Blog Archives
One mom’s advice for helping kids develop good study habits – Omaha.com: Momaha.com
When your teen is a Freshman in high school, you nervously hope you’ve taught them well up until this point.
Thankfully, it seems my daughter has taken along a few good study habits – several of which I should probably take note of – and uses them daily.
Do your kids have any good study habits? Feel free to pass them along!
4 ways to help your teen transition into adulthood – Omaha.com: Amanda Smith
High school’s starting. Your teen is no longer the child he or she once was – here are some ways I am helping my children transition to adulthood. Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them.
Source: 4 ways to help your teen transition into adulthood – Omaha.com: Amanda Smith
How one Omaha family settled the private or public high school debate – Omaha.com: Momaha.com – Family Activities In Omaha, Tips And Tricks For Local Parents
How do you decide where to send your children for high school? Is it an easy decision, or is it one that takes a lot of discussion and weighing of the options?
For me, it was the latter. Read on to see how we finally made the decision about the high school my children would ultimately attend.
Sometimes, You Have to Say ‘No’
Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy.
This is especially true when the reason you are saying yes has nothing to do with another person.
I love shopping. Not just for myself either. I love shopping for everyone. And everything, for that matter. I love going out to eat, buying new clothes, heading to the grocery store, and picking up odds and ends at the local drug store. Spending money is my favorite hobby. Well, when I have it, anyway.
That’s the trouble I’m running into lately. The funds are far more sparse these days than ever before, but for a good reason. My family and I are preparing to take a week-long, much-needed vacation at the end of the summer, so all of my extra funds are going into savings for all the activities we have planned. Let’s not forget the food either. To feed a family of four, for close to 10 days, will cost nearly $1000. I know that’s a lot, but this is a vacation, and that often means eating out for nearly all of our meals. Although I hope this isn’t the case, it is definitely better to be safe than sorry.
In addition, my oldest begins her first year in high school this coming fall, which means my checkbook will be several hundred dollars lighter every month as well, beginning in June. Now, while I’m not necessarily looking forward to coughing up a significant amount of extra dough a year, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for an education that I believe will be incomparable.
All of that being said, I have to find a way to cut extra corners, if at all possible, which means, saying ‘no’ more often than I have in the past. I’ve already started with myself. Like I said, I love to shop, and the one activity I have steered clear of more than ever before, is shopping. Recently, I even went so far as to mend a pair of work pants than I would have otherwise replaced. Though I cringed at the thought of passing over a good sale, I couldn’t help but want to look forward to a trip my family won’t easily forget.
And I’m not the only one I’m saying ‘no’ to. My kids don’t seem to like this new trend either. Recently, my oldest came to me, asking for a pair of black converse for the play she will be performing in. Three days. She wanted the shoes for three days. As much as I wanted to spend the money, I couldn’t bring myself to part with money I technically didn’t have. Besides, I had to admit, those shoes weren’t exactly something she desperately needed.
An education; that, she needs. This vacation; well, we don’t need it, but most of it’s already paid for, so we might as well save up to have some fun while we’re there.
I’m not known for my discipline. Even sitting down to write is sometimes hard. Not because I don’t want to, but I get sidetracked easily, and before I know it, the night is gone, and it’s time for bed.
Well, I’m the same way with money. I get sidetracked by all the little things I want to buy every month. Eventually though, the little things turn into a lot of money spent, and suddenly, it’s part way through the month, and I haven’t a clue where all the ‘extra’ money went.
It’s time to end the cycle. It’s a conversation I have with myself every month. I always mean it; I just don’t know how to implement it. I don’t know how to make myself be disciplined. Well, one day, I’m going to figure it out. I have to start by saying ‘no’.
Some Devastating News and a Giant Leap of Faith
You never know what events will lead you in the right direction.
When I came home from work today, I did as I have done the last couple of weeks. I checked the mail for my daughter’s high school financial aid package information. As luck would have it, on the kitchen table sat a single envelope that begged me to release its fate. So, I took a deep breath, and in one swift motion, I ripped open the packet and unfolded the letter. All I could do was stare. Though I had no misconceptions that the financial aid committee would alleviate as much of the financial burden from my family as I would have liked, my meager salary cringed at the thought of squeezing out nearly $500 a month in tuition payments for my daughter’s high school education.
To make matters worse, I am actively seeking employment in a field where entry level positions are both limited and several thousand dollars a year less than I am currently making. I’m honestly not sure I could sustain a several year decrease in pay, especially considering this new-found expense. Fortunately, extensive research had afforded me this knowledge, and I had anticipated this possibility. For this reason, I began contemplating the necessity of part-time employment to supplement my income. My initial thought was to apply for a restaurant server position. Although it’s not a job I’ve held recently, I have no doubts about my skill level in that particular trade and my ability to bring home a decent, albeit modest, part-time income. Translation: the work would be simple, and the monetary exchange satisfactory. It was a surefire solution to my problem.
Somehow though, that idea didn’t settle as well with me as I hoped it would. Not only would that require me to be away from my family for an undetermined amount of time during a week, but it wouldn’t get me any closer to my dream of becoming a writer one day. In fact, the decrease in personal time would limit my ability to focus on improving my writing skills and becoming a stronger writer. I knew there had to be a better solution.
So last night, as I pondered my bleak financial future, I decided to entertain a search I had started just a few weeks ago. In our ever-evolving world, the demand for online content writers is increasing daily, and although I have no experience, I was able to find several websites that offer pay-for-content writing opportunities for a range of skill levels. While I understand the potential to make a large income, initially, is minimal, the idea of getting paid anything to do what I love is more enticing than the idea of having to work a job just to earn a little extra cash. Not to mention, the idea of gaining exposure while earning a living part-time is as exciting as it is intimidating.
Though I’m scared to make this leap, to say the least, I’m confident this is what I need to be doing. Though I’m sure it won’t be easy, and the profits slim for a time; for once, it feels like I’m finally headed in the right direction.
Parade Day
Well, the day of our city’s annual Pride Day Parade has arrived. Actually, I do believe it goes by a different name now, but I’ve been calling it this since I was little, so, this is what I will forever call it.
Once a year, in the middle of May, all of the organizations and groups within my community gets together to show our pride for the city in which we live. This parade features middle and high school bands, both the girl and boy scouts, medical associations, child care facilities, the local Shriners, and many others. It’s always been a fun time, and I am grateful to have been a part of it for so many years.
Having two children who are, and have always been, involved in so many different activities, it is rare when I actually get to sit and enjoy as the parade walks by. It doesn’t bother me much, especially since I have a good friend who always feels compelled to bring me Starbucks the morning of the parade. No complaints here.
Usually, when the girls and I walk, we all walk together. This year will be a little different. My oldest is walking with her band, while the younger one and I are walking with her before and after school care group. It does make me just a little sad though because I know it will be the last time both of these will occur. My oldest because she has decided to not continue to pursue band, and my youngest because once she is in middle school, she will no longer require before or after school care. Needless to say, today will be a little bittersweet for me as I look back on the elementary school years of my children, and onward to middle school, and sooner than I would like, high school.
It’s amazing how quickly everything changes and how quickly they grow up. Just a few more short years, and not only will they potentially not be walking in the parade, but they may not care much about going to watch it either. I hope neither is the case, and they continue to stay involved with community activities, but you never know what the teenage years will bring.
So, for now, I will enjoy this beautiful spring day and walk in the parade.
30 Days of Thanks – Day 24: Thankful for Tradition
Yesterday, I took my daughter, a 7th grader, on her first high school tour.
This wasn’t just any high school either, but the high school I attended as well as two of my sisters, my mother, and countless aunts and female cousins. It’s an all-girl Catholic high school, and for what it’s worth, I enjoyed the experience as much as was possible for a high school student.
As you can tell, this is a tradition we’ve continued for generations, and one that I hope to keep with my daughters. They have, however, been given the opportunity to tour one other school before they make their final decision. Also an all-girls Catholic high school, it was the school my sister and a couple of my cousins attended. Though it would sadden me to not have them follow in my footsteps, I would be just as happy if they chose the alternative school as well.
Going to an all-girls Catholic high school is a fate both of my children were predestined to fulfill. Before they were born, I was convinced, if given the financial capacity, I would send both of my children to receive the same type of education because of the amazing benefits I felt I was afforded as a result.
First, the school specializes in college preparatory coursework, so, although I didn’t attend college until many years later, I felt I was adequately prepared for what I was presented with upon enrollment. Second, the school is small. At less than 310 students, each classroom has an average of 10-15 students, which allows individualized help. Many, if not all, of the public high schools in our community are larger and have more students per classroom, which makes it more difficult for students to receive personal assistance if necessary. Third, personally, I found benefit in wearing a uniform to school for several reasons. I never had to wonder what I was going to wear, I never had to worry about someone having better clothes than me, and it greatly reduced the amount of laundry I had. I felt it was a win-win situation.
The hardest part will not be getting my oldest to understand the value in this opportunity, but rather getting my youngest. She enjoys expressing herself through her clothing and feels as though wearing a uniform to school for four years will somehow hinder her ability to do so. She is, however, starting to come to the other side and the tour yesterday definitely helped. I feel that the experiences of my older daughter will definitely help to change her perspective.
It's time to spread my wings and fly... 