Teachers and child care personnel must be certified in infant and child CPR. We as parents do not, but I like to have this posted as a reference. Just a simple, quick tip that could come in handy, and hopefully will never have to be used: Post the steps for CPR and Rescue Breathing in a couple of spots in your home. Included are basic first aid resources when you … [Read more...]
Exposure to Print: Make a Word Wall
This post contains affiliate links. Please view my disclosure. A word wall is an activity that I start when my children are toddlers. It is part of our homeschool preschool activities, and I know that it helps my children learn to read with confidence. Play does matter in the lives of young children, but we can also teach them along the way. A word wall is a great way to use … [Read more...]
1 Simple Tip to Reduce the Chaotic Clutter
If someone walked into my home today they would question whether I accomplished anything. When my house gets chaotic with clutter, I do not want to spend time in it. I judge my home by its cover-what I see makes me feel like it was a successful day or not. Often my "done list" is not long enough for my liking! There is a quick way to de-clutter, and get to feeling more … [Read more...]
Responsibility of Teachers Versus Parents
The lines between what is the responsibility of teachers and parents are blurred today. Children are being essentially raised by teachers. In child care the caregivers are called "teachers" and these are the adults a child in daycare full-time sees most of their days. Beyond that, teachers are receiving students who are not ready to learn. Teachers are limited in ways … [Read more...]
Instilling the Love of Learning by Reading
Starting in infancy, when your child is home with you, you are able to devote so much one-on-one time to them and with them. They learn that they are important; they learn that they have something to contribute to you. I feel important when another adult takes the time to talk with me and focus on what I have to say; it is not different with children. They relish the focus … [Read more...]
Setting Up Your Home Budget {Free Download}
Setting up your home budget is as easy as filling in the blanks with this free budget template you can download. Moms are often the accountant, financial adviser, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). What my husband makes (and how well I invest and manage what we already have) has to cover what we need, and then, we worry about what we want. (Or, at least, that is the goal!) I … [Read more...]
Easy Organization for Moms
There are easy, and extremely inexpensive ways to organize your life as a homemaker and stay-at-home mom so you can live more and clean less. I am all for that! This list of five easy ways to add more organization to your life will free up more time for you when there is any down time in your day. This post contains affiliate links. Please view my … [Read more...]
DIY Puzzles
Need to add something new into today's activities? Make a puzzle. It will take you 10 minutes, I promise! Puzzles are wonderful tools for enhancing spatial reasoning skills and memory. It is very easy to make a puzzle and you have everything you need at home. … [Read more...]
What’s for Dinner? (Quick Tips to Get Dinner on the Table)
Do you hate being asked "What's for dinner?" It can cause stress some days, but let's plan ahead and use simple tips so we can answer that question Every Monday, as part of my easing back into the week, I scan my fridge, freezer and pantry for an ingredient list of what I have on-hand that could be put together to make meals. I definitely use some simple, basic recipes to help … [Read more...]
Play and Learning at the Playground
You do not have to be bored sitting and watching your children play at the playground. There are simple ways to connect the outdoor playtime with simple, fun activities and learning at home too. I tend to look at a visit to the playground as my chance to sit and watch-finally! I am up and down on my feet all day: up the stairs, down the stairs, criss-crossing the house. I … [Read more...]
The “Other Half” of a Stay-at-Home Mom: The Working Dad
I would be terribly forgetful if I did not mention one phenomenal half of the whole picture on being a stay-at-home mom: the working husband! How in the world could we do what we do without their sacrifice? I sometimes envy my husband leaving for work every day, although not the hour that he wakes up, or the drive from here to there and back. He has so much on his shoulders. I … [Read more...]
How to Feel Like A Successful Mom: Make A “Done” List
I have had people actually ask me the question, "What do you do all day as a stay-at-home mom?" Some days I can't even answer. I start to work on a task, then the phone rings, someone spits up or needs a diaper change, spills something on the newly mopped floors, or gets into the exact cupboard that I just asked them to not touch. Fires, fires, fires, all for me to put out. … [Read more...]
What Do Stay-at-Home Moms Do All Day?
Many SAHMs long for a job outside of the home. It can be difficult to recall what we really do all day when our main task is caring for home and children. Often we can not complete one task before starting another-and really, we do about 100 things at once! For personal reasons, extra money, adult interaction, and others, working outside of the home and leaving our children in … [Read more...]
How to be a Great Stay-at-Home Mom
This post contains affiliate links. Please view my disclosure for more info. It used to bother me, when I was in my teaching program, when teachers and professors talked to us like we knew more about raising children than the parents. I was a 20-something student who had a lot of babysitting experience, but I was not a mom at the time. What did I know about parenting? Sure, … [Read more...]
Maximize Your Time As A Stay-at-Home Mom
I used to get bored as stay-at-home mom. Those days made me question whether being a stay-at-home mom was worth it. As a former teacher, and a child who had a stay-at-home mom, I knew that what I was doing was valuable, but I needed to add things into my day to feel more successful. This quick tip helped guide my interactions with my son and helped encourage me to see the … [Read more...]