Cold and flu season.
How I dread it.
While not everyone thinks of the season starting till the colder weather hits, I'd like to think it really begins with the very 1st day of school for the year. I would notice the pattern over the last few years with my oldest, who completed an extra year of pre-K due to a late birthday. This year he went on to Kindergarten and my twins started in the public school's pre-K five mornings a week (same schedule as the Kindergarten).
We had actually gone the whole entire summer without a doctors visit (minus one that was allergy related). That was an incredible feat for the boys who had spent nearly half the winter and spring in and out of the pediatrician's office with various illnesses. And we were so active this summer to top it all off! We were constantly at the beach, the pool, the local YMCA. You name it, we were there... always on the go. And yet no illnesses. It was amazing.
The second day of school - the second day - one of the twins came home with a horrible runny nose and a day later it had turned into a bad cold. I was beside myself. How had we gone an entire summer without this only to be hit by a cold just 2 days back into the school year. Then it hit me - school germs. The boys are playing with their friends at school, sharing school supplies, touching who knows what on the playground... never mind when they play soccer each week. I shudder. That cold got passed around the whole house, boys first, then my husband and I. Knock on wood we have all been healthy since. I do however think it's because of the extra measures we have taken since then.
For years now I have made sure I kept a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my pocketbook, as well as a larger one with a big pump attached in my truck. The boys and I leave a store? We get in the car and sanitize. Believe me I am not a germaphobe... but when you notice you are in a store, the boys are touching things... and then their fingers go into their mouths? Ew. I have managed to curb the fingers in the mouths in stores for the most part and we clean those little hands right away after that before they have a chance to get popped back in.
I love love love donating things like Lysol wipes to the boys classrooms (which just so happen to kill 99.9% of bacteria and what's better than that)! I like to know if I send it in, it's being used in their class and things are being cleaned right. In their classrooms they also have to hand sanitize after they use a tissue and that's something I have tried to institute as well if a sink is not readily available to wash their hands. Also, we are totally working on sneezing into elbows... but the boys still need a little work in that department.
We have a routine when the boys get out of school in the mornings. When we get in the truck I pass the hand sanitizer and they all take a pump. When we get home, all backpacks are put on the floor in the living room and they have to go straight to the bathroom and wash their hands with soap and water. Once upon a time I used to have my oldest sing the ABC's to make sure he washed his hands long enough but now the boys have two other songs they also like to sing about hand washing thanks to children's programming. It makes such a difference because while they might not know how long 20 seconds is, they take that long (or longer) to sing the song while they wash up. And then I know they are super clean and germ free before sitting down for lunch.
I am also a big fan of flu shots. We get those every year. This will be the 1st year the boys will be getting them at their public school (vs the pediatrician's office). I really do think that it goes a long way in helping them to stay just a little bit healthier as well. It will be a few more weeks before the boys will be able to get their shots, so fingers crossed for now they keep staying healthy.
In the meantime, I will keep cleaning the toys they like to play with most with sanitizing sprays and keep the soap pumps and sanitizer dispensers stocked up. That combined with lots of healthy fruits and veggies and maybe... just maybe... the boys will manage to stay out of the pediatrician's office a little more this winter vs the previous ones.
That's what we do to try and keep our family cold and flu free. What do you do? Always love to hear other people's tips and suggestions too!
***Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Lysol blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.***
Showing posts with label social moms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social moms. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Organizing the clutter
Lets talk about kid clutter, shall we?
Once upon a time I had a really cute living room. And an office. Then we had one baby and it became a playroom/living room. We promptly added two more babies and it was no longer a living room... but a 24/7 playroom filled with toys that happened to have a couch and a TV. That office? Now a babies room.
And most days? It all looked like this.
That's right, a floor covered in toys and kids jumping in and out of the mostly empty toy bin. I'm not going to lie, we still have those days sometimes. BUT we have also made some changes at kid central. I'd like to share my 10 strategies for de-cluttering and organizing the toys in the playroom (as well as the rest of the house since if you have small kids like I do, you know it ALL becomes one giant playroom?!
1. First things first we set up a bookcase against the living room wall (that yes, we bolted to the wall for safety). On the bottom shelves we organized all of the board books for the kids. On another shelf within their reach we placed all the coloring books and a bin of crayons. Higher up but still in view are all the DVDs the boys can choose from with our help... and on top of that are special books the boys need our help with for one reason or another.
2. We organized the bins. Big giant bins are your friend, until you can't find anything in them. We got bins that vary in color and size, some of which hold just the Hot Wheels cars - just the Thomas trains - just the Little People (and so on). I have said for the longest time I will also include a photo on the outside of the bin so the kids know what should be put away where - but I have not gotten that far yet,
3. We created a space for the boys in our semi finished basement. Put down a rug and moved about half of the toys downstairs. We even set up an old CD player so the boys can throw some tunes on when they play. (The CD player is a big hit!)
4.We moved the giant kitchen play set that took up a great deal of space out to the house and into the backyard so they can play with it there. It actually gets more use out in the yard. So much easier for the boys to play at.
5. A large bin in each of the boys rooms. When it's time to clean up at the end of the day, the random toys scattered around get placed in the bin for the night.
6. A laundry basket in each room. You might not think so at first, but it makes such a difference when the kids have a spot to throw their dirty clothes. I am no longer finding random socks and sweaters stuffed under the bed.
7. Table and chair set in each room. We always had one for the Big Guy but only added one for the twins about a year ago. Makes a nice space for them to sit and read or color when playing in their room.
8. We installed a set of hooks on wall behind the bedroom door for jackets and backpacks to hang. The boys all know when they come home from school the backpacks get hung right up for the next day. This way we are never on the hunt to figure out what happened to them.
9. Donate old clothes to Salvation Army. I have tried consignment here and there but have not had much success. I find the easiest thing to do at the end of the season is to clear out what no longer fits the twins and just take it straight to the Salvation Army. (If it's only the Big Guy it no longer fits I put it in the twins room since they will be able to wear it soon.)
10. Give toys away. I used to hold yard sales to try and make some money. It's just so much easier (and less time consuming) right now to find someone you know with kids and pass it on - or take it to the Salvation Army. So often by the time the boys grow out of a toy it is still in good condition, I like knowing someone else will get some use out of it too.
So those are my 10 tips on organizing the clutter. I like to think it's always a giant work in progress though. Some days we are nearly spotless... and other days... well you can't always see the floor. Just knowing I have all these organizational things in place though, makes me feel like it won't take too long to see that floor again. Give it a try yourself. Do you have a great tip you use to de-clutter that I did not share here? I would LOVE to hear it! Always open to new suggestions!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Once upon a time I had a really cute living room. And an office. Then we had one baby and it became a playroom/living room. We promptly added two more babies and it was no longer a living room... but a 24/7 playroom filled with toys that happened to have a couch and a TV. That office? Now a babies room.
And most days? It all looked like this.
That's right, a floor covered in toys and kids jumping in and out of the mostly empty toy bin. I'm not going to lie, we still have those days sometimes. BUT we have also made some changes at kid central. I'd like to share my 10 strategies for de-cluttering and organizing the toys in the playroom (as well as the rest of the house since if you have small kids like I do, you know it ALL becomes one giant playroom?!
1. First things first we set up a bookcase against the living room wall (that yes, we bolted to the wall for safety). On the bottom shelves we organized all of the board books for the kids. On another shelf within their reach we placed all the coloring books and a bin of crayons. Higher up but still in view are all the DVDs the boys can choose from with our help... and on top of that are special books the boys need our help with for one reason or another.
2. We organized the bins. Big giant bins are your friend, until you can't find anything in them. We got bins that vary in color and size, some of which hold just the Hot Wheels cars - just the Thomas trains - just the Little People (and so on). I have said for the longest time I will also include a photo on the outside of the bin so the kids know what should be put away where - but I have not gotten that far yet,
3. We created a space for the boys in our semi finished basement. Put down a rug and moved about half of the toys downstairs. We even set up an old CD player so the boys can throw some tunes on when they play. (The CD player is a big hit!)
4.We moved the giant kitchen play set that took up a great deal of space out to the house and into the backyard so they can play with it there. It actually gets more use out in the yard. So much easier for the boys to play at.
5. A large bin in each of the boys rooms. When it's time to clean up at the end of the day, the random toys scattered around get placed in the bin for the night.
6. A laundry basket in each room. You might not think so at first, but it makes such a difference when the kids have a spot to throw their dirty clothes. I am no longer finding random socks and sweaters stuffed under the bed.
7. Table and chair set in each room. We always had one for the Big Guy but only added one for the twins about a year ago. Makes a nice space for them to sit and read or color when playing in their room.
8. We installed a set of hooks on wall behind the bedroom door for jackets and backpacks to hang. The boys all know when they come home from school the backpacks get hung right up for the next day. This way we are never on the hunt to figure out what happened to them.
9. Donate old clothes to Salvation Army. I have tried consignment here and there but have not had much success. I find the easiest thing to do at the end of the season is to clear out what no longer fits the twins and just take it straight to the Salvation Army. (If it's only the Big Guy it no longer fits I put it in the twins room since they will be able to wear it soon.)
10. Give toys away. I used to hold yard sales to try and make some money. It's just so much easier (and less time consuming) right now to find someone you know with kids and pass it on - or take it to the Salvation Army. So often by the time the boys grow out of a toy it is still in good condition, I like knowing someone else will get some use out of it too.
So those are my 10 tips on organizing the clutter. I like to think it's always a giant work in progress though. Some days we are nearly spotless... and other days... well you can't always see the floor. Just knowing I have all these organizational things in place though, makes me feel like it won't take too long to see that floor again. Give it a try yourself. Do you have a great tip you use to de-clutter that I did not share here? I would LOVE to hear it! Always open to new suggestions!
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Worldwide Day of Play
I don't know about you, but I have incredibly active boys who love nothing more than getting outside and getting dirty. Whether it's on the soccer field...
riding in the yard at my in laws house...
or playing in the backyard at home...
I know, right?! Crazy boys.
And yet I wouldn't trade it for a thing. A little stain remover on the clothes before I throw them in the wash and it's all good!
I think there is nothing more important than having active kids who get plenty of time outside while the weather is good. There is nothing like running around in the fresh air. While we inevitably end up cooped up a bit more during the winter, I like the kids to get outside as much as they can. They play outside after school, we take them to soccer on the weekends... and try to get some playground time and other walks in during the week.
Some weeks are not as successful as others depending on our schedule, but there is always the backyard at home and that I am grateful for. It allows the boys to get some exercise as well as blow off some of that extra kid steam they always seem to be so full of. (Which makes for boys who sleep great at night! Who doesn't like that?!)
Nickelodeon has a program called The Big Help - to empower kids and families to make daily healthy lifestyle choices. On September 24, 2011, kids and families are asked to take part in the Worldwide Day of Play to turn off the TV and play outside! It's so important sometimes just to shut off the TV and get out there with the family. Clorox 2® is a proud sponsor of Nickelodeon's 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play.
There is even a pledge you can take! I took the Clorox2® Play 2Day pledge to play outside! I have pledged a minimum of 7 hours per child per week - that's just an hour a day to get the boys outside and moving! As well as myself. I hope you and your family will join me by taking the pledge too!
Hope to see you all out and moving on the Worldwide Day of Play!
*Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.*
riding in the yard at my in laws house...
or playing in the backyard at home...
I always seem to end up with kids that look... like THIS!
And yet I wouldn't trade it for a thing. A little stain remover on the clothes before I throw them in the wash and it's all good!
I think there is nothing more important than having active kids who get plenty of time outside while the weather is good. There is nothing like running around in the fresh air. While we inevitably end up cooped up a bit more during the winter, I like the kids to get outside as much as they can. They play outside after school, we take them to soccer on the weekends... and try to get some playground time and other walks in during the week.
Some weeks are not as successful as others depending on our schedule, but there is always the backyard at home and that I am grateful for. It allows the boys to get some exercise as well as blow off some of that extra kid steam they always seem to be so full of. (Which makes for boys who sleep great at night! Who doesn't like that?!)
Nickelodeon has a program called The Big Help - to empower kids and families to make daily healthy lifestyle choices. On September 24, 2011, kids and families are asked to take part in the Worldwide Day of Play to turn off the TV and play outside! It's so important sometimes just to shut off the TV and get out there with the family. Clorox 2® is a proud sponsor of Nickelodeon's 8th Annual Worldwide Day of Play.
There is even a pledge you can take! I took the Clorox2® Play 2Day pledge to play outside! I have pledged a minimum of 7 hours per child per week - that's just an hour a day to get the boys outside and moving! As well as myself. I hope you and your family will join me by taking the pledge too!
Hope to see you all out and moving on the Worldwide Day of Play!
*Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.*
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