Moms, Be Kind to Yourselves

You hold it together.
You're a mom.
Stresses happen.
Kids argue.
Issues happen at school.
Expectations are not met.
You take each thing - one at a time.
You know your weaknesses.

You pray.

You look for inspiration.
You probe your heart hoping to hear the answers.
And then you jump into the game and you fight.
You fight for your kids.
You fight with your kids.
Your kids fight.
You try.
You become hard on yourself.
You get a dose of perspective.
You become grateful.
And then you go to bed.
As you slumber you hope for grace.  
You hope for forgiveness.
And then you smile, because grace and forgiveness are there for those who try.
You know you try.
And you know that God is God.
And at the end of the day - at the end of a life,
You wipe your tears,
and realize that everything is okay.
It has always been okay.

Social for Boys

Here are some ideas to foster social experiences for the boys

Warrick-Primary class party - Tanner

Porter - Will come and play

Christian - soccer or swim party - or small party Justin, Cordon, Ollerton?, Taylor?

Meal Plan

raisin bran with 2% milk

yogurt

sandwich

apple and almond butter

main dish and lots of veggies

almonds

Time 4 Learning

I said I would write about time4learning so I’m doing it now.
My son uses Time4learning during the summer. It is an internet site that is geared toward the individual student. My son works on reading, math, social studies, and science and can do it all by himself. He loves it and looks forward to doing it each time. After lesson time there is an added bonus of going to the “playground” where there are appropriate games to play. I feel his reading skills have improved and I think I will implement this program every summer. The site is time4learning.com, check it out.

Morning Routine

Here is my new schedule that I said I would post
Every Morning
Exercise
MF – treadmill or stair stepper
TTh – pump class
W – boot camp or treadmill/stair stepper
When I get home I start a load of laundry while my kids finish their show that dad set them up with. I check my email and respond to blog.

Then all of the boys and I clean all the bedrooms and make beds and put away laundry.

Breakfast (boys must clear their dishes and table)
I tidy the rest of the kitchen while they entertain themselves
Then I shower and get ready
Here is a new thing I’m doing and has been working great. Just before I get into the shower I clean one thing in the bathroom
Monday – toilet
Tuesday – sink
Wednesday – bath/shower
Thursday – bathroom floor
Friday – all mirrors in house upstairs, TV screen, and sliding door

And there you have it. I have a clean bathroom and only spend five minutes a day.

I will type my nap routine and night routines later.

6yo had the runs - poor kids. They are all watching Cars the movie upstair for family night. I will tidy for 15 minutes and then finish watching with them.

June 27th, 2005

Each day I try to read diet related stuff to keep me motivated. I was reading beckdietsolution.wordpress.com and found this quote about emotional eating. It is something I’d need to read often. I thought you might enjoy it too.
“During the group today we discussed that dieters need to remind themselves that eating will only serve as a temporary distraction; it won’t solve the problem. And actually, unplanned eating will only cause dieters to have two problems – the original problem, and now the additional problem of going off plan, feeling weak and out of control, and potentially gaining weight. Dieters need to squarely ask themselves, “Do I want to have one problem or two?”
“We also discussed the notion that negative emotions are a part of life, and that it’s okay to feel badly sometimes. We live in a feel-good society where many people think that experiencing negative emotions is somehow bad or wrong. It’s important for dieters to learn that they can tolerate feeling bad and that it’s perfectly normal.”

I don’t know if you remember that awhile ago I was going to punish myself with waking up early and doing yoga if I didn’t eat right. That went out the window. I need sleep and I sometimes eat when I‘m tired. I think that would be like kicking myself when I ‘m down. I’m just going to reward myself with good behavior.

“Cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves.” This is 2 Nephi 10:23. Doesn’t it work well when you are thinking about food choices? Why do we act like victims when we can’t eat something? We CAN eat it, but we CHOOSE not to. When you feel empowered by choices, it is easier to stick to your goal.

Well, once again my afternoon workout didn’t workout. :) I’m not sure how to fix this. I work out Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday mornings doing a weight/cardio class- mostly weights. I would like to have two other days to do cardio workout. Friday mornings I go to the gym which leaves me Monday morning and Wednesday mornings to do my laundry and listen to my uplifting talks. I need a time for laundry AND the talks.

I just had an idea. Since going to the gym doesn’t always work in the afternoon, but I love to fold laundry, maybe I could workout every morning and change to folding laundry while I listen to the talks during nap time. It is hard for me to get motivated to do much by the time nap time rolls around. Usually I’d just rather eat or sleep or be in the computer, but since I like my talks, I think I could motivate myself to follow this plan. I think I’ll try this.
So here is my tentative new schedule to try. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early morning cardio workout. (Monday and Friday will be 3.5mph on the tread mill at a 15% grade.) Wednesday will be running. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will be my awesome Power Pump Class. I feel good about that.

Nap Time Schedule will be
Eat lunch
Put Baby Down
Workbooks with big kids and then group read time
Big kids have quiet time while I read scriptures (I can hear scriptures on the internet for free so while they are being read I will fold laundry. I will listen to a chapter or two and then read and study more in depth on my own.)
Fold Laundry or Clean (30 minutes)
Tidy (15 minutes) (while I do the next three things on my list, 6yo learns and plays with Time 4 Learning. When he is done he can play.)
Make Dinner
Do To Do List
Computer time (20-30 minutes)
Sound good? We’ll give it a try.

While I’m writing down my schedule here is the rest
Monday Mornings – summer school with friends
Tuesday Mornings – field trip or fun park
Wednesday Mornings – water play
Thursday Mornings – Story time at the library
Friday Mornings – weigh in with friends and then computers at the library
During the afternoons I‘d like to vacuum and clean out my van. The kids usually just free play. We eat around 5:30 PM.
I’d like to fit in Yoga somewhere. I’m not sure where to put it except to put it on my To Do List and just try to fit it in when the kids are napping.

Afternoon and Evening Activities
Monday Evening – Family Night – spiritual lesson, song and fun activity
Tuesday Evening – 6yo T-ball practice (coach lets 3yo play too at practice.)
Wednesday Evening – open (could go for a walk, watch TV, swim or play soccer or b-ball or work in the garden)
Thursday Evening - (could go for a walk, watch TV, or play soccer or b-ball, garden or have a date in or out with hubby)
Friday Evening – fun family activity, garden, or date with hubby or go somewhere as a family
Saturday Evening – it is fun to be social and invite others over for games or dinner

Children's Chores

Children’s Chores
Each line is a different day of the week
6yo
Wipe bathroom sink and counter
Wipe Kitchen Chairs
Vacuum Upstairs
Remove Pillow Cases and Towels and take to laundry room
Wipe Kitchen Cupboards and Drawers

3yo
Wipe TV Stand
Vacuum with the hose (he gets the cracks next to the wall and hard to reach places – and loves it!)
Wipe Fridge Door and Front of Dish Washer
Wipe Microwave Door and Stand
Wipe Banister

1yo follow us around with a wet rag and does what he sees his brothers doing.

My Routines

Here are my routines. I do these at about the same time each day. Sometimes they take a long time depending on the temperments of my children and I finish on routine just to start the next. Usually we breeze through them and have free time in between the routines. I'm generally not strict on what we do. Sometimes we go to the library, play groups, or play games.

Morning Schedule
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Laundry – fold (15 Minutes) and start a load
Get Ready
Scripture Study
Organize Photos (I do not scrapbook during this season of my life. I slip the photos in an acid free album and label – I only do about 5-15 minutes a day, but it adds up.)
Computer Time

As soon as a child wakes up I stop the above morning schedule and let them watch one PBS show. Then I have one on one with the child if the others are not up. When everyone is awake we clean everyone’s bedrooms and put away the laundry that I folded. We even clean my room together. It’s pretty fun.

Tuesday and Thursday
Put in a load of laundry
Leave to workout at the gym for one hour
Come home and start the morning routine for MWF until all my kids are awake.

Then 6 yo gets everyone’s cereal out. (No, I don’t cook warm breakfast’s everyday. I make pancakes or waffles once or twice a week. Other days are cereal – cold or warm. I let my kids choose their cereal.) 3 yo gets the milk out.

After breakfast each child brings their plate to the sink. Even my 1 yo likes to do this since he sees his brothers do this. Then they help put away the cereal and milk. Then I send each boy to a different room to quietly play while I finish cleaning the dishes and table and sweeping the floor. I have found this clean up important to keeping a clean house and it only takes about 15 minutes.

Mid-Morning
On Tuesday and Thursday I do Yoga. Tuesday is 3yo computer time and the others either do yoga with me or take a bath. Thursday is 6yo computer time.

All of my other mornings are open to do what I need to do. We either play outside, play pretend, make bread, meet with friends, or run errands. (I try not to run errands because I just don’t like to do so with three little ones. I haven’t figured a way to come away not being worn-out.) Before we do any activity we have Chore Time. This is usually a little chore that each child is assigned. I used to do my own chores when they did theirs, but I found it works better for me to help them with their chores and then do mine when they are having quiet time. I will post what their chores are in a later post. They are simple and just enough to let them know we all have to help in a family, but not so much that they dread them.

We eat lunch and then we walk 6yo to the bus stop.

Then the younger two have quiet time.

Quiet Time Routine
Monday and Friday
Tidy
Exercise
Make Dinner
Organize something if no one is awake yet (1 hour)

Tuesday and Thursday
Make Calls
Tidy
Scriptures (If I haven’t already)
Make Dinner
Clean (1 hour) – I have a newly devised cleaning schedule that I will post tomorrow if I have time
3 To Do’s (This is just the random things that need to be done.)
Free Time
(I have never gotten to the free time, but I’m always hopeful.)

WednesdayMake Calls
Tidy
Scriptures (If I haven’t already)
Make Dinner
Free Time (Computer, read, nap, etc.)


I pick up my son from school because I found that he was always in a sour mood when he rode the bus.

When he gets home and everyone is awake then I vacuum the house and then take 5 minutes to clean our van.

Night Routine
Tidy (15 minutes)
Wash Face, brush, etc.
Pray
Read something (10 Minutes)
Sweet Dreams

I use timers a lot. That’s how I work. I only tidy for 15 minutes, but that is all I usually need. If I really don’t want to do it I think, “Just 15 minutes. I can do that.” I only deep clean for 2 hours a week. I tidy a lot and clean spills up immediately.

When you come to my house it is usually pretty put together. There will be a few things about because I don’t chase my kids around cleaning after them. I let them have fun and clean up at designated times. Every corner my not be spotless. My windows may have a few streaks, but everything is neatly put away. I will have time to have a spotless house in a few years. Right now I’m playing with my kids and enjoying my homemaking. It is tidy enough that the Holy Spirit may dwell here and I can think straight, but the dust bunnies show up periodically to play.

Schedule

A few weeks ago I devised a new schedule. It is working quite well. Hubby is traveling so I don't have a lot of down time. I will post it when I can.

Did yoga today. It felt great. My 6 yo and 1 yo were in a bubble bath and my 3yo was on the computer. I have to divert them while I do yoga so that I can have a little serenity. Sometimes one of them joins me, but I usually don't like all of them to join me at a time because somehow it turns into a wrestling match.