This group is to help and support having a career -either part-time or full-time - from home. We will discuss ways to handle phone calls while kids are making noise, creating a kid-friendly office and most of all balancing your day.
Hallmark Can't Make My Christmas Memories
I have seen this Hallmark commercial several times. A woman sits with her baby in her lap on the floor while she unwraps ornaments from her childhood. They are all Hallmark ornaments signifying her first ballet performance and the year she got a bike for Christmas. Then she unwraps a new one from her mother. Porcelain baby booties for the baby's first Christmas.
What Does Santa Bring To Your House?
When I was four years old I told my mother all the things I wanted for Christmas. It was a long list. My mother said "who is going to pay for all that?" I responded "don't worry mama, Santa will bring it." My mother thought to herself - hey this guy is getting too much credit. So she told me that Santa only brings one toy and the rest come from mommy, daddy, grandparents and some relatives.
Parents Behaving Badly
We took advantage of the mild weather Sunday to attend a relatively new event in Newport News, The Wreathing of the Lions at the Lions Bridge on the James River. My husband dropped us off and went to park the car.
Holiday Newsletters - Love Them or Hate Them?
I do not like holiday newsletters - although I read them anyway. We only have a few of people who send us one (or two or three pages). They are always the same people, so when their card arrives in the mail, I cringe before opening it. They usually write about the same things over and over, bragging about their trip to Disney World or their kids' team making the playoffs.
Am I Cheap or Green?
I thought I had a great idea for our annual Christmas homemade treat exchange we have with neighbors, friends and co-workers. Instead of purchasing holiday style containers, bags or plates like I do every year, I will reuse attractive clear containers from fresh salad mixes, store-baked cookies, Frazoli’s Restaurant, etc.
Kids Alone in Car -What Would You Do?
I really never thought I would witness this, but it happened Friday afternoon - two small children were left alone in a car in a shopping center parking lot. This shopping center has some parking places right next to the sidewalk of the shopping center. My daughters and I were headed toward our car as we walked past a car with a toddler crying.
Hang Up And Play!
I see it everywhere, moms and dads on the phone or texting instead of interacting and playing with their kids. It really hit me when on Thursay evening we were at Disney on Ice. During the intermission, my husband and my daughter Charlotte went to the restroom. I turned to Julia, 5, and asked her how she was enjoying the show. The woman behind me was talking on her cellphone.
A Discipline Experiment
My friend and I both have daughters that are seven years old. They both have developed a sass mouth. A little early we thought. We thought it would happen in a few years, not second grade. I don't ever remember having one because when I was growing up with a navy dad, it was simply not done. If we would have talked back, we would have been picking up our faces off the floor.
Done Both - SAHM is Harder, But More Rewarding
I read all the discussions on the Stay-At-Home Mom versus the Not-Stay-At-Home Mom. I have done both. I will say the definition of SAHM no where has the word leisure in it. Currently, I am primarily at SAHM. I work part-time from home about 8-10 hours a week. It was not always this way. I returned to work, 36 hours a week, following 12 weeks of maternity leave after having my first child.
Deep Thoughts - NOT!
One of the hardest parts of parenting I've wrestled with is having my thoughts interrupted. Yesterday, I was trying to decide what to wear, when my daughter came into the closet and asked me to put her hair up in a ponytail. I let out a "let me think!" I felt bad afterwards. But it has been a problem for many years.
When Grandparents Are Divorced
When my daughter, Charlotte, age seven, was just four years old, she announced she was not going to have children. "Why?" I asked. "Because that would make you and daddy grandparents. And grandparents cannot be married. I want you and daddy to stay married," she replied.
Enjoy Butterflies and More at Norfolk Botanical Gardens Until Sept. 7
The Norfolk Botanical Gardens is rich in flowers, history and now butterflies. Recently, the gardens opened Flutter Fantasy. The temporary exhibit, opened until Sept. 7, consists of a butterfly garden, a butterfly house and a tall grass maze cut in the shape of a butterfly. The butterfly house is a 30-foot by 100-foot structure with mesh screen all over.
A Time for Water and History
There are just 34 days left this summer. My daughters requested more trips to the beach and a visit to either Water Country or Ocean Breeze Water Park. They also want to go on a dolphin watch from the Virginia Aquarium. I agree, we will do all three. However, I also am looking to prepare them for the start of school.
Take Advantage of Free Shows
My daughters and I have taken advantage of the free live performances in the area and we are loving it. I have always been a big fan of library programs along with parks and recreation programs. So far this summer we have seen a wonderful puppet show, a juggler, a storyteller with a harp and snake show.
Enjoy These Summer Only Attractions
The summer is half way over. My daughters and I have decided to write down what we have done so far. We have been to many programs. Here are two attractions we really enjoyed this summer so far that will end with summer.
Swimming For A Toy
It was a moment of desperation, but I did it. I promised my daughter, Julia, 5, a toy in exchange for sports performance. It worked and given the circumstance, I would do it again. My daughters (the other is Charlotte, 7), are on the Wendwood Wahoos summer league swim team. This is Julia’s first year. At a recent meet, she stood on the block ready for her race.
Parking Lots and Toddlers - Hold Them Close
It was a brief but scary moment on Tuesday when we were in the Kmart parking lot. My daughters and I were getting out of the car. I got my purse out and stood up when I saw a little boy, about three years old, running about three feet in front of his mother towards his father, another two feet away. The dad was putting their purchases in their car. The mother said nothing to her son.
Swine Flu Hits Home
It all started Monday morning at swim practice. Several of the usual Wendwood Wahoos swim moms were in a huddle, one held a clipboard with names written on it. “We have several confirmed cases of swine flu and a couple who have symptoms,” she said. “Swine flu?” I said. I had no idea it was in the Hampton Roads area.
Nail Biting - Someone Please Help!
She is sweet, very smart, and outgoing. She is my daughter, Charlotte, 7, and she is a nail biter. How bad? We have not had to cut her nails since she was a baby. I cannot relate to this. I was never a nail biter and was even admired for my nice fingernails growing up. We have tried the no bite nail polish, but she confessed she just scraps it off.
Enjoy Free Admission to Fine Arts Exhibits
Get out of the heat this summer and check out Peninsula Fine Arts Center’s cool exhibitions, free on Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-8 pm. Free Thursday nights end on July 9, free Tuesday nights continue year round. Among the displays is the Tales of Seven Cities: Tidewater Art Alliance Juried Theme Exhibition, featuring 68 paintings, sculpture, photographs, and other media.
Comments
Handling Interruptions
I'm lucky in that my children are older. They understand if they come into my office and I'm typing on the computer or have pen to paper, to stand there and wait until I can finish my thought. I've have explained that even the slightest interruption can "make the train (of thought) jump the track".
With littler ones, might I suggest a red flag or something you can tie on the doorknob, or somewhere they would see it right off, that tells them mommy is in the middle of a thought and to wait until she is finished then she will come to you? Doesn't have to be a red flag, could be a specific toy sitting on the stairway up to your office...just something that they know it means do not disturb for a few? I hope that helps.
Til next time...
Deb
http://avirtualreality09.biz
Handling interruptions
I am going to give this a try. One for the office and one for the kitchen/closet area. One of our major issues is when we are getting ready to go on an outing and I am trying to think about what we need to take for it. Thanks
Susan Smigielski Acker
Handling interruptions
I was in the middle of a deep thought, just poised to get it on paper (or computer) when my seven-year-old came yelling up the stairs to my home office. She and her five-year-old sister were having a disagreement about the name of one of their littlest pet shop mouse. With that, the thought was gone. I yelled back. Not a good move. What is the best way to get my kids to understand that I need just few minutes at a time to get a little work done? Not the whole day, just about 45 minutes.
Susan Smigielski Acker