Five Ways to Organize Your Child’s Day + Printable Planner

Paula — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 12:47:00 +0000

What does your child’s day look like right now? Is it a bit like a battle getting them out of bed to start? This post contains affiliate links as a service to readers. I receive a small commission via purchases from qualifying links. For Some Organizing and Planning Can Be Hard When my daughter was small she needed a lot of help getting organized. She still does actually. But, she can, for the most part, organize using strategies that we have used over the years. So, the difference now versus when she was in elementary school is that she now is old enough to be able to remember some of the tools and strategies that we used, rehearsed and repeated over a decade or more. These ideas and tools can work to help you structure and organize your child’s day too. Help Your Child Get and Stay Organized It was abundantly obvious to everyone in my home that both of my daughters would need support getting up in the morning and getting organized throughout the day. As they grew, that became even more apparent and was confirmed when they both received Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses. One is on the inattentive end of the spectrum and the other is on the hyperactive end of that. A Few Things to Help Organize Your Child’s Day So, I am here to tell you what helps and what can possibly work for your child. Oh, and of course there’s a super sweet children’s planner free printable here for you as well. Alarm Clock Getting an alarm clock and using it regularly was a game changer for us. Honestly, before that it was us calling to them to get up often and them hollering Turn the LIGHTS OFF. TOO BRIGHT. Or rolling over and going back to sleep. That was not helpful or useful to any of us and it started the day off on the wrong foot. Using an alarm clock which they are responsible for setting and turning off, makes a big difference. Older kids with cell phones can use the alarm on their phone of course. That’s literally how I work too. My alarm on the phone wakes me up every day. It is gentle and cheery and I love it. My old method was a blaring alarm like a fog horn to jolt me awake and that was actually not the best as you can imagine. For a time I thought it was what I needed. These days a lot of parents I know use Alexa or Google Home to be the alarm clock. That works well for them. White Boards Assignments, projects and tests all go up on the white board. My daughter still uses this. No, scratch that. Make it, she uses this now more than ever. We need lots of visuals. What I like about the white board is that she can put a date up on the board and we all are able to see it. So, why does that matter? We can provide prompts as needed to remind her. The trick for me here was finding one that suited her bedroom and looked good. Go for one with a frame. The half and half cork board, white board also works for bedrooms and common spaces. This cute chalkboard with chalkboard markers could also work brilliantly. Buy It Here – > https://amzn.to/3hc23hF Visual Schedules When my kids were younger, we had visual picture schedules on velcro. What did that look like? Well, it was a laminated strip of squares with velcro and we also had removable squares with images featuring get up, brush your teeth, go to bed, eat breakfast, put socks on etcetera. If I find an image of this from her childhood routine then I will add it here for your reference. What Does Your Child’s Day Look Like? It was literally just a small homemade picture schedule in Ainsley’s room for years and we changed it up with new selections as needed. An occupational therapist helped us to make this and then we used it daily. FYI, I highly recommend this EcoTank Printer. I have had it for over a year and have yet to need to buy ink. It never runs out and is amazing. Plus, we print a LOT here. The kids use my printer for homework. Chunk it This might be common sense for some of you, but for others it’s not, so here you go. We often break things into smaller chunks to make the day’s routines more manageable. That’s one way we make things easier. Kids with attention deficits really need this. Oh I know some of yours don’t have any attention deficits whatsoever, but sometimes even so it helps to break it out into steps and tasks in terms of importance. This helps with planning and teaching them how to plan, which is a lifelong skill. Daily Planner For the older kids you should teach them how to input everything into their phones. And also, if they have a traditional planner that helps too. Not everyone needs all of the tools. Your student might do fine with a few of these. I find for me, as a self employed adult I still need lists visually in front of me This Planner Printable is Perfect My Kid’s Planner Printable is perfect for your younger kiddos. Here’s a cute kid’s daily planner they can use. This is a fun way for them to record a few of the things that have happened in their day and it might also help keep them on track.

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Vacuuming Stairs and Other Hard to Reach Places with Hoover Impulse

Paula — Wed, 14 Nov 2018 14:12:18 +0000

Vacuuming stairs is nothing if not a challenge. It’s the hardest spot in your home to vacuum. We have a couple of steep and lengthy staircases and they get a lot of traffic so they need a good cleaning at least weekly. It’s so hard to get stairs clean. Sure many vacuums have hose attachments, but they’re rarely long enough to get all the way up the stairs. Which means at some point, I often do my Amazing Stair Balance Act wherein I simultaneously hold the vacuum in place with my feet while using both hands to vacuum the stairs. Of course, all of this has to happen without me tumbling to my doom (or at least twisting something). It’s not just vacuuming stairs that thwarts me, though. It’s getting a big vacuum head under furniture. We all have allergies, so I have to regularly clean all the hair, dust, debris, and everything else that lives in the carpet, no matter where that may be. For me, that usually means actually moving furniture. A job that I already don’t love quickly becomes a furniture moving session, which is not awesome. Needless to say, vacuuming is one of the most annoying of ALL the chores in my house. That’s why I’m a big fan of the Hoover Impulse Cordless Vacuum. Laundry is a close second. Both of these household chores are so repetitive and never ending it’s frustrating sometimes. Vacuuming Stairs and Pretty Much Everywhere Just Got Easier Let me just say they got the name right with this one! You know how when you work from home you occasionally get derailed by impulsive cleaning or baking? Yeah neither do I. Totally kidding. This is my life. Sometimes when working I procrastinate because I work from home and random dusty corners scream: “Clean Me.” The Hoover Impulse fuels this habit in a weird way. It makes cleaning up so much easier. In fact, my daughters can vacuum more often now because this vacuum takes away the “it’s too hard” excuse, which I love, FYI. With no cord, a low profile head, and a weight of less than six pounds, it’s a versatile vacuum that helps all of us be able to easily vacuum the stairs, under the furniture, and even pull it out for quick spot vacuuming of dry messes. One of the things I love most about this vacuum is that in addition to being light-weight and easy to use, it’s incredibly versatile. It can either be a light-weight upright or a handheld vacuum in one easy motion, making it even more flexible. It also features a powerful, fade-free lithium-ion battery, which means it is just as powerful when you need to charge it as it is at full charge. I love that! Features Here’s why the Hoover Impulse Cordless Vacuum makes vacuuming stairs and other hard-to-reach places so easy. Cordless Fade-free lithium-ion battery Less than 6 pounds in weight Low profile head for under-furniture vacuuming Multi-floor design for carpet and hard flooring Quickly converts to a handheld vacuum Hoover Dashboard for easily selecting modes and power level to optimize vacuuming Wall mount for easy, out-of-the-way storage Vacuuming Stairs is no Longer a Hazard for YOU I have to be honest, there have been times when I’ve been vacuuming our stairs that I was happy I had life insurance. Vacuuming stairs with a traditional vacuum can be awkward. All that balancing and moving around with one foot holding the vacuum in place while the other attempts to maintain balance – crazy! With our new Hoover Impulse Cordless Vacuum, vacuuming stairs, under furniture, and quickly picking up spot messes is more convenient and much faster. I want vacuuming to be easier for you, too. That’s why I’m giving away a Hoover Impulse Cordless Vacuum to one lucky reader! That’s right one of you will be on your way to vacuuming stairs without fear in no time. So enter! As a TTi floor care ambassador I receive compensation. My opinion is all my own. Entry-Form

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household chores Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Five Ways to Organize Your Child’s Day + Printable Planner

Vacuuming Stairs and Other Hard to Reach Places with Hoover Impulse