Friday Favorites- February

How to really give @ We are That family

12 Ideas to keep the kids busy on a snowy day @ The mother huddle

The emergency hug @ simple kids

uh- oh's and no- no's @ babbling brook

keep the spark hot @ how does she

planning for long plane trips with kids @ Kind birds

ideas for back to school photos @ I heart faces

10 special valentines day ideas @ Zen family habits

50 things to do with your kids when it's -50 @ serene journey

Cooking for others a guide to giving sympathy meals @ simple bites

Creative pretend play props and ideas @ simple kids

Tips for dinning out with children @ simply modern mom

12 Dates for 2011

For Christmas I made cards with 12 dates for Zach and 12 Dates for Haley. This is Haley getting ready for and going on her first date, with Daddy. They went to get breadsticks and then to get ice cream.

Haley got all dressed up, she even wore her wings.

She likes to feel pretty. She was brushing her hair and dancing around before they left.

When she came home, she had a balloon. I think she liked her date.

These are some of Haley's date cards. They have pictures to describe what she gets to go do. For example, on the one with the trains we will go to the mall and play at the play place then go to Barnes & Noble and play with the trains.

The blue cards are Daddy dates and the pink cards are Mommy Dates. Then in December we will take her on a special date together. I think that especially when her brother is born she will like the one on one time a lot.

Theses are the cards I made for Zach. The idea is that we already have a plan and now we have to go on a date each month. They are mostly cheap and certainly not fancy. But I am in charge of getting a babysitter and making the date happen. Having a plan makes it much easier to stick to.

My cards did not turn out as cute as I had imagined but they could easily be spiced up with some scrap booking supplies or computer graphics. These would also make a great Valentines day or birthday gift. I think we might start doing them as a new years tradition.

Cleaning Zones -Part 2

I finally finished my chore cards. Each week I will tackle wither week 1's chore's or week 2's as well as one quarterly chore card. That gives me 5 cards with about 5 chores to do each week that I'm home. If I do that plus my daily tasks I should be able to stay on top of keeping things clean. I listed the plan in detail here.

I like these cards because they're bright and concise and store easily on my refrigerator door.

In addition to the chore cards I made a list of seasonal chores and broke them down into monthly tasks. If I have a huge list for spring cleaning I get easily overwhelmed and none of it gets done, but by having 2-3 small tasks to do each month they yearly tasks around the house will get done. Some tasks need to be done twice a year so those are listed under 2 months.

This system is new but so far it works for me.

Here is that list.

Seasonal Tasks

January

Deep clean fridge & freezer

Self clean oven

February

Deep clean rugs, carpets, duvets & futon cover

Wash pillows and stuffed animals

Wash and clean all Reusable bags and luggage bags

March

Smoke detector batteries (DST)

Summer prep- rotate clothes and bedding (swim suites and jersey sheets)

April

Clean trashcans & outdoor furniture (including grill)

Clean off patio, porch & garage

May

Book & magazine purge

Dust all books & clean book shelves

June

Clean out clothes storage containers & purge clothes

(Put pins on hangers to mark what has been worn in 1 year)

Wash windows & clean screens

July

Wash doors, light fixtures, fans, etc.

Clean washer &dryer

Replace all filters (fridge, AC, vacuum etc.) & clean vents

August

Wash curtains

Dust photos & artwork.

Clean & organize storage space (basement or attic)

Wash and clean all Reusable bags and luggage bags

September

Mop under furniture, including closet floors

Dust walls and baseboards

October

Rake Leaves,

Update CD and DVD collections (purge & alphabetize)

November

Smoke detector batteries (DST)

Change out baking soda in fridge and freezer

Winter prep- rotate clothes and bedding (scarves, hats & flannel sheets)

December

Purge & organize craft supplies

Clean out and organize all storage closets

Purge files

What do you do for your chores? What am I leaving off of my list? or how can I make the system better?

Little Red Wagon

For Christmas Haley's great grandma and grandpa (Mom mom and dad dad) got her a wagon. While she was napping one day her uncles laughed at me while I assembled it in our living room. ( I felt so hand putting it together, even if I needed a little help getting the wheel caps on- hey, strong brothers have to be useful for something)

When Haley woke up from her nap she was excited to have a new toy to crawl into and explore.

When the weather warmed up a little the next day we decided to take it out for a stroll around the block.

Haley and her doll had fun getting carted around. Haley was ready to pounce at any moment.

It was a fun outing for all!

(made even better by her cute pig tails)

Getting Ready for the peanut!

In less than 3 months Haley will be a big sister, and I will be the mother to a wonderful baby boy. IT's crazy to think that if something were to happen and he were born today he would probably be ok. But much like the mom at the end of "The Business of Being Born" I would have almost nothing ready. It was nothing until about 2 weeks ago.

My sister got us a double stroller and just over a week ago we finally put it all together (which was easy, mostly just attaching wheels) Then Haley got to test it out.

Watching Daddy's handy work.

Trying the back seat. Which will not be her seat since she already really enjoys playing with the sunshade. I imagine a seat where she can't reach her little brother will make him much happier.

Checking out the reclined option. Nap time here we come.

This stroller, the Graco Quattro tour duo, is fully loaded. IT has cup holders for mom and both babies, a higher handle so even Zach can push it without a back ache. It's pretty easy to open and close. IT has 2 reclining seats, a giant storage basket with easy access and I'm sure there are more perks I'll discover when I'm actually using it to transport 2 little ones. The only downside is that it's really heavy, but I can look at it as a chance to work out when I lift it and it is a built in perk. (who needs a gym membership when you have 2 babies under 2)

It felt really good to do something for the new baby. (I don't have the matching car seat yet but I plan on getting it eventually, probably soon.) Other than that the peanut has a few new onesies, a big box of diapers (size 2s, so they won't fit for the first few months), 2 pacifiers, and some cute bibs.

Most of what the peanut needs will be hand me downs from his sister and from some friends, but it's fun to have a few things that are just for him. I know the nesting will kick in soon and I'll be dragging the bassinet, swing, bouncy seat, moby wrap, and bumbo out of storage. Not to mention going through all of Haley's clothes and pulling out all the neutrals that her brother can wear.

I'm sure I'll post more updates as I prepare for number 2, with lots of questions like is it worth getting another pack n play?

In the meantime I'm looking forward to doing some babysitting and taking a few test runs with the new stroller to get used to it before I have a newborn in tow.

Friday Favorites- January part 2

Why Chinese mothers are superior- Wall Street Journal... and a response at not just cute.

Are you unknowingly devaluing yourself @ Zen family habits

When one parent is sick @ simple mom

The spiral of successful habits @ zen habits

snip, snip @ weird bird (about circumcision)

Pick your battles @ the morris tribe

10 fun ways to praise your husband @ Women living well

Snow theme story hour @ Training happy hearts

Cleaning Zones -Part 1

I live in two different places. Every other week I live at work, so I only spend half of my time at home. Because of this it can be very difficult to stay on top of chores, especially if I leave town for a week off. I have still only spent 2 full weeks at my new house. There have been other times that have come close, but little things like busted pipes keep getting in the way.

As a result of my life switching back and forth my house often suffers, but I can also go almost a month having barely slept in my bed, so my housekeeping needs are a little bit different than a typical families.

Combining suggestions from different friends, blogs, and websites (such as fly lady) I have finally thought of a system that I think will work for me. I have broken my home up into 4 zones. Each zones chores are broken up into a list of chores than need to be done every other week I'm home. (That means it's getting done about once a month. Some of these things that seems quite reasonable. Some of these things like washing sheets that seems like too long, but I promise that if it needs it it will get done more, and really that's like a week and a half of actual use which isn't so bad). Each zone also has one or 2 quarterly checklists. So, each week I can tackle one quarterly task.

There is also a seasonal list of chores. I have broken those down into monthly tasks, instead of one overwhelming week of spring cleaning. But I'm still working on that list so it will have to wait. until part 2.

The final part of this is that I have worked daily tasks into my morning and nightly routines (there are some great posts about routines in my Jan links, but I will probably post more on these later, after I've tried them out for a while.) This includes tasks like doing dishes and making the bed. Some things aren't included like closing the blinds (which I tend to do as soon as it gets dark because I don't like feeling exposed to the night) and doing laundry (which I -well really Zach- tend to do as it accumulates and then put away as it get's done, or at least within a day or 2). The tasks that need to be done every week are done on Monday night since Tuesday marks the beginning of my work week.

This is a new system so I'm not sure how it will work yet, but it's better than all of the charts and calendars I have created so far. I'm very visual and hands on with this wort of thing so it helps me to know I have 5 cards worth of chores to do each week. I can get them all done in one day if I'm feeling ambitious, or I can tackle them one day at a time and still feel accomplished.

A few notes on logistics. With the quarterly cards- I will just write the date they were last completed on the back of the card to make sure I don't slack for too long. Also, any time something doesn't get done soon enough I can just do it an extra time, but I think this system will keep me from getting to that breaking point of feeling like I live in filth (lately this has been my strategy, when I can't stand looking at the mess any more I clean it up, not ideal for a "welcoming" home)

The cards will be laminated, color coded (week 1, week 2, quarterly) and kept on a ring on a hook on the fridge

I think this system will work just as well for a normal - home every week- home. Maybe tweaking a few things on each list and picking a different day for the little tasks that need to be done every week. I hope that as life continues I will be able to modify this system to fit my needs. Including making cards for my kids so they can get in on the household chores too.

Cleaning Zones

Bathroom- Week 1

Clean tub

Wipe off sink

Clean toilet

Trade out Magazines

Clean Mirrors

Bathroom- Week 2

Wash towels & bath mat

Wipe off sink

Sweep & Mop floor

Empty trash

Clean out toothbrush holder

Bathroom- Quarterly

Organize all bins etc.

Wipe all storage surfaces and cabinets

Clean shower curtain

Clean Haley’s toys

Bedrooms- Week 1

Wash sheets- including crib & changing table

Stock changing table

Bedrooms- Week 2

Pick up all trash and return things to their place

Straighten book cases etc.

Sweep floors

Bedrooms- Quarterly

Get rid of old clothes and jewelry

Switch out Haley’s clothes and toys if needed

Dust off all surfaces such as nightstands and dresser tops and lamps

Wash blankets & Duvet Covers

Mop floors

Office & Living room- Week 1

Sweep

Prepare birthday cards & gifts (wedding, baby etc.) for the month

Straighten closets

Office & Living room- Week 2

Dust book shelves, TV, mantel etc.

Sort and file all papers

Clean off desk

Organize all craft supplies

Office & Living room- Quarterly A

Wash blankets

Clean out and organize closets

Clean all light switches, door handles etc.

Office & Living room- Quarterly B

Mop floors

Clean under furniture

Vacuum furniture & under cushions

Kitchen- Week 1

Clean microwave

Clean stove catchers

Wash dishrags, bibs & napkins

Kitchen- Week 2

Sweep and Mop floors

Clean off table and find places for boxes etc. that have collected

Kitchen- Quarterly

Sweep out Under Fridge

Wipe down oven

Wipe down table and chairs

Clean out all cabinets & drawers

Clean out and stock pantry and fridge

Morning Routine

Make bed

Unload dishwasher

Open blinds

Put on work out clothes

Drink a glass of water

Before Bed Routine

Pick up toys

Do dishes

Clean sink & counters

Read Bible

Take Vitamins

Monday Routine

Fluff couch pillows

Throw out leftovers & food that will expire this week

Take out trash and recycling

Put away all laundry, books, & toys

Pay bills return mail etc.

(I'm linking to Works for me Wednesday)

What cleaning system works for your family? What little chores am I leaving off my list? How would you modify this for your family?