Parenting: I love UNIFORMS!

They are so convenient. Just pick a top and bottom, add a sweater and leggings if needed and out the door she goes, bye babe!

The main great feature of uniforms for me right now is how easy it makes things in the morning (the convenience), but I'm also loving how it takes importance off of how my daughter dresses. She is actually quite picky normally on what she wears and likes dresses and skirts all the time, pink and purple, sparkles, etc. She's a very girly girl and likes looking "like a princess" and being beautiful. I didn't find it a priority to get her off the princess and beautiful idea even if I don't love it, but I'm glad that this is effortlessly doing the job. She doesn't mind it and she's getting used to looking ordinary instead of "like a princess".

The more ordinary she looks, the more importance can be put on what she actually DOES.

Teasing has not at all come into play at 5 years old but I have hopes that it will help. The school says that it fosters a sense of pride in their school and that's probably more apparant for the older kids (at teasing ages) and I imagine it brings the teasing for poorer kids down.

I'm really happy that she goes to a school with this amount of structure and focus. It seems a good balance.

Who else loves uniforms? Who dislikes them? What are your thoughts?

My Gratitude Journal

I bought myself a pretty journal that makes me happy to write in. I find it just gorgeous and I'm drawn to it each day. Makes me WANT to write.

I've been writing things that I'm thankful for. From very big things we take from granted like mobility and sight to general things like health to specific things like receiving something I ordered. Some things are meaningful and some are just not, but either way it's things that make me happy and I don't want to skip gratitude even for things that are superficial like cosmetics or a watching a movie.

Yeah, it's upside down. Haha, you'll really need to put some effort into it if you want to try to read the uninteresting stuff I have written here. hehe. My advice is: Don't. Not worth it!

Has anyone put extra effort into being thankful these days? How is that working out? What else do you do to stay balanced and happy?

Rebekkah mentioned a great and important one: SMILING

Parenting: The Routine (featuring hyperactivity)

Some adjectives I use to describe my daughter Nora include: spirited, crazy, stubborn, difficult, energetic, clownish, funny, affectionate, sweet, caring, demanding... And lots more... She has a lot of good qualities and she is also hyperactive. She hasn't been diagnosed really and I don't see the need since I'm able to manage her, but I can see that she is.

When she goes through changes, she can become out of control. Not just in the sense that I have trouble controlling her or making her listen to me, she really becomes a person unlike her own self. She really becomes so unlike her normally stubborn, energetic self and seems to not be able to control what she does and says. That's being hyperactive. 

Boy did we have a few tough weeks just recently. I could not have imagined it if I tried. 

We were preparing her for her entry to KG and so was her daycare. She knew it was coming and that's when it *started* to spiral out of control. She then had her last day at daycare and started her progressive entry into KG with 2 hours of school either in the morning or afternoon. My poor Nora didn't know where she was going and when. She had one morning, then one afternoon, then a 4 day weekend, then another afternoon and another morning. I'd never been through such a tough time as a parent as that week and a half. OMG. 

Then school started FOR REAL (about time) and I made a routine for us to stick to, to support and anchor her. It has made a world of difference. I have my daughter back. I have my sanity back. 

Here is the routine. 

AM

630: get up, take medication, wake up on couch with cartoons

700: start eating breakfast, take other medication

715: finish up breakfast, put on uniform, brush teeth

725: take bus

SCHOOL

PM

255: get home from school, free play, maybe going out, maybe errands. not as structured since she'll soon be at daycare during this time when I start work

between 500&600: start eating, medication, no more TV for the day, could be music, drawing, etc.

between 630&645: bath, PJs, story

715: bedtime, goodnight.

This routine allows Nora not only security in her routine, but also to be well-rested which is another hugely important factor for any child but even more so with a hyper one. I'd put routine as the top most important thing, a lot of sleep as the second and healthy nutritious foods (less sugar) as the third most important thing to help keep a hyper kid under control. 

x-posted: Two quick things you can do to be happier and healthier :)

I saw this on Doctor Oz. I don't normally watch his show but every couple months I will watch this or The Doctors and I take away a little something from these shows. Yesterday's show had something interesting that I want to share. It's really two tiny things that take almost no time and no effort that you could add to your day SO EASILY.

1)

Breathing exercise that you would do FOUR times, twice a day. Goes like this:

Breathe in to the count of 4
Hold beath to the count of 7
Exhale loudly to the count of 8

Don't count mississippi, OK. Quick, normal counting.

2)

A gratitude journal. 

The doctor giving this suggestion on the show said it's scientifically backed up that taking a few minutes each day to think about what you're thankful for helps a person be happier within a few weeks. I never heard of this study but from personal experience, IT'S TRUE.

I haven't written down my gratitude for a while now but I think I will start again. I'll get myself a fancy little notebook that I will be motivated to write in and at the end of the day I will jot down a few things that I'm thankful for.

This can be done whether you're a theist or atheist or agnostic, WHATEVER. It will work.