We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program as soon as I no longer feel . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Back to School: Meeting With Your Child’s Teacher]]> While I’m home bent over in pain, Tiff of Instructions Optional “Teacher of many, mom-to-be of two, & wife of one” is here giving you a small peek into her teaching life discussing parent-teacher conferences and more.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program as soon as I no longer feel like I am dying.

Thanks y’all

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As an elementary school teacher, I have experienced my fair share of humor and horror alike. Whether it’s children who tell me every intimate detail of their parents’ personal lives, or catching the local kindergarten Romeo behind the bleachers with his Juliet, my job has always provided me with both laughs and gasps of horror.  However, there have been some occasions when I neither wanted to laugh or felt amused in any way. Unfortunately, these situations are usually parent-related.  I’m not sure why it is, but parents are a lot harder to understand than children, even though you’d think it would be the other way around.

For example, consider the parents who insist upon parking in the spots reserved for wheelchair accessible vans, and then use profanity that would make a sailor blush when asked to move their vehicles…in front of their child. It has been my experience that children will almost always emulate behavior that they witness, yet these parents are the first ones to seek me out and demand to know where their child learned the F-word.

Perhaps the most important parent-teacher interaction comes when there is a conference. It is then when the teacher is able to discuss problems that a child is experiencing, along with any praise that is due. These meetings also enable teachers to form relationships with parents, which is integral to gaining a better understanding of students. I have found that students I perceive to be troubled are more easily understood and dealt with after these meetings, as I am better able to understand how to interact with them after meeting with their parents and speaking candidly about their child.

One such example is Audrey, a sweet-natured girl who was eager to please, but who was gradually falling behind in her studies and risked the possibility of having to repeat second grade. Her mother showed up for our meeting 15 minutes late, bleary-eyed and still wearing her makeup from the night before. My initial conclusion was that the mother was a partier and neglected her daughter’s studies; upon talking to her for a while, however, I discovered that she was a single mother who worked nights at a bar in addition to occasional day shifts at a local diner, in order to spend afternoons and evenings with her daughter.  However, because she had never been taught proper study skills by her own parents, she didn’t know how to help Audrey with her homework. After our meeting, in which Audrey’s mother and I outlined a basic study schedule and created a worksheet that would be signed every day, Audrey started showing marked improvement, and did not have to be held back.

When meeting with your child’s teacher, never be afraid to voice your concerns or contribute to the conversation in other ways. I had a student, Declan, who had been homeschooled for kindergarten and first grade due to his parents living in a school district known for its poor educational standards, prior to moving to my town.  When he first entered public school, he was shy and withdrawn, and his grades were not what I believed they could be. I requested a meeting with his parents, and his mother came to see me the next day. Rather than sitting quietly and listening to my prepared remarks, she came with a list of what she felt were her son’s shortcomings, along with ways that she had learned to counter them.  She also offered insight into her son’s educational experience that allowed me to develop a more tailored approach to him. Two years later, Declan is happy and well-adjusted, and doing very well with his classes.

While it is true that teachers are educated and trained in their field, no one knows your child better than you. There are many ways that we can draw a shy child out of their shell, or teach a challenged child how to learn effectively, but nothing can replace the intimate knowledge that you have. You are your child’s first and most important teacher, but when it is time for your child to go to school, encourage him or her, and make sure that you have clear, open lines of communication with your child’s teacher. This will not only set a good example for your child to follow, but it will make educating them a lot easier and enjoyable for everyone involved.

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When I got pregnant with my first child, I was like most first time mothers.  I read every book, article, and website I could so that I knew what I was getting myself into:  From the week-by-week development to going back to work after delivery.  Just about everything I read and . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Instant Mother/Child Bond by Tina]]>

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MY DAUGHTER. Ok. So I love the little bugger to pieces. Because she’s cute as a button, as people say. But…is a button really that fucking cute? I never looked at a pair of jeans and was all, “Shit! I’ma buy these bitches because they have the cutest buttons in the . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: What is deafening, damaging, and makes me want to kill myself?]]>

MY DAUGHTER. Ok. So I love the little bugger to pieces. Because she’s cute as a button, as people say. But…is a button really that fucking cute? I never looked at a pair of jeans and was all, “Shit! I’ma buy these bitches because they have the cutest buttons in the history of ever!”

In reality, buttons are pains in the asses. They fall off, get stuck, you’re too drunk to be able to successfully maneuver it into its hole, yeah. I don’t think they’re cute. It’s a fucking button for God’s sake.

Now, here we have my button. She’s got a cheesy grin, likes to play Peek-a-boo, tries to bite electrical cords and if she thinks I’m not watching, she’s going for the litter box for sure. She knows the word, “NO.” But she thinks I’m kidding. Like, she’ll stop and look at me with a “Bitch, you don’t really think you have the authority to talk to me like this, do you?” look on her face. And the minute my eyes are not giving her the mommy stare, she’s all, “That’s what I thought.” And thinks that gives her the right to keep at it.

This is where I pretend to get up and “NO” her even louder. This results in frustrating fake crying complete with the worst thing in the word:

THE SQUEAL.

Kid’s got it down pat. She knows I can’t take it because it is so loud and deafening and scary because I am convinced that the neighbors are going to report me for child abuse because this kid screams like I’m trying to cook her in the oven like the chicken she is. (Yes, Chicken is my nickname for her.) This makes me scramble to make her stop and I swear I would give her a year’s supply of Pixie Stix if that’s what it would take for her not to try to alert the authorities. Because guaranfuckingteed, the minute they walk in is when she gets all shy and acts like the perfect little angel-baby with long eyelashes and an innocent smile that could launch a thousand ships and they’re all, “HOW COULD YOU ABUSE THAT POOR CHILD!” And then they take her and give her to her tranny daddy and she really screws up her life at less than a year old.

Case in point: my mother. She swears that every time she has her, she is as perfect as perfect does. I’m all, “ARE YOU SERIOUS? She doesn’t yell at you and boss you around and try to smack you across your face and throw food at you?” And she says “Nope. She’s as good as gold.”

Whatthefuckever. I run in circles for her on a daily basis. She’s already got me wrapped around her little finger. She knows what buttons to push and exactly how to get what she wants with me. She fools the rest of the crowd and behind closed doors the little devil inside her oozes out of every pore.

Example: I took her to the toy store today to try and let her pick stuff out for her first birthday. You know what she did to everything, including anything Mickey Mouse Clubhouse *which she normally WORSHIPS?* Smacked at it and whined and cried. And I’m pretty sure I heard, “Giiiiiiirl, you think you can come at me with these cheap toys? You know I’m better than this. We’ll talk when you take me into Tiffany & Co. and lavish me in diamonds and platinum.”

*sigh*

You know what though? As much as the kid yells at me, abuses me, and successfully attempts to make me her bitch, I will tell you the reason this is happening right now:

She is a complete replica of me. And hissy fits, tantrums, and the dreaded SQUEAL aside…I wouldn’t trade this button for anything in the world.

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November 14, 2008, It started like any other day:

It was the day after my due date, and I finally decided to stop waiting on the edge of my seat. I was going to get out with my mother-in-law (who had flown in on my due date to stay a week) . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Giving Birth by Angie]]>

About Angie:

Angie is a writer and crafster at heart. She started her blog, Twenty Something, last May to share with the world her steady trek through motherhood and all of the obstacles we face as new moms. This past November she opened her Etsy store, CUTEureCreations, selling children’s accessories. She specializes in crochet-wear for children including crochet hats and booties, and girls hair clips.

She is also the wife to an amazing husband getting a late start in his career after serving in the military for 6 years. The past couple of years have been full of struggles and sacrifices while “waiting for their lives to start”, but they’ve also been full of amazing adventures, including a cross country trek with a beat up old Mazda, 2 cats, and 1 pregnant lady.

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When I was a kid I was a bit of a hypochondriac (well ok so I still am). Whenever I heard of a new illness or ailment of course I thought I had it!  I remember lying in bed praying asking God to please let me live long enough to fall . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Our Story by Jenn]]>

When I was a kid I was a bit of a hypochondriac (well ok so I still am). Whenever I heard of a new illness or ailment of course I thought I had it!  I remember lying in bed praying asking God to please let me live long enough to fall in love.  I wanted to know what they were talking about in all those love songs I would play over and over again on cassette tapes lol.  Time passed and I dated a few people in high school but I know I was never truly in love, so I kept praying every night that God would send me someone who understood me (I am a pretty complicated girl!)  When I was a senior in College I went to a party and there was a freshman football player working the keg (I know glamorous right!) I went over to fill my cup and we started talking.  He was so easy to talk to and he had the cutest smile I had ever seen!  I spent the whole night standing by the keg talking to him.  He came over my place and we watched a movie and talked until we fell asleep. The next day we stayed in bed all morning just talking. I remember he skipped all of his classes that day.  From those first moments things were just different with him.  It had never been so easy to be with someone.  I remember when he would hug me with his big football player arms a felt so tiny and safe. He had a way of making me feel like I was the only person in the world in crowd full of people. You know how people say they just know, well I just knew he was the one, and that we would grow old and gray together with a houseful of kids and grandkids. I got a job teaching near the college while Aaron finished school.  He proposed to me the summer before his senior year.  We were married the fall after he graduated. God had answered my prayers, I had found true love.

Now onto the babies!  I remember thanking God for letting me find love.  It was the most amazing thing I had experienced in my young life.  We both wanted kids and lots of them.  I always said at least three and Aaron was convinced five was a good number.  The exact number didn’t matter, we thought life would just happen and that detail would play itself out.  I remember not really trying but not using anything to stop a baby from coming either.  I began to worry because 6 months had passed and nothing had happened.  We then began to “try” to have a baby.  Another 6 months went by and still nothing.  I remember sitting in church praying that God would give me a baby.  I remember thinking you let me find my soul mate, now please let us have a baby together.  Another four months passed, it had been over a year now. I was late so I got a test.  I had taken at least a dozen in the past year and they were always negative to I thought nothing of it.  I remember sitting in the bathroom looking at the stick as it read PREGNANT!!!  I was full of joyous emotions, laughing and crying all at the same time.  I pulled myself together and ran down stairs to tell Aaron.  He was like a little boy filled with excitement and hugged me so tight.

Our first baby was a beautiful little boy.  We named him Henry.  We could not have been more proud of our little man.  It was so hard to get pregnant with Henry that we figured with breastfeeding we really didn’t need to use protection.  Well we were wrong!  When Henry was just five months old I was pregnant again.  We were nervous having them so close in age but were overjoyed that we were able to have yet another baby.  Little Sophie came fourteen months to the day of Henry’s birth.  We were a happy little family we had a boy and now a girl! Aaron had a good job that allowed me to stay home with the kids and I was loving my time with them.

Sophie was eight months old when Aaron lost his job due to downsizing. It took him a little over a year to find a comparable job. It was a very scary time, it was a very trying time, and it was one of the best times because Aaron got to spend a year at home with his kids at such a precious stage in their lives.  He got to experience a lot of firsts.  Had the stress of money and fear of not making it day to day not been present it would have been pure joy.  We definitely had some of the happiest moments during that year, but the stress especially on Aaron played a toll.  They say money does not buy happiness, and I believe this, but I also think the lack of it can make you pretty stressed and unhappy.  I started Bowinhairos during this time to bring in extra money. During those first few months that I opened my Etsy shop I would check my site every half hour to see if I had sold anything. Every sale counted, it was diaper money! It turned out to be something I was extremely passionate about.  I think it was an endeavor I was meant to take on.  It’s funny how God works that way.

Aaron now has a good job at a local college. It is a very low stress job in comparison to the one he lost.  He comes home happier than before.  Like I said, funny how God works that way. He has good benefits and things are slowly getting back to normal. Henry is now three and Sophie is two.  I am a little sad that if we have another baby there will be a few years span between them. Looking at Henry and Sophie today, I don’t know what they would do without each other.  They are truly each others best friend.  They wake up in the morning and call out the other ones name to start their day of toddler adventures. I know that Sophie was meant to be born exactly when she was.  We would have never tried to have a baby while Aaron was unemployed and Henry would be lost in this world without her. Again, it’s funny how God works that way. Although our life is not playing out exactly how we imagined it, we do not forget for a moment that we are blessed.  We are blessed to have found each other in the world.  Aaron is, and will always be my best everything.  We are blessed to have these two amazing healthy little people that we created.  I look at them every day in complete amazement.  Our family’s journey has just begun.  Now the only question is who is yet to join us.  We now are ready to start trying for number three.  If it happens we know that it was meant to be.  If not we also know that everything happens for a reason.  Sometimes it’s okay if things don’t go exactly as planned.  Sometimes the long road leads to the best destination.

About Jenn:

Jenn is one of five children who loves the idea of a large family. She is a former elementary school teacher who now stays at home with her two children ages two and three.  She loves creating different and unique hair accessories for her Etsy shop.  She and her husband  love spending time outdoors with their kids.  They love campfires, grilling and just enjoying the fresh air.  She believes in living in the now and enjoying today because life has a funny way of passing us by while we are busy making plans for the future! You can follow Jenn on Twitter by clicking here.

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I was twenty-eight years old, teaching high school, and still in grad school when I found out I was pregnant.

It was a Monday night.  I remember because my husband was gone playing cards.  I was home working on homework.  I was finding it hard to focus because . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: Losing by Katie Sluiter]]>

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For Keith Bryan when he was 8 years old

Santa Claus I am sick

and I just wanted to say,

that if I could have my pick

I’d feel better on Christmas day.

. . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: One Sick Boy for Christmas: A Poem by Lauri Halterman]]>

For Keith Bryan when he was 8 years old

Santa Claus I am sick

and I just wanted to say,

that if I could have my pick

I’d feel better on Christmas day.

It’s hard to play with toys

when I’m feeling so bad.

I can’t even play with the boys

and that makes me very sad.

My body aches with fever

and I’m sick of throwing up.

I think I’ll be sick forever.

Yep, I’m one sick pup.

I’m too sick to pick on Mommy

like I usually tend to do.

I don’t feel like watching Toonami,

or my other cartoons too.

I can’t keep any food down;

7-Up is all I can drink.

Being sick sure makes me frown

and it makes it hard to think.

So again I say dear Santa Clause,

make me better for my present.

I only ask for this because,

I’d like Christmas to be pleasant.

About Lauri:

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Last year, on January 31st, My Sweet Harper was admitted to the hospital with RSV. She was so tiny, only 5 precious weeks old. RSV is a nasty virus that causes high temps, and severe cold symptoms; with her being so young it made her breathing very labored, and her oxygen . . . → Click Here To Read The Full Blog Post: MY Sweet Harper by Tracy C.]]>

Last year, on January 31st, My Sweet Harper was admitted to the hospital with RSV. She was so tiny, only 5 precious weeks old. RSV is a nasty virus that causes high temps, and severe cold symptoms; with her being so young it made her breathing very labored, and her oxygen levels were low. I took her to Children’s in St. Paul, MN. We were admitted and told that we had probably come through the worst of it, but they’d keep her overnight just to be cautious…we ended up staying for 5 days.

Harper got worse the first night in the hospital, and it was the worst night of my life. It was difficult to feel so helpless as a parent, and protective, and emotional, and alone (my husband was home with our son), I could go on and on. If I close my eyes, I am right back there again.

Harper steadily improved and we were released from the hospital with a still coughing and stuffy daughter. Unfortunately, we returned to the Children’s ER 5 times from February to June for breathing issues. Basically, kids who get RSV so young suffer from asthma (although it’s called RAD [reactive airway disorder] since asthma isn’t diagnosed until age 2). Some grow out of it, and some don’t. We’re hoping Harper will!

I have two reasons for writing today. One, I needed to recognize this day in some form, and two, I wanted to share some advice. I now have a small taste of how life is with a child that has a chronic condition. My son was always “healthy as a horse” as they say, and I really took it for granted. So here comes the advice part:

• Never take your child’s health for granted, good health is a blessing
• If you know someone who has a child with a chronic condition, offer support in any way you can. It’s very stressful. Medications, sleepless nights, doctor visits, doctor bills, etc. It can wear you out!
• Offer support to parents with a hospitalized child-Living in a hospital room is not easy. My husband and I took turns, but also because I was nursing-it was mostly me. We were just not comfortable leaving her alone at all. So if you can offer to bring clothes/toiletries for the parent or child, or a care package with snacks so they can avoid the cafeteria and vending machines.
• Offer to care for their other child(ren)… besides seeing my daughter so sick, it was heart breaking to be away from my son Jack. To know that he was getting extra TLC from family and our daycare provider made me a little more at ease.
  

One year later, Harper still gets nebs with even the slightest cold, but she’s grown so strong! We had several doctors tell us that she would still be very sensitive to having respiratory issues for the next 12-18 months, which was true with how many times we were in the ER after her hospitalization. So, we decided it was a good time for me to stay home with our kids to help keep her as healthy as possible. Sometimes, life’s biggest decisions are made for us, we just had to go with it.

Well, staying at home has also led me to some new endeavors, so this is how our life will stay for a while at least-one lucky mama!

(photo by JR Photography, from Harper’s 1 year pictures)

About Tracy:

Tracy spends her days being a mommy to Jack (3) and Harper (1), and creating new products for her Etsy shop, Sweet Harper.  Her venture as a “stay at home” mom was spurred by her daughter’s hospitalization and subsequent health issues.  Tracy enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, drinking coffee, and anything sweet! Tracy can be found on Twitter at @sweetharper or you can see more, including her blog, at www.sweetharper.com.

About Tales From The Crib:

Thought up by Dawana, author of A Bittersweet Existence, as a way to share stories from a variety of Moms in one place regarding the trials and tribulations. A Stay-At-Home Mom herself who often thinks she is losing her mind, Dawana has found a great deal of comfort in the stories from other Moms and wanted to share them all in one place. If you’d like to submit a story, please feel free to email Dawana by clicking here.

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