For those who came before me...

I would like to give a viral shout out to all those mama bloggers that started blogging way before I did.  Also a few other fun lists of amazing women in our world, past, present and future.

Top 10 Most Influential Mommy Bloggers
Jenny Lawson
Amy Bair
Jill Smokler

World's 20 Most Powerful Moms
Some include...
Hilary Clinton
Beyonce Knowles
Jill Abramson

Top 5 Most Influential Women of the Past 5 Decades
1. Mother Teresa
2. Rosa Parks
3. Oprah Winfrey
4. Princess Diana
5. Michelle Obama

"Being Your Mother"

Enjoy!


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Music

Music can be a great way to help you get through the day, get motivated or just unwind from a hard day.  Whether you turn to your iPod, MP3 Player or the radio, you can use music for nearly any mood your in.  Stereomood.com is a great place to go for some music.  You can actually type in what mood you are in and they will give you songs to fit it.

So when you are tired, stressed, lacking motivation, exercising or crafting with the kids, put some music on and get through it!

Read all about it!

We have all been there.  That dreaded moment when we get unsolicited advice from people that think they know best.  Well, tips and suggestions are fine but sometimes given when we really don't want to receive them.  The truth is that tips, suggestions and advice probably really do help us in the biggest job of our life...parenthood.
Another good place to get some help is from parenting magazines.  These provide anything from stories from people going through the same things to kid friendly recipes for those picky eaters.  Next time you are at the grocery store, pick one up and give it a peek.  I bet you will be quick to give the advice next time!

School House Rock!

When we talk about school, we are not talking about the kids.  We are talking about your extraordinary decision to go back to school.  First, let me say, "Good Job!  Way To Go!! You Are Amazing!!!"  Second, I want to offer a little assistance on when and how to find time for classes and homework.  This is coming from a person who has been in your shoes.  

Talk to your family.  If you have made the decision to go back, talking to your husband was probably done right off the bat.  It's not just you this change is going to effect, it is going to change the whole family.  The hubby and kids are going to have to pitch in more and schedules will need to be rearranged.

Get with an advisor.  This will help you figure out exactly what you want to go back for and what classes you need so you do not waste your time with unnecessary classes.  This will also help you narrow down if online, night or weekend classes will work best.  You could even get an elaborate course schedule to keep you on track each semester.

Write it all down.  Once you get your first syllabus go through your calendar and planner and write down all your due dates for assignments, tests and even days off.  Schedule in times you see in the future for studying, reading and homework.
And finally,

GOOD LUCK!!!

Office Space

Whether or not you have seen the movie Office Space, I'm sure at some point you have wanted to yell at a co-worker, boss or computer!  But before you take the bat-to-monitor, do what you can to make your workspace more enjoyable.

Bring in plants.

Put up funny pictures of friends or family that will bring a smile to your face!

Have a motivating quote to keep your morale up.

Have a fan if you get hot or blanket if you get cold.

Make yourself comfortable and have things around that that will make the time you spend at work better!

WORK TO LIVE, 

DON'T LIVE TO WORK!

Fitness

I'm sure you're probably think, "Fitness?!  Are you kidding?! Who has time for that?!" Well, the unfortunate truth is that I AM serious.  Sure we all wish there were more hours in the day.  Sure it seems impossible to fit fitness in your already busy life but think about it... You used to only have yourself to worry about but somehow you managed to add a husband, a house, a job, maybe school, children, activities, a pet... the list goes on and on.  So why not just try to add a fitness regimen?  You could even multitask and make this your You time!

There are many options.

An exercise class before everyone wakes up.
A video you do at home in the morning.
A weekend bike ride or swimming laps.
Even taking time to stretch your body will make you fell better and more energized... we all know that can't hurt!

Remembering to take care of your body, it will ensure that you will be healthy and around longer for your family.

F.H.Y. Time

Family Time
Pick one day (at least) a week when the family commits to hanging out together.  Sitting together at the dinner table is a great start but why not take it one step further.  Get one of those old board games out of the closet and actually play it.  This is a great way to spend quality time together.

Husband Time
Don't forget about the other person that made having this family possible!  It is important that you stay connected to your spouse and have time to check in with each other on how things are going.  Whether it is taking a 15 minute walk or dedicating a date night, make sure you both stay committed and connected to each other.

You Time
The most important time of all, in my opinion.  Without the ability to take care of yourself you will not be able to take care of everyone and everything else.  Take 30 minutes to meditate; even if that means staying up later or waking up earlier. Take a quick walk by yourself or have a book you can escape to for a few minutes a day.  Maintain your sanity and just remember to take time for yourself!  Trust me, everyone will benefit.

Crockpot Meals

Food.com is a great website to find meals that can be made in your crockpot.  All you need is the ingredients and then you just throw those in and dinner will cook while you are gone all day so that you don't have to worry about coming home and figuring out what to make.  Dinner will already be ready!  Can't bet that!

Night Time Prep

A good way to make sure your day starts well and continues that way is to do what you can the night before.

• Have clothes picked and set out
• Know what is for breakfast
• Have book bags packed and ready to go
• Get lunches (if needed) packed and ready
• If there are any after work or after school activities, have clothes and gear ready
• And if your feeling adventurous, put dinner in the crock pot

You are in control of how your day goes, why not give yourself as much prep time and possible!

Going Places

Don't forget to enjoy your family in beginning and middle stages, before you know it the kids are going to be teenagers and not really want to hang out all day with mom and dad.

Fortunately, there are places around Topeka that are kid friendly and a great for making memories.

The map below offers just a few popular places my family and I like to frequent on the weekends or especially days off.

Kansas Historical Society

This is a great place for learning about the state they live in!  Also, there is an activity center for a more hands on learning about the good ol' days.

The Topeka Zoo/Gage Park

Animals are always a hit and the park and train ride are just the ticket to relax when the weather is beautiful.

Children's Discovery Center

Small fee for a fun day of hand on activities.  Here, it will be hard to run out of things to do.

Mulvane Art Museum

This is by far my family's favorite.  It's free and kind of like a hidden treasure.  Unlike the Discovery Center, this is a more quite hands on place that taps into their creative/artistic side.

Going Bonkers

The name pretty much explains it!  Great place on a rainy day and they need to get their energy OUT!

Chuck E Cheese

Fun IF you go in the middle of the day.  Otherwise it can get very overwhelming and crowded.

View Untitled in a larger map

Meals in Minutes

Feeding the family is really important but it's a little hard for the 21st Century Mother to find time after a long day of work, school, activities, and carpooling to fix a delicious meal everyone will love in just a few minutes.... Or is it?!

The website, MomsWhoThink is a great place to find quick, delicious and family friendly meals.  Here you can find meals in the following categories:

30 Minute Meals

Dinner Meal Plans

4 to 7 Ingredient Dinners

8 Week Dinners

Healthy Recipes

Kid Recipes

Easy Recipes

...and many more.  Remember to plan out meals, this will make it really easy to stay on task.  Planning what to make every night will help narrow your grocery list as well. Which will allow you to be more efficient at the store.  Which will allow you a few more moments to b r e a t h e !

Happy Cooking!!!

Mommy's Little Helper

If by chance you have children that do not feel like being creative for the day, there are many other things they can do to preoccupy their time.  The younger the kids, the more they like to help because they are trying to gain more independence, so start them young!  Even if they are older, there are many things your children can help you with...they are part of the family too!  Make sure they know that keeping the house clean isn't just moms responsibility, but a family effort. 

Here are some ideas for ways the kids can help out!

2-4 Year Olds
Putting away and organizing their toys
Help dust

4-7 Year Olds
Feed pets
Water plants
Dishes

8-10 Years Old
Vacuum
Dinner
Trash

11 Years Old and Up
Mow lawn
Laundry
Car wash

The most important thing is not to call them chores.  Who wants to do those?!  Make sure you let them know they are helping.  This way they can take pride in their home too!  These things will last a lifetime and help for the dreaded day the leave you and live on their own.

~*~ ARTastic ~*~

Now that the house is clean and organized lets entertain those kids! 

According to Artsz.org there are many important reasons to include art in your childrens lives:

• It stimulates both sides of the brain
• It teaches them to think creatively to solve problems
• It promotes self esteem

These reasons are enough to do crafts with your children but the best reason is the bonding time!  Especially when the kids are still young, there are many crafts and activities you can do together that are simple, fun and NON messy; like the video below.

 

Of course there are other times crafts can come in handy.  When the day hasn't left you with time to be simple, have fun, be non messy or bond, artwork can keep those little fingers and minds busy while you get other things done like dinner, homework or just a little YOU time.

For those times, the video below is really helpful.



This is a really great idea because they can make enough for the the Christmas tree so it should keep them busy for a while!

Regardless of WHY your children create art,

 the most important thing is that they ARE.

Bare Necessities!

While advice has been offered on what to do and how to do it, I thought it would be good to show you some one the Bare Necessities to make it all possible!

1. Calendar
This is vital.  Like our last few posts emphasised, write down everything here.  It keeps you and the rest of the household in the "know". Credit

2. Mail
Have a centralized place for mail, bills, card, stamps and pens.  These things do not need to take up space clutter other areas.  Keeping everything together will make it easier to find and prevent items from getting lost. Credit

3. Toys
Make sure all those toys have a place too.  All these bins are perfect for categorizing items like dolls, trains, colors, dinosaurs, animals, and cars.  This is great to learn grouping for the child and also for when they want to play with blocks, all they have to do is grab the "block" bin. Credit

4. Car

Take organization one step further to your second home.  Don't let things fall on the floor, under the seats or even worse, under your foot while driving!  Make sure everything is put away and tidy before getting out of the vehicle. Credit

5. Laundry

Even organizing the clothes will help you be more efficient when doing laundry.  You will not have to waste time sorting out that pile of clothes and you will know for sure that you have a full load to do. Credit

6. Shower

This cleaner is a must if you want to maintain a clean shower.  Just spray this all over in the shower when you get out and it will prevent mildew and soap scum from building up. Credit

7. Counters

Clorox wipes are great for wiping as you go.  You can wipe down the bathroom or kitchen sink, clean off door or draw handles and have them to ready to clean up the everyday spills. Credit

8. Magic!
If you have little ones, medium ones or big ones....you NEED one of these.  This will get rid of paw prints, hand print or any other little grimy messes that are left behind. Credit

These are the 8 Bare Necessities needed to help you on your way to organization and cleanliness.

Place. Back. Habits.

Last week it was all about making a schedule and keeping it.  This week, focus on how to become organized and stay that way.  With all the focus on the events throughout your day/week/month, it is vital to stay on top of all the household chores.  Here is a small list (that you can personalize to fit and include things in your household) of things to do to make it easier to maintain order.

• Have laundry baskets with two sides, one for colors and one for whites.  This will make it easier and not to mention more efficient to keep up on the laundry since they will already be separated for you.  Keep up with and constantly have a load in so that you will not get behind.
• Multi-task with clean up.  While you are brushing your teeth, wipe down the sink.  Make sure things are put away and and there are no spots on the mirror.  Change the toilet paper roll or spray the shower down with a no scrub cleaner.  Continuously maintain the little clean up.
• If you are in the kitchen waiting for that water to boil, wash those other dishes, you have already dirtied, by hand.  This can also help save water if you do not have to run the dishwasher as much.
• After the kids are done playing with one thing, make sure they put it away before getting something else out.  Bins that are categorized are great tools to help with this and a reminder that everything has a place.  Label them and it can also be a matching game!
• Remember if you take it in the car, you need to take it out.  Don't let the front seat be another place for clutter. 

Finally, if you can remember these three things, you will be good to go...

Have a Place.

Put it Back.

Start good Habits.

Schedule It!

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."

                                                                                       ~ Stephen Covey

With so many things to do it can seem impossible trying to figure out how to get all of it done.  Well, if you can schedule everything into a weekly or monthly calender, you will be one step closer to accomplishing the impossible.

Kids have soccer practice next Saturday?  Schedule it!

Big test coming up?  Schedule it!
Tags due on the car?  Schedule it!

Birthday party and gift still to buy?  Schedule it!

Once you make this schedule, stay on track!  If you are taking the time to write everything down then take the time to look at it and follow through with daily deadlines so it will keep the craziness to a minumum.

Helpful hint: Color Code Everything = Sports, School, Bills, Parties

This will make finding the "next" one easier.  Think of it as a modern day Candyland for the real game of Motherhood!

Mother of all trades, master of none...

Hello there!  My name is Ashley Valdivia and this blog will give advice, tips, suggestions and creative ways to be the mother of all trades and master of none. 
It all started as a result of the crazy, hectic thing I like to call life.  When I took a moment to think about what I could really blog about, the only thing that came to mind was how much I know about celebrity gossip.  I thought that was a little pathetic.  So, I really started thinking about what else I spend my time doing.  Well, turns out I do A LOT.  I am a full time wife, mother of two, employee and student.  And while I think I do a pretty good job at keeping my sanity (as well as maintaining others) I do realize and want to make sure other women in my same situation realize, it is impossible to be "perfect" at all these things but it can be a lot of fun to try if you have a go-to for help.

Long ago are the days of June Cleaver. 

Step aside Mrs. Brady. 

You're The 21st Century Mother!

Photo courtesy of http://mbamommy.wordpress.com/tag/multi-tasking/