Does your child have courage? Can your child persevere without giving up even when they are faced with difficult situations? Can your child – even your young children – set a goal and work hard to achieve it, or do they give up thinking they just cannot do something? Do you know how to nurture courage in your children? I have seen many children who are naturally able…
If you’re reading this during the Covid-19 shutdown, you’re in week 4. How are you managing? Has it been terrible, great, or somewhere in between? Your children have had a learning curve with virtual learning – new schedules, habits, routines, a new discipline structure. But how about you? What can moms learn from homeschooling? More than you might have thought. The first thing I learned when I began…
This Easter, 2020, will be very different from Easters past. We will not be able to go to church to celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord. We won’t have brunches and ham buffets or Easter egg hunts for the kids. There are no new “Easter outfits” or large family gatherings. This year, Easter will be quiet. And yet, it doesn’t change the fact that our time of walking…
Thirty-three years ago I experienced mom guilt for the first time. My first baby was 10 months old and crawling towards a small bookshelf I had with some beautiful porcelain statues. I quickly approached her and slapped her hand (just hard enough to get her attention) and said, “NO!” and moved her away. She turned to look at me, bewildered (this was the first time I had slapped…
It doesn’t matter what age you are, this Corona Virus Pandemic and the repercussions of shutdowns, self-isolating, and home quarantining are unprecedented. Never have we had to readjust our lives so quickly and dramatically and learn how to survive and thrive during this covid-19 home quarantine. Change is always easiest when we instigate it. Buying and moving into a new home or having another baby are changes that…
As I see all the news reports and hear the conversations about the corona quarantine and the ‘panic’ that some families are experiencing, it occurred to me that there is hopefully a bright side of the corona quarantine. I remember the Christmas when I was pregnant with our 5th child and all four of our children had chicken pox. Our oldest was five so…yeah…four children under five with…
Whether you began homeschooling because of the corona virus school closures, or homeschooling is an active choice you’ve made for your family, homeschooling with toddlers around can present extra challenges. It’s possible, but you have to be flexible while still maintaining order in the schedule and home. For those new to homeschooling, flexibility is the key to not losing your mind. Many of us struggle with being flexible. …
If you find yourself in the surprising situation of homeschooling due to school closures for Coronavirus precautions, here are some tips on how to homeschool when your school closes from a mom who taught in schools for five years, and homeschooled seven children. Sanity for all (especially mom or dad) is the overriding objective. First of all, look at the situation from a positive perspective. You’ll have an…
I have good news for the overwhelmed moms who feel like they are constantly picking up and the only one responsible for keeping their homes tidy. Here’s how to teach your child to be neat and tidy from a very young age that will not only enhance the peace and tranquility of the home, but will also create an orderly adult in the process. Neat, orderly, and organized…
Being a mother is not simply having children and taking care of their physical needs. Being a mother who raises strong, confident, faith-filled, and generous children requires us to understand that we have a profound relationship with each of our children – one in which they depend on us to be their guide in navigating the waters that beat against them day in and day out. What a…