Saturday, October 27, 2007

How to get a break

Here are tricks for Moms who desperately need a break. All tried and true!

1. Grab something to read, and lock yourself into the bathroom.

Turn on the fan so you don't hear any fighting, tattling, phone, etc. Obviously, if you have a baby, make sure s/he is in a safe place first. Even just 15 minutes of quiet time can do a lot for your morale. I enjoy reading baby magazines that are always being sent to me for free for a good laugh. The parenting advice in them is just so hilarious, plus all of a sudden my kids look like angels. ("What to do if your 6 year old likes to bite", "How to potty-train your 1st grader", etc.) The magazines always go in the trash the same day I get them, but I do enjoy reading them for comic relief in the meantime.

2. Send all the kids to go clean their room(s)

Even if they never pick up a single thing, they will suddenly play very contently with their toys because it beats having to clean up, and the last thing they want to do is draw attention by being loud and obnoxious. Of course, when you have had your break, you still need to follow through and make them clean up, or else they will never do it when you tell them to.

3. Take a nap

Little ones can be made to lie down with you (that way you can make sure they are lying down still and not getting into stuff), older kids can be told that if they don't play very quietly (i.e. puzzles) they will have to lie down, too.

4. Make them take a nap

In our house, everyone 4 and under must take a nap every day. No discussions about it. Older kids are supposed to do their schoolwork and Bible memorization quietly in the toyroom or schoolroom.

Disclaimer: None of our babies is ever put down for a nap and left to "cry it out". If I take a nap, it's at the same time as the baby is sleeping. Once kids get to be around 1 year old and understand that they are supposed to lie down quietly and sleep, they are punished if they get up or cry. Never really had much of an issue with that, though, because they lie down together and don't get to feeling lonely.

5. Get up early or stay up late for some alone time

I guess that's why I am writing this at 12:21 AM...

6. Dump the kids on your husband for a little while

My husband is VERY absentminded, so this works great. I can actually pass the baby off to him and he won't even notice most of the time. Then a couple minutes later I casually ask him to check the baby's diaper, and alas, it's dirty - what a surprise! While he is absentmindedly changing the diaper, I notice that I need to run to the store for x and I dash out the door, not to return for about an hour or more. Of course the house will be tore apart by the time I get back, because the kids also know that Daddy is in a world of his own and doesn't notice them pulling out every off-limits item in the house. But they are always all still alive, and I have had an hour of free time.

7. Send everyone to their room(s)

Tell them they may not come out until you call them. Don't use this too often or too long.

8. Take the kids to the playground

If the weather is not nice, you could go to a mall with a play land, or a library that has a play area. Keep an eye on the kids while you sit back and relax with something to read, enjoy a special treat, or talk on the phone with a friend.

9. Get used to the chaos, and learn to tune it out

The house can only get so messy. Rather than focusing on the temporal (housework), focus on things with eternal values, like winning the heart of your children by building strong relationships with them.

And what not to do...

- Plop the kids in front of the TV.
- Eat yourself sick from stress.
- Get a baby-sitter.
- Send them to school.
- Scream at them to be quiet.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

A little history quiz

Below are six quotations to test the political and historical knowledge. If you don't know the answer, make your best guess.

Be sure to answer all the questions before looking at the answers below.

Who said it?

1) "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolf Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by
the few, and for the few...... And to replace it with shared responsibility for
shared prosperity."
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the Above

3) "(We) ...can't just let business as usual go on, and that means
something has to be taken away from some people."
A. Nikita Khrushchev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above

4) "We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give
up a little bit of their own ... in order to create this common ground."
A. Mao Tse Tung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5) "I certainly think the free-market has failed."
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above

6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to what has become the most
profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched."
A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above


Scroll down for answers






Answers

(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004 at a Fundraiser for Sen. Barbara Boxer in San Francisco. Washington Post.

(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007 in a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire. Boston.com.

(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007 on The Sojourners Political Forum on CNN's The Situation Room. CNN.

(4) D. None of the abo ve. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007 on The Sojourners Political Forum on CNN's The Situation Room. CNN.

(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007 on The Sojourners Political Forum on CNN's The Situation Room. CNN.

(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005 in a speech in Syracuse, NY. Washington Post.


"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." - Isaiah 3:12

Saturday, October 6, 2007

How to have a clean house...

... in spite of your family.

- Put trash cans in every single room of the house.

- Put a hamper for dirty laundry in every bedroom and bathroom.

- Have a place for EVERYTHING, and put it there.

- Be merciless when it comes to de-cluttering. If you haven't used it in more than a few weeks, or if it's been broken and sitting around waiting to be fixed - toss it (or donate if someone else may want to use it). Obviously, there are a few exceptions to this since some items are only used around certain holidays, e.g. cookie cutters etc.

- Before buying anything, ask yourself: "Where will I keep this at home?" If you can't think of a place for it, don't get it.

- Use a little time here and there throughout the week to work on a drawer, shelf, or other small area that is getting out of control, rather than waiting to have an entire day to "clean the shed/garage/bedroom". Chances are the time will never come, and if it does, you will be too overwhelmed and discouraged to actually do it.

- Don't give in to the urge to leave the house just to escape the mess at home. You won't like it any more when you get back. Instead, clean one area and feel good about it.

- Have a strict policy when it comes to your children's toys, and enforce it. In our house, the rule is that outside toys must stay outside, inside toys must stay inside, and that no toys are allowed in the kitchen, living room, and dining room.

- Teach your children from an early age to clean up their own room. If they are old enough to take the toy out, they are old enough to be taught to put it back in its place. Provide lots of storage bins, and preferably label them. Many small bins for sorting are much better than one or two large toy boxes, since every child always wants the toy in the very bottom and will dump the whole thing out. For little ones that are too young to read, you can print clip-art images of various toys on index cards and glue them to the respective bins. Be patient, and praise them if they clean up without being told to do so.

- Avoid letting small, cheap toys into the house in the first place. The type that comes in a happy meal, or that you buy at the dollar store. They only ever seem to end up broken on the floor.

- Enlist the help of your children from early on. Teaching them takes time and effort, but it is an investment that will pay off.

- Try to keep the area that visitors see clean and tidy throughout the day. It will make them feel comfortable and welcome. Nobody said you have to show them your bedroom closet.

- Once the kids are down for the night, spend a half hour or so cleaning and tidying without any interruptions. Everyone loves waking up to a nice house.

- Give up trying to reform your husband. If his Mom didn't manage to teach him, you won't either. But think about it: Would you rather live with someone who always drops his laundry right in front of the hamper, or with a clean freak who is obsessed with making sure there is not a speck of dust anywhere?

Of course, these are just a few suggestions. You can find helpful books on how to de-clutter and organize your home at the library. The more members your family has, the more organized you will need to be, but you will also have more helpers. Making your house a relaxing, comfortable home is a great opportunity to show your family how much you love them.