Archive for October 11th, 2009
I can’t believe that we are already in the 6th week of home school. I am finally starting to feel comfortable with my new title of teacher. I am amazed at how much progress the kids are making. Of course this is kindergarten so I guess I should’nt feel too proud of myself yet. If I can still say that when they are in high school learning chemistry and doing well then I will pat myself on the back. I do think of how much my day consists of and wonder how I would do it if I worked outside the home.
Fortunately, because I am a woman entrepreneur I can juggle all of this without leaving my house. I have also learned that the curriculum alone does not give my kids a well rounded education. I have had to become very creative with my activities.
Last Friday we took a nature walk and picked up leaves and acorns. We got quite an assortment of leaves. Now we will put them on an information sheet, name them and cover them with clear contact paper and put them in a 3 ring binder. The kids seemed to love the activity, the exercise and they always enjoy the time with me, as I do with them. On our weekly trip to the library I found a book called “Books Boys Love” and it has lists and lists of good books to read to the boys. I am having a blast just reading these books. Also, the Core Knowledge Foundation has a great Children’s Dictionary that has lots of words that you can teach them a word a week or a day. The book also has sayings to teach them like “An apple a day keeps the doctor a way”, and so many other things that you just wouldn’t think of teaching. It is a very valuable tool. My income from my home based business has funded my home school curriculum and supplies. I am very excited about it because I can really experiment with many different lessons and not worry about taking the money out of the family budget.
Some days I feel as I am the Queen of Multi-Tasking and other days…I feel like a fish out of water! Multi-tasking can be a wonderful skill or a downfall if not used properly.
Cutting corners on how to clean up a kitchen, talking on the phone while dusting, or making business calls while waiting for your child to finish up at soccer practice are all excellent ways to make use of your time and multitask.
Talking on the phone while driving, doing your nails while mowing the lawn, and changing the baby while roller blading are not good ideas. ( I know some of those are just funny but seriously…short cutting important communication and important skills/tasks are not good)
You need to make efficent use of your time, while not shortcutting the value in what you do.
Work at Home moms with a home based business are at high risk of too much multi-tasking if you do not set up your office and stick to office hours. It is way to tempting to throw a load of laundry in during work hours if your office is in view of the washing machine.
If you remember to Work Smarter, Not Harder…you will be a true effective Multi-tasking Queen
What are some do’s and don’ts that you can think of?