Everyday Easter Egg Fun

It is sad that Easter is only one day.  I get all teary-eyed just thinking that the joy of opening plastic easter eggs only lasts one day.  So I thought, why does it have to be this way?  Why can't we stretch the holiday a little longer.  

This year, I started a new tradition that does just that - stretch the holiday fun.  I started off small, because I didn't want to be too overwhelmed with my busy schedule and not have fun creating holiday fun.  I will hopefully add new traditions each year until my holiday is really egg-stravagant.

For a week before Easter, I put a center piece on my table consisting of plastic eggs, a little easter grass (you know the stuff that gets everywhere and floats mindlessly around the house), and a bowl of yummy - cadbury mini-eggs!

Easter Center Piece

Here comes the fun part.  Every morning before breakfast, my babies get to pick an egg that has been filled with trinkets, candy, or little easter toys of some sort.  Then after they eat their breakfast - they can have two cadbury mini-eggs before going to school.  Let me tell you, I don't even have to shake them awake anymore.  All I do is turn on the light and bam - they are up and dressed and ready to choose an egg.  They get to shake them and roll them, but they can not open until they have chosen one.  It is sooo much fun to see them all excited.  This year, I put starburst candies, lifesaver gummies, and all sorts of $1 toys from the Easter aisle at the local walmart.  They have bubble rings, pop-up eggs, pop-up bunnies, bouncing balls, and bunny erasers.  The fun part is that they never know what they are going to get.    All the extras leftover can be used to fill their Easter Bunny Baskets on Easter Sunday too!  

Here are my thoughts to add to traditions for years to come: 

1. Add a slip of paper with a love note from Mommy and Daddy

2. Cook a special easter breakfast every morning (bunny-shaped pancakes for example)

3. Put a note on their doors - that makes them find their eggs hidden in the house (especially for the older one who is getting to be quite the reader)

4. Mini-easter egg hunt every morning

5. Easter color booklet to do a little every morning

6. Read an Easter book every morning

 

Continuing Kitchen Clean-up

So you have reorganized your kitchen, but how do you maintain it? How do you keep it from getting to that everything's in the kitchen and I can't cook stage?  Is there any hope to a happy healthy kitchen space?

Sure is.  Its called continuing the kitchen clean-up.  A daily routine that can be completed in the short space of the commericals of your favorite T.V. program.  Simple easy steps to maintaining a clean spotless kitchen.

Complete these simple steps everyday to insure kitchen cleanliness.

During Morning Breakfast - while cooking the morning breakfast - sweep the kitchen floor.  Doing this every morning prevents the nasty build-up of crunching crumbs under your tired feet.  Also empty the dishwasher from the night before - put away the clean dishes so it is free for the daytime dishes.

After Morning Breakfast - clean any dishes or rinse and put them in the dishwasher.  Doing this after every meal keeps your counters and sinks from getting run over with grimy dishes and keeps the task of dishwashing to a minimal chore.  Also wipe down the table and cooking area you just used.  Making a habit of this keeps counter maintainence easy as pie.

During Lunch - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them.  This makes the task of pot duty seem easy as can be. 

After Lunch - Clean any dishes and wipe down the table.  Continuing the clean-up.

During Supper - Clean pots and pans as you finish with them (continuing the clean-up).  Wipe down counter spaces for any debris and dust.  Pick up miscellaneous items that have strayed and do not belong in the kitchen - return them to their proper place.

After Supper - Load and start dishwasher or finish washing dishes.  Swiffer or sweep kitchen floors if necessary (I only do this every three days or so).  Clean cooking areas. 

Here is a short list without all the explanation:

Morning 1. Sweep

              2. Empty dishwasher - store clean dishes

              3. Clean dishes 

              4. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Midday  1. Clean pots and pans

              2. Clean dishes

              3. Wipe down the table and cooking area

Evening  1. Clean pots and pans

              2. Wipe down counter spaces

              3. Pick up misplaced items

              4. Load and start dishwasher

              5. Swiffer (2-3 times a week)

              6. Clean cooking areas.

None of these task take a lot of time - really only a few minutes each and area split up into times you are naturally in the kitchen anyway.  The job of kitchen clean-up becomes easy when you keep the task small and manageable.

Kitchen Organization - Storing and Usage

The kitchen is the hub of any well organized home.  Everything happens in the kitchen.  For that reason, it can also become the most disorganized area in a home.  Here are some tips to bring sanity back to your sanctuary.  

TIP #1: Know what you have to have in the kitchen.  

             This depends on what you do in your kitchen.  This will be different for every person.  Make a list of things you do everyday in your kitchen and a list of items that must be readily available to get these tasks done in an efficient amount of time.  For example - if your children do homework in the kitchen - it might be beneficial to have items like pencils, erasers, scissors, colors, etc. in a portable basket or tote.

TIP #2: Designate cabinets for storage.

            Count the number of cabinets you have in your kitchen.  This is the number of different types of items you can store in your kitchen.  This will help you keep a manageable amount of stuff in your kitchen.  Make a list of cabinets and what will be stored in each.  Just remember some items like pots and pans may take more than one cabinet to be used as storage.

TIP #3: Locate items near where they will be used.

             Make sure that you store items near the area of use.  For example, seasoning would probably be best stored in a cabinet near the stove since this is where you will cook food.  Homework materials would probably be best stored in a cabinet nearest a table.

TIP #4: Remove items that are not used in the kitchen.

             Once your list are made and you have sorted through your items.  Remove those items that don't belong in the kitchen.  Store them in the room that is closest to their use area.

TIP #5: Daily Pick-up and Removal

             Keep up with keeping your kitchen organized by daily picking up of items and moving and removing them from the kitchen.  Be diligent in returning items to their proper location and soon your kitchen will be in tip-top shape.

DIY Ribbon Wreath/Bow Holder

I thought it might be beneficial to those of you with a creative whim to let you know my latest creation.  I created a ribbon wreath that doubles as a bow holder for that special little girl in you life.  It was so easy, it only took about and hour and a half of actual trial and error before I threw together something that really made me smile.   Pinterest gave me the idea of a ribbon wreath and a good friend of mine gave me the idea of a hair bow holder.  And a little later - the two just merged into one. This is the finished product - the steps to create your own will follow with tips of course!

DIY RIBBON WREATH AND BOW HOLDER

Items needed: ribbon (lots and lots)
                      foam wreath
                      cut-out letters - I used "chip board" letters from Hobby Lobby
                      hot glue (lots and lots)
                      decorative items (flowers)

Step 1: Take your foam wreath and cover it in ribbon - this was the trickiest step for me because I had a squared type foam wreath - the round ones are much easier.  You can cut and individually hot glue the ribbons which is what I did, because I was afraid that eventually the ribbon would move and not stay in place.  I used coordinating ribbons of brown and pink, but you can do it all one color or many different colors.  I wrapped the ribbon and cut it into sections then hot glued it.  *****TIP****** Make sure you get plenty of ribbon - I had to make another trip to the store :(

Step 2: Center and hot glue your letters onto the wreath.  *****TIP***** Plan this out before you glue - once they are in place - they are in place.

Step 3: Add decorations and hot glue them into place.  *****TIP***** Same as above planning saves a lot of aggravation.

Step 4: Add hanging ribbons at bottom and hot glue them into place.  These are for the hair bows that your little one will wear for years to come.  *****TIP***** When cutting the ribbon melt the edges with a lighter to have a finished edge, be careful not to burn them though.

That's it! Four easy steps and you have a beautiful hair bow holder, personalized and everything!

OH NO....I'm out of toilet paper!!!

There are certain items around the house that you usually buy in bulk.  These might include toilet paper, paper towels, dish liquid, detergent, bath soaps, canned goods (pantry staples), etc.  If you are like me, an avid coupon clipper, you might buy a bunch of this item at one time, enough to say last a couple of months.  Well, as busy as I am (being a mom and teacher and whatever other hat I am wearing that day), sometimes I admit it I forget to take inventory of what I need before I go shopping.  These items often get overlooked because they are not a weekly shopping item.  And sometimes, I hear the dreaded...."MOM--- we're out of toilet paper" only to go to the toilet paper storage and find there is none there. Then its a mad dash to the nearest store to buy a ridiculously expensive small pack of toilet paper just so somebody can get off of the toilet.  ADMIT IT WE HAVE ALL DONE IT....well...I say no longer shall I hear those words....I am putting a stop to it.

Here is my suggestion, I have only recently started trying it out, but it seems to be working wonderfully.  I take a 'lovely, I-don't-know-what-I-would-do-without" sharpie and I number each roll of toilet paper that I buy from the store on my bulk shopping trip.  I do the same with paper towels and every other bulk item I buy.  Here is the brilliant part (at least I think so), I store them in the cabinets backwards with number one all the way in the back of the cabinet and so on and so forth until they are all stored and the highest number is showing in the front.  Then, say I have 20 rolls of toilet paper, when I see number 10 in the front, I know it is time to add it to the grocery list.   

I know, I'm a genius right...no just desperate for a little reprieve from 'dash' shopping.  Anyhow, it has worked so far, I just added paper towels to the list because I usually keep 12 rolls in stock and just realized that I am on number six tonight.  I am so proud I did not run out of paper towels.  Now if only I can think of a way to actually remember to buy what is on my list, ah, but at last that is a whole other problem for another blog.

The Many Benefits of... Greeting Cards

Greeting cards have many benefits.  You can use them to cheer up a friend, make relationships stronger, keep in touch with relatives and friends, keep your own spirits bright, and remind others and yourself of special days throughout the year.  With extended families and the many holidays, it can be quite a task to keep greeting cards in check and in order.  Here are a few tips to get you off to using greeting cards efficiently and effectively.

Tip #1: Get a collection going.  Collect greeting cards for all holidays, events, and any occassion.  This is easiest done by finding a box of assorted greeting cards.  You can get these at hobby stores, bookstores, and of course online.  Start building a small collection that you can draw upon all year.

Tip #2: Organize your collection.  Organize your greeting cards by months.  If a month has birthdays, holidays, or special events, put a card from each of those categories in that months designated spot.  I use an expandable folder to keep all of my greeting cards organized.  I have it first divided into the twelve months.  Then I have categories, like holidays, birthdays, and other occassions.  If I have an unplanned event, then I can just draw from the other categories behind the months.  However, the ones that I know are coming up are already in their designated month section.

Tip #3: Pre-stamp all of your greeting cards.  I buy forever stamps from the post office and all of my planned greeting cards, at the beginning of the year, are stamped already.  This saves time later.

Tip #4: Keep an event calendar.  I have one calendar in my "Home Notebook" binder that is designated for events like birthdays, weddings, baby due dates (or showers), holidays, and anniversaries.

Tip #5: Keep a contact list.  Along with my event calendar, I have a contact list that I keep a running list of names, addresses, and phone numbers to keep track of the many people that need to be sent greeting cards throughout the year.  I try to update this whenever possible.

Tip #6: If you don't mind not being creative, it is a good idea to get a list of general sayings and words of encouragement for different holidays, this too can be found on the internet with minimal searching.

Tip #7: When you make your daily to-do list, make sure to check your calendar.  Keeping track of sending cards can be one of the hardest details. A daily to-do list, solves this problem.  Set aside five minutes each night to check calendars and coordinate events for each day so you don't find yourself accidentally forgetting that important person.

Building Reading Readiness

So as a reading teacher, I see how my students struggle everyday with simple common words that should be part of their world and sight vocabulary by this age.  I teach fourth graders, so to watch them stumble over words like 'father' and 'grandparent' really breaks my heart. 

This got me thinking - maybe there are ways that parents can help their children from a before-school age build fluency with common words and therefore build the background they will need for the rest of their lives. The hardest things for education today is to get the parent's involved and caring about the education of their children.  We live in such a fast paced world that it takes tremendous effort for a parent to really make an effort to affect their child's education.  So I decided to make a list of ways a parent can help a child of any age make gains in their reading ability.

There is not more important area to succeed at than reading.  If you are a good reader you can do anything in life.  Everything you do in life, you will need the ability to read - from passing a driving license's test to reading the instruction manual for a new gadget.  You must be able to read on all levels and all sorts of texts to succeed in today's dynamic world.  Luckily as a parent, there are things you can do to foster a love of reading and give your child a great start at reading even when they are not in school.

Before Birth - Preschool Ages

If your child is young or even unborn yet, there are many things you can do to build reading readiness - here are just a few.

1. Read to your child in the womb - it has already been proven that the unborn child can hear the happenings of her/his world from inside the womb.  They can recognize the sounds of their parents voices.  By reading to them in the womb they begin to learn the rhythmic patterns of speech and sound, which is the foundation of phonemic awareness and phonics the first building blocks of reading.  What is great - it really doesn't matter what you read to them, they don't have the concept of meanings of words yet, they are only listening to pitch, tone, and flow.  Read what you love out loud and give them the gift of a lifetime of reading.

2. Read to your child anytime - reading is not just for nighttime, show your child that reading is something they can do anytime.  Make it quality time for you and your child.  Read books together and make sure they see you reading on your own as well.

3. Board books, rhyming and repeating books, and colorful books - you need to make sure your child has a variety of books that will grab their interests.  Since at this point in their lives, words are barely making sense, they will want books that interest them.  They will want vibrant colors, with pictures, textures, and fun sounds of reading to keep them entertained.  Don't expect them to always get through entire books, read until they are ready to move on to another activity and then pick it up later.   Point out pictures and relate the words to the pictures, right now it is important that they know words represent real items and they can begin to repeat these words as you point to pictures.   The story doesn't matter much to them right now, but the pictures do.

4. Label words around the house - if you put a few labels on common items like chairs, tables, phone, or even labeling their toy bins and where items go.  All of this builds vocabulary knowledge which is the third building block of reading.

Elementary School Ages

This is a really important part of your child's education.  The ideas you set forth for the importance of education will be built here.  The more you value education and show your child this value the more your child will value education and become independent in gaining education.

1. Homework with your child - reading homework often includes reading a story to or with your child.  This is so important in an early elementary child's education.  They need to hear fluent adult reading to mimic and build their own reading skills.  If your child is able to read - let them read a sentence and then you read a sentence - let them repeat your sentences.  Make it fun.  Make it a game.

2. Continue outside reading - your child should be reading outside of school as well.  Go to the library every two weeks and check out books to read.  Read them with your child and have your child read them to you.  Let your child see you reading the materials you like to read.  

3. Labels - have your child create labels with you - help them label items in their room and if an item can have more than one name, make sure they create those labels too.

4. Synonyms, Antonyms, and Attributes - make sure your child realizes that words can have same meanings, opposite meanings, and functions.  Play games with your child - "Find a word that means the same as ....", or "I go up...you go down", or "When we set the table what are the parts of the place setting..."  These simple quick conversation pieces build important vocabulary skills that are necessary for reading comprehension later in school.

Older School Ages

Once your child is a reader, you don't want to forget to make reading interesting and fun, but now it is time to concentrate on getting into the reading with your child.

1. Read and Watch - give your child a book to read and tell them you will watch the movie together once both of you have read the book.  When watching the movie, make comments like "That was just like the book" or "I wonder why they left this part out..." Try to get your child involved in predicting the next part, or answering your questions.

2. Read together - get the same book for you and your child to read.  Talk with them about the parts of the book they are reading.  "What did you think about..."  or "I really liked this part, what was your favorite part..."

3. Informational Reading - let your child read the newspaper with you or their favorite magazines.  Be sure to always talk about what is being read and discuss how viewpoints can be different.

4. Model, Model, Model - continue to read in front of your child.  This is a confusing time in their lives, with hormones and so many distractions.  It is important that we still model the importance of reading to them.

By doing these few little items you can be sure your child will become an avid reader.  They will value their education and hopefully become self-motivated to make learning in life a priority.