Lists put your world in order. 

I am one of today’s over-extended mothers who no longer find comfort nor satisfaction in a spotless house. Both of my Grandmothers’ homes were always impeccable. I never thought much about it until I started running my own household and wondered where they found the time and devotion to clean windows, walls, and ceilings.

Cobwebs? They don’t really bother me. Modern moms struggle more today with juggling schedules and playdates, work, and homework than with mops and dust rags.

One thing I do have in common with previous generations is the necessity and the aptitude for making a well-thought out list. What would we multi-tasking moms do without the ability to sort out some of the jumble in our minds? I savor the sweet release of putting it on paper, and I do mean paper. I need to not only see my list, but I must be able to hold it, check it off, and possibly fold it up. It oftentimes needs to be an ongoing list that I can store in my trusty binder and add to it whenever something new and important is introduced to my information-overloaded world.

The beauty of the list is manifold. It:

1) tracks personal family or business goals
2) provides an opportunity for achievement
3) can be compact and portable
4) operates as a tool for delegation (e.g. Honey Do lists, chore lists)
5) teaches self-discipline
6) produces enormous gratification with each task completed

So rediscover the power you wield when you print a list. Take out your pen and begin to LET GO of your “Information Turmoil”!

Article Source: http://www.articlesforwahms.com

Jennifer Tankersley so believes in the power of lists that she has devoted her current existence to the creation of ListPlanIt.com with over 300 printable lists and planning pages, and more recently List Mama Blog: Lists of Lists for List-Lovin’ Mamas!

No Comments »
Filed under: Organization

Being a homeschooling mom, I agree completely that every parent, whether homeschooling or not, are their child’s most important teacher. Please read the article below and let me know what you think!
————————————–

There you are, sitting on your couch with your child on your knee, the storybook in your hands. She is attentive, begging you to start the fun. Then you are suddenly overtaken by a wave of panic and self-doubt. ‘I’m no teacher’ you think to yourself. ‘What training have I had?’

Suddenly you start worrying about how your lack of knowledge of ‘phonics’, the ‘whole language’ approach, ‘reading comprehension strategies’ and other buzzwords you have heard about will affect your little one’s ability to develop critical literacy skills.

You really don’t need to worry. Reading with your children from early on in their development will engender an enthusiasm for reading that will stay with them for a long time after their school days are over.

As a parent, you shouldn’t be worried about ‘messing it up’ when you read with your child. Just because you aren’t formally trained doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in helping your child to read. We know that kids learn best when they are having fun, so a cosy, family environment will always be far more conducive to the development of your child’s reading skills than the classroom.

Just remember that you are the teacher they have had the longest. From their very first days you were the one who changed nappies, sang lullabies, fed, bathed and bonded with them. So you are the one they will respond to most readily. You may think that simply reading a storybook to your child and asking a few questions about the contents can’t really do much good - but you would be surprised. What’s more, reading with your child is a great way to spend further ‘bonding time’ with him or her.

All you need is a few things to help you along, and they are all available to you:

* your local library * a bookshop (or second-hand bookshop) * comics and magazines

Library and bookshop staff are specifically trained to help with child literacy issues, and they can also recommend great titles to try out.

Children are great mimics, and they will mimic their parents before anyone else. You’ve no doubt noticed that when you do something, your child will try to do it too. So if they see you sitting down with a book, they will start to consider this as the ‘norm’, and will most likely want to do the same. At the very least, it will have piqued his or her curiosity.

So don’t feel that you are helpless when it comes to nurturing your child’s reading skills. You really don’t need to have a language or literature degree. Just a vested interest in your child’s development, an open ear, a loving approach and some words of encouragement. This, more than anything else, will help your child associate reading with pleasure rather than work.

Andy McKenna is a recognized authority on child literacy and reading skills. His website http://www.improveliteracy.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on matters relating to child literacy and early reading.

Andy McKenna may be contacted at http://www.ausgift.com

No Comments »
Filed under: Kids