Nature Exposure

The weather has been icky and rainy here for days.  A cold front came in and the long pants had to come out of hiding.  Today (really yesterday) Spring returned.  This is what Spring looks like at my house.

This is my front porch.  The kids and I cannot wait until the petunias bring the hummingbirds.

When you walk down our road you end up at a pond.  Here are some rusted mailboxes that line the road.

Beautiful flowering trees reach out and begged to be touched and smelled by the kids.  They stand in the wagon as we walk past, trying to grab a bloom. After one stern look from Mommy, the kids sit back down.

The area just before the pond has the cutest little birdhouse.  I got this picture just as the kids started to run down the hill to the pond. 

Ah, at last...the pond.  Feeding the ducks and fish.  We closely observed dragonflies.  Mommy caught a frog and a toad, but we quickly released them after we pet them.  This was our little nature adventure.  We do this everyday when the weather permits.

I would love to read how you expose your children to nature in the city, in the suburbs, or in the country.  How do you get out and experience nature where you are?  

Kim

Oxi Clean Max Force Review and Giveaway:CLOSED

I was given the opportunity to review two new Oxi Clean products.  Oxi Clean Max Force Gel Stick Pre-Treater and Oxi Clean Max Force Power Paks.  I have used Oxi Clean in the past, but I have never used these before. 
               
So I had to put these products to the test.  My way.  Here are my jeans that I wore as we planted our garden.  Don’t you just love the knees?  I wanted to test another stain, too.  So I took an old burp cloth and poured fruit punch on it.  After I took the picture I noticed it looks a tad like something else, sorry.

I rubbed the Oxi Clean Max Force Gel Stick Pre-Treater on the stains after the had already dried.  The instructions say you can wait up to a week to wash.  So I let the clothes sit in my laundry room for 3 days with the gel on them.  I mean how often are we going to treat a stain while it is wet and wash it immediately? 
            
Here are the after pictures.  There is a slight stain from the mud still, but overall the jeans turned out well.  The burp cloth was totally shocking.  I was extremely happy with the results.  There was absolutely no evidence of the fruit punch on the white at all!
  
Now for the test of the Oxi Clean Max Force Power Paks.  I used my son’s socks from a recent mud puddle stomping expedition.  These were disgusting.
   
I followed the directions and washed the socks.  This is how they came out.  I was very impressed.  The slight stains you see on the soles have been there (pretty much since the first wearing). 
So here are the before and after side by side.  I think you will see that the results speak for themselves.  I would definitely recommend this product.  I actually did recommend it to my mom. 
   
   
   
Now you can win these two products for yourself.  Just fill out the form below for your chance to win.  As always, this information is just for me to select a winner.  It is never shared or made public.  So please feel free to enter.
This giveaway is closed.  The winner was Eileen S.  The winner was notified by email and has 3 days to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. 

Disclosure: I received these products in order to perform an honest review.  The fact that I received these products or the giveaway sponsorship in no way effected my opinion or recommendation.  If you need to read this to know that about me, you should read this blog more often.

Kid’s Jet Pack Craft

                                   

If your little one is as imaginative as mine is, then you absolutely have to do this project.  Not only will it spark your child’s imagination, but it will get them moving, too.  Perfect for indoors or out, this jet pack will have your kids soaring!

                            

All you will need are 2 empty chip cans, 4 full pieces of construction paper in any color, 1 piece of red or orange paper, glue, tape, decorations (stickers or glitter), and an old back pack.

This can easily be modified by omitting the back pack and using yarn.

          

First thing you will want to do is have your child decorate 2 sheets of construction paper any way they want.  I let my son have at the glue and glitter.  For a much less messy version, you can use markers and stickers.

While your child is decorating, you can take the other two sheets of construction paper and trace circles on them.  I used a salad bowl and it worked just fine.  Grab anything about 7-9 inches in diameter.  Trace the circle and cut.  You will then want to cut a slit in the circle that reaches the center.  Now turn the paper onto itself to make a cone.  Use glue or tape to hold the cone shape.

                            

Now cut strips of the red or orange paper.  Cut a piece of tape long enough to fit completely around the circumference of the chip cans (an estimation will be just fine, no need to measure).  Lay the strip of tape down sticky side up and place the strips of paper on them.  Be careful to only put the strips on the lower half of the tape.  You want there to be enough tape to still attach to the can.  Now place the tape inside the open end of the cans just along the edge.  You can affix on the outside or on the inside.

                              

Your child’s artwork is about to become the decoration of the rockets.  Glue or tape their embellished construction paper around the chip can.  Carefully run a bead of glue around the rim of the closed end of the cans.  Now just place your cones onto the glue.  I strongly recommend using glue instead of tape for this part, I know from experience.  If you want this instantly, you can always use hot glue and not have the long drying time. 

Lastly, glue your rockets to the back pack.  We got this back pack at our thrift store.  If you do not have a back pack you can easily use a pencil to poke 4 holes into each can.  Two holes near the top (parallel, but closer to one side so they easily lay against your child’s back) and two holes near the bottom.  String one piece of yarn or twine through the holes at the top and another through the bottom holes.  Now you can tie the rockets to your child’s chest area and waist.

                                

I created the back pack version because I did not want to be asked a hundred times a day to tie the rockets on.  A back pack can easily be put on and taken off by my 3 year old.  Now the only problem is I have to make another one, because my youngest wants one too.

                          

This could be your child running off to explore strange new worlds.  Try it.

Kim

Say WHAT?!

                 

“We don’t put things over our face and walk around.”

My daughter loves to put towels, blankets, shirts, or just about anything over her face and walk around.  Then she will get more confident and start to run.  She laughs the whole time.  All the way up until she runs into the wall or the dining room table.  That is where I have no compassion.  I know I should, but I don’t.  I just look at her and say the above phrase. 

Chalk another one up to things I never thought would come out of my mouth.

So what weird thing have you said lately?  Come on, share it with us.  :-)

Kim

Kids Art Portfolio

When I was in high school I had an art portfolio.  I loved keeping it in my room and feeling like a real artist storing my pictures and sketches in it.

I thought I would give my son the same opportunity to have a real art portfolio.  I took an old Fed Ex box and cut the large sides off.  I asked my son to paint it however he wanted.

After the paint dried, I punched a hole in the middle of three of the sides.  Place the unpunched sides close together, but keep a little bit of space (about an inch).  Tape them with wide masking tape or duct tape. 

 

Cut six pieces of yarn or string the same lengths.  Tie each piece to a hole.  Now you will be able to tie the sides together.  I left the top untied for Cole.  This way he can slide his pictures in and out without Mommy having to tie and untie. 

 

  

I also made little handles for him, too.  I just took the same tape and put it sticky side up.  I folded over the middle just halfway onto itself.  I left the ends unfolded, so I could attach the handles to the portfolio.

                 

Here is the finished product and the proud owner. 

              

                     

Try it.  It was a lot of fun!  Cole is now a “big boy” artist.

Kim

Simple Songs for Preschool

                                       

I love Deborah J. Stewart.  She writes the Teach Preschool website.  Deborah is a resource for preschool activities and education.  If you are not already you need to become a fan on her Facebook page.  She finds the neatest activities and posts links there.  Not only am I honored to tell you about her today (because she is such a wonderful person) I also have her new CD to talk about!

                          

She made a CD called Simple Songs for Preschool.  It is really fun.  We get extremely interactive with the songs at home.  The CD has also made it to the van.  There the songs get shouted at the top of little lungs (which does not make a little sound, by the way).

                          

The CD has 19 preschool songs and 8 preschool chants.  My son’s favorite chant is “Who wants to drive Grandpa’s truck?”  My favorite song is “There’s an Ant”, which is also a simple chant.  I love songs that talk about learning body parts, that isn’t “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”.  That song makes me dizzy.

My toddler daughter cannot sing along to the songs, but boy can she dance around and do the motions.  This CD helps make some fun burn off energy time at our house.  Just when Mommy is about to have her own meltdown, I pop in this CD and we act super silly, run, dance, and act out the songs.  It helps me get in a better mood.

I also took my CD to my son’s preschool class.  His teachers really loved this CD and said they are always looking for new ways to keep the kids entertained and active in the classroom.

You can buy the CD here.  I really encourage you to do so.  It is a lot of fun and I know your kids will love it!

Would you like to win one of your own?  Deborah has provided me with a copy to give away.  How generous of her!!

Simply fill out the form below to enter.  This giveaway has ended.  The winner was Mary L.!  The winner was randomly selected at Random.org and will have 3 days to claim their prize. 

Great Deal on FamilyFun Magazine

I usually do not talk about great deals and stuff on here, but this is an exception.  I read FamilyFun magazine all of the time.  It gives me great ideas and neat projects to do with my kids, and maybe even share on here. 

FamilyFun Magazine is not the cheapest one out there, though.  That is why I wanted to share this great deal with you.

Amazon is offering a 1 year subscription to FamilyFun for $5.00!!!

Yes $5.00 for 1 entire year (10 issues)!

Here is the information and link.  You can just click on the box to take you directly there.  The offer ends on April 24th, so get yours now.  :-)

Disclosure: I am an amazon associate.  I may receive a small commission if you purchase from this link.

Say WHAT?!

                               

“Do not lick the couch.”

 

Yes, you read that correctly.  It could have a lot do with the fact that our furniture is covered with crumbs, globs of dried gunk that was once food, and spilled drink rings.  I bet our furniture does have a certain flavor to it.  But that doesn’t mean it needs to be licked.

So chalk another one up to things I never thought would come out of my mouth. 

If you licked your furniture (not asking you to do it) what flavor would it be?

Kim

“Foster Kid” Label

                                 
I am a big Grey’s Anatomy fan.  It is my guilty pleasure.  I just recently watched the April 1st show (from my DVR) and got a little miffed, though.  You know the one, Alex’s brother shows up unexpectedly. 
Well he starts telling everyone about their childhood and Alex’s past.  Then it happened.  “Alex was a foster kid?”  “So he was a foster kid.” 
Foster kid, foster kid, foster kid.
Every time they said it, they said it in a different tone.  I don’t know how to really take it. 
Children that are in the foster care system have had trauma in their lives in some way.  These children do need some extra attention, compassion, and nurturing.  They are faced with many challenges.  It is not the children’s fault they are in the foster care system. 
There is some kind of stigma about foster kids.  A child that needs a loving home to live in while their parents get their lives straightened out is a child in need.  A child in need.  Period.  Most people have no idea what things these children have been exposed to. 
They did not ask for things to happen to them or to their families.  They did not ask to be taken from their homes.  They did not asked to be taken from the only people they have ever known.  They did not ask to be put with strangers.  And they definitely did not ask to be labeled so dismissively. 
Is this what my future child has to look forward to?  We are in the process of adopting through the foster care system.  Will my future child be labeled like this? 
I hope not.  Because this mom will fight for her children…all of them. 
I have no idea what this post is supposed to do about it, but I feel better just getting out my frustrations.  Thank you for sticking with me as I rant. 
Kim
The future mom of a “foster kid”

Seventh Generation Review/Giveaway:CLOSED

You guys know that I am trying to take small steps towards being greener.  Am I ready to throw away all of my cleaners and scrub with vinegar and water?  Uh, not yet.  Right now my house gets big messes that need serious cleaning.  So when My Blog Spark wanted me to try Seventh Generation Cleaning products I accepted the offer. 

          

I really had low expectations.  Honestly products that disinfect and clean from botanical extracts?  But they work great!  They really do.  So I traded my harsh chemical cleaner for Seventh Generation.  It cleaned just as well, but I think the gunk dissolved faster.  Now I am not claiming that it does, it just seemed to in my house.  I did not do an actual side by side comparison.

Now here is the silly part that most people would not put in a review.  The trigger on the bottle is my favorite feature.  I know, strange.  It doesn’t pinch your fingers like some can.  The motion of the trigger is very smooth and it provides a strong burst of cleaner.  The spray is very evenly dispersed.  Yes, it looks strange when I read it, but I love the way these bottles spray!

The cleaners are not over powering, either.  They do not have a strong fragrance to them.  I have to admit the scent isn’t something I really like, but it isn’t something I really don’t like.  The cleaners do not smell chemically or like someone just chopped down a pine tree.  But I know if they added things to the cleaners to make them smell differently it would go against what they are doing with the cleaners in the first place. 

I am so impressed with these cleaners that I even told my husband I will be switching over to them.  Honestly, you can ask him.  He asked how much more these cleaners cost than the ones I had been using.  I told him that ironically, they are about the same price as the name brand cleaners I had been buying.  I am so excited about taking another small step toward my goal without compromising how I like things cleaned.

         

So how would you like to win a set exactly like I received to review?  I thought you would.  You will receive a bottle of multi-purpose disinfecting spray, bathroom cleaner, disinfecting wipes, 2 rolls of paper towels, a caddy to carry your cleaners in, and a copy of The Conscious Kitchen. 

Fill out the form below to enter.  Offer is available for U.S. residents only, sorry to my friends around the world.  :-(  As usual, your information is just to enter and to contact you if you win.

This giveaway has closed.  One winner was randomly selected and notified by email.  The Winner was #50 Amanda!! The winner will have 3 days to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.  Enter now.  You can’t win of you don’t enter.  And I would love to see you win.

Disclosure: I did receive a free gift set to have the opportunity to make an honest review.  My opinions are completely my own and were not swayed by receiving the set, or by a giveaway for the readers of Mom Tried It.  The Seventh Generation products, information and additional prize pack to give away were all provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.