hydrogen peroxide

Lucky me. Got the stomach flu. Too much time on pinterest led me to an article on the benefits of hydrogen peroxide. Here's my favorite ones:  mix with vinegar as a disinfectant, use to remove stains, mold, clean mirrors. Read more tips here. 

123 magic

Here's the best tip I have ever given. Ever.  Start timing the good behavior and counting down the whining, attitudes and fighting.  Start the good. Stop the bad.  123 Magic has changed how we parent. We no longer negotiate for better behavior, we just send them to a time-out. "Clean your room!" I used to yell say.  Now I say in a firm but pleasant voice..."Please put away seven things in your room. You have 5 minutes. Let me know when you are done."  Buy the book on Amazon, get it for free at the library or buy it from them directly along with tons of other books.  Only read this one, if you want some serious change in your casa.  And let me know if it works!

pumpkin seeds

Picture taken by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Oh, they are addicting.  I snagged a pumpkin for 17cents a pound (that's cheap people), had the kiddies dig out the guts and seeds.  I didn't wash the seeds just tossed them and some of the slimy innards (trust me on this) with seasoning salt (no MSG), garlic salt and wee bit of olive oil.  Then I placed them in one layer on a cookie sheet with 1/4 cup olive oil and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.  Toss every 10 minutes to prevent burning and sticking.  The pumpkin flesh mixed with the salt will make these puppies sing in your mouth.  Ahhhhh-dicting. 

Blueberry pickin'

www.Blueberrycouncil.org

They are blue and oh so tasty...and...it's not too late to pick em.  Yesterday, I took the girls to pick blueberries and they loved it.  Here's a website listing all the farms in America and some tips on picking.  We made a blueberry crisp and a smoothie.  These yummy round bits of joy are also high in fiber, vitamin C, manganese and have antioxidant properties. 

bulk baby

I had a duh moment the other day...why buy expensive, yet oh so convenient, cute containers of yogurt, when I can buy larger containers of the same thing for less and then place them in small Tupperware containers for lunches.  And why cook five servings of spaghetti sauce when I can cook 10 servings so we have leftovers?

Soooo....now I'm buying the following in large-in-charge quantities:  applesauce, spaghetti sauce, almonds, trail mix, cold cereal, graham crackers, baked fish crackers and yogurt.  What do you buy in bulk or in large quantities?

Berry crisp cones

Forget ice-cream in a cone, how bout shoving blueberry crisp in that puppy? I snagged this triple berry crisp recipe from www.allrecipes.com and made some adjustments since I didn't have three kinds berries or enough to make the full recipe AND I wanted it gluten free.  I baked as directed  and then at the insistence of my soon to be kindergartner, threw some of the tasty crisp in a ice-cream cone; your kiddies will love it more! Here's my gluten free recipe: 

• 3/4 cups Marion berries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/3 cup flax seed
• 1/3 cup semolina flour
• 1/3 cup soy flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 stick cold butter

Here's what it looked like after I took it from the oven.  As you can see, I just used a pie pan.  This cone was not g-free but you can buy them.  

thredUP shoppin'

School starts in a few weeks.  On Tuesday night we went to the mall, 1 hour later we had two huge bags of clothes and I...this is very important...did not wait in lines or have to squash verbal blow-outs with my girls.

You could also just shop online, which is how I will complete my shopping.  My favorite sites - www.Target.com, www.OldNavy.com and www.thredUP.com - The last one has new and mostly gently used clothing at stealing deals.  Gotta love eco-friendly shopping.

You can also send your gently used, clean clothes to thredUP and get a clothing credit.  I've got 20 bucks sitting in my account as I type.  Check out this cute Justice jean skirt for $8.99 I'm getting for Janae.  The site filters are great and allow you to narrow your search easy pleasy.  Happy shoppin'.

sharpies

Belle used a black sharpie (permanent) pen on...a kleenex...on...the dining room table.  Ahhhh!  I think I really did scream.  After my mad dash to the computer to google HOW TO REMOVE SHARPIE FROM WOOD, I had some options.  We used pencil erasers and then wiped it clean with nail polish remover.  Ever try eco-friendly soy based remover?  Here's some cool art (see pic) that you CAN do with a sharpie http://blog.sharpie.com/tag/eco-friendly/.

Chalkboard table

The girls were gifted a WHITE table five years ago.   Over the years, they have eaten on it, played games and toys on it (including play-doh) and they have drawn it...with markers and crayons and...sharpies.  I contact papered it a few times and you can read more here.  When the paper ran out, I decided to rip off the paper and spray paint it with black chalkboard paint.  Picked up some for $4 and went to town. I also painted a picture frame and tin can (see pic).  Ecos makes eco-friendly chalkboard paint for $30.  It's 100% non toxic, VOC free and allergy safe.

smart summers

Continue summer learning for the kiddies with Summer Bridge Activity Books.  I bought two of these puppies on Amazon for $24.  They have activities for every weekday of the summer centered around math, science, fitness, social studies, reading, and language.  Well worth it and the girls love doing them!
Stickers, certificate and color flashcards are also included.

food buckets

I first ate some sand pudding last week (vanilla pudding, crumbled cookies in a bucket with a shovel as a spoon).  So when I began organizing the girl's summer splash party, I just had to use a plastic beach bucket for food.  I bought four at Walmart for a buck each. I threw apple sauce cups and spoons in one, graham crackers in another and cheeze-its in the third. The fourth one was used for minute to win-it games.  Next time I'm buying a small one for salsa and using a large one for chips. Ahhhh-dorable. View eco-friendly sand buckets by Zoe B here.  Been busy but I am back blogging!

bins baby

Forget shoe bins for shoes, how about for organizing your kiddie's toys. Especially those little tiny teenie toys that love to nestle sharply between my fourth toe and pinky toe.  In the morning.  Always.  Or late late late at night. I use clear shoe box size bins to organize:  markers, crayons, chalk, paint sets, littlest pet shop, legos, polly pockets, blocks, match box cars, Mc Donald's happy meal toys, hair ties, and whateva fits.  Use your large toy boxes for stuff animals and big toys otherwise you will find itty bitty toys hiding at the bottom. Label your bins with a sharpie or use some recycled kiddie art and create a label; this will ease toy clean up.  They come with lids and stack tidy on shelves.  View eco-friendly bins here and dollar store location finder here.

No toy garage

We just moved two months ago and I had the distinct pleasure of packing 10 BOXES of TOYS.  Gimme a break. I mean really.  So as I began to slowwwwwly unpack them, I realized AGAIN that all of these were unnecessary.  Especially as I witnessed them playing without them for days.  So I grabbed a black garbage bag (absolutely necessary to hide the toys headed for donation from those little I-don’t-miss-a-thing eyes). I decided that at least half of the toys from each box MUST leave the house.  In addition, I also created the No Toy Left Behind Act – no more bins of extra toys in the garage.  If there is no room in their bedroom for them, then there’s no space in the casa.  View places to donate toyshere.

easier nights

You, being the super mommie, already know about doing the following the night before school:  laying out clothes, packing lunches, signing permission slips, and checking and packing homework into backpacks.  You got those right?  But what about these efficiency kiddie tips to make your p.m.'s run just a wee bit smoother:  1. Have your kiddies match socks AND put them away.  2. Have them pack their own lunch – make an assembly line of food and get it done before nighty night time.  They might be more likely to eat what they packed.  3. Get them to work.  I have my girls ages 4 and 6 sweep the floors after dinner, wipe counters and unload the dishwashed utensils. It’s NEVER too early to start chores.  Even Elastigirl couldn’t do it all.  4. Place permission slips and homework on refrigerator or a bulletin board – otherwise...out of sight out of mind.  View eco-friendlybulletin boards here.

Freeze it baby

/freezertips

The freezer is your friend.  Repeat this again.  Before your left-overs go sour, FREEZE them puppies.  Use a plastic freezer bag or Tupperware.  Don’t forget to write it’s contents on the container and the date.  Nothing like defrosting some marinara sauce only to find it’s…surprise…chili.  I made a very healthy     easy meal of boxed macaroni and cheese, kosher beef hot dogs (from the freezer) and peas for the girls the other day.  Efficiencies – Save money by freezing your scraps. Save time by boiling your hot dogs with the pasta.  View eco-friendly freeze containers here.

meal of oats

The girls eat Quaker oatmeal a couple of times a week.  I make them the rolled oats hidden mixed with some hearty steel cut oatmeal which I buy in bulk. Be efficient and make extra for the week.  Mix in your milk (regular, almond or soy) and sweetener ( brown sugar or honey) before refrigerating in a glass bowl.  Efficiencies – You only clean that sticky oatmeal pot once a week and when you are ready to eat it again, just zap the bowl in the wave.  Throw the blueberries, strawberries or bananas on just before serving.  View organic oatmeal and steel cut oatmeal here. Check out Alton Brown's steel cut recipe.  On the run?  Jamba Juice makes the tastiest steel cut oatmeal topped with bananas, blueberries or cinnamon apples.  Laaahve Laaahve!

sausage efficiency

2012 is all about efficiency.  This year, I will provide tips on increasing efficiency in your meals, parenting, shopping and living.  As you know, I enjoy quick tips so some of these blog will be well…short, simple and EFFICIENT.  

Home made sausage from Healthy Green Kitchen

Sausage.  The girls love love breakfast sausage and probably feast on this twice a week.  But I abhor the greasy sticky hands after forming refrigerated sausage rounds. Keep it frozen and then take a really sharp knife and cut slices. My other tip is to cook it on my knock-off George Foreman indoor grill.  Efficiencies - Less mess, way easier to clean, the grease drips off into a nice cess pool.  And your sausage have these cute grill marks.  View organic breakfast sausage and indoor grills here.  Here's a recipe to make your own sausage.