The Value of Routines

Up creeps the morning sun and the loud buzzer announces the start of the day.  It's 5:30 am.  

{Now What?!?}

Having a routine in your household can look very different for different families.  Regardless of how you plan your routine, creating and planning different kinds of activities that occur at the same time each day can be very helpful.

Intentionally planning the structure of your days to make them organized and predictable for you and your children can bring a sense of calm and order to life.  As a working mom, I am not responsible for planning activities for the bulk of the weekdays, but there are precious times with my son during the evening that are much better if I plan them.  There are also those busy mornings and full weekends that can be challenging without a plan.

When planning your routine, here are some things to consider:
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Ten Lessons of Motherhood

This restful weekend gave me more time than usual with Hubby and Mr. Cheeks.  Now that Mr. Cheeks is two, I barely have my feet underneath me once again.  As my own Monday Morning Quarterback, I realize the changes that occured (for the most part unknowingly) over the last few years.

1.  It is not always about you.  I never would have considered myself selfish until Mr. Cheeks arrived.  I very quickly realized the true meaning of giving and expecting nothing in return.

2.  My husband is the reason I became a mother, and his role in this whole thing is not to be taken lightly.

3.  I have more patience than I ever thought possible, and even with such a large supply, it disappears quickly.

4.  Watching another person grow up brings out the childish joys in everyone around them.

5.  Children don't come with an instruction manual, but as long as you do your best, the sun will come up tomorrow.

6.  Time is now more precious than gold.  Decisions about how time will be spent are not taken lightly on Addington.

7.  Both the laughter and the tears of your own child will make you come running.

8.  Motherhood is a bond between those who have experienced it, and although it can seem like a competition, most moms have your back.

9.  Repetition is the rhythm of motherhood.

10.  No matter how hard the labor, we'd all sign up to do it again.  And no husband can believe it.

The journey has just begun to a finish line I never hope to reach.

Ever wonder about your child's speech development?

This is a guest post from a wonderful friend who was my inspiration to begin my blog!  She also happens to be a fabulous speech teacher.  I asked Lisa to share some insight into what new moms can watch for as their children's language continues to develop.  I hope you enjoy this wonderfully informative post as much as I did!

Hey Y’all! I’m Lisa from Diary of a Newlywed and I am excited to be writing my first guest post for Katie. 

I work with Katie at the school house and we have become great friends.  Katie is a phenomenal teacher and the students and staff respect her in so many ways.

I am a Speech Language Pathologist in the middle school setting. You can call me an SLP or speech therapist.  I have experience in private therapy, inpatient/  outpatient rehab facilities, preschool aged children, elementary aged children and traumatic brain injured patients. I know I am crazy but I love the hospital environment. It feels like I am really helping someone out. I also love early development in children. If you ask my husband, he says whatever I am practicing at the moment is my favorite. That is why I chose this profession. There is so much to do within this field and that alleviates the chances of boredom.

Katie asked me to write about child development in regards to speech acquisition.  This is something I discuss a lot. When I am at a play date my oldest sister and my nephews, I laugh at how many mothers ask me to listen to their little Johnny’s speech and see if he is on target for his age. Unfortunately, many people (not all but a vast majority-including some of my co-workers) believe an SLP only works with articulation, lisps, and stutters. While we do work with those children/patients often, we also work with language development which targets pragmatics (social language), semantics (vocabulary), and syntax (word and sentence formations).  I could keep going but let’s face it, you want the quick and dirty.

Lists of age of acquisition for sounds in speech and common phonological processes are listed below: 

Sanders ( 1972) Norms for Speech Sound Mastery

(Concerns arise when the child passes the age of acquisition and cannot produce the sound

or has numerous errors making speech less than 50% understandable in conversation)

Age 3:  p, m, w, n, h

Age 4:  b, d, k, g, y (as in yes), f

Age 6:  t, l, r, ng

Age 7:  j (as in jump), ch, sh, th (unvoiced as in think)

Age 8:  er (as in feather, perfect)

              v, th (voiced as in the) s, z

            (zh is mastered later than 8)

Common Phonological Processes (Should not persist beyond age 5):

Final consonant deletion:                                             says “ba”  instead of “ball”

Syllable reduction:                                                           says “nana” instead of “banana”

Vowelization:                                                                    says “ca” instead of “car”,  “penso” instead of “pencil”

Gliding:                                                                           says “wed” instead of “red”, says “syide” instead of “slide”

Cluster Reduction:                                                           says “boom” instead of “broom”

Doubling:                                                                                             says “ho-ho” for “horse”, says “wa-wa” instead of “water”

Initial Consonant Deletion                                            says “all” instead of “ball”

Backing (not a common process):                             says “gog” instead of “dog”

Fronting:                                                                                              says “tat” instead of “cat”

Glottal Replacement:                                                     say “ba-tub” for “bathtub”

Another important rule is that of the Mean Length Utterance(MLU) of a language developing child.  It relates to the age of the child. If the child is one, they should be using one word to request something. When the child is two, they should be putting two words together to form an utterance. It may not be intelligible to all listeners but the words should be ones that are consistently used by the child that the parent can identify. A three year old should be using 3 word utterances. A four year old should be using four words and a five year old should be using five words in an utterance. As the age increases so should the complexity and length of utterances.   

I think that sums it up nicely for you as a quick little blurb! Please do not live by this because depending on the age of your child, location for therapy, IQ,  etc…other circumstances may apply when assessing, diagnosing, and /or treating a child. I hope to see you all soon over at my blog and I will of course come visit yours as well!

You Know You're a Rookie Mom When....

The garage door lowers to the ground and we enter the house after an eventful day.  Greeted by our faithful mutt, Mr. Cheeks and I begin the evening routine.  A half-eaten dinner and strewn toys adorn our first floor.  Ignoring the mess, we head upstairs for the bedtime rituals.  I'd already decided against a bath tonight - not sure if that makes me a negligent mommy, but I just didn't have the energy to say "boat" five hundred times this evening.  

And it begins.  The silly game of "you can't get me to that changing table - I'm the gingerbread man".  Luckily, our lovely home doesn't include a very large nursery and Mr. Cheeks is dead in the water within seconds.  However, he ends up on the changing table MAD.  Not really sure why - I guess because his ninja-esque moves failed him.  Regardless, the retaliation comes in the form of yanking on my dainty gold earing with all his might.  Ouch.  After releasing his Doberman-like grip, he goes for my hair, and I was frankly in disbelief.  No, not the first agressive behavior (hoping it pays off in a football scholarship), but it still suprises me. 

This is where you think to yourself, why don't you come with an instruction manual?  Now What?  I'm mad, you're mad, you hurt me, and something must be done.  I'll spare you the details, but it ended up with him crying himself to sleep.  

I just hate that after being away from the little guy all day during work, I have to use my precious few hours teaching him a lesson and hearing his wails echo through our walls.  Alone.  Hubby is at some Hampton Inn, where I'm sure they know him and his Hilton Honors Card by name.  I jump in a hot shower, hoping to wash the guilt away and telling myself I am doing the right thing.  Turning off the water, reaching for the towel, there are still tears being shed that I know I can't go in and wipe away.

I find the strength to see it through.  The house is quiet now, and Mr. Cheeks has found sleep.  My only comfort is that I know I did the right thing.  Even if the timing is unfortunate for me, discipline needs to happen.  No, it's not easy, but did anyone ever tell you it would be?  They may have handed you a pretty blanket or a slew of adorable Carter's outfits.  I don't ever remember anyone looking at me and saying, "Piece of Cake.  You got this.".  

Tomorrow, we will open the blinds before 7 am as we always do, and practice saying, "Hello World!"  We may even say hello to the trees, the cars, the lights - anything that catches that toddler eye.  We'll have a clean slate, and maybe even be closer to learning to have "gentle hands."  

As a new mom, has discipline been one of your biggest struggles?

Cooking With Kids

                         

Involving children in the kitchen can be a fantastic bonding experience for both the parent and the child.    I'll admit that it can be difficult for several reasons:

Cooking with children takes much longer.

Children are NOT clean in the kitchen.

Reaching in for a handful of raw eggs and sugar seems like a good idea to a toddler.

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Fresh Start: Parenting

Going back to the Schoolhouse after a restful winter break provides ample opportunity for the competitive parent in me to resurface.  Remembering that all children are different, and that raising them is not a competition, is so important (and sometimes difficult) for me.

Hopefully the moms you interact with are slightly more supportive than these two!

While I think it is wonderful to want the best for your child, worrying two much about how they look, act, behave, or dress in relation to other children can be an issue.  

Rethinking My Competitive Parenting Pitfalls

1.  I must remember that there is no such thing as the Daycare Fashion Runway, and the Gymboree Fashion Police aren't coming to Georgia this year.  Instead of obsessing about his outfit, I could organize his closet to make our daily routine smoother.

I am considering using "days of the week" tags, and selecting all of his outfits in advance.  Has anyone met with success this way?

2.  Worrying about whether or not Mr. Cheeks will start the wrestling ring in the toddler classroom today isn't going to keep it from happening.  He is a boy.  I should relax.

We did get several stuffed animals for him, though, and are practicing hugging and "gentle hands" regularly.  I am also in search of good discipline resources....

3.  Lastly, the Milestone Mess.  There are milestones for everything from walking to pooping, and moms LOVE to talk about them.  While it is incredibly important to monitor your child's growth and development, other children's milestones have no relation to Mr. Cheeks.

We are blessed to have a healthy little boy, and that is where my focus should be.  

Who knows what the future holds for this little guy!

The "In and Out Burger" hat is pretty flattering!

Book Review - The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven

One of my great passions in life is reading.  I believe everyone has a story, and am continually fascinated by the lives of others.  When I read the title, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, my interest was immediately piqued.  What do you mean came back from Heaven?  I thought that one thing was for sure; Heaven wasn't a place from which you could return.

Keri Jo Raz and the wonderful people at D.C. Jacobson & Associates were kind enough to send me a copy of the book, because I felt that it might be something that readers of my blog would be interested in.  I am so excited to share my impressions of the story of Kevin and Alex Malarkey, as each page was more astounding and more moving.

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven is the story of Alex Malarkey, a young boy who was the victim of a horrific car accident alongside his father, Kevin.  Although such an accident is every parent's worst nightmare, the account takes a very surprising turn.  Instead of being a story of grief and despair, Alex is a miracle with a Faith that would rival most adults (including that of his parents!).

Alex is a Crusader for the message of God, and has changed countless lives through his strength and his story.  With people worldwide saying prayers for Alex, he came out of a two-month coma, and slowly told of his journey to Heaven and back.

Come On, you say.  Nice story, but get real.  Even this was addressed within the book.  I truly appreciated how Alex's father Kevin admitted to struggling to understand what his son saw and experienced.  But read Alex's words, and see the pictures of his quest for survival, and you won't be questioning him for long.  


When I first opened my copy of The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, I anticipated feeling very sorry for Alex and his family.  When I turned the last page, I felt challenged to examine my own Faith and beliefs.  I felt thankful that Alex did return from Heaven to share some spiritual insights and inspire us.

See for yourself.  Meet Alex and Kevin.  Hear other's impressions of Alex's story.  This book embodies the Reason for the Season.