Organization Archives - Page 3 of 6

Father’s Day Love

By prioritysites June 1, 2016 June 1, 2016 Organization, Parenting

Father’s Day is June 19, and it is the perfect time for wives and kids to express your love and appreciation to the one who leads by loving. I read recently that the definition of “leading” is “loving,” meaning that you love so much that you are willing to serve and do the hard things for those you care about. A true leader loves his or her people, whether in business or at home. In our family, we have been incredibly blessed with an amazing father and two amazing grandfathers who lead by loving. Sometimes that love expresses itself through discipline, and other times through playing rough or being silly with the kids. Sometimes it’s by working incredibly hard, or doing the hard things so that we are all better off. Father’s Day is a time to let dads know that we notice, even though they may not realize all that they do. We want the dads in our life to know how much they are appreciated, so we’ve put together an idea page for Father’s Day gifts. These are fun gift ideas for dads to relax and enjoy! Mom’s Priority has also pinned a ton of ideas for homemade father’s day gifts to make with kids.

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Online Consignment ~ ThredUp

By prioritysites May 17, 2016 August 1, 2016 Money, Organization

online consignment ~ ThredUp

Online consignment might be the solution you are looking for to make things simpler! Motherhood is a time when seasons change quickly, and clothing needs also change quickly! Your body is constantly changing with a pregnancy and the season of motherhood following, and your kids are growing quickly, outgrowing clothes faster than you can move them to and from their closets! Special occasions may require an outfit that you may only need once, and finding the perfect outfit can be an endless pursuit! …And then there was ThredUP!!

I want to introduce this company to you because I think it can be a valuable resource for many moms! I know too well the struggle of getting out to go to the store with my kids at a certain age. Then, finding what you are looking for while you are out with the kids can be a challenge! ThredUP is online consignment, and it is the perfect solution for busy moms (and aren’t we all busy?!) These days are precious and they go by so quickly! Shop online with ThredUP, and you may find that perfect outfit barely used (because kids outgrow their clothes TOO fast) at a really great price!! They carry brand names like Ralph Lauren and Gymboree. Try it for several items and receive free shipping for purchases over $70. You can also Clean out your Closet with thredUP.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

By prioritysites May 11, 2016 May 9, 2016 Organization

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19, and we want to celebrate all of the dads who lead our families and make life fun! Find great gift ideas for dads, and let all the dads and granddads in our lives know how significant they are in our lives! Here are some amazing personalized gift ideas for Dad HERE. While we are planning, how do you plan to celebrate Father’s day this year? A day of fishing, boating, watching sports, or even napping on the couch…they all sound like good plans to me! My husband would say as long as there is some relaxation involved, AND great food, he’s happy. I am the lucky one! Happy Father’s Day to ALL of the dads, granddads, and father figures! You are incredibly appreciated!! For more great ideas for Father’s Day, check out our favorite pins. For amazing recipe suggestions, see this!

15 of the Best Apps for Moms

By prioritysites May 4, 2016 May 5, 2016 Organization, Parenting

Mom’s Priority Organizational Series: Part 2 ~ 15 of the Best Apps for Moms

May is here, and moms know that means busy, busy, rivaling December! Between countless outdoor events, end of the year parties and performances, awards ceremonies, teacher gifts, mother’s day, end of the year testing, making arrangements for summer, sporting events, and enjoying the outdoors, it is a busy, but incredibly fun time! Mom’s Priority has put together a list of the best apps for moms, to help keep us all sane and organized through it all! Welcome to May! Happy Mother’s Day!

Best Apps for Moms

AnyList makes grocery list making and shopping simple and easy to share with other family members! Simply start typing the grocery item, and it fills in the rest, sorting the items by type. When you add the item to your cart, simply tap the item name and it will cross it out. The basic app is free, however, you can purchase a premium subscription and have more options. With premium, Any List can be used with major recipe sites like Allrecipes, saving the recipe and automatically adding the ingredients to your shopping list! This is a great app that is making my life easier!
Errands is a task manager that reminds you of the commitments you make and helps keep you organized. I have used this app for several years now and it is super simple- just add a reminder like “call the vet”, set a due date (and time, if you need that), and a reminder will pop up on your screen, based on the settings you set. Streamlined, simple, but very valuable. If I’m in a conversation with someone and I say I’ll do something, it’s simple to add a reminder into this app. It’s important for me to keep my commitments, and with so many distractions, I can easily forget by the time I get back to my desk or a notepad. This app is so helpful for that!!
Cozi is a popular app that helps families stay organized, READ MORE

Teacher Appreciation Week May 2-6

By prioritysites April 21, 2016 April 21, 2016 Organization, Parenting

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up the week before Mother’s Day! This always sneaks up but we can’t forget the amazing teachers! At our schools, oftentimes the whole class will go into together and give the teacher small gifts for every day. A few examples would be

Fresh flowers from your yard, in a mason jar that says “thank you for helping us bloom!”
Apples for the teacher!
A beach bag filled with simple summer items like chapstick, a magazine, lemonade mix, flip flops. Different children bring in the various items and fill the bag.
A simple card signed by the class

Gifts for teachers vary from simple to elaborate homemade to simply purchased, but the most important thing is letting teachers know they are appreciated. Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest board for a variety of ideas, and thank those teachers!!

For the purchased route, gift cards are always appreciated, and Amazon gift cards are good for most anything!

For the semi-homemade route, go to Tagxedo and make a word cloud with your teacher’s name, the grade and any other words that fit your theme. Put it in a simple frame and hang with ribbon!

Our teachers pour so much into our children all year long, and it is a gift to be able to show them how much we appreciate all they do!

6 Good Mother’s Day Gifts

By prioritysites April 16, 2016 April 15, 2016 Organization

Mother’s Day is coming up on May 8, and everyone is looking for good mother’s day gifts, including myself! As a mom, I can share what I think a good mother’s day gift would be and hopefully give you a few ideas:

For a mom who is in the thick of motherhood, between messy diapers and friend issues at school, an amazing gift would be a gift card to the spa or a day of relaxation! That, along with a heartfelt card, is a good mother’s day gift!
For a mom of a capable teenager or for a grandmother, a photo book of recent memories would be so special. MyPublisher (the company I use to make our books) has two fantastic offers right now: FREE photo book from MyPublisher! ($34.99 value) Valid through 4/18. and FREE 8.5″ x 11.25″ photo book with Free cover option! ($39.99 value) Ends 4/26.!!

good mother’s day gifts- free photo book offer

3. For any mom or woman, a cute bag or beach tote would be put to good use!

4. Jewelry is always a good purchase, and a specially engraved charm or bracelet for example is very meaningful.

5. A card with a handwritten note never goes out of style.

6. Homemade art from a child, especially if it has their handprints, will be cherished for years to come! Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest page for lots of ideas!

Moms, from new moms to great grandmothers, more than anything want to know they’ve raised, or married, thoughtful and kind human beings who think of others. Just this simple act of thinking it through, buying the card or gift, and arranging the time to give it, means so much. As I get older, I am realizing the importance of this! It is never too late to show those who love you the most, how much they mean to you!

Unforgettable Baby Showers

By prioritysites April 12, 2016 April 13, 2016 Organization, Parenting

Unforgettable Baby Showers

I have been blessed to be either invited to or helping host baby showers for seven moms-to-be within about a month’s time! All the love, excitement, and catching up with old friends makes all the planning so worth the effort! A baby shower is one of the sweetest ways to celebrate the pregnancy and upcoming arrival of a new baby! It’s all the good- the excitement, anticipation, and joy-that surrounds a new baby. A baby shower gifts the parents to be with cute baby bedding and clothing, the latest baby technology and gear, and supplies for feeding, diapering, and helping this new baby sleep! Here’s what I’ve learned from hosting a fair share of baby showers.

Tips:

Simple or elaborate- keep the focus on the guest of honor!
For invitations, evite works, but a printed invitation for such an occasion is simply classy and a special keepsake for the new mom!

Owl baby shower invitation

3. Send out invitations a month in advance to give guests a chance to clear their schedules. These adorable stamps from Zazzle are perfect!

owl baby showers stamps

4. Think about asking your guests to bring an item around a theme, such as books to stock the shelves of the baby’s library. Or, if there is more than one guest of honor, think about filling baskets per mom to be around a theme, such as diapers, so the burden to come isn’t so great. This works great when the shower isn’t for first time moms.

Baby Shower Décor

Gather your boutique or heirloom baby clothes to hang on a clothesline for décor! No extra cost!
If you want to go along with this woodland owl theme, use burlap, sticks, nests, moss, and outdoor materials to decorate
baby showers birch place card holders

inexpensively.
Keep it simple!

Baby Shower Food

Keep the food simple, especially if it is an afternoon shower! Petit fours or cupcakes, snack mix, a little fruit or veggie tray, and a sparkling punch is the perfect amount of food.
For those of us who like everything to be coordinated, check out these plates and napkins from Zazzle. Aren’t these great?! There are many customizable options!

baby showers owl paper plate

3. Solid colored paper products or using your dishes are other great affordable options.

Baby Shower Activities

Ice Breaker – Have guests write 3 AM messages on the diapers to give new moms and dads a laugh in the middle of the night.
Games- Play identify the candy bar! To prepare, place crushed candy bars in the baby diapers. Wrap up the diapers like you are going to dispose of them, and have each guest take turns guessing. Have prizes ready for the winners!
Owl Bingo- Have each guest guess at which gifts will be given by writing them on the game board. The first to get 5 in a row is the winner!

baby showers owl bingo game

Baby Shower Favors

Don’t forget a small favor for the guests!
For the grandma, this would make her day!

grandma button owl

3. These honey jars are adorable, and would be perfect to send home with guests.

baby shower favor honey jar

At the end of the shower, you want to feel like you helped make the day extra special for the mom to be because of all of the love that was shared, and not over the top decorations, in my opinion. These are just a few ideas for making that happen.

7 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Happy While Dining Out ~ Dining Out Kit

By prioritysites March 30, 2016 March 30, 2016 Organization, Parenting

Dining Out Kit for Toddlers

If you’ve written off dining out until your kids are teenagers due to previous experiences dining out, you are not alone! We’ve all been there, done that. Some of us kept taking our kids out to eat, whether out of necessity or desire, and we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to share. Here are Mom’s Priority’s Dining Out kit recommendations:
1. Choose a small bag to call your dining-out kit, like this one from Swoozies.

2. It’s important to have a healthy snack or two that takes time to eat while you wait for your meal. Children at this age may not understand that it takes time for the restaurant to prepare your food to order, and may become impatient waiting. While children as they get older need to learn patience, at this age it may be impractible and futile to teach this skill in a restaurant setting especially. Make it a healthy snack like cut up apples or cheerios.

3. A sippy cup with non-spillable lid and non-sugary drink is a must. Chilled water is great!

4. Include a coloring book or tracing letters book, with a small* set of crayons to pass the time. *Small, so you don’t spend your time picking crayons off the floor.

5. Include a small toy or two, like a toy car or pretend phone with buttons. Anything that can clip onto the bag comes in very handy.

6. Disposable sticky placemats are the best for putting down on the table in front of your child. They make it easy to clean up afterwards and gives you an immovable spot to serve food. This set also has 4 sticky sides so your toddler is less likely to pull it up!

7. A small pack of wipes, for obvious and who knows what else reasons!

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas to make dining out enjoyable with a toddler! When dining out is a necessity, having this dining out kit ready to go is a real life saver! With a little prep, dining out can be enjoyable and fun!

Birthday Books

By prioritysites March 16, 2016 April 13, 2016 Money, Organization, Parenting

Something I have done for our kids since they were born is to make them birthday books after each birthday, to look back over the past year and record milestones, favorites, and special events. Because we don’t regularly print pictures, unless we are using them in a frame or for a special project, all these pictures that we take are not going anywhere other than on a screen! I make these books so we can look back and see how much he grew in the past year, what he was interested in, and even special stories that impact his life. Because the years pass by so quickly, I don’t want us to miss it. They are also my way of “holding on” to special artwork and writings. I take a picture of the artwork and include it either as a background or a photo. Then, for most I discreetly discard the original. The artwork goes along great with the story I am trying to tell of their lives!

So I make these books, and my go to software and development company has always been MyPublisher. I have made over 10 books using their program, and have been very pleased with the quality of the books and the ability to customize completely. They all match and their name and birthday date are on the books’ spines. You can create custom, or use the quicker method which automatically arranges the photos for you. I love these birthday books! Currently, you can receive up to 65% off! See below!

FREE 8.5″ x 11.25″ photo book with free cover option! ($39.99 value) Ends 3/24.

50% off quality hardcover photo books from MyPublisher!

Spring Sale! Up to 65% off photo books through 3/31.