Category: Life

Posted in Humor, Ideas, Life, parenting, tips

4 Apps All Parents Of Teens Need

Posted on by Kylie

As we all know, with freedom comes great responsibility. The teenage years are when your children will yearn for one of those with no desire for the other. So, unless you are a moron, we have to keep them on a tight but extendable rope. We, ourselves, have to walk a fine balance between giving them freedom and setting boundaries.

I love my children, but I will not be blinded to the fact that they can’t and shouldn’t be trusted. It is our job to question everything they do or say. We have to know what they’re doing and with whom. In the past, that would have meant covert surveillance at the spur of the moment and following them without being caught. Luckily, we are able to monitor them easier than ever now with all the apps that are available.

I suffer a terrible addiction to the app store. Anybody is able to build an app so new ones come out daily. There are even apps you can download to help you build an app. I have a few that are my favorites when it comes to parenting. Also, I am beyond appreciative that my teenage years were before all this technology and camera-based apps. It would not have been pretty.

Life 360

The person that invented this app needs a Nobel peace prize. This app lets you know where your child, or whomever you put on the app, is located at any moment you decide you want to check. It will also tell you what percentage their phone battery is and how fast they are driving! I have actually grounded my son twice due to this app. Once, for going 70 in a 45 and once for being somewhere that he was not supposed to be at.

This app is a 100% must have as a parent of a teen but, please note, it is not foul-proofed. They can leave their phone somewhere and go somewhere else. They can turn it off. I’m always looking for ways around things and this one has it. However, I haven’t seen my children without a phone near them or in their hand in years so, I think I’m okay.

Cozi Family Organizer

Everyone is on the same page, literally, with this app. This is a shared family calendar that anyone can add to or adjust as needed. You can all be kept up to date with one posting. It really is a time saver.

But, be on the lookout for kids erasing any dreaded appointments or un-enjoyable activities such as dental appointments or baby showers. Let my lessons, the ones I have learned the hard way most of the time, help you!

Homey

This is the app that you use to divvy out the chores. If you have a large household like I do, we are constantly rotating chores to reflect changes in the schedules and lives of all of us. You can list items that are to be done by every member of your household, no matter how many you may have. My spouse hates it.

You can make chore lists with just a few items up to literally hundreds. You can create a honey-do list that won’t get thrown away! The possibilities are endless. This app keeps the chores digitally listed and updated so that everyone is kept informed of any changes made and cannot feign ignorance as to why the socks have not been matched.

Greenlight

This is the app I use for my kids’ debit cards. Money gets transferred upon completion of the chores. Mind you, the chores have to be approved as done by me. A thirteen-year-old has far-reaching boundaries as far as what is considered clean or done. It has to be completed according to my satisfaction.

I can also keep an eye on what they spend and how they choose to spend their money. As I do financial counseling, they would be wise to listen to me. But, as I’m also their Mom, I’m considered to be a nerd that doesn’t know about anything. Hopefully, I will have made a difference in their financial habits before I am kicked out of their business permanently.

Posted in Humor, Life, tips

9 Ways To Build A Life Worth Living

Posted on by Kylie
Canva

I woke up in my forties and found myself adrift in a sea of yoga pants, identical personalities, and uninspired activities. Everything and everyone I encountered was interchangeable, bland, and boring. I decided I would never let that happen to me.

So, I took a good look at the people I was around on a consistent basis and noticed that they all were content but unenthusiastic and unmotivated. None of them were striving for more or continuing to grow in any way that I could see. Every day was the same as the one before it.

People that I formerly knew as outspoken leaders were now sharing the same opinions and beliefs as their spouses without knowing why. So much so, that they began to almost look-alike in addition to also sharing the same thoughts.

Two sheep on a grassy area.
Robinson Recalde on Unsplash

I thought and pondered on this for weeks. I heard people who spouted their opinions straight from Fox or CNN, talk about brainwashed individuals. They could not see the irony.

I could see the authenticity had left them somewhere along their way. I wanted to make sure I never lost myself. I didn’t know how to prevent it though. Then I thought about what made me different than them.

Read

I constantly read from almost every genre. I believe that this keeps my brain healthy and is one of the reasons I am a critical thinker. I have always been a person to ask questions. I want to know why things happen. I want to know how things are done. And most importantly, I don’t offer an opinion on something I’m not educated about.

Try new things

Growth is about allowing yourself to evolve. I aim to learn something new every day, whether it is from another person, a lesson from something dumb I did, or from reading an article.

I also make it a habit to try new activities and go to new places as often as I can. In the last month, I have started shooting a bow, making mosaics, and started growing my own vegetables. Even if I hate it, at least I can say I tried.

A camera on a ledge with the sky in the background.
Clay Banks on Unsplash

Teach

There is not a person alive that does not have insights or experiences to share with another. We are meant to pass our lessons on. At a minimum, share your experiences with your children and family as a legacy for them to have forever.

Give

Religion did not teach me this, but I live my life as a servant to others. Serving and giving are the two things that I get the most reward out of doing. I love seeing the downtrodden realize that someone cares or the shunned know that someone will stand up for them.

Give without expecting anything in return, but the feeling you are rewarded with. It is more than enough.

Woman falling off a ledge reaching out to a hand held out to help her.
Noah Bücher on Unsplash

Laugh

The theme of my life has been and always will be laughter. I think my best quality is being able to find something to laugh and joke about on an almost constant basis. I don’t understand people that take themselves so seriously. Lighten the f*&k up. We only get one life, or so I’m told.

Be Yourself

Whoever that you believe created this world did not put you here to be a replica of everyone else. I am completely original, and so are you. Stop trying to fit in and love who you are!

The world needs more people to push boundaries and defy the ordinary. That could be you if you stopped being a sell-out.

Have a creative outlet

I am considered to be a stoic person by certain members of my family. I don’t get overly emotional outwardly. But, despite what many think, I do have feelings and care deeply about plenty. I’m just awkward as hell at showing it.

Years ago, my former therapist recommended I take up a creative hobby as an outlet for my feelings. I don’t know if writing, making mosaics, or painting is getting the brunt of my emotions, but I do enjoy doing it.

It really does help me relax or calm down when I lose my cool, or I’m stressed out more than usual.

Reduce Stress

Being a walking ball of anxiety, I have a hard time with this even though I try hard to do it. Relaxing is something that has never come easy for me. I don’t watch TV, and I am usually running around working, parenting, or cleaning. When I do sit down, I fall asleep almost instantly.

With that being said, I have tried mediation, mindful breathing, stress exercises, drinking, and much more to reduce my stress levels. I haven’t found anything that worked much for me, but I am still optimistic. If I ever find a way to relax, I will really feel like I’ve made it in this world.

An image of a man standing on a rock with arms outspread in front of a sunset.
Xan Griffin on Unsplash

Buy Less/Do More

You will, most likely, never regret an experience with a loved one, but you will consistently regret material purchases. When faced with the choice of an item or an experience, always choose the experience. Memories will be the only thing you take with you when you pass on.

Most importantly, as I have recently learned the hard way, Memories are the only things left behind for us as well. Treasure the moments you are making them.

Posted in Humor, Life

Aging Gracefully

Posted on by Kylie

Aging is a slow dance with a beautiful man whose name is death, but he goes by Bill so that you won’t know it’s him. It is not a lie that youth is wasted on the young. Few of the young realize the opportunities that youth allows them.

When I turned 40, I handled it better than I thought I would. I still felt the same way as I did at 39 and I still thought much the same way as I did at 13. “What’s the big deal,” I thought to myself.

In my journey to age 41, I did make note of sudden changes that appeared as I got older. When I turned 32, I started lowering the volume on my car radio.

When 35 hit, I woke up loving gardening and flowered artwork.

At forty, I suddenly went nuts for Christmas decor and started collecting Christmas ornaments. I got embarrassingly much too excited about a new vacuum cleaner.

Aging is a slow dance with a beautiful man named Death, but he goes by Bill so you won't know it's him.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Then I turned 41. I guess my freak out mode was delayed a year because 41 is when I really freaked out. I felt like I woke up suddenly a decade older. The only things missing were me suddenly loving cat sweaters and cross stitching rainbows. I was sure that was coming along shortly.

Shortly after my forty first birthday, things started to change. Suddenly, an evening with friends that included a few drinks took three days to recover from.

I started carrying Advil in the car in addition to having it at home. The weather became an awesome topic of conversation and I ran into at least three people I knew every time I went to the pharmacy.

I had to fight myself into not buying a cat sweater. I canceled three appointments that I made for a permanent and a set and Piccadilly at 4:30 seemed the perfect locale for dinner instead of resembling a formaldehyde smelling funeral home.

Image for post
Photo by Unsplash

I looked at my wrinkles, sagging body, and gray hairs that appeared overnight while trying to think about the good parts of aging. I knew there had to be some.

I definitely am a lot more mature and responsible than I was 12 years ago, although I’m still decades behind my peers in that respect. No one loves pranks and 12-year-old humor more than I do. I also impulse buy a lot.

I still get hit on plenty, but that’s really not saying much because some of these men would hit on a dead toad if they thought it would put out. And it’s usually at the gas station or over Messenger.

Recently, I looked at some pictures of Jennifer Aniston, and women like her in their fifties, who claim not to ever have had cosmetic surgery done. They look like they’re 19 instead of 50. I bet they don’t even own a housedress.

I call bullshit. Either they are lying or they’re buying $12,000 skin cream made from some secret ingredient that only they know about such as endangered eagle jizz or something similar.

Anyway, my exterior might be aging a bit, but my internal self is still young and vibrant. I love to have fun, be social, and be with friends and family. And mess with people and stir up trouble.

Image for post
Unsplash

I both dread and look forward to what 45 holds in store for me. As I age, my brain, beliefs, and morals get better, but my body is slowly falling apart.

Like a fine wine, I’m getting better with age, but only on the inside. But I’ll grow old fighting it every step of the way.

Posted in Humor, Life, parenting, tips

Memory Making With Daughters

Posted on by Kylie
Canva

As a parent of six kids, it is very hard to spend one on one time with each of them. However, it is essential that I make the time. I created a schedule where I try to go on a date night or day with one or two of them every two weeks. It’s as good for me as it is for them.

In this article, I have listed a few ideas that have helped us bond, have fun, make memories and become closer by going on these dates. I have also made this about girls because I tend to do different things with my boys. I will write about that later.

The older my children have gotten, the more they have tried to get out of spending time with me. I may let them get by with this if there’s a special event they want to go to but otherwise it is mandatory.

My daughters are night and day in both looks and personality. What they can agree on is that they love animals so usually both of them will pick the pet store to go to at least once a year.

My oldest daughter loves puppies, kittens, or anything fluffy and cute. She is a lot like me in that respect. She is now 21 and lives on her own with three very large dogs that she calls my grand dogs.

My youngest daughter likes reptiles. She wants to be a veterinarian and specialize in reptiles. I, personally, do not care for them at all. She has a pet lizard and turtle at home and she does a great job of taking care of them. That is a good thing for her because the alternative would be me releasing them into the wild immediately. I don’t do reptiles.

Mini Golf. This is something that my youngest daughter has chosen once or twice. We had a great time playing the mini golf and the arcade located inside

Update: She now despises mini golf which is apparently a new side effect of PMS.

Unlike my boys, who never read unless forced, both of my girls are avid readers like myself. They both are extremely happy to go and get a new book when they get the opportunity. All three of us are able to spend hours in a bookstore to relax, browse, and read.

The local art workshop is also a mainstay. My youngest daughter is my creative child so often do creative activities such as this. The place we go is a local business where you can go pick out a piece to paint. You can take it home or paint it there at the store.You can also sign up for a lesson on how to paint with acrylics on canvas. Either way, it’s a good time for all.

Being a mother is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I wouldn’t change a thing. And if I could go back in time, I would not let any precious moment pass me by.

For more of my articles please see my Medium account.https://link.medium.com/spYpLkSTk9

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.