How we dropped the ball as parents in 2018
As Thomson was running around the neighborhood playground today, he tripped and fell. As I knelt down to help clean him up, I noticed two small holes in his little blue shoes. I look over at Emmy’s shoes and same thing - worn out soles and patches at her toe box. I can even see her big toe pushing against the front of the toe box. #gottapayattention It made me wonder - What else did we miss past year? What did we wished we had done sooner? What do we need to get ahead of this year?
Keep up with them
Kids grow so fast and while clothes are relatively cheap, shoes aren’t. I try to stock up during online sales because I hate taking them to the store. I’ve been relying on the Squatchi shoe-sizer for accurate measurements. If you mark it off like we do, makes for a great keepsake. ❤️
Save the art
Our bookshelves are overflowing with art that the kids bring home. Two years ago, I started a scrapbook to capture the highlights two years ago… and it’s been two years since I last updated it. 😂 It’s time to go through the stash again. There are just too many gems to pass up. Just ordered these stylish self-adhesive scrapbooks. We’ve also use Amazon 3-ring binders and clear sheet protectors in the past.
And the digital ones too
Just a reminder to make sure you’re going through your camera rolls to tag your favorite shots of the past year. I try to do it every month but looks like I’m a little behind now. We highly recommend Google photos for backing up. It has an amazing contextual search. Try searching “bicycle” “swimming” or even “carseat”. It gets pretty darn close!
Check the carseats!
It was actually this photo that made me realize that I maybe needed to adjust Emmy’s carseat. (Turns out I didn’t need to). Also double check that your child has met the 4yo/40lbs/40” requirement for boosters. Other common blindspot is that LATCH actually has a weight limit of 40 lbs. Switch over to seatbelt install if your child has reached that weight.
And… check the car too.
That’s my Odyssey with almost bare tires which I took the kids to the mountains in. We made it out alive but shortly after, the tire blew out while I was driving to work. I know, I know, we’re idiots. Don’t be us especially since we are all probably planning ski week right now. Check your tires, maintenance schedule, everything. It’s not worth ruining your trip over unexpected car troubles. (And don’t forget the snow chains).
The scariest thing takes the longest time
Our living trust has been on our to-do list for 6 whole years. While the post-its have dried up and dropped off, it continues to plague my mind and heart. It’s not an easy topic to discuss - Who should be our kids’ parents if we die? Why? And are they onboard? You and your partner might actually have different perspectives on this. At the very least, start talking about it now.
Family year-end review
Last year, we focused on improving a few things. One of them was being intentional about “special time” with the kids. That means, each of us taking turns to have 1:1 with each kid. It’s something we will continue to do this year because we have seen what happens when we skip special time. What’s been kind of sucking is the less-than-ideal sibling relationship. There’s a lot of yelling and hitting. Because of our busy schedules (and addiction to learning from experts), we’ve scheduled an annual with our parenting coach. Looking forward to sharing back what we learn!
Recruit your village
I’m in the middle of an amazing book by Tiffany Dufu called Drop the ball: How to achieve more by doing less. She talks about five very important groups to recruit into your village. The fifth group is what she calls The Specialists - people that can help you shortcut your household management tasks and solve issues. I hope WorkLifeKids can be a part of that village for you. As you can see, our failures are your success. :)
Anything else you think we might have missed?
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Do tell!
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