Ideas, please! (Kerrville, Center: homes, homeschool, college)

[Maqrull]

Any ideas for a new stay at home mom in SA who wants to do something else besides shopping and exercising?

[elnina]

Doing something with the kids, and spending quality time with them?

[txtea]

Find a work from home job?
Volunteer somewhere that can work around your schedule.
Kids come 1st no matter what. Enjoy them while you can.

[Pancho-Villa]

Originally Posted by Maqrull

Any ideas for a new stay at home mom in SA who wants to do something else besides shopping and exercising?

Sancho?

[huckster]

Horrible idea Panch.

Originally Posted by Pancho-Villa

Sancho?

[Hedgehog_Mom]

How old is your child?

If you have a toddler, going to the toddler storytime at your local library branch can be a way to meet other moms with kids the same age.

If your kids are in school, volunteering at the school is a good way to fill some time.

You can also post on Nextdoor looking for moms in your area to start a playgroup for young kids together (the idea is really that you have a group of moms to make friends with, even if the kids are too young to get much out of playing together yet) or a couple moms to go walking with...again, a way to meet people near you and possibly make friends.

You can also learn a new hobby...I taught myself cake decorating while my kids were young, because I needed something to do that had a definite beginning and end.

[Maqrull]

Of course kids come first. My son is in JH and he is back at home at 4:00pm. I spend quality time with him every afternoon elnina. Every weekend my family visits different places in town and around SA, we love travelling. On weekdays I take yoga and pilates classes, I go to the library, I volunteer once a week in a school and in a nursery home but I still have free time.

Hedgehog mom I did the same! I taught myself cake decorating a couple of years ago. I think it is time to start a new hobby or maybe go back to college to learn something new...

[Maqrull]

Ha! While writting my last post it occurred to me I can give Italian, French or Spanish private lessons, maybe it would work...

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by Maqrull

Ha! While writting my last post it occurred to me I can give Italian, French or Spanish private lessons, maybe it would work...

That's a great idea.

If you want to give lessons while your son is in school, there are always homeschool families looking for language tutors, and those kids can take lessons during regular school hours.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Maqrull

Ha! While writting my last post it occurred to me I can give Italian, French or Spanish private lessons, maybe it would work...

also many needing translation services for documents and also court proceedings

doing translation work for businesses and international documents pays well, and is on your own schedule.]

Keep up the traveling / adventure

College is GREAT for you and kids! (My sis took her home schooled teenagers to most of her RN course work) I went back to college when mine were in college, and they were INSISTENT that I not screw up the family GPA! (payback for Homeschool). (In WA students take a college entrance exam in 10th grade and if they pass, can go FREE to FT college till age 18 / HS graduation)

Consider what your JH kid might benefit from learning, or seek to learn. (lifelong hobbies / skills are ideal to learn at Jr high age) welding, mechanics, cooking, canning, art, music, language, 4H, animal care, hunting, fishing...

We Homeschooled and lived in Spain during JH. We traveled a lot and kids did all shopping / budget / currency exchanges (pre-Euro). They were fascinated with the culture and staying with local farmers (agriturismos). They also enjoyed exploring forts and heading to France for castles and military museums (Similar available near SA). I encouraged them to speak / interview / converse with locals / seniors.

I taught them CAD (Computer design) They designed homes based on Swiss and Spanish chalets.

When we returned to USA (age 14 / 15) I had them build the homes they designed. (good to keep boys BUSY with their hands, also added $70k each to their college fund when they sold their homes (and paid me back for land / materials)). They also learned woodworking / turning and made copies of projects we had from 'Grandpa' which he had made while in Jr high. (Great TX furniture builders show coming to Kerrville in Nov) Texas Furniture Makers Show | Kerr Arts and Cultural Center

You can visit industries for future career / job inquiries (I sent one of mine to a Fire station everyday for a week... he later became a resident volunteer FF for all of college yrs (free housing)) He just had to respond to 400+ calls / yr... but pretty exciting for him to be the sole resident (rural town), so always got to drive the truck!(at age 18!). I spent a week at Caterpillar Tractor while in Jr High, and later became a toolmaker based on careers I evaluated. ($$,$$$ earnings, but tough apprenticeship)

Both kids worked / volunteered at pro golf courses and at ski school while in Jr High (free training / use of facilities)

A good thing I exposed them to was creating their own ROTH IRAs at age 12. They each were trading stocks and I matched all wages $1:$1 age 12 to 18, so that added another $20k each to college fund. one kid is employed in finance industry (10 yrs post college), both are much better traders than I.

So many opportunities, poof, they are gone! (kids and opportunities)

While you are at it, take good notes, then write a book about how you utilized these precious few yrs!