In my defense, I was pre-occupied with getting a new project to support adoptive and foster moms ready to pre-launch. And there’s a freezer full of grass-fed, local, free-range ground beef downstairs that someone could’ve done something with. No one needed to starve.
So real quick, the project is called The Adoption Connection, and it’s a podcast by and for adoptive and foster moms. I found out this year that I love the podcasting medium, but it kind of lacked direction. What I hear most from you all are questions about adoptive parenting and my experience as an adult adoptee. So, I partnered with my friend, Lisa Qualls at One Thankful Mom, who is also an adoptive mom, but also a birth/first mom. Between the two of us, we represent all sides of the adoption triad. We make a stellar team and are fully committed to being a resource you can count on.
No worries. I will continue to write here and bring you must-read content like how to keep your family happy when you don’t want to cook.
My secret?
Bacon.
[bctt tweet=”I found the secret to family unity! #bacon” username=”corkboardblog”]
I bake it, so it literally takes less than 5 minutes of the precious time that I’d rather be using to scroll through Instagram help adoptive and foster mamas.
Just follow these simple steps.
- Buy bacon every time you find yourself in a grocery store.
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Line a shallow pan with foil. I use a metal jelly roll pan. (Yes, that’s an affiliate link. How else will I fund this bacon madness?)
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Lay out the bacon in a single layer.
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Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until desired crispiness.
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Drain bacon on a paper towel.
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Leave on counter.
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Say ,”Yes,” whenever someone asks for a piece. (Yes, you can sneak trust-based parenting tactics in anywhere!)
Notice that the complaints about the lack of milk, cereal, cheese, bread, deli meat, etc. seem wonderfully absent.
If you’re starting to feel twitchy about summer (despite the bacon tip), you can find more great tips in my book 5 Tips to Save Your Summer which you can get by clicking here and clicking the orange button that says, “Get Your FREE Summer Survival Book.”
Go! Make people happy!
[bctt tweet=”Get a FREE book of summer survival tips. #parenthacks” username=”corkboardblog”]
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With all the chaos during the year and the dynamics of our family, it’s best that we school –albeit modified– through the summer. “Summer School” allows us to focus on things that got lost during the year and keep a routine which is crucial for us. I’m planning to school about 3 days a week.
Here’s what’s in the works for summer:
- Summer Reading. We will continue our weekly library visits. Each week the kids will choose a book at their reading level* in the subject areas of social studies, science, art, and music. Plus, they will choose at least one pleasure book. That’s five books minimum which is one for each finger on a hand. Three days a week, they must be read to above their reading level, read 60 minutes silently at their level, and read aloud below their level. You can download a book log printout that matches this plan here.
- GeoDraw. Geography is one of those memory work areas that falls through the cracks since we do so much review on the road. We are going to make a concerted effort this summer to follow Leigh Bortin’s geography drawing plan as outlined in The Core.
- Progressive Math. Mental math is the strong suite of two of our kids, but they cannot enumerate what they’re doing to save their lives. Both skills are important. Being able to communicate your thought process is really important. Inspired by the way we all practice at Tae Kwon Do (start with the basics together and dismiss lower levels to practice as you work your way up the skill ladder), I developed some Progressive Math Problems. For a limited time you can download them here.
What are you doing this summer? Schooling? Playing? Both?
