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When Parenting Sends You Running For Cover...
When it comes down to it, we only have so many minutes in the day. More often than not, those sixty seconds fly by in lightening fast speeds. Time is precious, especially the time we spend with our kiddos. Over the years, I have stored up a few secrets to save valuable parenting time. A couple of those simple, revolutionary, time multiplying items hang on my wall across from the family dining table.
I remember, back in the day when only four seats gathered around the table, being overwhelmed by the time demands placed on me by my roles of wife and mother. One such time, after a day of caring for four other toddlers as well as my own, my compact family was sitting around our table for our evening meal. Eric in a booster and Emily in her highchair, I found myself feeding my daughter, meeting my son’s needs, while listening to stories about the Hubster’s workday. Instead of cherishing this valuable parenting time, my exhaustion combined with the frustration of the moment, I found myself rising, quickly from my seat. Out of my lips came these words, “That’s it! I quit! I feel as if my demand is greater than my supply and I CAN’T RAISE MY PRICES!”
Working Smarter Not Harder
Obviously, I didn’t quit, I didn’t even leave the house. Also obviously, I had NO idea what was in my future as a mother. As child after child were added to our home repetition became a major part of my day to day existence. Now, I don’t mind teaching, reteaching, reminding, re-reminding, etc. What soon became a challenge was, the amount of time I spent answering the same question over and over, day after day. I began to tell the kids to that I had already answered that question and to go find out from the sibling who had asked it already. After awhile, though, I could not remember just WHO I had spoken with previously.
The saying “Necessity is the motherhood of invention” came to life during one of those moments. I needed a way to convey all of the information demanded of me.
I wrote about my innovation a few years ago…
Formation of the F.A.Q. Board
Excerpt from "It's a Privilege"
“As a mom of six, I have fielded a few doozies in my seventeen years of child rearing experience. Routinely though, the standards, “What’s for dinner?”, “What’s it going to be like outside?” and “What are we doing today?” are multiplied as you can imagine. So as to not lose my mind answering the same question over and over and over again, I have made an information board for my family to refer to. Meals, day, date, weather, laundry and shower schedule, as well as the day’s happenings are answered with the scrawl of a dry erase marker (as long as I don’t forget). When the majors are asked, I just point to the board.
Still questions persist. Thinking back, I have a few favorites…”
As you can imagine, that was a sanity saving epiphany. My F.A.Q. board has saved me countless moments of valuable parenting time that I can now spend listening to the thoughts of my children.
Check out similar frames here...
or Here...
Streamlining Systems
Now that I was on the “Work Smarter Not Harder” track, I sought other ways to streamline my day because, again, my time is valuable. I discovered other points of frustrations in my day to day life. First, PAPERWORK! Having so many school-aged children, can you imagine the amount of paperwork I have? Permission slips, parent/teacher communications, lunch calendars, not to mention the onslaught of pages I receive the beginning of each school year. They would end up in piles on the table only to be relocated at meal time to who-knows-where.
Trusted Tactics
Instead of reinventing the proverbial wheel, I chose the In/Out box system. When the kids get home from school, they are to empty all paperwork applying to me out of their backpacks and place them in the “In basket”. (It is important that this happens right after walking through the thresh-hold of our home. We discourage depositing papers at 10:00PM.) Then, I can then fill out what is needed and place it in the “Out basket” for their retrieval. I can also make it a point to examine school work and apply the appropriate praises to the owner. Doing this not only relieves me of the stress of searching encourages responsibility in my kiddos, another frustration. Also, I only have to look to the “In basket” to see if it was my error that something did not get filled out. Such valuable parenting time is saved from not arguing about whose fault it is or where the papers are.
Need In and Out basket ideas? Click below.
Saving Sanity!
Parenting takes a lot of energy! Parenting a brood like mine, takes a TON! Anything we can do to lessen the mental exhaustion and save that oh-so valuable time are game changers. I encourage you to examine any small sources of frustration and search for solutions as you would for treasure. They are out there! Once you unearth them, be sure to leave your gems in the comments below!
