Tag: family

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Friday Fav: Odds and Evens

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Mr. 4 year old asked this week, “If Daddy wants to play with me and you want me to help you with work, would you cut me in half?” Such a wacky, but innocently sweet, question from my little man. (We’ll gloss over that daddy is perceived as the fun one and I’m the one working around the house.)

It’s not unusual to have these dilemmas about sharing in our household though, whether that’s who gets the treasured “truck spoon” pictured above or who gets to open the garage door. Cutting a person or object in half is rarely the answer.

I don’t have room in my brain to remember if big brother got the blue cup last time or not. I don’t know whose turn it is (and I frankly don’t care), so I solved the issue with a simple rule. Odd days of the month are for Mr. 7 year old and even days are for Mr. 4 year old. Now the kids don’t argue over whose turn it is. Instead, they see that they disagree on something and ask what day it is. The victor celebrates the win while the other pouts but quickly moves on. (And, bonus, my kids quickly learned about even and odd numbers!)

You may be thinking, “That’s great, Stephanie, but you are favoring odd days. Many months have 31 days, giving Mr. 7 year old more days than Mr. 4 year old.” Nope! The 31st (and Feb 29 this year) are mommy and daddy’s days. We get to open the garage door those days.

So there.

Nanny nanny boo boo.

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Reinforcing the Kids’ Good Behavior

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Mr. 6 year old became Mr. 7 year old this week! I can’t believe our once tiny human who surprised us by arriving over five weeks early is now seven years old. My husband pointed out that Mr. 7 year old is now less than a decade away from driving. AHH!

In our house, aging up unlocks new responsibilities. I was a big fan of the fourth birthday because that’s when we said that the kids had to start wiping their own bums. We’d assist afterward, as needed, but serious training on wiping starts at four. I never wanted that job! Four years was enough.

With Mr. 7 year old’s birthday, we have started a new reward system for both kids. We’ve had reward systems in the past, like stickers for trying new foods or using the potty. I’m also not above paying my children to read. The going rate was a quarter per book.

Our newest reward system involves awarding the boys marbles for good behavior. Each marble is worth five minutes of screen time, a treasured reward. What I love about this system is that we can use the same system for every habit we want the boys to build, like brushing teeth, reading a book, or being kind without prompting. Every good behavior earns them a marble.

I’m hopeful that the system will stick. I think it will because the system has us looking for good behavior. We want the kids to be successful, so my husband and I are always on the lookout for behavior we want repeated. By recognizing good behavior (using the screen time currency the kids love), then we’re giving positive reinforcement to the establishment of good habits. I liken it to the gratitude movement that suggests taking time each day to recognize what you’re grateful for will bring you more joy. By recognizing the good behavior we want to see, the boys will continue making good choices.

However, we’ve made it clear to the boys that what can be given can be taken away. The boys earned a few marbles last night as they cleared the table without asking and got ready for bed largely on their own. They each lost a marble though when they decided to get out of bed and horseplay after bedtime.

We’ve just introduced this system, so I’ll have to report back on our progress after a few weeks. So far, everyone in the family has jumped onboard. The boys are seeking opportunities to earn more screen time, and my husband and I are being generous passing out marbles as we start.

The real reason I want this system to stick is simple though. I amuse easily. It’s too funny picturing my husband or me in the middle of the grocery store or some other public venue telling the kids, “That’s it! You’ve lost your marbles!”

Posted in Blog

Packing Hacks

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

I was out of town on business last week. I’m still amazed by how much less work it is to pack for myself and not the whole family. I still find packing to be a pain though….a delay in getting me to my destination. As I was preparing to leave, I was reminded of my favorite packing hacks. What am I missing though? What are your hacks? I share mine below for your consideration.

#1. Make a Reusable List

Now that our family uses Cozi, I can put my reusable lists there. For now, everything is still in Excel. I have lists for all kinds of trips: camping, family vacation, business travel, etc. These lists note all the items I have to pack. There’s a spot to check off each item as it’s packed, both when packing to leave and return home.

I also include sections on to-dos, both tasks I can do well beforehand and those that I need to do last minute. Because I’m always interested in others’ details (to get ideas of items I may be missing), below are some of our to-do items before a road trip.

Beforehand:

  • Bathe dog
  • Charge all electronics
  • Get gas
  • Hold mail
  • Notify neighbors/request they hold packages
  • Mow
  • Check car
  • Get cash
  • Fill prescriptions
  • Procure roadtrip snacks
  • Download media

Last-minute items:

  • Pack cooler
  • Fill water bottles
  • Wash final dishes
  • Pack car
  • Turn off electronics (e.g., computers)
  • Ensure doors and windows are locked
  • Set air/heat
  • Close curtains
  • Water plants
  • Take trash out
  • Set house alarm

#2. Minimize Your Luggage

To help reduce the amount of stuff I need to pack, I create outfits all using the same shade. For my last business trip, I mostly wore black. I took a couple of pairs of black pants, multi-colored blazes, a few sweaters/jackets, and then one pair of dress shoes in black. I pair up my clothes and roll up outfits to reduce wrinkles and minimize storage space in my luggage. Works like a charm!

#3. Pack Toiletries the Night Before

By packing my toiletries a day early, I can use them the night and day before I leave. I do this as a way to double check that I’ve packed everything I need. If I go to put on mascara and I don’t have any in my toiletry bag, then I know I forgot it and need it packed. There’s always at least one item that I find I need to add using this system.

Now that I have these packing hacks, I need to think of some ways to make unpacking more enjoyable. Ugh. I’ll pack (which requires fun planning) all day long, but the seemingly pointless task of unpacking always feels like such a burden. I’ll take it though, because unpacking means I’m home!

Posted in Blog

Friday Fav: Toothbrushing Songs

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

My kids are currently obsessed with these two-minute toothbrushing songs you can find on YouTube. They have ridiculous songs and animations showing you how to brush your teeth, along with a countdown timer to encourage little ones to brush for a full two minutes.

I love that the kids get excited to brush their teeth with these songs and will follow along with the video to get every section of their mouths. Mind you, I’m dealing with one of my kids who, as a toddler, I basically had to tackle to the ground to brush his teeth. Toothbrushing used to be a nightmare.

Apparently I’m in the wrong line of business though! I could have been rolling in the dough with videos like this that kids are encouraged to watch two times a day. Some of these videos have over 100 million views!

Here are some of the kids favorites:

Here’s to peaceful toothbrushing!

Photo Credit: Photo by Alex on Unsplash

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Friday Fav: Store-Bought Valentines

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Tis the season for the kids to pick out and give away valentines to their classmates. Every year I’m impressed by the creativeness of the valentines some kids give out. There’s always some non-food gift in original, homemade packaging and a clever little note, like giving away bouncing balls and saying, “You are a BALL to hang out with.”

But, my Friday Fav is the antithesis of these cute valentines. I’m all in on the bulk, store-bought valentines with TV and movie characters with stickers or tattoos as giveaways. They are easy! And, bonus, my kids love them!

I’m don’t begrudge anyone who takes the time to make homemade valentines. You do you and all that. I’m just not that person who wants to spend my time being crafty in this way, and I have no guilt in “outsourcing” the creation of valentines and buying the store-bought ones.

Photo Credit: Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Posted in Blog

Summer Camp Chaos

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

I realize that it’s wintertime. In our neck of the woods, summer camp planning happens in January. You better have your top choices booked by early February or you may never get in.

Luckily, we live in an area with a ton of summer camp options for the kids. There are so many cool options that I wish I could go too! There are weeks dedicated to fun activities like building robots, engineering lightsabers, cooking competitions, creating stop-motion videos, and visiting waterparks.

January is dedicated to reviewing the available options and deciding how much I’m willing to spend and how far I’m willing to drive. I create a simple spreadsheet to track it all. The weeks of summer break are across the top and each row is dedicated to a different location/provider. I fill the cells with options.

I then sit down with the kid(s) to see what they are most interested in. They have the “tough” choices, like deciding between a week of fishing vs. art. #firstworldproblems

Then, the best part happens. The parents in my neighborhood sit down together and figure out where we have overlap and plan carpool weeks. It is AWESOME! I’m so thankful to have parents to team up with.

Some of these camps fill up so quickly that we have to sign up as soon as registration begins. I have about a million reminders set on my phone and in our Cozi calendar for the popular camps so I can get in the week we want.

The best part of about the chaos of summer camp planning is that it forces us to plan our summer early. If we want to take time off for vacation, then we need to at least pick the week early. We then plan for the grandparents. My husband’s parents and mine are amazing and volunteer to host the kids for a week at their houses for another whole set of family-fun and adventure.

See why I’m so jealous of the kids’ summers?

Photo credit: Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

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My Friday Fav: Family Movie Nights!

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Living an intentional life is not about all work and no play. It’s about making time for play and really enjoying the time our family has together. That’s one of the reasons I love family movie nights.

About once a week, during the cold winter months, we have a family movie night either Friday or Saturday night. I love snuggling with my family under a blanket with a slice of pizza to watch a feel-good, family movie. Our kids are a hoot to watch with though because anything suspenseful is immediately “scary.” They really get into the shows we watch, and they’ve been a good avenue for us to discuss different characters’ perspectives and motivations.

The trick is, I am not the kind of person who can watch the same movie over and over again, so I’m always on the lookout for good movies to watch as a family. Lately we’ve been on a live-action kick, watching movies that my husband and I grew up watching. We’ve seen Rookie of the Year, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Freaky Friday.

I’m on the hunt for more entertaining, family-friendly movies, so let me know which ones you’d suggest for easily scared four and six year olds. So far we’ve stayed away from Ghostbusters and the Marvel universe, though we’re super excited to show them these movies when they are a bit older. What do you suggest?

Posted in Blog

Is Grocery Delivery Worth It?

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

My time is valuable. I prefer not to waste it doing tasks I don’t particularly enjoy, like filling a cart full of groceries in a crowded store with two young kids buzzing around me like bees. How lucky we are to live in a time where I can outsource this task and get back more quality family or personal time!

Our preferred grocery store chain (shout out to Wegmans!) recently started providing curbside pickup and delivery options near us, so I researched the costs.

I started by creating a list of 12 items:

  • Store-brand loaf of bread
  • Family pack of ground beef
  • Large pack of strawberries
  • Bunch of bananas
  • A dozen eggs
  • Family pack of store-brand pasta sauce
  • Gallon of 2% store-brand milk
  • Store-brand almond milk
  • Family pack of Cheerios
  • Large container of coffee creamer
  • Half pound of bologna
  • Package of pasta

If I picked up these items in the store, it would cost me $60.41 and at least an hour of my time to drive to the store, pick up everything, and then come home.

If I wanted curbside pickup, meaning someone else shopped for me then met me outside the store to help me load my car, then the price jumped to $69.59 (a 15% increase). However, I’d definitely be adding a tip on top of that of at least $5. So, the total comes to $74.59 (a 23% increase) and 30 minutes of my time to drive to and from the store.

If I wanted these groceries delivered, it would cost me $72.98 (a 21% increase) plus tip. I’d tip at least $10 for this service, so that’s $82.98 total (a 37% increase). Having someone else shop and deliver my groceries would save me an hour of my time.

So let’s compare the options. Shopping for myself is the baseline, and it costs $60.41 and one hour of my time. In this scenario, how much more money does it cost and how much time is saved by these choices?

  • Curbside pickup costs $14.18 more than shopping myself, but I save 30 minutes of time.
  • Delivery costs $22.57 more than shopping myself, but I save an hour of my time.

In this case, to save myself an hour of time, I’d pay $22.57. I could use that time to play games with my kids, read a book, or work an extra hour. (I’d pretty much like to do anything other than grocery shop.)

But, deciding if the price is worth it may depend on the quantity of items purchased. There’s certainly some economies of scale at play here. If you order just a few groceries, many services will add a flat fee to your price, making the markup greater than my example above.

I recognize the privilege I have to be able to say that an hour of my time is worth more than the cost of having groceries delivered. If I enjoyed the task, I may do it anyway. I wouldn’t pay someone $20 to fold laundry. I kind of like that task. (Yes, I realize I’m strange. Just roll with it.)

So, there you have it! I’m sure each store and grocery-delivery option is somewhat different, but here’s an exploration of one option for your consideration.

Posted in Blog

My Friday Fav: Rubber Wristbands

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

You know those 10 cent rubber wristbands the kids get in birthday goodie bags that usually go straight in the trash when the kids aren’t looking? Well, I found a perfect use for them in our family.

Our young boys are both in school with forever-changing schedules. Sometimes they have after-school activities like soccer or debate, sometimes they have a playdate with friends, and other times my husband or I pick them up at the bus stop. Because we’re not always consistent, the kids can get confused about what they need to do after school. The teachers have good systems for keeping track, but I also realize they have 20+ kids. I wanted our kids to know the plan.

Function over form won out for these rubber wristbands.

To help the kids remember, I labeled the rubber wristbands with various instructions (e.g., mom, dad, activity, etc.). I then attach the right rubber wristband to their backpacks each day and review the plan with the kids. At this point, the kids know what each color stands for. For example, red means that mom is getting them from the bus, green means they are going home with a friend, and yellow means stay after school.

I attach the wristbands with a carabiner or easy-to-open keychain.

This has been a simple and easy tool for us to implement. And, I don’t forget to do it each morning because it’s one of the to do’s listed on our morning checklist.

Posted in Blog

Our Morning Checklist

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

This momma loves a good list. To help our mornings run a bit more smoothly and reduce the number of times I have to tell the kids to brush their teeth or put on their shoes, we created a morning checklist that I added to our family command center.

Our family command center in all its glory.

After a few weeks into the school year, the kids pick up the routine and know to look at it for reminders on what to do.

Our deal is that if the kids can get through their list before we have to leave, they can have some time to play or watch TV. That’s a big motivator to get them moving! Many days they have no time left or just a few minutes. It’s a rare occasion to have enough time to get through a whole cartoon.

What I love about the list is that the kids helped create it, so they had to think about what all needs to happen to get ready for school. I used Microsoft Word to create the list within a table. I added clipart to help Mr. 4-year-old “read” the list and color matched the art and text.

Now that we have the list, the kids have a bit more freedom to manage their time. Certainly, with the kids only being 4 and 6 years old, my husband and I are not hands off. But, we’re are not reminding them WHAT they need to do. Instead we’re asking them what is next on the list or reminding them that they only have 20 minutes left. We’re trying to teach them to be aware of their own time and responsibilities and build some independence. We try to say things like, “You’re normally done brushing your teeth by now, but today you haven’t even started.” And then avoid things like, “Hurry up! We’re late!” (Though I do say that too when I get exasperated!)

Overall, the morning checklist has worked out really well for us. We haven’t missed the bus or been late to school yet, so I’ll take that as a win!