I know that I posted a wonderfully well written post on how to present snacks to kids. If I do say so myself. But I was presented with a problem and therefore had to find the solution. My husband presented the problem to me. He said that we had entirely way too many snacks in the house and he wanted them gone! Now if you know my husband he is most generally joking. So I initially shoved it off and kept buying snacks and organizing them like I did. Okay it was not just initially it was for years. He began to get persistent so I figured he must be serious. I asked him about it a bit more and he was very serious about it. We were spending a lot of money on snacks and the kids were eating too many snacks and not eating their dinner well. So I said we would give it a go and I would stop buying snacks. I know what you are thinking. "Poor women!" Or poor kids whoever you feel more sorry for. I did too. At first it was hard not to just have handy snacks to reach for especially on the go. I have to admit that I had a bit of a laugh when one of our kids asked to have a snack and dad said yes. hummmm. I wondered what snack fairy had come to visit and ran to the pantry. No, but really what was he thinking this was his idea after all.
Surprisingly no one wilted away and died. No one went starving. We even were satisfied actually. I, most of all, because everyone ate their dinner!!! What? I know, now you're jealous! They were hungry and well fed at dinner, imagine that.
Here is what I did to make it work:
1.) Vegetables and fruit anytime you want. "Don't Even Ask!" That is my response. If you are hungry you know what you can have. After all, if you ruin dinner with a carrot I'm not going to be that upset.
2.) Make treats! Okay okay a bit counterintuitive but they had healthier home made treats once or twice a week not processed snacks everyday. We eat them for dessert or for a family home evening snack.
3.) Eat dinner early! Dinner is more at 4:30 or 5:00. The kids are usually pretty hungry after school. So instead of making them suffer we just eat dinner.
4.) Put any foods that need to be eaten out on the counter. It is surprising how fast food is eaten when it is visible and easy to eat.
5.) Homemade bread! I also made bread and my kiddos enjoyed it with jelly. Or I'd make over ripe banana's into banana bread. There always seems to be a nighttime "snack" even when I'm not buying snacks.
If you are spending too much money on snacks or your kids are over snacking and they won't eat their dinner. Try it! At least for awhile and it will change your mindset to what is really essential snacking. Thanks hubby for the great idea!!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Fly Lady Fly
My new favorite website...you have got to check it out. This lady is a genius and so positive and encouraging. Housework and organizing your home can get overwhelming half the time I feel like I don't have enough time she makes it doable without the stress and guilt and pressure.
Each day of the week she gives specific tasks to do in the home that take 15 min. Each week is a different room. These tasks help with the deep cleaning but it is only 15 min. a day. Then on Monday you do an hour of quick clean 10 min. for vaccum, dust, etc. this used to take me hours and I obsess about getting things "just right." And now I just do it, it feels like I have succeeded and it didn't take me all day and it's not perfect but my house is clean and organized and I'm just taking it one step and one day at a time. A timer is key...set the timer for 15 min. and then stop when it goes off. I don't need to stress about it because I know I'm going to get to it, she has it all mapped out for me and she helps me establish healthy daily routines.
Sign up for the emails and check out the Launch pad for daily tasks, routines, and tips.
Let's Fly Ladies!!!
Monday, January 13, 2014
Online/App Chore Chart
Our warm fuzzy jars worked great for rewarding good behavior but didn't really give us any structure and organization when it comes to chores. Especially since my kids are getting older now and can handle a daily chore chart. I came across this wonderful app on my iPhone called MY JOB CHART.
One of the great advantages of using the online program is that it automatically updates everyday. Sometimes that was the downfall of other charts that I've tried at home. Mom Malfunction!!! I would forget to update or get a new sheet or count points and start over. This program will do all of that for you. Not to mention the fact that you can personalize chores for each child and days of the week and you can assign points to be allotted for jobs done. The jobs can be divided into daytime and night time jobs too.
The kids just login and then check off their assigned, by you, chores when they are complete. Then when they complete the chores they are given points and then they can choose how to spend their points. You get to pick the rewards that they choose from and I usually let the kids help me pick too that way they are more motivated to do their chores. Then they organize their points and can either save, share, or spend. What a great way to teach money management skills too!!!
It can also be a way to let the kids learn responsibility and less yelling. If they don't do it they don't get the points and if I have to do it then I don't have the energy or time to do other things for them. So if they asked, "Can you do ____ for me?" you could reply, “I'm really tired so I can't because I had to do your chores.” Also you could assign an even worse chore, like DOG POOP, on the job chart and until the do it mom is out of business. :)
My kiddos love earning points and using electronics for their chore chart and this one had all the features that I wanted.
* Morning, Evening, and Extra’s Checklists
* Customizable
* Daily update...They do not have to uncheck it to check them again the next day
* Tracks all the points they Earned for Each job they check off
* I get to pick what rewards are Available to them
* They get to pick what rewards they want and how they spend their points
* The App let’s me know which rewards they spent their points on and when I redeem the reward for them I check it done...SO I do not forget to redeem!
One of the great advantages of using the online program is that it automatically updates everyday. Sometimes that was the downfall of other charts that I've tried at home. Mom Malfunction!!! I would forget to update or get a new sheet or count points and start over. This program will do all of that for you. Not to mention the fact that you can personalize chores for each child and days of the week and you can assign points to be allotted for jobs done. The jobs can be divided into daytime and night time jobs too.
The kids just login and then check off their assigned, by you, chores when they are complete. Then when they complete the chores they are given points and then they can choose how to spend their points. You get to pick the rewards that they choose from and I usually let the kids help me pick too that way they are more motivated to do their chores. Then they organize their points and can either save, share, or spend. What a great way to teach money management skills too!!!
It can also be a way to let the kids learn responsibility and less yelling. If they don't do it they don't get the points and if I have to do it then I don't have the energy or time to do other things for them. So if they asked, "Can you do ____ for me?" you could reply, “I'm really tired so I can't because I had to do your chores.” Also you could assign an even worse chore, like DOG POOP, on the job chart and until the do it mom is out of business. :)
My kiddos love earning points and using electronics for their chore chart and this one had all the features that I wanted.
* Morning, Evening, and Extra’s Checklists
* Customizable
* Daily update...They do not have to uncheck it to check them again the next day
* Tracks all the points they Earned for Each job they check off
* I get to pick what rewards are Available to them
* They get to pick what rewards they want and how they spend their points
* The App let’s me know which rewards they spent their points on and when I redeem the reward for them I check it done...SO I do not forget to redeem!
The app is available on iPhone and android devices and you can use it on your desktop or laptop as well. So if you are interested in using this chore chart those are a few of the ways that you can use it. You can reach the program online here at myjobchart.com. If you are searching on your app store search "my job chart."
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