Anytime Holiday Memory Game!

I LOVE the HOLIDAYS!

Any excuse to CELEBRATE works for me!

The only time my house has decorations up . . .

is during the holidays!

We usually celebrate ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!

This game is perfect for ANY holiday!

It's the Holiday Memory Game.

Here it is:

(Cover)

(Cards Page 1)

(Cards Page 2)

Here's the PDF:
Holiday Memory Game PDF Packet

Instructions:

Copy

Cut Printed Cards and Black Cardstock

Attach the a Cover to each of the 24 Cards

Attach 2 of each Month to the Opposite Side

and

Laminate

NOTE:

If you print your game at Alphagraphics, they can

print on both sides of the paper so that you

don't have to use the cardstock inbetween.

More to Come!!!
The February Preparedness Challenge
Is On The Way!

My Gospel Standards Memory Game!

This is a fun memory game that will help to

TEACH and REMIND

your primary aged children

to follow the Gospel Standards!

Our ultimate goal is for our children to always be

TEMPLE WORTHY!

By teaching these important standards by

WORD and EXAMPLE

we can know that we did our part.

The Gospel Standards Are:

I Will . . .

Follow Heavenly Father's Plan for Me!

I Will . . .

Remember my Baptismal Covenants and Listen to the Holy Ghost.

I Will . . .

Choose the Right!  I know that when I make mistakes, I can repent.

 

I Will . . .

Be Honest with Heavenly Father, Myself, and Others.

 

I Will . . .

Use the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Reverently.

 

I Will . . .

Do those things on the Sabbath that will help me feel close to Heavenly and Jesus Christ.

 

I Will . . .

Honor my parents, and do my part to strengthen my family.

 

I Will . . .

Keep my mind and body Sacred and Pure!  I will not partake of things that are harmful to me.

 

I Will . . .

Dress Modestly to show respect for Heavenly Father and Myself.

 

I Will . . .

Only Read and Watch things that pleasing to Heavenly Father.

 

I Will . . .

Listen to music that is pleasing to Heavenly Father.

 

I Will . . .

Seek Good Friends and treat others kindly.

 

I Will . . .

Live Now to be Worthy to go to the Temple and do my part to have an Eternal Family.

Here's the PDF:

My Gospel Standards Memory Game PDF

To Make This Project You Will Need To:

Print the PDF

(I printed mine on Crack-n-Peel)

Cut out each of the cards.

Cut cardstock a little larger than the printed cards.

I used white cardstock, but black would also be cute.

(This will help to make the game more sturdy.)

Each cards will have a front and a back.

Attach the cards to the cardstock.

Laminate the cards and you're ready to play!

This game is a

GREAT ADDITION

to your

Conference Kit!

(Two posts down . . . one to go!)

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!

Preparedness Project - Kids Keepsake Boxes!

This one's an EASY one . . . but will keep you

from getting burried in the soon to be coming,

ever abundant school papers!

It's called a

Kids Keepsake Box!

This is what Curtis' box looked like at the end of last year.

We were able to weed it down to less than half of what you see.

All you need to make this SANITY SAVING Box is:

1 Sweater Tote and a Label.

This box will be used throughout the school year.

Art Projects, Assignments, and Pictures can be

collected in the box throughout the year.

The Keepsake Boxes can be stored under the bed,

on a shelf in the closet, in a locker at home, or in a cupboard.

Here are a few of the rules I set for myself when I was

trying to decide what to keep and what to let go.

#1:

If the paper is just a fill-in-the-blank assignment,

or an assignment that will produce the same results for

every child in the class,

LET IT GO!

#2:

If the artwork is too large to fit into an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet protector,

take a picture of your child holding the giant piece of artwork,

and then . . . LET IT GO!

Adding their cute smiles to their artwork will

make it priceless!

#3:

If you have more papers than will fit into the sweater box,

LET SOME OF THEM GO!

When my boys were little, they wanted to keep EVERY paper,

EVERY assignment, and EVERY piece of artwork

they ever did.  I let them keep as many as they wanted

until the end of the year (or until the box was full)

and then I had them choose their favorites.

 

It only takes a little while for too many school papers

to go from being a treasure to a pile of paper clutter.

Give them a place and then set limits!

#4:

If it tells a story about who they are, or shows their personality

on paper . . . it's a keeper for sure!

They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" . . . UNLESS

it's an original story written by your child.

I love to read the stories my children have written.

They make me laugh, cry, and most of all REMEMBER.

These are the pages you'll actually read again and again.

Pages like these help you to remember what they were interested

in at the time, and the best part of all, it lets you see their personality!

So if it tells a story . . .

KEEP IT!

#5:

Artwork makes great stationary for letters to

Grandparents, Missionaries, and Friends.

Have your kids write letters on the back and

SEND THEM ON THEIR WAY!

Grandma and Grandpa will love these masterpieces!

The rest of the pages can be added to your child's scrapbook

at the end of every year!

Get ready . . . It's almost time!

The paper will be here before you know it!!!

Ark Prep 101 - Follow Up for the Emergency School Bags!

Emergency School Bags

Follow Up!

I had some people who were interested in starting this

program in their schools and wondered where to start.

In order to start a program like this,

you have to start at the top.

The Principal is the first stop.

Explain the program and how it works.

The next stop would be with the PTA President.

Followed by the Teachers and Parents.

This topic would fall under the

Health and Safety department of the PTA

and would be a great activity to do during

Safety Week.

I have included a letter that could be sent to the

teachers as well as the parents.

The letters include a description of what the

Emergency School Bags are along with a contents list.

Here's the PDF for the Letters:

Emergency School Bags Informations Letters PDF

The Contents Lists are broken up into two lists.

The First List will be purchased in bulk to help save money

and to keep the contents of the bag equal in size and content.

Parents would be responsible for purchasing these items.

The Second List will be provided by the parents of the students.

I am checking the prices of the items in the first list.

I will post the best bulk prices I can find

along with the links to their websites.

I would like to see if I can keep the cost to under $5.00 per bag.

A $.50 fee would be included in the cost so that a class tote

can be purchased.  This will stay in the child's classroom and be

used to store all of the Emergency School Bags.

Hope that helps!

It might take a little bit of time to put together . . . but it will

be time well spent!

I would love to hear what you are doing in your schools

to help with safety and preparedness.

Family Activity - Back to School Shopping Dates!

One of our favorite

 Back to School Traditions

is a Shopping Date with mom and dad.

We take one boy at a time.

We go to their favorite stores, and take them out to lunch.

It's all about them!

A Few Things to Remember:

Set a budget with your child BEFORE you go.

This will help to make sure that they know the limits.

Make a of list of the things they need BEFORE you go.

I've included a blank Shopping List for you to use

if you would like.

Here's the PDF:

Back to School Shopping Lists PDF

BE PREPARED, they will have a lot of sales.

Stay focussed and remember to stay in your budget.

Teaching your children to stay in a budget

early on can be one of the best lessons they will

ever take with them into adult years.

Make it FUN

and

Don't Forget Your Camera!

This is a memory you'll definately want to add to your scrapbook.

Have a GREAT Time!