I was in Starbucks the other day, and I happened to hear a couple of moms talking about how much trouble they had getting their school age kids to finish all their responsibilities and get into bed on school nights. Homework time took forever. Showers were balked at. They were out of their bed three or four times for drinks or questions. You get the idea. And, I totally got it. I remember those days. These days, though, we don’t struggle with any of it. One advantage of having a lot of kids is you have time to perfect things. My kids are older now and for the most part…
-
-
Why I Chose Intermittent Fasting to Lose Weight
If you know me, you know I am not skinny. I am not even overweight. At this point I am classified in the obese. I have known for a while that I needed to do something to get healthier. The question was what? (This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn commission when you click on them at no additional cost to you.) I know lots of people who had great success with Keto, but…I really like my carbs. Short term, I would do ok on Keto, but from previous experience, I knew that it was not a plan I would want to stay on for months. Besides, once…
-
How to Help Your Kids Start Their Own Business
Do your kids have lots of things they want to do this summer, but no money to do them? Help your child learn some entrepreneurial skills and let them start their own business!
-
When Video Games Control Your Child
As I was browsing some parenting groups last night on Facebook, one post made me stop and think about how far we had come with a similar issue. The mom was concerned because her son, who was around 14, had no actual in person friends. All of his friends were online through his video games. The boy didn’t go out and socialize, and he didn’t have friends over. Other parents started chiming in about how they were concerned with this as well. Having seven kids, I see this to varying degrees in my own house, but I wouldn’t say any of my kids are not physically social in the real…
-
What to Expect When You Adopt a Teenager
I am going to be a completely real with you today. I am going to talk about the reality (at least mine) of teenage adoption. If you read my blog, you know that we have seven kids. Three are ours biologically, three came to us through adoption and one is a bit of a bonus kid who kind of adopted us. When you adopt a teen, you are adopting a child who has an entire other life time full of experiences that you were not a part of. They had an entire other family that wasn’t you. You are signing on to parent a kid who was not shaped by…
-
Life Lessons I Learned From My Dog
Last night, our dog passed away unexpectedly. It left everyone sad and a bit shocked at how sudden it was. Our dog, Snickers, was honestly a bit of a pain in the ass. He had a tendency to think any box I happened to set down was a tree. He barked literally at everyone including family members every. single. time. they came through the front door (and with nine of us, you can imagine how often that was!) But, he also sang “I love you!” in chorus with the kids. He amused everyone by making one of the bottom cabinets his home. He would poke his head out of the cabinet…
-
How We Became Nine – Part 2
Read part two on our journey through fostercare and adoption to go from a family of five to a family of nine.
-
Pumpkin Carving Craziness
One of our favorite family traditions for Halloween is our annual Pumpkin Carving night!
-
To Pay or Not to Pay (Allowance that is)
It’s a many times rehashed debate. Should I pay my kids for doing chores, or not? Should they earn an allowance for the things they do around the house? There seem to be two views on this issue. The No! club who believes that kids should contribute to the upkeep of their home and shouldn’t expect to be compensated. And then the Yes! club who tends to think that kids should be paid for helping out and being responsible. After all, it prepares them for having a real job in the future. As a parent, I tend to lean towards the no club with some of the yes philosophy thrown…
-
Top 10 Picks for Teen Boy Gifts 2018
**This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. If you have spent any time on Life of Nine, you know that my husband and I have six boys ranging in age from 12 to 19. Then add in my 8, 4 and 3 year old nephews! That is a lot of boys that we buy for every year!! All of my boys have their individual likes, dislikes and personalities, but I have come up with some gifts that I pretty much feel could work for any of my boys or their friends because they are…
