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5 Skills Your Kids Can Build While Playing Outside

Lolli — Fri, 07 Jun 2019 01:19:17 +0000

The school year officially ends for us next Friday, but I know that a lot of my friends around the country are already enjoying summer break with their kids. The school year can be busy and not leave much time for free play when the kids are at home. I don’t know about you, but the kids are exhausted and hungry at the end of a school day, and all they want is to rest and have a snack before digging in to their homework. Then it’s dinner time and bed time, and the routine starts all over again.

Summer time means longer days, brighter nights, and temperatures that invite kids to be outside, whether it’s playing at the park, taking a cool, shaded nature walk, or swimming at our neighborhood pool.

My kids love the outdoors. They loved being outside when they were little, and they still love it now that they’re bigger. When they were little, and still today, I encourage as much outside play as possible. It keeps them off the electronics, the house stays cleaner, and they are more tired by the end of the day (believe me, that’s a huge plus during the summer!). Little do kids know that playing outdoors can be beneficial to their development. In fact, here are five skills that your child can build while playing outdoors.

Social Skills

While playing outside, especially at a park, your child will likely encounter other kids. This is a great time to help build social skills, as they make new friends. However, with every childhood friendship come arguments over whose turn it is. Learning to settle disagreements and learning to be fair is all part of building social skills that will help kids later in life.

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is all about planning things in the moment and creating strategy. What better way to practice this than while playing sports? While running down the field and kicking a soccer ball, your little one will be using their brain to think about their next move.

Gross Motor Skills

Outdoor play can involve so much more movement than what your children may be able to do inside. While outside, children will have plenty of space for all sorts of activities from running across the yard, to skipping down the sidewalk. But there are so many more fun things that cannot take place indoors. For instance, climbing trees, or even using their legs to pump themselves on the swing set.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills can easily be tuned inside, however there are also many outdoor activities that help as well. Digging through a rock garden can provide excitement for little ones as they search for the shiniest or smoothest rock, but grasping those tiny pebbles is great for fine motor skills.

Self Confidence

Self confidence can easily be built while playing outside, whether at the park, or in your backyard. As children play on their own, they may find they are becoming more sure of themselves, as they step out of their comfort zone, and finally go down the slide alone or climb that perfect tree.

Playing outside is such an essential part of any childhood. Whether it’s free play or organized play, your child will benefit from playing outside. What’s better than building critical skills while having fun?

How to Stay Connected as a Family: Tips for Families with Active Kids

Lolli — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 17:43:02 +0000

Many thanks to Fruit Shoot® for sponsoring today’s story and for reminding me to look at all of the amazing things about being a mom of teenagers. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve got four very active teens between the ages of 12 and 17 (plus one older daughter no longer a teen). They’re all involved in after school sports, music lessons, youth groups, clubs, competitions (including barbershop singing and competitive cubing!) and more. We’re on the go all the time. And by “all the time” I mean that I feel like I live in the car between the hours of 3:30 and 9:30 PM.

Forget weekends! We are usually double and triple scheduled. There’s never a dull moment at our house! Sometimes it’s difficult to find times when the whole family is together, but we try to squeeze in as much family time as possible. Here are just a few tips that we have used to keep our busy and active family connected.

How to Stay Connected as a Family: Tips for Families with Active Kids

Calendaring is key – With 6 different schedules to manage, the only way to make it work is to write everything down on a calendar. Luckily, we have three drivers in the house right now, because we often have to utilize all of them to get everyone where they need to be!

Take advantage of the car rides – I often wish I didn’t have to spend so much time driving kids to and fro, but I’ve come to appreciate those car rides. Whether there are two of us in the car or all six of us, we try to make the most of that time that we have together in a confined space. Car rides are great for conversations!

Don’t give up on the family dinner – Even though finding a time when all of us are home at the same time, the family dinner is still an important daily tradition in our house. I might not cook a gourmet meal every night, but we always sit together at the kitchen table to eat our food together.

Sunday is family day – With so many things going on during the week, I really look forward to Sunday, which is a family day. We don’t go sports or clubs or play dates or errands. It’s all about church and spending leisurely time together as a family. I love that we often migrate towards the family room and sit around reading or chatting together, unplanned.

Utilize multiple communication channels – Now that the kids are teenagers, there are so many new ways to communicate with them. I embraced the texting trend several years ago and have found texting a key element to keeping the lines of communication open with my teenagers. But as much as I love staying connected through phones, texts, and social media, nothing beats face to face time.

What are some of your best tips for staying connected as a family?

It’s My Thing

Lately, I feel like there is so much pressure for kids to do everything…and not enough time for them to just be kids. As my kids have gotten older – with one child married, one graduating high school in a few weeks, one learning how to drive, and two still in middle school – I’ve wished that they could stay young and carefree and innocent for just a little longer. I miss lazy Saturday mornings of sleeping in and watching cartoons.

Fruit Shoot® has recently launched their “It’s My Thing” campaign, which “champions individuality, celebrates self-expression and empowers kids to indulge their adventurous sides and let their personalities shine.” I appreciate this goal so much, especially as a mom of teenagers and one soon-to-be teen. My kids are each unique – so much so that it continues to surprise me – and I love to celebrate their individuality.

We recently discovered Fruit Shoot® – a delicious beverage made with real fruit juice and no high fructose corn syrup. The design of each bottle – with a re-sealable sports cap – makes Fruit Shoot® perfect for families like ours that are constantly on the go! It’s an added bonus that we LOVE the way they taste!

What Makes Fruit Shoot® so Amazing?

No artificial flavors
Made with real fruit juice
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Varieties made with real sugar, as well as no sugar added
Ergonomically designed for your child’s hand
Re-sealable sports cap

Fruit Shoot® comes in several delicious flavors:

Regular flavors made with real sugar (no high fructose corn syrup!): Strawberry & Raspberry, Berry Burst, Pink Lemonade, Orange & Mango
No sugar added flavors (no high fructose corn syrup here, either!): The NEWEST flavor: Fruit Punch, Wild Berry Grape, Apple

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Which flavor would your family want to try first? We LOVE Strawberry & Raspberry and Orange & Mango and can’t wait to try the newest flavor – Fruit Punch!

Connect with Fruit Shoot

Find out where to buy Fruit Shoot near you with the Store Locator.
Visit the Fruit Shoot Facebook page.
Learn more about Fruit Shoot HERE.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/31/17-6/30/17.

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Prom and Graduation Season: Communication is Key

Lolli — Wed, 03 May 2017 13:59:37 +0000

This is a sponsored blog post and I was compensated by Anheuser-Busch to be part of the Family Talk About Drinking Program. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recently, my husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. Our oldest daughter celebrated her first anniversary the week before. We have one daughter graduating from high school next month and a son who is learning to drive and is active on his high school cross country and lacrosse teams. Both of my high school aged kids are attending prom this year. You could say that we are well-seasoned parents by this point!

Unfortunately, “well-seasoned” doesn’t mean that I know everything, nor does it mean that parenting is any easier than it was for me 20 years ago.

When the kids were little, I thought that the physical aspect of managing a family of seven was tough, but I never imagined how tricky it would get when they all became teenagers. Now that the kids are older, parenting is much more of an emotional and mental challenge, and the physical aspect of my role as a mom has shifted from hefting heavy toddlers around on my hip and playing with blocks on the ground to spending hours in the car dropping off and picking up for their various activities.

The Tale of Two Proms

Last month, my 16-year-old son was unexpectedly asked to prom (not at his school) by a friend that he’s known for several years. He was instantly excited about the prospects of attending prom – he’s a very social kid and loves to dance.

His older sister, who will be graduating this year, hadn’t shown any signs of wanting to attend her prom…until she was called down to the office about a week ago. She was chosen to attend a special Say Yes to the Prom event, and the next day she came home with a fancy prom dress, shoes, accessories, shawls, and lots of goodies to make her hair look fabulous for the prom.

A few days later, she asked a friend from school to be her date to her high school prom. He said yes, and so plans are in the works for the two of them to go.

Setting Expectations Early

We’ve been very clear about our family expectations and values when it comes to drinking and other similar topics since the kids were little, so bringing up the issue of prom and alcohol was not a new or surprising topic for us to discuss with the kids. Our kids know that we have a firm no drinking policy; there’s no gray area.

We’ve always armed our kids with information and tools that they can use when they find themselves in situations with their peers. When they know what their answer will be when they’re offered alcohol at a party, it’s a lot easier to answer with a quick and firm “no thanks.”

Keeping The Lines of Communication Open

It’s not enough to set the ground rules once and never mention them again. Gentle reminders and thoughtful discussions before they head off to a get together with friends or to a bigger event like the prom are important for keeping them prepared. We’ve found that bringing up a variety of scenarios that they might not have thought about before helps strike up a productive conversation.

As my kids have gotten older, I’ve found that the best conversations with my kids happen naturally, so it’s important for me to “set the stage” for those conversations to happen. Those long afternoons in the car, text messaging, lounging around on a Sunday afternoon, cooking dinner – they’re all great times to start talking together.

3 Communication Strategies for Prom and Grad Season

Family Talk About Drinking, in partnership with parent coach MJ Corcoran, has come up with three communication strategies for prom and graduation season. This is an important topic all year long, but can be especially important around prom and graduation season. It’s this time of year when teens often find themselves in an increased number of situations where underage drinking may be a concern.

Face-to-face communication

I loved the tips in this section – not only should parents find opportunities to talk with their kids face to face, but we should match our teen’s stance. Sit if they’re sitting, stand if they’re standing. “Recognition that they’re listening is important, but eye contact can actually be intimidating to teens and make them feel frustrated.”

The power of place

Some of the best places to have conversations are seemingly unconventional – long car rides and hikes are just two examples. Starting conversations on a lighter note (versus a serious “we need to have a talk” sit-down discussion) can help foster an open, productive conversation.

Communication variety

Although face-to-face conversations are important, it can also be productive to communicate with your teens using their preferred medium – texting, social media, or messaging apps on their phone. Any connection, especially when it feels and happens naturally, is a step in the right direction.

Asking the right questions is also key. Questions like these really get them thinking: “What will you do if your prom date shows up with a bottle of alcohol?” or “What do you think you’d do if you noticed a friend had been drinking at a party and was getting ready to drive himself home?”

What methods have you found that have worked well for communicating with your teenagers? Please add your tips in the comment section below!

About Family Talk About Drinking

Family Talk About Drinking provides support, tools and insights for parents aiming to develop stronger relationships with their children and prevent underage drinking. For more tools and ideas for talking to your kids about drinking at any age, visit the Family Talk About Drinking Website.

Connect with Family Talk About Drinking

Family Talk About Drinking Website

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Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZKfMmqhQrM

Ready to Experience the End of Dry Skin?

Lolli — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:48:54 +0000

This post is sponsored by Curél® but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I grew up in a pretty dry Western state, so I was accustomed to needing to apply lotion every day. Dry skin was a constant struggle for me, particularly my feet, hands, and elbows. When I moved to the East Coast, where we experience humid air about half of the year, I noticed that my skin wasn’t feeling as dry during the humid months. At the same time, though, I noticed that my skin felt DRIER than ever when winter came along and we no longer had the humid air.

During the winter months in particular, my elbows, hands, and feet get so dry that they are often painful. Have you ever had a similar problem?

This year, I started winter off with a new moisturizing routine, which included Curél® HYDRA THERAPY WET SKIN MOISTURIZER as part of my showering routine.

I was surprised that in my 42 years I had never considered the benefits of applying lotion right after showering or bathing. In my mind, my skin was already feeling moist (thanks to the warm water and shower gel I’d just used) but I’ve recently learned that after a shower is the BEST time to apply lotion.

Curious as to WHY it’s best to apply lotion right after showering? After taking a shower, your skin cells expand, providing an easy pathway for moisture into just-showered skin. Think of your skin like a sponge. When wet, your skin cells expand, providing an easy pathway for lotion to soak in. Curél® HYDRA THERAPY, with Advanced Ceramide Complex, penetrates deeply into the surface of the skin bringing moisture to the source of dryness.

So the next question is, what do ceramides do and why are they so good for your dry skin? Ceramides are found naturally in healthy skin, and are vital to maintaining your skin’s moisture barrier. When your skin loses ceramides, it becomes dry and damaged. Curél® HYDRA THERAPY WET SKIN MOISTURIZER, with Advanced Ceramide Complex, penetrates to the source of dryness, helping to replenish skin’s ceramide levels and repair the moisture barrier.

It’s easy to use Curél® HYDRA THERAPY WET SKIN MOISTURIZER. After finishing your shower or bath, apply Curél® HYDRA THERAPY to wet skin. It absorbs immediately and there’s no need to rinse off or wait for it to absorb. Remember that sponge analogy? Your wet skin actually helps it absorb faster!

Not only does it feel silky-smooth going on, but Curél® HYDRA THERAPY is totally greaseless and scent-free, so even my kids are ok with using it! I noticed a difference in my skin within just a few days of using Curél® HYDRA THERAPY. No longer do my hands feel dry or get cracked. I’ve even noticed that my feet are still feeling moisturized by the end of the day and I don’t feel a need to slather them with lotion before I put my feet under the covers at night (does anyone else hate the feeling of dry skin on sheets?).

I was interested to learn that, according to a survey that Curél® conducted with bloggers like me, 80% reported that they use a body moisturizer as part of their morning routine, but only 20% said that lotion was part of their bedtime routine. For as long as I can remember, my skin has been desperate for moisture at night, and the biggest difference I noticed while using Curél® HYDRA THERAPY was that my skin no longer felt so “thirsty” for moisture at night. That’s a huge thing for me to say!

Among the 40 bloggers surveyed (myself included!), 30% said that they experience dry skin everywhere, while 20% claimed arms and 43% claimed legs as their biggest problem spot. So where do you fall? Where are your skin’s trouble areas?

Enter to Win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

Let me know in the comments below what YOUR skin’s #1 problem spot and what your tips are for combating those tough spots. Each comment will automatically be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card. Good luck!

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6 Ways to Save Money on Crafting

Lolli — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 12:00:45 +0000

Crafting is a passion of many, but it can cost a ton of money. If I had my way, I would craft all day, but that can get super expensive. The key question is…how can you save money crafting? When it is a favorite pastime, you have to find ways to make it work financially for you. Here are 6 ways to save money on crafting.

#1. Sign up for text offers

Hobby Lobby and Joann Fabrics are great places to shop for crafting supplies. I noticed that when you sign up for their texting options, you get great offers! Signing up only takes a few minutes, but you can earn coupons up to 60% off. Truly a great way to save on crafting.

#2. Swap crafting supplies with someone else

Have you thought about this? Chances are that you have a ton of crafting supplies and so do your crafting friends. Don’t be afraid to swap crafting supplies with someone else. You will be able to get a few things you need without spending a dime.

#3. Shop the clearance aisle

I know this tip is no surprise to you, but it’s a great reminder. Shopping in the clearance aisle can save you so much on crafting supplies. Matter of fact, this is the only way I’ll shop for crafting supplies. I do not like paying full price for anything, especially when it comes to crafting supplies.

#4. Garage sales are your friend

When the summer months hit, I hit the garage sales for crafting supplies hard. Crafting supplies can always be found at garage sales. If you have a good imagination, you can get creative with what you find at garage sales. Buttons, fabric, ribbon, etc. are a few of the things I often find at garage sales.

#5. Look at second hand shops

As fun as it is to shop at crafting stores, don’t pass up second hand stores. Since people donate all of their junk, you could come into contact with crafters heaven. I LOVE looking around second hand shops to see what I can find to add to my crafting collection.

#6. Buy in bulk

Know other crafters in your area? Team up and buy crafting supplies in bulk. Auctions and online websites have crafting supplies for sale. It amazes me what I can find when I’m looking for something. Split the cost with your crafting friends or keep all of the supplies for yourself!

How do you save money on crafting?

Perhaps The Easiest Way Yet to Talk to Your Teens About Drug Use

CandyMan — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 21:39:55 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of National Institute on Drug Abuse for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you want a fun and effective way to talk about drugs with your teens, then the road has been paved for you. In just 12 clicks, you can have an engaging, thought-provoking discussion that is more like a trivia game challenge than a sit down discussion.

Have you heard about the “National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge”? No? Well, this is your silver bullet to get started. I took the 12-question quiz with my son, and we had a really good conversation that gave me a great peek into his surroundings. I got a 67 on the quiz. Now, in my own defense, there were 4 questions I missed, but I had most of the information correct on each question, so I still think I passed and did well.

Take the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge

The National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge is a resource of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of NIH (we live right down the road from NIH, so this is a local landmark). NIDA is holding its annual National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week^SM (NDAFW) from January 23-29, 2017. This event connects teens with scientists, so the dialogue and opportunity to ask real questions and get real answers far exceeds any other opportunities that address drug use.

How Can This Help Me and My Teens?

You may think that drugs will not impact your teens if you’re involved with their activities. But, there are two really good reasons to have a talk with your teens about drugs now.

First, even if you teach them good principles, you probably haven’t had a legitimate talk with them about the dangers and current trends.

Second, and equally important, teens are bombarded with false information about drug and alcohol use on TV, in the movies, on the internet and other places. So, your son or daughter may be the only person in their circle who has legitimate information. They may be the only person sitting at the lunch table who can chime in when one kid says something false, misleading and unknowingly dangerous about drug use. Not to mention, they will be that much better off by knowing the facts for themselves.

Talking to your teens about drugs and drug use is almost cliché at this point. But, what have you actually talked about openly?

Do you know how many kids age 12-17 actually used alcohol during the last month? Or, do you know the dangers of e-cigs and what we actually know about them? I don’t smoke, so e-cigs are a bit of a mystery to me, but rest assured, there are lots of myths about e-cigs.

Did you know that many prescription pain killers can cause your heart to beat dangerously faster?

How about this one: Do you know what “bath salts” are and how they are made? I’m not talking about taking a nice soak in a warm tub, I mean drugs that are made with compounds you can buy all over the place. Check out this link for more drug and alcohol facts.

If you’re not sure what you should be doing, here’s the “Family Checkup” which is a suggested checklist of questions to ask yourself. It has a number of good sample videos and ideas for dealing with drug related questions and situations you may find yourself in.

If your teen is using drugs and you need help, click here for videos and solid suggestions. One of the things I like about this link is that it explains why it may be hard for someone to quit using drugs.

NIDA’s website has numerous materials you can use or share with others about drug addiction and abuse. I found them to be very approachable and useful for simple discussions.

The bottom line is that National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week^SM can open doors and provide an easy way to regularly talk with your teen and check in with their friends as well. Try the quiz and see if you can beat my score. No cheating!

Tips for Organizing the Kitchen Cabinets

Lolli — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 14:36:04 +0000

The day after Christmas, we started a couple of major projects in our house – all in an effort to be more organized and have our house in better shape for the new year.

The first project we undertook was to get our kitchen ready to paint and to renovate the cabinets. Although we’re still in the middle of the project, the first step we took – to get the cabinets organized – has made a huge difference in how our kitchen both feels and functions.

Whether you’re planning a kitchen remodel or just wanting to get order back in the kitchen, here are a few tips to follow:

Note: Amazon links are used within this post to point you towards some products I love.

Remove all the old dishes and other items

I am a person that has a hard time saying goodbye to items, even if I do not use them. However, getting rid of the unused items is super important. You cannot be organized when the cabinets are full of junk- so to speak. By removing all the old “items” you are making room to keep things organized. We’ve gathered a mishmash collection of cups, mugs, plates, silverware, etc. over the years and although it feels nice to have “plenty,” we’ve found that the mismatched dishes don’t stack well and take up more space than if we had the same number of the same dish.

Have a game plan ready

Have you seen all the awesome ways to organize your kitchen cabinets on Pinterest? Using hooks (I love this system!), pot racks (we’ve got something like this), baskets (functional and gorgeous!), shelves, spice racks and anything else you can get your hands on will help you stay organized in the kitchen. One of my favorite organizational tools in the kitchen is a Lazy Susan.

Keep inventory low

I have found that it is easier to keep inventory low in my kitchen cabinet. When you don’t have a ton in your cabinets, it’s much easier to organize. This is especially true if you have a smaller kitchen – less is more! I get frustrated and annoyed when I have too much stuff in my cabinets and I have found that this tip really works. I keep at least one dish for each person in the family. For example, one plate per person…plus a few extra for guests. I mean, I don’t need 5 sets of unused dishes in my cabinets.

Utilize the unique space in your kitchen

When I look in my kitchen, I try to embrace the unique shelves and space I have. When organizing, I try to find those unique spaces in which I can store things. If you look close enough, you may just find these unique spaces in your kitchen.

Keep your kitchen organized

The last step seems like the most reasonable step, but it makes the most sense. Once you get your kitchen organized, make sure to take the time to keep it this way. I set aside time each week to spend time organizing my kitchen. It only takes about 15-30 minutes to get things organized correctly in your kitchen.

What tips do you have for organizing the kitchen cabinets?

Send Your Kids to College with a Gift that Gives You the Savings

CandyMan — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 20:49:25 +0000

No matter how you slice it, even with a scholarship, college costs a lot of money. Our second daughter is about to graduate from high school this year, meaning that we’ll have more college bills to pay soon. With 5 kids, we have to find ways to save wherever we can. Our oldest daughter daughter taught us several things about frugal college living, including getting as many textbooks as possible on Amazon. Want to know what we’d recommend? Here is the one thing you must get to cut down on college costs.

Prime Student – This is Amazon’s student version of Amazon Prime. It has ALL of the benefits of Amazon Prime, plus a few more that are catered toward saving you money on college purchases. The first six months are free when you sign up, and then it’s 50% of the cost of regular Amazon Prime. By my math, that makes it $49 per year. Not bad.

Now, having said that, let’s clear the air and see why your college bound kids should not miss out on becoming a Prime Student.

In addition to Amazon Prime Student benefits, Amazon can help students save time and money by skipping the bookstore line and visiting the Amazon Textbooks Store where you can rent textbooks for up to 80% less than buying them.

You get all of the two-day free shipping options that regular Amazon Prime offers, you get exclusive deals and Prime Early Access where they sell limited items only to prime members at really low prices.

On the non-shopping side, you get free access to Audible Channels which has tons of original series and material. When you need to expand your brain, relax, motivate yourself or just laugh out loud, you can find a channel that explores everything from spirituality to scientific theory.

If you prefer to read, you get Prime Reading which allows you to read thousands of books, magazine and other titles on any device you want. You don’t need a Kindle to use it, they have a Kindle App that is free. This is one of the best ways to escape the onslaught of junk information that comes across your news feed.

For gamers, you get Twitch Prime that gives you access to free games and discounts on new releases every month.

Lastly, if your kids like to take pictures, Prime Student let’s you tap into Amazon’s huge data storage facility at no cost. You get unlimited photo storage that is all organized and ready to use. So, go ahead, keep taking 432 pictures of the same thing. You can store all those pictures for free. Or, instead of that, refer a friend to use Prime Student and get a $10 Amazon store credit when they sign up.

Just take a look at any one of the features and you’ll see that this is the place to go for all kinds of resources to make college better. It will also save you money on tons of things you have to buy anyway.

If you are not an Amazon Prime member already, then you are either just plain missing out on life or perhaps you haven’t embraced the concept of not having to get our of your pajamas to do your shopping. Either way, get up and make a change for the new year!

How to sign up for Amazon Prime Student:

Go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup
Click on the button that says “Start Your 6-Month Trial”
Click on “Create your Amazon account”
Follow the instructions on the screen and provide your personal information

Note: When you sign up for Amazon Prime Student, there is no cost for the first six months, courtesy of Sprint and you can cancel at any time. After that, students receive 50 percent off of regular Amazon Prime Membership at only $49 annually.

Find more about Amazon Prime Student and sign up HERE. Find out about the latest deals and promotions by following Amazon Prime Student on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (add ‘amazonstudent’).

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Tips For Getting & Staying Organized in the New Year

Lolli — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 13:00:49 +0000

2017 is right on our heels. We’ll blink and it will be here. A New Year gets me excited and scares me a little bit, too! Getting organized has never been hard for me, it’s the part of STAYING organized that seems to be the challenge. With some experience under my belt, I wanted to share how you can get organized and stay organized in the coming year.

Pick your battles

There is no way you are going to have your entire house organized at the same time. The way I get organized and stay organized is to pick my battles. What are my “main” areas I want to stay organized? For me, it’s my main living areas. Keeping those areas organized is super important.

You will notice that it is a lot easier to be organized whenever you don’t have the pressure to keep every single nook and cranny organized.
Checklists are your friend (whether you want them to be or not)

Listen, I know checklists are so pre-internet and smart phone, but they work! When I make a checklist, it is so much easier for me to stay organized. I will admit that checklists help me to stay organized with my kids, grocery shopping, and extracurricular things. Plus, I love having a list to “check off” when I get things done, don’t you?!

Keep the kids accountable in the organization department

If you are anything like me, you can get organized, no problem. It is the staying organized that is hard. Part of the problem, at least in my house, is that the kids seem to have a natural ability to destroy any sort of organization I’ve created.

If you want to stay organized this year, then you need to keep your kids accountable. They need to help YOU stay as organized as possible. I write my kids little notes to help them stay organized. I’m sure you can find a way that works for you!

Keep ongoing appointments

One area that I have been working on in the organizational department has been with appointments. I have found something that works and helps me stay organized. Instead of picking a “new time and date” every time I need an appointment, I keep a standing date. For example – hair appointments are every 6 weeks at the same date/time/place. Grocery shopping same date/time/place. Date night with the hubby — same date/time/place (it’s ok to pick a different restaurant or activity each time, but having that set date helps so much!). When you have repetition in your life, it’s harder to be disorganized because you know what to expect. In fact, this will make you look so organized that people are going to stay wondering who you are.

I hope some of these tips help you get more organized {and stay organized} this year! We can all use a new tip here and there, so share your tips with me. I’d love to hear them.

6 Ways to Fight Holiday Stress

Lolli — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 01:21:21 +0000

Are you feeling stressed out this holiday season? I know the feeling! With five kids and a list a mile long, I know exactly how you feel. I feel like I’ve run out of time (Christmas is RIGHT around the corner!). However, the holidays don’t have to be a time of stress – I promise! Here are a few ways you can fight the holiday stress:

Slow down

Think about it. When you are going a mile a minute, it is so hard to enjoy what is going on around you. My advice to you is to slow down! Enjoy what is going on around you and take one step at a time. Just throwing this out there: what’s the point of celebrating the holidays if we are doing everything with a bad attitude??

Don’t do it all yourself

I have had to learn this time and time again. The holidays are not meant for you to carry all the stress on your own shoulders. Split up the holiday tasks with whomever is willing to help you. If you do have to do everything yourself, keep things as simple as possible. It’s OK to minimize, especially if it means keeping your sanity.

Start doing things now

There’s no time like NOW to start. There are no rules that tell you that you need to start a week before Christmas. I start buying small items for Christmas dinner a month before our feast. I also start stocking up on gifts a few months before. Nothing spells stress like letting allowing everything to build up or waiting til the last minute and discovering that all of the things you need are sold out.

Install a non-drama clause

Listen, it’s the holidays. The last thing you want to do is deal with drama. You can help avoid drama by not engaging it. I tell my people that if they want drama they need to go somewhere else. I just do not have the time for it. No drama = a lot less stress in my life around the holidays.

Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep

As great as the holiday candy tastes and as much fun as it is staying up late watching movies, it’s not worth it when it happens every single day. Take care of yourself first. This is a time of year in which everything is demanding your attention. While you may not be able to fully control the things and people fighting for your attention, remember that YOU get to decide where your attention goes.

Practice stress relief

If you are like me, stress builds up inside and then I explode. Something I have realized is that I need some sort of stress relief. Some days that is taking a much-needed nap and other days it is enjoying a hot bath after the kids leave for school.

Tell me, what are some ways you fight off holiday stress?

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