3 Tricks to Get Your Child to Pick Up Toys

By sunshineandholly on March 24, 2017

I’ll be honest – I’m a terrible housekeeper.

I hate cleaning. I hate tidying up. So it’s no wonder that my kids are the same way. My son in particular throws extremely emotional tantrums when I ask him to pick up toys. “I can’t do it! There’s too many toys! I’m too tired to pick up!” (I was trying to quote my son there, but those sound like things I would say too!) Over the years I’ve figured out a couple of strategies to use to get my kids to clean. Here are my top 3 tricks to get your child to pick up toys.

Our PJ Movie Night Family Tradition

By sunshineandholly on March 16, 2017

PJ Movie Night is my favorite night!

Yes, I know – I know – we’re supposed to limit screen time for kids.

But honestly – my kids watch way more than the “recommended 1-hour per day of high quality screen time.” Seriously?! These AAP people must have live-in nannies and maids. Because that’s what we’ll need if I’m expected to only allow my kids to have 1-hour per day of screen time. If you do follow those recommendations – props to you, mama! Anyway…

PJ Movie Night | sunshineandholly.com

We’re a tv-loving family. My husband and I love binge-watching shows together and my favorite evenings include PJs, a comfy blanket, a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s, and snuggling up on the couch to watch some boob tube.

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The Best Decision I Ever Made

By sunshineandholly on July 23, 2013

About two months ago, I made a decision that would forever change my life for the better…

I got a maid service.

I know what you’re thinking…
“Wow – she must be rich.” (No, we’re not.)
“Doesn’t she only work part-time? She only has one kid. She has plenty of time to clean!” (I know, I know!)

Y’all.

It is SO worth it.

They come every other week. I still pick up millions of toys, do countless loads of laundry, load-unload-load-unload-load-unload the dishwasher, vacuum tumbleweeds of dog hair daily and sweep up puffs and Cheerios that are scattered all over the floor.

But to know that I don’t have to do the deep cleaning that my house needs is so…freeing!! I was really starting to feel dragged down by all the cleaning. And a dirty house bothers me so much more now that I’m home…in it all day.

And on the days when the maids come to clean – when I get home from running errands and my house looks like something out of a magazine…ahhhhhh. Such an amazing feeling.

I know it’s an extra expense and I’m blessed that we are able to afford it.

But I’m so happy I did it!

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Afternoon Storms

By sunshineandholly on June 20, 2013

Here in Georgia, it’s common for us to get a quick thunderstorm in the afternoon during the summer. They’re always a welcomed relief from the sticky-hot weather.

First the sun will disappear behind a cloud and the sky quickly gets dark. A light breeze comes through, smelling of sweet magnolia and cool rain. You can hear the rain falling before you see it. Sometimes it comes in so fast-like a sheet being pulled over the sky. It cools the air and your skin. Watching the gray rain coming down against the green of the trees and grass is so calming to the soul. Then it’s gone, as quickly as it came. The rain stops. The soaked trees drip slower and slower. The sound of thunder fades away. The sun bursts out from behind a cloud and heats up the ground so fast, you’ll see the steam rising up from it.

I’ve always loved these storms. When I worked summers outside at Stone Mountain’s Historic Square, I would pray for an afternoon storm. (And a break from the constant flow of people.) I often got caught in the rain in different spots around the attraction. I’d duck under a porch, watch the rain and wait it out.

I really missed seeing the storm roll in during the years I worked in a corporate setting. But even though I was inside, I still felt different during an afternoon storm. The windows would grow dark and it seemed like everyone in the office would slow down just a bit.

Now that I’m home with Graham, I get to watch the afternoon storms again. Graham naps and I sit by the big front window and sip on a cup of coffee. We’ve got tall, green magnolia trees with big white blooms and bright blue hydrangeas in the yard-it’s such a gorgeous sight to watch them sway as the storm comes in and drip as the storm blows out.

Love those rainy Georgia afternoons.

Thanksgiving 2011!

By sunshineandholly on December 8, 2011

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! The 4 days off in a row were so nice – especially since after Italy, I have no other vacation time to use.

We kicked off our break with some Italian style pizza. I’ve been craving GOOD Italian food ever since we got back. I was trying not to be one of “those people” who say things like, “Oh, pizza is WAY better in ITALY” and “That’s not AUTHENTIC Italian food.” But…we were def spoiled in Italy because since we got back, pizza and pasta just hasn’t been the same!

Josh got pasta carbonara…surprise, surprise. 🙂

That boy loves his carbonara. 🙂

Thanksgiving day we spent with Josh’s family in Elberton. Pecans are SUPER expensive right now, so all morning we picked up the pecans in his grandparents yard so they could sell them for profit. Josh’s dad even climbed up in the pecan tress to shake some down. Only in the country!!!

I refrained from calling them rednecks. 🙂

Here’s one of the buckets – I think we picked up about 8 – 10 buckets full. Maybe around $1000 worth of pecans!

I made the green bean casserole and a CUTE apple pie…that nobody ate. 🙁 I’m going to tell my self that it was just too pretty and there were so many other desserts, that no one had room for pie.

Also got my hair cut during Thanksgiving break. I tried out Salon 11 in Dunwoody – I was SO impressed! I loved the girl who cut my hair – she was super nice and did a great job. She even showed me how to curl my hair with the straightener.

We also got a Kinect. 🙂

We made some pasta carbonara. It was just as good as what we had in Italy. 🙂

Josh hung up some icicle lights on our house. We def need more outside Christmas decorations.

Speaking of rednecks…look what was hiding on the side of my house!!!!!!!!! Yes, folks, that’s my old oven that I thought my wonderful husband had put out on the street for the trash collectors to dispose of. NOPE! He decided instead to hide it on the side of our house right before we had a bunch of people over for our “kitchen open house” and then forgot about it. Argh. Sometimes…I worry about that boy… I told him that we don’t live out in the country – we can leave junk in our yard!

We also went Christmas shopping for my niece and nephew. She wanted this Barbie (umm…I don’t know any doctors who wear shoes like that!) and he wanted an ice cream play-dough set. Both toys look like so much fun! I told Josh I wanted to play with them too!

Got out my cute table decorations!

I love Christmas!

Lacey and Jack were happy to have us home for 4 days. Love my happy baby girl!

How many days until the Christmas break? 🙂

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