Tuesday's Tip Jar

Jumping on board with BlogMomma's Tuesday's Tip Jar with one I don't use often but when I use it, I'm *always* glad I've bookmarked it.

Especially with all the news over the winter about children's cold medicine and accidental overdosing, this site has been a lifesaver for a weary, middle of the night mom searching for doses for very unhappy Vikings.

I've used Dr. Sears' medicine cabinet for Benedryl, Tylenol, Motrin, and cold medicines. I've printed out the charts for Tylenol and Benedryl and keep them inside the medicine cabinet.

Whenever I get the chance or when the kids visit the pediatrician, I make a note of their weight on the charts. So, at 3am when someone is sobbing from ear pain, I just check their weight and read the chart and safely dose the kid in question.

Stop by BlogMomma's today to see what other good tips everyone has up their sleeves!

Tuesday Tip Jar

BlogMommas hosts a "Tuesday Tip Jar." It's similar to the WFMW's I have participated in. But, WFMW has gotten so large and unwieldy so I thought I'd jump in with BlogMommas with a recent idea instead.

The Vikings actually "taught" me this one...the kids recented received squirt guns from Grandma P and Papa D when they went on vacation in Florida. Normally, the Vikings would play with them in the tub until warmer weather arrives here in Michigan. LOL

But, I started getting suspicious when they volunteered to wipe off the kitchen table after breakfast last week. Then, I saw how they were doing it! LOL
Need some help getting your little ones to help with clean up? Give 'em squirt guns and some dry washcloths and you'll be AMAZED how clean things get! LOL

Stop by BlogMommas today to see their ideas!

WFMW: easy small motor practice

In our homeschool adventures this year, it's been difficult to come up with a separate plan for 3-year-old Pojke. He just wants to do what soon-to-be 5-year-old Flicka is doing! LOL

So, while Flicka is learning upper and lower case letters and working on her writing, Pojke wants to do the same. So, in the interest of keeping the peace, humoring Pojke, and still having him practice his small motor control, this idea struck me one day.

I wrote in highlighter! I wrote out his name and the alphabet on a clean sheet of paper and gave Pojke a crayon or marker. Then, he just wrote right over what I had printed. Doesn't sound too complicated but I can tell you that his pride in "doin' my letters" and the seriously focused attention he is exhibiting is worth every second! And, DaHubby came up with the idea to start practicing Flicka's sight words this way, too.

Happy, concentrating, practicing kids?

Works for me Stop by "We Are THAT Family" which is the new home for WFMW!

WFMW: recycling Christmas photo cards

The last few weeks I've heard a couple really good ideas about what to do with all those Christmas photo cards everyone receives during the holidays. I tried trimming the photos and put them in this last year but I was looking for a different way this time around.

I don't remember why I had place mats on my mind - probably something to do with the amount of crud I've been scraping off my dining room table lately! LOL But, using some cardstock and clear contact paper, I came up with this:

Now, most of our meals are shared with family and friends as the Vikings identify the people on their mat. The new problem is "but Mom *I* wanna eat with Cooper...no I want to..." LOL But, that's still manageable.

For more great WFMW ideas, stop by Shannon's today.

WFMW: a "Move It Move It" cleanup

From what I've read around the mommy blogs, I'm not the only one who finds getting kids to clean up their mess can sometimes present a challenge. The Vikings are 3 and almost-5. And, I'm trying to teach the habit of cleaning up their toys and such. But, it was turning into my naggin/them whining and I needed a better solution.

Need a new strategy? Try this one:

About 2 or 3 times a day, I ask the Vikings to pick up: generally before quiet time, before DaHubby arrives home, and before bedtime. So, we've turned it into a game. We play this video which is just under 3 minutes - and, as I assured the Vikings, ANYONE can clean for 3 minutes! LOL

The idea is to "move it move it" as fast as possible (safely) while putting away as much as possible (where it belongs). Add those disclaimers or you'll have a mess and/or injuries on your hands! LOL

When we first started, one three-minute run though generally got the majority of the mess and I was happy with that. But, I was THRILLED later to find them playing the video 2 and 3 times (Flicka knows how to hit "replay" for YouTube! LOL) while they then asked for the hand-vac and kiddie vacuum! LOL Plus, I can now walk away while I clean up some of the "grown-up mess" while they clean up.

And, if you had enough of Madagascar, maybe try something else. There are also kid video sites in abundance like Qubo and Sesame Street videos among others.

Kids gettin' excited about cleaning up? Now THAT works for me! Stop by Shannon's today for more great WFMW ideas.

WFMW: Memories in a Can

Following Shannon's lead and due the general craziness that's taking over here, I'm re-posting one of my WFMW's from earlier this year.

Two weeks from tomorrow on New Year's Eve we will be cracking open a little mini-time capsule from 2008. The last two Januarys, I went to our local Lowe's paint department and purchased a plain empty paint can with lid. During each month, we place the "memorabilia" of our recent activities in it. At the end of each month, I also glance through a month worth of photos and pick out a few, label them with a date, and add them in.

On December 31, 2007, we finished dinner, cleared the table and opened a year worth of memories! Pojke was a little small to remember all of it (given he turned one in January 2007 LOL) but Flicka remembered nearly everything!

And, the memory can is labeled with the appropriate year and stored (somewhat) more conveniently on a shelf in the basement.

Head over to Shannon's for more great WFMW ideas!

WFMW: EZ pumpkin cooking

Pumpkins are everywhere the last few weeks. But, this year I had my eyes peeled for good pie-making pumpkins as well. So, while we had two carvin' pumpkins for the kids, I also picked up two pie pumpkins from our local farmers market a few weeks ago.

Then, my mom and step-dad were here last weekend for an early Thanksgiving. And, while my mom brought a ham and the potatoes, I was looking forward to making that green bean casserole thingy as well as a pumpkin pie from scratch.

However, as the weekend wore on and Sunday night's dinner loomed near, I was getting crunched for time and needed a low-labor, stove-and-oven-free way to cook the pumpkin. So, within a couple minutes of Internet surfing, I found a solution - or actually made one up.

Adapting directions for cooking squash, I just cooked the pumpkin in the crockpot while at church! I simply cut the stem off, cleaned out the "goop", and cut the pumpkins in quarters. I put about an inch of water in the bottom and, after 3 hours on low, ta-da! All fork tender and ready to be pureed for pie!

For more WFMW, stop by Shannon's site today.

WFMW: back on the horse

Been out of the WFMW game for a bit - gave up all my best ideas and have been too much actually in the trenches to look around at some of my shortcuts! LOL But, this occurred to me last night as I put Flicka to bed.

In the interest of saving energy when Flicka was only 15 months old and we had just moved into this house, DaHubby installed a motion detector switch in her little playroom area adjacent to her room. That way as she walked in, the lights would go on. And, after she had walked away, the lights would eventually go off saving us money.

The other "accidental" benefit was her complete disinterest in climbing something to turn on the lights for her budding independent self! LOL

While she is four now, we still use the timer. I activate the light as I put her to bed so that she can read her books before falling asleep. When the light goes off, it's time for sleep. Luckily, for those wondering, we've had no problems with her intentionally re-activating it to lengthen her story time (yet!)

It definitely works for me. For more WFMW, stop by Shannon's bloggy home today!

WFMW: fun cheap play clothes

I blogged about this in May for Tackle It Tuesday but I did it again yesterday while the Vikings were with my in-laws all day so I thought I'd share.

Long story short? I've been making some play clothes for the Vikings using "recycled" clothes. Using old adult t-shirts (along with a few of Flicka's old t-shirts), I've been making dresses for Flicka and shorts for Pojke.

Now, let me say this up front: I am a sewing machine NOVICE - or what's lower than a novice...a "wet behind the ears" seamstress? LOL And, I've been able to make these shorts in under 20 minutes and the dresses in under a half hour.

So, if you have a sewing machine and some "leftover" or outgrown clothes, you might want to check out this dress tutorial or this shorts/pants tutorial and whip up some new play clothes for your babies for FREE!

For more WFMW ideas, see Shannon's bloggy home today.

WFMW: Meijer Mealbox

As one who is feeding the four of us on $60 a week, I'm always on the lookout for good deals. As it stands, I spend 1-2 hours going over the ads from 5 of our local supermarkets so I can make our $60 go as far as possible. The best way I've been doing this lately is with Meijer Mealbox.

If you have a Meijers near you, you could be going home with free or nearly free food several times a month!

For example, last week I spent about $33 of our allotted budget there and was rewarded with over $16 off in coupons and sales.

Examples of the deals last week:

• Meijer had select dry pasta (Meijer brand spaghetti, thin spaghetti, and elbow macaroni) on sale 2/$1. Paired this deal with the $0.50/1 coupons on MealBox and got the pasta for FREE
• Meijer organic mushrooms were part of the 10 for $10 - there is a MealBox coupon for $0.50/1, making them $0.50 after coupon.
• Meijer ice cream was $2.50, there is a MealBox coupon for $1, making it $1.50 after coupon
• Meijer select frozen veggies were part of the 10 for $10 - there is a MealBox coupon for $0.50/1, making them $0.50 after coupon
• Meijer 16 oz. sour cream was $1.25 - there is $0.50/1 MealBox coupon, making it $0.75 after coupon
• Meijer frozen potatoes was 5 for $10 - there is a $1/1 MealBox coupon, making them $1 per bag of potatoes after coupon
• Meijer frozen fruit was 3 for $8 ($2.67 each) - there is a $1 MealBox coupon, making them $1.67 per bag of frozen fruit after coupon

The deals aren't always on Meijer brand stuff only but last week happened to work out that way. So, go to Meijer Mealbox and click on the "specials" tab on the right and print the coupons! They change about once a month but I've used them each week in conjunction with sales for several weeks.

Saving 33% on groceries? Now, THAT works for me! For more WFMW ideas, stop by Shannon's bloggy home.

WFMW: frugal homemade lip gloss

One of the many things I got done while my internet was down (I mentioned it was for five days, right?) was to finish my fund raiser crafts to sell at our local Relay For Life this weekend. I was trying to cater to the pre-teen girl crowd who seem to attend in abundance with more pocket money than I remember having at that age! LOL So, I thought I'd tackle some frugal homemade lip gloss.

Using this recipe, it took about 30 minutes to produce 60 small containers (which I got in my local craft store's bead storage section) of chocolate and lemonade flavored lip gloss! Using my teacher discount at the craft store and getting the ingredients on sale and/or at our local dollar store, this whole project cost cost less than $10.

Frugal and fund raising? This week that REALLY works for me!

And, if you would like to help out my family's team who walk in memory of my brother-in-law as well as in honor of my sister-in-law who is currently 5 weeks post stem cell/bone marrow transplant for a rare leukemia and in honor of my mom who is a melanoma survivor, please consider going my American Cancer Society page. Our team is currently in second place in our whole county for funds raised! And, my other sister-in-law is the keynote speaker at our county's luminaria event Saturday night!

Finally, to see more WFMW ideas, see Shannon's post today.

WFMW: recycle your coffee grounds

And, no, this is not a frugal tip on how to get multiple cups of coffee out of one set of grounds! LOL

While flipping through a magazine about a month ago, I saw a small advertisement with "springtime tips". The list contained five ideas from Peace Coffee brand about recycling your coffee grounds.

Being a non-coffee drinker and a novice gardener myself, these were new to me so I thought I'd share. So, we are collecting DaHubby's grounds to do the following:

1. Sprinkle used grounds around plants before rain or watering for slow-release nitrogen.

2. Add to compost piles to increase the nitrogen balance. Coffee filters and tea bags break down rapidly during composting.

3. To make a gentle, fast-acting liquid fertilizer, dilute a half pound of wet coffee ground with 5 gallons of water; let sit outdoors to achieve ambient temperature.

4. Mix in soil for household plants or vegetables.

5. Encircle the base of plants with a coffee and eggshell barrier to repel pests.

While trying to find a site at Peace Coffee to which I could give credit for this idea, I also found this link and this link for a few additional ideas.

Free fertilizer and recycling to boot? Now, THAT works for me. For more WFMW, go to Shannon's site today.

And, please consider reading this post as well if you have time. Thanks!

Frugal ingredient substitution

I've been working diligently to find more and more frugal solutions to a tight grocery budget (I'm feeding the four of us on $60/week). Trying to put together dinner on Tuesday nights is sometimes particularly difficult since grocery day is Wednesday which is the day DaHubby gets paid. But, a couple of weeks ago I stumbled onto something I thought I'd share.

A few weeks ago, I was trying to make an easy and quick chicken pot pie dinner on a Tuesday night with a recipe where I didn't have all the required ingredients. I needed a can of cream of chicken soup. Hmmm. And, I was standing with my cabinets when I had a light bulb moment.

I've recently started making the Vikings' beloved "cheese noodles" from scratch - using elbow noodles and a cheese sauce started from a standard white sauce of butter, flour, salt, pepper, and milk then adding shredded cheese to taste. It's just as easy. I can make it "cheesier" if we want. And, no "powdered" cheese.

Anyway, I mentioned here that we often have several Raman seasoning packets leftover around here. So, to replace my cream of chicken soup need...I made a more "watery" than usual white sauce (a little extra milk) and added a Raman chicken flavoring packet! This could also be done with bullion granules and possibly a cube, I suppose. Need cream of mushroom? Use a Raman mushroom flavoring packet!

I measured out about 2 cups of my concoction, inserted into the recipe, and DaHubby and the Vikings never knew the difference!

Simple (and frugal) ingredient substitution? Works for me!

For more WFMW, see Shannon's place today.

P.S. White sauce recipes abound on the net but here's the one I use:

3 T butter
2 T flour
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1.5 C milk

In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil - stirring constantly - over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

At this point, add 1 C shredded cheese for cheese sauce or whatever seasoning you need!

WFMW: summer sidewalk chalk fun

We go through a TON of sidewalk chalk around here. LOL And, I know it's only $1 a tub most times but I don't always have time to stop what I'm doing and run to Dollar General! LOL

And, when I saw Crayola's line of products like this, I thought I'd hit the mother lode in summer entertainment! LOL But, the Vikings are too small yet as is our budget so I found a recipe in FamilyFun magazine for sidewalk paint that's identical to the one shown here.

It is basically equal parts cold water and corn starch plus a few drops of food coloring. The result is initially kinda runny and disappointing but oh.my.goodness when it dries! Very pretty. Very "dark". Or would it be "thick"? Well, you know what I mean! LOL
Cheap summer fun with materials I keep around the house that keep the Vikings busy for long periods of time? Works for me!

For more, WFMW ideas, go here.

WFMW: Memories in a Can

For those who are scrapbook-deficient like myself(LOL):

I don't remember where I saw this idea but I shamelessly stole it and ran with it! And, it's really worked for us! The last two Januarys, I went to our local Lowe's paint department and purchased a plain empty paint can with lid.

During the month, we place the "memorabilia" of our recent activities in it. At the end of each month, I also glance through a month worth of photos and pick out a few (particularly of an activity where we don't have stubs, brochures, guides, etc.), label then with a date, and add them in.

Then, on New Year's Eve, we open the can! Last December 31st, we finished dinner, cleared the table and opened a year worth of memories! Pojke's a little small to remember all of it (given he turned one in January 2007 LOL) but Flicka remembered nearly everything!

And, the memory can is labeled with the appropriate year and stored (somewhat) more conveniently on a shelf in the basement.

We've already started the 2008 can and here's what's in it so far:

Pics of Pojke's birthday, Momma's "big 40" candles, Pojke's first haircut before-and-after photos, Flicka's birthday candles and photos, tickets and photos from the Vikings' first hockey game, and stubs from a trip to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry when we went to visit Aunt Peggy in the hospital.

Not as neat, orderly, nor pretty as scrapbooking - but cheaper and easier works for me! LOL

Check out Shannon's site today for other great ideas!

WFMW: 3 Minute Garlic Bread

Well, it's Wednesday again and here is another non-earth shattering peek into one of my shortcuts. LOL

From our newly married days, we have one of those sandwich makers. You put in four slices of bread and your preferred fixin's, clamp down the top and three minutes later...PRESTO! Grilled sandwiches.

This little kitchen gadget goes through cycles. We'll use it a lot for a few weeks then it gathers dust for a few months. But, I may be using it more...

I LOVE garlic bread. Would LOVE to be able to buy good, expensive bread regularly to have it broiled to perfection in my oven but budget and time constants don't allow it...and I ALWAYS burn it if a Viking so much as STEPS into the kitchen during the grilling time. So, one day in a crunch (aren't all good "mommy ideas" born this way?) I tested a theory.

Four slices of bread - white would probably work better than wheat. Buttered on the "inside" with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. A heavy-Pam-like-spray applied to the gadget. Clamped down and PRESTO! Three minutes later something that sort of resembles garlic bread.

A cheap alternative that will keep my garlic-bread-lovin' taste buds happy 'til we can afford a 45-minute drive worth of gas and a $45 trip to Olive Garden! LOL

For more WFMW ideas, stop by Shannon's today!

WFMW: frugal boullion/flavoring

This WFMW was just a spur-of-the-moment substitution that turned into a regular thing...

DaHubby occasionally makes himself a pack of Raman-style noodles for a snack or when I've left him to his own devices for lunch or dinner. However, he really dislikes the sodium/saltiness so he uses only half of the flavoring packet. As a result, for every two Ramans eaten there's a packet of seasoning left around. It seemed a shame to throw it out (thanks to our new frugalness) so I stashed them in the cabinets.

Well, about a month ago when I went looking for chicken boullion for a recipe, I found I had none. However, I had maybe a half dozen "chicken" Raman packets. So I replaced a packet for each cube of boullion required in the recipe. And, what a great new taste!

So, now I have a small storage bin in the cabinet with chicken, roast beef, chili, creamy chicken, and other packets waiting for the next recipe I can experiment with!

Again, nothing earth-shattering...just something fun to use in a crunch. For more WFMW, go here.

WFMW ala DaHubby

I told DaHubby that I would give him ALL the credit for this one!

We eat a lot of popcorn around here. Once in a great while, it's the microwave type that I get during a great sale. But, more often it is air-popped from the machine my mom got me before I left for my freshman year of college in 1986!

Hello, my name is Beth and I have a 22 year old popcorn machine! LOL

Anyway, my pet peeve for over two decades was how messy my various kitchen counters became as I tried to put melted butter on my finished popcorn. The last few years, I've had my favorite popcorn bowl which received its status by being deformed *just right* so I could "spin" it on the counter while I poured the butter over the top evenly. But, the problem continued when I would set the cup down in which I had melted the butter. "Butter rings" all over my counters.

The other night - I walked into the kitchen while DaHubby was making our evening popcorn. He had a spoon of some sort that he was using to put the butter on.

"What is that?"

"Your melon baller!"

Our melon baller has the little hole in the bottom of the "cup". DaHubby had melted the butter as usual in a coffee mug in the microwave and was scooping the butter out and it was "leaking" out of the hole evenly all over the popcorn!

*smacks forehead* Now, why didn't I think of that?

LOL We're not solving the problem of world peace around here but we've saved some "momma sanity" with less mess and great spread-ability! LOL

For more WFMW ideas, check out Shannon's site today!

WFMW: Packaging Idea

This is actually something my mom does for the Vikings. The last few care packages that have arrived - whether for Flicka, Pojke, or both - have had a interesting and different packaging filler.

Syrofoam peanuts? Nope. Too obvious.

Something that can be reused? You betcha 'cuz I come by my frugalness genetically. *wink*

So, what is good for package cushioning...soft and thick...that someone with small children could take out and use?

DIAPERS! LOL

Flicka's birthday box arrived last week and was lined with diapers in Pojke's size! LOL While he would be less than thrilled if that was "all" Grandma sent for him (which it wasn't), what a great idea!

And, thus is my contribution to WFMW this week! Stop by Shannon's today to see other moms other great ideas!

WFMW: Another crayon mural clean-up idea

I posted this about two weeks ago on a Saturday but it worked so well, I thought I'd re-post for WFMW.

So, if your darling(s) have used crayon on your walls in large quantities and you are not the happy owner of one of these, this baking soda option might be just the idea for you!

For more WFMW ideas, check out Shannon's place today.