Category: Household Tips

Tips and tricks for organizing your family’s schedule, and some advice from local moms!

School is back in session, and the kids are getting back into their after-school activities. Does it seem overwhelming to keep track of? We talked to 3 moms to get some real-life advice on organizing your family’s schedule. Lindsay Robinson, Amanda Smith, and Soni Douglas share their experiences.

We also shared 7 tips from Very Well Family for creating those family calendars. Some advice they gave included:

Make sure the calendar is updated and accurate.

Try a digital calendar. Make sure the app works for your family and your needs!

Use a physical calandar, and keep it where it’s accessible to everyone in the family. Use color coding if that’s helpful for your family. You can also blend these two and write your schedule in both your calendar app and your physical calendar so your phone can send you reminders.

Get everyone in the family involved, even the little ones! Teach them the importance of keeping a schedule so they can use it effectively when they get old enough to use the calendar.

Check-in with your family regularly about their schedule. Talk about what they need to do the next day, and what they need to plan in the future.

Don’t forget to plan for time to rest and relax. Having a jam-packed schedule once in a while happens, but it shouldn’t be every day. Studies show that people who don’t take time to rest are at risk for depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, eating less/poorly, and poor decision making skills. Make time for your family to spend time together, or for you and your significant other to have a date night.

Click HERE to read the full article from VeryWell Family.

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It’s Back to School Week on The Morning Thing!

We know many students in our area are getting ready to go back to school, and many students are going back this week. We want to help you and your child have a smooth transition as they head into the school year!

This morning on The Morning Thing, we shared some relaxing things you can do before the semester starts. Click HERE to see the full list. We especially loved the idea of taking a hike (and the weather forecast looks promising for a hike this week!), cleaning out your closet, and going berry picking. Take some time for both you and your student to unwind before the school year starts.

Is your child feeling anxious for the school year? Sometimes starting new things can make children nervous. If they are, here’s 5 tips from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center:

  • A week or two before school, start preparing children for the upcoming transition by resuming school-year routines, such as setting a realistic bedtime and selecting tomorrow’s clothes.
  • Arrange play dates with one or more familiar peers before school starts. Research shows that the presence of a familiar peer during school transitions can improve children’s academic and emotional adjustment.
  • Visit the school before the school year begins, rehearse the drop-off and spend time on the playground or inside the classroom if the building is open. Have your child practice walking into class while you wait outside or down the hall.
  • Come up with a prize or a rewarding activity that the child could earn for separating from mom or dad to attend school.
  • Validate the child’s worry by acknowledging that, like any new activity, starting school can be hard but soon becomes easy and fun.

Click HERE to learn more about easing your child’s anxiety.

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Getting your home organized while doing some spring cleaning!

It’s spring, which means you’ve probably started doing your spring cleaning. You can get your home really organized while you clean too! Women’s Day offers 32 tips for you to get your home organized and tidy! Some of these tips include focusing on one area, setting aside time to clean and organize, take inventory of what you have, donate what you have but don’t need or use, find a place for everything, store things where you will find it easily, use your walls to organize, and much more!

Click HERE to see all 32 tips from Women’s Day.

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It’s National Pet Day! Let’s talk about the power of our pets!

April 11 is National Pet Day. On this day, we celebrate the pets that bring joy to our lives. Whether you have dogs, cats, fish, birds, hamsters, or horses, National Pet Day is a great day to give them a little extra love.

This holiday started in 2006 when Colleen Page, an animal welfare advocate, decided to create a day to celebrate all pets. She also wanted this day to create awareness for animals in shelters awaiting their forever homes.

There are many ways to participate in National Pets Day. You can adopt a pet from an animal shelter, volunteer at a shelter and help take care of the animals, or even donate a few toys or some food for the shelter animals. If you have pets, spend a little extra time with them, give them a new toy, take some pictures of them and share them on social media, and give them some treats! Whether you have your own pet or not, today is a day that anyone can get involved in!

Click HERE to read more about National Pet Day.

Did you know that pets can bring some health benefits? It’s true! Research has found that hanging out with some animals can decrease levels of cortisol, which lowers stress and blood pressure. They can also help with feelings of loneliness and help you feel more socially fulfilled.

Click HERE to learn about all of the amazing positive health effects of having a pet.

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Simplify your life with seven simple shortcuts

Life can be hectic, and doing chores isn’t always fun. What if I told you there were some ways you could make those boring household tasks more entertaining and go a little faster? It’s true! We found some helpful shortcuts from iMom.com that you can do today! You can even get your kids involved and do chores as a family.

You can make a meal prep assembly line, create chore zones around the house for some quick cleaning, make a laundry pile that will make you smile, create a family calendar of events, cooking during your kid’s naptime, shopping online, and cleaning your car every time you’re in it.

Click HERE for all the details from iMom.com

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The three easy steps to create a good apology

Let’s be real, we’ve all had to apologize for something that we’ve done. But sometimes offering a heartfelt apology can be difficult. Maybe you don’t know what to say, or maybe you think if you don’t say anything the other person will forget how you wronged them. Being able to apologize is still important! Family Life offers 3 simple steps to make a good apology.

The first step is to actually say the words “I’m sorry,” and actually mean it. Even if you have to sleep on it to understand why you need to apologize, be heartfelt in saying it. Flippant apologies can be more hurtful than not saying anything at all.

The second step is to say why you’re apologizing. This isn’t your time to try to blame the other person, but for you to explain what you did that warrants the apology.

The final step is to offer to fix your mistakes. This can help you rebuild trust with that other person and hopefully help keep you from making the same mistake again.

Click HERE to read the article from Family Life

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Cost-effective date ideas that you’ll love!

A cheap date can actually be a good date! There are many things you can do with your special someone to spend time with them without breaking the bank. Ramsey Solutions has 45 fun date ideas that you can try out. Some of the ideas are even free! All of these dates are a great way to spend quality time with your significant other.

Click HERE for 45 cheap date ideas from Ramsey Solutions.

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Social media can be a good thing!

Social media is here to stay as a part of society. That isn’t a bad thing! As we learned from All Pro Dad, social media has it’s benefits. You can find a sense of community, express yourself, learn, find some commonality, learn trust, and get creative!

Click HERE to find out what benefits can come from using social media

But there are some dangers to social media. All Pro Dad also has some dangers specific to Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. While social media has benefits for your tweens and teens, it is also important to have conversations with them about the not-so-nice sides of it.

Click HERE to learn about the dangers of Facebook.

Click HERE for the dangers of Instagram.

Click HERE to read about the dangers of TikTok.

Click HERE to learn about why Governor DeWine banned TikTok from state government devices.

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We can help you make your Thanksgiving dinner a lot easier!

If you’re making dinner for your family’s Thanksgiving, you’re probably starting to think about how you’re going to handle the meal on Thanksgiving. This morning, we shared some advice that can help make your Thanksgiving go smoothly. Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé of All Recipes says to think of Thanksgiving as a two-day holiday: use your Wednesday for the cooking, and Thursday for enjoying the food and your family and friends that helped make dinner with you.

There are many Thanksgiving dinner foods that you can make on Wednesday, including your stuffing, pies, and mashed potatoes and gravy. You can also decorate and set your table on Wednesday too! There are only two things that she say’s not to prepare: turkey (because it might dry out) and salad (it could be soggy). But, if you prepare ahead of time, you’ll have time Thursday to make a fresh turkey and salad!

Click HERE to read the article from All Recipes

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Celebrating Food!

We celebrated the many foods that have national holidays today (9/20) on the Morning Thing. If you’re looking for a good snack, or lunch or dinner ideas today, try pepperoni pizza, fried rice, string cheese, or queso. Yum!

Check out these links for these food’s histories and for fun ways to eat them:

National Pepperoni Pizza Day

National Fried Rice Day

National String Cheese Day

National Queso Day

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