Make Your Own ...

... Picture Frame birthday gift!

For a friend, Savvy wanted to make a gift.  Here's a great idea using things we had around the house, and most likely, you do too.  :)

What you need:

Picture frame (we used 5x7)

Acrylic paints and paintbrushes

A cool birthday card received in the past

Hot glue

Scrabble tiles (optional)

First, Savvy painted the frame.  The control freak in me wanted to step in, but I refrained. 

Next, we cut out shapes from a card received from a past birthday.  Yep, I save them.  Call me a packrat.

After the frame was dry, we hot glued the cut outs and the Scrabble tiles to the frame.  The tiles spell the name of the gift recipient.

Savvy Girl showing off the finished project.

So, there you have it.  A totally free and creative birthday gift that is original and Earth-friendly.

DIY Laundry Detergent

After reading The Duggars' book, I was inspired to make my own laundry detergent the way that they do.  And it was super easy!

Ingredients:

1 Fels-Naptha bar of laundry soap

1 cup washing soda (Arm & Hammer)

1/2 cup Borax

To make the dry stuff, grate the bar of Naptha soap into tiny pieces.  Mix together with the washing soda and Borax, and presto!  Laundry detergent!  Use 1 tbsp for small loads, 2 for big loads. 

This is what it looks like all mixed together in the container, a grainy yellowish-white mixture.

 

When this batch runs out, I plan to make the concentrate gel formula of the same ingredients.  I've been very pleased with the way it cleans my clothes.  Took baby mess and dried food stains right out, so it's a winner in my book.

You SLIMEBALL!

Riley has begged me for days to make an experiment with cornstarch and water, and today we finally found a good opportunity to do it.  While the little guys were napping we made slime!  You pretty much just mix cornstarch and water and add a little bit of salt, and voila!   A slimy liquid that is ooey gooey and solid again seconds later.

 

At A Loss ...

My eldest daughter is bright, intelligent, funny, quirky, witty ... and extremely emotional!  I am at a loss on how to deal with her.  One minute this 9-year old is smiling and giggling, and the next she's a quivering puddle of tween drama on the floor.  Help me!

Today's topic of temporary insanity:  "Occupation Day" at school.  Students were encouraged to dress like what they want to be when they grow up.  Of course, my Riley wanted to be a fashion designer.  I know this.  She loves dressing in wild attire daily, and her sketches of fashionable dress are piling up and making me think of "Hoarding" on TLC.  But I couldn't see past the little pink teddy bear that was part of her costume.  

In reality, this was a pitiful ploy to take a soft toy to school, which I do not allow.  When confronted with this reality, she had a complete meltdown.  "Fashion designers carry cute pets with them all the time, Mom!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face.  "Sometimes," I replied, "but never when they work and never pink teddy bears.  Put it upstairs, Riley."  I have to be firm about this kind of thing, because she has a very strict teacher in school and she would get in serious trouble.

Meltdown commencing.  And continuing.  On and on and on.

I've been telling this child for four years now that she needs to work on self-control.  Giving her the help I can, praise when it calls for it, and correction when needed.  I'm out of ideas. 

Anyone out there got suggestions?

Just Another Saturday

Another lazy Saturday ... and by lazy, I mean the kids.  Me?  Not so much.  Finished up my mother's birthday gift and got it mailed out.  Got a house to clean (as always) and laundry to do.  But I thought I'd put up some pictures of what the kids are up to right now.

Riley working on her first bit of embroidery

Savvy watching some Suite Life on Deck

Isaac crawling on anything and everything he can find.

Brooke playing with Play-doh

Snow Much Fun!

Riley and Savvy have been plugging away at the snow bank in the front yard, made by the ever courteous City of Aurora and their gargantuan snowplows.

The two holes by the girls' feet are the entrance and chimney of the igloo they've been constructing for three days now.

I don't know how they play outside in single digit temps for more than an hour.  Maybe it's the metabolism, maybe they're just crazy.

But they are having quite a blast in their first Minnesota winter.