How to Make an Afternoon Quiet Time Part of Your Day (For an Older Child)

A few of you have messaged, asking how we implemented a successful quiet time so I thought I would share how we made it a succesful part of our routine for our five-year-old.

{Book: Botanicum by Kacie Scott | Animals: Alligator by Schleich}

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What If I Heard About Montessori When My Child Was "Too Old"?

What if your child was already past toddlerhood when you learned about Montessori?

Is it too late for you to start?

I have heard this question many times, and wanted to answer it here on the blog because I feel so strongly about the answer.

No, absolutely not. It is never too late to start implementing Montessori in the home. In fact, I think you may be surprised by the way you may have already been incorporating Montessori principles in your home.

How Can We Help Our Children Reach Normalization

If you, like me, read about normalization and wonder what you can do to help your child. Or if you have a child you would describe with some of the less-than-peaceful descriptions I shared in my last post introducing normalization, and have no faith in the idea of it, know you are definitely not alone.

However, there is so much we can do to help our children develop to the best of their ability, there is so much we can do to guide our children toward normalization.

Growing Closer to your Child Through Tantrums

A while ago, I shared in my post about expectations, that my ability to understand tantrums has completely shifted the way I respond to my children in the midst of tantrums. 

Today I wanted to share a breakthrough I had a little while back.

The Greatest Source of Frustration Between Parents and Kids (& What to Do About it)

What would you say is the greatest source of frustration between parents and kids?

Is it the communication barrier?
The fact that parenting is so thankless?
How demanding and unrelenting kids are?
The lack of sleep, privacy, alone time?
The loss of self?

Narrowing the Vision - Action Gap of Your Mission Statement

Now that you have put a fair bit of work and effort into thinking about creating your family vision and mission statement, I wanted to talk about what you can do to narrow the vision - action gap.

We all experience it.

Five Steps to Writing a Parenting Mission Statement & Free Workbook

Now that I have gone into the details of why I believe parents need mission statements, I wanted to give you some of the tools I found were useful for myself when I was creating a mission statement for our family.

In this post, I will be sharing some of the final steps I designed for my mission statement workbook.

For more in-depth steps and to follow the process I created when I was writing my own mission statement, go to this link and get the workbook directly to your inbox. This work book will help you evaluate goals, values, and your why. It will help you to clarify your personal mission, and meet you where you are at.

Five Reasons Parents Should Have a Mission Statement & Free Workbook

Companies write mission statements to define the goals so that the company has a clear idea of how to move in a purposeful direction. A clear mission statement can make-or-break the success of a company.

I think the same can be said about parenting.

Having our goals and ideals clearly defined will help parents become more intentional with how they are raising their children.

This is no small matter.

Our children are, after all, the future.

What Do my Temper and my Keurig have in Common?

The other day, our son dumped a container of toothpicks out on the floor.
Twice.

I scolded more than necessary.

I knew there was no real reason for me to react the way I did. It was not helpful for our child at that moment. In fact, because I know he will best learn to regulate his emotional reactions by watching me regulate mine, it was the opposite of helpful.

Considering my reaction, and my motives - impulsive as they may have been, behind it, I came to a realization.

The World Needs My Tantruming Toddler? Let Me Explain.

The other night my son screamed at me for a good half hour at two in the morning when I got him out of bed to go pee - as we have done every night since he started insisting on wearing underwear to bed.

As he screamed on the floor, refusing to go potty and refusing to accept any of my other options, I had this startling moment of clarity.

The world needs people like this, people like him.

In that moment I understood so clearly why parenting is being called a radical act of social change.

Teaching Our Children To Be Productively Bored

The other day at the doctor's office, with all three kids, the doctor joked, what do you do in your spare time?

I just laughed his comment off, but it has had me thinking.

Meet the Dad: Interview with my Montessori Husband

I have had a lot of questions about how Tharin came to be involved and supportive about Montessori and homeschooling, so I thought I would put together an interview with him, answering some of these questions.

Why Creating a Bare-Minimum Schedule Will Help You Live More Intentionally

The other day I spoke about creating a bare minimum daily schedule on my Instagram account, and it really seemed to resound with a lot of other moms.

Because so many of us are overwhelmed by all the expectations of our days, of this whole parenthood thing.

I love the feeling of community that rose up around this idea. But I have also felt it necessary to elaborate.

The Turning Point of Motherhood: Half a Year Later

Half a year ago I shared a post about the turning point of motherhood when I began turning my daily tasks into prayer.

When I wrote that, the concept was new and exciting, it felt easy to apply those concepts to everything I did. My days felt really woven in prayer, and I did my chores with a willingness I had never experienced before.

Over the past few months of trying to make this idea a habit, it has not always felt so easy, nor so exciting, and I thought it was time I shared about where it has taken me.

How To Use Toy Rotation for More Engaged Kids & Tidier Spaces

Toy and work rotation has been a huge component in helping to keep our spaces and materials fresh and exciting for our boys, so I thought I would share how we make it work for us.

Especially since this can seem like a really daunting concept.

When it really isn't. Or at least it isn't the way we do it. (And the way you can do it, too.)

Are We Missing the Most Important Factor For Well-Behaved Kids?

The other day I was walking up for Communion after a pretty average mass for our family. One child escaped the pew twice. One took all the hymnals out and flipped through every one of them. I nursed the baby while another child squeezed his way onto my lap as well, and there was crying. There was some pig snorting on another child's part.

It felt hectic and irreverent.

6 Tips to Thrift Shopping Success (From a Seasoned Thrift Shopper)

There is a certain art to thrift shopping successfully, and, as I've felt really blessed by my thrift shopping finds in the past, I thought it was time for me to share a few of my tips.

From one seasoned thrift shopping mama to you.

I'm really excited you've taken an interest in thrift shopping. You won't be sorry.

Five Ways to Make Your Breastfeeding Experience More Positive

World breastfeeding week ends today.

I have breastfed my three kids for a combined total of thirty-one months. Almost three years.

While I am one of those people that really love breastfeeding, for the most part, it definitely comes with its ups and downs.

Why We Should Stop Leaving Our Children Hanging with No

As we enter the phase of testing boundaries with our second, I am reminded of something we did which I felt was important in developing our first's sense of acceptable, and unacceptable, behaviour.

Saying Yes To Screen Time For the Right Reasons

I definitely do not want to spread mom guilt, but I have been reflecting on something for a while and, as it is something I feel really strongly about, feel it's not honest of me not to share.

Why do we use screens?

I know, when I am tempted to plug my kids into a screen, it is usually because I need or want a break. I think every mom can relate to that. And I definitely think there is a place, and a time, when this is a valuable resource.

It is completely up to the parents to decide when, and how often, they want to use this resource. I absolutely do not think it is up to me, or any other person, to judge other parents for decisions they make, especially since I know we are all just trying to do what is best for our children.

However, the question I have been asking myself, and one I thought other parents might find helpful is this:

What happens when we start relying on electronics too much? When we start using screens as a way to opt out of hands-on parenting moments when really, we should be opting in to more?

No Clean Up, No Fuss, No Participation

Usually, when I am considering giving my children screen time, it is because of trying behavior, tiredness, irritability, or needing to accomplish something without them underfoot. A show is a super foolproof way for them to be safe and mess-free for the duration of whatever they are watching, with little to no effort from me.

When I say no to screen time, it sometimes means they go off to play by themselves, (and this happens more and more often now, as they are learning to be babysat by good imagination rather than the electronic babysitter.)

But it also means, at other times, needing to help them find ways to entertain themselves or regulate a disruptive behaviour by offering hands-on work.

Which might look like sitting down to do puzzles or some other work with them.
Including them in the chore or baking I had intended to do without them.
Reading.
Pulling out a craft.
Going outside or to the park with them.

And if I had intended to get something done at that time, allowing myself time to do it later if possible.

Take this morning, for example. 

I thought Tharin was going to be home for the morning, so when he told me he had to go to work, I felt robbed of what I thought was going to be an easier day. As he was leaving the house, I felt tempted to turn a show on.

Instead, I grabbed a puzzle out for our toddler, and we ended up working on puzzles for an hour.
Then we read some books.
The boys were super filled up by this point and went on to play outside peacefully until lunch and naptime.

If I had turned on a show, it doubtlessly would have been easier for me. I probably could have read for a bit, or done something else for myself. Maybe even completed some extra housework.

But that time spent with me, working and learning in a tangible way, is an essential part of their childhood they miss out on everytime I choose the electronic babysitter instead.


Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. I would also love to hear any suggestions for posts you would like me to write about. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.

God bless,
Olivia Fischer