My son came home from school the other day raving about the play dough his teacher made for him and so after a bit of emailing I can now share with you Ms. Mora’s crazy easy play dough recipe. This recipe is so easy that at the next kids play date I was able to whip this up with help from my anxious guest, using only the items I already had in my pantry. Enjoy!
Ms. Mora’s Play dough recipe:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of water
1 tbs of oil
1 cup of salt
3 drops of food coloring
How to:
1: Mix together flour and salt
2: Add oil, water, and desired food coloring
3: Mix
4: Knead
5: If the dough is still to moist add more flour till you reach the right consistency.
*Enjoy*
Sonja
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/foreverdigital/2851947053/”>foreverdigital</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a>
Like so many other children, my daughter loves the movie Frozen and so we did our best to turn our small apartment into a frozen wonderland for her 2nd birthday party.
It all started with the invites. I found these printable invites on Etsy and they made a great keepsake for $6.
At the time of the party, Frozen party decorations were going were extremely overpriced the banner was selling for $60. Luckily for me Etsy saved the day again and I was able to find a printable banner for just $4 dollars.
Since it was only my daughter’s 2nd birthday we kept the guest list extra small but at such young ages it was still a wild time.
The kids loved these frosted marshmallows and had me running to the kitchen to make more. Luckily they take just a few minutes to make.
Along with an Olaf cut-out, we placed wads of cotton around to look like snow, and hung blue rock candy lollipops from the ceiling to look like icicles, along with some DIY falling snow.
After a few rounds of freeze dance and a showing of Frozen the movie, we ended the party with a snow fight which trashed the house but was was worth it.
*Hugs*
Sonja
Have more ideas for throwing a Frozen party on a tight budget? Let us know in the comments below.
For my sons 3rd birthday we decided to take it a step up from our normal cupcakes along with thanksgiving dinner. It was hard work for my first real party but totally worth it when I saw the look on his face when he walked through the door. I can’t wait to see how my party planning skills develop party after party.
Thank goodness for Amazon Prime. I got most of these items delivered to my home in just two days for FREE.
Threw in a few fake flowers and green moss(purchased at the Dollar Tree) to give this party a realistic prehistoric touch.
We chose to hang tons of the gliders all over the living room along with these custom vines.
This was one tough pinata it took beatings from all the kids twice before it finally gave in. The kids had a blast…
as-well as the adults.
Happy Birthday 3rd Birthday to our awesome Micah!
*Hugs*
Sonja
Have more ideas for a prehistoric birthday? Let us know in the comments below.
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As a young adult I was always terrified to talk to people. In fact I could not even place a food order but once I became I parent I got over that very fast. Unfortunately asking for a discount is still something that seemed extremely alien to me.
For some reason I believed that people would think I felt entitled and the fear of rejection was over-whelming.
This year to celebrate my son’s 5th birthday we decided to rent a screen, projector and speakers for a backyard showing of Earth to Echo. This was a great idea in theory but the cost was extreme. I had no clue on how to make this fit into my budget and was close to settling for just a t.v..
After a week of being sad that my son’s birthday was gonna miss out on this WOW factor I decided that if I could find a way to lower the cost even if it was a few dollars that I could make this work. So, I called the owner of the company and started to reserve the service and when he told me the prices I was open and honest.
“I would love to get the 12 foot screen. Do you have any military, therapist, student, mom, or an I’m too broke to afford this discount?”
He laughed and said “I have a discount that covers all of the above for you and don’t worry about the deposit”
As soon as he said that I started doing my “happy dance” and I gained the confidence I need to ask for further discounts on services.
I see many discounts in my future.
Here are a few ways to build up the courage to ask for a discount-
- Get on friendly terms with the person in charge, whether its a manager or someone at the register. This makes it possible for you to plug it into the conversation you were already having as a joke and if they say no then you can just laugh it off and move on.
- Have some practiced methods in mind already so you are not searching for the right words when you are on the spot.
- Remember that most purchases we make are way over priced so you should be educated on how much things are worth that way you know when asking for a discount is justifiable.
- I love the idea of blaming it on someone else. For example, “I really love these shoes but my husband said I can only spend this much is their anyway we can make that happen?”
Do you have any other ideas for building up the courage you need to ask for a discount? Let us know in the comments below.
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephangeyer/3052228522/”>Stephan Geyer</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a>
As a young girl I was never told how a boy should treat me. Neither my mother or father seemed up for the challenge and I honestly believed I suffered for it. I was always choosing boys and never men. Boys that mistreated me, lowered my self-confidence and self-worth.
And the moment my son told me “You can’t beat a boss, you’re a girl” while we played a video game I knew I had to begin instilling in him some serious values in regards to how to treat the opposite sex.
It was a long process, it continues every day and even now I am practicing the speech I will give him when he goes out on his first date and the moments before his wedding.
We as a species have been questioning where is the respect, where is the chivalry? The answer is that it’s a lesson that has been forgotten by my parents and my grandparents. So lets take control as a parent and change the future.
1. The books you read, the movies we watch- Avoid fairy tales that depict a damsel in distress needing to be saved by her prince. Women do not need rescuing we are absolutely capable of taking care of ourselves. One book I recommend is the Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.
2. Correct behavior- Never let your son get away with thinking a girl can’t do something he can do without correcting him. Never let him call a woman any derogatory name, or even hint at the idea that a woman’s place is in the kitchen without setting him straight.
3. The value of a sister- Utilizing a sister to teach lessons regarding proper treatment of the opposite sex is the easiest way. When my son hit his sister the first time I sat him down and sternly told him to never ever raise his hand to a girl and then proceeded to discuss why hitting in general was not suitable behavior.
4. Anger management- We live in a world where violence against women is happening way too often. In fact I bet you know someone that is either currently dealing with it or has dealt with it in the past. I know I have. It’s a sad truth but it happens so, it’s important to teach our sons how to handle anger in a calm way to ensure everyone is safe. If you have kids you are bound to get angry and frustrated sometimes. So use those opportunities to show your children how you deal with anger and frustration. It can sometimes be as simple as taking five calm deep breaths to reset yourself and be ready to tackle a situation calmly.
5. A proper role model- .The best way to teach a boy to respect women is to teach by example. So ladies, choose men that behave the way you want your son to behave and never allow yourself to be mistreated. Also don’t forget to expect and demand respect you are worth it.
6. Share your past- While I would never suggest this to be done with young children, I believe talking to your teens about your history with men is important. If you have been abused tell both your daughters and sons and let them know how it made you feel.
7. The female body- A woman’s body is exactly that, her body, and no man should be able to have control over it or force themselves on it. It’s not a sexual object. It should not be on posters posed provocatively on the walls of our sons room. It should not be used and beaten in video games like Grand Theft Auto, used as decoration or as entertainment. So make sure to have open conversations about the female anatomy to take away any mystery and ensure you demand respect of it in your home. In fact the moment my son tries to put a poster on his wall of some Bay Watch babe I will be replacing it with these:
Oprah Winfrey
Ellen Degeneres
My mother
8. For the men- You are so important to teaching boys to be men. So take up that role with pride. Remember chivalry, remember respect, and remember to treat women how you would want your sisters, mothers, and grandmothers to be treated. Open doors, pull out chairs, buy flowers and always be gentle. Put any macho attitude aside. Children mimic behavior they witness so act how you want them to act.
Do you believe women should have equal rights to men and that we should be able to fight for those rights? Do you believe women should not be objectified and not be seen as sexual objects? Great, then you are a feminist. Now try your best to instill your values in to your sons, step-sons, nephews ect…
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/nayrb7/2176798443/”>nayrb7</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>cc</a>
photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/keokiseu/4755957419/”>Keoki Seu</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>
I remember being a young girl walking to and from middle school and men of all shapes, colors, and ages would either call to me by either complimenting me in some sort of creepy way, by calling me like I was an animal (“(kissy noises) Hey, p#$$&, p#$$&, p#$$&”) or decide to make their intentions perfectly clear (“I want to bend you over”).
Videos and pictures are going viral all over the internet regarding catcallers and debates have started everywhere but as a parent how can we handle this scary matter and how we can protect our children?
I am a mother to both a daughter and son and these are just a few ideas and methods I plan on teaching my children about being safe when walking streets full of these verbal and sometimes physical offenders.
1. Safety in Numbers- The chances of a catcaller approaching you or getting out of hand are much less when you have a group with you. No one wants to get rejected in front of 10 other people. Call out to other parents and friends that are going the same way as your child or post a flyer at your child’s school looking for other parents that are interested in having their kids walk to school together with yours.
2. The Phone Trick- This is my personal method for avoiding unwanted attention. When going anywhere alone hold a phone to your ear and chat away. Just make sure that you don’t get too drawn into the conversation and forget to be aware of your surroundings.
3. Wardrobe- I know everyone thinks they should have the right to wear whatever they want and I completely agree but we don’t live in a fantasy land. Sagging pants, high heels, extra tight pants and low cut shirts are not practical. In a book titled “Against Our Will; Men, Women, and Rape” rapist were interviewed and when asked how they chose their victims high heels was one of their answers. You need to be able to run comfortably if you have to. Save these choices for when you are either driving with very minimal walking or are traveling in a group.
4. Avoid- If for any reason you see someone in front of you that makes you feel uncomfortable avoid them. Cross the street or take the longer way. Do everything you can to avoid a possibly unsafe situation.
5. Walk the Walk- Take your child along the path you expect them to be walking and show them in action what to do if they are approached by someone. Shockingly they often don’t care whether or not you have a child witnessing the verbal harassment.
6. Speak up- I wouldn’t ask a very young daughter to do this but when we have the time it’s important that when harassed to not be a silent victim. Be respectful and polite but firm and informative. Here is an example:
“I feel as your peer I should inform you that women don’t appreciate this. It doesn’t work well and we just see it as someone being rude and as a verbal attack on us. I am your peer and you should treat me as such. And in the future it might be a better idea to treat women how you would want someone to treat your mother or daughter. Thank you for listening”
If the harassment continues walk away and if you notice the same person on a regular basis do not feel afraid to call the police and file a report. Sometimes it just takes one person to stop a catcaller from repeating his actions.
7. Protection- I’ll never forget the time I was heading to a party at night in the city and my mother handed me a kitchen knife to keep in my purse during the night. This is something I would not recommend but the city is dangerous and having something that can protect you is important. I think I may have been better off with a whistle and some pepper spray.
Another great idea to ensure your kids can protect themselves is to enroll them in a self defense class. I took one when I was in middle school and it came in handy more than once.
8. Teach respect- Over the years it seems like more and more men don’t know how to treat a lady and it’s turning the world into an even scarier place. So here’s where you come in moms and dads, step up and teach your daughters what to expect from a man and teach your sons to be a man you’d be proud of. Teach them how to properly court a woman and how to show them respect. Teach them to speak up when they see someone being victimized and to protect those that need protecting.
It is up to us to stop catcalling from becoming a worry for future generations and to teach our children how to handle the evils in the world.
Have a method that works for you? Let us know in the comments.
photo credit: dimitry ryzhkov via photopin cc
