Posts in Resources
The Girls' Room (and ending squabbles)

I love lists.  I love them because they get my thinking out onto paper so that I don't have to think anymore and I love them because they communicate what needs doing.

Two sisters here were having battles every time they needed to pick up their room.  One claimed she'd done the job while the other claimed she hadn't and so forth.  I was at the point of exasperation.  This was a situation just crying out for a list!  We posted the list last week and magically, 90% of the conflict just disappeared.  Both girls know what is expected of them and neither can claim they did their part if the evidence is to the contrary.

GIRLS’ BEDROOM CLEAN UP

7-year-old

Make both beds

Tidy dressers

Fold clean clothes and put them away

Tidy bathroom

5-year-old

Put books away

Put dirty clothes in the laundry

Put toys away

Pick up trash and throw it away

What needs a list in your home?

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Chores, Home Organization, Life with Preschoolers, Resources, Training Little OnesKendraComment
Advent

Ann over at Holy Experience has written a beautiful and meaningful book for advent.  I just had to share it with you!

 

 

Do you remember Ann's beautiful blog entry about Quiet Time for the contest I held this summer?  Her writing in The Glorious Coming is equally as lovely and inspiring.  The book is a 45-page ebook downloadable immediately.  She gives instructions for creating a Jesse tree and writes devotionals for each day of Advent, beginning on November 30.  Each devotional is heavy on Scripture.  Ann's writing is meaty enough for our older children yet brief and focused enough for our little ones.

 

One of the features of the book is its lovely illustrated ornaments that can be cut out, mounted on card stock, laminated, and hung from your own Jesse Tree or poster board.

 

If you are looking for a meaningful way to point your young ones to Christ this coming Christmas season, The Glorious Coming should fit the bill well. 

 

 

PRAY FOR KAREN!  http://www.welovekaren.blogspot.com/

 

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Musings and Miscellany, ResourcesKendraComment
Lies

When you come to Preschoolers and Peace do you think any of the following?

1. Her kids are smarter than mine

2. Her house must be cleaner than mine

3. She fixes better meals than I do

4. She is more disciplined and spiritual than I am

5. Her marriage is better than mine

6. She can do it all, but I can't

7. She is more capable than I am

8. I am the only one who is falling apart and feels the way I do

If so, then you are believing LIES!

I could spend this whole post debunking the above, but something tells me you STILL wouldn't believe me.  But the women who visit this blog who actually know me know that none of the above is true.  Their shoes have stuck to my kitchen floor, their kids have been walloped a time or two by my naughty ones, they know we had donuts for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch, and hamburgers for dinner last Saturday...

I bring this up not only because I've heard these things, but because I've believed them myself, and from time to time still do.  Lisa gave me Todd Wilson's short but sweet new book entitled, Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe.  If you're prone to believing any of the above lies, then click here and get yourself a copy!

And stop believing the lies!  They aren't from God, lover of your soul.

PRAY FOR KAREN! http://www.welovekaren.blogspot.com/

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Nurturing Moms, ResourcesKendraComment
Cleaning with Kids

Have you discovered The Clean Team? Jeff Campbell is the author of the Speed Cleaning series of books and I have been a devotee of his methods for a long, long time. I also love several of his products, including Red Juice and the Sh-Mop.

And then almost four years ago we moved into 4400 square feet. While wonderful (we'd had five children in just over 1600 square feet before and were doing school in the garage), it was an overwhelming task to clean the place. So my husband decided that regular housekeepers were much-needed. We aren't paying for private school, and believe me, the cost of a housekeeper is far below what we would be paying for school. But I digress.

This month my housekeeper let me know that she wouldn't be able to travel to our home anymore. I haven't found a replacement, but I told my older industrious children that if they wanted to watch the Speed Cleaning DVD, I would be happy to pay them what I paid her. Their eyes became very, very wide. They agreed this was a grand idea.

Here they are, first day on the job:

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Chores, Home Organization, ResourcesKendraComment
How Do I Keep My Really Little Ones Busy?
Kendra, Hi- I was wondering if you had any ideas for a child who is 18-months-old.  Some of these ideas on little hands [from the Preschoolers and Peace site] seem like things for 2 1/2 to 3-year-olds.  Maybe not; maybe it is because I just haven't tried some of them yet. Thanks- Heather Hi Heather- I do have a few ideas for that age group, and all of them involve some sort of confinement :)  I'm not a real believer in lots of freedom for little ones, so if that's not your style, you might want to ask someone else. 1. Table play- strapped into high chair or booster, you can fill a muffin tin with various snacks like cheerios, raisins, pretzels, etc.  A little in each muffin cup- they love to sort and pour and snack.   My dentist husband actually recommends gummy bears rather than raisins.  Mini marshmallows are good, too.  Obviously, you'll want to choose food you know won't be a choking hazard. Blocks, crayons, Duplo, hot wheel cars, wooden puzzles, etc. can all be played one-at-a-time at the table. 2. Playpen time- 15-30 minutes for this age group.  Only put in one or two toys.  More than that is overwhelming. 3. Stroller ride- assign another child to give the 18mo a ride in the stroller around the backyard or anywhere else that is safe. 4. Signing Time, Baby Songs, or Praise Baby DVDs, but I would still have the 18mo in a playpen while watching. 5. Bathtub play- kill several birds with one stone: baby gets clean, stays busy in the bath, and if you take a book and the other kids in the bathroom, you can read aloud to all of them. 6. Play time with older sibling.  I would put a gate up in a safe room and give them one project (like puzzles, blocks, trains, etc.) to work on together.  Clearly define what it is they can and cannot do. If your 18mo is used to lots of freedom, it may take awhile to get him/her used to being restricted.  A lot of our frustration with this age group comes because we tend to follow them around in their wake, picking up messes and putting out fires.  Now, if you have a "helpful" 5-year-old who thinks the baby is bored and gives them markers in their crib first thing in the morning, that's a different story.  Ask me how I know :) Peace, Kendra
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Life with Preschoolers, Resources, Troubleshooting SeriesKendraComment