I will admit I have always been skeptical of homemade laundry detergent. In fact, I often secretly laughed at those who made their own because I thought "there is no way it cleans as well as brand name, doesn't smell as good, doesn't whiten and brighten and could never wash way cleanly." Wrong! I found this pin on Pinterest and thought alright, I will give it a shot and see what I REALLY think. LOVE it!!!! I love it so much that I thought I'd share it with you. For a grand total of $38.78 I made enough laundry detergent to last my home of six people a year! I used the majority of her recipe but tweaked one little thing. The first thing you need to do is shred your bar soap (everyone complains about this part but I just popped it into my food processor and I was done in a matter of a minute). Once you have the soap shredded add it to a large bucket with all of the other ingredients and mix really well. Here's what you will need: 1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric … [Read more...]
Weeknight Quick Meal-mini dogs
Are you looking for a REALLY easy and REALLY quick dinner on a week night? Look no further! A fan favorite in our house is mini hot dogs! It's a take on something that I had a lot as kid myself. All you need are two things and a few minutes! Here's what you need: one package of mini hotdogs 1 tube of crescent rolls Cut the crescent roll triangles into three triangles. Each tube comes with 12 large triangles, so when you are done cutting them you will end up with a total of 36. Roll up a mini hot dog into each of the triangles (my kids love to help with this part!). Then place in the oven at 375F for about 8-10 minutes. You can also add other ingredients into the hot dog roll ups. Some people put a little piece of cheese in them and I have even heard of people putting a little bit of salsa too. … [Read more...]
Easter Peep Basket- Pinned it, Did it
The other day I was drooling over Pintrest posts (and I only say drooling because in all honesty I am obsessed with that site! I love the fabulous ideas people have, I love to see what people have done and figure out ways to improve upon them, and frankly I love to organize them). I saw the cutest Peep basket on there and immediately thought of my grandpa! The 83 year old man has a mean sweet tooth and he can put away several Peeps in one sitting. Thing is though, he doesn't like them fresh and soft....he likes them stale and chewy or almost hard. Goofy man! He came over to our house last week after my lil' princess had her surgery to meet my lil' king at the bus stop and I thought I'd surprise him with a Peep basket as a thank you for his help! Oh man he was so excited!!! It was really easy to do. I simply spent $2 at the dollar store (1 for the basket and 1 for the Easter grass). We had some sticks and Peeps already purchased and waiting for us at home. We filled the basket … [Read more...]
Best Ever- Spring cookies
I'm going to let you in on a little tip.....ok, more like a secret. My grandma's recipe book was given to me before she passed away (I begged her for it, and since I'm the only one in the family who cooks and bakes she ablidged) and I found the most amazing, tasty, fabulous recipe for cut out cookies. They are really easy and bake up incredibly fluffy. Here's the recipe: Mix the dry ingredients together first: 1 3/4 C sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 baking soda pinch of salt 5 1/4- 5 1/2 C flour In a large bowl mix your wet ingredients: 1 C butter, softened 2 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 C sour cream Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Sprinkle POWDER SUGAR (yup, you read that right...not flour) on the surface and roll out your dough. Bake the cookies at 350 for around 8 minutes (give or take a couple based upon your individual oven). Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Tips for helping your high potential child
One of my boys is considered "high potential." What is high potential? High potential is defined as a person (or child) with a high functioning aptitude or high intelligence quotient. This is something we've suspected for quite some time and it was only recently confirmed. I can distinctly remember his first Christmas when he was 8 months old, he got this really neat wooden shape-sorter. That kid opened the box and put those shapes into the correct places in a matter of a minute (and I'm not talking about circles and squares; like octagons and pentagons.) His thought processes have always been really literal and he is quite the perfectionist too. These are all signs of something "bigger" going on. While registering him for Kindergarten the discussion of what the appropriate placement would be for him came up and we decided it would be in his best interest for us to dig a little deeper. Our school district has a wonderful program for high potential children and they offered some … [Read more...]
Pintrest Inspired St. Patty’s Day Crafts
Because Jamie and I are busy taking care of our daughters this week (post surgeries) we are bringing you a week of fun Pintrest inspirations. 1. Shhhhh, don't tell but that's the shirt I made for my princess last year. She loves that festive shirt so much I thought I'd "re-share" it with you. Here's a link to the original post. 2. What an incredibly cute St. Patrick's Day craft that will also double as a little writing exercise for the kids. You only need a few items and this craft is complete. Stop by Classroom DIY to see the instructions. 3. Yup, another festive shirt. I'm partial to mine but this one had me debating which one I liked best. Just another EASY and fun way to make a St. Patty's Day shirt. 4. Making a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end of it is exactly what I think of when I think of St. Patrick's Day crafts. Here Come The Girls Blog shares with you how they did it and what they learned. 5. Liluna shared step by step instructions for making this … [Read more...]
