I am a huge fan of homemade and personalized gifts. I think there is so much to say for a gift that is filled with the love of someone who wold take time out of their busy lives to make something special just for me. I love giving personal gifts as well, my family can attest to the countless photo gifts and homemade picture frames and collages.
So I was really excited when my friend Felicia, owner of the Darling Girlfriends Review Spot blog, wrote a review for products from My Kid's a Hero, a great site with some wonderful personalized gifts like blankets, book bags and their main attraction, storybooks that star your child as the hero. Check out her review to take a look at the products she received as well as enter a fun giveaway for your own personalized book mark and book bag.
All of the products on My Kid's a Hero look fun but the story books are what really drew me in. My kids love to read and they also love to make up stories that include themselves. So, to give them a gift of their very own story book with them as the hero I think would just make their day. It is a gift they would treasure for years to come. This is definitely something I will be looking into for birthdays and Christmas.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
So Fresh and So Clean!
While I am a frugal person and I like to make a lot of things on my own I am also not the type of person who makes every little thing from scratch. I know people who make their own household cleaners, detergents, etc, but that is not me...usually. This week I found myself in a bind, grocery day is still a couple days away and I ran out of laundry detergent. So, knowing that there are people who make their own I decided to look up recipes. A problem i found was that most recipes called for ingredients most people would not just happen to have on hand like washing soda (not the same as baking soda) and borax. Since the whole point was not having to go to the store, I hoped to find a recipe with ingredients i already had.
Luckily I came accross a pretty cool site called Tipnut. This site is full of recipes, cleaning tips, craft projects and more. On their site they had an article, 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes, that had just what I needed as well as some helpful tips. There was one recipe amongst the 10 that used only soap, baking soda and water, all things I had on hand.
Here is their recipe:
Recipe #8
2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)
After washing, my clothes not only look clean but smell clean too. I usually have to buy detergent for sensitive skin which gets my clothes clean but doesn't really smell like anything, the ivory soap doesn't irritate my skin and it gave my clothes a really fresh smell. I would say that this is something I would do again. The effort it took to make was minimal, plus, I got 2 gallons of soap for a fraction of the cost of store bought detergent. Typically I pay around $12 (not counting coupon savings) for a 150 Floz bottle of detergent, which is just a little over a gallon (128 Floz). Baking soda costs about $1 per box and the soap usually comes in packages of 3 or more starting at around $2 or $3, so at most I paid $4 (less actually since I only used 1 bar of soap) for 2 gallons which is a savings of about $20!!
Have you made your own laundry soap? If not wold you try it? If so what recipe did you use and what was the outcome?
Luckily I came accross a pretty cool site called Tipnut. This site is full of recipes, cleaning tips, craft projects and more. On their site they had an article, 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes, that had just what I needed as well as some helpful tips. There was one recipe amongst the 10 that used only soap, baking soda and water, all things I had on hand.
Here is their recipe:
Recipe #8
2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)
- Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
- In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
- Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
- Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.
After washing, my clothes not only look clean but smell clean too. I usually have to buy detergent for sensitive skin which gets my clothes clean but doesn't really smell like anything, the ivory soap doesn't irritate my skin and it gave my clothes a really fresh smell. I would say that this is something I would do again. The effort it took to make was minimal, plus, I got 2 gallons of soap for a fraction of the cost of store bought detergent. Typically I pay around $12 (not counting coupon savings) for a 150 Floz bottle of detergent, which is just a little over a gallon (128 Floz). Baking soda costs about $1 per box and the soap usually comes in packages of 3 or more starting at around $2 or $3, so at most I paid $4 (less actually since I only used 1 bar of soap) for 2 gallons which is a savings of about $20!!
Have you made your own laundry soap? If not wold you try it? If so what recipe did you use and what was the outcome?
Saturday, May 28, 2011
A Summer Treat You Can Make at Home
Snow Cones, Snow Balls, Shaved Ice, whatever you call them they are a popular, fun and delicious summer treat. I see the trucks driving all over town and the little stands opening all over the place already. If you have a craving for this fun summer treat but don't want to spend the money this is actually a very simple thing to make yourself at home.
What you need:
Ice
Something to crush ice (snow cone/shaved ice maker, blender, food processor, etc)
Sugar
Water
Unsweetened powdered drink mix (such as Kool-Aid) any flavor
Cups (you can buy paper snow cone cups, I just use any cups I have on hand)
Whipped Cream (optional)
The first thing you need to do is make your syrup as it must cool completely before you can use it.
To make the syrup first mix 2 cups sugar and 3/4 cup water in a pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a rolling boil. Then remove from the heat and stir in the drink mix (we chose strawberry). You can get creative here and make any flavor you wish, you can even double or triple your batch to make a few different flavors for a rainbow treat. Allow it to sit for about 30 min then place in an airtight container and refrigerate it until it is completely cool.
Once your syrup is cool you are ready to make your icy treat. Crush your ice and pack it down (I used the slicer/shredder attachment for my kitchen-aid mixer, use whatever works best for you). Use an ice cream scoop to form a ball and place in a cup or paper cone, then drizzle your syrup over top an voila! You can eat it just like that or I like to put mine in a cup and add whipped cream on top.
These are so easy to make and fun for the whole family to get involved. Plus they are very inexpensive to make yourself so you can save the money it would cost to purchase them from the truck or stand. Have fun!
Share some of your favorite snow cone flavors or other fun summer treats.
What you need:
Ice
Something to crush ice (snow cone/shaved ice maker, blender, food processor, etc)
Sugar
Water
Unsweetened powdered drink mix (such as Kool-Aid) any flavor
Cups (you can buy paper snow cone cups, I just use any cups I have on hand)
Whipped Cream (optional)
The first thing you need to do is make your syrup as it must cool completely before you can use it. To make the syrup first mix 2 cups sugar and 3/4 cup water in a pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a rolling boil. Then remove from the heat and stir in the drink mix (we chose strawberry). You can get creative here and make any flavor you wish, you can even double or triple your batch to make a few different flavors for a rainbow treat. Allow it to sit for about 30 min then place in an airtight container and refrigerate it until it is completely cool.
Once your syrup is cool you are ready to make your icy treat. Crush your ice and pack it down (I used the slicer/shredder attachment for my kitchen-aid mixer, use whatever works best for you). Use an ice cream scoop to form a ball and place in a cup or paper cone, then drizzle your syrup over top an voila! You can eat it just like that or I like to put mine in a cup and add whipped cream on top.
These are so easy to make and fun for the whole family to get involved. Plus they are very inexpensive to make yourself so you can save the money it would cost to purchase them from the truck or stand. Have fun!
Share some of your favorite snow cone flavors or other fun summer treats.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
NickJr. Boost
I was recently given the opportunity to participate in a 3 month trial of NickJr. Boost with MommyTLC.com. I have two children, ages 6 and 4 who both love NickJr and we were excited to have this opportunity. I will admit that I had some skepticism at first. My kids play on the NickJr site a lot and I wondered if a pay version would be worth it. However, after 3 months my kids were asking for more and that says a lot. 
Boost is set up like a room. Each child gets his or her own room that he or she gets to decorate how they like best and everything is easily accessible to them. Videos are accessed by clicking on a tv, games by clicking on an arcade machine, etc. The games and videos are also tailored to your child’s education level, having the choice between pre-K, kindergarten and first grade. So, while my children both had access to the same games, my son’s games were more complex than my daughters to suit each of their educational needs.
Another fun feature is that children are rewarded for progress with printable badges and marbles. The marbles can be spent to purchase virtual toys for them to play with. My children get so excited when they get marbles to spend or a new badge when they learn a new skill.
What really sets Boost apart for me is the ability to track your child’s progress. This feature shows you exactly what areas they have been working on. You can see what games they have played and what subject matter those games focus on. This is accompanied by a pie chart to show you what percentage of their online time was spent on certain areas of learning. When you go to those specific areas, it breaks it down even further for you within the subject area. This can help you steer them towards games and activates that will help boost areas they need the most.
There were very few negative points in my opinion. Overall it is a great program. I do wish there was some way to turn off the introduction, you can press skip on all the stuff that explains Boost to you but really there is no need to have it on there at all after the first use. In the beginning it seemed like there could be more variety but as you get going you realize there is just enough and my kids really enjoyed it.
Any program that can improve the ability of my children to learn and also enjoy learning is fantastic in my book. I would definitely recommend Boost to caregivers of young children.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Holiday Picture Memories
As I bandage the minor abrasions on my hands caused by animals trying to escape the torture of being dressed up and posed for a holiday photo, i wonder, was it worth it? YES! It totally was! The pictures are heartwarming, funny and a memory to last a lifetime.
Have you ever tried taking pictures of your kids? They squirm and fuss and ask if you are done yet and you say I would be done faster if you would just smile! Well take that scenario and add in 3 dogs, a rabbit and a box turtle. The dogs were actually all too happy to don their Christmas garb. They jumped and wagged tails and panted excitedly then pranced around the room to show them off. The Rabbit was not too happy, only because I attached a bow to his harness and he hates the harness (rabbits were not meant to be walked) but once it was on he hopped around happily without a care. The box turtle (tortoise my son would say) was none too happy about getting a ribbon tied around her shell and tried the entire time to remove it.
Once everyone is dressed and looking cute I plop them down in front of the tree. Every photo someone is making a face or looking away, it is practically impossible to get all kids and animals facing forward and looking happy. The pets kept wandering away, the children were making faces, but instead of getting annoyed I laughed. It was a wonderful family moment.
I took a few but this was my favorite of the bunch:
One dog is standing tall, the next has given up trying, my daughter is being silly making a face that makes me giggle every time I see it, the rabbit was caught trying to make a getaway, the last dog has become very suspicious of the turtle who just wants that dang bow off and my Son is trying his best to pose while being distracted by his sister. it isn't a perfect picture by any stretch of the imagination but it tells a story and makes me laugh and those are the best photos in my opinion.
It is funny the things we will do to commemorate the holidays. No matter what the trouble or hassle we stick to our traditions and are happy we did. I love looking back at family photos and seeing all my children grow, the ones with fur and the ones without. I am a picture fanatic any day of the week but the holidays are especially important to me and I wouldn't trade those pictures, or the memories of taking them, for anything in the world.
Have you ever tried taking pictures of your kids? They squirm and fuss and ask if you are done yet and you say I would be done faster if you would just smile! Well take that scenario and add in 3 dogs, a rabbit and a box turtle. The dogs were actually all too happy to don their Christmas garb. They jumped and wagged tails and panted excitedly then pranced around the room to show them off. The Rabbit was not too happy, only because I attached a bow to his harness and he hates the harness (rabbits were not meant to be walked) but once it was on he hopped around happily without a care. The box turtle (tortoise my son would say) was none too happy about getting a ribbon tied around her shell and tried the entire time to remove it.
Once everyone is dressed and looking cute I plop them down in front of the tree. Every photo someone is making a face or looking away, it is practically impossible to get all kids and animals facing forward and looking happy. The pets kept wandering away, the children were making faces, but instead of getting annoyed I laughed. It was a wonderful family moment.
I took a few but this was my favorite of the bunch:
One dog is standing tall, the next has given up trying, my daughter is being silly making a face that makes me giggle every time I see it, the rabbit was caught trying to make a getaway, the last dog has become very suspicious of the turtle who just wants that dang bow off and my Son is trying his best to pose while being distracted by his sister. it isn't a perfect picture by any stretch of the imagination but it tells a story and makes me laugh and those are the best photos in my opinion.It is funny the things we will do to commemorate the holidays. No matter what the trouble or hassle we stick to our traditions and are happy we did. I love looking back at family photos and seeing all my children grow, the ones with fur and the ones without. I am a picture fanatic any day of the week but the holidays are especially important to me and I wouldn't trade those pictures, or the memories of taking them, for anything in the world.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Yes, Eloise, there is a Santa Claus
I have always thought it interesting that many family movies about Christmas depict adults as not believing in Santa Claus causing the little ones watching to worry if Santa is real until somewhere near the end when he reveals himself and the magic of Christmas wins out. So I was surprised to see a different type of grown-up while watching the DVD of Me Eloise: Little miss Christmas with my daughter.
**Spoiler Alert, if you don't want the movie ruined, stop reading (although I am certain the majority of people who would truly care are too young to read anyway)**
For those who don't know, Eloise is the 6 year old protagonist of many books written by Kay Thompson (later adapted to animated movies and the television show Me Eloise) who gets into a lot of mischief but always with the best of intentions. She is rumored to have been loosely modeled after Kay's god-daughter Liza Minelli, but no one knows for sure.
In this Christmas special (from the tv series, not to be confused with Eloise at Christmastime) Eloise wants to put on a special Christmas Eve show with her friends in the plaza Hotel where she lives. She writes a letter and her only wish for this Christmas is that Santa will come and be a part of her show. When her nanny finds out that Santa is Eloise's surprise guest she tells Eloise that she can't expect Santa to come be in her show on Christmas Eve when he is so busy delivering toys to all the children in the world.
This response seemed typical of what you would see from adults in most Christmas specials. It appears she is trying to steer the child away from certain heart break when Santa, who in her mind doesn't really exist, doesn't show up. My first impression is wrong as this is where things take a turn. Later we see nanny talking to Bill, a room service waiter in the hotel who is prone to performing in the hotel restaurant and is helping Eloise with her show.
The conversation goes something like this:
Nanny: I need to talk to you about the children's show
Bill: It is going great
Nanny: I am worried because Eloise and the other Children have their heart set on Santa being there
Bill: But Santa is very busy, it is Christmas Eve
Nanny: I tried to tell her but her heart is set on it, I thought maybe you could help
Bill: I can't be Santa
Nanny: Of course not, but you could pretend to be Santa
This is not verbatim of course but you get the general idea. What impressed me was here you see two adults, talking alone about how busy Santa is and how bill is going to dress up and pretend to be Santa because surely the real Santa will be too busy to come himself.
I loved seeing two adults who clearly believe Santa exists. I felt this captured a childlike imagination. It took the magic of Christmas and said this is something grown-ups can believe in too. I liked that my daughter was seeing this exchange and I liked watching her become worried, not that Santa may not be real, but that he would be too busy. You see little elements of this throughout the film, one of my favorite moments is when the Hotel inspector (throughout the movie the Hotel owner was sweating his arrival and actually makes the kids cancel their show at one point for fear of upsetting the inspector) gets so excited about the Holiday show and Christmas cookies and asks Santa if their is a present for him.
I am a fan of Santa and childhood imagination. I let my kids believe whatever they want to believe and embrace the world of magic and imagination. I don't condemn parents who don't, or who choose to teach their kids otherwise but personally I was pleased to see a movie that fully embraced that the magic of Christmas can be for the grownups too.
**Spoiler Alert, if you don't want the movie ruined, stop reading (although I am certain the majority of people who would truly care are too young to read anyway)**
For those who don't know, Eloise is the 6 year old protagonist of many books written by Kay Thompson (later adapted to animated movies and the television show Me Eloise) who gets into a lot of mischief but always with the best of intentions. She is rumored to have been loosely modeled after Kay's god-daughter Liza Minelli, but no one knows for sure.
In this Christmas special (from the tv series, not to be confused with Eloise at Christmastime) Eloise wants to put on a special Christmas Eve show with her friends in the plaza Hotel where she lives. She writes a letter and her only wish for this Christmas is that Santa will come and be a part of her show. When her nanny finds out that Santa is Eloise's surprise guest she tells Eloise that she can't expect Santa to come be in her show on Christmas Eve when he is so busy delivering toys to all the children in the world.
This response seemed typical of what you would see from adults in most Christmas specials. It appears she is trying to steer the child away from certain heart break when Santa, who in her mind doesn't really exist, doesn't show up. My first impression is wrong as this is where things take a turn. Later we see nanny talking to Bill, a room service waiter in the hotel who is prone to performing in the hotel restaurant and is helping Eloise with her show.
The conversation goes something like this:
Nanny: I need to talk to you about the children's show
Bill: It is going great
Nanny: I am worried because Eloise and the other Children have their heart set on Santa being there
Bill: But Santa is very busy, it is Christmas Eve
Nanny: I tried to tell her but her heart is set on it, I thought maybe you could help
Bill: I can't be Santa
Nanny: Of course not, but you could pretend to be Santa
This is not verbatim of course but you get the general idea. What impressed me was here you see two adults, talking alone about how busy Santa is and how bill is going to dress up and pretend to be Santa because surely the real Santa will be too busy to come himself.
I loved seeing two adults who clearly believe Santa exists. I felt this captured a childlike imagination. It took the magic of Christmas and said this is something grown-ups can believe in too. I liked that my daughter was seeing this exchange and I liked watching her become worried, not that Santa may not be real, but that he would be too busy. You see little elements of this throughout the film, one of my favorite moments is when the Hotel inspector (throughout the movie the Hotel owner was sweating his arrival and actually makes the kids cancel their show at one point for fear of upsetting the inspector) gets so excited about the Holiday show and Christmas cookies and asks Santa if their is a present for him.
I am a fan of Santa and childhood imagination. I let my kids believe whatever they want to believe and embrace the world of magic and imagination. I don't condemn parents who don't, or who choose to teach their kids otherwise but personally I was pleased to see a movie that fully embraced that the magic of Christmas can be for the grownups too.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
I have a blog?
Wow! It has been a while!
My journey to getting healthy has gone well. I am at 130, and while not my initial goal weight I am comfortable with it. I am in a size 8 and like not only how good I look but how good I feel.
I have so much more energy to be the mom I want to be. I love taking walks with the kids and playing outside with them so much more than I used to. Also, my being active and trying to eat healthy is having an impact on them. i see my 6 year old son making healthier choices at snack time without any prompting from me and that feels good.
For me it was about shifting my focus from weight loss to getting healthy. This meant a change for not only me but for my whole family. We still have treats from time to time and i am not super health queen by any means, but we do our best and try to have fun while we are at it.
My journey to getting healthy has gone well. I am at 130, and while not my initial goal weight I am comfortable with it. I am in a size 8 and like not only how good I look but how good I feel.
I have so much more energy to be the mom I want to be. I love taking walks with the kids and playing outside with them so much more than I used to. Also, my being active and trying to eat healthy is having an impact on them. i see my 6 year old son making healthier choices at snack time without any prompting from me and that feels good.
For me it was about shifting my focus from weight loss to getting healthy. This meant a change for not only me but for my whole family. We still have treats from time to time and i am not super health queen by any means, but we do our best and try to have fun while we are at it.
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