Working from home has its advantages! Working from home with kids is challenging! I think that being a blogger is one of the best hobbies/jobs I have ever had. No, seriously. I make my own hours, I accept assignments or choose topics that I want to write about, and I can blog from anywhere due to the wonderful advances in technology. What I also have to take into account is that I have other responsibilities: my family, my home, and my extracurricular activities. This is why I know that when I create a writing schedule for myself, I know that it will be shuffled, and I will have to reschedule my schedule from time to time in order to make everything happen while blogging from home.

Rescheduling My Schedule: Working from Home with Kids

Below is a list of things I do in order to make my writing schedule work for me.

1. Get To Know Your Boss’ Schedule

I have three kids, two of them are too young to go to school. Both of my kids could be in daycare or in a pre-school, but I really enjoy being a stay-at-home parent. I love taking care of them, and being around them. They are everywhere and into everything, but that is what kids do at this age, and they learn from exploring their world. This is why I take this fact into consideration when taking on assignments and planning when I am going to write posts. Since they are my world, they are also my “bosses”. So getting to know their schedule can then help me figure out approximately how much time during the day I have to write. A typical day looks like this:

Mornings

• Wake up
• Breakfast
• Entertain (colouring, playing with toys, reading, listening to music, TV time)
• Park/Bike Ride
• Snack/Lunch 1
• Nap

Afternoons

• Lunch/Snack 2
• Park

Evenings

• Entertain while making dinner/bath/family time
• Dinner
• Quiet Time

It may not look like a lot happens in throughout their day, but trust me, it does! This is why I need to know where their heads are and what they are like in order to get a sense of when I can fit in time to write. This schedule could get flipped around a bit if one or both of them have an appointment, have a bad night’s sleep/grumpy day, become sick, or if we have company over to visit. We try to stick to this schedule for them in order for them to have some stability in their day as well. Most days are good, and I can use their schedule as a base to make my schedule.

2. You Schedule Should NEVER Be a Firm One

Just as your kids’ schedule will never run like clockwork, neither should your writing schedule. There will be times that life decides to throw a monkey wrench into your plans, and it could take you away from your writing schedule. Your kids could get sick. You have other errands to do during the day. You could get an emergency phone call that you have to deal with. If you had a fixed schedule, any number of these incidents could throw off your schedule, putting you behind.

What I like to do is to set loose guidelines for my deadlines for myself. This way, I try to finish my assignments as close to its actual deadline as possible. For me, it’s like setting my clocks in my home a little bit ahead so I get up and go earlier than I need to so I will not be late. If I do finish a post earlier than I thought I would, this gives me more downtime to hang out with my kids, and it allows me to take on other assignments if I can.

3. Write It Down, Write It Down, Write It Down!

There are times when I could become busy and accept a lot of post requests. To keep up with all of the writing I have to do, as well as the schedules of my kids, I have to write down what has to be done and their deadlines. If I do not write assignments down, something will go through the cracks, and something will be forgotten.

There are many ways of organizing yourself in order to keep track of all of everything you have to do. Me, I write down all of my assignments the old fashion way as well as the newer, tech-friendly way. My desk has a white board where I write down all of my assignments and their deadlines.

Throughout the week, I cross off what I have accomplished or what is awaiting approval, so I get a sense of what is left to tackle on my to-do list. I also jot down post I need to write in my smartphone in my Calendar application.

This way, I can get notifications as to when posts are due and what is coming up later down the road. Both of these methods are so helpful to helping me schedule future posts as well.

4. Learn How To Say “No”

This tip is an easy one to explain. I know it is great to have a lot of proposals given to you, but there are those times that you simply cannot take on more work because of family priorities or other deadlines. Putting too much onto your plate will only stress you out, and you could, potentially, miss a deadline. This could lead to being passed up for future opportunities. It is better to wait for another opportunity to come around than to try to do too much and not be able to do something else.

5. Come Up For Air

As much as getting a lot of writing done every day would be ideal, I do have to think about scheduling “Me Time.” I need some time to decompress from everything that is happening for the day, and I find that I cannot do this by shutting my eyes and falling asleep at night. I work best when I have time peppered throughout the day to not be thinking about a post that has to go o

When I have these times to shut the “writing machine” down and to think about something else though, I am also glad. I am more relaxed, and I may become inspired or think of an idea about something that I will be writing about because I am not writing. Depending on the time of day, I like exploring the world with my kids, having some quite time with my other half, watching my “stories,” checking out my social media sites, or surfing the Internet to find the best GIC rates in Canada for my investments. It could be only be five minutes, but that time away from that post feels great!

So, there you have it! These are my tips I use to reschedule my schedule while at home with my kids. It took a bit of experimentation to figure out what works for me where having some form of a writing schedule down pat, but once I got into (somewhat) of a rhythm, I learned what my limitations are, and how much I could realistically do day-to-day. I also learned how to make fun time for kids, my other half and for myself. These tips do not just pertain to blogging, but to other professions or hobbies you may do while at home with your kids.

What other tips do you have for parents who need help rescheduling their schedules because they are working from home?

Choosing French School

My daughter started Senior Kindergarten this Fall. Or, more specifically, because she goes to a French school: jardin. I remember the nerves when she started in French school. My nerves – as the English-speaking parent.

My husband is French, and we’d made the decision from birth to raise bilingual children and send both our girls to French school because, as they say:

«Le français s’apprend, l’anglais s’attrape. »

Translation?

You learn French. You catch English.

Even in Ottawa, with a large French population, that’s true. And it’s particularly true in a family like ours that is half English and half French, with the extended French half living out-of-town.

As for me?

I’m bilingual.

I even have a high school certificate (go Hillcrest Hawks!) and Public Service Second Language Test scores to prove it.

But despite that, until I married into a French family, I was rarely called on to use it.

So when I was, I was nervous.

Generally, I did fine.

But there are the moments that stick out:

• While dating my future husband, my (now) nephew at age five who, after a couple of hours of serious effort on my part, informed me that it was okay if I wanted to just speak to him in English.
• The francophone Chair of a Committee I once clerked who would circle my French grammatical errors. Both actual errors and the ones that “sounded English”. In glass half-full land? I came out of that experience with much refreshed and improved written French.
• Getting screened out of a part-time job as a Parliamentary Tour Guide during my undergrad years because I flunked the French test. Bilingual certificate aside, if you don’t use it, you really do lose it.

While I’m now at ease speaking with my in-laws and reading to my kids in French, despite French Immersion since I was four-years-old and a concerted and consistent effort to maintain my French language skills, the nerves never completely went away.

And that’s why, in addition to my husband’s strong feelings about sending our children to French school, I was completely on board. I watch my husband, and other bilingual Francophones I know, switch seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly between English and French. That is a gift I want to give my children.

So like last year, I put my nerves aside and embrace another year communicating, mostly in writing via the agenda, with my daughter’s school in my second language. I suspect they are at times forgiving of, or humoured by, some of my rushed morning message errors. But they don’t circle them, which helps. And they are very welcoming and encouraging and, I believe, genuinely appreciative of the effort to support the French only environment at the school.

Because, like so many things once you become a parent, it really isn’t about you anymore. My role? It’s to support my daughter and her school’s learning environment as best I can. So that’s what I’ll do. And if my French benefits from the practice? All the better.

This is my first post here about (trying to) raise our kids to be fluently bilingual in English and French. I hope to write some more posts as to our specific experiences to date: early efforts, play groups, preschool and encouraging family to help. My children are only four and two, so we are at early stages yet and I’d love to hear from others further along in this experience.

Louise

The excitement of purchasing your daughter’s first bra! It’s certainly a milestone for all girls and, with the right tips to buy bras for tweens, it can be a fun part of puberty.

When I was a tween there certainly weren’t too many bra choices. You had to choose between white and beige, so not much creativity back then. Nowadays you can purchase them at brand name stores and also at most girls fashion stores. They come in a variety of colours and patterns from trainer bra, sports bra, to soft cup bra. It’s an experience that your daughter is likely to remember forever, so make it a fun shopping day just daughter and mom with a lunch or dinner!

First Bra Shopping

When do you buy the first bra

So how do you know when your daughter actually needs to start wearing a bra? The proper age to purchase her first bra is normally between 9 and 13 years old and will depend on her own body development as some girls might have their first period at a younger age. There is also the peer pressure to purchase a bra because her friends have one. I think it’s best to go with the flow of things, and if she asks for it as a tween, then she is mentally ready to wear one.

The trainer bra

The trainer bras is made of a soft lightweight fabric with no padding and easy to pullover with no hooks and closures, so it’s ideal for breasts just starting to develop. A good indication that your daughter is ready to wear a bra is if she starts to a wear tank top or a cami under her clothes, or layers of clothing, as she is no longer comfortable showing her body. If your daughter prefers not to be fitted in a store, you can make the experience more comfortable by measuring yourself at home and ordering online.

Choose a store

When I went bra shopping with my daughter, she already knew where she wanted to go because her friends had bought a bra at that store already. I didn’t mind since it was a girl’s fashion store and knew she would be comfortable trying on a bra and talking about the ones she would like to purchase. To me that’s what was more important at the time than shopping at a specialty bra store. They carried assortments of different types of bras for tweens.

How to choose a bra

As a rule of thumb, comfort should be the most important factor in choosing a bra by making sure it’s a well fitted, not too tight or too big. As my daughter got older, we shopped at specialty bra stores where she could get fitted properly by a professional staff for her shape and size. If a first bra doesn’t fit right, then it isn’t doing its job and will be uncomfortable. Also when breasts develop they need to be supported so that they can grow into their proper shape and position, therefore getting a bra fitted professionally is best. If you imply the importance of comfort, your daughter will let you know when the bras are getting too small and time to take her to be properly fitted again.

Finally, breast development is one of the first signs of puberty and that your little girl is definitely growing up! It can be a sad time for moms or even harder times for dads…. Remember that her being comfortable with the process is the most important factor. If you daughter is not comfortable purchasing her first bra in a store, you can order online instead.

Again, it’s so important to let her know that this stage of puberty is normal, to accept her changing body, and embrace becoming a young woman!

How was your experience shopping for your first bra? Comment below.

Wow! Summer vacation is almost over and you know what that means: The annual back-to-school shopping trip!  It is the time of the year that parents cheer and jeer about at the same time because the kids will going to school, but us parents have to get their gang of kids together to get everything they need for the big day.  Whether this is your first back-to-school shopping trip or your hundredth, it can be a bit daunting. After a few cracks at this scavenger hunt, I have come up with a few tips and tricks that makes this yearly shopping trip a little easier for me and my caravan of kids!

Step #1 – Know What You Need
Many of the school boards where I live are thoughtful enough to provide a general list of supplies students in each grade will need for the school year they are entering.

If it was not provided in your child’s report card, or your child is entering a new school, you can always check out your child’s school board’s website to see if it is posted there.

Once I have gone over this list, I then like to see if I still have some of these items around the house. We tend to buy extra, you know, just in case my child looses or runs out of these supplies during the school year. This way, you could be saving yourself some money on items you do not need.

Where clothing is concerned, I like to rummage through my child’s closet with her and so a fashion show to see what fits and what needs to go.

For those items that do not make the cut, I like to either donate them to places where other families can use what we no longer need. Some of these places are the Canadian Diabetes Association’s Clothesline, the Salvation Army Thrift Store, Goodwill Donation Centres and to Parenting Groups on Facebook!

Step #2 – Create Your List

I love getting my daughter involved in this part of the back-to-school process, too! Since she is old enough to write, we go over what is needed based on what we have or did not have from Step #1. For tech-savvy people, you can do this in your task manger or note pad app on you smartphone or tablet so you can refer to it while you are out.

For a low tech option, you can write this list out the old fashion way by using pen and paper and carrying the list with you this way as well.

Step #3 – Have a Travel Plan

Now that you know what you need to buy for your child for back-to-school, do you know where you want to go to get what you need? This is one of the times of the year when retailers are BEGGING for you to spend your hard earned dollars in their stores! They have sales, deals, coupons, both in-store and online to get you to entice you to shop there. Just about everything you would want for back-to-school will be on sale at one store or another. It just all depends on what you are looking to buy.

Based on the deals you found, or did not find, figuring out where you want to shop is the next order of business. Knowing where you want to get everything you need to buy for back-to-school before actually going out to buy these items could save you valuable time and frustration. As well, checking out the floor plan of the store is a great idea, so you can park at the closest entrances to wherever you want to shop, and you will know where everything is before going there, so you will not get lost.

Step #4 – (Try to) Stick to Your List

I know this is hard to do because, well, it’s shopping, and something always catches your interest, but should keep your eye on the prize and, try to, just back-to-school shop. If you are shopping for more than what you child needs for school, then try to buy what is on your list first. That way, you have what you have gone out shopping for, and you can then go after other items you need on this trip, or those flights of fancy you see in the store. This step is really hard for me because I like looking around stores for things, especially for items like baby clothes, electronics and jewelry! If you are an online shopper, you can even skip going into the stores, and just shop from the comfort of your home! This way, you are avoiding line-ups, and everything gets delivered to your door!

Step #5 – Prepare for the Big Day

Once the back-to-school scavenger hunt is over, one way to make sure your child is all ready for the big day is to get their bag packed. If your child is old enough, you can have them pack what they need for their first day of school into their back pack. If they are too young to know what they should put into their bag, you can have them help you pack their bag. My little ones are too young for school, but they like helping with packing things, so they can give my eldest a hand with what she needs to put in her back pack.

Where the new back-to-school clothes are concerned, have them pick out what they would like to wear from what you’ve bought (getting your approval, of course), and have them set them aside so they will be ready to go on the morning of the first day of school. It is just one less thing for everyone to have to think about when all of the chaos ensues on the big day.

Those are my tips and tricks for back-to-school shopping. It took me a while to get into a groove of making this whole process go a smoother, and it also takes a bit of the stress off of me for getting what my child needs every September. I hope that these steps for back-to-school shopping can be useful for you, too!

Happy hunting!

Every summer, I let my kids take over the cooking, one meal a week each. Once a week, I give them a stack of recipe books and tell them to pick anything that appeals to them. Then they write out the ingredient lists and I go shopping. Then on cooking night, I am there to help out if asked, but otherwise I am hands off and they do it all. Cooking with the Kids is so much fun!

Confession: I am kind of a control freak. So it kind of kills me when other people are cooking in my kitchen. But it is good for all of us right? I have learned over the years to say “oh well!” and smile when an egg hits the floor instead of the bowl, and “better get a cloth” and smile when the milk hits the counter instead of the mixer.

The kids always surprise me with the recipes they choose. It is often something that I wouldn’t normally look at twice, and can have quite exotic ingredients. They are great at tasting everything they make, and most of what they have cooked over the years has been fantastic. They are fearless, making falafel and flat bread without batting an eye.

We have learned important lessons like we don’t really like the taste of sweet orange, and you need to read the recipe early in the day in case something needs defrosting, and two main courses and a dessert is really too much food for one meal. It brings me so much joy to share my kitchen with them both and we laugh constantly. It has become one of my favourite things to do. I wish we could do it more often.

Do you cook with your kids? Do you have any tips to share? Comment below!

From Tween to Teens: What a Roller Coaster Ride for Girls

During puberty, a girl’s developing body is flooded by hormones. Therefore, this will affect her mood. Your sweet 12 year old tween daughter his now starting to have tantrums like a 2 year old, be a drama queen, and self-centred, as well as focused on her friends and activities. She also wants to feel grown up and be more independent. Let me assure you that it will pass and it also gives you the opportunity to strengthen your relationship with her.

Putting you to the test

She will put you to the test, so you might have to change your parenting style and really focus on listening to her and looking for signs that she needs you (even if she says she doesn’t, at that age, she still does.). Remember how it was for you during that stage in your life, yes, I find that helps to understand her better. Unfortunately, we have all been there to some extent.

It’s also a time of self acceptance, thus not always that easy with her peers, especially when girls say harsh words, be cruel, and also bully each other. There might be lots of pressure from friends to be part of the “gang’  or be “cool” and not be a little girl anymore. She will test your parenting skills! Even if your daughter pushes you away, a sign she needs more space, stay connected and spend quality time together, just the two of you, like a shopping or spa day, movie or game night, etc..

Take interest in what she likes

Take interest into what she likes is key to a bonding mother-daughter relationship. I found the best time to talk to my daughter would be just before bedtime where there were no distractions and when she was more open to talk about her day. A good night kiss, even when they are teenagers, is still acceptable!

I always tried to find ways to give my daughter more independence and have her make choices for herself since she was a child. Yes, she made mistakes, but it built her self-esteem and made her more responsible for her actions. I have to say that this helped with her not been rebellious through puberty.

The Drama

Sometimes we also forget that a specific incident that is no big deal to us might seem like the end of the world to your daughter. She might dramatize over growing pains and menstrual cramps, so use empathy with her. She might even be a typical teenager and just say things like “you just don’t get it”! Ouch!  Unfortunately, she doesn’t get that we have been through this too. Don’t take it personally or be hurt by what she says or does.

Her hormones and emotions are a like a roller coster ride, up and down! She is trying to figure out her own identity, and has fears and insecurities. If I got into a heated argument with me daughter when she was cranky, I noticed that I was pushing her away. In life you have to learn when to win your battles, this was definitely not the time. Keep your cool, your voice calm, model self-control, and support her into becoming a young woman. Good luck!

For tips on helping you talk to your daughter about puberty, you can visit Always.

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Always, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Always.