This was an old post that I wrote in March of 2011 but it's full of great tips for shopping at Goodwill for kid's clothes. It's almost time to start back to school shopping and looking at thrift stores or Goodwill for clothes for your children can really help cut the back to school clothes bill in half. Right now would also be a great time to slowly start building a winter wardrobe for your kids since it does take longer to build a wardrobe from hunting and pecking through thrift stores. I love a good thrift store. Anything that is cheap, vintage and slightly … [Read more...]
The Homeschooling Socialization Myth
For as long as I can remember I have been hearing whispers that homeshoolers are not socialized. Before we started homeschooling I actually listed that as one of the reasons that I didn't want to homeschool because I wanted my kids to be great with other people and not a victim of homeschooling socialization issues. Yet now years later as I'm walking in the footsteps of a homeschooling family and spending time with homeschoolers and public schoolers alike, I am convinced that there are no ties between homeschooling and socialization issues, it's a myth. The thing is that you can't … [Read more...]
Popcorn Cake Recipe
Popcorn cake is just plain fun but not only is it fun, it's a great cake for children with allergies to gluten, eggs (if the marshmallows are made of meringue such as commercial marshmallows), and dairy. This popcorn cake recipe is a great tool to keep in your rockstar mom toolbox. My mom used to make this for us when we were growing up and it ranked in my top three cakes just because it's so unexpected. Children love it because it has marshmallows, M&M's and popcorn. How much better can it get? Well for parents in this modern age, it does get better because this is a cake that is … [Read more...]
How to make hot dogs safer
Hot dogs, nuts and popcorn are all some of the greatest choking hazards for kids but the are all my kid's favorite foods! So how do we make hot dogs safer for kids? It's really easy and sometimes when I'm with a group of people at an event that is serving hot dogs, I'm so shocked that parents don't know this one easy step to help prevent them from choking on hot dogs. First of all, a little disclaimer. I am not an expert and I cannot guarantee that if you do this your child will never choke on a hot dog. This is something that I learned as a preschool teacher that I feel will greatly help … [Read more...]
The Terrible 3’s
There is a major lie that I would like to dispel right now. Listen to me loud and clear, there is no such thing as the terrible two's. You may think this is going to go the way of, "all children are angels and no age should be referred to as terrible." No. That is not how this is going to go. I want to tell you the truth. There is no such thing as the terrible two's because in reality it is pure and simple the terrible three's. With my first child I swallowed hard on that 2nd birthday and waited. But the rough spot never came that year. Whew. I have the best kid ever I thought and moved on … [Read more...]
Kooza by Cirque du Soleil With Kids
Years and years ago one of my sisters went to Las Vegas and came home telling me all about Cirque Du Soleil and their show, "O". Apparently it involves water and acrobats dive off huge platforms into the water. Just the few words she told me about it and I was hooked. Ever since then I have wanted to see a Cirque Du Soleil show. Of course being a young family with young kids, it was always out of our price range. This week someone graciously gave my husband one adult ticket and two kids tickets to see Saturday Afternoon's production of Kooza by Cirque Du Soleil. I was so excited when he … [Read more...]
Keeping Your House Market Ready
Anytime I hear someone mention listing their home for sale, I hear the same thing. "Groan... I have to keep the house clean!". Everyone that we have told our house is for sale says the same exact thing to us..."man! how are you going to keep it clean with all those kids?". Once again, we only have three kids.. not 15. I have never been called a neat freak in my entire life. In fact, my dad used to lovingly refer to my car as the rolling trashcan. I was really dreading keeping our house clean but with a few simple steps, I've been able to keep it spotless and ready for showings. Someone … [Read more...]
Peg Doll Home Sweet Home
This year for Christmas I decided to give my four year old niece peg dolls. It's a cute gift that's great for her age and even better to entertain her while her mama takes care of their new baby. You can find my Peg Doll Tutorial Here. Then while I was walking through a thrift store I saw a wooden cigar box for 50 cents. Wow. Pin balls started bouncing back and forth in my brain and before I knew it, I had the perfect Christmas gift for her. I used Mod Podge to cover the cigar label on the front of the box with a cute design and then added a handle simply using my hot glue gun. The … [Read more...]