Member Lifesavers

Routine is my lifesaver. When school starts, my eldest goes back to college, my (disabled) teen starts high school, and I go back into the classroom, too. We depend on routine to keep us sane and get everything done. Morning routine: creakfast (together), then teen on the bus, then straight to school for me. This extra morning time built into my routine is another lifesaver; it allows me to leave right after school.

In addition to my weekly meal schedule (on a wipe off board that hangs on my fridge), I also have a leftovers board on the fridge. Whenever we have something left over, we put it in the fridge, then we write what it is and the date we had it on the wipe board. When we need something for lunch, we can look at the board and see what's in there that is still good (less than 4 days old at our house). It cuts down on the disagreeing about when we had something and it's easier to read a list than attempt to look at containers and figure out the contents. And it's a reminder that there are leftovers in there which get them eaten which means we're wasting less food!

When at the park or at the mall where my kids could possible get seperated from me... I used to safety pin my business card to the back of their shirts. Just in case we were seperated, I could be contacted instantly. Also, my kids were taught to always ask a lady that looks like a "Mommy" for help... I thought it would increase the odds that my kids would be returned safely. Thank goodness we never had to test my theory.

I take my toothbrush into bed with me! I curl up and get some precious alone time with a good book while I brush. I'm multitasking to get some Me time, but it also gets me brushing much, much more thoroughly. My teeth have never been so clean!

The summer is supposed to be a time for kids to enjoy not having to be in school and to just enjoy being kids. However, with the heat that some of us are having, or the rain, or whatever the case may be, they don't always get to go outside and play. Here's something fun for them to do inside ...

We all know that it seems like the washing machine often eats our socks. My husband and I have plenty of socks that have lost their partners. Take some of your socks that you can't find the match for, and take some of your children's socks that you can't find a match for, and let them turn them into sock puppets! Purchase some washable markers and let your kids draw faces on the socks, give them clothing, etc. and put on a puppet show! After they're tired of the same ol' puppets, just wash the socks! Since the kids used washable markers, the marker will be washed out and they can draw some new puppet characters and make up new stories. This is a great way to keep the imagination at work.