children. Stress the seriousness of any type of violence or harassment and let them know that they can come to you. If they are in school and feel threatened tell them to go directly to a school authority

Your children still may not admit they are being bullied. Kids have their pride and they may feel that they can handle the situation. As parents it is up to us to be aware and proactive.

Ways to try to stop bullies in their tracks

1. Observe Your Children - Usually if a child is being threatened or if they are the victim of violence it is going to take an emotional and physical toll on them. Observe their behavior. Are they easily agitated? Do they seem sad, scared, or angry? Are they crying or withdrawn? Use your mother’s intuition, if something seems wrong there probably is. If there is a change in their attitude, if their grades dropped, or they don’t want to go to school, the problem may lie at the school. Be aware of any bruises, or if they are losing weight or gaining a lot of weight, all of these may be signs. Don’t turn a blind eye.

2. Talk Openly with Your Kids - If you want an answer from your children ask them. Find a place where they feel safe and comfortable and ask if they are having problems with anyone at school. It is important that you convey to them that they can trust you and you will do your best to resolve the issue.

3. Talk to Other Parents – One of the best resources we have as parents are each other. If your child is having a problem with a classmate most likely other kids are having the same issue. I am not saying to phone every single parent in the neighborhood, but make an effort to get to know other parents and keep an open dialogue with them, become one another’s eyes. Parents are wonderful sources of support to one another. If other children are having the same problem on school grounds with a bully it puts more pressure on the school to resolve the issue when parents band together.

4. Hold the School Accountable – We send our children to school to receive an education. We assume that they are in a safe place and while they are there it is the school’s responsibility to protect them. If you discover your child is being bullied, run don’t walk to the principal’s office. Discuss the issue, and do not leave until you know that a corrective action is going to take place. You may even want to request a meeting with the parent’s of the other child. They may not even be aware of their child’s behavior. Let the school and parents know that you take the matter seriously and will go through the proper channels to protect your child.

5. Pray with Your Kids - We try to keep our kids safe, but we can’t be around them twenty-four hours a day. Only God can protect them every minute of every day. Starting at a young age, make it a habit to pray with your child before the school day. Ask God to guide and protect them. Teach your children to have faith in the Lord and to pray about all things. Lastly, pray for the child who is misbehaving, you never know what is at the root of behavioral issues. Ask God to guide them through whatever it is that is making them become abusive toward others. Talk to your child about forgiving the bully so that they are not harboring feelings of anger and resentment

Kids will be kids and childhood arguments and teasing will inevitably occur. However, when bullies cross the line, send a message that it will not be tolerated. By taking a stand for your child, you may be saving many others from the damaging aftermath of a school bully. When your kids see you immediately taking action, they will realize that violence is never acceptable and should never be taken lightly. Help your child’s school year s be a pleasurable and safe experience by taking precautions, talking openly with your kids, being a proactive parent, and of course always praying.

Copyright © Chere Williams, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Preparing to Go Back to School

By: Audrey Okaneko

By the beginning of August my kids are usually asking to go to Staples to start looking at and buying back to school supplies.

Each year we are always unsure what supplies any one teacher might want. We’ve had some teachers that wanted a different notebook for every subject. We’ve had some teachers that wanted 5 subject notebooks to take notes for class. It is always so hard to second guess what the teacher may want.

Of course if you wait until the first or second day of school to buy your supplies, then many of the stores have very little left. Especially items like compasses. These can be very hard to find that first or second day of school.

One trick we learned was to buy everything we thought the teacher might want. If the kids went to school and discovered they did not need the item, we would then return it. It was much easier to return a few items, versus driving all over town looking for sold out items.

When children enter junior high and high school, the size of the school and the thought of changing classes all day long can be overwhelming. Our local schools give both junior high school and senior high school students their schedules a week before school actually starts. We always walked the path many times. We walked from class to class so that my children felt comfortable the first day of school. We also found bathrooms, the gym and the cafeteria. This walkthrough can help eliminate some of the stress of starting a new school.

Prior to school starting, visit either the library or the book store, so your child has a book to read during free time. I found that in the older grades, teachers expected kids to have a book that first week of school. As the school year developed the teachers often assigned a specific genre but that first week, free choice was almost always acceptable.

The week before school starts, we changed our bedtime and wake up time to coincide with the school schedule. No more sleeping until 8 or 9 a.m. By making this change a week ahead of time, it causes much less stress that first week of school.

All of these preparations have helped make back to school run quite smoothly in our home.

About the Author: Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.todays-parent.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Back to School Organizing Tips

Well, next month many kids will be heading back to school. Now, is the time to prepare for what you will do and how you will stay organized during the next school year.

Think back to last year…does this sound familiar…your child comes home and is often accompanied by an avalanche of books, backpacks and sport equipment. It can be a very difficult to keep things in order. However, the more organized they are, the less chance you’ll hear, “Has anyone seen my homework?”

Back to School Organizing Tips

Do you have a spare room or area in your home that can be used for  homework? It can be pretty easy to convert it into school zone. You can pick up a desk, table, etc, at yard sales for a fair price. Add some hooks to the wall to hold backpacks; shelves for books and you have a wonderfully organized place for school work to be done. You can also use this for any bill paying or things like that you need to do as well. A “Work Station” may be a better term if space is an issue for you. Just be sure and give your child(ren) their own desk so there are no crowding issues.

The point is to get a system in place and make sure everyone remembers to put their school things in the same place every day. It may take a few reminders before the kids do it on their own, but eventually it will become something they do automatically when they come home…The final result will be less stress for Mom!

Copyright © Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved