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These past couple weeks have been full of lots of transition for most Mothers.  With kids going back to school and starting activities, summer has been kissed goodbye and a new schedule has begun.

There is also the change of the weather that I am so excited for.  For our family, this is our last year here in Jacksonville and that means the beginning of many changes.  First off, we are starting all that needs to be done to sell our home.

We have had our family garden here and made the big step of filling it in this weekend.  My husband dug all the remaining plants and weeds up and filled it in with sod.  All those memories, work and so much more…have been covered up and only saved in pictures and memories.

Here are a few other changes and transitions that are going on in the life of this Mother;

-  Two kids in school and only one at home….huge change!!

-  Soccer schedules and evenings spent at the soccer field with kids.

- Saturdays full of soccer games.

-  Packing early morning lunches and having time to exercise again.

-  Making a schedule so I am sure to use my time wisely and enjoy every minute I have here at home with my baby.

-  Menu planning so we can have dinner between soccer practices and activities and try to keep it family time.

I love change and that is always the one thing in life that is CONSTANT!  I am ready for this change of schedule, change of pace and all the fun memories and experiences it will bring.

What are some of the changes that have come for you with the start of school?

My tween has a dilemma.  As parents we are supportive of her desire to dance.  However, she wants to take 2 different dance classes on 2 different days (which we think is fine since the studio is close to our home), but she has adamantly stated that 2 days is too much with her homework.  Her dilemma, “maybe I shouldn’t dance because the class I want to take requires me to take ballet too.”  I admire my tween for knowing her limitations.  Even watching her try to express her feelings about what she is doing this year at school was getting her worked up.  Obviously we want her to enjoy dance and we don’t want to push her.  We want to encourage and be supportive.  The age old question remains, “to be or not to be?”

I wish I could wave a magic wand and create time for my tween to relax, to have less homework, to be less of a perfectionist and to cut herself some slack.  Our tweens are under academic, social, emotional and athletic pressure.  I think I have it bad, but I’m not sitting at a desk for 7 1/2 hours a day and then coming home to another hour and then needing to sleep to repeat it again.  My tween needs down time, play time, creative time social time and learning to build that into her routine can be challenging.

When I think I have it hard or that I’m worn down, I quickly realize it is nothing in comparison to the pressures that our children are facing.  As a parent I am constantly evaluating and re-evaluating to make sure I’m not pushing, expecting or “forcing” my tween to be more scheduled than she can handle.  With the start of school I am reminded with the schedules sent out and the new grading methods of fourth grade how stressful it could appear to a tween.

Participating in activities that release energy, are enjoyable and are fun are all beneficial to relieving high stress levels.  Communication is essential.  Evaluation and Reality is important to.  Listening is essential when trying to decide what to participate in or not.

How do you help your child find balance in their schedules?  How do you teach your tween how to relieve stress in a positive and healthy manor?

My boys would not think of throwing trash out the car window or leaving their left over chip bag on the sand at the beach. As a matter of fact, if we are out and they see garbage out of place, they will often pick it up and put it in the trash can. Since they were very small we have told them that it is wrong to litter and they should recycle. Why then, can you tell me, do they leave a trail of wrappers and juice boxes behind them all through our house!

I spend a good part of my day “reminding” the boys to take any food garbage items to the kitchen when they are done. It seems no matter how many times I tell them, I still find a straw wrapper on the floor or a fruit snack bag on the couch. I suppose I should require them to eat and drink in the kitchen, but the truth is, that would be harder on me than them. It would just be one more thing I would need to remember to enforce. Anyway…as they get older aren’t they supposed to be more responsible!? (Oh wait…..my husband is 36 and I don’t think he has gotten the clean up memo yet )

I clean their rooms, wash their clothes, make sure they bath and brush…I just feel like there should be a point where they can at least clean up their own wrappers. I am still not sure what angle I will take with this……something has to change or I may lose my mind Suggestions??

Woo-hoo!  We made it through the first week of school.  My tween is happy, thriving and loving it!

I was a home school Mom this past year.  Sending my tween back to school was a big deal.  He high fived me on the way out the door and there was no looking back.  I absolutely adore his teacher…she works these kids hard and I love that!!

I love every minute of being with my tween, but I also noticed that my stress level has decreased quite a bit.  I can actually think straight and even more, accomplish a few more things in a day.

I have been teaching my tween for a year now and every spare moment of my day was dedicated to school.  I feel like I need to re-invent myself in a way.  All those things that slipped through the cracks this past year can be patched up.  I even made a little cleaning schedule for myself to keep up on my home work.

The old days of scheduling school, have been replaced by getting the kids to and from school, getting some exercise and keeping up on the home and duties of Motherhood.

I still have one little one left at home and we have had fun together.  I have so much time to dedicate to her, read to her, play with her and laugh with her.  Heck, I’m even having play group in my backyard this week…..crazy!!

Although I miss the days of schooling my tween, I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t.  I have learned how I function best in being the Mom that I want to be.

Here is to a new year and lots of new experiences and adventures…wish me luck!!

This week has much in store.  A full school week for two of my children, dance open house, registering my youngest for a mom & me class, coaching soccer, projects, trying to get my youngest back on a nap schedule, fitness classes, long weekend, and gearing up for the start of our family’s favorite football team’s first game.  Wow, writing that just made me tired.

Reminder to self: One day at a time and anything can go or be given up.  We all have “game faces.”  You know the face we put on to convince those who don’t know us that well that we are OK.  It’s not always a sport related game face.  Sometimes it’s situational and we put on a persona for different roles we assume or for different people.  The ironic thing is that my tween has figured me out.    Not only has she figured it out, she has game faces too.  Now, it’s up to me to watch and discern my tween’s game face.

In this week’s schedule I know that I will have different game faces on.  Sometimes as coach, friend, mom, wife, neurotic mother of a kindergartner, volunteer, etc.  Why?  I have often wondered why we spend more effort trying to conceal our true emotions.  As a mother I have discovered that I tend to observe more and keep quiet.  Perhaps because of personal experiences.  Or perhaps and what I concluded was, that it is safer.  It is safer to be guarded and protect yourself emotionally.

Technically, as Wikipedia states, “the Game Face is an essential tactic in any competitive event. It describes any facial expression that conceals emotion.  Another common method is the “Poker Face.” This approach requires an absolute lack of facial expression. Often this technique is more difficult to master.”

Random blog I know, but I have been thinking about sports alot and learning a lot more about soccer and prepping for football season and my brain wandered over to the game face concept.  Anywho, we all have them, including our tweens.

What situations do you find yourself using game faces in?  Sports, Socially, or at work?