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Establishing an Evening Routine

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Establishing an Evening Routine

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Grateful that we are still enjoying our summer break, I am gearing up to return our family to our school routine a week or two before the first day. With our relaxed summer routine coming to an end, we will revisit establishing an evening routine.

In dealing with schedules, no two days are identical. As we spontaneously go for a walk or drive to the park, we would not keep to a rigid schedule, nor would I want to be tied down.

Though I stay very organized, I do not keep our family on a timed schedule. Instead we have routines composed of the same activities in the same order but the amount of time spent each day varies.

Thinking of our change from summer to school, I want our mornings to be as non-hurried as possible. To do so, I begin by establishing an evening routine.

Preparing the night before will give us a jump start on the morning. In using time wisely, I find doing some basics enough to start our mornings off well, so enjoy a peek into our evening routine.

Our Evening Routine

At some point every evening, we have dinner or supper. This gathering of the family ends our afternoon routine and begins our evening routine.

Dinner

Typically, we eat around 6:00 p.m. during the school year. Some nights might be earlier or later depending on entertaining, activities, meetings, etc. In our home, we all eat the evening meal at the dining room table after Paul gets home from work.

Upon finishing their meal and asking to be excused, our children clear their dishes and move to the living room to play. Usually, Paul and I get a few minutes to chat before calling over our helpers to clear the table, load the dishwasher, and cleanup.

Play

During this time, our children exercise. They may rough house, play outside, go for a walk, or play a game. If homework did not get finished during our afternoon routine, then we finish it before playing.

On those nights when homework goes all the way to bedtime, we will extend play to allow this child time to burn some energy. Play continues until around 8:00 p.m. when we move to preparing for bed.

Preparing for Bed

Beginning by getting their drinks filled up to take to their rooms, we move our activities upstairs. The children bathe, put on their pajamas, brush teeth, and go potty. They also help or get out their clothing for the morning and place those items on their dressers. As they finish, each of our older children get in their beds.

Devotions

With the older children in their bunks, Paul, our youngest daughter, and I sit on the floor of their room while Paul leads our family in a short time of devotion, encouragement, instruction, and prayer. We then sing a song or two before giving hugs and kisses to each other.

Reading

After the older two settle back into bed, I read a chapter or two of our current read aloud. We have already read through the entire Nancy Drew hardback series (through book 56), around 17 of the Hardy Boys collection, and a few classics like Charlotte’s Web. When I finish reading, I kiss them both and turn out their light.

The preschooler is welcome to stay for the reading until she gets into trouble or I finish reading. Then she goes to bed.

Quiet Time

Paul and I then get our quiet time between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. until we head to bed. 🙂

Establishing an Evening Routine

If you are new to planning a routine or need to readjust yours to better suit your growing family, then consider these tips to establishing an evening routine:

1. Choose parameters for your routine. For our family we start at dinner and end at bedtime.

2. Work around your family’s natural tendencies. If your family watches television together or goes to the gym, then work those into your routine.

3. Stay flexible. Some days will go more smoothly than others. If we are getting home late, then we forego the play time, and I will get the children’s clothes out for the next morning.

4. Be patient. Finding your own routine takes time. During the process, finding what doesn’t work is just as helpful as discovering what does.

In using time wisely, establishing an evening routine saves our family time and energy. We all know the typical schedule and move seamlessly through the stages.

When we first established our evening routine, we helped our children by telling them to go play or brush their teeth. Though we still need to prod every now and then, they usually go into auto-pilot and follow the routine.

As you gear up for the start of the school year, I’m wishing you a smooth transition as you establish an evening routine. Though I’m not in a hurry for my children to return to school, the time is coming. We’ll be establishing our evening routine no later than the week before school starts. Happy routine testing!

Question: What do you include in your evening routine?

Establishing a Tooth Fairy Tradition for Kids

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Establishing a Tooth Fairy Tradition for Kids

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

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Establishing an Allowance for Kids

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?

Establishing Chores for Kids

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Establishing Chores for Kids

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

My children are ages 8, 6, and 3, and honestly, we have not established chores for them. My children have routines.

For example, at meal times, they help set and clear the table. With carpet on our dining room floor, my older two children clear their own place settings while my toddler may take her utensils to the sink.

Though they have some responsibilities, we have not established set chores for them.

Realizing that they need to understand the workings of a home for when they have their own, I would like to teach them one step at a time.

Though I am not ready to have them clean the entire house, I am ready to start because, typically, I clean while they play.

Delegating Chores

During this last cleaning session, my children were begging to help. I’m not sure if they were tired of playing, needed a change of pace, or stuck inside due to all the rain, but I welcomed the help. My son and older daughter worked together to empty all the trash cans into the larger trash bag. I then hauled it out to the trash can.

My son dusted, wiped down the furniture with polish, and vacuumed the kids’ rooms. My daughter picked up the bonus room and cleaned the crayons and marker dots off the furniture and doors using a magic eraser. While my children worked in these rooms, I cleaned our bathrooms.

In working together, we cleaned the upstairs in record time. My children were tired after the constant 3-hour session, but they were so proud of their accomplishment. I also was very proud of them and their willingness to help out.

As I consider turning over some of these responsibilities to them, I know their help will end up being a time-saver for me while developing their skills. In thinking about teaching them to use time wisely while being efficient, thorough, and accurate, I know I need to delegate more responsibilities to them.

Chore Chart Suggestions

If you need to establish, change, or adjust chores for kids, these suggestions may offer a starting point:

    • Reader Alyssa finds Kidpoints.com a helpful resource for creating chore charts and monitoring each child’s progress. (Thanks, Alyssa, for sharing!)
    • Chuck E. Cheese offers a number of calendars whereby a child can earn 10 tokens:
      • Daily chores
      • Clean room
      • Let’s get dressed
    • This post from Money Saving Mom includes links to 5 different types of chore charts. I love these because some children need a visual and/or tactile reward when completing their task.

In keeping our home clean, I welcome the help of my children. Though I know I can clean quicker and better right now, I must invest my time into teaching my children how to correctly clean to help them with the benefit of saving me future energy and time. Capitalizing on their willingness to help compounded with gratitude and rewards, I am learning to encourage my children to help.

With no official chores in place, we give our children different tasks. As we see them develop and learn how to complete each task, we will slowly delegate those responsibilities. The ball is in my court to using time wisely training my children a way to correctly clean and maintain a task before handing it over. Yikes!

We are laying the groundwork. I know others who have established chores for kids with success. We are not there yet, but thankfully, my children are still young and willing to help. Happy training!

Question: What tips do you have for establishing chores for kids?

Cleaning: Unconventional or Back to the Basics

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Cleaning: Unconventional or Back to the Basics

Photograph Credit: Flickr (stst31415)

When cleaning, I often wonder if I make the process more difficult than it needs to be. Following the marketing push to need a different product to clean each item in my home, I find I have a shelf full of products. Seeing my stash as normal, I’ve been considering unconventional or back to the basics alternatives for cleaning my home.

My Cleaning

Coming as no surprise, I use all the products I have in my cleaning closet, and they work great. Of course, I purchased all of them on sale and paired most of them with coupons or received FREE samples or products – saving our family money. My thought process here is not about the money spent, but rather the investment of time in using multiple products.

Though I am not abandoning all my supplies, I am considering a better way to using time wisely. My time might be better spent if I had fewer products to gather at the store, transport from room to room, and switch from within one room.

I know many make their own cleaning supplies and use one or two products to clean everything in their homes. If that works for you, then great! I am not against making my own, but I am still brand loyal and find my Lysol, Fabuloso, Scrubbing  Bubbles, and Windex time-savers for me.

My Discovery

Recently, I used about half a bottle of white vinegar to clean my tea maker. (Let’s just say, it had been a few years since I had given this well-used appliance a good cleaning.) With the entire container of vinegar costing less than $2, I was pleased with the results and the cost.

After that success, I was chatting with my mom about her house renovations, and she mentioned how soaking her shower heads in white vinegar overnight completely cleared out the mineral deposits and debris in the holes. As I shared my success with white vinegar with my tea maker, we had a discussion about cleaning products.

Shortly after that discussion, I found 150+ Household Uses for Vinegar from Reader’s Digest. With this topic on my mind, I have started looking at white vinegar for other uses around my home. For example, the grass or weeds that grow in the creases of our driveway and sidewalk are eliminated with a day when sprayed with white vinegar.

In evaluating my cleaning supplies, I am amazed at the unconventional or back to the basics alternative found in white vinegar. With my interest peaked with other uses for a less-than-$2 bottle of white vinegar, I am learning.

Still embracing my tried-and-true cleaning supplies, I am on a mission to using time wisely. This journey is on-going, and I’m not opposed to trying something new.

Pleased with the progress had with white vinegar, I am more open to other uses which may be the start of a new cleaning style – only time will tell. Keep on using time wisely, and happy learning!

Question: Have you found a new discovery causing you to consider why you do what you do?