Miscellaneous Mom » justheather

Pressing the Reset Button on Chores (A GoalForIt.com Review)

justheather — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:01:37 +0000

This year, we’re making an effort to change some habits around here. I planned a few weeks of fast, easy meals so the hubby and I could focus on helping the girls complete their daily chores.

We have a new evening schedule and an online chore chart that I am hoping finally works around here. Because the old system just wasn’t working.

Sending the girls off to “do their chores” usually just resulted in fighting kids, messier rooms, and frustrated parents. So, the hubby and I have reworked our daily schedule to spend some time making sure the girls are actually doing what they’re supposed to. Basically, we’re body blocking the girls back into their rooms until the job gets done.

We’re keeping it simple at first. Instead of making the girls clean their rooms, which are completely trashed, we’ve given them bite-sized assignments. Yesterday, I had them go through the entire upstairs, searching for trash, before they could play outside. Today’s job was to move all the toys from the bedroom, to the toy room where they belong. My hope is that by adding one activity each day, the girls will be building more lasting habits.

From there, we’ll be able to create a daily checklist. The girls can even choose their own background & colors, to personalize the chart. I may even make a chart or two of my own — in addition to chores, there are to-do list, lifestyle goals, and healthy habit options. Goal For It will even help you track your progress. Perhaps if the girls see me working on my own list, they’ll be more inclined to play along.

I hope.

I really do think the consistency of doing the same thing, every night with a little supervision & guidance from us is exactly what we need. Plus, Goal For It includes behaviors and habits we want the girls to develop, in addition to the chores. For example, we can add No Whining to the list and give the girls credit for a good, whine-free day.

Not to be confused with wine-free days, which are few & far between, what with all the whiny kids.

This post is sponsored by GoalForIt.com through BSM Media, but the opinion (and my girls utter lack of regard for chores) is 100% mine.

Raising Geeks: A Who Comics Review

justheather — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:50:31 +0000

Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who? Comics on Twitter for updates!

What happens when a bookworm marries a computer geek?

Their kids don’t stand a chance.

The teen is an avid reader. The tween is wicked into geography. The kindergartner cannot stop talking about school and is genuinely bummed when it’s a no school day. Sure, they love Dr. Who more than Victorious.

They put together map puzzles for fun. They choose reading over games. And, I wouldn’t change it for the world. If we can create lifelong learners, I think our work here is done. I’ll take the rest of the geekiness right along with it.

That’s why the Who? Comics app was such a big draw for us. Reading, electronics and education all in one tidy package? Yeah, that’s right up our alley. We installed the app on the hubby’s iPad, and I couldn’t wait to share it with the tween. Who? Comics makes biographies fun for kids. Not that my girl needed them dressed up much. This kid reads biographies for fun. In the summertime.

Comics are $4.99 each or $9.99 for a themed 6-pack. Brenia chose the Artist/Entertainer pack—she was super excited to read about J.K. Rowling, Van Gogh and Beethoven. She blew through the comics in an afternoon. I’ve never seen her read so quickly. Having the biography in bite-sized nuggets helped her quickly digest the information she craved.

We actually used phonics comic books with Brenia when she was first learning to read. They’re a fun, simple way to engage kids and get information across. She loved learning about how J.K. Rowling created the Harry Potter series. Her life story is told in comic book form, and while the dialogue is contrived, it’s an interesting way for kids to learn.

She also read about Vincent Van Gogh and has the Beethoven biography on her bookshelf. She’s also asked to purchase Walt Disney. Since they share a birthday, he’s always been a favorite of hers. Brenia is can’t wait to read more, so she can earn more Who? badges. Oh, yes. There are badges you can earn for your reading activity.

It just adds to the fun for our little iPad geek.

Thank you again to who? Comics for sponsoring my post. Please click here to learn more about the app. Visit who? Comics for updates. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Get a Dog

justheather — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:49:29 +0000

When Indy began deteriorating, I said I was never getting another dog. It was just so hard. I still miss him. I still think I hear his click clack on the hardwood floors. I still check the back door to see if he’s ready to come back in. And, I still tear up when I realize he’s not going to be there ever again.

But, I saw this pin. And, the next thing you know, we’re calling the pet rescue. Yet, I still couldn’t quite convince myself it was happening. I had a list, you see. A list of reasons why I didn’t want another dog. EVER.

They get in you, and it’s so hard to let go. They follow us around & travel with us, in a way our cats just don’t. Not that it’s easy to lose a cat. I just think it’s harder to lose a dog.
Pee. OMG—I just can’t handle puppy piddle. No. Just no.
Poop. Backyard land mines? Not a fan.
Dog drool. Dog drool! Need I say more?
Dog food smells. Worse than cat food. (True story.)
They shed. Oh, how they shed. Of course, our cats already shed, so maybe that one’s not a biggie. Don’t worry—I have more!
Rain. Also? Snow, but we’ll just count it as one. Wet dog might possibly the worst smell on the planet.
Holes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve twisted my ankle in a hole a dog has dug.
Boarding. Who takes care of the dog when you leave? It’s so expensive to board dogs and nearly impossible to convince friends & family to take care of them for you. A cat will get buy for weeks with a clean litter box, food and water. Dogs are so needy.
Seriously needy—there’s also food (smelly food), water, exercise, toys, treats, a bed. A bed. Why can’t dogs just sleep on the floor anymore?

And, it’s all well & good, except for one thing. Just one, teeny, tiny reason why one might want to get a dog:

Meet Sunny. She needed a forever home. We happened to have one without a dog.

She comes home tonight. And, we’re keeping her. But, not the name. That’s just got to go.

LeapFrog Tag Reader and LeapPad Explorer Review

justheather — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:28:17 +0000

A toddler shuffling in Mom’s heels. A teen donning Dad’s hat. A preschooler reading Grandpa’s crossword puzzle.

Kids just can’t seem to stop themselves from emulating the grownups in their life—and there are plenty of toys designed to encourage just that. Shopping carts, tool belts, kitchen sets and, now, tablet & smartphones toys—just like Mom & Dad have.

I had the opportunity over fall break to host a LeapFrog party—we just love LeapFrog, but they’ve really outdone themselves this time around.

The Tag Reader goes beyond reading assistance & learning, featuring fun activity books for the kids to play. And, the maps? Um, genius! The grownups had a fun time playing with that one, even if a couple of us (ahem) had a hard time with the seek & find game.

The map states ages 4-8, but my almost 9-year-old is seriously into geography, and we’ll be buying one for her this Christmas. It’s the sort of thing that transcends ages.

In fact, my tiny niece loved reading the Tag books with the rest of the kids. Along with the Tag Reader, I was introduced to their LeapPad Explorer—or, as my daughter & nephew like to call it, the Kid iPad.

Lorelai is beyond thrilled to have her own iPad, and my nephew is hoping Santa will bring him one of his own. She has seriously spent hours playing with this toy. When I saw the price tag, I’ll admit I was skeptical, but whoa—this thing is totally worth it!

The Explorer features a touchscreen, downloadable apps, eBooks and camera & video—just like a real tablet. The touchscreen is kid-friendly, with larger buttons for inexperienced hands.

In addition to the dowloadable games, apps and books, you can purchase Leapster Explorer cartridges at a variety of levels. And, the reading apps adjust automatically, based on the skills children exhibit as they play.

Plus, it’s already taken a tumble (or two) and is none the worse for wear. Not that I’d recommend testing that out, of course. But with Lorelai carting it everywhere she goes, it was just bound to happen.

My one complaint is that it takes batteries, instead of being chargeable via a power cord. We got about 10 hours out of the first set of batteries, but since she’s playing this practically every waking hour, we’ve moved on to rechargeable batteries.

She hasn’t asked to touch my iPhone or the hubby’s iPad since we got this. Of course, since there’s no zombie app, I’m sure that’s only a matter of time. Still, LeapPad Explorer is the perfect kid-friendly alternative to grownup tech toys. And, it’s all hers!

Buy Leapfrog Toys on Amazon:

I was given a LeapFrog party pack, from Mom Select, that included the items mentioned in this post as well as coupons & activities for our guests. All opinions are 100% mine.

The One Where My Kids Lack Culture

justheather — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:46:30 +0000

One of the biggest reasons for gifting a year of family fun to my girls was that I had suddenly realized we don’t do things. Part of that is budget—we just don’t have the extra money for vacations, movies and events. The other part? I kinda don’t enjoy it. It’s just not fun to deal with the hassle of getting three girls dressed and out the door only to hear them argue, whine and complain all the way there.

This year, we have made an effort to get past all that and experience life with our girls. Over the last several months, it has really hit me how much my girls had been missing. They’d never been to a museum that wasn’t specifically designed for kids to touch & play. They’d never been to the theater. They’d never even seen a live baseball game. My 40×40 list is full of other things I’d never done with my girls but feel like I should—cotton candy at the fair, a harvest moon festival, sporting events…

So, this year? I’m doing it all! It’s time to let go of the “I don’t wanna” and just have fun with my girls. It’s going surprisingly well. They look forward to our family fun day each month and (for the most part) behave well throughout. Yet, it still isn’t in the budget. That’s why I’m learning to take advantage of the resources available to us—free events, ticket giveaways and blogging opportunities.

We took the girls to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (people, it’s free every day!), and they loved it! This summer, we took the girls to an Indianapolis Indians game. Earlier this month, I took Brenia to see Beauty & the Beast on stage with Broadway Across America. It was so completely amazing. I’m planning to take Stacia to a show later in the Broadway season.

Next on our family fun calendar is open gym day—hello, zipline! It was a daily deal bargain, and I think the girls will love it. I need a few weeks to rest up before then, though. We’ve had a very busy October.

There is just so much awesome Halloween fun in Indy that I couldn’t choose. We took a Vampire Vacation at the Children’s Museum, got spooked by the Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie and shared milkshakes at Kelsay Farms’ Dairy Festival.

And, of course, all this family fun meant I needed a new blog to share our experiences. I am so excited to launch a new project with my friend Michelle—Family Fun in the City! We’ll share our best picks for seasonal fun, showcase family favorites for everyday experiences and highlight the best of Indy for families in our area.

Tagalong on the awesome adventures of the Sokols & Kahunas—we’re going to have so much fun!

Mom Fail Friday: The One Where I Slept Through Girl Scouts

How To Get Your Kids To Tell You About Their School Day

justheather — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:57:59 +0000

“How was school?”

“Fine.”

“What did you do today?”

“Nothing.”

It’s a conversation happening in minivans around the world, every afternoon. If you want to really find out what your kids are doing at school all day, you’re going to have to change the questions. Or, you know, friend their teachers on Facebook.

But, if you like to hear about your kids’ day directly from the source, here are my favorite questions for extracting some real information:

“What was your favorite part of today?”

“Did you use any new materials today?”

“Who did you play with at recess?”

“Why is your shirt on backwards?”

Wait, that one’s just for Lorelai. The rest of the questions, though, are perfect for sparking conversations. I get the answers to my initial questions, then they just don’t stop talking. I hear about their day on the way home, with stories coming out all afternoon.

One interesting thing that’s happened through this is they recap things for their dad at dinner, and end up telling us even more. The girls will share details of their day I’d never think to ask about. Even my teen will talk about her day at school.

Yesterday, I learned that Lorelai has 4 new kids in her class, Brenia loves the new math lessons in upper elementary (but still prefers geography) and Stacia is disappointed there are no boys her age. I’m not so sad about that, myself.

So, how do you get your kids to open up about their day?

First Day of School (Plus @AboutOne $500 Giveaway)

justheather — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:38:15 +0000

One of these girls is very excited for the 1st day of school!

This morning, I dropped my girls off for their first day of school. I think I was supposed to be sad, taking my youngest to kindergarten. It’s hard to be sad, when she’s so excited. It’s also hard to be sad when I think of the increased productivity 7 hours a day will bring.

You know, because this will be the year I finally figure out how to get organized around here.

I always think I’ll have so much time while the girls are in school, especially now that Lorelai attends 3 full days each week. Mostly, though, I’m so busy catching up from the horribly unproductive summer that I’m spending the extra time napping by Wednesday. Kidding! I’ve already napped once today.

The real problem with playing catchup at back to school time, though? Getting the girls back to school creates a whole new year of paperwork and arts & crafts—it’s a hot mess around here. I’m constantly look for new tools & tricks to break through the madness. That’s why I was thrilled with the opportunity to try AboutOne, a digital filing system and more. It’s like an online filing cabinet—a place to record school info, property details & values and health records.

Having one place to login when it’s time to fill out an application, health form or insurance claim, rather than sort through dozens of half-organized files, is sounding pretty cool to me. Now, if only AboutOne had some tips for how to declutter the girls’ toy room. That’s a high priority every fall, with three birthdays and Christmas on the horizon.

Their rooms will be next week’s project. This week, I’m working on electronic clutter—I spent a bit of time on email this morning and have been catching up on some blogging today. Tomorrow, I want to work on implementing a more efficient daily schedule, with tips from Blog Indiana. For now, though, it’s nearly time to go see how the girls’ first day went.

I’m sure I’ll get a chorus of “fine” and learn that they did “nothing” all day. But, that’s a post for another day.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you how to enter to win a year of AboutOne and a $500 American Express gift card—just in case you still have some back to school shopping to to!

To enter, sign up for a free 17-day trial at AboutOne, then fill out the entry form below. One winner will be chosen at random from all blogs participating in the AboutOne sponsored post with Global Influence to receive a one-year membership, $500 American Express gift card and $250 donation to the school of your choice. Sweepstakes ends 9/9/11 at 11:59pm and is open to US residents 18 years or older.

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Thanks to AboutOne for sponsoring this post, through my participation in the Global Influence network. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions are 100% mine.

On Reliving My Childhood (Plus Smurfs Dance Party Review)

justheather — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:17:36 +0000

Smurf ice sculpture at Clever Girls rock star BlogHer party

When I was little, the Smurfs were huge. Huge. And, I loved them. I loved Smurfs so much that I wrote poems about them nonstop.

True story.

My dad and I used to create limericks about Smurfs at night before I went to bed. Oh, how I wish we still had some of those! (I’m still convinced they’re somewhere at my mom’s house—it’s not like she throws anything away.)

I am thrilled to see the Smurfs back again to share with our girls. We’re big on reliving our childhood favorites with the girls—they know every song by Jem & the Holograms, crack up at the Muppet Show and now we have a house of full of Smurf figurines.

I was so excited about the movie that I actually took the girls to see it in the theater! (Of course, $5 Tuesday and a free popcorn coupon were a deciding factor there.)

So, imagine how excited I was when Ubisoft sent me the new Smurfs Dance Party for the Wii. I couldn’t wait to bust it out, but one of the girls was away at Camp Grandma for the week. I am not a patient person, but I forced myself to hold off until we could all play together. And, it was totally worth the wait!

Smurfs Dance Party with Lorelai & Brenia

You get to dance with the Smurfs to pop songs such as Like Whoa and One of the Boys, plus smurftastic remixes like Who Let the Smurfs Out. I totally rocked out the Smurfs theme song—Mommy wins!

Yeah, I might be a little competitive. So is our 5-year-old, which is a problem since the games are often a bit to challenging for her.

Enter Clumsy Smurf—he awards bonus points for the most misses so Lorelai’s score gets a boost just for being young. She loves to watch her total go up after the game ends, even when she still finishes last. It’s a nice change from all the tears at the end of most other games. I definitely like the giggles best!

And, it makes me smile to share the Smurfs with my girls in such a fun way. What are your favorite childhood memories to share with the next generation?

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this UbiChamps blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

The One Where My Phone Is Off Limits (Plus Cube Dog App Review)

justheather — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:36:56 +0000

Thank you to Cube Dog for sponsoring this review. For more information about Cube Dog please visit the Facebook page or download it on iTunes.

The hubby got an iPhone several years ago—for fun & to soothe is inner tech geek. I followed suit a year or so later—to have access to email & social media on the go. It has been a fabulous tool for keeping in touch with my business interests, while keeping up with my active family.

Lorelai's Dog, Dumpling

As the phones became more popular, family-friendly apps became more available. The girls begged to have them, but I stuck to a “My phone is not a toy mantra. The hubby? Doesn’t have quite the same opinion. My phone is filled with business & money saving apps. His is filled with toys & games, including the new Cube Dog 3D toy.

I gotta admit, when we were asked to review this one, I was sorely tempted. It was only my old school phone that prevented me from downloading the virtual pet. (Yep—I still have the same phone, while the hubby is on his third!)

My reservations were still there—I can’t work if a child is playing with my iPhone. Plus, I receive plenty of personal texts & tweets that could come through while the girls are on the phone. (Uh, yikes!)

Brenia's dog, sitting on her lap

But, if anything could change my mind, it’s Cube Dog. You can create your own 3D pets by choosing parts & selecting your favorite colors. Plus, you can take pictures of your Cube Dog in live backgrounds, placing your pet on location in the real world.

The ninja dog was a huge hit here, but they weren’t as impressed with the dogs’ baseball skills as I thought they’d be after months of softball. I guess ninja skills trump sports skills any day of the week.

The only real downside is that there are a lot of extras the girls will be begging to buy any day now. Of course, we often use that kind of small reward for chores & good behavior. So, maybe its good that we have a new incentive! Right now, Cube Dog is preparing to launch some Cube Dog Facebook fun, with a contest running June 13-17—maybe we can win some of the extras.

The girls are loving their pets on Daddy’s phone, but for now, my phone remains child free. I gotta admit, it’s super handy when he hands the girls his phone to entertain them if we find ourselves waiting around for something. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time…

While Cube Dog provided me with the app to review, the opinions I’ve expressed here are solely my own and represent my honest viewpoint. Cube Dog, Clever Girls Collective and I promote Blog With Integrity.

Booking a Busy Summer (Plus KinderCare Learning Camps & Survey Results)

justheather — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:37:57 +0000

School’s out, and Momma’s on duty full time. For the next 12 weeks. Our summer calendar is filling up quickly—and I like it that way! There will be summer camp, Camp Grandma and a host of daily activities designed to keep me out of the loony bin.

We have scheduled play dates, library events and camps. Throughout the summer, I’ll have time with all three girls, time with just one or two and time with none at all. Because every mom needs a break now & then.

Stacia leaves for Girl Scout camp on Monday. The following week is VBS at church—half days, but I think it will be enough to provide some relief. After that, each girl will spend a week at my parents’ house—the different combinations of kids always makes for an interesting time. And, I’ve given myself a week in the middle of the summer for a bit of a mommy vacation.

The week Brenia is away at Girl Scout camp will be Stacia’s week at Camp Grandma’s. And, Lorelai will spend her days at KinderCare summer camp. She’s excited to go to camp like her sisters, I’m excited for a kidfree week and the hubby & I are both thrilled she’ll have the chance to spend time with kids her age in a fun, educational environment.

KinderCare has 12 summer camp themes from May through August. Each one is designed to blend summer fun with unique learning opportunities, which is what the survey says parents like me want for their children. I’m just having trouble deciding which one Lorelai would like best—she’s into icky, gooey things so I’m leaning towards the Gross & Gooey or other science-centered activities. On the other hand, what says summer camp more than water play?

So, help me decide—which one sounds more like Lorelai? I’m leaning heavily against anything that involves food, what with all her allergies. Other than that, it’s wide open. She’s such a busy, active kid that I can’t think of anything she wouldn’t enjoy.

What are you planning for your kids this summer?

I have been compensated for sharing KinderCare’s summer camps and survey results, but all opinions are, as always, 100% mine!