Organization: Switch-a-Roo Time

February 23, 2014 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

The birds are chirping, the toads are croaking, and the temperatures are in the high 60s. Woo hoo!

Spring is peeking around the corner which means it’s switch-a-roo time.

Yep, time to switch our family’s clothing from sweaters, jackets, and pants to tank tops, capris, and swimsuits.

Though we still keep out some long-sleeved outfits for those cold mornings, I will need to start making the change in the next week or two.

To stay organized and to keep the mess to a minimum, I follow this organizational system for switching out my children’s clothing:

1. Prepare to organize my children’s clothing

2. Purge any soiled or worn clothing from winter

3. Pack up clothing and shoes to keep and any donations

4. Place spring clothes from bins into closets, dressers, and bins

5. Preserve the remaining items by putting everything away safely

As Paul and I are able to keep both our winter and our summer clothing housed in our closet and dressers year round, we do move our clothing around a bit to make getting to flip flops and short-sleeved shirts a tad easier.

In the next few weeks as you embark on switch-a-roo time, remember that extra outfit you stash in your vehicle, the coat closet downstairs, and/or the sports backpack that is sure to have a couple pairs of socks. I list these items more to remind myself as these are spots where I find items after putting everything away.

Enjoy these last days of winter as we wrap up the cold weather activities and prepare for days outside. Switch-a-roo time is coming along with warmer weather, visits to the park, and neighborhood walks. Happy preparing!

Question: How does switch-a-roo time look at your house?

Lessons from a Backpack

September 16, 2013 by Tracy

As we are still adjusting to our school routine, I had a mom mention to me that she doesn’t really know how school is going until mid-October.

At the time she mentioned that I thought it was odd that it would take over a month to make that determination. However, now that my children are in school all day and their responsibilities seem to increase each week, I am beginning to understand that mom’s statement.

Transitioning from second grade to third grade is a jump. From bringing home one accordion file with all the necessary homework and paperwork, we have graduated to a backpack full of books: Bible, history, math, science, Latin, grammar, and reading.

Learning to check for each book, notebook, and assignment before leaving school has been a bit of a struggle this year. Missing one or more items makes getting homework done difficult.

Finding that when I was near the beginning of car line, Mr. 8 seemed to forget more items at school. Having Paul stop by after work to pick up the left items was not a habit we were going to encourage or continue.

Though we are still adjusting to third grade, Mr. 8 has improved, and I have learned these lessons from a backpack:

Adjust my Pickup Schedule

In understanding my son, I realized he needs the time to go subject by subject to make sure he gets all his work placed in his backpack. So, I have adjusted my schedule to come to school right at the end of the school day rather than arriving early at the front of car line.

As the other students are getting picked up, Mr. 8 has a bit more time to go through his desk to make sure he has all the items he needs at home. He can then take his time to pack all the items into his backpack because I am not holding up car line waiting on him.

Ask about Homework

When Mr. 8 gets into the van, I will ask him if he has everything. Sometimes, I pull off to the side to give him time to check. I do this on days that he seems sidetracked or overly excited as he can get distracted and miss items.

If he is missing an item, we are still at school, and he can go get it. By asking, I can help him head off frustrations and problems while working or trying to get homework done later.

In using time wisely, I am learning how to help my son be responsible. It is his responsibility to keep up with his assignments and books. But in teaching him, I am finding him more responsible now that I have adjusted my pickup schedule and ask about homework before leaving the parking lot.

Eventually, I won’t need to make these adjustments. He will learn, but it will take some time. We are all learning. I even need to continue to adjust and change even if those lessons are from a backpack. Happy adjusting!

Question: What situations have you adjusted to help someone else?

Comforts of Home: Accessible Blankets

September 2, 2013 by Tracy

“I’m cold. Can we turn on the fan?”

“No, I’m hot.”

“Mom, can we turn off the fan?”

Such conversation used to be heard around our household. With my girls getting cold so easily and my son warm as can be, we needed a solution as we cannot have the heat and the air conditioner going at the same time. 😉

Since we keep our thermostat set around 70 during the summer, we use ceiling fans to cool the rooms when it gets too warm. In the winter, we keep our thermostat set around 68 to take the chill out of the air. If one gets cold, then she can go to the stack of accessible blankets in our living room kept year round.

Benefits of Accessible Blankets

The blessing of this stack of blankets is immediate access for chilly moments. When one gets cold, she just gets a blanket. No need to come ask or interrupt mom making dinner or assisting with homework to find a covering for her. Having the blankets accessible meets my family’s needs and saves me time.

Multiple Uses for Accessible Blankets

Besides a covering, these blankets offer hours of play. A few of our favorite uses include:

Building tents/clubhouses
Rides down the hallway
Carrier for their toys – where the toys are wrapped up inside
Dress up – blankets make great capes
Puppet show prop

Having a stack of blankets gives my children a creative outlet. They invent games and play with the blankets in ways they do not do with their other toys.

Downfall to Accessible Blankets

As with all great ideas, there is a pitfall. Our blankets are not always found neatly folded. As my children play, they try to put them back, but their folding skills are not quite developed. So, the blankets are either in a rolled up heap crammed under the white board, or they are in a pile on the side.

I do not fold these every day, but I usually re-fold them a couple times a week. It just looks better when they are folded and put away.

One solution to this pitfall is to use a window seat or similar furniture piece that opens from the top. Then the blankets could go in and the cover replaced – out of sight, but available when needed.

We don’t currently have one of these pieces, and we don’t need it at this time. It is just a suggestion, and something to keep in mind.

Having accessible blankets is a comfort in our home. Besides quickly wrapping up on a brisk fall afternoon, we use our blankets to have fun.

In building relationship by playing together, our family uses blankets. Yes, it is an obstacle to move out of the way when they are piled in a heap, but the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. Happy comforting!

Question: What are some comforts of your home?

Establishing a Tooth Fairy Tradition for Kids

July 15, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

The Tooth Fairy tradition is one of my favorite remembrances. My childhood memories of my mom calling the Tooth Fairy (actually the number for time) to remind her that I had a tooth for her or writing the note when my tooth fell down the drain at school remain very real.

I clearly remember the day my mom asked me to get something from her desk. The item I retrieved was next to a clear container that held all my teeth and the note I wrote. Oh, I remember the moment of discovery when I realized the Tooth Fairy was . . . my mom.

Well, that discovery will not occur with my children as our son suspected and asked us privately and then our daughter caught me one night making the exchange for my son. We play it up, but our kids know who the Tooth Fairy really is.

Establishing a Tooth Fairy Tradition for Kids

When our son’s friends began losing their teeth, we began brainstorming ideas for establishing a Tooth Fairy tradition for kids. Asking for suggestions from my Facebook friends, we received many creative responses. Our favorite was exchanging the tooth for a gold $1 coin.

With the exception of the first tooth and losing the two front teeth at the same time, we have kept to our Tooth Fairy tradition.

Preparing our Tooth Fairy Tradition for Kids

Since I do not have a money tree that produces these gold coins, I request them when I make deposits or withdrawals at our local credit union. Over time, I have accumulated a little treasure of the $1 coins.

Having lost her first tooth with a wiggly second on its way, my daughter has joined the ranks of the toothless. That night, she stayed up as long as she could to see the Tooth Fairy make her exchange. However, the Tooth Fairy made a morning visit as she was too tired to wait that long.

In teaching our children about money, motivation, and rewards, they are allowed to spend their Tooth Fairy money. However, they both have chosen to save it as they are working toward either a movie ticket or a Chick-fil-A gift card for each $100 they deposit into their credit union account.

In establishing a Tooth Fairy tradition for kids, we are enjoying the gold coin method. The rate of inflation is pretty good as I received a quarter for each tooth. As a prize for the first tooth and if both the front teeth come out at the same time, we up the reward to $5.

We initially thought the $5 was just for the first tooth, but then the dentist announced that the Tooth Fairy gives bonuses for losing the front teeth together.

When it happened, the Tooth Fairy had to follow through even though the dentist couldn’t believe it happened as it “never” does. Well, leave it to my children to prove them wrong. 😉

By using time wisely to establish the tradition, our children know what to expect and enjoy the fun that comes along with a visit from the Tooth Fairy. Happy tradition making!

Question: What Tooth Fairy traditions have you established in your home?

Establishing an Allowance for Kids

July 8, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

A key to success is motivation. If one is not motivated to complete a task, then that task will not get done until the motivation kicks into gear.

For adults, we have learned consequences for not accomplishing tasks, so we get motivated because the results are not favorable. For example, if the laundry pile grows for 3 weeks, then I will spend 3 days getting the laundry done.

If I don’t care to ~~waste~~ spend three days switching loads, folding, and putting away, then I find motivation in using time wisely a little at a time to keep up with the mound of laundry.

Depending on the age of the child, kids do not understand the consequences of not doing a chore or household task. Most children are not motivated to keep their rooms clean. They have not experienced rodents, spoiled carpet from spilled beverages, or missing prized items that are buried under mounds of toys and clothes.

Realizing that motivation is learned, I understand it takes time to develop motivation. In teaching our children, we start by motivating with rewards. A reward in our home comes from establishing an allowance for kids.

Paid Allowance for Kids

Started at age 3, our children receive $2.25 each month. We explain to them that we expect them to carry some of the load around the house, and by doing what they are asked to do, they receive this monthly wage.

Our children are able to put $2 in their banks while the quarter rests on their dressers until Sunday morning when they give a portion of their earnings back to the Lord.

We teach our children that everything comes from the Lord, and in honoring Him (another motivational response), we give a tithe (at least 10%) from our earnings. The conversations that arise regarding their allowance give us opportunities to teach our children about money, including giving, saving, interest, and spending.

Gift Allowance for Kids

Knowing that we were going to ask for more help from our children this summer, Paul and I gave our children a budget to spent at the Dollar Spot in Target. The spending girls maxed out their allotment, while our saving son found a few things and stopped.

We took the items purchased and put them aside. As our children show maturity and go above and beyond what we deem necessary, we take their bags of items, and let them choose a reward.

One such instance occurred when my two older children asked to help me clean our upstairs. They worked really hard for about 3 hours, and they willingly helped me out. Both of them earned a reward to which they were very excited.

In establishing an allowance for kids, each family works differently. We are moving from preschool stage into elementary stage which is uncharted territory for us.

In adjusting to the needs of our children, we are evaluating what we are teaching, how we are teaching, and the examples we are showing. We make plenty of mistakes and will learn as we go, but establishing an allowance for kids has worked thus far in our home.

Thankfully, our children enjoy depositing their allowance into their accounts at the credit union. Their motivation stems from the reward received after saving $100 for either a movie ticket or a Chick-fil-A gift card.

It will take some time for my children to reach motivation for respect, honor, and love, but they understand the motivation of rewards. Therefore, we teach and work from where they are by using an allowance program that fits our family and our budget. Happy motivating!

Question: Do you or have you had an allowance system in place at your home?