Create a Cleaning Routine

One of the best things about creating a routine is that after you have done it enough times it becomes habit. Once it becomes habit, you don’t notice that you are doing it as much. That’s why, for both ourselves and our children, creating routines out of cleaning can make it more bearable. Busy-moms-online.com has put together a list of 5 suggestions for developing a cleaning routine that will work for you. My suggestion: use it to help your kids get through chores as well!

Do one task at a time, but do it for the whole house. This is another effective way to break the work up. For example, you could dust the entire house from end to end and be done with it. Then you could move on to sweeping or vacuuming. Doing things this way will save time by eliminating a lot of the “stop and go” as well.

Plan a PreSchooler’s Birthday Party with Ease

I am looking forward to my son’s 4th Birthday. It will be the first time that we invite a group of other kids (and parents!) over to our house. And, like every mother, I want it to run smooth and be perfect. So I’m starting to plan now, 10 months in advance. Blissfully Domestic came to my rescue and posted a great solution: plan traditional activities around naptime.

* 2 hours is the perfect length for a preschooler party.
* Get involved in some of the activities yourself. (Become the “fun” mom!)
* Hand out goodie bags as the guests leave.

Get Free Books for Your Family

My sons love an excursion to the library. Our 3 year old Thomas is particularly fond of the train and tractor books. Our 14 month old loves textile board books and sitting on the tiny rocking chairs. My husband and I are avid readers and we are constantly on the look out for new books to add to our sons’ library, so when I stumbled on the post 10 ways to get free or cheap books over at themomspeak.com I was ecstatic! Be sure to head over to find out more tips like the one below:

Swap online. If you are willing to cull your collection, you can trade them for points on sites likeBookMooch. Simply list the titles that you are willing to part with and wait for someone to request a copy. Once you have shipped it, you will be awarded points which will allow you to request a book that interests you. The service is free, only pay the cost of shipping (remember, the media mail rate is deeply discounted).

Short on Time? Use these Cooking Tips

Eliminatingparentingstress.com put together a number of tips that parents can use to reduce the amount of time spent preparing meals. Something that I found different about their tips: they concentrated on tips that both saved time and were nutritious for the family. They specifically asked parents to avoid fast food saying that it can “mess up your families nutritional balance”. My favorite tip:

Prepare things ahead of time that just need to be re-heated: There are many meals that can be cooked when busy parents have free time, then they can be frozen and reheated when they need to be used. This includes different types of stews, soups and pasta meals. Meat can also be frozen, such as meatballs, so they can simply be reheated for an easy meal of spaghetti and meatballs when necessary.

Online Games for Toddlers

Savvy-cafe.com recently ran an article about online sites with games for Pre-Schoolers to play. Along with reviews of those two sites they also passed along these tips:

* Get a large monitor for small eyes, and a second keyboard in case of spills or bangs.
* Temper online games with physical activities.

Balance Life as a Work at Home Mom

For those of us who do everything at home, it’s easy for the lines to get blurred. In order to regain a balance between personal time, the kids, and time in the office The Mommy Club has come up with 5 keys. Number one is posted below.

1. Sacrifice Means Giving More

Because I know that once my children start their day, my day revs up to speed mode the second they wake up. That leaves me virtually no time to work on business. And I’ve learned that in my situation, that’s OK! Isn’t that why I chose to be home in the first place? So sometimes that means I have to sacrifice some of my time early in the mornings before the rest of my family wakes up. I can guarantee that if I wake up 2-3 hours before the rest of the alarms go off in the house, those hours will be filled with real, solid work. It’s a great way to start my morning, knowing that I was able to answer important emails, make new contacts, write ads, and do other important work that needs to be done. Sacrificing a little sleep means I’m giving more to myself and my family.

Become a Better Parent

Being a parent is stressful. Before parenthood I was stressed if I was going to miss out on a tv show. Now, the stakes are much higher. I’m in charge of the happieness of another small being. It’s no wonder that parents are a stressed out mess. With people being laid off left and right, comodity prices going up and not enough time in the day to get everything done I was glad to find 10 tips from eliminatingparentstress.com on how to become a more effective (and less stressed) parent.

First and foremost, remember that being an effective parent does not just mean decreasing negative behaviors on the part of your child. It also means as a parent that you need to be aware of the good behaviors your child acts out, so that these behaviors can properly be encouraged and, thus, enforced. Children cannot just be scolded when they do something wrong – they need to also know when it is that they do something positive. This needs to be acknowledged not only so that the child will learn that they did something good, but also so that they know that you, as a parent, do not just see the things that they do wrong. You are also aware of what they do right and correctly.

Host a Slumber Party

The kids are finally getting old enough for a slumber party and you’ve made the decision to host one. Don’t wait for panic to set in, Parenting.com has 5 tips for throwing a slumber party that everyone will enjoy:

Shorten the guest list. Corralling three kids is easier than eight. Tell your child that she can invite fewer friends than for a daytime party.

Set house rules with confidence. They may test you, but children feel insecure if the adult isn’t in charge — and the more secure kids feel, the more easily they’ll sleep.

Create a quiet zone. The night before, set up a spot away from the sleeping area with snacks and quiet activities for early risers, so kids can sneak down without waking anyone.

Set a firm “lights-out” at the outset. “I let the kids talk after that as long as they don’t make noise or get out of bed. Once they’re in their sleeping bags and it’s dark, nobody makes it long,” says Angela Root, a mom of one also from Portland.

Slow down. Even after the best sleepover, everyone’s tired the next day. Plan a quiet afternoon so both you and your child can relax. And expect crankiness.

Baking Soda for the Laundry?

Had to give this one a try. It turned out much better than Oxy-Clean and at a quarter of the price. Thanks Lifetips.com!

Add about 1/8 cup of baking soda (instead of dry bleach) in the wash cycle of your laundry. Clothes will be brighter and smell cleaner (as a result, you can reduce the amount of detergent you use and save money)!

6 Ways to Streamline Bedtime

Bedtime. You either love it or you hate it. Either way, I’m sure that you wish your kids went to sleep just a bit earlier so you could grab some time to yourself. Paula Spencer at Parenting.com gives these six steps to help stream bedtime routines:

Start earlier than you think.
Make it like pudding.
Be the leader, not the follower.
Choose lullabies with care.
Set the mood with bedtime stories.
Watch the clock.

Shop for the Holidays All Year Round

The MommyDaddyBlog shows us how we can spend frugally all year round to increase our gift giving at holiday time. Think it’s too early to get started? January is one of the best times to buy as items which didn’t move much during the holidays have their prices slashed low. Don’t forget the number one tip for shopping frugally all year:

Check out your local papers and even magazines for coupons. Even if the coupon is for something that you don’t think you’re going to purchase any time soon, clip it! There are many resourceful sites online where you can not only print out coupons but grab codes to use at the checkout of your favorite retailers. Some of my favorite places to find coupons are Coupon Chief and Retail Me Not. Both sites are powered by bargain hunters alike. Coupon Chief even has a Pays-2-Share program which allows you to get paid each time someone uses a coupon that you submit.

Pack Your Own Lunch

If you pack your own lunch when you’re putting together your childrens lunches you could be saving yourself a tidy sum of money. Working Moms Against Guilt have put together some suggestions for grown up packed lunches. (No Trader Joes’ near you? Try Brown Cow Yogurt!)

Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers: A new addition to the HC lineup, but doesn’t require freezing or refrigerating. I just tried the Rotini & Zesty Marinara Sauce–it was surprisingly good(I’m not a big fan of their frozen entrees).

Jello No Sugar Added Pudding Cups: Only 60 calories and they come in dark chocolate or chocolate/vanilla swirl. Yum!

Sugar snap peas or baby carrots: These are no-fuss snack veggies that go well with your main dish or curb mid-afternoon cravings.

Trader Joe’s single-serve creamy yogurts: OK, so they contain more calories than, say, Light ‘n’ Fit (140 vs. 80). But oh my God they are good!

4 Applications to Help Your Memory

ZenHabits.com wrote a guest article on 4 different applications you can use in tandem to help remember everything you have to do.

Evernote for notes
Gmail and Gcal for email and calendar
Anxiety for tasks
Jott for notes on the go

All of the applications are available for both Mac and Windows, and are perfect for the mom who can’t get away from her computer for very long!

You Have the Power to Stop Laughing

Sometimes, you just can’t help feeling the urge to laugh. If you allow yourself to laugh during serious moments, you may end up accidentally offending someone. While it might not be that easy to stifle a laugh, for most people it can be done! All you need to do is try distracting yourself with thoughts of something sad, pinching yourself, or if all else fails leave the area and go laugh yourself silly in the bathroom. Or at least that’s what the folks at WikiHow.com tell us.

Remove the Scent of Smoke from Clothes

Have you ever gone over to the house of a smoker for a visit? Even if they haven’t been smoking during the visit, you’ll notice a smoke smell on your clothing when you return home. Lifetips.com has a suggestion for getting that smoke smell out:

File with an emery board instead of cutting if the nail isn’t very long, or if it’s more sharp than long.

Use a nail clipper designed for babies. The regular ones are harder to manage (and actually do look big enough to take off a baby’s finger).

Why You Should Give Your Kids Their Own gMail Address

I use Google Mail all of the time (none of those pesky ads) but I wasn’t sure about setting up gmail for the kids… at least as young as the author at flagrantdisregard.com suggested. Until I kept reading. You see, he created email accounts for his 4 year old and 6 year old, but he used a handy little option to create multiple identities within his own email so his children could “feel” like they’re sending their own email. It also lets you control the spam that gets sent in. And it’s pretty simple:

Go into Settings, click Accounts, then Add another email address.
Now enter Johnny’s name and Alice+Johnny@gmail.com as the address.

I still think I’m waiting for my son to get out of Kindergarden before I get him his first email address….

Trim Your Babies Nails Without Fuss

I remember the first time I attempted to cut my son’s fingernails. He was born with long sharp nails, and thankfully I had to cut them in the hospital. Unfortunately, I did a horrible job and ended up making them even sharper! Thankfully, some moms at Parenting.com have come up with some suggestions on how to make nail trimming easy:

File with an emery board instead of cutting if the nail isn’t very long, or if it’s more sharp than long.

Use a nail clipper designed for babies. The regular ones are harder to manage (and actually do look big enough to take off a baby’s finger).

Babies fingers also tend to peel better than adult nails, and many times can just be pulled off the nail is already broken.

Speak with Confidence

Whether you’re a PTA mom or assistant coach with your son’s soccer team, there are a hundred different ways that you are called on to speak with authority and confidence. If you don’t feel quite up to the task, Ravi Vora has come up with some simple tips on how you can gain the courage you need to speak up:

The 3-second rule. When you’re speaking with someone, take 3 seconds before you respond. This may seem awkward at first, but it gives you a chance to do a lot of things before you say something you might regret. In addition to letting you think about what you’re going to say, it also allows room for them to continue talking. If they feel uncomfortable in the silence, you’ve gained the upper-hand.
Have a plan. Go into the conversation with a plan and think about the responses you are likely to get. Play it out like a chess game. Where each move you make has an effect on them, and vice versa.

Be comfortable. Use your plan to leave room for awkwardness on their part. If they feel like they are fumbling for words and trying to gain your confidence in them, then you’re in control. You have to be comfortable and relaxed enough so that you can say what you want without feeling stupid.

Don’t talk so much. When you don’t say much, people have to try and assume what you’re thinking. Getting inside your head is much harder than knowing what you feel or think.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
-Mark Twain

Best After School Snacks

Almost all kids want a snack after school. The trick to teaching them how to choose the healthy snacks is to give them a wide variety of healthy choices. Directorym.com had this suggestion of what to put on the counter:

Snack Tray on the Counter: Whole grain cereal, whole grain crackers, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, cheese buns, whole wheat rolls, apples, bananas, mandarin oranges.

Potty Training Tricks

For boys in particular, it’s important to have a collection of tricks up your sleeve for potty training. This one at Lifetips.com is one of my favorites:

Gather together 3 or 4 toys that can be water toys. They will become special “potty” toys that can only be played with while the child is sitting on the potty! Once the child is sitting on the potty fill a large bowl or small bucket with lukewarm or tepid water, place the new “potty” toys in the bowl and set the bowl of water in front of the child. When the child places his/her hands in the lukewarm water to play with the toys, if the child needs to go potty, the warm water will help to speed up the process.

My personal toilet training tip: for boys, keep a bowl of Cheerios next to the toilet. When it’s time to pee, your little fella can toss a couple in and practice aiming!

Upside-Down Pizza

This simple recipe from Parenting.com is perfect for kids to help out with. Even the little ones can have fun sprinkling cheese and measuring the ingredients. And everyone loves pizza for dinner!

1⁄2 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1⁄2 lb ground turkey
1 Tbs olive oil
1 (28-oz) jar tomato sauce
1 tsp dried basil
Cooking spray
2 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, sauté sausage and ground turkey in olive oil until well browned. Break sausage into small pieces.

2. Pour sauce over meat, and stir in basil. Simmer 5 minutes.

3. Coat a deep 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray. Pour half the meat mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Add remaining meat mixture and top with the rest of the cheese.

4. Place crust on top of the filling, and crimp edges. Cut a few slashes in the middle and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Make Money Playing With Kids

If you enjoy spending time with your kids and their friends, there may be a way for you to earn a little extra petty cash during vacation periods. Busy-moms-online.com had this great suggestion for setting up a WAHM business:

By offering craft classes during school vacations, you can have a blast while earning. It is a great way to combine your two interests.

Begin by choosing an age range and hours. This is strictly dependent on your preference. If you prefer to work with pre-teens, you should set the age range at 9-12. For the younger kids, 6-9 is a good range. It is usually wise to keep the ages fairly similar to avoid problems.

Be sure to read the rest of the article for specific tips on how to make this venture work!

5 Ways to Work from Home

It’s hard for any working mom to go back to the office after a few months of maternity leave. Now, thanks to emerging technologies, you may not need to be in the office to be working. The Entangled Universe has put together a list of five ways you can skip the traditional 9-5 office job for something a bit more flexible:

1. Work a traditional job from home
A traditional office job can be worked in the peace of your house. You just need a broadband connection, a computer and perhaps a multifunction printer. More sophistication would ask for a webcam for video conferencing. This can easily be done, and many already experimented it. If you work in IT or some branches of engineering or for example accounting, you can already find some “at home positions”.

Giving up the Binkie

Parenting.com has come up with 10 ideas to help your child give up the pacifier. My favorite suggestion:

Bring it to the fire station.
Or the doctor: The key is to tell your child that they collect pacis from big kids. They’ll play along.

Our solution: Start daycare. Eventually peer pressure will encourage him to give it up on his own.

Keep Those Mirrors Fog Free

It’s 10 minutes before you have to leave for school and this morning it’s you who’s running late. To top it all off, the shower mirror is fogged again and you can’t see enough to be able to put your makeup on straight. The solution has been over at lifetips.com all along:

Reduce bathroom mirror fogging by cleaning it with shaving cream on a weekly basis. This trick also reduces the fogging of eyeglasses.

I wonder if that’s the gel or foam version?

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