Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas
Hey friends! It's Koa and Sarah, the Cajun Mamas! Grab a cup of coffee and press play on our podcast! You may be familiar with our social media content, but now, we can have longer conversations. We are going to dive in to topics like life experiences, what it's like to be a mom these days, inspiration, encouragement and more. Thanks for subscribing!
Coffee Talk With The Cajun Mamas
Back to School Struggles: Finding Grace in the Routine
Ever watched your child struggle with back-to-school transitions and felt that tug on your heart? You're not alone. The September routine shift affects everyone in the family, and finding balance amid homework, activities, and life's demands takes more than just good planning—it takes grace.
In this heartwarming conversation, we explore the emotional landscape of back-to-school season from a mother's perspective. Whether you're navigating homeschool flexibility or traditional school schedules, we discuss how children's routines impact the entire family dynamic. Remember when teachers used to say, "We won't be comfortable until October"? That wisdom applies to our children too as they adjust to new environments, expectations, and workloads.
The after-school crunch presents perhaps the greatest challenge for families today. By the time kids get home, have a snack, and settle in, it's often approaching 4:30. Add homework, activities, dinner, and bedtime routines, and parents find themselves wondering: where does actual living happen in between? We share candid thoughts about this normalized chaos and offer encouragement for finding small moments of connection.
We also celebrate the beautiful ways children absorb faith lessons in everyday moments, like a three-year-old who now says "Help me Jesus" whenever facing a challenge. These unplanned teaching opportunities often become the most powerful spiritual foundations in our children's lives.
Perhaps most importantly, we highlight the invaluable role of community support during the school year. The neighbor who offers homework help, the grandparent who handles pickup, or the friend who steps in during busy seasons—these "village" members make the difference between surviving and thriving. Their contributions deserve our recognition and gratitude.
Join us for this authentic, encouraging conversation about navigating back-to-school season with faith, community, and a healthy dose of reality. Remember, you're doing better than you think, mama!
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That's a life skill. You just taught her To call on Jesus for every help.
Speaker 2:I could have said a bad word, but I said help me Jesus and that's the basic prayers. That's awesome. I love that. I'm just saying.
Speaker 3:Welcome to Coffee Talk with Occasional Mamas. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in and let's dive into real conversations about life, motherhood and a little inspiration to brighten your day.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. It's your favorite day of the week. It's podcast day. It's podcast day Today. We got another good one for y'all. We're going to be talking about back to school and how that is for the mama's heart.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, it's September. Most of y'all probably started school in August, but maybe some of y'all are like us and still getting into the routine of back to school. So we're going to talk about all the feelings and all the things involved in getting back to school routines going, but first we're going to say thank you to Acadia Cajun Harvest Country for being our official sponsor this month. Go to AcadiaTourismcom to plan your visit and come see all the things that Acadia Parish has to offer. We got good food. We got good music. There's a lot of festivals going on in October too, Like the Grand. I'm going to say this is the Grand Festival of October.
Speaker 2:Hey international, babe International.
Speaker 1:Rice Festival. This is going to be the 88th year. Say, this is the grand festival of october, international babe, international rice festival. This is gonna be the 88th year. That's a long time and we promoted last year, do you remember?
Speaker 2:we had a whole episode on it last year episode on it was 87th. We are at the 88th and we're still 88 years of the international rice festival. That's crazy. October 16th through 19th mark your calendars, because I don't think you'll understand this experience, crowley.
Speaker 1:Louisiana just shuts down for the Rice Festival. Everything is geared. Downtown Crowley is the place to be. There's two whole stages, two different stages, set up for music, live music, all weekend long. You're going to have the top performers around the area. Have the top performers around the area, even some top performers around, like the state they've had um, oh what. They had an american idol guy on there one time.
Speaker 2:huh guy thrigdon, yeah, I've seen. Listen. Rest in peace, joe diffy, at the rice festival. I mean, good lord, you never know you know, but it's always a good time. There's a car show, a Queens contest, two parades, fiddle and accordion contest, a rice eating contest and playing delicious rice dishes and other festival. Far, Far Do not miss this fun event. Because let me tell you what If you do, you're going to want to. If this don't make you want to go, I want to go right now, just eat, just eat the good food.
Speaker 1:I know.
Speaker 2:So y'all check out acadiatourismcom, acadiatourismcom, and you will get all the information on the rice festival and many, many more things going on in acadiana yes, thank y'all for being our sponsor for september.
Speaker 1:all right back to yes. So how are we feeling now that things are getting a little more routine, more structured? The kids are now. I mean, most of you probably already know that Sarah homeschools her girls two at the moment, the two older girls and then I sent my girls go to a homeschool, like a small little homeschool of about 30 kids, but it's not in my house, so our routines look different, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she goes out and brings her kids every day. We stay in but it's still like a routine. Definitely you have to. You know you have to have that routine down or it's not going to be successful. If you, you know, if you got to keep them under your thumb, you know in any situation and you know the gotta keep them under your thumb. Yeah, you know in any situation and and you know the sleep schedule, yeah, you know they gotta go to bed at a decent time and they gotta wake up at a decent time. I got mine. That's the teenager coming up and she's just like she wants to sleep all day and party all night when does that happen?
Speaker 2:like what that? I mean? It's just like a switch that changes, you know so weird.
Speaker 1:Like my kids have always been early risers, I'm talking 5, 6 in the morning. It's getting better. It's getting better right now. Now we like 6.30, 7 o'clock which is perfect, it's perfect.
Speaker 2:At least you get a little prayer time, huh, yes a little bit of prayer time.
Speaker 1:I set my alarm for 5.30. Between 5.30 and yes, a little bit of prayer time. I set my alarm for 5 30. Between 5 30 and 6. That's prayer time and then I can go get my coffee and then they usually stirring. But you know, when school starts, all of a sudden they want to sleep till 8. Yeah, and it's hard to wake them up, even though they've been waking up at that time all summer long what, why, why, and see for for her, the older one she wants to get like.
Speaker 2:She wants to get all her work done the night before she starts her school work at like seven o'clock that's what I like about pm. That's amazing. That's what I like about homeschooling because, like some, the year before, she wasn't up enough, so she just kind of gets it done when she she's ready, you know, and I'm like all right. So for her I don't know what is going to look like this.
Speaker 1:She could look totally different, yeah, but so far you know so good, yeah, and I think that's like a mental part of it too, like you have to the beauty of homeschooling, but also having you coming from a structured teaching background, that's probably hard for you to, that's wild for you and you your brain wants to say this is not the right way to do things. We're gonna have school from 8 to 12 or whatever, but also, if that's her prime learning time, let her.
Speaker 2:Let her do like her brain. Don't like it's not ready to work, you know, but at night it's already, you know, like she's already had most of the day. I don't know, I don't know what it is works quicker and better.
Speaker 1:So you know, get you have to get over that mental thing of like this is wrong and see is it working for my child. Okay, then maybe.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's gonna be okay maybe this is in the schedule, I don't know that's us personally yeah but if you are homeschool mama, I would, or were, or I would love to know what was, what is or what was your kids routines, how does it go? How does it go for you? Maybe make make us feel a little better like that. You know, you kind of get learning done. Are you a an eight to twelve, or are you a nine to two, or are you like whenever?
Speaker 2:whenever it gets done, it gets done now some of it like the family style stuff where we do like science and history and stuff that has to be done within my window.
Speaker 1:I ain't waiting definitely definitely you know, and younger ones too, you know, yeah, years are older. She can go through her lessons almost by herself, except when she needs help, the extra help. But like the younger ones, that looks a lot different.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, if she's in that 8 to 12, I got to know where you at, what you're doing at all times because I got to stay on you, make sure you're doing it right, you know, make sure you're paying attention.
Speaker 2:But for most of everybody, you're sending your kids off to school and it is an adjustment period and I was a teacher so I know I would always say listen, you're not going to be comfortable with your class until October. October your kids are going to be comfortable with you and then you're going to be comfortable with your kids and and I'm talking about like as a teacher you know, yeah, so you got to think about your kids going to be with somebody new for the entire year. They have to adjust to that, you know. So if you are still in the thick of it right now, please know that the sun is going to come out in October and then after December, in January, it starts all over again, because you just had the holidays, you know Break, yeah. So just, you know, give some grace to your little children because, just like if you were going through a change at work, it's a change for them too. You know it's big and they have big feelings, just like grown people have big feelings.
Speaker 1:So new learning new workload a lot of them. You know, I mean I can remember from that first grade to second grade, homework load was a lot different. For us, Fourth and fifth is a lot different, you know. So if your kids are going through that and you're going through it with them because you know you're doing homework with them and stuff, we're going to say extra prayers. Yeah, we're going to pray at the end of this episode because it definitely needs a prayer. Yeah.
Speaker 2:For both you and your kids, and I'm not used to I'm usually like them kids better be in line. But you also have to think you know like they're going through it, just like you're the homework load, all the things you just said the change in schedule.
Speaker 3:Yeah, through it, just like your.
Speaker 2:the um the homework load all the things you just said yeah, the change in schedule, and then, like now you got to get them there the, the lunch money and this I can bring my lunch now and it's. It's a lot, you know, for a parent. So, um, just you know, keep that in mind. Y'all are both making an adjustment. It's it's on both parts, but they better act right. Let me tell you what ain't? No room for, no disciplinary issue that's never acceptable.
Speaker 1:But if there's some growing pains happening, that that's what it is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, transition and absolutely um, so like, what do y'all do? Y'all do, y'all still have homework?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, yeah, I mean part of ours is so they go from 8 to 12 and cover the basics, I guess, but then or they'll do like part of the lesson and then the other part of the lesson is done at home.
Speaker 1:So we still I mean we still looking at an hour to two ish of home school at home, um, which is it's still not bad in my book, because before um and you know, this is not to say anything bad about public schools or anything like that, but you know this is just the way it is. But that getting home, you know, having at by the time you get home, change, snack, whatnot, it's 4, 4, 30. You have an hour or two of homework, it's 5.30, 6.30. You got practices, you got dance, then you got dinner, then you got bath and it was just like where do you live and all that, where does life happen and all that. So coming home at noon, having lunch and then having that two-ish hours of homework and being done by four or three or four you know it's it's like we can breathe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it gives that little bit of extra time for you to make sourdough bread. Oh yeah, you know definitely enjoy a nice cup of coffee and sourdough in the afternoon with your little children, yeah, or you know, just kind of enjoy each other's company. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, or you know, have a life.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly, I'm just like man and this is like the norm. This is the norm that we have accepted as a people.
Speaker 2:Us, yeah, have accepted as a people. Us, yeah, yeah, it, um, it's hard, it's so hard and so we, I mean, but we did that, you know we, we know what it's like to go to school. I mean, hell, that's what, that was what I, I wanted my life to be, to be at school and I, and I love that part of my life. But it's just like now.
Speaker 2:I know, I know we see y'all the ones who are going through the you know you got to go to work, you got to get the kids to school on time, then practice then dancing, then and homework in between all that and we got so much respect. Yes, because we've been there and, who knows, we might be back there again. You never know would.
Speaker 1:Yeah, god has. There's a season for everything, um, and God calls us all to different paths and different uh vocations you know, and whatever that might look like for you. If you having a rough time through it, or maybe you you know where you're supposed to be, um, just lean on God to get you through every day. I mean every day, no matter what your life looks like.
Speaker 2:You have to do that man, it doesn't matter, you know, let me tell you this funny story. So you know, I like to yell out my prayers whenever I get frustrated. You know my prayer might be help me. Jesus. You know, and that's my prayer, you know prayers look different, Okay, but so what I'm saying is in all your day, look for Jesus and ask him for help. Now, when Roz is trying to do something hard, she said help me Jesus.
Speaker 1:She does To get up the bed. I feel like it's too big to get up the big bed.
Speaker 2:She says help me Jesus. Oh, I love it and I'm like hey, that is the most basic prayer you could have. That is.
Speaker 1:That's a life skill. You just taught her To call on Jesus for every help.
Speaker 2:I could have said a bad word, but I said help me Jesus and that's the basic prayers. That's awesome. I love that. I'm just saying, If you don't know, Roz is my three-year-old. And she just anything that gives her a hard time. She's like help me, jesus, and it's so funny because she's heard you say that yeah, I am. I love that.
Speaker 1:I wonder what else she'll say oh well, you know, sometimes they come up with some things they do, but it's fun, and it's fun all along the way.
Speaker 2:So, uh, you know, wherever you are in in your children's educational journey, it's not just them going back to school, it's you having to adjust to and maybe you are past that point and you have grandkids.
Speaker 1:You know you have grandkids going into school. I can't speak from that point of view yet, but I can tell you from the point of view of, uh, you know, I, you know I still, lord, have my mama and I have my mother-in-law and uh and father-in-law and daddy too, but like y'all have no idea what a help it is whenever you know we need you and you're like I'll go get the kids today, I'll go get the kids from school and, oh my God, if you help do their homework, I about pass out, I could just cry for joy.
Speaker 1:You know, like just little things like that that you don't realize is such a big help to your children, to your grandchildren, like so we thank you, um, and just know that that's a service and a ministry and it's in itself, it is so and it's needed, like we need y'all.
Speaker 2:Oh, we need y'all but I even do it for my sister and I'm not trying to pat my back, but my sister like, since I homeschool my kids, I know what it takes. She's a teacher, I'll go sometimes I'll go pick up my little niece, because she just loves whenever I pick her up. So I'll go get her and I'm like okay, we can't play until your homework's done. And whenever I tell her mama, when Lainey walks in and I say and homework's already done.
Speaker 1:You can see it.
Speaker 2:You can see it A relief is coming over her, you know, because, like she, there's so many things. She's able to play with her kid maybe a little bit longer. She's able to play with her kid maybe a little bit longer. Yep, you know that afternoon, or you know able to do something else. That and and it's not to say, oh, they shouldn't have homework, I don't know about that, but it's just, it's really helpful, you know, and and just a sigh of relief on it makes it worth it and I love to.
Speaker 2:I love to do homework with my little niece.
Speaker 1:She's so funny but um just you know the, the village yeah, it takes. It, does you're right, and everybody plays their part. And if if that's not there, you know it's oof it can be rough or maybe you have a friend, maybe you have a neighbor.
Speaker 2:That's like you can rely on this person. You know, a hundred percent, yeah, that that makes all the difference. So shout out to those neighbors, friends, grandparents, my mom, and thank them too. You know, don a hundred percent, yeah, that that makes all the difference.
Speaker 1:So shout out to those neighbors friends, grandparents, my mom and thank them too, you know, don't forget to thank them, cause if something is um, if something is recognized, it's repeated. So, that recognition, that. Oh, thank you so much for helping with blah, blah, blah the other day or whatever, and I bet you they're going to do it again you know, just for the, for the, for the kindness you know of it.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I know my mother-in-law. She really messed up. The other day. She came to the house and, uh, she babysat and then when I got back from the Astros game, oh it was all clean, every house was was clean. It was clean. Oh, she really messed up now because like, but I wonder if she saw that relief, yeah, in my face. You know it made all the difference and I truly thank you, miss merlene for for doing that for us.
Speaker 2:That was really, really sweet. I've told her already, but I'm gonna tell you over the, yeah, the airwaves.
Speaker 1:Now, everybody knows I love that right.
Speaker 2:Well, you want to end this out with a prayer? Yeah, sure.
Speaker 1:Okay, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, lord, thank you so much for the gift of our children and grandchildren, and we thank you for the opportunity that they have to learn and to grow in their schooling. We ask you to please give your grace to the parents, the teachers, the grandparents and especially the children, lord, in this season in their life, to help them to be able to focus on their learning, be able to grow in knowledge and, hopefully, in their relationship with you too, jesus. Lord, please help us as the adults, to be good influences and good stewards of the children you've blessed us with, and just please give your grace to everybody in need, no matter what their situation is, help them get through every day, show them little God winks throughout their day, and we just thank you, lord, for all the blessings that you continue to give us and our children every day. We thank you, lord. In your name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 2:Amen, son, holy Spirit. Yes, thank you all so much for hanging out with us. We're going to take a moment to talk about Acadia, cajun Harvest Country.
Speaker 1:Yes, Acadiatourismcom is the place you need to go to plan your trip to Acadia Parish to see everything we have over here. Especially in October, you need to make plans to go to Crowley.
Speaker 2:Louisiana for the 88th International Rice Festival, October 16th through 19th. The Grand Rivet and Church Point is on the 18th right, smack dab in the middle of it, so you can make a weekend of it again.
Speaker 1:And hit it up. Hit both places up. Crowley and church point's only about 30 miles apart, so you can hit both those locations and have a great weekend, go find your little airbnb, go get your little hotel room and have a great talk about a grand time at the rice festival.
Speaker 1:Um, you're gonna at the rice festival. Uh, some of the things you're gonna find, all right, there's parades, there's a children's parade and there's a grand parade the next day. Okay, um, fiddle and accordion contests, a rice eating contest, plenty of delicious rice dishes and other festival fair that you know. Festival food that you expect at a at a fair. Um, little carnival rides for the kids and the music, two different sound stages full of music the whole weekend. So if you need full of music the whole weekend, so if you need some dates some times, the whole lineup all of that can be found at AcadiaTourismcom. Go hit it up and have yourself a good time in Acadia Parish. Amen. Thanks for listening. We'll see y'all next time.
Speaker 3:Thanks for joining us on Coffee Talk with the Cajun Mamas. We hope you enjoyed your cup of coffee and our chat. Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends. No-transcript.