How to Teach your Kid to Tie Their Shoes

FYI – this post contains affiliate links.

I admit that I have yet to figure out how to teach a kid to tie their shoes. My ex-husband was the one I let have that job. Even today, while my sons have been taught to tie their own shoelaces, they simply have zero interest in doing it.

It’s frustrating to have boys who are like, “no thanks” when it comes to tieing their shoelaces. I get it. It’s such hard work and it’s especially difficult for my middle who is on the autism spectrum, his fine motor skills aren’t that great.

As my sons got older, the velcro shoe options were a removed point. The larger your kid gets, the less chance of finding a velcro style shoe for them. Today I figured I’d share some tips on how to teach your kid to tie their shoes and an option to avoid shoe tying altogether.

How to Teach Your Kid to Tie Their Shoes

Just a few little tips on how to get your kids to tie their own shoes and a hack to get around this whole shoelace tying deal. #parenting #parents #momlife #parentinfluenceClick To Tweet

Bunny Ears

There is this bunny ears, loop swoop and something trick that I recall from my childhood. I have no idea how it works and it seems too confusing for this Mama but hey, click here and you’ll see a video on loop, swoop and pull with bunny ear shoelaces.

Loopy Loop

I personally just like to show the kids how to tie their shoes in a logical fashion. Here is your shoelace, look you make a loop, you swing this lace through and that lace through. Done. Maybe this is why I opted to go with the below option when it comes to teaching kids how to tie their shoes?!

Just Buy Hickies

Let’s get straight to the point, I much prefer removing shoelaces from our life. You see, I am all set on continuously showing my sons how to tie their shoes. Their Dad taught them and they simply have no interest or they forget. I have no idea what the deal is, but these options for shoelace-less shoes? Hickies Inc. Make me happy.

About Hickies

Never tie your sneakers again

Snug, secure fit for an active lifestyle.

Made from a Memory-fit elastomer that reacts to the movement of your foot

Customize your kids’ shoes with Hickies Inc. lacing system. Unlike laces they stretch to slip your feet in so you can trot off in a hurry.

Stop tying sneakers forever. Replace the lace with HICKIES lacing system and slip on your shoes without the need of having to teach kids to tie their shoes.

Never waste another moment tying, fusing, or fumbling over your instructions to teach your kids to tie their shoes. Switching to HICKIES lacing system you will never bother tying your shoes again.

Switching my Teenager from Public School to Online Charter School

I think it was around November 2017 when my teenager had finally had enough. The public school was creating such issues and no matter what we tried, the situation just got worse. My past high and regular honor roll student was now at risk of failing and in some cases, actually failing courses. I was so confused as to what to do.

Obviously, we had some counseling, we had some evaluations with health and yes, my teenager has some health issues. Whether my teenager had health issues or not, I knew that public school just wasn’t working for her. I don’t think it went much deeper than that. Public school was no longer working for her. Here was a teenager who wanted to advance, had advanced academic goals, and she was hitting a roadblock anytime she tried to advance. I can imagine that would make you shut down, especially as a teenager.

Going Public School to Online Charter School

Finally, I had a conversation with my teen’s father, we had been trying to figure out what to do. Obviously, neither of us wanted her to fail school. As a test we allowed our teen to take 1 or 2 online courses with VLACS, this is a completely free online charter school for NH residents but outsiders are able to attend VLACS {Virtual Learning Academy Charter School} for a tuition fee {Don’t quote me on that, but I think that’s how it works}.

We are obviously residents of NH so VLACS was our option and my teenager decided to try a couple of courses. The deal was I wanted to see how well she did with self-motivation, taking charge of her classwork and submitting work in an online environment. I took three years of college online, so I knew how it worked but I had no idea how a charter school online would work.

Finally, we were able to pull my teen right out of high school, we had pretty much had enough. Life for my teenager was spiraling downward and I refuse to let my kids spiral downward when they are other, more open-minded, positive options. Her father and I agreed to pull her from public school and place her into online charter school. It took nearly 2-3 months before we finally had all of the data ready to put her in enrollment for full-time VLACS.

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They do not mess around with this online charter school, while my teenager is getting all A’s now and is taking courses like Latin, World Religions, Algebra 2, etc etc; she has a strict routine and schedule to follow with VLACS, this online charter school keeps a close eye on their students.

Here are the basics with how we started the process to switch to online charter school:

Received permission from the public school to have teen take a couple of courses with the online charter school.
Realized that the teenager wasn’t doing so well in public school, literally spending hours in the hall or art room not actually attending classes.
Admitted/accepted that there an issue and public school there was no longer working for my teenager, finally talked to her Dad, switched to “homeschool status”.
VLACS aka an online charter school, at least here in NH, wouldn’t take my teenager in as full time right away, she had to earn that position.
Within a few months of figuring out how I had to get her enrolled and ready for full-time online charter school – we had our advisory meeting.
My teenager blew the advisor/account lady for online charter school out of the water, needless to say, they were impressed.
My teenager was accepted as a full-time online charter student in March 2018 and even has her own high school charter student ID for VLACS.

The process wasn’t easy and even today I have many phone calls per week and I have to log into my VLACS parent portal to keep track of grades and data. So far though, my teenager is the firstborn of three kids and has a really great head on her shoulders. A leader by nature with her own academic goals in mind that she doesn’t need a huge shove to handle her online charter school classes.

I am proud of my teenager and this whole situation proved that sometimes you have to make a change in order for your teenager to grow to their full potential.

If you’re thinking about homeschooling your teenager or having them attend online charter school, here are my top 3 tips for you:

Do not ask the public school for full info on “how to do the switch”, contact your state’s Dept of Education or do your own local research on how to.
Make sure to test your child and evaluate if they’ll be able to handle the work commitment of an online school, it’s hard!
Be confident in your child’s ability to attend their online charter school on time and use your parental logins to review their status on a regular basis.

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Be confident in your decision! Homeschool or attending an online charter school is becoming more popular and accepted but some people in the world will still say that it’s not how schooling should be. My teenager may choose to graduate a year early because she CAN using the online charter school. My teen is taking ADVANCED courses in areas that SHE LOVES because of her online charter school. Attending the type of school that makes you feel supported, encouraged and appreciated can be the difference between a depressed teenager and a confident teenager.

Do what is best for your teenager, always.

The journey of switching from public school to online charter school

Improve your Studies or Learn New Skills Through Online Learning Apps

These days, people carry their smartphone everywhere with them. Many people will tell you that they cannot do without a smartphone. When they do not have their smartphone with them, they feel totally lost. Our smartphone has become a part of us and without it, we feel as if something important is missing and we are incomplete without it.

Our smartphone has become a very useful item to us. We stay in contact with family members, friends, colleagues, and people we know. Of course, there are times when people whom we do not know call to promote better deals or trying to sell something to us. We can use our phone as an alarm clock, we set reminders to remind us of important appointments or things we need to do, etc. We also use our phone to take snapshots at any time and anywhere to capture sweet memories.

Besides all these little things we can do with our smartphone, we can also download other additional apps onto our phone. Some apps are free for download but some are not free and users will have to pay to download them. I am sure many enjoy playing games on their smartphones. There are all kinds of games that users can download from Google Play store. Thanks to Google Play, we have a wide selection of apps to download and use, depending on requirement.

Improve your studies or learn new skills through online learning apps

Do you know that we can also download through Google Play tutoring app to help you or your children with their studies? You can choose from any of the free download tutoring apps made available on Google Play. You can try out the app using the trial period before committing to a subscription. Choose the app to meet yours or your kid’s needs, according to their age or year in school. These free learning apps are useful in helping and guiding your kid’s in their studies and improve their performance, especially in the weak subjects.

Improve your studies or learn new skills through online learning apps

One of the popular apps is The Great Courses Plus. Subscribers will have access to over 8,000 educational videos taught by experts, professors, and instructors from all over the world for streaming online. Subscribers can choose and learn subjects such as science, history, or maths, etc. The learning maths online app itself has 20 over maths courses, 500 over extraordinary lectures.

Besides school subjects, there are also other interesting courses including travel, philosophy and religion, health, hobby, cooking, and even photography to help you brush up on your skills in a specific field.

It’s April Vacation Here and This is How I’m Balancing

How does a work at home mom who has many hats survive April vacation week? Ask me in about four days.

No, seriously though, this isn’t my first school break week trying to figure out how to juggle the trio while working the multiple tasks I do from home. If you’re a work at home parent like me who needs to keep that work flowing even during school break, here are some ways I have learned to juggle the parent vs work at home life when school is out.

Tips to Juggle School Break and Work at Home

Remain Calm

The first tip I can give any parent who’s trying to get their client work done or blog writing completed with kids running around in the background is to remain calm. One day your kids will be grown up, out of the house and living their own life. Do not take one moment for granted and don’t let the busyness of work keep you from enjoying this happy chaos. Breath before speaking if you’re trying to get work done and the kids are simply loud as loud can be. At this moment, once you’ve remained calm, you may speak up in a kind voice to let the kids know they can be loud in a little while but you have work to do so could they either go outside or just be a bit quieter for a bit longer.

Set Expectations

I totally bombed it this April vacation and didn’t do what I usually do in the summer break season – set up a poster board with a timeline of the day. I usually set expectations for my younger two kids because one is on the autism spectrum so he does well with a visual list of times for his day to day tasks. Since I didn’t prepare, I am winging it but with expectations verbally told. I let the kids know if they give me the morning to do my work that in the late afternoon they will have me to interact with and enjoy life. Let your kids know that you expect them to have certain boundaries respected while you’re getting work done and express those in a calm, respectful manner.

Enjoy Little Moments

The trio and I have a really great relationship, while things were rocky for a bit due to a situation here, the bond is growing back like it was before all of that bad stuff happened. Currently, the trio and I are back to having a mutual respect and trust for each other. The trio knows that when I say this will happen, it will happen which wasn’t the case for the past couple of years. I remind myself to take a break come afternoon to go for a walk, sit and interact with the trio as they enjoy a YouTube video, show or game of their own. I listen to them and laugh with them. These little moments actually make it easier for me to work around their vacation days.

Be Realistic

Lastly, I have learned to be realistic with what I can accomplish during April vacation or even summer break. I have learned where my limits are, what hours of the day are best for me to get work done without the youngest needing some Mama attention and so forth. When I start setting realistic expectations my stress levels reduce and I’m able to successfully juggle both work and parenthood. The only way I could start being realistic was to stop thinking that I had to do it all and do it all in the same day. I learned that I have limits and need limits to remain happy and healthy.

Juggling your kids during any school vacation while working at home isn’t easy. As your kids get older, the juggling may be easier but not always. My kids are age 9 and up yet still that little man needs his Mama’s attention sometimes more than he did when he was a toddler. Remember that while you’re busy making a successful business online, your kids are growing up. Be certain that you maintain a proper balance between parenthood and work so that your kids don’t grow up feeling as if you put making money before them. There will always be time to make money, especially when you work from home but this moment with your kiddos won’t be around forever.

Cheers to your success and ability to remain calm, set expectations while being realistic and enjoying those little moments of childhood while they last.

What are some tips when listing references on your resume in 2018?

There is really just one tip when it comes to listing references on your resume—don’t do it. Nor should you put references in your cover letter. This has been true for many years and remains so in 2018. Unfortunately, you may have heard otherwise from a friend who said something like, “My cousin did it and got the job,” or “The recruiting firms near me say to do it.”

Listing your references on your resume makes you appear amateurish and unprofessional. Here’s what you can do instead, according to accounting recruiters.

What are some tips when listing references on your resume in 2018

Supply references only when asked

You may think a middle ground is to list, “References upon request” at the end of your resume or cover letter. Don’t do that either. The assumption is that you will be happy and able to supply references if asked to do so. Instead, use the limited space on your resume to list your credentials, using numbers and other provable data when possible to back up your accomplishments.

Use the separate space on the job application

Many jobs ask you to fill out an application in addition to sending a cover letter and resume. These applications tend to have a space for references, so fill out the information requested only on the application.

Organize references neatly

If the job posting asks for something like, “Submit resume, cover letter and references,” then start your reference list on a separate page from the other two documents. It is best to include multiple avenues of contact rather than just one. That means instead of simply listing a phone number for each reference, also list an email address and mailing address. Also list the reference’s job title and company.

Last but not least, ensure that each reference has given you permission to be used. It can be helpful when you contact the references to remind them of your accomplishments.

For more help with job hunting, get in touch with staffing firm Beacon Resources.

Why Is My Dog Behaving Aggressively?

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If you have your own dog and have noticed a sudden change in their behaviour that’s rather aggressive, like baring their teeth and lunging forwards, then it can be very difficult to know how to manage it. You wouldn’t want to do nothing, as the problem will get worse until you can’t take your dog out in public without a nozzle, and that’s never something an owner wants to do.

The best way to go about dealing with your aggressive dog, is finding out where it’s all coming from. While your dog isn’t necessarily able to tell you the root of their problem, they will definitely be able to give you clues in terms of the signs that can be picked up. The sooner you know, the sooner you can help them.

It’s important to remember that a dog isn’t aggressive because they want to be, or because they’ve just woken up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak. It’s because they are dealing with something that is causing them to act out and be on edge all the time. So whatever you do, don’t get angry and lash out just because your dog might be – it’ll only end in tears.

Here is a list of the most common causes of aggression in dogs.

Fear

If your dog feels as though he is in danger of being attacked or hurt, they will either run away, or defend themselves, resulting in them turning aggressive. This happens when they are backed into a corner and can’t turn or escape what they feel in danger. Even slight things like raising your hand to a dog – regardless of what your, or someone else’s intentions were – they will go for it in fear that they were about to be hit. Most dogs will only ever behave this way when they have good reason to, even more so when they’re in new company and don’t know the person or animal enough to trust them yet. If your dog’s behaviour has always been this way, then you are right to question his living circumstances when he was a baby before he came to you. In that case, you will need to work very closely and carefully with your dog to teach them that they’re safe now with you, and you don’t pose a threat to them.

Illness

Illnesses can be the cause of your dog acting out, because they may be in a lot of pain, and pain makes anyone feel cranky. They may have some serious problems like a brain tumour, rabies, and thyroid disease. Or it may be something that can be treated very quickly as long as you catch it early, like fleas. They are irritating, and no matter how much your dog scratches, the pain will only get worse. It’s essentially unescapable until you get the right treatment, so have a look at websites for more info on what kind of medication your dog will need. If left untreated, your dog will end up hurting himself more than the fleas by tearing out their own fur and scratching away at their skin until it bleeds. So save them from this torture and get them sorted out.

Possession

This can happen when your dog gets possessive over something. This could be their toy, their food, their bed, the garden, the sofa, or anything else that they have claimed. It doesn’t need to be something they own – it’s just their idea of what they think is theirs. This can happen at any time throughout their life, so it’s your job to put them back in their place, as you are the owner, and they are the pet. They may show you signs of their aggression by growling and baring their teeth when you or someone else gets close to a particular item. You might go to give your dog a stroke while they are chewing on their toy, and then get bitten. It’s important not to show your dog fear, because this will only feed into what they already think they’re doing is correct. You need to nip this kind of behaviour in the bud as soon as you notice things like this.

Dominance

Sometimes dogs get aggressive because they are trying to establish some dominance whether that be towards other dogs which is most common, but sometimes even towards humans. They try and do all they can to show that they’re in charge by being aggressive and scary looking. If they feel as though their dominance is being challenged, they will growl, bite, and spit to put any other challengers in their place. If your dog is doing this when you try to move them off the sofa or keep them from tugging on their lead, make sure that you know how to handle them. You should never fight aggression with aggression, but you should show them that you’re the boss by making a sudden loud noise and never breaking eye contact until they do first.

Frustration

When your dog is turning aggressive because they are frustrated, there is a known name for this, being barrier frustration, or redirected aggression. This essentially means that they are feeling this way because they aren’t able to do something that they want to, which leads them to take out their frustration in an aggressive way. Just think of it as how we sometimes get angry when driving because someone cuts you up, resulting in your honking your horn and saying curse words. A good example for why dogs get like this is when they are tied up for long hours on end in the garden, and they try and try to get to the other side so they can greet the dog next door. Because they are unable to, they will strain themselves and be very vocal by barking and growling because there’s nothing else that they feel they can do. Then when you go out to let them back inside or to see to them, they may go and bite you because they have all the pent-up anger inside themselves.

5 Life Hacks for Your Tiny Kitchen

Do you have a small kitchen? No problem! Finding space to utilize in a tiny kitchen can be pretty difficult to achieve but it isn’t as hard as it may seem. Here are 5 life hacks for your tiny kitchen.

5 Life Hacks for Your Tiny Kitchen

Use fridge space to your advantage

When there’s so little space to utilize, sometimes the thing you don’t think to use for extra room is your fridge. With some simple magnets and desk organizers or containers, you can make all kinds of custom hangers to attach to your fridge. These can hold spices, cook books, recipe pages, and tons more. If you’re crafty, there are even more possibilities for DIY magnet holders in your kitchen.

DIYs are lifesavers

You have all kinds of materials in your home or at the local dollar store that can be used to your advantage in this situation. Whether putting up shelves, making organizers from desk items, using different containers for spices or foods, or some of the many other options; you can get a lot of extra space in the kitchen. Some people get even craftier and customize drawers to have cutting boards inside of them or a trash bin.

Be organized

Organization can make a bigger difference than you may think. A cluttered kitchen gets hard to find things and even worse, there’s less room! Always be sure to keep your cabinets, spices, recipes, and even your fridge/freezer nice and organized. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just making sure you think of conserving space when doing things or putting items away can make a difference in organization too.

Cabinets can be very versatile

Little do you know, the cabinets in your kitchen have far more uses than the common eye may assume. The inside of your cabinet doors can have white boards, chalk boards, small magazine organizers, or hanging places for your cooking utensils. It all depends on what you need most. Not only are the insides useful in cabinets. The ends of cabinets can be helpful for you as well. Shelving or hanging space is best there. There can be utensils, spice racks, or pot hangers on the ends of cabinets.

Sometimes less is more

Although most people tend to collect many items in the kitchen-usually including doubles of the same size pans/pots or the same cooking utensils-having all those extra items sometimes isn’t helpful one bit. The occasional extra of the same spatula or pot size that you tend to use more frequently can be useful. However, try to limit having too many items in your kitchen.

There you have it, 5 tips and life hacks that are going to save you a lot of time, money, and stress in your small kitchen. Good luck along your way!

Helping Your Kids Without Doing The Work for Them

You want your child to get through school as smoothly as possible, and while you cannot sit by them every step of the way and find all the answers for them, you can help them find solutions for increasing their knowledge and understanding. They might be reluctant now, but when graduation and later college come around, they will thank you.

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As your child goes through school, there will be times where they sit over their workbooks or homework at the dinner table or in their room looking stumped. During this, you want to give them a hand and help them as much as possible. However, you might be reluctant to help too much as you don’t want to end up doing the work for them.

Because kids won’t learn anything that way. They need to do the work themselves if they want to understand the assignments properly and be able to complete similar exercises and essays in the classroom, where you will be absent.

Helping your kids with their school work, but not completing it for them, will help with their critical thinking skills as well as independence. It will set them up for further problem-solving experiences later in life, and allow them to approach anything with the confidence that they can do it. Showing them which way to go, but not leading the way, will help enormously as they navigate the challenging plain of education in their early years and teens.

ROUTINE

Establishing a routine for your child will help them become more comfortable with what they need to do and save them from wasting most of their time on video games or watching TV. While it is still important for them to blow off steam with friends and hobbies, it should not take precedence over their school work in their early years.

Getting used to a routine will include them studying for an hour or two after school, which will give them plenty of time to relax later on. Furthermore, this routine will soon become ingrained in their everyday activities, and so at some point, they will feel like they want and need to do it before worrying about anything else.

However, it is vital that this does not become too regimented. You want your child to have an excellent work ethic, but you also want them to have a social life. Encouraging the routine to include both work and play will help foster a healthy social life as well as ensuring the work gets completed, too.

RESOURCES

Back in the day, it used to be that if you needed information on for a history project that you had to run down to the library and pour over textbook after textbook for hours until you found what you needed. But no more.

The ever-growing digital archives online have streamlined that process so that now your child does not even have to leave their room. Everything is available to them at the click of a mouse or swipe of a screen. However, for those unfamiliar with Googling anything other than funny videos may need guidance in directing them to the resource of their choice, so explaining the basics of an educational Google search will come in handy.

Furthermore, using fraction calculators to better explain and visually demonstrate the formula for them when it comes to studying math equations. Math can be a stressful subject if you are not a natural, but using the plethora of option at your and your child’s fingertips will ease this stress and put them on the path to mathematical success.

REVISE

Revision is, to many kids, a horribly dull activity. They feel that all they are doing is reading and rereading information that they already know, and this can get frustrating. It is all too easy to read something once or twice and then be convinced that you know it because you have just read it. Because of this, revision can sometimes feel like a lot of time wasted on learning nothing.

However, if they ever want to succeed and continue to build on existing knowledge, then revision is essential for entering any exams with a head full of necessary information. This will allow them to write and write and write for however long they need without grasping at straws for points and conclusions.

Sitting down to revise and actually do it, instead of staring at a screen or playing on their phones can pay huge dividends, but once they think they know what they need, they will move on to something else. To solve this issue, practising with your child by testing them on recent topics every day by asking them questions will help them retain the information better and save their mind from going blank when they find themselves sat down in the exam.

REFOCUS

There are so many distractions around the house that it can be all too easy to absently browse their social media or play games on their phone, tablet, or console. This is not just something that affects kids, but adults too. We have all had those times where we are trying to concentrate, but everything else looks so much more appealing at that moment in time.

Finding solutions to maintaining their focus will help remove such distractions. If your child often does their work in their bedroom, surrounded by books and games of all sorts, they will be tempted to avoid their work and instead play.

Consider encouraging (but not forcing) them to find an area of the house, or even the library or somewhere quiet and local, where they can complete their work in peace. They will soon find out that what used to be a three-hour-plus study session soon reduces to much, much less and they might even have time to spare to fill in some extra work, should they want to.

RELIEF

Schoolwork at any age can be stressful and time-consuming and, much of the time, your child will feel there is literally anything else they would rather be doing (even chores). However, encouraging them to create a consistent routine of revision and further learning will make their journey through school that much more comfortable and still, hopefully, leave time for them to hang out with their friends, also.