Kid's Art

Most of us have been confined to our homes for the winter season, leaving us with plenty of time to stare at each and every corner, and the walls between, for those spots that need a little pick-me-up. One such spot in our house is the wall adjacent to our sink in the bathroom. It's a small space, but it occurred to me that with just a little doing, and help from the kids, we could liven it up to turn a blah area into something personal and fun!

If you're experiencing similar bathroom wall dilemmas, try one of these water-themed ideas:

1. Take pictures of your little ones in the tub (appropriate shots, of course), frame them and stick them up on the wall.

2. Hang framed pictures of your kiddos in bathing suits, with goggles strapped on and towels in hand.

3. You could also use pictures from a recent trip to the beach, or any other water involved adventure.

For other rooms (and certainly the bathroom, too):

1. Dress your kids in old clothes, sit them down with paper and paints and let them go to town! Be selective with the choice of colors that you offer so that the ultimate result - if not a jumbled mess of brown - will coordinate with the room. Simple water colors can work well for this. Also, cut the paper to fit the size that works best for the space - either one large masterpiece or three small ones could look great!

2. If you'd like to make it a collaborative effort, draw an outline of a flower, airplane, or any object of your choosing in a dark color and let your child "fill it in" with paint.

It's Just a Material Thing

I just finished glueing a ceramic bowl back together. It doesn't look perfect - not even close - but I'm convinced that if I put it high enough on a shelf, no one will notice the cracks that run through it like a family tree. Since I mention this on a mommy blog, you've probably guessed that the broken bowl is the result of an incident involving one of my children. If so, you've guessed correctly.

I know it's just a material thing, but that bowl happened to be one of my favorite material things. Fortunately, as I heard it drop to the floor, I instantly remembered a saying that a friend shared with me a couple of years ago: "Don't let your children think that material things are more important than they are." Well, of course they're not, so does this statement have anything more to offer? I think so, primarily because of how how we sometimes respond when accidents occur. If something breaks and we respond with a shriek and look of horror, a young person might be led to think that the "thing" is of greater value and more important to you than they themselves are.

Of course children need to be taught to be careful and to respect things as good stewards of all that the Lord has given us, but we can teach a child a whole lot by how we react when things break. For one, we can remind them (and ourselves) to value spiritual things over material possessions. We should be storing our treasures up in heaven, after all, where moth and rust (and kids) do not destroy. So the next time something special breaks, or gets lost, ripped, or colored, remind yourself that you can build up your children at that very moment. You can teach them that some things are unbreakable and irreplaceable--like their status as our children. You can glue into their hearts things like responsibility, stewardship, and teamwork (clean-up, clean-up). Finally, you can demonstrate to them that our priorities should reflect those of the Lord, namely Christ and the salvation that we have in and through Him!

Household Tips

Here are some more tips from What Didn't I Think of That:

Enjoy!

"Want to extend the lifetime of your mop and broom? Tie a knot at the end of each mop string for longer wear. Dip a new broom in hot, salt water to toughen the bristles."

"Recycle those expensive paper towels. After using them to dry your hands, store them in a clean milk carton under the sink. They're dandy for wiping up spills or scrubbing remaining grease from the skillet."

"Stains on clothing are no problem with these tips...

*Ball point pen ink is removed easily by spraying with hair spray then wash as usual.

*Blood stains wash out readily after a good soaking in cold water. For a more stubborn blood stain, add a cup of vinegar to the water.

*Iron rust departs when the garments are boiled in a solution of four teaspoons of cream of tartar to one pint of water...or rub with diluted peroxide or lemon juice."

Household Tips

When I moved into my first apartment, my mom gave me a little booklet entitled Why Didn't I Think of That. It is a "collection of consumer hints" compiled by Peggy Rolfer and I love referencing it for quick tips on how to maintain a house. I'll post about these periodically because I find them to be so helpful!

"Dingy, moldy shower curtains will look like new after an occasional soaking in 1/2 cup liquid bleach and 1/4 cup detergent. Soak curtains for 20 minutes in either washing machine or bathtub. Rinse, then drip dry."

"Sponges stay fresh when soaked regularly in cold salt water."

"Silver will gleam after a rubbing with damp baking soda on a soft cloth."

"Toss lemon rinds into the garbage disposal for a fresh, clean scent."

"Stubborn candle wax may be removed from linens or carpeting by pressing a warm iron over a paper towel directly on the spot...continue until wax melts and is absorbed."

Post-Christmas Toy Management

Christmas was just twelve days ago and, if you children have been inundated with more new toys than you can count, your home may look more like a toy store that's been hit by a tornado than one that's organized and manageable. Don't let the excess of gifts lead to post-Christmas blues! If you want to reclaim order and sanity, here are a couple of tips that might help...

1. Out with the old, in with the new! There are many different approaches to this, so you'll need to pick the one that works for you.

The dramatic approach: I swept through our toy room with large garbage bags just hours after we returned home from our holiday travels and put almost all of the kids' old toys in them, leaving only a few of their favorites behind. I stuck the bags in the attic so that we can pull the old toys out periodically. For now we can focus on the new ones without being distracted and overwhelmed.

The less dramatic approach: For every new toy that you bring in, store one away or start a bag to be sent to Goodwill or another charity organization. Or you could consider donating some to your church's nursery.

The least dramatic approach: Keep all of the toys out for now, but be on the lookout for ones that have lost their appeal now that new toys are around. Gradually clear out as you see fit!

**Note that each of the options involves parting with some toys. Every birthday and holiday will bring more stuff with it and the longer you wait to declutter (which is not considered a word by Merriam-Webster, can you believe it??), the more difficult the task will be when you finally get around to it!

2. Bins, bins, bins! I do not like to spend money unnecessarily, but I've learned over the last few years that money well spent (i.e. on something that will help keep the home in order) is totally worth it! Try to find storage containers on sale or even on clearance and purchase what you need.* Having a "home" for the toys will be of great help come clean-up time and will reduce the appearance, and reality, of clutter.

3. Hand 'em down. Children go through stages and they grow out of certain toys. While the sentimental mom (I include myself here) has a hard time with this, it's a wonderful gift to pass toys down to others who might need/like them. You might want to wait until February or March to pass these down though so as not to overwhelm another mother who is probably in the midst of dealing with her own post-Christmas clutter issues!

*Get creative when thinking about storage space and choose containers accordingly. Consider odd spaces like under beds, under tall dressers, behind chairs, under sofas, in the garage, on the floor or top shelf of closets, etc.. You might even find an unused drawer in a desk or dresser that could be used to collect toys.

Five Minutes and a Laundry Basket

I have several disaster zones in my house. Do you? I'm looking around my desk at stacks of miscellaneous papers as I type, then over my shoulder to see the huge pile of laundry in the corner of our bedroom. I know that toys are scattered around the corners of our home and everywhere in between and that there is an ever-growing accumulation of items on the bookcase in our kitchen in need of being taken down to the basement. These "disaster areas" wouldn't be called such if I'd just deal with them, but there are so many that sometimes it's too overwhelming to know where to start!

I've decided to do something about them, but I know I need to start small. So here's my plan: I'm going to take just five minutes to conquer one (just one) of these disaster zones. We're all busy, but we can all spare five minutes. I've convinced that if I determine to do this, I'll reap an abundant reward. I'll spare myself the headache and frustration that a "zone" can cause each time I pass by without dealing with it.

If you're accepting the challenge and part of that challenge includes gathering items from around the house (e.g. toys!), try using a laundry basket. This will increase your efficiency in cleaning up and may even keep you under the five-minute mark, which is our goal!

Here are some suggestions, if your "zones" aren't obvious (who are you and how do you do it?):

1. Tackle a bathroom - bathrooms are relatively small and a real good cleaning can easily be done in five minutes.

2. Go through mail - throw out junk mail and then sort mail into piles of immediate and not-so-immediate attention.

3. Desk - purchase (totally worth it) two paper sorters or files to keep track of things that need to be filed, bills that need to be paid, etc.

4. Refrigerator - clean out refrigerator or freezer

Virtual Gift Exchange

If you're looking for a way to give family or friends a thoughtful gift, but are working within a tight budget, or if you just want to mix things up this year, consider a virtual gift exchange. Determine your group - immediate family or extended, neighbors, church friends, playgroup friends, etc. - and draw names. Each person will need to write (and perhaps describe) their gift on a card to be presented to the individual whose name he/she drew. You can create your own guidelines. For example, there can be a monetary limit - $5 to $10,000. The present can be a trip, tickets to an event or a valuable item - get creative and enjoy the opportunity to give whatever you'd like while ignoring the price tag! My family did this is lieu of actual gifts this year (we decided to celebrate over Thanksgiving when we were all together) and I truly think everyone had more fun! The presentations will provide easy entertainment and priceless, in every sense of the word, memories!

From the Time Management and Organization Queen!

Here's a guest post from my dear friend who has taught me tons, by example, on time management and organization. Enjoy!

I often feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. My day starts early when my son wakes up and I get him ready for school before I head to work. The morning brings a hive of activity. I am usually scurrying around, racing the clock hoping I can squeeze in all the things I need to do before I leave the house. By the end of the evening, I fall into bed after a full day.

I am definitely a planner, but I am constantly trying to hone my organizational skills so that I feel like I am using my time wisely. I have found that I am intentional about the way I spend most of my time these days. As a working Mom, I want to spend quality time with my family, have a productive day at work, and handle all of my other responsibilities at home. Here are the top ten things that help me feel like I am able to keep up with the quick pace of life these days:

1. Prioritize - I love keeping a "to do" list. I keep it in my planner and remind myself to have realistic expectations for tackling a little bit at a time. This helps me at work and at home by allowing me to order the importance of the tasks at home. I recognize that I cannot do all the things on the list each day, so I choose what I feel is most pressing that day.

2. Do your work at work - My job can be intense during the day, so I try to practice healthy boundaries by going home on time each day and leaving the issues of the day at work once I head home. After all, everything at work will be waiting for me the next day!

3. Tag team - Come up with a way to split up your responsibilities at home so that you are not taking on too much. While you are at home, you want to be spending time with your loved ones, not slaving away over an unreasonably long list of chores. Divvy up household responsibilities with your spouse or give your older children different chores if they are able to help.

4. Cook with a Slow Cooker/Crockpot - it is wonderful to arrive home to the smell of the tasty dinner you have already prepared simply by plunking ingredients into a slow cooker on your way out the door.

5. Wash clothes at night - Before I go to sleep, I start a load of laundry. When I wake up, I put the clothes in the dryer and try to fold them when I get home from work that evening.

6. Get plenty of rest - Enough said!

7. Catch up on phone calls in transit - Keeping up with family and friends is very important to me, but it can be difficult once I get home and begin my son's bedtime routine. I like to catch up on phone calls while I am inching along in traffic. Of course, this only works if you can drive safely and talk at the same time!

8. Take time for yourself in the evenings - At the end of the evening, take time for yourself to wind down from the day. I love to read each night before I go to sleep. It is a relaxing way to end the day.

9. Use the weekends to recharge - Don't over-schedule your weekends so that you have time to recover from the week. Feel comfortable saying "no" to social invitations and ensure that you will be able to enjoy some free time before your busy week starts again. Take time to enjoy resting and spending time with family and friends!

Organize the Chaos

I am by no means (the boldface and italics are necessary to stress this point) "Miss Organization." Martha Stewart would balk at many things in my home and quite frankly, I'm okay with that. There are a couple of things that I have found to be really helpful though and I wanted to share them.

1. Keep a basket by the door. I'm trying to impose a new rule in my home that we take off our shoes when we come in the door. The rule was initially in response to the fact that I was having to vacuum our carpets daily. The carpets are now cleaner (well at least a little bit), but an even greater benefit is that I always know where my boy's shoes are when we're heading out the door. This truly saves me about twenty minutes of searching time a day and we're no longer late to events because we can't find one shoe! You can also keep an extra pair of socks for each child, hats, mittens, or anything else that might be useful!

2. Toss (or store) some toys now. With the holidays coming up, you're bound to be receiving more toys for your little ones. Now is a great time to sift through the toys they already have and get rid of (or store away) some of the ones that don't get much use. Try not to hold on to things that only receive attention once or twice a month. Don't feel bad about taking things away, you may be surprised that they're actually pleased to have fewer options!

3. The ultimate toy container. There are many different containers that you can use to keep toys "contained." I have found one that I love. It's actually a pop up hamper and you can choose from a variety of colors and styles in the storage and organization section at your local Target (or other home goods stores, I'm sure). We are currently holding all of our blocks in one, but you could use it for dolls, cars/trucks, stuffed animals, or whatever toy your child has an abundance of. It could also be a catch-all container for easy clean-up. I've found that they actually enjoy cleaning up when they get to throw things in the hamper. Another use is to be able to efficiently transport favorite toys to a grandparent's house or a vacation destination.

4. Hang up the best outfits in their closets. We have all had kid's outfits that have gotten shoved to the bottom or back of a drawer and when we finally uncover them we find that the season changed or our kids have outgrown them (this is tragic when it's a really cute outfit!). A friend of mine once told me that she hangs up most, if not all of her children's clothes. You can view them more easily this way and they're far less likely to slip through a season unnoticed. If the closet that you have for your child is small, you can hang up just the favorite and nicer outfits.

Christmas Cards

Now is a great time to get your Christmas cards ready. While you may want to wait until early December to stick them in the mail, you can do plenty now to make it a breeze then!

1. Create a list of Christmas card recipients or update one that you already have.

*Switchboard.com is a great tool for finding people's addresses. It's basically the White Pages on-line!

*Don't be too quick to take people off your list. If you're working with a tight budget, it may be necessary to cut your numbers down. But if you can, use this opportunity to send a reminder to those you haven't kept up with throughout the year that you still think of them and that you hope they'll have a very Merry Christmas!

2. Pick out a family picture or schedule a photo session so that you'll have your picture (if you choose to use one) ready with time to spare.

*If you are so inclined, you can even pull some Christmas decorations out of the attic and decorate your mantle or stick a wreath on the front door to use as your backdrop. This will provide a Christmasy feel and no one else will know that it was shot in early November.

3. Buy stamps.

*Ask to see the assortment of "Forever" stamps at the post office. Choose from Angel with Lute or Holiday Evergreens if you want to add a festive touch to your envelope.

4. Pick out your Christmas card.

*Even if you're not ready to order, go ahead and figure out which card you'd like to use.

*If you are ready to order, take advantage of the "early bird" deals. For example, Shutterfly is now offering free shipping on orders of $30+ (Promo code: SHIP30). Plus save 20% on cards until Nov. 17th. Snapfish is offering 25% off cards (only mail-order purchases, not in store pick-up). The promo code for that is MERRY2010 and the offer doesn't expire until 12/31.

One benefit of getting the details taken care of in advance is that you might be able to squeeze in some time in December to write a quick sentence or two to personalize each card.

Just Add Cinnamon (Sticks)

One of my favorite things about fall and winter is the variety and potency of the season's smells! One in particular involves little effort, but packs a huge aromatic punch that will please any and every nose that enters into your home!

Buy cinnamon sticks at your local grocery, gift or craft store. Place in cooking pan on the stove and cover with water. Bring to a slight boil on medium high, then turn the heat down to low. The aroma creates an instant sense of warmth and coziness that will make you want to stock up on cinnamon sticks all season long.

*If you want a little more spice, add orange rind strips, a couple of whole cloves, and a palm full of whole allspice.

**Water will evaporate so keep an eye on the water level to make sure the pan doesn't burn.

The Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen

If you have any inclination to "go organic," but just can't afford to go all the way, then the following chart (compliments of Martha Stewart :)) might be helpful.

The CLEAN 15 (these foods have some of the lowest amounts of pesticide residue):

1. Onions

2. Avocados

3. Corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mangoes

6. Asparagus

7. Sweet peas

8. Kiwifruits

9. Cabbages

10. Eggplants

11. Papayas

12. Watermelons

13. Broccoli

14. Tomatoes

15. Sweet Potatoes

THE DIRTY DOZEN (These have the greatest amounts of pesticide residue):

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Bell peppers

4. Celery

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Kale

9. Lettuce

10. Imported grapes

11. Carrots

12. Pears

Because I think I'm likely to have trouble keeping these lists straight, I'm going to write the above on a notecard and keep it in my pocketbook so I'll always have it on hand at the store. If you have any organic tips, please share in the comment box!

Old Shirts?

Before you purge your closet of all of your old t-shirts, run through the list below to see if you could find some alternate uses for them.

1. The number one thing I do with old t-shirts is rip them into long strips and use them for cleaning purposes. They're sturdier than paper towels and you can always throw them in the laundry and use them again and again! **The only exception to this is if you're using a harsh cleaning agent that could ruin other clothes in the wash. Or you could always wash in a separate load.

2. Keep a couple for art projects with kids. My friend and I did an art project with our kids the other day and before they started we threw the old t-shirts over them, which covered both shirts and pants completely - no paint made it on them to speak of (and we're talking about two and three-year-olds, which makes it all the more impressive!).

3. If you have the space to store them, keep them all in a box for a future move. We did this with our move from Dallas to Philadelphia and it worked remarkably well.

4. Make a quilt out of them. It's comical that I'm even including this because it's not my thing, but if it's yours that's great! Cut a square around the logo part of your shirt and sew together with others that you've collected. That's about as much as I can be of service in this area, if you are crafty in this way, then you can probably figure out the rest. :)

Retailmenot.com

Before you buy anything else on-line, or in the store, check retailmenot.com for sale information, coupons and coupon codes. We love it and have literally saved hundreds of dollars with minimal legwork! *Since I first wrote this I've discovered that you can just google, for example, "Gap coupon code" and you can almost always find something that can cut a percentage of your purchase price!

If you know of any similar websites, share it with us by posting a comment!

Here are some I've found:

www.couponmountain.com

www.webcouponcodes.com

www.savings.com

Never Underestimate the Dollar Store

Last Christmas was our first with two little ones. The youngest wasn't quite three months old and as my two-year-old was in the process of adjusting to having another person around (he's still adjusting, I think) I thought it'd be fun for him to pick out a gift for his brother. Since there's no telling what a two-year-old would pick out by himself, I took him to the safest place (for my wallet) - the Dollar Store! It was such a treat to be given the option of ANYTHING in the store. He picked the thing his little brother would certainly love best - a monster truck.

EVERYDAY: Go grab some new play items on a rainy or sweltering day. They have bubbles, coloring books, balloons, small toys, pinwheels, etc..

SPECIAL OCCASION: Let your little one pick out a toy (or a few) for a friend's birthday gift. It's a great and inexpensive way for them to feel like they are really taking part in the giving. Let them pick out a "prize" for especially good behavior or potty training completion.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all stores with the word "Dollar" in the name are true dollar stores. I just saw an advertisement for Family Dollar where one item was $3.