Going to school is hard enough, when you add raising kids on top of that CAN be a recipe for disaster. There are people out there who tells you and explains to you they have it all together. I’m just going to be honest, those people who has it all together, tackling school, raising more than one child, keeping a home in tack, all have what I call a “village of supporters”. This means there is more than one person helping. There could be live in/ close by family, hired help, institutions (such as daycare, home care, etc.). Then you have the other end which is…. A liar! (I don’t think an explanation is needed here).
But what if you don’t have those options? What if it’s just you, your partner, and your kids? What if the finances just aren’t there? Let’s just keep it honest and be truthful, childcare is very expensive! What if there are special instructions, or there is a period in the seasons where your child has to be indoors (working with a preemie here). What if there is a pandemic and the helpful hands you once had every month, isn’t able to come and assist you due to not only them being high risk, but your kiddos are high risk also? (yes I am missing my helping hand/my mommy) You may not have the time, options, mindset or tools to access outside help. So how are you supposed to take care of your kids, make sure they actually are learning, and keep up with school, courses, work? Well I think I have not mastered this, but I am willing to share some tips that helped me out.
“You are the only person that
can raise your children your way”
[sg_popup id=”2098″ event=”hover”][/sg_popup]Now a little about me, if you haven’t figured it out already. I am a mom of 2. I have an 8-month-old and a 3-year-old. My 3-year-old daughter was born prematurely, 24 weeks premature to be exact. She has some health issues, but that does not stop her from being a normal 3-year-old. I have to say, this little girl is very smart. She exceeded all the evaluations that were given to her. I didn’t want her falling behind in any of her learning. I also didn’t want her to get bored with learning because she’s mastered the basics. Let’s back up a bit, before I became a stay at home mom, I was a preschool teacher. I have been in the education field for over 15 years (wow that makes me sound old, even though I am still young.) {side note: I am proud of my age, and I know I don’t look my age, I’ve been told that for years, I’m 32 by the way}. Any who, I have taught children from ages 1-6.
I have been known to be the teacher to go to for advice. However, in my situation, I didn’t have no one to turn to for advice. Don’t you hate when you’re always the person everyone turns to and because you’re that person, there is no one for you to turn to? Well it may sound crazy, but I turned to myself. I was drowning. I have a sweet little girl that needs assistance with learning, treatments with her breathing, potty training, and overall attention. Let’s not forget there are 2 munchkins. Remember I mentioned an 8-month-old earlier. He is a full bundle of joy. Having a preemie and a full term is like day and night (that is another blog if you want to read about it). He is full of energy and at times no one can keep up with him, not even our 3-year-old at times. But as I mentioned before, I think I can help you out with some tips!
The number one tip:
Make a schedule!
You will never get anything accomplished if you just wing it. Make a timed schedule. What is that you ask? It’s times that are realistic for you. For example, I have my schedule start at 7am. This is time for myself. I shower, get dressed, write, pray, just take a moment. I then wake up my kiddos between 7:3-0 and 8am, depending on their night. Start with timing breakfast, lunch and dinner and just grow from there
Tip number 2:
Make sure you have a night time routine that both kiddos can follow. Mine is simple in my head. I start their routine around 6:30pm. They eat, they bathe/wash up , depending on who’s night it is to take a bath (again more detail in the other blog if interested). I like to use lotions with lavender in them. I sometimes use dove baby night time calming body wash and lotion. Other times I use my homemade body butters. I read them a book together, and separately, I recite prayers with them and put them down for bed. I put my toddler down first because I am still breastfeeding my infant. He usually falls asleep that way.
Tip number 3:
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO GET YOUR WORK DONE. YOUR CHILDREN ALWAYS KNOW WHEN YOU ARE IN PANIC MODE!
If you have work that is due Sunday, and you found out about it on Tuesday, plan to get it done on Wednesday, that way just in case you didn’t complete it Wednesday, you still have time to complete it, not start it.
Tip number 4:
Have a realistic bedtime!
If you have work due at 11:59, but you put your babies to bed at 10:00, how does that leave you time to have writers block. When my now 3-year-old first came home, I had to figure out a schedule. That was my first semester back at school and I didn’t have a clue. I then calculated how much time I would need to get all my work done. Before I knew it, I was getting her in bed and calmed down by 7:30. This gave me more than enough time to get as much work done as I could before she got up to eat.
I am a realistic person. I am not one to act as if life doesn’t happen. You will have those nights where nobody is tired. You will have a night when someone isn’t feeling the best. You will have a night where you want to or just pass out without warning. You will have a night where you just don’t want to do nothing at all. It’s ok. It’s normal. No one is judging you. If they are, SO WHAT. They are not in your house, they are not in your shoes, and if you implanted tip number 3 in the early, then you are good.
Hope this was able to help you. Please leave a comment good, bad, negative Nancy’s, or ugly. I accept them all!
Thanks, Tee
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Thank you for the post. I was needing advice for balancing my kids and work ( my boss has given me a ton of paperwork) and my kiddos don’t get it. I can try to plan accordingly and see how the new routines work. Thanks for the tips!
This is super cool! I’m a “traditional” college student (straight from high school to college) but I’ve had classmates who were married and/or had kids. This has helped me understand the struggle a little better. Thanks! ☺️
A necessary and helpful post.
Thank you. I’m not working or in school at the moment, but as a new mom, I can really use this article, just to keep my sanity. Can’t wait to share!
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!