All of my kids need my help at one time or another so sending them to their rooms to finish homework just isn’t an option.  We set up a homework table in the back of the living room but with three of them working at the same time, attention was a definite issue.  So I came up with this cheap and easy hack to help them stay focused.

Designed from a squishy memory foam, these ear plugs adjust to any size ear.  I love them because they don’t block all sound.  They just muffle the sounds enough so my kids can ignore the distractions around them yet still hear me when I need to get their attention.

They work for me too.  When I really need to focus on a project I’ll send the kids to the toy room and pop a pair of these in my ears.  They don’t block out all the sound (I can still hear if someone is in trouble or if they come into the room to tattle on each other) but they block out all the random kid chatter, allowing me to dedicate my attention and get my job done quickly.

I’ve even used them with my newborns to help them sleep during church or on airplanes (I trimmed them with scissors first).  ***I’m offering this tip with real reservation because I know a bunch of you will stress out and tell me about the all horrible choking hazards I am exposing my children to.  Trust me, when you’re managing five kids on a plane, those ‘risks’ will seem a lot less hazardous. Just please be smart and don’t use these on a child that has the dexterity to pull them out of their ears or trim them so small that the plugs can get wedged in the ear canal.

I’m sure you can find these plugs in virtually any pharmacy or supermarket.  I buy mine at WalMart (near the contact lens cases) for $1.49 per pack.  I hope you enjoy the muffled peace and quiet this tip may bring.  ;)  Just thought I’d pass it on.

It’s called Stack the States and it’s the new favorite at our house.  Here’s the abbreviated description from the app store…

Stack the States makes learning about the 50 states fun! Watch the states actually come to life in this colorful and dynamic game!  As you learn state capitals, shapes, geographic locations and more, you can actually touch, move and drop the animated states anywhere on the screen. Carefully build a stack of states that reaches the checkered line to win each level.

You earn a random state for every successfully completed level. All of your states appear on your own personalized map of the United States. Try to collect all 50! As you earn more states, you begin to unlock the three free bonus games: Pile Up, Puzzler and Capital Drop. Four games in one!

My kids totally love this game.  We downloaded it for the iPad first and then again on my iPhone.  In my opinion it offers a perfect balance of learning, fun, and achievement.  Each kid has their own profile and map (the game offers up to six) which adds a fun element of sibling competition to the game.  I told them they could earn a half an ice cream sandwich for each ten states they earned on their map.  They’ve been working at it for a few days now and they’re all up in their 30′s or 40′s.

There’s a free version called Stack the States Lite that will give you a good preview but the $.99 full version is well worth the price.  C’mon less than $1 to get your kids to want to study the states?  How can you beat that?  Just thought I’d pass it on.

How about you?  What fabulous finds have you come across this week?  Feel free to link up in the comments area below.

*My handsome, tech-savvy husband is traveling for his job for two weeks at a time.  Unfortunately for us, that means my linky party will have to be put off until he’s in town long enough to fix it for me.  For those of you that are hoping to link up – I promise I’ll keep working on it!

‘Cooler’ Cold Lunches Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

You’ve probably been there.  You’re helping your child study for a test and find that the same spelling word manages to stump him over and over again.  You find yourself shouting out “don’t forget, coach is spelled with an OA and globe is spelled with an OBE ” as you drop him off at school on test day – hoping one last reminder will make it stick in his head.  Unfortunately for me, spelling tests happen at the end of the day and my morning reminders are long gone by then.  I could just leave a note in his lunchbox, I suppose, but that would be so ordinary.  It’s much more fun to write it on his lunch instead.

When my kids have a big test I try to give them an edible study sheet in their lunch.  I pick the two or three questions that they’ve been struggling with and incorporate the answers into their meal.  That way they have one more quick reminder before they take their tests.  Whether it’s the capital of Wisconsin or the name of the 16th president – a little bit of marker goes a long, long way.  Plus, since their classmates are usually taking the same tests that day it’s a win-win for everyone at the table.

Of course you could use the markers for other stuff too.  Write a joke, draw a picture, or give them a riddle to solve.  Anything goes.  It’s an easy way to add a little excitement to an otherwise dull, test-ridden day.

Just remember, the markers work best on smoother surfaces.  Here are a few things we’ve tried at our house with good success: bagels, tortillas, wraps, cheese cubes, pancakes, even the inside of Oreos.  I found my orange and black Wilton food markers at Michael’s on the halloween food end cap (by the cupcake sprinkles and cookie cutters).  The other colors came with a color-a-cookie kit I found at Target in the bakery section for less than $5 (complete with 4 hello kitty cookies to color).  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Want to see the rest of the posts in this series?  Click the links below.

Mini-Tip 1: Bite-Size Baggies

Mini-Tip 2: Sneaky Sandwiches

Mini-Tip 3: Stick It to ‘Em

Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast

Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  So why limit it to the morning hours?  My kids love it when I pack breakfast for lunch.  We’ve done bagels, pancakes, yogurt parfaits.  This is one of their favorites…

Yep, cold cereal.  Don’t ask me why they think this is so cool, but they love it.  I pack a big container of their favorite cereal and a spoon and then buy a cold milk carton from school.  Talk about easy.  My only rule is that they can’t have cereal twice in one day.  If they want a cereal lunch then they need to have a protein-rich breakfast like scrambled eggs or wheat peanut butter toast.

Here’s another popular breakfast for lunch option…

I simply toast up Eggo waffles or grab some leftover homemade waffles from the fridge and stick them in their lunch box containers with a baggie of syrup.  At school they tear the waffles into strips and dip away.  Again, I try to give them a little protein by packing some trail mix on the side or a few sliced apples with peanut butter.  See?  I told you these were easy tips.

Just one more mini-tip to go and it’s one of my kid’s favorite cool lunch tricks.  You won’t want to miss it!  I’ll try to get it up for you tomorrow.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Want to see the rest of the posts in this series?  Click the links below.

Mini-Tip 1: Bite-Size Baggies

Mini-Tip 2: Sneaky Sandwiches

Mini-Tip 3: Stick It to ‘Em

Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast

Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

What’s true for state fairs is also true for cold lunches…any food is better if it comes on a stick.  Don’t ask me why, but in the eyes of kids, skewering something with a toothpick suddenly changes it from humdrum to totally fun.  I think it makes them feel fancier somehow…like they’re having appetizers off a silver platter rather than ordinary foods from a lunch box.

In fact, to up the fanciness one notch, I use these crystal toothpicks in my girl’s lunches (my son is far too manly – he gets the regular sandwich kind).  My mom found them in the clearance section of Bed, Bath & Beyond ($6 for a pack of 48).  Aren’t they cute?  As a bonus, they’re made of plastic so they can be rinsed and reused time and time again.

I use them for anything from grape kabobs to mini sandwich skewers (cut with small cookie cutters).  Lately I’ve made a few Lunchables knock-offs and added toothpicks just for fun.  I cut a few slices of turkey and cheese into squares with a pizza cutter after dinner and had the kids skewer them.  I stored them in the fridge and then threw in some ritz crackers the next morning before school.  So easy!  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Two more min-tips to go (are you sick of this topic yet?).  Thanks for all your comments, guys.  It’s great to know I’m not alone in my efforts to kick my hot lunch habit.

Speaking of food on a stick…here’s a pic of me (and my little guy) enjoying a delicious ‘Ear of Carmel Corn’ at the Eastern Idaho State Fair last week.  I guess my kids aren’t the only ones drawn in by the “stick it to ‘em” strategy.

Want to see the rest of the posts in this series?  Click the links below.

Mini-Tip 1: Bite-Size Baggies

Mini-Tip 2: Sneaky Sandwiches

Mini-Tip 3: Stick It to ‘Em

Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast

Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

My oldest son, Jack, loves peanut butter & honey sandwiches.  He would eat them everyday if I let him.  He’s not a big fan of wheat bread, however.  To give him a little boost of whole grain but still give him the softness he loves, I meet him halfway.  I use one slice of wheat and one slice of white.

I also use big cookie cutters to trim off the crusts.  I know what you’re thinking - a good mom would make him eat every crumb of that crust because there are starving children somewhere who would be grateful to have it (can you hear your mother’s voice in your head?).

This bugged me for a while too…until I realized that by cutting off the crusts my kids were about 99% more likely to actually eat the sandwich.  Since my goal is to get the food into my kids and not into the trash – the cookie cutter compromise works for me.  Plus, I can use the shapes to send a message.  This ‘good luck’ shamrock sandwich went with my daughter on the day of her big vocabulary test.

If you can’t bring your self to pitch the crusts you can still make a cool framed sandwich.  Just flip the shape over and wedge it back into sandwich.  The white side will act as a border for the wheat shape.  I found a huge selection of big cookie cutters at Hobby Lobby for just under $1 each.  More tips to come soon…just thought I’d pass it on.

Want to see the rest of the posts in this series?  Click the links below.

Mini-Tip 1: Bite-Size Baggies

Mini-Tip 2: Sneaky Sandwiches

Mini-Tip 3: Stick It to ‘Em

Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast

Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

This year I decided to save myself some cash and keep my kids a little healthier by becoming a cold lunch Mom – not your average pb&j in a sack Mom mind you, but a fun cold lunch Mom.  My kids are new in this school and I’ve found that doing little things – like jazzing up their lunches a little – really help them stand out in a crowd (plus, they’re far more likely to eat what’s in there if it looks good to their peers).

So, over the last few weeks I’ve tried out some simple strategies for making my kids lunches easier and a little ‘cooler’.  I’ve got several to share so I thought I’d post them in a mini-tip series over the next few days.  Feel free to chime in the comments area if you’ve to some cool tricks up your cold lunch Mom sleeve.

‘Cooler’ Cold Lunches Mini-Tip 1: Bite-size Baggies

My kids hate soggy food but love condiments.  To give them the best of both worlds I use these tiny zip-top craft baggies to hold everything from ketchup to mayo to salad dressing.  I fill up several bags at the beginning of the week and store them in a container in the fridge.  That way they’re always available to toss into lunch box.

They’re also the perfect size to hold a small treat (like a handful of m&m’s or a few starbursts).  I also stock up on the mid-size craft  bags – they’re great for divvying up bigger snacks like pretzels and trail mix.

I buy mine in the beading/craft area of WalMart.  I can buy a pack of 100 for about $1.50.  Don’t you just love it when you find something so useful that’s also incredibly cheap?  Me too.  More mini-tips to come tomorrow…just thought I’d pass it on.

Want to see the rest of the posts in this series?  Click the links below.

Mini-Tip 1: Bite-Size Baggies

Mini-Tip 2: Sneaky Sandwiches

Mini-Tip 3: Stick It to ‘Em

Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast

Mini-Tip 5: Make Your Mark

Now before you give me too much credit you should know that I read about this idea on Cookie Magazine’s website a year or two ago.  They recommended hosting a big neighborhood party the night before school begins and inviting all the local kids to celebrate (the picture above was submitted by one of their readers).  As great as that idea was, the thought of creating banners, invitations, games and cute snacks sounded like way to much work for me.  So, I opted to downsize the idea to include just our family.

Honestly, we really didn’t do anything extraordinary.  We began with the usual night-before-school-starts stuff.  We loaded up all their backpacks, packed their lunches, and set out their first-day-of-school clothes.  Next, we feasted on a big breakfast dinner because my kids love pancakes and bacon more than just about anything.  After that, I filled my big jetted tub with bubbles and let them each take a soak (usually my tub is off limits so this was a big treat).

Once they were scrubbed up, we popped a bag of popcorn and curled up on the couch for one last summer movie.  During the movie I gave the girls manicures and drew a cool tattoo on my son’s arm – just for fun.  Once the movie wrapped up, we shouted out a big “happy school year’s eve” and headed off to bed.  I think this year I may take a few videos of the kids describing what they hope to accomplish in the coming year.  Wouldn’t that be fun to look back on in years to come?

Like I said, it wasn’t fancy.  It took absolutely no prep work and cost me nothing.  It was just one more way to make some happy family memories before the school year (and all the schedules and stresses that come with it) begins.  If your kids are heading off to school soon, you may want to give this easy family fun idea a try.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

I purchased this plastic cart at WalMart for around $12.  I think it’s designed with scrapbookers in mind.  It has several small drawers on the top and three larger drawers below.  I keep it stashed in my front closet – just around the corner from the kitchen table where most of our homework happens.

The smaller top drawers are dedicated to housing school supplies (I labeled them with my P-Touch labeler).  The first holds scratch paper and lined writing paper.  The second and third hold random school supplies like pencils, markers, crayons and erasers.  I also keep a few teaching aides in there such as timers, dice and post-its.  The fourth drawer holds all my dry-erase supplies because I love using dry erase boards to help my kids practice math and spelling.  I bought each of my kids a small Expo dry-erase board at WalMart for around $4 each.  I love them because they’re small enough to fit in the drawers and they’re lined on one side for easy handwriting practice.  You can find them near the Crayola stuff in the office supplies area.

The three larger drawers are the kids’ “homework boxes”.  They each have their own and it’s labeled with their name.  Inside I have them keep their reading logs, spelling lists, library books, and any homework supplies that are specific to them (for example, they each have a set of math flash cards that are specific to their grade).

I love the homework boxes because they’re so easy for my kids to work with.  Everything is at their height and it’s all in one place.  When they’re scrambling in the morning to find their library books my first question is always “Did you check your homework box?”  When it’s Friday morning and I’m trying to give my son a quick spelling refresher before his test, I have him grab his list from his box.  When I’m trying to get dinner going and there’s a mess of homework covering the table, I have them bring their boxes to the table and dump their stuff in.

I can’t say it’s the prettiest system in the world, but it works!  Remember, the goal of organization when it comes to family life is not to achieve perfect order.  The goal is to teach your kids to keep track of their own stuff and to see the benefits of staying organized.  In my opinion, it’s our job as a parents to provide the tools and training.  It’s their job to do the rest.  This inexpensive homework box is a great example of how you can do just that.   Just thought I’d pass it on.

Check-In Chart

Have you ever noticed that just as your kids head to bed, their memory cells kick in?  All of a sudden they remember the book report they were supposed to write or the diorama that’s due tomorrow.  Save yourself from these late night surprises by using a check-in chart.  Purchase a large dry erase calendar and several colors of  fine-point, dry-erase markers.  Hang your calendar near your drop zone or on your fridge and assign each child a color.  When your kids come home from school, make sure they “check-in” by updating their homework status on the calendar.

T.V. Timers

Nothing can hinder homework like a glowing television.  Most of us set rules at the beginning of the school year but enforcement of those rules can be a struggle.  After all, who has the time to hang out in the family room and police the remote?  Save yourself the trouble by putting your T.V. and game console on a timer.  Designed for lamps and Christmas lights, these handy timers allow you control over when the electronics can be turned on and when they shut off.  A more advanced mode (available at online retailers) allows you to predetermine how many minutes or hours your T.V. can be on each day.  When the time allowance is up, the device shuts off the power.  Time allowances can be adjusted for each day (allowing more T.V. time on weekends, if desired).  Manual override switches are available beneath the tamper-proof lock.

Mobile Homework Hub

Talk to a professional tutor and they’ll tell you that having a location dedicated to your kids’ homework is critical.  Talk to parents and they’ll tell you it’s next to impossible.  You simply can’t guarantee that the kitchen table will be free every night or that you’ll even be home when homework time hits.  Help your kids manage their supplies at home or on the go by picking up an inexpensive storage clipboard.  The sturdy clip on the top holds notebooks and worksheets tightly, while the storage compartment below gives kids a place to stash their homework essentials like pencils, calculators, scratch paper and flash drives.

Give ‘Em a Break

Time management is a critical skill for kids.  So how do you encourage it without hovering, nagging or pushing?  Try this little trick.  First, purchase a small kitchen timer for each of your kids.  Next, determine a rough estimate for each child’s attention span.  Generally his or her age multiplied by two to five minutes is a good place to start.  When your child sits down to work, grab a post-it, and have him jot down what he thinks he can accomplish in the alloted time.  Stick the note next to the timer and encourage your child to meet his goals.  When the time runs out, have your child check his progress, take a short break, and start the process again.

*This post is an excerpt from an article published by Organize Magazine, Sept/Oct 2007, Volume 02, pg 42-49, written by Maria Eckersley, photos by Lanola Kathleen Stone.