Are you someone who had a paper clutter issue before you had kids but whose paper clutter problems became worse after you had kids?
You’re not alone.
It’s almost natural that this has happened to you because even if you have your files in filing cabinets with your Freedom Filer method, your tax documents organized in boxes and your frequently accessed files in binders with sheet protectors, from the time kids get a hold of their first crayons or first pencil until they leave the nest, there will be a cascade of paperwork that they create at home and at school.
And a lot of their stuff is precious, it really is, but keeping EVERYTHING they create in paper format is impossible, unrealistic and inconvenient.
Therefore, today I want to share with you 5 reasons why the Raven Pro Document Scanner is the best scanner for your household to process your children’s paperwork and yours.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but if you use my links, this blog will benefit monetarily.Read More
What should you do in case of an evacuation? The short answer is to get your family out of that area as soon as possible. But it’s easier said than done, isn’t it?
I know it’s tempting to say that because you have a lot of faith or hope that the situation is going to get better, that you would prefer to stay and not leave. Everybody would like to stay in their home sweet home. Having hope, in this case, is often just an excuse to not leave.
It’s VERY tempting to be in denial and think that nothing will happen to your home, BUT when it comes to keeping your family safe, it’s best to evacuate when the authorities tell you to evacuate than to be sorry later. Being sorry in this case can be devastating. Being sorry can mean being sorry forever.
So regardless of how much you like your home, how much of a homebody you are, how shy you are or introverted you are— when you have to go, you have to go.
YOUR life, your family’s life is MUCH more important than your home. Your four walls are replaceable. Your children aren’t.
In my last post How To Avoid a Fire and Prepare Your Family In Case Of A Fire , I shared the importance of preventing a fire, preparing in case a fire does occur and having a plan for how to exit. Feel free to read that blog post after you read this one given that it’s another circumstance for which you should be prepared to keep those you love and treasure safe.
Today, I want us to talk about evacuations and how to better prepare for one.
I will be sharing some resource links to help you prepare for an evacuation. The product links that you’ll find here are links that will take you to Amazon, where you can learn more about and purchase the products I share. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but if you use my links, you will help support this blog.
Double Check Insurance
Before we get into the specifics of how to plan for an evacuation, I need you to PLEASE double-check your home insurance coverage.
None of us even want to imagine a situation in which we have a fire start in our home. The idea of experiencing a scare like that is almost too much to handle and it’s something that we naturally push away and don’t want to think about. However, for your sake and for the sake of your loved ones it’s better to be prepared. So today, I want to share with you what to rescue in a fire, how to prevent a fire, and resources that will help you keep your home and your family safe, and if Heaven forbid, there is a fire, what you can do to be better prepared.
The links that you’ll find here are links that will take you to Amazon, where you may want to learn more about or purchase the products that I share. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but if you use my links, this blog will benefit monetarily.
There are two other links of services that I share with you that are also affiliate links.
Keep The Number One Thing The Number One Thing
In case of a fire or an evacuation, the MOST important thing you should take with you is your family.
Pretty much everything else is replaceable. And even if it’s not replaceable, it isn’t as valuable as your family members.
The first thing you’re probably thinking of is your pet.
If you can, make them come out with you on your way out. By calling their name or swooping them right before your exit BUT, as much as it hurts to say this, if you’ve made it out, don’t go back in for your pet. I think we’ve all seen way too many shows and movies where this move is not a good idea.
As a pet owner myself, I understand that eat pet has a personality and is unique, but don’t leave your children orphaned when you can adopt or rescue another pet. Pinky promise?
Remember, you’ll already be a hero by taking your family members out. You have nothing else to prove at that moment.
Prepare Your Family In Case of A Fire By Having A Family Plan
Talk to your children ahead of time
It’s up to you when you want to have this conversation, but have it by age four. Max by age five.
Make it a game (meaning as pleasant as possible) so that your kids can use their critical thinking skills to tell you all the different doors that there are in your home (make sure you don’t forget the garage door) and also let them know that there are windows that sometimes will be needed to escape a dangerous situation like a fire.
Tell them that you will do ALL you can to get out of the house TOGETHER. Tell them that they’re your priority— and the number one thing you want to get there.
But that in the event that the fire is right outside door and you can’t get to them or they can’t get to you because they can’t get to the door—that it’s important that they know that exiting through the window is an option in this one case.
Ask them to open the window and yell for help
Ask them to open the window if they can or knock on the window (as if they were knocking on a door) if they can’t open the window.
Reassure them that firefighters want to save them and that they will be looking to rescue them if they see them.
Tell them that no toy or anything else in the house is more important than they are so that they should be trying to be rescued because they are your treasure and you will be wanting to see them again.
Explain to them that they might get help them if firefighters use a ladder to help them down or that they could potentially be asked to jump onto a trampoline. Ask them to trust the firefighter and to be brave so that they can be reunited with you again.
If you haven’t tried Ebates, you’re in for a very special treat. Can I be super honest with you? I had heard several people raving about
Can I be super honest with you? Several years ago, I had heard several people raving about Ebates , but I didn’t sign up. It kept on pushing this task off, thinking that this wasn’t as cool of a plugin as people said it was.
But boy, was I wrong! And it potentially cost me hundreds of dollars as a result of not having signed up earlier.
Why do I say this?
Because within days of signing up, I had earned about $25.56 dollars cash back, given that I had made a few more purchases than usual (you’ll see some of these purchases below).
There is a time and place to teach your kids to take care of themselves. But unless paint, glitter, glue or something super hard to clean is being thrown all around, don’t worry too much about the mess that your kid can be making while making art.
Two posts ago, I shared that deciding where to make art was important. I also recommended using an art mat to protect your table.
But overall, know that you will see glue sticks out, crayons out, artwork on your home surfaces, paint projects drying. It’s normal.
It’s common to see this kind of stuff in homes where kids are just being kids, but if you’re homeschooling your kids with the Mother Goose Time Curriculum, expect to see these artistic products and finished projects even more.
“The art supplies, art projects and kid messes you feel overwhelmed by today, will probably be the things you miss most when your kids leave the nest.” – Haydee Montemayor
What does embracing your inner artist mean to you?
To me, embracing your inner artist means recognizing the benefits of making art for the sake of making art and then pursuing art for the sheer pleasure it can give.
It means that while I may or may not be the best artist or consider myself to have any, a little or a lot of artistic talent, I’m cool with making art.
Last week, we talked about the fact that often, we are the ones who get in our own way of creating art.
But, we need to get over ourselves for our sake, for our child’s sake. We need to create art for the fun of it and for the creativity benefits it provides.
“There’s no better way to learning about creativity than by being creative.” -Haydee Montemayor
Here Are 5 Practical Ways To Get More Comfortable With Art
There are 5 little things that you need to make art:
As a creative and a writer, I recognize the immense importance that creativity plays in our early years and throughout our life.
But, if we stop to really ask ourselves how comfortable we are with creativity, most of us would agree that creativity is an uncomfortable process.
We think that in order to engage in creative tasks, we must prune our insecurities and deliver just the fruit.
But, it’s an oxymoron to think like that because:
“Creativity and insecurity go hand in hand.”
Don’t believe me?
Just think about it for just a second.
If I were to wave my magic wand (or A magic wand… I don’t have one, but it would be nice)… and grant you the ability to do the creative task that appeals to you THE MOST.
What creative task would you want to do?
Writing a book?
Writing a blog?
Watercoloring?
Cupcake decorating?
Sewing?
Card making?
Jewelry making?
Oh I know… singing?
Dancing?
All of the above?
It really doesn’t matter if the creative task that you’d like to do is in the list or if I failed to include it.
The following question is much more important:
WHAT is keeping you from engaging in this art?
Think about it for a moment. Listen to your internal dialogue and then tell me what your “inner you” told your “outer you.”
In a world filled with too much information and too many products, it’s difficult to choose. So, what do we do? We read reviews, such as those on Amazon and we ask for recommendations from people who are in a similar situation as us. So if you’re wondering what preschool curriculum you should choose, here are 10 reasons why you’ll love Mother Goose Time.
12 Reasons Why You’ll Love Mother Goose Time
Reason #1: You Get To Make Your Child A Priority
We have way too many things to fill our day with.
It doesn’t matter if you stretch your days horizontally and wake up earlier and go to bed later… you’ll always have more to do.
It also doesn’t matter if you stretch your days vertically and work every weekend and weekday, you still probably won’t have enough time to do all that you want to do.
So, I have a tip for you that I often have to remind myself of:
“Instead of thinking of the million different reasons why you can’t spend more time with your child, make it your #1 daily goal to actually spend time with your child.” – Haydee Montemayor
