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Reality Mom - Reality Mom: My New Found Reality
The act of teaching children has always been something I have loved for as long as I can remember. I was just talking to my fiancé about this the other night:
· I love being pregnant
· I love teaching a child all their monumental moments
· I love encouraging everyday learning
· I love shaping their minds
· I love helping them become the people they are going to be
I don’t know what it is about teaching children that impact my life and my being so much. Teaching a classroom full of children is not necessarily where I’m headed with these thoughts. Instead, the idea of being teacher to my children is what holds my heart, my interest, and my desire.
It feels so natural and so right. I wonder why I don’t home school them? It seems to be the direction I’m headed in (especially with all the crime, devastation, and destructive behaviors going on in this world). I think the children would relate well to that kind of change.
How do you feel after reading this?
We’ve been struggling with some of the kids (well, there’s only three at the moment, soon to be four . . . but it seems like much more!) during summer learning program lessons. There have been a lot of bad feelings surrounding homework (we call it that because the kids relate better to that term than any other).
What kind of solution have I come up with?
Today, I experimented with working one on one with the kids. Typically, we all work at the kitchen table or they surround me with their mini work stations on the living room floor. (It all depends on if I have to work at the same time their working). Rather than doing it that way, I had them set up their workstation next to me and work while I work.
What a break-through!
There have been no fights or struggles! The other children can’t wait for their homework time, and the ones working on their homework don’t want to stop! So, from now on, I’m going to continue with this experiment. It’s a lot easier to address questions, work directly with strengths or weaknesses, and explain instructions clearly.
Do you have issues with homework? How do you solve them?
Last night, before the kids went off to bed, my (now) fiance proposed to me in front of them. Involving them in the proposal was very important and very exciting. We wanted them involved because we're not only making a committment to ourselves, but we're also making a committment to the family.
The kids were so excited and have been waiting for this to happen just as much as I have. My fiance's daughter will be the flower girl, and my boys will each be ring bearers. They're all so excited! It's an amazing time for the whole family.
The only hiccup in the whole event is my boys aren't happy that my last name will be changing. They like that the three of us share the Hollowell name, and they can't quite seem to understand that I wasn't born with the name Hollowell. When I told them I was born with the name Brennick, the looked at me like I was an alien.
So, we have some explaining to do about name changes and why they're important to some and less important to others. I'm glad this is all happening, though, and so is everyone else!
No one likes to see his or her child experience disappointments, particularly when it comes to something that is out of our control. There are times, though, when we are the ones disappointing our children for one reason or another. It could be a discipline issue, saying no when they don’t want to hear that answer, or any number of reasons.
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I’ve been keeping a journal on and off since I was eleven years old. It didn’t occur to me exactly how long that was until just now (I’m 33). Anyway, when I was seventeen, I destroyed the dozen or so journals I had filled in a moment of haste. Trust me when I say I regret decision a lot.
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I had a lot of plans for the kids and I over summer vacation. I used to keep checklists for work, school, housework, and activities for the kids. These lists used to be all over the place and, one way or another, everything would be completed.
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For the past couple of weeks, I've been offering advice here and there to other moms looking to reconnect with themselves. The biggest piece of advice I've been able to offer (because it works best for me) is keeping a journal, but to take it one step further.
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I recently had to move my office (craft areas, workspace, studio - whatever you want to call this area) to another part of my home. I used to save EVERYTHING because I never knew if I would need something for a future project with the kids. I had coffee cans, boxes in assorted sizes, envelopes, junk mail, and so on.
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In our household, like many, incentives are a driving force when it comes to behavior and daily task completion. Here are some links to a variety of charts we have experimented with along the way:
1: Reading: There many others, but this one has worked best for us based on age group and how big the kids still write
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Between now and Friday, the kids and I are going to be working on twenty craft projects. I have to write how-to's for these projects, so we're all going to complete each of them together. I love involving them in my work like this. Not only is work being accomplished, but quality time is being spent doing so.
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Assorted Produce
Snacktime in my household used to be a real struggle. We're a blended family and the children visit other relatives, as well. So, there's three or four different households influencing the tastes. This, of course, meant a lot of junk food.
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Working Moms
Working is a challenge for any mother, be it at home or away from home. I chose to be a work at home so I wouldn't miss any of my children's "little kid" moments and to, of course, save money.
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It wasn't until my children and I started visiting the library and the bookstores that I realized how many summer reading programs and contests were in place. What a great incentive to keep children reading throughout the summer! My children are involved in two:
1: The Barnes & Noble has a program where, if you successfully read and journal about eight books, you'll receive a coupon for a free eligible book
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New posts are on their way - I'm sorry for being MIA for so long! If ther's omething specific you would like to see in this blog, feel free to post questions, comments, suggestions, and so on in the coment area. I'm looking forward to working with you all again!
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147 Posts dating from November 2006
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