Random Saturday: Kids n' Things

Today, I helped my youngest daughter with her homework and realized that although she is a great decoder (able to read words), she has great difficulty with reading comprehension.  I bought her a second grade reading comprehension skills book.  She seems to get half of the questions correct.  I went over the problems she got wrong and she has a better understanding of what the question is actually asking.

I also got on my son's butt about a math project he should have completed yesterday in school.  Let me start from the beginning.  I went to parent-teachers afternoon conferences yesterday.  Fortunately for me, my son attends the very high school in which I teach.  Unfortuantely for him, he did not get rave reviews.  He is very intelligent, very creative but a bit of a slacker.  He waits until the very last minute to do projects and homework assignments.  So when I met with his teachers, it was the same comment over and over, "Your son has such great potential.  However, he fails to submit work."  Do you want to know the crazy thing?  He actually does the work but doesn't hand it in to his teachers.  So now I am micromanaging, which I hate to do but it's necessary for now.  No electronic devices for him until next report card in December.

My middle daughter is also in trouble.  She has become the social butterfly.  Last year she was in ARISTA honors society.  This year, she is getting barely above an 82 average.  Like really!  No electronics for her either.  I helped her to organize not only her room but her bookbag also.  We set up folders for each subject for handouts and whatnot plus put her notes in chronological order for studying.  What happens?  She couldn't find the folder with her work.  Her teacher is looking at me and I am looking at my daughter.  So now on Sundays, I do bookbag checks for my kids at home just like I do on Fridays for my students in study hall.

But not all is bad.  I go on a retreat with my school on Monday and Tuesday to determine how to move the school forward and decide on what are our "next steps."  Hubby is great and our relationship after ten years together and eight years married is wonderful.  Yes, there are ups and downs but for the most part, we are well.

I've been thinking of going back to school.  I need thirty credits above my master's to receive top pay as a teacher.  Not sure if I should major in Neuroscience: Developmental Disabilities or go for Educational Administration licensing to become an Assistant Principal.  Decisions, decisions. . .

Pictures

This was a great show at Sea World. It had singing, sea animals, acrobatics and visual effects. Really wonderful show that the kids will love!




This is a picture of one of the shows at Sea World. It wasn't great, jokes fell short, but quite entertaining.




Beautiful moonlight on our anniversary in Disney. We've been married eight years and it feels like it was just yesterday that Gerald asked me on our first date. :D

 
And although I really hate posting pictures of myself, here is a photo of me and my husband. We were at a staff bowling meet. We didn't play but we did have several glasses of wine! It was fun to be out together with just adults!

Juggling Family, Health and Work

Who ever said that managing family, work and everything in between is easy? Since August, I have had constant struggles with time management. These are some things I have tried to get a handle on the situation:

1. Planner- I write down all appointments, meetings for work, etc.

2. Calendar- I have one by the computer and write just little short notes as a second reminder.

3. Family- I check with hubby and kids to make sure they know we have an appointment.

4. Meals- I have planned meals ahead of time for lunch at work or dinner at home. Breakfast for everyone is up for grabs (cereal, oatmeal, quick stuff).

5. Budgeting- I create a budget for myself and husband. He is terrible at this but I try to stick to it. I also make a list of bills and how much to allot for each one.

6. Bank accounts- I check them regularly for checks to clear and ensure that funds are available for spending.

7. To Do Lists- I make a list every morning at work to make certain that I get things done. Then I number the list in the priority that it needs to be done.

8. Grocery shopping- since I usually shop at Pathmark (supermarket in the Northeastern US), I go to the website and search through the circular. I print up a shopping list of sale items and try my best to spend less that $300 every three weeks.

9. Clip coupons- I clip coupons only on the items I actually use and take them with me to supermarket for even more savings.

10. Homework- Every night, I check the kids' homework. I spend about an hour either reading, looking through notebooks and helping them with difficult problems. I also have my own homework from work where I am planning lessons, gathering materials, meeting agendas/ notes and making phone calls (both good and bad).

11. Housecleaning- every Saturday is dedicated to cleaning the house thoroughly. The kids have certain chores to complete and I/ husband do laundry, organize/ shred papers, put away anything that's out of place, etc.

12. Family visits- I usually see my mom and grandmother every two weeks. I try to make it a point to cook for them and take care of things they can't do themselves (they both had strokes and are partially paralyzed).

Now, even with all these strategies, I am finding it difficult to juggle things.  However, it seems like there are just not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to get done. Any suggestions?

Outlines and Time . . .

After a long day of coordinating an off-site school program, covering classes for absent teachers, performing lunch duty and completing all the administrative paperwork that goes with such school site; I sat down at the computer to create an outline of my book. I figured a chronological timeline of events would work best.

However, there was a dilemma. I was physically, emotionally and mentally tired. Dinner had to be made, husband needed attention, kids wanted to spend time with me, friendly phone calls needed to be returned and even the cat was whined at me. I was so exhausted that I meant to take a thirty minute nap and ended up sleeping for two hours, leaving my husband in charge of the household.

I often wonder how do you make time for your writing? Where in the day can you fit a good block of time to spend on your writing without having to sacrifice family and friends? Although summer school ends in approximately two days, the fall semester will begin on September 8th. I will have to learn to manage my

time and incorporate writing, for a decent block of time, into my already hectic schedule. It sounds so easy and yet it is one of the biggest obstacles that I have to hurdle every day. If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to help me out.