Why a Work From Home Business May Not Work For You

Having your own work from home business is really glamorized by those who successfully do it. Photos of big houses, fancy cars, and exotic vacations accompany stories claiming, “I only work 2 hours a day and can do my work from anywhere in the world.”

The laptop lifestyle is real, no doubt about it. The rewards your work from home business can reap are life-changing for you and your family.

But, and here’s a very big but, getting there isn’t easy. It’s one of those things that is fairly simple, but by no means easy.

Let’s be realistic. If just anyone could fire up their computer one day and have it churning out money the next with a couple hours work, and do this consistently, then everyone would be doing it. 

The stories you hear and see from successful home based business owners are without a doubt the highlight reel of their lives. 

While these stories are definitely worth being told, they leave out a few things you need to know if you’re thinking about starting your own work from home business.

So, before you jump into your new venture with both feet, let’s make sure you’re not setting yourself up for failure. There are three things you’ll need to have to get started.

1. A Burning Desire: You’re going to have to really want this. One of the biggest reasons people fail is they go in thinking, “Oh, I think I’ll try XYZ business and see if it works.”

Guess what? Provided that you’re going into a reputable business, it will work if you do.

But in the beginning at least, you’re not going to be able to treat your business like a weekend hobby.

You must go into your business with a burning desire to make it work. A commitment to doing the work that will lay the foundation of something that will be life-changing for you, your family, and the clients your business serves.

This is not to say you have to eat, sleep, and breathe your business 24/7. It has nothing to do with the time you put into your business. It’s about the commitment to putting in the time and effort needed. And whether that’s 2 hours a day or 8, is irrelevant.

The first thing you should ask yourself about your new business venture is, “How bad do I want this?” If in response, you feel a burning desire to make it happen, you’re good to go.

2. Thick Skin: Your new business is going to come with its ups and downs. Preparing yourself for this will make it easier to weather the downtimes.

One of the first things you’ll likely have to deal with is the doubters. Friends, family, acquaintances who will say things like, “Why would you want to do that?” Or, “My friend’s brother’s girlfriend tried that and lost $10,000.”

You must ignore these people. Realize that their doubts are a self-refection of what they believe their abilities to be, and have not a thing to do with you.

Some will question how you’ll take care of your children and may even suggest you’re a less than perfect mom for letting this venture distract you from your mom duties. 

Don’t engage these people. You can’t win. You’re doing this for your family, so that you can provide better for them. And yes, you may be giving up a little in the beginning, but the gain will be more than worth it as your business grows.

The best way to thicken your skin around any criticism is to hang out with like-minded people. As you start your business you’ll begin to meet people who “get it” just like you do. These are the people you’ll talk about your business with and spend your time around.

You’ll also need to have thick skin to endure failure along the way. Your ads won’t always work, a customer will cancel, another will complain. 

There will be times that it feels too hard and you’ll wonder if you should just quit before you completely fail and prove all those doubters right.

Hang on through these times. The perceived failures are just lessons in how to do things right. Keep going. And again, turn to that support network you’re building of others who are navigating the same storms.

3. Discipline: This one can be tough, but fortunately it’s one that you have a little room to practice and get better at. You’re going to have to make yourself consistently find time for your business.

If you go into it thinking you’ll work on your business when you have time, you’ll never work on your business. Think about how much extra time you currently have in your day. I’m betting it’s not a lot.

The good news is, that’s okay. You don’t even need more time in your day. You simply need more discipline.

Which means you need to schedule your work hours and stick to your schedule. You may feel like it’s okay to stop for a minute and switch out the laundry, but not while you’re working on your business it’s not. Do it before you put yourself on the clock, or after. No exceptions.

A great number of people who intend to start a home based business never even get far enough to fail at it. They simply just never get it off the ground because they didn’t have the discipline to put a little work into it each day.

And the Good News Is . . .

The intent here is not to fill you full of doom and gloom, but merely to give you a little dose of reality. 

If you go into your business prepared to conquer some of these early hurdles that cause many people to fall down and never get back up, the road to success in your business will be much easier. 

Of course, if you’ve read this far and are thinking, “This just isn’t for me,” then you’ve saved yourself a lot of time and trouble. Undoubtedly, owning a home based business isn’t for everyone. Especially when you have the additional responsibility of raising children.

But if you’ve read this far and think you have what it takes, the good news is KidsPartyCharacters.com has an opportunity that takes much of the hard work out of starting your own business.

KidsPartyCharacters.com owner Cheryl Jacobs has been through all the ups and downs of a business startup, which is why she’s decided to do what she can to make things easier for you.

Cheryl is offering a limited number of licenses that allow you to have your own KidsPartyCharacters.com business. With a license, or membership, you’ll have access to all of the 200+ Kids Party Characters costumes, an exclusive territory in which you can book parties, and access to our casting director and acting coach.

On top of that, you’ll get business training from Cheryl, and ongoing support from her and the entire team at KidsPartyCharacters.com. You’ll find this support crucial during those moments when your skin doesn’t feel so thick or your discipline is waning. 

Want to learn more about this opportunity? Book a friendly, no-pressure chat with Cheryl on our website and she’ll help you decide whether this is the right business for you.

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook too, where you’ll see many examples of how rewarding your KidsPartyCharacters.com business can be.

3 Ways to Set Your Child Up For a Great Day

In most households, the morning rush hour refers to more than just the traffic. 

Getting up, organized, and out the door on time in the morning can be one of the biggest challenges of the day. Add in the responsibilities of also getting your child(ren) to school on time, and the challenge is doubled, at least!

If you’re a stay at home, or work at home mom, this definitely makes life a little easier in the morning. But it may not feel like it . . .

Between convincing your kids they should get up, making sure they have clean socks and something for breakfast, getting homework in backpacks, and lunches they’ll actually eat ready to go, mornings are rarely a relaxed and happy time.

It’s often a race out the door to catch the bus, pile in the car, or sprint to school before that final bell rings.

The chaos that comes with the typical morning routine means your child’s day starts off on the wrong foot. She sits down to her desk in need of a break just to catch her breath. 

Of course, the teacher has other ideas. School never starts with recess. It’s time to dive right in and learn. 

Many kids today are reporting feeling stressed and overwhelmed. This is sad and crazy and not what any of us want for our kids. 

One of the best things you can do to help your child experience a fun and carefree childhood is make sure his day starts out right. How her day starts has a huge impact on how the whole day goes. 

There’s enough going on in your child’s day without him also being tasked with turning a bad start into a good day. 

There are three simple things you can do to help your child get off to a good start every morning.

Wake Him Up With a Smile

When you’re in a rush, or having your own morning challenges, it’s easy to bring them into your child’s bedroom in the morning. 

But how he wakes up is important. The first touch of the day should be a good one. 

Replace a gruff, “Hurry up and get ready or you’ll be late to school,” with something that makes him a little happier to be greeting this new day.

Take a breath before you go into his room and put a smile on your face. Wake him up with a gentle touch and a smile.

Never underestimate the power of a simple smile. It says so much, and it's contagious.

If your child wakes up to an alarm, find some music he really enjoys and set the alarm to that. 

If he is waking up without your help, still make it a point to go in every morning and greet him with a smile and a few kind words. 

In addition to helping your child, this can be a nice little reset point for you in the morning too.

Add a Small Token to Her Day

Add something personal to your child’s backpack or lunchbox that she is certain to see. 

This can literally be anything that tells your child you’re thinking of her and trying to add something special to her day.

A simple note clipped to the front of her homework folder, a small piece of wrapped candy she can suck on tucked inside her pencil box.

Don’t overthink this and make it too hard. The content isn’t near as important as the message it will send, which is, “Mom loves me, is thinking about me, and wants my day to be good.”

Slipping a note or treat inside your child’s lunchbox is a common way to connect with your child while she’s away from you. This doesn’t have the same impact as making it part of her morning, but it may be just what she needs by the time lunch rolls around.

This doesn’t require that you come up with something creative every day. The note can be one sentence. It’s okay to have a few different “go to” sentences you rotate through. 

Add a little variety so your child won’t know exactly what every day is going to bring, but anything quick and simple is better than nothing at all.

Have a Joint Morning Ritual

Take a minute and think about whether you are really connecting with your child in the morning? 

Chances are you’re both so engaged in the morning routine that there’s little to zero personal connection. 

Make it a point to always have a positive connection point at a specified time in the morning. It can be when he wakes up, as he eats breakfast, or on the ride to school. And it doesn’t have to last more than a couple of minutes.

You can each say one thing you’re grateful for today, share one thing that’s going to make this a great day for each of you, or get a big book of jokes and choose a joke of the day each morning.

Again, don’t overthink it. A simple, consistent, positive thing that you can do together is all you need here. 

Never Underestimate Yourself

As you can probably tell from these three suggestions, getting your child’s day off to a bright start is not that complicated. 

What it does require is for you to be conscious of what you do and say. Your child picks up on everything, as you’ve likely already figured out.

Don’t think small changes in your words, actions, and moods won’t make a difference, because they do make all the difference in the world. 

Whatever you do in the morning, ask yourself, “Am I setting my child up for a happy, successful day?” 

If the answer is no, change it or save it. Heavy or unpleasant topics can wait for another time. 

We’re Here to Help Make Your Big Days Special

At KidsPartyCharacters.com we specialize in making the big days in your child’s life just right. Whether it’s her birthday, celebration of her favorite holiday, or just a party for the sake of partying, KidsPartyCharacters.com has you covered.

With over 200 characters to choose from, and packages that include ballon artists and face painting, we have the right combination to make every party perfect. Our dedication to detail allows you to ease back and have fun with your child at her party, while we take care of the entertaining.

Get started planning your next party today at KidsPartyCharacters.com. And join us on Facebook for a peek at some of the magic we create. It just might be the kickstart you need to planning your next big event.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

7 Top Books to Celebrate Your Baby's First Birthday

Whether you're looking for the perfect birthday gift, or just a fun book to introduce your child to her birthday and all the specialness that comes along with it, each of these seven books is sure to put a smile on baby's face.

 Where is Baby's Birthday Cake?
A lift-the-flap book by Karen Katz

This book leads baby through a journey of discovery of festive birthday items under each sturdy flap.

Under the last flap, baby's birthday cake is finally revealed.

You'll love the colors and the durability of this book. Baby will love being part of the adventure.

Happy Birthday, Little Pookie

A board book by Sandra Boynton

Little Pookie can't wait to celebrate his birthday. There's just one problem. It's the middle of the night and everyone else is asleep.

Your little one will love the rhyming format of this entertaining book by bestselling author Sandra Boynton as well as it's surprising ending.

You'll love the durability of this board book that can withstand even the most eager little hands.

Birthday (Baby Max and Ruby)
A board book by Rosemary Wells

This is a perfect first book for introducing baby to the concept of his birthday and the delight of getting birthday gifts.

In this board book, popular preschoolers Max and Ruby, who are known for their many books and TV show, are portrayed as babies.

Your baby will love following Max's unveiling of each of his gifts.

Dr. Seuss's Happy Birthday, Baby
A hardcover book by Dr. Seuss

This interactive book offers baby opportunities to touch, spin, pull, and smell, making it certain to become one of her go-to favorites.

The book features classic Dr. Seuss illustrations and unique and memorable rhymes celebrating baby's birthday.

This is the perfect book to introduce your child to the magical world of Dr. Seuss.

Spot's Birthday Party
A board book by Eric Hill

Spot, the lovable star of many bestselling books, is having a birthday.

Baby will join Spot and his animal friends in a fun game of hide and seek at his birthday party in this colorful and engaging book.

To add to the fun, Spot's Birthday Party comes complete with lift-the-flap features that allows your baby to join in the hide and seek follies.

Birthday Counting
A board book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath and Peggy Tagel

Make learning to count a fun way to celebrate baby's birthday with this sturdy board book that counts backwards from six to one.

Of course, baby will get to enjoy birthday cake, balloons, and gifts throughout this counting journey.

This is one book baby's sure to come back to long after the celebration is over.

You're One!
A board book by Karla Oceanak and Julie Rowan-Zoch

Baby bear's first birthday is celebrated in sweet and silly rhymes in this delightfully-illustrated board book.

The story takes baby through things she'll be learning over the next year in a simple and easy to read style.

A bit smaller than the traditional board book, this one is perfect for baby's small hands.


Babies love books, and it's one of the few items you can't have enough of! There's no better way to introduce your child to the joy of having a birthday.

The seven books above all do a great job of combining engaging illustrations with easy to read words, while still being sturdy enough for young hands.

Add more fun to your baby's first birthday with a special guest from KidsPartyCharacters.com. With over 200 characters to choose from, we can meet the needs of even the youngest child with gentle, non-imposing characters guaranteed to engage your child.

Visit us at KidsPartyCharacters.com to start planning your next party today. And join us on Facebook to see how we can help create magical parties for all occasions, with packages to fit all your entertainment needs.

Easy Time Management Tips for Work at Home Moms

As a mom, managing your time can be difficult even if you don’t have an income-producing job. In the working world we can schedule meetings and organize our workday in a pretty predictable way.

But when our workday involves caring for children, predictability is often hard to come by, especially with younger kids. 

"Can you please reschedule that tantrum for 3:00 tomorrow?" has never actually worked! And while your child would probably like to help you out when you say, “Mommy’s very busy, could you puke all over the floor another day,” well . . . like happens.

As a result, when as a mom you decide to take on the dual role of an entrepreneur, managing the expectations of the business world can be one of your biggest challenges.

A lot of the time management advice for entrepreneurs still reflects the now significantly outdated model of you being mom, while your partner comes home from his day job and spends four or five hours every night building his dream business on the side.

Obviously, you can’t fix dinner, care for your children, and get them in bed, and work on your business at the same time.

The First Rule of Time Management

How you manage your time in your business should be one of the first things you figure out. A major reason people needlessly give up trying to succeed at the roles of mom and business owner is the feeling of overwhelm that leads to the false belief that it can’t be done.

When figuring out how you’ll manage your time, the first rule is to be conscious of how you spend your time. No more getting to the end of the day and wondering where it’s gone. 

Your entrepreneurial spirit may fight this at first, but your day is going to need to be very structured. This is a good thing though, because it’s a structure that you get to determine around the needs of your children, rather than something dictated by a heartless boss.

How to Block Your Time for Success

Step one in being conscious of how you use your time is to take a look at your day and determine when you have the longest blocks of time that you can spend uninterrupted by your kids’ needs.

This doesn’t have to be the same time every day. If your schedule isn’t very static, make it a point every Sunday to go through the upcoming week and block your time.

Ideally, you’ll have a two hour block of time to work each day. One two hour block of time is usually more effective than two, one hour blocks of time because any time you have to stop and start working you lose some of your momentum and restarting costs you a little time.

If you have two, two hour blocks of time somewhere in your day, you’re golden. One can be after the kids are in bed, and usually is in most mom’s lives. 

If you don’t have four hours a day, don’t worry about it. Your business may grow a little slower, but the key is it will grow, even with just a couple hours a day working. 

There can be exceptions, remember you are a mom, but for the most part your time blocks should be at least an hour so you can really get some work done.

The Key to How to Use Your Time 

When you go into one of your scheduled work blocks, you have to bust out of the gate like a horse with its eye on the prized carrot. 

If you have to sit around thinking about what you should be doing and making a plan, you won’t really get going until the baby wakes up or the older child walks in the door from school so hungry he might die.

Make your game plan every night before you go to bed. When that magical work hour hits, you can then attack your to do list like the woman on a mission that you are.

If you’ll work this way you’ll find two major benefits.

First, you can be at least twice as productive than you will be if you just try to squeeze in work whenever you can. Having the block of time and the laser focus are key to your productivity. 

Second, it will free your mind to be more conscious of the time you do have with your children. You can be totally present with them when you are outside of one of your work blocks, instead of thinking, “Oh, I really should be returning emails right now.”

It will also help your children if they know when mom’s “work time” is and can be confident you’ll be able to turn your attentions to them when you’re finished. You’ll find their need to interrupt  your time decreases significantly when they know when their time is coming.

One Last Really Helpful Mom Habit

As a mom, you likely find yourself with a lot of small chunks of time. 15 minutes between soccer games, 10 minutes in the pickup line. 

Keep a notecard with you that contains a list of small tasks you need to get done. Tasks that don’t require a lot of time, concentration, or brain power. Specifically avoid these tasks during your scheduled blocks of time.

When you find that you have an extra minute, turn to your notecard and check one of those items off your list. 

This habit will help you maximize your work time and get the really important stuff done, and will make you feel super productive throughout the day.

Still Looking for the Perfect Business?

At KidsPartyCharacters.com, owner Cheryl Jacobs has recently decided to help more moms with their dream to work at home. She is offering a limited number of licenses that allow you to have your own Kids Party Character business.

What do you get with a license? Everything you need.

You’ll get the exclusive right to book parties in your area, the use of all Kids Party Character costumes, access to our casting director and acting coach, and training and support on growing your business from Cheryl and the entire team at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

Having a Kids Party Characters business allows you to work as much or little as you want, is a fun and rewarding business, and is one that your kids will love to get involved in too.

Learn  more about whether this could be that perfect business for you by scheduling a friendly chat with Cheryl on our website at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

And join us on Facebook to see how gratifying it is to help bring kids’ party dreams to life.

How to Choose a Theme for Your Child’s Birthday Party

Looking to take some of the stress out of planning your child’s birthday party? One great way to simply things is to have your child choose a theme for her party before you make any decisions on location, decorations, games, or party favors.

For some kids, this will be easy. They are clearly into one thing. It’s their toy of choice, their superhero of choice, their tv show of choice. They own everything ever made around the character or concept.

For lots of children, what they’re most into will change on what feels like a daily basis. For these children, it’s especially important to get them to commit to the theme they want to go with so you aren’t running around exchanging things and hoping the baker hasn’t started the cake two days before the big event.

Here are some ideas to help your child pick the theme for his next party.

Brainstorm a List of His Favorites: Start by just sitting down with your child and talking about what possibilities he wants to consider. Tell him you’d like to come up with a list, and will then work to narrow it down. 

Base this list solely on what his interests are, and worry about the practicalities of it later.

Visit Party City or a Similar Party Store: This is a great way to give your child a visual representation, all in one place, of most all of the possibilities. Your local party store will have every theme, character, and color imaginable. 

This is not to say you have to buy anything during this visit (or ever) but it will help narrow down or perhaps even change the original list of possibilities your child first came up with.

Visit the KidsPartyCharacters.com Website: As you probably know, at KidsPartyCharacters.com we have a selection of over 200 characters to choose from as your special party guest. 

Browse through our selection on our website and let your child choose her favorite. One of the best things about our characters is that you’ll find much more than the standard set you see on TV and in stores. We have a wide variety of princesses, pirates, superheroes and much more.

Have your child think about what “personality” she wants her party to have, and let her focus on the characters she sees that most represent how she wants her party to feel.

Talk About What Games and Activities You’ll Have: Knowing what your child wants to do at his party will also help him come up with the theme that best suits his big day. If he’d like a treasure hunt through the neighborhood, that would go perfectly with a pirate theme. 

If she really wants all her friends to make wings as the party craft, considering some kind of a superhero or princess would better suit what she’s looking for in her birthday party experience.

Bringing It All Together

If you’ll go through all of the above suggestions with your child, you’re likely to find one common interest that sticks out as your child’s preferred birthday party theme. 

Taking the time to go through these planning steps will ensure that your child is happy with the party she chooses, has no regrets, and isn’t changing her mind on a daily basis as new ideas come into her head.

If you’ll start with figuring out your theme, you’ll find that all of the planning becomes much easier as you focus on decorations, games, and crafts that support this theme.

And remember, at KidsPartyCharacters.com we’ve got more than just your party character covered. We also provide face painting, balloon artists, and other activities that keep the amount of planning you have to do at a minimum. Visit our website today to see how many things you can get checked off of your party planning list in just one stop.

Another fun place to get ideas for your child’s next party is our Facebook page, where we share pictures and stories of other parties we’ve helped to make magical.

Should You Work From Home in Your Home Based Business?

For most people, one of the main reasons for starting a home based business is their desire to work from home. 

While working from home has its obvious advantages, some find that it’s not as glamorous as it sounds.

Working from home requires focus that is built in to a job that comes with a desk and a boss. 

And while it’s very convenient to be able to throw in a load of laundry while you’re “at work,”  or to start getting dinner ready in the middle of the day, these luxuries can also be downsides to the setup. You may find your laundry done and dinner ready at the end of the day, but also discover that you’ve made no money. 

Certainly, working from home doesn’t mean you have to close your eyes to the household work that needs to get done, but if you’re going to mix the two, you have to schedule in time to do the laundry the same way you would schedule in a client phone call.

Another common complaint about working from home is the feeling that you’re always at work. 

Again, when you have a job, there is a built-in physical boundary that allows you to clock out (physically and mentally) when your work is done at the end of the day.

This problem can be lessened if you have a designated work space. Not everyone has a house that allows them to devote an entire room to an office, but that’s certainly the ideal situation. 

At least, your workspace should be someplace that is reserved only for work during certain hours. And, everything work related should be restricted to this certain area.

If you find yourself leaving your work on the couch, at the kitchen table, in your bedroom , , , then yes, it’s going to feel like you’re always at work. 

And then of course there is the issue of your children. Some people love working with their children around, others find it distracting and impossible.

There is always the option of having someone come into your house and watch the children for a few hours a day so that you can laser focus. 

This works well if you have an office in your house, but can still be hard because inevitably, your children are going to want you at some point during the day, and not the sitter.

How To Work From Home Without Working From Home

If you find working from home too hard,  or just plain don’t like it, getting a job and working for someone else in an office is not your only option.

You can still have your home based business, and do your work outside your house. 

Your first option for making this happen is to rent an office. Unless you live in a really tiny town, there are office spaces that come with a secretary, mail service, and use of a copy machine and printer. 

You share all of these things with other people, but the others are in no way connected to your business. 

This setup allows you the flexibility of being your own boss and setting your own hours, while still giving you the advantages of the physical separation between work and home.

The downside to this arrangement is that while it’s not outrageously expensive, it can be cost-prohibitive when you’re just starting your business and need everything you bring in to go either in your pocket or back into the business.

In that case, a popular option has become the virtual office space, or shared office space. These exist in almost every city and are much cheaper than renting an entire office dedicated to you. 

Cost for your virtual office can run anywhere from $50 a month to a few hundred dollars a month depending on location and the services offered.

Again, these spaces give you the advantage of having staff, wi-fi, copy and printing services, conference rooms, and a physical address separate from your home.

You’ll find yourself surrounded by entrepreneurs in a virtual office space, which means the atmosphere is often very casual and the energy very high. While your kids likely aren’t welcome, your dog probably is.

In virtual office arrangements, you don’t have a desk that’s only yours in most cases, so you may find yourself keeping your work “stuff” at home. This is a minor inconvenience at best, since 99% of your work is likely stored on your laptop anyway.

Virtual office spaces are growing in popularity and are really the perfect answer for the person who wants to owner their own home based business but doesn’t want to work from home, or simply finds it too challenging. 

One of the biggest perks to the shared office space is that it averts the all to common “lonely entrepreneur” syndrome and gets you out among not just other adults, but other like-minded adults.

If you are a stay at home mom, another big plus of the virtual office space is that it’s affordable enough that you don’t feel like you need to spend the whole day there. It may be that you can be more productive hiring someone to watch your children for three hours while you work at your virtual office than you can be trying to work all day with your children around.

Don’t discount this option if you see yourself as a stay at home mom not wanting to leave your children. The shared office space can offer you the best of both worlds as a stay at home mom and a business owner who financially supports her family.

If having a home based business seems like the perfect solution for you, or if you have a business that isn’t making you happy right now, we may have the solution for you at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

Owner Cheryl Jacobs has decided to spread the joy she’s found with KidsPartyCharacters.com and allow a select number of people to license their own KidsPartyCharacters.com business.

With a license, or membership, you will have an exclusive territory in which you can book parties, the right to use the over 200 costumes we have, access to our casting director and acting coach, and step-by-step training and support for your business from Cheryl and the entire team at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

Book a no-obligation call with Cheryl today right here, and let her help you decide if this could be the perfect business for you.

Want to see a little more of what you can do with a KidsPartyCharacters.com business? Connect with us on Facebook to keep up with what parties we’re helping to make magical.

Family Spring Cleaning for Your House and Your Habits

Although the temperatures have been slow to catch up in many places, spring has officially settled in. School will soon be out, and new activities and routines will be in, as parents struggle to replace the structure created by someone else being responsible for our children all day.

Spring is a time for renewal in many ways. For some, it’s simply the forced new summer routine.

Others see renewal through shedding the layers of coats and sweaters, celebrating the rebirth of Christ, or planting a garden and watching as new vegetables and fruits begin to sprout and come to life.

Sparked by one or more of these events, most of us feel some urge for a fresh start in life when spring hits. A necessary part of this new start is getting rid of the old that no longer serves you.

Spring cleaning is undoubtedly something you’ve heard of before, and may even be a part of your spring time rituals. If not, it should be. 

Spring cleaning is a great way to set the mood for a brighter, lighter summer. 

Something you may not have thought about before however, is doing a little spring cleaning not only of your house, but also of your habits. 

A little cleaning of your house and your habits will be more fun and more effective if you can get the whole family involved. 

You’ll likely get some push back from the kids, whose summer plans don’t have the word “cleaning” in them anywhere, but if you have an organized process for doing it, it doesn’t have to take long, and will make even the kids feel better in the end.

Spring Cleaning Your Child’s Rooms

Your child should be responsible for her room and any room that is primarily dedicated to her toys or “stuff,” with your help dependent upon her age.

Every spring, do a big clean by physically removing all the toys, books, and other entertainment from the room. 

Then return to the room only the things she actually uses. Help her get rid of the things she never touches but wants to keep for “someday.” At the very least, convince her to put them in a box and store them away for now. If she hasn’t asked for them again by next year, you have an excellent argument for getting rid of them.

Make piles with the leftover things and decide whether to sell, donate, or trash them.

For the child who wants to hold on to too much, use the cleaning process to talk about how less fortunate kids would really appreciate the opportunity to have this toy that they probably will never get if someone like your child doesn’t donate.

Or, invoke another emotion and talk about how much money they could save up by selling the toys that aren’t their favorite, and how much space they can clear out to make room for new things in the future. Be careful, of course, not to use this as a time to just replace the old junk with new junk!

Think about how good spring cleaning makes you feel (once you’re done!) and don’t underestimate the same positive effect it will have on your child. They may not express it or even consciously realize it, but as is often true with adults, less is also more for children. 

Lightening the physical load around your child will also have the effect of lightening her emotional load, and helping her usher in the carefree days of summer.

Spring Cleaning for the Mind

Since you’re already spending some time teaching lessons about renewal around the house, this is also an excellent time to get your child to develop a new positive habit. You, of course, should join in the fun and commit to developing one new habit for yourself.

Spring is also a good time for new habit development since the routines we are in are changing, with more outside time, fewer coats, new sports seasons, and the end of the school year just around the corner. It’s much easier to work a new habit into a new routine, than to try to interrupt an established routine with a new habit.

Work with your child to identify something that really bugs you that he could buy into changing without any major life disruptions.

Remember, we aren’t attempting the impossible task of creating a whole new person here. We don’t want to set anyone up for a new year’s resolutions-type of failure!

This can be something small, like putting your shoes in a certain spot every time your child takes them off so you aren’t constantly tripping over them, or searching the house to find them every time you need to be somewhere.

The magnitude of the new habit isn’t really significant. Like adults, how your child does one thing will become how he does everything. It may start with his shoes, but next you’ll find him putting his clothes in the hamper, hanging up his jacket . . . the possibilities are limitless. 

Set up a fun system to track his behavior, and yours, when it comes to being successful at the new habit. But focus on fun here, don’t use this as a way to punish or scold your child. 

The spring habit should be something both you and your child agree will make him better and make you both happier. 

Schedule some type of celebration 30 to 60 days after you’ve done your spring house cleaning and started your spring habit cleaning. This could be as simple as going for ice cream to celebrate what you’ve accomplished, or as fancy as a full-scale party to show off your “new” house and new habit.

And as always, be sure to keep KidsPartyCharacters.com as your go-to resource for all party planning. We don’t just do birthday parties! We have over 200 characters to fit any occasion, as well as other fun activities like face painting and balloon twisting. Head over to our website at KidsPartyCharacters.com and start planning your spring cleaning celebration today. 

Also connect with us on Facebook for ideas and inspirations in planning your parties.