Maxed Out on Friends?

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I’ve been comparing kindergarten experiences for my eldest son and my daughter over the past six months or so now.

(Note to non-Aussie readers: “kindergarten” refers to part-time schooling for kids who turn 4 before the middle of the school year.  Both of my children started at the beginning of our school year in February, but my son was age 3 years 9 months, while my daughter was age 4 years 3 months. I think the equivalent US term might be “preschool”, but I’m not sure, so I’ll stick with kindergarten.)

One of the many, many differences in these experiences has been my own friendships with the parents. 

Chore Training for Toddlers

Jacob Willemsz Delff: Portrait of a Boy, Aged 2

Training my children to help with housework is something I value highly. Why?

• I believe that in a family, everyone should help to the best of their ability with the tasks required to keep a clean and tidy home.
• I believe that those who make messes should learn to clean them up.
• I believe that part of a parent’s job is to train children with a long-term goal of independent living, which includes basic housekeeping skills.
• I believe that a healthy attitude to work starts in the home.
• Finally, as much as I love him, my husband’s strengths do not include a love of order, and I want to pass on my own love of order to our children.

So I start when my children are mobile enough to help, and mature enough to understand and follow an instruction - somewhere between 18 months and 2 years.   I have found that at this age, my children are very keen to help, and are bored with the usual ‘baby’ toys and occupations - they are ready to start learning ‘real’ work.   In addition, at this age, they are usually down to 1 nap a day, and have oodles of time to spare.   Chore training is one way of keeping them out of mischief!

Robin Hobb: The Farseer Trilogy

Oh my, what a feast of fantasy is Robin Hobb’s The Farseer Trilogy!  When I first read Book 1, I ended it feeling as if I had eaten the finest meal of my life - fully satiated, yet longing for more.   And Books 2 and 3 did not disappoint.

Time Management for Busy Moms 3: Nap Transitions

Adriaen van Ostade: Mother Holding her Child in a Doorway

I started this series by detailing the process I wish I had used to develop a good time management plan (or schedule) when our first baby was born. Today, I’m looking at modifying that plan as your baby approaches and enters the second year of life, when normally, naps decrease in number and waketimes lengthen. I am assuming for this post that you have only one child; balancing the needs of multiple children is a subject for another post!

When a baby transitions from 3 naps to 2, or from 2 naps to 1, there are larger chunks of time available which are not filled by nursing, meals, or sleep. These nap transitions are the ideal time to revisit your schedule.

Know Yourself

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Over the past ten years, it has become very clear to me that I need to understand my personal quirks, needs, and wants, to be successful in marriage and parenting.

When I realised that I am an introvert, I knew that I needed to plan alone-time into my daily schedule in order to function well as a mom.

When I understood that big-picture planning is not a personal strength, then I knew that I needed help from others to set goals for career, finances and family.

When I realised that I make decisions based on “gut feeling”, while my husband thoughtfully ponders the pros and cons, then I knew why we so often struggle to communicate our points of view, and that I needed to express my thoughts in a more logical way if I wanted him to understand me.

Do you think you understand yourself? How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you? What tools or strategies have you used to understand yourself?

Why I Bother Learning Old-Fashioned Skills: Line-Drying

Australian Women's Weekly advertisement 10 Aug 1955

Well, this one’s a no-brainer to me. I am fortunate enough to live in a climate which has a lot of hot, dry weather, so line-drying is just common sense. However, for those of you who have not considered it, here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Lessons from the Sandpit: His ears are Attentive to their Cry

Camille Corot: Hagar in the Wilderness

I have been observing my children at play for a number of years now, and there are many lessons I have learned about our heavenly Father during these sessions.

Most recently, Psalm 18:6 was illustrated for me:
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God:
he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.