Books have taking over my life and home. I've been trying to think of a way to get rid of the ones that I know I'll never read again. I just posted a bunch at Paperback Swap less than a week ago and already 2 books are out the door. That may not sound like a big deal, but these books have been sitting around for 2 years, so I'm happy. It's a start, right?

I am just getting too many ideas from this site this morning.
My oldest sister is going through chemo and wanted to do something to lift her spirits for Mother's Day. She will definitely get a kick out of this. Other mom's on my list may be getting the same package.



Cupid Poop
Put some of those cinnamon red hot heart shaped candies in a zip lock bag and give with this poem attached:



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn't send you fs, and candy wouldn't do.
And mushy cards just didn't say the things I want them to.
So I got you something special, and here's the inside scoop.
I found you something very rare - It's genuine Cupid poop!

How can you not love something with this name? And my picky eaters just might eat this version.

CREATIVE POVERTY LASAGNA
Serves 8
1 pkg lasagna noodles
3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
3/4 can water
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg spaghetti sauce
2 large pkgs mozarella
2 large pkgs cheddar
Powdered parmesan cheese
Brown hamburger. Add tomato sauce, water and seasonings - bring to boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
Cook noodles for 20-30 minutes. Add lots of salt or oil so it won't stick together. Drain.
In 9 x 13" pan, spread 2 tbsp sauce in bottom. Layer noodles, sauce, cheeses. Put parmesan in every other layer. End with sauce and cheese. Bake 20-30 minutes @ 350 degrees.

I'm still working on ways to live a much simpler life and I'm including money in this. I have made and used homemade baby wipes in the past. There's no reason why I don't use them now. The hardest part of making them is cutting the roll of paper towels in half because I really do need sharper knives.
In the past I've just reused empty baby wipe containers, but you can use RubberMaid containers, or any type of plastice container you have around the house.
I don't know why, but for some reason Bounty are the best towels to use. Other brands are either too weak or sort of shrink when you use them. It's still cheaper than regular wipes and you can use the pretty smelling lavender baby bath that I love so much.

Homemade Baby Wipes
1/2 roll of Bounty paper towels
2 tbsp baby oil
2 tbsp baby bath
2 cups of water
Cut roll of paper towels in half, remove center cardboard; place in plastic container. In a separate bowl, gently mix liquid ingredients and pour on top of paper towels. After about an hour or so, if you use an air-tight container, you can turn it up-side down to wet all of the paper towels, or gently turn the paper towels.

I am going to tackle my kids bedrooms. The boys room is overflowing with toys. So much so you can barely walk. My daughter's room has clothes and papers everywhere, except in her closet and desk. I figure while they are gone would be a perfect time to get this done. They will be surprised when they come home.

I am also going to eliminate a lot of their clothes. I heard it said that we only wear 10 outfits repeatedly, and the rest just sits in our closets, unworn. I don't know if I'm ready to go that far, but I definitely see the need to rid our stuffed closets and drawers of lots of clothes that I know aren't being worn. I, for instance, rarely wear t-shirts, so I don't need 10 of them. Tonight 6 of them will go.

Of my 4 children I only named 1. I picked Bubba's name because I always thought it was a strong, male name. His middle name just naturally flowed with his first. Others obviously think the same because I know of a couple of others with the same name. It's a common name without being popular or trendy. Perfect. Since my husband and I are separated, the naming of this child falls on me and I'm lost. If it's a girl, she will be named after a wonderful poet and cool 70's TV star. If it's a boy, I might be in trouble. Any suggestions for good boy names? I'm not into trendy names like Hunter, nothing too out there like Mandingo, but something strong, yet calm.

I've kept C/S Distro and Sweet Candy Disto in my links because I've ordered from both and received my zines right away. And they both included handwritten notes and little goodies like a tea bags and pins.
I just received my first issue of CROQ zine in the mail yesterday and I loved it. I read through it quickly, but I can't wait to get home and do a more thorough reading.

I changed the template to this blog and dropped just about all of the links I had. They were a bunch of links that I rarely visited, so I'm looking for suggestions for some new links to post over yonder on the side. Any ideas?

I have 3 boys ages 5, 2 and 1. These will definitely come in handy.

Ice Packs
Mix 3/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol in a zippered storage bag and close. Place inside of another bag and close. Freeze. It will turn into a slushy mix good for covering the many scrapes and boo-boo's little boys get.

Something happened to my comments. Doncha just hate when stuff like that happens?

I am pregnant with my 5th child. When people see me on the bus, walking, at the store wherever with my kids ages 10, 5, 2 and 1, most comment with, "You sure do have you hands full."
I sure do, full of God's grace.

CATEGORY ACRES

FOOD 5.4

MOBILITY 0.5

SHELTER 3.2

GOODS/SERVICES 3.5

TOTAL FOOTPRINT 13



IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON.

WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.

VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY

Those are 2 very scary words for a pack rat, but I'm going to give it a try. Because of the way things are going in my life right now, this is the perfect time to give it a try. I will report how things are going as they go. Wish me luck.

I splurged and brought the latest issue of Family Circle yesterday and they have a list of 38 life skills every teenager should know. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I just don't understand anyone over the age of 5 not knowing how to do simple things like "use microwave", or "save up to buy a desired item", or "fold clothes". My 10 year daughter has mastered 16 of the 38 items on the list. When I say mastered, I mean I am completely confident leaving it completely up to her to take care of. She can do laundry, cook a well-balanced meal and hang a picture. There are several things on the list she knows how to do, but for safety reasons I don't allow her to do alone, like pump gas and put air in the tires. She's never used my ATM card alone, but I wouldn't be surprised if she used her brain and followed the directions on the screen and the money was dispenced. My oldest boy who turned 5 yesterday can fold clothes (not as neatly as I would like, but it's good enough for his dresser) and if he can't pack his own suitcase, he ain't going no where 'cause I ain't doing it for him!
A line in the article reads, "Could it be that while we were busy boosting their self-esteem with praise, lessons and camps, we forgot to cover basic know-how?" What?!? When did camp become a self-esteem booster and not just something fun you did during summer break? Did I fall asleep and miss that in parenting class? People, please. Don't have kids if you don't want to actually parent them.
Self-esteem my foot, how about you teach your kids because we have enough stupid and lazy people breathing air and you don't want to count your spawn in that number? Just a thought.

I have tons of shampoo samples. Now I know what to do with them.

Homemade Bubble Bath
1/2 cup shampoo
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp table salt
Pour shampoo and water into a bowl. Gently stir until blended. Add salt. Stir until mixture thickens.

Despite temperatures of 30 degrees below normal, it's that time of year. I call it the "Dreaded Foot Season". People wear flip-flops, sandles, or no shoes at all.
I hate it because I hate feet. I know there are others like me. So for us poor souls that can't stand the sight of your soles, please at least make them presentable.

You don't have to have a professional pedicure once a week (but if you can afford it, please do!), but start by smoothing things out. Crusty heels makes me want to puke.
It's simple and though I'm sure you can find recipes involving essential oils and foot massagers, it's not necessary.
Tonight before you go to bed, wash your feet thoroughly, completely cover them in vaseline (be generous, you can get the stuff at the dollar store), put on a pair of cotton socks. Keep the socks on overnight and when you wake up your feet will be well on their way to being presentable to the world.* Depending on how bad your dogs were to begin with, you may have to do this for several nights before you see a huge difference, but I promise you will see a difference. Do this about twice a week to stay "sandle ready" all summer long.

*This really works the best and quickest if you sleep in the socks, but if you can't stand to sleep in socks, do this in the early evening and remove the socks before getting into bed.

I got this from here

ABC meme
Aprons- Y/N? No. I'm thinking I may try my hand at sewing one, but it would be just to say that I did it, not because I have any intention of wearing it.

Baking- Favorite thing to bake? I don't do a lot of baking. If I do it's boxed cake or something. I don't have the time or a big enough kitchen to get into baking.

Clothesline- Y/N? No. We had one growing up. I definitely prefer soft, warm clothes from the dryer, but I can now appreciate our mom using a clothesline when money was tight.

Donuts- Ever made them? No, and as long as UDF is still in business I don't anticipate ever doing so.

Everyday- One homemaking thing you do everyday? Change diapers.

Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freezer? No. Space does not permit one now, but I will get one as soon as I move to a bigger place.

Garbage Disposal- Y/N? I have 5. One built into the sink and 4 I gave birth to.

Handbook- What is your favorite Homemaking resource? The Internet.

Ironing- Love it or hate it? Hate it. I do as little as possible.

Junk Drawer- Where is it? Sometimes I feel like my whole house is a junk drawer, but officially it's a basket under my desk.

Kitchen- Design and decorating? Sunflower galore. I love 'em.

Love- What is your favorite part of homemaking? Crafting with the kids. It often involves practical and useful stuff so that counts, right?

Mop- Y/N? Yes, I have 4 kids, including 3 small boys with bad aim. I mop the bathroom several times a week.

Nylons? It depends on which office I'm working in and sometimes in the winter just for the extra layer of warmth.

Oven- Do you use the window or open it to check? No window so I have to open and check.

Pizza- What do you put on yours? If I get one separate from the kiddies, I like the Founder's Favorite from Donato's.

Quiet- What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Did you miss the part about having 4 kids? If I do get a quiet moment during the day I'm too stunned to remember it.

Recipe card box- Y/N? Yes, a cute little box with sunflowers from the dollar store.

Style Of house / What style is your house? I live in an apartment

Tablecloths and napkins? I keep a tablecloth on the table when we aren't using it for decoration, but we don't use it while eating. It's easier to wipe up spills off the table and it's less laundry.

Under the kitchen sink? Cat food and litter, trash bags and extra dish soap. Occasionally you might find a kid under there too.

Vacuum- How many times a week? Living and dining room every day, the rest of the house once a week.

Wash- How many loads do you do a week? Up to 5-6, depending on how much money I have.

X’s- Do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? Yes. I have a horrible memory so I have to write everything down.

Yard- One of the few nice things about living in an apartment is I don't have to worry about upkeep of a lawn. When I did live in a house, I never had time to garden, so I only had to mow the lawn, rake leaves and the basics such as that.

ZZZ’s- What is your last homemaking task for the day? The kids and I pick up all the toys and blankets off the floor.

My oldest sister is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer and my middle sister has been cancer free for about 2 years now. How could I not participate in the Sister Study? If you have a sister who's been diagnosed with breast cancer you should participate too.

The folks over at 5 minutes for mom are giving away a new dyson. Go sign up now.