Gratitude

Recently I have been so full of gratitude.  Yes, I'm sure a certain holiday this month has helped bring blessings to my mind.  We have been given so much.

My husband is finishing his last semester in school.  Finances have been stretched, and I have learned so much by learning to stretch along with it.

One day I was frustrated by feeling like we has so little.  God sure opened my eyes. I realized that though this semester, by finding cheaper ways to do/make things than just run to the store, I have learned things that will save our family thousands of dollars in the future.  They are not that difficult of things either.

 I  also began to look around at all of the blessings and things we did have. Technically, because of our student income we are considered "poor".  We have everything we need and a lot of our wants too. We are so blessed, we have plenty of food, housing, clothes (a lot of them), transportation, entertainment, and no debt. None of the things we own or do are particularly fancy, but it works and we are happy to have them.  Poverty?  This is not.  A one room shack with three families living in it, with no oven or running water, that's poverty.  Access to only two or three types of food and never enough to fill your belly. That's called poor. And I hear when people travel to impoverished countries they find people who are happier than us with all our stuff.

Sometimes we live such inflated lifestyles, needed all the latest gadgets the day they arrive on the store's shelves, stuffing ourselves at all-you-can-eats, buying new clothes every season,  and entertaining ourselves with things that suck away our paychecks.

I am grateful for the many blessings we do have.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody.

Powdered Sugar

With the Holidays sugar is one thing we consume a lot of.  Here is how to make powdered sugar.

1 cup white sugar
1 TBSP cornstarch

Blend in blender about 1 to 2 minutes until fine.  If it is too grainy keep blending.

Yields 1 cup


It probably won't get as fine as store bought.  Also, only blend one cup at a time.  More than that makes it hard to get as powdery as you need.

Food Sensory Activities

I already posted about salt and sugar as a great sensory activity for toddlers.  The food exploration continues.

• Flour
• Corn Meal
• Rice and Beans container- Huge success by the way
• Water table- Be prepared for splashing

To enrich the experience I have added

• forks or spoons
• toy cars
• cookie cutters
• funnels
• straws
• small toys that can't be swallowed

If you are okay with messy, finger painting with yogurt, pudding, or the leftover baby food they refused to eat provides great entertainment for an extended period of time.

Have Fun Exploring!

Fine Motor With Empty Containers

I had an empty and washed out parmesan cheese container and was wondering what to do with it, when I thought it would be make a great fine motor activity.  I was right, my toddler loves it.  Okay, not so much the container, but what she puts in it.  The smallest holes are just right for putting golf pegs through. Don't have golf pegs?  Well, you're still in luck, the lids from baby food jars are the perfect size for pushing through the large end of the container!*

*Some containers may have different size of holes, I used a Western Family 100% grated Parmesan Cheese.

Spending is Not Saving

Just a small soap box moment.  I went to a seminar on "How to Save on Groceries" last Wednesday.  Coupons- which I rarely use.  Guess I can try them and see if they can lower my already low grocery bill- can't beat homemade.

Anyway, soap box- The presenter made the comment, "The more you spend the more you save."  NO!  The more you spend the more you spend!  With the "spend so you can save" philosophy you can "save" yourself right into a whole lot of debt if you're not careful.  Let's define some money terms: Getting paid to do work is called Earning, keeping your money is called Saving, giving it away- even for a "great deal"- is called Spending.  We do all three, but one is not to be confused as another.  That is all.

Stringing "Beads"

Most toddlers don't have the dexterity to string beads.  Here's a modified version, that I saw on this website: whatwedoallday.com

I made a second using stiffer sting which seems to work better for those just learning.

For more awesome activity ideas check out this blog:
http://www.thestay-at-home-momsurvivalguide.com/p/toddler-activities.html
or this site
handsonaswegrow.com

Yeah, I wasn't the first to think of these ingenious ideas.

Homemade Mounds

I think I like candy too much. Time to give candy its own label.  There are lots of ways to make this, I go for simple, cheap, and maybe slightly healthier...maybe.  It makes a lot so have fun sharing with friends.

Mounds

3/4 cup Hot Mashed Potatoes
1 lb Coconut (unsweetened)
1 lb Powdered Sugar
1 tsp vanilla (if desired)

Mix it all together and pour into a baking 9 x 11 baking dish (larger or smaller based on how thick you want it.

Melt package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or almond bark) and pour over the top.  Refrigerate till firm.

Ready for variations?

• You can melt half milk chocolate half semi sweet, or use almond bark for a more mound like flavor.
• Or use all milk chocolate and place almonds in it to make Almond Joys.
• Or you can roll the coconut mixture into balls and roll that in the melted chocolate and let it set up on parchment paper so it looks even more like the candy bar. 

Laundry Flops

I  heard two or three dry towel in the dryer would cut drying time on half.  I tried it out and did not notice a difference.  My clothes took just as long to to try- or the difference was not enough to worry about extra towels in the dryer every time.


I heard two or three safety pins in the clothes would prevent static cling.  I pinned socks with their match and tested it out.  The results were STATIC.

 I also read rolling two pieces of aluminum up into balls and putting them in the dryer works.  I was nervous to try this, but in the name of science in they went.  The results-on low heat this time- was STATIC!

FAIL!

So here is my very best solution to static in the laundry- the very thing I used to do.  Go buy dryer sheets and cut them in half.  Now you have no static and save money.  Tada!

For the cheap kind you can cut them in half and still have them work on a full load of laundry.  If you buy Bounce, you can actually cut (or tear) them into thirds and they will still take the static out of your laundry.  So with that, Bounce, on sale, may save even more money than the generic brands.

Homemade Butterfingers

Leftover Candy Corn?  Make these!

Butter Fingers
Package of candy corn (16 oz)
Jar of Peanut Butter (16 oz)
Melted milk chocolate (baking or chocolate chips work)

Melt the candy corn in the microwave.  Cook for 1 minute, stir.  Cook for 1 more minute stirring every fifteen seconds until melted.  Mix in peanut butter.  Stir well and pour into a greased baking pan.  Refrigerate for fifteen minutes to firm it up.

Here's where you can cut them into squares and dip them in chocolate to make them look like the candy bar or you can go the easy way and just spread the melted chocolate on top.  Refrigerate again until firm.  Enjoy your homemade butterfingers! Taste just like them!