Kids. Chores. Allowance. At some level we all know that these three things should go together in some way. But the how and why of it all sometimes gets lost in the sleep deprivation and “don’t do that’s” of parenthood. Let’s start with chores. The general school of thought is that kids should do chores. What those experts don’t tell us is how much work it is to make it happen! Yes, kids should do chores – for many reasons. But enforcing a chore system in your house can sometimes seem like more trouble than it’s worth. So let’s start with the benefits of chores: The positives for mom are pretty awesome - When the kids do chores, mom has a little bit less work to do – eventually. If our kids can ever get a handle on doing things like cleaning and laundry, then theoretically, our lives will get easier. The other benefit is a greater level of respect for all that Mom does and how hard she works to keep things running. The positives for kids are character rewards – … [Read more...]
Lunch Box Notes
We all know that bento box lunches are the rage lately. Search the internet and you'll find all kinds of moms showing off how creative they can be with their kid's lunches. In fact, Lindsi has come up with some great bento lunches! I, however, am not that creative, nor do I feel I have the time to go crazy packing a lunch that my daughter may (or may not) scarf down in 10 minutes. I bet most of you feel the same (kudos to those who are more like Lindsi though!). So how do I make my daughter's lunch special? How do I compete with an awesome bento box? I put random notes in her lunch box! This is not a new idea. In fact, my mom used to put notes in my, my sister's, and even my dad's lunch box when I was growing up. From a simple, "I love you," to a longer heartfelt letter, I loved being surprised when I opened my lunch. I now pass the tradition on to Nutty and will continue it when Tottie is in school. Like my mom, I have no set schedule. Random notes are much more … [Read more...]
Kids In The Kitchen–Guest Post
Getting your kids in the kitchen may seem like a lot of work, but it is one of the best ways to teach them life long lessons! I am going to tell you about the amazing benefits that you and your child will receive from spending time together in the kitchen while we bake monkey bread. Let’s start with washing our hands. This is the perfect time to teach your child a thing or two about microbiology. You can say something like this: There are teeny, tiny bugs that are invisible to your eye. They live all over the place! Some of them help us, but some of them can make us sick. It’s important to wash our hands so that we only keep the good ones around us. Let’s sing happy birthday twice as we rub our hands together really fast with soap, and then we can rinse them with water. Why do we have to rub our hands together really fast? Good question! That’s what’s going to get the bad bugs off, since soap alone won’t do the trick, so rub, rub, rub! Click photo to enlarge Now it’s time to … [Read more...]
Early Second Language Learning–Guest Post
As an adult, have you ever felt frustrated when you couldn’t communicate with another person due to a language barrier? Perhaps you then wished you would have studied a foreign language beyond the mandatory high school or college courses. In today’s society bilingualism and even multilingualism are a norm. As the demographics of our country rapidly change, it is vital to understand about foreign cultures and languages. Employers greatly value individuals who are bilingual and frequently applications who boast these skills stand out in a highly competitive job market. There have been a wide variety of research studies demonstrating the benefits of early second language learning . School systems all across the country continue to implement and improve their foreign language curriculum. Many schools now offer elementary language immersion programs where children are taught by teachers who speak fluently in the targeted foreign language. The goal of immersion programs are for students … [Read more...]
Falling into the "Super Mom trap"
Super Mom VS. A Super Mom Source Super Mom- you know the type. She's in the PTA. She makes meals from scratch. She sews her kids clothing. She uses cloth diapers. She has fresh baked cookies waiting when they arrive home from school. Oops, wait- she drives them to and from school, they don't ride the bus. She has a spotless home. Her marriage is one others envy. She is involved in church leadership. She always looks clean and put together. She is fashionable. Her home is something out of a Martha Stewart magazine. She has baby books filled out in great detail for each child. Their artwork is ALL saved and stored properly. She never wears glasses, she always has time for contacts. When you ask for help she is the first one to volunteer. She runs the bake sale. She has a garage sale every year. Her SUV is always clean and smells wonderful. She writes a blog for her family, for fun, for her crafts, and for her cooking endeavors. She's perfect! A super mom- YOU, ME, … [Read more...]
Recycling for toy storage
Disclaimer- this is NOT a product review post and we're not endorsing Tide Pods, this is simply an example. Also we'd like to take a second to remind you to keep all cleaning products out of reach of children. This very product has been mistaken for candy by some children, please be careful, we love your kids and so do you. I personally love my laundry soap choice, it's quick and easy. The one thing that I do not like is the massive bottle of plastic I toss afterwards. I feel guilty and bad that I just added to the landfill. I love the way I re-use these containers for toy storage! Check it out.... First things first, wash and thouroughly dry the container out. Print out a photo of the object you are going to store in the container and add the word to it as well. By doing both you are teaching your child a few things---first, they are learning that things have a place and it makes things easier if they know where they go. Second they learn to match the way the word looks with … [Read more...]
