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- A Simple Hack To Get You Through The Crazy Busy Days (free printable)January 26, 2019Parenting can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed. Are you stressed by your hectic life? This simple hack will tame your to do list and get you through those crazy busy days. Life changes drastically after you have kids. I found it became anything, but simple. How about you? It is astonishing how one newborn (and all the stuff that comes with them) can introduce utter chaos into a home. All of a sudden you find yourself juggling multiple demands and routines. If you are working outside the home you have to figure out how to add that into the mix. A parent’s life is definitely not simple. Most parents probably feel something like this on any given day. Moving from overwhelm to peace Many years ago I discovered something that changed the way I did things. I was an overwhelmed Mom with a preschooler and a newborn. I was completely out of my depth. My family was thousands of miles away and I had very little support. I came home from the hospital with the new baby and got both boys down for a nap. Then I sat on a chair in the kitchen and sobbed quietly in despair. I convinced myself that I couldn’t give both my children the care they needed. One of them would die! I just knew it! I can look back at that moment of desperation and smile about it now, but at the time, I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t see any other outcome. In those sleep-deprived days of caring for a newborn and preschooler, I stumbled on a simple technique that helped me keep my sanity, get through the days and keep both my boys alive. Want to Know My Secret? I created a very short list of essentials. It was so short I didn’t even write it down. Feed everyone. Make sure everyone (including myself) was clean. Keep up with laundry and dishes. Show my love with lots of hugs and cuddles That was it! This very short list provided me with a minimum standard of care for the day. I figured if I washed, fed, and clothed everyone I was doing really well. No-one would die and we could manage. Adding in a bit of loving meant that everything essential was covered. A few months later, when everything was starting to settle down I added two more things Clean the Kitchen Clean the Bathroom That became my list for many years and it worked well. As my boys grew my bare essentials list grew to include a few other things, but I decided to keep my list as short as possible. Over the years I have kept my list of essentials. Yes it has changed and evolved with my circumstances, but it still forms the foundation of my schedule. The benefits of this list Helps set priorities (you do what is on the list first). Gives peace of mind. (The essentials are done). Gives us permission to put aside less important things. Gives me time to focus on what really matters, like spending time with those I love. Silences our inner perfectionist (When we’ve done the essentials that inner critic really has nothing to complain about.) I LOVE SILENCING MY INNER CRITIC!! You see how it works? It is my list that keeps things ticking over nicely. Many days I will do more than my essentials, but if I can’t that is okay. I can rest in the knowledge that what I have done is good enough for today. Sometimes people, deadlines, or commitments demand more of my time. On those days my list makes sure my life, job, writing business continues to run quite smoothly. It gives me peace of mind. How to create a list of essentials I thought to share my list but decided against it as everyone’s list of essentials differs. My list will not look like your list, because we have different priorities and that is okay. I have some friends who absolutely HAVE to make their bed every day. I don’t care about making my bed, so I walk away without a backward glance. However having a clean bathroom is an absolute must for me!! Making the bed is NOT on my list. Cleaning the bathroom IS on my list. There are no rules about this. There is no right or wrong way to set your list of essentials. Basically, this list represents the bare minimum you need to do in order to keep your life in order and your family alive and healthy. What are those things for you? Keep it short. The goal is to be able to complete this list without too much trouble each day/week. Even on the horrible, dreadful terrible days that we all have. Make sure you can complete your essentials without too much effort each day. Remember your list will change and evolve with your circumstances. Don’t forget that each family member can help with the list. In our house my partner has pretty well taken over cooking. I tend to do quick tidy ups and keep the bathroom wiped down. We both do the laundry and dishes. Exclusive Bonus (Free Printable) To help you I have created this free printable. It only has space for 6 items, so it is prefect for creating your list of essentials. You will notice that the boxes are exactly the right size for 2 x 2 inch sticky notes. You can buy those here or simply cut some larger ones to size. The great thing about using sticky notes is that you can change your mind or even have different lists for different days. Hint: You don’t have to use all the boxes. You cross off boxes like I did, or write an inspiring quote! What if I don’t have time for my essentials? Sometimes my list gets too long and I find I don’t have time to do everything. I know something needs to change when I can’t manage the essentials. It’s warning sign that I need to take a step back and evaluate my life. Do I need to simplify? Cut something out? Delegate? (I recently delegated one of my blog tasks to a virtual assistant. It has freed up several hours each week for me.) Stop trying to live up to what I see on Pinterest? Get your kids involved in taking on some of the simple tasks on your list? Do whatever it takes to make that list achievable on an everyday basis. Your List Will Keep You Sane My list of essentials was a lifesaver in those busy days of caring for baby and newborn. I hope you will find it a helpful technique. There is a great deal of peace in knowing that we don’t have to do everything all the time. There will be days when the stars align and you have the energy, and time, to tackle those tasks outside your list. Yay go for it! There may be days when you have loads of energy, the sun is shining and you would much rather go outside and enjoy the day with your family. Go right ahead. Your essentials are covered and besides you have done far more than you think. Some days we wonder why we even bothered to get out of bed. On those days your list of essentials will be the only things you can accomplish. And that is good enough for today! Now it’s your turn! I’d love to know. What is on your list of essentials? ...
- 8 Thoughtful Family Acts of Kindness For Valentine’s DayJanuary 19, 2019Here’s 8 acts of kindness for Valentine’s Day to help your kids practice being kind. Includes free printables, ideas, crafts, and loads of ideas. Help your family spread love and kindness and join our conspiracy of kindness with your kids. Every year when Valentines rolls around I find myself torn. On the one hand I love the idea of a day that celebrates love. On the other hand I feel increasingly uncomfortable about how consumer driven this event has become. Could we find a different way to share love on Valentine’s Day? Could we model a way of celebrating the day that helps our families offer the gift of love and kindness? I felt sure the answer was yes, so I wentt looking for ideas. I read through dozens of different acts of kindness for Valentine’s Day. These were my criteria They had to be Simple and practical ideas. Easy for younger children to do. There are no complicated crafts here! Fun for both parenst and kids. I’ve gathered together the very best ideas I could find. Some of these acts of kindness were not specifically for Valentine’s Day, but can easily be adapted. 8 Inspiring Acts of Kindness For Valentine’s Day 1. Send letters of appreciation As a family brainstorm a list of people that serve the community in ways that tend to go unnoticed. Folks like the hospital janitor, cashier at the store, or school secretary. Write and deliver notes of thanks. I love these tiny folded heart notes from Messy Little Monster. Adapt them by writing, “Thanks for everything you do.” 2. Babysit for some new parents Give the gift of time to new parents by offering to babysit on Valentine’s Day. It can be hard to carve out time together when you have a newborn and babysitting can be expensive. Invite your children to come with you. Our boys always enjoyed helping to look after young children. 3. Be kind to the earth The emphasis on material expressions of love tends to bring a lot of waste with it. Show some kindness for the environment by carefully considering how you might celebrate a waste free Valentine Day. Could you celebrate by spending time together doing something fun, or make gifts that use recycled materials? I have gathered together a number of eco-friendly Valentine’s Day over at Pinterest to help provide some inspiration . Two of my favorite ideas are this adorable Valentine garland made from recycled newspaper and these cute recycled crayon hearts . Related: 6 Eco-Friendly Classroom Valentines For Earth Loving Kids 4. Give Healthy Valentine Teats A big part of Valentine’s Day is candy. Don’t get me wrong I love chocolate and other sweet goodness. Still I am increasingly aware that too much sugar is not a good thing. In fact the over consumption of sugar is linked to a host of health problems. Why not mix in some healthy Valentine treats? These free Valentine fruit tags will bring a smile to any child’s face. Are you enjoying this post? Is it helpful? Please share it on social media! 5. Give fairly traded treats In recent years attention there has been a drive to raise awareness that children are forced to work in some cocoa farms. You can get more information about this issue here. As consumers we can choose where we spend our money. Buying fairly traded chocolate is a powerful way to send a message to the chocolate makers. Child labor is not acceptable and we will not support it. 6. Give to organizations that help families Celebrations such a Valentine’s Day can be hard for families going through hard times. Decorate a jar with hearts and use it to collect coins. Contact a local organization that reaches out to help families in your community and ask them what they need. These might include a women’s shelter, food bank, or refugee center. Go together as a family to buy and deliver the needed supplies. 7. Help the homeless Put together kindness bags to hand out to people in need. February can be a cold month for people of the streets. Kindness bags are fun to assemble and give out. Take the bags to a homeless shelter if you don’t feel comfortable handing them out. 8. Leave fun surprises for others to find I love these bright kindness clips from Happiness is Homemade. Challenge your kids find creative places to clip them and brighten someone’s day. Download and make these adorable bookmarks from Natural Beach Living. Take them down to the library and leave them in your favorite books as a surprise find for someone else. You may want to tell the library staff what you are doing first! Make up these smile it forward compliment cards from The Kid’s Activity Blog. Leave them in random places around your community for people to find. How creative can you be? Creating an action plan for your family Call a family meeting to talk about ways your family can spread kindness around for Valentine’s Day. You might start by watching this video from Kids For Peace. Explain that you want to do some acts of kindness for Valentine’s Day and brainstorm ideas. Ask: what could we do to show kindness this Valentines Day? Listen to your children’s ideas and write them down. Read through the ideas in this post and invite your kids to choose their favorites. Look through your list and choose one or two ideas. Take a look at what you will need to do. Make lists and schedule time to gather supplies, make crafts, and go out to spread kindness. Be generous in your praise and encouragement as your kids practice kindness. Related: 70 Positive Things To Say To Your Kids Valentine’s day can be a wonderful time for families. It is a time to make memories and affirm your love for each other. Adding in some acts of kindness will turn this day into a time of giving and that is great way to celebrate love. Want to save this post for later? Just pin the image below. Your Turn How will you celebrate February 14th with your children this year? Have you found ways to incorporate some acts of kindness for Valentine’s Day into this celebration? Please share your ideas in the comments below....

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