Feeling guilty: but loving it

Before Covid 19 I was the mom with busy kids! Basketball, Football, Baseball, Cheer, school activities, birthday parties etc. I was the mom always in their room making sure I got quality time in any way I could rather it be watching them play a video game, watch a movie with them or just to talk! The mom who checked homework daily, cooked DAILY and yes I mean daily! You know the mom that just never sat down until it was time for bed. Oh I love it as exhausting as it is if I’m not moving then something is not being done. And in the mix of all that lovely madness I worked over time for my job a extra hour in the morning maybe 2-3 extra hours in the evening oh and Saturday yessss I’m working! If there was a game lol yup I’m still clocking in before the game and after. Any idle time must be covered, you ever heard that saying “sleep when your dead” yea that was me! My sister use to tell me “Sissy you are a super mommy but you need to rest”! No thank you, I need to come up with a blog or network with bloggers or blah blah blah! Yea I’m tired from reading that so I know you are too LOL

Then came this DAMN virus and it has everyone in a frenzy (a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behavior.) Side note I just had to google the word lol I knew how to use it but I didn’t know the full definition (Face palm lol oh well that’s just me being overly honest as usual) 

Anyway stores are empty, kids are being sent home from school, sports are canceled and it was just a lot too fast! So then I was the mom trying to work (for those that don’t know I’ve worked from home almost 2 years now) all while being a teacher to my children. Clearly it’s been a while since I’ve been in school, some of this stuff they teach the kids is just backwards or maybe it was how we were taught! It became frustrating because they are not understanding how I’m teaching and I don’t wanna show them the wrong thing or confuse them from how their teacher teaches. I was the mom who was making up games for them to have fun and learn at the same time! The mom who was making lunch now for 3 extra people with no peace and quiet. The mom being a referee between two 7 year olds! Still the busy mom but only in the house, and last but not least the mom about to pull her hair out!!

AND NOW.... Here we are put on a curfew and kids will be out of school the feast of the school year.... So guess what mom I’ve been .... (The kids are on spring break by the way) I’ve been the mom who has not went into their kids room until the end of the day. I’ve been the mom who slowed down on over time (and now they just announced we no longer have over time bummer) I’ve been the mom where I have not cooked daily. The mom who let her son stay up playing Fortnite until 5 am and letting him sleep in until God knows when. It’s 1:29 pm on Friday as I write this on my lunch and Kayden is STILL sleep. But guess what i honestly do not care. I don’t have any blogs prepared for the next 2 weeks, clearly because I’m writing one right now!!!

Normally I’d be feeling guilty because there has been too much idle time going on in my household BUT every now and then it’s ok to just BREATH... So that’s exactly what I’m going to do!!! Tomorrow I’m going to try and sleep in as late as I can, which I know will only be until 7:30 or 8 BUT it will be without an alarm. And I’m going to just lay in bed all day. Judge me if you want too lol! 

We try and control every minute of our life with schedules and trying to make everything perfect that we can drive ourself crazy. Maybe that’s just me I don’t know but I am going to do my best to let this weekend just control itself and allow everyone to relax!!

Please comment below your thoughts and what you’ve been doing since curfews have been put in place!!!

“All you care about is education”

In the class room there is normally 1 teacher to 18 or more students! There is NO way education should be left solely on the teacher. For me I feel education begins and continues at home. Not only so your child can have that one on one attention but because there are so many things school does not teach! Real life lessons to be exact and also it seems like every year they are learning the same history facts. What’s up with that?

Around the age 6 months is when i started teaching my kids colors, counting and the abc’s! Seems as though kids grasp things at a younger age and the more consistent the easier to pick up! I would buy and or create flash cards for them. I truly wanted their learning to be visual and fun so that we would play and they wouldn’t even know they were learning! 

A few things i did with Kayden:

1. Instead of saying things like “Kayden can you hand me a block” I’d say “Kayden can you please  
    hand me a RED block”

2. I taped the spelling of the item on the toy so he would know how to connect the two...

3. When learning to spell his name i made it into a song K-A-Y-D-E-N  L-A-R-O-N  D-A-Y don’t be
    shy and spell it to the enddddd’ (Sang this in a jingle bell melody)

4. I taped sight words all over the house and would leave them up for a week at a time!
    Since he loves basketball I’d turn spelling into a game! We would play “Horse” shooting baskets
    except we would use one of the site words and when he got it right he would get a treat such as
    chips, candy or cookies!

Even though he’s a little older now I probably should get back to games like this maybe he would not get so frustrated when he has to do homework! Because some days can be a struggle just getting him to focus on his work!

I always try and stay in communication with their teachers so that when I’m giving them extra homework I’m not teaching them differently then the teacher. Leave it up to me to have the kid confused lol! One conversation with Kayden’s teacher really saddened my heart to hear that the school cut out spelling words due to kids failing because their parents were not going over the words with them. I don’t care how busy or tired i am, even if it’s only 15-20 minutes a day we are going to go over those words! Kayden cracks me up because he’s always telling me “All you care about is education. Probably true because I turn everything into a lesson. 

There is this great website called “Ruby Reads”  which helps your child connect reading, discovery and hands on learning in a fun way with their  Ruby’s Book Boxes and Read Aloud posters! Their belief matches mine that your child learns best in a relaxed supportive environment WITH YOU! Their products are inexpensive and well worth the quality time you will be able to spend with your child! Visit their website www.RubyReadsBooks.com I promise you will not be disappointed!

Kimara is older now so things I do with her are a little different! I’ve always given her extra homework because she is SUPER smart and i did not fell she was being challenged enough! One of her teachers told me in a parent teacher conference  “In my 25 plus years of teaching, i have never had a parent ask to provide extra homework! But i love it”. That truly made me feel amazing! (Pats myself on the back) When she was about 8 I started giving her weekly where she had to learn the definition and spelling. I also challenge her to try using it at least once a day! I feel like my vocabulary is a bit short so my hope was this would whelp to lengthen hers (I probably need to get in on this action as well lol). 

Maybe once a month I would have her pick a subject, or person and she did the research for that topic then wrote a paper on it! She’s really shy so I would have her stand up and read it to me! That helped to open her up, be direct and speak clearly! The more she did it the better she got! Watching his growth was amazing!

I know as mothers we are pulled in so many directions! If you do not always have the time to create fun homework with your child I’d suggest speaking with the teacher on things you can do!

Here are some questions you may want to ask the teacher!

1. What can i do at home to help?

The attention you give at home to your child’s education is important! Something as simple as checking their homework may help!

2. Does my child build friendships easily with his/her classmates?

Kids are very impressionable so it’s always good to know who they associate with! I’ve had to tell each of my kids teachers to separate them from their friends in class or they won’t focus.

3. Do you reward my child for good behavior and id so how?

If it works in the class it should work at home! My sons teacher (a female) allows Kayden to go visit a male teacher every Friday IF he’s had a good week! That teacher normally gives him some kind of treat! Kayden needs every male figure he can to bond with and look up to so I truly love that she does this!

Lastly speak with your child to see what their needs are! Some questions to ask could be:

1. What strengths do you bring to the classroom?

Their answer can be a constant reminder and confidence booster!

2.What changes would you like to see in class?

This will help them to be honest and learn to know when to speak up and seek the help they need!

3. How can i help?

The most direct question of all, IF we don’t know we can’t help!

If education is as important to you as it is to me! I truly hope this helps! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask! And also drop comments below on how you help your child learn!