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Are Those Your Kids

Raising Biracial Kids in Today's World

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How to Squeeze in Quality Time with Kids When Both Parents Work

February 23, 2017 By Diedre Leave a Comment

Many parents feel guilty about having to work because they aren't present with their children & yearn for more quality time.

Guilt.

So many parents feel guilty about having to work because they aren’t present with their children. They feel guilty about wanting to take a break when their kids want some quality time (me included)

What’s the solution? I have a few ideas about how you can fit some quality time into your everyday routines.

Come Up with a Morning/Breakfast Routine

Say a prayer after breakfast. Listen to your favorite song on the way to school. Find a way to foster bonding in the midst of morning routines. The morning sets the tone for the day. Use this time to sow positivity into your child instead of frustration. This may require getting up a few minutes earlier.

Leave a Note in your Child’s Lunchbox

Everyone loves having a visual reminder of how much they’re loved. Don’t you? This is a simple way to communicate with your child while you are apart. I can guarantee it will put a smile on their face.

Eat Dinner Together

This can be tough if one parent works late, or you’re running around to and from athletics practices and after school activities. Make sitting down at the table a priority. As kids get older and begin to share more with their peers and less with their parents, having a time of open conversation becomes absolutely necessary to keep the lines of communication open.

With all of the negative influences that the world has to offer our children at such a young age, we can’t afford to not make time to talk to our kids.

Bath/Bedtime Quality Time

If you have toddlers, make this time of night fun!

I get it, you are ready to whisk them off into bed so that you can unwind yourself. Use tools like bubbles, bath crayons, foam letters & numbers to use the bath as a mini classroom. Teach your little ones colors using colored bath bubbles.

Many parents feel guilty about having to work because they aren't present with their children & yearn for more quality time.

After bath time, use story time as a time to wind your children down and educate them. Want to teach them about telling the truth, getting along, or about an important historical figure? Use a book!

When my daughters were babies, my husband and I used the time after bath to teach them how to count their fingers and toes in Spanish.

Many parents feel guilty about having to work because they aren't present with their children & yearn for more quality time.

We are a musical family, so we also used this time to sing & dance with our children. Quality time can be spent a variety of ways–it just about setting aside time with your children & making them feel important.

Many parents feel guilty about having to work because they aren't present with their children & yearn for more quality time.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day. Some of us work longer hours than others, but it’s important to set aside time for our families. Remember, whether we make our kids a priority or not, we are still educating them.

 

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Moms Needs Breaks Too: 7 Ways to Relax

October 14, 2016 By Diedre 5 Comments

Moms Needs Breaks Too: 7 Ways to Relax + Jord Watch Giveaway!

Kids. Work. Messes. Husbands. Being a mother comes with great responsibility and at times can become overwhelming.

Moms needs time to unplug and unwind so they can return to the chaos that can overtake motherhood. Here are 7 ways moms can relax:

Booking a Massage to Relax

Who doesn’t love a good rub down at the spa?

I know I do! There’s something about a quiet stranger rubbing your aching joints in a quiet dark room (without screaming kids) that automatically sets the reset button and helps you relax.

Moms Needs Breaks Too: 7 Ways to Relax + Giveaway!

Uninterrupted Nap time

As a school counselor, one of the perks of my jobs is being off for major holidays!

I use this opportunity to catch up on sleep. It’s my favorite way to relax! 

Now that my kids aren’t babies anymore, they will occasionally play together, buying me uninterrupted nap time. My husband even cooperates at times and keeps them from busting in my room.

Date With Hubby

One way that my husband and I keep the romance alive is to have date nights. There’s something about being alone together that rekindles the romance that brought us together. Now that my husband is a farmer, date nights are few and far between and we’ve had to get creative.

If we can’t go out to eat, we have a nice romantic evening at home once the kids are in bed.

Moms Needs Breaks Too: 7 Ways to Relax + Giveaway!

Dinner with Friends

My girlfriends and I have the tradition of going to dinner for our birthdays.

Being a mother, especially with little children, means little time to relax, let alone time alone with girlfriends. Sometimes you even forget who you are apart from your family.

The last time I had dinner with my friends was two weeks ago. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse. My husband was so sweet-he didn’t call me one time! It was a wonderful opportunity to unplug,  look down at my Jord watch,  and not have to worry about rushing home for bedtime.

Shopping Without Kids

Before kids, I spent most payday weekends out and about. Now that I have a 3 kids, I cherish the times I can shop without whining, fighting, crying and all the other mishaps that may come along with shopping with your children.

Am I the only one who has left a store because her children were so acting so terrible?

Please tell me I’m not alone!

Go to a Concert

Back in February, I saw the amazing Diana Ross in concert. What a legend! I was definitely star struck.

My husband surprised me, and I was on cloud nine! Going to concerts make you feel young and free.

Yoga or Some Other Workout

Nothing compares to the feeling you have after a workout. Well, except maybe the satisfaction of indulging in your favorite food. Working out alone is a luxury not every mother is afforded.

I personally love yoga because it forces me to unplug from the world, get in shape, and relax all at the same time.

If you can’t sneak away by yourself to the gym, pull up You Tube, move the couch and get your work out on! Your kids will learn how to love physical activity from watching you, and you’ll have the satisfaction of keeping that mom body in shape!

5 Ways to Evolve Gracefully with your Spouse

February 22, 2016 By Diedre 68 Comments

5 Ways to Evolve Gracefully with your Spouse

 

I’ve heard many people who struggle in their marriages talk about how they’ve just grown apart from their spouse. The truth of the matter is that we continue to grow and change as people. Life changes us as we weather different seasons.

In marriage, we should be growing together through those seasons. Marriage should be a verb because growing together takes work. It takes work to embrace the person  you love as they continue to evolve.

My husband and I have been married for 6 years. In those 6 years, he has been a travel agent, State Farm insurance agent and now a farmer. My career as a School Counselor hasn’t changed, however I’ve become a mother twice, and that is an evolution in itself.

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Here are 5 ways to evolve gracefully with your spouse:

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How Growing Up In a Jamaican Family Influenced My Marriage

November 3, 2015 By Diedre 2 Comments

 Part 2: How Growing Up In a Jamaican Family Influenced My Marriage

Blending cultures in a marriage can be a complicated feat whether both families are open or accepting or not.  The key is to respect each other, and compromise with your spouse on the important issues.

My mom always told me that she always knew she wanted to marry another Jamaican, that was a non-negotiable. She didn’t want to have to explain her culture to someone else. The moment I married into a family and moved to South Georgia, I understood her sentiments as I noticed the stark differences between people in South Georgia and Jamaicans.

Growing up on an Air Force Base, I was surrounded by a variety of cultural experiences. I didn’t quite realize how much my culture influenced my way of being until I got married. My husband was well traveled (and a travel agent at the time), so he embraced my Jamaican culture-the good with the bad.

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Hi, I’m Diedre!

Hi, I’m Diedre!

Lifestyle + Mom Blogger

Welcome to Are Those Your Kids! This blog was created to share my experiences in motherhood, from the perspective of a mom with biracial kids. I discuss all things education, culture, multicultural resources, curly hair and motherhood.

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