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Wednesday @Wisebread: 19 Frugal Ways to Entertain Teenagers @CarolinaRains via #motownmoms

Teens!

Just saying the word sometimes can be frustrating for parents, especially when talking about their own.

Making them happy or keeping them entertained seems like another job other than the one you get, and you don’t paid for doing what you do.

Here are great suggestions by Caroline Rains

19 Frugal Ways to Entertain Teenagers

@CarolinaRains

Teen Girl Painting

Teens can be a tough audience to entertain. Their free time is precious, especially for those loaded with AP classes, sports and music commitments, work, and extra-curricular obligations. For many, down time is spent looking at screens, interacting with friends via social media and Skype, or both. So coming up with ways to engage them without resorting to digital devices is hard. (See also: Timeless Money Lessons From Teens)

But even the most restless and demanding teens will enjoy these frugal activities.

1. Learn Family Secrets

Your kids have most likely been protected from family information or just were bored or confused by your stories when they were younger. But now that they are teens, they are ready for greater honesty and more grown-up tales. Intrigue them with explanations of how grandma paid for college, why great-grandma got divorced, how family members lived during the Depression, what unpopular stances your parents took on controversial topics, and why a distant cousin ran away from home.

 

READ MORE: http://www.wisebread.com/19-frugal-ways-to-entertain-teenagers

Article: 5 Housing Cleaning Tips for the Busy Mom #mmm via @ebony_12


Expert Author Ebele Agu

Most of us run pillar to post daily to coordinate our lives from family to work to friends and for some people like me, throw in studies and other side gigs. Like this isn’t enough, we have to keep our house clean, no excuses. How can we achieve that? Some of you at one point or another have wondered and pondered on what you need to do to maintain a well balanced life, which includes and well-kept home.

A clean home is the pride of any one most especially moms. You want to be able to entertain without the embarrassment of having a not so clean home. You want to be able to keep your house germ free and your children healthy. You want to be in a very relaxed and comfortable home after the day’s hustle and bustle. First things first, clean your house a bit each day so as not to be daunted with a huge mess you will have to work extra hard to clean. Some of the other things to consider for a clean home are:

    1. Set up a schedule: there will always be crucial jobs like cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming. Have a schedule to help you focus on what you need to do each day of the week. Break the schedule into daily, weekly, monthly, annual and seasonal tasks. Remember having chunks of work to do at a time makes the job feel less daunting.
    1. Set a timer: everyday set a timer to tackle 10 or 15 minutes of work. If your kitchen counter top is messy and you figure it will take you about 10 minutes to wipe it down, set your timer, and do the job. When the timer goes off walk away. You would have done something for the day, instead of worrying and wondering when and how you will get it done.
    1. Delegate: if you have a family with children, engage them and assign chores to them keeping in mind their age and what they are capable of doing. You not only get the house clean, you are teaching them life long lessons on collaborating and cleaning habits. They also learn the lesson of teamwork. It seems like a win-win to me.
    1. Avoid Procrastination: this is the number one mistake most of us fall into. We look at the mess and decide we are not up to it, afterall we just came back from work, have a report to type, have a paper to submit, have to make dinner. The list goes on and on and the home is neglected. Attending to spills and stains as soon as they occur ensures that you stop a bigger problem from occurring in the future and the job is done right away. Remember first things first clean up in bits and the tasks will not feel so profound that they can’t be tackled.
  1. The power of multitasking: examples will be, while you are making dinner, clean the counter top as you go along or clean out the refrigerator. While the clothes are in the washing machine, pick up and tidy up the rooms or fold previously washed clothes. If you are able to juggle a few tasks at a time, you will able to prune your list and help you get a cleaner house faster.

Applying these tips will ensure your house is clean most of the time, you have more time for yourself and family and it will contribute to your inner peace and self-worth. Best of all, cleaning will be stress free, straight forward and easy.

Ebele Agu is a mom to two energetic and adorable boys ages 4 and 19mths. I am always searching for ways to improve the lives of my family and those around me.
She is a teacher, who wants the best for the kids she teaches. I have a passion for education and to do what is right for everyone.

To read my musings, find me at http://www.beibeslife.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ebele_Agu