Raising boys and raising kids with special needs have been the most challenging parts of my parenting journey. Don’t get me wrong. I love parenting, and I love my boys. But I’m not male, and never will be, and quite frankly boys think differently than girls do. At least mine do. 

And then add in the special needs that both my sons and oldest daughter have, and well, let’s just say I spend a great deal of time and energy trying to find the best way to help my kids succeed in who they are and in the world around them.  And I love it, but it also helps to talk with others who have already been down the road.

Well, in this episode of the Living Life at Home podcast, I got to pick the brain of another mom who has been down this road of parenting boys and boys with special needs and emerged the other side – successfully! And she is generous enough to share her lessons learned with those of us who are still on the journey.

Kayla Fay is the mom of 4 boys, three of whom have ADHD Inattentive, and one with a learning disability and the mom behind the wonderful parenting site about raising kids with ADHD Inattentive, GoAskMom.com.

 Kayla has also written several parenting books including Focus Pocus: 100 Ways to Help Your Child Pay Attention and  Waking Up from the Homework Nightmare.

Listen in as Kayla and I discuss what it’s like to parent boys to adulthood, and how to help our children who have special needs succeed through their school years and into adulthood.  Some of the topics we covered included:

• How we can help our children focus, whether they have ADHD or not
• Tips for working with teachers and other extracurricular activity leaders
• The importance of routines and transitions, but also the importance of teaching our kids to be flexible, especially when they aren’t inclined to be
• How to get to school activities, church, and sports activities with as few battles as possible
• How the food our children eat affects their focus and self-control.
• How time outdoors impacts our children’s ability to focus and succeed in school.
• What battles are worth fighting and which are not.
• Memorization tips for students who have difficulty with spelling, bible verses, and other facts

Might want to grab a pad of paper and pencil though, Kayla’s got some great tips and insights. Several of which I implemented right  after our call – with results.

To listen in, simply click the play button below. To download the recording to your computer, right click on download link below and choose ‘Save Target As’.

Raising Boys & Kids with ADHD Inattentive & Special Needs [ 1:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Enjoy!

…Shannon

P.S.  For those of you with children who are traditionally schooled or who take outside classes, be sure to check out the Planner for Kids that Kayla developed and used with her boys and see if it might work for you too. 

P.S.S. Prefer to read? Be sure to subscribe to our email list and I’ll be sure to let you know when the transcript for this episode is available.

You may also like:

7 Tips for a Successful Science Project Guest Post by Kayla Fay

The Non-Scientific Parent’s Guide to a Science Project a free guide by Kayla Fay

Balancing life as a busy at-home mom is an interesting juggling act. Between managing a household, planning meals, getting the kids to where they need to be, and being a wife, there’s not a lot of time left over. Add in working from home, and possibly even homeschooling, you’ve probably got more on your plate than time to do it all in.  I know I do.

Jennifer Tankersley from ListPlanIt.com with her family

In this week’s podcast episode, I had a fun chat with Jennifer Tankersley, a busy work at home mom to three kids, ages 5, 7, and 9, on how we can be better organized as busy at-home moms. 

Jennifer is not only a busy mom and wife, but she is also running an online business from home.

Jennifer’s website, ListPlanIt.com, shares planning and organizational tips for professional organizers and moms a like, and she has over 500 lists and worksheets for her members to use to be better organized in all areas of their lives.

In our interview, Jennifer and I talked about:

• How she turned her natural talents as a planner into an online business
• Ideas on how to plan your time and manage multiple schedules and priorities
• How you can to save time and energy with menu planning and shopping lists
• An idea for budgetting on a 26 week schedule
• Overcoming the guilt and anxiety of not having a perfectly “clean” house
• Goal setting and defining success as an work-at-home mom
• Ideas on how to manage your plans and lists, and keep it all organized

Jennifer gave us a great glimpse into how she manages life as a busy work-at-home mom with three kids in school, and I shared a few tips on how I manage life, business, and the household as a work-at-home, homeschooling mom.  I hope that you enjoy meeting Jennifer and learning from her as much as I did chatting with her.

To listen in, simply click the play button below. To download the recording to your computer, right click on download link below and choose ‘Save Target As’.

Organization and Planning Tips for Busy At-Home Moms [ 1:11:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Enjoy!

…Shannon

P.S. Be sure to check out Jennifer’s site for more orgnaization and planning tips. Her blog has some great information.

P.S.S. Prefer to read the transcript? Download the Transcript. It’s free and loaded with great tips!