Warm Feet in Bed–For Adults Only

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Sunny

My son informs me that 49 of the 50 states currently have snow on the ground.  Here in Denver we’ve had our coldest days of the season this past week.  Having a set of feet that are just fine until they get between the covers, when they turn to icicles (just ask my husband), I thought I’d share with you my solution to this discomfort.

Now Janae’s rice bags are great, I can’t argue that.  And my kids use them.  But for myself, my husband has found a way to pamper me that doesn’t require a trip to the microwave or any forethought (after the initial forethought, of course).

Years ago I bought myself an electric heating pad.  It was simple with just a switch to choose low, medium, or high heat.  (I think it was 5 bucks at Ross or somewhere like that, but you can get them at pharmacy type places–not the exact model pictured here but similar.)  It was great to heat up the covers ahead of time, if I thought of it before I got in bed, or I could flip it on after I got in bed and felt the chill.  I didn’t like waking up in the middle of the night with feet that were now too hot, though, and having to turn the heating pad off.  And I was a little concerned with the thought of having something electric and hot in my bed all night.  (I think the package warned about burns if it was too hot and you fell asleep.)

This is where my husband’s genius came in.  At a hardware store, he got me a timer to plug the heating pad in to.  It’s the kind of timer like for lights to go on and off automatically.  It is an Intermatic timer (model TB121). Something I like about the one he got is that it doesn’t plug right into the outlet, but has a cord, so I can easily reach it from bed.  The heating pad then plugs into the back end of the timer’s plug, similar to the way Christmas lights can be plugged into each other.  I can then program it with two different times to go on and off.  I prefer to turn it on myself, so I set it not to turn on automatically at all, but to turn off at two different times each night.  That way if I get to bed somewhat on time, it turns off after I’m asleep.  But if I’m still up and turn it on after that, it turns off later.  (If I go to bed in between those times and it turns off just a few minutes later, I barely have to lift my arm to turn it back on for a little while longer.)  No more hot feet in the middle of the night or safety worries.

My original blue cover became rough after years of my feet rubbing on it, and for this past Christmas my husband helped my daughter make a new fleece cover for it.  Like a teddy bear for your feet, so warm and now cuddly too.  (If you do make your own cover, I would suggest looking for a thin material that allows the heat to pass through, rather than being a great insulator.)  I wouldn’t recommend that kids use a heating pad in their beds or unsupervised, but I would have to say that this is definitely one of the cheapest, most used luxuries I’ve ever enjoyed!

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Posted in All Writers, For You, Gift Ideas, Life is Better With..., Sunny, Surviving Winter | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Put Allowance to Work for You!

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Janae

Allowance. I never got it growing up and I never believed in it. I never really understood the concept of doling out money to the kids just because they made it through another week. So, when my husband and I got married, it was the obvious choice that allowance would not be part of our kids’ lives either.

That is, until I read a great book about parenting by Dr. Kevin Leman entitled “Have a New Kid by Friday”. His book combines several “common sense” approaches to parenting that help teach your kids how to take responsibility for their actions in a very constructive way. I highly suggest it for many parenting helps, but specifically, I have come to love his use of allowance. Click here for an ebook download of the book.

His approach to allowance is three-fold: 1) Teach children to contribute to the family workload, 2) Teach children the power of choices and consequences and 3) Teach children money-management skills.

Teach Children to Contribute to the Family Workload

First, teach children to contribute to the family workload. Per his instruction, my husband and I sat down with the kids and explained that as a family we were all responsible for the upkeep of our home.

Each of us would have certain things expected of us like making our beds, cleaning our rooms, doing dinner jobs, etc. If we did our part, we also deserved to participate in the financial rewards of being in our family.

As such, each child would have a certain amount of money given to them each week. We don’t call it allowance. We just refer to it as their share of the family income. Their receipt of it is contingent on their willingness to do their share in taking care of the home. Now, their share of the finances doesn’t have to be huge. The amount is entirely up to you, but should not be extravagant. For us, we chose to start with a quarter per year each week. So, our 6 year old earns $1.50 per week, our 8 year old earns $2 per week and so forth. You decide what best fits into your budget and beliefs.

Teach Children the Power of Choices and Consequences

We started reading Leman’s book, in the first place, because we were having such a fight from some of our children when it came to doing their simple jobs. We had seen a clip on a talk show where Leman talked about his approach to allowance. It made so much sense that we implemented it right away.

Remember, the family earnings are only shared with those who help with the workload. So, my children each have certain daily chores that are expected of them. They know what they are. When dinner rolls around and the table needs to be set, I’ll ask the child in charge to please come and set the table. Now, they have a choice. They can come right away and do their job and they’ll be paid their normal share on Saturday. Or, they can choose not to come and do their job. If they don’t come, I simply hire someone else in the family to do it at the rate of 50 cents (this will vary depending on what you’re giving for allowance and what will actually motivate your other children to be “hired”).

Where do I get the 50 cents? From the child who chose not to do their part. When Saturday comes, that child gets 50 cents taken from their share and the child who was “hired” gets an extra 50 cents.

It has been amazing how much this simple concept has changed our home. The complaining stopped. The kids come quickly and do their job. No more nagging, begging, giving up, and doing it myself. When they don’t want to do their job, they know the consequence and will sometimes even go hire someone themselves. That’s fine with me. All I care is that the job gets done. It’s their choice as to whether they do it themselves or hire someone else. A great concept to learn young.

Teach Children Money Management Skills

I never knew how powerful this could be for little ones. The first concept we taught was the value of prioritizing the money they were earning. In our family, we taught our kids to first pay 10% of their earnings in tithes. Then, 40% they put in a savings account and 50% is left over as their spending money. My kids were 4, 6, and 7 when we started and they’ve been so excited as they’ve seen their savings grow. They know they can’t touch that money until they’re 18, but by then they also know there will be lots of it.

As for the 50%:  It is theirs to do with with as they wish.  I don’t interfere. My youngest took his first months’ worth of money and wasted it all on candy. Then, he watched as his sister saved hers and eventually bought herself an American Girl Doll off Craigslist.  It didn’t take long for him to realize that maybe his tactic wasn’t as smart.  Bit by bit, they’re saving money, paying tithes, and learning how to budget and manage their spending money.  A great lesson!

So, to allowance or not to allowance.  That is the question.  Done right, it can be a great benefit to you and your kids.  Best of luck and happy reading!  I hope you like the book.

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Posted in All Writers, Budgeting, Challenges, Children, Discipline, Family, Janae, The House, The Moms | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Tofu Lasagna?!?

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Heidi

Lasagna — the delicious concoction of Italian flavors is like a digestive dream.  Smothered in riccotta and mozzerella cheese, it can also be a nightmare to your thighs.

I hardly used to make it because I always felt so heavy and lethargic afterward, as though it took 3 days for one piece to travel through my system.  My friend introduced me to Tofu Lasagna, which not only tastes very similar to “the real thing” but is also much cheaper, healthier, and leaves you feeling light and energized.

To make it, mash 1 block of soft tofu with 1 egg and salt and pepper.  Use this mixture as a substitute for the ricotta cheese.

Never made lasagna before?  Here’s how you do it:  Set the oven for 350 degrees.  Find a good size rectangular pan.  Cook lasagna noodles on the stove for about 5 minutes, so they are almost fully cooked.  Pour some tomato or spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Layer some lasagna noodles on top.  Cover that with any kind of veggies (try spinach, broccoli, cauliflaur, zucchini, even sweet potato). Add cooked beef if you choose, then smother that with the tofu mixture, topped with mozzerella or Monterey Jack cheese.  Liberally pour on the tomato sauce.  Continue with the layers til the pan is full.  Top the whole meal off with some sauce and cheese.  Cook covered in the oven for 35 minutes, uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes, or dive in if you choose.

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Cuddle Up With a Great Movie

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Cheri

If you live in a place like I live, it’s cold outside.  Maybe it’s snowing or raining.  But any way you look at it…it’s nice to be inside.  One thing I love about the cold is having an excuse to cuddle up with a blanket and watch a great movie.  But sometimes, it seems like there’s just nothing good to watch.

My husband and I LOVE movies that are made by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company).  If you’ve never seen one or have scoffed at them in the past, give them another chance.  I’m going to recommend a handful of incredible movies that my husband and I love and think you will too. 

Just keep in mind that the BBC typically makes their movies for TV, so each movie can consist of 4 to 14 episodes…totaling 4-8 hours of movie.  No, we do not watch it all in one sitting.  But it is so nice to have a masterpiece to look forward to night after night.  And, since it is broken up into episodes, it is easy to watch just one a night and not have to commit to a 2 hour movie if you don’t want to.  One of my favorite things about BBC movies is that they develop the characters incredibly well.  I guess if you’re going to have 6 hours of movie time, you have that ability.  Not so in a 2 hour flick.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

I have to start here.  This is by far my all time favorite movie.  It is incredibly done, amazingly put together, and the story is flawless.  Yes, you can watch the recent Kiera Knightly version, but it is NOTHING compared to this.  This is Jane Austen’s pure love story between a poor girl with a strong mind and spirit and a wealthy man who is too proud to accept his unexplicable love for her.  But there is SO much more to it!  You’ve just got to see it.

THE WAY WE LIVE NOW

One thing I love about the BBC is that you find characters that got their start in the BBC and now you see them in other things.  Like Scarecrow from Batman Begins…he’s one of the main characters.  And Moaning Mertyl from Harry Potter.  See them both there on the cover? 

Anyway, this is an adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s novel in which a foreigner moves into town and dupes all the wealthy families into investing with him, dragging them along to his and their ruin.  Only some are wise enough to see thru it all, while others are too blinded by greed to resist.

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Speaking of people getting their start…see Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter) and Professor McGonagall?  Also in this I believe is that lady who comes to Hogwarts and makes all the rules (can you tell how much I know about HP?).  This movie has a TON of now-famous actors. 

This is a fantastic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous classic.  It is a story of a young boy who loses everything and, thru the love of those he meets, grows to find himself and discover the true loves in life.

WIVES AND DAUGHTERS

One of my definite favorites…it’s sitting on my counter right now.  Maybe I can sneak in an episode before bed tonight.

This is a beautiful story (based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s unfinished novel) of a young girl and her father.  Their relationship is so tender.  But he feels that she needs a mother’s influence so he marries.  But the woman of his choosing has a difficult time putting off her pride and conceit to truly love her new step-daughter.  The love story that flows thru the movie is incredible and so moving.  Maybe it’s just me.  But my husband loved this one too.

OUR MUTUAL FRIEND

Ahh…another one full of Harry Potter characters.  This is also the film portrayal of Charles Dickens’ novel.  The story is a web between multiple stories, back and forth, centering around two vastly different romances.  One filled with angst and inequality, and another so tender and deep.  The friendships, experiences…I don’t know how to describe it.  This is such a good movie. 

LITTLE DORRIT

This is now one of my new favorites.  Yet another Charles Dickens’ novel redone.  This is a story of a girl born and raised in a debtor’s prison who is her father’s only true companion.  When a stranger extends charity toward her, it sparks the interest of the stranger’s son.  As he pokes and prods to find the truth, he discovers secrets and sorrows that he tries desperately to heal.  Definitely a rags to riches film, but also exposes the cruelty and sad reality of pride.

So there you have it.  Just a smattering of some incredible movies that can keep you company during these long winter days and nights.  Go sit down, relax, grab a mug of cocoa, and enjoy a timeless classic.

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A Laundry Day Game

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Kerri
How did we go from this:

To this:

While involving the kids and maintaining the smiles?
 
We had a Clean Clothes Relay!

All the laundry piled high on the bed, with 3 bins on the floor for each kid’s stuff.

On your marks,
Get set,
Go!
 
Run to the pile and choose a piece of clothing.
Run and put it in the right person’s bin!
All the way until the pile’s all gone!
So fun! 
 
Then Carter and I folded them all (with Addison’s help — is that even the right word for a 3 year old folding what I will have to refold?) and made that a game by racing the song on the radio and the commercial breaks.
 
 Who knew house work could be so fun and cooperative!
 
This is all thanks to Five Real {cool} Mom #3, Heidi, who sent me this book for Christmas, SO FILLED with great tips and ideas that organize routines, clutters, schedules, and FUN times!

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Posted in Activities, All Writers, Children, Family, Fun, Kerri, Laundry, The House, The Moms | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Simplicity

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Sunny

My senior year in high school we read Thoreau’s Walden and along with the rest of the class, I rolled my eyes.  This small volume published in 1854 by New England philospher and Transendentalist Henry David Thoreau recounts a couple years of his life which he spent in the woods at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts.  Coincidentally, that year I also got to go on a once in a lifetime trip with my dad back east and we visited Walden Pond.  There is a sign on the site of his small cabin and a stone cairn commemorating Thoreau’s stay there.  I, as practiced in the art of sarcasm as any of my peers, had my dad take a picture of me removing a stone.  (I was going to put it in, but it’s an old slide.  I need to borrow the slide gizmo before I can scan all those old real film slides.  Here’s wikipedia’s picture of the rock pile cabin site.)But the main point I retained from the book was the concept of living simply.  Thoreau writes:

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”

In college, I read Walden again, this time voluntarily.  I still remember one night sitting in an armchair by a window in a reading room of the university library, watching the snow falling silently, and thinking, “This man is a sage.  I need to learn to live more like this.”

20 years (and all that comes with that and 5 kids) later, I hear the urge to simplify for the umpteenth time and I’m back to rolling my eyes.  Not with any sarcasm this time, but with extra emphasis at the end of the roll from exasperation.  I know I know, deep down in my sucked out marrow I know I’ve got to simplify!  I’d also consider it quite a luxury to spend a while living in a rustic cabin on a pond all alone somewhere.  That thought is part of the new eye roll.  I’d like to see Thoreau try living his principles in my moccasins.  Really, the more kids in the house, the more living you’ve got in each day–I have him beat on that account.

But with simplifying, it’s just so hard to know what to cut out.  Do I really let my complainers quit piano lessons?  How important is it that the kids get their rooms clean? How important is it that anything get clean?  What about having dinner together as a family?  What about making dinner in the first place?  And do I take time to chop up fresh vegetables that only I will eat?  Is it okay if my daughter plays the Wii in the basement for while longer a so I can pester my son who just got home from school? Should I be writing such a long post that no one has time to read anyway?

It seems to me that I have been getting the message left and right for the last few years that “less is more” when it comes to things packed into a day.  And I’ve needed that repetition because I frankly I’ve just been too busy to deal with this issue. How can I see myself as valuable if I cut out things I value?  How can I keep my morale up if I stop squeezing in creative projects?  It’s like cutting off my limbs.

The fact that it’s hard doesn’t take away anything from the fact that more than ever, we need to cut things out of our lives and our families’ lives.  The high level of difficulty does mean that we need to revisit the topic again and again, and keep our guard up.  Being the Mom means that along with our husband (who, face it, is really just an assistant in this area) we are chief of the schedule (well, less and less as the kids get bigger and bigger, but that’s just one more reason to tackle this asap) as well as the most likely one to know what’s best.

And I have to remind myself that by cutting out some things, I’m really giving more time to the things that are more important.  Too often I’m looking at this all backwards.  Or I cut something out and fill the time with whatever happens to happen that day, instead of consciously using that time wisely.

I have several excellent sources to quote, but since they aren’t gathered together neatly, I’m going to leave it out in the name of keeping things simple.  It’s all contributed to the muddle in my head, so hopefully you’re getting the best of it all.

One thing we must remember, is whatever we decide is best for us or our family has nothing to do with what is best for anyone else.  And even if it does, you can’t think that way.  And the reverse is true, too.  Just because the neighbors do soccer doesn’t mean your family should.

I want to live “deliberately.” I have a purpose in life, and I don’t want today to go by in a rush of near-bus-misses and missed showers.  I want to live today, and tomorrow, on purpose.  And to do that, there isn’t anything else to do, but to simplify.  Rinse, repeat.

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Posted in Challenges, Family, Finding a Balance, For You, Goals, Me Time, New Years, Organization, Sunny, The Moms | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Living Life at 50% off

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Heidi

I was recently introduced to the mass coupon craze that is spreading across the nation, and have used it to its fullest advantage.  Perhaps you have heard of some of the companies who promote it: Groupon, LivingSocial, and others.

I What they do is they promise businesses a trampling of traffic from new customers, and offer those who subscribe to these mass coupon companies that business’ services or products for at least 50% off!!

These mass coupon companies are in most major cities across the nation, and are becoming well known, with tens of thousands of subscribers in each city.  They are very user – friendly, and as a subscriber (I subscribe to all three listed above) you receive an email in your email box announcing the “deal of the day.”

You can subscribe to your own city’s listings, as well as find out what is offered in other cities, perhaps because you will be traveling there in the future, or because you have friends and family who live there whom you would like to gift.

From scuba diving to spa treatments, from restaurants to home cleaning services, it’s all there, and you are bound to find something that interests you. (I’ve spent $260 already on places and services I know I will use throughout the year, thus saving me over $300 as well)  As I write, my husband is enjoying a day paintballing for half price, and tonight we are going out to eat a fabulous $40 meal at our favorite restaurant — all for just $20.

We’ve made it really easy to get hooked up with great deals.  Scroll down this page to the “Groupon” link on the left side of this page and  start living life at 50% off.

On the other side of the table, as a business owner, I just signed a contract with LivingSocial for our SUP FIT stand up paddle fitness classes.  Will I be trampled with traffic?

I’ll let you know.

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Posted in Activities, Adventures, All Writers, Budgeting, Fun, Gift Ideas, Heidi | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

My File Box

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Janae

It’s a new year and typically at this time of year, we’re all searching for new ways to get over our weaknesses. Too often, I’ve found the “perfect” solution only to find it only lasts a couple of months before I break the habit, give up, and toss that idea out the window. Of course, different solutions work for different people, so today I share one that worked for me.

Do you have a corner of the kitchen cabinet that only seems to pile up day after day with bills, important papers, not so important papers, notes from teachers, to do lists, paperwork, medical releases, etc., etc., etc.? Well, I did. Finally, when the stack got high enough that it would teeter and eventually fall, I would sit down and sort it only to find out that the coupons I saved were expired, the permission slips never got sent in, and the bills were now due TOMORROW!

Besides the stress of undone things, I also grew to despise the pile. As soon as I cleared it off, it started to grow again. There was no stopping it. Even if I didn’t add to it, someone else did. That’s when I tried the file box. I got the inspiration from my sister-in-law Susan who built a file drawer right into her kitchen cupboards. Ingenious. Since I didn’t have that luxury, I just bought a file box from Walmart and some file folders and got working.

Here’s how I did it. I took my enormous pile and started sorting it into several small piles. In the end, I found I had three general categories of stuff: Things I had to deal with, coupons, and everybody else’s stuff. So, I got three different colors of file folders and gave each folder a label.

My stuff (yellow folders) included:

  • Bills
  • School Forms
  • To Do NOW
  • Labels and Stamps
  • Receipts
  • Medical Forms

As for bills, once a month, I get out that folder and pay all the bills. I never have to worry if one got lost behind the fridge or got stuck among other papers. If I need to return something, I check my receipt folder for the receipt. Important Medical info: I’ve got it at my fingertips.

My coupon section (green folders) included:

  • Fun Activities
  • Clothes
  • Car Care
  • Groceries
  • Restaurants
  • Home/Repairs

Now, when I get a coupon, I just file it under it’s appropriate category and forget about it. When I go grocery shopping, I grab my Grocery file and use any coupons I’ve got in the file. Today, when it was time to find someone to clean the chimney, I looked through my home/repairs file and found a coupon I had saved for a company a few weeks back when one came in the mail. When my husband and I are planning on going to dinner, I scan my restaurant folder to see if I’ve got a coupon for a good restaurant. No more stacks of unorganized coupons!

Finally, my orange section was for everyone else. Each kid and my husband got their own folder. When I find a paper of their’s that got left out, I simply slip it into their folder. When they’ve done some great artwork and then ran off to school, I slip it into their folder for them to finish later. One of the best problems this has solved is that when my husband asks where that important paper is that he had left on the counter this morning ended up, I know right where it is every time.

So, to sum it up, here are the steps to take:

  1. Divide your large pile into several piles containing related papers.
  2. Give each pile a name.
  3. Label each file with the pile names.
  4. Slip each pile into its appropriate file.
  5. Put the file box at an easy to reach place.
  6. DO NOT USE A LID!!! If you do, you’ll find yourself putting the papers on top instead of inside.

I love my file folder. Sure, it’s just organized chaos. But, it’s out of my sight until I need it and that’s just the way I like it! Good luck on organizing your endless pile!

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Posted in All Writers, Family, Janae, Organization, Organization, The House, The Moms | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Life More Organized–New Year’s Resolution

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Cheri

The Epiphany

A few weeks ago, our area of Minnesota was hit with a huge snowstorm.  In just 24 hours, we received about 20 inches of snow.  Add that on top of the 10 inches we already had, plus all the snow pushed up by passing snow plows and we ended up with 4 FEET OF SNOW in some places of our yard.

One morning, we decided to accept the still-falling snow as our friend and go sledding.  Of course this meant clearing a pathway for our car out of the already fallen 8-inches of snow. As I shoveled and watched my newly cleared areas fill up again with snow, it hit me:

Cleaning up after kids is like shoveling during a snowstorm.

The Answer

I’ve been thinking a lot in the recent weeks about why raising three children 4 and under is so taxing emotionally, physically, mentally…or why my house seems to dirty itself, despite my best efforts.  And I think I’ve figured it out.

When you are parenting young children, you tend to be the only one contributing to the WORK while everyone is constantly contributing to the MESS.  It really is true that if you don’t do it, no one will.  Unless you figure out a way to get your kids involved.  And believe me, you NEED to get your kids involved.

Get Kids Involved

You need to get them involved, not just for your sanity, but for their benefit.  All children need responsibilities and chores.  It’s a part of life that builds character, work ethic, responsibility, self confidence, and teaches children to take pride and ownership in their surroundings.  Plus, it helps kids learn that being a part of a family means contributing.  Children are never too young to help around the house (well, unless they are infants).  They just may be too young to do it alone.  So either assign an older child to help a younger sibling with their work, or you’ll just need to help them until they can do it themselves.

Age Appropriate Chores for Kids

If you’re like me, you may be thinking “Yeah, but WHAT can my child actually DO?”  Here are some ideas.  (Each age grouping builds on the one before it, so what a child can do at 12 months, they can still do at 2 years PLUS the new tasks at that stage.)  Just keep in mind that you are training CHILDREN, not professionals.  They won’t get it right a lot of the time and they will probably lose focus more often than you’d like.  But at least they are trying!

12-18 months

At this age, children love to put things in their places.  Give them one item at a time and they will be entertained for a long time.  **Needs assistance**

  • Pick up toys and put into bins
  • Put utensils INTO the dishwasher
  • Put laundry into dirty clothes hamper

 

18-24 months

Give more responsibility, but don’t expect them to do it all themselves or stay focused for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.  **Needs assistance**

  • Make their bed
  • Put knives, forks, and spoons into appropriate place in drawer
  • Put away their own laundry

 

2 – 3 years

Explosion in capabilities and understanding.  Can do more on their own, but need supervision and instruction. **Needs some supervision**

  • Help organize laundry (either clean or dirty)
  • Help load washing machine or transfer clothes to dryer
  • Help rinse dishes before putting in dishwasher
  • Clean up toys over large area
  • Clear plates from table
  • Help set table
  • Put away books
  • Clean up own messes
  • Help make meals or treats

 

3 – 4 years

May still need instructions and reminders, but can do most on their own.  **Needs minimal supervision and assistance**

  • Fold laundry
  • Load dishwasher
  • Dusting
  • Put away own coat/shoes/gloves
  • Help clean out the car
  • Help wash the car
  • Clean floorboards/baseboards
  • Clean stair banisters
  • Perform daily assigned tasks
  • Help dump trash cans

 

4 – 5 years

Needs little instruction and supervision.

  • Clean out the toilet
  • Wash mirrors and windows
  • Clean out sinks
  • Mop the floor on hands and knees
  • Wipe off kitchen table
  • Organize toys, shoes, books, etc.
  • Help put away groceries
  • Make bed completely

 

5 years+

 

  • Do full loads of laundry from start to finish
  • Load and unload dishwasher from start to finish (except high things or fragile things)
  • Clean own room
  • Sweep floors
  • Take out trash
  • Maintain assigned area/room
  • Perform daily assigned tasks without constant reminder

A Few Final Tips for Cleaning with kids

  1. Baby wipes are a life saver.  Not only are they not too expensive, but they are perfectly moist for little kids to be able to wipe walls, banisters, sinks, toilets, etc.
  2. Clorox wipes are also great for disinfecting.
  3. Help kids know where things go by having bins or an organization system for clothes, toys, books, etc.
  4. Too many toys make it hard to clean up!  So dejunk your toy room (and clothes too) to help kids keep things clean.
  5. If something is really easy for your child, give them a harder task next time.  Keep stretching them, but don’t make it too hard or they will get frustrated.
  6. Be patient!
  7. Give your child a chore out of their natural abilities.  Don’t only give organization chores to your organized child.  Have your unorganized child do them too.
  8. Reward your child with praise and stickers (if applicable) so they can see their contribution.  Sticker charts are GREAT for motivating young kids!!

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Keeping House, Not Just Housekeeping

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Kerri

The homemaker has the ultimate career.  All other careers exist for one purpose only — and that is to support this ultimate career.

~ CS Lewis

A few months ago, my Mom and I met one of the greatest Homemakers of all time, Daryl Hoole.  The author of many books, articles, and seminars, here is a take home list of ways you can quickly keep a better house:

Little Things That Make A Big Difference

  • Your new mantra: Clean as you Go.  Wipe as you Work.  Pick up as you Pass.  Look Back as you leave.
  • Skim before you scour –make everything tidy before spending lots of time on one big task
  • Stop dirt at the door — remove shoes.  Always go outside with shoes on.  Sweep porches and vacuum rugs so outside dirt is not tracked in.
  • Don’t make two jobs out of one–Why lose it just to have to find it again.  Put it away instead of putting it down.  Use one workspace in the kitchen while cooking, containing the mess.
  • No meals on wheels–only eat in the kitchen.  Crumbs and spills travel easily through your house, wasting your time and money.
  • Remember: messes multiply
  • Have a system, not a search. Make a Home for everything.
  • Do today’s work today — don’t wake up to yesterday’s work
  • Be prepared — invest time in being prepared for the unexpected, including the unfortunate running-out-of-flour in the middle of baking cookies
  • Put the house to bed before you go to bed — another catchy way of saying “Do Today’s Work Today”
  • Make a HOME (don’t just clean house) — make it a place where you feel good and want to be
  • Revitalize with the Sabbath –Keep Sunday Holy by keeping Saturday Hopping
  • Not at the “top of your game”? Prioritize — make a list and do SOMETHING even when you feel like doing nothing.  Even 30 seconds in a bathroom can make things shiny.
  • Time the technology–there are appliances that are worth getting that save you time (ie a dishwasher, kitchenaid that mixes, chops, etc.)
  • Have a “clutter buddy”–if you just can’t shake ALL the clutter, have a box where you can keep these things in, with a rule to dejunk it once a week.
  • All hands on deck!–get everyone involved with responsibilities
  • Be of good cheer–If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.  Knowing your attitude affects your family, choose to be happy.

She has several books, but one of the most popular is The Art of Homemaking. She also has great advice for raising kids, too!

For some free articles by Daryl Hoole go to: www.theartofhomemaking.com

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