Catching The "NICE" Bug

Let's be real . . . siblings are not always the nicest to each other. I know they love each one another but I also know they can get on each others nerves faster than anything. Since they fight like Tom & Jerry I figured the house could use some quiet (what mother doesn't enjoy that). The most effective way to get them to do anything I want without them knowing is to make it a game. Our newest game is "Catching the Bug", the ultimate goal of this game is to help your kids say & do nicer things to others. So we made bugs out of clothes pins, so they would be able to pin them on their shirts when we were done.

Materials I used:

2 clothes pins

4 googly eyes

5 pom pom balls

4 heart stickers

4 pieces of felt

For Aubrey we made a butterfly. We layered the hearts on top of each other, then glued them to the clothes pin, added the googly eyes & felt (for antennas) & were done.

For Landen we made a caterpillar. We glued the pom pom balls to the clothes pin, then the googly eyes & felt (antennas), & we were finished. They came together super quick & we didn't need many materials (I had everything laying around the house).

Now the object of the game is when someone says or does something "NICE" to someone else I give them the bug & they were it until someone else comes along & does something nice & then they pass the bug on. For example: If Aubrey cleaned up Landen's toys out of the living room (just because), I would give her the bug. Then later on if Landen told her something nice or helped her out with something she passes the bug to him . . .  Hence the name "Catching The Nice Bug".

I'll admit I did have to take the bugs away a few times because they weren't being so sweet to each other, but I'm happy to say they did earn them back.

Hope this helps you if you were looking to keep the peace between your little ones, leave a comment below to let me know how it works out for you.

Menu Book

If your anything like me, every time you go to a new restaurant you take a to-go menu. For what? I don't really know, but I do it all the time. So when I get home I add it to the stack of menus that are  just sitting in a drawer in my kitchen. After a while this ritual began to drive me insane because all those unorganized menus were making a "mess" in my drawer.

The easiest solution would be to organize it . . . DUH.

Materials I used:

3 ring Binder /  3 ring Folder

Clear Binder Pockets

Dividers

Permanent Marker

MENUS

First I put each menu in a clear binder pocket of it's own & them I separated them into piles depending on the type of restaurant it was. I only had 5 dividers so I marked them in categories such as Mexican, Asian, BBQ & Wings, Burgers & Sandwiches, & Others. After that I just assembled the folder, putting everything in was probably the longest part of the whole thing.

The front of my folder was looking a little sad with nothing on it so I decided to give it a little face lift. I didn't put too much thought into what should be written on the front so I just stated the obvious & labeled it the "Menu Book" (I know, clever, right?) 

Now that those menus look like they actually have a purpose I use them quite often. When I don't feel like cooking (which seems to happen all the time) I just grab my menu book & order some take out. It comes in handy now, I can breeze through it looking for what I want to eat & I feel like I have access to all the information at my finger tips. Yes, I am aware that I could just easily look up menus to restaurants online but I guess I'm just a little old fashion.

Hopefully I'm not the only one hoarding menus in my kitchen & this post helps you. Leave a comment below to let me know if you have a "Menu Book" of your own or if you just use Google instead.

Routines For Children

When a parent thinks about giving their children a routine it can freak them out because they automatically think they have to follow a strict schedule. But a routine is different, your not bound by a timed schedule, a daily routine just needs to flow in the same order everyday for it to work.

If everyday tasks are a struggle you as a parent end up settling & giving into your child's tantrums, like skipping brushing teeth, nap time, bedtime, the list can go on. A good routine will give your child structure & a sense of stabilities, which will lead to establishing good habits & better behavior. A good routine will give you as a parent more control & a lot less stress.

The most common excuse for a parent not having a routine set for their kids is fear that pushing a schedule is too much "structure" & it will dull your child's sense of creativity. But I feel you can still set a routine to guide your day & it will work as long as you use sensitivity.

Don't forget to remain flexible all your doing is setting a well-ordered & predictable environment for you child so be responsive to the individual needs of your children & yourself.

OUR DAILY GRIND

Mornings : Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, & then get dressed.

Play time : Set activities for your child to do & join in

Caring for pets : We have a family pet & it is our children's responsibility to feed him daily.

Chores : Sort laundry, wipe down counters, & take out trash.

Nap time : This is for the smaller ones, my kids have moved past the daily naps. (man do I miss the silence that nap time use to bring)

Homework : After school my son gets a snack & he knows he has to do his homework or 20 minutes of reading.

Meal time : Have dinner as a family & everyone takes part in clearing the table afterwards. 

Bedtime : Take baths, tidy up the rooms, story time, say your prayers, they get tucked in & lights out.

 Of course time does play a roll in our day, the kids have to be up at 6am & in bed by 8pm. But everything else just seems to flow naturally for us. Before our routine was set mornings were chaotic, no one seemed to know what was expected of themselves to get up & out the door, now it runs smoothly. Our meal time used to be hectic, everyone was moody & hungry, just wanting to get in & out of the kitchen. Now we all sit down together & enjoy our dinner as a family, plus clean up is easier on mom because everyone knows to help out. Bedtime use to be the most dreaded part of the day, the kids would throw fits to stay awake, but now with our routine in place once they take their baths they automatically start winding down. Bed time is the most important one for me because if the order of our routine is changed the kids feel rushed & they will keep getting up & bothering because they can't sleep.

 

I hope this helps you parents who are trying to set a simple routine for your kids to follow. Leave a comment below to let me know about your daily routines.

DIY Centerpiece

DIY Centerpiece - Movie Theme

My baby sister is graduating high school . . . man, DO I FEEL OLD. For her senior serve she wanted to do a Movie Theme & she needed centerpieces for her table.. Of course I was there to offer my help. When you think of movies you think of  projectors, movie reels, tickets, & clapperboards. So now that I had her wish list in mind . . . I got to work.

My number one rule for crafting is ALWAYS sketch it out before you start anything permanent (I use construction paper).

I used foam boards to make the projector, movie reels, & clapperboard. Trace your sketches onto the foam boards & cut them out with an exact-o-knife. I made 2 projectors, I wanted to double them up to make them sturdy & also I wanted to put little streamers sticking out of the top. I spray painted them all black I using a metallic paint. When they dried I arranged the streamers & then glued the 2 projectors together. I also glued the year (2014) on the front & back with glitter paper to make it more decorative.

Next the reels, I made 4 because I wanted it to look 3 dimensional. I glued 2 reels together using toilet paper rolls (the cardboard tubes) after gluing them I spray painted them with the same metallic paint. Once that was dry I painted the edges silver with sparkles to add more dimension.

 Onto the clapperboard, after cutting it out of the foam board I covered it in glitter paper & used stickers for lettering.

Now it was time to make the "stand" I used a piece of wood. I cut it into two 1 inch pieces & doubled up the boards to make it more sturdy. I nailed it together from the top & bottom. After I put them together I drilled a hole big enough for the pole to sit in.

I also cut a slit in the top of the pole to sit the projector in.

I spray painted the base the same metallic color & I covered the pole in star garland. Then put everything together.

I also made tickets out of gold metallic paper & stickers to lay around the table for extra décor.

I hope this helps you if you needed to make something similar or inspires you to get crafty. Leave a comment below & let me know if this was helpful or inspiring for you . . .

Cleaning Up Shattered Glass

I've got to say I'm a little more clumsy than I'd like to admit, I've probably broken more glass than my kids actually have. Cleaning up shattered glass is nerve racking, I always felt like I was leaving pieces behind for someone to step on. I now feel like I have mastered the task (maybe it was all the practice I had cleaning up after myself).
First & foremost protect yourself & others, so clear the room of kids & animals. & if your not wearing any shoes, now would be the time to put some on so you don't cut your feet.
Now you can carefully pick up the "big" pieces. As for the little shards they can be a bit more tricky. There were times when the glass was so fine I felt as if I didn't even know where to start sweeping. To help in this kind of situation your going to need some baking soda (I love baking soda, it can be used for almost anything). The baking soda will keep the glass from sticking to the floor & the broom & it can also help you spot where the glass is.
Get your broom & dust pan ready, sweep your glass into a pile & pick it up in the dust pan. I like to bag mine in a small throw-away bag to be sure I don't have glass sitting at the bottom of my kitchen trash can. After sweeping it's time to bring out the "big guns" so to speak, my vacuum. I vacuum up the area just to make sure the broom didn't leave anything behind.
 Even with that I still don't feel safe enough to walk barefooted on the floor, so I get a wet paper towel & wipe up the "danger zone". Just be cautious not to flip the wet paper towel after you start wiping, that way you don't happen to get a tiny piece of glass stuck in your hand.
Now that your finished with the clean up make sure you dispose of everything to avoid any further incidents from happening. Everything is already bagged up just empty the vacuum in the bag & take it out to the trash. While your outside give your shoes a good wipe & clap to make sure you don't have any glass stuck to your shoes.
All Done . . . You don't have to worry about your children or pets accidentally stepping on any left behind glass.


Leave a comment below & let me know if this was helpful or if you use a different method . . .

5 Tricks To Keep Your Dog Smelling Fresh Between Washes

Our dog's name is Rhino, we love him so much we keep him indoors with us like a member of the family. But I have to admit I HATE the rank "dog smell" so keeping him fresh is always at the top of my priority list. Rhino is a Lab Retriever mix so he is huge, he weighs about 85 lbs & still has some growing to do. So you can understand why I dread giving him baths so often, plus too much washing can be taxing on a dogs skin.

In between washes I use these simple methods to keep him looking clean & smelling good.

Wiping Paws : When he comes in from outside I always wipe his paws with a towel, this is to avoid him tracking in any mud or dirt & to keep the build up under his nails to a minimum.

Fabric Softeners (Dryer Sheets) : This is my fav go-to method, I always have dryer sheets handy & they smell heavenly fresh. When he has been out in the yard for a bit he will start to stink so after he is done playing I will wipe him down all over with the fabric softener. Not only does he smell like I just pulled him out of the laundry basket but it gives his fur a nice sleek shine.

Baking Soda : There are days when you just feel like your dog is carrying loads of dirt in his fur (I know I'm not the only one who feels like this). Sprinkle some baking soda on his fur & brush it out with his doggy brush. The baking soda will absorb all the nasty odors & keep the dirt from sticking to the fur.

Baby Wipes : When the weather is bad & my dog has to go outside to use the "facilities" he comes in smelling like WET  dog. His fur is already a little moist so I just use baby wipes to clean him up & he smells good enough to swaddle.

Febreze Air Fresheners : & of course when I spray my house with Febreze I also give Rhino a little spritz . . . Don't forget to spray the dog bed.

I hope this helps you keep your fur baby fresh, leave a comment below let me know if you use any different methods.

Avoid Boredom A.K.A "The Sicky Treatment"

It's inevitable kids get sick, so what are you suppose to do when they have to be home for days at a time while getting over the illness ? ? ? Avoiding boredom isn't very complicated & it's a life saver, no one wants to deal with a sick child who is cranky because they are bored.  

Avoid boredom A.K.A. "The Sicky Treatment"

Make your little one comfortable while giving them their own space. We call ours the "sicky bed", I have been doing this since they were babies & now they look forward to it when they are sick, let me explain. . . During the day I throw blankets all over the couch & towels all over the floor along with a trash can, to them it's like a fortress when in reality I do it because it makes clean up a million times easier (in case they have uncontrollable vomit or diarrhea, sometimes SH*T happens). At night I make a pallet on the floor in my room, they love sleeping in mommy & daddy's room even if it's not on the bed. This helps me keep an eye on them while they are asleep incase they get sick in the middle of the night.

Read them books to get them using their imagination. I love reading adventure books while they are sick, they're favorites are the Magic Tree House books written by Mary Pope Osborne.  

Make something as simple as a bath seem like special treatment. Sometimes you need to give your sick kid a bath, there are a ton of reasons they could use a bath. You might need to cool them down because of a fever, to warm up their achy muscles, oatmeal bath for a rash, or a warm bath with fragrances to clear up congestion, either way you can make it fun. If they aren't to sick give them a few toys to play with, maybe some bubbles, change the color of the water (with bath fizzies), throw some glow sticks in the tub & turn off the lights.

Other things to do to keep them busy are movies, legos, building blocks, puzzles, & coloring

BUT be careful .

. . you want to keep them from being bored but you don't want to make it "too" fun. If it's too fun your child might start "pretending", faking being sick just to get special treatment & avoid going to school.

Always give your sick ones extra TLC & attention because mommy's touch makes everything feel better. 

Tips for mom to help your little one stay comfortable while sick.

Always keep a bucket of medicines within reach so you don't have to scramble to get what you need.

Sometimes a wet rag isn't possible with smaller kids, an alternative is to put a pillow case in the freezer so it is cold when they lay on it.

Steaming out coughs & colds can be effective but it can be a bit difficult with little ones, alternative is going to the bathroom & turning on all the hot water & shutting the door. Remember to comfort your little one so rock him / her while they breath in the steamed air.

Leave a comment below let me know about your experiences with sick kids.



DIY Terrarium For Kids

All children love hands on crafts, it lets them use their creativity & broadens their imagination. Terrariums are extremely cute to decorate the house with & they are plants that don't need much attention. So instead of buying a fake one from the store why not let your little ones make it . . .

We went to Home Depot & got a few "desert" plants, we already had soil & rocks at home, & we picked up a cheap glass bowl from Marshall's.

You'll need:

1 glass bowl

3 - 4 "desert" plants (depending on the size of your container)

{cactus & succulents are the plants we used}

soil

rocks

moss (optional) - we didn't use any

You can get fancy with these if you want to but we kept it simple because the kids were doing most of the work, I just put the cactus in so no one got hurt. Basically you just want to build your terrarium in layers, we did ours . . . soil, rocks, then plants.



The kids were so proud of their work that they did together & it is defiantly "DISPLAY WORTHY" so we put it some place where everyone would see it.  

Don't forget to give it a little water here & there so it doesn't die. I hope this inspires you to do a DIY with the little ones in your life. Leave a comment below, do you have a terrarium somewhere in your home?

Parenting & Children

Giving Worry Wart A Whole New Meaning

One day while dressing my son I noticed a patch of bumps all on his stomach, obviously I freaked out . . . I automatically thought "he must have some type a rash". So for the next few weeks I put a crap load of stuff on him, ranging from Neosporin, Tea Tree Oil, to Steroid cream (for his eczema) & nothing seemed to work. The bumps were not fading or shrinking at all in fact it seemed like there were more.

He told me they (the bumps) weren't painful but he was very self conscious about them. We took him to the doctor to see what the heck was going on & the doctor told us it was Molluscum Contagiosum A.K.A. Warts.

I thought it was so gross at first but the doctor said they were completely normal / common for children to get & that there is no treatment for them. I had never heard of this virus before & it worried me that they were contagious but the doctor assured me that it was all good & the warts will go away on their own once the body is able to build up enough immunity to fight off the virus (usually takes about 6-18 months, some cases can take longer). Once the warts start to look like they are getting infected it's actually a sign on the body finally fighting it off.

 It has now been 7 months & some of the warts have finally vanished. So just remember . . .

Don't be a worry wart,

 Everything will be okay


Leave a comment below & let me know if this was helpful for you or if you've had a little one who has had warts before.

Surviving Spring Break

10 Ideas To Help You Survive Spring Break

Spring break is here & the kids are home . . . & for some of us, like me, the husband is home too. The house can get crowded real quick & keeping everybody occupied with something to do can be a challenge. I know for me when my kids are bored the house is their disaster zone. In order to avoid the horrible messes they can make, my plan is to keep them out of the house as much as possible.

Easy & cheap ideas to keep them busy or OUT of the house:

(I'm not big on spending too much money if I don't have to so these are things that I do)

1. Go visit family

Your always welcome at your family's house & there is no expense to visit them. Plus your kids will enjoy seeing their loved ones.

2. Go to the movies

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is definitely on the list to see . . . 

3. Go to parks

Parks are GREAT, they're free & your kids are outside staying active. One of my most favorite things to do.

4. Go bowling

My husband & kids love bowling, me . . . not so much. But whatever makes them happy.

5. Go window shopping

Just getting out of the house sometimes can make a world of difference. Most of the time I just go up & down the toy isle & let the kids play with everything.

6. Play outside

I love sending the kids outside to play whenever the weather is permitting. But here in Texas our weather is acting crazy.

7. Chores & cleaning

In order for your kids to get something they want (like go to the movies, which they are going to get to do anyways) they have to help mommy clean up the house first.

8. Play video games

This is more for the boys, my husband & son could play video games all day, everyday.

9. Play board games

We love board games & we get very competitive with each other.

10. Create something together

Every child is an artist, let them express themselves.

One thing I forgot to mention is Gatti Town (or a pizza gaming place) honestly we will spend about 3 hours in a place like this. We always make it worth the money spent. We eat, then play games, then eat again before we leave . . . Don't judge us

I hope this help you stay sane while trying to enjoy the company of your family. Leave a comment below & let me know how your spring break is going. 

Tips & Tricks

COMFY SOLUTION FOR NECKLACE CLASPS

I love dressing up my little princess & she loves getting all dolled up too. But she hates wearing her necklaces because the clasp "hurts" her neck. So to avoid the whining & crying to take off the jewelry I had to come up with a solution to make her more comfortable. All I do is take a wide stripe of ribbon ("soft" of course) & wrap it around the clasp a few times & then securely tie it. Problem solved . . . Now she can wear her beautiful necklaces all day long without it bothering her little neck.

KEEP YOUR DIVA COMFY

Cleaning & Organizing

Repurpose Candle Containers

I have a serious love for candles, especially Bath & Body Works candles, my ultimate fav is Mahogany Teakwood. But I hate how I feel after I finish burning one because I feel like I am being so wasteful just throwing away the glass. But how am I suppose to get the last layer of wax out of the bottom? It's extremely simple . . .

First I set a small pot of water on the stove to boil, once the bubbles start to roll I turn the fire off.

Pour that hot water in the candle container. This is going to soften up the wax that was leftover. Just let it sit for a minute to work its magic.

Take a butter knife & scrap around the edges, this is going to loosen up the block of wax so it will separate from the glass.

If the wax doesn't just pop up then run your butter knife along the bottom of the glass to help it out. Be careful where the wick is because they are connected to the glass by a piece of metal & tacky glue. They will need a little extra attention to take off, but never the less once you get your butter knife in the right place they will just pop right off.

After you drain your waxy water & dump your wax blocks in the trash you can give it a nice hot wash, with some soap & water. There is always a sticker on the bottom of candles along with one on the front, the one on the bottom can be washed off with a sponge & hot water, & the one on the front can be easily peeled off, 

Ta Da Its all clean . . . Now the options are endless, you can use it for anything. How will you use yours?

I made mine useful. They are sitting in the bathroom holding q-tips & cotton balls.

So instead of throwing them away here's a way to repurpose those candle containers.

Learning Greater Than And Less Than

Learning Greater Than And Less Than

I'm working on helping my little one out with learning more than & less than, plus she needs help with her number recognition so this game is great for both . We were watching Bubble Guppies the other day & it inspired me to make this game . On the show they had a dinosaur running & they were checking it's speed . That's the reason there is a dino . . .

All I did was make a chart with numbers from 1 - 10 & we were using the number 5 as our greater than or less than number . So I circled it in green & underlined all the less than numbers in green as well, then I underlined all the greater than numbers in red . I also made a small arrow & then cut out some number (of course 1 - 10)

We took turns drawing numbers from the bowl, she had to tell me the number she drew, show me how many fingers it is, then count it out on the chart & put the arrow on it .

I had her lay the number she drew on the dino so she could see her number vs numbers on the chart . Simple enough right . . . After a couple of turns I started to ask her if the number she drew was greater than 5 or less than 5 . She got the first one wrong but after that she was getting them all right, now she loves playing .

The tricky part was when she drew the number 5 . . . I guess I didn't really think that part through until it happened . I just told her that 5 is not more than or less than 5 because it's the SAME .

We played this all morning, it turned out to be more fun than I thought & we had a dino - rific time . It really did help her with her number recognition more than I accepted .

Hope you enjoyed this idea & let me know if you & your toddler play anything similar to this or if you plan on using it for yourself . . .