10 Ways Kids Can Help in the Kitchen

My children are always begging to help me in the kitchen, but sometimes I have a hard time thinking of things they could do.  I did a little brainstorming and compiled a list of 10 ways kids can help in the kitchen. These are things that children as young as age 2 can do.

1.Dump ingredients into a bowl.  You measure it and then allow them to dump it into the bowl.

2. Stir.  Since they will probably not stir it as well as it needs to be done, you can tell them that you will start and they can finish.

3. Put toppings on pizza.  Lay out the toppings and let them have fun spreading them on the pizza.

4. Put forks, napkins, and condiments on the table.  Of course you're not going to let a very small child put the breakable dishes on the table, but they can set the forks and napkins around and help you put small items on the table like ketchup or salad dressing.

5. Sweep the floor.  A child is not going to be able to get the floor completely swept, but they will feel like such a big boy or girl using the broom.  It will probably keep them occupied for a while.  You can also teach them how to hold the dustpan for you while you sweep the dirt into it.

6. Tear up salad greens.  If salad is on the menu, you can keep children occupied tearing the lettuce.  They may even do a better job at it than you!

7. Wash dishes.  Give them a chair, a sink full of soapy water, and some unbreakable dishes, and let them have at it!  They may end up a little bit wet, and you will most likely have to re-do the dishes, but they will have fun!  They will also be developing the skills they need to wash them them right way when they get a little older.

8. Dry dishes.  If you're not in the mood for a wet kitchen, you could wash and let them dry.

9. Chop Vegetables with an enclosed chopper.  If you have a hand chopper that is enclosed, they could take a turn at chopping.

10. Help you unload the dishwasher.  Kids as young as age 1 love to help unload the silverware from the dishwasher.  They can hand you one piece of silverware at a time while you put them away.

Children will probably not do everything perfectly in the kitchen, and you may get frustrated when they use the spoon more often as a bat than as a stirring utensil. But when you allow them to help, they will develop skills that will allow them to really be a help in the future.  You are also spending valuable time with them, and they will know by the time you spend how much you love them.

What did I miss?  I'm sure there are more things that kids can do in the kitchen that I didn't think to put on this list.  I'd love for you to leave a comment and give some more ideas!

For even more ideas and practical advice for getting kids involved in the kitchen, check out Adventures With Kids! In the Kitchen.  It's normally $14.95, but when you buy it as part of the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, you'll get it plus another $1000 worth (yes, that's one thousand dollars) of resources for $29.97!

Easy Workout Routine for Busy Women

Raise your hand if you need an easy workout routine that doesn't take long but still provides great benefits to your body.

Are you in bad shape, know you need to get started exercising again, but need something that's not too much for just starting out?

Here is the workout routine that I was doing before I got pregnant and which I will probably start back with after the baby is born.

Do the following for one minute each:

• Walk in place
• High Knees
• Jumping Jacks
• Front Kicks
• Jumping Jacks
• Run in place
• Walk in place
• Lunges
• Hip Raises
• Pushups
• Squats
• Hip Raises
• Lunges
• Walk in place
• Calf Stretches

When I get my strength built up, I will probably repeat this 2 times and do 30 minutes worth. To make it easy to time each thing for 1 minute, I set this online timer for 15 minutes. When it gets down to 14 minutes, I start on the next thing; at 13 minutes I do the next thing, and so on and so forth.

Print the list out here for easy reference.

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle is Here!

I am so excited that this bundle is finally available for you to purchase! I personally believe it is a no-brainer when you consider that the value of just the bonus products is far beyond the cost of the entire bundle!  That doesn't include the 86 ebooks and free mentorship from healthy living authors!

What's in the Bundle?

How Much Does the Bundle Cost?

Ultimate: Maximum; decisive; conclusive. The best or most extreme of its kind.

We wouldn't call it the “ultimate” bundle if it wasn't true.

As our hard-working team pulled together the Ultimate Healthy Living 2013 Bundle Sale, we had 3 basic goals: to put a comprehensive health library at your fingertips, to offer something for everyone, and to provide so much value for an itty-bitty price that it would be irresistible.

In a nutshell? This bundle is brimming with more than 80 ebook and ecourse resources, from authors and bloggers known as authorities in their fields.

For less than $30, you can pick up your own bundle complete with more than $800 of ebooks, $67 of interactive “coffee table conversations” with their authors, and $158 of products and services to help you on your way toward healthier living. That's over a $1,000 value!

I didn't want to overwhelm you with the HUMONGOUS list of everything that's included, but you can see it here.

And if you didn't watch my video yet where I share my heart about why I believe it is so worth it for you to invest in this bundle, you can watch it now.

 And now for the Giveaway!  Read all your new books in style with a Kindle Fire HD!  25 of the Healthy Living Authors have joined together to offer you this giveaway. Enter in the form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How I Get My Babies to Sleep Through the Night

How to get your baby to sleep through the night — that is definitely one of the first things a sleep-deprived new mom wants to know!

First of all, can I just say that I have never understood that thing called “Mommy Wars”?

Why in the world do women get upset because they parent their kids one way and another mom parents hers differently?

I mean, that just really confuses me as to why that's a big deal. Whatever works for one mom is not what works for another mom.  So what?

That being said, I'm sharing today how I get my babies to sleep through the night. If it's not what works for you, that's okay. But for some of you who are desperate for a good night's sleep and you think this is something you'd like to try, here's the info.

The main thing that I have done is to put my babies on a feeding and sleeping schedule from the day they are born.

I'm not talking about taking this to the extreme and making your baby scream because it's 2:30 and he's not scheduled to eat until 3:00.

Here's a basic rundown of a typical schedule for a newborn in my house:

7 am- first feeding of the day; play until sleepy; nap until next feeding time

10 am – feed; wake time; sleep

1 pm – feed; wake time; sleep

4 pm – feed; wake time; sleep

7 pm – feed; wake time; sleep

10 pm – last feeding for the evening, go straight to bed for the night

During the day, I wake the baby when it's time to eat if he's still napping.

I can't believe you would wake up a sleeping baby! Why don't you just enjoy the quiet?

In my experience it has always been worth it to do it this way. It helps the baby develop a routine, and pretty soon they begin to feel hungry or sleepy at the times you have scheduled. It works extremely well for me, especially since I have a lot of responsibilities at church.  I can have the peace of mind that my baby is not going to be hungry while I'm in the middle of trying to play the piano for the service.

When I put the baby down for the night, I don't wake him up until he wakes up on his own. I feed him however many times he wakes up during the night, and in the morning, I try to get him right back on schedule for the day by feeding him around 7 am. If he wakes up at 6:30 hungry, I'll go ahead and feed him and then try to gradually get him back on schedule the rest of the day. For instance, the next feeding time is at 10 am, but he'll probably start getting hungry around 9:30. I can probably hold him off with a pacifier or some other distraction until 9:45, and do the same thing at the next couple feedings until he's back on schedule. If the whole day stays off by 15 – 30 minutes, though, it's not really that big of a deal. I want to be clear and state again that I'm not an advocate of taking the schedule to an extreme and letting baby scream just because it's not time to eat yet.  Gently holding him off for a few minutes is an entirely different thing.

When baby is on a routine like this, I always know exactly what he needs. All I have to do is look at the clock to know if he's crying because he's hungry or because he's tired. I have known several families who have followed similar schedules with their babies, and their babies are some of the most easy-going and easy-to-care-for babies I have seen.

After the first 8 – 10 weeks, all 3 of the babies I've had so far have slept through the night. When they are on a consistent routine, their bodies easily adjust to knowing that nighttime is for sleeping and daytime is for eating, playing, and napping.

I keep them in a bassinet in my room until they start sleeping through the night, then I move them to their own room. I have a high need for sleep, and I'm just an all-around better mommy when I get plenty of rest without baby noises keeping me awake. Again, if that's not what you like to do, that's okay too. Do what works for you.

I used the book On Becoming Babywise to help me figure out what type of schedule to make for my babies at different ages. It was helpful to know how often they needed to be eating and sleeping in order to be healthy. I know the book in its entirety is somewhat controversial, but I found the practical info invaluable.

As I've said several times, I know there is not one right way to parent, and all parents will find that different things work better for them.

I've shared what works for me because I was so grateful that someone did the same for me before my first child was born. I had no clue you could help a baby get on a routine. I thought you had to wait until they got themselves on a schedule and play every day by ear. I thought that all babies wanted to nurse all day long and never be put down. That is so not me. I love my babies, and I spend plenty of cuddle time with them, but I would just be one worn out mama if I carried them around and nursed them all day. (Some mama's love it – go superwoman!)

Our days generally run fairly smoothly even when I have a newborn in the house. I know for the most part when they'll be eating and when they'll be sleeping and I can plan my day accordingly. (I hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot by saying these things because I still have 2 more weeks before the newest one will be born! Hopefully he/she won't be the exception!)  *Update: Our new baby slept through the night by 6 weeks!

Mama, if you're tired, I sincerely hope you'll find a way to get some rest – whether it's the way I do it or another way that works for you.

Leave a comment and let us know your struggles and/or what works for you!

Other posts you may like:

Educational Toy: VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train Station

My kids have had a blast playing with the VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train Station Playset they got to review.

I was originally thinking it would be a good activity for my 2-year-old while the older two kids were homeschooling. (See more 2-year-old activities here!)

But they all wanted to play with it, and it ended up being educational for all of them – just in different ways.

For instance, my 2-year-old was fascinated with the buttons he could push to learn the different colors and phrases.

The older kids worked on their coordination and thinking skills as they used the hand-crank to pull the train up the bridge and thought through different configurations for putting the track together.

I also think it's really fun that the pieces fit together with other Go Go Smart Wheels playsets. We don't currently own any other sets, but I know my kids would love adding more pieces!

Watch the video below to see all the features of the Train Station playset.

Be sure to follow VTech on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with other fun and educational toys!

Psst… I just might have an impromptu Facebook party planned for tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, Oct. 30) where one of you just might win a Go! Go! Smart Wheels Train Station playset for yourself! I suggest following me on Facebook and showing up around 3 pm to find out!

Disclosure: I received a free product to review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

8 Reasons I Hate Ebooks

1. Ebooks are way too short

Traditional publishers usually require the author to add a certain amount of “filler” material in order to make the book a certain length. An ebook author has the freedom to write exactly what they want to get across and nothing more.  I love wasting my time reading extra fluff! For a busy homemaker, an ebook is definitely not a smart choice.

2. Ebooks are not as high quality as print books

Because ebooks don't require printing costs, the price is usually considerably cheaper than a print book. But since money is no object in this household, (Remember? I waste money on purpose.) I'll go for the more expensive option since it's bound to be better quality.

3. Ebooks support undeserving women

I'd rather make sure the coffers of a large publishing house are filled instead of allowing my money to go directly to some undeserving housewife trying to share her heart and offer encouragement to other women. I mean, after all,  she should probably get a real job instead of trying to earn money by blessing others.

4. Ebooks are a pain to transfer to my Kindle.

When I buy through the Kindle store, I have to wait a whole 2 seconds while the book goes onto my Kindle. And when I buy those PDF ebooks I actually have to take 10 times that (20 seconds if you're not good at math) to plug in my Kindle via USB and drag and drop the folders into it. Such a pain.

5. Ebooks make me feel poor

When I have 100 print books, they take up an entire bookshelf in my house. Although a lot of space gets used up, I can admire all the beautiful books I own every time I walk past the shelf. With ebooks, they're all stored so neatly out of sight on my Kindle or computer that I don't have the opportunity to do that.

6. Ebooks make decision-making too easy

When I'm on the go, I don't get the opportunity to showcase my decision-making abilities by choosing just one book to take with me. When I take my Kindle along, my entire library goes with me, and it steals the opportunity for me to exercise my brain making that decision.

7. Ebooks are detrimental to self-discipline

If I order a print book, I get to strengthen my self-discipline by exercising patience while I wait for it to arrive. If I purchase an ebook, I get instant gratification, which I'm not sure is healthy for me.

8. Ebooks are so unprofessional

Print books are only authored by the select few who manage to find their way into the door of an editor. Ebooks can be written by anyone about any topic – even homemakers just like me who write about the exact things I face every day! Wouldn't you rather read advice from a pro instead of a “regular” person?

If you couldn't tell, this post was meant to be sarcastic. I love ebooks, and I think they're absolutely perfect. They're concise, cheaper than print books, support the author directly, are easy to transfer to my ereader, take up much less room, can easily be transported, can be read instantly after purchase, and contain relevant content written by women just like me.

And I'm just a tiny bit excited about the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle that's going on sale next week (November 4 – 9).

You'll have the opportunity to add 86 ebooks about healthy living to your library along with $158 worth of bonus products and free mentorship from some of the authors.

As I've mentioned before, just the value of the bonus products is far greater than the cost of the entire bundle, so it's pretty much a no-brainer. Click on the banner to see all the details about the ebooks, mentorship, and bonuses! It's all pretty amazing!

And if 86 ebooks seems overwhelming, just remember that this is an entire library. You don't feel the need to sit down and read every book on your bookshelf all at once, do you? This is the same situation. You'll have reference books on every health topic written by women who've “been there, done that“.

Be ready next Monday morning to get your bundle! The Bundle is ready for purchase! Get it here!

So tell me.  Ebooks — love 'em or hate 'em?