UFO Sighting!

Kids at home for the summer means the refrigerator is working overtime.  My boys seem to be opening and closing it ALL day. The fridge is screaming, "Save Me"!  So even though we are on the bathroom zone this week, I'm switching over to the kitchen!

I've decided cleaning the fridge is a great skill for my hungry boyz to learn! 

Here are some easy-to-follow steps:

1. Remove the Food - Toss any old or expired food into the trash. Place food that is still good in a cooler with ice to keep it safe and cold while you clean the refrigerator. 
2. Prepare Cleaning Solution - Using a bucket, prepare your solution.  Use a mixture of 1/2 gallon warm water and 3/4 cup vinegar OR  hot water and a few squirts of dish soap.
3. Remove Shelves and Drawers - Carefully take out all removable drawers and shelves. Wash thoroughly with cleaning solution.  Dry and set aside.
4. Wipe Down Refrigerator Interior - Work from top to bottom to prevent dripping on surfaces that are already clean. As you clean, rinse cloths thoroughly to insure cleanliness. Pay special attention to the bottom crevices and back of the refrigerator where spills tend to migrate. Finally wipe down the interior doors.
5. Replace the Food -As you put the food back into the refrigerator, wipe off any jars or containers of food that may need it, like a sticky jelly jar or a crusty salad dressing lid.

Simplify Summer Meal Planning

When we plan meals and grocery shop, and then follow through by preparing the meals for our family - it feels good! 

We avoid the 4:30 "what's for dinner" panic, save money, eat more nutritious, and we're more likely to eat dinner as a family. There is a sense of fulfillment when mom's (with the help of the kiddos) prepare meals for their family. 

However, it's easy to put Summer Meals on the back burner as we find ourselves enjoying our kiddos at the park, plaza or pool. 

 In order to keep family dinners a priority, even in the summer, I suggest you incorporate a simple meal plan, include cooking as part of your summer family fun, and make dinner prep a part of your morning routine.

Here is my Simple Summer Meal Plan:

Monday: Sunday Leftovers
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday

Wednesday:  Pasta, Sandwich, or Salad
Thursday: Dad's BBQ
Friday: Pizza Night
Saturday: Leftovers or "Make your Own"
Sunday: Crockpot Meal

Here is my Weekly Plan & Grocery List.

The Meal Plan is on the left, the Grocery List on the right. The grocery list includes items for breakfast, lunch and regular dinner items..  All I need to do is fill in the meals and ingredients I want to serve on Wednesday & Sunday and I'm ready to head to the store. EASY PEASY!  
Click HERE to download it!

With the groceries purchased and put away, it will be easy to make for you and your kids to make dinner prep part of your morning routine!  Then everyone, including mom, can head out for some, worry-free afternoon summer fun!

Summer Reading Programs

Today we have Shauna here with us from Mix of Six giving us some great ideas about summer reading. 


We LOVE to read in the summer! AND I love all the reading programs that are available. They add an extra incentive for the kids to read.

Years past we would decorate or tie dye library bags. We have made plenty of bookmarks.

 A few years ago I put together a little scripture reading chart for the summer with an ice cream date when they completed it. I used clip art from the friend and added my own title and text.

I started to print them up when I noticed Deseret Book had their own summer program. I thought it would be fun for a change. The reward is a $10 gift card! 
CLICK HERE for info!

We did sign the kids up at the library. Jacob is a library volunteer for the summer reading program. It adds to his service hours and is a great experience for him to work with so many different people and different ages.

Aren't her kiddos DARLING! Thanks for sharing with us Shanna!

Be sure to check out Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program HERE

Pack it Up!

Vacationing this summer? 
Create a packing list for your kids and never forget anything again!

To Download my packing list click HERE

Just Bag It!

Today we have Kristen from Sweetheart Moments as our guest blogger!  She has an amazing idea about multiple "grab and go" bags!  I love it & I know you will too!

I am so excited for the summer ... Our days will be filled with playdates to the park, to the pool, and to many sandboxes. So, I am ready for each one of these activities. Over the last several weeks I have collected lots of fun toys and goodies for my three playtime bags. Now instead of running around the house and gathering everything we need before we go...these bags are just hanging in the garage and ready for me to grab and jump in the car!

The first bag I created is my pool bag for the kiddos.
It has everything we need to head to the pool. And after drying the beach towels and throwing those and the suits in the bag, we are ready to go! The bag includes: swimmer diapers for my baby girl, pool toys, sun hats, sunscreen and more!

The second bag I created is my park bag for the kiddos.
It's ready for a playdate at the park and a day of fun with our friends. The bag includes: bubbles, sidewalk chalk, a baseball and bases, a frisbee, a jumprope, and more!

The third bag I created is my sandbox bag for the kiddos.
My three year old is really loving any park that has a sandbox lately. So, this bag includes: buckets, shovels, sifters, fun shapes, and more! We are ready for some sand and I don't care that when we clean up...the sand is all over this bag, because this bag only goes to sandy areas!

So, there you have it...some organized fun!
We are ready for all of the summer activities that will come our way. My kiddos love the bags and get excited when they see me grab one before jumping in the car. Many of the supplies can be bought at your local Dollar Store and those great bags are from Walmart. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun this summer and be organized! Kick off your summer right!

Isn't she great - now I'm off to get my bags ready!
I'm adding one more - a library bag!  Thanks for stopping by and sharing Kristen!

The Core!

 

The core of my summer survival is my token system. 
It's the third day and I already love it!

The kids earn tokens by:

• Completing morning jobs- 1 token each job
• Practicing Skills  -1 token for each 15 minutes.
  Click HERE to print out my summer skills contract.
  Click HERE to see an example of the skills
• Extra jobs – as agreed
• Great things mom& dad notice

Use tokens for:

• 1 token = 15 minutes of screen time
• 5 tokens=picking out of the basket
• 10 tokens= $1.00
• Extra Privileges – staying up late…

Lose Tokens for:

• rude comments
• fussing
• sneaking
• arguing
• teasing
• breaking family rules

click HERE to see more ideas on token systems

Stock up!

I CONFESS - I love paper goods!
I know it's not the green thing to do, but I have to come clean (pun intended) - I adore paper plates, especially in the summer!  The last thing I want to do is spend time washing dishes! 

It's time to stock up! 
Here's some darling options:



ZooPals! They even have craft ideas HERE






 I love these polka dots plates!

How about these cute owl plates?

But I usually just end up with these:

If you want to add a punch to ordinary plates click here!

Motivation

I don't usually allow television's in my children's room.
However, I can be occasionally  be PERSUADED in the summer months.

Here is my plan to  bribe motivate my 16 year old to ULTRA-CLEAN his room (shhh!  don't tell!)

WINDOW  - Vacuum & Dust Window Sill, Dust & Clean Shutters, Wash & Shine Window - inside & out

CLOSET -Put stuff back in the labeled buckets, throw away trash, put un-wanted toys in thrift store box...
DESK -Organize drawers.  clean desktop, sort thru drawings and put "special" ones in notebook.
FLOOR -  Move furniture & vacuum thoroughly, wipe down mouldings.
BED - Change sheets, vacuum & turn mattress, wipe down frame, store extra blankets for the summer.
BOOK SHELF - Straighten shelves, place un-wanted books in garage box.
CHAIRS - Vacuum covers, wipe down with disinfectant wipe
DECORATIONS -Remove unwanted decor, dust picture frames.
MISC  - Wipe down light switches, fixtures and ceiling fan. 

When these tasks are completed - the room will be ready for the TV and game system for the summer.  (playing time will be limited, of course :0))

Will it work?

Summer Chore Charts - choose your weapon!

I am a believer in  CHORE LISTS - cause I can't stand nagging, reminding,and even trying to come up with jobs everyday.  AND I'm usually a "no fancy job charts" type of gal.  BUT I'm in the mood to switch it up a bit for the summer so I've been looking around the "neighborhood."   Here's what I've come up with so far:

Each child will have:

•  a list of "dailies" that they must do each day  (this is where I'll use the chore chart)
•  a household job - chosen from the MM list.
•  a task in the zone of the week (chosen from the zone of the week stack of index cards)

They'll earn tokens for jobs completed and checked off by MOM.

The tokens will be used for screen time, extra treats, staying up late.... or even cash (10 tokens=$1.00)

Token system idea found HERE  or HERE

Here are some clever charts for the "Dailies"

Magnet board chore charts HERE

Super Simple HERE

Job jars - HERE

Clipboard Chore Chart HERE

Customizable Printable Chore Charts HERE

Click  HERE to see the idea for the Card System  You can even download her cards. I am just twisting it a bit by using it only for the zones.

How do you motivate your children to help? 

Putting it All Together!

Yikes!
TWO more days
and Summer Vacation becomes a reality! 

We've been planning for weeks - now it's time to put it all together.

If you remember my Summer Week Plan,
it looks like this:
Monday: Catch-up Day
Tuesday: Outing Day
Wednesday: Work Outside Day
Thursday: Service Day
Friday: Free-day Friday

In order to put all the crafts, skills, daytrips, summer reading, ...
PLANS into ACTION - I'm setting up an extremly flexible summer daily schedule.
It will go something like this:

  8:00ish  Morning Routine including household jobs.
10:00      Morning D.  (new thing I'm starting this summer - I'll explain soon)
10:30      Screen time (for job finishers & those who participate in Morning D.)
12:00      Make, Eat, Clean Up Lunch
  1:00      Summer Reading Time (alone)
  2:00      Crafts, Hobbies, Skills 
  3:00      Free Time, - Friends, Swimming...
  5:00      Dinner Prep & Eat

Now - Hit me with summer - I'm ready! Are you?

Tip of the Month

Click HERE  for the organizing tip of the month in Kern County Family Magazine!