Ten Things Tuesday

As suggested by a friend, I give you ten tips that help ME survive the summer.

1. Going out at least once every 7 days with some other adult female for fun. (movies, scrapbooking, dinner, shopping, mani/pedi)
Going out at least every 3 days by myself for errands, book store, library or for reading by myself while enjoying some beverage.

2. My iTouch (iPod). It's instrumental in drowning out kids arguing, yelling, playing or their cartoons. I use it when cooking dinner, doing chores or folding laundry. It's an extra bonus to use for audio books. Really lets you escape the chaos that is summer--at least at my house.

3. I get my chores or To Do list for the day, done by noon or it doesn't get done. This is true throughout the year not just summer. But it's instrumental as I age that I know where my energy lies and how to tap into and use it.

4. If I have to do something seriously unpleasant, say a sink full of dishes that I've let go and I'm out of spoons, well I call a friend and catch up, WHILE I do my dishes. It's a reward for myself. Time flies by on the phone right?

5. I have two nightgowns that are my favorites. They look like sundresses and I find them SO comfy & cool (the main key to not loosing my temper in the summer) on Fridays when the kids aren't in summer school, I stay in them till late in the day. And I race to put them on after dinner.

6. Books. I love a good Harlequin or just something extremely fun. I am able to read a few pages and put it down off/on throughout the day when the kids need refills, snacks or help with something. It keeps my mind out fo the kid zone of cartoons & Star Wars which means I don't loose brain cells quite as quickly. I'm sure that's been medically proven somewhere.

7. I take the kids every 10 days to the library. Ours has summer reading programs with prize motivators for the kids in reading books. They love picking books/dvds and I love getting them to read and relish books & the escape. It's also a nice way to get them to be quiet during at least part of the day. (our library even has big people movies) And with being able to request them online, and emailed when they get in, it's the perfect system.

8. I'm trying a new system of marbles in a jar at home this summer by suggestion of a friend. It's better than my chore chart I started out with--less rigid which fits my kids better and me too, because then I can make it up as I go along instead of trying to remember all of what I said days ago.
So you put a jar out & they get a marble for doing good things, chores or being nice to each other, listening the first time etc. When the jar is full, they get to pick: go somewhere special, play date or buy a toy.
The genius is you can take the marbles OUT as well. So with a pre-teen sassy McSasser or whining by a 4 yr old---we get some taken away. Motivation!!

9. I'm also trying to do at least something fun/new every two days. Yesterday we made caterpillars out of egg cartons. Something new to play with, make, take up time. You get the idea. I think tomorrow we're making play dough.

And number 10---well I figured out two summers ago that with three kids home, doing breakfast, lunch & dinner + snacks, that I had a buttload (that's the technical term for it) of dishes to do. SO, I switched to paper plates & my life is A LOT easier. I love it. For $3.12 I get 45 paper plates (WM brand) and go through them in 10 days to 2 weeks. SO worth it. Sometimes if they were used for something like a Poptart, I rinse and reuse. *gasp!! I still have to use a lot of spoons/knives but paper cups/plates can make or break a mom.

There you have it! Some of my secrets to surviving summer home with the kiddos. Questions are always welcome!

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