Getting Geared Up For School!

Summer's over for most of us and if you're like me, it's not a moment too soon! The novelty of sleeping in and not having a schedule has worn off and it's time for the routines and structure that comes with the start of the school year.

To make the transition back to school a smooth one, it helps to make a game plan. A little preparation today will make the start of school a little less stressful and a lot more successful. There are some simple things you can do to start off the school year right. Follow the tips below to help get your kids, and yourself, ready for a great school year:

1. Make a breakfast schedule! I have a small dry erase board on the fridge that lists the days of the school week and the breakfast that will be served for each. This gives predictability to you and your kids and takes the guess work out of the mornings. It'll also help with grocery shopping because you know what you need for the mornings. Another great tip - if you want to help make getting the kids up Monday mornings a little easier, plan the kids' favorite breakfast that day. If my kids know that they'll have cinnamon toast or pancakes on Monday, they spring out of bed much easier after the weekend.

2. Prepare the night before! I know you've heard it a thousand times but that's because it really works. Lay out your kids' clothes the night before to eliminate the mad hunt for a shirt or pair of pants minutes before it's time to head out the door. This applies to parents too! Also make sure the kids' book bags are packed, by the door and ready to go. Lunches can even be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge till morning. If you take your kids to school, pack the car the night before with anything you need for the next day so you don't have to contend with it while you're loading the kids. The applies to briefcases, clothes for the cleaners, grocery lists and coupons, packages to be mailed, etc. Spending a few extra minutes to plan the night before will help calm the morning madness and ensure that nothing is forgotten.

3. Establish your load time! I was just featured in the Parenting Magazine article "Confessions of a Tardy Mom" where this point was driven home. If you drive your kids to school, to be on time it's not just about when you have to be there or leave the house but rather when you have to start loading. No matter how far you're driving you need to give yourself about 10-15 minutes to load up. This time will allow for all of the inevitable mishaps that can take place - the lost shoe, the dirty diaper you didn't discover until you were buckling up your baby or toddler, the altercation between two of your siblings, and ALL the other things that can and will happen when you're dealing with kids. Establish the time you need to start loading and stick to it. If by some miracle you don't have a last minute delay, then guess what, you might actually be a few minutes early! There's no harm in that.
If your child catches a bus or rides in a car pool, the concept is still the same. Know when your child has to be out the door to get to the bus stop on time and allow extra minutes for delays.

4. Establish a homework routine! Decide the best time for your children to complete all their homework and make that the law. This is highly recommended by educators because the kids will perform better if there is an established routine that they know is unwavering. For my household, the kids come home from school, eat a snack and then complete their homework. They know they can't play until everything is finished and signed off on. They have the incentive of finishing in a timely manner because they know they won't go outside to play until their homework complete. This helps prevent assignments from dragging out unnecessarily, frustrating both you and your child.
To help make homework time easier, I made a sign that I hang on our front door that simply states, "Kids Can't Play Yet!". This way all the neighborhood kids know not to ring the doorbell asking if my kids can come out to play. This was happening at the beginning of the school year and proved to be very distracting to my kids. They were SO anxious to go play with their friends that they would rush through their work and leave things incomplete or do their work in a sloppy manner. Hanging the sign on the door eliminated the extra distraction because the neighborhood kids now know that until that sign is removed, no one can come out to play. If you live in an area with lots of kids, this trick might help you out too.

5. Establish a bedtime routine and set early bedtimes! Many kids don't get the sleep they need. Sleep is so important for children AND adults alike. Decide a routine that works for your family and do it every night so your children understand and can predict the routine. It will help them wind down and fall asleep better. For example, after playing outside you can have the kids come in to get bathed and dressed for bed, eat supper, have some quiet time with a puzzle or book, brush their teeth and get in the bed to be tucked in. Your kids will quickly learn the drill and actually embrace it.

To establish a consistent bedtime, you really have to view the timing of things in reverse. Decide what time you want your kids physically in bed and work the times back from there. If they need to be in bed at 8:00pm, then at 7:45 they need to be brushing their teeth and take the last trip to the bathroom. You might want a quiet time of about 20-30 minutes which would have supper ending at about 7:15. If you all sit down for supper at 6:45, you'll be on track. This also means that the kids have to be in the house and getting in the tub at 6:15 which means you have to start corralling them about about 6:00. That's the routine that we follow in my house and if it works for us - a family with now 7 boys - it can work for you! (Granted, older siblings will stay up a little later but they still follow the same schedule. They just get some extra time at the end of the night for extra studying, games, reading or just enjoying some one-on-one time with you.)

This "reverse scheduling" for bedtimes might at first sound confusing but it's really simple and very effective. When you first try this, write down the schedule and post it on the fridge to refer to. After a few days of using it, it'll be second nature and you'll wonder what you ever did before.

Follow these five tips and experience a smooth start to the new academic year. Kids thrive on a schedule and it helps make life for the parents a lot easier too. Set your family up for success by implementing these tips and you'll be one step closer to an easier life!!

Beauty on a Budget!

Most all of us are watching our money these days and trying to figure out the best ways to cut spending. We're all trying to decide what's worth paying for and what we can do without. As we all know, somethings are easier to give up than others. For example, I haven't had a hard time skipping this season's latest trends or mending my kids' clothes instead of just buying a replacement, but what I HAVE struggled with is sacrificing my makeup and skincare products.

Who wants to have their appearance suffer in a bad economy, or in ANY economy for that matter. In a time where many people are depressed about the state of their finances and what the future may hold, do we really need to look in the mirror and feel even more depressed about the face that's looking back at us? Most definitely not! Looking your best and feeling great about yourself doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot of money. Being smart about how you spend your money on beauty and skincare products can keep you looking great and still be easy on the pocketbook.


Follow these tips below to look great without breaking the bank:

1. For an instant pick me up in the morning, use plain or vanilla yogurt on your face after cleansing for a great facial mask. Let the yogurt dry and then remove with warm water. Moisturize as usual. The cold yogurt will shrink your pores and the vitamins will give your skin a radiant glow. This facial mask will work wonders for your skin and costs next to nothing.

2. Place chilled tea bags on your eyes for 10 minutes to reduce puffiness and circles. Cucumbers work well for this too but the caffeine in the tea gives you an added benefit. I usually make tea a couple times a week and after the tea has steeped, I put the tea bags in the refrigerator. I love to put the tea bags on my eyes in the morning before the kids wake up. The coldness of the tea bags helps to wake me up while the tanic acid and caffeine of the tea makes my eyes look refreshed. This 10 minute ritual also gives me a chance to get my thoughts together before the craziness of the day begins.


3. Rub olive oil on your cuticles for great looking hands. Forget the expensive ointments and cuticle creams. I've had several different nail technicians tell me that olive oil is the best thing you can put on your cuticles. The oil works wonders! You can also mix olive oil with warm water to soak you hands and feet. Cleans your feet and hands before soaking for about 10-15 minutes. Lightly dry, then apply a layer of Vaseline. Put socks or manicure gloves on to help the moisture penetrate your skin. This is best to do before bedtime so your skin can reap the benefits throughout the night.

4. Before getting out of the shower, rinse off in cold water. After you've rinsed out your hair products, turn the water to cold for an instant boost to your skin and hair. (You need the warmth of the water to help your hair shampoo work properly.) The cold water closes the hair follicles making you hair look great and manage better. It also shrinks your body and facial pores to give you beautiful skin. Don't forget to moisturize your skin before stepping out of the shower. This is important because applying lotion while your skin is still damp helps to lock in moisture.


5. Get rid of your toner! My dermatologists and other experts agree that toner is one thing you can do without. If you have to cut out some of your beauty products, this should be the first one to go. Toners claim to correct your skin's pH balance and "prepare your skin for moisturizers". They used to be more necessary than they are today. Most beauty products have become so sophisticated that toners are now obsolete. Put your money towards lotion and eye cream and forget the toner.



These are just 5 simple ways to stay beautiful without feeling guilty about spending money. Analyze your skin care products and decide what's most important to you. Personally, I could NEVER replace my eye makeup remover - I've tried and haven't had any luck with the cheaper versions - but it wasn't so bad to replace my expensive facial masks with natural products I can find in my kitchen. Get creative with what you use and how you spend so even though you might feel exhausted from keeping up with your kids, you don't have to look it!

Quicker Workouts, Better Results!

It's May now and most people are well into their new workout routines and healthy eating habits, right? If you had getting into shape as one of your New Year's Resolution, hopefully you haven't given up on it, but have instead established a new lifestyle that incorporates healthy foods and regular exercise.

You're probably also realizing the importance of having an effective workout so you can exercise in LESS time and still receive GREAT results. I'm finishing up that last editing of my second book Lose Weight, Feel Great! (Even After Kids) and as I was reading through it again, I felt compelled to blog some of the tips that can help you maximize your workout. Whether you've been working out regularly or not at all, you'll benefit from these time saving tips.

Maximum Results in Minimal Time:

1. Interval Train:

This is the technique of performing a cardio workout at a moderate pace and then increasing the intensity for a given period of time, before returning to your original pace. Interval training has been proved to be an excellent way to burn calories and fat while also strengthening your heart. In fact, you can work out incorporating interval training for 20 minutes and reap the same benefits as maintaining a consistent moderate pace for 40 minutes. That is a great way to cut your workout in half and still get the same results!

An example of interval training for 20 minutes is:
Fast walk for 5 minutes, run for 2 minutes, fast walk for 5, then run for 2, etc.
It's that simple! If you don't like run or can't run due to physical limitations, try walking on a steep incline on a treadmill. I mix up my interval training by walking backwards on a steep incline to get my heart pumping and to give me a great leg workout. If you don't have access to a treadmill, just increase your walking speed as fast as you can and then return to your normal fast walk. This concept will work whether you like to ride a bike, swim, or Rollerblade. Any cardio activity will work for this.

2. Strength Train, Strength Train, Strength Train!

If you aren't incorporating lifting weights into your workout, you're doing yourself an injustice. This simple activity is what changed my life for good! I always struggled with my weight but once I discovered the benefits of weight training, my constant battle with those extra pounds ended.

I can't say enough good things about weight training. One of the biggest benefits is that it increases your metabolism allowing you to burn more calories on a daily basis. In fact, pound for pound, muscle burns up to 5 times the amount of calories of fat. You don't have to be a mathematician to know that adds up to weight loss. Muscles simply need more calories than fat. It also makes you look leaner because it gives your body definition. Woman's old train of thought was that lifting weights would make them "bulk up". You can dismiss that theory because it's just not in our makeup. You would have to really do some intense weight lifting for that to be a problem.

In my book I list all the many health benefits that will convince you strength training IS an important part of an exercise program. You don't even need a gym membership. You can purchase inexpensive dumbbells and do simple exercises in your home. My book shows you different moves you can do with and without dumbbells to achieve the muscle tone you desire. (I wish I could say the book was ready to order today, but it will be in a few more weeks or so.)

3. Work Your Muscles to Fatigue:

You don't have to spend a lot of time strength training if you work out smart. Some people spend a lot of time completing multiple sets of the same exercise, but you can actually cut that time in half by working to fatigue. This simply means that you should complete each strength training move to exhaustion. Your last rep should be very difficult to finish. This should be accomplished after about 15 reps or so. If you can complete 15-20 reps with ease, it's time to increase the weight. The goal is to have the last few reps VERY difficult to complete. That will allow you to complete just one set of each exercise, shortening the amount of time you have to workout, while still getting great results!

If you incorporate these three concepts, you'll lose weight faster and look better in almost HALF the time! Who couldn't benefit from that?