Address Cards!

Just thought I'd share

My Address Book!

Here it is...

Cover and Back Page

Emergency Contacts and Numbers Cards

Tabbed Alphabet Cards

Blank Address Cards

I cut the cards out and put them together with

C-rings.  I just punched 2 holes in the bottom.

I laminated the front and back covers.

You can also use a Roladex!

Just cut the cards and slide them onto the

Roladex runners!

Cute and Easy...Just the way I like it!

Here's the PDF:

Address Book Packet PDF

Pictures coming soon!

The 2012 Calendars Are Here!

Here they are....

the new 2012 Calendars!

Here's the PDF:

2012 Calendar Packet PDF

I'm still working on the Portrait Calendars.

My computer got it's yearly...

just in time for Christmas, VIRUS!

Posting has been a bit of a challenge

for the last week and a half.

Thank You for being patient....

especially with the Bingo Games.

They are my first priority!!!

Thankfully I had Backblaze and I didn't lose

any of my files.

Calendar Pages!

I know I totally missed getting the January calendar to you.

It was a CrAzY month for sure!

We completely packed up our house

so that we could replace the baseboards, carpet and paint.

(A necessity after having to tear out the cement in the basement!)
After a LONG WEEK and a HALF

we were finally able to unpack and start

trying to get back to a somewhat normal life
and then it happened . . .

my DSL line was fried in a power surge, fixed that
only to find that the first time I turned on the computer,
I just happened to download a virus
that completely killed it.
There was seriously NO CHANCE of
bringing the big fella back this time!
It was time for a replacement.
My Christmas present was a new computer . . . YAY!
The only problem,
my husband made me wait until Christmas to open it.
Bless his heart!
I truly believe he enjoyed every minute of it!
It's a good thing I'm totally in love with that cute guy!!!
Christmas FINALLY came and we hooked up the computer
as soon as we finished breakfast.
This would be the time I usually take a Christmas morning nap.
(My boys are early risers!)
With great excitement, I turned on the computer
only to find that it was time now for the monitor to die!
CAN YOU BELIEVE MY LUCK?!?
I finally got a new monitor and with the help of my
friend Valerie, we were ready to go . . .
at least that's what we thought!
After just two days of blogging bliss,
my modem went out.
Aaaahhhhhh!!!!!
All of this was happening while I was trying to unpack.
My husband and I did what we do whenever
we get a little stressed . . .
We took a drive around the neighborhood.
Little did we know,
this would be a ride that would change EVERYTHING!
We just happened to drive down the street to see the sunset
and our favorite view.
To our surprise, we noticed that our dream home
had a FOR SALE sign in front.
(My husband can spot a For Sale sign from a mile away!)
We did a quick u-turn just to make sure we
weren't seeing things.
IT WAS TRUE . . . OUR DREAM HOUSE
WAS FOR SALE!
We took a tour the next day.
We put a bid in a week later . . . it was a low bid,
but we just had to pretend to try.
TO OUR SURPRISE . . . THEY ACCEPTED OUR OFFER!
(There were 4 other bids and ours was not the highest.)
My husband and I were in a state of shock!
We had just redone our whole house
and this house is a lot smaller than our other house,
but the land . . . That Was The Deal Maker!
We signed on our new home January 21st!
TIME TO PACK AND UNPACK
ALL OVER AGAIN!
WHAT AN ADVENTURE!!!
So . . . to make a long story short,
that's why you didn't get the January Calendar pages
in January.
BUT NOT TO WORRY . . .
Here They Are:
(I'm hoping better late than never applies here!)











Here's the PDF:
2011 Calendar Packet PDF
Fill-In-The-Blank Calendar PDF:
2011 Fill-In-the-Blank Portrait Calendar Packet PDF
Woot . . . Woot!
Thanks for being so patient.
You're Absolutely Awesome!!!

Preparedness Project - Toddler Charts!

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, but it can also be

the best teaching tool we have as moms.

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

the COOLEST PEOPLE THAT EVER LIVED!

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 expected to read at birth!

Holy Cow . . . 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!

Here's the PDF for the Boy Set:

Toddler Charts - Boy PDF

Here's the PDF for the Girl Set:

Toddler Charts - Girl Packet PDF

Remember to work along side your toddlers.

They will love the extra attention!

It's the perfect time to

TEACH AND ENCOURAGE!

I created this artwork "JUST FOR YOU!"

For personal use in YOUR OWN HOME ONLY and NOT

for RESALE.  If you would like to share,

PLEASE refer them to THIS blog!

Thanks My Peeps!

(You're the BEST!)

Family Activity - Clean Room Relay!

Before we get started with today's

Family Activity . . .

I need to announce yesterday's

Twenty-A-Day Challenge WINNER.

The LAST contest winner is:

Stacy!
WOOOOHOOOOOOO!

Send me your address and I'll send you your PRIZE!

I'm mailing out all of the prizes on the same day

so if you haven't gotten yours yet . . . YOU WILL!

Thanks to EVERYONE who took the challenge.

I hope it has made your home a little less cluttered

and ready for some fun new ways to organize

the spaces in your home!

Today's Family Activity Is:

A Clean Room Relay!

We are on the final countdown before school starts

and having a clean room will make mornings, homework,
and everything else go so much smoother.

I love it when we can make everyday jobs seem like a game.
It's not always the first thing we try, usually because
we're exhausted just trying to keep up with everything
and everyone.
Before long we find ourselves getting into the nagging rut,
BUT when we get a little creative . . . great things can happen!
Mary Poppins was a PRO at this concept.
That whole spoon full of sugar thing was GENIUS!!!

The kids go to work without even realizing
what's happening!
I LOVE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!
Here's How It Works:

You will be given 8 Tasks.
Each task will be given one at a time.
After each of the tasks is completed
you will earn a number of points.
If you have small children you may want to:
Divide into two teams so that
you can help little ones with their assignments.
Each time a task is completed . . .
A treat can be given along with the points.
This will help to keep
interest and incentive throughout the relay!
Music always makes things more FUN as well.
Here are the Clean Room Relay Task Cards:
#1
Make My Bed
8 Points

 #2
Pick Up My Clothes
5 Points

#3
Pick Up & Put Away My Toys
(Or Other Out-Of-Place Items)
5 Points

#4
Take Out the Garbage
4 Points

#5
Straighten Dresser and Nightstand Tops
6 Points

#6
Spotwash Fingerprints and Doors
5 Points

 #7
Dust
5 Points

#8
Vacuum
6 Points

You may want to set up a little treat stand
or a mini store for the kids to spend the points they've earned,
or you can give small treats or privileges along the way
and have ICE CREAM CONES for the REWARD!
Here's the PDF:
Clean Room Relay Cards PDF

Have a great time
working and playing together.
Remember it's a game . . .
MAKE IT FUN!
Take pictures to add to your family scrapbook,
the evidence of smiling faces
will show just how much FuN working together can be!

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp!

My boys loved Dinosarus when they were little!

In fact, this picture reminds me of my boys in so many ways,

especially when they were supposed to be getting ready.

I would send them into the bathroom and the games would begin.

The same thing happened . . .

EVERY TIME!

They would goof off, wrestle, and tackle each other

even amist my constant reminding.

"Brush your teeth, comb your hair, stop touching him,

let go of your brother RIGHT NOW, get ready . . . pleeeaase!"

I felt like an auctioneer!

I finally found something that worked for the boys and for me.

SATURDAY NIGHT AT

THE DINOSAUR STOMP

was a fun upbeat song. 

The boys LOVED IT!

I noticed that the song lasted about as long as it would take for

my boys to do everything in their GET READY BOXES.

The song became our

"Get Ready Song"

We finally had a solution

that worked and it was FUN too!

When it was time for the boys to wake up for school

I would just turn on the music and wait for them

to race to the bathroom to get ready.

Mornings in my house became

a lot less stressful and tons more fun.

We were actually on time . . . at least 85% of the time!

(Being completely prompt is still a work in progress.)

There are a lot of songs out there that have a good beat.

Find one that gets everybody up and going

and give it a try!

Oh, and if you're wondering who the

WINNER

for

Tuesday's Twenty-A-Day Challenge Is:

It's Mel Blocks!!!

WaHOOOOOO you did it.

Send me your address and I'll send you your PRIZE!

A House of Order: Twenty a Day . . . Keeps the Clutter Away!

AAAAHHHHHH . . . the JOYS of CLUTTER!

It's one of the thing we can alway count on.

Some of us have . . .

Paper Clutter.

Some of us have . . .

Laundry Clutter.

Some of us have . . .

Dish Clutter.

Some of us have . . .

Craft Clutter.

Some of us have . . .

Toy Clutter,

And some of us have . . .

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Clutter Doesn't Sleep!

Once you let that bad rascal into your home,

it's just a matter of time before it completely takes over.

Here's a simple solution to help

CLEAR THE CLUTTER

and

RESTORE THE BALANCE

in your home.

It's the

TWENTY-A-DAY

System!

All you have to do is, get rid of 20 things

EVERYDAY.

The 20 things can be:

20 pieces of garbage, 

20 pieces of clutter,

OR

a combination of clutter and garbage.

Have your kids help you! 

You can make it into a game or a contest.

You will be surprised to see how fast this simple step

can make a difference in your home.

Start in the area you struggle with the most.

Remember:

The clutter didn't get there overnight.  Be patient and consistent.

With this system . . .

You'll be clearing the clutter WITHOUT having to

tear your whole house apart in the process.

So are you ready for the

CONTEST part of the post?!?

It's the 7 Day

Twenty-A-Day Challenge!

Each day you get rid of 20 items

you can add your name to the comment section of this post.

I will put the names into a hat and draw out 

THE WINNER OF THE DAY

each night at midnight.

You have to actually get rid of the 20 things

BEFORE you add your name.

You'll just feel guilty if you put your name before you do it!

IF you don't win the first day, don't give up . . .

The contest won't end until NEXT WEDNESDAY!

The PRIZES are . . .

5 - 10 Steps to Organized Work Books

and

2 - Vital Records Binder Tabs and Contents CD's!

Let the DeCluttering Begin!