6 Home Hacks: For Busy SLP (parents) linky

Thanks for throwing this unique linky party Annie! I certainly have a busy SLP life and some tips for those of you with kids at home. 

1.  Door Hooks: This is a true space saver and works so well for my children's backpacks. We don't have a mudroom or much of an entryway so we really rely on this new space. 

2.  Reduced Sugar Cotton Candy: Many families have these cute little cotton candy makers.  Parents everywhere bought them on a whim dreaming of how much fun the kids would have. Then reality hit, kids spinning as fast as the web of pink sugar. Well I saw a little trick that works great for reducing the amount of sugar consumption. Toss a piece of hard candy into the machine and voila, you've got cotton candy. Jolly Ranchers are amazing. Have a cold? ~ use a cough drop. 

3. Cork Board: While I was pinning products on Pinterest, my middle child was literally pinning a board on her wall! I saved the walls by creating an inexpensive DIY cork board. All it took was adhesive spray, cork pages, and fabric. This fabric was a pillow case purchased at Walmart. Turned out pretty cute. 

4. Visual Strategies: We know that most kids are visual learners so don't forget to use this strategy at home. My oldest child helped the youngest by labeling her horse stable with matching pictures of the horses and their names above. I label drawers, toy bins, and even give my kids visual schedules to help with their morning routine. 

5. Perfect Pic: Short on cash? Well just pick up some old frames from a yard sale, spray paint them, and insert an image you find online. My prints did not cover the frame so I framed them with designer duct tape. 

6. Roasted Marshmallows: No campfire, no problem. Have the kids roast marshmallows over a candle flame. We used mini marshmallows, toothpicks, and a small candle to roast marshmallows. This is actually a pic from last Christmas Eve.  You could expand this to S'mores by simply adding Hershey miniatures and small rectangles of graham crackers. 

I hope you learned something new to try. Be sure to head back to Doyle's Speech Works for some more creative Home Hacks for busy SLPs. 

My 3 Favorite Organizational Tips for SLPs

     Welcome to The Frenzied SLPs tips for organizing in the New Year!                    
I get a lot of questions about how I organize my materials and I'm happy to share with you my top three tips. 

1. Pocket Folders: I print my tpt products and adhere the cover page to the outside of a pocket folder. Inside, I put the directions, worksheets, and cards. I insert the cards into the pocket after putting them in a plastic sealed sandwich bag. I then file the materials by hanging folder in a large filing cabinet. One drawer is organized by monthly activities and the other drawer is alphabetized by product name. I would like to spend a day re-organizing the second drawer by skill area, which I recommend. 

2. Theme Therapy: This set up has cut my planning time in half and makes it so nice to have everything at my fingertips.  
                                       See my quick VIDEO here.

2. Card Basket: This pretty basket not only looks great, but keeps everything within arm's reach of my therapy table.

There you have it! I hope you can use some of these tips to make your frenzied SLP life a little easier.

An InLinkz Link-up

Gobble Up Holiday Goodies!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Happy holidays friends.  I'm so glad you joined The Frenzied SLPs for this link up full of holiday goodies.  

Ready for this week?  Here's a quick and easy craft that everyone loves.  Pop some popcorn in a paper bag and tie as a turkey leg.  Write Thanksgiving words on the legs and have kids describe the words.    

Click for directions

How cute is this cupcake ornament!   Simple and age respectful for all grades, this ornament idea will surly bring a festive feel into your speech and language room.  

Click for video tutorial

Give yourself the gift of relaxation over Thanksgiving Break by knowing that you are set for the upcoming month.  

Click here for holiday products

Click for freebie!

Thanks for gobbling up these holiday goodies and enjoy a wonderful holiday season!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thankful and Grateful Blog Hop

Welcome to The Frenzied SLPs scavenger hunt style blog hop where we will share our stories of gratitude while inviting you to participate in our giveaway. Three winners will be chosen to each receive a $10 Teachers Pay Teachers gift card and a $10 Starbucks gift card. 

Go to the first page with instructions for the blog hop and to get you started.  

While I'm thankful for so many things, including you~ I would like to take a moment to reflect on a new and extremely helpful concept that I've been practicing this year.  Living one day at a time.  My life can be so overwhelming at times with a FT job, three kids, and my blogging.  I have learned to handle the stress and pressures by realizing that I can't live in the future or past and need to take things as they are.  This in-the-moment thinking has been so helpful and has not only benefited me, but also my family and work.  By setting daily goals and not worrying about tomorrow or how much there is to do, I can focus on small steps which helps make the goals more attainable.  This thinking can apply to anything from budgeting my finances, to losing weight, to managing my paperwork, and even planning for the upcoming holidays. I'm grateful that I am able to refocus my thoughts on the here and now.  The present is truly where my life is at.  

Now on to your letter~

H is for hope!   I hope you can live your life in the moment and enjoy the spirit of the holidays!   

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At the end of the day...

Hello all,  Many of you are coming from our new
Frenzied SLP Facebook page and I welcome you! 

Each month our group will bring you themed tips, ideas, and/or resources to help make your frenzied life a little easier.  I'm excited to kick-off the group with this New Year's tip to start your 2015 off on the right foot. 

If you're like me, you are inundated with to-do lists.  We start our day thinking of all of the things we have to do which sets us up for exhaustion even before our workday has begun.   Well, I have a little tip to change your thinking and your outlook.

Steven Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, said to "start with the end in mind".  I have been using this tip for my day-to-day to-dos by starting the day visualizing or even documenting how my day will end.   For example, my Medicaid is overdue, an intense meeting is scheduled, and I've been slacking on my healthy habits.  Instead of driving to work with a dread-list and voices in my head going something like this: "OMG-I need to get my Medicaid started,  this meeting is going to be a disaster, why am I not taking care of myself?  I'm so behind and don't know how I'm going to get it all done.  I hate Mondays!"  If I start my day envisioning a successful day the voices in my head change to say, "My Medicaid is completed, I was helpful, professional, and remained student-focused during the meeting, and I drank 27 ounces of water.  I feel proud of all I have accomplished today!"  

Try it!  I promise, you'll make better use of your time and have a much more positive attitude while persevering through your daily to-dos.  

Thanks so much for checking out my blog and hanging out with us at our new Frenzied SLP Facebook page.