{Pinterest} Parenting Edition

I don’t have any sort of “Parenting” board or anything on Pinterest, but I usually “like” a pin to bookmark it, and then I will go back and read it when I have time.  Here are a few things I have been reading, in case you are interested:

Chapter Books For Younger Children 
  

This is a wonderful list, full of great chapter books that are appropriate for me to read to my girls.  As I perused the list I felt very humbled.  I think I have read one (that’s right, ONE) series – The Little House on the Prairie.  Man, I have some catching up to do!

Favorite Books for Girls

Yet another list of wonderful books that I am woefully behind on introducing my girls to.  (We did read a couple from the 3-year old list, so maybe I’m not as behind as I thought.)

Chore Ideas for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Not only did this blogger’s post have a great write-up, I got so many other wonderful ideas from reading other mommy comments (as well as solicited advice via my friend on Facebook).
I am actually going to use the bulk of ideas not for everyday use, but for special “extra work”/punishment-type activities.  I wrote out the chores on large popsicle sticks and if one of the girls needs a punishment, I have them draw a stick.

A Better Bedtime

This author’s idea – to let the children decide their own bedtime – was a shocking idea to me at first glance, but as I read the article I realized that it is in essence what I already do with the two older girls, with a few tweaks.  It has some good ideas and I might try and start doing them with Piper (because she comes out of her room all of the time after we put her to bed.  We’ll see…

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray For Your Children

I came across this pin via my Bible Study friend Stephanie.  I love it!   I have been wanting to keep some sort of framed printable on Emma’s nightstand, so that at night, as I am nursing and rocking Emma to sleep I can focus my quiet time with the Lord.  I think this will be a big help (along with several of Stormie O’Martin’s references.)

{Pinterest} Tips 'n Tricks

I think one my favorite - and most used - boards on Pinterest is my Tips 'n Tricks board.  I have all sorts of great ideas pinned on there and have actually been trying most of them out.  Here's a few that I've done:

Screw a Parmesan cheese container lid onto a Mason jar

Plath's Adventures via Pinterest

Cut out the top of a salt container and fit it to a Mason jar.

My New Old School via Pinterest

I am very excited to learn about these two tricks!  I tried it and they work!  Don't know just yet what I will use it for, but I know I will think of something....

How to easily peel a hard boiled egg


Stone Soup via Pinterest

I tried this the other day and I will be honest - the egg peeled easily.  I don't know if it was this trick that did it or because I boiled the eggs the right way or that the eggs were a bit older.  Either way, my eggs peeled easily so I want to share it with you in case you want to try it too.

Make your own foaming handsoap

Full of Great Ideas via Pinterest

I had previously made my own foaming dishsoap but (duh!) had never made my own foaming handsoap.  I can't believe it either.  Well, awhile back I had stocked up at Bath & Body Works on some yummy smelling foaming handsoap (a treat to myself while pregnant and extra sensitive to smells) during a rockin' sale.  And although I have several left in my closet, I had emptied a few bottles and randomly hung on to the empties.  God must have known I would need them, huh? 

Anyway, I used some Bath & Body Works shower gel my mom had given me to try this project.  Guess what?  It works!  I am now using it as my main handsoap in the kitchen, right alongside my foaming dishsoap.  Cleaning up just doesn't get any easier than this.

Candy Cane Mice

The idea for candy cane mice didn't come from Pinterest (can you believe it?) but after I was talking about it with my friend Stephanie I did post it on there for her and others to see.  Maybe you would like to make them too!

Candy cane mice come from Martha Stewart (duh, right?) and I had cut the idea out of a magazine a bajillion years ago. 

This Christmas season I decided it was a good way to 1) use up my felt scraps and 2) create low-cost Christmas treats for Lily and Ava's preschool classmates.

The directions on how to make the mice from the Martha Stewart website are self-explanatory, so I'm not going to detail it here.  The candy canes came from Target, specifically the Wonka Sweet Tart variety that was on sale a few weeks back (not surprised are you?).  When all is said and done I think the bright colors are very cool and fitting with the felt mice.

But I did have to put my own spin on things and let the kids know who was giving them these cool treats, so I created some tags using some free scrapbooking elements and a font I had collected.

I just tied it on with some yarn I had laying around (kinda wish I had some fun twine, but alas we use what we have) and we are all done!  The girls were so excited to take them to preschool today.  Fun and practically free!

{Pinterest} Thanksgiving Onesie

I had pinned this turkey onesie to my Autumn board on Pinterest, but when I realized it was originally from an Etsy shop (which I can't locate) I didn't want to copy it directly. So I went searching around the internet until I found a personal blog that included a turkey template, making it even easier to make. And for the life of me I can't find where I got it from. I wish I could give them credit, but I know it came with an attached template cause I still have the cut out pieces laying around my sewing room.

Bad blogger.

Anyway, I went into my "woman cave", i.e. my craft/sewing room and started rummaging around. I found a 6-month white onesie for use as the base and then sifted through my fabric collection to come up with the theme.

I contemplated a fall fabric layout.

But in the end I decided to be non-traditional and girly and cute, and went with five coordinating pink and green fabrics, with light brown for the body.

I cut out the pieces with the template (really I did!) and because I didn't have any Heat 'n Bond I pinned the pieces to the onesie and zig-zagged around the edges.

I finished it off with french knotted white embroidery thread for the eyes and I painted on a beak with yellow craft paint.

Ta-da! A happy camper!

Tips 'n Tricks I've Learned

Cleaning the Oven Door

Using a paste made of baking soda and water (seriously, that's all!) cleaned my oven door.  Then I tried it on the inside too.  Took off all of the gunk INSIDE my oven as well.  Loving this tip, as I was set to use Easy Off and that would've taken two hours and smelled up the house.  This is so much nicer!

Sprinkling Baking Soda on Mattress

I read this tip via Pinterest but they didn't have a source (one of the pitfalls of this otherwise wonderful site).  Here's what you do:  Pour about 1 cup of baking soda into a mason jar and drop in 4 drops of lavender essential oil. Put on the lid and shake up the jar. Using a kitchen strainer, sprinkle the baking soda mixture all over the mattress and let it sit. I left of on for an hour and a half. Using the hose end of your vacuum and an upholstery attachment, thoroughly vacuum the mattress. The baking soda helps draw up any moisture and deep dirtiness. It deodorizes and leaves the mattress smelling fresh and clean.                   

When I did it, I did not use the essential oil.  I had it, I just decided I didn't want a smell.  I can't tell you if there is truly any difference, but it was super easy as I already had the bed stripped for laundry day.  And if it is actually cleaning something, I am all for it!

Creating Collage in Picasa

I have used Picasa before but had forgotten about this feature until reading this article. Yeah! Loving it! I used it to put together what my brain was envisioning for a spot on the living room wall:

(You'll see how that turns out soon!)

I also used it when my extended family and I were thinking about how to coordinate for family photos.  Here's another little tip:  Did you know that if you Google "what to wear family photography" you get a ton of mood boards with outfits already put together for you?  Me neither!  Anyway, that's what I did, then put four mood boards into Picasa to create (again) what my brain was picturing:

I plan on using this same technique to put together a mood board of design / craft projects I want to finish in the girls' rooms.

Essential Oil on Cotton Ball in Vacuum Cleaner

I don't know where I picked this trick up at, probably a magazine.  I have a bagless vacuum cleaner so this works for me; I am not sure it works for the bag kind, though it probably does.  I put a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball (I used lavender because that's what I had, but I am really craving a citrus smell for this trick) and drop it in your vacuum cleaner canister.  When you vacuum it will make your house smell faintly of that smell.  Nice and fresh.  Of course, when you dump out the gunk you will have to replace the cotton ball, but this will give you a chance to try some different smells.

Getting Eggshell Out of Your Batter
Again, I don't know where this tip came from (maybe my mother-in-law), but I wish I would've known about it sooner in life.  Did you know that the  little bits of eggshell - the kind that fall into your batter and you try desperately to fish out - are attracted to eggshells?  Seriously!  Just dip your larger eggshell back into the batter and, as if by magic, that missing bit of eggshell will float right over to it.  Genius!

Cleaning Stovetop Grates

My stove top grates did NOT look like this before, but after placing them in a closed bag (I put all of mine in a trash bag and sealed it up) and spraying them down with Easy Off, the gunk fell right off.  And what didn't came off with only the littlest of elbow grease.  Nannygoat (where I learned about this ages ago) says to use simple ammonia (which is also what I am seeing alot of around Pinterest) but I used Easy Off because I had it on hand.  If you try it with ammonia, let me know.

Scant 1/4" Quilting

Diary of a Quilter is one of my favorite blogs.  In fact, Emma's baby quilt came from a pattern Amy designed.  I wish I heard of this trick ages ago.  By moving my sewing needle one position from center, your seam will be a "scant" 1/4 inch.  It's much better than not having enough seam allowance at the end.  Brilliant!  I can't wait to try this trick.

I hope you find some of these tips 'n tricks handy! 

WFMW: Recycling ValPak Mailers

I love to flip through the ValPak mailer that comes, to see all of the coupons and offers (you aren’t surprised are you?).  And normally I place 99% of it in the recycling bin.  I discovered though a better way to recycle the papers: we use them for preschool cutting practice.  Not only are the pieces of paper a good size for little hands to hold (half-sheet) but the majority have shapes already on them (the coupon boxes) that are the perfect size to practice their scissor-cutting on.  Using safety scissors helps with their coordination and is recommended activity for preschoolers.  It "Works For Me”.

How I Keep Organized

I love to be organized.  If there is such a thing as "over-organization", I probably strive for it.  Until then, I continue to stumble around finding what is the best method for me.  In my quest I have been leaning towards electronic methods, though I have discovered that I love the feeling of crossing something off of a paper "to-do" list.  That at least is one thing I refuse to go electronic on.  But here are a few of the other ways I have been staying on top of things (or trying to at least):

Springpad

Although I am not currently using this system because I have already been working on other systems, when I stumbled across this website yesterday I thought "dang it, if I had known about this before..."  So I wanted to give you the heads up.  It has a place to store "My Stuff" - restaurants, movies, books, recipes, etc. - or "My Plans" - shopping lists, to-do lists.  It even has a tab called "My Apps", which has a receipts manager and (my favorite) a weekly menu planner, which comes equipped with quick links to add online recipes and create a shopping list from your plan.  Even though I have been using other methods for menu planning, this may become my new favorite.

Google Reader

How do I love thee, let me count the ways.  When I finally took the plunge into Google Reader (I had been using My Yahoo) I have never looked back.  Google Reader allows me to manage all of the blogs I enjoy reading (which now number into the *cough cough*, I don't know if I want to tell you that), sorting them into categories I designate and how I view them (by date, list form, etc.)  It is such a manageable system for ingesting an enormous amount of ideas and information in a short amount of time.  I have categories for "Creative and Inspirational" (from which all of my fun ideas come) and "Money Saving Sites" (where I can get the most up to the moment deals from the nation's best money savers) among others. 

My favorite feature is to just "add a star" to an article and table it for later.  There are many ways to search through all of the blog posts, like keywords, but I can also narrow down my searching to just items I have added a star too or simply view all of the items I have added a star too.  This makes it very simple to just add a star to items I am interested in reading later, crafting later, or wanting to refer back to.  Crafts, recipes, coupons, etc. - whatever I like I just add a star to weed it out from all of the others.  Then on my own time I take a look at the items that caught my eye in an original scan.  I love this method!

All Recipes

I have been using this webite for a long time now to search for new recipes, but recently I discovered that you can also add recipes to your "Recipe Box" from outside websites.  This means that all of the yummy recipes I have "starred" on Google Reader or saved to "Favorites" on my computer, I can now save them all to one location that is accessable to me from any location and by anyone else.  No more hunting for "where did I put that recipe?"

Delicious

Another place I have started organizing ideas is at Delicious.  It's a web-based bookmarking tool.  This means that I can access any of the crafty ideas (or whatever else you choose to bookmark) from any computer anywhere.  I can also share these ideas with any of my friends or family that wants to see what I'm inspired by.  You can also "tag" your bookmarks, making searching by subject so much easier later on.  I have tags for fabric, sewing, lumber, girls, tshirts, oilcloth, etc.  That way later on if I come across some awesome oilcloth but can't remember why I wanted it, I can access my Delicious account, search by oilcloth and voila!  Any craft I tagged with "oilcloth" will appear and I can plan out my project.  The only downside is that I wish a little thumbnail picture of the project came up so I could see all of my ideas at once.  Oh well, maybe I will suggest that!

Google Calendar

I use Google Calendar for family activities and meal planning.  The great feature about this is that you can create different calendars, color-code them and look at them all together or individually.  You can also create short-term calendars and delete them when the activity is over.  And once again, everything can be accessed from anywhere and (if you choose) by anyone.  I share my menu plan calendar here on the blog, but I do not share my personal calendar.  Easy huh?

WFMW - Favorite Organizing Tip

This week at Works for Me Wednesday the theme is our favorite organizing tip. Sometimes I am a bit of an overachiever when it comes to organizing; my labelmaker is one of my favorite toys.

My favorite organizing tip is to reuse my plastic baby food tubs to store my spices in. Using the tubs makes stacking the spices neat and tidy, and also makes it super easy to measure out spices for recipes. I love it! (As you can tell from the picture, I have used up most of my tubs and am ready for baby #3 to start eating solids so I can start collecting them again.)

I also have found another use for the baby food tubs - I store all of my daughters' hair clips and hair bands in the tubs too, which makes finding exactly what I am looking for simple and they stack nicely in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

Using baby food tubs "works for me". For more great organizing tips this week, visit We Are That Family.

WFMW: Another Use For a Shoe Organizer

Awhile back I added an over-the-door shoe organizer to the back of the girls' bedroom to round up all of the random things that seem to float around the changing table. I stash hair care items (hairbands, ribbons, hairclips, combs, brushes, detangler, spray water bottle), medicines (diaper rash cream, cortizone, Vaseline, Tylenol drops), and other personal grooming items (lotions, nail clippers, "nose blower", Q-tips) that I would like to have handy to use on the girls.

The best thing about using the organizer is that I put the items I don't want them to get into in the upper shoe compartments where the girls can't reach them and leave the bottom compartments open to put actual shoes in (or whatever else Ava feels like storing in them, like her Little People.)

For more Work For Me Wednesday ideas visit We Are THAT Family.

WFMW: Cereal gift boxes

I read a hint in a magazine last month and have been employing it this holiday season with great success:

Save your cereal boxes and use them to wrap presents in. Why did I never think of this before? They are a perfect size for clothing and I am constantly recycling them at our house. So this year as wrapping paper comes flying off, people will be wondering if they got Rice Krispies or something better.

That's what works for me! Check out the entire Works For me Wednesday line-up over at Rocks In My Dryer.

WFMW: Dip for Kids

Ava is on a kick right now where she must put dip on everything, and I do mean everything - the other day she was trying to dip individual pieces of rice. Now, I admit that the level of fun my kids can have is sometimes directly related to the level of work it creates in my laundry room, so I am not a fan of ketchup. And I am not too thrilled about using Ranch dressing at every meal because it isn't that nutrious. So this past week I created our own Ranch dip, using plain yogurt and Hidden Valley seasoning. It is a HIT! I even think it is super yummy, plus Ava is getting some hidden calcium at every meal. Win-win.

Works for Me Wednesday

Whenever I have a tube of lotion that I can't get the last remnants out, I cut the tube in half then use my fingers to scoop out the remainder. To keep the lotion fresh, simply slide the top half over the bottom half and it will keep just fine until you can use it all up.

Check out more Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer.