This is a pretty simple mid month tip this month, but if it is not something you are already doing then I would highly recommend it to step up your organization game. Drawer organizers are a really simple way to take command of the clutter in your drawers. They allow you to see all of your items at once, so no more searching through the drawer upending all the other articles you just folded that were on the top. Using drawer organizers also means that everything has a place and kids can easily see where an item is supposed to return to. My final argument for drawer organizers is that they look nice. You can get really crazy and put your items in rainbow order, or if not at the very least your items have been stored with care and lined up neatly, which is pleasing on the eye.
A quick google search will yield many options to purchase drawer organizers. If you can, I would recommend trying to find some at an actual store, then you can get a better idea of the sturdiness of the material. Also, don’t forget to measure all dimensions of your drawers to ensure a good fit. Happy organizing!
I love spring cleaning. It feels refreshing and makes the home feel lighter. Well, I should say spring organizing. I am a big fan of ‘editing’ all of the spaces in my home and throwing things out or donating what is not needed. It would probably be better not to gather so much stuff in the first place…but never mind, maybe that’s next year’s goal. Also inspiring my spring organizing is the release of Season Two of The Home Edit on Netflix. Those ladies create such satisfyingly organized and aesthetically pleasing spaces that it always inspires me. Check out their website here for inspiration. I used their rainbow idea to edit and then display my cookbooks and it makes me very happy.
Edited and Organized in a Rainbow
Now, on to the tips for editing, the getting rid of stuff part, with kids. It can be a challenge to get children to part with their things, they tend to want to keep everything, even if they haven’t used it in years. So the ‘hold up the item and decide whether to keep, chuck or donate’ plan doesn’t really work as well, especially when an item is right in front of them. Here are 3 (plus one extra) ideas that might help.
Do Your Own Edit
You likely have an idea of what your kids gravitate to most, or you would like them to be playing with more. So do your own edit, and put some items in a tub in the garage. Then return to the items in a month or so, if no one has missed them they can likely go.
Give Them A Container Limit
Find an appropriate storage container for a type of item, and ask your kids to pick their favourite items from that category to go in that container. They can keep as many as they want, but it has to fit in your designated container. For example, my dad likes to create plastic animals on his 3D printer for my kids which they love. However, the collection was getting a bit out of hand, so I gave them a reasonably sized container and asked them to choose their favourites.
Pull Favourites From a Group
Similar to the idea above, give them a limit and have them pull favourites from a group. For example, stuffed animals, choose your favourite three.
Plus one: Appreciation
Finally, try to promote appreciation for each and every item that comes into your home. Help kids appreciate that an item may have been important for a certain timeframe or age, but now we can donate it and someone else can benefit from it. Or maybe there is a specific cause you can donate to. At one point we were able to donate some toys to a family in our area whose house had burned down. It was great to see the kids get rid of more stuff than they otherwise might have because it was going somewhere important.
Happy spring editing! I’d love to see your picture of places and spaces in your home you have edited and organized, and try the rainbow display idea, it’s really pleasing to the eye and joyful!
As a wing-woman to other moms it’s very important to share not only the successes, but the not so successful moments as well. They are all moments that are part of the experiences that help our kids grow into well rounded people who can appreciate that things don’t always go as planned. Enter this month’s mid-month tip- sometimes the fun is in the failure. This month’s theme is ‘Activities’ so the kids and I decided to get on board with the blog post and try the slime recipe.
As the title of this post alludes to, we did not end up with slime. We did however end up with a variety of ‘kind of like slime’ concoctions in a variety of colours, which led to some fun sensory experiences and a very messy kitchen. To be honest I think my youngest could have cared less if we actually ended up with slime, mixing dyes into glue with her hands was enough fun for her.
The other two were disappointed, but still made the best of it, and even comforted me when I was disappointed at the lack of slime four attempts later. With comments like ‘at least we tried mom’ I feel assured the experience was not a waste of time. Still though, if anyone has slime making experience I’d love to hear your tips!
Easter break is coming up soon and spring has sprung, or at least it’s trying to spring depending where you live. So, in honor of coming out of our winter hibernation the theme this month is ‘Activities’. I thought I would start with three easy and inexpensive activities you can do at home with the kids over the easter break.
Playdough
A classic kids activity and a winner with all age groups, playdough is easy and inexpensive to make. As an added advantage I find the playdough we make at home is less messy than the store bought playdough, plus the kids get to be part of the activity of making it, not just playing with it. You can find an easy recipe here on I Heart Naptime.
Slime
We haven’t tried this yet but plan to over the break. It took me a while to work out what the saline solution ingredient is since I don’t wear contacts, but it’s just as it suggests, the saline solution used with contact lenses. This is apparently crucial for the binding. We intend to try this recipe, also from I Heart Naptime. I’m confident it will be a fun sensory experience however it turns out.
Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt
An Easter egg scavenger hunt is a great way to turn your Easter egg hunt into a longer activity. We tried this for the first time last Easter and it was very successful. So successful in fact that the girls spent most of the day re-doing the scavenger hunts themselves and making their own clues. You can create your own clues or check out this website for some pre-prepared ones you can use.
While it may sound obvious, my mid month tip is to ‘Read What You Love’. Not just for your own personal reading though, consider choosing literature you find enjoyable to read with your kids. Books for kids of all ages can be more or less enjoyable for the adults who are reading, as well as for the kids. For example, Sarah and I are currently reading Harry Potter together. I was reminded while reading this week what rich, descriptive language the author uses, and how enjoyable this is to read. Anything by Roald Dahl will provide a similar experience. The same can be said for reading with our littlest ones.
Stories with good rhythm or rhyme will instantly be more enjoyable to read aloud. (such as Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox), as well as stories with humor or concepts kids find amusing (such as Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman). Stores that use the illustrations really well (such as Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert, Is a Detective Genius by Morag Hood) are also really fun because you get to watch your little one make the connections between the pictures and the text. I recommend steering clear of character books, such as books themed around television characters like Barbie and Paw Patrol. While a few of these are ok, they generally have poor storylines and not very rich language. You will get a much more enjoyable literacy experience out of something constructed more for its story value than its marketing value.
If you are interested in learning more about how good children’s books are constructed, check out this Video by one of Australia’s most beloved children’s authors Mem Fox.
Inspired by a recent trip to the bookstore, and the continued wonderment of my little ones in their various stages of engaging with stories and learning to read, the theme in the Wing Community this month is Literacy for All. Here are three book recommendations, one for parents, one for a school age reader, and one for you to share with your toddler/ preschooler. Please note I do not have any affiliation with the authors, I am simply sharing books that have been useful and enjoyable for our family.
Aunty Keirin reading with my daughter Olivia
For Parents
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi. This book delivers exactly what the title describes, genius ways to change some of the ways you do things in order to make your life easier. What parent isn’t looking for that! Using relatable examples and hitting all of the major challenges parents face in organizing homes and families, this is an easy and enjoyable read. I am excited to check out some of the other e books on the website here. I also see a follow up book is coming soon The Lazy Genius Kitchen! Special thanks to one of my wing-women Kristen for giving me a copy for Christmas, I have really enjoyed it.
This recommendation comes from my nine year old whose cousin recommended these and she has been devouring them ever since. These are a series of five graphic novels by Raina Telgmeier called Smile, Ghosts, Sisters, Guts and Drama. I haven’t actually read these myself, so I can’t recommend an exact age group, but I see amazon suggests grades 3-7. Graphic novels can be great to engage children and these are no exception, very expressive and engaging illustrations, whilst still maintaining an interesting story line.
For Your Younger Child
I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen. This is a very clever, engaging story that’s magnificently illustrated. I won’t spoil the ending for you as it’s fun for adults and children alike. Needless to say we have read this multiple times with all of my children, and also own This is Not My Hat and We Found A Hat by the same author. Trust me, it’s fun.
If you ever listen to CBC Radio 2 in the mornings in Canada you will know they do a segment called ‘Under the Covers’ and they play some really terrific cover versions of songs. Similarly in Australia Triple J does ‘Like A Version’ where artists do their own versions of songs. This has inspired a mid month tip for this month’s theme of travel- creating a playlist of cover songs. Here are some suggestions:
Be My Baby By Hey Ocean!
Valerie By Amy Winehouse
I Guess That’s Why They Call it The Blues– By Alessia Cara
Can’t Help Falling in Love– By The Once
Higher Love By James Vincent McMorrow
Higher Love By Kygo and Whitney Houston
Share your suggestions for great covers with the wing community below the post! It might just brighten a fellow parent’s day 🙂
The midst of a pandemic may seem like an odd time to talk about travel, but we are hoping to be able to fly to Australia at some point in the near future so we are starting to dig out our travel supplies in the hopes we’ll make it soon. This has me thinking about some of the tools we use that make our long flights a little easier, that others in the community might find useful.
Bag Organizers
When traveling with little ones, one thing I would definitely recommend to help everyone stay organized are some sort of bag organizers. There are lots of options, but basically you want something lightweight so it doesn’t add too much weight, and something that kids can easily open and access. We use these All-in Organizers from Thirty One Gifts. I don’t see them currently available on their website, but they do have other similar products. The main reason I like these is that they can easily be taken out of the suitcase when we arrive, then each kid can manage their own organizer from then on. They actually hold much more than would appear, especially with the outside pockets. My kids can usually pack everything they need, even for long trips, in one organizer.
Another option is packing cubes. While these help to keep your suitcase organized, they are much harder for kids to keep organized upon arrival. You might want to use these for yourself though. You can sort by different types of clothing (pants, t-shirts etc) or you can put a whole outfit into separate cubes. They definitely meet the criteria of lightweight, and because of the mesh you can easily see what is inside.
Headphones
I am lucky enough to have a pair of noise canceling headphones which I use regularly in my day to day life and these are terrific on the plane. They are fairly expensive though so probably not something you need just for the flight. Comfortable headphones for the kids though are a must on a long haul flight. We really like these ones because they can connect to each other, so if you have one ipad both kids can listen on their own headsets. Like most kids headsets they are also volume limited so you know they are not blasting their ears.
Carry What They Can
My final tip is to get the kids backpacks to carry on the plane that they can comfortably carry. Anyone two years old or older can probably carry something, and every little bit helps. Between strollers, car seats and whatever else you are trying to manage, anything they can carry comfortably without you having to add to your load is useful. We also try to use suitcases that are manage for them to wheel so that everyone can basically manage their own luggage (excluding infants of course).
For more travel tips, check out Chapter Nine in The Mom Wing-Woman book where I detail how to prepare for travel from day trips to longer trips, by land and air.
Continuing the theme of learning, the mid-month tip for January is…Dance!
Even if taking a dance class is not your thing, stick with me for a minute here as I outline some of the benefits of learning through dance and some options.
Dance is not only great exercise, it gives you a chance to listen to music that inspires you, calms you, or even allows you to get out some of your anger. Learning choreography engages your brain and improves your memory. Dance can be great to increase your flexibility and strength, all of which can help reduce your overall feelings of stress. From a mom perspective, it’s also something you might choose to do with your children.
Some Options:
FitOn: This is a free exercise app with all sorts of workouts. Two that might interest you in relation to dance are the barre workouts or the dance workouts. You will get prompted to sign up for the pro version which costs money, but you don’t need to, there are lots of options included with the free version. There is lots of variety not only in the type of workout, but the length, even if you only have 10 minutes there is something you can do. Check it out here.
YouTube: You can find lots of dance routines on youtube. Particularly ‘Just Dance’ routines which are nice and repetitive and easy to follow. If you search the name of a song you like and ‘Just Dance’ on youtube you will likely find a routine. For example, the kids and I are planning to try this one this afternoon Just Dance: What Makes You Beautiful By One Direction. Let the community know if you have any favourites by commenting on this post.
Create Your Own: You don’t really need to know much about dance to create your own routine. Of course you don’t even need a routine, you can just bop and move around, this is especially fun if you are goofing around with your kids and include some hairbrush microphones or air guitar. However, if you want to make a routine choose a song that is repetitive, has a beat that is easy to dance to, and that you like. Then choose a few moves to create a routine. Some examples of some moves you might include:
The inspiration for this month’s blog is a rather bumpy skate on the pond last week.
Skating at Elk Ridge Resort
1. Find or Fine-tune Your Personal Learning Tools
As I shuffled across the ice barely keeping pace with my three year old (who was having her first outing on the ice ever!), I had to give myself a bit of a pep talk. Positive self talk has always been an important tool for me and my ability to use it grows every time I put myself in a situation that is new, challenging or out of my comfort zone. This was no exception. I had to recognize what was happening in my body (heart racing, sweating), take some deep breaths and remind myself I could do this. Since it was a large pond and no one was nearby, I was actually able to give myself a pep talk out loud, including reminding myself of some key coaching points (bend the knees, push down into the ice). This allowed me to take the lead from my three old, who was attacking the task fearlessly, and generally get myself into a better head space to access the skills I had been learning in my lessons.
2. Find Your Wing-People
Another obvious change in the context of Rink vs Pond was my lack of wing-women. When I am in our Sunday morning lessons at the rink, I not only have an encouraging, knowledgeable coach, I also have several other learners all cheering me on. Whenever one of us does one tiny new move correctly, the group is cheering like we just skated in the Olympics. It’s very positive and a great learning environment. I would wager a bet that most adult learning environments are like this because everyone is likely feeling challenged, has their own motivation for being there, and wants to create a positive learning environment. Seems like a great place to find some wing-people to me.
3. Feel Humbled
As adults we have likely found some things we are good at, and take pride in doing them either as part of our job or hobbies we enjoy. It feels good to do something well. When you challenge yourself to learn something new, you are quite quickly reminded that everyone is a learner depending on the context. This is a great reminder for contexts where I feel confident and skilled, to remind me that others may be in different stages of learning.
