Turn Old Crayons into New Crayons!

I know my son is so picky when it comes to his toys.  He hates to share, but he loves to get new toys.  I'm sure you all have that box of broken crayons sitting around somewhere if not you can always go buy a box of the cheap ones for this fun project.  

My son loves to break those regular straight long crayons right in half.  So this project is perfect for him to help with.  Get all the old crayons you have laying around and take the papers off yourself, because its hard for the kidos and then let the kidos break them up into little peices and put them in a big bowl.

  

This will give you plenty of time to safely turn the oven on and preheat it without them running into the kitchen.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Once you have all the crayons broke up into peices, you put them in cupcake tins or whats even easier is Silicone trays.  That makes it easier to just pop them right out when they are cooled down and finished.   It dosn't matter what kind of trays you use, or what shape, the kids are going to love these.  If you are going to use a tin cupcake pan, i would suggest putting cupcake papers in them,  just so it is easier to take them out of the pan later.  A light spraying of PAM on the inside of the trays will make it easier to get them out as well.

You can put the same colors in each cupcake hole or you can mix them up.  Whatever you want to do, there is no wrong color mix for the kids.  Once you have them all in the trays, put them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or untill they are completly melted.  

Take them out of the oven VERY Carefully.  They will be extreamly hot and if you spill them, it will leave a mark on your carpet/floor that will be super hard to get off.  You can leave the crayons the way they are or you can run a toothpick through them to mix the colors up a little bit.  Your NEW Crayons will need to cool for about an hour or so.  

Once they are cooled, just take them out of the containers and TADA  There you have it, New Crayons of whatever shape and sizes you and the kidos want.  Its easy to save money and Go Green these days when you use a little imaginiation. 

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Make a Home Made Piggy Bank with the Kidos

I have been looking all over for new fun activities to do with my 2 year old on these icky rainy days, and i found a few pretty amazing and pretty fun activities we are going to try this weekend.  

This one is my favorite.  Make your own piggy bank.  

This one you can let the kidos use their imagination while creating!  You can use an empty Bleach Bottle, a 2 liter soda bottle, an empty mayo jar, or a peanut butter jar.  Whatever you have thats plastic and empty, Big or small, you can turn into a great arts and craft idea for the kidos.  

1. First You will need to use a box cutter to cut a slot for the money in the top.  make sure its big enough for any coin to fit in.   Also cut a small hole in the bottom of the bottle to put the little piggies tail. 

 
2. Now this is where the fun begins.  You can use paper, cloth or Paint to make this little guy whatever color or design you want.  If you use paper or cloth, you can use a hot glue gun or even Elmers Glue to hold it on.  If your going to use paint, make sure its non-toxic and safe for the kidos. 

 

3. While the paint dries, you can let the kidos deside what kind of fabric or paper designs they want to add to their little piggy when its dry.  You can also use this time to get some extra thick poster board or some cardboard and cut out the little piggies Ears and let the kids paint them too.

4.  You can use Old spools from thread or even marshmellows as the piggies legs.  Whatever makes you and the kidos smile :)  I like the Marshmellow idea, because then you can use a marker and make little toes on them.

5.  Once everything is dry, you can now hot glue the ears on to the little piggies head.  And add some googly eyes onto your little piggy too.  And don't forget to add his little legs and two dots for his nose or maybe an old button for his nose.

6.  Once you have that all done and everything is finished, you can add the finishing touch......The piggies squiggly Tail.  take a pipe cleaner and wrap it around your finger to shape it and then stick it in the hole you cut in the bottom of the bottle.

And There you go, you have a home made piggy bank!  They don't have to look like piggies, they can be made into any animals and any colors or designs.  Let the kids imagination take hold and create something new and exciting.  

Keep your eyes open for more arts and craft ideas to come.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy.

Contests and Giveaways

We all just love FREE Stuff, so i went out and found all the hottest new giveaway to share with all you momma's out there.  Enter as few or as many as you want for your chance at something nice for you or the kidos.

At Hip Mama's Place you can get into some great give aways.  One of my favorite current give aways is the Old world braclet by Twisted.  It is a beautiful braclet and would look amazing on any mommy's wrist.  Its worth $60 and Twisted is giving it away to one lucky Momma at Hip Mama's Place. You have till May 6th to get your entry in, so hurry!!  

Blissful Home is having an awesome give away that every mom is going to want in on.  They are giving away one of those super comfy Sleep Number beds valued at  $1300!!!!  This is the C3 Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort by Sleep Number!  Ohh how i would love to win that.  You momma's out there can't tell me you wouldn't want one of these cozy comfy beds!!!  So hurry and enter, all you have to do is fill out the form HERE and you are entered.  There are other ways to earn more entries.  See site for more details.  

A Blog Of Goodies is giving away this adorable My Three Little Wishes necklace.  Its so adorable, and its sterling silver.  The Necklace is from SimaG Jewelry boutique and they handstamp all their items and they can be personalized in English or Hebrew.  All you have to do is go to the SimaG Jewelery site and find what you really love and comment about it on A Blog Of Goodies Original post for this give away and your entered.  There are other ways you can get enteries, so see her site for details.  

The awesome moms over at Cool Baby Kid are giving away a set of Flash Cards for the kidos from ETSY and they are just amazing.  They are a water proof, sturdy flash card that you can personalize for your child or you can buy pre-designed cards.  Either way its going to be a boat load of fun.  All you have to do is go to Cool Baby Kid's site and comment on what set of cards you like from ETSY's site and your entered.  there are other ways to enter too, so visit her site to find out more.  

I will be on the hunt over the weekend for some real big giveaways for all you mommy and kidos out there.  Get entering before its too late!

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

PJStar.com-Doctor says Baby died from infection, not starvation

So i saw a Link Update on my facebook this morning and couldn't help but click the link.  www.Momslikeme.com had posted a link about a 5 month old's death.......This just makes me sick.   Some people shouldn't be allowd to have children.  This poor little 5 month old was left in a car seat for atleast 8-9 days in a home by himself.  The parents just left him there.  It stated in the article that he died from a bacterial infection, caused by not having his diaper changed for almost 9 days.  And this poor little boy wasn't feed either.   Everyone thought he died of starvation, but it was the infection that put the little boy into a colma like state where he then died.   My question is, WHAT KIND OF PARENTS ARE YOU?!?!?!  If you bring a baby into this world, Take care of it, or give it to someone that will.  There are so many people out there that can't have children and would gladly take care of someone elses.  This sickens me to no end!  The parents of this little boy couldn't even look at the autopsy photos of their son, and tried to say they fed him and hour before he was found dead, strapped into a car seat in a snow suit.  Carseats are made for a reason.......to transport your child in a CAR!!  Not to be left sitting around in.  Apparently the parents both face up to 100 yrs in prison for this.  I belive they should get more than that!  They let a child die, and had no remorse or sorrow.  Death Penalty sounds good to me.   Maybe they should both have to wear diapers and not have them changed, see how it feels.  I just don't understand how this could happen!  I just don't understand how someone could just let their child sit by themselves and not care what happens to them.  

You can read the entire article here.........BeWare, its not pretty!

Contests Contests Contests

Here is your latest update of contests for all you mommy's to enter. There are some really great ones this time around.

The Parents with Style is giving aways Kickin' Coaster From Learning Curve. This thing is pretty awesome. Not only is it adorable to put your little one in, but it actually serves as entertainment and isn't just going to have your little one sitting there looking at you. It will stimulate some play and fun times and grows with your little bundle of joy.

It lets the baby move around and glides back and forth with their kicks.  No other boucy seat does this.  I think this thing is amazing and recomend it to all new parents.  You can see a Demo of the Kickin' Coaster on the Learning Curve Website.  

Key Features of this new product are:

two seats in one: a soothing infant seat, and an active play seat

baby-activated glide helps develop core and leg muscles...while having fun!

twinkle lights for visual tracking

soothing vibrations

eight adjustable positions

two bouncy characters for visual fun

removeable infant head support included

multi-level volume control

removable teether rattle for infant play

two types of music: soothing and playful, with six songs in all

 age range: from birth, up to 25 lbs

 requires one D and three AA batteries

To Enter this contest just click over to The Parents With Style website and post a comment.  There are other ways to earn more entries.  Visit The Parents With Style Website for more details

We are all running low on money, and as a parent, we are more than likely worse off than other.  Bright Hub is hosting a contest for 10 lucky winners to win a $200 Visa Gift card.  How great would that be???  All you have to do is go to their site and fill out the little form with your info and you can enter once a day and get extra entries for referals.  They are giving 3 Lucky winners will get their gift card Early on May 15th.  So Hurry and Enter and get as many entries as you can for a chance at 200$ Visa Gift card.  

Fire & Ice is giving away $500 Gift Card to their store for the best Mommy and Baby picture.  All you have to do is send them via email, mail or at a store location, your best photo of you and your kido.  Then on May 19th they will choose one randomly as the winner.  All photos must be entered by May 11th to be part of the contest.  For more info, check out the Fire & Ice website.

Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls and Dealfriends have teamed up for an awesome contest to give one lucky person a 1000$ via paypal.  All you have to do is sign up a new account at DealFriends and then go to Frugal Mommy of 2 girls' website and comment on her post with your username at DealFriends and what you like about the site or what they could add or change and your entered.  The Deadline is June 8 2009 and is open to US Residents only.  Who couldn't use an extra 1000$ these days.  

  

There are a lot more other contests to enter, so keep checking back for the newest latest contests that can score you some sweet loot and prizes.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

12 Money Saving Tips for Moms

We all know having kido's isn't cheap. We are constantly spending money on something. Well here are a few tips to saving some money so maybe at the end of the month you'll have a few extra bucks to spend on something nice for Mommy!

1. For you working moms and the hubby, Try brown bagging it for lunch. Instead of spending $5-10 a day on lunch, pack a lunch and save that money for your Date night once a month. You will be suprised at how much money you will save with brown bagging it.

2. For you mommy's that love to read when the little ones taking his nap, Don't buy costly books that are going to just sit around when you finish them. Go to your local library and find a good book. This way you can just return it and get a new one, no need to spend 20$ on a book you are going to read once, or sometimes never finish because its not what you thought it would be.

3. Buy used when you can. Consignment shops and Thrift stores are great. They have gently used and sometimes new items, for Half or even more of what you would pay for them in the store. Clothes are a great buy from consignment shops and thrift stores. Take a peek around. Spend 20$ on clothes for the kidos instead of 120$ at the store.

4. Start a SWAP Meet. Get a group of your Mommy/Daddy Friends together and help eachother out. Weather it be babysitting, cutting the grass, fixing the car or your plumbing, you can save a lot of money by helping a friend out. You watch their 3 kidos for a night so they can have a night out and they fix your car. Even swap. Everyone has a handy friend. Talk about it with your friends. Save yourself some money and them too.

5. When buying from stores, Shop the Clearance section. Something that is orginally 20$ might be marked down to 6$. Save Save Save!!!

6. Pay for things with Cash instead of your Credit/Debit Card. I have found if i go into a store with only 50$ cash, thats what i spend and thats it. If you have your debit/credit card with you, you are more inclined to spend more, because you know you can just swipe that little card. If you only have a certin amount of money, then thats all you can spend, end of story and it Saves you big time in the end.

7. Once in a while, skip your trip to the grocery store, and use what you have. We all know we have plenty of food in the freezer and pantry, but we just don't want to take the time to make it. So skip the shopping trip every 3rd or 4th time and take the challenge to use what you have and make an awsome dinner. Money saver right there.

8. Make food and freeze it. Make your own breads, cookies, muffins, meatloafs....etc.... Make food and put them in zipper bags and store them. Its quick, easy and less of a hassel when it comes to making dinner. And if you have these things on hand, its less you will be spending each month at the grocery store.

9. Say NO to Fast food and Ordering Out. Having a pizza delivered is 15$ these days. You can make your own for about 5$ at home. And this can also be fun, by letting the kidos in on the fun. Let them help put the toppings on. Save that extra 10$ for something you will NEED Later on.

10. Kick the Gym Membership to the Curb! Exercise at home with your kidos. Not only does it save you money, it saves you gas, and keeps your kidos healthy too.

11. Make your own decorations, cakes and games for birthday parties or baby/bridal showers. You can save a load of money on that. You can make a cake for maybe 10$ at home, but you would pay 20-30$ at the store. Plus its fun to get a group of your friends and kido's together for fun baking and craft ideas.

12. Ditch Paper towles completly from your home. You will save money if you just use regular towles around the house. This way you just toss them in the wash, instead of having to add the paper towels to your trash and then having to buy more. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! :)

Right now, we all need to save and conserve as much as possible. With the tips i have listed, you can save a good bit of money. Put that money in an envelope and save it for when you REALLY NEED It. There are millions of money saving tips out there, but these are just a few i like to use. You will be suprised how much money you can save when you Plan things out.
Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy and Happy!

Always Stop and Smell the Flowers

My Son desided when he saw a tulip outside the other day that he was going to take the time to stopand smell the flowers! :) He just recently picked up the SNIFFING Habbit! He sniffs things and says "EWWWW". Its adorable. So here are his pictures, i thought i would share them with my loyal readers to Brighten your day! :)



How Stinking Adorable is he? :) Remember to always let your kidos try new things. Always stop and Smell the flowers. Let them play in the dirt. Its not going to hurt them. And it makes for a great Photo Opportunity. :)



Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy And Happy