This is my first experience with an "I want" kid. I attribute that to the fact that my older two were never exposed to television ads. We had Netflix and DVDs, but no cable coming into the home. Now, we do. My mom moved in with her DirecTV subscription, and it came with two boxes, so one in her room and one in the family room.
The older two (7 and 9 years old) don't ask me for everything they see. They're old enough to know that 1) it never performs the way the TV says it does and 2) they're not getting everything they ask for anyway!
My youngest, aged 5, says I want after every commercial. Mom, I want that! I always know when a show is at commercial because he is constantly saying I want. Ugh. I know I can just turn the TV off, but one or two shows a day isn't bad in my opinion. I just used to like it when they didn't have commercials!
My mom tells me the TV will record a show so they can watch it later and fast forward through the commercials, but I don't see them being able to do that just yet. So maybe I will limit their TV watching to Netflix until the youngest decides he actually doesn't want everything he sees!
Blessings!
One Christian Mom
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Facebook - a dissertation
A short dissertation on what I dislike (and a little about what I like) about Facebook.
1. It keeps you in constant contact with people (or so most people think, which means if you don't immediately respond, people get mad/offended/upset/worried, etc.)
2. People believe they are more important than everyone else (just like in the real world, only amplified)
3. People love to be right. Even when they are wrong, and you have verified information to prove it, they still will not back down, and will even miss inform others en masse in order to "prove" their point.
4. "Talking" to people you haven't seen in 10 - 20 years knowing full well that if Facebook didn't exist, they would never have found a way to contact you ever again.
5. Constantly reading about everyone's mundane tasks of everyday life. Yes, I did laundry, too. Oh how nice you took your kid to the indoor park. Oh, I am so sorry your kid sneezed today.
6. All the pictures of abused animals/children/women/etc. Yes, I know it happens. Posting a pic of it on Facebook will not make it stop.
7. All the statuses that say if one million people "like" my post, my dad will buy me X, Y, or Z - or that if you share this post, a company will magically know about it and give you a free iPad.
8. The fact that it's pretty much the only way some people communicate anymore.
And now what I like about it...
9. Keeping in touch with friends you might not call every day but still like to keep in contact with.
and 10. Being able to contact an entire ministry at once to keep them informed about meeting times/agendas, etc. (which is the ONLY reason I still have a Facebook account).
And that's all I have to say about that! (For now, anyway!) :)
God's blessings on your life and your Facebook account. ;)
One Christian Mom
1. It keeps you in constant contact with people (or so most people think, which means if you don't immediately respond, people get mad/offended/upset/worried, etc.)
2. People believe they are more important than everyone else (just like in the real world, only amplified)
3. People love to be right. Even when they are wrong, and you have verified information to prove it, they still will not back down, and will even miss inform others en masse in order to "prove" their point.
4. "Talking" to people you haven't seen in 10 - 20 years knowing full well that if Facebook didn't exist, they would never have found a way to contact you ever again.
5. Constantly reading about everyone's mundane tasks of everyday life. Yes, I did laundry, too. Oh how nice you took your kid to the indoor park. Oh, I am so sorry your kid sneezed today.
6. All the pictures of abused animals/children/women/etc. Yes, I know it happens. Posting a pic of it on Facebook will not make it stop.
7. All the statuses that say if one million people "like" my post, my dad will buy me X, Y, or Z - or that if you share this post, a company will magically know about it and give you a free iPad.
8. The fact that it's pretty much the only way some people communicate anymore.
And now what I like about it...
9. Keeping in touch with friends you might not call every day but still like to keep in contact with.
and 10. Being able to contact an entire ministry at once to keep them informed about meeting times/agendas, etc. (which is the ONLY reason I still have a Facebook account).
And that's all I have to say about that! (For now, anyway!) :)
God's blessings on your life and your Facebook account. ;)
One Christian Mom
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
An "Almost" Snow Day
Kids are so funny, the way they think about things. The school had a two hour delay this morning as we all awaited the ice from last night's storm to wash away with the rain. My daughter was so excited. She said, "Mom, we can have an ALMOST snow day!" What she meant was they could stay in their jammies and play pretend and paper dolls and dinosaurs and cars and whatever else they imagined up for the next two hours. Then back to reality as we got ready for school.
Of course, during this time my daughter and son both reminded me what it was like when we were homeschooling. My daughter said something to the effect of, "Do you remember when we used to do this as a part of school?" I used to use their toys as teaching implements whenever possible to keep them interested, and then they could continue the play after the lesson so I could do the next lesson with another child. At one point, I was homeschooling five (my three and a friend's two) so I needed all the help I could get!
My son asked me when we could do this again, meaning set aside the usual order of things and just play. I told him hopefully this weekend. I will work hard to get the housework done so that we can play Saturday morning together doing whatever they think up.
But right now, my youngest son is downstairs with my mom, and they are learning math together. :) Yes, my mom knows math, but by her own words, it's been so long since she had a class that although she knows how to do it, she can't remember why! They are playing with counting blocks and pattern blocks and a calendar. My regular child care provider's son is sick and my mom isn't up to much, but she wanted to help.
So with that, I had better get back to work! I am glad I take the time to write these posts again, though. I really helps me pattern my thoughts and get my head on straight. Also, I need a break once in a while throughout the day, and it's more productive to blog than it is to just aimlessly surf the web.
God Bless!
One Christian Mom
Of course, during this time my daughter and son both reminded me what it was like when we were homeschooling. My daughter said something to the effect of, "Do you remember when we used to do this as a part of school?" I used to use their toys as teaching implements whenever possible to keep them interested, and then they could continue the play after the lesson so I could do the next lesson with another child. At one point, I was homeschooling five (my three and a friend's two) so I needed all the help I could get!
My son asked me when we could do this again, meaning set aside the usual order of things and just play. I told him hopefully this weekend. I will work hard to get the housework done so that we can play Saturday morning together doing whatever they think up.
But right now, my youngest son is downstairs with my mom, and they are learning math together. :) Yes, my mom knows math, but by her own words, it's been so long since she had a class that although she knows how to do it, she can't remember why! They are playing with counting blocks and pattern blocks and a calendar. My regular child care provider's son is sick and my mom isn't up to much, but she wanted to help.
So with that, I had better get back to work! I am glad I take the time to write these posts again, though. I really helps me pattern my thoughts and get my head on straight. Also, I need a break once in a while throughout the day, and it's more productive to blog than it is to just aimlessly surf the web.
God Bless!
One Christian Mom
Sunday, February 24, 2013
A Better Way
You have all probably heard the expression, there's got to be a better way... or for us homeschoolers or homeschoolers-at-heart, or just grammar lovers... "There has to be a better way" :) Well, it's true. There definitely has to be a better way. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I know that I just don't have it in me to do much else. I know it's a combination of things. So here goes...
It's cold. And it's overcast most of the time. This really does effect me. I don't understand why, and no amount of mental gymnastics, prayer, etc seems to get me past that. I have something called SAD, seasonal affective disorder. Basically, in short, the seasons effect my mood. It also effects my body somehow. As I said, I don't really understand it, but I just don't have it in me to do everything I need to do. I know it sounds like I should just "get over it" or "snap out of it" or "give it up" as my father was so fond of saying, but I have tried. Believe me, I wish I wasn't this way.
Anyway, aside from that "invisible" disorder, I also have chronic fatigue. From what I understand, the two often go hand in hand. It's an autoimmune thing (please forgive my lack of medical-ese, but I have never been good at understanding how the body's processes work) that basically causes me to collapse if I do too much at a time. It's happened, although usually in the winter. I passed out once, but usually I just collapse from exhaustion from doing something most normal people can do every day.
So that's two "invisible" things. Now for the "visible" stuff. I have three kids, one of whom is still just five. That's exhausting on its own, LOL. My mom also lives with me, and she has lupus. What that means is her body's systems fight against each other, causing her pain and other diseases inside her body, such as fibromyalgia and chrones. So much of the time, I am taking care of her, as well.
As we know, I am a single mom, which means I have to work. I am a transcriptionist, and I work from home, but still... work is work and it takes time. And because I work for myself, time is literally money. I can't just "do it later" because later it's too loud for me to hear the file I'm supposed to be typing. So I work while the kids are in school.
By the time night comes, I am tired. Actually, around 3 pm I am tired. But I push through. I cook dinner, usually. I clean up after dinner, most times. Thankfully my kids can shower themselves now, but the little guy still needs supervision, otherwise he will say he's washed, but really he just played :) I have also helped the kids with homework, folded laundry (hopefully), and all the other things all other moms do every day.
Finally, the kids go to bed. I want to pass out. I still have to shower. Sometimes I still have work to do. Not to mention when do I clean the bathrooms, change sheets, mop the floors, etc, etc, etc. On the weekends, my kids go to their father, about 2-3 weekends a month. He's 2.5 hours away, and I do the driving. So those weekends are shot, driving 5 hrs a day wipes me beyond reason.
Sometimes I will do the grocery shopping on my way home from dropping them off. Sometimes I can't walk after being in the car for 5 hours. :( Sometimes I will work, if I have work. Sometimes there is no work to be had on the weekends, and I try to push myself to do any of the many tasks that just sit undone.
Sometimes I just cry.
There has GOT to be a better way. (Please forgive the grammatical error, however I really feel it fits!) I am so tired. ALL. THE. TIME. I am sorry, this is really just a rant, but sometimes I just have to get it out.
We went to go see my father who lives in a warmer climate just last week. I was able to do everything I normally do, and more, while we were there. I cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, took them to the park, and many other fun things. I didn't have to work, granted, but I had energy. Was it the fact that I was away, is my house draining me?
Or was it the warm, sunny weather? Even sitting in the car for hours upon hours did not drain me the way it normally does here. I live in an area where we get about 3 or 3.5 warm months a year. We have four seasons, they are: almost winter, winter, still winter but slightly warmer, and spring/summer. We can get snow from October until May. Many of those months are completely overcast. And one summer, it rained for two months! I was severely disappointed that year.
Anyway, as I said, I am really probably just ranting. But if you have any ideas, or you live with SAD or chronic fatigue and have tips or tricks on what works for you, I would love to hear them.
God's blessings!
One Christian Mom
It's cold. And it's overcast most of the time. This really does effect me. I don't understand why, and no amount of mental gymnastics, prayer, etc seems to get me past that. I have something called SAD, seasonal affective disorder. Basically, in short, the seasons effect my mood. It also effects my body somehow. As I said, I don't really understand it, but I just don't have it in me to do everything I need to do. I know it sounds like I should just "get over it" or "snap out of it" or "give it up" as my father was so fond of saying, but I have tried. Believe me, I wish I wasn't this way.
Anyway, aside from that "invisible" disorder, I also have chronic fatigue. From what I understand, the two often go hand in hand. It's an autoimmune thing (please forgive my lack of medical-ese, but I have never been good at understanding how the body's processes work) that basically causes me to collapse if I do too much at a time. It's happened, although usually in the winter. I passed out once, but usually I just collapse from exhaustion from doing something most normal people can do every day.
So that's two "invisible" things. Now for the "visible" stuff. I have three kids, one of whom is still just five. That's exhausting on its own, LOL. My mom also lives with me, and she has lupus. What that means is her body's systems fight against each other, causing her pain and other diseases inside her body, such as fibromyalgia and chrones. So much of the time, I am taking care of her, as well.
As we know, I am a single mom, which means I have to work. I am a transcriptionist, and I work from home, but still... work is work and it takes time. And because I work for myself, time is literally money. I can't just "do it later" because later it's too loud for me to hear the file I'm supposed to be typing. So I work while the kids are in school.
By the time night comes, I am tired. Actually, around 3 pm I am tired. But I push through. I cook dinner, usually. I clean up after dinner, most times. Thankfully my kids can shower themselves now, but the little guy still needs supervision, otherwise he will say he's washed, but really he just played :) I have also helped the kids with homework, folded laundry (hopefully), and all the other things all other moms do every day.
Finally, the kids go to bed. I want to pass out. I still have to shower. Sometimes I still have work to do. Not to mention when do I clean the bathrooms, change sheets, mop the floors, etc, etc, etc. On the weekends, my kids go to their father, about 2-3 weekends a month. He's 2.5 hours away, and I do the driving. So those weekends are shot, driving 5 hrs a day wipes me beyond reason.
Sometimes I will do the grocery shopping on my way home from dropping them off. Sometimes I can't walk after being in the car for 5 hours. :( Sometimes I will work, if I have work. Sometimes there is no work to be had on the weekends, and I try to push myself to do any of the many tasks that just sit undone.
Sometimes I just cry.
There has GOT to be a better way. (Please forgive the grammatical error, however I really feel it fits!) I am so tired. ALL. THE. TIME. I am sorry, this is really just a rant, but sometimes I just have to get it out.
We went to go see my father who lives in a warmer climate just last week. I was able to do everything I normally do, and more, while we were there. I cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, took them to the park, and many other fun things. I didn't have to work, granted, but I had energy. Was it the fact that I was away, is my house draining me?
Or was it the warm, sunny weather? Even sitting in the car for hours upon hours did not drain me the way it normally does here. I live in an area where we get about 3 or 3.5 warm months a year. We have four seasons, they are: almost winter, winter, still winter but slightly warmer, and spring/summer. We can get snow from October until May. Many of those months are completely overcast. And one summer, it rained for two months! I was severely disappointed that year.
Anyway, as I said, I am really probably just ranting. But if you have any ideas, or you live with SAD or chronic fatigue and have tips or tricks on what works for you, I would love to hear them.
God's blessings!
One Christian Mom
Friday, February 22, 2013
The stages are working - kinda
Wow, I am all over the place, LOL. Gotta keep ya on your toes. You never know what I am going to write about tomorrow :) Or if I am going to even write!
The stages are working - kinda. *I* haven't ordered out. But while we were at Walmart, my mom snuck into Subway while I was checking out and bought myself and her a sandwich. At least it's a sandwich? Other than that, I have been sticking to the plan.
Blogging is turning out okay, I am just not focused. I am not sure this blog ever was focused anyway, so at least I'm blogging again. It helps me keep my non-linear thoughts straight :)
Cleaning... well, the laundry's done, if not folded. The dishes are clean, if not put away. The living room is still a mess. Gimme a break, we just got back from vacation! :) I have to work harder at cleaning even though I don't have enough time to finish. If I am going to throw homeschooling (or summer) into the mix, things are going to have to get done one way or another.
Anyway, the next couple of days, I am just going to try to stick to the stages. Weekends are always worse for me because they are jam-packed with driving kids back and forth to their father, church, and whatever errands I have to run, along with sometimes working and however much me-time I can fit in there!
Until tomorrow - possibly ;)
One Christian Mom
The stages are working - kinda. *I* haven't ordered out. But while we were at Walmart, my mom snuck into Subway while I was checking out and bought myself and her a sandwich. At least it's a sandwich? Other than that, I have been sticking to the plan.
Blogging is turning out okay, I am just not focused. I am not sure this blog ever was focused anyway, so at least I'm blogging again. It helps me keep my non-linear thoughts straight :)
Cleaning... well, the laundry's done, if not folded. The dishes are clean, if not put away. The living room is still a mess. Gimme a break, we just got back from vacation! :) I have to work harder at cleaning even though I don't have enough time to finish. If I am going to throw homeschooling (or summer) into the mix, things are going to have to get done one way or another.
Anyway, the next couple of days, I am just going to try to stick to the stages. Weekends are always worse for me because they are jam-packed with driving kids back and forth to their father, church, and whatever errands I have to run, along with sometimes working and however much me-time I can fit in there!
Until tomorrow - possibly ;)
One Christian Mom
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Homeschooling-again?
Well, my kids have asked once again if they can be homeschooled. It breaks my heart to hear them ask me to be homeschooled when I think I can't do it for them. A lot of the parents in our district are going to be homeschooling next year, mainly because they are closing at least one more school after already closing two this year. A lot of parents are coming to me for advice, asking me questions about how to get started, the right forms to fill out, and even about cyberschooling. I have no problems answering their questions, but I feel heartsick knowing they will be doing it and I will not. It is currently quiet enough around here for me to get my work done, but often times I find myself thinking about what they are learning in school, what they would be learning at home, all while I am typing all of this nonsense. (not the blog, my work.)
I keep trying to think of ways to manage my time better so that I can work and home school at the same time. The only problem is that it's not about time management, it's about noise level. And everyone knows that three children, one of them being five, are not quiet. See, it's not like I just need an hour of quiet time per day. I would need probably about four or five. I know that time-wise this could be achieved. It could be work alone time, special projects time, computer time, TV time, time for them to build with Legos, play-do, grandma time, etc. If they were quiet enough, they could all sit around the table doing various things, play outside while I use my laptop outside (in the warmer weather), play in the next room over. But the noise. And the distractions. Mommy can i have a snack. mommy can i have a drink. mommy, can i use the computer. mommy can i, mommy will you, mommy, mommy, mommy.
I love my kids, which is why I put them in school. I couldn't get any work done with them home and I was getting madder and madder trying to finish at night while they were sleeping, waking up unrested and starting the whole thing over again. I guess summer will be a good trial. I can't afford child care, so they will be home the two summer months and I am still supposed to work. gosh, I have no idea how to do this!
Please be in prayer with me over this. I feel like God never took homeschooling off of my heart, but I have no idea how to do that and work. I need to make money - for those of you just starting out on my blog, I am a single mother. Their father gives me some child support, but nowhere near enough to cover everything. So somehow I would have to make it work.
If you got this far, thank you for reading my ramblings. Until next time!
One Christian Mom
PS - if you somehow manage working and homeschooling, leave me a note and let me know how you get along! :)
I keep trying to think of ways to manage my time better so that I can work and home school at the same time. The only problem is that it's not about time management, it's about noise level. And everyone knows that three children, one of them being five, are not quiet. See, it's not like I just need an hour of quiet time per day. I would need probably about four or five. I know that time-wise this could be achieved. It could be work alone time, special projects time, computer time, TV time, time for them to build with Legos, play-do, grandma time, etc. If they were quiet enough, they could all sit around the table doing various things, play outside while I use my laptop outside (in the warmer weather), play in the next room over. But the noise. And the distractions. Mommy can i have a snack. mommy can i have a drink. mommy, can i use the computer. mommy can i, mommy will you, mommy, mommy, mommy.
I love my kids, which is why I put them in school. I couldn't get any work done with them home and I was getting madder and madder trying to finish at night while they were sleeping, waking up unrested and starting the whole thing over again. I guess summer will be a good trial. I can't afford child care, so they will be home the two summer months and I am still supposed to work. gosh, I have no idea how to do this!
Please be in prayer with me over this. I feel like God never took homeschooling off of my heart, but I have no idea how to do that and work. I need to make money - for those of you just starting out on my blog, I am a single mother. Their father gives me some child support, but nowhere near enough to cover everything. So somehow I would have to make it work.
If you got this far, thank you for reading my ramblings. Until next time!
One Christian Mom
PS - if you somehow manage working and homeschooling, leave me a note and let me know how you get along! :)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
In Stages
Hey! Long time, no "see"! I know, that's my fault, not yours. I have had little time for blogging (or much of anything) lately. Between everything I have going on, I should be able to find some time, though so I am going to try.
You see, normally I am an "all or nothing" type of person. Either I can clean everything exactly the way I want it now, or I don't do anything at all. Either I blog every day and promote the blog and read other's blogs, or I don't. Either I eat healthy... well you get the idea.
I am going to try to start doing things in stages. Stage one - write a blog every so often. Clean for 10 minutes when I have the time. And eating... well that's why I sat down to write.
You all know I was trying to do GAPS. And then I wasn't. I couldn't do it all exactly the way the book says to do it. So I stopped. I went back to full SAD (Standard American Diet). You know, fast food, convenience food, cereals, hot dogs and potato chips.
So my first stage will be not eating out. I don't mean restaurant .. that almost never happens, LOL. I mean take out and fast food. I shouldn't be doing it for more than one reason. But I do. What happens is I say we are only going to eat from scratch. Then, when we have a bad day or we're out later than we expect or whatever, I have nothing to just throw together... so we end up with take out.
My solution will be we don't have to eat from scratch. I will also try not to just do all pre-package. That would be my all-or-nothing solution. My stages solution will be that breakfast and dinner will be cooked, using a combination of real, fresh ingredients and convenience items. I can buy bread, frozen potatoes, frozen veggies, etc. But I have to cook the meat, eggs and whatnot. Sandwiches for the kids for school, and for me, yogurt and apples or something light. I never did like a heavy lunch, anyway. And I don't have to make the yogurt!
In the past, once we started down the path of not all from scratch, (including baking bread and making yogurt), we would be down to hamburger helper. So this time, stages! I can do it!
Anyone else have all-or-nothing-itus?
God's Blessings on your home!
One Christian Mom
You see, normally I am an "all or nothing" type of person. Either I can clean everything exactly the way I want it now, or I don't do anything at all. Either I blog every day and promote the blog and read other's blogs, or I don't. Either I eat healthy... well you get the idea.
I am going to try to start doing things in stages. Stage one - write a blog every so often. Clean for 10 minutes when I have the time. And eating... well that's why I sat down to write.
You all know I was trying to do GAPS. And then I wasn't. I couldn't do it all exactly the way the book says to do it. So I stopped. I went back to full SAD (Standard American Diet). You know, fast food, convenience food, cereals, hot dogs and potato chips.
So my first stage will be not eating out. I don't mean restaurant .. that almost never happens, LOL. I mean take out and fast food. I shouldn't be doing it for more than one reason. But I do. What happens is I say we are only going to eat from scratch. Then, when we have a bad day or we're out later than we expect or whatever, I have nothing to just throw together... so we end up with take out.
My solution will be we don't have to eat from scratch. I will also try not to just do all pre-package. That would be my all-or-nothing solution. My stages solution will be that breakfast and dinner will be cooked, using a combination of real, fresh ingredients and convenience items. I can buy bread, frozen potatoes, frozen veggies, etc. But I have to cook the meat, eggs and whatnot. Sandwiches for the kids for school, and for me, yogurt and apples or something light. I never did like a heavy lunch, anyway. And I don't have to make the yogurt!
In the past, once we started down the path of not all from scratch, (including baking bread and making yogurt), we would be down to hamburger helper. So this time, stages! I can do it!
Anyone else have all-or-nothing-itus?
God's Blessings on your home!
One Christian Mom
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