Cool containers

My kids take cold lunch most days. It is less expensive this way, and I feel they get a better lunch. The problem is what to send. The fruits and veggies that come pre-packaged from the store are spendy, I have plenty of stuff that I canned myself, and who wants peaches, corn or applesauce in a baggie. Sending them with containers gets expensive because they don't come back, remember the ziploc commercial with the tupperware chained to the kid? Well I found a great solution. These solo containers. I buy mine at Cash and Carry. If you don't have one see if there is a restaurant supply store near you. They are inexpensive and I can put all sorts of stuff in them. They come in various sizes, bigger for fruits and veggies, or smaller for dips and salad dressings.

Some of the things I send are corn, applesauce, peaches, pears, green beans, peanut butter (to dip apples or celery), ranch dressing (to dip carrots or celery). The possibilities are endless. Cold lunch will never be the same again!

Blanket babies

I have to admit that I was a blanket baby. OK it went way beyond baby, I still have it in my closet. So I guess it is fitting that all of my kids have become attached to their blankets. The sad thing is that my two oldest's blankets really are no longer blankets. They are more batting with shreds of fabric hanging from them. So why do they still have them? I blame my parents for that one, they made me get rid of my blanket when I was little(see pic below). It didn't work though I just got attached to another, the one in my closet first belonged to my brother.


It looks like I am smiling and having fun, but I doubt that was the case. Thankfully I don't remember this horrible event, however this documentation is why my kids still have their blankets.

Anyway the point of this post is that I have found a great fabric that holds up well through the years. You know that really soft fleece that is fuzzy. It comes in prints or solids, and the easy part is you only need to cut it out and finish the edges. I just surged mine, but if you don't have a serger just zig the edge. So how do I know they last so long? I used this fabric for my little girl. Her blanket is over 4 years old now and is still in one piece.

Now the other part of this post. The fabric comes 60 inches wide. I bought two yards and made two blankets that were 36 inches square. With the left over fabric I made smaller squares so baby can take them in the car or tote them around the house, when it comes to bedtime it is always where it should be. I made two blankets so that one can be washing while the other is in use, and they last longer. You may not need two blankets, but if you end up with a blanket baby like mine, you will be glad in a few years.

10 minute Tomato Soup

It must be hump day to have 2 quick meals. I was very busy today and wasn't feeling like cooking a big meal. This meal would have been great when I had the stomach flu and had to cook for my starving family or a few days later when I got food poisoning. This is even a meal my husband can cook, if he can find the items. Here it is...

Tomato Soup
Serves 3-4 people/about 4 cups
Ingredients...
1 can tomato soup
1 c. water
1 can diced tomatoes
1/8 to 1/4 t. pepper (the more pepper, the more spicy)
1/4 t. of: oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder
crackers if you have them

Instructions...
Put all ingredients in a pot on low-medium heat. DO NOT LET IT BOIL!!!
Wait 10 minutes.


Yummy Sides to make while waiting...

Cheese Sandwiches
2-4 Servings
Ingrediants...
4 slices of bread
cheese:sliced or grated (any kind of cheese you like)
Butter

Instructions...
1. Preheat Oven 350-375 degrees.
2. Lightly Butter 1 side of each slice of bread.
3. Lay 1 slice of bread butter facing down on a cookie sheet (I use foil for easy clean up and the face that I need a better cookie sheet). Add cheese. Lay 2nd piece of bread facing up on top. Continue until all cheese sandwiches are on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 5 minutes. Then flip each sandwich over. Bake for about 5 more minutes or until you can smell sweet success!

Tossed Salad
Ingredients...
lettuce
favorite dressing (ranch, caesar, italian, raspberry vinaigrette)

I usually pre-wash my lettuce, spin it in a spinner, and put the spinner in the fridge so I always have lettuce on hand and so I know when I need to wash more lettuce... except for tonight when I found an empty spinner in the fridge. Hmmm... it wasn't me and it wasn't the baby... so that leaves one person ???

Instructions...
Anyway, put some lettuce in a bowl, add desired dressing, toss and you have Tossed Salad!

Southwest chicken salad

I am now feeling better but not soon enough to plan something for dinner. So at 6:30 I was still wondering what to fix that would be super fast. I found a bag of salsa chicken in the freezer (more on that later), and plenty of salad in the fridge. So I took the salad including baby greens, spinach, and romaine, added the bag of chicken, a bag of frozen corn(thawed), and a can of black beans. Top with dressing of your choice, I used ranch and added some chipotle seasoning. It was yummy and a whole meal. Who needs more than one course?

Loads of Laundry

Does your laundry room look like this?



Would you like your laundry room to look like this?



I used to have such a problem with laundry until I found a laundry sorter with three bags, I think at Walmart. It was made out of PVC but it made the job of laundry so much more organized. I shortened the bags at the bottom so that it would hold one load of laundry. Then when one bag got full I knew I needed to do that load. We used it so much that it finally broke beyond repair. So I got my handy dandy husband to make me a new one that it sturdier. I also added a fourth bag. Now any dirty laundry goes right to the laundry room, rather than getting left in a pile, and gets separated right away. I have towels, whites, light and medium colors, and darks. When the bag is full I dump it into the washer and wash. If you don't have a handy husband and can't find an organizer you can use tall trashcans in place of this organizer.



The other thing I have done to help the laundry room stay clean is add a basket for each of the kids, and hangers on a rod. When the laundry comes out of the dryer it goes to a kids basket or on a hanger for my closet, this way I don't end up with piles of clean laundry to be put away. Also good for less wrinkles in my clothes, which I am sure would make my mom happy. Then the kids are supposed to check their baskets each day and put any laundry away, helps teach responsibility. This also makes it easy for the kids to do a load of laundry for their job. They usually empty the dryer, then switch the washer clothes to the dryer and start a new load washing. I also have a sock box that all the socks go in, and once a week those get mated. Shelves and cabinets are also great to have. I got these cabinents for free, and my husband made one of the shelves out of some scrap wood.



Now the trick for this to work is to do a load each day. Each morning I check my bags and which ever one is full goes in. If there are no full bags I get a day off.

What have you found to help you in your laundry room?

Braille Month

It Braille Month!

While teaching 1st grade using the Houghton Mifflin curriculum book, we read a story about a girl who was blind and used braille to read. My students loved learning about Braille and "secret codes." We even did a few art projects with it. Here are a few fun activity you can do with your children or students and learn something new.

Materials
Printed Braille alphabet (see below)

Other Materials depending on the project
Liquid Glue
hole punch or sharp pencil/pin
little round objects:beans, bead, etc.
graham crackers or bread
frosting or peanut butter
chocolate chips, red hot dots, raisins, etc.

First, you need to print 1braille alphabet for each project. You can download one here or print one from here. In the past I got mine with boxes to help my students understand that it's based on 6 organized dots like on this web site here. They all print out kind of small, so if you have a copier/printer, cute it out and enlarge it. You can also try this Yahoo image here.

Project 1: Raised Glue Braille
You need liquid glue. The thicker the better because you want the glue to "stand up" not run. Elmer's works pretty good. There is also colored glue and even some paints might work. Pretty much, anything that will harden while standing up.

Open the glue about halfway (so it doesn't run out and ruin your page), dab it onto each dot of your printed Braille page. Try to fill the whole dot and get it to stand up instead of running. It's easier the thicker the glue is! Set a side and let dry.

Project 2: Raised Braille
You will need a sharp pencil/pin to poke holes. This one is a little tricky because you have to poke holes through the back side of the paper where there are no dotes. In any case, hold the paper up to the light and poke holes so that it leaves a raised dot on the front side. If you know how to print a mirror image, it will be a lot easier...
Under printer properties, select the features tab. Find orientation and check the mirror image box. This will print it backward so you can see the holes while you poke, then turn the paper over to feel the bumps.

Project 3: Raised objects Braille
If you don't want to deal with too much mess, find small round objects like: beans, beads, googly eyes, red hots, etc. to glue on to the braille paper.

Project 4: Raised Braille FOOD!
You can make a yummy Braille snack. Using mini chocolate chips, arrange a message for a friend on a graham cracker using frosting or peanut butter as your "glue." Break the grahams apart to make individual letters. See if you can figure out the letters using your tong instead of your fingers.

Project 5: Make your own Braille Stencil
You need a hole punch. Hole punch each braille dot. Once you have hole punched all the dots you now have a stencil to make WORDS!!! Write your name or even a secret message by coloring in the holes on a paper. Then you can do one of the projects above and try to have someone read it with out using their eyes.

Project 6: Make your own Secret Code
Children can make their own symbols for the alphabet including: stars, hearts, dots, etc.

While You Wait...
While you wait for your Braille Projects to dry, you can lean something about the people who use Braille.

How long do you think Braille has been around?
Who invented it?
Who uses it?
Have you seen it at places you've been to?

Next time you use a public bathroom, look for the gender symbol. You will usually see some Braille below it.

To learn more about Braille and people with a sight disability try these sites...
American Foundation for the Blind
Braille Bug
Wikipedia Braille
Louis Braille

You can also request a FREE Braille card here!

Baby toys

My baby sometimes gets bored, and he won't play with something he is familiar with. I have decided baby toys are not as great as I thought. I found something new that I already had on hand that will entertain him for a while. I can even get stuff done and step out of the room for a moment. He doesn't cry because he has a friend to keep him company.



I also found these cute little ZuZu pets. I think these are the best kind of pet to have. Right now it keeps him busy because it makes noises, and when he is moving around he can chase it.



What do you have at home to keep your baby or toddler busy?