Moms Living Thrifty – 30 Day Challenge – Day 15

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Well, I just about blew the whole challenge today. It’s day 15 and marks my halfway point, so I’m glad I got with the program before the day was over!

So, let’s get on with it.

Today’s blog challenge post is…

 

Write 15 interesting facts about yourself…

 

Well, I don’t think I’m all that interesting these days, so this might be a tough one. I suppose I’ll give it a go, but you’ve got to promise not to laugh. Okay? No, seriously. I mean it.

  1. My hair is naturally curly and about four feet long. I keep it in a bun or pulled back a lot, so most people really don’t have a clue how long it is.
  2. I didn’t have my first child until age 30…he was actually born five days before my 31st birthday, but I was technically still 30!
  3. I’m not married and never have been, but I’ve been with my child’s father (Rusty) for almost 11 years. Our anniversary is in November.
  4. I’m scared to get married. There. I said it. Yeah, I know; I have issues. We all do.
  5. I work completely from home and have for nearly three years.
  6. I’m a hustler on the pool table. Keep your money in your pocket and your drink at the bar. You’ll be back there soon if you challenge me.
  7. I went to school for nursing, made it to the end of my third semester in the Associate degree RN program and…gulp…choked. It just wasn’t my calling.


  8. I am an obsessive compulsive hand washer. Yes, even before nursing school.
  9. My eyes change color. The colors range from dark green to hazel to light green to turquoise, depending on my mood and the clothing I am wearing.
  10. My son is the most important person in my entire life.
  11. It took me almost four years, off and on, to get pregnant. When it happened, we had actually given up.
  12. I worked in a casino for 11 years.
  13. I know if I will like someone the moment I meet them. It’s not judgement. It’s a feeling I get. That’s the only way I can explain it and my feeling is always right.
  14. I’m a daddy’s girl.
  15. I’ve been working on a book for older children/young adults for the past three years. In that period of time, I’ve completed six chapters. Not much, I know, but I haven’t had a lot of time because I have to contribute to the bills and, unfortunately, dreams don’t always pay the bills.
Filed Under: Mother Creative's Corner, Time for Mom Tagged With: , ,
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Creative Kids’ Activity: Easy Homemade Finger Paint

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of my three year old’s favorite activities right now is something I remember fondly from my own childhood: finger painting! He loves to sit up at the table, mix colors and let the wet paint drip from his fingertips onto the paper. Right now, he could not care less about any sort of picture he’s creating; instead, it’s all about the feeling of the wet paint in his fingers and the fun of swirling colors together. I do give him paper to “paint” on, but what he ends up with is all the paint from the container in one big blob in the middle of the page.

Due to this technique of his, we go through quite a lot of paint. Yet, I don’t spend much money on finger paint because I make it myself! It all started when I was starting to plan some preschool activities for him (we’re not sending him to preschool this year, and since preschool at three years old has become so common, I guess you could say we’re homeschooling this year). Not wanting to spend much money at all on supplies, I wondered how to make finger paint. Of course, a quick Google search presented plenty of options. I chose the recipe that looked the simplest. Ready? It’s pretty complicated. Not really.

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1 ½ tsp. salt

That’s it! Mix these three ingredients together, and you’ve got homemade finger paint. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer, and the whole process takes about 2 minutes – a bit longer when I let the little guy help with the measuring and pouring. White works for sensory purposes, but if you want to paint a picture or learn about and/ or mix colors, then simply add a couple drops of food coloring during the mixing step. I usually divide the mixture into two different colors, so we can mix them and have some variety. You could also make a larger batch and keep the finger paint in the refrigerator in a covered container.


What are you waiting for? Making finger paint is a quick and easy project that costs almost nothing, and your children will love it! Oh, and it’s incredibly easy to clean up. Even better!

 
Filed Under: Education, Home & Family, Preschool, Saving Money Tagged With: , , , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page

Do It Yourself Baby Food

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many thrifty moms of infants make their own baby food. The advantages are many:  1) it gives you total control over what your baby is consuming; 2) it is cheaper; 3) it can help emotionally with the transition from exclusive breast milk to solid foods.

Three easy, healthy, and highly recommended do-it-yourself baby foods are avocados, mashed sweet potatoes, and bananas. Avocadoes and bananas are nature’s own baby foods—ready made! Sweet potatoes take a little more preparation, but once they are baked until they are soft, mix them with a little breast milk, and you have a wonderful, nutrient rich dish for your baby.

If you already make your own yogurt, or if you are interested in learning, consider adding whole milk yogurt to your baby’s homemade diet as well. Preparing the yogurt yourself makes this great baby food much more affordable.

Making your own baby food can be greatly aided by having a freezer, microwave, blender, and/or a hand grinder. You will also need to acquire a bunch of very small containers with lids. You can opt to make your baby’s food fresh each time—especially if you’re already preparing a meal that could easily be turned into baby food at some stage (e.g. anything involving very soft, cooked vegetables). You can also schedule times to prepare baby food in bulk and freeze it.

As your child begins to get teeth, your home made baby food options will expand. Once your baby is a toddler, one popular, healthy snack is peanut butter balls. Simply mix peanut butter, powdered milk, oats, and honey until the mixture is able to be rolled into balls in your hands. You may need to continue adding powdered milk incrementally to achieve the desired consistency. You can sneak in all kinds of other healthy ingredients into these yummy treats: raisins or other dried fruit, chopped nuts, flaxseed, etc.


Two popular books on homemade baby food and other simple, healthy foods for children are: Superbaby Food by Ruth Yaron (F. J. Roberts Publisher, 1998), and Feeding Baby Green by Dr. Alan Greene (Jossey-Bass, 2009).

Do it yourself baby food is inexpensive, healthy, rewarding, and will help start your baby out on a path of healthy eating for a life time.

 
Filed Under: Family Health, From the Kitchen, Home & Family, Infant Health, Kid Friendly Recipes, Living Green, Made from Scratch Recipes, Other Ways to Save, Saving Money Tagged With: , , , ,
This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. In most cases, products are provided to Moms Living Thrifty for review. All product reviews are written according to the writer's honest opinion, experience or beliefs. Your opinion may vary. To see more on our disclosure policy, please visit our Disclosure page