Simon Says...

Brush your teeth!

The other night Bear was wound up, rolling on the floors, flailing his arms and spinning in circles. All for some unknown excitement that probably only a two year old would understand, but as usual, it was nearing bedtime. He did not want to get ready for bed.

I am sure this scenario if becoming familiar to you all as well, so I present to you "Simon Says". Since "Mommy says..." never seems to fly.

Get the energy out: Simon says...
...jump up and down
...wiggle like a worm
...stand up
...touch your nose
...touch your toes
...do a silly dance
...STOP!
...hop like a frog
...run to the bathroom
...mess up your hair
...do a naked dance
...STOP!
...touch your ears
...scrub your tummy
...swim like a fish
...blow bubbles in the water
...make a silly face
...dry off
...go pee in the potty
...jump up and down
...STOP!
...brush your teeth
...find your pjs
...give daddy kisses
...goodnight!

In 15 minutes of Simon Says you have; taken a bath, gone potty, brushed teeth, gotten dressed and said goodnight.

it has worked two days in a row. You have to say everything fast like a game and throw in silly stuff along with the real stuff to keep it fun!

Enjoy,
PlusPeace

Go Back to Savings

So I am really excited that I got my first check from ebates.com. Yes, it was only for $2.07 but once we move we will be able to order more bulk items and get even more back! If anyone wants to try this method I highly recommend ebates over similar websites. It is easy to use and offers more coupons than a bunch of others I found. I have mainly been using soap.com and it's affiliates through ebates since they have just about everything we need for home products.

If you want to see how I do it, check out my previous post HERE :)

If you do, be sure to use my link!

PS taking kids to the grocery store or bulk store is a pain. This however is easy :)

Enjoy
PlusPeace

Toy Bin Rotation: Staying Organized & Entertained!

In a facebook discussions about how our poor houses are overrun by toys and child’s things, I decided I would share an idea I heard that seemed brilliant! As I have mentioned we have bins that are marked that makes easy cleanup, but honestly, we don’t always clean up :)

Toy Rotation: One fb mommy said that she has several plastic bins and splits up all the kids toys between the bins and rotates them out.

How to: Get 2-4 Bins and mark them numerically (1-2 or 1-4). Divide the toys between the bins. Personally I would keep all the construction vehicles in one, cars in another, rains in the nest. etc. Keep sets and games together. But don’t put only puzzles and books in one. Keep it balanced.

If you made two bins then every other week have the kid(s) put all the toys back into the bin and switch out with another (if you chose 4 bins then switch out weekly).

It’s like getting new toys all the time! The bins are easily stackable and can be put away and not take up too much space. I think this is brilliant!

Love,
PlusPeace

Silly Things My Kid Says: FREE Printable

I've seen little books made of quotes from small kids. As Bear get's more verbal and is starting to make complete sentences, I decided I want to start making a book myself.

This morning while I am getting dressed and Bear is stealing my clothes:
Bear (bra in hand)
Me: Bear I need that please
Bear: No I need it!
Me: But Bear, you don't have boobies.
Bear: Yes I do. See? (lifts up shirt)
Me: But Mommy has bigger boobies.
Bear: Me too. See? (pointing at nipples)

ahhh - so priceless!

Well anyways, I have made these to share:

You can download them HERE!

You can punch a hole in the corner and keep them together with a binder ring :)

Love,

PlusPeace

My OH My

Has life gotten the best of me!!  Blogging has been scarce lately (I blame pinterest and sad efforts to boost my resume). We are preparing to buy a new house and by preparing I mean we have a closing date approaching quickly and we haven't done a darn thing! I am so very excited for Bear to finally have his own room, but I am also nervous about how he is going to react to such a big change. We are now packed in like sardines in a one bedroom city apartment with a efficiency kitchen (not so efficient I might add) going o a three bedroom ranch with fenced in yard (woohoo). I hope he will adjust quickly :)

Has anyone had any experience on moving a toddler and a little about what to expect?

Now for a little about you and less about me: I;ve been a big fan of hand me downs and kid fashion lately and wanted to share a few fun tutorials on making ordinary kids clothes a little more unique!

Shrinky Dink Buttons & Shoe Labels: Replace the buttons on kids jackets with big buttons made from shrinky dink paper! You can make them any color, pattern or draw letters on them!! Also if you've ever noticed on sketchers where you thread the lace in first they have a little plastic piece the lace goes through with an "s" (if you dont know what I am talking about I'm sorry :( ) make one of those for your kids laces with their name :)  Button Tutorial HERE

Ribbon, ribbon and more ribbon: use ribbon as laces, hand made hair bows, sew them onto coat seams or cuffs of pants. This may sound girly but truck ribbon or dark solids look cute. Also for a "suspenders" look, sew straight ribbon onto a pain tshirt OR just make suspenders!

Nothing a little dye cant fix: I never really think of dying my own clothes but it's so simple and easy to do! Dye denim for cool colored kids pants or use bleach for an "acid wash" look.

Bleach: Make designs on denim or dark colored clothing with bleach pens, then rinse and wash - comes out pretty cool :)

Sweater Vest from an Old Sweater - tutorial HERE

Make your own kids pants - tutorial HERE

How do you upcycle??

PlusPeace