Bribery vs. Compensation

I grew up with full time cleaning help and never had to lift a finger in my house, so this whole 'delegating chores to your kids' thing really does not come naturally to me.

I read all these articles on how important it is for kids to have chores etc. and I agree with every detail in these articles. The only thing that is very hard for me is to nag or fight with my kids to do something. I honestly would rather just do it myself if I am going to have to give up a huge amount of emotional energy to get my kid to sweep the kitchen floor. Yes, I am sure in the long run it will be good for her blah blah blah, but this is me, and I just cant go the begging, fighting, threatening route.

BUT... Baruch Hashem, I have come up with a system that really really works for me.

Cleaning help is very unreliable and expensive where we live, so I have someone who comes in 1-2 times a week to CLEAN- not tidy. She scrubs the floors, bathrooms, under beds and couches, windows etc. So thats really good. But I need the man power for day to day activities to keep the house tidy: loading and unloading dishwasher, sweeping, laundry, bedroom and playroom maintenance, vacuuming, counter and table wipe down, even cooking.

So here is what I came up with and it has been working amazingly for over a month and apparently it takes 30 days to establish a new habit, so I can consider this a success!

Each child gets to pick something on Amazon for $20 and put it in the cart. They then get a chart with their name on it and 40 boxes to fill in. For every chore they do, they color in a box. When all the boxes are full, we buy the item they put aside.

I am not joking when I tell you that my 10 year old walks into the kitchen and unloads the dishwasher every morning, without me having to say a word. My 7 year old vacuums the living room, no questions asked. My 5 year old sets and clears the dinner table. I KNOW kids should do these things naturally without being rewarded, but the way I see it, they are learning that when they work hard, they will get nice things. I also believe the more they do it, the more naturally it will become, case in point, my 10 year old got his Lego after a month of doing chores, and continues to do things without me asking- not as vigilantly as before, but he's doing it until his next chart goes up.

The kids are so happy to help, to fold and put away laundry, sweep the kitchen etc. and there has been NO nagging, begging, fighting or pleading on my end which honestly was my main goal. And everything is getting done.

And now when I do need to ask one of the kids to do something in the house, it is not met with any excuses. It just gets done and they run and color in a square. Thats it.

I really don't consider this bribery. I consider it compensation for chipping in in keeping the house clean. The kids bedrooms are clean every day without me having to ask. The laundry is folded and put away daily. The dishes are washed and put away daily, and things are running smoothly. Kudos to the moms who have their kids doing this without a reward system- hats off to you. But for me this works wonders. Worth every penny.

Good Luck in your home management endeavors!

Always, 

Making Life Easier

We are all so busy, some of us more over whelmed then others. Some of us are naturally organized, some of us, not so much. And as much as I wish I had a set schedule of chores for my kids, I don't. And as much as I wish my house keeping ran nice and smooth, it doesn't. Which is why I have managed to find some awesome things that have helped me tremendously in my home organization and cleaning adventure. Some are pricey, some more affordable. But check out my personal recommendations:

The Roomba

A very good friend of mine (I love you Janine!) was leaving the island. She offered to buy me a gift and asked what I wanted. I jokingly and not so jokingly mentioned I dreamed about having a Roomba of my own. And the very next day she arrived on my door step with my new best friend, the Roomba.

Every night before I go to bed, and all the kids are sleeping, I turn it on. I come down stairs in the morning to spotless floors and the Roomba happily charging in its station. Yes, when it is finished sweeping the entire downstairs, it brilliantly takes itself back to the charger. Erev Shabbos when my cleaning help doesn't arrive, I just turn on the Roomba. Clean wooden floors. Perfectly vacuumed carpets. Whether or not you have stairs, it knows to stay off of them. Every mother should own one of these.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

I have tried time and again to make a menu plan at the beginning of the week but I never seem to stick to it. I wish I could say I have all my meals planned each day, but sometimes its 2pm and I have no idea what I'm making for dinner.

This Pressure Cooker was a gift from a tourist who visited us. The other day I took an entire chicken, threw in some veggies and in 30 minutes I had the most delicious chicken soup that tasted like it had been cooking all day. Last night I took a roast that I had defrosted that day (yay, go organized me!) and put it in the pressure cooker with potatoes, carrots, onions and spices and 35 minutes later, thick delicious stew. I have made numerous soups, 1 minutes Quinoa, no joke and for moms who tend to do things last minute, this is absolutely for you.

Mason Jars

These are just great to store all food in. They keep food fresher longer, make it more appetizing to eat and the price is great. I make juices for the day and keep them in the fridge. Divide soup into one serving jars so you can just pop it in the microwave if you want a quick bowl of soup. I cut up veggies and salads and they are really great to just keep fresh foods stocked in the fridge.

Personalized Towels

This really helps with laundry. Each kid has a towel for the week. You shower, you dry yourself, you hang up your towel and wash it once or twice a week. Keeps things simple.

Days of the Week Shelves

I never figured out a laundry system, I am sure I will one day but as it stands the washing machine is just constantly going in my house, be it clothes, table clothes, towels, there is always something washing and drying.

This shelving system is great because you can set up the kids clothes for the week. Stick in a shirt, underwear, pants, socks. If they wear something twice like pants or skirt, just put it in the next days shelf at the end of the day. No more 'mommy, where are my blue pants?????'

The White Board

This is my command center, kids homeschool planner, to do list. I have a small one on the fridge where I write down groceries as we run out. I have a small one next to our calendar on the wall of things that need to get done and a really big one where we do our school work where I have divided it into days of the week and each child has their own box where I write what they need to do or have done etc.

I'm a very visual person and jotting things down in my phone is really not for me. I need to see it in front of me, not look for it.

Feel free to share any tips or products you own that make your life easier, and  I hope this was helpful to you.

                                   Have a wonderful week!

Always,

Super Cute Homeschool Cart

Hey! I hope you guys are all enjoying your Pesach experience, wherever it may find you.

Things have been so busy here, as I am sure with you, but I finally got around to writing this post that I have been meaning to write for a while.

Target just opened up in my town {insert Happy Dance here} and I literally ran there the moment I could as its one of my most favorite stores (next to Ikea and Trader Joes, can you tell I'm a mom?).

While I wasn't really looking for anything specific I came across this absolutely adorable Toy Cart-

Click Here to see it on Target.com

I thought to myself, how many times do we move around the house doing our school work? On a nice day we lay on the floor in the living room with the sun streaming on us. Some days we stay in our PJs at the kitchen table, or we sit in the dining room. And I am constantly moving the books and supplies around the house and it gets very annoying trying to remember where we left the crayons or the pencils last.

But after coming across this cart, I suddenly had a great idea...

I would put all the kids school stuff in this cart and we can wheel it from room to room.

How cute is this?

On the top shelf we keep our Tzedakah Box, Siddurs and current books we are using:

All English books in one Magazine folder (also from Target), all Hebrew in one and all Current workbooks or projects in another:

Supplies go on the bottom shelf, I used a cleaning supply caddy with Mason jars filled with pencils, pens, sharpies, scissors, glue sticks, sharpener and stapler with extra staples. We also have crayons and colored pencils on the bottom shelf.

Check out the wheels on the bottom, making it super easy to roll from room to room:

I stuck our daily (tentative) schedule on the side of the cart:

And there we have it!

Enjoy the rest of your Pesach Vacay and Good Luck getting back into the school zone!

Always,

Focus Finder- Review

So my dear friend Rivka Caroline, author of From Frazzled to Focused, my favorite organizing and time management Guru, has done it again.

We all have a "to do list" and a calendar with all our appointments jotted down, but the Focus Finder is simply genius.

If you are anything like me, I find myself making a new to do list almost daily. Especially this time of year with all the holidays.

Well, Rivka came up with this brilliant idea to make the Focus Finder, how pretty is it?

Here is what it looks like opened: 

At the top of the page is a list of 6 Focus subjects, so you can sit down and actually organize what needs to get done. 

And underneath it has the days of the week, Sunday thru Friday, to plug in what needs to get done and when. It is not a calendar to mark your appointments down. It is a book to simply mark down what needs to get done.

Here is a close up of things I started writing down:

So you write down the different things you need to focus on, then get into detail in each one.

I started using it the second I got it last week to help me stay focused on all the things that needed to get done before Yom Kippur. 

Example:

Focus #1: House for Yom Kippur- 

wrote everything that needs to get done in the house before Yom Kippur

Focus #2: Menu Pre Fast

Focus #3: Menu Break Fast

on the next page-

Focus #4: Activities for Kids on Yom Kippur

etc.

Since I received it on Thursday, I  did not need to plug in which days to do what, but I plan to use it for this weeks Sukkos planning. And forever on after that... I almost want to order a case of them to make sure I will never run out as I finish each one!

Just write down the different things you need to get done under their main Focus point, then plug in which days to do what.

No more overwhelming to do lists. 

No more overwhelming Brain fog.

Rivka, you are my hero.

Ladies, Gentlemen, whoever finds themselves reading this post- run- dont walk- over to her site and pick up a copy of Focus Finder for yourself... and your mother... and your sister.. and your best friend- and use code Nshei18 for 15% off and free shipping!

{And if you buy it before this Wednesday night, Rivka will throw in her FREE 34 minute Mommy Bootcamp DVD :)}

Have a fabulous week!

Always,

The Art of Delegation

When it comes to organization and home management, lets just say that they are not my strongest points.

Over the years, as more kids and responsibilities came along, I have had to rely on the help of others to keep things running as smoothly as possible, be it cooking, cleaning, organizing etc.

Now, the thing is, you can have all the help in the world, but if your help doesn't know what you need them to do, its not going to be that helpful.

And so I have very slowly (and I mean, this has taken me YEARS) figured out the art of delegation.

For some of you, this may come very naturally. For me, it is something I have had to figure out.

A few weeks ago I had a friend helping me prepare food for a large Shabbos meal. She is actually a film director and lives in NY and was just visiting her family who  live here and was excited to help.

I set up a station for her with the food processor, different bowls, vegetables, a garbage, she had everything set up and I told her exactly what I needed done.

While we were cooking and chopping, she said, 'you know, you delegate really well!' I literally almost fell over, as this is something that has really not come naturally to me. It still doesn't. I always wished people who are helping me knew exactly what I wanted done without me having to show them.

But then I realized that I should take this new found art and use it in my day to day life.

Here are some great tips on how to master the art of delegation (whether you are delegating chores for your kids, cleaning help, cooking help, activities for your kids, any time you need to tell someone else what you need them to do for you)

1. YOU need to know EXACTLY what you want done. Write a list, in detail of what needs to happen.

2. Set it up for them. Whatever supplies are needed to get the job done, set it up.Try not to have anything around that is not needed.

3.Let them know exactly what is expected to get done. If you need to give a time limit, do so. Ask if your instructions are clear and if they have any questions.

4. Check up on them to make sure they are doing what you want. Mis-communications happen all the time. Just keep on top of things.

This can ALL apply to Homeschooling:

- Know exactly what you want your kids to be learning. Make your decision on curriculum for each child.
-Set it up for them, make sure they have all their supplies that they will need so there will be no interruptions.
-Show them what they need to get done and how much time they have to do it.
-Be there to help them if assistance is needed.

I hope this was helpful to those in a similar situation to me!

Oh, and one last thing- we had a plastic shoe box where we kept all our card games. It was always such a mess even if the cards were in rubber bands, the kids just didn't use them.

I was at Ross one night and found this Jewelry organizer and for some reason though it would be a good idea to keep their playing cards in.

It worked out so great! The kids actually play with the cards now that they can see what they have (I found 3 sets of Uno cards, who knew?)

So that's my two cents for the week!

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Always, 

How Peter Walsh changed my life...

After one very long day, staring at a mountain of books on the floor and a messy playroom, I just felt like such an organizing failure.

I decided to try my luck and email Peter Walsh on Facebook, asking him for some organizing tips to help me with my sanity.

Peter Walsh is a professional organizer... he's on TV, wrote a bunch of books and is a pretty famous guy. He was on Oprah, is featured in O Magazine and is pretty big in the organizing world. Here's a link to his website- Click Here

This is what our conversation looked like- and I was SO impressed with how fast he got back to me!

I think this man just summed up my life.

I'd always thought I had an 'organizing' problem, always getting new bins and baskets, constantly rearranging things, thinking that THIS will keep things organized.

But after reading Peters reply, it was like this big light bulb went off in my head.

My problem is not organizing. I'm actually pretty good at it.

My real problem is delegation and consistency. 

Delegating to my kids to clean up after themselves and being consistent about doing it.

I can have the best organizational system in the world, but if my kids don't clean up after themselves, its really not going to work.

I was constantly oiling the same wheel instead of fixing the broken one- meaning that I was constantly reorganizing things instead of implementing systems to KEEP things organized.

Its definitely a pain to constantly have to be on top of the kids making sure that they clean up after themselves, but in the long run, it will come naturally to them and in turn we will have a somewhat tidy house.

So there we have it. Peter, you rock.

I feel like a new woman. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week,

Always, 

\

Second Chances

Yesterday was Pesach Sheini. Pesach Sheini is not really a holiday as such. In a nutshell, it is the day in Jewish history when those who could not bring the Karban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice) on Pesach itself, and so they got a second chance to do it, on this 14th day in the month of Iyar. 

I absolutely LOVE the idea of Hashem giving us so many chances to improve ourselves and our lives.

From the day I was born until the day I got married, my mother always had full time cleaning help. This meant that I never made a bed, cleaned my bedroom, did a load of laundry or any other chores for that matter. I did help take care of my siblings, and cook for Shabbos. But I loved cooking and it wasnt a job. But in regard to housework, I never even thought about it.

My friends always told me how lucky I was that I didnt have to help around the house. I never really thought about it. Until I got married. And had kids. And had to run my own home.

It has always been a struggle for me. Sure, my house is clean and organized, but it has taken SO much work on my part- not just the physical act, but mentally figuring it all out (which I am still doing daily). I have cleaning help, my husband helps and I am constantly reading and taking advice from all these amazing organizing blogs out there. But it has really been a journey.

The one thing I realized, and this has only hit me lately, is that I cannot have my kids grow up with everything being done for them like I had. So we have started a system where every day after lunch and before quiet time the kids have 30 minutes of chores to do. Included in these chores are cleaning their bedrooms, tidying up after lunch, cleaning the playroom and any other chores that need to be done to keep the house tidy.

I'm not the type of mom to constantly be on top of the kids to clean up after themselves all day, so taking a half hour and dedicating it to cleaning has really worked.

I will not lie- the first day I implemented this, there were tears and lots of resistance! The second day there were less tears and less resistance. And by the third day I did not even have to tell them what to do. And now they actually take pride in their work. They will call me to the playroom to show me how clean it is and what a good job they did. And the nice thing is, because they are cleaning every day, its really not much to clean each day as it is constant.

I find that by setting up certain times to do certain things, it keeps you focused and really helps get so much done as you know that this specific time is for this specific task.

The reason I started this post off with Rabbi Nachmans' quote about starting over each day and many times each day is that the beauty of life is that Hashem is always giving us so many chances to change things and make things better. Things don't and wont have to stay a certain way. We really have the power to change things in our lives.

I have attached a few charts and things that I have made to make my life easier. I did not grow up with menu plans, daily schedules, chore charts or any of that stuff, but these are things that make my life so much easier.

This is just a cute printable, I laminated it and put it up on the wall in the kitchen. The kids take turns filling it in every day with a dry erase marker and it helps them with remembering what day it is, month etc. 

I made this and stuck it on my fridge. Its a constant reminder of what to have ready made in the fridge so no one has to complain that they are hungry and that theres nothing to eat.

This is my weekly menu plan. I excluded Friday and Shabbos as that is in its own category. I sat down with my kids and every one gave me their favorite things to eat for each meal and we came up with this. Honestly, my kids could eat pasta every day for lunch if they could, and I don't stick to it every day, but it keeps things simple for me.

This is our daily schedule for now. Obviously it is always evolving, but having it up on the wall where the kids can see it is a tremendous source of sanity for all of us.  

Here's our little bedroom clean up chart. Its simple, not overwhelming and it works.

You dont need a million charts all over your house- but for someone like me, I need to get it out of my head and onto paper where I can see it.

So I encourage all of you to take a moment, look at your life and see where your challenges are. Then think of ways, which are sometimes so simple, to make things easier for yourself. 

Good luck and have a wonderful, restful Shabbos,

Always,

Something about Sundays

In Deepak Chopras book The Spiritual Laws of Success, he calls Sundays "The Law of Pure Potentiality". 

The Zohar says that each day has its particular function (Zohar, part III, 94b)

In Hebrew, Sunday is called Yom Rishon, "the first day". Each Sunday is literally a first day, the first of a new time cycle which repeats, from the beginning. {source}

We are moms. We have SO much on our plates. We need to make breakfast, lunch and dinner for our families. We need to keep track of family appointments. We need to prepare our childrens school work and teach them. We need to plan outings and run errands.

After reading Rivka Carolines book From Frazzeled to Focused (about 50 times by now) one of her many many brilliant points that she makes is that running a home is a lot like running a business. 

We are the CEO's of our homes and to ensure a home that runs smoothly we need to make the necessary plans. My very wise father in law always says, "Proper Planning Prevents Poor Perfomance."

So thats where Sundays come in. Sunday is the first day of the week. It is a day that gives us time to prepare for the week ahead.

To ensure a week that runs as smooth as possible, make Sundays your friend. Set aside an hour or as much time as you are able to and plan the following things:
-Make a menu plan for the week and a shopping list to go with it
-Make sure any appointments are up on the calendar for you to see and make any necessary babysitting arrangements
-Plan your kids activities for the week, both Homeschool activities as well as outings. 
Put all this information up on the wall for you to see. Try it once, it will give your week an entirely new meaning even if you don't religiously stick to the plans.

Here's an example of what my weekly plan looks like:

Weekly Menu Plan:

Weekly School Plan:

If my weekly plans are helpful to you I am happy to post them weekly. Just remember, life happens and things happen so if things don't go exactly according to plan, its okay!

So here's to good planning and great performance!

Have a great and successful week,

Always, 

Creating a Peaceful and Successful Home Learning Environment

Whether you have a specific room designated to Homeschooling or you use your kitchen table, there are a few things that I have found to be extremely helpful in creating a peaceful and enjoyable learning environment for our kids.

1. A Clean, Uncluttered, Organized Space

{source}

Notice in the above photos, the walls are pretty clear except for a few nice pictures , a black board and some shelves. No need for 20 different charts on the wall. It's a distraction and not necessary. 

There are not a lot of 'things' everywhere, it is very minimal, very uncluttered. Even if you have a lot of stuff, put away most of it in a closet or box. The less 'stuff' in the room, the more peaceful it feels to be there.

2. A Prepared Learning Environment

Whether you are doing things Montessori style or your own style, having a prepared environment is an absolute must. This means having all the supplies you will need for an activity readily available and accessible. 

Whatever your kids will need for the day should be ready and prepared. The time spent looking for a glue stick or blue crayon is a lot of time wasted and they can lose those precious moments of concentration very quickly.

Here's a look at my daughter's (age 6) Workbook Station:

Each box has a number on it. She can choose any order she wants to do it in and needs to do at least one page in each Workbook per day. Very often she will do more then one, and sometimes she will skip a book if she doesn't want to do it. I give her that liberty and she really doesn't abuse it. Once she has done a book, she puts a check on it using a card with Velcro attached to it. She loves putting her checks up.

Here's a peek at whats inside each drawer:

 Clockwise from the top:

1. Hebrew Handwriting (from the Chabad Shluchim Office)

2. Fun Hebrew Words activities (from the Chabad Shluchim Office)

3. English reading books (she picks which books she wants to read) {buy it}

4. Math {buy it}

5. English Handwriting {download and print- this is the Montessori order for learning to write English letters)

6. Hebrew reading book {buy Hebrew Reading Book} (buy DotbyDot}

Notice how every drawer has whatever supplies she would need for each book. This is a great system as she can get straight to work without having to look for a pencil or crayons.

Her workbooks usually take up about 45 minutes of her day, at the most.

With a clean, uncluttered, organized space and a prepared learning environment, you are sure to have success in your Homeschooling experience!

Good Luck and have a wonderful week!

Always,

Keeping things Fresh and Exciting

Has it ever happened to you that one of your skirts or shirts goes missing in the back of your closet somewhere and you don't see it for months, in fact you completely forgot you even had it. Then one day, while cleaning out your closet, you come across this skirt/shirt and remember how much you liked it and now its almost as if you have a brand new piece of clothing in your closet and you're so excited to wear it?

Well, we can apply the same idea to our kiddos and their toys.

Since most of us are home for a big chunk of the day with our kids, their toys, books and games can get pretty old pretty fast.

So here are some good ideas to keep things fresh without having to break the bank...

If you have the space, get some plastic containers with lids from Walmart or even Bankers Boxes and put away a BUNCH of toys, books, puzzles and games and separate them into Holidays or months. Don't forget to label them and have them easily accessible.

This way, at the beginning of each month or Holiday season, you take down your box and the kids have a bunch of fresh goodies that they probably haven't seen for a long time, making it super exciting as if its brand new. For each box, you can put the appropriate things inside pertaining to that particular time of year, and like this it is also out of your way the rest of the year.

In regard to a Shabbat Box, you can change it up more often as they use it every week, and put in Shabbat appropriate things like board games, card games, new books (from the Library or home) and any other goodies that they will enjoy.

Of course if they have certain things that they play with all the time (Legos, wooden blocks, favorite dolls) then you are not going to hide it... but look around at the things that just seem to sit there and collect dust. Take it, put it away for a while and I can guarentee that one Shabbat afternoon if you randomly bring it out, chances are it will keep those little tykes very busy as it will be like something new to them. And if they are still not excited about that toy, give it away to someone who will enjoy it.

Also, by having this system, as you come across cool things through out the year on sale or recieved as gifts, you can put it in the appropriate box and by the time its time to open that box, you will have built up quite a collection without even realizing it. Example, a friend gives you a zoo puzzle that her daughter outgrew, put it in your Rosh Hashanah box and save it for that time of year for Parshas Noach or Days of Creation.

This is a win win as it limits the amount of clutter in your home and saves you money on buying new things.

Would love to hear how you keep things 'Fresh and Exciting' in your home!

Have a wonderful week,
Always,

My Pinterest Inspired Pantry

I am seriously so proud of myself! Check out this before and after photo of my pantry- I painted it, transferred food to Mason jars and tupperwares, and now it looks sooooooo preeeeety :) I actually enjoy putting the groceries away!

I think I might be onto something... this whole "before and after" photo's thing- stay tuned as I tackle my house, one closet, wall, room at a time!

Oh- and if you haven't yet entered the From Frazzled to Focus Giveaway, Click Here to do so now!

Have a great week, 

Always,

LISTS!!!

As each year goes by, I am not sure about you, but my list of lists for Pesach seems to grow and grow. I feel like I am constantly writing things down so not to forget things and end up with a bunch of scrap papers that I need to go through at the end of the day to sort out what needs to get done and when.

And so, my dear friends, this year I created this...

Click here to check it out...

I printed it out and put it in a binder. It is literally a bunch of blank lists that I fill in for Pesach through out the month and it gives me a lot of sanity. I have it on my kitchen counter and as things come along, I plug it into the appropriate list. If I think of a good idea for a meal, I stick it in one of the menus. You get the idea. Now all my lists and ideas are all in one place, and so is my mind.

The Simple Pesach Planner includes:

*A one month calendar for the month before Pesach

*A one week calendar for the week before Pesach

*A Kids Menu for the week before Pesach (so our kids don't starve while we stress out)

*A cleaning list

*A shopping list sorted by types of products

*A guest list

*Seder preparation list

*To Do list for day before and day of Seder

*Table setup

*Yom Tov preparation list

*Delegation lists to give out to those helping you

*Seder Menus

*Yom Tov lunch Menus

*Chol Hamoed Menus

*Shabbos Menus

*Last day Yom Tov Menus (Dinners and Lunches)

Feel free to print out whatever lists work for you- 

Enjoy your week, dont get over whelmed and dont forget to breathe...............

Always, 

Clean Your Room!!!

"Clean Your Room!!!"- how often do we find ourselves saying these 3 little words to our little tykes?

And so they go to their rooms, completely overwhelmed not even knowing where to start and end up sitting on the floor playing with whatever it is that's there. Sound familiar to anyone?

Well, I came up a with such a fabulous solution that works like a charm with my kiddos.

The "6 Minute Room Clean-Up"

We get a timer and each kiddo gets a little list on a mini clip board with a marker. I especially made the check list small so they realize there really is not alot to do. I tell them that they each have exactly SIX MINUTES to pick every single thing up off the floor and put it where it belongs. I put the garbage can, laundry basket, a small box for any toys that made their way into their rooms and  a cup for any stray pencils or crayons all next to each other and as they do each task, they check it off on their little list. Toys go in box, books on bookshelf, dirty clothes in hamper, clean clothes in closet, pencils in cup and garbage into the garbage can.

Miscellaneous stuff remains in a small pile in the center of the room and we quickly figure out where it goes before time is up.

Giving them 6 minutes gives them a time frame and the realization that it is not a long time to be tidying up, making it no real biggy.

Their bedrooms are really not that bad on a daily basis, they are pretty good keeping them tidy, but things happen and some days I look at their rooms and wonder how in the world it got so messy- and that's when I get out the mini clip boards and put those little people to work!

Feel free to Click Here to print out the little checklists or make your own. The key is mini lists and small time frames. 

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Always,

 

No More Guilt!

As Jewish moms, it is in our DNA to feel guilty. There are always things we can find to feel guilty about. And as Homeschooling moms, I am sure we have a few things in common.

If we are not sitting down with our kids, workbooks open, pen in hand and smiles on everyones' faces, we feel guilty that they (in our opinion) didn't learn anything.

If we are not showing flashcards to our 2 year olds and trying to "teach" them, then we feel guilty that we are not educating them.

If we spend the morning blowing bubbles and picking flowers, we feel guilty that we "wasted" the morning.

I get so many email from moms, just like you, saying these very things. They play the guilt card on themselves because they don't feel that they are "teaching" their kids.

Well, guess what. Put the guilt card away because whether you like it or not, your kids are learning. Whether you sit there with Alef Beis flashcards, or whether you don't, they will ultimately learn to read Hebrew. 

When they are little, and I am talking ages 0-6, you really do not need to be shoving information down their throats. Their little brains are so curious and are dying to just figure out everything around them. Let them!

Let them color, paint, blow bubbles, use stamps, stickers, blocks, dolls, cook, clean (yes, clean!), sweep, jump, run, climb, giggle and just be a kid. They have their entire lives to be fed information.

So now that you know that its not your job to feed your 3 year old facts, you can offer them lots of fun activities to do which will keep them super busy and having fun. 

A while back I made these busy bags for my tykes. Below you can print out the labels and using shoe boxes, Ziplocs, trays, whatever works for you, set out a few activities for your little ones every day. They will be perfectly happy. 

Sure, if they have the patience to sit through the story of the Parshah and do an art project, go for it! But don't feel bad that you missed out a week or two. They WILL ultimately learn about the Holidays and the Parshah as they get older!

So breathe in and out and realize that right now, its their job to play and explore and discover, and the less you help them, the better.

Here are a few great activities I highly recommend for the little ones:

We all like routine and so do the little ones. Below I have included a new Daily Routine printout that has been helping me tremebdously. It really helps me utilize each section of my day so I know I am not doing something (a load of laundry) when I shouldnt be (kids class time) and keeps the day flowing.

The nice thing is at the end of the day I can look back and see what I got done and what needs to get done the next day.

I fill it out the night before or first thing in the morning.

Here is an idea of my day:

     And here is a blank one for you to customize for your own use:

 

I am not an organized person by nature which is why I am constantly looking for ways to get more organized!

So no more guilt, much more play:)

Have a great week and if you haven't entered the Giveaway to Morah Supplies yet, you have until Monday to do so! (Click Here to Enter)

Good Luck and have a great week,

Always,