Mommy Time

I didn’t get flowers or jewelry for Mother’s Day. My husband knows me better. He got me a card, and SimPoints for the Sims 3 store so I could buy the new Sun, Surf, & Sand set. My hubby loves me. :-) My son made me a card at school, and with classroom points bought me a green tea masque.

I love being a mom. It gives me purpose. Even if I accomplish nothing else with my life, I know I’m raising a good boy. I’m making a difference in his life. I may not be a perfect parent (if there is such a thing), but his eyes light up when he sees me. His hugs are the best part in a day. It’s been amazing seeing him learn and grow so much this past year.

Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m good enough for him. But then he looks at me with such unconditional love and I know I wouldn’t want anyone else to take my place.

This summer I want to make sure he gets my time, as well as making time for myself. To that goal, I’ve created three sheets. Links included if you want to see or use variants for yourself.

1. A chart with the weekly routine: chores listed for both of us, reading, bath days, and blank spots for learning and play. I’m making magnets with different activities for both learning and play, so we don’t get stuck doing the same thing every day. This will also give him choice, so he can create part of his own schedule for the week.

2. A daily schedule. B already helped me decide when during the day he wants to do things. We included meal times and bed routines (which will change in summer, moving his bedtime from 8pm to 9pm), mommy/son times, and separate down time (for me to recharge/write/nap/whatever, while he watches a movie or something).

3. A reward chart. (Created using DLTK’s custom charts.) Rather than a straight allowance, we’re going to reward B for what he accomplishes during the week. He can earn 25 cents for each complete five in a week (reading, learning, and chores) for a possible total of 75 cents. For example: If he misses a day reading, he can still get rewarded for doing all his chores. Now we just need to buy stickers.

I’m also going to look into swimming lessons if B is interested. That is our survival plan. Much more organized than Spring Break. I don’t think B will have a problem with a schedule. He already has certain routines at certain times, which he doesn’t vary from (won’t even accept snack before 7pm) since he learned to read a clock. If it goes well, we’ll create new schedules next school year.

*first pic is B at three months old. second pic was taken this last March

A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms following my blog.