Children's Responsibilities

So I haven't blogged all summer! It's busy around here- and I'm enjoying it. The first week of summer was an adjustment though!

I just read Christina's blog, and it spurred this post.

My children have responsibilities, and each summer I've had a different approach to handling it. This is what we have done this year:

 

My 3 oldest children (ages 10, 8 and 6) have a set of 4 magnets. They each have their own color on the front and black on the back when you flip it over. I bought the magnets at Learning Palace. I used my label maker to print out their responsibilities- learning, music, cleaning, outside.

I talked to each child individually about what they needed to do to flip over each magnet. But basically, learning is writing, playing a math game, etc. Music is piano or violin practice. Outside is to play outside (one of my children doesn't choose to do this otherwise. He'd rather stay inside with his Legos all day). Cleaning is to do their "dinner jobs" and clean a bathroom (yes- we clean each bathroom everyday. Sometimes more than once! I have a can of Clorox wipes in each bathroom- love them!)

These are our dinner jobs:

During the summer we do these jobs after both lunch and dinner. During the school year- just after dinner. They keep the set of 2 jobs for a week, then we rotate.The first job (wash table, sweep floor, and clean chairs) is the food clean up. The second job (Loft, Scavenger Hunt, and Play room) is the area for them to pick up. (Scavenger Hunt means to walk through the downstairs hallways and pick up anything on the floor to put away.) Dinner jobs was hard to start at first- but now we've been doing it for over 3 years. At first we used my husband's old trophy that he was going to throw away as a reward each night. We would watch and see who did their jobs without complaining, did them quickly, and well. That person was awarded the trophy for a day. It worked well for awhile. Then the person on the top of the trophy broke off, and one child wanted the trophy more than the others, so everyone started giving it to him. We eventually let it sit in his room and we don't use it anymore.

We also have an hour of "Book Time" everyday. During my younger children's nap's, the older ones go in their rooms and read to themselves (or listen to books on tape). This gives me a chance to get something done and get dinner started. I have also started having "Mom ad Me" time during that time. Once a week, a child stays downstairs during Book Time with me and we do something together.

 

If they flip over all their magnets- then they earn their "screen time" for the next day.

 

We still get some complaints, but they seem to really enjoy flipping the magnets over (and playing with them- we are currently missing one).

I saw this SUMMER BINGO idea and it looks like a lot of fun. I think I'll try it out next year. I especially love the squares where it encourages playing with younger siblings.

We still have a month of summer left! Yea! (I'm not ready for the homework to start yet!)

Cookie Sheets

My 3 year old says the funniest things! I was putting him to bed and he told me that he did not like the cookie sheet on his bed. It took me awhile to figure out- since there was no cookie sheet anywhere in the room. He meant the bed sheet! I had put a brown one on instead of the car one. Apparently we eat more cookies here than I change their sheets!

Scrapbook Night Challenge and another 4X6 Photo template

Last night I hosted Scrapbook Night. Terri came up with a creative challenge for us. She gave us each 1 sheet of patterned paper and 2 coordinating colors of cardstock. Everyone's paper was different. She also supplied clear buttons, colorful eyelets, green ribbon, and circle and scalloped circle punches. We got to design a page any way we wanted using just those supplies. It was fun to get ideas from each other and start a page with supplies rather than the other way around. (I usually choose pictures and then see what embellishments I want to add to it.) Everyone's pages turned out fabulous and it added a new twist to our night. Thanks Terri!

Here's my Photo for the day from yesterday for Project 365.

It's actually a collection of 6 photos and I put them all on one 4X6 print.

I made a simple template again to make the process easier. It makes it so nice to add photos to the template and then resize them rather than cropping the photos and putting them together. I was able to rearrange the pictures and zoom in and out with out having to recrop.

I explained how to use the templates in my previous post. Here is a link to download this Photoshop template.

http://www.4shared.com/file/108644583/bd131e7/6_2X2_photos.html

 

PS- Hey Tiffany! Who gets the $100?? LOL!

Multiple Photos printed on ONE 4X6

I often like to print more than one picture onto a single 4X6. I know I will use the picture as a smaller size, so printing them together is cheaper and more flexible than having them printed as a wallet size. I got this idea from Becky Higgins. I learned how to make templates from online classes by Jessica Sprague, so I have made easy to use templates that I can use over and over that simplify the process.

I thought I could share the templates with you in case you want them too.

There is 3 templates to download- one for 2 photos, 3 photos, and 4 photos. The templates are horizontal, but you can rotate it to be vertical as well.

2 4X3 photos download

3 4X2 photos download

4 2X3 photos download

Here’s a little tutorial to show you how to use the templates in Photoshop. I use Photoshop Elements 6.

Open one of the templates. I chose the template with spots for 2 4X3 photos:

Open the 2 photos you want to have printed.

Drag one photo down onto the template in the photo bin. Make sure it is arranged in the layers pallet on the top- above the “Photo 1” layer.

Hover your mouse over the line between the photo’s layer and the “photo 1” layer. Hold down the “alt” key and click with the mouse. It should mask the photo to the “Photo 1” layer.

This means you can move the photo around and resize it- and the only parts of the photo that will be visible is in the “photo 1” layer’s area. This is the magic of using the template. You can resize and move the photo without cropping it. Just click on the photo and drag it around. Click on the corner of the photo and pull it in or out to resize it.

Repeat this for your second photo. Make sure you arrange the 2^nd photo so it is right above the “Photo 2” layer in the Layers Pallet, then hover over the line between then, hold down “alt” and click. Arrange and resize the 2^nd photo how you want it.

Now you save it as a Jpeg and it’s ready to be printed as any other 4X6 photo.

After I have mine printed, I cut the pictures apart and use them on a scrapbook page. I will also occasionally create a collage and leave them uncut on a scrapbook page.

 

Let me know if you are interested in any other photo templates- I’d be happy to make some more.

My Favorite Designer

A couple weeks ago Beth decided to stop selling her digital scrapbook designs. I am bummed because she is so talented, and I have loved everything she made. Lucky me that we are face-to-face friends too so I can still be blessed by her creativity and friendship. A few months ago she and Mary came over and made amazing and yummy chocolate butterfly cupcakes. Lucky me!

Thanks Beth for introducing me to Digital Scrapbooking and for being my friend!

Hoppy Easter!

We had a great Easter weekend together.

On Saturday we enjoyed the "Easter Bunny" traditions- baskets with yummy chocolate candies and dying Easter eggs. I found really helpful egg dippers this year. They look like two spoons hooked together like scissors and decorated like a bunny. It made putting in the eggs and getting them out MUCH easier. The decorated eggs didn't last long. Our boys promptly started making them into "egg boats." Deviled eggs with a toothpick mast and cheese sail. David and Andrew enjoyed making them more than eating them though, so they kept trying to give them away as "samples."

 

On Sunday, we enjoyed celebrating the true meaning of Easter. We talked about our Savior's last week on Earth. We had an egg hunt with objects inside the eggs that represent events from that week. I am always impressed when we do this how calm and attentive they are! I was so lucky to go to Israel a few years ago. When I was there, I bought a crown of thorns and a replica model of the Garden Tomb. I love to share these with them and show them pictures. It was a very special experience to be at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

I watched this new video with Andrew, and got to spend time with him preparing a talk he was giving in Primary. This talk stood out to me during General Conference. I love how heart felt his testimony is and the beautiful way he explains our Savior's sacrifice for us.

What a difference a Decade makes!

 

My oldest is now ten!! It's amazing to think back on all that's happened in the last ten years, yet it seems like it has gone so fast! He's ten already!!

 

He is now tall enough to drive race cars. He's proudly showing off his drivers license- he'll be 16 all too soon!