Moments of Musing

Stressed as a Mother — Parenting in 2020

Filed Under: motherhood //

This post is sponsored by ParentEducate.com but all opinions are my own. 

 

This year has been especially tough on parents. 2020 has presented parents with many stressors, including the fear of COVID-19, staying home much more, an increase in virtual learning and homeschooling, and working from home or struggling to find child care if working outside of the home. it It is normally difficult for parents to be our best selves all the time given the normal stressors of parenting. With everything else going on, it has become increasingly difficult.

 

 

As reported by the Washington Post, the resilience that many parents had in the spring has transformed into fatigue and frustration:

 With a growing frustration and no known end to the pandemic and changed conditions it has caused, it can become difficult for parents to control our own emotions. While it is okay to occasionally blow off steam, constantly doing so in front of our kids or directing it at them can be harmful to them. The good news, though, is children are resilient and parents can positively influence outcomes with their own behavioral changes.

 

One way to help positively influence our behavior is through parenting education to learn healthy and effective parenting techniques. ParentEducate.com’s ever-growing course catalog includes 50+ engaging, online courses that cover a variety of topics from learning how the first three years of a child’s life affect brain development to learning positive discipline techniques. Each course is loaded with the same quality information as the accredited ones taken by the nation’s top early childhood educators. ChildCare Education Institute (the No. 1 provider of online education for early childhood professionals) is the company behind ParentEducate.com. All courses are available 24/7 on any device and can be started/stopped at anytime, providing families some much-needed convenience.

 

 

I took the “Positive Guidance Strategies for Children” course in order to work on my own parenting techniques. The biggest thing I do that causes me guilt, and that my kids do not like, is yell. As soon as it happens, I regret it and they get upset. I took the course to re-learn how to best manage my emotions and help guide them to correct their actions with positive, rather than punitive, techniques.  

I learned more about techniques such as offering choices, positive reinforcement and redirecting kids’ behaviors. I was reminded that even when children are disrespectful, it is a parent’s responsibility to still treat them with respect. When children are not listening, it is important for parents still to listen to them. I think the most valuable thing I learned is that our childrens’ feelings have to be validated — they are human, and learning to navigate this world. It is our job to positively guide them by providing them healthy tools they can use as they grow and develop.

As for me, l know I might sometimes not succeed at being my best self but I’m trying my best! And I think my kids know I am, and know that I love them endlessly. Though we can’t necessarily be taught exactly how to parent our children, we can learn the techniques and tools that will help us on our parenthood journeys. ParentEducate.com is a great place to do just that.

 

 

Fall 2020 Foliage — Hiking Long Island

Filed Under: fall, foliage, hiking, motherhood //

Even with everything going on, the biggest changes in our lives this year have been within our home, within our family, with each other. The ways these little boys are growing is amazing. Neither of them are in diapers anymore (bittersweet!); S is learning so much (almost at 30 days of homeschooling!), my husband is working and chasing dreams for our family, and I finally feel more at ease working from home with the kids on my own.
Something that has helped the kids and I with not really being able to activities indoors is spending lots of time outdoors. We have gone on at least 1-2 hikes per week since the summer ended. This week, we enjoyed time at my favorite local hike here on Long Island.

What Will Fall 2020 Have in Store?

Filed Under: motherhood //

Fall holds such special memories for us:

Fall 2011—He moved to Hawaii, his new station. I was devastated but it ultimately strengthened our relationship so much. 

Fall 2012—He was deployed (it is why I started my blog). Again, I was so sad—but happy to be connecting with milso bloggers. 

Fall 2013— We got engaged in Vegas and I began my legal career!

Fall 2014— We got married on the East Coast, though we lived in Chicago at the time.  

Fall 2015—Pregnancy 1.. such a special time not knowing what to expect. We lived with my parents and brother at the time. 

Fall 2016—We lived in an overpriced Brooklyn apartment. I went back to work + promised myself I’d WFH one day. 

Fall 2017—Pregnancy 2 + we left the city for the suburbs to become homeowners!

Fall 2018—We enjoyed our family of 4 time. 

Fall 2019—I transitioned to WFH & my hubs transitioned to full-time student. 

…What will Fall 2020 have in store? ✨

A Busy Back-to-School Fall Season

Filed Under: back to school 2020, motherhood //

 This post has been compensated by Acorn and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

This fall is unlike any time in our lives. As a work-from-home mom with a toddler and homeschooled preschooler, life at home is busy and can be chaotic. To get through it all as best as possible, I am embracing all of my different roles and titles with grace. 

I know this is a learning season and it might not be seamless. Luckily, my husband is also home full-time right now (though he is pursuing his MBA so he will also be busy) so he can help out with homeschooling and around the house. Teamwork goes a long way in our marriage and parenthood journeys. 



This year has been unlike any others during our journey together, though. If there is anything parenthood, especially during 2020 has taught me, it is that I can’t plan everything. Despite that, we are more than capable of being great parents as long as we try our best. Sometimes my best is three home-cooked meals a day. Sometimes, it is grabbing a quick bite, like Nathan’s Famous Hot & Ready Hot Dogs, while back-to-school shopping at Walmart. Quick and easy lunches like that have saved me time and sanity. 


As a Brooklyn-born and raised girl, Nathan’s Famous hot dogs have always been my favorite so I love that my boys enjoy them, too. You can grab some hot dogs for your family at your local Walmart Supercenter or Neighborhood Market in the Hot & Ready at the deli counter. Whether on-the-go or picking up to eat at home, take it from me: Nathan’s Famous Hot & Ready Hot Dogs will save you time, too! Heres the link to the Ibotta Offer to save .25$ : https://bit.ly/2ZYhRx6



Homeschooling Fun with AR

Filed Under: homeschooling //

This post is sponsored by Seek Education. All opinions are my own

We are off to a busy start of fall here! After going back and forth over what to do for our son’s schooling, we decided to homeschool him. While I was originally sad about him “missing out” on in-person school, I am now excited for an extra year together, to teach him ourselves, to be able to hear his inquisitive questions everyday, and to try our best to make this fun. 

One of my favorite parts about this decision is how involved we get to be in his learning. It is pretty neat to hear what his thinking is, personally see his day-to-day scholastic progress, and to learn from him, as well. 

We try to find new activities to make his learning more interesting and enjoyable.

“Learning is fun and school is cool,” I tell him. 


Enter Seek Education, a supplemental teaching resource designed to encourage interactive learning through augmented reality (AR). Subscribing to the platform provides access to over 1,000 AR, or 3D, models across six core subjects in today’s curriculum, including art, biology, history and physical science. Parents can easily add the QR codes into teaching materials to make learning more engaging. Students simply scan the code with their phone or tablet to bring the AR experience to life.

AR is the technology that expands our physical world – adding layers of digital information on top of it. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), AR doesn’t create a completely artificial environment. Instead, it appears in direct view of an existing environment, like the playroom, and enhances it with 3D objects, animations and sounds.

Research has shown the benefits of AR-based learning – such as students’ improved long-term memory retention, as well as a 14% increase in motivation and 31% increase in attention.

With 81% of educators concerned about maintaining student engagement with distance learning, AR presents a promising future.

Seek Education recently added a new Virtual Field Trips feature, which includes pre-made templates of exciting trips, including the ancient Egyptian temples, outer space, and UNESCO world heritage sites.  It’s great while travel is limited and many attractions are still closed. Check out an example of a trip to explore ancient Egypt here.


My kids have loved learning and exploring via Seek Edu. It really does help to see the 3D model of something when speaking or teaching about it. Even our little one got in on the fun. He thought taking a photo with a T-Rex was cool! I think all of your kids would enjoy this, too.



This image allows you to try the 3D models out for yourself right away:


Watch this video for a brief overview of Seek Education and sign up today!