FYI: Links to each part of the in-depth, 4-part newsletter series I recently did, on starting the school year off right, can be found just below my signature. (Feedback was that many of you found that series super helpful and so I want it to be available all through the start to this school year!)
What matters most in a young child’s learning: Book Excerpt
My latest parenting book, Educating Happy Kids: 9 Ways to Help Your Children Learn What They Need to Know is out this week!
I’m celebrating by sharing the following, an excerpt from the book, which I hope will be super helpful to you in starting the school year off right.
The whole e-book is available exclusively at weturnedoutokay.com/books, at a substantial savings (as I finish up things like a cover, the paperback and audio versions, and listing it in Amazon and other places).
This chapter covers what I view as the foremost important factors in a young child’s learning.
Whether public school, charter school, private school, or homeschool, this time of year brings massive changes to lots of families’ lives.
It’s exciting, but it can also be stressful.
Today I want to help you stay more on the positive side of the exciting/stressful balance!
How are you feeling about the start of the new school year?
Today we discuss 4 ways to start the year off right.
Important Program Notes:
– In this episode you’ll hear me talk about a Streamline Your Mornings workshop, that was to take place in the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group… Instead of that I have created an in-depth, 4-part series, each exploring one way to start the year off right!
Included in the fourth part, called “A free tool you can use to streamline your family’s weekly schedule,” you’ll find the updated We Turned Out Okay Weekly Planner. (You’ll hear me talk about the Facebook group at the end of this episode, as the place where you can find that tool. Instead, to make your life super easy, click here so you can read the newsletter, and download that free PDF.)
– Also! Educating Happy Kids: 9 Ways to Help Your Young Children Learn What They Need to Know is out in the world!
If you are a Ninja Parent: click here for the forum post where you can download your FREE PDF copy of my latest parenting book!
If you are not a member of the ninja parenting community, go to weturnedoutokay.com/books for your ecopy!
I’m so excited that it’s done and you can read it!
– There’s a moment in this episode where I credit author and researcher Gretchen Rubin with something author and researcher Laura Vanderkam did (I rectify this in the break, but did want to tell you about it here as well). Sorry for the confusion!
Click here for Gretchen Rubin’s amazing book The Four Tendencies; and click here for Lara Vanderkam’s website.
Plus in Parenting News: A podcast by one of We Turned Out Okay‘s beloved guests! I share about the Calm and Connected podcast by coping skills expert and LMHC Janine Halloran, and talk about how it will help you get this school year off to a great start.
Go to weturnedoutokay.com/293 for a cheat sheet on the 4 ways to start the school year off right, key links from this episode, free guides (on potty training, picky eating, and how to handle every temper tantrum), and lots more resources!
Also:
Click here to join the We Turned Out Okay Facebook group, where every Monday I offer Magic Words for Parents, a quick word or phrase for you to take into your parenting week!
Today’s episode is sponsored by the amazing Janine Halloran, expert in teaching kids coping skills, and an incredible resource she has created to help your child handle even the biggest feelings!
Click copingskillsforkids.com/coping-cue-cards to check out Janine’s Coping Skills for Kids Cue Card Decks.
This is the 4th part in our in-depth, 4-part series, on how to start the school year off right. (Click here for part one, about the first thing you can do when confronting any challenge;
click here for part two, where I share my method for cutting through overwhelm. And click here for part three, a case study of one mom who made back-to-school weekday mornings work – even when dealing with her child’s NIGHTLY bedwetting.)
Are you finding it difficult to juggle all the new priorities in your life at this time of year?
I know that getting dinner on the table, sure everybody’s laundry is clean for the next day, as well as trying to maintain your own sanity (and/or complete any task) can all feel like an insurmountable heap.
When we think of all the little tasks and routines suddenly cropping up, it can be hard to separate out any one thing and feel like we can accomplish it.
As a visual person, I really like to see all those things, at-a-glance.
I like to have it all in one place, to know where we are all supposed to be, when, and moreover, what are we going to eat for dinner tonight?
This is the third in an in-depth, 4-part series, on how to start the school year off right. (Click here for part one, about the first thing you can do when confronting any challenge, and click here for part two, where I share my method for cutting through overwhelm.)
One mom of two in the parent coaching community that I run, whom I’ll call Lindsay, REALLY struggled with the stress of getting small kids up and out the door in time for daycare and school.
Here is something she wrote just as she began working on this:
“Usually if our youngest wets the bed (he’s newly potty trained) it can derail the morning because we have to strip the bed, start the wash and give him a bath.
In the hustle and bustle my breakfast is usually the one that gets overlooked! That happened today. I typically don’t even notice until I get to work and am hungry.”
Maybe your struggles are different, but I bet you can sympathize with Lindsay.
I sure can.
This is the second in an in-depth, 4-part series, on how to start the school year off right. (Click here for part one, about the first thing you can do when confronting any challenge.)
When I talk with parents about the starting of the school year, they often share their frustrations with just how CRAZY this time of year can feel.
There are so many little boxes to check:
The list of items your child’s teacher needs for the classroom
The schedule-changes that must be figured out
The new routines that kids can sometimes have a hard time getting into
The struggle of wrapping our brains around not just all these new challenges, but how we feel about our children, our worries for them, how quickly time is slipping away… How they’re changing right before our very eyes.
Lots to think about, and (if we allow it) lots to feel overwhelmed by.
In my daily life, when I am Mom-Karen (as opposed to Podcast-Karen, who understands that everything is going to be just fine and has solid ideas for handling every challenge), I often feel swamped by anxiety and overwhelm.Today I want to share with you the method I have found to beat the overwhelm and actually accomplish what I need and want to. Continue reading “Handling overwhelm at crazy times of the year (like this one)”→
Today we’re starting an in-depth, 4-part series today, on how to start the school year off right.
I don’t know about you, but every summer I get into a nice, laid-back groove. Typically, my tendon-disorder pain decreases, and my well-being increases, because it’s the chance to relax, spend time with family and friends.
Also, there is lots less to think about, no soccer or other after-school activities, a lot less driving.
Often, I can wash up some green beans and slice some tomatoes, throw on a little fresh mozzarella, and call it “dinner.”
I have been known to think “hey! I haven’t had any tendon pain in weeks! I must be finally getting better!”
A cheat sheet on the 3 ways to utilize this idea, “learning begins in the home”
The link to our We Turned Out Okay Facebook group, where I do a Facebook live each Monday morning and this week I’m sharing a useful way to view, or think about, our children
The video of the week: “Where and when does my child’s education begin?”
And thank you so much for listening!
Temper Tantrums and Potty Training:
Today I share about two helpful free guides I offer.
While the podcast is long-form – your opportunity to look into the mind of a child development expert – the free guides are super quick.
You can watch the video, read the checklist, and immediately handle the temper tantrums or get started with potty training (depending on which guide you choose : )
Click here for the FREE video and checklist to handle every temper tantrum
Click here for the FREE video and checklist to successfully potty train your child
Want to receive valuable ideas and tips on parenting, without either free guide above? Click here for my weekly parenting newsletter!
To wrap up our Back-to-School Bootcamp series we take a look today at milestones, guidelines, and goals in our kids’ education.
How important is it to have a 20,000-foot view of a young child’s life?
What kind of goals should you set, and what kind of milestones should you look for?
Many of us wonder “what is my role in my child’s education, how can I best help?” I’ve got three crucial actions you must take so your child can thrive!
Go to weturnedoutokay.com/240 for more on these 3 steps, help getting your child to love reading, and links to back episodes of everything…
Happy Wednesday!
Whether public school, charter school, private school, or homeschool, this time of year brings massive changes to lots of families’ lives.
To wrap up our Back-to-School Bootcamp series we take a look today at milestones, guidelines, and goals in our kids’ education.
Glad you are here for Module 3 of our Back-to-School Bootcamp!