Archive for the ‘Around the House’ Category

Clever gift ideas that will save you time!

Here we are!  Christmas……Christmas…..Christmas……. I can honestly say is one of my favourite times of the year.  It’s not the gifts, it’s not even the actual day, it’s the whole season.  It’s the get-togethers, the music, the yummy baking and hot apple cider. For some of us, it’s the snow and the decorations for others it’s the escape down south.  The smell of the turkey and the anticipation of the stuffed tummy coma right after in front of the fireplace with no guilt what so ever is part of what makes Christmas a fun time of year. We don’t count calories because we don’t care after all it’s the holidays..

When it comes to guilt though this year I am hearing a lot about the subject of gifts.  (more…)

Rained Out!

We have been experiencing an unrelenting period of grey skies and rain this summer.  One of the girls at the coffee shop optimistically told me that August will be better.  I hope so because it’s all we have left.  We’ve been trying not to let it get to us and so far, in spite of the rainy summer, the kids and I have come up with a few activities to pass the days. Try one of these activities or let us know how you keep spirits high when the rain comes.

1. Plan a Treasure hunt

This requires a little advance prep, but it’s always a big hit with kids. Stash clues around the house (adjust difficulty based on kids’ ages; use picture cues for little ones, tricky puns for older children), directing kids to hunt for a hidden prize.

2. Put on a Show

Help the kids stage a play or talent show. Give them a theme or opening lines to get them started or pull out costumes to get everyone started.

3. Go to Video

Film the kids’ Play or talent show and put it on youtube.  The kids will love it and it may go viral!

4. Bring the Outdoor Games inside

Play basketball with a soft foam or sponge ball, or just wad up some newspaper; the hoop can be any basket or receptacle (either hung on the wall or resting on the floor). Have kids shoot from different parts of the room or in different ways, in an indoor version of HORSE.

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Stop, Drop and Roll, Moms

One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure its worth watching –anonymous

Hmmm…Time management…..hahaha….have we mastered it yet?  Are we supposed to master it?

Seriously? Do we manage all of our time or is it better to structure our time enabling us to have the freedom to live life spontaneously. No, this is not going to be a piece on the art of organizing your time like preparing the kids lunches a week beforehand or laying out the kids clothing for the following school year!

What some of us have a hard time figuring out is how to live our lives as moms also for ourselves! Our worlds gladly revolve around our kids. It will for now, but with a caveat.  How about if we plan to grow with our kids, throwing a little adventure into everyday?

I am not necessarily talking about bungee jumping or skydiving but by all means go ahead.  I’ll be on EARTH drinking a margarita! Adventure could be nervously re-connecting with someone you haven’t spoken with in a long time or going on a canoe ride or snowshoeing through the woods on a white snowy day.  Or maybe it is trying some skate boarding with the kids. In my case, the adventure could be cooking in the kitchen!

Recently I was asked to write down my bucket list.  I struggled, but finally when I did write some things down; they were to see my kids grow up, see them married, have grandchildren etc.  But what were my own personal dreams?  Everything I put down was revolving around my children. Don’t get me wrong, my kids have made me grow in many ways…literally and figuratively.    So if I was to wave my own personal magic wand and nothing was impossible what would it be?

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Win the War on Bedroom Clutter: Confessions of a Teen

The holidays are over and since the in-laws are coming over, YOU need to clean the house.  The only problem is that (surprise, surprise!) teens hate cleaning.  You’re tired of cleaning up after your messy teen but what are you to do? How can you get your child to clean?  And I don’t mean the “I’ll-hide-it-in-the-closet-because-no-one-would-see-it” kind of clean; no, how can you get your teen to neatly put away their things with minimal screaming contests?

Here are some quick, simple ways to get your teen to clean:

1. Closets – Let’s just face it; teens hate….no, LOATHE folding clothes.  Whatever we wear to school normally ends up in a not-so-discreet pile on the floor or stuffed in the drawers.  Hangers in closets get rid of the problem of the mess and works WITH your teen’s laziness.

2. Memo or cork boards – These are really useful if you are trying to get your teen to clear his desk.  “I can’t put these notes away; I need to see them everyday!” “Why should I put my friends’ pictures away?”  Memo boards come in all colors and designs; they can be mounted on the wall and be easily used.  Just insert the said pictures and “important” papers between the ribbons; it would be organized and your teen can see it whenever he looks up at his desk, which means LESS time rustling through notes.  Same goes for cork boards.

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Clear The Clutter With These Easy Tips

Well 2010 is now upon us.  The Christmas decorations are put away, the tree is gone, the New Year has been duly reigned in, the kids have gone reluctantly back to school and the house is quiet.  I have flipped my More Time Moms Family Organizer to January where it is surprisingly empty.

I love January. It’s like a clean slate. White snow everywhere, no pressure to go anywhere.  Just stay home and nest.   This is when I take a good look around and realize that between the five of us, we have accumulated so much stuff over the course of the last year and now it’s time to clear the clutter.  Did you know that the average person loses 29 minutes a day just looking for paperwork on his/her desk? Now can you imagine how much tine you spend walking over clutter, moving clutter, cleaning clutter and searching for items like keys and sunglasses.

Reorganizing your home so it works for you is a project that you might want to do eventually.  Not today perhaps, and definitely all at once, but sometime – for this is a super time-saving project.  Even if your home works well for you, here are some good ideas.

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Cookie Exchanges: Tips and Tricks for Success.

christmas-cookies-linzer-mCookie-exchange parties are the perfect way to provide Mom’s homemade variety, save yourself time in the kitchen, enjoy different types of cookies and kick off the holiday festivities. I host a “girls only” party. We don’t eat the cookies, we exchange them, eat appetizers, drink adult beverages and socialize. It’s a nice break from the stressful Christmas season. I hold this party for myself as much as for everyone else, it really gets me in the holiday spirit — and away from the malls and the hustle bustle. We have a great time.  So, if you don’t already attend one or host one, I encourage you to try it! Let me know if you decide to host your own exchange.

Important Planning Tips!

1) Send the invitations out a month before the party. Everyone’s calendar fills up fast in December! I hold mine in the second weekend in December so that I have plenty of cookies for all my holiday festivities.

2) Ask guests to R.S.V.P. in advance to let you know what kind of cookie they’ll be bringing. Try to make sure there are no duplicates.

3) Tell everyone to bake their cookies at least three days in advance. The biggest reason for no-shows is that they didn’t have time to bake their cookies.

4) Invite more people than you think will come. Think outside the box. Don’t discount all the high powered business women that think you don’t have time for such domestics. It can be a great networking party and they will meet new people. Encourage people that say “I don’t bake” to attend. They’re the ones that seem to enjoy it the most!

INVITATION AND THE RULES OF THE COOKIE EXCHANGE

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Tackle Fall Cleaning So You Can Enjoy Nesting This Winter.

Everyone is always talking about spring cleaning.  The whole idea of spring cleaning came up as a custom way back when because after two seasons of heating, lighting with wood, oil, gas, kerosene and candles, the condition of the house made it necessary to deep clean everything since it was coated with  a layer of black grease and grime. They would be forced to empty every drawer, shelf, cabinet and closet.  Now with modern day heating we do not have the same build up and this enables us to do organizing whenever it is best for ourselves. I much prefer Fall cleaning. Why? Because I like to get the house clean before we start spending a lot of time in it during the winter months.

Choose what is best for you.  Make your own rules when it comes to organizing.  Your home is your sanctuary.  I’ve said this to my very first client more than 10 years ago and I’ll keep on saying it.  In the outside world you have limited control over your spaces, very limited, if any.  As soon as you walk through your front door this is when you have complete control of your environment.  Remember that there are so many different ways to organize and I will give you some ideas on a general basis to get you going. Try not to dread the process, you want to make it enjoyable, yes it can be enjoyable!  So:

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Laundry Tips for Kids

clean_laundryMy husband and I have been renovating our house for 4 and a half years and our most recent project is the main bathroom.  We have gutted the room and borrowed space so now we have a large main bathroom, but in the process we lost our laundry chute.  It was a great old laundry chute that went right from the bathroom to a holding area in the laundry room.  It was the catchall for everyone’s laundry, clothes they didn’t want to put away, toys and lost neighborhood children.  Every week (almost) we would do heaps of laundry and get the kids involved in separating, folding and putting away laundry. We carefully reviewed the separation of whites and colours, hot and cold, empty pockets etc.  It was a great and often painstaking group effort.

What I have discovered in the elimination of the laundry chute is a huge reduction in my workload, less nagging (me), less groaning and complaining (kids and hubby) and a sense of real relief.

Here’s what we did:

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Single Socks Make Good Rainy Day Crafts.

My laundry room is a magical place.  You don’t believe me?  Well, then explain what, aside from magic, would make my socks disappear.  Of course, some prefer to blame the washing machine and its insatiable hunger for socks; single socks that is, never a pair.  But regardless of what causes this phenomenon, there is one thing I know for sure; I am always left holding one lone sock.

Even on those days when both my socks find their way back from the laundry room, they never seem to stay together.  So, aside from tossing what would otherwise be perfectly good socks, what does one do with all of those single socks?  The best option that I can think of is to get the kids on board and make sock puppets.

By adding pom-poms, buttons, play jewelry and scarves; your otherwise boring sock takes on a life and character of its own.  If you have a lot of time on your hands (which most of us don’t), you can always sew the stuff on.  But helping out is a lot easier for the little ones if you use glue.

My favorite “hair” piece for sock puppets is pretty simple.  I cut about 10 to 20 same length pieces of yarn and place them evenly, length-wise, on a table, one piece on top of the other.  Then, I tie up the center with a small piece of yarn.  Once the center has been determined and tied, I proceed to braid each side.  Once my braids are completed, I attach the center to the top of my sock puppet.  Add a hat or scarf and voila!!

The possibilities are endless and of course, the fun doesn’t have to stop once the puppets have been made; putting on a show is the best part.

Charline

Every Family Needs Command Central.

It’s fall and with that comes the onslaught of kids sports, school events, music and meetings for work and all the volunteer commitments that parents take on for the sake of their children.  It brings to the forefront that every home needs a place to keep track of the family’s comings and goings, appointments, messages, etc.  If you keep your More Time Moms Family Organizer on your bulletin board along with the following items, you will have an instant communication station. Bonus! Everyone know where to be when and now you will know where to find a pen when you need one.

Command Central Communications System:

  • More Time Moms Family Organizer
  • Bulletin board, pushpins
  • Pens & pencils & higlighters ( In our family, every family member has a different colour.)
  • Erasers
  • Paper
  • Writing surface closeby
  • Trash container
  • Scissors
  • Post-It Notes
  • Telephone
  • Phonebooks

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