3 Step Solution to Cleaning for Busy Moms

Children need picking up after soccer practice? Super Mom to the rescue! Dinner needs to get on the table? Once again, Super Mom is there! A task at work that no one else wants to tackle? You already know who will deal with it - you. With the stresses of your day-to-day life, housecleaning is likely the last thing on your mind. And yet, it's hard to ignore, since the proof of it equals a cluttered, messy house - definitely not the happy haven you want your home to be.

Here, then, is a simple 3-step solution to help finally solve the hassle of housecleaning. If you're a 'happy slob' like me - just a laid back, fun natured person who'd rather be doing anything but cleaning - then it might be exactly the solution you've been looking for.

The 3-Step Solution Simplified:

1. Two daily cleaning bursts. What is a cleaning burst? A cleaning burst is an intense burst of cleaning - getting maximum results in minimum time. Try to do one cleaning burst in the morning and one in the evening. You decide how much time you can budget for each burst. Only five minutes? Fine! If you've got twenty, great! Use a timer to keep track, and when it rings, you're done. During your cleaning bursts, stay focused on cleaning - and clean your impact areas first (the areas that people see the most in your home.) Get family involved, even if they only help for a few minutes.

Read the rest of "3 Step Solution to Cleaning for Busy Moms" on FamilyCorner.com

Backyard Discovery Zone

Many zoos and nature centers have "discovery zones" for kids to learn about different animal skins and other items in nature. You can do the same thing in your backyard. All you need is a bandana to use as a blindfold, paper and pencil, a table and nature from your backyard.

Setting up:
Using your picnic table or other flat surface, place items from your backyard in a row. Prepare this step where the kids can't watch. These are the types of items you can use:
Leaves
Flowers; especially ones that have interesting texture such as globe thistle.
Seed pods like milk weed (open it up to the silky part), acorns, pine cones, and flower seeds too.
very tiny stones
grass

Basically, you want to look around your yard for any type of natural item that the kids can feel and try to identify. Set up each item in a "station" with a number in front of it. This becomes your Backyard Discovery Zone.

Using Your Discovery Zone
For ideas on how to use your discovery zone visit Backyard Discovery Zone on FamilyCorner.com


More You Might Like:
Garden Bug Rocks
Spring Bug Cupcakes
Visit a National Wildlife Refuge
Backyard Camp
Fun Outdoor Play

Styrofoam Cup Spring Hats : Q&A

Styrofoam cup hats are a really fun craft, but results will definitely vary. Ginger, a FamilyCorner reader, was having some troubles with this craft and asked for advice. 

Q: I need HELP!  I'm having trouble w/the styrofoam cup spring hats. They're not melting w/a brim and I had them in oven 1 1/2 hrs & the cup just keeps shrinking. I went by the instructions 250 @ 3 min. & the cup curled under so I reduced the temp. I reduced the heat to 230 and it just shrank w/no brim on it {do I have to form brim when it comes out?}. What am I doing wrong??? My great nieces would like to make theses for their mom for Mother's Day.

A: I would suggest trying 1 or 2 cups at a time at different temps. Try increasing the temp to 300 and watch them carefully. Usually when I do these I will end up with a bunch that curl up as well. Also, when trying one or two, if they curl up, leave them in a little longer, sometimes they will actually flatten out. But if you pass the 8 minute mark I would say they aren't going to change much after that. Unfortunately, this is one of those experimental type projects as all ovens are not created equal.

Also, instead of throwing out the cups that curled up, turn them over and make them into little mini flower pots! Have the kids make little fingerprint flowers with paint and construction paper and glue them inside, fill the gaps with cotton balls or little pieces of tissue paper :)

If you would like to try your hand at these, get the instruction for Styrofoam Cup Spring Hats on FamilyCorner.com

Spring Bird Crafts, Activities and Printables

The first day of spring was March 20th. The birds have returned to my backyard and are busy making their nests and having their noisy bird meetings in the trees. It's such a wonderful and welcome sound! With that in mind, I thought I would share some fun crafts and recipes to celebrate the return of the birds:

Easy Bird Treats
by Amanda Formaro

This fun craft provides lengthy gratification as children watch the birds eat their yummy treats. Put these easy treat hangers together in no time and hang them outside for the birds to enjoy.

Important Note: Please read our notes at the end of this craft that debunk the myths about peanut butter being harmful to birds.

What You Need

1 slice of sandwich bread for each hanger
cookie cutter or paring knife
yarn or other strong piece of string or cord
peanut butter or vegetable shortening
Wild bird seed

What you do

Use a cookie cutter to create shapes from slices of sandwich bread. We did stars and circles for our treats.

Let bread sit on the counter until dried out, a couple of hours should do the trick.

Line a plate with bird seed.

Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to poke a hole through the bread for the string. Be sure that you leave enough room above the hole so that it doesn't tear.

Thread string through the hole and gently tie in a knot.

Spread both sides of bread shape with peanut butter. Coat with bird seed by laying it on the bird seed lined plate and turning over to coat thoroughly.

Hang your creation outside.

Editor's note: Try to hang your treats in close proximity to a branch that the birds can perch on while sampling their goodies.

Important Editor's Note: For many years FamilyCorner.com has offered crafts and activities for children, some of them involving wildlife. In this particular case we are suggesting that you use peanut butter and bird seed to feed backyard birds. We are very aware of the myths that have made their travels around the internet, so we checked in with several bird experts to find out the real truth and debunk the myths once and for all.

Some of these myths include birds choking on wads of peanut butter, salt and sweeteners in peanut butter being harmful, as well as birds becoming dependent on home bird feeders as their food source. Peanut butter is safe for birds and we encourage you to read this article.

What's Related:
Grow Your Own Birdhouses
Bird Watching Tips
Feeding Station For Birds
Bird & Caterpillar Crafts
Egg Carton Ladybugs
Bird Coloring Page

Follow me on twitter as I post links to fun crafts, tasty recipes and update my blogs :)