Homemade Edible Peanut Butter Play Doh!

This recipe isn't right for everyone, for instance for children who cannot have honey or peanut butter. This is very easy to make & much cheaper then buying play doh, whice you have to keep a close eye on your kids so they don't eat it.

For this you will need 1 c. of peanut butter, 1/2 c. of honey, and 1 & 1/2 c. of powdered milk. The next steps are very easy, mix all ingredients together and then form into balls. That's it. Now tell me that isn't easy enough for you to do so your child(ren) can have some fun, and you won't have to worry about them eating it.

This also can be used as a great 'candy' when you use peanut butter and powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Homemade Glitter!

Art supplies don't have to be so expensive. My next few post will be a series of how to save money on art supplies for home by making them yourselves.

To make Homemade Glitter all you need is some liquid food coloring and a 1/2 c of table salt. You will use 5-6 drops of food coloring, you will mix it into the salt. Then you will cook it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. After it is done in the microwave you will need to spread it out over wax paper and let it air dry. After it is dry put it in an airtight container for storage.

See, very simple and a super easy way to save money for your little artist. Plus this way you can make sure if they end up eating some of it that you will know that it is 100% non-toxic.

Homemade Butter in 5 Minutes!

No need to spend hours churning butter to have wonderful tasting homemade butter. Plus it is healthier than the kind you buy in stores.

All you need to make this butter is 16 oz of heavy cream(chilled), 1/2 tsp of salt, and a mixer(preferably a standing mixer but a hand mixer will work, the standing ones are just easier since you don't have to hold it).

Put the ingredients in your mixer and turn the mixer on to high. You will be going a step past whipped cream, the process will take about 3 minutes. It will then deflate and start to look like scrambled eggs. You will keep beating for a few more seconds and you will notice water start to separate from the butter(this is actually buttermilk and can be saved for later use if you want it).

Once the buttermilk has formed stop mixing. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fill the bowl with cold, running water. With your hands, squeeze the butter to form a ball. Keep massaging the ball under the cold water until the water runs clear. This insures that all the buttermilk has been removed, that way the butter will stay fresh longer.

Once your water runs clear wrap in parchment paper, or put into a small serving dish and cover it up. Then put it in the fridge. This is great tasting butter and it is fast to make. I highly recommend this butter!

Homemade Baby Wipes

Baby wipes can get expensive BUT you can make your own. You can even keep some of these in your car for sticky fingers.

To make homemade wipes you will need a roll of sturdy paper towels, baby oil, baby wash, and a deep Tupperware container. First you will need to cut the roll of paper towels in half. Then fill the Tupperware container half way with the baby oil and baby wash(make sure you don't put to much of either in, half of each should do). Then place the paper towels on top of the mixture and put the lid on the Tupperware container. Lastly, you will turn the Tupperware container over so it is upside-down so the mixture can soak down into the paper towels.

Tada!!! You have homemade paper towels.

Walking Through The Jungle - With Your Toddler!

This is a great activity for you to play with your child. You pretend to walk real low like in a jungle and mime the animal you are giving a hint for. It is very easy for you to come up with additional rhymes for this.

Walking through the jungle,
What did I see?
A big lion roaring
At me, me, me!

Walking through the jungle,
What did I see?
A baby monkey laughing
At me, me, me!

Walking through the jungle,
What did I see?
A slippery snake hissing
At me, me, me!

Cleaning Up The Walls From Your Little Artist!

It is bound to happen eventually. Your little one will color all over the walls like it is their personal coloring book. After you have tried the obvious cleaners here are a few other things you can do to try to get it off of your walls.

• Spray hair spray on the ink/pencil/crayon marks and wipe with a damp sponge.
• Spray WD40 on a paper towel and rub gently on the marks. Do not spray directly onto the walls.
• Rub the marks with a damp sponge with baking soda in a circular motions.
• Nail polish remover on a cotton swab/ball. Do not try this as a first resort as it has been known that with some paints it will fade or come off with the marks.

Hope this helps clean some walls after your little artists have their way with your walls.

Remember When...

When you are having a hard day, when you can get just a few minutes to yourself go on to YouTube. Then when you are on there go and find a song you use to love back when you were a teenager or before you had kids. Just sit and listen to it, you can dance around to it if you want. But it is a way to cheer you up and boost your energy a little bit.

I know it's a small tip but the small ones can go a long way when you feel you are just about to snap.

Don't Overreact Before You Know How Bad It Is!

Sorry I have been missing for almost a week but I've thrown myself into studying lately when I have free time.

Well today my daughter fell when she was trying to walk and her head barely grazed the coffee table(not enough for it to hurt), but do to me screaming as she did so it scared her and made the whole situation worse on both of us than it needed to be. Now it is alright to show concern when your little one falls but don't put on to big of a worry face because it will make them overreact to the situation when they aren't hurt at all.

I know it's not much but it will teach your little one's that it is ok to fall and that it doesn't always hurt. Now if they are truly hurt or it truly scared them and they are crying by no means don't hold back. Comfort them, let them know that it is alright, show them that they are ok.

I hope this helps fend off some unnecessary tears that break our hearts.

Playing With Your Baby

Floor Exercises:

• Pull him/her up to a sitting position
• Pull him/her up to a standing position
• Hold his/her hands to help balance him/her while he/she maintains a standing or seated position
• Help him/her do deep knee bends or "jumping"
  
• Let him/her just play around on the floor on a thick blanket to pad the ground
• When it is warm out let your baby just lay around naked on the floor
• When your baby can sit up on their own try rolling a colorful ball to them
  

Lap Exercises:

• All of the above
• Bounce him/her on your knee(incorporate nursery rhymes as they get older)
• Play nursery rhymes

This is for the packrats!

Alright, I am a former pack rat myself and my husband is still a horrible pack rat. It is really hard with him seeing how we live in a one bedroom apartment that is so small we barely have room for the things we NEED. What my husband doesn't know is that once a week(when I have the the time, its been a hectic and busy summer so I am doing this tonight) I take a garbage bag and just toss all the junk we don't need out, 95% of the time my husband doesn't even notice(that's when you know you don't need it). I usually wait until I put the kiddo to bed before I do this so I can focus all my attention on the task but if you think you can do it with the kiddo(s) around then go for it.

Fun Finger Foods

So your baby is ready for finger foods? Here are some things you can offer you baby:

-Cooked, grated vegetables
-Cooked, sliced vegetables(carrots, green beans, etc)
-Chunky mashed potatoes
-Sliced banana or very small pieces of fruit(even a grape is to large)
-Cubes or triangles of bread
-Dry, relatively unsweetened cereal(cheerio's, etc)
-Macaroni or other pasta
-Rice
-Rice Cakes
-Low-salt or no-salt pretzels
-Small cubes of well-cooked meat or poultry

Activity for your Baby - Shaker Bottle

Alright so we are always looking for something to do with our babies. Well here is an activity that almost all babies love. Make them a Shaker Bottle and make "music" with them.

What you will need:

• For babies, use one of their small juice bottles, you can always use a larger size bottle for larger kids.
• Colored rice or pasta(honestly you can use anything small in your junk drawer that you don't need such as nuts, bolts, etc)
  
• Crazy glue or super glue

Directions:

• Make sure the bottle you are using is clean and dry.
• Place the items you have inside the bottle.
• Glue the cap back onto the bottle.
• Little one's will love the noise when they shake the bottle, plus they will also like to watch what is happening to the stuff inside as they shake it all around.

Now go make a Shaker Bottle for your little one and let the fun begin.

**This is also a good way to distract them when you need to get some things done around the house or make dinner**

Teething Biscuits

So we all know how challenging teething is. It breaks our hearts to see our babies in pain, knowing there is only so much we can do about it. Teething biscuits can get to be expensive and you can never be 100% sure that everything in them is safe for your baby. Truth is, any bread that has been hardened can be used as a teething "biscuit". I have also found a healthy recipe as an alternative to the expensive teething biscuits you buy in stores.

Ingredients:

• 1 beaten egg yolk
• 3 tbsp maple syrup or molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1.5 tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp uncooked oatmeal
• 1 cup flour (white, wheat, or combo)
  
• 1 tbsp soy flour
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• 1 tbsp nonfat dry milk

Directions:

Blend wet ingredients, add dry ingredients. Dough will be stiff. Roll dough thin and cut into strips and shape to your desired shape. Bake at 350 degree's for 15 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Though the last three ingredients are not needed, they add to the nutritional value.


If you would like additional recipes please comment and let me know, or watch the blog as I will update with more in the future (I have about 6 more).

For your Relaxation

Well with our busy life styles we all need to relax every now and then. How about you treat yourself to a homemade facial?

Soothing Oatmeal Mask

Ingredients:

• 6 or 8 oz plain yogurt
• 1/4 or 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 2 tsp beeswax or honey

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients.
• Apply a thin layer to your face.
• The honey will help the mask on your face long enough for the oatmeal to work.
• For optimum results keep the mask on your face for at least 20 minutes.

Benefits from the Ingredients:

Oatmeal

• Soothing powers
• Purifying and softening effect

Beeswax/honey

• Emulsifying powers
• Helps in adhering to skin

Homemade Ice Cream In a Bag

This is a personal favorite of mine. You can do this with your children or by yourself:D.

What you will need:

• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 c. Milk or Half & Half
• 1/4 Tsp. Vanilla
• 6 Tbsp rock salt
• 1 pint-sized plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
• 1 gallon-sized plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside of the large bag, seal the large bag again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is Ice Cream, which usually takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe of the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!

Tip:

• A 1/2 cup of Milk will make about a scoop of ice cream, so double the Ice Cream if you want more. But don't increase the portions more than that - it will weigh to much for the kids to pick up and successfully shake it up.

So You Want A Degree???

Alright, we all know that being a mother and a wife, and for some a working woman, that it is hard to go back to school to further your education in hopes of a new job. That is where Online Colleges come into play. Now there are several different one's out there now. It takes a lot of determination to be able to go to school online. I am actually an Online College student to get my Associates Degree in Medical Assisting(which has a variety of different places where you can work in the profession). I did a lot of looking around when I decided to go back to school, and I found the perfect school for me, but there is a lot to look at when you are deciding. First, what do you want to study? Do you want someone else to make your school schedule for you, or do it when you have the free time(which is where the determination comes in). I have a friend that attends the University of Phoenix online and he seems to be enjoying it, and it is right for him. They set the schedule of when things are due and such. While I attend Penn Foster College. With Penn Foster you set your own schedule, which is great as a mother, I decide when I want to study(usually right after my daughter goes to bed for an hour or two). Another advantage is the cost of my school. It is just over $1,000 a semester, which includes books and everything else. While they (as far as I have seen) do not take scholarships and such, they do give you afford able payment plans. I paid $35 down and I pay $45 a month. It is a wonderful school and yes it is an accredited school. They have added more Degree's since I have signed up and they don't look like they are going to stop. They also have a Career School, where you can become certified in various things. If you are interested in going back to school in a way you can afford it look into Penn Foster. But make sure that you choose the school that is right for YOU. Going back to school is becoming much easier for us so lets take advantage of it, so we can better our lives.

Back-to-School: Healthy Lunches

School lunches make it hard to make sure you child(ren) is/are eating healthy because you can't be sure if they are eating the healthy food that you have sent with them. Well I found a website that has some idea's for lunches that your kids should love, but they are outside the box. I am just going to give you the link because there is no way I could share my favorites since I love all the idea's. I hope this will help you to get your child(ren) to eat their healthy lunches that you pack for them.

Back-to-School: Healthy School Lunches and Snacks

Just for Mom - At home manicure

So we all can't afford to go out and get a manicure, though as mother's we all deserve it. We deserve to have something that makes us feel just a little more beautiful, or for some more put together, because we all know being a mother is hectic. Here is how you can give yourself a manicure at home that will look great.

• Remove. Remove all of the old and chipped nail polish off of your nails.
• Trim. Trim you nails to the desired length you want. Then you can shape them to either squared or rounded. **If you don't have a nail file on hand you can use the rough edge of a match book**
  
• Soak. Soak your nails in warm water for 5 minutes. You can add 2 Tbsp of bath powder or your favorite liquid soap to soften the nails. **You can skip this step if you don't have the time.**
• Soften. Apply cuticle oil or lotion on dry hands to nourish and soften rough spots. **If you do not have cuticle oil, olive oil works just the same.
• Push. Use a cuticle or popsicle stick to press the cuticles back so they are out of the way of the polish.
• Scrub. Exfoliate with a body scrub or with a mixture of olive oil mixed with kosher salt or raw sugar. Scrub for 2-3 minutes, then wash hands thoroughly.
• Moisturize. Dry hands and moisturize.
• Polish. Apply a base coat first, then 2 thin coats of polish. **Light polish is harder to notice chips than darker polishes.**

Now if you don't have time to polish then you can just take the old chipped polish off and moisturize.

Also, keep your polish in a cool dry place(such as the fridge) and it will last longer.

Getting Things For Free

I've stated before but I'll do it again, time's are tough and money is tight. We are lucky enough though to have people willing to give away things they have, but no longer need, for free. There is a great organization called Freecycle that goes through Yahoo! Groups and it is a great way to either get rid of things that you no longer need/use or to ask/receive things that you are in need of or something you just want.