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oops that time off comment is from another post. Sounds like I'm totally in left field with that [2008-09-19]
nm
I left MQ in December, and was [2008-01-24]
making a measely 0.780, after working there 7.5 years!! Good luck getting a raise in this profession, they are few and far between...
Just left the MT WAHM profession and now wonder if I made a mistake.... [2008-01-01]
I did MT for two years, working in my home. I worked for a local clinic and had a lousy, mean boss.They were transitioning to EMR and there was major pressure on us to produce like crazy, or lose your job. I had enough and quit my job, as I couldn I made 20,000 a year BEFORE taxes, with no chance to make hardly anymore. Well, I quit and took a job with city government to work for the police dept as a 9-1-1, fire and police communications operator. The job posted that it would be nights, but in the interview, I was told it would be 2p-10pm. I have a 3-year-old son. I have started looking for childcare and I got that sick feeling in my stomach about finding AFFORDABLE and good quality childcare. I feel lost, and don The daycare I like costs 130/week and right now it will be a struggle to afford until we can make more money. I feel lost---I I don
You kind of left out the part of education and [2007-05-18]
Sorry but it doesn't even give good information for experienced MTs.
chalkboard paint... [2008-10-27]
I used it on the end of an older desk that used to be my desk but I got myself one that fit better in my small room, and he is 7 and LOVES IT. It works fine, I put about 3 coats on an area the size of about 1-1/2 x 2-1/2 ft, and I still have a ton of a can left and trying to think of what else to use it on. As long as he doesn :)
Teenage neighbor problem [2008-08-29]
I am a WAHM of a 14 YOG. I live in an upstairs flat. Downstairs is a single father of a 15 YOG. My daughter goes to regular school. The teenager downstairs does cyberschool.
The problem: Her dad goes to work all day and of course she is left home alone. Her laptop is on a wireless router that gets signal throughout the house. She does her schoolwork everywhere, at all hours of the day and night, including at my house while I am trying to work!!
Her father thinks its great that she can just go upstairs and I can help her with her work anytime.
I live in such close quarters I don If this family lived a couple of houses down, it may be different.
I have my own child I need to worry about with schoolwork and quite honestly, I think he should be the one helping his own child, not me.
Any advice?
Truthful advice [2008-07-23]
I just recently got married and I am working in-house at our local hospital. I LOVE getting out of the house and going to work every day. I love what I do and want to stick with it. We will probably not be having children for at least a couple of years as my husband has a year left in college to get his business degree. I want to be able to stay home and raise my children, but I have seen what it has done to my mom. She sits at home all day in her PJs and type, type, types. I am just wonderng if any of you have any regrets about deciding to do transcription full time from home in order to be there for your children? This may sound a little selfish, but I donsometime to think about it, but it has been a topic that I have really been thinking about lately.What I would really like to do is stay at home with them until they are all in school and then try to get a job out of the house while they are at school. Have any of you made this transition? Any advice would be appreciated. I would just like a heads up before making any decisions. Thanks!
You're responding to him as if you are a child [2008-06-04]
This man is your husband, not your father. Either you were brought up to think you had to had a place for everything and everything in its place or you're trying to please him WAAAY to much. If he can't accept that you have enough to do with two children and the day to day housechores, then that's his problem. Why make it yours? If you keeping acting like his maid and servant, he will continue expecting it, so, I say to you, you need to change that behavior NOW. You will forever be treated like a child if you continue to act like one. You do not need his approval.
Actions speak louder than words, so if he makes a comment about something being in the wrong place, etc., just say, Yea, I see that. My husband used to do this (been married over 27 years) without really thinking how he sounded. I put an end to that when my daughter was a baby. Did I want her to grow up to be someone servant? If he ask if a certain shirt had been ironed, I informed him he had many others in his closet and if that one was an emergency, he knew where the dry cleaners was located. Feeling guilty over failure to do dishes (too tired or exhausted)or leaving something cluttered is something you have to realize isn't an emergency, and he sees you constantly jumping around pleasing him, believe me, he will take advantage of that. You sound like you are trying to justify being a mom and staying at home.
I have a daughter and a niece who before they were married, I certainly never left it a mystery as to my feelings on this matter. They both work hard jobs and neither husband EXPECTS everything to be spotless or at their beckon call. They know they can easily pitch in and do it themselves or they can shut up. The girls didnperfect little wives, whatever that is. You get over it and I guarantee, he will get over it, once he comes down off his high horse.
Overwhelmed! [2008-01-18]
I am a self-employed WAHM-MT. I do not have a degreeMT, was trained 10 years ago by the same client I am contracted with now. They had 4 phys. when I started and it was myself and an in-house MT. I had 1 child then, who napped 3-4 hours a day, so I worked before she woke up, during her naps, and after she went to bed. 10 years later andseveral children later, they now have 6 drs. and 3 np They no longer have an in-house MT, just myself and another WAH MT. There is more than double the work, and less workers, but unfortunately they canmath and figure that out. They refuse to let me subcontract someone to help me. They refuse to hire someone else. They used to demand 24 hr turnaround, but now thank goodness they have at least realized that they can However, after 2-3 days they are complaining and calling me on the phone wanting notes typed and faxed. They refuse to telecommute, so I am still picking up tapes every day. I have a set amount of hoursI work a day, because I have a family to care for and there is only so much work I can do in a day. That is why I work at home. However, they don I have been working my normal M-F hrs, but I am so backed up that I still have 2-3 days worth of typing left on my desk by the end of the day. It is a vicious cycle, because for every 2-3 tapes I get done in a day, they give me 3-4 the next day. If I am still backed up on Fridays, they expect me to work on Sat and Sun, or on holidays, to get caught up. If I did this, I would be working 7 days a week. I told them I would like to avoid working on my days off. I don Apparently the other at-home MT does this for them, or at least they think she does, because they used that bit of information to try to manipulate me into working this weekend. I really am at a loss of what to do. I need the job, but at the same time, I have children who need me. I dona week. Does anyone else out there have this problem or feel this way? They will call me and want me to stop fixing my children It is like they want me to neglect my children, which I cannot and will not do. In the past, I have looked at finding another client, but most in my area want someone with a degree. If I don My husband is looking for a better job making more $ so I can either quit and find another line of work, but nothing has turned up so far. Does anybody out there charge extra for working over a certain amount of hours, or a certain amount of lines? Any advice? Well, I don Thanks for letting me vent.
Yes... [2008-01-18]
I have been through the same thing. I am a mother of two who has had some schooling, but mostly trained on the job. I am self-employed, as well. While working for a national, I was told that I couldn't take the time to feed my baby, or even have a bathroom break...YES I WAS TOLD THAT. So, I left and decided to do things on my own. What I do is sit down and list every activity we have going on for that week (we even play 2 basketball games on Saturdays and have lots of traveling to do that day) and fit work in. I typically like to work M-F, but there are times when I work on Saturday, as well. I have a 24-hour TAT, so as long as I get my work in on time, I am doing okay...still having time with my family and time for work, as well. As far as Holidays, I don't totally write them off of my schedule..if I have work available then after I spend time with my family and the kids have gone to bed, I work. It can be very frustrating, but once you find the balance between home (family) and work, you will feel free as a bird (and less overwhelmed). I sure hope this helps!
here is my advice... [2008-01-18]
Take your kids to a sitter; you It amazes me the amount of WAHM Helloooooo, treat it as if it were a real job. If you left your home, you I realize that is another bill, but it is NOT a perk to work at home to have your kids interrupting you all day long. It is NOT a perk to work at home when you get interrupted every 10 minutes, then end up working over a span of 12-14 hours of the day, just to get your 8 hours of work done. I just don IMO, it is worth me spending the $18 a day to send my son to the sitter where he gets social time with other kids, and I get peace and quiet time to do my work.How is that so hard to figure out???
I'm giving up and I'm sad. . .(kind of long) sm [2008-01-08]
I have decided to give up my dreamof beingan MT. I have worked for approximately 6 months with 3 different companies. The first 2 lost contracts or didnmy husbandoff my back. I knew they weren't hiring, but I thought if I at least made the effort to get my old job back, he would leave me alone. My old boss was very glad to see me and said she had wanted to call me and ask me to come back, but she didn't want to make me feel bad. She said she didn't have any openings, but she will hire me anyway because she didn't want anyone else to snatch me up first. That made me feel really good, but I was kind of hoping she would have just said she didn't have anything for me. So, I start back next week. Anyway, I did not mean to make such a long post. I don't have anyone to talk to because all people see is how much money I could be making at my other job. No one cares that I love the work I am doing as an MT.
Thanks for listening.
Working at home with kids [2007-10-12]
I have been an MT for about 20 years. I started when my youngest was about a year old. My husband used to work evenings, and basically was not much help because he worked a lot of OT. When I look back, I don nothing is perfect, but this has been very good to me. Hang in there, it will get better!
its hard [2007-09-15]
I left my husband when my kids were 6, 4, 2 and boy were those years hard. I had taken a full time job at home typing. I typed when they went to bed 8 o Those years will come fast.
My suggestion if I may, after dinner if you husband is home work for 4 straight hours and go to bed.. I know this will effect your relationship and hubby time, but may be some kind of schedule will help you with your production and him with the bills?
Good luck.. we know its not easy trying to be Wonderwoman..
its hard [2007-09-15]
I left my husband when my kids were 6, 4, 2 and boy were those years hard. I had taken a full time job at home typing. I typed when they went to bed 8 o Those years will come fast.
My suggestion if I may, after dinner if you husband is home work for 4 straight hours and go to bed.. I know this will effect your relationship and hubby time, but may be some kind of schedule will help you with your production and him with the bills?
Good luck.. we know its not easy trying to be Wonderwoman..
my sons are 4 and 6 [2007-08-11]
My youngest son is a holy terror on toes. I can sit down at the computer for 5 minutes. I have left the room and he will be watching cartoons as calm as can be. I would work for a little bit, still quiet and being good. Like I said 5 minutes can go by and I will jump up to get something and walk back into the living room to find all the cushions on the floor, remote and batteries separated, Kool-Aid spilled and him hiding behind a chair still watching cartoons. I have nicknamed him Taz because I have never seen anything like it.
My 6 year old get so upset with his brother because he is the cleanest, neatest kid I know and gets tired of cleaning up after his brother who just doesn't slow down, EVER. Luckily for me they just started soccer so hopefully all that pent up energy will disappear in time for me to get some more work done. Good luck to all those mothers how there. We definite took on the hardest possible job in life.
I think at times I'm a bad mom... [2007-05-26]
I hope someone can give me some sound advice on my problem. I work at home doing MT and have three children 6, 4 and 2. The 6yo goes to school (out for summer now) and the other two go to babysitters usually all week. There are times when I have things come up during the day to where I have to type in the evenings to get my quota. The kids just don They are constantly fighting (the two girls 6 and 4) and I don Hubby is a police officer and works rotating shifts so he is not usually home in the evenings. I am 39 and this is my second marriage. I have a 19 yo from prior marriage and at times I just feel like I am missing out on what should be the time of my life that I am able to do whatever I want without kids around. I know that sounds horrible to say, but it I want to enjoy my kids (because they are good kids for the most part), but I Any suggestions? They know mommy is working because it Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.
=) [2007-04-09]
Why hello =)
I love being a mom, greatest thing in the world. And being a mother to an autistic child...even better ; ) NOW, don't get me wrong there are the struggles and all that good stuff. But he has taught me patience like nobodys business lol. He has taught me a lot actually. He hasn't talked up until now, he's starting to use his words and it's been soo exciting. He goes to school but his class gets done at 2 and he rides his little bus home. As soon as i could i enrolled him in ECSE and he went to school there, also summer school. I've taken him to every doctor i could as well. It's nice to have a break now that he's in school (i've left him twice for 24 hours in 2 years!!) haha i have a hard time trusting others with him.
Well, i'm so glad to have met you now and i will definetly keep your e-mail addy. It's nice to have someone to talk to once in awhile about things.
60 independent ideas for preschoolers [2006-10-30]
This is from the cathswap yahoo group, Gwen one of the mods wrote it:HTH :) For what it's worth, I've compiled my list of 60 activities for my
preschooler to do independently while I'm doing lessons with Heather and/or
Jared. (If you're not homeschooling but still have a preschooler at home,
this may help you get some just for you time...)
Rachel will be encouraged to participate with our lessons as she wants to
or is capable (like listening to stories during Language Arts or History;
she can certainly do art but I'm not going to force it and hopefully these
activities will keep her occupied and out of trouble.
Feel free to pass this on to anyone else whom you think may find this
helpful.
Preschooler Ideas for Younger PAVCS Siblings - 3 and up
Since I'm using all the provided curriculum boxes for the kids (from K12), I
decided to take the biggest box --the one that the art clay, plaster of
Paris, etc. came in, and designate it my three year old's school box. This
way her school box is just like her siblings'. This box will ONLY be used at
school time, and will only be used at the table. You can take any box and
decorate it and make it the special box...brought out only at certain
times and each time having something different in it.
Inside will be her own pencil box that will have a set of markers, (crayola
washable, naturally) a pair of Fiskars kid scissors, a box of crayons, a
pencil, a pen, and a glue stick. Each day I will put some papers in there
for her to either color, cut up, paste things on, or practice writing
(simple mazes and such for her to follow, etc.)
Each week I'll put one or two interesting books that she will enjoy looking
at. There will also be one or two special activities that will change from
day to day, made up of (mostly) educational toys and stuff that I currently
have on hand but has been put away for a while.... Each day there'll be
something different to do, either loose in the box or in a zipper top Ziploc
bag (the kind with the slider zipper is easier for the kids to manipulate
than the traditional ones).
The idea of this box is for her to entertain herself with little or no
guidance from me while I work with her older siblings. She will more than
likely be participating with us during some lessons (she likes to play
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom with the phonics tiles, LOL) .
Here are some ideas for the activities. Some will be in a zippered bag, some
won't. I have 60 activities, so that I'll have enough for 2 per day per
month. At the end of the month I'll start over again. The key to the success
of these is to keep them a surprise and limit access to them so that the
novelty does NOT wear off. Some seemingly obvious things, like legos and
matchbox cars are missing from this list because they play with them almost
every day. I got the ideas for many of these activities from various
websites with preschoolers in mind. I do not have these in any particular
order. Obviously they need to be mixed up so there aren't a whole slew of
similar activities piggy backing day in and day out......Also, I'm not going
to insult your intelligence by reminding you about choking hazards, which
some of these activities may contain...use your common sense based upon your
child, and you'll be fine!...
1. sock match...several pairs of colorful infant socks that she's outgrown
in the bag to match up or just play with. If I know her she'll have them on
her hands and feet for half an hour.
2. dominoes...to build with and do who knows what with...
3. Discovery Toys Tinyville Magnets (these are magnets in shapes like
people, vehicles, animals, buildings, cloud, stars, moon, etc...) and the
magnetic white board
4. Play Doh, with geometric shaped cookie cutters
5. Play Doh with farm animal cookie cutters
6. Paint in a bag...put two colors of paint in a doubled Ziploc bag, seal it
with clear tape, and let her squish them to mix the colors. There will be a
couple of different color combinations
7. More magnets --from a magnet kit...lots of different plane figures and a
magnetic base to build upon
8. Blues Clues Cards there are nine sets of four cards, three clues that
go with one card. Got these at a dollar store that was going out of
business...got them for 50 cents! :-)
9. Mixies cards (11 sets of three different cards that form a
picture...these came from somebody's birthday party favor bag)
10. Puzzle Pairs (Discovery Toys two piece puzzles of things that go
together, like a sock and foot, sink and soap, etc)
11. Memory...for Rachel I'll probably only give her 24 cards at a time as
opposed to the full set of 72; this way I can get 3 activities from one
memory game and she won't be overwhelmed!
12. Animal Lotto..she can match up all the animals on the boards...
13. Spirit jigsaw puzzle...I printed out a horse picture colored to look
like Spirit and am gluing it to felt, then cutting it out in simple shapes
for her to put together. I will probably put a couple more like this in
there too.
14. Pattern blocks (mine are from K12; easily obtained from curriculum
suppliers for a few bucks)
15. Wooden Geometric Solids...these will keep her occupied for at least a
half hour; as with above, easily obtained from suppliers, often for under
$10 for a nice set of 12 hardwood blocks
16. Math linking cubes- these are the multi link cubes, not unifix cubes.
The multi link cubes are connectable all the way around, unlike unifix cubes
that only connect one way.
17. Lincoln Logs
18. dry rice with a funnel, measuring cup, measuring spoon, and containers
19. Lacing beads with shoe laces (the long heavy duty ones from Glenn's old
workboots work really well)
20. Giant pegboard and rubber bands
21.Rubber stamps with farm animals
22. Rubber stamps with numbers
23. Discovery Toys Playful Patterns
24. Discover Toys AB Seas alphabet fishing game
25. Discovery Toys Itsy Bitsy Spider Game
26 Discovery Toys Bright Builders (being a former consultant has its
advantages!)
27. Stickers! Lots of STICKERS. Draw shapes on a piece of paper and give
lots of tiny stickers to fill in the shapes with. You could also write the
child's name on there to put stickers on each letter...so the name shows up
in stickers. the smaller the sticker the better as it takes more time to
fill them in.
28. Animal cards...you know those clubs where you get wildlife cards? Well
I picked up half a set at a yardsale and the kids love looking at the
pictures...that should keep her busy for 20 minutes
29. Mr and Mrs Potato Head Not sure if it's educational, but it should keep
her busy for a half hour, hopefully. LOL
30. Bucket of Goop (three parts cornstarch to one part water) in a small
empty oxyclean bucket with a scoop, funnel, graduated cylinder from K12, and
another container to pour the goop into. Messy and fun but easy to clean up.
31. Watercolor paints I miss those old Paint with water books where all
you had to do was have a paintbrush and water. The new ones come with a set
of watercolors attached, but in this case, I'd really like the books with
the pictures already colored and you just swipe it with a wet brush to
paint. Maybe lacking in creativity, but hey. After painting one picture
Rachel will probably have the paint set ruined by not rinsing out the
brush...my idea here is for her do to something WITHOUT guidance from
me...oh well...
32. Lacing cards. Using the shoe laces from the lacing beads. I'll cut out
shapes from light weight cardboard and cover with contact paper before
punching holes in it. Someone else suggested using old bleach bottles but
I'm afraid that cutting them up will ruin my scissors. LOL
33. Felt shapes and felt board...using cookie cutters and other things as
patterns, I'll make some little people and geometric shapes for her to play
with. I'll cover a piece of sturdy cardboard with felt.
Bananas for the Monkeys Original Author Unknown: Cut five monkey shapes out
of brown felt and fifteen banana shapes out of yellow felt. Number the
monkeys from 1 to 5 and place them on flannel board. Have the children
identify the number on each monkey and place that many bananas in front of
it.
34. Puppets in a Bag --yarn, facial features already cut out, a brown lunch
sack, and some glue...a puppet kit!
35. Glue, Yarn, and shapes...sorry, no creative name for this. I'll draw
some shapes on construction paper and give her a small (the tiny size)
bottle of Elmer's glue to squeeze onto the lines I drew (helps build small
motor coordination) and then she can put the yarn on the shapes. Other
times, do this with her name, or a house, or something similar. I buy the
tiny bottles once, then get the more economical bigger bottles to refill
with later as needed. I don't even buy Elmer's half the time.
36. Collage in a bag...rip out some magazine pages with interesting pictures
for her to cut out and paste on a piece of paper...maybe following a certain
theme...like one time have it all healthy foods...another time, families and
kids, animals, flowers, etc.
37. Bean Sort - Since she's pretty much beyond sticking a bean up her nose
and requiring Glenn to remove it with needle nose pliers, I figure this is
now a safe activity for her to do with only moderate supervision. (yes
that's what happened and I got rid of our Don't Spill The Beans Game after
Heather and I were traumatized by this. Rachel, interestingly, didn't care
too much one way or the other. Heather was much more mortified by the sight
of her daddy heading toward Rachel's nose with those pliers...I didn't look.
:) ) Lots of different beans in a bucket for her to measure, pour, sort, and
throw on the floor for me to vacuum up.
38. Eyedropper, small container of water, and a mini ice cube tray or
Styrofoam egg carton. If you're feeling adventurous, use colored water to
make it interesting. Demonstrate how to use the eyedropper both to fill and
empty the cups... Would also work well with mini muffin tins, I suppose...
39. Colored Pasta - color your own pasta, using wheels or any other pasta
that has large openings (easy to lace.) Use small amount of rubbing alcohol
and several drops of food coloring in an airtight container or Ziploc. Leave
the pasta in for a few minutes ; shaking it up or stirring a few times. Take
it out to dry in a single layer. . then provide laces to string them up. You
could provide some color or shape patterns on cards to duplicate.
40. Penny Count (source:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/3446/keeplittleones.html) I will make
a more compact version on a single sheet of paper, and use circles the same
size as the counting tokens (bingo chips) that came from PAVCS...match the
colors and number amounts! But I thought the whole idea was pretty neat:
Make a poster board showing cells of numbers. Example: Draw a square,
write 1 in it. Draw or tape down 1 penny in the square. Do the same with
each square...up to ten or twenty...your choice. I'd start with 10 first and
then draw two more squares at a time up to twenty as child gets better at
this skill.
2) Give your child a basket or plastic container of pennies and have him
match up pennies that you have put down with the picture in each square.
(Ex. In the 2 cell, he would put below your example 1, 2 pennies in a
one-to-one correspondence. Check him when he is done by having him count
each cell with you. Repetition is what teaches counting!
3) Eventually test your child by showing him only a number 3 printed on
a index card and have him lay down 3 pennies and say 3. You might even
write the word three along with the number 3 back in step one so that
the child is learning a sight vocabulary word along with the printed 3.
You would only do this if your child already knows the alphabet though. Then
you could hold up a card that says three and see if he can lay the correct
pennies down when seeing the word too.
41. Super ball or small car and a paper towel or Christmas paper tube. If
you feel creative you could make a marble run of sorts with a couple tubes
(see www.familyfun.com) I probably won't...she'll be happy enough with this.
Why get more complicated than you need to? I could also let her color it
with markers if she wanted.
42. Magnet and paperclips, washers, a nail, etc.
43. A large (big enough to climb in) box. 'Nuff said.
44. A giant piece of paper (or PAVCS posterboard) to color on...whatever
desired...just give the paper and markers and you're set.
45. Lots of colored pom poms and tweezers to sort them out...look for
tweezers that will be easy for little hands to manipulate, like the ones
that come with the game Bed Bugs...heck, look for the Bed Bugs game. LOL
46. Treasure Hunt: large pot or box filled with corn meal, oat meal, rice,
etc, with small treasures hidden inside...individually wrapped candy,
coins, Barbie shoes, game pieces, etc. Make a picture checklist with all the
items to find!
47. Colored Straws and scissors: nothing more to say. LOL straws are good
for scissor practice because one snip and you have instant results. Provide
Elmer's glue and paper and it's time to make a mosaic!
48. Discovery Toys Busy Bugs This can be duplicated with any manipulative,
but I just got the game off ebay for $10. Might be able to find something
similar in a homeschool catalog... kind of like the penny poster above, just
using something different to play with and put the problems on index cards
instead of the poster. You could use stuff around the house like coins,
counters, buttons, pasta...make up index cards with patterns to
duplicate/put simple problems on there: show items with number and number
word under it, or do a simple problem like 2+2= etc...... This activity will
be accompanied by a couple bug books and hopefully a neat bug video from the
library!
49. Sticks, chunks of moss, rocks, leaves...with small rubber animals or
dinosaurs...add some sand in a 9x13 baking pan...don't worry about sand on
the floor...that's what vacuum cleaners are for!!!!! On a nice day do all
your school work outside...heck, let the older kid SKIP schoolwork to do
this outside... :-)
50. Magnetic Treasure Hunt: like the treasure hunt (#46) above, only this
time use metal items and a magnet to attract them! Be sure your magnet isn't
too strong or your kid will get several treasures at once!
51. Memory 2 see activity 11
53 Memory 3 see activity 11
54. Checkers and a small purse/canvas bag.... Checkers are cool cause they
stack. If you can get more than two dozen, that's even better. Dollar stores
often have checker games.
55. Chess pieces. Get a cheap chess/checkers game or two at the dollar
store. Rachel likes to play with the pieces like they're alive. :-)
56. Magnetic Marbles I picked these up at a dollar store. Amazing the things
you find at these places! I know that they'll be interesting for at least
fifteen to twenty minutes...maybe more.
57. Popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue. Bob the builder at your service! Real
cool if you have colored sticks...or just color them with markers when done.
This is great for eye hand coordination and small motor building. You could
put the glue in a small plastic cup or on a paper plate and have child apply
it with a cotton swab to avoid excessive glue....
58. Rubber Stamps with letters
59. Viewmaster and reels --I'm trying to collect educational rather than
twaddle reels (cartoon characters = twaddle). I want to find reels of
animals and places that are real.
60. Farm Animals and Barn. Our barn was being abused (read: animals left all
over the house) plus we really don't have shelf space for the barn to be out
all the time. So I'll bring it out from time to time...maybe when nothing
else is working and Rachel is being a real pill.
I had one other activity but I forgot what it was. :-P I thought of it after
I shut the computer down for the night and made a note to add it here when I
got up in the morning. HA!
Hopefully we won't need two of these every day, making them last even
longer. Having them all ready in their bags will be handy too...
Other suggested ideas: set up a play store with empty food boxes; book and
tapes; educational videos, painting with water and a paintbrush, cleaning
windows, kitchen chair tunnels, puppet theater,
One thing I am going to try not to worry about is THE MESS with some of
these activities. Messes happen. Elmer's, crayola markers, and watercolors
wash off. Sand and rice vacuums up. (You'll note I didn't put finger paints
or tempera paint activities here...#1, that's not recommended without
supervision...because tempera stains...and #2...well, tempera stains. LOL
I've chosen things that will have a moderate clean up factor, if any. I may
even let Rachel use the vacuum hose to clean up any spills...the other two
will probably fight her for the privilege. LOL And when they're old enough
to actually handle the vacuum, it's no longer fun for them and they don't
want to do it!
Wow...I feel really bad for your kids... [2006-10-13]
And for you, I mean really, I am trying to feel for you, but your statement about sitting down and talking to your 2 and 4-year-old about not taking your job seriously and it being a joke to them, what would you expect from little ones! And as far as them being selfish, of course they want your attention and deserve to have it!
And before you consider this a bashing on my part, let me just say I know where you are coming from. I have an 18-year-old son who is a senior who is in and out of the house on a daily and nightly basis, constant interruptions of the phone ringing for him, asking for money, and friends over, too. Plus, I have a 3-year-old son who is home with me every day except for a few hours three days a week at preschool. I do work full-time, but have made some major adjustments because I like you was losing my mind trying to work around everyone else. My suggestions to you may be try to get up early in the morning before everyone awakes and get at least a half days' work in (about three to four hours) and if your little ones take a nap, which at that age I would expect they would, work while they are sleeping. Also, give them some specific things that they can only play with during your work times, and no other times, this will make the play things more fun such as Play-Doh, or make up a box of toys,colors and coloring books, any item they may be interested in and have them play with these for a short time while you work. Also, I would invest in favorite videos and/or educational programming. A little TV, at least if it is educational never hurt anyone. Keep in mind, they have short attention spans at this age so be sure to break up your work in short sessions if possible. My company allows me to work a split shift three ways and this helps tremendously allowing me to flex my time around my kids. Or have you considered putting them in day care, I know it is expensive, but maybe on a part-time basis you could handle it, it would be good for them for socializing with other kids, learning to follow some rules and giving you a break to concentrate on just work while they are gone? Also, be sure hubby helps out when he gets home, maybe he can take the kids to a park or play a game or help fix dinner with the kids being his helpers.
I suspect your 4-year-old is acting out due to lack of attention on your part when working and probably frustation. I find that when I am not working, I make sure I spend as much time keeping my little guy busy learning, going outside for walks, exploring and generally very busy so that when I am working he does not feel left out as I have given him my all for a time and he can feel free to play by himself for short periods afterwards. You are blessed in that you have two kids to keep each other company at least when they are getting along. I wish my little guy had a sibling closer to his age, as the oldest does not spend a lot of time with him, but when he does it sure helps out.
Just remember, they are only little once and this too shall pass. Cherish these days, do not dread them, you will miss them I promise when they are gone! I hope everything works out.
Feel free to e-mail me. And I apologize if I sounded harsh, just been there, done that!
my answers... [2006-09-20]
Painted your toenails? about a month ago...all gone now!
Ate a salad? Last week.
Went dancing? February 2006, at a getaway with my hubby...ahhh!
Went to a concert? December...Carrie Underwood at our mall...
Cried during a movie? Few months ago...Click with Adam Sandler...I know, I cry easily ;((
Shaved you legs? ummm...huh...when was that?
Sat with a girlfriend and just chatted? Monday, with my mom...my bestest friend in the world!
Said something you wish you hadn't?? on a daily basis...
Looked through an old family photo album and thought where has the time gone? not a photo album, but every time I look at my half-grown kids...here I go crying again!
Binki Advice - Good Luck! [2006-07-18]
I will tell you what worked for me....of course this was 16 years ago, as my oldest is now 18...she used to have a passifier that I never thought I would be able to get away from her...but here is what we did and it worked.....She was almost three at the time I started this....but I started out by saying that she could not take the binki out of the car.....if we went to the store, she had to leave it in the car, reassuring her that it would be there when we got back and she could have it back....i did that for about three or four days...then I moved it to the house...I said you can only have it in the house......she could suck it all she wanted anywhere in the house, but when we left, even to go out and play she had to leave it there, making sure she understood that it would be there when we got back.....I did that for about a week....then I moved it to her room.....the same scenerio.....the only place she could have the binkiwas in her room.......it was tough but she did it.....if she wantedher binki, I would say that is fine, but you have to stay in your room with it...she would take a few sucks and then run back out! It was kind of funny and kind of heartbreaking because you know by the age of 2, they are really hooked on that thing....finally after a week of that, I said the only place you can have it is when you're in bed....for about a week we did that, and then it seemed pretty easy....I put it up on her dresser about a week and a half after that and said it had to stay there and she never really wanted it again.
I think it's really true that if you let them have it after the age of one....they are very addicted and its hard....my son is two, and I took his away when he was close to a year old...I suffered through him crying for it, but it only took two days and he did not want it anymore...I did the same thing with the bottle.
I hope that gives you a little help and I hope it works for ya, and the only other thing I will say is once you make the rule that it can't come out of the house, the car, the room, etc...then you have to be stern because the first time you give in....you have to start all over again.
Have a nice day!
This may have been a bit sneaky, but it worked sm [2006-07-18]
My daughter was 3 and still using her pacifier. Our little family was flying to FL to visit my parents and I pretended to leave it on the airplane. When she was looking for it, we were already in the car and told her it was accidentally left on the plane. She fussed a little bit, but was okay after that. I had kept it just in case she put up a really big fuss, but she didn't, so I tossed it out.
Before I get flamed for not being honest with my 3-year-old, I was desperate, and she has grown up to be a well-adjusted, honest, 3.5 GPA high-school senior.
Another disorder? [2006-07-12]
Just when we think there is no personal responsiblity left in the world, doctors come up with a new disorder to take even more of it away!
This is totally insane and called a lack of maturity, it isn't a disorder IMO. What drugs will they start pumping down these people? If it wasn't going tocause a new wave of proplems it would almost be laughable!
COLORADO - To you, that angry, horn-blasting tailgater is suffering from road rage. But doctors have another name for it — intermittent explosive disorder — and a new study suggests it is far more common than they realized, affecting up to 16 million Americans.
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