Category Archives: Organization

Make Your Own Mini-Whiteboard

Ever wanted a mini-chalkboard in your purse? I love carrying around this mini-whiteboard in my diaper bag! We use it for our grocery list, for occupying bored kiddos, for drawing maps to random people asking for directions, etc. Of all the things in my bag, this is one of my most versatile items! Here are directions on how you can make your own with supplies you should have at home.

Supplies to make a mini-whiteboard:

An empty CD case
Scissors
glue stick
Dry Erase Markers (or wipe-able crayons)
Dried out diaper wipe (for cleaning – they last a long time and store inside the case)
White paper – Cardstock is best, or patterned paper

Instructions to make your board:

Take apart the CD case. We made our case white on one side and patterned on the other. Cut your paper to fit. Lightly edge your paper in clear glue to help it adhere to the case. The glue is not necessary, but it helps your mini-whiteboard live a little longer. If your kids are like mine, their favorite part of this activity will be wiping their writing, opening and closing the case between wipes. Reassemble the CD case and have fun writing! This is a great thing for every toddler diaper bag, great for entertaining and keeping kiddos quiet in a pinch. The Dry Erase markers will stain clothes, the carpet at the Dr. office, etc., so I like to take wipe-able crayons with me when we are out. Have fun playing “I Spy” and learning with your mini-whiteboard.

At Quirky Momma, we used our mini-whiteboard to make an animal identification game with the works of Charles Harper. Check out our original post.

by Rachel

Rachel is a momma to three preschoolers, she blogs about her kids, their activities and learning adventures at Quirky Momma.

I Was GOING To Write Something Thought-Provoking And Intelligent Today…

I’m sitting here, thinking “this article sounds terrible” and I can’t focus!” and “Aaaaaargh, Max forgot his football stuff”… which I know that many Mom/Writers can relate to. I have been trying to write a thoughtful article to follow up on last week’s Breastfeeding one, and YOU KNOW that when I write about breastfeeding I step on people’s toes anyway, so I have to be careful! I’ll just say THANK YOU for all of your valuable insights in comments, they will be carefully considered, and an article will come soon discussing what everyone said.

So today, at the last minute, our theme is “Why Can’t I Get An Hour Of Peace And Quiet To Write? And How Come, When I Do, I Can‘t Write Anything?”

crazy about reading

* I am taking care of my grandmother, for about one or two hours EVERY day. I make sure she takes her medicine, do her groceries and banking, and cook her a really healthy lunch. Then we search for lost things, she repeats herself ten times, loses things again, etc. We have a cup of tea and I hug her and tell her I love, love, love her.

* Housework, groceries, sudden lost shoes. School meetings. Sundry emergencies.

* Three sons

* Writing

* Editing (!) the National Childbirth Trust’s Dorset Newsletter. Have I bitten off more than I can chew here? A terrifying prospect.

* THE GYM, which I joined two weeks ago and have to been twice. Shameful! I need the exercise, must get there more often.

* Reading: I try to keep informed, and read the big fat newspapers. And books.

* The internet. Facebook is nice when you have just moved to another country, but it’s a real sucker of time. Thank goodness, I have no twitter and I’ve deleted Google Buzz (yes you can!)

* Yoga. Must do more.

* Other matters on my mind. Fortunately, my husband is away at the moment or he would be feeling ignored, poor guy! We all miss him.

Now, all of these things are totally doable. I am ashamed to say that my writing is suffering, but writing is a creative thing and I feel like Scotty, trying to get the Enterprise going to Warp 9 when the old brain is clearly doing Warp 3 due to the drain on the main generators (I‘m sorry, captain, I just haven‘t got the power!)

I sit, and I stare at the screen. I have important things to say, and when I say them, they sound whiny and garbled. So I check Facebook for, um, inspiration? And say “Nan is happy the sun is shining!” when really I want to say “AAAAARGH!”

I have some solutions. Writing will still take place in those two hours before the kids get back from school, but all Facebooking and non-essential emailing will happen in the morning before 7.00, and yes, that means getting up a little earlier.

The Newsletter is hanging over me. I have done plenty of research and have a general plan, but I think it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and churn something out, put the articles and ads and things together. I may need to pull an all-nighter here. Once I’ve done that, I know I won’t feel so overwhelmed, and it will be easier to continue.

I will do my yoga before I go to bed, even if I’m pooped, because I sleep so much better when I do… and then I’m not so pooped! Yoga is good for creativity, too.

It may not sound like much, but I have a feeling just those few little changes will free up some of my brain power, and my creative juices will flow again.

I hope!

by Nan Sheppard

Photo graciously provided by DigitalParadox, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

How To Support a School Project Without Micromanaging

4th grade has been littered with projects for my oldest Punk. This presents a challenge because he was born to Mr. and Mrs. Procrastination. (Yes, I am dragging Rob under the bus with me.) We knew from the beginning, when our oldest reluctantly joined our family 10 days after his due date and after a 42 hour labor, that this was likely to become a pattern.

I’ve spent time this year thinking about how to support Aidan’s efforts to manage his workload without hovering, without taking over and actually building the dang space shuttle for him, and without tearful collapse. These may be very simple and obvious points- but here’s what I have found to be helpful:

1. Use The Calendar

As soon as an assignment is given, sit with your small procrastinator. Write the due date on the calendar. Ask the child to break down the project components. For example, Aidan’s language Arts projects usually include: choosing a book, reading a book, answering 20 questions about the book, and the grand finale of the ______. The ______ can be as simple as a poster or a game board or as complex as a play or film or podcast. We then use the calendar to write goals for the completion of each step.

Using this method really helps make the project very tangible. With only 1 final due date, it makes it challenging for my “big picture” Punk to recognize the details or the steps needed to get to the end.

I have 1 other calendar suggestion: bump the due date up a couple of days. Allow a day or 2 for the unforeseen delay or, better yet, to help the Punk appreciate the great feeling of accomplishment when he finishes early.

2. Transfer the Dates

Take the dates from the calendar and write them on a white board or piece of paper in another prominent place, visible to both you and young Master Procrastination.

3. Plan Check-ins

Decide together the best way to check in about the project. Would he prefer a Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy? A quick How’s Things at dinner? Or would a Show me the Money approach be best? It’s his project, but it certainly has the potential to dampen your night when he comes to you in a panic at 8 o’clock the night before it’s due. Not that I would know about that. A-hem.

4. List

Prior to the Grand Finale Step, add a step of completing a supply list for the project. If he is going to need shredded coconut to make grass or a charged battery for the video camera or the goopy gunk you need for paper mache, it is best to know before the stores close the night before the thing is due… again… not that I have any personal experience with this.

5. Be Interested

Don’t act interested- BE interested. Take this opportunity to share with and learn from your Punk. Often parents (ok, often I) dread these projects. But when I ask questions about the book- why he chose it- what he liked about it- what he hated about it- what his ideas are- I learn so much about the way his mind works. When I am interested I can see his light and help to foster it, instead of sighing about the hassle and the inconvenience.

When he is- scratch that- when we are prepared and know what to expect from a project, that project becomes what it’s meant to be- an opportunity to learn and to creatively express what he’s learned.

What works for you?

by Megin Hatch

Photo graciously provided by Joe Lanman via Creative Commons License, some rights reserved.

Snowed In

We live outside of Philadelphia, and as a result of the recent snowstorms, aptly nicknamed Snowpocolypse and Snowmaggedon, the kids have had an unexpected holiday. One that might actually lead to canceling part of their Spring Break or extending the school year as a result. It’s been a week of being confined in the same space, and having snow too deep even for good sledding, usually a mainstay of our snowy days, where most of the neighborhood ends up in our backyard and I bake cookies and make hot chocolate until we run out of both. This time, with close to 45 inches of snow on the ground, it’s quieter and less fun than normal.

The kids are thrilled to have this unexpected holiday, and getting them to make sure they have all assignments done that are due on return, where they thought they would have more school days in between to complete, has been a challenge, especially as they start hoping that the new snow we expect will again delay their return to school.

From the Mom’s point of view, I don’t mind having them here, but it plays absolute havoc with my work-from-home business. I still have things to do, clients to speak to, and a work day, that’s now interrupted with various degrees of “I’m Bored” and “What can I have for lunch?” and “Whatcha Doing?” It’s like when they were younger and they used to wake up in the night, interrupting my sleep, but now it’s interrupting my concentration time during the day.

I know they will return to school soon enough, and I’ll probably wish they were still here, popping their heads in and asking me what’s up. I think what I’ve learned from this experience more than anything else is that I’ve becoming accustomed to my own sense of work-day pace, my own routines, just as if I worked in an office. I’m comfortable with my regular routine and schedule, and the disruption makes me feel a bit out of sorts and less productive than usual.

Working from home has always meant needing to improvise when there’s a call from school, a kid has forgotten a project, or someone is sick, but as the kids have gotten older, the frequency of these moments have diminished. And apparently, so has my flexibility associated with the daily schedule and the “be prepared for anything and everything” vibe that can be parenting. I needed this lesson in lightening up, I’m sure. But I can also tell you I’ll be glad when I can slip into a bit more of a routine as well.

How do you deal with the daily routine, and what do you do when its disrupted? Do you feel disjointed too? How do you find your groove again? If we have any more snow days, I’ll need all the help I can get!

by Whitney Hoffman

Photo graciously provided by woodleywonderworks, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Work/Life Balance

While having lunch with a friend we were discussing work/life balance. She mentioned that as she gets older her work/life balance gets worse. She was terribly frustrated so I shared with her an idea my coach gave me. She thought it was such a great idea she told me I should blog about it so that other people could benefit from the idea too. So here it goes…

Create a list of everything you have going on. I realize this list could get a little long. Be sure to include those activities you do at least once a month. If you only do an activity on occasion, leave it off the list. Then determine where those activities fit by creating a calendar of sorts. Be sure to list the activities on the corresponding day of the week as well as the length of time they take.

I generally prefer to use pencil and paper for these types of activities rather than Excel. I printed a blank calendar out of Outlook and started filling in the calendar. From there I was able to create a generic template in Excel with the days of the week as my row headings and Weeks 1-4 as my column headings.

On Mondays and Fridays I am a SAHM so the only activities on my list are 1) exercise, 2) read or check email for 1 hour max, and 3) spend the day with Copy Cat and Pack Rat. Sundays are family days only so these fields say “family time.” The three days of the week CC and PR are at preschool are full of the other items I want to accomplish for my teaching and my consulting business. For example, Tuesdays are the same each week (with a few exceptions). On my list for Tuesday: exercise, check email, twitter, write blog post, and available client time. On Tues-Thur I’ve actually estimated the hours available for productive work – meaning activities where I can generate revenue. This has helped me move from the mindset that I had too much “busy” work to do to a place were I know how much availability I have for client projects. Moving from “I’m too busy” to “I have xx hours available for client projects” will help me manifest what I want, i.e., more client projects.

If you are struggling with finding a good work/life balance try creating something similar to this activity list. It was incredibly helpful for me.

by Kelly Damron

Photo graciously provided by tanakawho, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved

Forever Parenting

A Parent's Work Is Never Done