Kids Homemade Valentine’s Day Decorations
Kids are absolutely FULL of ideas when it comes to decorating for a holiday like Valentines Day! Here are some ideas for making homemade Valentine’s Day decorations for your home…
First things first… start simple. Stick to decorating just the main rooms of your home. You can give each child a ball of red, white or pink ribbon and just see what they decide to do with it. Ribbon is great to wrap around vases of flowers or draped over doorways. And, don’t forget to get a pair of scissors to run through the ribbon to create curls!
Last year I cut out a bunch of hearts out of construction paper and had them all over our craft table for the kids to do whatever they wanted with (within reason!). They made all sorts of fun Valentines… and some ended up on the top of the piano, on the window, the walls… fun! Let your kids stick them all over – whevever they can find a good spot. If you sit long enough, there may be a few attached to you! Bigger hearts can be taped onto walls and windows (make sure the tape won’t strip the paint!)… Or, you can punch a hole in the heart and put a string through to tie them onto things.
Get Organized Now… Before The School Rush
- Image by Scott & Elaine van der Chijs via Flickr
I’m always looking for new resources about home management and organization. I think I must get bored of the systems I put into place because I’m always looking to try something new. One of the things I’m struggling with a bit (and please tell me you can relate 
with is managing my time well this summer. I have so much I want to accomplish – and that doesn’t even include the fun stuff I want to do with my family! If I am not managing my time well… my projects and tasks will consume every second of my time – and as the Simple Mom has said it – before I know it, I’m afraid my children will be computer orphans! I refuse to be known as the mom who was always on the computer working…
So, on my quest to look for the absolute perfect solution, I have come across some cool resources. Now, I think the thing I have realized the most is that there isn’t a system for everyone. There couldn’t be — we are all WAY too different! I have also realized that for ME… I can get a system all put together… I can make it look pretty… but, implementing it is a whole different ballgame. Is anyone else like this? More than needing a new system — I finally have come to terms with the fact that what I really need to be successful is accountability!
Creating a Soothing & Practical Baby Nursery
Decorating your baby’s nursery is certainly exciting and a lot of fun. As well as creating a soothing environment, your baby’s nursery should be practical and safe.
Make sure there are no electrical switches, blind cords or other hazards where baby can reach them.
Try to plan a nursery your child won’t outgrow. Choose a theme that’s classic and both you and baby can live with for some time. It can be expensive and time consuming if the nursery dates too quickly.
Also you don’t have to stick to traditional baby colors such as pink for girls and blue for boys. With the huge range of paint colors available now you can experiment a little.
For an extra special touch try painting a mural on one of the walls. If art isn’t really your forte you can usually find a good local artists willing to take the job on for a reasonable price. You can also stencil a border around the room or stencil in your favorite poem or verse.
When choosing the furniture, make sure it’s functional. You’ll need a crib, changing table, and storage for clothes. You may also want a moses basket or basinet. It’s always smart to think ahead and invest in convertible furniture like a crib which turns into a toddler bed or a change table/dresser which can later be used as a dresser only. This will cost a little bit more but will actually save you from having to invest in furniture again in a few years.
DeClutter In 10 Days This Fall with Simple Mom
Simple Mom has done it… she just released her new ebook all about getting your home decluttered in 10 days! Why not spring clean this fall? I’m going to… and am reading her book as I type this. For a measly 7 bucks you can get your hands on Simple Mom’s plan too…
Spring Cleaning in July…
Yep.
My house is a mess. a dump… and I can’t stand it! I was so inspired by the Nester this past weekend, but I have realized that to do what I really want to do in this house, I have to do some major cleaning and de-cluttering – man, it seems to be never ending!
If you are in the same (or similar) boat as me – check out this little report I came across…
Here are a few topics covered in the book…
- Specific Tips For Cleaning Each Room
- Specific cleaning tips for each room of your home
- Cleaning tips for “often” forgotten areas – such as your medicine cabinet, cosmetics bag, and more
- It’s time to get organized! Learn the secrets to get clutter out of your home!
- Strategies for establishing a daily routine to keep everything clean and organized
- A “cleaning checklist” to make sure you have everything you’ll need to get started
- and much more!
Check it out for yourself…
I just spent 6 of the best hours browsing this site…
I think I am waaayyy over due for some link love. I’m always browsing around looking for new things to try and share… and sometimes I just see the same things over and over again – recycled all over the internet.
This week, however, was different… VERY different! My hubby would probably say that I wasted at least 1/2 of a day this weekend browsing and perusing through some amazing blogs… but, I say that every second was well worth it.
It started when I was looking for ideas to create a homeschool room for the Fall school year. We decided to home-school our two oldest this year (3rd grade and kindergarten) and as thrilled as I am – it took me a while to realize that we needed a room dedicated to our efforts… so, to the internet I turned and I was very surprised that I didn’t find the resources/inspiration/ideas I was looking for…
But… then…
I just happened to come across the Nester…
Oh. My.
I am not exaggerating when I say I easily spent 6 hours that night looking through her amazing blog! wow.
She has a gift… a gift to turn something everyday into something beautifully amazing. But – what is really cool… she is a thrifter (is that a word?)… She hardly ever pays full price for anything and specializes in turning second hand finds into masterpieces.
Forget WebKinz… Check Out HandiPoints – Chores Earn HandiPoints
I am always looking for a new chore system for my kids… I have implemented a few and they have all worked well – but, after a while they seem to fizzle. Can you relate?
Well – that is until I stumbled on HandiPoints.
This site is SO cool and, in my opinion, blows WebKinz out of the park. I know – chores and WebKinz don’t really have much to do with each other… but, the online WebKinz world is what ‘HandiLand’ reminded me of… only, the difference is that kids EARN time (and Handi Money for clothes, games, etc.) in HandiLand! And, they earn it by doing chores.
The site has great chore charts and does all the tracking for you. You can print them out – or let your child login and check their online chart. Each chore has a point value added to it (by you) and it is all tracked automatically!
I haven’t seen anything like this online… in fact, they should really be charging for the service… but, it is FREE! (Told you it was better than Webkinz!
Looking for lazy mornings?? I can’t wait!
I am SO NOT a morning person… and I can’t wait until summer when we don’t all have to be out the door before 8am!!
I’m planning on implementing a new summer schedule for the kids – it’s going to look something like this:
Dressed, breakfast and teeth brushed before 9:30am. If they are ready before then (and I know they will be because they are early risers), than they can play until 9:30.
At 9:30 we do morning chores… I’ll have a chore chart in place for each of them. There are some great resources if you google chore charts for kids that list out age appropriate chores. Check out this one… www.ChoreCharts.com
We’ll do chores until 11am… and then it will be play time until noon – then we’ll have lunch. We might pack a picnic and take it to the park or something.
After lunch, I really want to enforce a quiet time. I use to do this when I just had my oldest two – and now that we have three kids… the noise level has gone WAY up – so, we need a quiet time. (Okay, I’ll be honest – I will be the one NEEDING the quiet to keep my sanity
After about an hour of quiet time… the kids can play for a few hours or so… and then will have some late afternoon chores that will likely be focused around getting dinner ready.
Spring Cleaning and Toddlers
Well it’s about that time of the year again when many of us begin to spring clean. All too often a hard task because we have our little ones under foot not really helping since we are trying to get things done quickly it raises our stress level. This can cause us to begin to go a little stir crazy trying to entertain her as well as get things done.
How about stepping back and regrouping and including her in a task or two. Yes these tasks may take a little longer but in the end you are teaching her how to clean and having some fun while you are at it.
Have a few baskets one for keep clothing, one for give away and one for unsure. Then have her help put the clothes in the right basket. If they are different colors this would be a great time to work on color identification with saying things like Can you put this shirt in the blue basket, or these pants go in the green one. This also helps them when its time to give them away especially to a friend or younger sibling that these clothes we are giving away.
Get a spray bottle of water and a rag or paper towels and let her clean the windows. If you house is like ours the windows that she can reach are never really clean anyways with them wanting to peek out the window.
5 Tips to Help Prevent Your Toddler From Getting Overwhelmed
Having a toddler often means having a ton of toys in your house, it may even look like Toys’R’Us exploded in your living room. This may be a cool thing for her when she has fun new toys but looking and trying to decide what to play with can be a daunting task for a young one. Just like us when we have a long to do list we don’t know where to start or what to tackle first.
I have found some these things to help not only keep her from getting overwhelmed but also keep things a little more organized.
Small Rubbermaid buckets or cubbies
With these you can group like toys like all blocks, dolly and clothes, and legos. This helps keep them from getting lost plus it helps save time when she wants to play with them. Then back in the box and put back so they are ready to play with next time.
Larger Rubbermaid buckets
Having a few only put enough toys in there to close the top that way you can rotate the boxes of toys. Rotate them out once every few weeks it’s like getting new toys she won’t get board and you don’t have a ton of toys laying around the house.
Schedules
OK this may be having you wondering why schedule something like playing with toys. It does work; if you say make different days for different toys then only pull those out. Another idea is to make it a certain type of play before lunch or nap time then something else that afternoon. This works best for stay at home moms, it can help them keep their days a little more organized.
Save money by storing your food properly
Storing your food properly can lengthen the time it stays fresh… saving you money on your grocery bill. I found a great resource filled with tips for storing food properly… print off the charts and keep them in your kitchen to know how long meat lasts in the refrigerator or freezer. Learn how long you can keep fruit and whether or not it is best stored in the refrigerator, freezer or pantry. Check it out - from The Household Helper – The Food Storage Guide.
SPRING is teasing me!
It is suppose to almost hit 60 degrees today in the Pacific NW… it’s beautiful! I know it is just a tease, but we are going to pretend for the day that spring is here! 
We are opening all the windows to get that crisp clean air smell filling the rooms… we are working out front in the yard to get it ready for the soon to come spring flowers… and we promised the kids a hike at a local nature park.
So… speaking of spring cleaning… I thought I would share with you a couple of my favorite books on the topic of home organization. I’ll be honest with you – I am a good organizer… but, I am a terrible housekeeper. I desire to have a clean, organized home that my family can consider a refuge – and I need all the help I can get to do so. I stumbled on these two books a few years ago – and they have been so helpful.
Whoah! Menu Planning Central HOT DEAL!!
Moms usually know a great deal when they see one… especially when it comes to something that helps make mommy-ing easier!
If you haven’t checked out Menu Planning Central – then you are missing out! This service is a dream for every mom planning meals for their family… they take all of the work out of it – and provide some great recipes in the mean time too.
I just received notice that they are dropping their price until February 1st to only $9.97/month – this is 1/2 off their regular rate! HALF!… and believe me, the service is worth much more than what they were charging.
Check it out here andget started with Meal Planning the healthy way!
Why Is It So Hard To Clean Up After Yourself?
We are coming out of a week of everyone in our family having the flu… well 4 out of 5 of us. My hubby hasn’t had it yet. And, before the week started – you could see the top of the table… you could see the counters in the kitchen… you could even see the floor LOL – now, after a week of being sick… NOTHING! Well, the kids craft table is cleared off still – but, that’s it! What a mess… why is it so hard to clean up after ourselves?!? I know I should give everyone a break since we have been really sick – but, still. Even when we aren’t sick, it seems like such an effort… and if I’m not on top of it with everyone (read… ‘nagging’), it just doesn’t seem to get done.
It’s time to outsource! And, I don’t mean finding a maid!
It didn’t take me long to learn the value of outsourcing small tasks to a VA (Virtual Assistant) to help me be more focused and efficient with my time. Well, it’s time to apply that same concept to home. I’m hiring my own little assistants… and they happen to be 2, 5, 8 and almost 38 (giggle).
I found this amazing chore chart (that I have shared before… but is worth mentioning again) that takes all the tasks that need to be done throughout the year and spreads them out week by week. It also has daily chores listed on the left side. Starting next week – I’m outsourcing these daily chores to these little helpers and our home will remain clean (right?!?… okay… It will remain LIVE-ABLE!).