Moving!!!! HELP!!!!!

The only tip I can give going from a 2-parent home to a 1-parent home is to still treat things as if hubby were there. My husband is in the Navy and, up until shore duty, was gone often. One of things we did was have him read stories and record them to VHS. Another thing we did was set up webcams. We'd try to make it a daily thing where we'd chat by instant messenger and use the webcams. It helped things stay as normal as possible. Hope my ideas help.

A little about me, I am a SAHM to a 13-year-old and a 5-year-old. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for more than 13 years. I am trying right now to return to the world of work. Here's to hoping.

I have a play area set up near my computer so I can distract the kids while I am on the phone, etc. I also try to plan the most important tasks of the day while they are napping, this doesn't always work, but I usually get 2 hours of solid work in. Last resort I pop in a Baby Einstein to buy myself 20 minutes to accomplish that one task that HAS to be done today.

Check with local churches to see if they have mother's day out programs. It can be a great way to make friends and find other children for your son to play with. I have made several friends and joined play groups by meeting other mom's at the park. As far as keeping up with learning, a lot will fall on you know. I have found the local Teacher's Pet store to be a great place to get educational things. The staff is very knowledgable, if you tell them what your child can do they are very good about recommending things to take them to the next level. If you don't have one in North Carolina check out the one in Orlando before you leave and stock up!

Good luck!

We are also relocating to the northern Georgia area or possibly North Carolina in the next couple months. I have an 18 month old son and a 4 year old son that Ill probably be at home with for a little while after moving also. What area are you moving to? We are looking at the Murphy area but will be going up again in September to look at houses hoping to find the perfect one on that trip. When my older son was home with me when he was younger we joined a mommy and me group and also spent a lot of time visiting museums and things like that. he learned a lot by actually seeing what we had been talking and reading about for the previous week or two.

When he gets a little older, buy him a kidzmouse and put him on www.poissonrouge.com , sesamestreet.org , and noggin.com for a little while each day. Let him watch Noggin a little each day. And it is hard for me to believe that you are moving to a town so small, there isn't a single other kid for 20 miles. Meet some people with kids and get your kids together to play often.

Hi S.,
I can't offer help with all the things you are dealing with now but actually you might be of help to me! I would love to stay home with my 15th month old baby girl. She just started going to day care a couple of weeks ago and we don't like it. She is not taking naps, not eating well, getting sick already, etc.
How did you get that travel agent job? Any other type of work you know that can be done from home?
I appreciate the info and good luck with your move!
E.

S.,
It sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now. I just went through the same thing when I moved here 6 months ago. My fiance was flying here from MI and leaving me for weeks at a time with 2 children. At the time they were 2 1/2 and 6 mos. The only thing I can recomend is having family and friends help you. Anyone who knows your situation should be more than happy to help you pack or keep an eye on your son while you are packing.
As far as teaching your son things at home...You'ld be amazed at how much something as simple as sidewalk chalk or a puzzle can do. My daughter learned to spell her name at 2 yrs just by my fiance and I writing it and saying it aloud as we did, with sidewalk chalk. The same thing with her shapes and colors. There is a store in the Sanford mall (I'm sure they have them other places too) called the Trendy Teacher. They have a great workbooks, puzzles, and games to help teach children just about everything. I've bought a few things there to teach my daughters and they work great. My daughter learned her alphabet and recognizes all the letters just from doing one puzzle night after night before bed.
I'm sure you'll get the hang of things sooner than you think. Good luck with your move and enjoy the time you have with your son!
K.

where in NC are u moving we are relocating up there to. We are from Jacksonville but the last 6 months I have been with family in ft lauderdale.

S.,

Hi. Well here are my tips for what their worth.

1. Get rid of anything nonessential.
1A. When you move in try and figure out the best way to have everything organized so that the work flows. Have a space that is dedicated to your son. He might want to play close to you.
2. There are websites for kids that have free stuff to download or print off. Just look up free worksheets for toddlers, and do a search.
3. Try not to use movies because I found that kids get addicted to them and then they are not as creative in playing for themselves.
4. When you move contact your local library for kids activities. They have story time, arts & crafts, etc. From this activity you can network with any mothers you meet there.
5. See if you can make a deal with your son where you give him time together or at the library and then the deal is that he takes a nap and plays by himself while you work.
6. lego's and blocks are great because they build hand eye coordination while they play.
7. Look up the city website where you are moving to and see what they have. For instance Clearwater has www.myclearwater.com and under activities or recreattion they have many listings for parks, recreation centers, etc. This type of thing is a wealth of information and stuff to do. If that does not work then use the library. There should be a parks department. The other thing is look up any theaters where there is live entertainment. Usually those places have classes for little guys. He might be too young but if they have classes for kids then they will have shows that the kids are in and this would be another place to meet parents.

Hope that helped.

Deb