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!

I have to apologize for my slothful postings these many many weeks.  I have had something going on every weekend and Friday’s are my post days.  So in a way of saying sorry you get more than one idea for our Friday post today.  Which is actually being posted on Sunday.  Oh the irony.

Have you ever tried to play that game in the newspaper where they take very close up pictures of things around town and you have to guess what it is and where it is located?  It reminds me of an I Spy game for the city.  My sister and I came up with an idea to do the same thing for our family reunion coming up at the end of August.  We are staying at this place that has trails and hidden objects amidst the garden area.  We are going to take pictures and then place those close ups on a sheet of paper and have people try to identify where they are located.  They are scored for their answers and that score is entered into the overall score for our Family Olympics.  (I will explain the Olympics later on in the next post.)  It’s a great game idea for young children who love to explore anyway and gives them something to do.  You can do the same thing at a park near your, or even in your own neighborhood, and all you need is a camera and a printer.  For older children, you can print the pictures in black and white to make it harder to identify and more of a challenge.  Just make sure they don’t peak at the younger child’s paper when they are trying to figure out what it is they are looking at.  Have fun spying that amazing beauty around you!

Have you ever thought about having your own Olympics at your family reunions?  We have done it for many many years now and it’s the highlight of the day.  My Uncle started the idea when they realized there were a lot more children now and they needed something to do more than just hang out with their other cousins.  Thus the Olympics were born.  There are 5 to 6 games that are listed on a paper with a scoring sheet for each one.  ( We try and introduce a new game each year and our tote is becoming quite full.)  Put everyone’s name into a bowl, adults included, and draw out two names to make a team.  This works so well because you are forced to get to know that individual better and it’s hard to stay distant with someone you are playing games with.  This year I have made a new game, which you will have to read about in the next post!  At the end, every team adds their score up and the winner is announced.  They receive a trophy that has the past winner’s names on it and get to take it home.  They have to put their names on it and bring it back the following year.  In the event it has people of different homes on it they have to decided who is taking it home, or even share it for half a year.  It’s become a tradition that has created many memories over the years and produced thousands of laughs!

I have a memory problem when it comes to remembering my cousins names and also the names of their children.  Add that to the fact they come to the Family Reunion every year and it stresses my memory.  To help myself, mostly, but also my children to know their cousins better I have come up with a game idea.  This year for our Family Olympics new game idea I asked everyone to email me pictures of members of their family as well as the name of every member of their family.  (Everyday pictures, not the professional kind.)  Using my computer I am making them into a card size memory game.  On one card it will have their picture and on the other card it will have their name.  The idea of the game is to match the name to the face in the fastest time possible.  You will receive a higher score if your team gets a faster time.  This works well because you have to start to identify people with names forcing your brain to remember just who that person is.  Below is a sample of what I did, it’s easy to do and a fun game to play.  You can even do this idea with your ancestors to have your family get to know them better.  You can even put a fun fact on the card with their name to learn more about them!

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!

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

Opening Song:  Families Can be Together Forever

Opening Prayer

Scripture:  Read from the Proclamation (the portion at the top of the Family section in For the Strength of Youth pamphlet) then read the Family section in For the Strength of Youth

Discussion:   Talk about what makes a happy family.   Ask:  How can you do your part to build a happy home?  Is our home happy?  When is it happy? (when we are kind and considerate of others)  When is it unhappy?  (when we are selfish and unkind to others)    Talk about what it means to respect your parents.  Ask:  How do you show respect?  (help when you are asked, participate in family activities with a positive attitude)

Activity:

Principles to Make our Family Happy

Application:  Talk about your summer schedule.  Explain what your expectations are each day and have everyone agree to pitch in.  Explain that if everyone helps out in the morning they will have all afternoon to play and have fun.  Being part of family includes showing respect and helping out around the house.  Have them sign the T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Accomplishes More) committing to being a member of the Family Team!

TEAM

Closing Prayer

Treat :  You can eat the treats you made during cooking time today if you used the job chart I created!   If you didn’t have cooking time make a quick treat together before Family Home Evening so you can eat it when you are finished.  My kids love to make chocolate chip cookies together!

School is finally out!  At least for me.  Some of you have been out for a week and some of you are still waiting.    Last summer I was in complete survival mode with a new baby (number 5).  This year I am ready to face it head on!  I like a little structure during the summer but not a lot.  There are a few reasons it is really important to have some sort of a plan.  We still need to get our basic chores done, I like to keep their brains working on some level, and I don’t want them to turn into lazy couch potatoes who fight all day long!  Thus, the need for some organization during the summer break.  I have put together a summer schedule for my kids that allows us to be effective in the morning and to play all afternoon!  After all isn’t the best part about being a kid having no responsibilities?  I realize it is a time of learning too but isn’t the best way to learn through play and hands on experiences?  I of coarse took that time in my life for granted and just wanted to grow up fast but some days I secretly wish I could go back (especially for just one afternoon of freedom)! 

I am attaching the form that I made for my kids as an example.  The blank form is the one you will want to use so that you can personalize it for your kids.  The third form is one that Carrie made last year and I love it too!  The goal is to create some structure while still letting your kids enjoy their summer break.  As a mom, I really like having a little freedom during the summer.  Your schedule doesn’t have to be set in stone but can be used as a guideline.  I worked in Family Home Evening (cooking will generally be to make the FHE treat and their assignment will be written in on the blank line each week), my Daily Focus and their music into our schedules.  I also decided every week we are going to try something new.  So, on Wednesdays we have reserved the afternoon for a summer outing to try out a place we have never been or even just a place we love but don’t go very often.  You may want to have your kids make a list of places they want to see or things they want to do and pick them out of a hat each week.

I printed out each child’s schedule on a different color and then laminated them so we could reuse them every week.  You can print them each week if you would like but laminating them makes life a little easier!   Be creative and have fun with it!  Create some lasting memories for your kids.  After all, they grow up so darn fast!

Summer Responsibilities Hunter

Summer Responsibilities – Blank[1]

http://blog.myheartandhome.com/?p=1054

I have taught a lot of classes and talked with a lot of women.  One of the biggest complaints that I hear is what do I do with all of my paper?  Step 7 addresses finances as well as paper clutter.  This is an area that we could all use some improvement in.  If your finances are a mess it could affect your relationships as well as your organization.  The first and most important tip is to be on the same page as your spouse!  Sit down and discuss what is happening with your money.   Remember this should be a calm and rationale discussion – no pointing fingers!  Even if you don’t pay the bills you should be aware of where your money goes.  This can be an eye opener for a lot of people.  Every household is different in how they handle their finances.  I have seen houses where the hubby takes on this responsibility (this is the way it works at my house – I hate money! ), there are many households where it is the wife’s responsibility and then there are those households where they have separate accounts.  You need to find what works for you but no matter what the situation, you both need to be aware of what is happening with your money each month!

Once you have discussed how you are going to handle the money and where you stand, it is time to discuss a budget.  A budget?  Yes, a budget.  This is a hard concept for some but an important one.  You may have different ideas on where your money should be spent.  Your husband may be one that likes a lot of toys.  You may enjoy a good day of shopping now and then.  If you are both spending like crazy and not consulting one another, you could get into trouble quickly!  If you have the money, be sure to allot each of you a little extra, if you don’t have the money, make sure you are both being more careful!  The best way to stay on top of your finances is to use cash.  When it is gone, it’s gone!  Use the old fashioned envelope system until you get an idea of how you spend your money.  Be sure to track all you spend too.  This will really help you to see where you need to cut back or where you need to put more money.

When you are planning your budget make sure you are saving.  Paying down debt is important too.  Once you pay something off put that money toward something else until you are completely out of debt.  Once you are out of debt the stress is gone and you can live how you want to without any guilt!

Once you have planned a budget you need a way to organize your finances.  I love the concept of a bill book.  This is one of my favorite things to talk about!  Filing cabinets can be big and you can lose things in them.  A binder is much easier to manage and keep track of.  To make a bill book you will need a 3″ binder (the D rings are very helpful), 21 file jackets (these are file folders that are enclosed on three sides and open at the top), labels (the large shipping labels or something a little larger would work great), 4X6 photo holders (these will serve as your envelopes), and the print outs that we are giving you in this post.  These go in the front of your bill book and are used for planning purposes and to keep track of your spending.

Bill Payment Schedule

Budget Sheet

Financial Goal Planner

To begin each file jacket should have a label.  The first 5 should be labeled Bills to be Paid, To be Filed, Taxes ____ (you put the year on the line i.e., Taxes 2010), Bank Statements and One Time Only Payments.  Each file jacket after that should be labeled with each account that you pay money to each month.  For example, the Power Company and all its information such as Company Name, address, phone number, account number, name of your contact there, when the bill is due, how it is paid and any other impertinent information.  You need to fill out a label for each bill you pay and put one on the front of each file jacket (see photos below for reference).

The photo holder is used for your cash system.  It takes the place of envelopes and allows you to keep everything in your Bill Book.  This is a great way to file your bills and control paper clutter.  When your mail comes into the house immediately put bills to paid in the right folder and you will get rid of half your paper clutter from mail! 

You will have 5 file jackets that look like this with the following labels Bills to be Paid, Bank Statements, One Time Only Payments, Taxes ______, and To be Filed.

The Bill Book is a fabulous place to start with finances and will help you get many things in your home organized from your bills (paper clutter) to your relationship with your spouse!  Good luck!