At Home Inspiration for Grown Ups

My boys pick out their clothes the night before, and always check what the weather will be like to plan for it, as well as if they have gym or not. It makes getting dressed in the morning much easier!

The kids are responsible for getting their backpacks ready before going to bed, and making sure they have all their homework, books, permission slips, etc in there, and that it is zipped up and ready to just grab and go in the morning. We sometimes need to remind them to do this, but as it becomes part of the nighttime routine it gets easier and easier!

I have my son put out his clothes for the next day the night before it makes it quicker in the morning to get ready for school.

Prepare lunches the night before. I have a fruit bowl and baskets with healthy snacks, so the kids can help prepare their lunches, too. If they help with preparation, they're more likely to eat it, too.

Knock Knock. Who's there? I eat mop. I eat mop who?

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Doris. Doris who? Doris locked. Open up, please!

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Hatch. Hatch who? Bless you!

Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana?!

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~Maya Angelou

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. ~ Dalai Lama

You've always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself. ~Glinda the Good Witch, The Wizard of Oz

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. ~Wayne Gretzky

I have loved seeing neighbors out walking (at a safe distance!) so much more than I ever have before.

My tweens have become my new running partners! I love the added bonding time - and the extra accountability! :)

Given that school, activities, playdates, etc., are currently closed, it's been nice to slow everything down and not feel the added weight behind watching your kids "grow up too fast." It's almost as if we're freezing their ages for a brief moment.

I am learning more about my kids since we are talking more daily.

I have a full set of cleaning supplies (sponges/cloths, gloves, cleaning solutions/products) - in each bathroom and the kitchen, so whenever I have five minutes I can quickly wipe down a sink, toilet, counter, etc without needing to hunt anything down.

Robot vacuum! We have a Coredy robot and it gets plopped in various rooms almost daily. I’ll section off an area periodically and let it do all of the work for me. Our kids love picking up for it so they don’t have to sweep so it’s almost effortless for me and even has a mop option for our model. It’s not amazing but helps tremendously!

I keep a spray bottle handy filled with a 1:1 solution of vinegar and distilled water to periodically clean our phone and tablet screens, which seem to always be super sticky and disgusting. I use a soft cloth (and if I'm being honest, sometimes just a paper towel) to wipe the screen with the solution, and/or one of those microfiber lens-cleaning cloths at the end to get it extra smudge free.

I like colorful caddies, pencil cases, magazine holders (for coloring and sticker books) for kids arts and crafts and markers. On a rolling caddy. Labeled folders for stickers and papers. Baskets for toys. We are in a Lego phase so that is challenging, using a basket and sealable container at the moment. One more tip is baking soda to clean pots and pans.

Dumb and Dumber, for when you just need a good laugh!

Apollo 13

Central Intelligence. Best. Movie. Ever. Soooooo funny!

Top Gun