Foaming Soap

Don't buy the expensive foaming soap for your favorite foaming soap dispenser. All they are is watered-down soap! Fill your foaming dispenser with about an inch of regular soap then fill the rest of the way with water (you may need to adjust these estimates, depending on the size of your dispenser). Cap the dispenser and tilt it back and forth until the water and soap are mixed together. Do NOT shake it! You'll have soapy suds everywhere! :)

p.s. This will not work with creamy hand soaps. Must be the clear-ish kind of hand soap.

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Waste Not...

I have recently discovered Raising Olives. (So many great ideas for families large and small!) I learned a really cool tip I had to share...

To cut down on wasted toilet paper (you know, when little people take more than they need off the roll because they just pull and tear without thinking...?), before you put place the toilet paper on the roll, smash it so that you bend and flatten the cardboard tube. It won't be as quick to unroll 3 feet when you only want/need half of that. Brilliant! :)

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Preparing Your Home for Your Vacation

Things to consider regarding your home when going on a vacation:

- Use timers on lights and radios/tv's... Leave blinds open just the slightest to allow the light to shine out.

- Have a neighbor park in your driveway to give the illusion that someone is home.

- Coordinate with a neighbor to make sure your trash cans get out and then get pulled back in if the trash collection happens while you're away. Trash cans left at the curb or not put out on trash day are a dead giveaway that nobody's home.

- Have someone bring in mail, water plants, and care for your pets.

- Turn down the ringer on your phone and the volume on your answering machine.

- Pack your car with the garage door closed. Don't advertise to just anyone driving by that you're planning on leaving your home unoccupied.

- For added security, unplug your garage door opener (after you've gotten your car out of the garage and closed the door again, of course).

- Shut off valves to your washing machine and to toilets and sinks. It's added insurance you won't come home to a flood!

- Open doors to rooms/closets so your house will smell less stuffy when you come home. Don't leave windows open, however.

- Clean out your fridge. Get rid of anything that will be past its usefulness when you get home. Take the garbage all the way out of the house and into the cans that will go out on trash day (see #3).

- Make a plan for your first meal or two after you return. Use shelf-stable items or frozen foods, but have a plan so you don't have to rush to the store first thing the next morning to grab something for breakfast.
- Turn down your thermostat to save energy while you're gone.

- DO NOT announce your absence to your Facebook page, your Twitter, or on your blog. You never know who reads your post, and you don't know who you can trust. Save your posting for after you're home. Better safe than sorry!

What did I miss?? Any other ideas??

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Recipe Sites

Besides the "Queen" of all recipe websites, AllRecipes.com, did you know that many food manufacturers and grocery chains also have collections of recipes on their websites?

Here's a few to get you started...

Betty Crocker

Pillsbury

Duncan Hines

Campbell Soups

Kraft

Bisquick

Rhodes Bake & Serve

Foster Farms

And grocery chains as well...

Safeway

Fred Meyer

Whole Foods

Trader Joe's

Albertsons

What grocery chains do you have near you that also have a website full of recipes? What food manufacturers have you found that have great recipes on their websites as well?

Please share!

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Summer Game-Plan

Summer is full of carefree, lazy days. Well, mostly. Around here, we thrive on routine. So, we have a "Summer Schedule" that still allows for hours of free time each day, but the structure that my children need as well. Summer is also a great time to instigate a chore chart system for your children. I am still selling my Chore Charts & Kid Bucks system on Etsy if you're interested. ;)

Our Summer Schedule:

Wake - 9:30am: Breakfast, AM Lists, Morning Jobs, then TV time (cartoons!)

9:30 - 11:30 am: Free Time or Outing (Library, Park, etc)

11:30 - 12:00pm: Lunch

12:00 - 1:30pm: Quiet Time

1:30 - 2:30pm: Free Time

2:30 - 3:30pm: Summer School

3:30 - 4:00pm: Cleaning Jobs

4:00 - 5:30pm: TV / Movie / Free time

5:30pm: Dinner

6:00 - 8:00pm: Evening Jobs, PM Lists, Reading Time, Family Time

In the morning, the TV doesn't go on for cartoons till all the other items are completed. During the summer we do "Summer School" with our kids -- workbooks and activities to keep their minds sharp between the previous school year and the next. "Cleaning Jobs" are additional responsibilities that we give our children during the summer, and they change every day.

For details on what AM / PM Lists and Morning / Evening Jobs entail, see my post "Family Economic System: Chore Charts & Kid Bucks System."

This schedule is, of course, flexible. We're going to be going to the library once a week, and hoping to do a lot of in-town stay-cation-ing too. :)

Have a great summer!

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Scuffs & Scrapes

Today is Sunday and had me thinking about how I camouflage the scuffs on my little boys' church shoes. They grow so fast that I just buy the cheapy shoes for them. Every once in a while, though, they manage to scuff the toes. Depending on the shoe, my approach may or may not work for your little guy's shoes. :)

For black dress shoes, when the scuff rubs off the black of the shoe, I take a permanent marker and color it in. Then take petroleum jelly and rub it into the spot to "shine" it. Rub off the excess.

(Nearly) good as new!

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How to Teach a Child to Swallow Pills

When my oldest daughter was small, she had a very strong gag reflex (still does, actually). Liquid medicine often made her gag. She just couldn't swallow the stuff, and often ended up vomiting instead -- which made it difficult when it was something she had to have, such as an antibiotic or allergy medicine.

We taught her to swallow pills at a young age with Tic-Tacs. She'd practice swallowing the tic-tacs with a little bit of water by putting the tic-tac on the back of her tongue, taking a sip of water, tilting her head back, and swallowing. If she didn't swallow the tic-tac, it didn't get yucky-tasting on the back of her tongue. It only took a few tries and she had it mastered. Good luck!

**Disclaimer: Read labels carefully. Adhere strictly to dosage guidelines that are appropriate for your child's age and weight. MOST pills that are designed to be swallowed are NOT in dosages appropriate for children. Some prescriptions (like antibiotics) can be dosed for children in a swallow-able pill format. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist to determine the appropriate medicine and dosage for your child.

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General Conference Packets

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am looking forward to the General Conference of the church this coming weekend. We will get the chance to hear from our church leaders, including our beloved prophet. The wonderful folks over at Sugardoodle have created a page of links to Conference Packets for children and youth to keep them focused during the conference (and give their parents a chance to listen!). Check out the link below. Thank you, Sugardoodle!!

Sugardoodle's 2010 General Conference Packets

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Favorite Clever Homemaking Posts Revisited...

This blog has been a labor of love over the past two years. I thought it might be fun to look back on my favorite Clever Homemaking posts...

Family Economic System: Chore Charts & Kid Bucks

Still my all-time most popular post. :)

Tween Cell Phone Rules

Got a tween or teen with a cell phone? Some ideas to keep it from getting out of control.

One of My Favorite Things: My Slow-Cooker - A Primer

My favorite kitchen appliance, by far, is my slow cooker. This is an introduction to the slow cooker and some helpful hints.

56 Meal Ideas

Another super popular post. I find myself re-visiting it now and again to change up the meal plan every once in a while. :)

Meal Planning

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail... Some ideas on how to plan your family's weekly meals.

Consolidating Cookbooks

Got too many cookbooks lying around, many of which you're only keeping because of the one or two recipes in them that you love? Here's an idea to simplify your life and lighten your bookshelves.

Eating Leftovers - Really!

Some tips for making leftovers disappear - like magic! :)

Ten Benefits of Meal Planning

Why do meal planning? Here's the answer... Ten answers, actually!

Spoiled Children

Some basic parenting advice -- not from me, but an excellent article I wanted to share.

50 Ways to Manage Your Time

Who couldn't use tips to get more out of the 24 hours in each day?

We Will Never Forget

My thoughts on September 11th.

Tips for an Organized Home Series: General Organization, Spring Cleaning / De-Cluttering, Kitchen Organization, Time Management, Bedrooms / Closets.

Ideas I've gleaned over many years from books, workshops, and friends.

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Sunday Bag

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka, the "Mormons"). Just like many church-going folks, I find it a struggle to keep my younger children occupied while sitting through weekly church meetings. In order to get something out of the meetings, I need to find ways to keep my little ones occupied with quiet, non-messy, un-distracting things to do. Since my children were little, we have tried and failed and succeeded at this objective, depending on the day. :) Below are a few things that have aided our moments of success:

• Lift-the-Flap books. My littlest ones would sit with these books for at least 10-15 minutes at a time. Awesome! Keep a stash separate from the kids' book collection and rotate them in your Sunday bag.
  
• Look & Find books. These are my FAVORITE Sunday-bag item. Similar to "Where's Waldo?" books, they have things hidden in the pictures that the child has to find. They are made by many publishers and come in varieties ranging from photo look & find's to scripture character look & find's. Check out your local bookstore and your local library. Just like the Lift-the-Flap books, rotate them in your Sunday bag.
• Magnetic writer. They come in the brand-name "Magna-Doodle" but many toy manufacturers make them. They let kids draw and create and erase, all without the mess of crayons and paper.
• Church magazines. Our church puts out the Friend Magazine for children. It is full of stories, pictures, and activities for children ages 3-11. We bring the current month's Friend, along with a few past issues, in our Sunday bag for the younger children to look at and/or read.
• Church-based board books. These can get heavy, so we rotate them in the Sunday bag. You can get these online or at your local LDS bookstore.
  
• What other tricks do YOU put in your "Sunday bag?" Leave a comment... It'll be great to get other people's ideas! :)
  

Now, a couple of DON'T's that have aided our success as well:

• No food for kids older than 18 months. We made the family rule that once our child was in Nursery (18 months), we would no longer bring snacks for during Sacrament Meeting (our main meeting, usually the first 70 minutes or so of church). My logic in doing so was that our child would get a snack in Nursery so he/she wouldn't need one during Sacrament Meeting. (It's only 70 minutes -- any kid can go 70 minutes without eating at that age.) Until they hit 18 months, we only brought spill-proof sippy cups or bottles and small, non-sticky, non-crumbly snacks like Cheerios or Goldfish crackers. In our church, kids can expect to get a snack in Nursery till they're 3, almost 4. After that age, they can handle not having food for 3 hours during the day. I feed them a substantial meal before we leave, and we have snacks or a meal (depending on the time of day) just after we get home.
  
• The Sunday bag stays closed until after the Sacrament. The Sacrament is administered about 30 minutes into the meeting. Before then is the singing of hymns, announcements, church callings are given, etc. I figure the sooner the bag is opened, the sooner it will loose their interest. With the goal to be to get through the end of the meeting before they completely loose interest in the Sunday bag, I figure it's best to put off getting it out until as far into the meeting as I can. Plus, I want to be able to sit through the Sacrament without the distraction of kids digging into the bag for something else to do and /or the mess of stuff created by them doing so. :) Besides, if the goal is to be thinking about Jesus during the Sacrament, can they really be doing that while they're busy with something else? They know that the bag stays shut until after the Sacrament, so they get better and better at practicing sitting quietly withOUT the stuff in the bag to distract them just yet.
  
• Nix the crayons & coloring books. These, I have to admit, I am NOT a fan of bringing to church. Ever since my youngest decided that coloring on a pew would be great fun, we have excluded these from our Sunday bag and we haven't missed them a bit. I no longer have to scramble around at the end of the meeting, making sure we got all the crayons back in the bag. I don't have to help a child find a particular color while I'm trying to listen to the meeting. I don't have to pass the bag of crayons from one child to the next. Yeah, don't miss that a bit. :) We take the magnetic writer mentioned above instead.
  
• The Sunday bag is off-limits once my kids hit the age of 10. At that age, they are allowed a lined notebook and pencil. What they choose to do with it is up to them. :) My daughter (12) likes to take notes. When she was younger she liked to draw in it.
  

What have you found to be helpful in keeping children quite and undistractING to others during Sunday meetings??

Looking forward to the comments on this one!




p.s. This is my family's personal take on stuff during church, and I know everyone won't agree. But there it is. Take it or leave it. :)

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