Allowance for Kids ~ Part 2 of 2

Perhaps I’ve over-thought it. I did a lot of research (Allowance for Kids ~ Part 1) on how to even start to establish allowance for our kids. How much, what lessons to teach, how can they earn extra money, what do they do when I pay them, when do I pay them, with cash or a ledger, etc. etc. Tracking the MoneyI signed up for a FREE online account using Allowance Manager. I liked these four helpful features that are on the site: Set an automatic weekly allowance Check how much allowance they have anytime, anywhere Simply edit debits / transactions when

19 March 2013 2 Comments

Allowance for the Kids ~ Part 1 of 2

Our oldest is turning 7 this Sunday and our youngest was 5 in January. Rumblings of wanting an allowance have started to get louder. The kids will rush around to clean up and say “We did this! Can we get our allowance now?!”. So far I haven’t paid out since they forget about it and honestly, so do my husband and I. We don’t have a set system in place. I’m not sure if I should reward them for chores when they should be doing things to contribute in general as members of the family. Also, when they get their

15 March 2013 No Comments

How to Make a Jedi Light Saber

The last week of February our family visited Disney Orlando. It was so much fun! The children’s interests really surprised me. The little guy was enthralled by the Jedi training. We didn’t get him registered to go up on the stage (I thought he would be too scared) but it was all he could talk about the rest of the day! When we got home he continued to talk about how much fun it was and asked if we could make a light saber for him. Thank you Pinterest and fellow bloggers for tutorials on how to make a simple, kid (and

12 March 2013 2 Comments

Meet our elf, Carol Jingle

After much debate and price comparison I found and purchased an Elf on the Shelf. If you are unfamiliar with such a beast, this little elf works on the power of Christmas magic. Ours is a girl and she was just named Carol Jingle (Christmas Carol and Jingle Bells) that we also can shorten to C.J. (but I prefer Carol myself). At night she reports to Santa the nice and naughty parts of our day and then returns in the morning in a new place for the children to find her. The fun part is that they cannot touch her

4 December 2012 No Comments

Children’s Halloween Costumes

Have you started to think about Halloween costumes for your children? In August when I purchased a stack of patterns to sew (see them here), I stumbled across some adorable Halloween costumes. Butterick Pattern 3244 Travis is convinced he will be the astronaut. I think this is absolutely adorable!! Ava is somewhere between them all. Since it’s mid-September already, I’m going to make a concerted effort to finish the clothes pile before I go out and buy material for the Halloween items. So far I have 90% of a housecoat for Ava cut out (thanks to my Mom for helping

11 September 2012 2 Comments

Our Routine Charts for the Kids

I have been searching the internet for routine charts to give to the children. I finally decided to make my own customized routine based on what I found and what works for us. I have used a graphic and simple words to describe each item. My kids are 4 and 6 years old and can figure them out. I don’t know how to show you the .pdf files as a preview but I did determine that you can download it from Scribd. Feel free to use it for your own personal use. Morning RoutineAfter School RoutineBefore Bed Routine

6 September 2012 No Comments

Looking Forward to Routine

Thank you to everyone for making my SITS day so special. I’ve been absent due to an out-of-town competition for my 6 year old daughter’s dancing. It’s fun but also has kept me away from my computer. I’m loving the comments and will do my best to respond to them as the week progresses. I was doing really well with exercising. I just increased my gym membership to an every day versus an alternate day option and was going every day for a week. I’ve been logging my calories, increasing my fruit/veggies and water intake and have been walking or

14 May 2012 2 Comments

Son’s Bedroom

Amazing how the bedrooms become a holding place for “special” things. Since I have a home daycare this is especially an area to watch because my children are to put all toys they do not wish to share there. Some days we don’t want to share anything, it seems. I started with my son’s toys and books and have a good pile of books to give away plus I have managed to re-dedicate some of the toys that can be part of the daycare (which I will further sort when I get to the playroom). I know from cleaning my

23 January 2012 No Comments

No Ruined Breakfast Bars Here, Please!

My little guy (3 years old) is making me laugh today. I just wonder where kids come up with this stuff. T: Can I have a breakfast bar?Me: Sure, here you go.T: This is a RUINED one that A tried to give me a few days ago! (It had a crunched top from where my daughter did her best to open the package for him).Me: Doh! For the record, it was only yesterday and was wrapped up waiting for him to forget about it. Why are 3 year olds so smart? I thought I had a bit more time to work around his

21 December 2011 No Comments

The True Story of Advent

Sweeter Than Sweets has a fantastic idea to share the true story of advent with your children. Basically, you set up drawers, envelopes, etc. with numbers 1-25. You collect a specific list of items and read daily Bible passages that illustrate the story and how the object is significant in the advent story. Genius! Printouts and a full list are available at the Sweeter Than Sweets advent story link. Credit: Sweeter than Sweets blog

23 November 2011 No Comments

Category: children