Tag: amy

(courtesy of our friends at howtobeadad.com) (courtesy of our friends at howtobeadad.com)
via AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com
The Swiss Parenting Tool

Make: magazine founding editor-in-chief, Mark Frauenfelder, has a new book out, and we’re pleased to offer it in our Maker Shed. Maker Dad: Lunch Box Guitars, Antigravity Jars, and 22 Other Incredibly Cool Father-Daughter Projects came out of Mark’s desire to engage his girls, now ages 10 and 16, in […]

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‘Maker Dad’: Dads + Daughters Building Together

Having trouble getting your kids to do their chores without the usual dillydallying or complaining? Turn it into a game they’ll actually be motivated to play with these DIY game tokens.

The concept is simple: Do a chore and "earn" 15, 30, or 60 minutes of game or TV time, depending on the chore. Little Mom on the Prairie says in her Instructable:

I started using an alternate version of the reward system with my daughter, to balance out our struggles of getting her to help out with chores and limiting her computer/game time. I made these little "game tokens" that she can earn by doing her chores without complaining, and when we ask her to do them (not later, not in 5 minutes, now!)

In our home we believe you do things around the house because you are a member of the family and you benefit from it, not because you get paid to – no one else gets paid to do housework. But its been shown that a reward system of some sort works better than negative reinforcement…This balances her desire to waste her life in front of the TV with the necessary chores she needs to complete. 🙂

If you want to try this yourself, you just need to paint some wood craft discs. Another idea is to put the chore on the back of the token, rather than a list of chores as this mom uses.

Game Tokens (Instead of Allowance) Reward System | Instructables via Boing Boing

via Lifehacker
Pay Kids for Chores with Screen Time Tokens Instead of an Allowance

Having trouble getting your kids to do their chores without the usual dillydallying or complaining? Turn it into a game they’ll actually be motivated to play with these DIY game tokens.

The concept is simple: Do a chore and "earn" 15, 30, or 60 minutes of game or TV time, depending on the chore. Little Mom on the Prairie says in her Instructable:

I started using an alternate version of the reward system with my daughter, to balance out our struggles of getting her to help out with chores and limiting her computer/game time. I made these little "game tokens" that she can earn by doing her chores without complaining, and when we ask her to do them (not later, not in 5 minutes, now!)

In our home we believe you do things around the house because you are a member of the family and you benefit from it, not because you get paid to – no one else gets paid to do housework. But its been shown that a reward system of some sort works better than negative reinforcement…This balances her desire to waste her life in front of the TV with the necessary chores she needs to complete. 🙂

If you want to try this yourself, you just need to paint some wood craft discs. Another idea is to put the chore on the back of the token, rather than a list of chores as this mom uses.

Game Tokens (Instead of Allowance) Reward System | Instructables via Boing Boing

via Lifehacker
Pay Kids for Chores with Screen Time Tokens Instead of an Allowance

Having trouble getting your kids to do their chores without the usual dillydallying or complaining? Turn it into a game they’ll actually be motivated to play with these DIY game tokens.

The concept is simple: Do a chore and "earn" 15, 30, or 60 minutes of game or TV time, depending on the chore. Little Mom on the Prairie says in her Instructable:

I started using an alternate version of the reward system with my daughter, to balance out our struggles of getting her to help out with chores and limiting her computer/game time. I made these little "game tokens" that she can earn by doing her chores without complaining, and when we ask her to do them (not later, not in 5 minutes, now!)

In our home we believe you do things around the house because you are a member of the family and you benefit from it, not because you get paid to – no one else gets paid to do housework. But its been shown that a reward system of some sort works better than negative reinforcement…This balances her desire to waste her life in front of the TV with the necessary chores she needs to complete. 🙂

If you want to try this yourself, you just need to paint some wood craft discs. Another idea is to put the chore on the back of the token, rather than a list of chores as this mom uses.

Game Tokens (Instead of Allowance) Reward System | Instructables via Boing Boing

via Lifehacker
Pay Kids for Chores with Screen Time Tokens Instead of an Allowance

Chest or deep freezers are wonderful for stocking up on food, but it’s all too easy for packages to get buried, lost in the freezer’s frozen underbelly. Reusable shopping bags make it easier to see, sort, and pull out the foods you’re storing.

The photo above, from clutter-adverse Organizing Junkie, says it all. You could simply use plastic baskets or other containers to organize your freezer, but the depth of the shopping bags seem to fit perfectly for deep freezers.

Hit up the link below for more freezer storage tips.

Quick Tips for Organizing the Deep Freezer | Organizing Junkie

via Lifehacker
Organize a Chest Freezer with Reusable Bags

PSA: Valentine’s Day is next week. Whether or not you celebrate the occasion, this infographic from happiness training app Happify could help you improve your romantic relationship. It sums up several important findings from studies on what makes couples happy.

The graphic reveals, for example, that happy couples have five positive interactions for every negative one, versus the 0.8 positive interactions for every negative one that divorced couples go through. I found most interesting this tidbit:

When it comes to strengthening your relationship, studies show the most crucial factor is how you celebrate your partner’s good news. In one study, people who did this 3x a day for 1 week increased their happiness and felt less depressed afterwards.

Your mileage might vary of course, but if having a happy marriage (or long-term relationship) is worth an additional $105,000 a year in terms of life satisfaction, it’s all good stuff to know.

Here’s the full graphic. Click to expand or right-click to save.

The Science Behind a Happy Relationship | Happify

via Lifehacker
This Infographic Reveals the Secrets of the Happiest Couples

via Gizmodo
Watching lava destroy Coca Cola cans is totally mesmerizing