Each month I write the Tips, Tricks, and Shortcuts column for the Hearts @ Home mom's group newsletter. Here is the installment for this month:
There is a lot to get done in a day, so find creative ways to double up on chores--fold clothes in the hall or clean the bathroom while keeping an eye on kids in the tub, bathe your toddler in the kitchen sink after his messy
meal, while you do the dishes in the other half (if you have a double sink), practice memory verses, math facts, phonics, or spelling with your kids while driving in the car, read to the kids while they finish eating, and, always be sure you take the time to teach each child how to do the chores himself.
Save and store old flat sheets in a drawer of your television cabinet to spread out for TV or movie night picnics. Relax when the kids want to snack with you in the family or living rooms, knowing there is a simple way to collect the popcorn crumbs and ice cream drips and protect your furniture and floors from stains. Keep a container of baby wipes there, as well, for easy clean up.
Make a homemade growth chart to record your children's yearly growth. Using a 3/4"x 4"x 5 1/2 ' board from a builder's supply store (have them cut for you to the specified measurements), paint the entire board your choice of color, and allow to dry. Using a contrasting paint, add horizontal dashes up the middle of the board for each inch starting with 12" (1 foot), and going up to 6 foot, 6 inches. Mark each foot with a longer dash. Label each foot by freehand painting or stenciling the numbers 1-6 next to the appropriate dashes. At the top, paint or stencil "Our Growth Chart". Decorate the board with 1x2" close-up birthday portraits shrunk down using photo-editing software and printing from your computer. Paste the photos onto the board near the height of your child for their corresponding ages. Using a foam brush or paintbrush, spread satin finish mod podge over the photos and the entire board; allow to dry well (mod podge dries completely clear and adds a protectant coat and sheen over the photos). Using paint and a fine-tipped paintbrush or a paint pen, label the child's initials, age, and inches where they belong on the chart. Mount the growth chart one foot up on the wall. Use this chart to mark your child's growth yearly, and continue to add photos and labels that correspond. This growth chart will be a special memento of childhood, and can be taken with you from house to house if you move.
There is a lot to get done in a day, so find creative ways to double up on chores--fold clothes in the hall or clean the bathroom while keeping an eye on kids in the tub, bathe your toddler in the kitchen sink after his messy
meal, while you do the dishes in the other half (if you have a double sink), practice memory verses, math facts, phonics, or spelling with your kids while driving in the car, read to the kids while they finish eating, and, always be sure you take the time to teach each child how to do the chores himself. Save and store old flat sheets in a drawer of your television cabinet to spread out for TV or movie night picnics. Relax when the kids want to snack with you in the family or living rooms, knowing there is a simple way to collect the popcorn crumbs and ice cream drips and protect your furniture and floors from stains. Keep a container of baby wipes there, as well, for easy clean up.
Make a homemade growth chart to record your children's yearly growth. Using a 3/4"x 4"x 5 1/2 ' board from a builder's supply store (have them cut for you to the specified measurements), paint the entire board your choice of color, and allow to dry. Using a contrasting paint, add horizontal dashes up the middle of the board for each inch starting with 12" (1 foot), and going up to 6 foot, 6 inches. Mark each foot with a longer dash. Label each foot by freehand painting or stenciling the numbers 1-6 next to the appropriate dashes. At the top, paint or stencil "Our Growth Chart". Decorate the board with 1x2" close-up birthday portraits shrunk down using photo-editing software and printing from your computer. Paste the photos onto the board near the height of your child for their corresponding ages. Using a foam brush or paintbrush, spread satin finish mod podge over the photos and the entire board; allow to dry well (mod podge dries completely clear and adds a protectant coat and sheen over the photos). Using paint and a fine-tipped paintbrush or a paint pen, label the child's initials, age, and inches where they belong on the chart. Mount the growth chart one foot up on the wall. Use this chart to mark your child's growth yearly, and continue to add photos and labels that correspond. This growth chart will be a special memento of childhood, and can be taken with you from house to house if you move.
1 comment:
I love that growth chart! Neat post.
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