Friday, May 30, 2008

Let's Hear It

Since I haven't taken the time to blog lately, I thought I'd ask all of you to help me out. I need some fresh ideas. So give me your tips on:

Laundry, how do you motivate yourself to put it away once it is folded?
Potty training
Fun summer activity ideas
Exercising tips and motivation
Healthy eating, quick snacks, family favorites
Photograph organization, do you scrapbook, put them in albums or throw them in a box?
Waking up, how do you get yourself out of bed, do you jump out quickly ready for the day or slowly wake up?

OK, let's hear them. Any other ideas that you may have, feel free to comment.

6 comments:

Super Happy Girl said...

Ooh ooh me first!
Ok,
Laundry: I visualize laundry as a constant/unstoppable force. Once it's in the basket I can't (CAN'T) stop it from getting back to the drawers nice and neatly folded. That always works from me.

Waking up: I tell myself I'll get to go back to bed soon and that sleep will be the best on yet. Sometimes I do get to "head back" but most of times I don't, which makes it more interesting.

TA-DA!!

The Mansfield's said...

So.....Laundry: It drives my husband crazy to see it folded and not put away so that drives me to put it away. But, I do enjoy doing laundry. I just say that you need to tell yourself that it's not done until it's put away.

Potty training: You need to find something that she likes to eat, like a treat. Every time she goes potty in the toilet give her a treat. Ashlynn loves M&M's so that's what we give her. But I would just say that you have to go for it! Put panties on her and deal with the accidents. Ash has had a few but after 2 weeks now she has gone 3 days straight with no accidents. You have to ask constantly "Do you need to go potty?" and I make her sit on the potty even when she says she doesn't have to go.

Snacks: My kids like canned fruit, granola bars, peanut butter and crackers, string cheese and graham crackers. I didn't get my recipes submitted for the cookbook but I have some easy chicken recipes if you want them.

Waking up: That's a hard one for me also because I am a night owl and would sleep until 10am everyday if I could! My husband helps me out in the mornings and I take a nap everyday with my kids. I rest when they rest and somehow I figure out how to do things when they're awake. My kids have chores and they help out a lot.

Hope that helps you out! Good Luck!

Deanne said...

So many questions, let's see if I can answer any for you!

*Laundry - I do not have a routine and it really is a never-ending saga. If I can get myself to fold things as I take them out of the dryer then it is a whole lot easier to put them away. If I let the clean stuff sit in the basket by the dryer, then well, it just keeps piling up and we end up pulling out clean things as we need them (albeit wrinkled!).

*potty training - another good one! I'm working on Isabel, sort of. I'm not being very consistent though. I keep telling myself I'll get on it when school gets out. We'll see how that goes. :)

*summer activities - I plan to take my kids to the neighborhood pool often, the library, and the park. We do have a camping trip in the works as well as vbs and a possible trip to Modesto to see the Grandmas.

*healthy food - In the summer I love to make smoothies. the kind I make are simple - orange juice base, banana(s), and frozen berries or other fruit. The kids love it! Sometimes I make it for lunch, but of course the kids always want something more than that.

Yes, please be sure to post some of your own ideas to these topics. It is interesting to see what others do, and it's a great way to get new ideas!

Chris and Melanie said...

I tried the scrapbooking thing, and gave up so now I do albums and I am sooooo much happier because I can actually look at my pictures instead of the dread of scrap booking them! I need all the extra time I can get w/all my kids! :)

Rachel said...

Heather, I was blog stalking and found your blog... Not really but I saw it on The Mansfield's- I think. Anyway, I hope you don't mind. What a great way to get some hot topics started. One thing that makes blogging fun for me is posting an occasional poll. Those are pretty fun and they are sometimes surprising. Now, to jump in on your entry.

Laundry is always fun to me because I love having EVERYTHING in it place and that keeps me busy with 3 or so loads a day.

Snacks- we always have yogurt (frozen and non, with berries and granola or plain without), string cheese, plain old granola bars, smoothies, baby carrots and fruit.

Albums- they are super quick and easy and can be scrap booked later! At least they are organized.

Potty training- let her pick out her favorite undies or even let her wear Michelle's (just don't tell her) so she feels like a big girl already.

Well, for now catch you later but you can check our link out on many of the other blogs from families in your ward if you want. Take care and happy summer.

wendy said...

HEather -

Laundry - I have been so good at laundry lately. I don't know what happened. I wash it. I fold it. and I holler for the kids to come get their stacks. I check at bedtime to see if they put it away. John usually needs help. Hannah does her own laundry. in fact she is hogging the washing machine right now.

potty training - isn't it funny how even with 4 kids I still have no idea how to actually make it work. it is like magic. good luck!

summer fun = morning "school work" and a walk to the pool. we may go bowling this week to mix it up. surfing sounds like fun to me. wanna come take lessons together?

healthy eating. help! I am doing a terrible job of actually fixing dinner. For snacks I just keep a stash of apples and pretzels around. We also bake cookies every few days. but that may not be healthy...

photo organziation? hello, that's what photoshop is for. all of our photos are orgazined by month and year in "my pictures". I rarely print photos except to hang on the wall. All the photos from baby hannah and sydney are in a couple of boxes upstairs. I am wanting to use shutterfly to print an album for emily and john. maybe this fall.

waking up. if i don't get up early i don't get to run. It helps to have 200 soldiers shouting cadence outside your bedroom window each morning at 6:30am. i also tell myself that I'm going to go back to bed as soon as I get home. I never really seem to make that happen.