"I hate housework. You make the beds, you wash the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again." --Joan Rivers.

Over the years, I’ve worked on perfecting my house cleaning routine. Early in my parenting, I *thought* I was somewhat relaxed, focusing only on the most important things. I probably was. What I do know is that I had clean children and a clean home back when I was a new mom. As our family grew, I wanted to keep it that way!!

However, I’m just one person. So, some things had to change.... more

How can I help my child catch up? This question seems to be on most Paps' minds after being home a month or so and catching up on sleep and getting settled in a routine.

The fact is that our PI children may be behind at first and most will catch up and do just fine. You just want to do everything you can to help your child. You buy every toy, sign up for music & gym classes and compare your child with other children wondering and hope they will be at the same place by the time they start kindergarten. At least that was my point of view.

Livi... more

More ideas and thoughts on bedtime issues with older children:

c. Bedtime routine. Determine if this will be done before or after the set bedtime at your house. For example, if bedtime is 9pm, does that mean that all of the pre-bed routine needs to be completed before 9pm? Or does it mean that the child can begin preparations at 9pm? Being very clear cut about what the routine is and when it is expected to be completed can take a lot of hassle out of bedtime. If it seems that this is the area that your kids are getting... more

In Part One, I talked more about bedtime issues with young children. Here, I will talk about bedtime issues with our older kids.

3. Preschoolers through High School (Preschoolers may be young for these ideas; please adjust as they fit your individual child.)

a. Set a bedtime by age or grade and stick to it, for the most part. Make exceptions when needed, of course, But, having a “rule” takes the fight out.... more

When I hear a parent utter the word “bedtime”, I clench up a little right off. It nearly always is followed by a parent’s frustrations with bedtime issues. How can we all make bedtime more pleasant for ourselves and our kids??

I do not have the magic answer. Just to state that up front so y’all are not mislead. I’ll just share a little of what I’ve experienced so far – and if you’d like to share another idea, please add on! I’m sure we’d all love to learn more!

First of all, bedtimes with babies are totally different... more

I have a problem. Well in the grand scheme of things it’s really not a problem it’s more of a small snafu or behavioral issue if you will. Our problem is with bath time.I hate giving my daughter a bath. She loves her bath time; she will strip off her clothes and happily hop in the tub. She plays & splashes and allows me to wash her hair without a whimper. My problem lies when bath time is over. My daughter, the mermaid that she is will scream and rage as if I’m removing her from her life force. This happens every time. I have tried letting... more

What is it about sleeping babies & children? I love photos of sleeping Children. They can stop me in my tracks and bring out something in me. I love watching my daughter sleep. I remember the first time she feel asleep in my arms, in the van shortly after leaving the baby home. I just felt so protective of her, like a Mama bear. My husband snapped a picture of that moment and I can honestly say I have never had that type of look on my face. It’s a very special picture to me and its the picture Im sharing with you today. Everyone who looks at... more

I’ve had some people ask about the topic of chores and how they work in such a large family. I’m a strong believer in the importance of chores for my children, including adopted children. They are a daily part of our family – yes for ALL 20 of the children still at home.

Everyone has chores - everyone. When an adopted child arrives in the family, they get chores on their first full day of being with us. (In the beginning, I would wait, thinking the child needed adjustment time first. It turned out to be the opposite. They needed to... more

I know its hard to find time to read to your child,but reading & singing to encourage language skills can happen anytime during the day. Just a few minutes a day of reading can make a huge impact in your childs language development. Its one of the best things you can do.Im a huge fan of singing to children also, especially at transition times when your trying to get them from one task to another.

1.In the morning- sing or read a story while bottle-feeding or while getting children out of bed- Sing this is the way we brush our teeth,... more

I’m a very neat and clean person, very neat but open a closet door in my house and cover your head. I tend to be an out of sight out of mind type person. Both my husband & I have used our attic/upstairs bedroom in our bungalow as a huge junk room. Most people with similar houses would use this as the master bedroom; as it’s the biggest bedroom in the house. It needs some painting... more