Up-Cycling: Formula Cans

Wow.  So I have been trying to do this post for awhile now - but Blogger was NOT cooperating!  I could not, for the life of me, write a new post!  The page would always turn up blank..... Finally got it figured out (Thanks to the big Hubby), so now we are back on track!

Tandon (or, 'Littles') has a milk allergy and  is on soy formula right now.  We go through this stuff pretty quickly, and I hate just throwing these sturdy little cans away.  I have found a couple of things you can do with these bad boys (or any medium sized container, really) that is useful and cheap!  Sooooooooo here you go! :)

Earring Holder

Covered the can with this lovely material, and.... Voila!  My bracelets are inside :)

  Because this can is covered in a lacy/meshy type material, I decided I could do this too....

BAM!!!  Earring holder, AND cosmetics storage :)  


Home Decor

 My friend Deniece let me use her candle holders as props.  She mentioned that it would be cute to get some holiday craft paper and use that instead of material.  So go buy some Fourth of July craft paper and show your patriotism!  We also thought it would be cute to drill holes in the shape of a star/flag/fireworks and put tea lights inside :)
                               



Toy (to help strengthen coordination and motor skills)

Pretty much, I just got a nail and hammer, and pounded some holes into the lid, cut off one of the ends of some Q-Tips, and had Benson practice putting the Q-tips into the holes.  The instructors at Early Intervention have him do exercises similar to this to help strengthen his fine motor skills.  Cheap, easy.... fun?...  Well, it was fun for him..... Until he couldn't push the Q-tip all the way through the hole.... Then he was just mad.

OR, you could stick some dried beans in there, super glue the lid shut, cover that sucker with some cute craft paper/material, and make it into a Maraca!!  Ay Yi Yi!!!


'What I Like About You'  Jar

This is a great way to encourage your family members to be positive with one another.  Have your kids pay special attention to all the good/positive things their siblings are doing (and YOU pay special attention to all of the wonderful things your children are doing).  Have pre-cut strips of paper and a pencil next to the 'What I Like About You' can, and throughout the week have your children write down special things they like about another family member (and you write positive notes to your children).  It can be something as simple as "You put your plate in the sink without me even asking!",  or,  "I like how Tandon played Peek a boo with me".....   Choose a day out of the week that you'll pull out and read all the 'What I Like About Yous' (Maybe for family home evening?  Or as a Sunday activity :)  I'm really excited to do this with my kids!  When they get a little older that is... Pretty sure my 2 year old and 5 month old wont appreciate it right now....

This is how I did it at first - Craft Paper and printed out text..... THEN I thought it would be cute to print out pictures of the kids and add that onto the can!  

Kind of cute, right?  And you don't have to use formula cans.  You can use that old cottage cheese container you were about to throw away!  Up-cycling, people!  Everybody's doing it :)

Smoothies

Remember how I said I've been trying to eat healthier lately?  Yeah... about that..... :) Actually, I've been doing pretty good!  I've had my times of weakness, but I've read somewhere that you need to enjoy some cheat days.  And I have :)  But here's the thing:  Among the sea of things I can't eat (or choose not to eat), there are things that I CAN eat, that I actually WANT to eat, that I actually look FORWARD to eating!  (Wow, pretty sure that sentence is grammatically incorrect on so many levels....)  Anyway, one of the things I actually enjoy having that is good for my body, as well as my taste buds, is my smoothies.  And let me tell you something, and I don't ever want you to forget it;  I am falling in love with Greek Yogurt.  I can't stand to eat it plain, but you better believe it is AWESOME for cooking and in smoothies!  And it is SO GOOD for you too!  With about the same amount of calories as regular yogurt, Greek yogurt has DOUBLE the amount of protein and about half the amount of sugar.  I was buying Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt, but now I just buy the Kroger brand at Smiths for half the price, and I like it just as much :) They have Vanilla flavored, sweetened with Stevia, and IT IS BOMB!  Alright, now back to the smoothies.  My first smoothie actually has three different variations, so with this one recipe, I am actually giving you three.  I know, right?  ;)  K here it is

Smoothie # 1:

Berry Smoothie

-1 cup Frozen Berries (I used Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend from Costco)
-Couple of Ice Cubes
-1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt 
-3/4 Cup Milk
-Stevia to taste - I probably put in about a Tablespoon or more... I like my food super sweet okay?  Step off :)

This shake is SO GOOD.  It's tangy, tart and delicious :)  A good way to jump start your morning :)

Banana Berry Smoothie

-Same ingredients as above, only with a little banana added to the mixture.  I used a little less than half a banana, and it was perfect.  It made the smoothie a little sweeter, which I love of course :)

Cocoa Berry Smoothie  

-Same ingredients as the first Berry Smoothie, but with a little cocoa powder added to it.  So I was thinking; "Hey, people eat chocolate covered berries all the time......." So why not make a chocolate berry smoothie?  You can put real chocolate in there, and it will probably taste amazing - but if you want to keep it a healthy smoothie, then just add cocoa powder.  This will give your flavor a little kick in the pants  :)


Okay, now for smoothie # 2


So a few months back I googled 'Spinach Smoothies' and got this awesome recipe that I have been using for months.  Just recently I have seen it floating around pinterest, so a lot of you may already have pinned it/tried it, but I thought I would put it on here anyway because I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!  Really.  So here you go!

Spinach Smoothie 

- 1 banana cut up and frozen (2 hours in the freezer should do it)
-Couple handful of Baby Spinach
-1 Cup Milk
-Heaping Spoonful of Peanut Butter
-1/2 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt * (Or plain, but you might need to add some Stevia if it's plain Greek)
-2 Ice Cubes

*I freeze half of the yogurt along with my bananas.  It makes the texture of the smoothie thicker, like a shake :)

The lady says to just throw it all in the blender and mix up, but that wasn't really working out for me.... So I start with the ice cubes on the bottom,  then I put the spinach in and pour the milk over it.  I blend those three ingredients up until it's mixed well and slushy.  Then I add the frozen banana and the frozen Greek yogurt.  Blend well.  Then add the remaining yogurt and the peanut butter and blend through.  Voila!  You, my friend, now have a blender full of smoothie awesomeness that is both super healthy for you and tastes great!  
You can find the original recipe here: http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/


Okay, last thing....  So one of the other things that I look forward to eating that is healthy is those whole wheat banana pancakes I posted about a few weeks ago - EXCEPT, I have added a few ingredients to make it even tastier.  So go check that post out again if you want to kick up the flavor a notch on those pancakes :)  Hope you all enjoy!!

 

  

Shapes

So remember that one time my little two year old did NOT want to sit down and learn anything?  I do.  And it's starting to get just a little frustrating!  Ha ha!  I know, I know, he's two....and a boy....   But this is what I have pictured in my mind for learning time.

But in reality what I get is a mixture of this.........

And this......

And this.

Yep.



So the other day I wanted to play 'Shapes' with Benson (because it had been awhile since we had gone over our shapes), but Benson wanted to play 'flashlight'.   Benson's little brother, Tandon, was down for a nap, and I really wanted to spend some quality one on one with my buddy Benson.  But nooooooooo.  He was not about to surrender his playing time with the flashlight for something as boring as shapes.   So then I got a great idea:  Let's play shapes and flashlight!

So I got some ol' card stock paper and cut some shapes into them.  That way we could look at the shapes on the wall using the flashlight as a projector.  WIN!  

  Benson loved this!  When the flashlight started wiggin' out on us, we brought in a lamp and used that instead.  Much better quality with the lamp :)

You can bet we are going to be doing this with our ABC's!!  Tedious?  Yeah.  Worth it?  I don't know, ask me after I've cut out all 26 letters of the alphabet :)

So find what your toddler likes and incorporate that into learning time.  Maybe he likes tractors?  Bury the shapes/letters/numbers  under the sand and have him dig them up with his backhoe and carry them away in his dump truck.  Maybe it's dinosaurs?  Have his dinosaurs hold them in their mouths.  Princesses?  Um..... You moms with girls will have to come up with something there! Anyway you get the picture :)

Happy playing!!  :)

Cardboard Box Fun

Once upon a time, in a land very windy and cold... and lame.... there lived a mother with two kids still in diapers.  Because her little angels went through diapers and wipes like they were going out of style, she was forced to journey to the magical land of COSTCO time after time after time where she could buy these dwindling amenities in bulk......

Basically, what I'm getting at is this:  My boys take after their dad (if you catch my drift....) so we go through diapers and wipes like nobody's business, and I'm kind of tired of all theses cardboard boxes piling up in the garage like we're building a second home out of them.  I know there are probably a MILLION  things you can do with a cardboard box, but I'm just going to share a few simple ideas of how I utilized them to assist in creative play and different uses.

First (and probably the most simple):  Use as a canvas for your little Van Goghs.

Yeah.  Basically I just stuck Benson in the box with some crayons and said, "Have at it kid."  He loved it!  Especially because coloring time can get a little frustrating for the both of us - I am constantly having to remind him that we stay on the paper, and we don't color on the table...or the walls... or anything else that isn't paper.... This way he could just scribble all around himself as fast as his little hands could take him!  He probably would have loved it even more in a bigger box, but we didn't have a bigger box, so this one sufficed.  He had plenty of fun regardless, and look at his beautiful art work!

 

So you'll notice that the flaps of the box have been cut off.  We used the two longest ones to make 'wings' for Benson to 'fly' with.   Benson is....well....kind of a little pansy, so he was scared of the wings and wouldn't let me fasten them onto his arms.  He loves ceiling fans, so I thought I would cut the wings to look like the blades of the ceiling fan so he could go 'round a round a round' (as he says) with them on his arms along with the fan..... Nope.  Not happening.  So, we used the wings as shields instead to go along with our sword fighting :) 

That he was ok with :)

Did you know that your toddler learns and responds better when you are down at their level interacting with them?  We have a wonderful lady from early intervention who comes once a month to play with Benson.  She always brings a little table and chair that is just Benson's size, and  he does all the learning activities/exercises on it with her sitting on the floor across from him at his eye level.   He loves it!  I asked my husband if he could make one for Bens, and he said he might be able to..... But until that happens, guess what we used to make a temporary one out of?  Ha ha!  You better believe it!

I know it's not much to look at, but it gets the job done! I just cut the flaps off, cut an opening to fit over little Bens Boo's legs, and spray painted the thing to dress it up a little.  It'll work for now :)

Need a toy box?  Something to hold your laundry detergent/household cleaners in?  How bout a place for the stuffed animals?

Just buy yourself some fabric, hot glue it onto that sucker, and BAM!!!!!  Cute little storage box that cost you all but 3 dollars (or less, depending on the size of your box). 

Cut a hole in your box, stick it over a small lamp, and use as a projector.

You've probably seen those cardboard letters wrapped in yarn floating around pinterest, right?

I did mine with fabric and a glue gun, and it was SO EASY to do it that way.  The hardest part for me was cutting out the letters.  I like how it turned out though :)  99 cents.  Yep!

 And if you're feeling really awesome, you can check out this mom's blog.  

http://www.ikatbag.com   Go to her 2008 post called 'What's in a box'.  You should see the things she's done with cardboard boxes!  Amazing.  Actually, now that I've looked at her blog again, I feel kind of stupid about my dumb little ideas... Ha ha!  Oh well. 

And then there's this.

Found at a-happy-wanderer.blogspot.com

There are two more things I've thought cardboard might be good for that I haven't gotten around to doing yet.

1 - A clock, to help teach time

2- A frame for the fabric letters (maybe with lace wrapped around it?)  

I'll post pics of those when I get around to making them :)

Anyway, these are just some of the easier things that don't take much time or money - I know there is so much more to be done with this misunderstood piece of matter! So feel free to leave a comment of all the things you've used cardboard for!  Really.  I dare ya.

Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

So my mom makes the best homemade pancakes.  EVER. I'm not even kidding.  Like, I feel bad for all of you who haven't tried them.  Anyway, I've been trying to eat healthier lately, so I have been cutting out a lot of carbs and sugar from my diet, and I've also been trying to eat more whole grain.  GO ME!!!  Except, sadly, this means no more of Mom's homemade pancakes (at least until I reach my goal weight :)  Well, this morning I decided I was tired of having green smoothies for breakfast, so I pulled out Mom's pancake recipe to see what I could do with it to make it work with my diet.  I switched out the white flour with whole wheat flour, replaced the veggie oil with coconut oil, and mixed in a mashed banana and a drizzle of honey for sweetness. Oh. My. GOSH!!  I LOVED it!  And guess what?  The hubby liked it too!  And that is saying A LOT, because he is NOT a healthy foods kind of guy.  Just ask him.  He'll tell you how much he's loved my healthy foods rampage......  Anyway here's what you need to do to get these mouthwatering and HEALTHY (yes, I just used those two words in the same sentence) pancakes.

Ingredients:

DRY
1  cup whole wheat flour
1  Tablespoon Baking Powder
2  Tablespoons  Stevia Powder 
1/2  teaspoon salt

*If you want to kick up the flavor, add
 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, 
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts 
Mmmmmm


WET
1 Cup Milk (can use almond or soy)
1 Egg 
1 Ripened banana, mashed
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (you will need to melt the coconut oil down before putting it into the mix)
And a squeeze of Honey.


                             Sift the dry ingredients together. 

 In separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well.  The coconut oil may begin to harden and lumpen back up, but that's ok :)

 
 Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk until well blended.  Pour desired amount onto griddle and cook to your heart's desire.  I like mine a little underdone, while my husband likes his very thoroughly cooked through - so you be the judge of how long to cook them.  Oh, and make sure that when you flip them you are fairly quick about it.  Otherwise they will start to fall apart on you!    Top with your topping of choice!  Fat free Cool Whip tastes GREAT on these....  and fresh strawberries maybe?  Haven't tried it with the strawberries yet.  We did maple syrup......Not the healthiest of toppings for this otherwise healthy meal, but that's what the man wanted :)  Whaddaya going do?   ENJOY :)

The Perpendicular Popsicle Stick

So..... Here's the thing -  I love the dollar store.  Like a lot.  And I swear EVERY TIME I go there I find something new that I hadn't seen before and I'm like, "I didn't know the dollar store sold this!  And only for a dollar!?"  Yep.  True story.  You can call me silly... you can call me cheap.... but there are some quality items to be found at Dollar Tree.  (And there are some things that aren't so quality too, but we won't discuss those right now.....)

I'm going to show you how to do a reversed popsicle with some sweet dollar store items .  The size and shape of this popsicle is perfect  for my little two year old, and it is A LOT less messy than the traditional ones that melt and drip down their little hands and arms.



                                 

So, today's dollar store items are:

                                             
                                                  Ice Tray
                  (designed to make ice cubes that fit into water bottles)

                                         AND


                                       Popsicle Sticks
(From the craft section.  You seriously get like, a JILLION of these for a dollar)

It's really pretty simple.  You just fill your ice tray up with your liquid of choice, then cover it with Tin Foil or Press n' Seal (I prefer press n' seal, because it's a little less temperamental than the tin foil).   Then, using your slicing tool of choice (I just used a small paring knife), you make small incisions through the Press N' Seal into each ice cube slot - this is where your popsicle stick will go, so make sure you don't make it big.  Just a teeny tiny slit.

Place the tray in the freezer for about 45 minutes, then put the sticks through the designated slots.

After inserting the sticks, leave the tray in for a few hours (or however long it takes to freeze), then take it out, remove the press n' seal, and enjoy your horizontal popsicle stick :)  I usually just do ice sticks, but pshhhh, the sky is the limit!  Grape juice, orange juice, Crystal Light.... maple syrup....?  I totally would.   Yesterday I put a little bit of lemon and honey in the water before freezing it (because my throat was starting to get a little scratchy) and I just sucked on my Lemon-Honey popsicle sticks all day, and BAAAMMM!  All better.  Just kidding - but it was soothing :)  Anyway.... Enjoy :) 

And so it begins....

For the longest time I have been saying I was going to do this (start a blog), and it just never happened.  Why you ask?  You're probably thinking, "Um, no, I really don't care why, just get to the good stuff".  But luckily for you, I am going to tell you anyway :)

                                                    FEAR

Of so many things.  Fear of rejection.  Fear of criticism.  Fear of thinking I am being original, then people telling me that I'm not.  Fear of starting something I can't keep up with - like a half-done scrapbook on the shelf collecting dust....but in blog form.  There are SO MANY things to be afraid of, and SO MANY things I haven't done in the past because of fear of failure.  Well guess what?  Ok, I'll just tell you....  I had already failed by not trying at all.  So this is me saying 'What the heck, I'll give it try'.

 So feel free to criticize me all you want :) Bring it on!  But, feel free to compliment me as well, cause I like that too ;)

Alright, now to the good stuff.  I'm starting this blog for a couple of different reasons.  I was really adventurous, and creative and imaginative as a child, but felt like I had lost a lot of that creativity when I got married and became a mother.  Saddest thing you've ever heard, right?  Well, I hadn't lost any of my creativity, I was just too busy stressing about other things to sit down and really play with my son and enjoy it.  Once I stopped thinking about 'The List' of things that needed to be done or little things that were bothering me (and once I got off Facebook and put the iphone down), I could really enjoy the time with my son and feel like I was a little kid again.  I want to share that with everyone - especially those who feel like they've run out of ideas, or those who feel like they can't connect with their child.   You haven't run out of ideas, and you can connect with them! I also want to share my journey to becoming a happier, more confident, and more patient person. Life is good, and there are ways to make yourself feel better all around - because if mom ain't happy, NOBODY'S happy!!

Now, I am fully aware that blogs like this are a dime a dozen.  But that's soooooo great, because we can never get enough ideas when it comes to being creative with our kids, and encouraging one another to be happier and more confident parents right?  Right.  So, with that being said,   LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!