Hey there!!!
***This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.***
Welcome to my blog! I share my feelings, tips and tricks with you here and want to help you on your mom journey.
Questioning my career
What I found when I was cleaning the other day threw me back into a spin of my working days. I never thought I'd be at the point I am now. I thought I was never going to be able to stay home with my kids. I felt that I was always going to have to work and my student loan debts were never going away.
I also would be left exhausted, overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid. I questioned why I even became a nurse, I would ask myself these questions, "Why did I want to become a nurse? Why do I have to go to work? Why am I continuing to burn myself out?" I knew I needed a nursing career break but I wasn't sure how to get there. We had four kids and a mortgage payment!!!
Mom Guilt
I would leave home guilty that my kids wanted me and needed me, and then I would leave work guilty that I might have forgotten something. The guilt was real every day I went to work. Don't mention the fact that all the work at home was piling up (the behind the scenes stuff too like bills and organizing and all the tasks beyond just everyday tasks like dishes and laundry). It's enough for a mom to go insane.
I would ask my husband if I could quit work and he would dangle the "student loan" problem over my head. But yet we continued to spend frivolously and never paid off any student loans.
And so the cycle continued. I would work and have burnout only to spend excess money because it was there to spend. A never ending cycle of buy, broke, buy, broke, until I realized ENOUGH. We were expecting baby number five and you know what I had to do?
Transition time
Work Christmas Eve and Christmas day DUE to have a baby. I had to miss Christmas with our small family. I had to work Christmas while I could go into labor at any time. At least I was in the right place at the hospital if I went into labor.... But that was the straw that broke the camels back and I had to put my foot down.
It was then that I made the decision that I could no longer keep up with everything and my kids needed me. I transitioned to a casual position for about a year after baby Z was born and we transitioned to one income.
The student loan debt is still there. But there are things you can do to work with the loan company. We were able to qualify for a $0 income based pay program. I know it still has to get paid eventually... but at least now I am able to focus on my family and my life without the student loan debt hanging there like mistletoe waiting for you to kiss it goodbye.
freedom
I don't regret the decision to transition to one income, because now I currently am not working at all. I am able to fully focus on working from home, and my family at the same time. I have freedom now to do what I want to do, I don't have work calling me to "pick up one more shift" or a co-worker asking to switch shifts or holidays or whatever. I am FREE to do what I want, when I want, IF I WANT now!!! (besides mothering, that's still a mandatory task :-) but you get my drift)
We still are tight on finances, but you know what??? I don't regret that at all. I have had to tighten our budget and spending but guess what? We still have a roof over our heads, food on the table. and much happier kids that their mom is home all the time with them. The bills still get paid. Don't ask me how, ask the man upstairs who provides for our needs.
faith in god first
I have had to put my faith and trust in God that he knows what is best for our family, and lean into the message God has given our family and myself. It was hard to put my career on hold, but I knew that this was the best decision I could make for our family.
Now I can watch all the milestones without feeling guilt that I may not see the next milestone. I don't have the guilt of not picking up a shift at work. I don't have the guilt that was pressing me about leaving my kids. Now I can choose when or IF I want to leave the kids to do something.
So making your decision to stay home with your kids will always be something you won't regret. I do miss the work life sometimes, which OH by the way, that thing I found while cleaning was my old badge reel. That's what "threw me back" right into reminiscing about my old work days. (that YES I do miss. I miss putting my scrubs on, my stethescope around my neck, my tennies and socks, my pen and chapstick in my
pocket and usually my pump in tow.
the things i miss
I miss walking into work and getting report from the outgoing nurses, and getting right to work on medications, tasks and taking care of others. I miss leaving work feeling like I made a difference in people's lives. I miss those thank you's and cute old people who were so happy to have you to talk to. I miss those little babies who would look so sick but you knew you were helping them, I miss all of those days.
But now I have the honor of fully and completely raising my own children, the children that God has given us. The children that are the future and need these building blocks of life taught to them. It is an honor and a blessing to be a mother, one that I don't take lightly. Some days are hard yes, it's not easy being a mother, but becoming a full time mother has given me so much freedom now.
seasons of life
I can always go back to nursing if I wish. But right now is a different season of life, and one that I never thought I'd get to. Keep praying for your answers, sometimes an unanswered prayer is what we get, and sometimes we get our prayers answered. Faith and trust in the Lord has kept me going when I am weakest, and it is in God whom I trust. I trust that this season is for a reason. I trust that he has given me these moments so that I can really appreciate what he has given us.
Put your trust in God and know that he has a plan, that he will guide you in your decisions! May God bless you and your family as you make your tough decisions as well.
I am here for you if you need a helping hand, have a wonderful day!!!
Want to hear more? Subscribe to the blog here
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted nurse mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!
Kara the Mom Nurse with an Immune Support Diffuser Recipe!
First things First
I am ALWAYS diffusing Thieves in my Aroma-Lux diffuser, which doesn't use water. It is always on the counter and I only have to hit the power button in the morning. I check periodically if its empty but then once it's set I forget it and it has so many settings on it, and it can go for a LONG time.
Second
The recipe I then put going for immune support in the Aria Diffuser is below:
The Immune Support Diffuser Recipe:
~10 Drops Thieves
~5 Drops Eucalyptus
~3 Drops Frankinscence
Diffuse for the three hours on high.
I have been using essential oils for almost 10 years on my family and myself, and I love to share with others the power that essential oils can have in your family if you chose to use them.
When you are looking for a whole starter kit and want to get started with Young Living you can start with this kit here:
You can also start for just $35 to start getting the membership discount of 24% if you want to chose that route.
Anyway, enjoy the recipe and happy diffusing!!!
Want to hear more? Subscribe to the blog here
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted nurse mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!
***This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.***
Kara the Mom Nurse here- I help other nurse mom's become stay at home mom's. Today I am going to give you five reasons why staying home with your kids is ACTUALLY cheaper! One of the the biggest factors that nurses face when deciding to stay at home with their kids is losing their second income.
Today I wanted to share with you why staying home with your kids is actually much more affordable than you think, and how to add it all up!
Grab a pen and a piece of paper and let's GOOOO!!!
1. Commute
Calculate the distance you drive to work and back. For me it was about 20 miles to work and 20 miles home. Each shift I was driving 40 miles. Calculate how much gas that costs you to drive to work and back for one shift and then multiply that by how many times you drive to work in a month. This will give you an approximate idea of how much you spend just in gas for the month.
2. Childcare
How much do you spend in child care for the last month? When you are home with your kids you won't need to pay those child care costs anymore. For me I was paying our nanny (a family member) $13 an hour and when I worked full time, we were paying her anywhere from 600-800 a month. Factor in how often you need your nanny or childcare, and what your cost is of staying home.
3. Food/Drink Costs
How much were you spending on JUST your food or drinks? Were you stopping to get coffee drinks every day on your way to work? or on your way home? Were you bringing a lunch or were you feeling overwhelmed like I was and would end up buying lunch/supper at work? Add all of the fast food and drink cost up from last month and see where you are at.
4. Insurance
This is a big one for many. It really depends on your family and your needs, but you can look into healthcare options like christian healthcare ministries and save a TON. (If you're interested in this just be aware of all of their stipulations and rules.)
You may be paying for your own malpractice insurance, and you can now cut back on that or eliminate it if you are quitting work to stay home with your kids. Calculate how much this will save you by cutting that out!
There's also all the other insurances out there, short term disability, long term disability and whatever other insurance you're paying for that you may not need due to no longer being in the work force. Add this all up to see where you were at for last month.
5. Groceries
When you are home more often, you'll be making more meals from scratch, right? Look at your last month's grocery bills and eating out bills, and add them all up. Now when you stay home, you may be forced to meal plan so you can cut spending, which for us was a good thing! Meal planning is not my zone of genius but it sure keeps me on track when I get groceries!!! (This does tie into your food/drink costs from above but this is totaled separate from that category.
OHHHHKKKKKK, Add everything up and what is your grand total??? Are you suprised???
If you are truly wondering how you can cut out debt, I recommend reading this book from Dave Ramsey.
Also going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University would be a great start!!!
Now remember you must take everything into effect, including your own mental health. If you need to get out of the house, then by all means do that. But if you're truly looking for ways to stay at home with your kids so you don't miss out on any more of those precious milestones, you'll find the way. I just know you will. Much love to you on your journey!!!
Want to hear more? Subscribe to the Blog Here
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted nurse mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hello there!
Kara the Mom Nurse to Five and today I wanted to give you some helpful steps that can get you sharing confidently with your children about what good touch is and what bad touch is.
***This post contains affiliate links which is at no extra cost to you. I may earn a commission from the affiliate links***
Rewind a Few Years...
When my 2nd grader came home a few years back with a note from the health class about teaching good touch/bad touch, at first my heart sunk and my feelings were like... REALLY??? SECOND GRADE??? It was very much child based of course, but I was starting to wonder why they are starting to teach our kids in second grade.
We are a christian home with lutheran values and I personally only ever went through the class on puberty in about 5th grade or so. I was really torn about sending my second grader but I chose to do it anyway.
Fast forward a few years...
Now I couldn't agree more that in fact the teaching of good touch/bad touch needs to start when they are toddlers. It doesn't need to be complex. Just a simple system is fine, and use the CORRECT terminology. We call ears, ears right?
Please don't call the vagina something cute because you have a hard time saying such a taboo word yourself. Don't call the penis something cute either because you don't want your boy yelling PENIS when he's two in the church bench.
I'd rather have my child yell PENIS in the church bench than to later deal with the consequences when something actually does happen later.
Step One
First get your mind right. Tell yourself that it's OK to talk to your children about sexuality as it IS part of who we are. Would you rather be hearing later that your two year old was sexually abused and didn't even KNOW it was wrong? I would rather parents be open about this subject than to hear later that something happened and you have that guilt for the rest of your life.
I would recommend ordering this book set here, there are four books that start from age 3 up to age 16. (Personally I would start when they are a baby getting comfortable telling them what their body parts are, and implementing good touch/bad touch right away)
Click the Picture to order these christian based books.
Step Two
Read the books or find resources on the internet to get you comfortable with teaching your children about their body and sexuality. The website I recommend is Darkness to Light. But even being uncomfortable with teaching your kids is ok, because chances are they are going to pick up on your vibe anyway. Just be up front with them and say something like, "ahhhh-you know this subject makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I want us to be open about it and be able to chat about it." or similar.
Do it scared, do it anyway. You will NEVER feel guilty for teaching your children about this topic in today's world.
Step Three
Read the books to your children, and keep them accessible for them to read and look at when they want to. Regularly read them, it doesn't have to be every day or every week, whatever is best for your family. If its once a month or once a quarter, just keep the topic open and honest.
Of course lets be age appropriate here too. You wouldn't tell your two year old exact details about sex, but by ages 6-8 your children are starting to learn more about their body and are going to be curious. Here is a tip sheet on age appropriate sexual behavior.
Step Four
Ask your children if they have any questions for you. Continue to ask. Most of the time they aren't going to come to you and ask you if it's ok that uncle touched their bottom. So ask age appropriate, but direct questions to your children. We can't beat around the bush when it comes to our children, WE ARE OUR CHILDREN'S ADVOCATES. Keep prodding if you suspect something.
Step Five
Hang a chart like this on the side of the fridge where the kids see it regularly. Talk with them regularly about it. Remind them about it.
When or If something does happen...
Please seek help. This is a difficult subject, but please please please seek professional help. This is just a guide to educating your children on this subject but I have been through this end of it and I want to encourage you to get the help you need.
Sexual Abuse can and does happen more frequently than we think, and to our most beloved. We cannot live in fear, we must RISE from the fear and educate our children so they can educate their children as well. Start the cycle now so that history doesn't have to repeat.
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
Please also share this post with your mama friends, so they can also educate their children.
(Use the share buttons alongside the left side of the screen.)
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!
Kara the Mom Nurse here. I am touching on a topic that is pretty relevant at this time of year and I want to provide some insight on immunity for you.
Why immunity is important... Well your immune system is built to fight off pathogens and if your immune system is weakened, then you can become very sick.
Most healthy people can fight off germs with a robust and high functioning immune system but there are many factors that can weaken a healthy immune system.
There are three types of immunity we have as humans, innate, adaptive and passive. Innate is your natural immunity such as your skin which blocks foreign invaders from directly entering. Then you have adaptive immunity which develops throughout our lives when we are exposed to diseases or vaccinated to develop immunity. Passive immunity is borrowed, and it lasts a short time such as the antibodies in breastmilk that pass to the baby.
I am a firm believer in supporting your immune system, and giving it the tools in may need to be boosted during times of need. In today's world with all that is going on, you hardly even see mention of boosting your immune system! This has been on my mind a lot lately, and I'm ready to chat.
When we have no immunity to some disease, our bodies will be exposed and then our body-doing its JOB will build immunity to that illness. THIS IS THE BODY'S NATURAL FUNCTION!!! We cannot wait for some vaccine to be introduced, we don't have time for a safe vaccine! Safe vaccines take years of research and development... Be skeptical of the fast emerging vaccines on the market...
MultiVitamins
So in light of that... I would like to give you a few tips on how to boost your immune system! First I would start with a good solid organic multi-vitamin. In today's world the soil is so depleted that we really aren't getting the nutrients we need to maintain a healthy functioning body. I would recommend this one here: Mary Ruth's Morning Liquid Multivitamin (this has zinc and elderberry in it too, SCORE!!!) Click the Link to see the full product.
Vitamin D
I also would recommend getting plenty of vitamin D from the SUN or finding a reputable supplement, getting plenty of exercise, eating healthier foods, (skip the fast food and cook up a quick stir-fry or taco night!) There are many ways you can boost your immune system, but I would focus on being healthy and happy- take small steps to start implementing measures NOW.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is needed to absorb Iron in your body. Vitamin C does not prevent getting ill but it can reduce the length of time you are sick when taken while feeling under the weather! (Link to Source Here) Iron is also needed to build healthy red blood cells!!! If you are anemic, you will be low on iron. So take vitamin C with your iron to boost absorbtion! (or a lot of orange juice :-))
Zinc
This is a trace element that your body needs and is not produced in your body. You must consume it through your diet. It can also help lessen the amount of time you are down with a cold as well, just like vitamin c! (Link to Source Here)
Lower your stress, eliminate extra things you don't need or say NO to something without feeling guilty. Take a spa day! You absolutely need to lower your stress level so that your body can have a fully functioning immune system. Click this link to read 10 tips for filling up your cup of hope, which can also help lower your stress levels and get you through the rest of 2020 with grace and ease!
Anyway, I just want to encourage you to take a load off, eat healthy and boost your immune system. I have a lot more tips up my sleeve but I don't want to keep you any longer.
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!!!
I'm so glad you're here!!! I want to share with you a simple DIY fall lantern project that we made!!! It took about an hour to do from start to finish and I absolutely love how they turned out!!!
Here are the supplies you're going to need: (*contains affiliate links)
- White Tissue Paper
- Elmer's Glue
- Fall Leaves
- Balloons
- Water
- Battery Operated Tea Light
- Foam Paintbrushes (optional)
- Mix the glue bottle with water, a half to half ratio is good.
- Cut up the tissue paper in strips like shown here.
- Blow up your balloon to the size you want.
- Layer the first layer with tissue paper only in water, as this will help the balloon come off better later when you pop it.
- Start dipping your tissue paper in the glue mixture after that and do one or two layers of the glue mixture.
- Add your leaves/fall collection onto the balloon and as you do that, add another layer of glue mixture tissue paper.
- Add one layer total over the leaves unless you want a more firm lantern, but one layer was plenty for ours!
- Dry completely. This took about 24-48 hours depending on how wet your lantern is. The lanterns that the kids didnt strip off the glue mixture well, took the full 48 hours with a fan to dry completely.
- Once dried you can pop the balloon and cut a small hole to cut out the bottom for a tea light. Or you can cut off the top and set your tea light in the bottom, how ever you want to make it is completely up to you!
This is how ours turned out and I love them! You can pack away for next year and use it again next fall!
P.S. If you want to make it a little less messy you can use the foam paintbrushes to paint the glue mixture on. You're still going to be touching the balloons to stabilize it, so we didn't even bother with the brushes.
I also covered the table with cut up garbage bags spread across the table and this worked GREAT for clean up!!! Just roll up and throw away.
Now go take the kids on an autumn adventure to pick out the leaves, and have fun!!!
I got this idea from Tara over at : https://littlepinelearners.com/
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Finding Yourself-(A FREE guide to re-defining your inner strengths)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!
Kara the Mom nurse to five here. I want to address something that has been on my mind for awhile. It feels like some days I have become someone I don't even know, and maybe you feel that way too!
Does it feel like you are just washing the floor for the 100th time or maybe you just finished the dishes only to turn around and there is still a mess in the living room? Maybe you finally sat down to put your feet up and realized that its now time to start supper.
The constant commands and duties around the house are wearing on you and you don't even have time to read that book you picked up a few weeks ago?
I've been there. Still am there some days. Finding myself amongst the chaos of five children and a changed life has made me out to be someone i'm not some days. I get angry and frustrated over the littlest things. I sometimes feel like i'm not valued! I'm taken for granted!
Have you ever felt that way? I get it. I have been there too. That is why I created this e-journal guide for you, to find yourself. Get back to your passions and find what makes your heart sing!!! Maybe your passions have changed, but maybe you want to get back to those things that make you feel like YOU. What is it that is holding you back?
When life presents you with crystal clear signs, and you just can't see through that crystal, it's time to re-define who you are. What makes you passionate about life again? What things do you enjoy? and furthermore, when and where can you make the time for them? This guide will ask you all those questions and more.
Find yourself and feel the passion for life again. Feel like yourself again! The time is now. Your kids depend on you, and so do you. Be who you are meant to be. Sing in the shower again! Play with the kids, let your inner child come out. Just because we are adults doesn't mean we need to act like adults ALL of the time! Skip downstairs, smile! Be yourself.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~Bernard Baruch
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Nurse Mom Toolbox (What I pack when I've got a diaper bag along!)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey There!
I am Kara the Mom Nurse to Five!
My question for you is, what does abundance mean to you? What kinds of ways do you see abundance in your own life? Can you see it? Ok that was a few more questions than one. :-)
Abundance is defined by this: "an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply." (dictionary.com)
This can mean that you have abundance in friends, or abundance in money, or abundance in relationships, or in your family life, maybe its an abundance of cups in your cupboard!!! Either way, abundance is typically a good thing, and when we focus on the abundance in our lives, it tends to grow bigger!
I want you to comment below with what abundance means for you, and in what ways do you see abundance in your life?
If you would like to join Abundance Week, starting October 12th, click here to join the group!!! If you see this after october 12th, you are still welcome to join in, you will just start from the beginning wherever you're at!
Anyways, I like to start my mornings out with the gratitude and abundance sayings, of finding the things you are grateful for and what you see in abundance. This is great for starting your day off on the right foot!
I hope to see you join abundance week, It's going to be so much fun to see you all grow in abundance!
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Mom Nurse
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Nurse Mom Toolbox (What I pack when I've got a diaper bag along!)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!
I'm Kara the Mom Nurse to Five!
What I wanted to tell you today was the reason why I quit my nursing job to stay at home with my kids. First things first, it didn't happen overnight, and the decision as a working mom to now stay home with the kids was not taken lightly.
There were so many things to consider and ponder, and it felt hard to make the decision. I didn't become a nurse to spend holidays, weekends and evenings away from my babies! I didn't realize that becoming a nurse would entail working nights, weekends or evenings.... all of the above at times. I sucked it up and thought, hey-i'm gaining experience and eventually i'll be able to quit or find a job I love. I was SO wrong... I became trapped in the cycle of having to work for insurance and then getting all the guilt calls/texts/emails to pick up more!
I was getting tapped out emotionally, physically and mentally. Try working evenings on Christmas eve and Christmas day on your DUE DATE with kid #5 while you're missing your family and holiday. I felt better that I was providing wonderful care for people that had to be in the hospital on Christmas... but it didn't take away from the fact that I was miserable and that my family and I were missing each other! Or that I should be in the hospital MYSELF having this baby!!!
That was my tipping point of my working career in nursing. After baby #5 was born, I went casual at the hospital and only had to work two shifts a month. But guess what. Just because I was casual now meant even MORE emails, calls and texts to pick up shifts. Even MORE guilt as a mom that I should pick up work. I actually never did, but the guilt I felt was REAL.
I worked this way for almost a year until we decided to move out of state. We made a huge life change and I was able to quit my nursing job, and I haven't looked back. Its been a HUGE transition to being with my kids 24/7, and some days are just plain HARD. Nobody said it would be easy to become a stay at home mom, but here I am! I now am so grateful that I made that hard decision, even though it meant that we cut our income in half, I am SO grateful to be home with my kids.
The reasons why I quit nursing include wanting to be with my kids more often, without guilt of being at work. I wanted to give my children that experience I had of my mom being home to greet me with cookies from school, to tuck me in at night and say our prayers, to playing outside with them. I want to be able to kiss them goodnight and read them books. I didn't want to be so burnt out that I had no energy to give to my kids.
You can make your dreams a reality, but first you must START with the small actionable steps of making the decisions to stay home if that is what you really truly want. What sacrifices will you be making? What is the good that will come out of you being home with the kids? Money isn't everything sometimes. Some mom's find their income actually INCREASES while they stay at home! Don't ask me why... :-D
Don't get me wrong, sometimes I miss being on the floor. I loved my job, and taking care of my patients. I loved every aspect of it, hard and easy. I know I will go back someday. Just not today.
If you're considering quitting YOUR nursing job to stay home with your kids, I recommend you check this guide out:
Another tip I would recommend is taking out a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and write PROS on one side and CONS on the other. Write down all the pro's and con's of you staying home with your kids and hash it out. :-) Remember, we have one chance with our kids. Be the best mom you can be, whether you are working or not.
You got this mama!!!
Much Love,
Kara- The Nurse Mom
P.S. When you are ready, here are a few things that I can help you with:
~Nurse Mom Toolbox (What I pack when I've got a diaper bag along!)
~Join the Facebook Group Here. This is for kind and tender-hearted mama's like yourself, that are needing a little support in your life!
~The Idea Cloud. It's what I created to keep your kids off the screen and busy doing things that I did as a kid! :-)
Hey there!!!
The Mom Nurse to Five here with some help for you and your kids who are.always.squabbling.fighting. They just don't seem to get along these days are you're about to go CRAZY. Just check me right into that mental hospital over there...
Oh you got this momma!!! First things first- check in with yourself. Are you feeling more stressed out lately, and kind of tuning out the kids? How are YOU feeling? They are picking up on your feelings too, so make sure you fill up your cup first!!! Maybe get your work done before they get up so you can focus on their needs and don't feel tapped trying to multi-task all.the.day.long.
Next, instead of hollering back at them, find out what is truly going on. A lot of times it goes well she said this, he said that, she did this, she did that and you can't ever get a handle on who did what first. Am I right?
So next step, put both the kids in a giant t-shirt of dad's and make them sit in it until they apologize. HAHA no Just kidding, although I actually have done this with my 4 and 2 year old at the time and they thought it was hilarious.
For older kids though, they are actually probably looking for attention, and ways to expand their creativity or feel wanted and needed in the home. You can give them this IDEA CLOUD-which is just $7 and you can easily print these off, have them cut them up and have them start drawing a card out of a baggie or box from this. The Idea Cloud has 75 printable cards with activities for them to do without a screen involved and will get them feeling pretty busy!!! (And get your sanity back)
My kids have already spent a whole day making flick books!!! (That is just one of the ideas in the idea cloud).
Some other ideas are to just have them help you with the housework, and make it fun. Have them help you with the cooking! I know the little kids its harder and sometimes makes your brain spin, but they love it and will always have those special memories!!!
Try to get a rhythm going in your home too. Kids strive on routine and need to know what to expect next. I am working on this but recently found a great resource about saving your homeschooling day!!! It teaches you about rhythm's and circles and all of that! I would check it out over at Jean Miller's Website HERE.
Anyway, I hope these few tips helped to get you moving forward with finding out WHY they are fighting, and keeping them busy and keeping your sanity :-).
Have a wonderful day!!!
Kara- The Nurse Mom
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