My children thrive on routine. I know this but I forget. I’m hoping this colorful addition to our kitchen will help us map out our days with a little more intentionality. This was simple t…

In this post, you will see two kinds of chore charts for multiple children with some free printable charts and cards. Take a look at how you can have chore charts for multiple children and be sure to grab it as a free printable.

I have heard stories that multiplication timetables are not so important. I’ve heard adults saying that they have never properly learnt multiplication tables and they live and don’t use them. Ok, fair enough… But… why? Why not be able to calculate the discount in the shops quickly in your head? To compare different offers? To

Should you sleep train your baby using the Ferber method? Learn more about "Ferberizing" and use the Ferber method chart if you decide to try it.

This is part two of a very occasional series of posts about my take on different psychological theories. Earlier this year I took a look at Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological approach to life. Who knew this would be my most popular post? As of this evening, over 4,430 people have viewed that blog entry. I'm thankful that the post is so popular: my human met him once and found him to be a very kind man. Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a child for his symptom. -- Erik Erikson Today we draw our attention to Erik Homberger Erikson. Please note, this is someone radically different from the conservative commentator Erick Erickson. The two would have very little in common in their world views. Erik was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfort am Main, Germany. After graduating from high school, he moved to Florence Italy to study art. By 1927 he was teaching a a psychoanalytically informed school for children in Vienna that was started by Dorothy Burlingham and Anna Freud. Deeply influenced by this work, Erikson earned a certificate from the Maria Montessori School and later did psychoanalytic training at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. After graduating from the psychoanalytic institute in 1933, Erikson and his wife fled the Nazis who had come to power in Germany. His long career included positions at Massachusetts General Hospital Judge Baker Guidance Center, Harvard Medical School, and University of California Berkeley. While in California Erikson studied children on a Sioux reservation for a year as well as children in the and Yurok tribe. Erikson left Berkeley when professors were asked to sign a loyalty oath. He returned to Massachusetts first working at the Austen Riggs Center for a decade and finally returning to Harvard. He remained a professor of human development at Harvard University until he retired in 1970. Erik Erikson's highest academic degree was a high school diploma. In 1973 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected Erikson for the Jefferson Lecture, which is the US government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities. His lecture was entitled "Dimensions of a New Identity." Enough background information. Onto the good stuff. This chart is the most commonly learned distillation of Erikson's work. Sorry his name is spelled wrong in the chart. It seems there is a lot of confusion about the proper spelling of his name. The spelling I'm using, Erik Erikson, is the correct way. So when you think about it, puppy development and human development isn't all that different. I'm not so sure dogs really ever get past adolescence. That's okay though, I think you all like us just the way we are. Here is Erikson's theory, as it applies to humans, in a nutshell: The infant's first social achievement, then, is his willingness to let the mother out of sight without undue anxiety or rage, because she has become an inner certainty as well as an outer predictability. -- Erik Erikson Early in life both babies and puppies face a crisis: trust versus mistrust. If the world is safe enough, and we are cared for well enough, we develop a sense of stability and security. If we work through this well we approach the world with a confident curiosity. If problems happen (abuse, neglect, deprivation) we learn the world is unsafe, we lose our curiosity, and become closed off and hidden. We learn to hope. Always moving forward, our next crisis is autonomy versus doubt. Ever spend time with a two year old that constantly says no? Play a game with a very young child who insists on controlling every dimension of the game? Early on, youngsters learn a delicate balance between autonomy and interdependence. How many parents, in a demand for discipline, demand complete obedience from their children at all times? Too much of a demand for a child to bend to the will of an adult can create deep feelings of shame, incompetence, and out of control behaviors. Striking a successful balance creates creatures who remain curious, have built in self control, and have a certain degree of autonomy. We learn will. Children must eventually train their own children, and any impoverishment of their impulse life, for the sake of avoiding friction, must be considered a possible liability affecting more than one lifetime. -- Erik Erikson Next up comes initiative versus guilt.Young ones busy themselves learning about the world around them. Square pegs fit in square holes. Round pegs fit in round holes. Sugar spilled on the floor makes mom crabby. We learn to count, speak, and ask for things with ease. We start to engage in activities. We want to play with that game. We want to walk in this direction. We start to take risks and learn how to keep ourselves safe (look both ways before we cross the street!). Good enough parents encourage and support children's efforts toward their own goal directed activities in realistic ways. When things go wrong and parents actively discourage children's independent activities (or belittle their activities), children can develop guilt about their needs, desires, and activities. We learn purpose. The next crisis we all face is industry versus inferiority. During these years, our primary years of school, we find our self confidence. Now having developed goal directed activity, our activity becomes productive. We create the things we need. Words come together to form sentences. Sentences come together to form paragraphs. Paragraphs come together to form stories. Good enough parents share a sense of excitement in what their children create. When things go wrong, and children are ridiculed or unable to meet adult expectations, children internalize a sense of inferiority We learn competence. Every adult, whether he is a follower or a leader, a member of a mass or of an elite, was once a child. He was once small. A sense of smallness forms a substratum in his mind, ineradicably. His triumphs will be measured against this smallness, his defeats will substantiate it. The questions as to who is bigger and who can do or not do this or that, and to whom—these questions fill the adult's inner life far beyond the necessities and the desirabilities which he understands and for which he plans. -- Erik Erikson As childhood rolls into adolescence, we face the crisis of identity versus role confusion. Having built confidence in our abilities, we start to look for our place in our world. We ask the question "Who am I and where am I going?" In this time of development we find ourselves at a crossroad of development where we consolidate the rapid development of childhood and walk across the bridge to adulthood. Given enough time and space to explore the different roles society has to offer us, a young person can freely experiment and explore many different kinds of identities. A good enough parent will let their adolescents stretch and reach into all sorts of different identities while also offering some loose protective boundaries. Restrictive and domineering parents can clip the experiences of an adolescent and prevent them from finding a sense of identity that can haunt them long into their adulthood. We learn our identity. As our adolescence grows into young adulthood, we grapple with issues of intimacy versus isolation. Having found our identities we no longer need to destroy things that threaten our sense of self. We ask of ourselves if we are loved and wanted, and whether we will share our life with someone or live alone. Done well we find ourselves forming long-term commitments to others through intimate and reciprocal relationships. Done poorly, we find ourselves isolated. We learn love. As young adulthood moves into middle adulthood, we face the crisis of generativity versus stagnation. We ask of ourselves, "Will produce something of real value?" We find our way to contribute to society developing a sense of generativity, productivity, and accomplishment. Through our work we provide something toward the betterment of society and future generations. Done poorly we feel stagnated, dissatisfied, and disconnected from a sense of purpose. We learn care. As adults grow into elders, we face the crisis of ego integrity versus despair. Our work gradually slows and our attention turns inward toward contemplating our accomplishments. Done well, we see ourselves has having created a successful life. Done poorly we review our lives and feel we haven't reached our goals and we despair. We learn wisdom. Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have the integrity enough not to fear death. -- Erik Erikson

I recently posted a tutorial on how I made my kids’ customized magnetic chore charts . To go along with the chore charts, I made picture magnets so that even my younger children that can̵…

One effective way of checking how you feel everyday is by tracking it. Use any of these free feelings charts for adults and get to know yourself better.

Age-appropriate chores for young children (and older children) are so important - with or without a chore chart! They help raise children that work hard and are not spoiled. It's the reason that we use these Printable Chore Cards because they teach kids that they have to do their chores in order to have downtime.

"No one will play with me" he said with tears rolling down his cheeks. He seems so confused by this strange occurrence, he thought going to preschool would mean lots of friends to play with.

I really wanted to teach my little boy to sign, but I sadly, I fell off the wagon after just a few. He learned more, and understands hungry...

How I love and dislike having my kids do chores! I love when chores get done happily and quickly and how it helps me around the house, helps me feel like I’m teaching my kids to work, and actually…

I recently found this great little chart titled, ‘Operational Definitions of Character Qualities’, over here thanks to the Duggar family! It was a small 8.5 x 11 inch file so I redesigned it a bit and made it into an 18 x 24 inch poster. I really wanted to hang it up somewhere where I could …

Here is a guide to calming an overtired baby. Study these 5 baby feet pressure points and calm down your baby in minutes.

Do you agree with this parenting approach?

I found an interesting chart, comparing five generations and explaining demographic changes across those generations. I’m a late Gen X, born in 1978 and since I’ve been in tech area of work for 20…

Mamas! I've got a great idea for you today!! Are you constantly trying to get your kids to help out around the house but tend to just let it go because it's just not worth the fight? This was me. I'm ashamed to say that I am not the best at laying down the law when it comes to getting my boys to do their chores. It's probably because it's almost easier to just do it myself--THE RIGHT WAY. Less arguing, less yelling, less TIME. All that aside, we've somehow managed to raise really great kids. They are kind, respectful, smart, athletic, funny and responsible. Do they love chores? NOPE. But do they love money?? YEEEESSSSSS. Lately, the boys have been asking for a lot of stuff. Enough so that I had finally had enough with all the begging (because I kept saying no) and finally decided to figure out a solid plan to help them EARN it. (If you are new here, my kiddos are almost 9 and 11.) So, here we are! This little project was completely inspired by Pinterest and the dozens of chore charts I found there but I wanted to share my version and how it's working for us. It was so simple too! I grabbed a spare bulletin board out of Mason's closet, found some push pins I already had and typed out some chores the boys could do along with what each chore was worth. After I cut the chores out (along with a small explanation of how this works that I mounted on a piece of yellow cardstock), I just tacked up the chores that needed to be done to the board. I included the corresponding money amount behind each chore. For the coins, I just used little baggies. (Yes, I had to go to the bank to get a bunch of dollar bills too! I never have cash!) Also, I just ordered these push pin/clips to try out instead of the push pins. I think they are going to be PERFECT! The best part about this chart is that there is instant gratification for the kids which keeps them invested in their tasks. They know that dollar is just waiting for them as soon as they finish! I decided to hang the board right below our weekly family calendar so they could see it easily. The white board calendar is currently on sale right now for under $10 by the way! I have several chores posted above but the board won't always be this full. For example, after Mason picked up the front and backyard (and I checked his work), he got his dollar from the board and the slip of paper went up there on the top left with all the ones not currently in use. Once the yard gets messy again...which will happen very soon I'm sure...I'll move the slip back with another dollar behind it. This plan is not without its faults of course. It's not perfect but it's a HUGE start. When I was thinking of some of our biggest issues when it comes to keeping things tidy, I couldn't seem to figure out how to make a chore that just said "quit leaving your socks, shoes, hoodies, underwear and pants laying all over the living room". I mean, how exactly do I put that on a slip of a paper and give it a monetary value? So instead, I told the boys that any time I have to get on to them for not cleaning up after themselves (including leaving dishes out, Cheez-It wrappers stuffed behind throw pillows, their clothes and towels on the bathroom floor after a shower, and baseball cards scattered across the floor) then I will take money away that they've already earned. This gives them a huge incentive to keep things picked up. And y'all. THIS IS ALL WORKING!! Mason is my little business man. He loves to make money and he isn't afraid of hard work. He's had his eye on a FitBit-type watch ever since he realized he lost his Garmin. (Grrrr....) There was no way I was going to buy him a new one considering he lost his old one and told him he could wait until his birthday in April. But he hates to wait. So when he was introduced to this Chore Chart, he was ALL ABOUT IT. For the past week, he has been coming straight home and checking the chart to see what all he can do to earn money. He's been loading and unloading the dishwasher every day, cleaning his room, cleaning out my car, vacuuming... He gets upset when I don't have anything else for him to do! Yesterday, he was at $18 (he needed $21) but unfortunately for him, it was also the day our cleaning ladies come. (They come once every other week.) So he was kind of running low on things that needed to be done once he got home from school. He ended up squeaking out another $3 worth of chores though and he forked over his $21 while I ordered his watch off of Amazon. Y'all! He was so proud as he counted out the money into my hand. I even upgraded his shipping so that it would come today instead of Friday because I was so proud of him! Matthew also decided to buy a new book with some of his money. (He chose this one that he saw at the Book Fair but was cheaper on Amazon.) When the boys turn their cash over to me when they want to buy things, it also restocks my cash supply for the chart so that works out nicely! The best part is that you really don't need much to do this project! Here are the few items you'll need. Cheap, quick and so easy! WHY I LOVE THIS I know there are people with differing opinions on paying your kids to do chores but here's why I love this. The boys are learning that you have to actually work in order to earn money to buy the things you want. They are setting goals and working towards them. They are taking pride in their work. They are learning to save up and pick and choose what to spend their money on. They are learning responsibility. And they are learning that money doesn't just appear out of nowhere when you want something. You work hard, you get paid. The end. They are also learning that there are consequences to leaving your Cheez-It wrappers hidden behind my couch cushions. ;) This has also been eye-opening when it comes to the differences in my kids' personalities. Matthew is much more laid-back when it comes to making money. He's got a little but he doesn't really care about buying much. So he's been on that slow and steady pace. He's definitely my saver. Mason, on the other hand, is my little hustler. It's one of the only things I feel like he gets from me and I love it! I told y'all about him trying to sell Craig's autographed football cards to his friends for $5! (We squashed that real quick.) He is always trying to come up with ways to make money. It's been fun to see this side of his personality come out. He's not afraid to work his butt off for his reward. And I can totally respect that. So there ya go! This board is working WONDERS in my house, girls. Yes, it's teaching the boys' responsibility and all that but it's also lightening my load SO MUCH!! They are almost 9 and 11 now and I feel like it's definitely time for them to start "manning up" and gaining more responsibility around the house. And for us, this has been the perfect way to dive on in. If you have kids you want to try this on or have littles that you want to save this for, feel free to pin the image below! I'm proud of myself for even making a graphic for this so please...feel free to pin it. haha (PS: You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.) ---------------------------------------- UPDATE: Printables now available! I'm not tech saavy when it comes to this stuff so I've done the best I can. There are blank slips you can write in your own chores too. :) WORK FOR HIRE | CHORES SET 1 | CHORES SET 2 | BLANKS I'd love to know if you plan on trying this! Let me know in the comments! And don't forget to check the Facebook Group for all the Daily Deals today!! INSTAGRAM | DAILY DEALS GROUP | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | ETSY | LIKETOKNOWIT | SHOP THE BLOG EDIT: I thought about making a printable for the chart but I figured that not all our chores would be the same in every household and not everyone would want to give the same monetary value to each chore. But you can type out your own in a word document and then just print and cut! UPDATE: PRINTABLE NOW AVAILABLE!

Baby sign language is an awesome tool to use before baby can say words. Follow our step-by-step guide to teach it to your baby, includes visual cheat sheet!

Have you ever wondered if behavior charts are really good for your child? Here is a story that might change the way you think about behavior charts and their effect on the relationship with your

learn what your Midheaven (MC) means for your life purpose and career. the Midheaven is the energy of your highest potential and what you're here to grow into. human design astrology midheaven kelsey crookshanks midheaven. midheaven in astrology. what does the midheaven mean in astrology. midheaven

M., who I met on the facebook, in connection with MEC, advised me to have a look at the MAKATON signs that she uses with her daughter to connect the two languages. No matter which language you use, use the same sign for the same thing, so the child can learn to connect the meaning. You can make up your own signs as well, or do a signing course in Hungarian. I don't want to recommend any courses as we didn't take them. Just google it: baby sign language course Budapest. Here are some examples, signs we use on a daily basis: Though we sign the horse in a different way: You can find more signs here. You can also learn from a special BBC programme for kids with special needs. The programme itself is called Something Special. Each programme sees Justin and Mr Tumble (played by Justin) out and about applying signing in a variety of places. Topics covered include babies, pets, toys, weather, clothes, shops, food, all about me, where I live and colours. Mr Tumble always dresses up, wearing brightly-coloured clothes and even big shoes! He moves around clumsily and has lots of fun. The language used throughout each programme is supported by Makaton signs and symbols and is designed to be understood by children in the early stages of language development. Full episodes are 15-20 minutes long. What I did with this programme is that I watched them one by one on youtube. I learnt the signs (they are very straight forward and easy to learn) and started using them both in English and in Hungarian (same sign for the same thing). E. was 6-7 months old when I introduced signing to her. (4-5 signs at a time). When she was familiar with these (after about 2-3 weeks) I introduced new ones. Sometimes I picked a short part of an episode (max. 5-6 minutes long) and we watched it together. This could have begun earlier as well. But never cry over split milk. Click on the link, the first video I saw and really was fascinated by it - Something Special- Baby I don't do the signing all the time only if E. is not paying attention or I really want to link a new expression in both languages. Most of the time signing draws her attention. In the next post I'll write about some songs which can be followed with signing. It's a hit with kids. They love it! You'll love it too. -------------------------UPDATE 2016 ------------------------------- The programme Something Special (Mr Tumble) got renewed still it's great. On Something Special youtube channel you can even find songs signed by Mr Tumble (Justin)

Chores help kids learn life skills, responsibility and give them a sense of pride for contributing to their family. Printable Chore Chart included.

ISO is all about measuring light. The brighter it is where you’re taking your photos, the lower your ISO number needs to be. Therefore if it’s dark and/ or there’s not a lot of …