Yes, I think I am the coupon queen when it comes to holidays and birthdays.  I just LOVE giving them out for people to use.  So when I came up with the Father’s Day and Mother’s Day coupons, I thought, why not birthdays?  My children love their birthday wall of fame, but they love the coupons even more.  Every year they take those off first.  This year, I didn’t put them up and what happened?  The first thing they asked me was, where’s my coupons?  It made me laugh and feel good at the same time that they see it as a tradition.  So here they are, use them, and enjoy them.

Birthday Coupons PDF

We created this artwork “JUST FOR YOU!”

For personal use in your OWN HOME ONLY and NOT

for RESALE . . . It’s got our copyright!

If you would like to share, please refer them to THIS blog!

Now that the older kids

are in school and

YOU get YOUR TODDLERS

ALL TO YOURSELF

It’s time for Toddler Bootcamp!

The word “Bootcamp” is mostly for the mom’s

because raising a toddler takes a lot of work!

If you have a toddler you know they are BUSY little people

and very curious, to say the least.

“Terrible Two’s” is phrase you hear often when

you have a todder, and the “Three’s” are often filled with

the same adventures.

They want to know how everything works,

what it feels like,

and how to do new things.

This curiousity and desire to learn is what

gets them into a little trouble sometimes.

I LOVE to be around toddlers. They actually want to be

wherever you are . . . doing whatever you are doing.

They love to work

and they still think they’re parents are COOL!

To them JOBS are like a game or a new adventure

EVERY TIME

they get to try something new, and once they have

learned a new skill . . . it’s fun to see

their self-esteem blossom!

This chore system is perfect for training.

They can see the pictures and they can even pretend to read them.

Each chore picture says, “I CAN . . . “

and then it will show the picture as well as the word for the action

followed by the words “CAN YOU?”

They get so excited when they can answer, “YES!”

Have your toddler pick some of the jobs he or she would like to do.

I use anywhere from 5-10 cards at a time

depending on the child’s age.

(Boy)

(Girl)

(I think they’re are about 40 different chore options!)

The great thing is that they fit into the child’s hands and can be

carried with them from job to job.

When my boys where younger,

I would point to the words,

“I Can”

and have my boys “read” them out loud.

They began to recognize the words

even if they couldn’t actually read at the time.

Then they would see the picture and say what it was.

They loved pretending to read the big words at the bottom!

(That was back in the old days . . . now days, they’re born reading!)

No Pressure!!!

To Make the Toddler Charts

You Will Need:

To print the PDF.

Cut into individual cards.

Laminate the cards.

Punch a hole in the top of the cards.

You will also need to purchase a “C-Ring”

to keep the pictures together.

That’s it . . . the rest of the work has been done for you!

Boy Toddler Chart Pack-2

Girl Toddler Chart Packet

Remember to work along side your toddlers.

They will love the extra attention!

It’s the perfect time to

TEACH AND ENCOURAGE!

We created this artwork “JUST FOR YOU!”

For personal use in your OWN HOME ONLY and NOT

for RESALE . . . It’s got our copyright!

If you would like to share, please refer them to THIS blog!

Thank My Peeps!

The older my kids get the more I discover how important this topic is.  Friends can influence our children so much.  If our children can make good friends it helps them make the right decisions.  This Family Home Evening lesson can be given in several different ways.  I have outlined several ideas to pick and choose from depending on the age of your children.  I have attached the lesson as well as a matching game that you can use for younger children.  There are a couple of good articles to read and opportunities to share some of your experiences.  I think our own personal experiences in making the right choice can be a powerful lesson for our children.  Sometimes they don’t realize that we know how they feel because a lot of the time we have been there.   It does look long but it doesn’t have to be – just pick and choose.  My children only have a short attention span so we tend to make it quick and to the point but if you have older children this may be a topic that you want to discuss in depth.  Just pray about what you should share and let the spirit guide you.

For the Strength of Youth – Friends

http://www.mormonshare.com/lds-clipart/friendship-matching-game

For the matching game go to the above website and print out two copies to make it a game or just use the cute pictures when you discuss what qualities a good friend would have.  Thanks to mormonshare.com for the cute graphics!

Are you starting to hear the words “I’m bored”?  I would be hearing them if it wasn’t illegal at my house.  If you dare to say those two little words, you get a whole list of things you can do (and they aren’t always fun, just needed!).  However, I do understand as a mom that at this point we have had several days off and have experimented and tried just about everything.  So in order to beat summer boredom now that it is blazing hot outside, I have put together some Summer Fun Cards.  I have included my ideas as well as a blank one that you can write your own on.  My ideas are from the Salt Lake and Ogden areas.  I have included free ideas, places that cost money, as well as some fun things you can do at home.  Some of the ideas take a little preparation so you may want to be ready for that and some are just easy and fun like having a car wash!

You can separate them into “cost” and “no cost” so that you can decide what you want to do that day or “travel” and “no travel”.  You can set rules such as you can only pick once out of the jar and then you get to go do that activity or let them have a couple of chances to pick what they want (maybe 2 or 3).  You may want to only throw in what you are willing to do that day and let them pick from those items.  No matter how you choose to do it, it will give you some fun ideas and something to answer the “Mom, I’m bored what can we do?” question with!

Here you go, have fun!

Summer Fun Activities – Blank

Summer Fun Activities 1

Summer Fun Activities 2

Summer Fun Activities 3

I would love to hear about how this works or doesn’t work for you.  I would also love to hear about your outings and what you put on the blank ones. 

I think it’s a lot of fun to share ideas.  Sometimes we need to think outside the box and in order to do that we need to connect with other moms!

Here is another set of cards.  I really hope you are liking my idea.  I think I might try and make a smaller set that you can put on a key ring size and they can fit in your purse better, or for traveling on long card rides.  Let me know your thoughts if you would like something like this.

Conversation Cards – Art

The first half of step 7 deals with finances.  We have talked about the Family Bill Book as well as the the budget sheet and bill payment planner.  Before we move on to paper clutter and filing, I want to quickly touch on allowance pads and the Pig.

First, keeping track of allowance.  Part of being a parent (well most of being a parent – aside from feeding, clothing and keeping them safe) is to teach your children how to be a responsible member of society.  One way to teach them about finances is to give them an allowance.  Now, I have heard all kinds of debate on allowance.  Should they get allowance for doing chores?  How about for being a member of the family?  Maybe they should get allowance so that they have a set amount of money and you don’t have to continue to shell out money.  Whatever the reason it is probably wise to start allowance at a young age.  There are several different ways you can do allowance.  I’m not going to address any of those.  Personally, I think that you do chores because you are member of the family and you should do your part.  However, I also believe that children NEED to learn about money and how to manage their money.  Not teaching your children this skill will really hurt them in the long run.  Credit is still fairly easy to get and they could get into a lot of trouble quickly if they don’t understand how money works.  That said, I think allowance receipts are a great way to teach your children about money.  This is not anything fancy, just common sense.  Don’t you just love common sense?

If you don’t believe in allowance you could also use these as a way for them track money they earn for doing odd jobs.  Begin by writing down the amount of money they are starting with.  Teaching children to “live within their means” will be important for their future.  If they know how much money they have at any given moment, they will be more responsible in their spending.  I recently had a chat with my children about this.  My two oldest children were spending money like crazy!  They were taking money for the school store (can I just say I am NOT a fan of school stores!), they were taking money on field trips and everywhere we were going as a family.  One night I made them dump their piggy banks and count their money.  They were shocked to find they had spent most of their money.  I guess they thought it was somehow regenerating itself in their piggy banks!  Their brother on the other hand never spends money and he had three times what they did.  They have lately been much more careful with their money.

Next, Have a line for tithing or charitable donations.  It is a great idea for kids to learn how important it is to be generous.  Make sure they understand what this means.  If it is tithing or a donation for your church teach them where that money goes and how it is spent.  If you would like them to donate to a charity, sit down together and give them some choices.  Let them choose one that means something to them.

Next, have a spot where they can subtract the amounts they owe.  For example, my son lost his shoes last month (how in the world do you come home from a school swimming activity with no shoes????) so he had to buy himself some new shoes with his own money.  This is subtracted from the total income.  If you have more than one item (the same child had a difficult month last month – shoes, library books, and music lessons that he chose to skip were all deducted from his total) list them out individually so they can see how they add up.  It may be no big deal if they have to pay for something small here and there but combined they can add up to a larger sum!

You should also include a line where they can put some money in savings.  Whether this is a bank account or just a piggy bank is up to you (I recommend a bank that they can’t easily access!).  You may even want to talk about what they are saving for.  If they have something they want or a trip they want to save for, this can make a big difference in their motivation to save.  You could have a few different things they are saving for (a mission, college, etc.) that you can list.  You will also want to show the running total here so they can see their progress.

Finally, set some “spending” money aside.  This is money they can have whenever they want it.  This money is easily accessible for whatever they may want to spend it on.  It’s what we call our “fun money”!  This is probably going to be their favorite line!

It may sound complicated but once you get started it’s a piece of cake.  Keeping track of their money now will help them learn how to be responsible in the future when it really counts.  Sometimes we have to learn the hard way and that is never much fun.   Hopefully if they have some background on the subject by the time they get to college, on a mission or get married they will know exactly how to budget and track their spending habits.

Here is a sample you can use or tweak if you want to:   Allowance Receipt.  This will you something to start with.

The last thing to discuss on finances is the PIG!  This is a fun family idea to save all of your extra change.  Find a fun piggy bank that cannot be opened unless you break it.   Since you are already using the cash system (we discussed that in the first part of Step 7) round everything up to the nearest dollar.  All of the change you get during the day is brought home and put in the family pig.  The spare change can up fast.  Having all of it in one place will help you save for something important like a family vacation.  You can also use this as your Christmas Jar (check out our post on The Christmas Jar) if you want to donate it to someone in need.  This can turn into something fun and be a great way to save money.

Finances are not always fun so we have to appreciate the fun things that come our way!

If you are anything like me, I hate starting conversations! I am so bad at it that I have my own conversation with myself in my head just trying to figure out what questions to ask. When Summer Driggs came out with her cards that she made for Young Women I loved the idea! In fact I loved it so much I wanted more. So naturally I took it the extra mile and came up with my own cards based on different categories.

I wanted my weakness to turn into a strength and knew the only way to do that was with practice. Here’s the concept. Each card is a 3×5 size. Perfect for putting in your purse. Keep them handy and review the questions often. I know that might sound geeky but it’s like scripture study. Sooner or later a question will pop in your mind when you are put in that awkward situation of “What do I say?” I like having the idea of keeping a few in my purse so I can pretend I am looking for something when really I am browsing my questions.

Imagine a lull and the awkward moment of silence. Suddenly, after searching for gum in your purse, you look up and say, “Soooo….. What do you think will be the next medical breakthrough in the coming decade?” People will think you are extremely social and intelligent. Well, it’s in MY dreams anyway. 

So far I have come up with 24 different categories. Each category is on it’s own uniquely designed card so you can easily identify the subject of Pets from the subject of Science & Medicine. I can’t wait to share them all with you. Each week I will post a new set for FREE. I know, don’t you just LOVE that word?!?! Come back and check often, you never know which day it will be on. Come to think of it, WE never know which day we are going to post either! (Just a little blog humor for Tracey!) Hee hee.

Thanks for being our blog followers, we absolutely LOVE sharing with you. If you like us, let your friends know. Share the wealth as they say!

Enjoy!

Adventure Conversation Cards

Father’s Day is coming up and it’s a perfect time for children,  young and old to celebrate their father’s, grandfather’s, uncles, and special males in their lives.  A few years ago, I was on a coupon kick and made all kinds of books for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Birthdays for children.  Now I am sharing those with you.  I had such a great time creating these a couple of years ago.  When I made these Father’s Day coupons I tried to make sure it was things that both girls and boys could do with their dads or grandfathers.  These were truly a labor of love trying to find the right paper and the right activities.  The love note on the Spouse version is how I really feel about my own husband.  Enjoy and Happy Father’s Day on Sunday!

Remember, if you download it, then leave some love in our comments.  Thanks a bunch!!  Let other people share the joy and direct them here.  We love it!

Grandpa’s Coupons – To Grandpa from Grandchildren

Spouse’s Coupons – To Spouse from you

Teenager Coupons – To Father from Teenager

Youth CouponsTo Father from Children

Want to emphasize obedience?  Using our “I Will Go and Do” tokens will work wonders in your home.  I have totally loved my “I Will Go and Do Tokens”!!!!  They have been such a saver for myself and my family.  Going from children being slow to obey to ones that try and beat others, was a turn around for me.  This inspiration came directly from Heavenly Father 3 years ago and I am not ashamed to admit it.  When I thought of obedience, the scripture in 1 Nephi 3:7 came to mind and then Heavenly Father gave me the inspiration to use tokens to encourage my children.  I knew I needed a Nephi so I called Tricia and she worked her magic a few years ago.  THANKS again Tricia!!  There are six different colors so that each person can have a color and to keep other children from taking what isn’t theirs.

How I use them:

For every time they are quick to obey or have done something out of the ordinary they earn a token.  The tokens are like money to be used toward the Good Job Jar.  You decide how much each item is worth in tokens, in your good job jar.  They can either use that token right away or save it up for a bigger items later on.  My children go for the Good Job Jar Coupons every time.  Some weeks we highlight a positive trait in a certain child.  All during that week if someone shows exceptional effort towards that trait they can earn extra tokens.  Inspiration that came from Heaven has made my home a heaven to live in.  Not all the time, everyone has their moments, but it was like going from negative to positive.  So here they are for you to use.  Please direct people to our blog if they want to use it.  It helps us know that there are still honest people out there and that you don’t take our hard work for granted.  THANKS!!!

I Will Go And Do Package