Art Bags

My girls favorite thing to do is art. All 3 of them do some type of creative art every day, it is just in them.  Ever since they were little, we have always made sure paper and colors are available for them to use whenever they want. As they have gotten older, I have worked hard to make sure they have access to age-appropriate supplies, so that they can create whatever their little art brains desire.

We have rolling carts with labeled drawers upstairs where we keep all their craft supplies, and use them a lot, but I also wanted to have basic supplies handy on our main floor that they could just grab and start creating with!
My solution was to make them each their own little school supply bag. I shopped for these at the beginning of the school year when all the supplies were super cheap. I found the bag at Wal-mart in the craft supply section. All of the bags are black, but I made them distinct with certain supplies that were all the same color (my youngest daughter likes blue so her scissors, pencil sharpener and pencil erasers are all blue.) This is how they tell which bag is theirs.

I keep the bags in a very central location (our dining room) right by the table, not only because they are in view and the girls will use them more if they see them, but also so I can make sure they take good care of their bags (even though the supplies were cheap, they add up when you times it by 3!) and put them away properly.  Our table is also where they do their homework so the bags are very handy for that!  I am pretty strict about keeping them in the dining room to use at the table.  I only allow them in the car for  trips that are longer than an hour, just because it seems like something always gets lost in the car!
Before, we had supplies on all 3 levels of our home and showing up in places where they didn't belong! I grew weary of questions like "mom, where's my little scissors?" and "mom, where's my tape?" Now that they are in one area it has worked so well.  They know right where they are, and find them daily, sitting on a shelf waiting for little creative hands to grab and use them!

*This post linked to:
Do It Yourself Day @ A Soft Place To Land
Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Take A Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee

Awesomeness

There is something that I want everyone who reads this to know.  Something I believe with everything in me. Ready?

YOUR CREATOR LOVES YOU

God loves you.  He loves you right here, right now, no matter what you have ever done.  Period.

You are loved.

That's a pretty big deal!  YOU are a big deal to Him.  He tells us that we cannot grasp how deep, and how wide His love for us is.  To get a taste of the bigness of His love, go to this link, click on videos, and watch the video called "The Awe Factor."  This video is pretty amazing and shows the bigness of His creation.  When I watched it I just sat for a minute, staring at the computer screen, well, in awe!  I still can't really fathom this universe that He has created. To think that His love for you, and for me, is even bigger than that?  Pretty awesome.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I had a message from my awesome cousin (Becca!) this morning asking for the recipe of my Homemade Dishwasher Detergent.  I decided since I will be emailing her the details, I might as well make it a blog post!
I have loved using my homemade detergent.  I have done it for about a month and I am still having great luck.  I do find I have to rinse my dishes a bit more (I used to just scrape 'em and  stick 'em in, which really was not great for my dishwasher) but I am really happy with how it is working.  There has been no weird residue on my dishes (this used to make me wonder what is actually doing down the hatch with my glass of ice water, especially when it would change the taste of my ice water!)

Homemade Dishwashing Detergent
1 Cup Washing Soda (*make sure it is WASHING soda, not baking soda)
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Salt (Optional-it depends on how hard or soft your water is.  I do not need to use the salt)
Essential Oils to scent (optional-you can get these at a health food store.  Lemon, lavender, and tea tree are a few examples)

Dump all into a container and mix!

I use a jar and just fill it half with washing soda and half with borax.
I have a bottle of scented room spray I bought at my health food store that caught my eye because I love the smell of citrus, and the only ingredients in it is pure, natural grapefruit oils and essence.  I just spray a bit of that into the jar before mixing.  It smells so fresh and clean every time I open the lid.  I love it!

I had to experiment with the amount of detergent per load.  I found for my water type, that 4 Teaspoons is perfect, 2 in each compartment. (I use the little cup that comes with Children's Tylenol:) and fill it to the top, which measures 4 tsp.)

Here is the most important tip.  Fill your rinse aid dispenser with vinegar!  It is much cheaper than regular rinse aid and works great.  My dishes come out a with a slight film if I forget this step.

Some of the big name brands of dishwashing detergents come with drying agents.  You will not have these with your homemade detergent.  Personally, I just want clean dishes.  I do not mind having to grab a dish towel to dry them a bit.  Spending less and knowing what is in it makes it worth it to me!

*you can find washing soda and borax in most grocery stores.  The borax is usually in the laundry detergent aisle, and the washing soda is usually in the cleaners aisle.

Here is the original recipe.

Mason Jars: Easy Iced Tea

I used to buy a 2-liter of pop every week.  I decided to try and cut pop out at least when I am at home.  I still enjoy a coke occasionally, especially when we are out for pizza or at a movie with popcorn.
What helped me in this transition was making iced tea instead.  I found a super easy way to make it that does not include boiling water or sitting it in the sun all day, and uses a mason jar which we all know I love!

Basically, you take a jar, put in 4 tea bags, fill it to the top, screw on the lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, take the bags out and give them a little squeeze over the jar.  What this does is makes an iced tea concentrate!  Love it!  Now when I want a glass of tea, I pour about 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water into a glass of ice and stir. I adjust the amount of concentrate depending on how weak or strong that particular brand of tea is.  Here is the blog that I got the idea from, there are a bunch of comments regarding specific measurements if you are someone who likes more details.
*the picture above was taken before the jar sat overnight.  The concentrate gets much more, well, concentrated:)

Soccer Sunday

I am a soccer mom this year. (for some reason that title has always bugged me. I am doing much better with it, although typing it out made me twitch a little) My youngest daughter who is 6 years old is our soccer player, and is truly a joy to watch. It is very satisfying seeing that strong will of hers (the one we have put so much time and effort into helping her manage!) used in a positive way! Watching her use appropriate aggression just makes a mama proud. Her games bring out a bit of emotion in me, there's just something about her little legs in shin guards and her little feet in cleats that makes me want to beg Ms. Coach to call a time out, just so I can plop her on my lap and give her a squeeze! (my daughter, not the coach.)
So back to the 'soccer mom' title. I think the reason I rebel against it is because of the images that pop in my head when I hear it. I picture a woman running around in a minivan full of soccer balls and fast fried food, who's weekends consist of, well, balls and fast fried food and just plain craziness. I know, I know, that is a bit judgmental and does not describe the soccer mom's I have met thus far, and the time we have had as a family going to games has been calm, precious and bonding and has pleasantly surprised me!
I am realizing that by planning ahead we can can avoid my fears and continue to simply enjoy the positives of organized sports! My daughters games are on Sundays. It has been a challenge for me to come up with a food plan that works on game days. Many times we are going straight from church to a game, or only have about 40 minutes between the two. What we did today was stop home and heat up a casserole of veggies, brown rice and chicken. There was immense satisfaction in knowing my girl would not get pooped out on the field because there was good fiber and protein in her belly. (its a good thing, only 4 players showed up this week so she played the whole time with no substitutions!) The problem with the casserole thing is I am the one pooped from staying up late cooking the chicken and putting the casserole together! Not to mention we are usually busy doing something fun on a Saturday night which would not give me time to cook, and frankly, who wants to cook on a Saturday night?) so not the best option. I know the Crockpot is my friend in situations like these, and now that it is fall we plan to get reacquainted.
I will have to brain storm a bit more on this one, but I think a recipe like this (minus the pepperoni) Pizza Rolls would be perfect for on-the-go eating. I will have to keep searching for more simple, healthy, and portable food ideas. Got any other suggestions for me?

A Cleaner, Cleaner

Here is a great example of what our grandparents might have done in the past that was right on in my book.
Homemade cleaners that cost pennies!! Think baking soda, vinegar, lemon, castile soap, borax..

I am still in the process of switching out all my bottles under the sink, but it has been so fun tossing bottles with warnings pasted all over them, and replacing them with cleaners so safe and simple my kids could drink most of them!

I had a few reasons for doing this.
1. I am frugal and love saving money.
2. I want my kids to help me clean but don't want to worry about their aim when spraying toxic cleaners
3. I don't like when I feel like commercialism is getting to me (you know, those commercials where everything looks like perfection and unless you use that specific product for a specific project you have, you are a loser mom)
4. Something was triggering my daughters asthma, and after much reading I got suspicious of my windex, of all things! (I was right. It is a trigger for her and with 2 glass tables that we eat on I was using it numerous times a day!)
5. My cleaner cupboard was so full I was barely able to shut it
6. Less bottles and non-toxic ingredients means being a good steward of our environment
7. Did I mention I am frugal??

My favorite that I use every day, numerous times a day, is a simple glass cleaner.

I take a spray bottle that makes me happy, fill it 1/3 of the way full with vinegar, and the rest with water. Some use distilled water and say it minimizes streaking, I have not tried this because I do not notice streaking.

As far as the smell, we are a family that can finish off a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips in minutes, so we actually like the smell of vinegar. For those of you who don't, once the cleaner dries there is no scent, and I think it is better than snuffing something that the company has to warn you to use in a well-ventilated area. I live in Nebraska people! I can't be opening my windows all the time!!!

I will continue to post my experiences with natural cleaners. I have a great one for dishwasher detergent coming up, and I am on the verge of trying out a homemade laundry detergent recipe, so I will let you know how that goes!!

Simple Shade

I love to be girly, and I must admit it is a struggle to keep it simple when it comes to the many beauty products that are always calling my name. As some of you know, I am a licensed cosmetologist and with that comes knowing about A LOT of fun products on the market.
Despite many of them whispering to me, I feel like I am winning the battle. I've been taking a minute to think through each purchase, to decide if it fits into this new, paired down lifestyle I am trying to embrace. For example, just yesterday I was at the store and found a nail polish color by OPI called Barefoot In Barcelona that I had just read about in Real Simple magazine. The article said "Hands down(pun intended)the most flattering nude polish for most skin tones." It caught my eye because I am forever looking for a nude polish color that does not make my hands look dead!(I am quite pale.) I sampled a few strokes on my thumb and then impressed myself with amazing self control and walked away, motivated by a 'no spending challenge' that I am in the middle of right now. (we'll talk about that in a different post.) Here is the problem, I JUST CAN'T STOP ADMIRING MY THUMB!! So, I am eagerly awaiting my 'no spending challenge' to be over so I can go buy that beautiful bottle of Barefoot in Barcelona. I think it is a great color, not only b/c it doesn't give me corpse hands, but it will match with everything! (unlike the amazing trendy purple color that also whispered at me.) Sigh. Sometimes its just not easy being a 'wanna-be' simple, girly girl.

Go Ahead And Sneak In The Cookie Jar!

I'm crackin' up! My girls (age 10, 8, and 6) are "mmm-in" and "aww-in" over Chocolate Chip Cookies. Pretty normal for a kid, right? Well, not when the cookies have very little sugar, no oil, and double the amount of fiber than a 'normal' Chocolate Chip Cookie. I was skeptical, but tried the recipe anyway. I have to say, these cookies are really good! They are crunchy on the outside and chewy, gooey on the inside.
Our family have been on an adventure of trying to eat more natural, healthy foods. Little by little we have eliminated most processed foods from our home. Our motivation was a couple of health scares, one concerning my husband and another concerning my youngest daughter. We are so grateful to our awesome God that they are both fine and in good health. I will share their stories on a later post. For now, I will leave you with the recipe of these yummy, healthy (shhhhh!), Chocolate Chip Cookies.

**I changed quite a few ingredients. I will put what I used in parentheses along side the ingredient.


Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Work Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 16

The result: A crunchy, healthy chocolate chip cookie with a chewy center.

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c canola oil ( I used unsweetened applesauce)
2/3 c granulated sugar ( I used 1/2 c Rapadura)
2/3 c brown sugar ( I used only 1/2 c)
2 lg egg whites ( I used 1 egg white and 1 whole egg)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats ( I used 3/4 Cup)
3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (4 oz) ( I used 1/3 c semi-sweet and 1/3 c white chocolate chips)

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl. Whisk in egg whites and vanilla until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Fold in oats and then chocolate.

2. Cover and chill dough at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Shape dough into 16 balls (1/4 scant cup each) with hands,(*I used a 1 inch scoop and made mine little) using a little pressure. Place 8 balls on each prepared sheet. With fingers, press each into a patty about 3" in diameter, allowing about 2" between patties for slight spreading.

4. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until desired brownness (do not overbake), switching position of sheets halfway through. Let cool a few minutes before moving to rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Info Per Cookie (4" diameter): 218 cal, 3 g pro, 32 g carb, 2 g fiber, 10 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 162 mg sodium
(this nutritional info is for the original recipe. Obviously, the ones I made would be different due to less sugar/oil and much smaller cookie size)

Simplify

Simplify. Ahhhh. I love that word. I have had the above word plaque in my home for over 13 yrs! My husband and I were newlyweds and it was one of the first purchases of decor for our new home. I love the idea of a simple life, and slowly over the years I have learned bits and pieces of how to accomplish one. I have learned much, but have much to learn! Why do I value this? Well, a friend of mine (who has an amazing blog called "Becoming Minimalist") put it into words beautifully. Here is a quote from one of his entries:

"becoming minimalist has always been about more than removing physical belongings. for me, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things that i most value. it is about deciding what is most important in my life and removing the things that distract me from it. it is about removing the urgent for the sake of the important."

I would love to be able to call myself a minimalist, but for me, it feels like I am saying I have arrived at my destination when really, I am still on the journey! (a bit shy of commitment, wouldn't you say?) So instead, I say that I am on the road to live simply. Doing this, I find under the layers of the unnecessary, what is most important: God, Family, Friends, Time, Growth. Exposed treasures that bring a simple life and peace. Ahhhh.

Mason Jar-My Love Affair With Mason Jars

I recently discovered the wonderful world of mason jars. Why do I love them? Funny you asked. They come in many sizes. They are inexpensive. They are NOT plastic. They are simplistic in design. They do not keep me guessing on what and how much is inside them. They have a gazillion different uses! In my opinion, they are the perfect example of something from yesterday that can simplify today. In fact, I don't think just one post will do for this new love affair of mine. I just might have to keep sharing with you the insane amount of things one can do with a mason jar. I know, I can feel you just ooozing with excitement. You just wait, you may have an affair of your own!