Parenting Archive

My thoughts on parenthood, and what it's like to be a mom in the Philippines.

Parenting Tip on Helping Your Kid Cope With School Demands

My second born is now in Grade 1 and as I observed it, he’s having a hard time coping with the new schedule. He sleeps earlier and not as bubbly and playful as he was when he’s in pre-school. He’s no in school from 7 Am to 1:30 Pm, where as when he was in pre -school it’s only 3 hours of school. Another thing, in pre-school, they only tackle 2 subjects per day, now in grade school, they tackle all subjects everyday! Poor boy:(

I know some moms with a first grader can relate to my situation. So I have been thinking how I can make it easier for him and help him cope with the demands of longer school hours and more difficult subjects.

To start, feed your child well. Prepare a heavy breakfast so that they would have enough energy for the day. Also make sure that they have something to munch on during recess or break time. Make him feel more special by bringing his lunch. That’s how we do it here, as much as possible, I make it a point to bring his lunch to school so that he won’t feel being away from me that long.

Give your kid vitamins and other supplements. Being in school with other kids exposes him to different virus, specially that he’s now in school for a longer period of time. To make sure that he’s protected, I give him extra dose of his vitamins.

Do not force your kid to study more. For my grade 3, we spend an hour each day for studying (class then meryenda then tutor time with Mommy).. but for my Grade 1, I only give 30 minutes or less so that he’ll have more time to rest.

Let them watch TV or play for a while. As much as I don’t want them to watch TV or play a gadget, I realized it’s their way of relaxing. Now, I let watch TV for an hour a day (but still no gadget, that’s a Saturday treat!)

I guess in time, a few more weeks or so, my Grade 1 boy will be able to cope with the school demands and I want to make that few more weeks easier on him.

If you have a Grade 1 student, have you noticed the same?

Increasing your car mileage

Fuel seems to be getting more expensive by the minute, which has given motorists reason to accept the inevitability of paying more at the pumps, or so it would seem. At a time when car owners are faced with having to tighten the purse strings, it might seem impossible to save money on fuel when the price seems to be rising ever higher, but you can save the amount of petrol or diesel you use for your car simply by changing the way your drive. It’s as simple as performing a vehicle check with Auto Trader.

The first thing you could look at is how fast your drive. It’s a well-known fact that the faster you drive, the more fuel you use. Simply by slowing down a little while driving up and down a motorway or dual carriageway by around 10mph on long journeys, the fuel that’s currently in your tank could last a little longer.

Another thing you could look at is trying to look for shorter routes to regular destinations. If there are some available, it might be worth considering going that way instead of the one you presently use. Providing those short-cuts are legal, they help you to save fuel as well as time.

Something else you should do to conserve fuel is look at all the short journeys you take which last about two or three minutes. If you decided to walk instead, it will save you a lot of fuel in the long run. Driving sensibly is the best thing you can do to cut down of your petrol bills and doing so will make life a little bit easier.

Practical Tips For A Hassle Free School Year (Specially Made For SAHM)

If the school year started with last week, ours will only start tomorrow.. uh oh.

Are you prepared mommies?

We need to wake earlier, cook breakfast, prepare the kids, take them to school.. prepare their lunch, fetch them, teach them.. then dinner..and don’t forget to wash the dishes!

just thinking about it, makes you want to go back to sleep and wish vacation isn’t over yet? right?

Oh well, that was me a few years back.. but this year, weeks before the start of school year, I already trained myself to accept the fact that I can no longer sleep until 10 AM teehee

Imagine my situation:

4 kids.. 2 are grade school students, 2 will be home schooled.. and a demanding husband (joke lang pow!) and a few blogs to manage..it’s not easy, it’s NOT! and the school year hasn’t started yet! waahh

but well, I already made a plan for this year and hopefully I can keep up to it. So here are some Practical Parenting Tips For A Hassle Free School Year:

Prepare yourself psychologically. It helps a lot that you, as the main man, err woman of the house knows and understand the position you are in. Oh yes, you’ll be the one to wake up earlier, you’ll be the one to cook breakfast, wash the dishes, etc.. no one else will do it (of course not unless if you have a helper).. My point is, ACCEPT IT! Accept the fact that since this is your home, you will be the home manager.. and will be the one responsible for almost everything. Believe me, it really helps if you will accept that you have no time for yourself.

Make Time For Yourself. Now if you have accepted the fact that you HAVE NO TIME FOR YOURSELF.. make time! The thing is, if you think you deserve a me time but you never had the chance to actually claim it, you will end up feeling sorry for yourself.. trabaho na lang ng trabaho, walis dito walis doon, hugas dito, hugas doon..ni hindi man lang ako makapagsuklay ahuhuh.. got the message? Go make your time even if you think you have no me time. Make time for yourself not because you deserve it but because YOU WANT IT and they can’t do anything about it.

Create a schedule that you can follow, even for weekdays. As a mom, I can imagine how we, mommies love to multitask which most of the time ends with not being able to finish, even just one task. Create your schedule, time for cooking, time for this, time for ME TIME, time for kids. From there, create your routine.

Want to peak on my schedule? Basically, my morning is about exercise, cook, prepare myself, MAKE UP, prepare the kids etc..

Prepare Yourself Physically. And I mean, physically, like as if you’re working, get ready, take a bath, wear make up.. the works. It helps in conditioning yourself that you’re ready.. ready to face the day, ready fro anything that you will encounter during the day. In fact, I read somewhere (oh please forgive my memory.. blame that to childbirth!) it helps if you will not wear you usual house clothes, wear something that’s nice, something that you will wear when going to the mall or to the grocery. It also helps if you will wear a shoes. Remember, you’re a manager! And yes, make up, everyday.

Orient Your Kid/s with the schedule. Let them know what are expected from them. Let them understand their role in keeping the house less chaotic and of course in keeping your sanity intact. Give them responsibility too.

Procrastination is now you ENEMY. What you can do at night, do it.. like preparing what you need for breakfast, ironing uniform, preparing your clothes, cleaning the house. I works for me very well.. that I never go to sleep unless the house is clean, that’s one less household chore for me in the morning.

Establish a Study Habit. I sound like I am all about routine no? but that is really the key! a routine is very helpful to make sure that all things are done and that you don’t miss a thing. It helps to keep you more organized and less chaotic. It’s not as if, one day, you will teach your kid in the morning before going to school then a few days after, you will teach them after school. Establishing a study habit will give you an advantage in managing your time and not only that, it will also be helpful to your kid/s in the long run.

And lastly, keep your laundry clean (full post for this one coming soon). Basically, separate the clothes accordingly, specially the socks, the uniforms and the undies and hankies. It would be a lot easier to find these garments if you wash it separately from the other.. making it easier to prepare it for the coming school week.