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Save Time, Save Money & Save Your Sanity! www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com July 3, 2009 Volume 3 Issue 1 http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com In This Issue * Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Child Care for Emergency Situations * Home Organization 101 - Six Tips to Help Mom Create a Clutter Free Home * Just for Fun * Important Info. "Having someone to love is family. Having somewhere to go is home. To have both is a blessing." Unknown ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Hello & Happy 4th of July! I hope your summer is going well! I want to apologize for not putting out a newsletter in 2 months. This year has been a real life changer for us. My DH has been having some pretty serious medical issues to which our family has had to get used to. We've been running back and forth to the hospital and doctors appointments. Thankfully it is starting to slow down and we are getting back into a routine. Yeah :) This month I've included two great articles that I hope will help your life run a little smoother. The first article is called "Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Child Care for Emergency Situations". I've learned quite a bit over the past 6 months and one of the things I'm completely grateful for is all the support of my family. They helped us by watching one or more of our kids during my hubby's many hospital visits and doctors appointments. This article will help you come up with a plan for child care in the event of an emergency. The second article that is included this month is about organizing your home, so you live clutter free life. Let's face most of us would be much happier with a simpler and less cluttered life. So enjoy this month's newsletter and have a wonderful month! Kim ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Please Support Our Sponsors Moms remember what your body looked like before your kids? You can get that back. No really! Try these fast, fun workouts you can do from home. 15 minutes a day is all it takes! You've got to check this out! http://shavattk.fitmummy.hop.clickbank.net/ Living on a Dime ebook series. Incredible ebooks that give real life examples on how to live frugally. Dining On A Dime Cookbook: Eat Better, Spend Less!, Penny Pinchin' Mama: 500 ways I lived on $500 a month, and Dig Out of Debt: Over 1000 of the Best Ideas From LivingOnADime.com which I have personally read and highly recommend! http://shavattk.livingonad.hop.clickbank.net/ To Advertise Here visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Stay at Home Mom's Guide to Child Care for Emergency Situations No one likes to think that something bad could happen, but the sad truth is car accidents, heart attacks, sprains and broken bones occur all the time. With emergency room visits lasting 4 hours on average throughout the U.S.A., who will watch your kids while you are busy with the hospital staff? Do you really think your children will wait patiently for 4 hours while mom, dad or a sibling is being treated? What about snacks, a drink or potty break? Are you going to be able to leave one child alone with the doctors while you take another to the bathroom? Ideally, you would have someone to babysit your children while you (or you and the patient) visit the emergency room. Befriend a Neighbor Who could you ask to watch your kids? Most likely, your spouse, parents, in-laws, friends, and other relatives will be first choice. They are all great choices, but you should become friends with a neighbor. You need to be friends with at least one of your neighbors so you can leave your kids with them until a trusted friend or family member can come get them. When selecting the person to come get the kids. Consider who is located closest and is most reliable. You obviously won't pick your relatives who live 3 hours away. You also shouldn't pick your 90 year old grandmother who can't see or hear to watch your 2 year old. Keep an Emergency Contact List Compose a list of emergency contacts along with their phone numbers and put where others can find it. If you carry a cell phone, make an entry in the address/phone listings called "ICE" or In Case of Emergency. An example would be ICE-Mom or ICE-Tammy and the phone numbers to reach those people. If you don't carry a cell phone consider keeping a sheet of paper with all your emergency contacts listed on it. Also, keep a list on your refrigerator, by the front door or in your mud room. Rules Make sure whoever you choose knows the rules you set for your kids. Let me clarify, only the important ones. Some examples would be: they are allergic to peanuts, lemonade makes them super hyper, they aren't allowed to continually text message their friends, or no driving the family car. The person caring for your kids don't need to know that they have to be in bed at exactly 8 p.m. or that they can't eat sweets after 7:47 p.m. When All Else Fails When you have no other choice but to take your children with you to the hospital, call to have someone meet you there ASAP. If possible, bring a toy that is quiet such as a hand held game system, a book, doll, or action figure for each child. Grab something for them to eat like crackers, chips, or peanuts. If you don't have anything you can grab and go, try to at least grab some change for the vending machine. A really easy thing to do is keep some spare change in your car or purse. Believe me, the 5 minutes it takes to grab a toy and a snack could save you from a couple hours of cranky, crying kids. Bad things happen in life, but you can help your life go a little smoother by thinking ahead. Befriend a neighbor, keep a list of emergency contacts at home and in your purse, and start collecting spare change. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kimberly Shavatt is the owner of HelpingMomsAtHome.com and KimShavatt.blogspot.com. She offers lots of hints, tips, time saving, and money saving ideas and resources for moms. ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Home Organization 101 - Six Tips to Help Mom Create a Clutter Free Home When you first move into your home it seems like you have so much space. However, as the years go by and you collect more possessions, you may find yourself becoming a bit of a pack rat. When this realization strikes home you have to ask yourself the question; what am I going to do with all this stuff? If this is your reality, perhaps it's time to flush out the unwanted or unnecessary items and begin to reorganize your home. Luckily, home organization can be broken down into an easy to follow step-by-step process. It will definitely take more than a day and could even take more than a week to get your entire house and everything in it back to a manageable level, but once you have accomplished that, staying organized in the future becomes infinitely easier. If you have a family that you can call upon to take part, you'll want to enlist their help. Not only can they help pitch in but they might also learn a thing or two about controlling clutter in their own lives. 1. Start with the busy zones. Usually the most used rooms in a house are the living room and kitchen. More often than not, when people come home, these two rooms are where everyone and everything ends up. Because of this, counter, couch, and floor space tends to become quite cluttered in these two rooms. The important thing to focus on here is to concentrate on getting these high traffic rooms set up the way that you want them before moving on to another part of the house. 2. Separate stuff into categories. If you have large Rubbermaid tubs or containers, they would come in handy here. Otherwise you can simply use some heavy duty garbage bags. Everything that you are sorting through can placed into one of the following piles: KEEP, THROW AWAY, GIVE AWAY, and RELOCATE. Items that you intend to keep in that room are to keep. Items that are broken or are not functional can be thrown away. Clothes, furniture, or other odds and ends that are still in great condition can be dropped off for donation or picked up by a local charity service. Anything that either belongs in another room or is being moved elsewhere should be labeled 'Relocate' for moving when you get to that part of the house. 3. Empty all your drawers and cabinets. Although this is a time-consuming process, it is always easier to begin organizing when you start with an empty space. If you line things up on a table or counter, you can sort the stuff and replace items while someone else helps put other items in their respective piles. 4. Use storage containers. Over the years, storage containers have gone from being ugly, strictly functional tubs to aesthetically pleasing and versatile storage units. Instead of stacking storage containers in the garage, you can now buy ones that match your house or room decor and allow you to integrate them into a space to serve multiple purposes and look completing unassuming. 5. Utilize all available space. For example, many kitchens have room above cabinets or appliances that would allow you to store extra items and goods. This built in room creates extra storage space without needing to use a storage container. As for the bedroom, make sure to utilize the space under your beds to place things like winter gear or shoes. There are a number of options when it comes to finding storage units that are the right height and fit for different bed sizes. These flat storage bins can easily slide under a bed or dresser, allowing you to take advantage of previously dead space. 6. Label your containers. It's a good practice to use labels and a permanent marker to clarify the contents of your storage containers. Since many containers are used for many different things over the course of a lifetime, you should avoid writing on the actual container. Labeling also allows for easy identification if you intend to sell or give away a container of items or are planning to move in the future. This will save you time since you won't have to open each individual container to locate an item. With all that being said, organizing your entire house will take some time. However, once the job is done, you home will have a new and fresh feel to it. Many things will have returned to their proper place, some items will have found a new and better place, while other items may no longer have a place in your house. By doing this whole house organization, you will create a higher degree of cleanliness and this will allow you to maintain greater structure and flow in your household....at least until the next big overhaul. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eronne Ward is a mother of three, guardian to kids in need, activist for the protection of children online and runs a kids entertainment and education website - http://www.cackleberries.com If you want some great resources to reward your child with, make sure to check out Eronne's parenting club where you can receive access to free stuff for your kids and more helpful parenting tips - The Cackleberries Club Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eronne_Ward http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Organization-101---Six-Tips-to-Help-Mom-Create-a-Clutter-Free-Home&id=2420679 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Just For Fun Liven Up Your Family Get Togethers One thing our family has done for years is selecting a theme for the get together. Some examples include: Redneck Party, Tacky Party, 80s, 70s, 60s, 50s, Murder Mystery, Luau, etc. It is not meant to be expensive - use your imagination and create decorations and costumes. Make memories and have a blast! Tip of the Month Purchase ID bands for your kids to wear when you go to the beach, amusement parks, or on day trips. They are only $11.50 for a pack of 12 at www.StuckOnYou.com Great Site http://www.Facebook.com This site has been around a while, but I've really gotten into it lately. It's a wonderful way to stay in contact with family and friends. Plus you are able to upload photos, links, playlists, take fun quizzes and lots more. What's Ahead Next newsletter will be out August 7, 2009. Important Information Please feel free to forward this issue in it's entirety to friends and associates. Anyone can subscribe for free: To contact us: Kimberly Shavatt HelpingMomsAtHome HelpingMomsAtHome@hotmail.com 449 Maryland Avenue Pasadena, MD 21122 To subscribe, change your information or unsubscribe please complete the form below or visit www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com To advertise in this newsletter visit http://www.HelpingMomsAtHome.com/advertising.html |
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