5 Easy & Cheap Holiday Celebrations For Kids

Those that are on my Facebook know that my kids and I celebrate everything. If it’s a wacky holiday, we celebrate it! Life is too serious, doing this mom thing is exhausting, being a kid is stressful so this helps lighten the week and gives them something to look forward to! Most of these things don’t cost much money or can be done with things you already have! With the holiday season fully underway, I wanted to share some ideas with you!

1. Grinch Party: This is one of the kids favorite things we do! We make grinch floats (Green sherbet and 7 up) and pop in the Grinch movie! You could add other green foods to make it a snack and float night so you get out of cooking supper! Winner!
2. Christmas Light Adventure: Surprise the kids with a ticket (can make on a word document) to be turned in as they enter the vehicle. Have them wear pajamas, slippers and bring their blanket. You could make or stop for hot chocolate to share, pop on some Christmas music and head out to find the best Christmas light displays! When the kids were younger, I had a scavenger hunt we used one year, could also do a make-shift bingo for them to cross off if they see a Santa, reindeer, etc. Pop in a Crockpot meal that morning and supper can be ready when you get back!
3. Baking Party! Grab all the ingredients for your holiday baking and put them to work! This doesn’t seem much like a party, but adding party to it sounds more appealing to them and the kids are more excited to help out! Turn on the Christmas music station, have the kids decorate boxes to put their goodies in- this will become one of your favorite memories! Fun Fact: December 18 is National Bake Cookies Day.
4. December 9 is National Christmas Card day! As much as we all want to send out the perfect Christmas Card, have the kids decorate the card or the envelope! Grab the Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon and use that to get some cute things for the kids to decorate cards with. Check with nursing homes or hospitals to see if your kids could send some to the residents there. Getting nice snail mail is becoming a lost art, this will be a great teaching moment! I love this idea from Octavia & Vicky on easy kid Christmas Cards.
5. Advent: Jesus is the reason for the season! There are so many wonderful ideas on Pinterest for Advent ideas. This kid-friendly Advent idea from Jen at “Being Confident Of This” is the one we did last year! It was a lot of fun!

 

Here’s a FREE list for you to save to your phone! 

This season is all about making memories. Each year that my oldest gets closer to graduation the more I realize that these beautiful memories will someday be replaced with kids coming home from college, future son/daughter in laws and grandbabies. I want to grab as many memories as I can with my kids while they are still little.

If you have fun traditions that you do each year, comment below or head over to my Facebook page   here   to share with me! I’d love to hear them!

Mud Puppies and Driving Lessons

This weekend we spent wrapping up farm work. The wagons have been congregated to one area, the combine was hosed off and put away, the sounds of the chopper and the ripper still can be heard. The littles spent time helping dad around the farm doing odds and ends that have been abandoned during the peak of harvest. Here’s a recap from this weekend:

1. As a stay at home mom that works from home, it’s really hard to get a moment to yourself. When the husband offers you alone time, even if it means in a tractor going in circles for hours, you take it! There’s something peaceful about just being out there, alone, with bare ground and blue skies. I actually get a moment to think, to breathe and to sing as loud as I want along with the radio. It’s amazing how a few hours of serenity can calm your soul.
2. Mister has a new pet, a tiger salamander or “mud puppy” as we call them. It’s slimy, gross and keeps staring at me. I am so thankful that he has a huge loving heart for all living things but this reptile is causing my blood pressure to go through the roof. I keep reminding myself that Mister will only be little for so long, this stage is temporary… right?
3. Back to farm wife duties, I did drive the tractor on the road for the first time. Let’s be honest, I’m actually a great driver, I am accident free but that’s also because I avoid ackward parking situations (such as parking by too many cars, tend to stick next to safe zones like the cart racks, don’t really drive in big cities, and don’t get me started on parallel parking) and I drive a mini van. I sound like a 80 year old. Driving a tractor is a whole new ball game. Other drivers do not care that you’re on the road despite that you’re much bigger than they are. Naturally in the short drive I had to take I encountered a semi and a car. The worst was pulling into the farm yard. I knew that if I hit the chopper on anything I was good as dead. Long story short, it was terrifying. In my normal day to day activities, I don’t really do much that gets the adrenaline pumping like it did on that gravel road in the tractor. I did it, I didn’t wreck. It was a smile reminder that I can do things that are not in my comfort zone, I am able to learn new things, and the next time I need to pull the tractor into the farm yard that I will call my husband!!

Word Of The Year

Word fuel… it’s my jam. I’ve always been a “word junkie”. My Pinterest boards are full of quotes, affirmations, positive words, and fun lingo. I’m also a simple person. When I first heard of a “Word of the Year” a few years ago, I of course loved it! One word.. I can totally handle that! Here’s how it works…

The concept: Pick a word or phrase that will help be your focus for the year. Something simple. Something that sparks inside you. Something that will be your compass to keep you on your path throughout the year.

How to decide: What is something that you really want to get out of this year? What do you want to actually be? Do you need to do more of something, or perhaps less of something? To live life more intentional, what do you need to accomplish? Is there a mindset you need to develop, or fear you need to overcome?

How to use it: Add it to your journal, post it on your closet door to see each morning, post it to bathroom mirror, put it on phone background, in your planner, buy a shirt with the word on it, monogram a bag (good excuse to get a new bag! hehe), use it as the center of your dream board, or add it to your computer home screen. Create a Pinterest board full of things relating to that word. Little reminders that you can put everywhere to remind you of that word!

My 2017 word: Revive. 6 letters make up a word that is going to fuel my year. I chose this word right away. I needed a word that was going to define how I wanted my year to end, a complete revival. I am heading into the number 35 in years I’ve been alive. To me, it’s not a pretty number. I know that I want to feel totally different as I head into that number at the end of the year. I’ve been a mom for a super long time. I’ve focused on motherhood more than I have myself, for a super long time. Here’s what I want…

• Mind: Stress is eating my brain. Have you seen the quote about your brain is like a computer with a million tabs open. That’s legit. We have so much to remember, schedules to work out, add tiredness to it, that equals exhaustion. We, okay maybe me, can’t be thinking as clearly as we want. Instead of my mind being full of open tabs, I want to be mindful of what I do, make clear decisions, have peace when I go to bed at night so I can sleep without thinking of the 200 things I forgot to do that day.
• Faith: He restores my soul! Need I say more?!
• Body: To be healthier. To remember food is fuel. I’m the only one that can take care of this body, I need to do so.
• Business: Be my version of success, not someone else’s. Focus on work when it’s time. Not let it consume my day or my family time. Work hard, play hard. Continuing to offer what I can as a service to others.

Finally.. I will be sharing in the future how I use my word and what changes I implement. I am hoping that I can revive myself to feel good and to be the best mom/wife I can be! Let me know your word of the year below, I’d love to see what you pick!

 

 

 

Preparing For Back To School!

July is almost over, can you believe it? Soon the days will become shorter, our tans will fade, school will be starting and we will be finding ourselves back into a new routine.

As the end of July comes to a close, now is a perfect time to start preparing for August. Here’s some tips for what we as moms can be doing now to prepare for the August rush:

1. Decide bedtimes now. You may not start them yet, but letting your children know what time they will be going to bed can save you an argument in a few weeks. My children will all be in school, but different schools. We adjusted bedtimes based on that. I also let my oldest who will be going into High School what her curfew will be.
2. Designate homework spots. This will apply to all of my children. My high schooler will need a spot away from everyone to do studying, my middle schooler will need somewhere close to mom to work and my preschooler just needs to be aware that when the girls are there.. he is not. Those spots will also have a basket of supplies such as scratch paper, highlighters, pencils, scissors, glue stick, index cards and a calculator.
3. Decide a filing system. The first day of school the kids come home tossing papers around. With 3 kids- papers get misplaced easily! I set up a command center with folders so as soon as they come home, their papers go in there for me to go through. I’ll sign what needs to be signed and check homework after supper. This is a huge chaos repellent! haha!
4. Decide chores. Let them know what sort of chore system you’ll be using and get in the practice now. During the summer my children have more chores than normal. School time they’ll only have 1 or maybe 2 short ones.
5. Go through their clothes! This is one I dread! Have them go through drawers, closet, and under bed to get an inventory of what they’ll be needing so you’re not overspending. Nothing like buying 5 new pairs of jeans to find out their’s 6 pairs in her drawer already that she “forgot” about!

School time can be so crazy. There’s a lot to do! Starting now and preparing can help alleviate some of that chaos down the road. Now for my bloggers/direct sellers/wahm’s, I have some tips for you as well!

1. Get your planner ready! Map out things that need to happen such as team meetings, retreats, conferences, etc. This way when you get the basketball schedule, you won’t be surprised, you’ll know what’s going on!
2. Plan your work hours as well as your NON work hours. For me, the hours of 4-8pm are the busiest. So much to get done in 4 short hours before bed. My phone will be on silent so I can spend that time with my kids. Instead of working now whenever I can find time, in the fall I’ll be setting morning office hours. Adjust your schedule as you need… just set some hours AND communicate them!
3. A new season is ahead. Whether it be your products changing or your blog posts changing to focus on a different season, start brainstorming ideas. Once school begins it’s hard to remember every single thing. Think about starting a brain dump journal next to your bed or on the table to jot things down as you think of them.
4. Think of adding some technology on your phone to help juggle the roles of being a work at home mom such as adding in an app like Cozi. This way in between picking kids up you can glance at your phone and see that you need to pick up dishwasher tabs and milk on the way home. You can also use the calendar option to color code who’s doing what when.
5. Use time such as waiting at the school to pick kids up to do some social media posts, scopes, or quick videos. Take your brain dump journal with you and implement some of those ideas you’ve had! I have an office-on-the-go bag that I have worked out of all summer. I’ll continue to do so in the fall!

I hope some of these tips are helpful! This next week is a great time to start fresh and plan what you want to happen. It’s a transition for kids to go back to school… but it’s also a transition for the moms! If you need more help preparing for school time, make sure you email me or you are more than welcome to join my Facebook Community by clicking HERE.

10 Tips to Stockpiling

One question I get frequently is about my stockpile. If you haven’t watched my Youtube video on this… CLICK HERE. I’ve also listed out 10 tips to consider when beginning your own stockpiling adventure!

1. Don’t buy it unless you’ll use it. There’s a big difference between stockpiling and ending up on Hoarders! If you use cream of mushroom soup a lot, then stock up! If you only use chicken broth for soup in the winter, don’t buy as much. Be smart about your purchases.
2. Think about what food typically goes on sale that month. There’s a lot of charts out there that give this info away.
3. Freeze fresh summer fruits for the winter. There’s nothing like blueberry muffins on a cold January morning!
4. Tonight we had leftover ham, I froze it up into packages that will be used later for breakfast muffins and scalloped potatoes.We could eat the leftovers this week, but I’d rather stick to my meal plan and incorporate those into the future.
5. Think about if stocking up on it would be the cheaper route, or if making it yourself would be better. Take laundry soap for example, paired with coupons you can get a fair price, but making it yourself is much cheaper.
6. Set aside some extra cash just in case something goes on a 1-day sale. You’ll always be prepared for those. Sometimes if you go early enough to the grocery store they’ll have some meat marked down. This will help you be ready for those awesome specials.
7. Decide a system for your freezer. This is one area that can trick you in your meal planning. It’s easy to forget what is all in there! Print out a cute printable or use a dry erase marker to keep track of what’s all in there.
8. Decide a system for your other non-perishables. You’ll want to rotate them by expiration date. Oldest first. Beginning of the month pull out what will be expiring soon so you can use it up.
9. Have good storage. Find a place that’s cool. That way you can store extra potatoes, onions, etc down there as well. Storage shelves are ideal. My husband built what I’m using now.
10. Buy bulk, but be smart about it. You really need to watch your bulk prices. Sometimes buying bulk isn’t the best option. Also, you’ll have to consider storage for these items as well. I buy bulk baking ingredients the most. I have a container in my storage that holds the bulk and mason jar canisters for what’s in my pantry. Easy to refill. I take a trip to the Amish each spring and Fall to stock up on those ingredients.

I hope this helps give you  more tips on creating a stockpile. If you have more, please feel free to ask! As always, you’re more than welcome to join my Facebook community to get even more tips on being organized, meal planning, time management. Join here!

Summer Party: Kid edition

Summer is here! What better way than throwing a party to celebrate!

My 2 youngest have been spending all of this month in tow to my oldest daughter’s softball games. It hasn’t exactly been their ideal summer plans but they’ve handled it well. Unfortunately, my oldest has suffered some injuries the last week so while she is healing, I thought it’d be a great time to do something for the littles!

I didn’t want to go crazy on spending a lot of money on this party, so a lot of what I used was things we already had. Best part was we didn’t have to leave the house! Here’s an over view of our fun:

1. We made fun popsicle crafts. Everything was from our crafting area. I thought the kids did a great job making their own unique popsicles!
2. Mister picked out some real popsicles to enjoy after our craft. These were on sale and delicious!
3. Blue kool-aid was mixed up for their drink “Pool Water”
4. They built sand castles. Middle did a great job being creative! Mister basically made a cave for his dinosaurs and shark.
5. We put on some tunes, and jumped into the pool. Clothes and all!
6. Daddy got out the garden hose for his famous “redneck water slide”. The kids love it. The end of the slide turns into a huge mud puddle which excites them even more!
7. We also had some snacks set up. We had beach balls (cheese balls) and made sand pudding (vanilla pudding with crushed vanilla wafers on top).
8. To end the fun party we watched Finding Nemo and had a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn from our popcorn maker! This old wash bin was what my mother in law used for her children, now it’s been passed to us. The kids all love picking their own toppings for their bowl.

It was a great (frugal) party for the 2 little ones. They really enjoyed it and had fun even if it was at home. As moms, it’s so important for us to take a break from life and just go have fun with our kids! I hope you find time to do the same!

Surviving Ball Season With Littles!

Sitting back relaxing in the sunshine watching a ball game sounds like the perfect way to spend an afternoon….. except when you have littles in tow! That quiet peacefulness of a ball field quickly turns to screaming children who are starving and bored!

My oldest’s ball schedule has consumed the month of June. We have had games every day, many traveling, along with quite a few double headers. My middle and little don’t quite care for softball or the idea of sitting for quite a few hours in the sun. My oldest has played ball since she was in preschool. Middle and Little have grown up with their summers being spent at the field, but that doesn’t make things any easier!

First of all, what do we take to the field? 

We take our large utility tote, a thermal cooler, blanket and chairs. Our thermal only takes up part of our tote, so it is easy to carry. The other section of the tote holds the accessories such as bug spray, sun screen and toys. This summer I tried a few different things that little has enjoyed such as play-dough (which he plays with on a $1 cookie sheet), little spritz bottles (perfect for hot days), little play-dough toys that he uses also in the dirt, play tweezers, bug net, a small back pack with random small toys such as tractors and bulldozers, and also some bubbles (which you need to make sure aren’t getting blown toward the field as it becomes a quick distraction to the outfielders- SQUIRREL!).

The Iowa heat is smoldering. We’ve had to endure the heat and humidity much earlier than normal this month. We made a make shift tent with the blanket, it did work well. We also have tried using umbrellas but that was tricky to keep in one spot. Today we took his little play tent and it blew all over. There wasn’t much air movement in there either so we will stick to the make shift tent for now!

Finally, probably the most important item to take to the ball field is food! Unfortunately, I don’t have a big list of fancy picnic meals for you just because my kids aren’t fans of that. Here’s some food they DO enjoy though!

1. Gummy worms (just make sure they go in their mouths versus melting in a bag!)
2. Yogurt cups. Can add fruit, granola, or crushed cookies to them for variety
3. String cheese
4. Meat, cheese and cracker combos.
5. Sandwiches in all forms. Kids can get sick of them quick so switch it up with getting a sandwich cutter (Dollar Tree!) or a press that takes the crust off. It’s amazing how changing the shape makes it more appealing!
6. Frozen grapes. I am convinced they are the best way to cool down.. and quickest!
7. Protein balls or granola bars
8. Watermelon! Don’t forget the wet wipes though!
9. Make popcorn ahead of time. Add some nuts or m&ms to it to switch it up.
10. When all else fails, take some light snacks and prep a crock-pot meal for when you’ll be home! Sometimes the kids are just over it. By the time you get back home you all will be ready for some food and a nap!

I love watching my daughter play ball, more so loving watching her fully engulfed in what she loves to do. As my kids get older, they both will find their own passion. For now, I just need to help keep them entertained and out from under those bleachers! Seriously… why is under there so appealing? Yuck! haha

I hope that you found some ideas to help keep your littles entertained while you’re out doing something that they may not fully enjoy. Do you have any meals or activities that your littles enjoy? Share below!

As always, you’re more than welcome to join my facebook community, Organized Chaos, click here to join! I’d love to have you!

With love, Shaya

 

 

Going offline, what I learned!

The average American can spend up to 11 hours a day using technology including TV, radio, computer, phone, game systems, and dvd players. 11 hours!!! That is almost half our day! No wonder our brains are exhausted, we are constantly multi-tasking, forgetting important events, and missing special moments with our children!

Last week I had enough. My husband saw it coming. My level of stress had been pushed way beyond the threshold. I told him for Mother’s Day, I would be perfectly fine with being dropped off at a dead end road for the weekend, just be sure to come back on Monday to get me. Stress can do terrible things to a body. It can cause headaches, body aches, fatigue, blood pressure issues, stomach issues, menstrual problems, back aches and just create an unpleasant attitude! I am a busy mom, I have a lot on my plate. I can usually hold it all together pretty well (at least I think) but there always comes a time where we just need to unplug. That’s where I was…

Instead of dropping me off at a dead end road, my husband decided to take us all camping for Mother’s Day weekend. It was absolutely what I needed. Here’s what I learned..

1. Hold hands with your children. The little hands that used to wrap around my finger as we crossed the street are now growing to just under the same size as my own hands. They still grip as tight as they once did as toddler hands.

2. There is something so serene in walking through a bed of wild flowers. As young girls, my daughters would have picked a few to take back home and even put some in my hair. This time we just admired their beauty (and smell) and looked at how they were used. FACT: Bluebells used to be used as a diuretic. The sap from the plant was also used as an adhesive.

3. Catching a toad straight from the lake takes team work. Yet watching a 4 year old show that toad love, wanting to build it a home, constantly checking on it to see if it’s alright shows the love and tenderness his little heart already has.

4. Quiet moments alone with my husband don’t happen near as often as they should. We don’t have a lot of time for dates, we never have. Each year as our children get older, we find a few more extra minutes to be alone. This weekend the children snuggled together for a bedtime movie and as a couple, we just sat next to the fire enjoying the company. It’s hard to imagine what life will be like as our children are grown, but we need to make more moments with each other now.

5. I forgot my hair comb, bobby pins, skipped my normal shower day, wore a sweatshirt that smelled like campfire and no one cared! No one! Not even me!

6. We made more memories this past weekend than we could ever imagined. There is no evidence of them as they happened on Facebook. There is no hashtag associated with the pictures, there is no check-in’s associated to them, here is no likes anywhere, no tags. Just pure, raw memories stored in our own personal storage box. To be honest, it was nice to have people actually ask us how our weekend went versus liking or posting on an album of photos.

7. I have no idea what happened in other people’s lives that weekend. I don’t know what was trending nor any newsworthy information. When Monday morning came, I had no desire to go back and check either. I had enough excitement of my own, I didn’t care what was happening elsewhere.

8. I shut off my notifications…. and I survived! My phone does work without it constantly beeping, chirping, buzzing and lighting up! My battery level lasts a lot longer as well!

9.So much of what I do, we do as a society, is based on social media. My job is on social media, as are my customers, team, friends and more. I can’t give that away totally but I can control when I am on it, setting some limitations, and knowing when I’ve had enough. I do think there has to be a healthy balance. Shutting off during our busy evening routine, shutting off for meals, putting it away during conversations, leaving groups that you don’t participate in, unfriending/following people who you don’t actually converse with or that may be draining to follow are all things that can help!

10. Finally, my babies are growing up. They are becoming their own unique individuals with their own needs. One thing remains.. they need their mom at face value. They deserve my full attention, not partial. They deserve those moments with me. They deserve those deep conversations as they get older.  They only get one childhood.

In closing, I’ll share a collage of how our “Offline” Weekend went. I encourage you to look at how you spend your time online and with your children. An offline weekend will be happening more often in our home. Maybe it is something you need to incorporate as well. Your mind, soul, body, and family will thank you!

 

 

 

5 things I need as a mom!

Mother’s Day is approaching this weekend. I wanted to share some of my favorite things that I need as a mom!

 

Let’s move left to right.

1. A white board is great for many reasons. It can serve as a menu showing your children what’s for supper. It can be used for math problems. It can be used to update your family on the week’s events. In my house we use one right by the door as a family command center. On my board you’ll often see chores for the kids, last minute reminders for my husband, a reminder to me that we are out of dog food or that there’s a softball meeting Thursday. For a few dollars, along with a nail, it’s become a very important  object in our kitchen!
2. Label Maker. This little machine comes in handy to help label things as my little grows. You’ll see it used on light switches in my kitchen, in my binders, around my office, on sippy cups, and used to label jars. For under $20 it is a great tool to have!
3. Pink Zebra simmering pot and sprinkles. There is nothing like coming home on a cool fall evening to the smell of warm apple pie or spring cleaning and the house smells like fresh laundry with a hint of sunflower fields! Smells can affect our moods. If the day was stressful, some lavender will help. If you need to wake up, try some lemon sage. If I have company coming last minute and I don’t have time to clean, I’ll add in some Turquoise Waters. You get the idea. There’s nothing like a good smelling home! (To order or request a sample- see my bio!)
4. A good, soft, fluffy robe! Matched with a warm shower (without kids distracting you), followed by a Hallmark movie would be ideal! 🙂 Hint, hint if the husband reads this!
5. Finally, a good notebook. Notebooks keep our to-do lists, grocery lists, random phone numbers, reminder to call the school, occasional water tracking, and beautiful doodles while we talk on the phone. It can also be a spot of freedom for us to write our thoughts down. As young women, we loved the thought of a diary. Why not do that again? It can be a safe spot to vent, to write feelings out, to share celebrations, write out our worries, and remind us of all the crazy things that come out of our children’s mouths. It can be something to look back at when our children aren’t so little any more.

 

In closing, I think that we can all agree the #1 thing that we want as mothers is to feel appreciated. We do all things in love, as our job, without asking for things in return. Our role as a mother is tiring, emotional, a roller coaster, full of blessings, occasional heartbreaks, doubting, fearful, happy, and sometimes this is all in one day! So in case you don’t hear it this week…. YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!

 

With Love… shaya

15 Fun Spring Bucket List Ideas

Spring is in full force! The sun is shining, birds are chirping and the kids need OUT of the house! Some fresh air is jus what they need, mom included! Here’s 15 fun ideas I’ve compiled for you to use with your family!

So simple, yet so fun! I hope these inspire you to get outside this Spring Season and make memories with your children! Being a work at home mom, it’s so important to take time out with my family and just live in the moment! Comment below with some things that will be on your bucket list!

As always, you’re more than welcome to head over to Facebook land and join my amazing community where you can get more tips on keeping your life, family, and sanity organized! Click here to join me!

Blessings… Shaya