Life Hacks | Syrgi

Before Bedtime Checklist For Kids

Jen Born — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 14:55:06 +0000

Download our free Before Bedtime infographic in full color here (or in black & white). When you print, make sure to adjust the scale so that it prints properly.

Will you still have to give your kiddo reminders? Probably. But keep reminding him or her to "Double-check the checklist" and before you know it, you'll see serious progress in them being able to get themselves ready for bed!

Want modifications? Or different checklists? Tell us in the comments or join our Facebook group to get the customization you need to make this process frustration-free.

Struggling with before and after school? Check out our checklist on ALLLLLLL the tasks (with helpful icons for little, non-readers)!

The post Before Bedtime Checklist For Kids first appeared on Syrgi.

Before School/After School Checklist For Kids

Jen Born — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:43:37 +0000

Download our free school checklist infographic here. When you print, make sure to adjust the scale so that it prints properly.

Other versions: here and here

Want modifications? Or different checklists? Tell us in the comments!

Struggling with all the papers coming home from school? Get our infographic (and learn all our Pro Tips) on the easy way to manage them now!

The post Before School/After School Checklist For Kids first appeared on Syrgi.

How to Organize School Papers Once and For All (Updated Sept 2021)

Jen Born — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:08:43 +0000

Buy 2 folders per kid
Put 1 folder, labeled for the kid, in a place where he/she knows NOT to mess with it. This is Mom’s folder of papers for the year. Special stuff. Sweet stuff. Beautiful artwork. Terrific grades. Awards. (I don’t even use the pockets, just place everything in chronologically.)
Put 1 folder, labeled for the kid, in a place where he/she HAS ACCESS to it. Bookshelf? Desk? Maybe even next to yours. This folder is for your kid to put papers he/she wants to keep. They are special to him. (Even if they are only partially colored.) When this folder is full, have her CLEAN IT OUT. What papers do you not care about anymore? Keep what’s important. Make room for other stuff.

To get the infographic, click here or on the image below. When you print, make sure to adjust the scale so that it prints properly. And here's a black and white version for those of us in the dark ages without a color printer.

Related: Make Going Back to Work WORK

How this conversation goes on a daily basis as we process their papers:

Me: Ok, here’s your stack. Either put it in your folder or the trash.

Kid: OK

(Kid sorts through stack)

Kid: Where’s [beautiful artwork or worksheet with amazing grade]?

Me: I put it in Mommy's folder of special things

(Kid beams ecstatically with pride)

The end.

Sometimes, they want me to put a paper in Mommy's folder that I'm not going to keep.

Kid: Here Mommy, you can put this into your folder.

Me: Oh, no thanks. If you want to keep that, put it into your folder.

Kid: Don't you think my picture is beautiful?

Me: ABSOLUTELY! It IS beautiful! But Mommy is in charge of her folder. So if you want to keep it, put it in your folder.

We also have a wall in our dining room where we showcase kid art. We use reusable putty to stick the art on the wall so I'm not constantly rolling tape.

There are things to be proud of keep for special reasons. Let’s celebrate those!
We aren’t going to keep everything. We don’t need to and it’s impractical to manage.
It’s good to purge periodically. For everyone of all ages. Period. Have them go through their folder or drawer space every couple of days or weekly and choose a low number (1-10) of items to toss. Or give them a max number of total papers allowed and work within a 1 in-1 out rule.
We can work in a system with finite space. Let’s figure out how to accomplish a goal within a given set of rules.
We aren’t going to have HUGE amounts of paper floating through the house. Because that’s awful! (And my kids tend to start shredding paper if they’re left alone with it for any length of time!)
It helps us get past the "I'll do it later" mentality. Make quick decisions to categorize each paper, put them away, and you're done!

From an early age, we can start seeing that our child is becoming a "pack rat"--having trouble letting go of items she doesn't really want or need. This can even happen with school papers. We can help them with this so they don't struggle their whole lives.

Other Options:

The Box Method

How it works: Put everything (except announcements) into a box and go through it at the end of the year, or occasionally.

Pros:

- You don't have to make any decisions now, when your child might feel emotionally attached to the paper
- You won't have to argue with your kid about any of it
- You won't accidentally throw something important away

Cons:

- You have to go through all of the papers every day anyway in case there's something urgent. So you're basically doing double duty.
- It will take up a lot of space, especially if you do this method for several children
- And it will have to be fairly accessible since you'll be putting papers into it 5 times/week
- You'll have to go through it at the end of the year when you are totally OUT of school energy. Yuck.

Dealing with Grownup Papers

Our school sends home paper newsletters for each grade. These are helpful communications about any calendar events, classroom activities, and the schedule for rotating specials (PE/music/art). With multiple kids in school, keeping these on the fridge was NOT working. And there are also flyers for different school-wide events, notes home about meetings and announcements.

There are a LOT of important papers that we need to keep (for a few days at a time at least) and we want them to be organized so that we don't lose our mind.

We made a wall in our kitchen our Command Center. It. Is. AMAZING. We love it so much!

See the hanging file organizer. It is so wonderful! We can keep the newsletters in one slot, school-wide flyers in another slot, and still have slots for things like Girl Scouts and other papers we have to store.

The post How to Organize School Papers Once and For All (Updated Sept 2021) first appeared on Syrgi.

Make Going Back to Work WORK

Jen Born — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 21:28:49 +0000

What was your family situation when you went back to work? And what were the hours of your job going to be?

CF: It was 2 years ago and I went back to full time work as Membership Coordinator at the YMCA of Hannibal. Our two boys were 7 and 5 and our daughter had just turned 3. My husband had a busy job that wasn't always flexible.

Both boys were in school and the YMCA has a preschool that my 3 yo could attend at a reasonable rate. This was also great, because it was nice knowing we were in the same building together.

What are your hours like?

CF: A flexible 8-4 Monday - Friday.

And would you consider yourself a planner or someone who likes to wing it?

CF: I am a wing it kind of person. But I'm married to a planner, so that helps, too!

Food

I think dinner every night is a chore for every family, especially when everyone is busy and time is tight. What do you do to make this work for yours?

CF: I agree. Dinner is a chore. At first it was rough and we did a lot of convenience meals like chicken nuggets. At that time, my husband's job wasn't very flexible. It was really hard to figure that out. We were trying to get into a routine and a groove. It taught me to have a lot of grace with myself. Just like not comparing myself with what others were doing. We couldn't really do what we wanted, we just needed to get by to make it work. It was a sacrifice.

There was a season where we started making our dinners for the whole week on Sundays. Doing the chopping and prep work--getting everything ready to just pop into the oven. It was really helpful, but so time-consuming and the dishes were crazy. But we got away from it because things come up on Sundays and I don't want to give up weekend time. And you have to enjoy leftovers. If you don't enjoy leftovers, cooking once for the week isn't going to be for you. Also, Sundays have become laundry time. We use Sundays to propel us into the week in other ways.

But now dinner time -- we try to make it an enjoyable time with each other by playing music and spending time together while cooking. We're eating pretty clean. A meat and a side. Planning ahead by buying all the meat and the vegetables. An air fryer is very helpful. And grilling. We do brinner a lot, too, because it's quick and makes everyone happy.

3 of Crystal's Go To Recipes: Chicken Spaghetti, Pizza Shepherds Pie, Air Fryer Ranch Chicken

What about kids lunches? Did you do them in the morning, the night before, or at the beginning of the week?

CF: My husband made all the lunches. We did end up deferring to convenience items, like ziptop bags. We would try to get as much done the night before so we weren't filling bottles and making sandwiches in the morning. Saving time and making it easy on ourselves was really helpful. We have the kids pick 2-3 school lunches per week.

We have a Snack Basket and Breakfast Basket. Every breakfast is like Go grab something from the Breakfast Basket. There are protein bars and bananas. Breakfast biscuits. Things like that. The Snack Basket has snacks that if it's an appropriate snack time, I can just say, Yes, you can go get a snack from the basket. And I know I'm fine with them eating whatever's in there. Trail mix and things like that for after school.

Laundry and Clothes

Laundry piles up fast. How do manage it? Does everyone pick out their clothes the night before or do the personalities in your family require more spontaneity?

CF: We kind of all do a little bit together. We have the kids sort out their stuff. One child has eczema, so his clothes have to be washed with free and clear detergent. We have a basket for the boys stuff, one for our youngest's, and my husband's and mine. We try to get a start on it on Saturday, so that we have time to do it all and aren't hustling. Sean and I handle it together and fold it together and the kids put their own stuff away. The team work makes a Big difference. I don't want to spend all of my weekend picking up after everyone. It's also teaching them to do that for themselves.

We waver in and out on picking out clothes the night before. It goes a lot smoother when we do it, but it doesn't always happen. Sometimes, our youngest will ask to just go to bed in her clothes for the next day and we love that. She's a bit of a dawdler, so it's a Big time savings. Haha!

Cleaning

Let's talk about cleaning. What do you do? How do you keep things manageable?

CF: Clutter builds up so fast! We call it Getting Thursdayed. All of it ends up everywhere. School bags. Work bags. Lunch bags. School papers. Toys. Thursday is a night we don't often have anything going on, so we use Thursday nights to clean together as a family. Once the living room is clean, I'll pay my kids a jelly bean for their hard work. Sean and I talk about how we get paid at our jobs to do things we don't like, so we're willing to do the same thing for them. Sometimes. They still have to do other stuff without payment, just because they're part of the family and they live here.

When we do these things as a family, it's really good for my mind and heart. It just makes it so much better than when I'm cleaning up after them on my own. Things like mopping never happens, but I have a really good floor wax so our floors stay pretty clean. The bathrooms get clean on the weekends when the kids clean their bathrooms and bedrooms as part of their allowance of $1 per room. That has helped a lot, them taking that on. And to be honest, they make the most messes.

We have a basket we call the Lost and Found. When they leave their toys out, I put them in there and then make them clean it out and put everything away.

Related: Allowance for Kids That’s Actually Doable

Childcare

Your families don't live here. What did you do when you had sick kids or snow days?

CF: Snow days my husband and I would share. When I first started working, we both had paid time off so we would take turns. The Y is also so family friendly, I would just take the kids to work with me and they would hang out in my office, playing quietly (I would prepare a few hours' worth of activities and keep them on a schedule), until Sean could come and get them.

The other thing that made it work was just having community. If we didn't have community, it wouldn't have worked during COVID. Having people here who were in a place that they could help us was invaluable.

When I interviewed, I made it clear to the YMCA that my family would still come first and they were totally fine with that. They're so flexible. If I need to, I can bring some work home. Now Sean's job is different, but when we've had a sick kid who couldn't go to summer camp, he can just take the kid on the route with him.

So it's important to know your priorities and to work somewhere that aligns with your values. Making sure that if you have the option, you choose a company and a job that is supportive of your family.

Related: How to be a Happy Mom (or Change Your Attitude in 2 Seconds if You're Not)

Homework

How did you navigate your kiddos getting their homework done in the midst of everything else? Did you use rewards?

CF: We tried to start out the way we wanted to go. Our school does the 7 Habits and so we use those at home a lot. Put First Things First. Do your home work right away after school. We don't really use a lot of rewards as much as just natural consequences. If you didn't do your homework (or are taking forever doing it), you're going to have to finish it while we're watching a show. Them knowing to Put First Things First and that if they don't, they're going to miss out on fun family time.

There was a period where for one child this past year, where reading was really taxing and I'd give him a jelly bean for each page he read. That helped a lot. I want homework and learning to be a good experience. I don't want it to be a fight. I want to reward hard work. Helping that process is important.

Kid Activities

I know that your oldest kid does swim. Were your kids doing a lot of activities? How did you decide on what to do?

CF: During the school year, we limited them to one thing. Pick your sport and let's do that. My oldest picked swim and we had the option of going every day. He didn't want to. So we do three days each week. Another kid does piano and our youngest, dance. There was a perfect storm this past year of Thursdays having events from all of their activities. A lot of that was when my husband was working so it was mad chaos with me carting kids everywhere and trying to get them where they needed to be on time within a very short window.

But we let them choose and this is what they wanted. And we want them to get to do fun things and participate. And we want to encourage healthy habits like exercise. That's easier when you let your kid play sports. Not all activities are year round. Most sports at these younger ages are only 6 weeks or so through the YMCA, which is really great.

We have conversations with our kids about which activities they want to participate in and are really honest about our family's limitations. We can't do everything and we're not going to exhaust ourselves with kid activities. I think it's important and healthy for our kids to learn that from an early age.

It's been really helpful to have a Swim Bag for my oldest. And a Piano Bag for my middle child. Keep everything for that activity where it needs to be and stay organized. Then you can say things like Grab your Swim Bag and let's go.

Balancing it all/Managing the stress

What advice do you have for a mom going back to work to balance it all?

CF: Having grace with yourself. Knowing that not everything is going to be perfect. One of the Biggest things is being a team. If Sean and I weren't together on all of that, there's no way I could do it. It's just grace from God. We REALLY drive a team mentality with the kids. We're on the same page.

Before I was working, a friend gave me this advice: some things have to go to make things work. You have to decide on your priorities. Don't compare yourself to other people. Don't compare yourself to what you see on social media. There will be different seasons. Seasons that are stressful and hectic where you're just barely making it work and you just have to be gracious and patient with yourself and your family. And then more enjoyable seasons.

Setting routines are SO important and helpful. I think being upfront with the kids is valuable. When you get up, get dressed immediately, then get breakfast. If they do those things quickly, they can just hang out. But don't come out of your room until you're dressed and don't do anything else until you've eaten breakfast. And self-serve breakfast from the Breakfast Basket means that I don't have to micromanage them.

Did you and your husband talk about specific expectations--what you would do together or individually accomplish? Did you sit down and hash it all out?

Yes. We talked about the hours he HAD to work and where there was flexibility for him to be home. We had to be flexible and adapt a lot. He started taking his lunch break from 3-5 every day because that was the most stressful time at home with homework and dinner. We had to work together to find something that would work. Now his job is different. But being clear and direct in expectations, but also really flexible and understanding and willing to adjust. There have been periods, too, where since one of us has to the morning stuff on our own that the other does bedtime so that we both feel supported.

What was hard about you going back to work? And what was easy?

At the time when I went back to work, most of my friends were SAHMs, there were a lot of seasons and days that were lonely. Knowing that my friends were hanging out together with their littler kids without me because I was at work was hard. I felt a lot of loneliness and felt left out. But I could voice that with them. They loved me and supported me. Another thing that made it hard was self-guilt. I stayed home with my boys, but now I'm not staying home with my daughter. So I struggled with self-guilt about that. So now our evenings have to look different. We want to be intentional about getting really good quality time with our kids. Our time together is quality over quantity.

What was easy was that when I would think about what job I wanted, it was this job. That made it an easy choice. At my job, I get to help people a lot in the community. And it lines up with my faith and my beliefs and the gospel. I work at a place that is openly supportive of Christian values and beliefs. And our family spends a lot of time at the YMCA. My daughters preschool is there. So I get such good communication with her teacher and know what's going on. I feel really involved with her day even though I'm in my office. My kids do swimming and soccer and other sports there. My boys are able to ride the Y's bus from school to the YMCA every day after school.

Are there any products or services you recommend to help people through this transition? You talked about an air fryer. Anything else that has made your world work?

Some of the Biggest things that has helped is having a shared family calendar and my husband is the Biggest proponent because I like to wing it. The calendar is fantastic because things come up sporadically at my work and then he sees it on the calendar and isn't blindsided. Also, it's so helpful when we sit down on a weekly basis to look at everything and make plans as necessary. It makes such a Big difference. Set aside the time. It's worth it.

Grocery pickup is miraculous. Being able to shop on my phone quickly and then just go pick it up has made a huge difference.

If you're not a planner, paying for a meal service is helpful. But there are good, free options like Disheroo that will just plan it for you or provide a great system for you to plan it yourself quickly and conveniently.

Anything that we can do the night before helps so much. A programmable coffee maker. The kids' school bags with homework and everything they need, completely ready to walk out the door.

Check Out Disheroo Now

Related: 10 Apps to Organize Your Life

What would you do differently today?

CF: There aren't really any things I'd do differently today. Maybe just be more open and honest with people around you. Like at work. I wish I would have done more of that.

There were a lot of things we'd already done like getting routines in place. That was invaluable.

Know that everything is a give and take. Be flexible and compromise. You have to constantly assess and adapt as situations change. This isn't working so we have to do easy dinners for now. Or this other thing isn't working so I have to not get everything folded this week. Or relying on other people's help more than we usually would. Knowing the different areas you're ok with being flexible in is just important. We had to cut back on what we could do on the weekends. I don't have Monday anymore to recover from the weekend, so we can't do as much socially. And we have to have a night every week just at home or things get rough.

Have you gone back to work? What tips and tricks do you have to share? Tell me in the comments!

Make Going Back to Work WORK

The post Make Going Back to Work WORK first appeared on Syrgi.

How to be a Happy Mom (or Change Your Attitude in 2 Seconds if You’re Not) (Updated 2021)

Jen Born — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 21:39:12 +0000

Mothering is HARD. We all know that. Sometimes we think that we're stuck and have to live in that crummy place where our kids are frustrating or life itself is frustrating and we can't do anything about it. But that's not true. There IS something we can do about it. We have the ability to make a change. And it starts with US.

How many mornings have you had a fussy toddler? How many days have you had to cope with little to no sleep? How many times has one parenting moment made everything worse? We all have days where things can go from one difficult moment and spiral out of control into a terrible day. It doesn't have to be that way.

I'm going to share with you my one simple phrase that helps me change my attitude and turn my day around with my kids.

Usually it would happen when I would read an inspiring blog post. I'd read it and with grateful, teary eyes, look around the room and cherish the little faces I'd see playing around me. I'd hug them and they'd hug back, then squirm away to get back to their urgent activities.

Then I noticed that I started saying it when a little person was super crabby and just couldn't be satisfied. It made us feel better instantly.

Then I started INTENTIONALLY saying it both when things were HARD and when things were GOOD, because WHY NOT??

So What's The Phrase?

: "I'm really glad I get to be your mom today."

I say it TO MY KID with all the sincerity and kindness that I can muster.

Why is this so magical? I'll tell you.

I tell my kids all the time that we usually can't change the situation we're in. We can't change other people. We can't change their words or actions. We have very little control--which can be frustrating and scary.

But we can control ourselves.

We can control our RESPONSES to everything that happens around us and to us.

And how we respond to our circumstances can make all the differences in the world--even at that very moment. It can completely REVERSE the direction you and your kids are headed in.

In the midst of a hard moment, me telling that little person, "I'm really glad I get to be your mom today" does 5 specific things.

1) It reminds ME to be grateful for my kids

My kids are a gift and so are yours. But to be honest, they don't always feel like a gift. With every reminder to put their stuff away, motherhood can feel like a chore. Every time you have to negotiate a truce between siblings, that frustration builds. When they talk back, you can wonder what possessed you to have kids in the first place, right?

Having the reminder that your kids are a gift instantly helps my heart care about the right things. It makes me want to love them more, hug them more, and spend really good quality time with them. Because our lives could change at any moment and we don't know how long we have together. So we should savor our time with each other even in the midst of regular old daily life of homework and chores and soccer practice.

And sometimes it reminds me that my husband and kids are my most important job (of the MANY that I have). Maybe I need to slow down in that moment and give my kid some undivided attention. Our relationship is more important than responding to a text, folding clothes, or thinking about a blog post.

2) It reconnects me with that kid

Sometimes the fact that I have a specific relationship with each of my kids kind of escapes my notice. Since we have a Big family, it can start feeling like I'm a shepherd and each of them are just a part of the herd.

But they are each individual little people, with their own hopes, dreams, struggles, and souls. And I need to relate to them individually, not just collectively. This moment of me telling them that I'm grateful to be their mom is like an invisible magical lasso that binds us together.

My kid always, ALWAYS smiles or snuggles a little closer when I say it. And it always fills me with ALL THE FEELS. And we need all that gratefulness to help us overcome what's difficult--you cannot complain AND be grateful at the same time. It simply doesn't work.

3) It teaches them how to respond in a hard moment

My kids hear me express a LOT of different emotions and communicate TONS of information throughout the day. I want my children to grow up with emotional intelligence, that is, " the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically."

I want them to see me respond with self-control and gratitude to frustrating situations, because I want them to learn that skill instead of lashing out in anger. I want them to choose grace and mercy over selfishness and pride. I want them to learn that they can respond to situations, they don't have to react. They have the choice, every time.

It's also a good moment for my kids to see me humbling myself. They need to hear me say that I'm sorry when I've messed up. They know that we make bad choices sometimes. They need to see us take ownership and handle it rightly--seeing the bad choice for what it is, taking responsibility, and apologizing. Just like we teach them about processing others' bad choices, they need to be able to process ours'.

4) It injects SWEETNESS into the moment

I frequently tell younger moms at church that when you have little bitty babies, the hard things are SUPER HARD, but the sweet things are also SUPER SWEET. Like when your baby pats your shoulder while you pat her back. Or those first few smiles that are only for mom and dad. Or when they make those eyes-closed sleepy smiles. Yeah, those are my FAVORITE!

When your kids get Bigger, things get easier in a lot of respects, like diapers and getting dressed, but the relationship gets harder. You're not waking up 3 times every night to attend to their physical needs, but you're helping them navigate conflict with siblings, friends, and even grownups. Whether they're 3 or 13, they're exploring their world and learning, and you're frequently getting in the way of what they want. And they OFTEN will express their displeasure at you saying No to their favorite toy, or activity, or show. It's hard in a totally different way.

So when you have opportunities to inject sweetness into the situation and relationship, DO IT! Your day will no doubt need it, and you definitely want them to remember all of the moments of sweetness that they can with you. I LOVE being a productive person, but I would MUCH rather my kids remember me making them feel loved instead of me accomplishing a lot.

So saying "I'm really glad I get to be your mom today" injects some much needed sweetness into a frustrating moment. It says, "I love you and I choose you. RIGHT NOW. In THIS moment. And I'm grateful for you." Who doesn't want to hear that?

5) It resets the situation

Taking the moment to say this phrase (and for them to hear this phrase) helps us reset. It gives us the opportunity to say to ourselves, "Wait. This isn't where we want to be. We love each other. And this relationship is a gift. So let's go in a different, better direction."

I'll frequently follow it up with "Can we reset?" It's all about communicating to the child that things aren't good and we know it and we want them to be better. We know that we're flawed, sinful humans just like them. And we're both to blame.

Be encouraged

So let me encourage you. It's worth it to fight for joy as a mother! It's worth it to work hard on building strong, positive relationships with your kids. Will every day be perfect or easy? Of course not. But it's worth it to press on.

Say this phrase to your kids right now. Don't forget. Let it make your day better.

Do you have a phrase or a tradition that you do with your kids that makes you day great or helps with hard moments? Tell me in the comments!

The post How to be a Happy Mom (or Change Your Attitude in 2 Seconds if You’re Not) (Updated 2021) first appeared on Syrgi.

Interview with a Dentist: Your Top 7 Questions Answered

Jen Born — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:04:47 +0000

It's a battle to get kids to brush well and for long enough! And it's a chore going to the dentist. Our children's dental health is important! What do we as parents need to focus on? Why do we need the services that the dentist offers? Is there a way to prevent expensive procedures in the future?

Since my kids just went to the dentist, I took the opportunity to request an interview with Dr. Joshua Ricker of Hannibal Dental Group. He generously took the time to answer all my (and my friends') questions. Dr. Ricker's answers will help you to know the easiest way to keep your kids' teeth healthy, for less money and with less frustration and stress!

My Dental Questions, Answered

Jen: Talk to me about toothpastes. Is there one that’s best? Does it really matter? Or is quality and quantity of brushing and flossing more important?

Dr. Ricker: There is an overwhelming list of available toothpastes these days. There are some toothpastes that might be better for specific situations such as sensitivity relief or whitening. Unless you are looking for something specific like that, I recommend finding a fluoride toothpaste that has the ADA seal of approval on the packaging. I would say the quality of brushing and flossing are more important than the toothpaste itself.

Jen: I hear about the benefits of preventative care a lot. How much can we save if we’re diligent about daily oral hygiene and routine visits to the dentist? Is that important? Will it prevent expensive procedures down the road?

Dr. Ricker: Routine dental visits are extremely important and often overlooked. There are a lot of people that only go to the dentist when something hurts. When a patient comes into the office routinely, we typically can fix problem areas before they become symptomatic. This also saves a lot of money. I have seen several cases where patients have delayed getting a cavity fixed with a filling and they end up needing a root canal and crown. What would have cost them a few hundred dollars is now costing them a couple thousand!

Jen: Why do kids need fluoride? Why is it beneficial? Don’t we have fluoride in our water and toothpastes? Why do kids need treatments?

Dr. Ricker: Fluoride is important because it strengthens the enamel and makes the enamel more resistant to acid breakdown. It is helpful in preventing dental decay as well as strengthening enamel when decay has started. Most public water supplies have fluoride added. It is estimated that adding fluoride to public water reduces dental decay by approximately 25%. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated fluoride is one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century.

Jen: What are the pros and cons of sealants? At what age should kids be getting them?

Dr. Ricker: Sealants are a protective barrier added to the chewing surfaces of molars. The benefit is they prevent food particles from getting trapped deep down in the pits and fissures of molars and thus helps prevent decay. Children typically have their permanent first molars erupt around age 6. Children should have sealants placed as soon as the molars have fully erupted. Studies have estimated sealing permanent molars reduces the risk of pit and fissure decay by approximately 80%.

Jen: Why do kids molars come in yellow? They’re brand new teeth!

Dr. Ricker: I have had this question asked numerous times. The primary teeth or baby teeth are extremely bright and do not have much of a yellow shade. Most adults have teeth with some type of yellow shade. The appearance of permanent teeth appear very yellow when compared to the primary teeth.

Jen: Sugar. What’s the real deal about it in relation to our dental health? My kids aren’t the greatest brushers, but they’ve never had any cavities and it makes me think it’s because we strictly limit sugar. What’s your opinion?

Dr. Ricker: People who have a diet rich in sugars are more likely to develop dental decay than those who have very little sugar in their diet. The same is true of starches. Snacks like potato chips are high in starch and more likely to cause decay than yogurt, cheese, or vegetables. Soda and juice drinks are two of the Biggest causes of decay in children that I see. They both have a lot of sugar content and are also very acidic which is tough on our enamel.

Jen: It's tricky to get kids brushing correctly and for the full 2 minutes. Do you know of any tricks or resources that might help parents in this battle?

Dr. Ricker: The use of a timer seems to work the best for my children. Most electric or battery powered toothbrushes have built in timers that work great.

Here are some products that we use that work great!

Jen: Do you have anything to add?

Dr. Ricker: All of the previously discussed topics are very important in maintaining oral health. Regular visits to the dentist, great home care and a healthy diet are all extremely important and if followed can significantly reduce the risk of developing dental decay.

Thanks, Dr. Ricker!

Do you have any questions for Dr. Ricker? Ask them in the comments!

Dr. Joshua Ricker

DDS: University of Missouri School of Dentistry, Kansas City, MO

BS: Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

https://www.hannibaldentalgroup.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HannibalDental/

Interview with a Dentist: Your Top 7 Questions Answered

The post Interview with a Dentist: Your Top 7 Questions Answered first appeared on Syrgi.

Allowance for Kids That’s Actually Doable

Jen Born — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 16:56:28 +0000

2 general schools of thought

Allowance is to teach money skills, so give them an allowance on a consistent, regular basis and use it to teach them the skills of money management.
Almost everyone has to work for money, so allowance should be earned through work (chores).

Both of these paradigms have merit and will help give your child crucial life skills.

We operate under paradigm #1. So what does this look like for us?

When we were deciding what to do on this issue, I started researching. I read LOTS of blogs and bought and read The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber. It was fantastic!

Principles We Loved

We decided to start giving our older kids an allowance because we wanted to start having concrete discussions about money that would have a tangible impact for them. We wanted them to practice making their own financial choices in a safe environment before they're adults and the consequences are too Big. We wanted them to start learning that just because you receive $5 doesn't mean you necessarily get to spend $5. You frequently have to give or save some of that money.

What will they pay for? Parents who give larger allowances frequently require that the child purchase their own clothes and other every day items. For us, a good first step was that they use their allowance to buy things like souveniers on trips, fun things they want when we go to stores, or hobby items (Legos, sewing, video games, etc). Their allowance, plus other cash gifts they receive throughout the year give them enough to practice some good money management.

Also, we decided that we would only do allowance for the kids who were ready to have those conversations and be responsible enough to make those choices.

Put into Practice

I read in one of the resources that a good rule of thumb for the amount each child received was their age, in dollars. We decided we could do that on a monthly basis. The other benefit to that was that we would only be doing allowance activities once a month, which for us is plenty.

With doing monthly allowance, I loved that I wasn't locked into doing allowance on any specific day of the month--I need WAAAYYYYY more flexibility than that. I started going to the bank at some point during the month to withdraw the cash, in one dollar bills. And yes, the bank teller always gives me a weird look when I request all ones. So now I just say, "Can I please get that in ones? I have to do allowance."

You'll need some kind of box, bin, or container for the kid's money, preferably divided into the different categories you've decided on. (You could also start with ziptop bags--they're easy to label!) We bought these little $1 crayon boxes--3 for each of our kids for give, save, and spend. They work great, stack well, and allow the right amount of room for the amount of money our kids have. Here are some other great options.

Once we decided how much each child would receive (their age in dollars, monthly), we had to break down the categories. Since we aren't giving them a huge amount of allowance, we also aren't requiring an equal breakdown. They put $1 into Give (which is greater than or equal to 10% for each of them), $1-3 into Save, and the rest into Spend. We also let them deposit any cash gifts directly into Spend. And the especially nice thing is, I'm not breaking the dollars into coins--only dealing with single dollar bills. Since I'm really forgetful (and I wanted my husband to be able to do allowance, too), I wrote down a Guide to Allowance; it's just a piece of paper with each kid's name and their category breakdowns, and a reminder to have them update their ledgers. So now I don't have to re-remember every month who gets what and how we do things. I also put reminders on my phone to both go to the bank and do allowance, because otherwise I'll forget!

Use ledgers to help kids track the categories. In kids' minds, more is what matters. Many kids would think a thousand pennies is more money than they could ever dream of. And yeah, it might look impressive. But it's only $10. So we have to teach kids to want the right BOLD more. Because a $100 bill is definitely more than a thousand pennies, even though it's only a single paper. Ledgers are helpful for this. Take a piece of paper, cut it into 3 long strips for Give, Save, and Spend. Write the category (Give, Save, or Spend) at the top along with the kid's name. If they have money already, add "Beginning balance" and the date and put the amount. Then, whenever they have a deposit or withdrawal, write the date on the left (and what it's for if you have room), add the deposit or subtract the withdrawal, and find the new balance. BOOM! A super-simple ledger system that you can fold up to put into their box so they can SEE what's happening with their money over time.

I also like to have my kids keep a piece of folded up paper in their Save box that are ideas of what they might want to save for. Their minds change SO FAST and it's important to show them that in this process of learning money management. I love being able to talk through their lists when we do allowance every month. What do you think you want now? Do you still want that XYZ? Or yet ANOTHER Lego set?

What great allowance ideas have you heard of or used? Tell me in the comments!

The post Allowance for Kids That’s Actually Doable first appeared on Syrgi.

When your baby won’t stop taking off his pants and diaper

Jen Born — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 18:14:31 +0000

Have you ever gone to get your baby at the end of naptime to find that he has taken off his pants? If not, don't think it won't happen to you (I have multiple friends who've had this happen, too!)! I've had 3 babies who went through a phase where they wouldn't stop taking off their pants and diapers!!! And when they pooped, they would play in the poop, smear it all around, and sometimes EAT IT!!!! Obviously, this is gross and we wanted it to end NOW! I'm going to tell you how we made it through this phase so you have this tool in your arsenal.

Here are 4 steps you can take to get your kid to stop taking off his pants and diaper

Step 1

Always make sure you put baby down in a completely dry diaper. That way you should have a least a little more time before it needs to be changed if that is the reason for this behavior. If your baby is soaking through their diapers, either go up a size at night or put them in overnight diapers.

Step 2

Sometimes just making his clothes a little more challenging can stop this behavior, so try tighter pants. You can also put him to bed in pants UNDER a onesie, which will totally confuse him and slow him down a bit...

Step 3

Put her onesie on backwards so it's really difficult to undo the snaps. But sometimes my baby was savvy enough to take the onesie off through the neck hole...

Or, put a sleeper on backwards so he can't unzip it or undo the snaps.

The post When your baby won’t stop taking off his pants and diaper first appeared on Syrgi.

Parenting hack: No more blowing on your kid’s food! (Updated 2021)

Jen Born — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:52:49 +0000

How to teach your kid how to handle a plate of hot food

This is one of my favorite parenting hacks ever. It simplifies SO MUCH and reduces everyone's frustration at meal time.

By the time your kid is 3, he or she can learn to be responsible for handling a plate of food that hasn't cooled off yet. (Be SURE that the PLATE is not too hot though--don't burn your kid!)

The Training Process

Early on, while YOU are still checking your kiddo's food, start telling your child when his food might be hot: "Be careful--it might be hot! Check it with your finger." Teach them to blow on it themselves. It makes them happy when you blow on it together, so you'll likely have to do that first. You don't want them to spit, or blow too hard (and get food bits everywhere--gross!).

Once they're pretty good at that, if junior follows those directions well, work on this. If their food is too hot, they should start picking up forkfulls from the edge of the food (if it has more room, it will cool faster). Then they should blow on each bite 10 times before eating it, checking carefully with a finger at first to make sure it's not going to be too hot. This has the added benefit of counting! Yay for counting! If it's a little too hot still, they need to take a drink, just like we grownups do when our food is too hot.

We need LOTS of repetition when we're learning things, which kids are CONSTANTLY. So work on this every time you eat together and in no time, you'll just have to use the magical phrase.

The Phrase

It's beautiful and magical once you get them trained. Here's the phrase you can say and they know what to do:

You are responsible for the temperature of your food.

Sometimes, when it seems like no one is listening, I'll even get each individual kid's attention and repeat the magical phrase to them one by one. Then they know--their food is hot and they need to pay attention.

If this is a new process for you and you're not sure your kiddo will be excited, maybe a fun new plate will entice him or her? We love compartment plates by Zak Designs! They're dishwasher-safe, super high quality, and FUN!

The post Parenting hack: No more blowing on your kid’s food! (Updated 2021) first appeared on Syrgi.

How I Created My Kids’ Packing List (that makes my life so much easier)

Jen Born — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:58:56 +0000

So I started building my kid packing list on my phone in Notes.

Over the years, and with each new kid, the list has evolved. It also changes based on how long the trip is, whether or not we have access to laundry facilities, and if we'd be able to pop over to a store if we needed something I didn't pack (we sometimes go fishing which is 30 minutes from the nearest store).

Here are my tips on making your own kid packing list:

Have a section for kid-by-kid items. This works really well because my 2yo needs a few extra changes of clothes, but the 10yo doesn't. PLUS, I print my list and then I can physically cross off items as I go (and circle items that still need to be packed once we get down to the last few--it's easy to miss those).
Have a section for Other stuff like pack & play, water cups, Bumbo, toiletries, baby sling
At the top, I specify the number of nights and days to help figure out pajamas and day time clothes. I also note if there's any special considerations like travelling late (want kids to travel in pajamas), etc
If you don't have anything like this, I also recommend starting a Note on your phone (or on paper on your fridge, if that's your jam) with easily-forgettable items. For us it was noise machines or sheets for air mattresses.
One thing that I do that's really convenient is that I store these lists on Dropbox so I can access them anywhere.
Since my kids' needs change more often than we travel, I usually will take the most recent list (I save them with the year at the front - 2018SummerVaca.txt), so I get the most accurate list. I'll copy and paste it into a new list. Then I'll scan the previous year's Christmas list to make sure I have whatever I needed the previous Christmas.

There might be an app that does this, but honestly this is simpler and it does exactly what I need without a lot of fuss.

So here's my packing list. Or you can download the file here.

Monday (travel), Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (travel)

4 nights, 4 days

Kid 1

pjs -> 4 pr pjs

1/day -> 4 outfits

longsleeved shirt and soft pants for Just in Case

jacket

1/day + 1-> 5 pr panties

1/day + 1 -> 5 pr socks

sleep blanket/sleep friend

Kid 2

pjs -> 4 pr pjs

1/day -> 4 outfits

longsleeved shirt and soft pants JIC

jacket

1/day + 1-> 5 pr panties

1/day + 1 -> 5 pr socks

sleep blanket/sleep friend

Kid 3

pjs -> 4 pr pjs

1/day -> 4 outfits

longsleeved shirt and soft pants JIC

jacket

1/day + 1-> 5 pr panties

1/day + 1 -> 5 pr socks

pillow/sleep blanket/sleep friend

Kid 4

pjs -> 4 pr pjs

1/day -> 4 outfits

longsleeved shirt and soft pants JIC

jacket

1/day + 1-> 5 pr panties

1/day + 1 -> 5 pr socks

pillow/sleep blanket/sleep friend

Kid 5

pjs -> 4 pr pjs

outfits 1/day + 1-> 4 outfits

longsleeved shirt and soft pants JIC

jacket

Diapers: 5/day + 3 => 23 diapers

Overnight diapers: 4 overnights

wipes

1/day + 1 -> 5 pr socks

pillow/sleep blanket/sleep friend

p&p sheet

2 bottles

bibs

OTHER

water cups for all kids

my straw watercup

pack and play, sheet for pack and play NOT bassinet

4 noise machines

outlet covers

monitors and handsets/rubber band to affix to blinds/clock

hair brushes/rubberbands/snapclips/headbands

shampoo/conditioner/bodywash

toothbrushes/toothpaste

children's/infants motrin/tylenol

first aid kit

aquaphor

The post How I Created My Kids’ Packing List (that makes my life so much easier) first appeared on Syrgi.

Life Hacks | Syrgi

Before Bedtime Checklist For Kids

Don't Lose This, Pin it!

Before School/After School Checklist For Kids

Don't Lose This, Pin it!

How to Organize School Papers Once and For All (Updated Sept 2021)

Here's the good news: There IS a better way.

This 1 trick will cost you a whopping $0.20 per kid and save you endless frustration when dealing with school paper clutter.

Daily

Teaching Points:

Other Options:

The Box Method

Dealing with Grownup Papers

Don't Lose This, Pin it!

Make Going Back to Work WORK

Food

Laundry and Clothes

Cleaning

Childcare

Homework

Kid Activities

Balancing it all/Managing the stress

How to be a Happy Mom (or Change Your Attitude in 2 Seconds if You’re Not) (Updated 2021)

So What's The Phrase?

In the midst of a hard moment, me telling that little person, "I'm really glad I get to be your mom today" does 5 specific things.

1) It reminds ME to be grateful for my kids

2) It reconnects me with that kid

3) It teaches them how to respond in a hard moment

4) It injects SWEETNESS into the moment

5) It resets the situation

Be encouraged

Interview with a Dentist: Your Top 7 Questions Answered

My Dental Questions, Answered

Allowance for Kids That’s Actually Doable

2 general schools of thought

Principles We Loved

Put into Practice

When your baby won’t stop taking off his pants and diaper

Here are 4 steps you can take to get your kid to stop taking off his pants and diaper

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Parenting hack: No more blowing on your kid’s food! (Updated 2021)

How to teach your kid how to handle a plate of hot food

The Training Process

The Phrase

You are responsible for the temperature of your food.

How I Created My Kids’ Packing List (that makes my life so much easier)