What I mean by taking care of Mom is that I want you to take care of yourself, as well as reach out to the other Moms that you know, and help take care of them.
Women are often the hardest on each other, and I really think that's a tragedy. We should feel more compassion and love for one another, than contempt or jealousy. I'm not sure why the latter seems to embed itself in women friendships or sisterhood. Perhaps we share a lot of information with each other, and by so doing we realize how vulnerable we are, and want to retreat rather than bask in the idea of being open and genuine.
As women, we try hard to do a lot of things. I think it's one of our noblest characteristics. We have such high hopes of having it all together and being strong enough to handle everything that comes along. Sometimes all that happens, and sometimes it doesn't. Hurray for the times that it does!
My thought for the month is that you reach out in love to the women around you. Put aside the judgements, the jealousy, the contempt, and try to find some more love within you. Recognize another woman in your life for her strengths and stop fighting against them. Fighting takes so much energy away from doing anything constructive. Take some time to be with a friend, a sister, a mother, an acquaintance, and let yourself just "be" in the moment. Enjoy the sisterhood that comes with having another woman to connect with. Strengthen yourself by getting back to your childhood days when you just enjoyed simple moments and didn't worry about the "to-do list" ahead of you. It can be as simple as a text, an email, a phone call, or a visit. But find someone that will strengthen you this month, and be that person to someone else.
Special thank to all my friends who do this for me...as well as your support for all we are trying to do in PTA. Your encouragement and response to what we are doing strengthens us to keep going.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Family Strong: Eating dinner as a family
SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT A TABLECLOTH ON your TABLE
1. You want to set out plates, glasses and silverware - not necessarily silver.
2. The family sits down all together.
3. They want to give a heartfelt prayer.
4. Parents use good table manners.
5. Children learn good table manners.
6. They talk about their day. Everyone laughs. Digestion improves.
7. Even plain, ordinary food tastes better.
8. Each member of the family tries to make it home for dinner.
9. A family is connected.
10. Don’t wait for Sunday. Set your table every day possible.
USA Today: One factor to high achieving and well adjusted adolescents was eating dinner with their
parents on a regular basis. Kids appreciate their parents more when sharing a meal together.
· Experts say that kids who eat dinner with their families three or more times a week are more likely to have better language and literacy, a higher grade point average, higher self-esteem, fewer eating disorders, and fewer risky behaviors like thoughts of suicide or hanging out with the wrong crowd.
- Research shows children who eat meals with their families are less likely to use cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. They also do better in school. Family meals also help kids eat nutritious foods, keep the lines of communication open and create a feel-good connectedness.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Family Strong
I wanted to share this amazing clip from KSL Studio 5 last week. Such truths, and such power! I hope you enjoy...but more, I hope you are able to recognize some areas that can be changed...to help YOU be stronger!
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=17170426
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=17170426
Welcome to the new school year!
Welcome to the new school year!
It has been a crazy ride for my family these last few months, but we are settled and ready to begin the school year. Just a little late, but all things will be ready for the year, I promise!
I want to introduce you to our focus for the year. "FAMILY STRONG". What does that mean? Well, we are hoping to provide wisdom and experiences to motivate you to have a strongER family than you do. If we all share our tools, then we can really strengthen the families in the Lake View Elementary, and thus strengthen our kids as they go to school, and thus our school.
I am a firm believer that personal experience has the great ability to help motivate and encourage, and so I invite you to send me your successful ideas on how you've made your family strong.
We will have a monthly blog post, as well as heavily utilizing the facebook page. Please join us in both places!
Katie
It has been a crazy ride for my family these last few months, but we are settled and ready to begin the school year. Just a little late, but all things will be ready for the year, I promise!
I want to introduce you to our focus for the year. "FAMILY STRONG". What does that mean? Well, we are hoping to provide wisdom and experiences to motivate you to have a strongER family than you do. If we all share our tools, then we can really strengthen the families in the Lake View Elementary, and thus strengthen our kids as they go to school, and thus our school.
I am a firm believer that personal experience has the great ability to help motivate and encourage, and so I invite you to send me your successful ideas on how you've made your family strong.
We will have a monthly blog post, as well as heavily utilizing the facebook page. Please join us in both places!
Katie
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Teacher's Lounge Remodel
I wanted to post some pictures to show what happened over Spring Break. For those of you who haven't been able to stop by, here are some before and after pictures of the teacher's lounge. Cabinets were donated by Anvil Cabinets, paint by Brigham Paint, breakfast by Smiths, and countless hours of planning, working, more working, and partying by amazing women!!! See what amazing women can do when working together??? Come join us!!! :)
Monday, March 28, 2011
How To Successfully Be A Busy Mom
A few of the ways that I am successful at having a busy, happy family:
It's easy to be busy.
Each of us are.
So the question is...how do we be busy, and still be successful at what we are busy with?
Successfully being busy is about time management and being effective and more efficient.
There is a lot of time on some days, and certainly not enough on others. One key is to still be efficient on the days when you have lots of time, when it's easier to sit back and do nothing. Certainly, allow yourself those days, but don't make them the majority.
I was told, when I first started having children (by a psychiatrist friend), that EACH child needed 20 min. of my time EACH day. Some days that's easier to do, but if you make the time for that 20 min, the rest of the day will run a lot smoother. What I do, is sit with each of my girls when they come home from school and go through their backpack. That takes about 10 min. We will read their library and baggy books (which counts toward the 20 min reading a day) and then go through their papers. It benefits both of us, since I get to see and pay attention to what they are doing at school, and they get to show and tell me about their day. Then we can snuggle, read more books, play a game, talk, etc. It's an amazing time, that really fulfills their need to be loved and appreciated.
Find something you enjoy doing, and make time for that every day. It doesn't matter if it's sitting in a bath by yourself, blogging, exercising, painting...whatever it is, find time for that every day. When you make time for yourself, you will feel much more on top of things and ready to tackle everything else.
Turn off the TV! I have a good friend who took this challenge a few years ago, turned off the TV for a month, and wrote a book! What could you do with all that time????
As much as I hate TO DO lists, they may be helpful for you. I keep a mental list of what I need to do that day, and focus on what needs to be done. If it doesn't get done today, it goes on the list for tomorrow. If it doesn't get done for a week...it's okay! I feel more successful when I have small accomplishments every day, and it boosts me for the next. My mom was always really good at cleaning during down time. I clean and do laundry when I'm on the phone. How can you be more efficient?
Make time for your husband. When he gets home, spend time with him. Talk to him. Lovingly acknowledging his presence in the home will make the mood of the house, and his esteem soar! We were advised when we got married, to have 20 min of touch, talk time every day. This could just be sitting on the couch holding hands. You could do your 20 min right away, or when the kids go to sleep. But make time for your marriage. There must be something magical about 20 min!
Don't be so busy with so many things. There are lots of good things to be busy with. But if you, your children, or your husband are not getting love and attention every day, you aren't succeeding. Perhaps you may need to cut some things out, so you can focus on your family more.
Your family needs you. You need you. If you are overwhelmed, start saying NO a little more :)
These are a few of my thoughts. If you have some, make a comment and let us know how you do it all too! Also, let us know what you need help with, or have questions about!
Leave comments below:
It's easy to be busy.
Each of us are.
So the question is...how do we be busy, and still be successful at what we are busy with?
Successfully being busy is about time management and being effective and more efficient.
There is a lot of time on some days, and certainly not enough on others. One key is to still be efficient on the days when you have lots of time, when it's easier to sit back and do nothing. Certainly, allow yourself those days, but don't make them the majority.
I was told, when I first started having children (by a psychiatrist friend), that EACH child needed 20 min. of my time EACH day. Some days that's easier to do, but if you make the time for that 20 min, the rest of the day will run a lot smoother. What I do, is sit with each of my girls when they come home from school and go through their backpack. That takes about 10 min. We will read their library and baggy books (which counts toward the 20 min reading a day) and then go through their papers. It benefits both of us, since I get to see and pay attention to what they are doing at school, and they get to show and tell me about their day. Then we can snuggle, read more books, play a game, talk, etc. It's an amazing time, that really fulfills their need to be loved and appreciated.
Find something you enjoy doing, and make time for that every day. It doesn't matter if it's sitting in a bath by yourself, blogging, exercising, painting...whatever it is, find time for that every day. When you make time for yourself, you will feel much more on top of things and ready to tackle everything else.
Turn off the TV! I have a good friend who took this challenge a few years ago, turned off the TV for a month, and wrote a book! What could you do with all that time????
As much as I hate TO DO lists, they may be helpful for you. I keep a mental list of what I need to do that day, and focus on what needs to be done. If it doesn't get done today, it goes on the list for tomorrow. If it doesn't get done for a week...it's okay! I feel more successful when I have small accomplishments every day, and it boosts me for the next. My mom was always really good at cleaning during down time. I clean and do laundry when I'm on the phone. How can you be more efficient?
Make time for your husband. When he gets home, spend time with him. Talk to him. Lovingly acknowledging his presence in the home will make the mood of the house, and his esteem soar! We were advised when we got married, to have 20 min of touch, talk time every day. This could just be sitting on the couch holding hands. You could do your 20 min right away, or when the kids go to sleep. But make time for your marriage. There must be something magical about 20 min!
Don't be so busy with so many things. There are lots of good things to be busy with. But if you, your children, or your husband are not getting love and attention every day, you aren't succeeding. Perhaps you may need to cut some things out, so you can focus on your family more.
Your family needs you. You need you. If you are overwhelmed, start saying NO a little more :)
These are a few of my thoughts. If you have some, make a comment and let us know how you do it all too! Also, let us know what you need help with, or have questions about!
Leave comments below:
Monday, March 7, 2011
Welcome!
Thanks for checking the blog!
Our anticipations for the blog are to be a resource page for thoughts, questions, and answers. I will post a question from an anonymous source, and ask for insight or stories from you, and we will help each other get the answers.
Thank you for your involvement!!
Our anticipations for the blog are to be a resource page for thoughts, questions, and answers. I will post a question from an anonymous source, and ask for insight or stories from you, and we will help each other get the answers.
Thank you for your involvement!!
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