Rainy Day Activities

Yes, I know it it June, but apparently no one bothered to hit the Summer switch for the weather here in the Northwest.  In fact, it has been alot more like Fall here, and the troops are getting restless.

Our boys have been begging to go tot he park, ride their bikes, play ball...  anything to get outside and run around.  Cold weather is one thing, just put on a coat and run the kids ragged.  But rain?  that is where I draw the line, sorry kiddos- we are staying inside.  Now the question is, how to help them release all that energy and still have my house standing.  I have found the solution.  Tossles!  what are Tossles you ask?  Well, they are funny faced balls made from socks that I made for the boys to throw inside.  They are so soft, you can throw them as hard as you want at your brother's head and no one gets hurt.  I actually made them out of the left over bits from the Sock monkeys I can't seem to stop making.  The kids and I have torture tested them, and had we have had all our friends try them out- and everyone agrees, they are the softest balls ever, and so much fun to toss around the house.

We are still crossing our fingers for some sunshine though, as I am sure one day the boys will get bored of indoor dodge ball as well.

Saving money in the morning.

This week I have been spring cleaning my kitchen, and it has inspired me to spend more time cooking.  Now, I am not a cook my nature, sure I cook dinner for my family most nights, but nothing fancy and I don't generally enjoy it.  But lately I have been inspired, by recipes online and by trying to find more ways to both be a little healthier and save some money.

Today I have decided to take on my families' favorite breakfast food- Eggos.  We love how fast they are to make, and you can take them on the go (sans the syrup of course), not to mention how yummy they are.  So I put pencil to paper to figure out if I could save any money making them myself.  (ok, 1st I did a little online searching to see what other people thought about freezing homemade waffles, and it turns out it works great).  I plan on using Bisquick as my starting point for the waffles (remember I said I am not a cook, so for me this is as close to 'from scratch' as I get for now).  I did the math and I can make 60 homemade waffles for about $6.  That is saving over half, since 60 Eggos at the grocery store cost $15.60, and even when we make it to Costco for the big box of Eggos, it costs $9.06, so I will still be saving 1/3.  Now since it takes about 1.5 weeks to go thru 60 Eggos, we will save about $30 a month...  wow, doing that math is an eye opener for me.

To the waffle iron I go!

What to do with your Kids' Art?

I have three kids, and they all generate a ton of art.  Each crayon masterpiece is special, something to be treasured...  at least for a day.  But after the moment has passed and you are left with a mountain of doodles and torn out coloring pages, what do you do with them.  I am a softie, and in the past when I was faced with this, I would finally break down and have my husband take them out with the recycle ( I knew it needed to be done, because the kids were already working on a new mountain of precious drawings, I was just to sentimental to do it myself).  Of course I keep a few, their 1st crayon attempt, the 1st drawing you can actually tell what it is, and so on (a 3 ring binder with clear sleeves works great for this.)  I now have a solution- that Mother Earth, your soft heart, and your pocket book will enjoy.

Gift Wrap
* use their works of art to wrap small gifts
* shred the paper to use in lieu of tissue in gift bags (this also is good for packing material, when mailing a gift)
* attach special drawings to card stock and fold into cards (cards can cost an average of $3 or more, and these free cards will have much more meaning to a parent or grandparent)

I would love to hear other ideas as well, so please share in the comments below.

2 is the number for Opposites

I am on my third round of the terrible twos.  Having two brothers before him, Finn has to try harder to break Mommy down, because Mommy has way more tricks up her sleeve than she did 2 kids ago.  Enter in, the rule of opposites.  Two year olds love to assert themselves, speak their mind and feel like they are making their own decisions.  I say feel, because the bright side about the terrible twos, is that they are only 2, and therefore quite easy to trick.  So when Finn doesn't feel like eating his dinner, I simply tell him not to.  This trick is best used with a big smile on your face so it is not confused with a real 'NO'.  All throughout our meal, I tell Finn not to eat his dinner and he tells me he can and then he does.  This has been working for weeks now, on everything from eating to giving hugs.  Even last night, during what is normally a long bed time routine of  Mommy and Daddy telling him to lay down and be quiet- we pulled out the rule of opposites, told him not to lay down, and definitely don't close you eyes...  and it worked!  Now I am sure this will stop being effective soon enough, but for now I am thankful for every meal and bedtime we get through without a war of wits.

Welcome

I am Kimberly, the Mama in the Middle. Why do I call myself that? Let me count the ways...
I am a middle sister
I am middle sized
I am in the middle of being a city gal and a hippie
I have a middle amount of kids (he wanted 2, I wanted 4)
I have a middle income
I tend to take the middle road.... and so the list goes on.

The purpose of this little slice of the blogging world, is to share with others my middle ideas and experiences. Here I will share tips and funny stories on parenting, easy ways to save money (and the planet), and a whole lot more. I am no expert, but I have alot of experience and am a bit of a Jill of all trades.

Thanks for stopping by.