Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts

Monday, July 14, 2014

Making Your Own Crayons

One of my easy go to gifts for holidays or kids birthdays is a coloring book or printed coloring pages with homemade crayons. It's a great way to get rid of some of those nasty, old, broken and sad looking crayons you have laying around.
Step 1: Break up pieces of crayons into muffin cups. If you have bakeware in cool shapes you could do it straight in them, but I don't so this is how I do it.


Step 2:Put them in the oven on the lowest setting.
Step 3: When they are liquidey then pull them out.

Step 4: Then I pour the muffin cup carefully into the shaped container. These are ice cube trays I picked up at Ikea for a dollar. I have used jello jigglier molds as well, but they don't pop out as easy, but are great for seasonal gifts.

Step 5: Let them cool down.

 Step 6: Then just pop them out and voila! cool crayons!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Once There Was a Snowman, Snowman, Snowman...

With spring officially here I can finally wave goodbye to winter. Although, I couldn't help but look back at one of our favorite winter traditions that we missed out on. Which of courses is strange and was started quite randomly. Every winter we like to make a unique or themed snowman. It started when my oldest son made his first snowman. He was 2 1/2 and we chose some random things to go on the snowman. He was so excited to show Dad it when he came home. Ever since then we try to make a fun snowman every year.




This year we had an early snow towards the end of October. I was right before my brother left on his mission so we decided to have some fun in the snow before he left. Especially because we knew in Utah the snow would be gone within a day.

We came up with this concoction. Which was just colored water and a plastic knife from the dollar store. We also used wood to make the X eyes.







We made this one the following year in honor of my brother. He was serving his mission in Mexico and missed the snow. Since we missed him in Mexico, and he missed the snow by us, naturally we needed a Mexican snowman.


Last year we made this mailbox snowman. I remember seeing a picture somewhere, so when the snow wasn't sticking too well, the idea of stacking it against the mailbox was a perfect solution.  The kids were making up all kinds of reactions they thought the mailman would have when they came for the mail.



This year the few times we had a good snow we weren't able to play in it. Usually someone was sick or it melted before we had a chance. So this winter we didn't do one :(
So hopefully this fall we can have the most epic snowman of all.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Tips For a Tonsillectomy For Your Kids- Day 5-7


Days 5-7 went by slowly for me. Only because my son felt great, but still couldn't be too active. Around day 7 is when the scabs fall off, also being the highest risk of bleeding days. The more he gets his heart rate up, the more risk of bleeding he was. Those days were mostly about keeping my son on the couch. He is so active just when he had to use the bathroom he couldn't just get up and walk over, he had to jump off the couch and run to bathroom. On the way back he treated the toys on the floor like they were hot lava and hop scotched his way back summersaulting back to his sitting position. This was no easy task.


I mostly handled it by gaming it up. That's right I played more Mario Kart and Mario Bros in those few days than I have in the past few years combined! Not to mention, watching Pokémon, Spiderman, and several card games.

Kadan did really well eating. We started with soft rolls torn into tiny pieces than moved to mashed potatoes. Then he did some frozen go gurts, and spaghettio's. By day 5 he was ok eating spaghetti with no sauce and scrambled eggs. By day 7 he was fine with peanut butter and jelly, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. After day 7 he was pretty much up to his normal picky diet.
 
Overall it ended up being a good pleasant experience. We had no problems, and enjoyed spending a week bonding together doing nothing but eating junk food and being couch potatoes. What 7 year old wouldn't want that?

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Tips For a Tonsillectomy For Your Kids- Day 3 & 4

Days 3 and 4 the doctor, nurses and friends all said were going to be the worst. I was gearing up for it. I made sure every 3 hours on the dot I would alternate his Tylenol and Motrin. I tried to keep him hydrated best I could. Honestly, my son did fine. I know every kid is different and mine is a trooper.

There were a few moments where I noticed he got quiet and just kind of sat there watching a movie. At that point  I would ask him, "Is everything ok? You just got really quiet." He would then tell me it hurts a little. Not a lot, but more than before. I would make him a slushie, and check the time. Usually that happened right before he was due for some more medicine. He did say he was more uncomfortable than day 1 and 2, but not in real pain, thank goodness. Since he was eating, sleeping, and drinking that played a big part in it.

When he went to bed on day 4 I didn't give him any more meds till he asked for it or needed it.


Keeping my son from being too active was hard. To keep him down so he wasn't jumping around too much I decided to do something fun. The girls bought and wrapped him 2 movies before his surgery that they had picked out. 1 of them was the first Ice Age. We had them all except the first one. My son went through an Ice Age stage about when the 2nd one came out on DVD, so he has a passion for them. Under the circumstances I decided to have an Ice Age marathon. Normally sitting around watching 4 movies back to back would be a no go, but what else were we going to do?



We had popcorn, my son had popsicles, Dad may or may not have fallen asleep, in the end it was a fun day.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Tips For a Tonsillectomy For Your Kids- Day 1


 Is your kid about to have his or her tonsils removed? Then I suggest reading my posts about my son's tonsillectomy. Before my son had both his tonsils and adenoids removed I tried to find articles with tips on making it easier for both me and my son, and found hardly anything.  Besides what my Dr's office said and a few Dr"ish" websites about the facts I still felt in the dark. I did talk to a few people who had this done to themselves or to their children for some information, but never quite felt ready. I actually had a panic attack the night before. So I am blogging about our experience to help a few mom's out there hopefully not have a panic attack like I did!

Keep in mind every Dr, patient, and hospital are different. Not everyone has the same experience. All you can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best in these kind of situations.

Before I talk about the day of the surgery let me tell you about the night before. That is when I freaked out and pretty much broke down. I went to run a few last minute errands so my son could pick out some of his favorite popsicles, ice cream, drinks, and things like that. As I was pulling up to the gas station (so I wouldn't have to do it early the next morning) I got a phone call. I knew the hospital would be calling to let me know what time we were to arrive for surgery, so I was glad to finally get this call. Even though it was 5 O'clock and I already had my husband and my mom call twice each wondering what time to plan on, this call wasn't the one I thought it was. It was the office saying they hadn't received my paperwork. What paperwork? Well, apparently they emailed me some forms. Which I knew, I just assumed I was suppose to fill them out, print them and bring them in with me. I didn't realize it was a link for an online form that the anesthesiologist needed to look at the night before, and that he would be there in an hour to look over the paperwork.  Aaagh, I'm not only 30 minutes away from home, but will need to unload melting groceries, start dinner, change a diaper, and I had a responsibility through my church that tied me up Wednesday nights. In the end I got it done, and I ended up finding someone to take my place at my church.   The point of that rant is if you are suppose to fill something out before hand, do just that, fill it out before hand. That way you don't have a breakdown and find yourself crying in your bedroom during dinner. Even the Queen of Chaos has a breaking point- weird I know.

At the hospital with our tonsils.


On to the day of the tonsillectomy. Around 6:30 PM the night before we finally were told what time our surgery was scheduled for. One thing I hadn't realized was no food or drink after midnight! Not even a sip of water in the morning. I can promise that would be hard for even me. I didn't even let my son brush his teeth in the morning because I was afraid he would swallow some of it. We brought a spare change of clothes with us because I had heard even though they give them something to wear, some kids wet themselves while on the anesthesia. When we arrived, of course the nurses and staff were fabulous. My son really enjoyed teasing and interacting with them.

The whole thing went by in half the time I thought it would. Maybe it was a good day, maybe I was lucky, who knows? All I can say is it took a little over 4 hours from setting foot in the building to my husband pulling up the car to the front.

In my mind I assumed they would put him to sleep with us and bring him back still sedated. I was shocked that we parents stayed in the same room the whole time. They took my son away awake and brought him back awake. I was happy to hear that they put his IV in after he was asleep, because that was one of my concerns. They don't take it out till right before being released though, just in case they need it again. That part kind of freaked him out, but only for a second. The nurse was real good about taking off the bandage carefully so that when the IV came out it was so quick he barely saw anything till she put a clean bandage over it ninja like. I told him before hand it wouldn't hurt, it would just be uncomfortable.

After with no tonsils.

Since I was told that day 3 and 4 was the worst I figured if he asked to eat, I was just going to let him. On my sons first day he ate 2-3 of those soft Hawaiian rolls. He just tore off little itty bitty pieces. He ate that in addition to the yummy cold treats he had picked out the day before.

Overall day one was a success. Mostly tiring from lack of sleep the night before and waking up early to prep and get to the hospital.

 
1. Make sure you have everything to go in advance.
2. Try to get as much rest before hand as possible.
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and let your kids ask questions.  (I always let my kids voice their concerns and questions to the doctor or nurse themselves.)
4. Eat a big dinner the day before. Cook their favorite meal.
5. Make sure you have plenty of cold treats, soft foods and medicine before hand. That way you don't have to run to the store.
 
Bonus- I had my son write in his Journal before, after and a week after the surgery. It was kind of fun to see what was going though his mind.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Back to Blocks Review and Giveaway


I was thrilled when Back to Blocks asked me to do a review for them. There are a few things I thing every kids should have experienced in their childhood. Here are a few things that we all remember from growing up that we love to share with our kids.

  As a baby who didn't have one of those colorful baby teething rings? Or these set of keys with  different shapes and colors? This is a baby must have. Easy for little fists to grasp, but not too noisy either.
 
 
Another one is a shape sorter. It doesn't have to be like the one I remember having as a child, any shape sorter will do. This is a fun toy I often find my older kids still playing with.
 
 
 
Last but not least, is a set of blocks. I remember sitting forever building, tearing down and re building again. Blocks have an infinite amount of possibilities. The set I received from Back to Blocks are your good ol' plain and smooth wooden blocks.  According to this study, that's why kids find them so appealing. The countless possibilities.

 

 
"Wooden blocks naturally appeal to young

children because they feel good to the touch, are symmetrical, and invite

open-ended explorations"  -TeachingStudies.com

 

There are countless studies on how blocks can help a child in their emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
 
My one year old is currently working on building her fine motor skills. Just wrapping her hands around the different shapes help build her little muscles. I also love the social aspect of blocks as well. My 2 year old is learning to better communicate more when she plays with the blocks. Asking for help, sharing, or communicating what she wants to build are all ways to improve social and verbal communication. My 5 year old daughter loves to let the blocks be the foundation of her imagination. She loves to build a castle and put her princess toys in it. My oldest loves to build more elaborate structures. He is learning and having a better understanding of symmetry, physics and patterns with out even realizing it.
 
The first thing my 2 year old said when I opened the package was, "For me?" Building and knocking down is one of her favorite things. She was so excited to see the blocks. Instantly all my kids were like magnets to the blocks. They loved taking turns building together.  
 
 

 One game the kids liked playing was 1 piece at a time. Similar to progressive story we sit in a circle each taking a turn only adding 1 piece at a time. Then the end structure is a complete surprise and combination of all our imaginations. Here is a quick video of 2 of my kids taking turns adding to the common structure. The picture above is the end result.
 
 
The basic blocks are made from poplar. A hard wood that's not as expensive as maple. You can however purchase either beech or maple blocks, they are just more expensive. They also come with a guarantee. If your block chips or splinter, they will replace it. They come in a nice bucket, which is great for storage. I also love that you can buy just certain blocks. Sometimes my kids always fight over the columns and the arches, well you can purchase extra of just those.
 
Having a nice block set can last a long time. My kids still play with the same set I did when they are at Grandma's house. It's hard to find good quality toys that will last generations anymore. If you want quality blocks, that will last a long time that I suggest Back to Blocks.
 
Back to Blocks is also donating a 24 piece set as a giveaway. Go to their website here and look at some of their different sets. Then comment on which set you like and use the rafflecopter below to enter.
 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
This giveaway opens 12/14/2013 at 12:00 AM and closes 12/20/13 at 12:00 AM. Open to the United States only. Winner will be notified within 48 hours. Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.
 
Don't forget my other giveaway I'm co hosting. Check it out here.
 

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Keeping Kids Distracted While Running Errands


Keeping kids entertained while in long lines, grocery shopping or at appointments is part of the job as a Mom. Sometimes it's easier than others, always depending on the mood of both ourselves and our kids. Here are my top 5 favorite ways to keep my kids from annoying me, each other or other people while out running errands.
Click on picture for more pdf's

1. I-spy
This one is my classic go to game. I always take turns starting from youngest to oldest to make sure everyone gets a turn picking something. You pick an item in your head and say, "I spy with my little eye some thing that is _____." Name a color like purple. Then everyone guesses which purple thing you spied till the name the item you were thinking of.
As a variation sometimes I'll say who can count 10 stars, or find 5 things that are square or so on.
2. Who can _______.
Who can stand on 1 foot for 15 seconds?
Who can pat their head and rub their tummy?
Who can touch the cart with only their pinkie?
Who can touch the _____ with only 2 thumbs? With their elbow? With their nose?
Who can tiptoe down this isle?
Who can walk backwards till we get to the milk?
Etc, etc, etc
3. Progressive Story
When waiting in lines progressive stories are perfect. Usually I start the story and we each take a turn telling a part of it. The best way to not cause too many problems is I tell the story and just ask the kids certain questions like names, towns, they ran into _____, went to ______, used his _____ weapon to defeat the evil________. You get the idea.
4. Grocery Games.
I try things like, "Who can find the grapes first," or I give each kid something to look for. 1 kid looks for canned peas, the other looks for cans of corn. For short trips sometimes we make a chant of the  items on the small list. I'll let kids help hold the list and mark things off. Sometimes I take a picture on my phone of the list just in case something happens to it.

5. Alphabet Game.
Basically we play one of two ways. We look for each actual letter in the alphabet from A to Z on signs, license plates, etc. Or we look for anything that stars with the letter, like apples for A, bananas for B, and so on. Sometimes we do it together other times we see who can get to z first.

Bonus- When I'm trying to stick to a budget I use a calculator so I can see exactly how much I am spending. Sometimes I let my 7 year old be in charge of calculating how much I have accumulated. He feels like a big helper and I stay on budget.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Encouraging Positive Behavior, Forming Good Habits and Strengthening the Bond With Your Kids.

 

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Encouraging Positive Behavior, Forming Good Habits and Strengthening the Bond With Your Kids.
 
 
1. Use positive reinforcement. We have all heard this several times, some how it has worked the best for me when I'm not lazy. When I am willing to be proactive and not just sit back till the incident happens it is a lot easier to break bad habits. Several of my kids have had bad habits thru the years, and will continue to.
 
At younger ages I would set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer would go off if that child hadn't done that bad habit (i.e. bite, hit, yell, have an accident, etc.) then they would get a reward. Usually something small is efficient, like 1 skittle, a sticker or so on. I find this works better than just waiting for them to do the "wrong" thing and then discipline them like time-out. For older kids I usually do a reward for going all day being allowed 1 or 2 warnings.
 
 
2. Rewards don't always have to be candy. I am the candy queen, I have a HUGE sweet tooth. Kids don't always want or need sweet treats for rewards. Kids really just want our attention usually more than anything. A lot of the time that is why they are acting out in the first place. Try rewards like 15 more minutes of reading, an extra book with mom or dad at bedtime, getting to pick out the movie for movie night, or 15 minutes of an activity with mom/dad of their choice is usually a good one. Kids want to do puzzles, play-doh, barbies, and other play activities with us. Use it as a reward or bonus.
 
3. I recently read this article on pinterest that suggested several good things. My favorite being this, "I just told you my answer, do you have a question about it?" or "I know you want my answer to be different but it won't change." This helps with those long drawn out repetitive conversations and fights we have with our children.  This way they can still feel like they can express themselves, feel validated but you can clarify and stand your ground.
 
4. Kids, like us just want to feel validated. Have you ever gotten upset when you have expressed yourself and someone has pretty much replied, " No you haven't." We don't like people telling us how we feel or how we don't, why do it to our kids? For example have you ever said, "Your not scared,"  "It's not that bad," or when you make it about you and not them anymore. I try to not tell my kids how they feel, but either discover a better word for it or a way to fix it.
 
A good example is when the kid comes in expressing they are scared. Sometimes I ask them, "Are you really scared or are you just bored and lonely?" Partially so they understand the difference between them. Kind of like in the book The Giver if you have ever read it. The other is to validate what they are expressing and how they feel. If I had just replied the usual, "No your not, go back to bed," all I did was say I don't care how you feel and your lying. How does that help me strengthen the relationship with my child? My other response is, "How can I help with that?" Not meant in a sarcastic way, but I try to tech them that I can't take their fear away. I can give suggestions, but ultimately I can't be the one to remove any fears they have.
 
5. Be more patient. One thing that I noticed is that I do one thing and have a different expectation from my kids. My favorite is when my kids ask for something, and I respond, "In a minute I'm ______." Pick a reason, on the phone, doing dishes, going potty, reading something, etc. We are constantly asking our kids to be patient and to wait on us to finish up something before we assist them. Why is it then when we want our kids and they want to finish their chapter or level or show we respond, "No, right now!" We make our kids wait for us all the time, but have no patience when we could wait for them. I'm not saying that we should allow them that time all the time, there is importance in obeying your parents. I have however started to actually check how many minutes are left to their episode. Oh only 4 minutes, I can allow that. Sometimes I try 5 minutes or when you beat the level which ever comes first. Lead by example. If you want your kids to patiently wait for you every now and then, then try to do the same for them.
 
Bonus- This is the best gold nugget of them all and was given to me by a dear friend, that I will never forget. Have you ever wanted your husband to be the one to take the initiative to start family prayer, or get the kids rounded up in the car, or for family time? This is how you do it non-naggingly. You yell this to your kids, "Kids, dad's going to call you to scripture time," or "Dad's going to tell you guys it's time to get on shoes and socks," Or even "Okay kids listen because dad is going to ask you to gather for family time."  Then you turn to your husband and say, "Honey it's time for you to call the kids for family time (or scriptures, or to get in the car, wash up for dinner, or so on.)" Do so cheerfully and excited. Over time the habit will start and one day your husband will just call everyone for family prayer without you asking. Oh what a glorious moment it will be, I promise!
 
 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Things I {don't} Love Thursday 4/4




Here are a few things I'm not loving this week.
1. Tax season. My husband is always so busy and works so late, especially the closer it gets to April 15th.
2. Towels not being hung back up. My husband bathed the kids yesterday while I went running. How is it that the next morning the bathroom floor is covered in towels? This is where the saying, "The lazy mom does all the work," applies. Either I just pick them up, or I gather my children to show them how to do it, again! Good thing we live in a dry state, we never got away with this when we lived in humid places!

 
3. Taking kids to the store. Four kids to the store isn't always my favorite thing to do. Sometimes I get thru with no incidents others I leave wanting to bang my head on the steering wheel.
 
 
 Want to see other's post's on what there not loving check out Lulu & Sweet Pea's.
 
I would love to hear what things your not loving this week.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Weekend Wrap Up

What a busy and fun weekend we had! Friday was a tight squeeze do to a last minute doctor appointment, so we had a quick frozen pizza for dinner. Then we met Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Jacob at Kadan's Art show. He is very talented and we are fortunate enough to have someone local who teaches art from her home. He loves it!
 
Then we all gathered at our house for some coloring and dyeing eggs.
 
 
One of my favorite thing to do is wrap rubber bands around the egg before soaking them in a dye. Then after it tries you can take them off and you get this fun looking egg.
 
 
 
We also do things a little backwards in our house. We have made a special request for the Easter bunny to come on that Saturday instead of Sunday. That way we can focus on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday and the fun things the day before. Plus this year the bunny was super mischievous. He tied a different color yarn to each kids basket to help them find it. Getting water in the middle of the night was quite the work out, I assure you.
 

Saturday morning was spent searching for eggs, eating too much chocolate and following the crazy mess to their baskets. The kids were surely spoiled this year.

 
I know I keep saying how wonderful my neighborhood is, here is just one more example. Instead of the madness at other local egg hunts we did one in our own neighborhood. We donated 10 eggs for each kid who wanted to participate, then went looking down one of our streets for 10 eggs.  The kids loved it and ended up with some goodies, money being their favorite.
 
Then off to Grandma's house. We were celebrating both Easter and 2 of my kids birthdays. We had taco salad, cake, lots of deviled eggs and good company.
 
We did end up doing an Easter pinata, even though it wasn't in the plans. Usually my mom has such a large yard we do an egg hunt in her back yard. We thought it would be fun to get a puzzle and put the pieces in each egg instead of candy. Although the puzzle pieces we bought were slightly too big for our eggs. Oops. Our solution was a pinata filled with candy instead. What's a little family fun with out a pinata?  My family loves pinatas, maybe because were Mexican?!
 
 
 
 
Then Sunday morning was low key as we got ready, besides me being extremely nervous because I was asked to sing in a trio in church. The kids Easter outfits for church I bought at the end of last summer when I was still pregnant. I have wanted to go to Hawaii for a long time so they have fun luau and pineapple outfits from Gymboree. The pineapple ones are fun because those that know my Dad knows how much he loves a good pineapple.
 


 
 


Then for Easter dinner I invited my parents over to join us. My kids love when we break out the china and have a "fancy" dinner. We had a yummy roast with lots of vegetables. Everyone in my family, kids included, loved fruits and vegetables. As you can tell that was mostly all our side dishes. A nice laid back dinner, with good conversations and company was the perfect end to a long week.
 
Let me know what you did this Easter weekend. I love hearing about other people's traditions, old or new. Either leave me a comment or tweet me.

 

 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cloth VS Disposable

 I just want to start out by saying this post is about my experimenting and trying out cloth diapers. It is not really meant to debate why one is better than the other. I am by no stretch a cloth diaper expert, as you will learn as you read. Cloth diapers has been in the back of my mind for a while. So after talking to a few friends and reading up on a few websites here is what I personally  have learned, tried, and decided.
So Why did I decide to give cloth diapers a try in the first place? For a few reason actually.
1- Cost. In the long run it is cheaper for me to do cloth diapers. Usually the start up cost can be expensive, however I purchased some previously owned all in ones to start out. I was very fortunate to find a good deal, even though they are boy colors. I figure I average about $8.50 for a package of 42 diapers. Granted sometimes I spend more, sometimes less depending on deals and coupons. That means my average cost comes to $.20 a diaper. It might not seem like a huge savings but long term it will add up.
2-Being prepared. I have had the opportunity to be snowed in before (Read about that here.)That was even when we lived 2 miles from a grocery store. Now that I live 15 miles from the closest store plus with the set up of homes out here this is a  high possibility. I really just want to be prepared if for some reason I don't have immediate access to diapers. That could even simply be because my husband went to work with both sets of keys, because that has NEVER happened!
3- Double duty. I currently have 2 kids in diapers. Adrianna who is almost 2 years old and Graciella who is 4 months old. This adds to the cost point I made earlier. I do think doing cloth on Adrianna she will get potty trained sooner than later. She asks to be changed way sooner in cloth than disposable. Plus Graciella's diapers aren't bad since she isn't on solids yet, so why not now if ever?
Bonus- Environmentally Friendly. This is more of an extra perk than it is one of the selling points for me. Being totally honest this alone wouldn't sell me on cloth, but it is a good benefit none the less.
If you are also weighing pro's and con's here is a link to a more thorough article on why to choose cloth.

I also want to add that I am not doing this full-time. I still do disposable when out running errands, going to church, bedtime and days I am too lazy. Plus I didn't want my husband to stress out so when he changes a diaper he does disposable. I do laundry about 2-3 times a week. Keep in mind I currently only have a total of a dozen all in one diapers, and I only do it 50% of the time. Although the more I do it the more comfortable I am with it.
I know I need more diapers, but I only want one kind of diaper. I did recently buy some off Ebay, but the more I stay home the more I will need. So if you know of any inexpensive places for bumgenius all in one diapers (preferably girl colors this time) let me know.
My first cloth diaper change with Graciella.
 
So here is what I think so far. For days like today when it's randomly snowing I don't see why not! I am home with the kids all day, why not save a little? I have discovered I change cloth diapers more often thru out the day.  I also have not had any rash problems yet. I have had a few leaks, but that is not any different than disposable diapers. I actually prefer "newborn blowouts" in the cloth diapers, they don't blow out the top, back and/or sides like in a disposable. Although My 2 year has had a few messy ones I was grateful were in the disposable. The few that haven't been I just flush down the toilet, which doesn't bother me. I read up on a few ways to do wipes and have decided to use a squirt bottle and an old receiving blanket I cut up. So far so good.
 
I was nervous about how to get my husband on board. That's also why I said he can change any diaper right into a disposable. Over time I think he will feel more comfortable using the all in one's, they really aren't that hard. His only fear and request was smell. So for $8 I bought a little garbage can with a lid, noo complaints from him so far.
 
Like I said I am new at this and still figuring it out. I would love advice, tips, thoughts or favorite blogs or websites!
 
 
 
 
I have been given and found several cloth diapering websites, here are a few of my favorite:
 
The Eco Friendly Family- Cloth Diapers  This link is to their main cloth diaper page, but she has several posts I would recommend reading.
Cloth 101 This website gives descriptions of the kinds of diapers
New to Cloth FAQ Same website as above, different article
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Lowes Build And Grow Sign Up

 
 
Lowe's has fun free build and grow crafts every now and then. You do have to sign up for them in advance and they fill up fast. I try to do reminders on twitter when I come across things like this. Follow me by clicking my link on the right or look me up as @UtQueenOfChaos.
 
 

Friday, March 22, 2013

A "Maze" Ing

I was so fortunate to be a guest speaker on one of my favorite blogs Mommy & Me Creations.
You can read my post about Lego mazes here: My guest post.
 
We had a lot of fun making and playing with these. See for yourself in this video of my son trying out my maze.
 

 
 

Friday, March 1, 2013

It's About Time

So I don't know if I'm upset or proud that after 7 years I finally have my first experience cleaning up permanent marker. Yesterday I decided to take a nap. Sometimes when that happens I know I'll wake up to one of these...
 
...or one of these...

 
...and usually one of these.
 

This time it was much worse. Again partly my fault for not keeping the markers less accessible but Yesenia wanted to color on the white board and grabbed the wrong maker innocently. Then not so innocently she colored on our folding chair, table cloth and under the table in addition to the white board. Yikes! After finding the white board uh-oh she confessed to the rest. The poor girl is so hard on herself her punishment was minimal. I was just happy she showed me everywhere she colored and that none of it was on walls or the couch.

So how was I going I clean it up, if it all?
With a little research an some of my own attempts the best thing was surprisingly toothpaste.

 
 
 I just rubbed the toothpaste over the stains and let them sit 5-10 minutes. Then with a white rag it mostly wipes right off!
 

 
I tried some goo gone which helped a bit on the chair but still left some ghost marks behind. In the end I was very happy with the results!