Bread Clips for Organizing Cords

Not much to explain on this great tip. Bread clips can organize those confusing cords on what goes to what fast. Permanent marker is all you need. This would have been a great tip back in the 80s so we all didn't have to reset that silly flashing clock!

Fun Letters and Numbers Scratchpad!

We are in the midst of our first year of homeschooling three kids here in sunny Cali. We also have a two year old and 6 month old to keep busy too! I am surprised at the scrap paper we go through practicing letters and numbers and all the eraser bits everywhere. So this tip has brought some fun and has multiple functions.

Take plain yogurt and simply mix in your favorite real fruit jelly in a bowl to add a bit of color and taste. Add about three spoonfuls to a sandwich sized zip lock baggie. Lay flat on a table or put a colorful folder under it to really make the letters stand out. With a Q-Tip let your little one push down and draw! Show them how to put their hand flat on it to level it off again for new creations.

When they are finished, push the yogurt down to the bottom and get any air out. Roll down the bag to make it a long tube of yogurt and freeze. They can cut the top off and there you have a super cost effective and fun treat too!

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Free Kindle Giveaway! I Love Real Free Things!

Free Friday seems like a fabulous idea! But when I say free, I like minimal effort free. I love giveaways but doesn't it seem you have to put it on your Facebook, then leave a comment, then visit the shop then, then... I must be lazy! But free should be...give me your name, a thought and thanks!!

So, here is where you will enter to win a free Kindle today only. Go to www.livingwithpower.org. Leave your name on my friend's blog comment section and what you would want to hear for future blog topics. Lina is a Doctor and a Women's ministry Director and her Christian blog is very cool and challenging!

So go on now and get a chance to get a Kindle! Don't forget to share the link and share the free love! ;)

Fall Decor Idea using Clementines!

I love getting ready to decorate for fall! This tip will really wow your guests at your holiday dinners and parties.

Simply buy Clementines or Tangelos (which are bigger). Cut in half and easily take out the fruit. Cut a star shape wide enough on the top so it doesn't burn. You can see I had a little burn spot so I cut it bigger. Place a tea light with the foil bottom in the bottom half of fruit. Light and place the top on.

There you have it! The glow is fantastic right? So easy!! Happy Fall!

Reuse, Recycle, Love for Lunches

Alrighty then...back to our scheduled tip of the day. My 6 year old invented this tip on how to reuse, recycle and love for your lunchbox.

Making lunches these days for kids and hubby/wifey? We buy the select a size paper towels for reducing waste reasons and figured out you can easily make it into an envelope so you can wrap up a snack and write your love note right on it too!

Fold the napkin up to make a pouch and tape the sides. Fold down the top and cut the sides at an angle to make the point. Write your love note on it and the add a half sandwich or snack. You can tape it down if you like.

There you have it! A way to reduce plastic bags and yet get the job done with a love note and something to clean up with too!

Cute DIY Wipe off Surface

This tip for a DIY wipe off surface is beyond cute and easy.

Grab a fab picture frame with glass and insert a colorful piece of scrapbook or craft paper. Use any set of dry erase pens and you have an amazing wipe off surface! This is perfect next to the sink in the kitchen or bathroom.
Some uses:
- bible verses
- reminders
- love notes

I know what you're thinking...too cute!

Little Boy Hairdo Tip

My little two year old boy has a cool hairdo. He also has a bunch of hair that sticks up in the back naturally. A crazy cowlick? If I put gel in it, it looks great until he touches it or it's windy. Back to puffy hair!

My tip for cute boy hair that stays cute is put a little petroleum jelly on your finger tips and run it through the hair with the gel. Keep your fingers wider apart like a comb so it doesn't look plastered on. This lasts for several days too even if you wash it with shampoo. So don't worry, the hair is clean. It's just ready to be styled again. This tip is great for picture day at school or family pictures!

Mind Your Manners

Manners…training kids to have manners is not easy.  This tip will be very helpful if you start now!  I learned this tip a long time ago from a friend of mine who has 9 children.  It works but you need to be patient at implementing it.  Even it is means to "teach" them again and again in the middle of a conversation with someone.  If you like this tip, you may want to have a family meeting, a new announcement and teach them how this goes and what is expected.

If my children want to speak to me when I am speaking to someone else, they gently put their hand on my arm or shoulder and wait until I make eye contact with them.  When our eyes meet, then they know it's time to ask away.  Nothing more aggravating on my nerves than my kids going, "mommy, mommy, excuse me, mommy, mommy."  Reiterate the "touch me gently" (not yank on me or poke me) and then I will look at you when there is a break in the conversation.  Don't ignore their touch either. :)  It's ok to tell the person you are talking to, "Excuse me a moment."  

When everyone is on board with this, it's like a breathe of fresh air! Ahhh...

Who can you trust?

I saw the cutest picture with a vintage blue toaster turned on it's side to make an open faced toasted cheese. I really said "hmmm." But no one commented if it really worked. So?

No it didn't work!! Bad tip. Great photo! Bad tip! It smoked like crazy and the cheese bubbled and touched the coils. The bread was burnt too. What a Mess!

So, you can count on tried and tested tips here!

One of our fine readers, Amy, is having issues getting chocolate ice cream out of her kids clothes. She and I have a shared craziness for finding the best stain remover. So I will begin product testing to see what gets it out. Gotta go buy some ice cream! If you have something to add that you can't get out. Let me know and we will add it to the test.

Tip for Remembering

Countless times I'll go to the pantry and stand there totally blank in thought and say, "what was I going to get in here?" Embarrassed to say this happens a lot. But when I have something important that needs to be done or written down and I'm without a way to document it, I have a tip that helps you remember.

Take your wedding ring or fashion ring and turn it upside down. Don't turn it around until you can complete the task or write it down. The constant strange pressure keeps the thought right on the tip of your tongue!

Baked Bacon is the way to go!

Tips matter. Case in point. Bacon. I grew up on bacon and the left over grease was used to make gravy. Yumm! My mom used to fry it in a cast iron skillet. Pops of grease everwhere! But since I was six, we got a microwave and the rubbery texture has clouded my love of bacon ever since.

Recently, I've watched many iron chef shows and saw them baking bacon. In an oven! I never knew of such a thing!

On a pan, with a foil bottom curved up on the edges, 400 degrees for 10-12 min or until the color you like and NO TURNING, voile, you have perfect crispy baked bacon with no mess even in the oven. You can get the rest of your meal prepared without managing and flipping bacon.

It's on the directions listed last and if that isn't one of the biggest oversights in the food industry! So go get some real crispy bacon without the mess! You'll thank me. ;)

Colds, Flu Bugs Tip

So wouldn't you know it I got the stomach flu yesterday. That explained my aching neck! The flu is gone now but here is the tip to getting rid of it.

Acidophilus supplements! You can get it at Trader Joes and health food stores. You take 1-3 a day.

It keeps the good bacteria in your intestines. Especially when you are feeling sick (cold or flu), it helps get rid of it fast!

There is a chewable version for kids. So,when they get the sniffles give it to then right away. We have been using acidophilus for years and yesterday was case in point. Instead of 24 hour flu, it was more like 12 hours. It might have been less if I had my right mind to take it sooner.

Quick Tip for Aching Neck and Back

I am sure it's my age, five kids, bad pillow, whatever...but my neck and shoulders are killin' me! I recently found a new stretch in my pilates class that I do throughout the day that helps me.

The first is a classic, front fold which is bend over and touch your toes. The second one, I never knew existed in 38 years is called Rag Doll stretch.

1) Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and feet parallel.

2) Bend your knees slightly and slowly fold forward from your hips as far as you can comfortably go.

3) Now stay bent over and pick up your hands and grab your elbows. Allow the combined weight of your upper body, head and elbows to stretch your spine toward the floor. Switching hands makes a difference too.

4) Stay bent in Rag Doll and breathe deeply in and out.

5) To come out of the rag doll stretch, bend your knees, put your hands on your thighs to add support when you lift your upper body.

Seriously isn't that an amazing feeling between the shoulder blades? Wowzer of a tip in my aching body's opinion! I tested this out on my kids and they loved it. My husband begrudging tried it and said he felt nothing. Is it a girl thing? Make your husband do it, maybe certain bodies are different?

Nice ethereal photos following...haha.

Toothbrush Tip Germ Fighter! Mom wins!

I've learned the hard way that germs are easily spread from one kid to another in the battle arena of kids vs. toothbrush and toothpaste.

This tip begins at the dollar store. Buy the set of five toothbrushes with covers for one DOLLAR. What a great savings compared to the single $3 toothbrush at Target.

Write each child's name on the color coordinated cover. The covers have a slit on one side. Orient the bristles toward the open slit to allow air to dry out the brush and not be a moist breeding ground for the germs. I like these caps since it helps keep the bristles away from other brushes.

Also, buy each child their own toothpaste and write their name on the side and their initial on the top of the cap in permanent marker. Better yet get the flip top cap. No more swiping their germs on a sibling's toothpaste. See the cycle of germ maddness?

Finally, I bought a standard silverware drawer organizer to put each brush and paste together in it's own slot per kid. Since it's plastic you can put it in the dishwasher occasionally.

So there you have it. TKO! Mom-1, Germs-0!

Whose Cup Is This? Tip For Keeping Cups To A Minimum

The Nuby Gripper cup begat the First Years Insulated Cup which begat the Gerber Graduates cup and so on… At least it seems that cups in my house have a long genealogy and reproduce instantaneously. They can be found everywhere throughout the house and each child forgets which cup they just used. Honestly! Enough!

To end the cup madness, we have a new tip that should eradicate these pests. Go to Staples or Office Max to buy a bag of wide rubber bands such as these. Then simply write your child's name on the rubber band with permanent marker. You can get creative and make your own personalized bands (Lance Armstrong style) with your child's name on it. We have done this and it's cute! We purchased the kit at Target. I happen to like the rubber band idea since the bands can get misplaced during dishwasher time.
I'll raise my cup to the end of cup maddness! ;) Cheers!

Starbucks Coffee Savings Tip

A HomeSchooling Mother of five young children requires coffee. Lots of coffee!

Starbucks has long been know as the country club of coffee houses since they can get $4 for one cup of fancy java. Here's a great tip for a great cup of coffee for $1.50.

First, put some money on a Starbucks reward cards and register the number online. Their is even a free App for iPhone to manage the card. Use this card every time you buy anything at Starbucks. Soon you will become a Green level and then Gold status member. Both levels come with benefits like free coffee coupons in the mail, free flavor syrups to add in, free refills, etc.

Here's the Starbucks lingo, ask for a tall (small) brewed coffee (mine half decaf) in a grande cup (medium). This leaves room for cream and they usually give you more coffee anyway. Ask for your free pump or two of Vanilla Syrup (any flavor as a card member). Add your cream and you have a sweet treat coffee for half the price. It tastes like a Vanilla Latte to me. Add the Chocolate powder at the help yourself bar and it tastes like a mocha ($4 drink).

Want that same cup of coffee for FREE? Buy a 1 lb. bag of Starbucks coffee at Bucks, Target or Walmart and in fine print it says, "bring this bag empty to Starbucks and a tall brewed coffee is free." Buy it on sale and use a coupon on top of that and you could now be called a Genius.

Happy Monday!