We started off with a Curious George party, then did the Cowboy thing and finally the lego party. I was starting to run out of fun ideas for my boys parties.
One thing Landon loves to do is draw and color, seemed only obvious to throw him an art inspired party. Now that he and most of his guests are 5 they are able to keep the mess to a minimum so I forged ahead in making this happen.
I bought dollarstore white placemats and cut them into the shape of a painter’s palette. I then adhered plastic die cut circles to mimic paint which are easily washable. Yet another trip to our dollarstore yielded plain canvases on which the kids could paint their masterpiece just like the professionals. I am convinced the one to the far left will be worth money some day.
I knew this cake would be perfect for our art party. No wimpy food coloring for this one, the real dark vibrant food paste was brought in to pull this off. Beware! If you get this on your counter be prepared to love the tie die look because it does not wash off easily. Better yet pawn the job off on your poor unsuspecting parents. It’s amazing what you can get away with in the name of grand kids.
For favors I simply picked up some small tubs of Play Doh, a plastic painters palette, some paint brushes and a few tubs of washable paint. Ironically last minute I forgot to pick up favor bags and tossed the stuff in small green recylcing garbage bags. I figured everyone at some point can use those and will more than likely come in handy when letting your toddlers paint or use play doh…or as in my case both at once.
With three kids I am sure to be repeating one of these parties, or better yet I may even take them bowling. Problem solved.
If I had to choose one dish that I whip up more than any other, this would be it.
I always have a ready made stash of frozen cooked turkey or chicken pieces in the freezer and who doesn’t have half eaten bags of various veggies or nearly expired ones in the crisper of your fridge. With these two items, some chicken broth and the important Magic Mix you can have a warm hearty meal in minutes.
Whenever I cook homemade broth I freeze some in 2 cup portions for receips such as this. Simply thaw and add it to the magic mix, thicken and add some veggies and frozen chicken. Normally I spoon this over some whole grain rice I had frozen or you could simply boil whole whole grain pasta for a base.
Not only is this dish easy and quick it’s frugal and makes good use of leftovers and lone stragglers left in your fridge. Great way to clean it out.
I was so excited to get my frozen container of Dr. Bronner’s cleaner I recently ordered from well.ca
I love Dr. Bronners, I use their cleaner to tackle every job, some require full strength but I mainly dilute it. A 16oz bottle is priced below $10 and my last bottle last me a full year. Not a bad investment. I have since purchased their baby soap and their famous peppermint castille soap of which we use to bath and to fill our soap dispensers with. The best part about Dr. Bronners is the fact they are certified organic, not tested on animals and certified fair trade. In addition to all of the above his labels are thoroughly amusing.
Well.ca is an on-line store I frequently purchase from. Not only do they have an excellent selection of products for you and your family’s well being they have the best customer service ever. Seriously, they practically call you when the Canada Post truck is turning into your subdivision. Obviously I ignored that e-mail and left the bottle until the following Monday upon which I found it frozen solid.
The best part about Well.ca is free shipping resulting in fewer shopping trips with children…..priceless.
Even if I was filthy rich I would still resort to the following frugal tip….come to think of it I would probably do most of them because it’s fun. This one would especially follow me into my new mansion (I can dream can’t I?) homemade dishwashing detergent.
I admit I was a skeptic. After reading many tips and recipes on this subject I found mostly negative results and reviews. Because of this I stuck to my trusty homemade laundry soap and dared not to venture where Borax should not go. All the while I silently cursed every time I squeezed the final drop of Palmolive and had to run to the store because my house came to a screeching halt when the dishwasher was silent. I know what you are thinking, I could always resort to washing by hand but I have done that for many years and I did not want to go back there.
I finally ran across this wonderful article on the “Amazing Dishwasher” by Amy of Mom Advice where she mentioned a recipe that she personally uses and endorses. Since I had tonnes of Borax and Arm and hammer wash soap I thought I had nothing to lose and went for it. A total of 5 seconds later I had a batch whipped up and proceeded to run the load through. Keep in mind this load had been sitting there for nearly 2 days due to my sheer determination to not do them by hand. Upon completion, I sheepishly opened the door fully expecting there to be a heavy film over everything not to mention part of the meatloaf consumed two nights earlier. Much to my surprise everything was sparkling clean….wow. I wanted to test this out a couple of times before signing its praises, so after three more loads without my families knowledge the dishes were radiant.
Because Borax and Arm and hammer wash soda are septic safe I am assuming they are somewhat environmentally friendly. I am all for going green but with a family of 6 and a neverending stream of caked on dirty dishes I needed something more than a little earth friendly rose water and a prayer. I needed the big guns and I think this is a decent compromise.
So here is the recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think.
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda (Arm and Hammer)
1/4 cup salt
I mix all together and fill my dispensers before starting. She also suggests keeping the rinse agent area filed with vinegar.
For more works for me Wednesday’s and frugal ideas visit We are that family
80% of the treats in this bag came from clearance after Christmas. By sticking this in our deep freeze I was able to keep my Easter spending to under $15 (for both kids). The tootsie roll bank, 4 pack of kinder eggs and Cadbury mini eggs were a 75% off score after boxing day and the markers, paint smock and stickers were picked up at a local clearance centre for a buck each. I am enjoying the fact I can fool the kids with the Christmas candy knowing I may only have a few more years before they start pointing it out….what am I saying my hubby didn’t even notice. I guess if you are a true chocolate love it doesn’t matter where it comes from or what it’s covered in.
I am always trying to be a holiday ahead when stashing away stocking stuffers, loot bags, Easter baskets and Halloween goodies. For a fraction of the price you can save yourself last minute stress, crowds and overpriced goodies. I am heading out tomorrow to pick up some treats for Dane’s upcoming birthday and several large chocolate bunnies to chop up for my Christmas baking which normally includes lots of melting and dipping.
Prior to cutting off my long hair, conditioner was a priority in my beauty routine. For years I tried new products, from expensive salon brands to budget friendly generic ones. I never found that ideal run my fingers through my wet hair brand of conditioner.
Let’s just say HYPOTHETICALLY if my hair was not naturally blond and HYPOTHETICALLY I used a boxed hair dye I would find inside a wonderful conditioning product. For years I would use this little gem for the week after colouring to a sleek, tangle free do. I could never find the exact product in stores and nothing conditioned quite like it. I started asking friends and family if they could save them for me. In no time I amassed a large collection and never had to spend precious money on expensive conditioner again.
This was originally posted in Feb. 09, what a difference a year makes, my hair is now short and dark. I pass these tubes of conditioner on to my sister in law who has long hair and she loves it.
For more frugal tips and ideas visit the new home of Frugal Friday’s over at Life as a mom
If you cloth diaper your child you will no doubt be green with envy on this next thrift store find. If you use disposables you will think I am completely mad for being over the moon excited (as were most of the other shoppers around me when I squealed in delight upon finding them)
I found three – that’s THREE, brand new Bum Genius AIO cloth diapers for $3. These suckers can set you back a cool $25/a piece. Yes, that’s $75 in cloth butt covers that your cute little one messes up in one fell swoop. It’s sad to think what I find exciting at this point in my life.
The moral of this story is don’t forget those thrift stores. In today’s economy they are a great resource for unsuspecting gems, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Evidently, someone paid dearly for these diapers that never made it on a little one’s hiney….until now.
Don’t forget to check out other frugal tips and ideas over at Biblical Womanhood
