Deep Cleaning Day!

Friday is deep cleaning day at our house.  Mainly because the kids get out of school early, and I HATE spending the whole day cleaning on Saturday.  I think the kids deserve a day off (except for yard work, that is always done on Saturday cause daddy is home).  Here is how we do it...

Child One (and toddler): Living Room and Office
      (done in both rooms)
     -Picks up everything and puts it AWAY!
     -Vacuums whole floor moving what can be moved and vacuumed under
     -Dust anything that has a surface
     -Cleans the front of TV
     -Cleans windows
     -Dusts desk and computer

Child Two: Childs Bathroom
     -Cleans counter, sink and faucet
     -Organizes drawers
     -Cleans toilet
     -Cleans shower and tub
     -Picks up floor and sweeps
     -Takes out garbage

Child Three: Kitchen
     -Empties and Loads dishwasher
     -Scrubs Sink
     -Wipes down countertops and table with clorox wipe
     -Wipes down chairs and barstools
     -Sweeps floor (including halls)
     -Spot cleans floor (I always mop, call me obsessive)
     -Takes out garbage
     -Wipes down appliances

My kids have flip cards laminated and put on a circle ring to help them remember what needs to be done in each room.  They just flip the card to see what's next (and it has a picture of the things they will need to accomplish this job also) and when they get back to the beginning, they know they are done :)  It's the best thing in the world!  You can download the ones I made HERE.

One more great thing about this... they are in charge of that room for the WHOLE WEEK!   So if the dishes need to be loaded, the Kitchen Kid does it, or if the Living room needs to be vacuumed, the Living Room Kid does it :)  This way they learn how to pick up after themselves.

Oh, by the way, my kids also do their own laundry.  Tuesday is the girls day and Wednesday is the boys day.  They separate their clothes into lights, whites, and darks, and they know how to turn on the washer, add soap, and add the right amount of clothes.  Then they switch the laundry and fold and hang up their own clothes.  I was hoping this would stop them from putting clean clothes in the hamper because that would give them less work to do, but no such luck yet.  Hopefully they will catch on soon! 

I hope this helps your weekly and daily chores.  I believe children should be responsible for helping out around the house.  They need to learn that Mom isn't a slave.  Even though my kids are in charge of these things at our house.  I am still always busy cleaning up in between Fridays.

Girls Hair Do's- How to brush out tangled hair

This is how we brush out tangled hair without tears or screams!

Girls Hair Do's- Front Twist for Bangs

This is perfect for a quick hair do when you are late for school! Also, it keeps the bangs out of the face. Really easy!

Boy's Hair Do's- How to spike a boy's hair

Girls Hair Do's- Valentines Day Heart Pony Tail

This hair do is super simple and fun for Valentines Day!

Girls Hair Do's- Valentines Day Heart on side of Head

A lot like the Heart Pony (next blog post) but smaller and on the side of the head. Perfect for Valentines Day!

Perfect (and super easy) French Bread Recipe

I found this recipe in a magazine the other day and wanted to make it for Garlic Bread because it looked so easy, and it was! Here is the recipe:

Easy French Bread: makes 2 loaves

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups bread flour (I just used regular white)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and honey. Let it bubble up for about 5 min. Add the salt and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. If you have a dough hook on a stand mixer, let the dough hook knead the dough for about 8 min. If you don't have a dough hook, knead by hand until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide the dough in half. Shape into 12 in. long loaves. (I roll mine out into a rectangle and roll the long side kind of like cinnamon rolls then pinch the seam and ends under, and set it pinched side down on the sprayed pan.) Make sure the baking sheet is greased. Let rise again until doubled, about 30 min. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of the loaves. Bake at 450 for 15-20 min or until golden brown. Butter the top of the loaves right after they exit the oven. Enjoy!

Check out my recipe for garlic bread topping here!

PF Changs Lettuce Wraps Copy Cat Recipe

PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Pouring sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

Chicken Stir-fry
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed very small
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 cup mushrooms, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage

Stir-fry sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Begin by making the pouring sauce. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Combine 1 teaspoons hot water with dijon mustard and garlic and set this aside in small bowl.

Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until cooked through, then remove from the pan and cool. Keep oil in the pan, keeping it hot over a low flame.

Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

Take pan that you cooked the chicken in,  and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked, about four minutes, mix in the chicken and remove to a serving dish.

Add mustard/garlic mixture to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.

Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage leaf wraps and top with pouring sauce.

We also serve ours with rice noodles.  Fried crispy!

 

 Here is a picture of my 4 year old son devouring them!  He loves these!

 

Sibling Rivalry~ Ideas to help your kids stop fighting...

I know that this is the thing that drives us as moms crazy! Not only do I get mad when my kids fight, but it just drains the energy away from me and I feel helpless as a mom. I have recently broke down in tears after a particularly hard morning, so I decided to write down some of the thinks I have done in the past to not only help my children fight less, but help them understand that their actions are hurting others.

1. Stop the fight right away and ask your children to express how they are feeling calmly with their hands in their pockets.

2. Send them to the forgiving bench. On this bench there are strict rules:
- Only one person can talk at a time while the other one listens until they are DONE!
- The person talking has to start their turn by saying "I don't like it when..." or "You hurt my feelings when..."
- They have to find a solution that both of them are happy with and hug BEFORE they can get up from the bench.
- They BOTH have to say sorry to each other (hence the name, forgiving bench)

3. Make them hold hands and sing a song to you swaying back and forth! I know that sounds so stupid, but it really works, they feel silly so they can't help but smile. This works for my 10 year old son, he never wants to do it, so it's the best punishment for him!

4. Make them hug for 3 straight minutes! They will come away giggling. (although it doesn't solve any major problems, so I just use #3 and #4 for small fights)

Hope these can help you a little in your home. Let me know in a comment if you have some great ideas too!

Family Library Picks for February- Valentines Day

I thought it would be fun to post about the great books my family and I are finding for kids at the library each month. We usually go to the library every other Friday because that's my kids early out day.  BTW, I always put an alarm on my phone to remind me of the due date.  Also, we keep a library bag reserved just for our library trips.  It contains our library cards and receipts so they stay all in one place.  Another thing we do to make visiting the library easier, keep a library basket in your home where the library books stay at all times when not being read.  That way we don't have to go searching all over the house every other Friday looking for all the books.

Picks for February:

~Valentines Day:

     . Too Many Valentines A Robin Hill School book, reading level 1
     . Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine A detective book
     . Olive, My Love  Yes, the same loveable Olive from Olive the Reindeer
     . The Day it Rained Hearts  A cute story about a heart rain storm and a little girl who uses the hearts to make valentines for her friends
     . What's With This Room? I love this book!  It's all about a little boy's messy room.  So cute!  Even my 10 year old thought it was funny!  This was our favorite part...
     "Those clothes aren't heaped up because I'm a pig, I'm actually creating an archaeological dig!  In a couple of years I'll give you a chance to dig and discover my petrified pants."
     . Being Responsible  A very simple book explaining to children what responsible means.
     . Mouse's First Valentine  A preschool favorite
     . Biscuit's Valentine's Day  another preschool favorite.
     . Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine ages 4-8, Chapter book

Presidents Day:

     . Kids Meet the Presidents  a perfect introduction to the Nation's Presidents
     . Presidents' Day  a class puts on a play about the Presidents

Mommy's Favorites:

     . The Happiness Project  I haven't read this book yet, but I am planning on it.  I watched her interviewed on the Good Morning America Show, and I am trying to post something that brought me happiness on Facebook everyday until February, along with pictures if possible.  I can't wait to read it, I think it's just what we need during these long winter months.
     .  Photoshop CS3 One on One (of course, I'm a photographer so these are the books that make me happy!)
     . The 5 Love Languages  This book made my marriage so much better!  Everyone feels love differently and it's fun to take the test to see what your love language is, and maybe more importantly, what your spouses love language is :)  They have one for kids too!

Have fun at the library this month!