raising girls

All posts tagged raising girls

Slowly but Surely…

Published September 17, 2014 by Angela

…she is beginning to find her focus, her groove, her motivation to stay on task for her homeschooling. Maybe it was the threat of the laptop disappearing (I can guarantee it was), but she definitely did what she needed to yesterday, and her grade improved 19%. Which makes her a very happy teenager, and me a happy mom.

I am crossing my fingers that it was not a fluke, and we can keep to a reasonable schedule from here on out.

What do you do if you find things getting off task?

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Published September 14, 2014 by Angela

Having 3 children each 3 years apart will probably be a blessing in the years to come, but they are certainly spaced out at the ages right now (16, 13, 10) to ensure that they will not ever get along, on any given day.

I have been listening to arguing for the past 3 days over rubber bands. Bracelet loom rubber bands. You know the ones I mean,  right? I have rubber-band bracelets laying around in every room of my house. The girls have 3 large containers (large!) full of these tiny little rubber bands. Not to mention the ones I am picking up all over my floors.

Said 10 year old got a new loom for her birthday on Friday (yes, I knew better than to buy another one, but I did anyhow). Somehow, the rubber bands that they have all been sharing now have separate owners, and one will not share with the other.

I know, I know! Just take them away. I seem to be buying rubber bands on a bi-weekly basis, and I do not recall ever buying these and handing them to one child and saying “Here. These are your rubber bands. You don’t need to share them.” I am pretty sure that I have always encouraged my girls to share, yet I seem to have daily battles over the most ridiculous things. I am trying to not get to the point where I point out the true fact that “All of those rubber bands, and looms, belong to me. I bought them. I went to work to earn the money to pay for them.” Because then I would be acting just like they are 🙂

So today I choose to pick my battles, and this is not going to be one of them. They can fight this one out themselves.

This Is Going On My Wall!

Published September 13, 2014 by Angela

It seems I have been asking the “Did you get your assessments done today?” Several times a day, only to go and check anyways, and then spend more hours getting said 8th grader caught up.

The plan is to be back on track by Sunday night, with all grades going up a level. It is way too early in the school year to start getting behind 🙂 How do you keep your homeschoolers on task?

So True!

So True!

Waking up To Silence…

Published June 17, 2014 by Angela

…there is nothing better. There are no words. I cannot recall the last time that I actually had the house to myself. With my oldest daughter (FINALLY) home after 6 weeks in South Africa, she has a week off from work to get back on the United States schedule 🙂

So she picked up her 3 younger sisters, took them to the beach for the day, to both of her Grandma’s houses, McDonald’s, and peace and quiet for Mom.

They are walking in the door right now, and the silence is no more.

But it was amazing having a couple of hours of no talking, no television, to fighting, and no asking me for anything.

Thanks Jess, you are the best! And can we do this again tomorrow?

Happy Father’s Day…

Published June 16, 2014 by Angela

…to me!

Yes, I am serious. I told my girls they should be getting me something for Father’s Day, since I have been both Mother and Father for the past 8 years. They must have thought I was joking. I was not joking.

Just to let you know, before anyone thinks I am disrespecting any Single or divorced dads, I am not. My ex does not come to see his children. Ever. He does not buy them birthday gifts. He does not call them on their birthdays. Or Christmas. Easter? Never. He actually saw them 2 Easters ago when I was going out of state for a week. I told him 3 months ahead of time that he would have to get them their Easter stuff. And I kept reminding him. Again, and again. And again.

When I picked them up, after Easter was over, (yes, I had to drop them off and pick them up), they let me know they got nothing for Easter. What did he tell them? The house was too crowded with them there so the Easter bunny did not have room to leave their Easter baskets.

Let me be clear on the fact that 2 of these girls are long past believing in the Easter bunny. So what could they have possibly thought, and worse yet, how horrible could that have made them feel?

So yes, I am the Father to them.

And on that note, I am wishing my father a wonderful day; I tried calling several times and he was either gone or the phone was busy (he does not live near me).

And I wish all of the Fathers out there who are really truly fathers a wonderful day as well. It is not easy being a parent. Whether you are the mother, or the father.

It certainly is not easy having to be both 😦

When You Are Not Happy With Where You Are At In Your Life…

Published June 14, 2014 by Angela

…it is up to you to change it. No one can do it for you. Change can be scary, no matter how old you get and how much life experience you have. You need to do what is going to make you happy. Others may get hurt along the way. If you are making the choices you need to make to live a happy life, the ones who truly love you will not be upset with your decisions.

Sometimes it is nice to get advice and support from others, instead of being the one to give advice and support. Even the strongest people on the outside have a weak spot on the inside.

As another of my girls moves into the “teenage” years (Happy 13th Birthday Erin Elizabeth!), I am really starting to examine where I want my life to go, where I want to end up, and what I need to do to get there.

Sometimes behind every strong woman is no one to give them the support and encouragement they want and need. Feeling like you are really, truly alone of this journey called life can be painful for even the strongest of people.

Little Sleep Today, and Lots of Errands

Published June 12, 2014 by Angela

Today I am going to do the one thing I try to not do with my kids…

…bribe them with something to get them to do what I ask them to.

Oh, who am I kidding? I do this ALL the time! 

I have to get up early to get 16 year old to dentist appointment (that was cancelled on Monday after I had adjusted my sleep and work schedule, of course) and then I have to do homework, take care of the animals, and be at a friends house by 8pm.

So, I am leaving them a note that if they clean the house (to MY standards, not theirs) I will buy them dinner tonight.

1) I will not likely have time to cook

2) There is really nothing in the house to make a decent meal with

3) I am 99% sure my house will be cleaned, when I get up, to my standards

And that, my friends, makes me a happy Mom. I see Subway in my very near future 🙂

Time For Plan #2…

Published June 12, 2014 by Angela

…as soon as I figure out what that is. I have begun to bargain with my girls that if they want to go places and do things, they need to earn it.

Apparently not a single one of them has an issue with spending their entire Summer in the house.

So, hopefully while I am working tonight, I will get a brilliant idea to end all ideas, and they will start participating in being a self-sustaining member of this family!

Do you have a method that works during the summer months? Let me know, I could desperately use all the ideas I can get ahold of. They are very determined girls!

What Say We Try This Again Tomorrow…

Published June 11, 2014 by Angela

… and this time, you do things the right way?

Monday seemed to go much smoother than today did with school being over. I pretty much had the house cleaned Monday morning before I went to bed, so my girls really did not have to do a lot to keep it clean when I got up.

Now, there are a lot of little things that tend to irk me, but I have gotten much better at not getting worked up “over the little stuff“. But one thing that I absolutely do NOT like, is having people in my house, while I am sleeping, and I don’t know about it. If you ask me first, more often than not I will say “O.K.” But to wake up at 3pm to house guests? Not happy.

Now, I live in a house full of girls. Well, except for the 2 boy cats and the boy rabbit. But they don’t mind. So, I will not hesitate to get up, trudge downstairs in my pajamas, and get a cup of coffee.

Coming downstairs in my pajamas, to find my 16 year olds’ boyfriend sitting on my couch, not cool. Not cool at all. I am not talking about Victoria Secret inappropriate sleepwear, but either way, my legs showing, and no bra on, is not appropriate for house guests. So, I had to turn around, go back up to my room, and get dressed. So I could get a cup of coffee.

I had to get dressed. In order to get a cup of coffee. In my own house. Really? Really. 😦

The house was a mess, and nothing was done. The first thing my 16 year old says to me: “I thought you weren’t getting up until 4?”

Yeah, like me sleeping an hour longer would have allowed for the house to be cleaned.

So, I got ready for my day, cooked dinner for my girls and said house guest, filled the dishwasher, had company for an hour, did homework, and now I am waiting to go to work.

I am also waiting to see how long it is going to take my 16 year old to tell me her boyfriend needs a ride home. Because she is going to. (That is something else that really, really irks me), having to take said uninvited house guests home.

And how was your day?