Blog Archives - Dayton Parent Magazine https://daytonparentmagazine.com/tag/blog/ Dayton's #1 Parenting Resource Thu, 06 Jul 2023 07:02:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 New Year GOALS https://daytonparentmagazine.com/new-year-goals/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/new-year-goals/#respond Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/new-year-goals/ “Happy New Year!”  These three words can spark both excitement and dread:  hope for things to come and anxiety about keeping our New Year’s Resolutions.  In fact, many are boycotting New Year’s Resolutions altogether this year because they are often empty promises we never keep to ourselves.  We all have our own individual resolutions: exercise...

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“Happy New Year!”  These three words can spark both excitement and dread:  hope for things to come and anxiety about keeping our New Year’s Resolutions.  In fact, many are boycotting New Year’s Resolutions altogether this year because they are often empty promises we never keep to ourselves.  We all have our own individual resolutions: exercise more, stop smoking, eat healthily, go back to school, get a new job, spend more time with family, etc. Most of us eat healthy for a couple of weeks; we work out every day, then once a week, then once a month; we make a date for a Family Game Night but never follow through.  Life gets busy and time goes by and the resolutions fade away.

What if, instead, we had New Year Goals?  A Resolution is defined as “a firm decision to do or not to do something.”  That is pretty rigid.  A Goal is “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.”  A Goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.  We can adjust our goals throughout the year as we grow and learn.

Getting Organized is on almost everyone’s list, and I believe it is the first step to reaching ALL of our Goals!  How?

Being organized saves time and money!!

  • Can find what you need when you need it.
  • Don’t overbuy items because you know what you have and where it is.
  • Can buy ahead and plan purchases.
  • No lost bills, late fees, or penalties because you pay on time.
  • Can make a budget so you don’t overspend.
  • Plan errands and trips so you have money on fuel.
  • Less stress because you are not frantically looking for misplaced items.
  • Stronger relationships and fewer family conflicts over clutter.
  • More time to exercise, plan, and cook meals.
  • More time for devotion, family, friends, and hobbies.

So how do you begin?

First, make a List of YOUR New Year’s Goals!

Next, make an Action Plan for each Goal, including Steps and Resources:

For example:

Goal:  Get Organized! 

This goal is too vague – break it down into smaller goals and be more specific!

Goal:  Organize the Master Closet by My Birthday

Goal:  Organize Pantry by Valentine’s Day

Goal:  Organize Garage by June 1st.

These Goals are all measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based!

Next, list the steps to reaching each Goal.

_________________________________________________________________________________

For example:

Goal:  Organize Paperwork by April 17th

Steps: 

  1. Gather supplies
  2. Gather ALL paperwork
  3. Sort each paper into piles:  “Keep”, “Trash”, “Shred”
  4. Sort “Keep” pile into 2 categories:  “Action Required” & “To File”
  5. Keep “Action Required” papers in a “To-Do” File

Sort File pile into categories

Suggested File Categories:
Adoption papers Insurance policies
Advisers and contacts lists Investment records and pension plans
Baptism and confirmation records Marriage certificates
Birth certificates Medical records
Business ownership papers Memberships and subscriptions
Citizenship and naturalization papers Military records
Credit card information Net worth statements
Death certificates Passports
Debts owed and those to be collected Patents and copyrights
Divorce papers Powers of attorney
Easement papers Property appraisals, deeds, and titles
Educational records Safe-deposit box inventory
Employment records and identity cards Social Security cards and numbers
Family history Tax records
Financial accounts Veterinary records
Funeral and burial plans and records Warranties, guarantees, and owner manuals
Household property inventory Wills and trusts
Income and expense records

You can make subcategories as well.  “Financial Accounts” may also include Taxes, Banking, Statements, Receipts, Investments, etc.  Set up a retrieval system that works for YOU.

Next, list your available resources.

Resources:

  1. Supplies:  file cabinet or file box, file folders, label maker, post-it notes, pens, stapler, paperclips, etc.
  2. A Paper Saving Timeline

3. Professional Help from an accountant and a professional organizer

4. List of local Shredding Facilities

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Once you do this for each Goal you are well on your way to a successful Year!

Remember:  be flexible – sometimes our life and goals change, and that’s ok!

This New Year:  Light Your Own Spark!   

For more information of how a Professional Organizing can help you reach your goals, read our blog: Organize with a Professional or visit out web site SilverLiningOrganizers.com.

 

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]]> https://daytonparentmagazine.com/new-year-goals/feed/ 0 Experience Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion https://daytonparentmagazine.com/christmas-glow-at-land-of-illusion/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/christmas-glow-at-land-of-illusion/#respond Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/christmas-glow-at-land-of-illusion/ Experience Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion until Dec. 30th!

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Celebrate the season at The Christmas Glow, over 3.8 million lights at the 2-mile long Christmas Around the World drive-thru experience, visit Santa at the Christmas Village Santa Workshop or just take in the majestic lights of the 45-foot Christmas Tree as you and yours warm by the gas fire pits.

 

 

Are you excited to come to visit Southwest Ohio’s largest Christmas Lights Drive-thru event? The Christmas Glow welcomes visitors from all over – Cincinnati, Dayton, Lebanon and Columbus, Ohio, as well as Kentucky and Indiana. You can make this Christmas season special with the lights, shops, covered fire pits!

Explore the Christmas Village

MAGICAL. Start your holiday tradition here! There is no better word for all of the joy that Christmas brings. Our kids (and who are we kidding, us too!) wait anxiously all year – dreaming of Santa, the presents, the singing, the treats, the laughter, the traditions, hot cocoa or stroll around the 45-foot tree. Let us be part of the magic of your Christmas this year – and add a few more smiles, a few more laughs, a few more oohs and aahs to the wonder of the season. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas – we look forward to celebrating with you.
The Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion – Dayton Parent Magazine

After you complete the drive-thru portion your vehicle arrives at the Christmas Village, complete with a gorgeous Christmas tree, a huge fire pit, Santa photo ops and more!

Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion is definitely a tradition you will want to start with your family this year and runs until December 30th! (Closed Christmas Day) For more information visit https://www.landofillusion.com/glow/

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]]> https://daytonparentmagazine.com/christmas-glow-at-land-of-illusion/feed/ 0 Practical Tips to Help Parents Clean & Stage Their Homes to Sell Faster https://daytonparentmagazine.com/practical-tips-to-help-parents-clean-stage-their-homes-to-sell-faster/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/practical-tips-to-help-parents-clean-stage-their-homes-to-sell-faster/#respond Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/practical-tips-to-help-parents-clean-stage-their-homes-to-sell-faster/ Cleaning and staging a home can take time. So if you’re a busy parent, you may be looking for solutions to prevent prepping your home from stressing you out. Silver Lining Organizers can help you get your home ready for potential buyers by putting everything in order. You can also benefit from these nifty tricks...

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Cleaning and staging a home can take time. So if you’re a busy parent, you may be looking for solutions to prevent prepping your home from stressing you out. Silver Lining Organizers can help you get your home ready for potential buyers by putting everything in order. You can also benefit from these nifty tricks to help you stay sane and your home stay clean for showings and open houses:

Don’t Overlook Minor Details

Addressing big tasks like cleaning and decluttering is important, but keep in mind that when buyers come to your house or look at pictures online, they’re taking every aspect into consideration. This means smaller but equally important details, like the appearance of your furniture. Even if you plan on taking your furniture with you, its condition will likely factor into a buyer’s decision (i.e., when they’re determining the cleanliness of the home).

If your furniture has seen better days, you don’t have to buy all-new pieces to appeal to buyers. You can simply replace the fabric on the furniture you already have. If you lack the time for this, hire a furniture reupholstery service to get the job done for you. It can cost anywhere from $350 to $1,000 depending on the type of fabric and how much of it is needed.

Hire a Professional Housekeeper & Cleaner

If you’re maxed out on time and constantly stressed out with parenting responsibilities, then hiring local housekeeping services may be your best option for getting your house spotless and keeping it that way while you try to sell your home. Hiring a housekeeper can even help your home sell faster.

Maid services will offer more in-depth cleaning services, so be sure to weigh each option to determine which is the best for your needs and your budget. If you decide to call around to local housekeeping and maid companies, The Spruce recommends asking about a professional interior deep cleaning. This service will likely be separate from routine maid or housekeeping services but will help get your home spotless.

Schedule a Sitter to Help With DIY Cleaning Projects

Prefer to clean your home without the help of professionals? Then you should at least consider hiring professionals to help out with your children as you take on this essential staging task.

If you need help finding a sitter, MommyBytes suggests a few simple tricks to locate someone you can trust to help keep an eye on your children. Check in with local faith organizations, your pediatrician, or with online sitting services that pre-vet sitters. This will allow you to focus on all of those detailed deep cleaning and decluttering projects that will help stage your home for buyers. Keep in mind that a babysitter charges an average of $16.75 per hour to look after one child, so if it’s not in your budget, you can also consider asking friends or family members to help out with your little ones.

Have Children Help With Decluttering & Cleaning Tasks

Depending on the age of your little ones, you can always put them to work helping out with household chores that will help keep your home clean for showings. Try to keep your kids’ age and abilities in mind when assigning chore responsibilities and also consider setting up a reward system to keep your kids motivated. Chores help to teach children about responsibility and will help them establish healthy habits to reduce stress in adulthood.

Since tidying can be a real challenge in kids’ rooms and play areas, you should also think about letting your children help with decluttering these spaces. As your children choose toys and other items to throw away or donate, have them thank those possessions for the joy brought by them. They can then donate those items to worthy causes, and enjoy all sorts of warm fuzzies as a result.

Selling a home doesn’t have to put extra pressure on parents. Consider getting help from outside sources, such as Silver Lining Organizers, so you don’t have to stress about cleaning and staging your home. With a few simple tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be moving in no time!

 

Aimee Lyons

 

Photo Credit: Pexels

 

 

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]]> https://daytonparentmagazine.com/practical-tips-to-help-parents-clean-stage-their-homes-to-sell-faster/feed/ 0 Nope, Coronavirus is NOT a Gift for Moms https://daytonparentmagazine.com/nope-coronavirus-is-not-a-gift-for-moms/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/nope-coronavirus-is-not-a-gift-for-moms/#respond Wed, 13 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/nope-coronavirus-is-not-a-gift-for-moms/ On Mother’s Day this year, a close relative told me what a gift this quarantining time has been for mothers, what with all this additional time with the kids. Although well-intended, I’m fairly certain she has no clue what’s really happening.  Only once before was I so harried by a comment. While dating my now husband, I...

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On Mother’s Day this year, a close relative told me what a gift this quarantining time has been for mothers, what with all this additional time with the kids.

Although well-intended, I’m fairly certain she has no clue what’s really happening. 

Only once before was I so harried by a comment. While dating my now husband, I was out with his friends. I lovingly teased about how his snoring had kept me up the night prior. His friend told me that I’ll learn to love it and miss it when he doesn’t snore—all women do. And here I am, ten years later, feeling the exact same way about the snoring. I poke and prod him while and I toss and turn, anxiously awaiting an upgraded house with a spare bedroom.

 

As a full-time working mother with young kids, I find it especially difficult to spot the blessing here. Successfully balancing a career and kids right now is out of reach. With my husband still going away to work 45 hours a week, juggling my job and childcare is happening at an intensity that has never before existed.

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I never imagined squeezing in this volume of homework, meals, clean up, and screen time — all while working. The lack of self-care, combined with slime and crumbled Oreos in carpets, filthy toilets and sinks, food coloring and glue soup on brand new towels, has me fighting a battle I never thought I’d fight. (Oh, and I can’t forget the messages from my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher, checking in because no homework is getting done. Sigh.)

In my role at a parenting magazine, I see blogs and posts about all the best isolation activities with kids: organizing scavenger hunts, setting up an at-home classroom, achieving insane crafts and baking projects. And every day, I deal with waves of guilt and the resignation that my kids can’t have that caretaker right now. And if I’m being honest, I’m not currently doing anything well at all.

So sure, I’m technically spending more time than ever with my kids, but watching them stare at a tablet or play in the yard while I work isn’t what I had in mind. Parenting has never been harder – for the kids and parents alike. Parents (many mothers) are scrambling to keep their jobs while caring for their children.

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So in the time of coronavirus, instead of assuming mothers see this time as a gift, consider that millions of mothers out there see this as something far, far different. We are all fighting battles and people never know one’s true situation.

But like many moms, I’m doing all I can to stay positive and find the silver linings in this. The spontaneous belly laughing, outlandish wardrobe choices, and the audacious dance moves are just a few. My personal favorite? A solicited handhold on a neighborhood walk.

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]]> https://daytonparentmagazine.com/nope-coronavirus-is-not-a-gift-for-moms/feed/ 0 The Door Guardian provides a peace of mind that’s priceless in these uncertain times https://daytonparentmagazine.com/the-door-guardian-provides-a-peace-of-mind-thats-priceless-in-these-uncertain-times/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/the-door-guardian-provides-a-peace-of-mind-thats-priceless-in-these-uncertain-times/#respond Tue, 14 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/the-door-guardian-provides-a-peace-of-mind-thats-priceless-in-these-uncertain-times/ So my family has been staying home the last several weeks, and certain things have come to my attention. Having my kids at home — all the time — has turned the house into one giant playroom. Aside from the constant messes, there’s been a lot of shuffling between rooms, and my older kids have been...

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So my family has been staying home the last several weeks, and certain things have come to my attention. Having my kids at home — all the time — has turned the house into one giant playroom. Aside from the constant messes, there’s been a lot of shuffling between rooms, and my older kids have been going up and down the stairs to the basement, where the art supplies and super-cool toys are stored.

Our basement is unfinished, with a set of open-backed stairs leading into its dungeonous space. We keep power tools and equipment down there; it’s not a place I want my kids hanging out. I’m constantly locking the doorknob in an effort to keep my tiny little toddler from opening the door — but my very smart two-year-old has already figured out how to unlock it. I’m sure you have a space like this in your house, too. How do you keep these dangerous areas off limits to kids?

The Door Guardian.

The Door Guardian provides easy-to-install childproofing products that are both accessible and affordable. Their products can be applied on the front, side, back, garage and balcony doors, with a slim profile you won’t even notice. The locks are simple to install, easy to use, and, most importantly, effective.

Neither my toddler nor my big kids could open The Door Guardian lock! (I was holding Pearl for this photo — none of my kids could reach the lock on their own.)

I’d tried childproofing locks before and they were such a hassle to use that I ultimately ended up abandoning them.The Door Guardian products come with 3M tape, making for a quick, easy and mess-free installation. (You can use The Door Guardian products on wood or metal doors and they offer different finishes so they match your door.)

The Door Guardian is easy to install — simple mount on your door frame using 3M adhesive!

Installing The Door Guardian is a quick, two-step process — simply place the lock near the top of your door frame and secure using the 3M adhesive. Once installed, the lock clicks shut, making it impossible for little hands to open the door. My two year old tried and tried, unsuccessfully, to open the door.

Right now, there’s a pandemic, and we all need stay home. With The Door Guardian, you can make sure your home truly is the safest place to be. As parents, The Door Guardian provides a peace of mind that’s priceless in these uncertain times.

For more information, check out The Door Guardian’s website and Facebook pages.

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]]> https://daytonparentmagazine.com/the-door-guardian-provides-a-peace-of-mind-thats-priceless-in-these-uncertain-times/feed/ 0 Enjoy Free Online Educational Games from TEG https://daytonparentmagazine.com/enjoy-free-online-educational-games-from-teg/ https://daytonparentmagazine.com/enjoy-free-online-educational-games-from-teg/#respond Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://hopeful-davinci.104-238-165-7.plesk.page/enjoy-free-online-educational-games-from-teg/ Much like their escape rooms, TEG’s Field Trips challenge players to progress through games by uncovering clues and solving puzzles.

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Much like their escape rooms, TEG’s Field Trips challenge players to progress through games by uncovering clues and solving puzzles.

These Field Trips are actually free online games designed to take students on engaging and educational journeys through famous museums, to historic landmarks and even back to major moments and events in time. To be successful, players must exercise their critical thinking and deductive reasoning.

How to Play:

1. First, start on this page with any device, anywhere, anytime.

2. Watch a quick video explaining your mission (Smithsonian video below).

3. After watching the video, you’ll navigate a virtual tour and answer questions on your dashboard to progress through the game.

4. Piece together clues and solve puzzles to complete your mission in time.

In their first game, Lost at the Smithsonian, they’ve gamified the Smithsonian’s virtual tour. Check out the video below and get playing!