Routine

Instead of sharing “highs” and “lows” around the dinner table, try this…

First, let me just be honest and say that when my husband wasn’t home I had gotten into the habit of sitting my kids in front of the TV to feed them dinner.

One reason is because I have to admit that I can be a short-order cook who makes my kids what they like to eat if my husband is not home. I’m not saying that I recommend this or that I am proud of it, but it does work for us sometimes.

Secondly, I just needed that time sometimes at the end of the day to not have to think. I wanted to be able to tackle dinner in the best way (solo) that I was able to at the time.

But, when my husband was home for dinner we tried to sit around the table and share about our highs and lows, which was not easy when the kids were really little. But, as the kids are getting older (preschool age and above), we are now sharing about our day regularly and I want to tell you what is working for us lately.

My husband and I came up with the idea of sharing one thing we Loved, one thing we Learned, and one thing we Loathed about our day. The kids immediately loved this idea. So, we started to stick with that and just talk about it. It actually reminded me of the Berenstain Bear’s Book “Too Much TV” where it says that the bears used to have “lively conversations around the dinner table” but now “they just sat around and chewed…”

That is how it felt honestly, but in reverse. We were mostly just trying to teach some table manners, clean up messes, and re-heat food, but now we feel like our dinner time is a little more purposeful with “lively conversations around the dinner table.”

This book really is the best tie in for this transition. It is one of my favorites.

Once we started our new little conversation starter, we ended up starting to go around the table and let the kids share from littlest to biggest, one by one, what they loved, learned and loathed about their day. They even started to remind us if we forgot “We gotta share what we loved, learned and loathed about our day!”

When I was a kid, we used to share about our day around the dinner table holding Centrum Vitamins because my dad said whoever had the Centrum Vitamins was the “Centrum of Attention.” Classic dad joke.

So, I took that idea (kind of) and decided to make signs to keep us on track and whoever held the signs would be the only one allowed to talk until they got to complete their turn. It ended up being a really pleasant part of the day and my daughter even had an assignment to write what her favorite family activity was, she wrote “Sharing are (our) day.” That is when I realized that no matter how tired I am during “the witching hour” every day… this “love, learn, loathe” thing is simple, but meaningful, and we are going to stick with it.

So, CLICK HERE to get the free printable, and give me a follow or a share on any one of my platforms if you love it!

And here is how I assembled my signs but you don’t have to make signs. You can 1) just talk about it. 2) print onto regular paper or 3) write the words paper plates with a sharpie (your kids wont know the difference). This is just a resource I wanted to make for myself and decided to share. 🙂

I cut them out right around the border of the circle and laminated with my self-laminator.

I cut them out again and then hot glued wooden dowels I found at the family dollar store.
I actually ended up printing a second copy for the backside because I am an over-achiever/perfectionist. I promise you don’t have to do any of this.

And then finally, I made my kids take pictures with the signs because that is half the fun. I’m so glad at least one of them was willing to get into character for “loathe.”

October 7, 2019 by Jessica | 0 comments

Breakfast Choices

Every single morning my kids want to eat goldfish for breakfast.

I didn’t say that it happens, I just said that that is what my kids want…every.single.morning.

I do like to let my kids make choices about what they would like to eat for breakfast and for lunch (not-so-much dinner), but I typically like to give them a variety of options to pick from.

Telling my kids, “Goldfish is a snack, pick something that you want to eat for breakfast: cereal, oatmeal, eggs, etc.” just wasn’t cutting it, so I decided to make a visual.

My printable functions kind-of like a menu for the kids. It shows them what they can pick from when we are in a hurry (which is a lot), and of course I will make the take-your-time printable when I have, well, time.

breakfast choices.001

I got this idea when Casey wrote a post in August and she set up some breakfast options in a basket…

breakfast basket

I am including the Breakfast Choices PDF Template with both “on-the-go” and “take-your-time” templates that you can glue the box-top images that you would like to use in the spaces, draw/color your food choices, or take pictures and add them to the templates. (When I update this and complete it, I will be adding it to the member’s page).

I would love to see what you come up with!

Share pictures with us on Facebook if you have any morning solutions of your own.

February 16, 2014 by Jessica | 0 comments

Simple Chore Chart Checklist – Tidying !

I would classify myself as a “clean as you go” mom. I am NOT a clean freak but I do like a tidy house.

I play with my kids and I pick up after my kids (admittedly) a lot.

With three under three, tidying up after my little tornadoes is an ongoing discipline. But as I approach the ages of chore-chart readiness I wanted to give my little ones a bit of familiarity with the responsibilities they can handle, and those that are age-appropriate.

So, I made a simple checklist of the things that I would like them to be responsible for…. to pick up:

Shoes (We have a shoe basket)
Toys (Toy Chest)
Cups (Sink)
Clothes (Hamper)
Trash (Can)
Books (Book Bin)

I printed my checklist two per page and then laminated it (I have an affordable self-laminator from Walmart) and put this on our fridge with a square of small stickers held by a magnet nearby.

I introduced this checklist by saying that from now on when we are responsible and pick up after ourselves we get a sticker for each thing we pick up. Then we picked up one of each item and put it where it goes, getting a sticker for each one.

Sticker Checklist — Letting him take the sticker off helps develop his fine motor skills!

Now every time my kids pick up and put away something I give them a sticker to put in the box beside the chore. I give my kids stickers now even if I encourage them to clean by singing or ringing a bell… not just if I “catch” them cleaning, but if they do it without me asking I give them two.

Every time my kids put a sticker up, I say “Oooh we are going to fill up all the boxes and we will be able to see how hard we work.” This week our “trash” box is getting full so I asked Sean Patrick what he thinks we pick up the MOST of and what we needed to pick up MORE of so that I can keep him familiar with important math terms.

I am not giving him some big reward for filling up the boxes at this time because I want to get him accustomed to working hard because it pleases God not just to get the incentive. 🙂

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October 11, 2013 by Jessica | 0 comments

Daily Devotions: Week 4

We are absolutely loving our daily devotions! The kids are finally not protesting them anymore (before they just wanted to run off to watch TV after homework), but now they jump up and down asking what type of activity we are doing (not every day, but some)! This week, we even did a science experiment as one of our activities! Have you ever related God to oil? Haha… maybe it was a stretch, but the kids loved it and totally got my analogy, so that’s what matters!

When my husband got home, the boys couldn’t wait to tell him what they learned which sparked my husband’s Daddy Teacher side (he taught math, science and engineering to high schoolers before he became a mechanical engineer). He ended up creating a science experiment that will be my next post in a few days.

Day 1: An Adventure with Me

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” -John 14:20

If you have any matryoshka (nesting) dolls lying around your house, this verse can be perfectly portrayed by using those dolls. If not, any type of nesting toys such as blocks or cups can be used just fine. For your older child, you can label the big nesting doll “God,” the next size “Jesus,” the next your son/daughter’s name, and the next “Jesus” again.

This one took some convincing for my 3 year old to understand that God was not an LSU football player, and to get past the fact that each doll has a “shirt” (top) and “pants” (bottom).

Me: “Leyson, so where is Jesus?”
Leyson: “He is wearing my pants.”
Me: “No, he is inside you. Inside you.” ::sigh::

Next lesson: the difference between “where” and “wear” and maybe we’ll just use nesting blocks instead of the nesting dolls. 😉

“For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own pets have said, ‘We are his offspring.'” -Acts 17:28

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” -Colossians 2:6-7

Day 2: Never Changing

“God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33

The devotion talked about all of the distractions we face daily…hourly…and how one thing always remains the same: God. He is a constant in our lives. While we are growing and changing, He is the one thing we can count on to always be there for us.

Today, I wanted to do an illustration on things that change and things that remain the same.

Materials: 2 bowls, oil, water, food coloring

I pulled out 2 bowls and filled one with water and one with oil. I explained to the kids that we are like the water, always growing and changing, learning new things, adjusting to new situations. James added food coloring to our water to see how the water automatically changed to blue.

Then I explained that God is always the same, always there for us. He is not going to be changed or influenced by distractions like we are. He is not going to walk away from us even when we mess up. His love for us remains the same. Leyson added food coloring to the oil and the oil did not change. It did not spread and turn the oil blue like it did the water.

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Day 3: I Am the Light

“I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness. He will have the light that gives life.” -John 8:12

Today’s discussion was about the Light that fills our hearts and the darkness that can overtake it, if you let it.

Materials: black paper, pencil, glue, glitter, tray or box with sides (to limit the mess)

Draw a large heart on the black paper. Talk about how hate, jealousy, rudeness, disobedience, dishonesty and disrespect can all darken the heart. Let your child paint the inside of the heart with glue and fill it with glitter.

Talk about how Jesus’ love for us and our obedience to follow Him will fill our hearts with light. My kids had a great time waving their hearts around to see the light dance against the glitter.

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” -Psalm 32:7

Day 4: No Other Friend Like Me

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” -John 15:13

We pulled one of our favorite Disney songs to help us with today’s devotion. We compared the love and friendship that Andy and Woody have with each other to our relationship with Christ. We also closed our eyes and listened to the words of this song describing their friendship and talked about how that relates to us and our BFF, Jesus.

“I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:14-15

Day 5: Depend on Me

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” -Ephesians 6:10

God is the ultimate superhero – putting it in 6-year-old boy terms here. He is super duper strong, like an ant. We discussed how strong ants are in comparison to their bodies, and how big and heavy the things they carry can be.

Materials: stirring straws, cheerios, glue

We pretended our fingers were little ants and made dumbbells to pump some ant iron and show their strength. Cutting the straws into 3 inch pieces, we slipped cheerios onto each end. James decided 3 cheerios on each end was about what an ant can carry (he thinks he is Wikipedia and knows everything).

Then my 6-year-old know-it-all decided to multiply the weight that the ants can carry times a million trillion billion because that’s how strong God is.

“The God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

If you are doing Bible studies with your kids at home, we would love to hear from you! Are you following a specific kid’s devotional or study, or making your own up as you go along? Comment below to tell us all about it!

Catch up on previous weekly devotions below.

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

September 9, 2013 by Casey | 0 comments

Summer Break Part 1: Summer School

Happy Summer, Mommy Teachers!!! Oh wait, MOMMY teachers don’t get a summer break! For those of us with school-aged kids, we get to spend extra time with our big kids too – which means extra busy bodies in the house.

It is really important to me to maintain some type of schedule during the summer or the kids and I could easily fall into the routine of staying in our pajamas, never leaving the house and then by 3 o’clock everyone is completely stir crazy. Because of this, I am mapping out a daily schedule that includes play dates or errands, Bible study, school time, free time and more so my children will never have the opportunity to say, “I’m bored” or “Mom, when can we play the Wii?” They will have one opportunity per day to either play the computer or video games. Summer is a time for kids to unplug (for the most part – I mean, let’s get real… even Mommy enjoys her Mario Kart).

It is also important for school aged kids to stay on track for their next school year. Many kids have to play catch up at the beginning of each new grade level because they forgot most of what they learned the year before. As Mommy Teachers, it is our job to bridge the gap between grades on both an academic/cognitive level and a social level.

On an academic and cognitive level, this can be achieved by simply doing activities to reinforce what your child learned the previous year (think back to all of those homework assignments your child’s teacher sent home) or visit the website for the Common Core Standards which is what each child should know by the end of each school year (these have been adopted by the public school systems of most states). And if your child had a super awesome teacher like my kindergartner did, chances are they will have sent home a packet for practice this summer.

Now, I am not particularly a fan of “hand outs” and worksheets, however, the 2 months off of school can break kids of the social behaviors that they learned in the classroom this year. Social behaviors aren’t just interactions we have with other people, the are also what is expected of us when we are in different social situations such as sitting in a classroom, standing in line, and waiting our turn. Just think about how those things prepared us for sitting at our office desk, standing in line at the grocery store, and waiting our turn to use the ATM machine. So, in this case, a handout or worksheet a day, where your child sits correctly in a chair, pulled up to the table (not on the floor) is more than just working on maintaining academic knowledge; it is helping them retain that social behavioral expectation that they will need for the fall when they have to sit quietly at their desks to do work.

I recently made a trip to our local school supply store (it’s like the IKEA for teacher supplies – ah-may-zing!) and purchased a few summer school supplies for my kids. Now, you can absolutely find free templates for a lot of these worksheets online (there are plenty on The Mommy Teacher alone), but my printer is B-R-O-K-E-N and this was cheaper for me than replacing the printer.

I bought 2 Summer Bridge Activities workbooks (on e for each of my boys) that are specifically designed to align with the common core standards, reward charts, stickers, lined paper, and lined journal paper. For every page they finish in their workbooks (or for when they work extra hard on a particular activity) they each get a gold star sticker (highly coveted). When they fill up the chart we will take a trip to Jump Zone (their choice) as a reward for all of their hard work.

The lined paper is to specifically practice handwriting (one area that my 5 year old struggles in) and the journal lined paper is to practice writing paragraph stories and drawing a picture of what happens in that story (a kindergarten skill). Many kids will write a story of say, going to the store, and they draw a picture of a tree. This summer we will practice creating complex stories and adding detail to our drawings. My ultimate goal is to make this activity FUN for my 5 year old because he absolutely despises writing and drawing (totally my husband’s child). I may have to ::gasp:: resort to bribing for this one!

* This weekend I will be following up with posts about our summer schedule and weekly themed curriculum, so I apologize for the clumped posts, but summer starts today and I’m already off schedule! Eep!

May 24, 2013 by Casey | 3 Comments

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