The other day as I frantically cleaned my house, pending the arrival of several guests, I desperately tried to get my kids to help me. After several FAILED attempts I realized where I had gone wrong. It all goes back to a few years ago. I always cleaned the house when they were down for naps. They never saw the work that went into keeping the house clean, thus they never had to help. Fail on my part, big time! My kids had no accountability for chores and certainly no consequences for not completing chores. This had to change! Introduction to chore charts. I found this awesome Etsy store, Abbies House, that sold great chore charts and some awesome magnets to boot. My husband I discussed which chores we thought were appropriate and also added some for the future as they got older. We comitted to a purchase and we are in LOVE with these charts! (Just an FYI- Abbies House didn't ask me to do a review, I am doing it simply because I am so pleased with the quality and the … [Read more...]
Make fun of cleaning
I've mentioned my grandma a few times before and how she was creative, clever, and fun. I have so many amazing memories of the "little things" in life that she turned into great things. Not long ago she passed away and while the pain of losing her is still raw I know that I am so lucky because I have so many wonderful memories to last me a lifetime. One thing that she made fun was cleaning. Yes, you read the right, cleaning! She loved to sew and she had sewn me an apron that she kept in the top drawer in her kitchen (right next to her towels). On Sundays we'd get up and she'd open the kitchen drawer and pull out my little apron and tie it on. It's amazing to me that a simple apron made cleaning fun. I thought it would be really neat to "pass on the cleaning fun" to my daughter. I made her a special cleaning apron that I now keep in my top drawer in my kitchen right next to the one my grandma made for me. When it is time to get some cleaning done I try and make a game or a race … [Read more...]
Fun way to teach your kids how to spell their name
My sister introduced me to this way of teaching my girls how to spell their names and it definitely works! Unfortunately for me, it is hard to explain in black and white. Fortunately for you, you get to watch me make a fool out of myself in a vlog! Without further ado: What do you think? Do you think your kids could learn their names and phone number this way? … [Read more...]
Boo Boo Bunny
"Mommy, I've got a boo boo!" How many times a day do you hear this, or something similar? If your kids are anything like mine they are constantly asking for band-aids and ice packs to make the owie better. I found this really cute idea years ago on "How to Make a boo boo Bunny" and I have one in my freezer right now. Its really easy to make (even if you are craft-challenged) and it will be a quick fix for any boo boos, scrapes, bumps, or ouchies that come your way. To make your own boo boo bunny you'll need: A washcloth A rubber band Thin ribbon Google eyes Small pom pom Craft glue (or hot glue gun if you prefer) Step 1: Fold your washcloth in half to make it look like a triangle. Step 2: Roll the cloth from the point to the long side of the cloth. Step 3: Fold the rolled up cloth in half. Step 4: Fold it in half again so that the loose ends point backwards towards your first fold. Step 5: Secure the folds with a rubber band (place it … [Read more...]
