Magic Eraser

A few months ago I purchased the Magic Eraser and I can't believe I've lived without it for so many years! I bought it to clean some color that got rubbed on my walls and unfortunately it did take some of the wall paint off too. So I used it mainly to clean off stains from paint from my kids' play table and that worked great. It wasn't until today that I thought of using it on my microwave window due to grease from pancake griddle. It worked magnificently! It is grease free and very crystal clear! I then decided to try it out on my stainless steel sinks. They were very dirty with grim and food stains. after scrubbing the build up I went over it again with an eraser and viola! They shine like the day we moved in!

 The obvious before shot, it's embarrassing to see how dirty it got!

 Same side, now cleaned with magic eraser!

I wonder what else i can use it on! I got some good use out of that sponge!

Strawberries Galore

I have been wanting to make homemade freezer jam for a long time but never found a place around here that is pick your own strawberries. I got an email from Zaycon foods, the same place I buy fresh beef and chicken. They were selling strawberries!! I ordered the minimum amount which was 32 pounds! June 18th rolled around and I was so excited to pick up my berries!  

Here they are! At first I was a little afraid I would not be able to use them all. Towards the end of the day I was sad they were almost gone. 

 Here is the hubs trying his hand at a batch of freezer jam and little man right there with him sampling many many berries.

Here I am making my jam and looking forward to stuffing my freezer full of goodness.

I made four batches of strawberry Lemonade concentrate. I found the recipe here. 

Giant berry next to the baby.

I also cut some berries up and also froze whole berries for smoothies.

Here is my amazing jam!!! I tired 3 different recipes to find the one I like the best. I tried the no sugar recipe and decided we did not like that one. Little man enjoys that one, we all know a 3 year old doesn't need extra sugar :). Low sugar is better, instant pectin, but the one I like best is Best Bites, using Sure Jell. It is delicious!

Here are the whole berries getting ready to go in the freezer. 

 I dehydrated a few pounds and also made a batch of fruit leather. The leather is good but I'm not a huge fan of the dried berries. They also took way too much work for the small dividends. 

Here are the dividends......

 Little man had a belly full of berries, and what is a 3 year old to do next? Sleep under his bed of course. 

What do you have the morning after you make a ton of jam? Biscuits of course!

Retail vs. Secondhand

I am frugal. I love to find good deals and I will not usually buy something without checking many sites for a better price. With my son's upcoming third birthday I have been on the lookout for 3T clothing. I've scanned Craig's List everyday, I've looked at garage sales with little success. I ended up going to Children's Place during Memorial Day for their sale on $5 shirts. I grabbed 5 shirts and a pair of shorts and walked out spending $35. I also hit up Target for a couple pairs of shorts. I never stopped scanning Craig's List and after months it finally paid off! I scored big time.

I got this entire lot of clothing for $35 including a pair of shoes for a dollar! This is exactly what I've been looking for. 

On the left are the second hand things for $35, on the right the new clothes for $57! 

I'm already on the lookout for 4T clothes. 

MOnster TOwel

I've been wanting to make a hooded towel for awhile now. I started one and planned on giving it to Jack for Christmas but never got around to finishing it. The pieces have been sitting on my craft table for a long time. I finally got around to finishing it today!

 I don't know why I put it off too long because it is so simple to make!

 I love this cute little face.

 He loved it when I put it on. I can't wait for his next bath because he'll be nice and warm in his huge towel.

I followed some of the directions here, mainly for the measurements of the head. I came up with my own face and my own touches on the back.

 I just sewed a bunch of red felt circles all over the back. This part took the longest but I love how it turned out.

He was all snuggly and warm.

Moon sand

Finally I found something that captures Ian's attention for longer than 10 seconds! I made some moon sand for him to play in with spoons, cups, cars and anything else he found in the kitchen drawers. He played with it for at least 2 hours before I finally couldn't take the mess anymore and had to clean it up.

 Moon Sand

8 c flour

1c baby oil

I just made half the amount and it was still plenty for one child

This does get a little messy, at least it did at my house, but sometimes I'll take that if it means my little man is happy and enjoying himself. He kept running back to the kitchen to find more things to scoop the moon sand with.

It smells so good and very soft on your hands too!

Tot Activity: Water balls

A few months ago I found these at Michael's and decided they would make a good activity. Unfortunately I thought the beads would be clear and red, but they came out pink instead. I did hope on over to Amazon and found a variety of colors I will keep on hand for next time!

They start out tiny and when added to water they begin to grow. I left mine in for about 6 hours until they were ready to be played with.

 Jelly balls are so fun. I think they would even make a good stress relieving exercise for those of us who are stressed!

I know they look pink and yellow. That's only because the tray is yellow.

The little one played with these for hours!

Caution: These are very bouncy on tile or wood floors. Be prepared to chase them around. On carpet they are easy to pick up.

Glow Sticks

Christmas brought alot of glow sticks for Ian. I found them for a dollar at the dollar store. I tok a bunch with us on the plane ride to New York since alot of that flight was in the dark. He had a great time playing with them in the dark. My sister gave him more on Christmas morning!

When we got home i decided to give him a bath and turn all the lights out in the bathroom and throw some glow sticks in the water with him. He thought that was the greatest thing ever. He always wants to take a bath. I guess I need to make another run to the dollar store because we're all out!