A Clean Approach

I wanted to share with you my weekly schedule for cleaning.  I shared this at our MOPS group and figured that maybe some of you could benefit from it as well. Nothing that I put on here is guaranteed to fit your needs, but if nothing else, I hope that this will help you at least plan out your week to better work for you and your family.  
  
I am someone who does not enjoy taking a WHOLE day to clean my house, for a few reasons.  
1.  It takes all day
2.  While I am busy cleaning for that amount of time, I am missing out on time with my family.  
3.  The amount of stops and go's that would be made during a whole day of cleaning would be off the charts, which would then cause me to be really bitter.
4.  As I was putting all of that hard work in making things clean and pretty, my little's would be taking it right back to square one.  
  
Quite some time ago I decided that I needed a better plan that what I was rollin'. Each day I have different jobs that I plan to accomplish.  By doing this I am not spending a whole day cleaning and if I am faithful with it my house pretty much stays company ready all week.  
  
Obviously this plan is set for our family and our lifestyle, so tweak it to your needs and take some of the stress and pain out of keeping your home clean and peaceful.

Morning before school:

- wake up before your kiddos - 

exercise

Make beds

Empty dishwasher

Put in one load of wash

Wipe down bathrooms

Afternoon

Sweep kitchen floor and entry

Chore of the day

Evening

Fold laundry and put away

Load dishwasher

Plan for tomorrow

Chore of the day

Monday:                      mop/ vacuum

Tuesday:                     kitchen chores

Wednesday:               bathrooms

Thursday:                    sheets and linens

Friday:                         baking, dusting, Sabbath preparation

Saturday:                     rest

Sunday:                       swing day

Swing Day Jobs:

1^st Week                wipe down cabinets

2^nd Week               wipe down walls, baseboards, doors           

3^rd Week                clean inside windows and blinds

4^th Week                tidy garage/ outdoor areas 

(too)Early Childhood Learning?

I tell my kids every day to Stop. Growing. So. Fast! Just let Mommy relish in this moment.  This moment where they still like to hold my hand, kiss my face, hug my neck in public and snuggle up really close. They are like weeds I tell you.  Constantly growing, maturing, becoming more and more independent. Hold the phone and stop the clock.  Can I at least get a quick picture?

I have always had a problem with the society voiced emergency that has been put on early childhood learning. While all of these new age devices are great and all, isn't it a bit much?  I mean, what about the alphabet toys for ages 0-6mo that teach letter sounds.  Um, really?  More and more we are wondering where our kids childhoods are going, yet it is us as parents and teachers who are pushing them on to the fast moving sidewalks of education.  But for the sake of what?  I don't feel because my little's didn't know their letter sounds at the age of 'nothing', that this is an indication they will be holding a Work for Food sign in their later years. What it does show me is that they are, wait for it....Normal.

Kids minds are being pushed to learn and retain things that they just aren't ready for.  Kindergarten is supposed to be fun.  Their first look into the world of education.  Why are we dropping them off with the feeling that they are already behind right off the bat; because they don't know all of their letters and the sounds that they make, Numbers 1-100, Pre-Primer Dolche Sight Words, vowels, how to change a tire, hammer a nail, re-wire the house, and have fluency in 4 languages.  They are just babies kids. They want to play, dance, run, sing, nap...  The play kitchen and grocery store were my favorite parts of Kindergarten, so why would I want to rid my kids of that same kind of childhood fun. While we as a nation are so obsessed with molding our young into child prodigies, we are jerking the fun out of real childhood learning that we as parents were so blessed to have.  I and not understanding the urgency to grow up so fast.  The push to teach all that we can before yesterday.

I keep hearing that the introduction of Algebra is taking place earlier and earlier in schools.  Even earlier than 7th grade which was when I first remember being introduced to a form of math that tried to convince me that adding letters was natural.  Can I just say, Thank. You. Jesus. that I was not of this generation.  I will be the first to say that Math and I have never had a great love affair.  I can remember in college when my husband (who let me just add, graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2 degrees, Accounting and Finance) tried to be that loving boyfriend and 'teach' me Algebra.  This traumatizing event ended in both cussing and crying.  I was cussing, he was crying.  So when I hear that young(er) children are having to be introduced to this so early on, it makes me sad. Some may feel that this is a great idea, yet I feel that there is great risk for burnout among many others risks.  At that age are kids truly able to learn and understand it.  How fast are teachers having to rush through beginner education in order to introduce much more difficult work so early on.  Are kids even getting enough time to tackle the basics before moving forward?  Are they being fully taught all of the survival skills before reaching the battle zone.  For me, and maybe only me, I feel that the risks far outweigh the reward - if there is one.  

Look, don't get me wrong, I think education is very important.  We live in a world that is ever changing, full of knowledge and opportunity.  Our kids have information at their fingertips.  All that I am suggesting is that we wait to push the stress bucket their way until their little hands are big enough to hold it.  

This morning I came across this article by Nancy Bailey, which I found really interesting and wanted to pass it along.  I have friends who have expressed frustration toward the amount of homework that their 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders are bringing home.  Friends who have questioned why their child isn't grasping as fast as is expected of them.  I am by no means suggesting that this article gives answers to their questions and concerns, but it might be a slight glimpse into the problems that they are facing.  
Setting Children Up To Hate Reading by Nancy Bailey

          

"Slappy" Valentine's Day

Happy Monday!  We are in Day 4 of our 14 Day Love Challenge.  I found some really great slap bracelets at Target in the party section, 2 for $1.00 (blue and pink or black and red).

I have to admit, I was a little giddy when I saw them.  I too loved slapped bracelets back in the day and knew I had to share the fun of them with my kiddos. 







I created these simple Valentine's that you are more than welcome to copy and print, wrapped the bracelet around the note, and viola!  Super cute, super easy.    

I hope that your week is off to a fabulous start.




Little Children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions.  
                  1 John 3:18

Give Your Kiddos A Reason To Cheer!!

Let me just start out by saying GO BRONCOS!! We will for sure be cheering for Orange and Blue today.  I wanted to quick show you a way to get your little ones involved today regardless of who you might be cheering for, or even if you don't really have a team picked out. Everyone loves pom poms, so let them make their own.  I promise it's super easy and cheap.  You probably already have everything that you will need.


Supplies:
1.  Tissue Paper
2.  Scissors
3.  Duck Tape or Masking Tape

Start our by laying your sheets of tissue paper out one on top of the next.  You can alternate if you choose or just do all of one color.  Once you have done that cut slits in the paper leaving about 6-8 inches at the top uncut.

                                                                                                                                                        

Next go ahead and start rolling the top making a handle.  Last step is to wrap the take around the handle to secure it.  

Let the cheering begin. Even if you aren't cheering for one of the colors playing today, you can still give your kids a reason to cheer in any color they choose.  Have a SUPER Sunday.

14 Day Love Challenge

IT'S FEBRUARY!!!  I love Valentine's Day. Hugs, Kisses, Snuggles, Love Notes.  I love it all.  

Last year I wanted to find a way for us to celebrate Valentine's Day for more than just one day.  It just seems to me that the love holiday should be drawn out as long as possible.  Why not take more than one day to show those who you love, well, that you love them.  

I found these super cute metal mailboxes from Target in the dollar section and the candlesticks from the Dollar General.  I turned the candlesticks upside down and monkey glued the mailboxes to the top. A metal name holder with my family members names finalized the look.  


From February 1 through 14 we each send one another love mail throughout each day.  It has been a great way for our family to make the holiday more meaningful and sincere.  

The kids have a great time drawing pictures or writing notes to us and to each other. It's fun to see that your flag has been raised and wonder what's been put inside.  I wanted for us as a family to mindful for 14 days to think to show love to one another and realize how blessed we are, in hopes that the feeling would carry on throughout the rest of the year...for the little ones in our family.  I have to brag a little when I say that my kiddos truly love each other.

Do they sometimes bicker like siblings do, sure.  But at the end of the day they truly do care for and love one another and for that I feel positively blessed.  

Today in the kids mailboxes they found this 'love note'.  I found a recipe on jensfavoritecookies.com 
and made this postcard on Picmonkey.

Your 'mail' doesn't always have to be something purchased.  A note that you either wrote or printed off or just a fun activity that you planned, means so much more than a cheap trinket because you took the time to do it.  

This year I urge you to take the 14 Day Love Challenge.  Make your Valentine's more deliberate than ever and take the time to tell those that you love that you're head over heels for them.