Make a checklist.

If your child knows how to read, help them make a checklist to consult each morning. Keep it simple and short. It might include items such as:

~ Brushed my teeth

~Fed the pet

~ Made my bed

~ Kissed mom and dad goodbye

~ Grabbed my lunch box

If your child isn’t reading yet, you can make up a fun list by using pictures instead of words.

A Time Capsule

Looking for something a little different than just family game night?

A time capsule can be a great family project to commemorate a special occasion. Fill it with photographs and mementos, and put it away for as long as you like.

Ask everyone in the family to contribute an item - clippings, photographs, letters, arts and crafts, toys or just about anything else that fits into the capsule.

Leave out any substance that could decay and damage the other contents of the box. This includes rubber, wool, wood, PVC, and any perishable or edible item. If you must include any of these, put them in an air-tight plastic bag.

Mark everything clearly so you or others will know where each item came from and who included it when the time comes to open the capsule. Don't assume you will remember all the details. You may also want to include a detailed inventory of all the items.


Fill the capsule and seal it, then put it out of sight and out of mind. Make sure you store your capsule in a place where your kids won't get impatient having to look at it every day.

Leave yourself a reminder about the time capsule in a place where you are likely to find it if you move or if your home suffers any damage.

Happy Friday peoples! See ya back here on Monday.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Unless of course your morning routine looks a little something like this:

7:00: Struggle out of bed.
7:15 Succeed in encouraging your darling children to do likewise.
7:20: Pack multiple lunches, while in the bathroom your children brush only their two front teeth and create toothpaste sculptures on the counter.
7:30: Discover that your children have dressed themselves as if they are escapees from a prison camp. Begin the process of redressing them.
7:40:While your kids eat their morning meal, find out that today you are supposed to supply your youngest child with cookies shaped like famous presidents for her entire class.
7:50:Start the morning scramble for backpacks, lunch bags, and homework that has mysteriously disappeared from where your child claims it was last night.
8:00:Magically pack your fully-equipped children in a neat single-file line into the car or school bus … or shuffle them off in a disorganized scrambling flurry of papers and dropped lunch money.
8:01: Sit down for the first time in an hour.

If it does, let me help to change that. To celebrate the return of the school year I will be giving tips all month on how to turn your mornings into a zen like state of streamlined efficiency. I have tips for college kids and teachers too! And as a bonus on Fridays I'll provide fun tips on what to do for low cost or free family time =D Happy school year everyone!

Ok guys, let's get started:

Regulate bedtime now!
Too many children start the school year exhausted because they adjust their summer “staying-up-late” schedule to “early rising” the day before school starts. Instead, institute a routine of 8 p.m. bedtime and 7 a.m. rising two weeks in advance. Even thought it is still light out at 8, kids need their sleep so badly that it’s in their best interests to do this so that they have adjusted and are ready for the challenges of a new school year. This is vitally important particularly when the child is changing schools.

Find Your Timewasters.

Keep track for one week of all the ways you waste time.

Do you spend 10 minutes finding your keys? If so, make a key hook by your door, and use it.

Do you forget "that one item" when you go to the store? Keep a list on your refrigerator and, each time you empty something, add it to the list.