Sunday, January 31, 2016

Cyber Bullying



I was reading a post today from a fellow soaper that I follow on both Facebook and YouTube. She was letting the group know that she was turning off the comments section on her videos because she could no longer handle the nasty comments about her children that people were posting on her videos.

I can not begin to describe how angry this made me. Nasty comments are a part of life. We as adults understand that, however, when does it get to a point where the lines are crossed? When does it become cyber bullying?

My question is when did it become acceptable to say hateful things to each other? Especially to complete strangers? When did it become socially acceptable to sit behind a computer screen and say things you wouldn't say to someone's face?

I don't understand. Could someone please stand up and explain this to me? I don't understand how someone can sit behind a computer and feel safe enough to harm other people with their words.

Maybe its just me, maybe I just miss the times when people had manners, decorum, and class. I should have been born in the 50s I guess in that case, but I know how I was raised. Even now, in my 30s, my mother would still whip my butt if I talked to someone in a manner she felt was disrespectful or ignorant. Ask her, I am sure she will tell you the same thing. Or better yet, ask my close friends instead. Mom might think you were asking because I did something wrong and need a butt whipping lol. Yes, even a head shorter than me and she still scares me.

The point is that we are aware, as adults, the impact bullying has on our children. That it affects psychological development, causes health problems, and affects the adult lives of children. So why do we think this is acceptable behavior as adults just because of the safety of hiding behind a computer screen? Does that make it less damaging? Does that create a better feeling of power?

Someone please explain this to me, because I would love to understand. How can we teach our children tolerances for our differences, respect for selves and others, and to be responsible adults with behaviors like that?

Shaking my head in confusion,

Danielle

Again, I am not being paid to advertise any sites here but I loved that shirt too much not to include the picture in this post. The shirt can be purchased here at Wanelo.com.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Homemade bread with less work

I love bread, fresh baked bread is the absolute best. When you make bread from scratch, however, it involves a lot of hand kneading, which I just can not handle any more especially after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis recently. But I refuse to give up my homemade bread. It has fewer preservatives and all the ingredients I can pronounce. Not to mention the taste...oh does fresh bread taste so much better than what I can buy at the store.

Luckily, they have brought out a new invention in the last oh decade or so that is allowing bread making to happen so much easier than previously. And you still get that fresh baked bread smell throughout the house, just like grandma use to bake.

You guessed it...its a bread machine. I absolutely love mine. I have had mine for quite a few years now, I honestly can't remember when I bought it, but it is still working well.

I also have a wonderful recipe book that I pull out when I use my bread machine. The recipes are fairly simple, though they do have some fancy ones in there too.



Sorry for the shadow and again, I am not being paid to endorse the book or my bread machine. I just love them so much.

Here is the basic white bread recipe:



For those of you that prefer wheat bread, there is also a recipe for that, but my house tends to stick with white bread.

Now, it is important to check your specific model to see what size loaf you can make, mine makes either the 1 pound, 1 1/2 pound or 2 pound so I tend to do the 2 pound loaf myself (the recipes in the book are for either a 1 1/2 pound or 2 pound), and to see what order the ingredients need to be added to your machine. The general rule, again check your model for specifics, is liquids first, then dry ingredients, and yeast is the last item added to the top.

Here are the main components of my bread machine along with a few of the little doodads it came with, the machine with the pan, and a small measuring cup/spoon, plus the paddle. It also came with a metal hook to remove the paddle once the bread is finished (sorry I missed this part when I took pictures originally).



Here are the steps:

I measured out the milk and water together here:



Then add that to the pan:



Just a tip though...it helps to put the paddle in before you start adding ingredients. I realized after I took the shot that I hadn't put the paddle in first. I usually spray a little cooking spray around where the paddle attaches to the pan just to help prevent sticking....now the paddle is added.



Then add the butter or oil. I used butter in this case.



Then add the flour. When using a bread machine it is important to use BREAD flour. Regular all-purpose will not work for this. There are recipes that call for all-purpose flour, but the book I use has bread flour specified for all the recipes I frequent.



I use the measuring cup to make a small well in the center since you don't want the yeast to make contact with the liquids on the bottom any sooner than necessary. Once the flour is in, I added the sugar and salt to the well first:



The final addition is the yeast. Again, make sure the yeast is specifically formulated for a bread machine. I bought the store brand from Kroger and believe me this jar has made quite a few loaves already and still plenty in there. They do sell it in packets too if you aren't sure you want a jar this size since yeast do "go bad" so to speak.



Now that all of the ingredients are in the pan, put the pan into the bread machine (make sure it snaps in place if that is how your machine works) and plug in the machine.



Again, check with your specific bread machine for the different settings. Here is mine, which it is set on menu 1, which is for basic white dough, medium crust darkness (we don't like it too dark here or the little one protests), set for a 2 lb loaf as well.



Sorry for the side ways orientation on this one...it was being quite stubborn and no matter how I tried to correct it, cooperation wasn't happening.

Now...once you decide on all that push the pretty blue button (on mine anyway) and then presto the bread is done. Ok, so its not quite that quick but your part of the work is done. The machine does the rest of the work. One word of caution, make sure to put the machine as far back from the edge of the counter or table as possible. This baby walked itself off my table one time and went crashing to the floor...boo on lost fresh bread ingredients and had to start all over again.

My machine takes just shy of 3 1/2 hours to finish the loaf, but the beauty is worth the wait.



Oh, a thing of beauty.

Remove the pan from the machine and unplug it. Don't forget to use the hook thingy, a technical term of course, to remove the paddle from the bottom of the loaf.



I have found that if I cut the loaf while its still hot, it crumbles badly, so letting the loaf cool completely before slicing is important. If you put it directly on a plate to cool, you may end up with a soggy bottom so I would recommend a cooling rack. Or if you are like me and don't have one handy, I use the steamer insert for my rice cooker.



I found that using an electric knife is the best way to get even cuts, but any long serrated knife will work. Keep in mind that fresh bread doesn't have any preservatives in it so it will go bad quicker than store bought bread. In my house, it is usually gone before it goes bad so this tends not to be an issue, but I would say at most a week is how long it will last. If you want to make more than one loaf at a time, make sure to let your bread machine cool completely before starting a second loaf. You can wrap the bread well and freeze it to help keep it longer as well. Slice the loaf completely first to make it easier to take out a few slices as you need them.

What is your favorite type of bread?

Happy bread making.

Danielle





Friday, January 29, 2016

Dehydrators Rock

I love fresh vegetables, but the darn things just go bad way too quickly. A lot quicker than I can eat them usually.

Well, after running across quite a few YouTube videos on dehydrating food, I decided to give my dehydrator a try.

I will apologize up front because I didn't take many pictures because I was just too excited about trying this out a few weeks back and didn't think about sharing this with others at the time.

What I bought:

2 bags of carrots
2 bags of celery
2 bags of green onions
1 bag of garlic
2 packages of pre-sliced mushrooms
1 bag of white onions

I sliced all the vegetables down into smaller pieces. The smaller the pieces the quicker they dehydrator but keep in mind smaller pieces may fall through your dehydrator layers if you don't have liners. I didn't but I did have a few disposable cutting mats that I cut to fit my dehydrator trays. You can also line the trays with parchment paper if you have that on hand. My trays are rectangular so that makes it a bit easier to line the trays.

The carrots I sliced into rounds, the celery and green onions I chopped down to smaller pieces, and the garlic I peeled and chopped using a mini food processor. I sliced half of the onions into rings, the other half I diced up and froze. The mushrooms were pre-sliced so those I only had to give a quick wash.

My dehydrator has 10 trays in it and I bought it roughly two or three years ago online, I believe from Walmart. I originally bought it to make jerky but hadn't ventured into anything else besides that up until now so I was curious how this would turn out. Despite having quite a bit of room, I still had to run the vegetables in batches.

The thing that is nice about this is that dehydrating the vegetables certainly adds to the shelf life of the vegetables but it also decreases the amount of room you need to store them.

Here is one of the bags of green onions dehydrated, both the jar and the bag are sitting on top of my dehydrator:



I was able to fit one full bag in that small 8 ounce canning jar by the time it was completely dehydrated.

Here are the carrots:



Both bags fit into this one recycled jar (I think it was a pasta sauce jar), though I have used some of the carrots so its not as full as it was originally.

The half of the onions that I sliced into rings fit nicely into this recycled container:



The mushrooms and garlic I did a bit differently.

I was intrigued by the thought of being able to make my own seasoning blends. Anyone who knows me knows how much I prefer to make my own items when I can to eliminate ingredients that are impossible to pronounce in my life.

Here are the mushrooms when they came out of the dehydrator, surprisingly I thought to take this picture:



Mushrooms seemed to shrink up the most because of their moisture content, but I was thrilled. After a run through my coffee grinder, I had a nice mushroom powder I can now add to my own seasoning blends, soups, stews, or any dish I want a little mushroom flavor without big pieces of mushrooms.



I bought 2 16-ounce packages of mushrooms, they were on sale, and was able to fit them both in this one jar once they were ground up.

The garlic I dehydrated as well, using the disposable cutting mats, and half of them I ground up the same way in the coffee grinder and the other half I jarred to use as they were.



I have also ventured out since to dehydrate canned green beans into yummy green bean chips of a sort and canned tomatoes which make yummy croutons on a salad.

The one down side to this is that it does take time. A lot of time. The mushrooms seemed to take the longest time and had to dehydrate about a full day, but overall I am very happy with the results.

What have you dehydrated lately?

Danielle

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Headaches and Migraines...the things I've learned

I've suffered from headaches/migraines since I was in 2nd grade, roughly since I was about 8. They range from intense full on migraine to nuance mild throbbing. At their worst, migraines are debilitating while most headaches I can function through, though not always well.

Mayo Clinic defines headaches as throbbing anywhere in the head. It can occur on one side only, both sides, or radiate from one side to the other. They can also be sharp pains or just a dull ache.

Mayo Clinic defines migraines as intense pain in the head accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or sound.

Unfortunately, I suffer from both. I can count the number of headache-free days on one hand and that's in an entire year. In case you haven't figured it out, I have some form of headache every day, all day long.

Here are the things I have learned suffering from headaches for so long:

1. How to cope

I have had headaches for so long that for the most part I can function with most headaches. The exception is a full blown migraine. Most times, unless you are a close friend it is hard to tell I even have a headache. They tend to know only because my behavior is different during a more severe headache. As a single parent, it is not always possible to sit in a dark room with no sound or light. See, I like to have clean clothes for myself and my daughter. I also like to have a clean house (cluttered as it is right now, though I am working on that) and we both like to eat (though a full migraine means my stomach won't tolerate food well).

2. My behavior changes based on the severity of my headache.

When my headache is just a mild ache, well mild for me, I can function as a normal person. As the severity increases, I become quieter and more withdrawn. I am a talker, but during an intense headache talking hurts. During a migraine, I am lucky to be able to put sentences together. The worse the headache is the harder it is for me to handle speaking as the sound seems to echo in my already thumping head. It also affects my ability to recall words, even common words I may not be able to come up with despite having a decent vocabulary. This can be both comical and frustrating. Friends tend to notice the additional uses of thingamajig, or whatchamacallit, and understand that my head is not cooperating with communication at the moment. When it is at the worst, I can not handle communicating with anyone for more than a few minutes at a time. Oh, not to mention being known in our group as the grammar and spelling police. During a severe headache, spelling goes out the window.

3. Light and sound sensitivity sucks

Luckily, during most mild headaches I can tolerate most sounds and light. As the intensity increases, the less light and sound I can tolerate. I have taken much ribbing for watching the majority of my movies or shows (Woo hoo for subtitles on Netflix) with subtitles on. There are two reasons for this. One, I have an ADHD child who is always talking and making noise. The second is that when the headaches are bad, I can lower the volume and still understand what is going on with a show. At the worst times, like during a migraine, I tend to keep the television low if it is on at all because sometimes the light from the television can be too much. During a more intense headache, I tend to keep all the lights off until it is too dark to see inside without it, unless I am trying to get something done like dishes or cooking.

4. High pitched sounds are not tolerated well...anytime

Because of the headaches, I don't handle high pitched sounds well at all. I have had tubes put in my ears, though one has since fallen out, so this doesn't help either. High pitched sounds just go right through me worse than nails on a chalk board. It leads to me clenching my teeth and tends to make the headaches worse.

5. Irritability is real

The worse the headache, the less patience I have for anything. My friends do find this amusing as they tell me they never know what will come out of my mouth. You know that part of your brain that stops you from saying anything you think? Well, the more intense my headache the less that part of my brain works. So....if I think you did something stupid, you will know. Oh, will you know. I tend to apologize after I speak...a lot. Filterless Dani (as my friends call me) can be entertaining for others depending on who's there, but not always fun for me. I have noticed a trend though....friends tend to bring people around that have ticked them off when I have a more intense headache. It seems I have become the unofficial teller offer in my small group. Hmmm...I think they do it on purpose since it always happens when they know I have a headache.

6. Ignorance is also real

Going along with the irritability factor comes the lack of tolerance for ignorance. Now, I am not talking about someone making a mistake. We all do this. I am talking just plain ignorance, disrespect, or intentional stupidity. The more intense the headache, the less likely I will be able to hold my tongue when it comes to blatant acts of ignorance or disrespect. I guess that also goes along with the filterlessness (yes, I made that word up).

7. Most people don't understand headaches/migraines

I have had a few people try to use a headache or migraine as an excuse for their poor behavior or attitude. Yes, believe it or not someone actually tried to use this excuse to me and a friend of mine who also suffers from migraines. I will tell you what I told her. As a sufferer of migraines and headaches myself, I know the difference between a irritability due to a headache and attitude because your not getting your way. Headaches and migraines do not cause pouting or stomping off. Yes, they do cause irritability, but there is a difference. I don't know about you but when my head is hurting, I tend to avoid meeting new people or I will rub my forehead or temples to try to ease the tension. I don't sit at a table with my arms crossed and a crappy look on my face, needing to one up everyone around me. Sorry, rant done.

8. Medications are not always helpful

I have tried a number of migraine preventatives over the years and none of them have really helped. Since I've had headaches for so long, pain medication to lessen the headaches doesn't even take the edge off. Over the counter medication is useless for me. My new doctor is trying to help with this and so far he has helped to lessen the intensity of the headaches, though not take them away completely even for a day. His solution is a prescription Naproxen (Aleve basically) 500mg taken twice a day. This is 200 mg over the daily recommended dose of the Aleve available over the counter. And these babies just barely take an edge off right now, making the headaches more tolerable.

9. Outside is bad

During the more severe headaches, I feel like a hermit or a vampire. Light is bad. Light is really bad. While everyone is different and tolerates light differently during a headache, I swear that when I walk outside I am going to dissolve into dust like the vampires on Blade. Oh, Wesley Snipes plays that part well. The best way I can think to explain this is stabbing, hot poker to the eye, pain. Some people will also experience what they call sensory warning symptoms. For me, I do get those before a full blown migraine and it comes in the form of star bursts in my vision. Its like watching a miniature, or private, fireworks show in whatever room I happen to be in at the time.

10. Triggers can vary my person

Some people have headaches triggered by food items, environment, or a combination of both. The only food trigger I have tends to be artificial sweeteners. This really sucks since I am a diabetic and have to watch my sugar intake and diet soda will send me into a migraine faster than anything else. Other than that, I haven't noticed any other food affected my headaches. My headaches do tend to be affected by my stress level though. They tend to be more intense during stressful periods, though stress isn't always a guarantee.

Now, I have stated before that I am a diabetic and have explained that I do have a blood clotting disorder. These two issues tend to have headaches associated with them as well which adds to the number of headaches I have. Again, every person is different and I understand that everyone handles them in a different manner. If you suffer from headaches, I would love to hear what solutions work for you.

Danielle

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Danielle's Homemade Products....Resources for parents and students

There are many different sites available for parents and teachers. One of the sites I like the most, and use often as well, is Teachers Pay Teachers. Before I go any further, let me just clarify that no I am not getting paid to endorse this site. I use it often myself because they have a wide range of resources available, in PDF format, for download at a range of prices that meet everyone's needs.

I am both cheap and poor so I usually tend to download only the ones that are free, but there are many good downloads available for fairly inexpensive. You will have to sign up to download any of the files, but it is free to sign up.



Once you sign up with the site, you then have access to a ton of resources. One of the things I like about the site is that it is pretty easy to use. If you are looking for something specific, you can type it into the search box along the top. If you are just looking for general things, you can chose from the categories along the left hand side.

Here is the main screen that I see once I am signed in. They post the newest items and sale items first so they are easier to see.



Here is an example of a search I was doing for my daughter. She is in second grade and struggling with Math skills.



Once you decide on an item, you will then click on it and it will bring you to a screen where you can download it.



Once you click on download on the right side, you will be given an option to open the file as a PDF, which is what I usually do so I can scan through the pages, or save the file directly into a folder. Once you download the file, you can print up the papers for use with your child.

There are also other resources available on the site. They offer different products like bulletin board print outs, calendars, and even different clip art items.



Give it a try and let me know which resources were your favorite.

Happy Wednesday

Danielle

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Danielle's Homemade Products.....ADHD

As children, we assume that life is simple, easy, and uncomplicated. As we grow older and mature, we recognize that life isn't simple, easy, or uncomplicated. Life is messy. They say when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. I make lemonade by doing research.

There are many different issues, problems, disorders, health issues, or personal situations that arise as we grow up. I personally have a few health issues myself, but for the last few months my daughter has been my main concern.

A few months back, my 8-year-old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, emotional issues, and separation anxiety. It has been a rough couple of months on both of us. The issues we have both been encountering made me think about the issues other people have been experiencing or are experiencing in their lives.

The issues we deal with as people can be scary. They can make us feel alone, isolated, and incompetent. It is not a fun time for anyone involved. It is frustrating, aggravating, hurtful, and even make us angry at what life has handed us. How can we handle any situation alone? The simplest answer is that we don't have to, but it really isn't as simple as that.

Last year, I did two posts on my miscarriages and how they affected me. Thinking about my current situation made me recall those posts. I was surprised by the number of people who reached out to me, letting me know their stories, their experiences, and how telling me their story helped them. We tend to think that keeping the issues to ourselves is required. That admitting we are struggling, facing hard times, or need support from others is a sign of weakness. Well, this is me calling bullshit on that (excuse my language).

It is not weak to admit you can't handle something alone. There is no shame in needing a support system. A support system is a wonderful thing because it gives you the opportunity to talk with people having similar issues as yourself. Sometimes just knowing you aren't the only one in a situation is enough to help with the burdens we face as adults. It also gives you an opportunity to hear what other people have tried, whether successfully or not so successfully, and gives you an chance to share things you have tried as well.

As I research the issues associated with ADHD, I am finding different things that I can try to help the situation. One of the things the counselor has recommended is being consistent. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but let's face it. We all have moments where we deviate from our normal set of "rules". It could be just that we are having a bad day and following through on our threat of punishment is just more than we can handle at the moment, or giving in to that one request to play an extra 20 minutes doesn't really seem like a bad thing, but honestly it can be.

Being consistent isn't always easy and I found this out the hard way. I say this because I always thought the basic rules of the house were clear. They were clear to me anyway, and while they were rules my daughter knew of since she was little, they were still a daily struggle. I would get frustrated with constantly telling her to pick up her clothes, put garbage in the trash instead of on the floor, or put her coat where it belongs. These are just a few of the items I found myself constantly telling her, repeatedly, all the time, multiple times, sometimes even within the same hour. That left me frustrated and left her upset thinking she was a horrible child.

Both of us in tears constantly, or yelling, is never a good way to handle any situation and I knew I had to find something else to try. Searching online (I love Pinterest, by the way), I found something that has helped us both a bit. It isn't perfect and some days are better than others, but this is what I am trying.



I started with a picture frame I already had on hand. The frame is one made for larger pictures and has two panes of glass that you sandwich the picture between. I picked out a piece of scrapbook paper, again something I already had, and put that between the glass. Then used a dry erase marker to write a basic list of rules for the house. I added a piece of Velcro (had as well) to both the frame and the marker so they were always together. The nice thing about this is that I can change the list as our needs change. It is as simple as wiping it off and writing it again. I focused on the items I was constantly getting frustrated with, repeating constantly, or seemed to be an issue with my daughter remembering.

Now, the list of things I wanted to put up would have been never ending and overwhelming. With that thought in mind, I made sure to limit my list to 10 things that seemed to be the biggest issues. I also was specific about the problem without singling her out. That means that I created a list of rules for both of us to follow. Yes, as adults we tend to put things where they go automatically, but we didn't just start that overnight. We also had to learn that as we got older. Making the list of household rules means that they have to be rules everyone in the house will follow. This helps with consistency as well. I couldn't expect my daughter to pick up her dirty clothes if I didn't.

The nicest part is that I don't seem to have to remind her as often. Instead, I can just refer her to the list of household rules. This means I am less frustrated and so is she. My daughter is able to read, for the most part, so if you have younger children pictures may be more useful, but this can be customized to what your family needs, to the items that requires the most repeating, or to specific items your child struggles with. I don't know if this system will work or for how long, but as I figure that out, I will share that information with you as well, along with other things that I try to help the situation.

I would love for you to share what has helped your family, your situations, your issues. Or even share what struggles you are having, what areas you are struggling with, or what issues you need solutions to. Maybe we can find different ideas to try together because, after all, we are not in this alone and someone out there may be struggling with that same thing too.

Danielle

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Danielle's Homemade Products....Messy time

Realizing I haven't posted in a while made me think about something fun to do with the kiddo. Luckily, I was visited by a few extra munchkins this weekend and was inspired. Inspired by their laughter, joy, and just plain need for messy time.

Many people are afraid of mess. Kids love mess or should I say messy play time.

As an adult, I realize that messy time just means clean up time and of course that means clean up time for me. But come on, I am happy to spend an extra 10 minutes cleaning up a fun mess to hear hours of giggling, especially among cousins, family, or friends.

The key to messy time is to limit the area where the kids can mess. During the summer, a lot of messy time happens outside in the yard on my daughter's plastic play picnic table. This way, the majority of the mess never even makes it inside. This is easy to clean, just wait for the next rain or hose it down if you can't wait.

Inside, it is a whole other story. There are a few things that you can do to make clean up easier and still allow the kids a bit of messy time.

1. Limit the messy time to a specific area. If the child, or children, leave that area then messy time is done. This can be something as simple as staying at a child size table or the kitchen table. If you are concerned for the surfaces the kids are playing on, then limit the activity to outside or the bathtub.

For example, my daughter loves playing with shaving cream. I buy the cheapest cans I can find, usually from the Dollar Tree, and she will play with it for hours. It can be colored with food coloring to make shaving cream paint or left white. I limit shaving cream play to two areas only: the bathtub or outside. The reason is that shaving cream with strip the finish off a wood table faster than anything else and my table is oak. So no playing with it any where that area just in case an accidental touch would remove the finish from my table. Outside, the kids have a bit more freedom with it. I will color it or leave it white and let them paint anything outside that they want. It washes off easily and quickly with either a hose or the next rain storm. I have even added it to my daughter's slip and slide for extra slide (under supervision of course as it does make it very slick depending on how much you add). A word of caution though, go easy with the food coloring as this can stain the children's hands if you use too much.

2. If you can't limit the area they are playing in, then limit the contain or amount they are playing in.

Did I mention my daughter loves shaving cream? If I can't let her go outside with it and I just cleaned my tub (usually I let her play in there right before I clean it...extra cleaning power you know), then I will limit the amount of shaving cream I give her and have her play in a dish tub I keep just for messy play time. I put in just enough to cover the bottom and have her stay on a blanket on the living room floor. The blanket will catch any shaving cream that escapes the bin and will easily wash in the washing machine.

3. Keep messy time for special occasions or when company is over.

Most of the time, messy time is limited to summer time to keep as much of the mess out of the house as possible, but making messy time a special occasion play will help keep the children excited about playing with something basic, well like shaving cream.

This weekend, we were able to spend some time with my cousin's daughters. My cousin fully admits that the girls don't get much messy time and she has concerns about the girls trying to eat some of things they would play with, like play dough, so she never really allows them to play with it. Since this can be a concern for many parents because who wants their kids eating something full of so many nasty things, I can completely understand her aversion to letting the girls play with messy things. Because of this, the girls always have a blast when they get to visit (we are 2 hours away from each other) so I let them get messy.

The first time I let the girls play with anything I made for them, I explained that what I was giving them was not food and that if they put it in their mouths it would taste yucky and then we would not be able to play with it any more. Luckily, I have never had to end messy time early because it went in their mouths. If this is a concern for you as a parent, there are edible homemade play dough recipes that you can make for your kids and not worry about what they are putting into their little bodies.

With the girls visiting this weekend (we haven't seen them since summer time), I decided some much needed messy time was in order to keep 3 girls ages 8 and younger occupied for a bit. Bored kids always spell trouble after all.

We started with homemade play dough. This play dough is pretty basic and is scented and colored with kool aid.

Fruity Play Dough (also known as Kool-Aid Play Dough)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 Tbs. unsweetened powdered drink mix (I used 1 full package that makes 2 quarts)
4 Tbs. cooking oil (I used vegetable oil, but use whatever liquid cooking oil you have)
1 cup of water

Dump everything in a bowl and mix it until well combined. I find it easier to mix it with my hands that way I can kneed the dough together to ensure the color goes throughout the dough evenly. I store this in a plastic zip top bag with as much air removed as possible. I tend to throw this away after about a month, or if you see any changes to the dough that shouldn't be there. The kool-aid mix will also scent the dough so it will smell good. The color and scent will depend on which "flavor" packet you use, which is completely up to you.



After we finished playing with the play dough, the girls were getting a bit antsy so I decided to make them some tattoo paint. Tattoo paint can be messy, but so worth hearing the fun giggles when the kids are playing with it.

Tattoo Paint

1 Tbs. cold cream (I got mine from the Dollar Tree)
2 Tbs. corn starch
1 Tbs. water
food coloring

With the 3 girls playing, I mixed up a quadruple match of this stuff. The cold cream has a nice clean smell so that was just a double bonus. I measure everything out into a bowl, except the food coloring, and mix it together until it is well combined and smooth. Then I divide it up into different containers. This weekend I used a silicone cupcake mold I had on hand with 6 different compartments, but I have also divided it up into spots on an ice cube tray. Then I added a few drops of food color to each and stirred well to combine. Start with a few drops, then add more if the color isn't dark enough for you or isn't the color you were wanting. Add makeup sponges, or paint brushes, and let the kids have a blast.

The girls played with the tattoo paint for over an hour, each sitting at the kitchen table with their own makeup mirrors (I knew those old mirrors would come in handy from when I sold Mary Kay some 10 odd years ago now). The giggles and "characters" the girls painted themselves into was pretty fun for me to watch. The girls went straight from the table to the bathtub, where the tattoo paint easily washed off and didn't stain. Their clothes were also thrown into the washer right away and again no stains from the paint. While the girls finished up getting dressed, I put all the dirty items into the sink and wiped down the table (surprisingly the girls didn't get much on the table as they were happier to put it on themselves). If you have older children, you can let them paint each other, but I used the mirrors instead so there was no bickering over who was going to paint who and no unhappy kids when they were painted unwillingly.



Now, these two recipes I can not take credit for creating. These and many more can be found in one of the resources I keep around my house. The book is called "The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions" by John E. Thomas & Danita Pagel. I have had this book since my days as a toddler teacher at a day care many years ago. I have since acquired their book 2 and it is full of many more fun recipes. Some of the recipes are for craft items, like homemade bubbles or finger paints, but there are also different crafts in the book, like fantasy fossils or sidewalk chalk (these are all from book 1).



If you are concerned about your child trying to eat the craft items, there are also edible play dough recipes in the books. One thing that I did back in my day care days was to take a tub of cool whip and mix it with a package of unsweetened kool-aid. The cool whip is sweet enough to cut the tartness of the kool-aid without having to add any extra sugar and if the child puts it into their mouth, it won't hurt them either. Well, you may end up with a hyper child for a bit though as they are more likely to continue to eat it since it will taste amazing....uhh or so I heard.

Anyway, the bottom line is there is no need to fear messy time. It can be fun for you and the kids together. If you are brave enough, you can even let the kids paint your face with designs.

Happy Messy Time

Danielle