Rachel is the wonder woman behind Mission Magnets. We are so lucky to have her on our blog explaining how her clever product can make all our lives easier! She's even offering the Castle & Kite tribe a special discount, so read on...
Is there anything more hectic than a school morning? You have to be a chef, event planner, stylist, coach/motivator, umpire (if you have multiple children), secretary, taxi service, mum, wife and then heaven forbid you have to get yourself to work also!! Gee I am exhausted writing let alone doing it.
But you know you don't have to do it all, you don't have to control it all and in fact if you are then you are actually do a dis-service to not only yourself but your kids!! What??!! I hear you say “how can you say that say that, my house falls apart if I don’t keep track of everything”. I don’t doubt that is this truth and I’m sure you are doing a great job…. most of the time.
I am sure you are being a super mum, being all things to everyone one and I'm sure you are keeping it together.... mainly... except those time when you are utterly exhausted. Or maybe those times when you ask for the 8th time for your child to clean their teeth and end up screaming the house down. Or maybe when you are late for school again because your child has had a meltdown due to not wanting to put shoes on. Or you've forgotten an excursion or it's library day or you were supposed to organise a share plate or you simply forgot to buy bloody bread!!
But I'm here to say it doesn't need to be this way and making a few simple changes can help your whole family. I know because I was trying to be a Super Mum once.
When our kids are babies and toddlers we need to do everything for them but as they get older they need to start doing things for themselves. We all know this, it called growing up but implementing this change can sometimes be a struggle for us, we are so used to doing everything that we forget that there is another way plus sometimes it is just quicker if we just do it ourselves.
So how do we transition? What if our kids resist doing anything for themselves, what if you have tried getting them to be more independent but they couldn't do it?
Well this is where implementing an easy to follow and fun system can make all the difference. You can't just throw your kids into the deep end and expect them to swim, you need to build up and give them a system in which they can be successful, feel confident and thrive.
I'd tried a few charts in the past but after a week or so I either didn't update it, the novelty wore off or I just ended up with stickers all over my house! So I knew I needed a system that would keep my kids engaged but would also be easy for me to update and reset each day. I also knew I wanted something visual as I'd done a lot of research after getting my daughter's ADHD diagnosis and I knew that ALL kids process visuals much faster than words.
So I designed my Mission Magnets system. The system consists of a TO DO / DONE magnet with each child's name on it. Then a collection of visual task magnets - 'Missions' for your child to complete. When the task is done they simply move it to the done section. That's it, easy, you can pop them on your fridge and you are ready to go.
With this system in place, your children can SEE what needs to be done and start doing it, you can also see at a glance how the day is progressing and either praise or encourage them. No more asking to do the same thing over and over until you are yelling. Rather than saying 'go put your shoes on' which children can resist... let’s face it no one likes to be told what to do. You can say 'How are those magnets going? Wow look how many you have done already? Which magnet are you going to do first?' Positive, encouraging statements, not nagging!!
Plus you are teaching your kids the life skills they need and by helping them to feel capable, successful and independent you are building their confidence and resilience.
So you see, it really is a WIN WIN you can help your kids to help themselves AND shed some of the metal load of doing everything for everyone.
You can connect with Rachel via the following channels
Use the code CASTLEANDKITE during the month of March for a 15% discount storewide.
