Dyed Cooked Spaghetti Play

We dyed dry noodles with food coloring and rubbing alcohol the other day but I stumbled upon a tutorial for dying noodles with vinegar. You can actually cook the colored noodles and eat them!

Dying noodles for eating/play:

I set up the table with baggies of spaghetti broken in half, a bowl of vinegar with a teaspoon, and food coloring.

Daddy helped K count out and pour 3 teaspoons (or 1 tbs) of vinegar into each baggy. They also counted out 6 drops of food coloring into each baggy. We had six total and used a whole ($0.75) pack of spaghetti.

They shook the baggies really well and worked the color into each one. We let the baggies sit for a couple hours and then I laid them out to dry. We had a noodle rainbow!

Looking back I would have had them do one bag at a time and shake it really well. We had a few clumps.

I let them dry for an hour and broke up any clumps as best I could. I cooked them in a big pot with a splash of oil like I normally would. Next time I’ll do blue based colors separately from the red based ones to prevent colors blending. This is our bucket of noodles! I mixed in a splash of olive oil to keep them from getting gummy.

I got the tub ready and put it in the fridge overnight. Today we spread out a sheet in the living room and let the kids go to town. They had cups, bowls, and various kitchen utensils.

K loved the fact that he could play with them and eat them.

And here is E in the bucket.

They had a lot of fun. K played restaurant. E explored everything. The best part? It only costs $1 to do.

I’d rather spend $20 on different fun projects that they’ll remember than the same money on a plastic toy that will be be forgotten.

It’ll be a few more days of horrible phone pics. My computer is still being worked on. 😦

Battle of the Bites

My son comes by picky eating naturally. I tease my husband that he didn’t start eating real food until college. Consequently, we started dating in college and I wouldn’t let him eat like a man child anymore. Andy now gladly eats a varied and balanced diet but our son inherited the picky eating tendencies.

We have tried everything to get K to eat. I mean everything; bribes, threats, trying to make him open his mouth, begging, pleading, yelling, sneaking foods into things he likes…. Last summer I made a lot of green smoothies.

I’m not always the mom I want to be. It is hard to have that kid at family functions that won’t eat anything. I was tired of mealtime battles.

The past few weeks have been our first big break through with K’s eating habits. He has been a totally new kid at meal time and family dinners are running smoothly.

Here are a few things that worked for us:

• Stop making special foods or meal substitutes for your child. K usually gets to choose his breakfast and parts of his lunch. Dinner has become nonnegotiable. Get grandparents on board too.

• Aim for new foods to be introduced at dinner instead of the middle of the day. It is much easier to get him to try new things at night because of bedtime leverage.

• Have a good evening routine in place. It helps that he knows what happens after dinner. If he eats well, he gets more time to play and read stories.

• We have a “bite or bed” policy. There is no begging, pleading, or crying. He can choose to eat or choose to go to bed and miss out on story and play time after supper.

• I don’t make all new foods in one meal. I have one or two familiar foods to each one I am getting him to try.

• Praise good eating and trying new foods without fuss. We stopped making a big deal about not eating and started quietly reminding him of “bite or bed”. He gets more attention for eating well. We’ll even let him call his Nana or Nonna to tell them about what he ate if he wants.

• He is three, so we make him try three bites of new foods. It cracks me up when he tries something and tells me, “That wasn’t too bad mom!”

• We let him help with making dinner, setting the table, and clean-up when we can. Kids love helping and they need to learn their way around the kitchen as a life skill anyway; why not start young?

So far these new rules have been working well for us. He is eating so much more than he was a few weeks ago. He still has a long way to go but I’m a proud mama.

Any tips that have worked well in your home?

Updated: Homemade Baby Wipes

This is my original recipe for homemade baby wipes.

Today I decided to make them in an old baby wipe container. I unrolled the paper towels and layered them back and forth in the container. I mixed the soap, baby oil, and boiled water in a separate bowl. I used a little less water (1 1/4 cups) this time because the noodle of the paper towel roll wouldn’t be there to soak up any extra. I poured the mix over the paper towels, closed it up, and gave it a good shake.

It worked really well and unrolling the paper towels only took a few extra minutes.

K really likes them. “It is warm!”

Easy Homemade Laundry Soap

We’ve been really trying to cut back on the use of chemicals in our home. We make our own cleaners, baby food, and baby wipes. It has been so much cheaper and makes me feel good as a mom. I finally decided to try homemade laundry soap a few months ago.

It took finding a no-grate laundry soap recipe to convince me. I had no desire (read zero) to grate soap. Finding a no-grate recipe was perfect.

This recipe works well but I am one of those people that is never content with the recipes of others. From food to cleaning products to crafts, I like to tinker with things and make it my own. I found a bottle of lavender liquid castile soap on sale at Central Market. I’d heard great things about castile soap and decided to add it to my recipe.

Easy Homemade Laundry Soap:

• 3 tbs borax
• 3 tbs washing soda
• 2 tbs Dawn dish soap (blue is best)
• 2 tbs liquid castile soap
• about a gallon of boiling water

You’ll also need:

• a funnel
• a spoon with a long handle for stirring
• an old water jug or laundry soap jug

Instructions

1. Start a big pot of water boiling. (I boil all water used in my homemade products to prevent any yucky growth.)
2. While the water boils, use a funnel to add the dry ingredients and then the soaps to your jug.
3. Pour boiled water into the jug and give it a good stir with the handle of a long spoon.
4. Let it cool.

That is it!

I mix mine in a separate gallon jug and then pour into an old detergent container with a spout. I add about 1/2 cups to each load. (I honestly just eyeball it.) The original recipe I used did not have castile soap. It worked ok but took a lot more per load.

I make it about once a month. I spent $12 total on all my ingredients (the castile soap was the most expensive) a few months ago and still have a ton left for future batches. You can double the Dawn if you can’t find castile soap. You can also add in a few drops of essential oil for fragrance if you like. My kids have super sensitive skin and have no problems with this soap.

Again, sorry for the phone pictures. My computer is being shipped off for repairs.

Shaving Cream Painting

I love Pinterest. There are so many great play ideas. I’ve been seeing shaving cream bath paint floating around online for a while but I though E may be too young for it.

Usually our kiddos bathe together, but tonight E was super tired when we got home. Daddy bathed her and got her in bed. K got the rare treat of a special bath by himself.

I filled a muffin tin with shaving cream (the cheapest kind at the store). I put 2-3 drops of the neon colors and 4-5 drops of the regular colors into each spot. K helped me use his paint brushes to mix in the coloring.

He really enjoyed his painting.

He also used his monster truck to paint. He thought the tires made it look neat.

His finished masterpiece.

This was the easiest messy play activity to clean up ever. When he was done we rinsed the muffin tin, paint brushes, and truck in the bath. We let out the water and used the shower sprayer to clean the walls and wash his hair.

Super fun, cheap, and easy. My favorite play activity adjectives!

I hope everyone has a blessed week.

Colored Noodle Play

Well, our computer is being shipped off for repairs. I’ll be posting from my phone for a few days. Sorry in advance for the phone pictures.

I decided to try my hand at dying dried noodles for K. I bought a box of rigatoni noodles for a whopping $0.88. We spend big on play stuff, huh?

I split them up into six different sandwich bags and added food coloring. We made green, yellow, red, orange, blue, and purple. I was running very low on blue food coloring, but we used what we had. Our “blue” ended up light green and “purple” is kind of pink.

I then added a small bit of rubbing alcohol (maybe 1 tbs) to each bag, sealed them up, and gave them a good shake. I left them in the bags, occasionally shaking them, overnight.

The next day I dumped them all out onto a pan lined with paper towels. We have a few multi-colored noodles from where they touched while drying. If you don’t want color mixing, separate them while drying. I left them out overnight and they were dry this morning.

K and his cousin (both 3) had a blast with them today. They mixed them with their Legos and eventually used big, dull needles to string them on yarn. We sent cousin KT home with some noodles, yarn, and a dull needle of her own.

It was less than a dollar well spent. 🙂

Grace and Ice Cream

Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I spent 3 hours of my life on hold and talking to tech support. Our computer is overheating and having issues possessed. I won’t go into details but I’ve been fighting with the manufacturer and the buyer protection program people all day. Both seem to think the other should handle it.

In the middle of all this mess, my 3 year old is being a 3 year old. In my mind I know that the stubbornness is part of this age, but to my nerves it becomes a personal assault. I am grieving the loss of nap time today. He still “rested” but I miss the long afternoon naps.

Road rage and a general dislike of humanity also played a part in the downward spiral of my mood. I am generally a people person but I have “quiet” days where my inner introvert takes over. On days like this I would gladly avoid all human contact.

I dreamt of deserted islands today. An umbrella and a beach towel and a good book…

This did not happen, but I did make it through the day. I am now holding my baby girl while she sleeps, waiting for my husband to get home, and taking a few minutes to breathe.

I cannot claim that I love every moment of my life as a mom but there are always a few beautiful moments hidden away in each day.

Today I am thankful for ice cream. I am thankful for sticky 3 year old kisses. I am thankful for seeing my baby girl toddle across the floor with her arms stretched out to me. I am thankful for parents and in-laws that are such good grandparents to our kids. I am thankful for my husband respecting my need for a few quiet minutes when I’m having an introverted day.

Most of all, I am truly grateful for God’s grace. My sins are great but He still loves me. I did not extend that same grace to my fellow man today and I am deeply sorry for that. I pray that tomorrow I can see each person I encounter through God’s eyes and show grace and love to them.

Fondant Play

I decorate cakes with my mother-in-law as a hobby. K loves “helping” and playing with the fondant.

If you have never used it before, it is essentially clay made out of sugar. You can buy it pre-made at the store or make your own cheaply with marshmallows and powdered sugar. There are a lot of easy tutorials online. You can dye it different colors with gel food coloring.

It is a great play medium for kids. It is edible and molds easily. It makes K feel like a baker. K often plays with my fondant tools but kids can easily manipulate it with just their hands. It does have a ton of sugar, so let them eat a bit sparingly!

Today I had to make fondant bride and groom bulldogs for a shower at my church this weekend. K used my tools and made a cement truck and cookies. I also made an elephant and lion for him. They eventually got squished into cookies too.

Sorry for the cell phone pics today. I left my camera at home. 🙂

K using mom’s tools to make fondant “cookies”. He even added sprinkles.

My finished bride and groom bulldogs. They will go on a store ordered cake this weekend.

Avoiding Family Meltdowns

Most of the time only one member of our family needs a time-out. E may need a nap. Mommy or Daddy is having a grumpy day. K is being a typical 3 year old…

Those days are fairly easy. It isn’t easy to have a grump in the house, but you can let that person have a time-out to get themselves under control.

The hard days are the ones where the whole family is on the verge of meltdown. Today is one of those days for us.

K went to bed later than normal but still popped up at 6 am. He has been whining and refusing to listen all day. He also managed to spill yogurt all over the living room.

Poor Daddy was waken up by a 3 year old yelling at his sister for having the toy that he put in her hand. Daddy and K have been going round and round all day. Both are equally stubborn and equally grumpy. K does something minor but then refuses to listen to Daddy’s correction. This makes both Daddy and K angry.

Today E is 11 months old. I tried to get a few good pictures of her but was thwarted at every turn. E just wants to play and climb and explore, but is in need of a morning nap.

Who me? Wiggle too much? Never!

11 months old today! I got exactly 2 pictures that weren’t blurry before she took off.

I have 5 million things to do around the house today before Andy leaves for work this afternoon. I have dishes to do, laundry to fold, and I need to work on a cake later. K and Andy are grumpy at each other, E needs a nap, and I am at my wits end.

Some days it is the whole family that needs a time-out.

I finally declared a cease fire and sent everyone to separate corners. E is napping, Andy is resting, K is playing trains in his room, and I am folding laundry by myself and blogging from my phone.

Yes, things still need to be done.

Yes, behavior issues need to be addressed.

It can wait. We had to stop the escalation of hurt feelings and frayed nerves.

When your family is on the verge of an all out meltdown- take a break.

Call a cease fire. This means suspending consequences for a while so everyone can cool down.

Find something quiet for everyone to do. If the kids are old enough, send them to play in separate rooms. Keep TVs off and cut down on noise levels.

Use your quiet time to pray. Pray for your little ones and spouse. Pray for patience while teaching them. Pray for the words to say.

When everyone has had a while calm down, address behavior and teach children how to respond better in the future. If you lost your cool, apologize to your child. They need to know you are accountable for your actions too.

Every family has difficult days. You are definitely not alone.

I found K’s Hulk underwear while folding and thought it summed up this morning perfectly.

***Note- If you find yourself in a place where you fear you may harm yourself or you child, please please please seek a safe caregiver for your children and cool down. Try searching your area for local agencies that offer free counseling, parenting classes, or anger management classes. There is not shame in seeking help. Please do what is right for your family!

Parenting Tools

I’ve seen a lot in the media lately about the Millinial Generation and how badly we were/are being raised. It is being speculated now that this idea of making everything fair and PC is ruining kids. I have seen so many people (many of whom aren’t parents) claiming that this generation of bratty kids just needs a “good spanking”. They see a child screaming in a restaurant or store and then rant about the “problem with kids today”.

This makes me see red.

First of all, it is unfair to judge a parent’s ability based on one encounter with their family. It is also unfair to assume that child is bratty all the time. All children (and adults) have good days and bad days. Most people wouldn’t want to be judged on their appearance based on a snap shot of them looking their worst. You absolutely cannot make assumptions about others and their families. Unless you witness truly abusive or hurtful behavior, try to look at every parent and child with grace.

Secondly, non-parents tend to make an exhaustive list of things they will and won’t do as a parent. They say, “My child won’t ever do THAT.” Guess what friends, you may not do all (or even most) of the things you say you won’t do, but you will do some. You will give in to things you swore you wouldn’t. You will be embarrassed by your child in public at least once. Kids are messy. They are hard and challenging and beautiful. It is admirable to think about a parenting plan before having kids but realize that it will change. You have to know what works for your children.

You cannot fix every problem in a house with a hammer. You need a whole toolbox to keep a house running smoothly.

Parenting is the same way. You need different tools for different kids and different situations. Spanking is not the be-all end-all of parenting. You cannot approach every situation with idea of beating the bad out of a child.

Before anyone leaves a nasty comment, I am not totally anti-spanking. I have seen parents use it as a small part of their parenting with success but, as a social worker, I have also seen it lead to abuse.

Spanking by itself is not what enrages me, it is the idea that the “cure” for a bratty generation is to spank them. Yes, there are a lot of children with no respect for their parents or authority but spanking is not the answer. The goal of parenting is to raise competent adults with a sense of right and wrong. Children who are only spanked learn to do what they are told to avoid punishment instead of being taught to do what is right.

Parents who are present, engaged, prayerful, respectful, and a good example are what the next (and every) generation needs. Parents who are willing to step up to the challenges of raising children in this fallen world. Parents willing to ask for God’s guidance on their journey. Parents who can think creatively and find discipline methods that work for their family.

A few effective tools:

• Choices- Giving choices empowers children. It can take the fight out of everyday problems.
• Time-outs- This should not be the only tool used! Time-outs give parents and children a chance to calm down. Teaching must occur after the time-out for it to be effective.
• Creative Consequences- Coming up with consequences that are creative but relevant to the situation.
• Natural Consequences- Things that are a natural follow-up to certain behaviors. (Going without lunch one day if a teen forgets their lunch money. Being chilly if they refuse to bring their coat.)
• Teaching before new situations- Talking through what will happen or what is expected in a new situation.

There are so many more. I encourage all parents to find what works best for their children. I encourage Christian parents to be in prayer over how to discipline your children in way that brings glory to God. I cannot fathom parenting without His guidance.

The goal is not to just “make it” but to produce an adult that can make good, healthy choices when they leave your care. You have to have fun with your kids and let them be kids while teaching them values and life skills they will need as adults. It is not easy. I am so grateful to have the support system of a loving family, friends, and church family. I love seeing what works for each family.

What are your favorite tools?