My First Cheat Sheet to help plan your week and get the kids ready to go back to school

Hi all! Happy new year! So this year I wanted to do a cheat sheet for each week to help kick start your week and get things done.

So here is my first one:

cheat-sheetDownload

Please let me know if you’d like other printables. I will do these each week and have created one for my other blog: https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

So the school run begins

Hi and welcome to another parenting blog. So the school run begins with panic and mayhem all the way.

On Monday I get a call at about 12:30pm telling me that Henry’s only doing half day rather than the time that all the other kids will be finished. So had to make a quick dash to get there and wait until my ex husband go home to take over.

I don’t know what it is but the school run seems to be so rushed even when we leave plenty of time. It’s like quick get them in before they change their mind.

Like I said in my previous post Back at School after the Lockdown that getting them dressed can be hard work. I don’t know how the Saccone Joly’s do it as they have 4 children to worry about. I don’t think I’d sleep.

I mean I would like to have more now that I have met someone else, but I think with the school run it should be done as a team sport rather than a single persons thing.

• One tip I’d give is don’t give them breakfast after getting them dressed and ready as you and them can end up wearing Weetabix , so do breakfast first with plenty of time to spare before they get ready, and this in turn makes sure they are well and truly fed
• Check the weather and traffic the night and morning before in case of any public transport issues or traffic jams 
• Put all bags, shoes and coats and anything they need to take with them, including the kitchen sink if possible, by the front door ready
• Have the kids make their own beds once old enough, so I would say from 2 years upwards. Only joking more 3 years and upwards
• Try and control your road rage however tempting it is to murder other drivers, because as my driving instructor told me, “All other drivers are idiots” so be aware of language as it can easily be picked up and used in assembly’s and classrooms if not and then you being the parent and there is no where else to go, will get the blame
• Check parking beforehand, as the moment it being the first week it is quiet but by next month I’d say it will be busy again, and will have to leave extra early again to get a space
• Dress for the weather and check forecast. My biggest floor as I am guilty of not doing this, so will have to learn to do this myself as there is nothing worse when it is pissing down with rain and you got your summer dress on and the works, but no rain jacket or anything

The school run can be stress free and the first few days are always trial and error, but you do get there.

anyway have a good day and stay safe.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

 

 

 

Back at School after the Lockdown

Today Henry went back to school, the first time since lockdown and I am kind of relieved that some normality has begun.

Getting kids ready for school is no easy task especially when their first initial answer is NO, so with Henry we do try bribery.

Now I know some people may frown upon that, but do I care, No I don’t.

At the end of the day you do what you gotta do, and when a kid is screaming blue murder you know there is no further option.

Henry got a little stressed because we didn’t cut through the large playground like we normally do, and all the classes are mixed at the moment, and so we have to follow the rules like everyone else, and so I just calmed him down as much as possible and passed him over to the teacher, praying that I don’t get a call later to pick him up because he has had a difficult day.

Children with ADHD like my son has, they can find change difficult so we did what we always do, and when I say we, me and my mother, showed him images of where he will need to go and what his classroom is like, as getting them prepared as much as possible does really help.

Also letting him choose an activity he can do in the car beforehand is a good distraction away from the new transition.

I would recommend planning the night before and saving yourself time is the key to a successful school run. I hate panicking and getting into a friendsey when if it had been done the night before like have all  their uniform ready and ready to grab, have his book bag filled with his school books and snack for the day and even getting out his shoes, are great time savers.

It really does and I even got up extra early today to give myself time to get ready. This meant having little sleep, but now after feeling like zombie fill right and rain.

So keep safe everyone and many thanks for reading,

 

Carrie X

 

 

 

Getting kids to do their homework

Getting kids to do their homework can be like banging your head against the wall, because like my son after a long day he’ s had enough of education by then and to be honest when I was at school I felt exactly the same.

So how do you get kids to do their homework,

1. Have a routine, so the more they know that it is time to sit down and do some work even if it is reading, the less reluctant they will be and will usually conform after several attempts and be used to knowing that now it is time for homework
2. Make it fun, I created some charts and use flash cards a lot
3. Ask questions to build up their interest, as they will interact more
4. Create a homework plan if it makes it easier and then your child will be prepared for each day

5.  Have an aim for each day, so for example for Henry it is for him to write more and because being a writer myself and a lover of books it is important for me to see Henry practice his reading, along with working on numbers and different words

6. Set goals for them, so they have a target for each part of the year, and work along with the school to see what their targets are so you can work together with them to enhance your childs learning

7. Remember to praise and reward during and after homework is completed and it will help make them look forward to it rather then dread and be something they want to do rather than what they have to do.

Check out an example of a homework planner I have created for my son Henry which you could use too below:

Copy of Henrys weekly homework Planner

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Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 Parenting Dilemmas

As parents we can face many parenting dilemmas, here are 5 Parenting Dilemmas I am sure you can identify with, such as:

1, Getting your kids ready to be leave for school. Thankfully I delegate these responsibilities to my husband in terms of getting him ready in the mornings, but I will take him to school and get him out of the house. I have to make sure we leave 20 minutes before because he wants to continuously watch the buses and planes fly over so getting to school can be a challenge at times. So if your kid does the same then always give yourself extra time to get ready and when leaving for school.

2, Toilet training. During the day he is fully trained, but at night it is still a working progress but he has had some dry nights. You just have to persevere and try not to use pull them ups if possible as in my experience they do not help matters and can confuse the toilet training process, because they can become to used to wearing them and going in them rather than using the toilet at night. Getting them to do a dream wee can help which is as soon as you hear them murmur get them up even if you have to carry them and assist them when going to the loo.

3. Doing homework. Have a homework routine daily. I know they are tired but it has to be done and will help when they go onto further education. The more they can learn now whilst they are young the better.

4.Meal times. Henry like last night fell a sleep before dinner so I will give him something when he gets in so we can all eat together in the evening. Or he wants to play so we  set boundaries. Meals times should be a family time and should be kept that way, once food is eaten then they can leave the table and can continue to play, have quiet time.

5. Bath time. If you have read my first book The Parenting Adventures Pregnancy to the first nine months about bath time which is available in paperback in chapter 5. Bath time wasn’t easy. Since then though it has been a lot better, he will sit down in the bath and only likes it when I give him a bath, but find it is a great way to bond.

So what dilemmas have you faced and what has helped you, I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below.

I would like to recommend this Pinterest page which I have discovered called Parenting Dilemmas.

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Many thanks for reading,

 

Carrie X

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Being Organised

I would not say I am the most organised person in the world, in fact yesterday Henry was supposed to have Mufti day (own clothes day) at school, as it was Science day yesterday, and I totally forgot and put Henry in his school uniform and it was only when I left the house I remembered.

However if I had prepared the night before and checked my emails I wouldn’t have forgotten and would have had him ready, but never mind one slip up isn’t going to hurt and Henry wasn’t bothered so I didn’t let myself worry about it either.

Being a mum it does help to be organised, and the one thing I always make sure I put out ready the night before is his uniform, which is all hung up in the living room ready, for me to put together, along with underpants, his book bag, his socks and shoes and his backpack.

Check out this picture below I found on Pinterest which gives some more tips on how to be organised as a mum.

Image from https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/240661173822262837/

The other ways to being organised, is to have a routine and to get ready gradually as you get nearer to the time to getting them to school. Check out my blog in the link below which talks more about Getting ready for school.

https://theparentingadventurestipsandtricks.wordpress.com/?s=getting+ready+for+school

Leave with plenty of time and try to leave at the same time. Get bags packed the night before, and put any last minute bits together as soon as you get up in the morning.

Have a notebook to hand to create a brain dump to keep tabs on what you need to get done on the day.

Set days as side to catch up on laundry and cleaning, and if you need time out from the normal daily chores then do so, you deserve the break.

Check out this video below by Emily Norris who shares her top ten tips that helps her to stay organised.

Post updated.View Post

Remember bribery is not a bad thing when it comes to children, it is good to have snacks to hand just in case your child needs to distracted or gets hungry and will tide them over until meal time.

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If you have any questions or need support when it comes to parenting then why not get in contact with me via my form on my feedback page and I will provide some information and give as much support as I can.

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Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X