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Using Pinterest to Find and Organize Ideas for Your Family (plus a list of folks to follow!)

Kara — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:01:42 +0000

The following post is by editor Kara Fleck.

Using Pinterest, the virtual bulletin board, has become one of my favorite ways to find and organize ideas for my family. I’m a visual person and being able to see my bulletin boards, and organize them by type, is more helpful to me than any other link favorites documenting system I’ve used in the past.

It also appeals to me because it is a paperless way to plan and organize, and the fewer piles of paper we have around here the better!

I love that I can organize the ideas I find for my family and home by season, type, age and stage – really, any category that I can come up with!

If you aren’t currently on Pinterest and you don’t know what all the fuss about “pinning” is, let me share a few tips and tricks with you today, as well as some of my favorite people to follow for kids and family ideas.

Getting Started

One of the first things you’re going to want to do once you set up an account on Pinterest is to create some bulletin boards for yourself. I have boards for different ages/grades, types of crafts, tutorials, and for the home as well as for holiday ideas.

You can edit the boards you create later, and in the future I would encourage you to customize them as specifically as you can so that they will be the most useful for you, but for now just create a few boards with some basic categories.

Here are a few board name suggestions to get you started:

Kids’ Rooms
Holidays
Snack and Meal Ideas
Crafts
Books
Birthdays

Once you have created your boards, you can begin pinning ideas into them. As you go along, you’ll probably discover categories that suit your needs and you can get more specific. I know my board categories have evolved as I’ve been using Pinterest longer.

For example, I’ve created Pinterest boards for each of my children with their favorite animal (owls, horses, penguins, and foxes) and my 10 year old has been curating a board of paper dolls. I’m compiling Valentine’s Day ideas, too.

If you need more help with Pinterest, Megan of Sorta Crunchy has written a wonderful series of tutorials:

What to Pin?

How do you find things to pin? It is easy! Pin items as you come across things you would like to try on the blogs you read as you go about your normal web wanderings.

Pin While You Surf

More and more bloggers are adding “Pin it” buttons to their posts. Here on Simple Kids, you can find them at the bottom of the posts. Simply click the red and white “Pin it” button, write in your description, choose what board to add it to and ta da! You’ve made a pin!

Pinterest also has a button that you can download to your toolbar so you can pin sites that don’t have buttons already on them.

Pinning from the Pinterest website

When you are on the Pinterest website, there is a search box and it is easy to use, especially if you are seeking out a specific idea or person. I’ve used this feature recently to look up items related to sourdough, Chinese New Year, and painting with kids.

But what if you’re just looking for inspiration and don’t know exactly what you are looking for? One of the best ways to start finding ideas is to simply start following others.

The majority of the things that I pin I find from following others and seeing what they pin. If you’re not interested in every single thing they pin, no problem! Just follow the individual boards you are specifically interested in.

Try searching for your friends or your favorite bloggers on Pinterest and follow their boards. See who they follow and try following a few of those people as well.

Here are a few lists of people that I follow, as a suggestion:

Simple Living Media on Pinterest

Simple Kids (Kara Fleck, that’s me!)
Simple Mom (Tsh Oxenreider)
Simple Bites (Aimee Wimbush-Bourque)
Simple Homeschool (Jamie Martin)
Simple Organic (Nicole Bennett)

Simple Kids Contributors on Pinterest

Other Terrific People to Follow

Amy Clark (Mom Advice)
Kimara Wise (Wee Folk Art)
Mel Avila (Play Activities)
Impress Your Kids
Melissa Taylor (Imagination Soup)
Jessica Fisher (Life As Mom)
Megan Tietz (Sorta Crunchy)
Alicia Bayer (Magic and Mayhem)
Smile and Wave
Sally Faulkner (With Eager Hands)
Mandi Ehman (Life Your Way)
Lil Blue Boo
Allison McDonald (No Time for Flashcards)
Se7en Hoods
Amanda Soule (SouleMama)
Shaina Olmanson (Food for My Family)
Debi Huang (Go Explore Nature)
Modern Parents, Messy Kids

Pinterest also has a Kids category that shows what all users are pinning related to kids and family.

Now What?

Okay, you’re on Pinterest, you’ve made a few boards. Now what? Well, get started creating! Put those terrific ideas and tips into action!

Nicole, of Simple Organic, has started a link up for all of those wonderful Pinterest ideas that get put into action. If you need a little motivation to move your Pinterest finds into real life, perhaps linking up with Simple Organic’s From Pinterest to Real Life monthly link ups would work for you?

Need an Invitation to Pinterest?

Do you need an invitation to Pinterest? I’d be happy to send you one! Simply email me, or leave a note here in the comments, with your email address and I’ll invite you (note: I don’t check my email more than once or twice day, so be a bit patient with me when waiting for a response, okay?)

Already on Pinterest?

Are you already on Pinterest? Leave me a note in the comments with your username/link and I’ll look you up!

Happy pinning!

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Using Pinterest to Find and Organize Ideas for Your Family (plus a list of folks to follow!) is a post from Simple Kids

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Caring for Kids’ Spaces: Rotating Books and Toys and Knowing When to Downsize

Kara — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:01:41 +0000

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

In April, I have been sharing with you some ways that I care for my children’s things. Today, I want to talk with you about books and toys: namely, our rotation system for both.

We rotate books and toys because I feel like rotating allows us to have less toys but enjoy them more.

What This Looks Like at Our House

Rotating Books

We have books that we rotate seasonally. We also have books that we rotate according to our homeschool themes. We have books for specific holidays, too.

I keep these books in baskets and I rotate them on a frequent basis. The baskets are in our loft/playroom and on our living room coffee table and in a few other kid-accessible spots.

I also have a small basket that I use to rotate board books from our collection for Lucy, my two year old. I put two or three books at a time in there for her and she knows that is her basket.

Photo by Kara Fleck

My kids each have a bookshelf in their bedrooms with books that are age and interest appropriate. The rest of the books are on our family bookshelves in our office/dining room. The books in their rooms are rotated less frequently than the book baskets, but I do go through the shelves a few times a year and make changes.

My goal is the keep the children’s bookshelves and our book baskets from getting so congested that we can’t enjoy the books that we own.

Right now the kids’ personal bookshelves look like this:

My nine year old has about 2 dozen books on her shelf, including a book series she is currently reading, her Bible, and a few classics like Charlotte’s Web, The Phantom Tollbooth, and My Friend Flicka, among others.
My four year old son has a variety of bug books on his shelf, as insects are his current obsession.
My toddler has about half a dozen board books on her self, face out so that she can see the covers.

Beloved favorites stay on their shelves, like my son Max’s copy of Where the Wild Things Are.

Photo by Kara Fleck

Rotating Toys

We also rotate some of our toys. I generally do this with smaller toys that have many pieces, because it helps to keep them from getting mixed together if we only have one type of toy set like this out at a time.

I keep these toys in canvas bins and we have a cubby hole shelf. Once a week or so, I switch out the bins in the cubbies with of one type for another. Bins that aren’t in use get stored on shelves in a closet. Having these items in bins makes it easy to just switch them out without any sorting or hassle.

That top photo with Jillian and Max playing in the middle of a sea of play mobil? It is manageable because it is one category of small items at a time and not a sea of play mobil and duplo and lego (which, trust me, in my house would all be dumped on the floor at the same time).

My kids can play and take up space and make a mess, and when they are done, all of the toys go right back into the bins.

(Note: that top photo was actually taken last year, before I was using canvas bins for rotating toy storage. At the time, I was using plastic totes, which worked fairly well for the quantity we had. Later, I downsized the amount of small toys we had and the bins became a more efficient way to store and rotate these items.)

In Steady Days, Jamie Martin (known to many of you as Steady Mom and also as the editor of Simple Homeschool) mentions that her family rotates toys like:

Legos/Duplos
Matchbox cars
musical instruments
blocks
different types of dress up clothes
Mr. Potato Head
stuffed animals

They then use these items as part of a structured play rotation during the week. In Jamie’s words, “We rotate through several activities each week so that we actually use all the toys we have, without becoming bored.”

Photo by Kara Fleck

Rotating Craft Activities

In my family, we also rotate certain craft activities, in part because they come with a “mess factor” that I prefer to deal with only once a week. We have a watercolor painting day and also a set day for playdough, too.

Is It Time to Downsize?

Sometimes, even with these toy and book rotation systems in place, our play areas can feel chaotic. Then I know I need to reevaluate what we own and make some decisions. I try to follow the “one in, one out” rule, but that doesn’t always happen. We can accumulate too much, despite good intentions.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the books and toys your children have? Are they having a hard time keeping things picked up?

When this happens at my house, despite our toy and book rotating, I know that it might be time to downsize.

First, ask yourself a few questions about the items:

Are items currently being played with? Have they been outgrown? Are there broken or missing pieces that make them unusable?
Is the way these items are stored/displayed visually appealing? Is this a peaceful space? Or a chaotic and cluttered space? This impacts a child’s play environment.
Would less be more? If so, downsize.

When it comes to the actual methods of storage and the space, ask yourself:

Is there adequate storage space for the items? Do you need a larger bookshelf? Toy box?
Is there a better way to store or display the toys, books, art supplies or collection? Are you making the best use of your space?
Do those items deserve the investment of time and space for bigger storage? Do they enrich your child’s play and your family environment? Are the worth making room for?

If you come to the conclusion that your child is ready for a larger bookshelf or her collections needs a bigger storage space, and it is worth the investment of money and space to you, then you can make some adjustments with how you are using the space and bring in some other storage options.

However, if it isn’t worth it to you to get a larger storage system, then perhaps it is time to downsize to a more manageable amount.

Photo by Kara Fleck

Stuffed animals are one category of toys that seem to multiply at our house. Art supplies are another thing we accumulate quite a lot of: if we’re using those supplies or playing with those stuffed animals on a regular basis, wonderful.

But if items are just gathering dust and taking up space, I know it is time to let them go to make room for the supplies we truly use and love.

And, if items are worth keeping but you don’t have much space for their display and your child’s access to them, then consider rotating the books and toys.

Do you have a rotation system for books and/or toys? How do you handle knowing when it is time to downsize those items? What works at your house to keep toy and book clutter to a minimum, and still allow your family to enjoy these things? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

CURRENT SPONSORS:

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Caring for Kids’ Spaces: Rotating Books and Toys and Knowing When to Downsize is a post from Simple Kids

Preparing for Screen Free Week: 20 Ideas to Help You Stay Unplugged

Kara — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:30:55 +0000

This post is by editor Kara Fleck.

Next week is Screen-Free week. The purpose of the week is to encourage families to turn off the tv, unplug, and spend the week “free” of the screens in their lives.

Turn off your TV April 18 – 24th

From the Screen-Free Week website:

“Screen-Free Week is a national celebration where children, families, schools, and communities spend seven days turning off entertainment screen media and turning on life. It’s a time to unplug and play, read, daydream, create, explore, and spend more time with family and friends.”

My family isn’t a TV-free household, and I don’t want to give that impression, but we do limit the television we watch, especially for the kids.

Aside from football season and IndyCar, and my love of watching Bones and Project Runway on Hulu, the TV isn’t a main source of entertainment for the adults in our house and so it isn’t for the kids.

But, as I admitted on Rockin’ Granola this week, computer screen time and cell phone screen time are both things I could probably stand to give myself a more restrictive diet of. Ahem. (I was going to call this a side effect of being a blogger, but I have to admit that would just be making an excuse.)

However, we do observe TV-Free week every year as a family. I cover up our television with a tablecloth and the set stays off all week long.

I’ll be honest, even though we talk about it ahead of time and with the limited amount of television we watch to begin with, my family isn’t always exactly thrilled at the start of the week. But by the end of the week, we’re glad that we took some time to be together and unplug from the television set this way.

20 Alternatives to Television

Here are a few tips and suggestions for turning the TV off next week. Even if you don’t go “cold turkey” I would encourage you to at least keep the television set off in the evenings and spend that time together as a family.

1. Take a Walk When we first started cutting back on the amount of television we watched as a family, taking an after-dinner walk was a helpful step for us. Instead of flipping on the set to catch the news, which then led to the evening sitcoms, we kept the television off after dinner and took a family walk instead.

2. Clean Up and Declutter Yes, doing household chores is not the most fun and cleaning isn’t going to top anybody’s list of exciting things to do. However, you’ve got to tidy up anyway and even mundane chores are more fun when done together. Just think how neat and organized your home could be after a week spent together decluttering if everyone chipped in and did it together.

3. Make Bracelets. Craft Hope has announced their newest project. Project 12 is an Orphan Outreach project and this time Craft Hope is asking crafters to make handmade bracelets. They can be woven, hemp, beaded, or fabric, as long as they are handmade. Go to the Craft Hope site for more details, gather your supplies, and then spend some time next week creating bracelets for a good cause.

4.Hang Up a Bird Feeder Our window bird feeder has become one of the highlights of our Spring so far. The birds actually come and eat breakfast with us, right outside the window in our dining room. We purchased our bird feeder, but you could certainly make a bird feeder, too. Go to your local library and pick up a bird identification bird and learn about your feathered neighbors.

5. Speaking of the local library … Have a Family Read-a-Loud Why not pick a book and spend the evenings taking turns reading it out loud to each other?

6. Shake things up in the kitchen Learn some new recipes, try some new to your family cuisines, make something from scratch you might not have considered before (what about graham crackers and marshmallows?) Try out some ice cream recipes and come up with a signature family flavor. Make next week the week you ramp up your culinary skills and play in the kitchen.

7. Look Up Become star gazers for a week. Observe a week’s worth of sunsets. See what you notice about the weather without the local TV weatherman filling you in.

8. Create a large piece of art together as a family This is something that has been on my personal bucket list for a while now. Perhaps next week will be the week we create that giant family painting I’ve been dreaming of?

9. Grow Something How are those Spring gardening plans coming along? Start some seeds together or purchase a few new houseplants and spend some time learning about them. Start a container garden on your kitchen window sill or plant some some culinary herbs for your kitchen adventures (see idea number six).

10. Board Games When was the last time you played monopoly? Checkers? Or Apples to Apples?

11. Paper Games Tic tac toe, hangman, crossword puzzles, word searches are all favorites. Head here for a few more ideas.

12. Do some dandelion painting These yellow flowers with the bad reputation have been popping up all over my neighborhood. If they are invading your area, too, why not turn them into some art?

13. Jigsaw puzzles They come in a variety of themes and levels of difficulty, so you can really cater to your individual family. Get out the card table and work some puzzles together.

14. Family Lego Creation contest Assign a theme to each day and see who can come up with the most creative invention. Head over to the Lego Quest blog for some ideas to get you started.

15. Explore your neighborhood. Become a local tourist. Go into that little shop or cafe you’ve been meaning to step into every time you pass by. Learn the names of those trees that line main street. Visit your town’s museum.

16. Have picnic In the park, in your backyard, or on your living room floor.

17. Look through family photo albums

18. Make a sock puppet for each member of your family This one has some hilarious potential, don’t you think? And, you will make good use of those solo socks that have been hanging around your laundry room.

19. Go See the Game One of the things I loved that Dr. Thomas Cooper suggested during this past week’s Feed.Play.Love. session on kids and media was to go SEE the game instead of watching it on television. Get out there and DO stuff together!

20. Call Grandma and Grandpa or Great Aunt Ester. Even better, if it is possible, go visit them. They would love it and how many times have you been telling yourself that you’ve been meaning to drop in on them anyway? This is the perfect week to do it. Make a phone call, bring them a meal, and enjoy each others company.

Bonus Ideas:

Megan’s post at Simple Organic on Resources to Inspire Your Screen-Free Week
Screen Free Week official website
Frugal Family Fun – one of my favorite blogs for inexpensive family-friendly fun
Get fit! Visit Fit Family Together for some inspiration

Even if going TV-Free doesn’t become a habit, perhaps you could make this week the start of an annual family TV turn off tradition? Have a great time!

Will you be going TV-free next week? Or, if you are already a TV-free family on a permanent basis, I’d love to hear your tips about how you transitioned to becoming a TV-free family and I’m sure other readers would, too. Here’s to unplugging!

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Preparing for Screen Free Week: 20 Ideas to Help You Stay Unplugged is a post from Simple Kids

Caring for Kids’ Clothes: a Peek Inside My Laundry Room

Kara — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:01:15 +0000

The following post is by editor Kara Fleck.

During the month of April on Simple Kids, one of the topics we’re covering is caring for kids’ things and kids’ spaces. I thought that I would start with the area that seems to occupy the bulk of my homekeeping: the laundry.

Now, I am not an expert on laundry, by any means. But, I will confess that of all the household chores, doing the laundry is one that I actually don’t mind very much. There’s something to be said about the sense of accomplishment from treating a stain successfully or empty laundry baskets and dresser drawers full of clean clothing at the end of the day.

My laundry process has evolved over the years. I thought I would share how I care for my family’s clothes and then open up the comments to ask about your family’s laundry. Yes, I’m inviting you to air your dirty laundry on Simple Kids today!

Clothing

One of the main areas where I’ve simplified the laundry process is with the amount and type of clothing that we own to begin with. Kids really don’t need that much. And, my kids certainly didn’t need as many clothes as I was filling their closets with when I started out on this parenting journey.

The Colors of the Day

I’ve mentioned before how we have a color of the day at our house. This makes sorting the laundry to clean pretty simple. My kids each have clothes – shirts and dresses - in the colors we use. We also have some wardrobe staples like jeans and khaki pants that go with everything. Add in a dressy outfit for each season, and I feel like we’re covered (literally, ha!).

Now, I’m not foolish enough to think that my kids are always going to go for this color of the day idea. But, I figure by the time they are old enough not to want to participate they will be old enough to be doing their own laundry – and that will be even simpler for me!

The Clothes We Wear

Most of our clothing is either second-hand or handmade. I do buy the occasional new item, but only when I know it will be an investment: something of high quality that I will be able to be pass down to more than one child (either through my daughters or my nephews).

I tend to stay away from logos and cartoon characters, sticking with simple patterns and solid colors. I do this because characters can date clothing, losing their appeal for the child I intend to hand them down to, and also because I’m not really crazy about the idea of my children being walking commercials for TV shows or companies.

I also strive to make sure the clothes we own are easy to care for. Unless it is a hand-made wool piece, I don’t want to spend a lot of time on hand-washing. Dry cleaning isn’t an option for us. So, easy-care fabrics are key.

In the book Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of Young Childrenby Sharifa Oppenheimer, she talks about what her dream children’s clothing line would be like:

“washable all cotton, wool, and silk blended knits, in a rainbow palette of gorgeous solid colors, so everything matched with everything.”

Keeping clothing choices basic makes makes it easier to get the children dressed each day. It also makes it simple for my oldest child to get herself dressed.

Laundry Soap: My Evolution

When I was first on my own, I purchased the laundry soap that my mom always used when I was growing up. Later, as a wife on a strict budget, I purchased whatever I could buy for the cheapest with coupons and sales.

Making Laundry Soap

Eventually, as my family became more convicted about becoming debt-free, I started making my own laundry soap to save money. I still do this during months our budget is extra tight or when we run out of our current laundry soap (more on that in a bit).

Now, I realize that this one is perhaps baffling at first glance. After all, what could be simpler than just picking up a bottle of detergent at the store, right? Well, yes, that is simpler. Unless …

Unless your life situation resembles what mine did at the time: with 2 kids in cloth diapers, running out of detergent after realizing that the very last clean prefold had just been used was a major cause of stress.

It was much simpler to keep the ingredients on hand to make our own laundry soap rather than risk having to tackle the logistics of an emergency trip to the store to pick up detergent with 3 small children in tow (2 of whom are wearing their only clean diapers).

Soap Nuts

One day while surfing the internet, I came across the blog of this woman named Tsh* who talked about using soap nuts. I did a little research and was intrigued and eventually placed an order, feeling just a little bit skeptical.

To my surprise and delight, soap nuts were a gentle and effective way to get the laundry done. We’ve been using them ever since and I’ve been pleased with how they work.

What are soap nuts? They are a natural dried fruit (not actually a nut) that have natural cleaning properties. Soap nuts are now my main laundry soap. They are organic and free of harsh chemicals, something that is becoming more and more important to me on my simple living journey. Soap nuts are simple, but effective.

*Please note: that Simple Mom link is from an old blog entry and that contest ended in 2009. However, come back to Simple Kids tomorrow and I just might have a surprise for you from our friends at Laundry Tree.

Treating Stains: Vinegar, this Mother’s Little Laundry Helper

My favorite treatment for stains on kids’ clothing is also pretty simple: I just keep a spray bottle of vinegar in my laundry room and spray it directly on any stains. Most of the stains my kids end up with are food related and I find that vinegar does a great job with this and doesn’t damage the clothes.

Now, it isn’t 100% effective on certain types of stains: I’ve not had much luck using it with grass stains, for example. But, for the majority of the stains my family’s clothing ends up with, vinegar is my go-to laundry room helper.

My Laundry Kit

The top photo is my laundry room. It is a humble space, and a working space, for sure. It is also a lot less cluttered than it used to be. Years ago I had all kinds of bottles and solutions for doing the laundry.

Today, I have a simple laundry kit that contains:

a small amount of homemade detergent (for emergencies)
Soap nuts
a spray bottle of vinegar
a small nail brush, in case I need to do some light scrubbing on a stain
wool wash for hand-washing wool
bags for the soap nuts
scented oils (One of the things I missed about detergent was the scent. Scented oils are the cure for that).
a tub of baking soda, used for cloth diapers (stored in a recycled plastic bucket)

Laundry is one of those areas where I do think that one family’s simple solution might very well be another family’s complication. This system is what works for me, but I’d love to hear about what works for you!

Can you believe I shared pictures of my family’s dirty laundry? Now it is your turn. Let’s talk: what is in your laundry kit? What is your favorite stain treatment? How do you care for your kids’ clothing?

Note: I’m not an expert, remember, so I am not confident in giving advice on using homemade laundry soaps or soap nuts with different types of washing machines and water. I only know it works with our machine and our type of water. I would definitely encourage you to do your own research.

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Caring for Kids’ Clothes: a Peek Inside My Laundry Room is a post from Simple Kids

Keeping the Family Schedule Organized: Our Chalkboard Calendar

Kara — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:01:00 +0000

The following post is by editor Kara Fleck.

A simple and handy way to keep a family’s schedule organized is with a chalk board calendar. We’ve been using a chalkboard calendar for about five years now. I keep ours updated weekly and it is an easy way to communicate to my family what is on our agenda.

I use it to record appointments, library days, holidays, and other special events.

My youngest two children are still in the “go with the flow” stage, but my nine year old really likes to be able to check in with the calendar and see what we’re going to be up to each day of the week.

I love this system for many reasons:

It is reusable. Instead of tearing off a sheet of paper, I simply erase and start again each week.

It is in a central location. Ours is in our kitchen, a high traffic zone where everyone in the family passes through on a frequent basis.

It is personal. I love that I can get creative with it if I’d like to and vary it each week, adding in color and doodling little pictures, too. I also love it because my husband made it for us, one of those personal touches that really make this house feel like our home.

It is simple. When a change needs to be made, I simply erase. It is easy to care for, too and just needs an occasional cleaning with a damp rag (something that, from the looks of my photos, should probably happen soon).

Easy to Make

You could purchase a chalkboard, of course. However, my husband Chris made this one fairly inexpensively by painting a rectangle on the wall with chalkboard paint.

He used American Traditions chalkboard paint. He didn’t prime the area beforehand because it was going onto wall that had already been painted with matte white paint. I just asked him and he said it took about 4 coats of paint.

The frame is an old picture frame, recycled and painted white and attached to the wall with standard nails. Voila!

Weekly Chalk Drawing

We also have another chalk board in our home that acts as a calendar of sorts by announcing our weekly theme. We follow along with Little Acorn Learning. Each week in the guides has a theme.

This chalkboard we purchased at a school supply store. We have had it for a number of years, but I believe it was around $25.

On Sunday nights I do a very simple drawing on the board and cover it with a large playsilk. Then, on Monday morning the drawing is revealed, giving the kids a hint to our weekly theme. We usually have a book basket and some sort of craft that week that goes along with the theme and the chalk drawing is a fun element to add to that.

This isn’t really a calendar, per se, but it is a method that allows the younger, pre-reading set in our household know what to expect as part of their week.

Other Styles of Calendars

I like the look of the giant grid styles of chalkboard calendars, too. These would be great for organizing a month at a time.

Right now, given the ages of our kids, our schedule is fairly simple. However, I imagine that when all of our children are a bit older and involved in more activities outside of the home, a larger grid-style calendar would be a nice way to keep everyone organized and on top of multiple schedules.

A Chalk Dust Free Option

I’ve also known families who do something similar with a white board and dry erase markers. If chalk dust is a concern, this is a good option. There are a variety of dry erase markers in fun colors and even dry erase crayons.

Chalkboards and white boards are available in a wide range of styles that could fit just about any family’s decor and lifestyle. A quick search on etsy turned up many unique styles and Mandi recently did a round-up of chalkboard and dry erase wall calendars on Productivity Your Way.

For our family, a chalkboard calendar has been a simple and fun tool to help keep us organized.

What about you? Do you have a centralized location for your family calendar? What system do you use so that everyone knows what to expect from your schedule from week to week? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Sparkle Stories - audio stories for children and families.
E-mealz - mealtime makeover.
Playful Learning - develop your child's sense of joy and wonder.
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Keeping the Family Schedule Organized: Our Chalkboard Calendar is a post from Simple Kids

Reader Advice: What Works for You

Kara — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:01:15 +0000

The following post is by editor Kara Fleck.

Over the past month, we’ve been talking about rhythms and routines here at Simple Kids. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series and been able to take some things away from it that will help enrich the lives of you and your kids.

I know I have personally benefited from the wise words left in the comments. I thought I would highlight some of that advice here today, so that others can benefit from the ideas and thoughts shared, too.

On Tooth Brushing

At the beginning of the month, contributor Vanessa Brown wrote about tooth brushing and shared some tips for developing a routine. Reader Alicia had some good tips for ending toothbrushing battles, too.

I liked Tammy’s suggestion in the comments for keeping two sets of tooth brushes: “We have two sets of toothbrushes/paste for my girls, so that after breakfast they can brush their teeth downstairs in the bathroom next to the kitchen. The evening brushing happens upstairs after bathtime. Its just easier than going up and down the stairs.”

Photo by Kara Fleck

The Flow of the Day

In this post I shared with you why I feel that having anchor points in our day is important. There are certainly going to be a variety of factors that determine an individual family’s daily rhythm and routine. Some of you consider yourselves to be more “rhythm” people and some more “routine” people.

I really enjoyed what you had to say in the comments:

“I think one of my favorite things about having a rhythm is that if the day starts going off track, there seems to be a place to pick things up and start again.” – Kara

“It’s usually more about knowing what to expect next than it is about getting it at an exact time. Sometimes being too committed to a schedule is the bigger problem. You’re more likely to get a tantrum from a child when you skip half of the bedtime routine than you will when you follow the same routine but hit the pillow a half hour early or late. This is helpful for parents to remember when there are those changes in schedule. As long as the basic routine of the anchor points remain fairly predictable, kids generally do OK. Of course, as with most things, we have to know our own kids and make the adjustments they need.” – Amanda Morgan

“One of the good things about establishing anchors and rhythms/routines is that it makes it easier to get through resistance in doing certain things. The fact that we do a big house clean on Saturdays is accepted practice. And when it comes to family fitness – a big part of our household – because we accept that most afternoons we’re going to go on a bike ride or play soccer or something, there is less grumbling from the kids (and parents). We just do it. Eventually it becomes something that we just instinctively do as part of our day – something I’m so glad we’re passing on to our kids.” – Sarah

The “Witching Hour”

Contributor Jaimie Franchi’s post on surviving the “witching hour” as a single parent gave advice that resonated with many of us – single or not. Readers chimed in with their own ideas on dealing with and trying to avoid this potentially stressful time of day.

“I second the early food prep and prompt 5:30 dinner time. If I don’t eat regularly, I find I’m less patient with the children. Supper usually recharges me for another few hours of graciousness!” – Aimee

“When I was working outside of the home, I found that I had to spend good one-on-one time with my daughter first when I got home before anything else. If we had some close time snuggling with a book or whatever, then from there I could start with dinner. Without giving her that first, she had such high needs for me that trying to get anything else done was a battle.” – Alicia

“I’m of the traveling husband single mom set and lately its been freezer meals that have saved me. Once a week, I double cook and freeze a dinner. Once a week, I thaw a dinner that I froze a previous week. That’s two of my meals for the week. Other nights I prepare something quick-spaghetti and meatballs, tacos, chicken breasts, etc. Being organized helps so much and also releasing myself from the pressure to cook an amazing meal.” – Kristen

Small Steps Toward An Easier Day

When I shared some of my suggestions for small changes that you could make in fifteen minute increments, many of you had your own good ideas for small changes that have a big impact on your days, as well.

I think most of us need a gentle reminder from time to time that solid rhythms and routines don’t just happen overnight. I was encouraged by many of the comments and perspectives in the comments:

“I think it is SO easy to be perfectionists and think that if we can’t finish something 100% then its not worth doing at ALL. I am learning as I juggle homeschooling two under 6 and having a less than one year old, along with church service and home, is that a lot CAN get done in 15 minutes, and even if I don’t get it done I am 15 minutes more done than I was before then!” – Courtney

“ … it’s always encouraging to be reminded that those families that seem to have their routines down pat didn’t get there overnight. Their years with toddlers were probably as crazy as mine! ” – Andie

Photo by Kara Fleck

The 80/20 Rule

I think one of my very favorite reader comments comes from something that reader Alissa said in this post on rhythms and routines during challenging seasons of life:

“I think in the challenging times, it’s also important to remember and embrace the 80/20 Rule:

- Do you feed your family healthy, nourishing meals most of the time? Then embrace this time as the 20% to pull out the box mac n’ cheese.
- Do your kids get a bath nearly every night? Then this is the 20% of time they go without.
- Do you limit television? Then this is the 20% of time that an extra show or afternoon movie will let mom take a nap!

In challenging times, we’ve got to remember that it’s OKAY to adjust our (self imposed) standards. These times are temporary – we’re not creating lifelong habits by the things we do 5, 10, or even 20% of the time.”

Thank you, Alissa, and everyone who reads, comments, and emails. I appreciate so much what you share here and the variety of perspectives and experiences that you bring to the conversation.

We’ve been talking about rhythm and routines and we’re not done yet: contributor Catherine has a post coming up this week on kids and outdoor spaces and we’ll be moving on to discussing creating kid-friendly spaces within our homes in the coming weeks. The contributors and I are looking forward to sharing with you and to finding out what you think and what works for you in your homes.

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Reader Advice: What Works for You is a post from Simple Kids

Spring Cleaning Children’s Spaces: Simple Stategies for Tackling the Toys

Kara — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:01:28 +0000

If you’ve been following along with Simple Mom’s Project Simplify, then you know that this week Tsh has had us working on our kids’ closets and toys. All three of my children are out-growing things, and we’re preparing to welcome our new baby at the end of this Summer, so this has been perfect timing for us. I’m not quite finished with all of the children’s clothes, but I’ll be finishing up today and then it is on to the playthings. I thought it would be good re re-post this article from April 2010 on kids spaces and some strategies for tackling the kids toys. Happy Spring Cleaning! – Kara

Spring! The time of fresh starts, new beginnings, growth. Time, after a long Winter, to clear out the cobwebs, throw open the windows to let in fresh breezes … and time to clean.

As a parent, I can tell when it is time to clean up and declutter the play areas by the fact that my children stop playing there and start taking their toys to other parts of our home to play. It is as if the chaos is too overwhelming to them and they are seeking out simpler spaces to play in.

When I clean out the play spaces, they enjoy playing there and I notice that their play becomes calmer and more peaceful, too.

But, when it comes to toys, especially downsizing toys, there are often some deep emotions involved. How does a parent know where to start? What do we get rid of? What do we keep? And what can we do to keep that toy chaos from returning?

1. Downsize

First things first, get rid of the easy to part with items: the obvious. Let go of anything that is broken and isn’t worth repairing (either emotionally worth it or worth the actual cost of repairs), anything that has missing pieces you can’t easily replace, or anything that you don’t agree with, approve of, or consider appropriate for your children to play with.

Now you are ready to move on to the rest of the playthings.

The 6 Month Rule

Conventional decluttering wisdom advocates the “one year rule” – getting rid of any item you haven’t used within the past year. I would challenge you to be even bolder when it comes to toys: if your child hasn’t played with it in the past 6 months then let it go. Don’t let it take up space.

Have nothing in your home life that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. – william morris

Yes, you should make exceptions for family heirlooms or possibly even for a toy that you know a younger sibling will appreciate soon (within the next year), but don’t hang on to things if they aren’t being loved and played with right now and won’t be any time soon.

What is Relevant Now?

Kids grow. Their play changes, their interests change, and if you want to bring in new items that reflect and encourage those interests and changes then you need to make room for them. Let go of the past so that you can make room for what will be used and loved now. Keep what is relevant to where they are now and pass the rest on to someone else who will love and cherish them as your child did.

Involve Your Child

When appropriate, involve your child in the process: Let your child help you make decisions about what should stay and what should go. Be prepared to make some compromises. Respect your child’s feelings and remember the bigger picture: a happy, peaceful play experience. You can always re-visit this process again in a few months when your child may be better receptive to further downsizing.

It might be easier for them to part with an item they no longer play with if they know that it will be loved by another child. Explain to your child what you are doing and ask them to help you sort items that you can pass on to another family or donate to charity.

If you have items that you are undecided about, box them up and make a note of the date. Come back to them in three months, as Simple Mom advises in her book, Organized Simplicity. If your child hasn’t asked for the toys in three months then you have your answer – you can let it go.

Photo by Ella’s Dad

2. Care for What You Keep

After you have determined what toys you are keeping, be mindful of how you and your child care for the toys that you keep. Teach your child to care for their toys and treat them with love and respect.

You are choosing to give these toys space in your home and odds are that the reason for that is because of the love and joy they bring your child. Honor that.

Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys and the Moon Child blog, recently had a post about The Care and Feeding of Wooden Toys. Something that she suggested is using a beeswax finish. We make our own beeswax polish after I found a recipe at Plain and Joyful Living and now one of my kids’ favorite cleaning activities is polishing their blocks and wooden toys.

Repair and Replace

Make sure that you actually do the repairs and order/find replacement parts for any games and toys that you determined were worth hanging onto that were broken or missing pieces. Add stuffing to any dolls or stuffed animals who have lost their fluffiness.

If you have an older child who is interested in woodworking or sewing, this would be a great time to put their budding skills to a practical use. Again, take care with this task. Be methodical and intentional with this process. Know that for your children these are not just “things” but living tools for their imaginations.

3. Put it All Away

Now that you know what you are keeping, make sure that every toy has a place to be put away – that every item has a “home” to live in.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

When we first moved into our current home we spent some time being frustrated that my oldest daughter’s books were always being left out all over her room. We quickly figured out that part of the problem was that there simply wasn’t enough space to store her books. We solved this by downsizing a few of the books and buy acquiring a larger bookshelf for her room.

With some items it isn’t as obvious as it is with books on a bookshelf where their “home” is. In those cases and with small items, labeling storage areas is a good idea. For a child who isn’t reading yet you can use a picture or an image to show them where the toy belongs.

Like Items Together

Set up zones for playing:

dolls and playing house
play kitchen and play food
building and stacking toys
art supplies
die-cast cars and roadways
musical instruments

Organize like-items together, perhaps in “toy sets” as Mandi of Organizing Your Way has written about on her blog.

Rotate

A wonderful idea that I took from the book Steady Days by Simple Homeschool editor Jamie Martin is to rotate toys. (March 2011 Note: I’ll be sharing a vlog about what this looks like at our house and how we have updated our system since this original post was written. Stay tuned!)

We have some toys that we rotate on a weekly basis. These items are stored in large plastic totes that we have labeled and then stacked in a closet. The kids look forward to playing with these toys every week and their rotation has become a part of our rhythm. We also rotate some seasonal and holiday books as well.

Rotating keeps toys and books interesting and new and, I have found, it also makes it easier to keep small scale items (like lego and play mobil) from getting mixed in together because we only keep one of these types of toys out at a time.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Resources and Inspiration

Separate Yourself from Your Kid’s Stuff ::: Simple Kids (May 2009)
Toys, Toys, and More Toys ::: Organizing Your Way
8 Great Tips to Organize Kid’s Rooms ::: Organized Home
Organising Kids Stuff, Small Homes ::: Childhood 101
3 Steps to Less Clutter in the Kids’ Rooms ::: Small Notebook

Are you Spring (or Autumn) Cleaning? What are some strategies that you use when it comes to your child’s toys? Do you involve your children in the process?

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Spring Cleaning Children’s Spaces: Simple Stategies for Tackling the Toys is a post from Simple Kids

Creating Realistic Routines for Your Family

Kara — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:00:38 +0000

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

All this month we’ve been discussing rhythm and routines here at Simple Kids. Creating a family routine from scratch, adding new elements to an established routine, or altering schedules when life situations change can be a bit intimidating for some of us.

As I hope the contributors and I have stressed so far, there are very few universal factors when creating family rhythm and routines. We are each unique and our families are unique.

Our needs are not all the same and our circumstances are not all the same. What is one person’s simple solution might be another one’s complication.

When it comes to creating family routines, the best advice I can give you can be summed up like this: be realistic, make them personal, and be yourself.

Personalized for Your Family

Many of my own early attempts at creating routines for my family were doomed from the beginning. This was because I was trying to copy the beautiful weekly and daily routines on the blogs I was reading and of other families that I knew.

Instead of picking and choosing from their examples what would be the best fit for myself and my family, I wanted to do it ALL.

I believe my intentions were good: I wanted the best for my family and if something appeared to be enriching another family, then I wanted my family to have that enrichment, too.

I set myself up for failure because I trying to meet the needs of my family PLUS do all of those things I saw other families doing.

It was very frustrating when what I saw working so “perfectly” in other families didn’t seem to work with mine. I thought I was doing something wrong because the things I saw enriching others were actually exhausting to me.

The truth is, the only thing I was doing wrong was that I wasn’t being realistic about what my family needed. Has anyone else ever found themselves in that situation? I bet many of you have, especially as new parents.

It wasn’t long before those early plans were abandoned. I quickly figured out that an hour by hour schedule wasn’t going to work for me. Like trying to fit the proverbial square peg into a round hole, it doesn’t fit with my temperament and therefore trying to follow that schedule was causing me stress.

And, in turn, my stress was causing my family stress.

Find What Works for You

Some families’ days are more structured and some are more free-form. Both types of rhythms and routines can provide value to the families who count on them and find comfort in their familiarity.

An hour by hour routine may not work for my family, but for many families it works very well. Do what is right for your family.

As I’ve gained more experience as a parent, and as my children have gotten older, I’ve found myself in the position where sometimes other parents ask me how I “do it all” or “fit everything in” to our lives. When people say those kinds of things to me I want to laugh because I never thought I’d be the mom who appeared to have things together.

Saying “No” and Saying “Yes”

Now, I’m not naive. I know I don’t really have it all together. I realize that there are things that I say “yes” to that others would not consider. And, I also know that we say “no” to things that work very well for other families. I do think that today I am better able to discern what is best for my family than I used to be.

There have been seasons of life where what used to be a “yes” for us needs to become a “no” (and vice-versa).

We all have our bad days (weeks?) and there are times when life gets complicated. That can be overwhelming. Downright difficult, even. Those are the times when I have learned to take a step back and re-evaluate.

Accepting that life gets messy has meant I’ve had to change my overall goal from perfection to peace.

I try to be mindful of what is realistic for my family. Sometimes that means saying “no” to things and sometimes that means saying “yes” to things that others wouldn’t dream of.

Our current daily and weekly rhythms are a result of years of flexibility, trial and error, and learning over time to apply to our routine only what makes things simpler for the Fleck family – not anyone else.

Be Realistic

It is a good thing to have an idea in mind of where you would like to be eventually, to set goals, but the routine that is going to serve your family the best is the one created based on the way things are for your family at this moment in time.

Do what will work for your family the way things are right now.

This is the time to be realistic about your time constraints, obligations, and also to take into consideration the ages and stages of your children, too. I’m very aware, for example, that things are going to change once the new baby joins our family this August. Honor the season of life that you are in.

The “Right” Routine

It is important to be realistic and keep your routines personal. Your family’s rhythm isn’t going to look like any other family’s rhythm. The only “right” routine is the one which works the best for you for the place where you are today.

When I scaled back and focused on the things that were truly relevant to my family’s life, following a routine became easier. When I accepted that we need regular down time and that some things, no matter how wonderful, just didn’t fit with the place we were in life, it got easier to flow through the days.

I started to gain confidence in my own abilities to choose what was realistic for my family.
That is what I wish for you: the confidence in yourself to know what is right for your family and the wisdom to let go of the rest.

Have you ever found yourself in an unrealistic routine for your family? How did you adjust? Did you find you had to scale back? Or, were there elements you needed to add in to your rhythms and routines to help them serve you better?

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Creating Realistic Routines for Your Family is a post from Simple Kids

Evening Tasks For an Easier Morning

Kara — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:36 +0000

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

On Monday, I mentioned to you that one of the ways I help to make life a little easier on myself and our mornings flow smoother is by preparing for them the night before.

I have found that a morning routine helps to set the tone for the rest of the day. You can read more about my morning routine here, but today I want to talk specifically about taking some time the evening before to set the stage for the next morning.

Prepping for the Next Morning

One of the questions I asked myself as I was developing our current morning routine was what can I do the night before to give myself a jump start for the next day?

After some brainstorming and making a few changes, I was able to come up with a list of tasks that can be done the night before – thus, giving myself a headstart on the next morning.

Here are the things I do in the evenings to prepare for the next day:

* This past year I’ve been making a real effort to get my family to drink more water. To encourage this, I fill up water bottles so that they are in the fridge waiting for us to grab and go.

* As we are clearing the dinner table, we set the table for breakfast.

* While I’m in the kitchen, I prepare snacks and pack lunches. We homeschool, so most of our lunches are at home, but I pack up dinner leftovers for my husband (who brings his lunch to work) and sometimes we pack a lunch if we’re having a field trip day, too. Not all food can be prepared the night before, but many things can. Even setting out the lunch boxes and food containers on the counter gives me a headstart on packing the next morning.

* I make sure homeschool lessons are ready to go and any supplies for art/craft projects that we are going to do are ready, too. My goal is make sure that no one has to wait on me while I find a sharpened pencil or the watercolor paper.

* I also take a quick glance at the calendar to remind myself what is on the agenda for the next day.

* As we’re getting ready for bed and the kids are going through their bedtime routine, I set out clothes for the next day.

* After the kids are in bed, I do a quick tidy of the main living areas and pick up any toys that didn’t get scooped up during one of our 5 minute pick up sessions during the day.

* Before I go to sleep, I set my alarm clock. At first, my goal was to get up fifteen minutes before the rest of my family. Little by little I worked my way up to about an hour and a half by myself in the morning. Now, I know that getting up at 5am wouldn’t make for an easier morning for everybody, but it helps me to avoid that “shot out of a canon” feeling in the morning and allows me to have a daily quiet time, too.

Photo by Shutterstock

A Head Start

It doesn’t take very long for me to do these things at the end of the day but, it really helps me to feel like I’m starting the day well to have these tasks already finished and waiting.

Plus, I like having this quiet time at the end of the day to get things settled and the house set to rights again before I head off to bed myself. (Are you noticing a theme here? I like to begin and end my days with some quiet. It helps to balance out the joyful noise of the days.)

And, in the event we do have a morning that starts late or begins a little rocky, I’m still in fairly good shape because I have attended to these tasks ahead of time.

Remember, these tasks are specific to my family and may, or may not, be relevant for your family.

I encourage you to take a look at this list and then start thinking about some tasks that you can do in the evenings to give yourself a head start on the next day, too.

What can you do to prepare tonight to make tomorrow easier for yourself?

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Evening Tasks For an Easier Morning is a post from Simple Kids

20 Small Steps Toward an Easier Day – Fifteen Minutes at a Time

Kara — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:01:50 +0000

The following is by editor Kara Fleck.

I hope you have been enjoying our month long theme of rhythm and routines as much as I have. The discussions and questions that have come up in the comments have been very thought-provoking. I thank you for your feedback, especially the way you’ve been responding to each other.

Before we delve into this topic further, I want to remind readers that there is no “one size fits all.” What is one family’s simple solution might be another family’s complication. Life at your home doesn’t look exactly like life at my home, or the Simple Kids contributor’s homes, or your neighbor’s home, or even your sister’s.

Your routine must reflect your own family’s individual circumstances and season of life in order to best serve you.

I hope by sharing examples from our lives of what works – and doesn’t work – for us, that the contributors and I are inspiring you and giving you some ideas that you can take and apply to your own lives.

My goal is to get you thinking about ways you can make things easier for yourselves and help life flow smoother for your families.

Photo by Kara Fleck

I also want to gently remind you, in case you are feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, that most of the families I know who have steady rhythm and routines in place didn’t get there in a day or even in a week. These routines evolved over time.

With that in mind, I thought this was a good time to revisit an article I wrote last year on Small Steps, Big Changes: the idea of keeping it simple and giving yourself small, manageable goals that are realistic.

Specifically, these are changes you can make fifteen minutes at a time.

Making over your entire day all at once? A daunting task. Making small changes, with big benefits, just 15 minutes at a time? Now that is something you can do!

Changes You Can Make, Fifteen Minutes at a Time

Not every item on this list will apply to every family, of course. Today I’m offering twenty ideas for you to pick and choose from as you make small changes in the flow of your days.

Here are the original 10 changes:

Spend 15 minutes preparing the night before for the day ahead
Set your clock for 15 minutes earlier in the morning
Get in the habit of spending 5 minutes immediately after each meal washing the dishes with your child (3 meals a day = 15 minutes)
Start your bedtime routine 15 minutes earlier in the evening
Spend 15 minutes outside with your child and work your way up to an hour (or more!)
Do 15 minutes of structured play or crafting with your child
Spend 15 minutes reading to your child.
Take in 15 minutes of peace and quiet. Do nothing. Slow down.
Have a 15 minute Tea Time or After School Snack with your child
Set one 15 minute toy pick-up at the end of the day (or three 5 minute toy pick-ups during the day)

Photo by Kara Fleck

And here are 10 more changes you can make, fifteen minutes at a time …

Take time after each meal to set the table for the next meal (3 meals = 15 minutes)
Spend 15 minutes the night before filling up sippy cups and/or bottles, so they are in the fridge and ready to go in the morning (for younger kids)
Spend 15 minutes after dinner packing lunch for the next day (for older kids)
Take 15 minutes and designate an assigned spot for library materials so that you don’t have to spend time searching for them every week when they are due (Bonus: take 15 minutes and read some of the great advice readers gave me last year when I was looking to get my family off of the library’s “most wanted” list)
Spend 15 minutes at the beginning of the week going over the calendar – include your spouse and older children so that everyone knows what is on the agenda for the week.
This Spring, take 15 minutes and attack your clutter with this week’s Project Simplify assignment at Simple Mom. Just 15 minutes a day will add up to a big difference in just a few weeks’ time!
Give yourself a 15 minute break before dinner to relax, meditate, and take some time for peace and quiet before one of the busiest times of day begins (a wise suggestion from contributor Jaimie last week).
Lay out the next day’s clothing for yourself and your children the night before.
Are you already getting up 15 minutes earlier than you kids? Great! Now I challenge you to get up 15 minutes earlier than that to give yourself a half an hour of quiet time in the morning. Looking for some motivation in this area? Check out Kat’s Hello Mornings on Inspired to Action.
Spend 15 minutes a day this week getting your family’s paperwork and important documents organized. A couple of suggestions for this are to build a Home Management Notebook (my friend Mandi has some great printables to help you do this at Life Your Way) or, if you prefer paperless planning, as I do these days, check out the resources at AboutOne and see if they might be a good fit for you.

Pick one fifteen minute change or pick a handful, but please do consider these small steps toward big changes in your routine.

Do you have a big hurdle that is blocking your daily and/or weekly routine from going smoothly? Could you break it down into smaller steps? What changes are you focusing on to help life flow more smoothly for yourself and your kids? What small changes can you make?

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20 Small Steps Toward an Easier Day – Fifteen Minutes at a Time is a post from Simple Kids