Last year many of our readers were surprised to learn you could make homemade fruit leather without a dehydrator. This year, we tell you that you can do the same thing with fruit chunks to make homemade dehydrated fruit. How you ask? Use your oven!Yep, all you need is your favorite fruit, a cookie sheet, tin foil if your cookie sheet is kinda gross like mine, and your oven! That's it! Now for the REALLY easy part...Set your oven temp to the lowest it will go. Mine happens to be 170 degrees F but I know some can go as low as 120 degrees.My favorite dehydrated fruit happens to be the tropical blend that comes in a can but you can chop up any kind of fresh fruit you want or you can use stuff from a can like me. Just spread it in an even layer on your cookie sheet.Put your cookie sheet in the oven and wait (and wait, and wait...). I mean 8-10 hours!Ok, you will have to check on your fruit after about 4 hours and probably every 1-2 hours after that because some pieces will dry a … [Read more...]
Our Top 12 Posts of 2012
Happy New Year!!We're starting off 2013 with a look back at 2012. We've gone through our stats and found our twelve most popular posts (according to page views) written over this past year. Some of these come as no surprise to us, others were a bit unexpected. We hope you enjoy this look down memory lane as much as we have! 12. 9 Awesome and Unique Halloween Treats11. Bunny Bunting Banner10. S'mores Croissants9. Pillow[ology] by Sleep Number8. 50 things (other than candy) to put in your child's Easter basket7. 15 Ideas for getting rid of the Mommy Grouchies6. Shaving Cream and Glue5. Hosting a Winter ONEderland Party4. Ridiculously Easy Fudge Pops3. Crappy Closet turned Crafty Closet2. Free Tooth Fairy Certificate PrintableOur number 1 post of 2012 was...1. 101 Ansers to "I'm Bored" … [Read more...]
13 Things You MUST DO With Your Children in 2013
1) Take photosWhen was the last time you took photos with your kids? I mean, you get in the photo with them. You don't have to take professional family photos (though those would be nice), self portraits can be a lot of fun too! 2) Play in the rainLet out your inner child, don't worry about getting wet (or even muddy), just have some pure fun, and play in the rain.3) Watch a sunrise or sunsetShare the beauty of nature with your children and watch a sunrise or sunset. Enjoy the colors in the sky and the peace that comes with them. Just maybe you'll become engrossed in an conversation about the day.4) Have a one-on-one dateShow each of your children they are special by spending some one-on-one time with them. Whether it's a half-hour or a full day, you'll both get something from it and you'll strengthen your bond even more.5) Go through old family photosYounger children love to look at baby photos of themselves and older children like to see how weird mom and dad looked when … [Read more...]
Playing In The Snow WITH Your Kids
*There is no Pinned it, Did it! this week as we have been spending time with our families. Instead, enjoy this post that was originally posted on the 17th but was taken down for a post about Sandy Hook. ---------------- We finally had our first big snowfall of the year last weekend. We got almost a foot of snow in one storm! Needless to say, the girls were anxious to get out and play in the white stuff! Most of the time I sit in a chair and watch my kids play in the snow. After all, they have way more energy than I do, I don't really like getting all bundled up, and I hate being cold and wet. However, every now and then I do like to re-live my childhood by making snow angels. I had a blast a few years ago when we took the girls sledding for the first time. Tottie was too little to go down the hill by herself so Hubby and I had to go down with her. At the end we were tired, cold, and wet but we all had smiles on our faces! Last year there wasn't enough snow to really … [Read more...]
Oral-B Smart Series 4000
Put a spin on your friends and family’s oral care regimen with Oral-B® Professional Care 4000 power toothbrush. The Oral-B Professional Care4000 power toothbrush uses clinically-proven oscillating-rotating-pulsating technology to attack sticky plaque from multiple directions, providing more plaque-disrupting movements than regular manual brushes and the leading sonic technology brush. I was given the opportunity to review the Oral-B Smart Series 4000 electric toothbrush, and boy oh boy was I glad to! Now, I'm going to admit something to all of our readers...I FEAR the dentist....and when I say fear I mean, shaking in my boots, sweaty palms fear! I had a bad experience when I was around 15 and it scared me for life. Since then I have used electric toothbrushes. Why? Because I feel like I can get a better at-home clean of my teeth and avoid any further "adventures" with the dentists drill. I have owned three different brands (which I will not name) in the past and have thought they … [Read more...]
What to do with last years Christmas cards
If you are anything like me you have a bit of guilt when it comes time to take, toss, or store the Christmas cards you received last year. I personally feel a huge sense of responsibility to save them....no, I'm not a hoarder! I just figure people took the time, effort and money to send me a card and I can't just toss them. This past January I got to thinking about it and came up with a neat way to save those cards without investing a lot of money or space into it! So gather up those cards and grab a paper hole punch while you are at it.I sorted my cards first by size...it just made it a little bit easier to punch holes in them. Get your kids involved and have them help you sort by size.I took three or four cards at a time and punched two holes into each of the cards. If your kids are old enough (and strong enough) have them help you with this too.I then printed out 2011 Christmas Cards on a pretty Christmas patterned piece of paper. You can get crafty with this and make it as fancy … [Read more...]
