Homemaker Archives - Page 17 of 42

Breathing

April 2, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

After a long year {it seems}, we took a long, deep breath yesterday after our big 'launch Sunday' that we've been striving for the past couple months and then exhaled reeeeeeal slowly.

Sunday night as my kids wandered into the house, I told them, in all seriousness, to pick really comfy PJs because we were living in them the next day.

Our Monday consisted of way too many movies, trashing the house with Easter grass {aka snow, spaghetti, pure Fun}, no-silverware-necessary meals, no brushing of anyone's hair, definitely no showing, nothing but Easter candy for snack, and lots of snuggles.

We hung out in the long-awaited sunshine that was here today gone, hiding behind nasty rain clouds, tomorrow. We ate all fancy like on the back deck while our filthy, old-man, def dog tried to snatch food from the children. We went on a "lizard hunt" up the back of the mountain behind our house.

We slopped jugs of bubbles all over the outside furniture trying to figure out how to use the new I'm-so-lazy-I-don't-wanna-blow-bubbles-for-my-kids' contraption.

Bring it on, we're ready spring!

Filed Under: Being a Help-Meet, Homemaker, Parenting, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Make a Mini General Lee {Thoughtful Thursday}

March 21, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

I think every child should get to ride around in a Little Tikes car {or some version of} at some point in their childhood. How fun is it to pretend you have miniature versions of adult things. Pretend kitchen? Dress-up clothes? Car!

My in-laws gave our children a brand new cozy coupe a couple years ago. They LOVE it! In our current house, there is plenty of room to ride it indoors. They take turns riding or pushing the car around the giant loop in our home. When my little boy became old enough to drive the little tikes car around my husband had a dream of making him a special man car . . .any ideas what he had in mind?

Find out how my sweet man made THIS and put a smile on my lil man's face over on the Homemaker's Challenge!

Filed Under: Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Homemaker, Parenting, Projects, The Ones about Homemaker's Challenge, The ones about the Rothacher Home, Thoughtful Thursdays

Surviving the Stomach Bug {Thoughtful Thursday}

February 14, 2013 by Jules 3 Comments

Sorry, I know this isn't your typical Valentine's Day Thoughtful Thursday post but this is very relevant to our lives this week.

Monday morning my sweet little, regularly energetic , 2-year-old slept in late and 30 minutes later was asking to go night night and snuggled in my lap for a long time. That was the beginning of this weeks yack-fest. I won't go into the details of who won the up chuck count but I do want to share a 3 things that helped us manage a household full of littles who are very good sharers. Keep in mind, these are just practical tips to add to the normal love'n, movie watching, snuggling, washing, book reading, diaper changing, temp taking, water chugging that goes with stomach bug 2013.

1. The War Zone:

Our children are 2, 3, 4-years-old so the likelihood of them all making it to the bathroom when they feel sick in the middle of the night is pretty low. For some reason all 3 kids think the appropriate time to begin their barf marathon is between 10pm and midnight...gross. We decided to be proactive in this late night strike and make our Hazmat Team clean up a little easier by

tucking towels on the pillow as well as over the bed right where the mess is likely to occur then we
placed an empty trashcan right next to the bed just in case the attack was faster than the child and finally we
made a trail of towels from the bed to the bathroom along the path they will be taking several times in the middle of the night.

2. Tracking Meds:

With this years stomach bug came nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and low-grade fever. Needless to say we had a couple of medicines we were trying to use in making everyone feel a little better. To keep track of meds as well as limiting the ways this thing might get passed back and forth we

labeled medicine cups with each child's initials,
used a small empty picture frame and a dry erase marker to remember who took what medicine at what time, and we then
marked water bottles with different colored straws so there would be no sharing.

3. The BRAT Diet:

With everyone's tummy still curdling, gurgling, and a little on edge to say the least, we needed something to help get things back on track. The BRAT diet was something we've used since our kids started table foods. {AVOID Milk}

The BRAT diet is a historically prescribed diet for patients with gastrointestinal distress such as diarrhea, dyspepsia, and/or gastroenteritis. The BRAT diet consists of foods that are exceptionally bland and low in fiber. Low-fiber foods were recommended as it was thought that foods high in fiber cause gas and possibly worsen gastrointestinal upset.
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that most children should continue a normal, age appropriate diet. The foods from the BRAT diet may be added, but should not replace normal, tolerated foods. Sugary drinks and carbonated beverages should be avoided. ~Source

B. Bananas. I'm thinking any form of this would work. Peel and eat, mash it up and eat with a spoon, or slather on your toast.
R. Rice Nuf said.
A. Apple Sauce I think the consistency of the sauce version of the apple is part of its magic.
T. Toast We have several adorable "toast stamps". One says, "I love you", another is a heart, and another is a mickey mouse. Just to add a little fun. My kids don't eat a lot of toast so we've subbed dry {healthy} cereal several times.

Hope these tips help you survive your family's next bug epidemic.

Filed Under: Baking and Cooking, Being a Help-Meet, Homemaker, Parenting, The Ones about Post Series, The ones about the Rothacher Home, Thoughtful Thursdays

Getting off My Butt again

February 11, 2013 by Jules 2 Comments

Do you ever have those days where you know what needs to be done but can't fathom mustering up one more ounce of energy to accomplish whatever that thing may be?

Yeah, that! I know giving your kids chores are a vital part of training your children. I mean, how are they guaranteed to learn anything if we aren't going to take the time to teach them much less learn to do it the way we need them to do them...the RIGHT way? Being disciplined about disciplining your child is THE hardest part. I am exhausted all the time. It takes so much energy to make your kids obey. It can be done.

When Mags was an only child, that whole 18 months or so, we were Great about getting off our tush and physically making her obey. I'm not just talking about the count to 3 and then still show grace kind of stuff. Back then when we said, "Listen 1st time!" and "Delayed obedience is disobedience." we meant it! 90% of parenting really is choosing to get off my butt. There is no room for laziness. This is war. You give them an inch, they'll take 2 feet. lol

No but really, have you ever shown you child "grace" just because you didn't want to get up and make them do whatever it is you ask them to do? Have you ever said, "I'm about to ____ if you don't ____"? The phrase, "Don't make me ____" is a common one. A comedian once made a joke about a dad in a store saying, "If you do that one more time..." Really all of these can be translated, "Mommy {or daddy as the case maybe} is too stank'n tired to come make you so can you pleeeease, pretty please just act like you are going to do at least 1/2 of what I was hoping you were going to do like 20 minutes ago?" Am I right?

I've told you many times before of my awesome intentions and epic fails but I'm trying to start slow with a few new things rather than holding off on them "until we move & settle into a new house/routine/whatev like I would rather do. Feed the dog. Simple enough right? I'm just terrible at remembering this. Don't get me wrong, we've had our handsome Melkizedek since before "we" were "we". This has been Matt's dog. I've always ask that he be responsible for feeding, water, and bathing {bahahaha}. With him going to prison, I tried to help with this...well, I tried to make the kids excited about helping with this. My 4-year-old for real has a better memory than I do so I delegated 🙂

Often in the mornings she'll come ask me if Kiz has been fed yet. When I inevitably tell her no and give her "permission" to feed him she skerries off delighted. {sorry, all my brain wants to yell is SUCKA! anyways...} I've made this pet chore as easy as I can for my kids to do and it only required minimal training. Score!

1st I made all the pet supplies easily accessible. They are in the water heater closet right next to the back door where we keep the dogs bowls. Inside the giant Sam's Club bag I have a little cup they can use to scoop the food. They love this because they get to scoop way more times.

2nd I did this a couple times while they watched. Then I did it with them a couple times. Then I watched them do it several times {adjusting/correcting as needed} and now I have very little involvement. Woop Woop! As a matter of fact, Matt came home one day and ask, "Did you know the kids are out back on the porch by themselves?" "YEP!" 😉

3rd I try not to freak out on them. Yeah. Didn't see that coming did ya? I have lots of pet peeves. When Izzie decides to give Kiz "cereal" by putting his food in his water bowl I have to calmly explain to her dogs don't know about cereal and don't really like the left over shards of "cereal" left in their "milk". I don't like my children smelling like the stanky dog...but I have to be okay with them loving on the lonely, smelly, old-man, def dog ESPECIALLY when they are actually obeying and doing a chore I've given them responsibility for.

Any how. I AM attempting to find the energy I once had so I can keep my eyes on the prize and finish the race strong! It's no one else's job. When I ask my hubs, "What the crap? Where did this disrespect and disobedience come from? Rrrrr!"; it comes from Me...or the lack there of. Children were not born "good kids" or "brats". We are shaping them and the adults they will be. No wonder its so exhausting.

Filed Under: Homemaker, Homeschool, Parenting, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Personalized Mailboxes & Love Note Station {Thoughtful Thursday}

February 7, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Thoughtful Thursday a weekly series on asJulesisgoing.com

Again with Target saving the day! I love the dollar spot & I was so excited they had these adorable mini mailboxes again this year {since I was too slow to score them last year}.

We are using these cute lil guys as part of our month long Valentine's Day Party. All I did was buy different color boxes for each child. My Target has pink, red, and white in the small $1 version & the same colors in the larger versions but those were $5. The only reason I got larger ones for Matt & I was because they didn't have enough of the 'right colors' in the smaller one. {almost missed them again}

I used some of that great chalkboard paint leftover from our chalkboard table project.

All I did was use painters tape to mark off the rectangles I wanted the tiny chalkboards to be on the front of the mailbox door as well as the side {that one was a little bigger than the front}. I made one rectangle "stencil" and pulled it off to use on each mailbox to make sure they were the same size.

Putting multiple coats is the best idea for a chalkboard that will last. I did chalkboards rather than just using sharpy for writing their names so I could use them for other things if I wanted to.

Let these dry really well between coats. Be careful though...if you let the tape stay on until the its completely dry it will tend to pull up the paint. I put on the 1st coat, removed the tape {placing it on the next box I was planning to work on} and then just added the next few coats over the area I already had marked out.

After writing each persons name on them, I set up a "love note station" where the kids as well as Matt & I can write sweet nothings to one anther through the month of February.

Love Note Station includes:

chopped up red, pink, purple, and white paper using cutesy scissors
heart hole punch
red, purple, black pens
pink highlighter
heart, flower, Valentiney stickers

Tuesday was our first day to introduce the boxes and they LOVED them! They loved getting notes from their parents about how much they're loved. They were also really into 'writing' notes to one another...this basket was EMPTY day one...I had to restock with more paper & random stickers.

I am also using these little boxes to give the kids silly treats or tiny toys {I got on 50%+ off sale after season last year}. Tuesday I cut up packs of those jelly window clings and gave each kid only a couple. I plan to give them a few at a time so they new doesn't wear off as quickly. I have heart bracelets, heart popper thingies, and candy divided up in bags marked with each child's name so every other day I can sneak a treat into each kids box.

My oldest is on the verge of reading/writing on her own so we used the highlighter to write messages she thought up and then let her trace the letters with her own pen. I think when they're a little older I will add a bible or list of scriptures about love to the station or even cutesy Valentine's Day library books for a little inspiration!