Wrapping Up Today So Tomorrow Runs Smoothly

At the end of the day, take stock of what you have accomplished and celebrate! Are there unfinished jobs that need to go onto tomorrow's list? Think through other tasks that need to be accomplished tomorrow. Now, prioritize your list so you are ready to go when you start your day!

Easy microwave cleaning

My daughter shared with me a great tip: if your microwave gets cooked-on-food on the walls or ceiling, place a bowl of water in it and run it for 5 minutes on high. The steam will soften those hard- to-clean spots.

Intentional Summer

Instead of dreading the expanse of summer, be intentional! Consider how you might spend some time with your child each week to strengthen your relationship. Are there topics you need to talk about? Is there a project or challenge you'd like to tackle together? Is there a memory you'd like to make? A trip you'd like to take? Activities you want to do together? Ask your child for his/her ideas or requests.

In addition, think through areas in which you'd like to see growth in your child: physically, mentally, spiritual, socially, finanacially, and functionally. Growth produces a positive self-image. Sit down with your child and discuss what they'd like to accomplish over the summer in the following areas. Caution: know your child - don't impose a 10-ring circus summer on a 3-ring circus child. Provide rewards and celebrations as goals or milestones are met.

- Physical goals might include learning how to: brush teeth, floss teeth, ride a bike or tricycle, swing, swim, skate, run a mile, play a sport, read nutritional information, appy make-up, determin what colors look best on him/her, take care of his/her skin, do a manicure or pedicure, build muscles, dance, etc.

- Mental goals might include: learning or reviewing math facts, learning a foreign language, investigating a subject of interest, exploring a new place, reviewing difficult school subjects, reading books, learning how to read, creating a collection, learning colors, learning shapes, preparing for ACT or SAT exams, etc.

- Spiritual goals might include: learning about forgiveness, internalizing Biblical character qualities, practicing extending grace and mercy toward others, finding a place of worship that fits you, establishing an evening routine of reading age-appropriate Bible stories and praying together, learning to be grateful, memorizing verses, attending a vacation Bible school, doing a Bible study, attending a Bible study, attending a youth group, planning a family devotional with activities, begin a prayer journal, pray, etc.

- Social goals might include: learning to share, manners, how to ask in an appropriate voice versus whining, learning to compromise and negotiate, how to express anger appropriately, how to carry on a conversation, balanced assertiveness, kindness, volunteerism, etc.

- Financial goals might include: learning to save, resisting impulse purchasing, managing an allowance, budgeting, tithing, starting a small business, being generous, opening a checking/savings account, balance a checkbook, use an ATM card, etc.

- Functional goals might include learning how to: get dressed, put away toys, set a table, hammer a nail, build something, sew, iron, sew on a button/mend, change a tire, pump gas, do laundry, remove stains, do cleaning chores, etc.

When to toss spices

Kelli B. Grant from www.SmartMoney.com says to replace your spices after one year. She quotes Tina Ujlaki, executive food editor for Food and Wine magazine (www.foodandwine.com): "Dried herbs and spices lose their flavor over time. Whole spices, such as star anise or coriander, may last slightly longer — less of the spice is exposed to the air. To tell if your spices are past their prime, open the bag or jar and take a whiff. "If there's no scent, there won't be any flavor."

5 things to do with 5 minutes

Nice suggestions for tasks you can do in five minutes from Joni Hilton in Woman's Day on 3/6/07 (www.Womansday.com):

1. Water your plants. It’s easy to forget, so they probably need a drink.

2. Turn over sofa cushions so they’ll wear evenly.

3. Wash the dryer’s lint trap to remove the buildup from fabric softener sheets. Water should run right through the screen, but softener buildup may prevent that.

4. Thumb through you recipes and choose a new one to try this week.

5. Tuck love notes under your kids’ or husband’s pillow. Include a favorite treat or toy. Bring back the element of surprise!

Cleaning burner pans

When you need to run your dishwasher, but you're feeling guilty because it isn't quite full, fill it up with the burner pans from your stove. You'll feel great because you're being efficient and because you're doing some cleaning with no effort!

Tickler files

Tickler files are files that tickle your memory, reminding you that you need to do something. The typical tickler file consists of 31 files, hanging files, or slots (in an expandable, wooden or plastic tickler file), each for a day of the month. Place items in the file that represents when action must be taken. For example, if your electric bill is due on the 15th of the month, place the bill in file #8. On the 8th of the month, you take out items in that file and deal with them. That gives your bill a week to arrive at its destination on time.

For those of you who do not have numerous items-that-need-attention throughout the month, four tickler files may suffice - one for each week of the month. Designate a particular day of the week to handle those items.

The beauty of tickler files is that your items-that-need-attention have a place to live until action needs to be taken. This eliminates piles on your desk, lost bills, and and late charges!

Sorting Mail

When you sort your mail, do it near your trash can, paper recycling container, and shredder. Shred anything that has sensitive information (your social security number, credit card applications, etc.). Look through ads of interest to you and toss the rest into your recycling bin. Take a few seconds to go through ads you want to keep. Circle items you may want to purchase, so you don't waste time having to search through the ad again. Place coupons or ads in the place where you keep them, or put them in your car. Anything that can't go into recycling or be shredded goes into the trash. What's left is mail you need to keep - bills, letters, invitations, etc. Read mail and determine if you need to keep it. Place bills, letters to answer, etc. in your tickler file. More about tickler files next time!

Clever way of storing salad dressings in the fridge

My friend Margaret came for a visit last week and told me how her sister-in-law Joanne stores her salad dressings in the fridge - in a willow basket! When serving salad, she just picks up the basket rather than making several trips from the frdige to the table bringing numerous salad dressings! Ingenious!

Storing Grocery Bags

HGTV compiled a top ten list of its viewers' organizing tips. Marsha J. Robinson's tip: "Store plastic grocery bags in an empty tissue box." To see the other tips, go to:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_organizing_other/article/0,1801,HGTV_3138_4487107,00.html.

Organizing Your Media

Check out the article in today's Akron Beacon Journal by Mary Beth Breckenridge (in which I'm quoted) about organizing your music and movies: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/home/16721074.htm

Let's party!

Sometimes we as parents see positive choices that our children make and don't take the time and energy to communicate our appreciation and/or excitement. Today I was inspired by a lecture by Cecil Burger, a therapist in Akron, Ohio, to celebrate good decisions our children make, positive change in their behavior, accomplishments as a result of hard work or persistence, etc. He suggested we do something to affirm our children's accomplishments - from a complimentary word to throwing a party! My suggestion: acknowledge and affirm anything we want our children to repeat.

Homework battles

Having trouble with getting your child to do homework? A solution I used with my children gives your child control and motivation. Have your child write out all his/her homework assignments on a 3 x 5 card with the estimated time needed to complete each subject. Have your child plan out his/her homework time, interspersing homework time with a video game, a game with you, a TV show, shooting hoops, etc. I recommend 30 minutes studying and 15 minutes to play with longer study times for older kids, shorter for younger. I found that my kids were motivated to complete their homework in the time they estimated so they could get to playing. Plus it's not just an endless expanse of time devoted to homework. They can see an end in sight. If your child underestimates the time it will take to complete an assignment, make sure the play time is honored. Having a change of scenery and tasks refreshes the brain. A suggestion: study your child. One of my daughters, an introvert, was depleted both physically and socially when she came home from school because she had used up all her words. She needed food and time to regroup before she was ready to talk about her day. My other daughter, also an introvert, wouldn't use up her words at school and was a chatterbox because she felt more comfortable using her worlds at home. Give your child a chance to refuel before tackling homework, if needed.

Getting Ready for School: Organizing Homework Papers

One of my foster children came up with a wonderful idea: a colorful plastic expandable file she got at Walmart. It's only about 2 inches thick and has several compartments. She has labeled each section for each of her classes.

In each class she places homework papers and other important papers in the appropriate file. When she does her homework or needs to turn in a field trip slip, it goes back in the proper file. This keeps all important papers and homework neatly filed and easily found, keeps her bookbag from having massive quantities of papers crunched everywhere, plus it reduces the number of items that get lost. She cleans her file out every week or so to get rid of items no longer needed.

An inexpensive and simple way to organize your organizationally-challenged child!

Snow Day

As we are experiencing a snow storm here in northeast Ohio, it brings to mind a way to really save yourself some time. If you live in an area where you get snow storms, keep a container of milk and a loaf of bread in your freezer. Make sure you get milk that has a screw-on top (not the pop off type). Before you freeze the milk, pour out a little so it has room to freeze and expand without splitting the container. Also, keep on hand some "emergency foods" that you constantly replenish. This way, you don't need to join the long lines at the grocery store when snow is forecast. When we lived in Maryland, these lines sometimes reached from the front of the store to the back! Ugh!