Home Schooling

   I feel like my biggest struggle as a parent until this day has been... wait for it .... homework... this has been since my now 10 year old started VPK as a 3 year old.  I remember this tiny little girl coming home after being in school all day to complete a packet of almost 5 pages worth of homework as a 3 year old!!! How had this much work been assigned to a kid this size who has just begun her school career it's impossible I thought...Turns out it wasn't.

Fast forward to three schooled, five teachers and two cities later and things haven't improved.  While she's made the honor roll various times as well as outstanding student in kindness and conduct she's completely lost when it comes to the work.  The kids are basically learning the work to pass all the standardized tests pressed on them by the schools and counties.  

Every teacher I've met with has had the same answer.  That they only have a certain amount of time to cover each material at which point they have to be tested and move forward.  They move so fast the kids are lost and don't even know where to begin asking questions or for help.

Every night I was getting so frustrated spending two hours or more doing homework with my daughter.  It always began the same way "what do you have to do in this problem? " I would ask.  Her answer barely changed from an "I don't know" to "the teacher didn't explain it".

It was frustrating for both of us since the homework has always been so advanced for the grade she is in and the wording difficult to understand.   How was she suppose to do any of it without my help.  I was so tired by this point in the day after working and doing other mom duties that frustration and helplessness would get the best of me.   Screaming would happen and this only made her less able to concentrate.  It would take what little confidence she had away.  I promised I thought of homeschooling once and for all and to focus on her one on one.  To make sure she wasn't just learning to pass a test but because she needed to know this Information.  I wanted her to find learning fun like I did so many years ago and still do!

Seemed like the scholastic system wasn't going to be helping in that area soon enough. I was left with the question; what can I do to make my child not want to drop out of school at 10 years of age?  How can I get her to have a childhood? I mean Monday - Friday she was in school from 8-3:30 and then home to do Homework from 4-6 sometimes even later!  Only to take a bath have dinner and MAYBE she'll have one hour of playtime before it was her bedtime.  

This wasn't fair to her.  Especially since at the end of it all she wasn't retaining most of the information.  It wasn't like she was on a road to become a genius instead she was bombarded with overloads of information each week that wasn't being practiced or stored in her long term memory!  

Well this mom was fed up and I put my feelings to the side and decided that homeschooling would be the way to go. We will try it out part time and decide if we want to turn it Into a long term commitment.   

Stay posted for and update on how things will go for us this coming school year.   Maybe you've been feeling like me and homeschooling might be the best choice for you and your kiddos as well.  If you’re a home schooling mom please leave me some resources or advice in the comments and thanks for reading.

I have been a wife and a mom basically my entire adulthood. My husband and three kids are my priority they're my biggest dream, my largest accomplishment!  I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. 

To the Sleepy and Overwhelmed Mom

    There's this quote online that says " I was the perfect mom, before I had kids"  and it is soooo true! I always thought of it being so easy I mean at least my mom always made it look that way. 

Dear Alani Emily

Leap of Faith

For 7 years we thought we wouldn't have another baby.  Being young parents was hard for your daddy and me.  We weren't prepared for the turn our life would take.  

Weeki Wachee Springs

First I'd like to start out by saying that I'm a complete wanderlust and outdoors girl.  I seriously need to step outside at least 30 minutes in the day or I get a horrible headache. I really love the outdoors and basking in nature.

Mermaid Tea

I recently became a mother of two and while my big girl Ariana has enjoyed being a big sis and helping out in taking care of her baby sis Alani we were both longing for that one on one just us two.  Recently I decided to surprise her for being so patient, sweet and kind and always helping out with her little sis.  Since she was just a tiny little toddler she loved to play tea time with me.  I remember I got her an easy bake oven so we use to bake little cake pops or miniature cupcakes and sip on some decaf green tea.  So, the first thing I did was I went online and downloaded some cute free printable decorations mermaid style.  I kept it simple since we were going to be playing in her little play area with her dolls.

I downloaded this cute little banner http://www.familyshoppingbag.com/img/view-print.php?img=Little_Mermaid_716611.png

 and put it together with a cute mermaid green yarn I found at Michaels for $2.00

I also added a few ribbons I had left over from a past little project to add a little more flair.

[The wall hanging we both knitted together and more to come on that very soon ;)  stay tuned...]



I also downloaded this cute mermaid tail cake topper which I glued together on a small tooth pick and then inserted on the cake
http://makeandtell.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/mermaidtail_caketopper.compressed.pdf

Now this cute cupcake stand I saw at Wal-Mart and had to get it.  It just fit perfectly in with the theme.  Here's the online link to purchase it
https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Pioneer-Woman-Flea-Market-Mini-Floral-Cupcake-Stand-with-Lid/53965572

I also bought these cute Disney Princess Cups at the Disney Store near us.  They were on sale and I believe they're still having a sale 2 for $10   They're usually $15 each so I saved $20.00 plus I had a $10% off coupon for pre-ordering Moana with them ;) 



All that was left to do was Bake the cake together,  put the icing and the sprinkles and spent some quality time just the two of us.

Oh and this cute Mermaid Tail Skirt she was obsessed with I purchased at ShopJustice.com

We plan on spending time like this as often as possible making time just us two is a great way to relax and talk about all the things that are on her little mind that slip away on the day to day hustle of school, work and chores.   We talked about her friendships and how to handle disagreements with them and how to react to kids who tease or are mean to her and others.  We talked about all the new things she's learned in school and we also talked about new activities she wants to do along with her ballet classes.  It sure was worth putting this time aside for us two.  It is such a great way to get to know your growing kids needs, likes and dislikes.  Hope  you enjoyed reading about our Mermaid tea time and where to find all these cute little items! I would also love to hear what are some things you mommies do for one on one time with your kiddos.  Would love some new ideas :)

All Things Disney

I think I might be slightly obsessed with Disney! I mean every vacation I take has a destination of Disney. Every movie I buy , every toy I get my daughter, Most of her birthdays are Disney themed! (she grew up mommy doesn't decide anymore) Well you get the point like I said "slightly" obsessed ... 

So I decided to share a few of the freebies I've gotten Disney related.

First if you don't already know there's a website called disneymovierewards.com. Every time you purchase a movie there's a code inside the dvd case that you can enter in this website once you registered (for free)  it gives you a certain amount of points . When you go to the theater to watch a Disney movie make sure to save those ticket stubs.  You can receive points for these by taking a picture of the stubs and uploading it the website for more points. Disney music CDs have codes as well . They even email you free points every month for being a member. Now here's what you can do with those points ... Get rewards!!! They have a list of rewards like toys, movies, Posters, memorabilia, coupons for movies, printing pics, and Disney trips etc.  Below are a few of the cute things I've gotten with my rewards! 









 The next great Disney freebie is that the Disney Stores usually hold events for the kiddos for free.   They have coloring time, they have free movie viewings, story times with characters, etc.  so head over to your nearest Disney store for a schedule of their monthly events! 

Now if you're in Disney world here are a few great things that are free !  First I would say don't miss going to downtown Disney or now the newly renovated Disney Springs!  At 2pm every day the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique that's inside the World of Disney Marketplace brings out the princesses they've made over to parade around the springs.  The fun part anyone can participate boys or girls wearing princess dresses or not!  They parade around waving to the onlookers and then they ride for free either on the train or merry go round :).  











Also  while in Disney Springs don't forget to stop by the Ghiradelli Shop and ask for free samples !  I mean who doesn't want free chocolate right?! 

Disney Springs also has a huge Lego store with an outside play area where the kids can play and Built toys for fun,  Sometimes they even hold a friendly competition.  







 My favorite gift shop on the Springs has to be the Once upon a Toy marketplace it is huge!!!  It has 12 different departments and it's beautifully and magically decorated !  Look up to the ceiling and you'll see !!! The kiddos will have fun just running around and looking at all the toys!



One last freebie ill mention which happens to be the hubbys favorite is inside Epcot.  Club cool Soda!  In here you can try free samples (as many as you'd like) of sodas from all around the world! Whenever we're exhausted from the heat and the long lines we stop in there and of course the hubby and the munchkin have to try the same soda twice because they can't "figure"out which one was their favorite last time the  were there!    

I have so many more freebies to list from restaurants to hotels so stay tuned for my next blog and I hope you enjoyed this list :)

Clubfeet Parent Knowledge and Support

When I found out 8 years ago that my daughter would be born with bilateral-clubfoot I was unaware of what this deformity was.  I remember going home crying and typing away on google but no results would populate.  My entire pregnancy I spent it in the dark when it came to clubfeet.  When my daughter was born we were referred to an amazing orthopedic who began treatment on our very first visit to him.  He was the one who explained to me what Clubfoot was, and the method he would be using to correct it (The Ponseti Method)  he also referred me to a website with more information on this method.  I felt so much better being able to understand what my daughter had and knowing what method of correction was being used as I hadn't been able to make a choice on her treatment due to the lack of knowledge on the matter.  I think there's nothing scarier than blindly handing over your child to a Doctor and not know what is being done to your child.  Once I went home and was able to research through the website the orthopedic provided I was able to understand what clubfeet was and I felt more comfortable and at peace with how the Doctor was correcting her feet.  I also found other parents who were using this same treatment or had used it on their now older kids.  It was amazing reading all these amazing stories of success!! What a great feeling to be able to slowly comprehend what may have caused this, what could be done to fix it, and what her life might be like due to this deformity.  I'm so glad that now parents can type in clubfoot in google and get so many amazing websites with informational material.  You can also visit countless mommy blogs that provide you with amazing tips on daily activities with a clubfeet baby you'd never think would be challenging.   Below you can find some of the challenges I encountered with my clubfeet princess and how I dealt with them.  you will also find informational sites and other mommy blogs to help you along this wonderful journey you're about to embark :)  Take a deep breath everything will be alright :)

- the biggest challenge was sleep.. Every week when her cast were changed she would cry just about the entire night.  The only thing that help was holding her all night which was exhausting! And then my wonderful mother found this swing that had this curb where here little legs were perfectly propped up and she loved it and slept almost through the entire night :)

When we noticed this helped we made sure whenever we placed her in the crib we rolled up little blankets and propped her legs on it this helped with the weight of the cast

- second challenge was bathing her with the casts on.  How did we handle it? We Placed plastic bags over them hehe sounds funny but it was simple and worked for us.. cast didn't get wet, she could moveall she wanted and we were able to give her a good wash.

- third challenge was clothing.  Thankfully our little clubfeet baby was a girl so she spent most of her time in dresses.. However when I did put on pants I made sure they were always a size bigger to fit over the casts.  Unfortunately her cast were a plain white I hear some orthopedics do cast with designs you get to choose :) .  Night gowns were always either a long sleeve onsie cast were hot enough to have to sleep through the hot Miami nights in them.  I was gifted a lot of nighties with the footies all I did was cut the little foot part off and hand sew the seams.

You will find that there's a solution out there for all of these things.  Below is a great blog of some other things you might encounter as your clubfoot baby grows up as well as some emotional challenges

http://lanamayes.com/top-10-challenges-with-clubfoot/


Here's a link that will explain clubfeet and the method most internationally used to correct it with a great success rate.

https://www.uichildrens.org/to-parents-of-children-born-with-clubfoot//

Here are a few blogs of mommies of clubfeet babies

http://www.faithfeetandlove.com/p/dealling-with-clubfoot.html?m=1

http://apeachtreecitylife.blogspot.com/p/our-harper-was-born-with-unilateral.html?m=1

Mother of a Clubfeet Ballerina Part 2

 When I met my princess for the first time I couldn' believe how perfect she was. I admired and inspected every inch of her but I couldn't bring my self to look at her feet and when I finally did I burst into tears.  Her feet curled up made the perfect little heart <3.  I was only able to admire her little heart for a week before the casting journey began. 

The first visit was so difficult I cried into my moms arms while she fell asleep as her orthopedic used the Ponseti method (casts) to correct her legs! OK...so this was the easiest one of them all it only got worse as the visits progressed.  The next day I had to return because she cried the whole night...the cast must have felt uncomfortable to her and not to add HEAVY!!  The orthopedic sent us home said she was fine and to just keep an eye on her little toes to make sure she had circulation going to her legs and feet.  Every Wednesday at 2:30pm we had an Orthopedic appointment that involved them taking her cast off, washing her legs, manipulating her feet into a new position and casting it.  The cast dried up her legs and toes immensely, twice the orthopedic assistant cut her with the blade trying to take the cast off and my frustration only grew!  Everywhere we went people would stare and ask questions like "how did she fall?" or "How did she break her legs?"  I guess they saw a young parent and assumed I must have dropped my child or been careless!-[FRUSTRATION!]  It took all of God's Strength and Patience to never loose it and always gracefully explain to complete strangers why my daughter had full casts on her legs and she was less than a month old. Cast after cast and her feet looked better but not quite...."feet" other clubfeet babies came in after her and had 3 sets of casts done and their feet would be corrected.  We kept going back week after week for 3 months this process continued. 

 Finally after 9 casts the doctor told us that she would need minor surgery to extend her Achilles tendon and it would only be a five minutes surgical procedure.  Our princess was so strong that day and we had to be even stronger as we left her in the arms of the surgeon NOT for 5 minutest but nearly 2 hours...when the doctor came out the door I nearly pushed him out the way to see her.  A last set of casts had been placed on her feet that would last 3 weeks until the surgery healed  in order to maintain this last corrected position.  After 3 weeks her last cast came off and she moved into the Ponseti brace stage.  Which changed her personality and all of our moods.  She would sleep more through the nights and smiled more, Bathing her, clothing her, and all other activities became easier. The journey was easier smoother clearer.  People would still stare and ask questions but they seemed more sympathetic now..(the difference casts and braces have in outsiders eyes?... I don't know)  Even when we went to Disney World chip and dale didn't look at the camera they stared at her braces and cuddled her the whole time.  It was cute though hahaha.  

Things definitely became easier, with time our princess  crawled and at 9/12 months WALKED!!! Something that seemed impossible at first then so far away.  On her first birthday she was running everywhere and no longer had to wear her braces during the day only to sleep!!!!!!  So many milestones accomplished! Her smile and strength gave us strength in return!  I remember at one of the orthopedics visits seeing 3 little girls coming back for a follow up visit and couldn't believe that they once had clubfeet. One was in ballet class, the other played soccer and the third one was a cheerleader! I couldn't wait to see if my princess would have the blessing off being that active and completely normal after so many casts and surgery...I had read so many horror stories online that scared me into thinking she would never be normal. 

So I write this to tell clubfeet mothers...that yes your child might only have 3 cast and be completely corrected of clubfeet or they might have 9 cast and a surgery, or they might suffer a relapse and have to do more casting and more surgeries...but normality can be accomplished.  Don't give up on your baby, be strong because they are so strong for us.  Your journey is a beautiful one, a unique one, one full of strength and miracles.  Remember:  "God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers!"  Do your research when looking for an orthopedic, make sure that the doctor you choose is actually practicing the method you're looking for, don't be afraid to get second opinions, and rely on family and friends for support.   I'm so happy to say that my princess is a little ballerina now and her feet make me smile :)

Ari's feet before cast, while casting, making her comfortable in the crib in order for her to sleep, out of cast and into braces, the pain she had to deal with was unbearable for us, even chip and dale stared.

Mother of a Clubfeet Ballerina Part 1



Clubfeet Ballerina :)

Four years ago, I was pregnant with my first child and only child (so far) when we went to the most exciting doctors appointment...The one where they do that exciting ultrasound where they tell you if you're having a little prince or princess. The ultrasound tech did all the measurements and then told us we would be having a baby girl!!! Daddy was excited most of all because he wanted a daddy's girl! The tech then scheduled us for another appointment because she couldn't get all the measurements she needed that day.


 When we returned two days later a new tech met with us and as she began to do the ultrasound told us we were scheduled there that day because they had found that the baby had clubfeet and they wanted me to see the doctor on staff... she explained that the baby's feet were turned in and that it was a physical deformity. The doctor then entered and he began to explain that when a deformity of this type is present there is the possibility that another genetic or mental disorder can be present as well (meanwhile I haven't stopped crying since the tech said the word deformity) Hearing him say this just made me more nervous scared and confused...what had i done wrong...why is this happening...why can't i breathe? I could barely hear him speak...he sounded so far away as I picked up only the words: down syndrome, Edwards Syndrome, Cerebral palsy, Spina bifida.

 He told me that clubfeet was treatable and could be fixed at birth through a process of casting and surgery but we still needed to do a genetic test to be sure that the baby didn't have any of those genetic disorders he mentioned and after we received the results I could make the decision of weather I'd like to proceed with the pregnancy.....(did he mean abortion?) At this point I was crying so much I couldn't speak...so many questions were popping into my head and I was frozen couldn't speak couldn't breath. Was I really going to have to make the choice of bringing a child with a mental disorder into this world or to terminate the pregnancy and kill the baby who I had already began to love? How would I make a choice like this how could it even cross my mind. The doctor asked me if I would like to have the test done and I shook my head "yes" then he pulled out this long needle and stuck it in my belly...he told me that doing this can also cause a miscarriage and I would have to be on bed rest. I went home that day and googled clubfeet (which didn't help how i was feeling)

For two weeks I cried and prayed as I waited for the results of the amino test. I can't imagine a worse feeling in the world than being told that your child is sick with a mental or physical disorder. I was sleepless for two weeks until the morning came when I received the call. I couldn't bring my self to answer the phone and when i finally did the nurse on the other end of the phone told me that the baby was fine that the results returned negative...my princess will be born with clubfeet but no mental disorders. I've never been so thankful and relieved in my life. God hadn't left my side my prayers had been answered. I tried not to think about her feet for the rest of the pregnancy because when I ever I did my chest will feel heavy and tears would drown my eyes. I figured I should be strong if God got me through this process he will give me the strength I would need to help my daughter with her club feet once she was born.