Rhythm in Action: Real Family Routines for Morning, Mealtime, and Evenings

by on March 21, 2013
in nesting, parenting · 22 Comments

routineschalkboard

Tax Season is upon us here at the Simple Kids household, which means I don’t have a lot of writing time on my hands these days. As Amelia was watching out the window at the garbage truck yesterday (Trash day is a favorite part of our weekly routine) I thought  of this post from the archives you might enjoy on rhythm and routines, originally published in March of 2010.

During the month of March at Simple Kids we’re talking about rhythm and routines.  Keeping in mind that every family’s needs are different and therefore every family’s routines work differently, I thought it would be fun to ask some real moms with families in a variety of situations and ages and stages of childhood what their morning, meal, homework, and evening routines look like.

I was inspired by their answers and I found a few tips that I think I can incorporate into my family’s rhythm.  I have a feeling you’ll be inspired by these families, too.

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Saying “yes” anyway

by on March 18, 2013
in crafts, parenting · 16 Comments

LucyMarchYES

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, friends.  We had kind of a long and busy one, which are never my favorite.  So, it came to be that on an afternoon where Daddy and Max were out for their “dude date” father/son time and Jillian was reading in her room and the toddler was asleep, that Lucy and I found ourselves with some precious alone time on our hands (a rarity at our house).

The first thing Lucy asked was if we could do crafts.   I’ll admit, my heart sank a little.  Sunday is supposed to be my day “off” after all (if mothers get such a thing) and while normally I love to do crafts and get messy, I was grouchy after the long weekend and I just wasn’t in the mood for clean up or being inconvenienced.

But I said yes anyway.

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6 strategies for dealing with your parenting critics: handling criticism graciously, but firmly.

by on March 11, 2013
in character, parenting · 39 Comments

ParentingCriticsA

If you admit to the world that you’re not the Mother of the Year, folks will step forward agreeing with you, most in a spirit of camaraderie, one parent in the trenches to another.

But a few will come out of the woodwork just to tell you how you’re mucking up the job.  I’m okay with this because I know it is a side effect of blogging and putting my parenting on public display.

But what about if you aren’t putting your parenting on display?  What if you are just going about your normal day, living your life, raising your kids, and suddenly out of nowhere you find yourself being attacked.

If you are a parent, chances are a few of your choices have drawn some criticism.

I’ve developed a fairly thick skin for this, and most of the time I can laugh it off, because I know I’m not perfect and I know that it is okay that I’m not.  But it seems to me that lately my social circle is abuzz with “mommy bashing” and comparison, as if those “mother of the year” awards actually exist.

Everyone has a passionate opinion on how children should be raised.  I’m not convinced that is a totally bad thing, either.  I’ve appreciated having my thinking challenged at times, either because it cemented my own views or because it caused me to open my mind to another idea.

However, there are those who take it a step further and openly criticize or attack the parenting choices of others. 

  • Fact #1: We aren’t going to be able to please everyone.
  • Fact #2: There are those who want to make sure we know that!

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Confessions of a cloth diaper drop out (and how I got back on the fluffy bottomed bandwagon)

by on March 4, 2013
in nesting, parenting · 44 Comments

clothdiaperdropout

Those of you who know me might be a little surprised by this post.  After all, for over a decade I’ve had at least one baby in cloth diapers and have spent many, many years with two in cloth diapers at a time.

I knit wool soakers, I peruse etsy for adorable handmade diaper covers, I have participated in online forums devoted to cloth diapering, and (okay, I’ll admit it) I take a tiny bit of pride in being “old school.”

However, (and this is an important point), as I often say, one person’s “simple” might be another person’s “complicated.”   It turns out that last year one of those things that used to be a cornerstone of my simple living parenting life was overwhelming me.

So, I became a cloth diaper drop-out.

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The Friday Five: 5 humbling parenting moments (a.k.a not my Mother of the Year award acceptance speech)

by on February 22, 2013
in parenting · 94 Comments

HumbleMoments

Sometimes in this strange, wonderful phenomenon of sharing called blogging, it can be all too easy to put another person up on a pedestal, to assume they are leading a nearly perfect life because of the snapshot that we see – the carefully chosen words, the edited Pinterest worthy photos.

While I choose to focus on the light and the joy and the happiness here at Simple Kids, I do strive to keep it real.  I write honestly about my struggles and my short comings.

But just in case some of you sweet, misguided souls think that my family and I are perfect, I hope to happily and humbly burst your bubble today.

In the spirit of humility, reality, and true tales from life in the trenches, for today’s Friday Five I offer 5 of my most humbling parenting moments.

After all, if I can’t laugh at myself, well, then I’d probably spend a lot more time crying.

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