May is like childbirth!

You forget how painful it is!
I am just now recovering from the endless barrage of craziness that is "happily" known as the last few weeks of school.  Granted, we all like to make things hard on ourselves by trying to do everything .....but it's hard not to!! I DO want to thank my child's teacher with a thoughtful gift (find the email about who to give $10 to that will buy gift card for whole class), I DO want to thank the room parent (see above about email about who to send money to...at which of my kids 4 different schools), I DO want to help just one last time in the classroom/field trip/party, (omg, i have to put kids in this smelly car?),I DO want to arrive on time in clean clothes and preferably with some make-up on, to the end of the year open house/ art show/musical/party, I DO want to thank the kids coaches at the end of the year pizza party, I DO want to remember who has to wear what during the crazy hair day/beach day theme/red,white&blue FUN days at school(?), I DO want to try to show up for early- season-swim practice, in between end-of-season other stuff practices,I DO want to remember to pick my kids up early on all half days, and I DO want to spend time with my kids on mother's Day!....despite my initial plans to kick everyone out of the house and clorganize (my trademark name for cleaning and organizing)....but, my motherly love got the best of me and we just hung out which was quite nice..

This would be fine- if- come the first days of summer, we could actually sleep in, remain in our jammies and eat cereal all day, but JUNE is here... 3 OF MY KIDS BIRTHDAY'S WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER, family reunions and the beginning of swim season!  Which means.........that I would have had to organize most of these events in............................ MAY!

What's' that saying for March....in like a lion, out like a lamb?    Someone needs to come up with one for May, like:   "in like a water balloon exploding in your face while you're holding a tray of fresh baked canapes (i have no idea what those are but they sound complicated) and out like a water balloon exploding in your face while you're trying to zip up your fancy dress on your way out to a wedding that you're late to...." or something better that rhymes..


OK, enough of my complaining!!! It is nearing the end of June and all the birthday's have passed successfully, we've made it to swim events with MOST of the necessary gear.....and i think I see days ahead with NOTHING ON THE CALENDAR!

So, you'll forgive me for not writing anything since April!:)please!

Ok, so here are a few 15is tips for YOU to survive the end of the year madness.


- gift cards.  (BOUGHT EARLY! THINK FEBRUARY!)  i know they are not the most personal gift, but they are better than nothing.   One of my kids' schools offers gift card sales through their escrip program.  The school gets a percentage of the money spent on the gift card. Done!

-Add some fresh flowers picked from your garden (having your child do this the morning of the last day of school is not stressful at all<!>) but, they really will appreciate it.

-Have a photographic memory.   This will help you remember who sent you the emails about room parent gifts...because you forgot to put them in a special email file as they came in.


-keep your sense of humor...... remember that none of this is LIFE OR DEATH and that it really is pretty funny when you stop and think about it.....you can be the one to shed a little light on the subject from time to time.
One way I like to do this is to have periodic dance parties in my kitchen, but, often my kids are not in the mood to watch me dance...so
spending time with each one separately helps....just 15minutes here and there, catching up, hugging or tickling, really grounds them.
and just giving everyone a break.....the laundry room is a mess as are most of the closets and rooms in the house.
it will all get done.......eventually and i just try to keep in mind what's most important right now.

-plan, plan, plan....spending 15 minutes planning your calendar and mapping out your days will help you in the long run.

-get your kids to take EVERYTHING out of the car whenever they leave it....now once it's in the house is another story..(more on getting kids to do their chores and giving allowance in my next post).

-Say No to a few events..maybe you don't get to the end of the season pizza party, or whatever feels too much.  Will they really remember it anyway?

-Remember, these are all good problems to have....Good luck! and MAY the force be with you....


leslie

Easter is confusing

Can someone please tell me how to do Easter!!>??...i feel like this is the one holiday that tests the belief-meter in my children.

there are far too many ways to mess it up and leave tell tale clues.... like empty jelly bean bags in your closet that you forgot to hide, because you were too tired to notice, because it was 11pm the night before Easter, when you finally found time to fill their baskets.  How does the Easter bunny know to come in your house and find all the mismatched plastic eggs and put jelly beans in them and hide them in your yard?  Often the holiday matches up with their school spring break, so somehow the bunny finds us and brings the baskets to their hotel room? We didn't leave him a note or anything...hmm, very suspicious....I think I remember this holiday being the gateway to other startling revelations when i was a kid, like why did Santa buy presents (price tags), and why is the same candy that was in our stocking also in mom and dad's closet?

I go out of my way to try to tilt the belief meter at more than half way around our house...kids have to believe in the good that is out there.  But this holiday always seems to throw me for a loop.  So, if you have any wonderful Easter traditions around your house, please let me know.

For our 15is portion:  I am going to talk about getting children to dress in their fancy clothes.

For some, this is not a problem. Around here, it is a monumental undertaking.  First of all, I don't like to go out and just buy them new things unless they have truly outgrown what they  have.

We dig through their closet to see what fits, which, if it's winter, is of course something light and frilly, or if it's spring, something dark and heavy.  (I am talking about girls here, for my son, anything that fits-works).  "Ok, fine, I won't make you wear the black, heavy, velvet dress from Christmas".  But, wanting to show them that how you look is NOT the most important thing in this world...(or spend a ton of money), our first stop is our local consignment shop.  There are limited choices here, and for everyday clothing, great.  But, when you are forced to choose between: a tight, bright pink, sparkly dress with a matching "half jacket" that barely covers the bulging buttons in the back, and your daughter is sqealing "please mommy, please! this is the most beautiful dress I've ever seen!"  Or, a purple butterfly and flower printed dress with a deep v-neck and sparkly spaghetti straps (for an 8 year old!) And you say to yourself, well, the pink one is only $10 and she'll probably come to see that it doesn't quite fit right.................famous last words.  

Not wanting to cause an image problem in her head, I agree to buy it and keep my mouth shut, but not without a few grumblings on Easter morning when she insisted on wearing her black sparkly tank top underneath.   More than a few actually.  Then, on the way to the big family Easter brunch, after I have vocalized my wishes for the children to just wear what I want them to wear on special occasions...( I did go to Old Navy and pick up a few extra dresses to sway her away from the first one to no avail) comes the wisdom that only a child can provide. "mom, it doesn't matter what we wear.  As long as we are together.  That's all that matters, is love and family, not what you look like".    

Ahh, I guess I have done my job.  That's what I wanted all along.   She actually did end up looking great.  The color was beautiful on her and she practically glowed when she put it on.  I think it was  because it "was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen". :)

But, in the interest of actually providing you with some useful information that you can use...here are a few tips on HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS DRESSED FOR A FANCY OCCASION WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND:


Spend 15 minutes thinking about what you/they will need for the day.  Plot out where you will buy them or when, if online.  

Start early.  I used to go through their dresses and try to shop the day before a big event, because I was too busy enjoying the moment of everyday life with my little ones.  Good stuff, but it's ok to plan ahead.  Saves YOU a lot of headache the morning of.

Buy online.   I got my daughters communion dress at a shop online called CutieClothes.com.

It fit perfect and was beautiful.  We bought the veil, gloves, shoes and even a purse at this site.  We paid the same price for the dress and all the accessories as we would have for the same dress at our local Nordstrom's.  They had tons of selection instead of the just three or four to choose from at Nordy's.

For my son, we bought him some Khaki dress pants online at a skater type shop....probably Dan'sComp.com.  They are made by Volcom and he puts them on without much of a fight.   Any kind of collared shirt will do for most occassions.  If he needed a blazer or sport coat, we could probably buy online, but since he's not picky, I think we did just go to Nordstroms and get their basic blue one.

Shoes:  For girls, these will realistically, probably only be worn once......Old Navy is a great source, Target, and Payless.  For boys, depending on how old they are, just invest in a good pair of Sperry boat shoes.   They last through all seasons and any occasion and go with anything they wear.

Make them shower the day before you'll be good to go the morning of!!

Good luck and remember to take pictures! Who knows when they'll look this clean and presentable again!

Excuse me now, while I finish off the last of the black jelly beans from my kids baskets.  mmm good.  Happy Easter!

traveling with kids

my youngest and oldest right before take off

 We just returned from spring break.  I love traveling with kids.  It's as much a challenge as it is an adventure.  For the most part,kids can get from point A to point B, fairly easily. This is made fairly easy because of the ubiquitous in-flight entertainment systems, DS, iphone, etc...
But what happens when these crutches are not available....their batteries are dead, or goodness gracious, there are no tv's on the plane!..... for those of us with older kids,  we remember what it was like to sing with the kids in the car.   Or, play fun games like "honey, please don't stand up and lean over the seat in front of us, the man doesn't like you breathing on his head!" over and over again, on the plane.  Ah, the good old days.  

Here are some good old fashioned tips for when the power shuts off.


Most are things you could think up on your own (bring crayons and paper) some are unique (bring a roll of scotch tape...endless possibilities). For a complete list of those i've used and/or read about, please see below.


(But, even if you were super mom and brought everything (map of where you're going for them to draw on or help navigate, stickers for airplane tray tables or a fruit loops necklace!.....) the most important ingredient in all of this is....YOU).


What the typical list of "tips" leave off is how much face time kids actually need.  How many of us have given a kid a coloring book and crayon and sat back and read a magazine?  I am not saying that we need to entertain our kids 24/7, just help get them started.


 I find that if I absolutely concentrate on them for at least 15 minutes at various points throughout,  afterwards,they are more apt to get involved in an activity on their own. (And I can get some reading in!)  For my youngest, her favorites are: playing a funny game where i pretend to be the baby and she the mommy (or any game where they are the ones in charge), various tickle games or "eating" games where I pretend to be hungry and her earlobe looks like just the right thing for a snack..or one of us freezes in a funny position and the other person "unfreezes" them....etc..on and on.....For the older ones, just some good old fashioned attention aimed directly at them....see below for suggestions.


(While we're on the subject, there is something to be said for not just tuning your kid out with the latest electronic gadget.  Believe me, I have been on 6 hour plane rides with a 2 year old, and I am grateful for any kind of distraction.  Especially after hour-3 of non-stop crying, while they throw anything you try to placate them with, up 2 rows, thus bonking other passengers in the head... 
but, dare i say, i do think kids learn valuable life skills when they are forced, at times, to do without). 


For older kids, this might include: patience, bordeom=daydreaming, going with the flow, adaptation, creativity, bonding time with a sibling (remember the guess the letter game you scratch on your brother's back? or plant a rose garden on their arm?-priceless!), if your in the car - singing (most likely not going to happen on the plane).  For younger kids, i don't know if they'll learn much, but maybe the parent learns to appreciate the above skills, or at the very least a great story to take away!~(baby throwing pacifier and bonking fellow travelers).


We all learned these skills when we traveled as kids.......i still remember the elaborate "room" i concocted in our car during our long drives (secret room located under the drivers seat where I had my own couch, air conditioning and bathroom!)  i spent hours decorating it and daydreaming that i was actually in it, and comfortably lying down on my couch, while my siblings suffered in the hot vinyl seats above.  i wonder what ours will remember or learn from their long drives or plane rides when they are tuned in electronically the whole time.........





travel tips:
for young kids..
1. bag of cheerios or for a special treat: fruit loops and a piece of floss, string, licorice rope. tie a knot in one end and they can string the cheerios on until it makes a necklace. tie it around their neck (assuming you will be supervising them so they don't choke) and they can eat the cheerios off during the trip.

2. learn origami and make pages of the in-flight magazine into a bird, star, cootie catcher. (i only read about this one, don't actually know how to do it)

3. keep a plastic bottle of water after it's empty. leave cap on and tighten almost all the way. when the plane lands, the pressure will squish the bottle. cool!

4. scotch tape. tear off small pieces and put on their tray table. they can stick them all over. I don't know why they think this is fun but they do.

5. paper + crayons.

6. post it notes. you can make a flip book of a dot moving (or something more elaborate if you are an artist. they will love it either way).

7. stickers. similar to scotch tape.

8. any kind of pen - turn motion sickness bag into a puppet. :)

9. for car rides, think of a few obvious sights they will see along the way and make a "map" similar to Dora the Explorers. i.e.: bridge, tunnel, city! they can hold the map and keep an eye out for the landmarks.

10. felt. get a large piece of felt and put it on a baking tray. cut out different shapes or letters. (there are also cute sets you can buy)

11. baking tray is also good for magnets.

12. books, songs, i spy.

for older kids:

1. travel bingo or rubber neckers (card game where you draw 5 cards and try to find the things on the cards {bald man driving, car with broken taillight, graffiti} and each card has a certain number of points associated with it.

2. book on tape (get a good one and it's better than a movie, i promise!)

3. if on a long car ride, pull out the map, and have them help you navigate. kids will balk at this at first, but actually they will enjoy it

4. teach them how to sing a "round" song. row row row your boat, or hi-ho anybody home. Or teach them one of your favorite songs that you knew as a kid. Hobo songs are particularly endearing. Hi-ho mentioned above, or anything by Burl Ives or Harry Belafonte.

5. The alphabet game. you know this one.

6. I'm going to a party game.......
(someone thinks up a categorty (a certain letter, words that start with someone's initials, things only found at the beach, etc.) and you start by saying: "I'm having a party and I'm bringing pretzels." the next person says "can I bring.....a cake?" and you say "no you can't come" (because your theme is anything that starts with the letter P). you let people come to the party who have picked up on this and say they are bringing pizza, pontoons, party poopers, etc.......until everyone gets it or they all give up.

7. magic tricks

8. origami

9. a card game

10. drawing together (fold a piece of paper in to fourths the long way. one person draws a head and part of the neck. they hand the paper [folded over so that only the bottom of neck is showing] and the next person draws a torso connected to the neck. they hand it back and the other person draws the legs connected to the torso and the next person draws the feet connected to the legs. Open it up and you have what often resembles a monster in a dress with hairy legs wearing flip flops. i never get tired of this game!
11. thumb wars

12. crafting (strips of tissue with a glue stick and a piece of paper is hours of fun)

13. table football, sleeping, homework(!), joke books, origami, magic tricks...the list is only limited to your imagination.

HAPPY TRAVELS~!



























for those of you who are following my own 15 minute a day actions, here's what i tackled today:


ordered more jewelry supplies 
finished two necklaces


not much! but this is all done during the wee puny time that my youngest is in school. (3 hours!). needless to say, these each took more than 15 minutes...but i focused on just one subject today {my fledgling jewelry biz and worked on that}. i did look at the Pepsi Refresh page and think about what I want to submit...15 minutes.
Ok, now kids are home, toddler awake. nuff said. can't think straight.....someone's yelling, what are they showing me? jlkjviouaehrfgu;ughvkjna;fuhvn;aoghiuwyeouwp90gtuw99p9oj;acklnu;gbhkj HAVE TO FOCUS!
time to dive right in! homework, toddler play, dinner, scouts, mom's meeting.......sleep
this blog gives me enough to float on until i can be alone with my thoughts again.  thanks for reading!





  

15is...organized

Hello
today's 15is.........organization.
If you were to pop over here and take a look at my closet, or entry way, right now...i don't think you would call me an organized person.  I definitely prefer things clean and put away, but sometimes i need a staging area.  right now that is my closet.  the entry way is just an ongoing conveyor belt of stuff, it generally gets purged daily, so there's not much i can do about it.  Regardless, I would like to offer a few organizational tips.
There are countless books about how to get organized.   But I believe that even the "messiest" people already have a system. YOU are the one who has to maintain it.  even if you had a professional organizer come in, if it isn't easy for you to maintain, then it doesn't do any good (i.e. my closet!)

Most of the books on organizing, just show you how to make a pretty box to put your mail in...(?! mine would sit in there forever. out of sight out of mind!)  I am not going to walk you through project that doesn't suit your needs.  There is plenty of advice out there for that.

The kind of organizing projects i am interested in involve universal conundrums, like how to organize your week, so that you can get all your tasks and chores done....how to stock up presents for kid birthday parties (and get gift suggestions as well)....less stressful holidays....etc.

Today, I will briefly tackle grocery shopping and meal planning.
Spending 15 minutes planning your week or even month's meals, will save you hours in the long run.
I used to go to the store and just pick around.  I barely had time to get there, let alone make a list.
What a difference having a plan makes.  I not only save time, I save money by only buying what I need.

I know that sounds obvious to some and daunting to others.  I have found these solutions from years of trial and error.

First of all, if you are like me, it's nice to have a recipe to give you an idea of what you would like to cook.  I tear out recipes from magazines (and even cook books) and slide them into clear plastic sleeves that i keep in a binder.
Actually, they only go in there if we have tried the recipe and liked it.   Then i flip through the binder to remind myself of the recipes, and write down all the ingredients.   I tend to cook roughly 3 to 4 meals a week.  I focus on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday*.  Thursday is some sort of left over, or take out.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday are more casual, or we're out with friends.  If i'm really organized, i will make a meatloaf or lasagna to have in the fridge.  Plus, during the weekend, my husband is around to help out, during the dinner hour, and happens to be a whiz at looking in the fridge and making a delicious meal out of nothing!

When it comes time to go to the store, i see what i already have in the pantry and cross those off.  Then when i go, i get the items for the recipes plus anything else we need in the house.  I minimize impulse buys, or things i won't end up using....leeks?

Speaking of stores.  I have a few of my favorites.  I do love the produce at whole foods, but they are expensive and don't carry the non-perishables that i like.
I don't like Safeway (all around expensive and do not carry enough organics).
I love Trader Joes!  They carry local produce and most everything that we like to snack on, but i don't buy my meats there.
We have a specialty store in town that has beautiful produce and meats, but the rest of their items are pretty expensive.

So, that leaves something like COSTCO or the like.  I don't love going to Costco because it's far from my house and really only carries one or two items that I need (Downy softener and organic cleaning supplies), that isn't carried by Trader Joes.

Enter SMART-N-FINAL.  They are my new secret weapon!  They not only carry Downy and Tide, they carry organic cleaners,  Horizon milk, name brand breads, produce, meats and cheeses.  They are a mix between Safeway and Costco but with better prices.  Also, you can either buy in bulk or normal sized (products that fit in your pantry!)

Before, i used to suffer through Safeway and then maybe hit Trader Joes.  But we were subsisting on  poultry because you can get a decent organic fryer and ground turkey at Safeway.  No Salmon or beef to speak of.  It was just too expensive after one run to safeway, to go and buy specialty seafood or meats.

When i discovered Smart-n-Final, I could shop for the same things for 1/4 the price of the same goods from Safeway.  At Safeway, my average bill would be around $400.00.  The same food and amount at Smart and Final would be around $150.00.  I was so excited the first time i did the comparison, i wanted to shout it to the world and tell everyone!  really, i was that excited.
This saved me enough money to be able to go to Trader Joes and Diablo Foods for the extras and  seafood and meat that we love!

Yes, I am going to 3 different stores, but I buy 2 of everything when I go to Trader Joes and Smart-n-Final, and i get 3 or 4 different kinds of meat at the specialty store and freeze them.  I intersperse them with organic chicken bought in bulk, or a simple soup, thereby enabling me to only have to shop once a week.

It all seems so simple to me now, and really takes no longer than 15 minutes to plan a month of menus and write out a few shopping lists.  But when I first started figuring this system out, it took me quite a while.  15 minutes at a time, I would concentrate on one aspect of refining my system.  To find and cut out recipes of all kinds to build the Westphal Family recipe book, place the good ones in the sleeves, learn how to shop effectively, compare different stores and write out better shopping lists.  I would spend around 15 minutes at a time to figure out how i could best suit my family's needs.

Having a family recipe book is also good for perfecting your trademark recipes.  I was getting pretty good at grilling a chicken breast and roasting new potatoes and steaming a vegetable.  When one too many nights passed when I was frantically thawing chicken breasts in the microwave at 6:00; or guests were coming and i had no idea what to make them! (i more often than not would look at a recipe that i had never tried before and go full throttle, stressing the whole family out for days beforehand!)  I knew it was time, I learned how to "cook".  I would marvel at the cooking shows where they would feature the chef going into a store and saying "oh, i'll grab a few of these radishes and make chicken tetrazini (just making this part up!).  They had such a repertoire in their minds of recipes that they could make anything out of anything.  I also wanted my kids remembering "mom's famous spaghetti sauce, or mom's famous chicken kiev".  At the time, it was just "mom's famous non-descript food on the table."

*For a while there, I would make a large roasted chicken with vegetables for Monday.  Tuesday is always taco night here...i would embellish that title to include enchiladas or tortilla stack, and use the rest of the leftover chicken and some ground turkey.  Wednesday was always soup night.  I would get yummy bread and salad and make a simple vegetable soup (or add any of the meat that was leftover).
Done:)
Currently my family is tired of that line up, which is when i turn to my recipe book.  But generally Monday night is chicken night, Tuesday is some sort of Mexican food and Wednesday is vegetarian.


thanks for tuning in!

leslie

why couldn't i win a nobel prize

a few weeks ago, i was playing the board game LIFE with my daughter.  I was struck by the LIFE tiles and how grandiose they were.  Won a Nobel Prize; Pulitzer Prize, nominated for an Oscar, etc...and I started thinking how lofty those goals were, for anyone, let alone my little car with one little peg in it.  I had chosen not to go to College this time around (much to the shock of my 11 year old) and see what happened.  Sure enough, I got the career that did not make as much money as she did, and she seemed to collect most of the LIFE tiles.  I lost, but even later in the day, I was still amazed at the assumptions of those tiles.  Are these really the markers of a successful life?  I know success is not limited to such high acclaim, but they had me thinking anyway.
Most of us have been able to define success in less obvious ways, but just as successful ways nonetheless.  Happy marriage, successful job, raising well adjusted, productive, happy kids, giving back to the community, good friends, the ability to discuss current events at a party and look like you know what you're talking about, the ability to cook a turkey for your in laws and not leave the plastic thermometer in it, or the bag of giblets for that matter, you know common goals..etc..
But why not shoot for the stars as well?
I love the episode of 30 Rock, when Tracy Jordan decides to go for an EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony). My son noticed that it would have been funnier if they spelled it like GOTE (goat!) but thought provoking either way.  He actually goes on to do it.  Even though this is fiction, I still find it inspiring.
He had no idea what he was doing and he still went for it.  He could have been striving all his life, only to fall short in the end, but what's the harm in striving for excellence?

I'm afraid I am guilty of setting goals that are quite lofty, almost unattainable.  I like just thinking about how to go about them and the challenges involved.  I haven't made much headway, but that hasn't deterred me from dreaming.

Maybe it's because when I was young, I didn't realize my full potential.   Or, maybe it's that I have spent the last 13 years completely engrossed in the lives of my kids.  I happen to love children's stories, illustrations, songs, jumping, laughing at silly jokes, playing in the sand, etc...all of which have inspired me, and allowed me to dream again, as only a child can.  Big, limitless, beautiful dreams.

At the risk of sounding very foolish, I will tell you some of my rather lofty goals (or dreams): writing and performing on Saturday Night Live, winning the Nobel Peace Prize (i will explain for what, in another post),  solving a dilema in physics (again, i will explain in another post),  becoming an artist (in jewelry and on canvas), having at least one genuine follower on this blog and possibly helping someone along the way; bringing my inventions to market (i have several).

Wow! That feels good to put down in writing.  I see that they are very lofty indeed.  oh well, it's now 10:30 at night......i am heading to bed.

I will give you my 15 is...tips tomorrow.  today was a busy day, home with my little one. she is in school tomorrow, so i will write more!

catching up

Phew, survived the packed weekend and was able to catch up a bit on Sunday.  I don't do well when we rush from one event to the next.  My house looked like it had been in a tornado and I was grumpy (sleep deprived), but actually, I wanted to spend all day spring cleaning!  Certainly not my kids idea of fun on a rainy sunday.  Especially after we had been so busy and barely had time to say 3 words to each other all weekend....so I did the best I could, in between.

Which leads me to today's 15 is tip:  how to clean a room in 15 minutes.  I saw this in a back issue of REAL SIMPLE.

and it actually works.

I have modified it to fit my needs, which is usually pretty rushed and harried.   I like to focus on what stresses me out the most...which is usually what can be seen first.   The entryway.  If you can get your kids involved, great! (magic eraser is good or duster, etc.) If not, even better, you'll be done faster.  Nothing gets my kids memories going,  like suggestions of extra chores ("oh, I just remembered, I have to finish that yarn/glueing/sanding project I started last week!)

First, gather up everything that doesn't belong there and try to put away.  ( If I have time, I adhere to the touch it once principal.  {i put it where it belongs the first time i touch it}).  If I don't have time, I get a bin, bag, drawer or closet and shove it all in there to be put away at a later time.  (you can see how ugly this could get in a few days, which is why it is only to be used in an emergency....when someone is ON THEIR WAY OVER right that moment!) If your kids are helping, this is a good reverse "scavenger hunt" game:  send them to daddy's closet with his shoes, the kitchen with that empty water bottle, etc....2 minutes

Once the room is free of clutter, stand back and look at the floors.  Can you see muddy paw prints or lots of dust bunnies in the corners?  Go over the room with a broom and then again with a swiffer floor mop.  (another great job for the kids...they love squeezing that button).  8 minutes (depending on your  little "helpers"....could be longer)

Now, you have at least a "clean" room, and clean smelling too!.....you can now go and cut some flowers or greenery from your yard or wash the windows.  If you cut really pretty flowers, no one will notice your dirty windows, so I always go for the former.

If you do not have access to a garden, put a pretty bowl out for your mail and keys; or a framed picture that isn't normally there.  Some focal point that is new and different, that has meaning to you.  5 

minutes.

Done!

I will post video as soon as I can, of me cleaning our entryway with my 3 year old daughter.

In the meantime, enjoy your time! Use it wisely, it's really all that we have.

Leslie

15is: four leaf clovers

15is: four leaf clovers: "Today is st. patty's day, (leprechauns came here this morning! turning the oj green, flipping the tv screen upsidown{push menu on your tv an..."