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Sharing Kimchee With Other Mommies!

Written By: Jeanie Chang


iheartkimchi.wordpress.com

My children's violin teacher loves kimchee!  I mean she loves it so much that she and her husband can go through an entire jar in a week.  The other night, she told me she was making kimchee fried rice after doing some research on the Internet on how to make it.  I thought that was so cool.  My kids' violin teacher is Caucasian and born and bred in North Carolina.  She actually told me she wishes she had been born Korean because she loves the food.  LOL.  After all, she says she grew up on southern cuisine which she finds to be dull compared to Asian cuisine.  You know - fried chicken, pulled pork, hush puppies, biscuits and gravy, okra,etc.  Since moving to Raleigh, North Carolina four years ago, I have definitely enjoyed trying southern food.  As much as I like it, I definitely couldn't live on it.

My kids' violin teacher isn't the only non-Korean mommy I know that loves Korean food.  I have a very diverse group of mommy friends who have been exposed to Korean food through me and they all love it.  I have had to figure out how to give them recipes for bulgogi and kalbi and even dduk boh gkee because they (and their husbands) love it so much they want to make it at home.  I'm sure you all can agree that most Korean food do not really follow an exact recipe.  I have learned how to cook Korean through watching my mom or by taste.  Anyways, my mommy friends are quite happy with the recipes I've provided them so obviously I did something right!

After talking to my kids' violin teacher and offering as much advice as I could about cooking Korean food, I realized how much fun it was sharing with a non-Korean mommy about my culture.  Food is a huge part of culture!  I told her that I'll have to make her some kalbi after she told me she uses the store-bought sauce to make her Korean beef and she looked so excited that it gave me a wonderful idea for the holiday season!  Guess what I decided to do for some of my mommy friends for Christmas?

If you haven't guessed, I'm going to put together a Korean food care package as Christmas gifts!  Yep, they'll love it as will their husbands and kids.  Of course my violin teacher will receive a Korean food care package too.  What will I include in those care packages?  Let's see: a small container of kimchee, homemade kalbi or bulgogi,some Korean rice (my friends LOVE our rice) and a couple Asian pears as dessert.  I cut up some Asian pears which I put into a fruit salad for a luncheon at my son's preschool and everyone commented on how delicious they were!

Although the food is perishable, they won't have to be forced to eat it on the day I give it to them since the meat can be frozen within two days and we all know kimchee can last quite a while.  LOL.

Besides sharing love, joy and peace this holiday season.  I wanted to share kimchee!!!

Bidding Farewell to the Beloved Babysitter

Written By: Jeanie Chang 

christianbabysitter.homestead.com

 

It was like losing a family member when our family had to give a heart-wrenching goodbye to our family babysitter.  After three wonderful years with us, she moved on to greener pastures.  More specifically, a new job in Charlotte which is about three hours away.  The kids were really sad, but I was devastated!  My husband sympathized with me, but it was really me who mourned her loss.  Of course, I was happy for her job promotion and the fact that she was moving to be near her boyfriend (soon to be fiance) so I couldn't deny that it was a great move for her.  But not so good for our family with four kids!  When she told me the news,  I could see how hard it was for her to tell me not only because she knew I would be saddened, but because she truly cared for my kids!  She loves them!  She has been with us since our little one was seven months old and he'll be four in January so she's been his only babysitter.  My first thought was "OMG, I need to find another great babysitter pronto!"   Then the sadness came because I grew to love our babysitter as a part of our family, but my first thought was of panic because great childcare is hard to find especially if you have four kids!

I'm in a tizzy trying to find the right babysitter for my kids.  First of all, the timing couldn't be worse (on my end) because we're entering the holiday season which means holiday events, girls night outs, Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, couples parties, etc!  I need my trustworthy and loving babysitter more than ever during the holiday season!  My husband and I have a commitment every weekend through January so I'm really in a tizzy!

Believe it or not, I found my beloved  sitter on Craigslist!  I love that site.  I wrote up my own ad and received tons of email responses.  But, I weeded out the unimpressive ones and narrowed it down to three.  My babysitter was the first one I interviewed and I canceled the rest of the interviews with the other two potentials because I knew she was the one.  First of all, I liked her email response to me - confident about her abilities without sounding too cocky, she was certified in CPR and First Aid (AWESOME!) and she was an MBA student.  Impressive.  When I met her, I wasn't so sure about her judging from her appearance.  She wore a lot of makeup and was too attractive.  LOL.  But, when I sat down with her and got to know her - she won me over with her genuineness and kindness and I could tell she really did like kids!  It did help that she was the fourth child in a family of five children.

That said, I haven't decided whether I'll place another Craigslist ad.  I do believe I could get lucky again through Craigslist.  But, I do have a potential babysitter that I'm getting to know and she seems to be a good fit so far.  She was recommended by a friend of mine.  Her personality is NOTHING like my previous sitter so I have to get past that, but this one is a first grade teacher (can't beat that) and she's married and settled.  I have tried her out twice and my kids say they really liked her.  She passed the first step, now she has to win me over.  I think that will be hard because of my first babysitter who I consider to be the very best out there.  (SIGH)

I know I need to move on, but it's hard.  I'm still in mourning.  She only moved a couple weeks ago and we keep in touch via Facebook and text.  She was so sad when she knew my husband and I had a fundraiser to attend last week and I used the new sitter.  She texted me that it was so hard for her knowing that she had to be replaced.  HEARTWRENCHING!  Who else would care for your kids really well besides you, your husband, the grandparents or other relatives?  She's just as good as any relative in my family!!!

I think I will be in mourning through the holiday season.  Until then, this new sitter is on a trial basis.  I shall see whether she can live up to my beloved babysitter!  I'm just kidding.  I'm not that bad!  But, my standards are high because they were set high from the beginning by our angel of a sitter.  Have any of you gone through what I'm going through now?  Let me tell you, if you find a great babysitter for your kids - treat her well!!!!!!  After all, she's taking care of your kids and you're entrusting them in her care.

I hope I can get over this loss really soon.  Wish me luck!

Each Child Is Unique!

Written By: Jeanie Chang
safekidskansas.org

If you have more than one child, I'm sure you can agree with that statement.  Maybe your oldest is strong willed and second child is just relaxed as he/she can be.  I read in a parenting book a long time ago (before I had kids) that you actually cannot parent or discipline each child the same way.  It has taken me 10 years to finally get it!

You may have a child that responds really well with a time out or maybe time outs don't work for your child.  Maybe you need to resort to a stronger form of discipline.  Whatever the case,  each child will respond and act differently.  I'm learning to understand and accept my children's different personalities.  My older two are more reserved and easy-going while my younger two (both boys) are very active. My youngest is also very strong-willed. 

It's funny because I could say the same sentence to all four kids and receive different reactions!  For instance, my second child and oldest son is very sensitive.  If I have a hint of a sharp tone because I'm annoyed or frustrated and talk to him in that manner, he gets very upset and teary-eyed.  Meanwhile, I have the same sharp tone and show the same annoyance and frustration to my daughter and my second son and they don't even blink an eye.  My fourth child  - he'd snap right back at me!  LOL.

I'm writing this to remind myself that the differences in my children are special and should be appreciated.  When my older two children were little, they were so shy that it irritated me because they wouldn't  participate in any activities with other children.  My younger two are so outgoing that I complain they're too active and talkative!  LOL.   

Each of my kids definitely respond to discipline in different ways.  For instance, my daughter never understood that time outs were a form of punishment.  If I told her to sit in the corner or go up to her room when she got in trouble, she actually enjoyed it!  I'd find her sitting there singing and when she was sent to her room, she'd be reading or drawing.  Time outs did not work for her so I had to resort to spanking.  That worked for her!

On the flip side, my second and third sons would react like it was the end of the world when I sent them to time out and they would go kicking and screaming and crying all the way.  I refused to let them come out of time out until they calmed themselves down!  Worked like a charm for them because they hated time outs!

My fourth child, my 3.5 year old, is an interesting one.  He doesn't seem to mind time outs or spanking!  Believe it or not, what works for best for him when he's being disciplined is talking calmly and rationally with him and holding a conversation about what he did wrong and why!  It takes a lot more patience for me to do that but I find it really helps him.  Go figure.

How are your experiences with parenting and disciplining your child if you have more than one?  Do you find that each child does in fact react differently to the same form of discipline?  Do you have children with completely opposite personalities and you're wondering how they came from the same mom (and dad)?   I wonder everyday.  LOL.  If they act up, I just think, "they take after their father!"  LOL. 

Each child is unique and should be appreciated for who they are.  I'm trying to be mindful of that because when I get frustrated or annoyed or fed up, it's because I want to change the fact that my son is so active he won't sit still or my other son just wants to sit around all day playing Wii or DS or read a book or that my daughter is so laid back her room is a pigsty....the list goes on!  But, this is who they are and of course I love them.

A Unique "Girls Night In" :: K-Drama & Manicure Party

Written By: Jeanie Chang
 

Thanks to KOKO Living, I enjoyed a unique ladies night "in" recently with my TAKE ladies!  TAKE or Triangle American Korean Exchange is a group I created earlier this year to bring together women in the Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) who are of Korean heritage from different backgrounds  and upbringings.

After enjoying a delicious Korean dinner by our hostess (one of the TAKE ladies), we had the best time doing manicures and watching the first episode of a popular Korean television series called "Two Outs, Bottom of the 9th Inning"  courtesy of YA Entertainment.

We didn't do traditional manicures mind you where you color your nails with nail polish.  No, we used Incoco dry nail manicure sets to do our nails up pretty!  Incoco makes self-stick 100% nail polish strips which contain the base coat, color coat and top coat!  You avoid the spills of messy nail polish bottles and avoid the long wait time for the nail polish to dry!  We did our dry nail appliques right on my friend's nice cream-color carpet.  You just peel off the colored nail strip, stick them on your fingernails and cut off the excess with your nails.  VOILA!  You have a perfectly manicured nail in seconds! 

When I first showed them Incoco's dry nail manicure set, all the ladies seemed skeptical.  It did look a little unbelievable what with the colored stickers and all.  Almost like something our daughters would play with.  But, once we applied them on our nails, it really did look like we had just gotten manicures from a professional nail salon!  Everyone was quite impressed with Incoco's dry nail sets.

After our dry nail manicures, we settled in to watch the first episode of "Two Outs, Bottom of the 9th Inning."  Thankfully, YA Entertainment provided us the entire DVD set of the series so we can continue watching the series and finish it.  We all know Korean TV dramas are addicting and you just can't watch one episode and be done with it!

My T.A.K.E. group is really diverse when it comes to our backgrounds and upbringings with our Korean heritage.  We are all Korean.  But, some women were adopted from Korea by non-Korean families so they weren't exposed to Korean culture such as someone like me who grew up with traditional 1st generation Korean immigrant parents.  They didn't know what to expect from watching an episode from a Korean TV series.  I'm so glad they were game to try it out!  Thanks to the subtitles, they were able to understand everything and see a glimpse of the culture in Korea nowadays.   I think they really enjoyed seeing the culture on television.

Courtesy of KOKO Living and YA Entertainment, everyone left with a goody bag.  What an awesome ladies night "in" it was!  I think they got a little spoiled because they asked what else KOKO Living could provide us to enjoy another ladies night soon!  They are game!

If you're interested in hosting your own Girls Night In for your next meet-up, please email: [email protected] .

(one of the TAKE ladies), we had the best time doing manicures and watching the first episode of a popular Korean television series called "Two Outs, Bottom of the 9th Inning"  courtesy of YA Entertainment.

We didn't do traditional manicures mind you where you color your nails with nail polish.  No, we used Incoco dry nail manicure sets to do our nails up pretty!  Incoco makes self-stick 100% nail polish strips which contain the base coat, color coat and top coat!  You avoid the spills of messy nail polish bottles and avoid the long wait time for the nail polish to dry!  We did our dry nail appliques right on my friend's nice cream-color carpet.  You just peel off the colored nail strip, stick them on your fingernails and cut off the excess with your nails.  VOILA!  You have a perfectly manicured nail in seconds! 

When I first showed them Incoco's dry nail manicure set, all the ladies seemed skeptical.  It did look a little unbelievable what with the colored stickers and all.  Almost like something our daughters would play with.  But, once we applied them on our nails, it really did look like we had just gotten manicures from a professional nail salon!  Everyone was quite impressed with Incoco's dry nail sets.

After our dry nail manicures, we settled in to watch the first episode of "Two Outs, Bottom of the 9th Inning."  Thankfully, YA Entertainment provided us the entire DVD set of the series so we can continue watching the series and finish it.  We all know Korean TV dramas are addicting and you just can't watch one episode and be done with it!

My T.A.K.E. group is really diverse when it comes to our backgrounds and upbringings with our Korean heritage.  We are all Korean.  But, some women were adopted from Korea by non-Korean families so they weren't exposed to Korean culture such as someone like me who grew up with traditional 1st generation Korean immigrant parents.  They didn't know what to expect from watching an episode from a Korean TV series.  I'm so glad they were game to try it out!  Thanks to the subtitles, they were able to understand everything and see a glimpse of the culture in Korea nowadays.   I think they really enjoyed seeing the culture on television.

Courtesy of KOKO Living and YA Entertainment, everyone left with a goody bag.  What an awesome ladies night "in" it was!  I think they got a little spoiled because they asked what else KOKO Living could provide us to enjoy another ladies night soon!  They are game!

If you're interested in hosting your own Girls Night In for your next meet-up, please email: [email protected] .

Where To Toy Shop This Holiday Season?

Written By: Jeanie Chang

Wal-Mart and Target!

According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart and Target are battling it out to win the dollars of toy-buying parents.  So, if you plan on venturing out in the wee hours on Black Friday to buy toys for your kids, I suggest you hit Wal-Mart and Target first before going to other stores like Toys R 'Us.  The Wall Street Journal says until recently Wal-Mart had priced its toys higher than those advertised by Target, but now Wal-Mart's new toys beat Target's prices by just a few pennies.  Maybe that's not enough to make a difference for you especially if you favor one store over the other.  I personally prefer Target because the customer service is so much better and their aisles are more organized.

But if you're looking for specific toys in particular this season such as a Barbie doll embedded with a video camera for your daughter, it is $39 at Wal-Mart or $6 less than Target.  According to the Wall Street Journal, Target priced Stinky the Garbage Truck, a matchbox truck that tells jokes, at $49.99 after a coupon or $6 less than Wal-Mart.   I would do your research before Black Friday on where to get the best deal on the specific toys you want to purchase for your children!

Here's another good thing about shopping at Wal-Mart and Target this year, both retailers say if you show them an ad featuring a lower price, they will match it!  You can't beat that -  plus it saves you so much time and energy shopping from store to store if you just choose these two to tackle this year for your toy shopping!

The Wall Street Journal does say that Target may have an edge this holiday season because shoppers get an extra 5% discount on all purchases including toys if they pay with a Target credit or debit card or the Target visa card.  If you have one of those, then Target should be your main destination.

Check out the article online at www.msnbc.com.

TARGET COUPONS up to 50% off Christmas Toys and More! Click Here!

Good Cop Versus Bad Cop!

 Written By: Jeanie Chang

spreadshirt.com

My 8 year old son recently asked me why daddy couldn't stay home and I go to work?  I asked him why did he want daddy to stay home?  His answer was "I miss daddy all the time and don't see him much.  Also, he's more fun than you."   I was offended, to say the least.  Hello, where's the love?  I can be fun sometimes when I'm not disciplining or cooking or cleaning or doing laundry or helping with homework or telling the kids to practice piano.  After I do all that, I CAN BE FUN!

Let's face it.  In my family, I am indeed seen as the BAD COP.  I do most of the disciplining.  Not because my husband isn't good at it, but because I'm with the kids most of the time.  In the evenings, when the need arises my husband does step up and discipline the kids and he does it well.  We are on the same page when it comes to how we parent our children and we always show unity in front of the kids.  This is very important.  But for some reason, the kids don't seem to get as upset with their daddy.  I even overheard my six year old tell my husband the other day quote, "It's mommy's turn to go to work now.  When are you going to stop working?"  My husband told him that he needed to go make money so they could have food and clothes, etc.   My three year old must have been in on the conversation because he told his preschool teacher the other day that "daddy has to go to work and make moneys.  Mommy just stays home and cooks and cleans."   My son's teacher was laughing as she was telling me this.  It sounds like even my baby thinks daddy is all that.

Between my husband and I, it's clear who is more Type A.  You guessed it.  I run a very tight ship in my house.   Bedtime is strictly observed and dinner is always around 6 pm.  Homework is done first, then piano and violin practicing.  When there's some spare time, then it's reading to tackle.  No Wii, no DS, no playtime really during the week.  If I give them an inch, they take a MILE.  So, no distractions or screens during the week at all.

When I have PTA meetings or evening commitments to attend, my husband is in charge and if the kids finish all their work and music practices and there's some spare time - he does let them have a little fun so my kids just remember that and he's their hero for life!

Mommies, are you the bad cop too?   Or is daddy the bad cop?  Do you and your husband have differences when it comes to parenting or disciplining your children?  Some parental experts say they have issues with the whole "cop" thing.  They say that parents don't need to be cops.  They need to be coaches and teachers for their children.  I couldn't agree more, but I use the term "cop" loosely - more as a metaphor.

Do you remember being young and asking your mom if you could do something and if the answer wasn't what you wanted, you went and then proceeded to ask your dad the same question to see if he would answer in your favor?  I definitely remember doing that.  I would actually ask my dad first because he was the disciplinarian in my family, then I'd ask my mom to see if I could get a different answer.  She always said, "What did your dad say?"

I thought it was so funny when my daughter asked my husband if she could stay up late an extra hour and my husband told her "no" which seemed to surprise her.  Then, she came over to me (not knowing I overheard) and asked the same question.  I said, "What did daddy say?"  LOL.

If you're a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom), it does make sense for you to be the primary disciplinarian and maybe labeled the "bad cop."  As I said before, I agree parents should be coaches and teachers not so much "cops", but one of us has to make sure there's discipline and follow the rules, right?

Family Christmas Cards vs Family Christmas Video?

Written By: Jeanie Chang

I am known to be the FIRST one to send out my Christmas cards and family newsletter to friends and family.  I pride myself on it.  My friends say they know the holiday season has begun when they receive my family Christmas card and newsletter.  I send everything out right after Thanksgiving either on the last day of November or first of December.  I really do this because I like to get it out of the way.  Check one thing off my "to do" list for the holiday season.  We all know how hectic it can be, right?

This year, I'm feeling particularly tired and the holiday season isn't in full-swing yet.  I'm actually thinking of NOT sending out Christmas cards and a family newsletter and keeping it really simple.  My husband suggested a video card.  Do you guys have a FLIP?

We got a FLIP a couple months ago and LOVE IT.  We have the UltraHD version so the quality is fantastic and you can even do still shots.  Better yet, you can connect everything to your computer and make your own videos and cards with the still shots!  So, we're trying to think ahead and be tech savvy this year all the while keeping things simple and more cost effective.  Every year, I have been sending out a family Christmas card with a photo (those cards are not cheap!) or take family portraits and make photo cards from them.  Those can be really expensive.  Then, I also include a family newsletter including details on what our family has been up to the past year.  It's in COLOR and I include lots of photos!  I print everything out on my computer, but ink cartridges aren't cheap.

So, as I said, I'm looking for an easier way.  The FLIP may be just the answer!  If you guys have a FLIP, have you made your own videos?  How often have you used it?  We use it practically everyday!  The kids love using it as well since it's so small and light and easy to use.  It has AWESOME memory so it can hold a lot of video and I've downloaded video and stills from our FLIP to email and Facebook.  Simple and high quality.  You can't argue that!

Have you ever received a Christmas video from your family or friends?  I think it would be cool, but that's just me.  I know there's tradition behind the Christmas cards, but we're in the digital era now.  So much communication is done via email, Facebook, texting, etc.  Why not a digital Christmas card?

If you don't have a FLIP or aren't sure what it is, check out www.theflip.com  and see for yourself.  I think they are reasonable priced for what they offer!  I actually keep ours in my purse and that's how handy it is for me.  I love catching my kids in action!  That said, I'm still not sure how I'll be doing my Christmas cards this year.  Traditionally or digitally?  Stay posted!

Replacing a "Lovey"

Written By: Jeanie Chang

townsquaretoys.com

Does your child have a lovey?  Do they have a baby blanket, stuffed animal or toy they cannot sleep without and/or carry around with them everywhere?   I don't know how my three year old got attached to his lovey - a Curious George tumbling monkey because its head was extra heavy and could tumble when you set it down.  Anyways, the Curious George tumbling monkey was actually a gift for my older son when he was a year old and for some reason, he never cared for it much.  One day when my little one was sick, I gave him the stuffed animal to comfort him during a nap.  It ended up staying in his crib because we forgot to take it out and the rest is history.  It's his best friend and we take it everywhere we travel.  I'm not sure how he would sleep without it.  I never had this experience before because my other three kids never had a lovey.

Panic set in this past summer when we saw how the condition of the monkey was deteriorating.  His nose had fallen off a while back and his eyes were unraveling and the head looked like it could fall off very soon.  A beheaded stuffed animal would have been quite traumatic for our son.  We looked into buying another one and wouldn't you have it?  It was discontinued and going for around $100 plus on Ebay!  Never mind that.  We dropped the issue for a while, but each night as we put him to sleep we would nervously check the monkey to make sure it was still intact.

Just two weeks ago, my husband finally decided we couldn't wait any longer.  He searched Amazon.com and found a Curious George very similar.  It looked similar enough to "replace" our son's lovey without him noticing too much.  My husband prepped my son by telling him we were going to take the monkey to the doctor and get him fixed.  We got the monkey shipped a couple days later and decided to wait until the weekend to "replace" him.  Last Saturday evening, my husband took the old monkey and hid him in our closet and put the new one on my son's bed.  We showed him the new monkey and said that the doctor fixed him all up!  Initially, he did not like the new monkey.  This only lasted one night because the next morning he told us how the doctor had fixed the monkey and the monkey now makes noise!  My husband and I were a bit confused and thought maybe he was being imaginative which he can be. Turns out, he was right!  As he was being put to bed, he pushed the monkey's hand and the monkey made a laughing sound!  We cracked up because we had no idea that it did that.  We had replaced his old lovey, alright - with a new and improved monkey that "talked" or so our son thinks!

We replaced our son's lovey with a new one because I think it's fine for him to have one.  If it was a pacifier or if he was a thumb sucker then I would be more concerned, but I think it's cute to have him so attached to a stuffed animal.  As I said before, my other kids never had a lovey so this is new to me.  What lovey does your child have?  Are they really attached to it?  How do you feel about it?  Share your stories! 

 

Protecting Your Kids' Innocence

tyrashow.warnerbros.com

My six year old came home from school the other day and declared that a boy on the bus said some really bad words!  I got really panicked trying to figure out what the bad words could be.    It didn't help that my ten year old and eight year old chimed in agreeing with their younger brother.  At that moment, I was a little freaked out thinking about how I couldn't protect my kids' innocence any longer.  Of course I remained calm and asked my son what the words were.

He proceeded to whisper in my ear that the boy said to him, "Shut up, you idiot!"  I had to control myself from cracking a smile.  Instead, I was so relieved, but I wanted to agree with my son that those were bad words.  Why did I decide to go along with it?  I wanted to protect his innocence.  Sooner or later, he will learn those words were not that bad and that there are other words out there much worse.  I'm cringing now thinking about it.  Maybe my kids have already heard those cuss words.  I'm not sure.

The best place to protect your child's innocence is obviously in your home.  We make sure we don't watch the movies and TV shows we enjoy until the kids are in bed.  Until then, it's all about the Disney channel and Nickelodeon and sometimes the food channel!  We also should be aware of what comes out of our own mouths around our children.  They are our best imitators!  For example,  I heard my preschooler the other day say, "What the beep?"   I admit I say that and avoid the bad cuss word that completes the sentence, but hearing my three year old say it was an eye opener.  I did laugh at the time.  Still, if he says that around his fellow preschoolers and other adults it wouldn't be good, right?   I also  have to especially watch what I say when I'm driving!  You know what I mean?  No, I don't suffer from road rage, but I can get carried away sometimes when someone cuts me off or drives really slow.   My kids will say, "Did that car make you mad, mommy?"  LOL.

Of course we also need to make sure we censor what we talk about in front of our kids such as arguing in front of them and discussing mature topics.  For example, don't bad mouth your neighbors or friends in front of them.  Kids pick up on everything.  Not only that, they may repeat what you say to someone else and you could get yourself into trouble.  Not that it's ever happened to me.  LOL.

While it's healthy to show disagreement with your husband in front of your kids (there's no such thing as a perfect marriage), please be sure to hold off on the blow ups until after the kids are in bed or out of earshot.  Early on in parenthood, my husband and I really worked hard to make sure we did not argue in front of our kids but we have gotten lax about it lately.  Now that my kids are older, they understand a lot more and I don't want them worrying about issues they don't need to as a child.    They should enjoy their childhood and not be concerned with grown up issues yet which may cause them anxiety.

There are good tips offered on www.ehow.com which talk about the above as well as offer other ways on protecting your child's innocence.  Maybe your kids are too young now, but as they enter elementary school you'll find yourself worrying about this a lot!

Don't Spread Yourself Too Thin!

Written By: Jeanie Chang

thisnext.com

 

Every year I tell myself that this is the year I'll step back from volunteering on the PTA and being gradeparent or room mom of my kids' classes and not spend every waking minute at my kids' school.  Every year, I fail.  I end up volunteering to be the gradeparent for my child's class and having three at the same school - you can imagine how busy I get!

This year, I did it again.  I decided I could handle being the gradeparent for my 5th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader's classes.  Honestly, I am so overwhelmed right now I don't know where to begin.  It's Halloween which means classes are doing Halloween/fall related activities.  Don't even get me started on my preschooler's activities and how I need to volunteer at his fall fun day next week!

Anyways, the school has a really fun family event every year called the Parade of Pumpkins which comes complete with a moonbounce, cake walk, bake sale, live music, costume contest, etc.  My kids love going and we have a blast as a family.  The highlight at the Parade of Pumpkins is the pumpkin decorating contest.  You can enter as an individual, family or as a class.  Almost every class participates which means the parents are busy, busy, busy as they coordinate the decorating activity with the teacher and kids.  As gradeparent, I'm in charge of overseeing and communicating everything.  That's why I'm overwhelmed.  My sons' teachers (3rd and 1st grade) are excited about participating so the past week I've been planning the pumpkin decorating activity, coordinating, buying crafts, etc.  It's been challenging keeping track of which class is doing what and when and what supplies are needed.  ARGH!

I kept hoping my daughter's 5th grade teacher did not want to participate in the pumpkin decorating contest because I don't know if I can handle coordinating for a third class.   As luck would NOT have it, last night over dinner, my daughter mentioned to me that her teacher had said that day how she wanted the class to decorate a pumpkin for the contest.  I looked at my husband in panic.  The Parade of Pumpkins is next week which gives me barely any time to put another pumpkin decorating activity together.  So far she hasn't contacted me so maybe she's planning on organizing it herself?!  That's what I'm hoping!

Here's my point.  I'm way too stressed over all of this and it's just Halloween.  Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner which means there will be more classroom activities, events and parties to coordinate.  I spread myself WAY TOO THIN this year...and last year and the year before.  I guess I'm so excited at the start of a new school year to get involved for my kids that I don't think about the consequences.  This is where I feel so challenged.  I'm a mom of four kids and I want to be involved in ALL OF THEIR ACTIVITIES.  By the time my 3 year old is in Kindergarten, I may be too burned out to do any volunteering in his classroom!  How sad is that?

In retrospect, I shouldn't have signed up to be the gradeparent for each class.  Maybe I should have signed up for one of my kids' classes and then be a volunteer in the other two.  I definitely wanted to be as involved as I could this year since it's my daughter's last year in elementary school.   By the time the kids are in middle school, there aren't as many volunteering opportunities so I wanted to do as much as I could now.  Unfortunately, I'm paying for it.  Buying Halloween crafts at Walmart the other day wasn't too much fun because I was too overwhelmed with what had to be done regarding the pumpkin decorating and that's doesn't seem right, does it?

Have you ever spread yourself so thin like this?  You had the right heart, but it wasn't the best thing for you to do?  I'm still trying to figure out how to best balance all this.  It probably will continue to be a struggle until all the kids hit adulthood...if I make it that long.  LOL.