Middle School

As moms, we tend to cling desperately to those magical years when Santa is real and a stuffed elf does anything but sit on a shelf. But our children grow older and we are faced with the changing landscape of the holidays. Do we tell them the “truth,” or do we assume they know already? Do we cross our fingers and hope their peers don’t make fun of them for fervently believing? Or do we adopt the policy of my college roommate’s mom and double down – even into adulthood - saying “if you don’t believe, you won’t receive?” I’ve been hit hard with holiday fatigue. I’ve grown tired of the charade after 13 years of being the sole person...

Before I’ve even had a chance to brush my teeth, the day sometimes seems to already be heading downhill. Rushing around and nagging everyone to get out of bed, get dressed, brush teeth and hair, make beds, and pack the chrome book has already started us all off on the wrong foot. After I kiss all of my kids goodbye and send them off to school, mom guilt quickly sets in. I start to think about how much is expected of kids these days, and how they really are doing a wonderful job at keeping it all together, considering all that has been thrown at them this year. 2020 – Need I say more? Back in March, their little worlds were turned...

I think we can all agree that middle school is such a tough age. There's a lot going on with this age group mentally, physically, and emotionally. As a middle school teacher, I've had countless interactions with this age group and I thought I'd share some tips on how to help your child succeed, build confidence, and thrive during these transitional years from childhood to adolescence. Personal responsibility is key. As a 6th grade teacher, the biggest struggle I see with students in this age group is the acceptance of personal responsibility. In transitioning from elementary school to middle school, the stakes become much higher academically. Middle school is essentially a time to train these students how to be successful in...

The talk. I had so many questions. When is the right time? How do I bring it up? Do I use diagrams, books, charts? Which ones? How much detail is enough? For the past year, I have asked myself these questions over and over again, never giving myself any answers. On the day I noticed my 9 year old daughter had “blossomed," I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. Complete and utter dread is what I felt when planning how this talk would go down. So I took the easy (read: cowardly) way out and bought a book to do the explaining for me. Shameful, I know. If you are also coming up on this stage of parenting, allow...

School lunches! Whether you’re packing because you have to or because your picky eater just can’t handle school lunch, packing lunch can be a daunting task! How does one keep from packing PB&J every dang day?! We’ve got a little hack at my house! I’ve seen the awesome moms that have buckets of lunch approved items & the kids (or parents grab something from each basket for a well balanced meal. And it’s awesome, but our tiny cabinetry doesn’t allow for such a set up. BUT we have found keeping a list of each kids food preferences helps. Our lists are broken down into categories: veggies, fruit, grains, dairy, protein, sandwiches, snacks, & dips. Our kids eat a pretty good...