A frazzled mom's survival guide

Shower Organizer It's official we are all in school. My youngest started school last month for some reason it just hit me that we are all in school at the same time.Stephen will finish his Phd sometime next year.... I will finsish my Masters next fall..... And I have four children in Elementary school. 4th grade, 2 in first grade (no they are not twins), and a child in 4K. Ok so how do I get through the day? One of the most hectic times of the day is after school.  Now I readily admit that I do not get everything done. Just ask my kids teachers. But here's one thing that I do.  I took a shower organizer from and an over door hook and hung it on the back of the pantry door in the kitchen.  Since the kids most often end up doing homework around the kitchen table all I have to do is open the pantry and they have supplies that they need for school. Additionally I keep this craft caddy in a cabinet that I can pull out when the kids come home between the two th...

Ok if you have kids in school and they are not doing well here are a few things... 1. It is a teachers job to teach your child! They shouldn't complain about having to work one on one with a student. College professors have office hours for students who need one on one attention kids deserve one on one attention as well. 2. Keep records and take a witness. The guidence counselor can meet with you and your teacher for teacher conferences. 3. Ask for accomodations. Even children without disabilities can get them. 4. Call your child's teacher by their first name... You should be working with them. 5. It's your child and you know them better than any one else! 6. You're not responsible for your child's action in the classroom.

All I want for christmas is a new frying pan. I've been trying to decide if it's me or the pan who's the culprit behind the charred discs that we call pancakes around here.(There are differing sides to the issue.) But I believe that the burning is worsening. The pan is 6 years or older and I just think that I have recouped the $9.99 that I paid for it. So please Santa, I've been pretty good, I started and ended the year with 4 kids,1 husband, the fish almost made it through, the cat wasn't my fault, I made good grades and I even let my professors get a word in every now and then. I promise not to ask for another one for at least 5 years. (Longer if I get a better pan than I had.) With love, Beth PS.... If you have any spare ceiling fans up there.....

Ok perhaps I am dense. I decided to go back to school again. I started classes on the 19 th of August and I am really the oldest person in most of my classes (I have two teachers that I'm pretty sure are older than me.) I've been called a dinosaur, no kidding we were talking about cell phones and I agreed that I couldn't see why a 15 year old needed an I-phone. Anyway I was applying for student council and was filling out the application. Here's one question.... What are your strengths and weaknesses? Answer : I'm a mom of four children six and under, I'm 33 years old and older than at least two of my teachers a third is questionable and another called me a dinosaur. I have days where I get everything done that I needed to and there are days where I sit around and watch the Wiggles. I'm human, I'm not perfect but I've learned that dwelling on things that can't be changed doesn't do anything. I have things that I do well, so does everyone, ...

How did i get myself into this one? I've been asking myself this question everyday for the last week. We decided that this was a good time for me to finish my bachelors. So as I type this I sit outside of Daniel 412 waiting to face my greatest fear, public speaking class. I wonder if the teacher allows barf bags in class. I have begrudgingly attended orientation even dragging Haylie to one session, she loved it and her enthusiasm helped alot.The good thing about transferring to a new college is that while all of my classes transferred making me currently a junior, none of the grades seem to have transferred leaving me with the proverbial clean slate. So not only do I have to take this class but I have to male an A. So wish me luck.

Ok so I am the nosy neighbor. I went to the park the other week on a thursday and forgot to put out the trash before I left. I got back at about the time that the trash would have been picked up and didn't want to drag it to the curb if it was already gone, so I checked a neighbors can. The trash had already been picked up, but what I saw shocked and amazed me. His trash can was cleaner than my kitchen floor. It didn't smell, it was seriously pristine. So of course for the last couple of weeks I have been contemplating getting out there with some bleach and a scrub brush. Well today I was cleaning out the garage and I came across the pressure washer. My trashcan is now as clean as the neighbors. It is actually quite fulfilling to watch the black goop just melt away. No wonder I can't get Stephen to stop when he gets out doing a job like that. So if you have a pressure washer at home, go have fun.

I've been trying to find things that get me out of the house that are free. Anyway our ward has a book club and I've been meaning to go for a while but i keep forgetting to read the book. I went to the library last night and picked up this month's read, it's called The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Fortunantly the only copy they had was large type, and yes even though I am only in my early thirties I need the big print, especially since my glasses seem to have fled my home once again. This is a good read, especially since the author was a computer science guy, much easier to follow than my husbands thesis. So now I'm thinking about what I should do differently in my life, you know so I don't spend the rest of it on Bull Street. A big one is that I need to get less frustrated over the little things. I really need to learn that the house doesn't need to be spotless, just safe and sanitary, the kids don't need to be dressed, and the laundry doesn't hav...