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I like to keep things in my life simple.  I try to keep my home and my schedule in order.  By keeping things organized we have more time to spend with our family making memories.  Here are a few of my solutions that help me do this. 

New Solutions Added

Children:  Car Bingo (6/29/10)

We just got back from our family vacation.  We had a six hour car drive each way and I knew the kids would spend most of that time watching dvd's.  I decided to make car bingo for them to play just in case they got board with the movies.  I was surprised but the kids loved playing it.  I played with my seven year old daughter while my 4 year old son helped us look for the items.  It was fun and got them looking out the window at the scenery we drove by.  I was so glad they got to see some of our drive instead of staring at the tv screen the whole time.  I laminated the cards and we used dry erase markers to mark the squares.  Here are the cards we used:

Car Bingo

 

Children:  Play Mats (5/24/10)

I found these cute little ocean figurines and space figurines at the craft store Michaels.  They had many different themes such as birds and horses, but I thought my boys would like these the best.  For the photo they are on, I searched for themed wallpaper on the internet and then printed them off.  I found a scene for each side, put them back to back to make them two sided, and laminated them.  My boys got them for Easter and loved them.  They are nice because they don't take up a lot of space so you can take them with you places such as out to eat etc.  I have seen a lot of cute figurines such as packs of plastic bugs and green army guys at the dollar store that would be fun too.  They make fun and inexpensive gifts for children.

 

Children:  Wii Mats (1/10/10)

My kids got a wii for Christmas.  They love it and it gets them moving.  As they play, they start moving closer and closer to the tv.  I was afraid they were going to put the remote right through the screen.  So, I put down these carpet squares and told them to stay on their mats.  Hopefully it will keep our kids and our tv from getting hurt!

 

Children:  Growth Chart (12/18/09)

I saw a growth chart online recently that I loved.  I have been meaning to make one for my kids for a few years, but never knew how I wanted to do it.  This was the perfect solution.  Amy at www.amyscreativevinyl.com made me the vinyl for the growth chart like the one I saw online.  I LOVE IT!!!  I got an 8"x8' board at Lowes and had them cut it to 7'.  I just found out that Lowes will cut your boards for you!  Then I painted it an off white color and sanded the edges lightly.  Then I applied the vinyl and it's ready to mark my kids heights on it.  When I grew up we marked our heights on the back of a door.  When we moved we had to leave it behind.  Having the growth chart on the board is great because it looks cute enough to leave out as a decoration, or if you want to put it out of sight it will easily fit into a closet, and it's can go with you if you move!

 

Food/Kitchen:  Popcorn (12/14/09)

I recently discovered you can pop popcorn kernels in the microwave.  Pour about 1/4 cup kernels in a brown lunch sack, fold over once, and tape shut.  Microwave it for about two minutes or until finished popping.  I love doing this for a few reasons.  First, the kernels are much cheaper than buying microwave popcorn.  Second, you don't have to add any oil or fat to the popcorn.  Third, it's much healthier than the microwave kind because you don't have all the additives and extras they add to the microwave popcorn.  Fourth, you can top it with whatever you want.  You can use real melted butter, salt, garlic, etc.  Fifth, it tastes yummy!

 

Children:  Multipurpose Toys (12/05/09)

These are the best children's toys ever!  I bought them on sale several years ago.  While bathing my daughter one day I became very frustrated with all the bath toys she was playing with.  They all had small holes that trapped water inside and every time she squeezed them, black gunk squirted out!  I got the set of beach toys out and they have remained in our bathtub ever since.  There are buckets, shovels, cars, and boats etc. included in the set.  They love them.  Last winter I had another bright idea.  My kids wanted to play out in the snow but I didn't want to join them in the cold.  So, I grabbed the beach/bath toys and set them out on the deck in the snow.  They loved scooping up snow and molding it into shapes.  I laid a towel down for them to sit on so they stayed dry.  We have also taken these toys to the beach and they loved them there too.  We've had them five years and all three kids play with them daily.  I've also put them through the washer and the dishwasher several times to clean them with no problems.  So, the next time you need children's toys that are inexpensive, hold up great, and are multipurpose- go buy a sturdy set of beach toys.

 

Children:  Racetrack (11/23/09)

We have two sons who spend the majority of their days rolling, ramping, and racing their many cars all over the house.  We found the perfect racetrack for them.  It is a piece of vinyl soffit found at any home improvement store in the siding section for about $12.  It has three lanes and bends slightly to give the perfect incline.  It's 12" wide and 12' long and can be placed anywhere.  My boys have had it on our outside front steps, our stairs inside, and leaned up against our couch.  They have had so much fun sending their cars down the track and watching them race down.  The best part is that it is thin so can be stored anywhere, it's very inexpensive, and it keeps the boys busy for hours!

 

LDS:  General Conference Basket (9/09)

 

I love watching General Conference each April and October.  I love being home all weekend with my family watching conference on the tv.  I love having big breakfasts and soups to eat for lunch and dinner.  I love hearing our church leaders give us inspired words and guidance.  The one thing I didn't love was having my children cause such a ruckus that we couldn't hear much of what was going on. 

In April I made a General Conference Basket for the family to enjoy.  It worked very well for my three and six year old kids.  I took different General Conference packets I have found on the web and customized them to what I wanted.  I make one for each child.  There is a photo of each Prophet and Apostle and a blank head next to it so they can color what they look like when they speak.  I also have a tie on the page for them to color to match the speakers tie.  I have a spot for them to write or draw pictures of what they are speaking about.  At the bottom there are different things they can color if it applies to the speaker, such as if they are bald, wear glasses etc.  I also have pages for other speakers who are not Prophets or Apostles including pages for the women who speak.   At the end of the conference packet, I include several coloring pages, word searches and other fun things from the friend.  If they finish or get tired of coloring about the speaker, they can flip to a page in the back of the packet and work on that.  I bind all the pages together into a book to make it easy to flip through.  The first year I printed a packet from the internet I didn't bind it and pages were flying all over the room!

I also made Conference Bingo Cards that we all really enjoyed.  There are several topics on the card including prayer, faith, temples, etc.  We play by covering our entire card with pieces of candy (m&m's, gummy bears, mini marshmallows etc) and as we hear someone discuss one of the topics, we get to eat the piece of candy on that square.  The person who get's bingo first gets to eat the remainder of their candy!

I put the packets, bingo cards, and candy in a basket along with crayons and a few other little things for the kids to do.  I have found with my kids that if you package something to look nice, for some reason they like it better.  That is why I bind their books and have everything arranged nicely in the basket.

Here are my packets and bingo cards.  You can download them and use them for your family.  Don't forget to add coloring pages and word searches etc to the back of the packet.  You can find several of them put together online or browse through the Friend Magazines online at www.lds.org

General Conference Packet

General Conference Bingo

 

Food/Kitchen:  Lunch Choices (08/21/09)

I thought this would be a good post since school is about to start next week.  Last year my daughter started kindergarten.  I packed her lunch each day but she rarely ever ate it.  I realized that I needed to start giving her choices and let her decide what she would like to pack in her lunch.  I made a key ring full of choices.  Each category is a different color.  Now, she goes through and orders her meal each day.  She knows she has to pick one blue, one green, and one yellow.  Then, the rest are up to her.  This system worked very well for us.

Blue-main dish
Green-vegetable
Red-fruit
Purple-side dish
Brown-dip or sauce
Orange-treat
Yellow-drink

You can download the cards and then print them on paper or cardstock.  I printed them on paper and then laminated them using Jumbo Card Size 2-15/16" x 4-1/8" laminating pouches from www.oregonlam.com.  I punched a hole and put them on a ring.

You can download the cards and the photoshop template here:

Food Choices Cards

Food Choices Cards Photoshop Template

 

LDS:  Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment Ideas (01/09)

I have served as my branch enrichment leader for a year now.  I love this calling a lot.  Here are my planning, agenda, and notes from our four activities we had last year:

The Hundred Dresses

Journaling

Add a Little Sugar and Spice to Your Personal and Married Life

Frugal Gift Ideas

We had several smaller activities throughout the year too.  Some of them were FHE swaps, bread making, soup making, homemade laundry soap making, temple trips etc.  We are a small branch and don't do "groups."  Instead, we do several small activities.  I try to have two activities a month the sisters can choose from.  I keep the meetings and activities simple with few decorations and easy refreshment ideas.  I really want the women to learn something and/or feel the spirit.  This is what is most important.  The socializing and fun will happen naturally from us getting together.

Here are some ideas from our planning meeting for this year:

--Ideas for our 4 main meetings this year

1  March—“He Is”—improving our relationship with Jesus Christ (using the song He Is by Hilary Weeks

2  June—Developing and recognizing our talents

3  September—How to put our eternal priorities first (temple, family) (make temple mod podge)

4  November—Holiday traditions

 --Food/refreshment ideas-brownie bar, baked potato bar, soups

--Ideas for small activities-Self defense, fhe swap, movie night, scripture study systems, Ensign article night, cake decorating, genealogy, healthy support group (exercise, nutrition, stress management),learn to cut hair, organizing/what works for you, herbs-how to grow and use, wheat 101, powdered milk 101,  emergency notebook, medicine cabinet in a bag, canning

 

Food/Kitchen:  Pop Up Pancakes (09/04/08)

 

I found a recipe for pop up pancakes (also known as German Pancakes) on this blog http://www.makeandtakes.com/.  I made them for my kids and they devoured them in a matter of minutes and begged to make them again soon.  Since then we've made them for breakfast, lunch, and dessert.  They taste a little like crepes and french toast combined.  The batter pops up in the oven.  You can see in the photo below how they look when they come out of the oven.  You can top them with anything you want.  Our favorites are syrup with powdered sugar and fruit with whipped cream or powdered sugar.  You could also top them with chocolate or honey or anything else that sounds good to you.  You can make them in any kind of pan, but muffins are fun.  We love them and they are super easy to make.  The recipe I saw was good but I added a little vanilla and sugar and now the recipe tastes great!

Pop Up Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Grease 24 muffin cups
Mix all ingredients in a blender then pour into muffin cups
Bake 15 minutes

 

Food/Kitchen:  Muffin Tin Meals (09/04/08)

I read about "Muffin Tin Mondays" on the blog http://sycamorestirrings.blogspot.com.  Each Monday this woman (and several moms who have joined the trend) serves her children lunch from a muffin tin.  I tried it and my kids love it!  I use a mini muffin tin that holds a dozen muffins.  In each spot I put a different food.  In the above photo I have food like peanut butter, crackers, ham, green peppers, carrots, spinach leaves, cheese, raisons etc.  I also took a cookie cutter and cut a butterfly out of bread.  My kids got to decorate their butterfly and then eat it.  They loved it so much I bought more cookie cutters.  We now have a circle they can make a face from, a girl, a boy, and a bear (build a bear!).  They love it and I do too because I don't have to cook anything.  I just toss in different things from the cabinet and fridge.

 

LDS:  Family Home Evening (06/08)

One of my favorite time savers are fully prepared Family Home Evening kits.  I have participated in several swaps where everyone prepares multiple copies of the same Family Home Evening and then we exchange them.  We go home with  several different fully prepared Family Home Evenings.  The kits we exchange are complete lessons with visual aids, stories, games and activities.  They are great because when Monday rolls around all I have to do is grab a kit and read over it quickly.  The above photo is a Family Home Evening I received in the last swap I participated in.  It's nice because I have so many great lessons now.  It's a lot easier to come up with one creative lesson and swap with others, than to come up with several on my own.  Since I have started swapping kits we have had Family Home Evening almost every Monday night.  Because the lessons are so creative my kids love them.  I have hosted several swaps as Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment activities.  I've also joined a few online swaps where we have mailed them. 

Here is a copy of my swap rules and a sample lesson that you can download.

FHE Swap Rules

FHE Lesson Prayer