Ornery: ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper
These two partners in crime are totally not ugly, but for today I’d say the whole UNPLEASANT IN DISPOSITION OR TEMPER? Heck Yeah!
School is underway, and I’m dying! The flexible schedule of home school sounds so good right now.
So help me out moms and dads because the transition is a bit brutal! I don’t know if the kids are just ornery today or if the schedule change is just tough on everyone. Either way, Blaze and Pascaline have got me so tired and the week just started! You can just see Blaze plotting his next move of mischief!
I would love any suggestions you have for lunches and snacks! I found some great snack stuff at Trader Joe’s (love their mini pbj sandwich crackers), but do any of you have any other good ideas on how to do this? AND you must keep in mind that Pascaline is the child who says “I’ll only have feta cheese if it’s made from sheep’s milk.” (nice, huh) Today she’s taking rice, tofu curry and seaweed for lunch. I think I’m in trouble!
Pascaline is also a S-L-O-W mover in the morning. She takes her time getting out of bed, washing her face, getting dressed, kissing Prince Phillip the cat (over and over again), then LA-DI-DA-ING down the stairs to eat breakfast. How do you get your kids to move faster without killing each other in the process? Any DVD series on this type of stuff? If not, someone needs to do one!
How about any tricks for getting lights out early at night for bedtime?
Really and truly, any tricks, tips, or a “hang in there Me Ra” is welcome! ๐
Hi Me Ra!
We just started school as well! My son went into kindergarten & going from going to bed at midnight and up at 9:30 am to waking up at 7:30 am isn’t a fun transition!
I just make sure out him in bed early enough that he gets the same amount of hours to sleep as he did this summer and it seems to be working out well.
Also, my little one has been enjoying Nature Valley’s Healthy Heart Chewy Granola Bars. Honey Nut & Mixed Fruit.
Maybe if you set a timer for how long she should be taking in the bathroom, getting dressed, ect. it would help. She would get a sense of how fast she needs to be going. I just do as much as I can the night before!
I have 4 total 1 in 1st grade (3, 18mo, 5mo) Trying to keep him quiet while the others sleep is our biggest challenge we considered putting him in his own room but decided against it in favor of the humbling effects of living with brothers in the same room could possibly have on him(the smaller 2 are seperate for now).(His bedtime is 8) When I wake him up I have started sort of patting him gently and quietly letting him sort of wake up on his own instead of the normal screaming “Time to get up” type of routine.(He’s also a very slow mover) It seems to be working…I also will dress him myself if he seems too tired to get going. I’d rather do that than scream at him for 30 minutes to get dressed(he has to be at the bus stop at 6:45) After that I take my morning walk(considering jogging once I get up to speed) when I get back wake up DH and the others sort of stagger awake after that. I send applesauce and diced peaches for snack. We have a VERY picky eater (not the health nut kind AT ALL) last year I tried trail mix and I found that he would end up eating the chocolate chips or the M&Ms and chunking the rest so we nixed that idea and went to apples which I think he would eat about half of one. So I’m going to alternate between the three(apples, peaches, applesauce) and whatever else I might can come up with. He eats lunch at school for now.
Just got my 4 year old off to pre-school. Mommy gets ready, Daddy drops off. No real tips here. I am slow in the morning too. What helps sometimes is rewards for the next thing. ie get dressed and you will have a little time to work on your puzzle. But Daddy forgot power ranger umbrella and I got the phone call with son crying in the backround and Daddy saying if you spend less time on your puzzle and got your umbrella, we wouldn’t have forgotten it. Not fair. I think the umbrella was in the car not outside the front door anyway. So no easy go.
I ended pulling my daughter out of school after battling this painful schedule for about 4 months in Kindergarten. It was a ver,very tough choice but our little family is so happy now. My daughter (who is 7) is very slow moving , picky, sensitive and all of this made mornings and snack options torture. I was a complete monster the entire time we did school and realized over the Christmas holiday that for the first time in months Elora was acting like herself and I wasn’t exhausted and stressed. So we pulled her out and have never looked back. Last night she was up until about 12 reading The Box Car Children in her room while our 4 year old fell asleep at 9.They can each have their own routine that fits their personal style and we actually get some sleep! Alot of my Mom friends are battling this adjustment period right now. They are all relying on lots of coffee and patience. Good luck!~Erin
I know you’re looking for practical solutions to make school days easier BUT I couldn’t resist the opportunity to plug Unschooling! (Check out my blog if you have a minute! ๐
We live as though school doesn’t exist and we certainly don’t do “school-at-home” either.
Living free and loving it,
Jessica
When I was a kid my mother made a big production of buying my brother and I our own alarm clocks. We couldnรขโฌโขt really tell time yet so they were digital. She set the time on them and then showed us how to set the alarm. Then she said รขโฌลfrom now on you are responsible for setting your own alarm and getting up in the morning. How much time do you think you need to get ready for school?รขโฌย The first couple of weeks didnรขโฌโขt go so well but eventually we learned that our decisions have consequences. Your kids might have to go to school in their PJs or with un-brushed hair, or eat a granola bar in the car because they didnรขโฌโขt have time for breakfast but eventually everything will fall into place and you wonรขโฌโขt have to be the one nagging them to get out of bed and to get ready. Just force them to be more independent. Your daughter is probably old enough to pack her own lunch for school. Let her pick out what she wants for the week at the grocery store and she can make her lunch in the evening before she goes to bed. Start training them to be self sufficient independent people now รขโฌโ thatรขโฌโขs not only a gift to them but to yourself. Hang in there, you can do it!
We turn off 90% of the lights after dinner. All computers and TVs would also be a good idea. Darkness starts serotonin in the brain which induces sleep. I am not a morning person, but my three kids (8th, 5th and 2nd) get up faster and happier if they can smell a good breakfast about 30 minutes before the have to get up. Good luck, We are still struggling everyday. My homeschool friends don’t do well in the morning either, especially the 19 year old boy who has to get a job.
I’ll give you a Hang in there Me Ra, I’m trying to figure this all out myself. Looks like I’m the only Guy stressing, My 4yr old is back to preschool earlier in the morning and out at the 2yr olds nap time, great. I thought I couldn’t wait till they are both off for full days but I think your worrying me now. My wife helped out and stuck around first day but I see all the running around ahead of me already. I think I’m going to check out all stuff Erin and Jessica are talking about.
Good Luck
Hey Me Ra
I found this and it really worked to get my daughter into a routine.
http://www.childrensmiraclemusic.com/
Good Luck!
Good Morning Me Ra,
Let me start out by saying “you are so not alone in the back to school drama!” I must admit I am a slow moving morning mamma with a dramatic dilly dally kind of daughter as well. After 2 years of morning pre-school we have now opted for afternoon Kindergarten to start with…so talk to me next year when we are trying the morning thing again. Yikes, that is a whole other ball game.
As far as helping things move swiftly in the morning…I do my best to prepair the night before, even to the point of putting the things we need in the car…(even shoe’s). The use of timer’s and the threat of consicences or lose of privaleges are usually used on a daily basis. As far as snacks both my kids love, string cheese, raw almonds, apples slices, dried cranberries and yogurt. Best of Luck to you in this time of transition, befor you know it you will be in some sort of a routine, but always expect a little chaoes…it’s just the stage of life we are it. Hang in there!
P.S. This is totally off the subject. Do you have any suggestions of who I should take or send my Canon Rebel to for service. It is suddenly not working, just in time for your workshop and I am trying not to freek out.
Ok. So forgive the long post, but I live for the day when someone asks me for advice ๐
For the morning: You could make a sign with the main ingredients of the morning — get up, brush hair, eat breakfast, etc and make a game out of checking off the items before a certain time. This can be done in a pure check list format or like a board game where she/they move piece from item to item… worked like a charm with my then 1st grader.
Doing as much as possible the night before is a MUST – and get Pascaline involved witih that part, too.
We get up about 45 minute earlier than the amount of time we actually need to get ready (we get up at 7am and we don’t need to leave until 8:40). It makes for a way easier, relaxed, stress free morning, with qt with the kids and it also makes for an earlier bedtime — aka more grown up time in the evening for me and Dave. Also, I am hands down NOT a morning person and I love this arrangement.
Also, we do not adjust bedtimes over the weekend. That way there is no re-adjusting every Monday to an early wake up.
Finally, I think this is a normal rocky time. I think back to putting the girls in school last year — especially Lily going into 1st grade — and there was a major transition time. It was almost like they were testing me to see how serious I really was about school. So, I think you all will find your own rhythm that makes sense to you and your family. I have come to really love the routine that school provides. I am more productive during the day (guilt free because the girls are in school!) and the time when they are home is celebratory, chattery, focused, and a time to bond — but it was bumpy getting to the point where school was something to treasure rather than to resent… but it did come and it was REALLY WORTH IT! Just wait until she comes home having studied something that you know nothing about and you will be really proud of her!
Also, don’t negate the time it takes YOU to adjust. I thought I would be Mrs. Savvy Parent Lady because I am a teacher myself and it turned out that I was a bumbling weird-o when it came to navigating the school. I am better now. All in its time…
You are a great mom, Me Ra, and a great person. I love you and good luck!
Kari
Hey Me Ra,
This is a hard transition. No two ways about it.
They say it takes three weeks to get into a routine, right? If you knew this was only going to last three weeks, how would you look at this situation? Sometimes when I’m at the end of my rope, I think the old mantra, “This, too, shall pass…” and then project a timeline for it to pass. It seems to let go of a certain amount of angst on my part.
I’m struggling with the schedule as well. We’ve established firm bedtimes (7.30 for ZoZo and Eleanor and 8 for Violet) and we really talk about the routine of the morning so that we don’t go nuts.
Violet must make her bed, brush her hair and teeth and put all dirty clothes in the bin, all before breakfast. The other girls do modified versions of this and we’re getting the system down.
I think it’s key to have a plan, get everyone on board with the plan and then work the plan. Have P help develop her own plan for the morning and then expect it take a month to really get working.
This is a big, big transition and it’s going to be difficult for everyone to get up to speed. I think once you can expect that and prepare yourself, you’ve won half the battle. Remember, these kinds of challenges are all a part of growing up. The tools you give her now (and use for yourself) are going to impart skills and self-reliance she can draw from for the rest of her life.
Please feel free to email me or call, I’m here to offer you support ๐ Plus, the kids would love to play.
~Jesse
You guys are so AWESOME!!! I’m so glad I posted this today! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the feedback!
I’m in such awe of you as parents–the games you come up with, the tricks you’ve learned, the snack ideas! Thanks so much for sharing! Keep it coming, I love reading how different we all are!
And get ready, after all the great feedback on this post, I’m totally going to hit you all up again for some upcoming projects. I can’t wait to get your thoughts on this other stuff! More soon!
wow, I don’t have kids yet – and this is definitely up there on my worry list! It sounds like Pascaline is a girl after my own heart. I hate waking up early (defined as, before 8am), and working at home allows me to have crazy and weird waking schedules as I want. I know kids kind of get in the way of that!
P. reminds me of my cousin who, at 3, demanded fancy permesan reggiano cheese over something as pedestrian as cheddar. Whereas all I would eat for years was anything bland and tan (cheerios, pasta with butter, rice, etc). So, even if she’s demanding, at least she’s not boring! ๐
Good luck!
although I’m no expert and a long way out from these tender years, good parenting requires consistancy. Whether it’s bedtime, dinner time or quiet time or discipline get a plan together and stick with it. Laying out clothes and putting together bookbags at night makes things easier. Pascaline having her own “fun’ clock radio, (forget the alarm, are you kidding who wants to wake up to that?? haha) to help you, help her, get up teaches easy responsibility and she can pick the groovy station/cd. I was never a night before lunch mom, the stuff sits in the fridge all night and then in the cubby at school..yuck. While they were eating breakfast, I was putting together lunch. Eventually it all falls into place, it’s just overwhelming in the beginning! But my most important bit of advice everyday as they made their way out the door (ask Greer, he’ll tell you) “have a good day, treat people the way you’d like to be treated” and of course a kiss and hug. When we send kids off to school, we lose alittle bit of them, we find alittle of ourselves and then we can come back together at the end of the day and share. Plus sometimes you send them to get an education and they find love…..whoa..wait that’s a long way down the road! Chin up, your doing a great job, your great Mom and Brian a great Dad. We hear it in your blog and we saw it LIVE in person!
i have a while before i have to deal with the back to school drama, but i’ve loved reading everyone’s feedback for me ra. tips for me to remember someday!
i do agree with getting as much done the night before as possible. have them help get their gear together (outfit, backpack, snacks, etc.) the night before. i like the idea of making a game out of getting ready too!
Our first child, our first year of school. I hear ya! Here’s a great site for Vegan lunches!
http://www.veganlunchbox.com/
Hey Me Ra,
I love that you are taking pictures of your kids in the midst of it all. The picture of Blaze is a classic. You are right, it looks as though he is planning his next mischeivious act. ๐
Remember this is just a season of life and seems like the longest season ever. You will look back at those pictures you took on days like this and totally laugh instead of crying out of total frustration. This too shall pass. They grow up too fast. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! I know…easier said than done. My kids are at ages now that I am just trying to keep track at where they are and wishing they were home more.
Hang in there! Talk to you soon!
Love you guys!
Sue
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Kids love string cheese! you can go to http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html and they have tons of snack/recipe ideas… even vegetarian recipes or for kids who are diabetic etc.
As for getting a move on in the morning, my mom would always set down to the minute schedules for us… I’d have exactly seven minutes in the shower, she’d say.(we lived in California during a big drought so that had a lot to do with it) and I’d feel like if I didn’t get out of that shower in seven minutes, something bad would happen. Put the cat outside in the morning until she’s gone to school too.
As for getting to bed early… a scary dad will do it!!!!!!!!! ๐ Good luck, Me Ra, keep us posted!!
Forgive the long post. Just want to share what helps me. Hope something that works for me will help you, too.
Here in Louisiana my kids (2 daughters -9 and 6) have been back in school since mid August so we are finally getting into a good routine in the mornings.
One thing that definitely helps me is getting the girls’ clothes ready and laid out the night before. Everything is laid out down to socks and shoes. I do the same thing with my work clothes. You would not believe how much this helps things to go more smoothly! Especially if we all have the morning grumpies. ๐
I wake the girls up by going into their bedroom and softly saying good morning a few times while they are slowly waking up. I bring in a warm, wet washcloth and wipe their faces while they are still in bed.They love this!I let them go on the sofa to snuggle with a blanket while I fix breakfast. For some reason, this extra step works better for them than going straight to the table or getting dressed first.
Another tip is…my kids love to put on their clothes if they are warm, so I toss them in the dryer for a couple of minutes. Amazing how quickly they put their clothes on when they are right out of the dryer!
Another tip I got from Flylady.net…she suggests making a “control journal” for the tasks needed to do your housework. I made one for the kids geared towards getting ready in the mornings. I made a list of things that they need to do to get ready in the mornings…eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc. (this is similar to what Kari said in another post). Made the list very simple and before they could read, I helped them go down the list. I put the lists in a binder for them and placed the lists in page protectors. As they complete each task, they use a dry erase marker to draw a line through it. To them, it’s fun. They do so well with this. Before they go to bed, they wipe the pages clean and start over the next morning.
Probably the most important thing to get us all started on the right foot is this…I get up 30 minutes before everyone else to have my quiet time with my coffee. If we all wake up at the same time and everyone is grumpy and rushed,it ain’t pretty. ๐
I am not very organized by nature so I had to find what would make it work for us, but once I found some tips to get our mornings to run smoothly, it became so much easier. The tantrums and tears in the mornings rarely happen now.Hang in there! You will find what works for your family. ๐
Kristal
Hi Me Ra,
I was just on your site cuz you did my friend’s wedding and I saw the amazing picture of the kids, so had to read the blog ๐ I am not a mom, mysself, but have been a nanny for quite some time. I found a great technique that works for the “getting ready in the morning routine” in a book, entitled Love and Logic. It’s a little much to explain here, but something I think might be worth checking out when you have a sec.
Best of luck to you!
Good luck. I’m in survival mode too… 2 boys–5 years and 15 months = exhaustion.
Hi Mera
I love it!! I can totally relate. I have one that is entering into 7th grade and thinks he is sooo cool and he is soooo rude!! I have one that is in 5th, one that I am potty training and one that just started kindergarten who now thinks he is 20!! He came home with quite the attitude after the first day of school and it has not stopped. I took him to buy more school clothes and suggested we get him some cool sweat pants like his dad and he let me know that those are for weird people but he put it a little more crudely!! I about died! Then later that night at the mall he seriously asked me if I could buy him a cell phone!!?? HELP!! One thing is for sure is that they all have different personalities. James and I got tested from Ruth Marshall (a friend of your moms) she works for personality insights and she tests your kids too and helps create a plan for parenting and how to communicate with all of these different personality types. It is really powerfull. Good luck to you and hang in there.
Tammy Ludlow
Hi Me Ra,
I have a couple of things I’ve learned or hear of that help. My first new favorite is a website called http://www.laptoplunches.com. They sell great lunch boxes on there but they have a whole section dedicated to lunch ideas. I love it because they are healthy and give me some new ideas.
As for the getting ready thing, a friend of mine was having that problem and decided to give her daughter a clip board with a check list on it every morning. She made it all cute on her computer. Her daughter couldn’t quite read so she did images of clothes, brush, cereal, brush etc. then printed off a bunch so that each morning her daughter could check the boxes. It made her feel important and took the nagging away. I think she had to change it up every few months and do coupons etc. to keep her interested.
I noticed a huge difference in my daughter when she inially switched to 1st grade in her behavior. Someone told me that they are ajusting to keeping it together at school and that takes all their energy and then when they feel safe at home, they loose control at home. Lovely. But I guess that is a good thing…?
Good luck!
Christiana
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I have witnessed that wise real estate agents just about everywhere are warming up to FSBO Advertising. They are seeing that it’s more than just placing a sign in the front property. It’s really with regards to building associations with these vendors who at some point will become buyers. So, if you give your time and efforts to helping these sellers go it alone : the “Law of Reciprocity” kicks in. Good blog post.