Tag Archives: organization

Summer Fun On A Budget

Uncategorized April 28, 2016 Leave a comment

It’s hard to believe that summer is only a couple months away and before you know it, the kids will be home from school.  For some parents, that puts you in a panic of “what am I going to do with my kids all summer?!?!?”  Here are a few ideas and tips that I have used over the years that have made the summertime enjoyable for both myself and my kids….oh yeah, and I didn’t break the bank either!

 

  • Create a Daily Schedule:  Although the idea of sleeping in and waking up whenever you and and your children feel like it all summer long, the reality is that more chaos will ensue unless you plan properly.  Creating a Daily Schedule will help you keep your sanity and your kids will actually feel less stressed knowing what the day will bring.  NOTE: It doesn’t have to be the SAME schedule each day, but consistency certainly helps.

summer fun picture chart

  • For younger kids, use pictures like this one:(free printable picture cards here)
  • For older kids that can read, simply use a chalk board or dry erase board and write the schedule each day.
  • Sample Schedule:
    • Breakfast
    • Chores
    • Free Play Time
    • Project (craft, cooking, science, etc.)
    • Snack
    • Games & Outside Play
    • Lunch
    • Water play
    • Workbook/Quiet Time/Reading Time
    • Free Play
    • Snack & Short TV Show
    • Dinner

Summer Chores

2015 Chore Chart

 

  • I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to fit chores into our daily schedule during the school year.  The kids are swamped with homework and activities and at the end of the day I just want them to relax and be kids.  I want them to go outside or play a game.  So…when summertime comes around, it’s time to instill those good habits of completing chores and participating in the general upkeep of our home.

Projects

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  • Use what you have around the house to come up with projects.   It’s amazing what you can do with plastic cups, paper plates, straws and a camera.  Some of our favorite projects:
    • Cooking (Popsicles, smoothies, cookies, trailmix and of course cheerio necklaces)
    • Bubbles (giant bubble wands, colored bubbles on paper, bubble popping)
    • Crafts (painting with colored ice cubes, giant chalk drawings, cards and letters to send in the mail)
    • Check out Pinterest for lots and lots of budget friendly ideas!

Games

  • We love a friendly game or two in our house.  Keep it simple and enjoy the time connecting and having fun!
    • Scavenger Hunts (Photo Hunts, Treasure Hunts, Collections)
    • Obstacle Course (time each other for those that are more competitive)
    • Backyard Maze (grass getting long? mow a maze and run through it before mowing the rest of the yard)

Water Play

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  • You don’t have to have a pool to have water play time!  The hot afternoon is a great time to get wet and cool off.  We have a small pool, but here are some other ideas:
    • Water Balloon Toss
    • Water Balloon Baseball
    • Limbo using a hose
    • Sprinkler
    • Water Bottle Squirt Tag
    • Car Wash
    • Bicycle Wash
    • Wet Sponges and Targets

Quiet Time

bridge

  • We order the Summer Bridge Books every year and the kids complete 4 pages a day. We also participate in the local Library Summer Reading program where the kids earn prizes for reading (reading together as a family or listening to a book in the car count too!)

Field Trips

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  • The summertime is a great time to see new sights and try new activities.  There are lots of inexpensive places to check out when you’re ready to tackle a “Field Trip” day:
    • Creek Stomping (pack a lunch, wear a bathing suit and go walking in a creek)
    • Playground Review (visit different playgrounds and have the kids journal their reviews)
    • Library Programs
    • Get a group together to visit a zoo or museum and get the group discount rate
    • Check out Kids Bowl Free and find a local bowling alley
    • Try a real treasure hunt and go Geochaching

Got any good Summertime Boredom Busters?  Please share in the comments! 🙂 Mama Nice

Getting Organized in 2015 #5 – Command Hook Organization

Uncategorized March 3, 2015 Leave a comment

Anyone else out there joining the WHITE HOUSE BLACK SHUTTERS Decluttering Challenge??  If not, I suggest you jump on the bandwagon and start decluttering!  I started a few days late in the challenge, but quickly caught up.  It’s always great to have some support when you take on a challenge, so check out the link above and join us!

To get your organizing/decluttering mojo moving, check out these super simple organizing ideas using Command Hooks.  I use command hooks all over my house and they are wonderful!  My one tip ** make sure you follow the directions completely and buy the hooks that hold the appropriate weight** (otherwise they will fall off and take a chunk of drywall with them, trust me I know).

Check it out!

🙂 Mama Nice

 

Getting Organized in 2105 #3 Boredom Busters

Uncategorized January 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Hi there, just a quick little tip today.  If you are living in the cold part of the world, then your kids are likely bouncing off the walls and begging for more screen time.  At least mine are.  They are BORED and the first thing they want to do is watch T.V., play video games, play computer games, etc.  The thing is, when they are engaged in screen time activities, I get stuff done and the house it quiet.  However, I know it’s not good for them. So…… I made a list of non-electronic BOREDOM BUSTER activities.  I have mine posted on the fridge and if they are bored, I direct them to the list to find something to do.  I hope this gives you all some good ideas too!

🙂 Mama Nice

Boredom Buster

 

Getting Organized in 2015 #2 Budget Binder

Uncategorized January 6, 2015 Leave a comment

I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of technology.  I still like to have paper lists, paper calendars, paper schedules, I could go on.  There is something about being able to look at everything sprawled out on a table in front of me, with a highlighter in hand, that just makes me giddy.  The whole idea of using binders to organize is just so exciting to me.  I don’t know why God made me that way, but I’m going with it.

This week I tackled the School Binder and Budget Binder.  This post covers  the Budget Binder.  The School Binder is coming soon though!

My husband and I have tried various ways to keep track of our budget.  We tried the cash in envelopes method, computer spreadsheets, mobile apps and plain white paper.  Each system worked, in its own way, but at the end of each month I would stash the receipts and paperwork somewhere in the office.  It was hard to go back and compare month to month and therefore not intentionally setting goals.  I hope the madness stops this year.

Onto the HOW TO.  I assembled our Budget Binder with forms for the ENTIRE YEAR.  Here’s how it works.

2015 Budget Binder Graphic

  • The front of the binder includes a copy of our monthly budget goals and monthly budget tracker.
  • The front pocket has stamps and envelopes for bills that need to be paid via snail mail.
  • The next divider contains the forms for the current month with a pocket for receipts.
  • The last section contains forms for the rest of the year

Here are some free forms for you too…

My goal is to sit down each week and record our current spending in hopes that I can stay on top of our budget.  Wish me luck and happy budgeting!

🙂 Mama Nice

 

February 2014

Uncategorized February 28, 2014 Leave a comment

February has been a very busy month.  This long winter filled with snowy days has it’s advantages – being stuck inside without having to run the “school/activity shuttle” has provided uninterupted time to work on prepping the homestead for the upcoming season.  Here is what we worked on and learned in February 2014:

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Around The Homestead

barley fodder button

– Learned to grow fodder –  I’m not sure how I stumbled on this method, but I was hooked pretty quickly.  The thought that I could give my chickens more nutrients, less cost and would keep them happy this winter – woo hoo!  Click links below for more information.

– Shoveled lots of snow –   Lots and lots and lots of snow.  We had to dig a path around the house to allow for the melting snow to move to the proper drains (ya know, so it doesn’t end up in our basement.)  At least and kids and dog are enjoying the snow 🙂

snow dog button snow snow snow button

– Cooking From Scratch–  Before we grow our own grains and attempt to process it ourselves, I thought it would be a good idea to make sure I enjoyed (and coud successfully pull off) cooking food from scratch.  Bread, pasta, baked goods, etc.  Turns out, I DO like it!  Click here to visit some recipes I enjoy!

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Chickens

wry neck button

-Wry Neck & Crop Issues –  When our Silkie got sick this month, I immediately scoured the internet looking for ways to help her get better (without spending a fortune to save a $10 chicken).  At first we thought she had “Impacted Crop”.  That was something I never heard of before, but upon further investigation we found it was not her crop that was inpacted, but rather her neck that was twisted.  “Wry Neck” is common in silkies – I had no idea.  “Fluffster” was at the bottom of the pecking order and she was being starved out but the other hens.  I believe that becuase she wasn’t getting the nutrients she needed, she then developed Wry Neck as a result of vitamin difficiency.  We attempted treatment and she was doing better for about 5 days, but then I believe she aspirated after a feeding becuase once I put her down, she fell over and died quickly. It was a sad moment for the kids and I.  We tried to nurse the chicken back to health and ultimately failed.  But, that’s farm life and lessons were learned.  I’m posting the pics to give you an idea of what “Wry Neck” looks like.  See the links below to learn more about “Wry Neck” and “Impacted Crop.”

starling button

-Starling Invasion – This winter has been awful and the wild birds are looking for food wherever they can get in.  Unfortunately a flock of Starlings (which come in droves of 50 – 100 birds) decided to feast on our chicken feed and attack our hens.  Our chickens are fenced in, but they are not fully inclosed.  The Starlings eat just about anything, including eggs!  We attempted to put netting over the coop – the Starlings got in.  We put up shiny bird reppellers – the Starlings could care less.  After much research, we learned that Starlings are indeed invasive and the only was to get rid of them is to kill them.  So….. I learned to use a pellet gun and fight the Startling fight almost daily.  Click the link below to learn about these awful birds.

basement chickens button

-Basement Chickens – That’s right, our chickens moved into our basment for about 2 weeks.  The weather got so bad the chickens would not leave the coop and turned to picking each other bare (not to mention the Starling situation).  We seperated them into two groups, ran an air purifier (which worked AMAZING) and put them back outside once the weather got a bit warmer (and the Starlings seemed to have moved on).  On a positive note, I didn’t have to trudge through the snow various times of the day to care for “the girls.”

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Kids & Organizing

– Pajama Themed Birthday Party – My daughter turned 6 and she wanted a “Pajama Party” – without the sleepover part.  Guests came in PJs and we had a great time playing “Pass the Stuffed Animal”, “Pin The Pillow On The Sleeping Bag”, “Musical Pillows” and “Freeze Dance.”  We decorated pillow cases with fabric markers and after eating pizza and sundaes, we ended the night watching a movie while eating popcorn.

sleepover tableware buttonsleepover party theme food sleepover activities

– Homestead Log Book –  In an attempt to get more organized and on top of my chores, I created a binder to hold all of my charts and calendars.  I’ve never been one to keep all organizing charts on the computer – I enjoy have paper copies (sorry trees) that I can write on and cross off.  Here are a few of my charts:

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Thanks for reading y’all!! 🙂 Mama Nice

” Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9