Dr. Mom Online

In our home, we have this tiny little outdated bathroom that has the dubious distinction of being the warmest room in our house! This is very important to know when the temperatures drop!
Recently, I discovered two small people hanging out in this sauna of a room. They were my kids… doing math lessons! Too funny! [...]

Just in case you were wondering…
Yes, I’ve had some “scheduled” ideas for words and thoughts of the day lately that I haven’t shared with you here. The main reason is that there are days (sometimes, a string of SEVERAL days in a row!) where my kids remind me that they are only 7 and 4!
Sometimes, [...]

This is a loaded topic! PTC is something my husband and I have practiced in our Wellness practice for many, many years. Simply, it means focusing on the present moment and really BEING in the moment and being fully with the person or people in your presence.
In our practice setting, we’ve adopted this way of [...]

This was actually from a couple days ago. The kids and I had SO much to accomplish and so much running around to do (including fun activities for them, too… in case you thought I was dragging them all over town just for mom’s boring errands!).
I notice that the more we have to do, and [...]

Today has been a bit of a “chore” day around the house. It’s not so much the word “thorough” that was important for me to teach the kids, but rather today’s thought.
The thought, or our ‘theme’ for the day is: If you’re going to do a job, do it well. If you’re going to put [...]

Yesterday, we had the kids out for another adventure.
After the usual math and language arts in the morning, we headed out to a metro park to check out their Environmental Discovery area that features an underground pond-viewing area. Very cool. Just like at a zoo or Sea World, you walk right into the pond in [...]

I had originally “scheduled” the words and thoughts of the day several weeks in advance, when looking at what events and themes were coming up on our calendar and in our studies.
Then came the surprise kitten!
Today’s word was supposed to be Focus. The thought was to be centered around becoming the type of person who [...]

I knew we were going to be bringing home our new kitty today, so I decided that an important word for the kids to learn today would be “Responsibility”.
Obviously, we talked about how important it is to take care of what we’ve been given or granted, whether it’s a pet, our toys, our homework, our [...]

Yesterday, our word and focus of the day was Patience.
I knew that after being gone for a few days, that getting back into a routine could potentially be a catalyst for sibling battles! These two spend a LOT of time with each other!
So, we started off our day talking about patience. (Funny how quickly I [...]

The last couple of days were spent over at grandpa’s house on a field trip excursion galore!
I knew that two of our field trips were going to involve nature ~ one was a Hawk Festival and the other was a trip to Point Pelee National Park ~ so I wanted to choose words and thoughts [...]

Today’s word of the day is “Effort”.
I chose it knowing that our son has soccer this morning and our family is going on a LONG bike ride this afternoon.
I figured it would be a good focus for a day like today. I like how sports and physical activity can easily teach lessons in character and [...]

I am WAY more fun than any teachers I remember having as a child!
Then again, my memory may be somewhat selective… and biased!
We are less than two weeks in and the kids have already been to the Nature Zoo (for a science class), to Greenfield Village, to the Rochester Hills Museum at VanHoosen Farm, as [...]

Apparently, this is what is currently working best for the practice of multiplication in our household! Upside down with a bikini on!
Hey, if it works, it works! I’m not knockin’ it!

Ok. It wasn’t really a cardio work out!
Yesterday, we took our kids to Greenfield Village for a field trip. As a result, we walked for HOURS. Yes, hours! That’s got to count for something, right?!
Just to make sure that I fit in a little challenging movement, ‘cuz that’s the way my brain works, my [...]

Part of my focus with home schooling is to make sure I get the kids intentionally moving each and every day. Motion IS life, after all! And regular motion has been proven time and time again to build healthy brains. Kinda’ important in the whole educational process.
Plus, incorporating movement into the kids’ routine is my [...]

Once again, we’ve made the decision to home school our kids. I honestly didn’t think we’d come to this decision again this year… mostly because of my work schedule and expectations… not because of “home schooling” itself.
But, some things were just too powerful to overcome… like our core philosophy and beliefs about health, safety, happiness [...]

Recently, one of my home school science lessons with our daughter was based on how animals adapt to their environment for survival purposes.
 
The lesson described how animals will change a variety of things about themselves in order to “adapt to” or change in response to what’s happening around them. Some examples were: shedding, hibernation, changing [...]

Well, our first couple months of homeschooling certainly haven’t been picture perfect! We’ve had our fair share of bumps and bruises! When folks ask how it’s going, my typical response is, “When it’s good, it’s really, really good. When it’s not, it stinks!!”
 
I am very happy with our decision, though.
 
I had anticipated a transition time [...]

Everybody’s asking me. I’m not sure if they all really care… if they’re just amused by it all… or if they secretly want to see me fall flat on my face!!!
 
Anyhow, overall it’s going really well! Crazy. Busy. Little time for mommy’s “me” time. But it’s all very, very good.
 
My kids are getting along much [...]

Well, the decision is finally official… we will be home schooling this year.
 
Looking back, if you’ve been following these posts for any length of time, it probably comes as no surprise to you! The few people I’ve shared our ‘official’ decision with have expressed that they’ve been more surprised in the last couple years to [...]