Cleanup Time

It seems that our house is always MESSY! My husband and I felt like we were ALWAYS cleaning up after the girls or nagging them to clean up. So we started a family cleanup time. There is an alarm clock in the kitchen that is set to go off at 7:00 PM every night. At the sound of the alarm, we all start cleaning for 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter who got it out or what it is, we just pick it up and put it away. We have been doing this for a few days and it works wonders!

-Jessica Glenn, mother of Hannah, 5, and Lindsey, 20 months

Sheets Trick

This is a tip I wish I had learned when my first was an infant! I call it the “Triple Bagged Tear-Away Sheets.” It’s simple—when making your child’s bed, put on the waterproof mattress pad, followed by the fitted sheet. THEN add another waterproof mattress pad, followed by another fitted sheet and then yet another waterproof mattress pad and finally another fitted sheet. Then when the inevitable happens in the middle of the night, you hold the crying child in one arm while you tear away the top layer, revealing a nice clean and dry sheet. No more putting the sobbing child down while you tear off the soiled sheets and search the linen closet for another set.

-Jennifer Brooks, mother of Lennon, 4, and Lily, 3