Locks Of Love Donation Tip

Today's tip is for anyone who wants to donate hair to Locks Of Love, but does not want to (or is unable to) donate the 10" they require to make a wig from the hair.

My sweet Clara Rose was in desperate need of a new 'do, and she was hooked on the idea of donating her hair to help a sick little girl somewhere (she has such a heart of gold). But if we were to cut 10" off her hair, it would have been much shorter than either of us wanted her hair to be (she still wanted to be able to do "twists").

While I was researching LOL's frequently asked questions, I learned that hair that is shorter than 10" will NOT be thrown away. Short hair is usually sold to offset wig manufacturing costs, or for short hair wigs (boy wigs maybe).

So we had her hair cut with the pony-tail holder, and we got about 5 inches. We're donating her hair to help sick kids...even if it's not necessarily made into a wig. All Clara knows is that she's helping a sick child somewhere...and that worked for her (and me!).

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A Great (Free!) Game For Kids

For most of you, I'll bet this idea will be more of a reminder than a new tip. Did you play this game as a kid? We sure did, and I loved it! The name of the game? "Grocery Store" (I know, I'm so creative). It's a great game for days when it's too hot, smoky, cold, rainy, etc. outside.

The general idea goes like this:

1. Grab "groceries" out of your pantry and encourage the kids to set up the living room/play room like a grocery store. Remind them that they'll need a place to pay for and bag the groceries as well.

(the canned and boxed foods isle)

(the produce section)

2. Encourage the kids to assign roles or jobs and then rotate after a bit so everyone gets a chance to be the checker, the shelf organizer, the shopper, and "the baby" (my kids' favorite role).

In this picture, Ben is the guy working the store. He met the girls at the "door", invited them in to shop, and then gave them a tour so they knew where to find what they needed (dang...can I shop at a store like that?!). The girls did their shopping, and then Ben bagged the groceries and they exchanged pretend money.



3. Some great ways to make this game age appropriate for older kids:
- Have the kids write out shopping lists (maybe even based on a particular meal or recipe)
- Put price tags on the "groceries"
- Teach them to stay within a budget
- Use real money to "buy" and make appropriate change (after doing the adding, of course).
- It might also be a good time to teach about sales tax...what is it, how much is it, and sales tax is used for (you know... senator parties, fancy airplanes, important business meetings at the local pub, etc.)

4. My only other suggestion when playing this game, is for the parents to stay out of the way as much as possible! I made some general suggestions, "Maybe you'd like to....", and they were off to the races! I didn't interfere when Ben said a zucchini was a "gazillion" dollars, and I didn't offer my advice when they were trying to figure out if it was appropriate to put canned stuff next to boxed stuff. Just let their imaginations run wild and have fun watching!

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Just Call Me Miss Pottery Barn!

Remember when I told you how to make a homemade bulletin board out of an old sheet and a piece of cardboard?

Well, just look at what I found in my Pottery Barn Kids magazine today:


They call it a "Pin Board". It would be so easy to make!! Grab some scrap fabric, some corrugated cardboard, and some duct tape. I like the idea of making smaller panels and putting them together to make a bigger surface.

If you try it, make sure to send me some before and after photos!

A Frugal & Simple Way To Hang A Quilt

This is my baby boy...

And this is his room...
It was just a couple of months ago (he's 10 months old) that I decided I was tired of the bare walls in his room. I had purchased this cute quilt with the bedding set, but I never got it hung on the wall as intended.

One day I headed in there with a hammer and some good ol' straight pins. I was determined... and I was thrilled by how easy it was (and how well it turned out)! The tiny hole made by the straight pin did not damage the quilt (or the wall) either, and it's very securely hung. Give it a try!

Here are some tips:

- Find the top, center (approximate is fine) of your quilt.

- Holding it by that point, tap a straight pin through the quilt and into the wall at the height you want it.

- Next, do the corners to make it level.

- Add pins until the top edge looks straight as well.

P.S. Did you know that you can use straight pins to hang almost any light to medium-weight item on your sheet-rocked walls? They're amazingly strong, and they do minimal damage to your walls.

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Are Debbie Meyer "Green Bags" Worth It?

I'm a sucker for a good infomercial. I've spent way too much money on fantastic looking products on TV, only to get them home and realize that they're junk and that I've just wasted my money. So I've been skeptical of Debbie Meyer "Green Bags". The commercials claim that they'll keep your produce from spoiling over really amazing amounts of time.

I finally broke down and bought a box of 20 for about $12. I found them in my grocer's produce section (not by the other ziploc bags and such).

Before taking them all out of the box, I decided to do an experiment. I took two bananas off of a bunch that I'd just purchased. One went in the bag, and the other didn't. I put them aside in the same corner of my kitchen so they'd see the same light and temperature conditions. After 3 days, I compared them, and here's what I found:


You can see in this following picture that the banana in the bag looks like it just came off the bunch. The stem is firm and still green. The other banana...not so. The banana is starting to show signs of aging and softening.


Interesting, but compelling? Not really. BUT THEN....

Then, I cleaned a bunch of grapes that I planned to bring on the airplane for our vacation. I couldn't fit them all in the carry-on, so I put them in a green bag to see what would happen.

You know how grapes practically whither in 30 minutes once you take them off the stem? And how they get a bit soft and slimy even if you leave them in the fridge?

Well, take a look at these beauties:

Folks, these grapes have been off the stem for 15...FIFTEEN...days. That's more than two weeks! And these grapes were still crunchy!

That did it for me. I am completely and totally sold on these bags. I'm going to do some shopping and try to stock up before my garden produce really starts coming ripe. I'm so thrilled to have found these things!

Now, if Miss Meyer and her people could come up with some sort of facial cream to take care of my signs of aging. I'm tempted to poke a few holes in a green bag and sleep with one over my head tonight! :)

Give 'em a try, they definitely work for me!

BTW...I did a post last week Wednesday, but never got around to linking it to WFMW. If you'd like to read about the Best Parenting Tip Ever, click on over.

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Best Parenting Tip Ever!

Today is Wednesday. I usually participate in Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer, but not this week.

As you probably know, we're in Wisconsin. Hopefully, we're sitting by the water on a sweltering day, sipping lemonade and dipping our toes in the lake. Maybe catching a fish or two. Not really missing the computer at all (okay, maybe a little). And hopefully we're not watching flood waters rise or a tornado coming our way. It can go either way in the great state of Wisconsin!

Even though I'm not participating in WFMW, I thought today would be a good day to tell you about the BEST parenting advice I ever got. It's as simple as this :

Some time before you need your kids to shift gears (i.e. stop playing and pick up, turn off the TV, say goodbye to their friend, get ready for bed, etc.) say "Hey kids, we're going to XYZ in five minutes, okay?" And then make sure they heard you by asking them to look you in the eyes and respond "Okay, Mommy."

The kids file it away in the back of their brains that the clock's ticking, and that they're going to do something different soon. That way, when you say "Okay! Time to XYZ!", they are MUCH less likely to have a meltdown than if you just spring it on them and expect them to cooperate immediately.

It's to the point now, where all we have to do in our house is say "Five minutes!", or get their attention and hold up five fingers (comes in handy when they're across the room or at the very top of the play land tunnel at McDonald's).

Give it a try...it works for me! (And it worked ON me too - this advice was from my parents) :)

P.S. It doesn't have to be precisely 5 minutes from the time you want to shift gears. It can be one minute...it can be 30 minutes. And BTW, this tip works on 2 year olds and 6 year olds alike (and probably older, I just don't have experience there yet)

A Great Baby Shower Idea

This baby shower idea has become very popular with my group of (very fertile) girlfriends. I can't remember who gets credit for this idea...the first time I did it was as my own baby shower hosted by my sister, Tiffany. But I've done this project at countless other showers too, and it's always a hit.

Supplies: Baby onesies in a variety of sizes, "puffy" fabric paints, a little imagination (if you're short on imagination, you might want to have some children's books on hand for ideas).

Activity: At the shower, have each guest grab a "blank" tshirt or onesie, and use the paints to decorate the onesie.

As you can see from the tshirt my Thomas is wearing, you can get some pretty fun little shirts out of this project for the mommy to be. The shirts below were done by my two oldest kids when I was in the hospital having Thomas. They were so proud of their creations!

Tips:
- You might want to put a piece of waxed paper or foil on the inside of the shirt, in case the paint goes on thick and bleeds.
- Have a place available where you can lay the shirts out flat for about 24 hours while the paint dries.
- Encourage guests to put thier initials somewhere on their shirt so the mom can know who made it (or take pictures of guests with their creations).
- Have some pencils and scratch paper available for people to plan their design and maybe practice using the paints.
- Have a straight pin on hand to clear any clogs in the paints.
- If you're really feeling ambitious, you can use fabric dye to pre-color the shirts before painting for some really unique creations.
- A twist on this idea is to do a tie-dye project with the shirts (instead of painting)...I thought it was a strange idea at first, but it turned out so cute!

Design Ideas:
- Bugs: butterflies, caterpillars, lady bugs, grasshoppers
- Vehicles: trains, airplanes, cars, buses, motorcycles, backhoe, bull dozer
- Sports: baseball, basketball, football
- Symbols: stars, hearts, polka dots, smiley face, cross
- Phrases: "Daddy's Girl", "I Love Grandpa", "Jesus Loves Me", "What Smell?", etc.

The sky's the limit! Have Fun :)





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WFMW: A Fix For Cracked Heels

Yes, Heels. I'm actually writing a post about Heel Balm. My life is just so glamorous!

I feel a bit strange writing about dry feet after flying high on cloud nine today. All of your sweet comments on my "Miracle" post did my heart good...thank you :)

But now, on to Heel Balm. Heels. You know, heels... of your feet. The part that gets all dry and cracked and ugly and sore in the summer months. Or is it just me?

I'm betting it's not just a problem for me, so I just had to tell you about this stuff:

It's called "Heel Balm", and the manufacturer is Flexitol. I found it at my local Fred Meyer store, but you can also find it HERE.

I've tried every kind of lotion and potion and scrub and loofa available to feet. Nothing helped my cracked heels until I tried this miracle stuff! It's more than a lotion or cream...you just have to try it to believe it!


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A Quick Tip: Getting Picky Kids To Eat

(Just look at my tiny little 2 year old Clara!! She is such a doll :) She was also notorious for taking a bite of food, and immediately spitting it back onto her plate. Little stinker!)

My bloggy friend, Amanda at The Stumbling Christian, does a "Mommy Tip Tuesday" carnival...I thought I'd join in this week with one of my mommy tips.

This one is for all you parents who have a hard time getting your picky eater to do the impossible: put food in their mouth, chew, swallow, repeat.

I have two words (or should it be one??): TOOTH PICK.

This tip is especially useful for 2-3 year olds. I cut their food into bite sized pieces, put a little dollop of "dipping sauce" (we use lots of ketchup, ranch, and pizza sauce around here), and serve it up with a toothpick. The kids have such fun poking the food with their new utensil and choosing which sauce to use, their food is gone before they realize that they actually ATE FOOD :) Give it a try!

UPDATE: This post has been modified for submission to Works For Me Wednesday.

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How To Make A Homemade Bulletin Board

I wish I could say that I came up with this clever idea, but the credit has to go to my handy hubby.

I'd been searching for reasonably priced bulletin boards for my kids for quite a while, but anything that was a good size also carried a hefty price tag ($20-$30 each). So my genius husband came up with the idea to use some carboard, an old sheet, and some duct tape...of course!

We used a king size sheet that we haven't used in years (we're flannel sheet snobs now that we're used to them). Hubby cut the cardboard, and I cut the fabric. Then I taped the edges down on the backside of the cardboard (sort of like wrapping gift wrapping), and hubby hung them in the kids' rooms.

I was a bit skeptical, but normal tacks work beautifully! It was free, simple, fun, the kids love them, and it works great. Now THAT works for me!

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WFMW: No Mess In My Spice Cabinet!

I love my fresh pepper grinder, but I hate the mess it makes in my spice cabinet! I don't remember where I got this idea, but it works like a charm. I kept the lid to a can of cake frosting, turned it upside down, and use it as a place to store my pepper grinder. I just grab it and tap the mess into the sink from time to time...no more pepper spreading all over my spice cabinet.

Give it a try, it works for me!

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WFMW: Vacuuming Made Easier

Here's a simple way to make vacuuming a little easier...add an extension cord to your vacuum's cord. I added another 12 feet to my cord, so now I can vacuum my whole lower level without stopping to plug-in somewhere else once I run out of cord. Isn't my little Sammy a doll? I'm pretty sure she thinks that this was her idea :)

Give it a try, it works for me!

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Quick Tip: Keeping Spaghetti

Open spaghetti packages always end up a mess in my pantry. To keep the noodly noodles tidy, I have a simple trick: I wrap a rubber band around the outside of the package after it's opened. The pasta stays put and I keep my sanity! Give it a try, it works for me!

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**By the way- I'm hosting a giveaway right now. Come see me HERE if you'd like to get in on it :) **

A Great Craft: Homemade Pillowcase

I just had to show you pictures of my latest craft project!

My mom makes homemade pillowcases for my kids, and they just LOVE them. She uses really cozy flannel material, and she customizes it with their names. Their "Grandma pillows" are such a special thing for them.

I decided to give it a try. I didn't want to make them for my own kids though, since it's my mom's special thing to make for them. So I made one for my friend's daughter. It was so much fun to make! And Karissa really loves it (so I'm told).

The hardest part was choosing fabrics. I really lucked out with the puppy fabric...she's a fanatic about puppies! But it didn't seem like a very "pretty" pattern, so I prettied it up with the flowered fabric for the hem. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Isn't it cute?! :)
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Teaching Kids: Which Foot? Which Shoe?

Does anyone else's kiddos have a tough time trying to figure out which shoe goes on which foot?

I came up with this simple idea to help them. Using a permanent marker, I drew a small smiley face on the inside of each shoe.

When they ask me "Mom, is this right?" I just remind them that the smiley faces should be facing each other..."smiling at each other." It works every time!

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Breast Feeding Tip: Nursing Bracelet...It Works For Me!

My advance apology to any of my male readers out there...might want to skip this one!

Any nursing moms out there?

It's especially important when you first start nursing to be sure and nurse equally from each breast to help develop a good milk supply on each side.

Whether you're a nurse-on-both-sides-for-each-feeding mom, or a nurse-on-one-side-per-feeding mom...it helps to keep track of which breast you're supposed to start with at a given feeding.

I'm on my 4th breast-fed baby, and this system works the best for me.

I made myself a simple bracelet, which I wear on the wrist that corresponds with the side I'm supposed to start with at the next feeding. When I sit down to nurse, I have the same routine each time: note the side, position baby, switch bracelet to other wrist, and ready...set...latch!

It is especially handy for those bleary-eyed middle of the night feedings. Thinking clearly is just not on my agenda for a 3 AM feeding!

Some tips for making a bracelet:
1. Use a variety of colors or a single color that matches anything...you'll be wearing the thing every day (or you could make more than one...that's an idea!)
2. Use small beads or stones. Since you'll be sleeping with it on, you'll want something that's not very bulky.
3. Use an elastic material - no clasps needed (clear elastic band type material found in the beading section at craft stores).
4. Tie it off with a square knot to ensure that it will not come loose.
5. Keep an eye on it. If it seems that part of the elastic is getting thin over time, re-string the beads on new elastic.

Give it a try...it works for me! And swing by Rocks In My Dryer for more great ideas.

Digital Photo Storage and Organization

Clockwise from top left: external hard drive, thumb drive, DVD, CD, prints

I got a really great question from a reader recently...how do I store digital photos? Since I was planning on doing a post about it eventually anyway, I figured now is as good a time as ever. Thanks for the question, Ann J

As I see it, there are two main issues associated with digital photo storage. The first is simple: basic organization - How to store the photos in a way that lets you access them when you want to? The second is security - How can you store your photos in a way that protects you from total loss should your computer crash?

Basic Organization:

I use my photos in two ways - the good old fashioned way (looking at them in an album) and the more modern way (sharing them electronically). Therefore, I have two different way of storing my photos from an organizational standpoint.

I don't know. Maybe I'm too "old school"...but I really like good old fashioned prints. There's just nothing quite like sitting down with a photo album and reminiscing. Each year, I go out and buy a new album. I have one album for each year. It's important to buy the kind that's expandable...meaning you can add more pages as needed (this is the album I use). And then, once a month, I look through the pictures I took that month and decide which ones I want prints of. Then I pop them into the album. Done.

From an electronic standpoint, I keep it very simple. When I download my pictures to my computer, they are automatically stored by date. I leave them that way. But my hard drive is filling up fast! I’ve been thinking a lot about how to store my photos long term. That leads me to the second issue…

Secure Long Term Storage:

I’m a nut for photo security. Always have been. I have a giant safe deposit box at my bank, which contains our marriage license…and hundreds…maybe thousands of film negatives! I just couldn’t bear it if I lost all of those precious images in a house fire or something. It’s an illness…I know.

I can think of 4 ways to store your photos in their digital format:

1. Computer hard drive (already talked about that)

2. External hard drive

3. Thumb drive or similar device

4. Disc

External Hard Drive: I bought one of these to backup my computer. I plug it into a USB port, and simply drag files from my computer’s hard drive onto it. It has an enormous amount of storage. I’m tempted to go get another one of these to use exclusively for photo storage. For now though, I still have enough room to backup my entire computer (spreadsheets, Word documents, music, and pictures) to this one device. Pretty slick!

Thumb Drive or similar: These are handy to store photos on when you’re on your way to the store to have prints made. It’s very portable and affordable, but don't have a ton of space.

Discs: DVDs or CDs can store quite a few photos! They are easy to store, and are also a pretty “stable” format – from what I understand anyway…they don’t degrade over time (unlike film, for example). They are also very affordable.

So what am I going to do? Probably all of them!

I’ll primarily use my external hard drive to backup and store my photos. But I’ll also burn them to discs…and put them in my fire proof media safe or safe deposit box. Note: a fire proof media safe is different than a document media safe.

Hey…I warned you that I was a nut. Now if you’ll pardon me, I’m going to go backup my pictures!

P.S. I'd love to hear how you store your photos - please...comment away!

Quick Tip: "Green" & Frugal Cleaning

This is my bathroom. Don't be jealous...it's rarely this clean, just ask my husband! After I unearthed the counter top this afternoon, I realized that I needed to clean the counters, mirror, and sink. I had Sammy "helping" and Thomas chattering to me in his "I'm getting bored and irritated" voice. I was trying to be quick.

I went to the cabinet under the sink where I keep my cleaning supplies for that bathroom. I found paper towel and sink cleaner...but no glass cleaner (Windex, Glass Plus, Perfect Glass, whatever). I didn't feel like I had time to go out to where I store stuff in the garage to find some. So I just wet the paper towel with water and got to work.

It was then that I realized just how brainwashed I'd become! I usually douse the counter, sinks, and mirror with the blue stuff and then scrub 'till it sparkles. I thought I needed it to really get things clean. But as I cleaned today, I realized that the reason that the blue stuff works is just that it's...wet! Well guess what else is really wet? WATER!

I'd been spending money that I didn't need to spend. I had been spraying chemicals in my house that were unnecessary. You can't get much more "green" than good ol' water!

Now, I should be honest. When I had time later in the day I did use a tiny sprits of the blue stuff on the mirror and chrome. And I did sprinkle some sink cleaner in to really get the gunk out. But I used far less of the chemicals than I normally do. And I have a new mind set now: wipe things down with a damp towel FIRST, and then use the chemicals only if necessary. I'll save money and it will be healthier for my family. Give it a try!

Quick Tip: Keeping Kids Safe With Medicine

With the nasty cold that we've been fighting around here, I was reminded of a simple tip I thought might be helpful to you.

With two adults giving cold medicines, prescriptions, and pain relievers to 4 different children, it can get complicated! There are different medicines, different dosing, different times they're supposed to take them...sometimes in the dead of night. It's easy to forget if you've given the medicine (especially with both mom and dad doing it). That's downright unsafe for the kids!

So every time we start with an illness (even if it's only one child), I grab a piece of paper out of the recycling bin and write the child's/children's name at the top. I then write what meds they're taking, at what time intervals, and at what dosage. Then, every time I give them their medicine, I write down what time I gave it to them and which medicine it was.

It's also really helpful if we need to take the kiddo to the doctor. I grab the paper on the way out the door because I know they'll want to know what sorts of medicines we've been giving them and when they had their last dose.

This method has been a life-saver for our sanity. Give it a try, maybe it will help you too!

Sink Fun: It Works For Me!

Yet another tip from me this week about entertaining the kiddos on the cheap! I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I'm sure it's been around since the beginning of water, kids, and sinks...so I guess you could consider this more of a reminder.

There is just nothing that entertains my children more than water. For my older kids, I let them fill up the sink and choose their toys from my kitchen utensil drawer. For my smaller ones, I do those things for them. However they get there though, they just love playing in the water! They scoop, they pour, they "measure", they experiment. And of course, they get to wipe down the bathroom with towels when they're done.

For a little extra fun, add some soap or bubble bath to the water. Or let them use a bar of soap to see how slippery it gets. Ice cubes would be fun too. You can also challenge them to a game of "sink or float"- choose a few things from around the house, have the kids guess if the items will sink or float, and then let them find out for themselves.

Sink fun keeps them busy for a good hour. It's cheap. It's educational (sorta). It's not too messy. But most importantly, IT'S NOT TV!

Thanks so much for stopping by! For lots of other great tips and ideas, go visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.