tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78256154735921274522024-03-19T03:33:13.729-04:00Come Together KidsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-40625996615914671102014-12-30T10:43:00.000-05:002014-12-30T10:43:25.788-05:0052-Week Money Savings Challenge (with printable)<i><span style="font-size: large;">Yay, me! I made a New Years' Resolution last year and actually stuck with it! I didn't start working out, lose weight, or finally get my whole house organized. I did, however, manage to save nearly $1,400 with a 52-Week Money Savings Plan. It wasn't that hard at all and the money I put aside was able to completely pay for Christmas this year - all the gifts for kids, our family, and their teachers, a new tree, some decorations, and even dinners out during the busy December season.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Since it worked so well for me, I thought I'd share it. It's the perfect way to save for the holidays, but it would also be great for vacation saving or any other big-ticket item.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">First, here's the week-by-week plan... <span style="font-size: large;">(Printable <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3zrTidgHMVWWHdKSnlKSE5iQnM/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">HERE</a>)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3zrTidgHMVWWHdKSnlKSE5iQnM/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img alt="52 week money savings challenge - awesome plan!!" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XFGiLDJvS_Y/VKK5a0APFkI/AAAAAAAAFZ4/cho6MHc94Sw/s1600/52%2Bweek%2Bmoney%2Bchallenge.jpg" height="640" title="52 Week Money Savings Challenge - Love doing it in reverse and you can save almost $1400 in a year!!" width="512" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's how I made it work for me...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>1. Save in reverse!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I first saw this kind of plan last December, it started with $1 the first week, $2 the second week and so on until $52 was deposited on the last week. A commenter mentioned that she was doing it in reverse and I adopted that version instead. It worked out great doing it backwards for a few reasons... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. You start out with the bigger amounts in the beginning when you're all gung-ho and more eager to save.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> 2. Your money grows faster. By the end of the first month you have $200 and after 25 weeks you've put aside $1000!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. If you put it in a savings account, you gain a little bit of interest over the course of a year. (I ended up with about $6 in interest).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2. Schedule your deposits for a savings account!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The original version I saw had you putting your cash in a jar every week. I knew this wouldn't work for me because I'd never have the right amount of cash on hand and I'd be too tempted to dip into the jar when the kids needed money for something. I do my banking with Capital One 360 (which I love) so I just set up a savings account for this challenge. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMOeVTQQ53M/VKLAAHD2Q0I/AAAAAAAAFaU/oZwaB9qY4ns/s1600/52%2Bweek%2Bsavings%2Bscreenshot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fMOeVTQQ53M/VKLAAHD2Q0I/AAAAAAAAFaU/oZwaB9qY4ns/s1600/52%2Bweek%2Bsavings%2Bscreenshot.JPG" height="400" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Then I just sat down and scheduled transfers from my checking account to my new 52 Week Savings account for every Friday, starting with $52 on the first week, $51 the second, and so on. It did take a little bit of time since each transfer was for a different amount and had to be entered separately, but it was totally worth it because then the money went in every week automatically. If you use the printable above, just check it off as you set up the transfer.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Smpj45n7uT0/VKLAdZuoZVI/AAAAAAAAFac/DR9uq1bXpuQ/s1600/52%2Bweek%2Bsavings%2Btransfer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Smpj45n7uT0/VKLAdZuoZVI/AAAAAAAAFac/DR9uq1bXpuQ/s1600/52%2Bweek%2Bsavings%2Btransfer.JPG" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's it! I really liked watching the amount grow and it was nice to only have to add a few dollars a week there towards the end. Plus, let me tell you, it was a HUGE relief to know that I had more than enough set aside for everything I needed for the holidays this year - by the end, I had saved $1384.09 (including interest!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, like I said, I have Capital One 360 (formerly ING Direct) and I really liked it for this challenge. The transfers were easy to set up and I could quickly open a new savings account just for this purpose (they let you open up to 25 separate savings accounts!). This isn't a sponsored post, it just really worked out great for me. See if your bank has something similar or look into setting up your own account at <a href="https://r.capitalone360.com/7S3YEgwXks" target="_blank">Capital One 360</a>. (DISCLOSURE: If you set up a new account through <a href="https://r.capitalone360.com/7S3YEgwXks" target="_blank">this link</a>, I do get a bonus but so do you!)</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com1973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-58235426973485070192014-11-19T00:20:00.000-05:002014-11-19T00:20:10.565-05:00Mockingjay the Movie<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;"><i>“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of <a href="http://influence-central.com/" target="_blank">Influence Central</a> for Lions Gate. I received a book, products, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">Is anyone else as anxiously awaiting the Mockingjay Part 1 Movie as we are? My two oldest and I have been counting down ever since we saw Catching Fire last fall! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H5o97nuLVc/VGwbql_6g4I/AAAAAAAAFYo/LJ6znta7Tw0/s1600/Mockingjay%2BPart%2B1%2BPoster(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H5o97nuLVc/VGwbql_6g4I/AAAAAAAAFYo/LJ6znta7Tw0/s1600/Mockingjay%2BPart%2B1%2BPoster(1).jpg" height="640" width="420" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">I first read the Hunger Games trilogy myself a few years ago. My kids were just in the early elementary grades and I was volunteering at the book fair at their school. As we were working, another mom mentioned how much she'd loved the series. At first I was hesitant... young adult fiction? teens in a dystopian society battling to survive in a televised game? I wasn't quite sure about the whole premise. However, the other mom and I had similar tastes in other books we'd read so I picked up the Hunger Games and started reading. I loved it, quickly read all three books, and started recommending the series to my friends (with a "no, really, trust me, you'll like it" when they had the same hesitation I did). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">As we chatted in the carpool lines about Katniss, Peeta and Gale, we all tended to agree that even though the series was initially marketed to teens, it appealed to us adults too. The characters were strong, the storyline was really interesting, and as odd as the plot was, it kept us hooked. I felt that it was more like regular adult fiction, but was appropriate for younger audiences too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">Fast forward to 2012. My kids were a little bit older and there was a lot of buzz about the Hunger Games movie. My two oldest were begging me to go see the movie everyone was talking about. Since they were strong readers, I told them we could go see the movie IF they read the book first. They eagerly read the Hunger Games book and then, just like mom, devoured the rest of the trilogy as well. It was so cool to have a series that I liked and they liked. We were able to talk about how strong Katniss was, how smart thinking could be even better than strength, how some choices could be both wrong and right at the same time. Once we saw the movie, we were able to compare the similarities and differences between text and screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">Last fall, when we left the theater after seeing Catching Fire, we were bummed that we had to wait a whole year to see the continuation when Mockingjay was coming to the big screen. Now, that year is almost over and we're eagerly planning our return. We've all seen the trailer ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">and the kids and I have been busy rereading Mockingjay to refresh our memories and getting a sneak peak at some of the characters on the <a href="http://www.lionsgate.com/movies/mockingjaypart1/" target="_blank">Mockingjay website</a>. My oldest will be heading to the theaters with some of her middle school friends this Friday for the premier, and my son and I will be heading out to see it ourselves in the next week or two.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEVDRASXZa8/VGwnZq7B7gI/AAAAAAAAFZA/Mc_ieMnhBO8/s1600/mockingjay%2Bcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEVDRASXZa8/VGwnZq7B7gI/AAAAAAAAFZA/Mc_ieMnhBO8/s1600/mockingjay%2Bcollage.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,Helvetica,Sans-Serif;">How about you? Are you heading to the theaters? Just yourselves or with your kids too?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com1085tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-21029597090660394592014-03-18T08:11:00.001-04:002014-03-18T08:11:43.372-04:00Saltine Challenge: Can you eat 6 saltines in a minute?<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Desperate times call for desperate measures. We've had an overabundance of snow days this winter and the kids are actually getting tired of all the days off school. When they don't want to play outside anymore and cabin fever is setting in, I've had to reach deep into my bag of tricks to keep us all sane and entertained.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here was a little trick that brought lots of laughs (along with a few crumbs)...</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vB8jsRQCG0/UyfOJRgRMyI/AAAAAAAAFNg/7pqDeeXxAPg/s1600/saltine+challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vB8jsRQCG0/UyfOJRgRMyI/AAAAAAAAFNg/7pqDeeXxAPg/s1600/saltine+challenge.jpg" height="640" width="560" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This trick was from way back in my college days. My friends and I learned about it somehow, then challenged people every chance we got. In all the times we presented the challenge, we never had anyone who was able to do it (and we won tons of free meals and free drinks in the process!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You most likely have the supplies on hand, a box of saltine crackers (salted, not unsalted), a timer, and some willing participants.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BDix5ZDvzzw/UyfOI8S1cFI/AAAAAAAAFNo/d0PxlYTbg2c/s1600/saltine+challenge+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BDix5ZDvzzw/UyfOI8S1cFI/AAAAAAAAFNo/d0PxlYTbg2c/s1600/saltine+challenge+2.jpg" height="640" width="592" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The challenge is simple... all you have to do is eat (and swallow) the six saltines before the minute timer goes off without getting a drink of water. You can eat them one at a time, two at a time, or even all six at once. It sounds easy and you might be feeling pretty confident after the first one or two. However, you'll soon find that the salt produces extra saliva but then the dry crackers quickly absorb any and all moisture in your mouth. By the time you get to the last cracker or two, you'll be laughing and crumbs will be flying everywhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the fun the girls had with their friend...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M0X_Kj2SsDk/UyfOI1zq2SI/AAAAAAAAFNs/avWbA-A-MS4/s1600/saltine+challenge+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M0X_Kj2SsDk/UyfOI1zq2SI/AAAAAAAAFNs/avWbA-A-MS4/s1600/saltine+challenge+3.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We did have to run the vacuum to sweep up some crumbs, but it was a fun little break and brought lots of laughter and giggles.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com1411tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-31952273119254972312014-03-12T15:58:00.004-04:002014-03-12T15:58:36.985-04:00Creamy Shrimp AlfredoThis is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11909919" rel="nofollow">Giant Eagle</a> for <a href="http://izea.in/r13ae" rel="nofollow">SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 20px;"><i><span style="font-size: 18px;">I love seeing my kids grow and become more independent in the kitchen. It's my hope that by the time they move out of my house, they're able to follow a simple recipe and be confident enough to make a decent variety of basic meals. Over the past few years, my girls especially have had a lot of fun using the stove and oven with some supervision and are now pretty adept at making their own cupcakes or simple pasta side dish. (Now I just have to keep working on my son!). </span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 18px;">This Creamy Shrimp Alfredo dish was a great way to get them to expand their skills a little bit and make a yummy main dish for our dinner the other night. The recipe starts with a packaged pasta side dish that they're used to making, but adds shrimp, tomatoes and spinach to make it a full meal.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<img alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWF23FSfPgk/Ux-W3_K2jlI/AAAAAAAAFNA/NxuilgSaToc/s1600/creamy+shrimp+alfredo.jpg" style="width: 600px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 22px;">Looks really delicious, doesn't it? The girls kept commenting about how much it looked like "restaurant food." They were so proud of how it turned out, but it was really quite easy and simple to make (even on a Monday night after homework.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 28px;">Here's all you need...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">1 package Knorr® Pasta Sides™ - Alfredo (plus milk, water and butter to make)</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">2 cups baby spinach leaves</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Tbsp. vegetable oil</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: 26px;">The prep was really simple, just peel the raw shrimp and half the cherry tomatoes.</span></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KTTX9Lot2kI/Ux-W3SD4XLI/AAAAAAAAFNE/rk22pCylwBg/s1600/creamy+shrimp+alfredo+2.jpg" style="height: 500px; width: 500px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px;">Next, they headed to the stove. Simply cook the Alfredo pasta according to the package directions and stir in the tomatoes and spinach during the last five minutes of cooking time. Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the oil and cook the shrimp for about 5 minutes until pink, stirring occasionally.</span></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4hnUCxeVkKM/Ux-W26S__7I/AAAAAAAAFM8/eUUjqjcaTy8/s1600/Creamy+Shrimp+alfredo+3.jpg" style="height: 685px; width: 500px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 26px;">That's it, once the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, simply stir the shrimp into the pasta mixture, add a little parmesan cheese and serve. </span></div>
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<img alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mMJbiocLzr0/Ux-W3HmvGvI/AAAAAAAAFNI/-nE0U003LQc/s1600/creamy+shrimp+alfredo+4.jpg" style="height: 416px; width: 500px;" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 24px;">This new recipe was a delicious meal on our busy weekday night yet was easy enough that even my 8 and 11-year olds could make it with just a little supervision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 24px;">You can find the Knorr Pasta Sides at Giant Eagle and they even have a <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=33301&oid=11909919" rel="nofollow">Free Recipe Book</a> with this recipe and several others to help kids (and adults) make simple yet tasty main dishes.</span></div>
<a href="http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11909919" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Visit Sponsor's Site" border="0" src="http://app.socialspark.com/views?oid=11909919" style="border: none;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com367tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-76812773164032144372014-02-11T16:19:00.000-05:002014-02-14T10:21:58.461-05:00PERK up your car with a great GiveawayThis is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11597509" rel="nofollow">PERK</a> for <a href="http://izea.in/r13ae" rel="nofollow">SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 16px;">If you're anything like me, your car can be like your second home. With three kids, I feel like I'm always in my van. I shuttle them back and forth to school, to practices, and to sleepovers. We go to the library, the movies, the grocery store, the doctor, the dentist - well you get the idea. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> However, with all that running around and constantly getting in and out of the car heading one place or another, you can imagine how messy things can get. Actually, I won't even make you imagine it, I'll show you...</span></i><br />
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<img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dLOVq3Zasp4/UvggHatyF3I/AAAAAAAAFMM/rl7AVOGujAY/s1600/air+freshener+2.jpg" style="height: 400px; width: 600px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Embarrassing, isn't it? Water bottles and crumbs all over the place, my son's basketball uniform from when he had to do a quick change in the car, my daughter's robe from her last sleepover, various books and papers - really a little of everything. And even though I didn't take a picture, my section of the van isn't much better, with empty travel mugs of coffee, receipts, and a pile of books to return to the library.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Now, while we do clean out the van before things really start to smell (usually!), it definitely doesn't smell as nice as I'd like it to, especially considering how much time we spend in there. That's when I was really excited to have the chance to try out this new kind of <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=32829&oid=11597509" rel="nofollow">vent air freshener</a>.</span><br />
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<img alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bv-RILu0_ho/UvggHrQebZI/AAAAAAAAFMI/qFer5jhuAHQ/s1600/air+freshener.jpg" style="height: 504px; width: 600px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Now, I've tried other vent air fresheners in the van before, but it was always a pain to correctly open the container of liquid scent and get the clips to attach properly to the vents. Nine times out of ten, I'd end up spilling it when I was trying to put in on or the whole thing would fall off the vent the first time I'd move the vent to adjust the air flow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 22px;">Look how simple this PERK <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=32827&oid=11597509" rel="nofollow">Vent Wrap</a> is...</span><br />
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<img alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81ceqL3r20o/UvggHe2oexI/AAAAAAAAFME/W-KUNi7MFOI/s1600/air+freshener+3.jpg" style="height: 550px; width: 550px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Each package comes with four individually wrapped vent wraps. I chose the Absolute Zero scent (to go with our frigid temperatures we've been having lately) but they also come in New Car, Clean Laundry, Lush Valley and Golden Vanilla.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16px;">All you have to do is open the small package and slide on the PERK Vent Wrap. Instead of a messy liquid, the wrap is infused with StediScent® technology. The wrap doesn't block the vent and you can still easily adjust the air flow without having to worry about it falling off.</span> <span style="font-size: 16px;"> Each individual PERK Vent Wrap lasts for about 2 weeks, so a package of four will last about 60 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 22px;">Here's a video that gives even more information...</span><br />
<span class="placeholder"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8DibXCBjMoY?rel=0" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 20px;">Don't forget to <a href="http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=32831&oid=11597509" rel="nofollow">Like PERK on Facebook</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Now, even if your car isn't quite as bad as mine, I'm sure you could appreciate some freshening up too. Enter the giveaway below to win a 6 month supply of PERK Vent Wraps. (Open to U.S. Residents Only. Must be 18 or older)</span><br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/59da7d0/" id="rc-59da7d0" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />
<a href="http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11597509" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Visit Sponsor's Site" border="0" src="http://app.socialspark.com/views?oid=11597509" style="border: none;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com290tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-56402687686377796542014-01-22T13:06:00.003-05:002014-03-17T11:38:55.557-04:00Fun Trick: Poke Pencils through a Plastic Bag of Water<i><span style="font-size: large;">We've had several snow days lately and this was the perfect quick and easy little trick to entertain the kids. You more than likely have everything you need on hand and the kids can do it multiple times and still be thrilled by </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">it.de63def56e13867f940ba574b16babf2765d48ee5daa5820fa</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-37CvkCmQVpE/UuAq_1TxDII/AAAAAAAAFK4/4Wlk2K7R45c/s1600/pencil+through+a+bag+of+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="So fun! Stick a pencil straight through bag of water without a leak!" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-37CvkCmQVpE/UuAq_1TxDII/AAAAAAAAFK4/4Wlk2K7R45c/s1600/pencil+through+a+bag+of+water.jpg" height="640" title="FUN TRICK: Stick a pencil through a bag of water" width="532" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">All you need is a ziploc bag, water, and some sharpened pencils (or wooden skewers, etc)</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bNDbWE20-aI/UuAy02z9vVI/AAAAAAAAFLI/ESdxW5WvEzY/s1600/pencil+through+bag+of+water+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bNDbWE20-aI/UuAy02z9vVI/AAAAAAAAFLI/ESdxW5WvEzY/s1600/pencil+through+bag+of+water+2.jpg" height="400" width="322" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once your bag is filled with water, simply push the sharpened end of the pencil straight through. If you do it fairly smoothly, the bag will seal itself around the pencil and no water will leak out. (However, I do recommend doing it over the sink or have a towel handy just in case.) We found that if you change direction midway through or start poking through the back and then hesitate, you might spring a leak. Most of the time, though, the pencil goes in one side and out the other without even a drip of water!!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FWn1n-mOEgc/UuA0d9zlqII/AAAAAAAAFLU/VLitp-CVQKw/s1600/pencils+through+a+bag+of+water+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FWn1n-mOEgc/UuA0d9zlqII/AAAAAAAAFLU/VLitp-CVQKw/s1600/pencils+through+a+bag+of+water+3.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's lots of fun and we had a good time seeing just how many pencils we could put through before we got a leak.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aV3W_ranYvo/UuA2Gha5IaI/AAAAAAAAFLg/ViBu-e7OB80/s1600/pencil+through+a+plastic+bag+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="So cool! Stick pencils through a bag of water without any leaks!" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aV3W_ranYvo/UuA2Gha5IaI/AAAAAAAAFLg/ViBu-e7OB80/s1600/pencil+through+a+plastic+bag+4.jpg" height="296" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">There's some science behind this little trick. We learned about the polymers in the plastic bag stretching without breaking here on <a href="http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/leak-proof-bag" target="_blank">Steve Spangler Science</a>, but it was really just about the fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">You can check out the fun in action in this little video...</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NlaYRT3G8Pw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can see we did have a little leak at the end. As we were rushing to get the bag over the sink, I said we may have done it too fast. Instead, I think the last pencil came too close to one of the other holes and the plastic in that section just wasn't strong enough to seal around the hole. Still fun, though!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com315tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-35188172846212236982013-12-19T10:01:00.001-05:002013-12-19T10:01:23.288-05:00Fun with LEGO Minifigure Families
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<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11369959'>LEGO</a> for <a rel='nofollow' href='http://izea.in/r13ae'>SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>Sending of lots of Happy Holiday wishes from us here at Come Together Kids!</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 338px;' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-byuD9L_MD1g/UrJzLXcUZoI/AAAAAAAAFJc/d1MGgAEH6kQ/s1600/postcard.jpeg' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>How cute is our little Christmas postcard? All of us are smiling and facing forward, our house is clean, there's a roaring fire in the fireplace and all our holiday decorations look great! Aren't you impressed that this busy mom pulled it all off just days before Christmas?</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>Seriously, though, I had so much fun designing our cute little scene and it only took me a few minutes on the <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=31725&oid=11369959'>LEGO Minifigure Family</a> website.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>First, I simply added each member of our family, even our cat.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>Then, I was able to customize each person. I could change our skin tone, facial expressions, hair, and outfits.</span> <span style='font-size:16px;'>Here I am with a nice smile on my face, my hair nicely brushed, and wearing a cute Mrs. Claus outfit.</span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 419px;' src='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oaxgE5N5H-M/UrJ2x7u1WgI/AAAAAAAAFJo/VzANH0WkEyA/s1600/minifigure+capture.PNG' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>The final touch was choosing the background scene and moving each of our LEGO minifigures into position</span>. <span style='font-size:16px;'> I opted for a nice home scene, but there were several fun scenes to choose from.</span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 433px;' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vnM982UtPNk/UrJ2yx09nuI/AAAAAAAAFJw/ez1t5mg5U3Q/s1600/minifigure+capture+3.PNG' alt=''/></p>
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<p> <span style='font-size:16px;'>When you're all finished, you can share your creation in an email, on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, or even download and save it! Then you can go back on the site and make a bunch of other fun variations.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>Check out my girls in their ski outfits at the North Pole and my son as a Yeti...</span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 338px;' src='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cz4Aw-ZX-oo/UrJ56jMKTOI/AAAAAAAAFKE/8u2KwkvEPo8/s1600/postcard(1).jpeg' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>And now they're on a tropical beach ready to do some snorkeling... </span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 338px;' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_TDIy6FwjgY/UrJ8mgWIdAI/AAAAAAAAFKg/xRk_4DXqc0c/s1600/postcard(2).jpeg' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>Seriously, I could have fun with this for hours. Check out the video if you'd like to make one for your own family. It's perfect for LEGO fans, but also lots of fun for just about anyone. (and it's FREE!!)</span></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com221tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-75703878995787647162013-12-15T15:00:00.001-05:002013-12-15T15:00:39.412-05:00Eating Frozen Fruits and Veggies (and feeling good about it)
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<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=11234877'>Frozen Food Foundation</a> for <a rel='nofollow' href='http://izea.in/r13ae'>SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
<p> I don't know about you, but taking all three of my kids with me to the grocery store is one of my worst nightmares. When they were younger and I was staying home with them, the thought of loading everybody up in the car to go hit the aisles of the supermarket was like torture. Now that they're older, they still don't want to be stuck in the grocery store with me and their school and activity schedule, combined with my work schedule makes it just as tough to have to run to the supermarket all the time.</p>
<p> That's why my freezer comes in handy. I've learned that if I have what I need on hand, I can minimize those dreaded trips for last minute items. I'll make up a bunch of pancakes and french toast to have on hand for breakfasts. I'll buy meats and freeze them and even make up double batches of some of our main dishes so we can eat one and freeze the other. I always wondered about the frozen fruits or veggies, though. I knew it would be easier if I could keep the freezer stocked with those items too, but would they have the same nutritional value if frozen?</p>
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<p> <img width='601' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PFmkfaYLvRM/Uqxihh3CsyI/AAAAAAAAFJA/aaxE1eRR5dc/s1600/frozen+food+2.jpg' height='356' alt=''/></p>
<p> Luckily, this a recent study answered my question and helped put my mind at ease. <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=31795&oid=11234877'>A study conduced by the Frozen Food Foundation and University of Georgia</a> tested a variety of fruits and vegetables most commonly purchased by families: broccoli, corn, strawberries, blueberries, etc. The researchers tested the produce under three different conditions: frozen, fresh (on the day of purchase) and fresh-stored (after five days in a home refrigerator). The study found that in many cases, the frozen foods retained more Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and folate than those which had been purchased fresh and stored for a few days before eating. Fruits and veggies consumed right from the fields are awesome, but when you factor in the time from the farm, to the store, to your dinner table, frozen foods often have the advantage. More details of the study (and other similar research) can be found by click on the link at the start of this paragraph or by visiting the <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=31797&oid=11234877'>Frozen Food Foundation Facebook</a> page or the <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=31799&oid=11234877'>Frozen Food Foundation Twitter</a> page.</p>
<p> <span style='font-size:22px;'>A few of my favorite ways to use frozen fruits and veggies...</span></p>
<p> * <strong>frozen veggies and sides</strong>? right from the package as a quick and simple addition to our main dish</p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 405px;' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-TsDMDeyjg/Uqxihl-YbYI/AAAAAAAAFJE/rzMSGRaPl8E/s1600/frozen+food.jpg' alt=''/></p>
<p> * <strong>frozen veggies</strong>? added to homemade soups and casseroles</p>
<p> *<strong> frozen chopped onions</strong>? They're just awesome. So much easier than chopping regular onions everytime you need them for a dish.</p>
<p> * <strong>frozen edamame</strong>? great in the kids' lunches. I just put a handful still frozen in their lunchbox and it's thawed by lunchtime.</p>
<p> * <strong>frozen meals</strong>? great for my lunches when I'm called in to sub at the last minute or when dinner plans unexpectedly change</p>
<p> * <strong>frozen fruit smoothies</strong>? great for an after-school snack. We take a handful of frozen fruit (strawberries, mixed berries, peaches, etc), add some lowfat milk and about half a packet of instant pudding mix. Blend until everything is combined. It's really yummy and the frozen fruits make it nice and chilled and the pudding mix makes it really creamy and sweet.</p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 471px;' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Y0ixBHsTqg/Uqxihj5NKcI/AAAAAAAAFI8/Dg4rSKuuf2s/s1600/frozen+food+3.jpg' alt=''/></p>
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<p> So there you go. If you were like me and were worried that frozen fruits and vegetables were not as nutritional as fresh, you can rest assured that in most cases, they are just as healthful and sometimes even more. </p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com289tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-76402989782276893922013-10-07T11:23:00.000-04:002013-10-07T11:25:26.182-04:00Tie Dye Cake<i><span style="font-size: large;">Lately for birthdays, I've just been making cupcakes and putting them on simple little <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2011/10/make-your-own-cupcake-stand.html" target="_blank">homemade cupcake stands</a>. I can match the stand to the party's decor and it's a lot easier to frost a cupcake than it is to try to decorate a cake. However, for my daughter's <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">Tie-Dye Birthday Party</a>, I decided to try my hand at making an actual Tie-Dye cake, instead of just cupcakes. I happened to find this Shirt Cake Pan in my basement when I was looking for other party supplies in my basement, and it ended up working out perfectly. Of course a regular cake shaped pan would be just as cute.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out our Tie-Dyed Cake...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnRC26tQbwY/UlLGPvLQsAI/AAAAAAAAFGw/-6mi5GOzNXk/s1600/tie+dye+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xnRC26tQbwY/UlLGPvLQsAI/AAAAAAAAFGw/-6mi5GOzNXk/s640/tie+dye+cake.jpg" title="Tie Dye Cake DIY" width="472" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Pretty cute, don't you think? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what you'll need </span>(feel free to make any of this from scratch, I just used store-bought supplies)...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* box of white cake mix + ingredients to make it</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* 2 containers of white frosting</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* shirt cake pan or any other shape <span style="font-size: small;">(I happened to get mine years ago at a garage sale and it seems Wilton no longer makes them, but you could check Ebay or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002F7YYU8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002F7YYU8&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(affiliate link)</span>for used ones, or just make your own shape from a regular sheet cake pan)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* food coloring</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what to do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Mix up your white cake mix according to package directions. Separate the batter into 4 separate bowls, then add food coloring to each bowl to make the colors you want </span>( I think I used about 15 drops of coloring in each bowl)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hy9LF_ZBtVU/UlLInYE4JGI/AAAAAAAAFG8/wRf7nsHs6LY/s1600/Tie+Dye+cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hy9LF_ZBtVU/UlLInYE4JGI/AAAAAAAAFG8/wRf7nsHs6LY/s640/Tie+Dye+cake+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Pour your batter into your greased cake pan. I just did a little bit of one color here and a little bit there, until the whole pan was filled with random blobs and swirls of color.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tj9cCN2y9MA/UlLJkeA_P7I/AAAAAAAAFHI/iyDj_Bqj8vA/s1600/tie+dye+cake+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tj9cCN2y9MA/UlLJkeA_P7I/AAAAAAAAFHI/iyDj_Bqj8vA/s400/tie+dye+cake+3.jpg" width="335" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Bake according to package directions and allow to cool. Then invert your cake onto the tray that you'll be using for serving. </span>(Don't worry if the colors look a little brownish and muted, they're nice and colorful inside the cake.)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2GLNH6p2dMY/UlLKkOXprtI/AAAAAAAAFHU/N_mBPEeba1E/s1600/tie+dye+cake+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2GLNH6p2dMY/UlLKkOXprtI/AAAAAAAAFHU/N_mBPEeba1E/s400/tie+dye+cake+5.jpg" width="336" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Spread a fairly thin layer of white frosting all over your cake, then divide your remaining frosting into separate bowls and tint with food coloring.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwmz9xXCGyE/UlLLZcn0c9I/AAAAAAAAFHg/9Dw5LeThSDk/s1600/tie+dye+cake+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xwmz9xXCGyE/UlLLZcn0c9I/AAAAAAAAFHg/9Dw5LeThSDk/s400/tie+dye+cake+6.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Use a toothpick to sketch a rough tie-dye swirl design in your frosting. </span>(My photo of the toothpick sketch was too faint, so I've drawn on the design I followed)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LI01rIjtGn0/UlLMllhFeZI/AAAAAAAAFHs/JiYkGfafngY/s1600/tie+dye+cake+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LI01rIjtGn0/UlLMllhFeZI/AAAAAAAAFHs/JiYkGfafngY/s400/tie+dye+cake+4.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Add your tinted frosting to your cake following the swirl design you sketched. I put all my colors on first, then filled in the sections so the colors were touching.</span> (Notice my fancy cake decorating plastic spoon, I told you I don't decorate cakes often! ;) )<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KTTVIMdIArA/UlLNsCORCMI/AAAAAAAAFH4/NFe8QBULSz8/s1600/tie+dye+cake+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KTTVIMdIArA/UlLNsCORCMI/AAAAAAAAFH4/NFe8QBULSz8/s640/tie+dye+cake+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. Finally, use the end of your fancy cake decorating spoon to draw the color from one swirl to the other, wiping off the spoon after each time.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_2gApKdlbA/UlLOq5PVQ8I/AAAAAAAAFIE/C-ETMqKhJfE/s1600/tie+dye+cake+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_2gApKdlbA/UlLOq5PVQ8I/AAAAAAAAFIE/C-ETMqKhJfE/s400/tie+dye+cake+8.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. That's it! Stick in some candles, serve your colorful cake to your birthday kid and be proud of your handiwork.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_OTDYwgJlDU/UlLPYXhZ_bI/AAAAAAAAFIM/5tFraay5ASo/s1600/tie+dye+cake+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_OTDYwgJlDU/UlLPYXhZ_bI/AAAAAAAAFIM/5tFraay5ASo/s640/tie+dye+cake+10.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, and things were way too hectic at cake serving time to get a well-photographed shot of the tie-dyed inside, but here's a quick, somewhat blurry, photo I grabbed before the girls came back inside and I had to start cutting seconds.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WY-7FYc3IQY/UlLQSC8V0TI/AAAAAAAAFIY/nZRZL7-ubRk/s1600/tie+dye+cake+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WY-7FYc3IQY/UlLQSC8V0TI/AAAAAAAAFIY/nZRZL7-ubRk/s400/tie+dye+cake+11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">You can read about all the other details of our Tie-Dye Birthday Party <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com230tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-36447260726577833252013-10-04T11:23:00.004-04:002013-10-10T19:16:25.288-04:00Make-Your-Own Lollipops<i><span style="font-size: large;">We made these yummy lollipops at my daughter's recent <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">Tie-Dye Birthday party</a>. They were a fun little treat for the girls, but they were so easy, they'd be a fun little treat to make anytime.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check them out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DnkxmuB6JkI/Uk7QPQmOS_I/AAAAAAAAFFM/Q539fahNNpE/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Make your own lollipops with Jolly Ranchers" border="0" height="524" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DnkxmuB6JkI/Uk7QPQmOS_I/AAAAAAAAFFM/Q539fahNNpE/s640/make+your+own+lollipops.jpg" title="Make-your-own Lollipops -easy and fun!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Now look at how easy they are to make!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what you need...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_xbyf-e1MAM/Uk7RKG0zKWI/AAAAAAAAFFY/vOUlvMwaH9g/s1600/DIY+lollipops+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_xbyf-e1MAM/Uk7RKG0zKWI/AAAAAAAAFFY/vOUlvMwaH9g/s320/DIY+lollipops+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">* Hard candy </span>(photo shows Jolly Ranchers and Lifesavers, but I found that the Jolly Ranchers "melted" the best)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006G937/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00006G937&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">parchment paper </a><span style="font-size: x-small;">(affiliate link)</span> - <span style="font-size: small;">found in the baking aisle</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* a hard object <span style="font-size: small;">(to smash the candies)</span></span><br />
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*<span style="font-size: large;"> sturdy plastic bags <span style="font-size: small;">(small freezer bags worked great)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">* <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W5CE9S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000W5CE9S&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">lollipop sticks</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(affiliate link) - <span style="font-size: small;">found in</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"> the cake decorating section of most craft stores</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what to do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Unwrap your candies and separate by colors in your plastic bags. Close up your bags then use a hard object to smash your candies into smaller pieces. ( I used a large wrench ). You don't want to pulverize them into candy dust, but a variety of smaller-sized chunks. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2NNJp3BDvQ/Uk7TdKUJoUI/AAAAAAAAFFk/zCcwv_b2nXs/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2NNJp3BDvQ/Uk7TdKUJoUI/AAAAAAAAFFk/zCcwv_b2nXs/s640/make+your+own+lollipops+2.jpg" width="348" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. For our party, I put the crushed candies in a divided tray so the girls could easily scoop out each color, but you could just go straight from the plastic bags if you want.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-JsuDlhRsg/Uk7UYv7pC9I/AAAAAAAAFFw/8k2pgNPOAAM/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-JsuDlhRsg/Uk7UYv7pC9I/AAAAAAAAFFw/8k2pgNPOAAM/s400/make+your+own+lollipops+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to be the size of your cookie sheet, then draw circles with Sharpies to be the guidelines for your lollipop size and placement. <span style="font-size: small;">(they do spread out a decent amount, so leave some room between each lollipop)</span> Flip your parchment paper over so the actual marker circles are underneath, but you can still see the shape - that way the Sharpie doesn't bleed onto your actual candy.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOxcRqKQOEA/Uk7VP_Hu-1I/AAAAAAAAFF8/m0xY5yAzNu4/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOxcRqKQOEA/Uk7VP_Hu-1I/AAAAAAAAFF8/m0xY5yAzNu4/s400/make+your+own+lollipops+4.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Preheat your oven to 225*. Then allow the kids to scoop out the colors/flavors of the choices and mound them onto the circle shapes. If you're doing this with more than one kid, allow them to write their name in Sharpie next to their lollipops.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-XfR0cITMA/Uk7WyCrpTuI/AAAAAAAAFGI/vipAjktVf80/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-XfR0cITMA/Uk7WyCrpTuI/AAAAAAAAFGI/vipAjktVf80/s400/make+your+own+lollipops+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. Put your tray into your preheated 225* oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until candies are melted. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfbCOn55V-0/Uk7YV21XMmI/AAAAAAAAFGU/BtUZoxNQn0k/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfbCOn55V-0/Uk7YV21XMmI/AAAAAAAAFGU/BtUZoxNQn0k/s400/make+your+own+lollipops+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6. Carefully take out your tray and immediately add your lollipop sticks, rolling them in the melted candy to completely coat the top part of the stick. Note: The lollipops will harden quickly, so move pretty fast with this step.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eeM8yKa1fXs/Uk7ZfOx9bNI/AAAAAAAAFGg/dFLCI2cLY64/s1600/make+your+own+lollipops+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eeM8yKa1fXs/Uk7ZfOx9bNI/AAAAAAAAFGg/dFLCI2cLY64/s400/make+your+own+lollipops+7.jpg" title="Make your own lollipops with Jolly Ranchers" width="287" /></a></div>
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You'll notice that some lollipops were unevenly melted, that was the Lifesavers candies.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'd recommend just sticking with the Jolly Ranchers, or doing a test batch </div>
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with other varieties of candy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. The lollipops will be cooled and hardened in less than 5-10 minutes. Just peel them off the parchment paper and they're ready to enjoy!</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sharing our lollipops at:<br />
<a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/10/link-party-palooza-homewerks-bath-fan-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Tatertots and Jello</a><br />
<a href="http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/10/chic-and-crafty-party-10-10.html" target="_blank">The Frugal Girls </a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com751tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-5964385780443676122013-10-02T15:29:00.000-04:002013-10-10T19:17:06.946-04:00How to Tie Dye with Acrylic Paints<i><span style="font-size: large;">When we were brainstorming different ideas for my 8-year old daughter's birthday party, we quickly settled upon having a tie dye theme. In case you haven't been around 8 year olds lately, they can be all about tie-dye, peace signs, hearts and rainbows, so it seemed like the perfect plan.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">However, once I thought about it a little more, I was worried it would be tricky to pull off. Regular tie-dying often involves presoaking the fabric, dying it, wrapping it up and waiting several hours before rinsing it out. That definitely would be tricky to pull off in a 3-hour time frame for our party. Plus, it's often recommended to use 100% cotton fabrics, and that would rule out the pillowcases and socks we were hoping to tie dye.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Luckily, we decided on an alternative that worked out really well... using watered-down acrylic paints instead of regular dye.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LZutE5orFlc/UkxbGygKf9I/AAAAAAAAFDw/PEHPJVbviCI/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LZutE5orFlc/UkxbGygKf9I/AAAAAAAAFDw/PEHPJVbviCI/s640/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+3.jpg" title="Tie Dye using acrylic paints instead of dye - great idea!" width="617" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That rainbow of bottles was filled with the watered-down paint that was really easy to use and all those colorful shirts and pillowcases were ready to take home at the end of the party. </span>(NOTE: They were still a little damp, but we simply put them in plastic bags as the girls left and they hung them up to finish drying when they got home.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what you'll need:</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DJfBgnsHHhE/UkxcMFeroTI/AAAAAAAAFD8/L2UtYmFVWno/s1600/Tie+dye+with+acrylic+paint+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DJfBgnsHHhE/UkxcMFeroTI/AAAAAAAAFD8/L2UtYmFVWno/s320/Tie+dye+with+acrylic+paint+2.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">* plastic squeeze bottles </span>( found ours in Walmart in the food storage section, but spray bottles could also work)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* acrylic paints</span> (they're available in tons of colors and are often less than $1 a bottle)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* fabric textile medium </span>( found with the acrylic paints in most craft stores) Optional but I'd recommend it<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">* smocks and containers to catch the paint (We use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BJY460/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001BJY460&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">disposable lab coats</a> as smocks and they're awesome!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">* variety of items to dye</span> ( we did pillowcases, t-shirts, and socks) <span style="font-size: large;">and rubber bands</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what to do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Add the water and fabric textile medium to your acrylic paint. The textile medium is optional but it helps to soften up the paint so the shirt is not as stiff when it's dry. For each of the colors, I poured one bottle of acrylic paint and half a bottle of the textile medium into the squeeze containers. Then I filled up the empty acrylic bottle three times with water and added that in. (So the ratio is 1/2 part textile medium, 1 part paint, 3 parts water - but you can experiment with your own ratios) Then shake well to mix. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7bMt5-YMbA/UkxiidCgHxI/AAAAAAAAFEM/v4g3upLFwP4/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e7bMt5-YMbA/UkxiidCgHxI/AAAAAAAAFEM/v4g3upLFwP4/s400/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+4.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Repeat with the other colors you'll be using on your shirts, pillowcases, etc. (That's the other awesome thing about using acrylic paints, there are sooo many colors available so it's a lot easier to find the perfect colors for you)</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqbHA2Jic64/UkxjnahzxbI/AAAAAAAAFEY/pmWa-P0Oz5A/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rqbHA2Jic64/UkxjnahzxbI/AAAAAAAAFEY/pmWa-P0Oz5A/s400/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. If you're doing this for a party or group of kids, you'll want to get all your supplies together and try to minimize the mess. Because the paint will stain clothes once it dries, I gave each of the girls a smock. I actually used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BJY460/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001BJY460&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20">these disposable lab coats</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(affiliate link) </span>and they worked great to really cover all their clothes. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19X_FP10jxA/Ukxn4q6thoI/AAAAAAAAFEk/0tzlw-lJJoQ/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-19X_FP10jxA/Ukxn4q6thoI/AAAAAAAAFEk/0tzlw-lJJoQ/s400/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I covered my tables with plastic tablecloths. Then put out bowls of rubber bands and some spray bottles on one table and then the paints, trays and rubber gloves on another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. Next it was time to get dying! I had the girls lightly mist their shirts, pillowcases or socks with a spray bottle of water, then put on the rubber bands. (I had to help some of them with the rubber banding step) Once everything was all tied up, they were ready for the color. I instructed the kids to hold the tip up the bottle right up against the fabric so the color went into the fabric instead of squirting everywhere, but we did do each color over the disposable pans so I could collect any extra paint and put it back in the containers.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFxFIpCD0Bs/Ukxr2cd3wgI/AAAAAAAAFEw/zvCLupg4jNU/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFxFIpCD0Bs/Ukxr2cd3wgI/AAAAAAAAFEw/zvCLupg4jNU/s640/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+8.jpg" title="Using acrylic paints instead of dye to tie dye - so clever!" width="578" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few tips I gave the kids...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">* Try to stick to two or three colors for the best effects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Try not to put yellow/purple, blue/orange, or red/green next to each other or they may mix together to make a yucky brown.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* Try to make sure you get plenty of paint in each area, but not so much that it's dripping off or it'll run into the other colors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. When the items were dyed, we put them on plastic trays and tablecloths to soak in and set the colors. After about an hour, I took off the rubberbands and held up each masterpiece so the kids could "oooh" and "ahhh" as their designs were revealed. I hung up each piece so it could dry a little before it was time to take it home.</span><br />
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(NOTE: Most of the items were just wet, but some of the girls went a little overboard and their items were still pretty sopping wet when I undid the rubber bands. I simply squeezed them a little with an old towel to sop up some of the extra liquid so they weren't actually dripping onto my deck while they dried.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Our finished products...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kajoPRT3Vz4/Ukxvc6hdgNI/AAAAAAAAFE8/B6ndsl5PPnY/s1600/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kajoPRT3Vz4/Ukxvc6hdgNI/AAAAAAAAFE8/B6ndsl5PPnY/s640/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints+9.jpg" title="Tie Dye with acrylic paints - perfect project for a party " width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I instructed the parents to allow the items to dry then throw them in the dryer to heat set the colors. After that, you can wash the items just as you would your regular t-shirts or pillow cases.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One final note about fabrics. One of the good things about acrylic paints is that they'll "stick" even if the fabric is not 100% cotton. Some of the pillowcases we used were a 60/40 cotton blend and others were microfiber (all synthetic). The colors on the microfiber ones didn't seem as bright as on the cotton blend. It may have been the combination of colors used, but I'd recommend staying away from microfiber items or testing it out first if you want more vibrant colors. </span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Check out all the other fun foods and activities from our <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-birthday-party.html" target="_blank">Tie Dye Birthday Party HERE. </a></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Sharing our tie dye tips at:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/10/link-party-palooza-homewerks-bath-fan-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Tatertots and Jello</a><br />
<a href="http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/10/chic-and-crafty-party-10-10.html" target="_blank">The Frugal Girls </a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com433tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-72826300957314349702013-10-01T22:40:00.001-04:002013-10-04T19:06:20.241-04:00Trix Krispie Treats <i><span style="font-size: large;">I made these yummy treats for my daughter's <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-birthday-party.html">Tie-Dye themed birthday party </a>because the colorful swirls had a tie-dye effect. However they were really yummy and super easy, so I know I'll be making them often as just a regular treat.</span></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9yRR1ZInC4/Ukt-6uzqC4I/AAAAAAAAFC8/IwCxb-FjD8w/s1600/trix+krispie+treats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Krispie Treats made with Trix - so fun and colorful" border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9yRR1ZInC4/Ukt-6uzqC4I/AAAAAAAAFC8/IwCxb-FjD8w/s640/trix+krispie+treats.jpg" title="Trix Krispie Treats" width="566" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The recipe is really simple because they're basically just Rice Krispie Treats, but with Trix cereal instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what you need...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHZlEwQxXcY/Ukt_-RzHwBI/AAAAAAAAFDI/Vs8Z1RxM4cY/s1600/trix+krispie+treats+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHZlEwQxXcY/Ukt_-RzHwBI/AAAAAAAAFDI/Vs8Z1RxM4cY/s200/trix+krispie+treats+2.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">* 6 cups Trix cereal ( I used the swirls one) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* 1 bag of marshmallows</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">* 3 Tbsp. butter</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what to do...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir often until they're completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal. Using a greased spatula, press the mixture into a greased 9 x 13" pan (or you can use a smaller pan for thicker treats). Allow to cool, then cut with a sharp knife.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3mcxzKgXBQ/UkuF95j-y5I/AAAAAAAAFDc/M7ApI8XEhk0/s1600/trix+krispie+treats+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trix Krispie Treats" border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3mcxzKgXBQ/UkuF95j-y5I/AAAAAAAAFDc/M7ApI8XEhk0/s400/trix+krispie+treats+3.jpg" title="Trix Krispie Treats" width="277" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And here's the finished treats - easy, colorful, and really good! </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Au_fIVDZwdg/UkuF9iUXYnI/AAAAAAAAFDY/VYGN1gcxptY/s1600/trix+krispie+treats+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trix Krispie Treats - fun and colorful alternative to regular Rice Krispie Treats" border="0" height="596" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Au_fIVDZwdg/UkuF9iUXYnI/AAAAAAAAFDY/VYGN1gcxptY/s640/trix+krispie+treats+4.jpg" title="Trix Krispie Treats" width="640" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com239tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-27100410119131232232013-10-01T19:15:00.000-04:002013-10-10T19:17:42.204-04:00Tie Dye Birthday Party<i>Last week my "baby" turned 8! To celebrate, we had a small party here at the house with a tie-dye theme. My birthday girls and her friends had a fun time, had some yummy and colorful treats and left with some cool little projects. In this post I'll share an overview of the party's projects and treats, with links to full posts with all the details.</i> <b>(Click on the photo or the links in the descriptions for the full posts!)</b><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBtnH9lr69c/UknZrK5kCmI/AAAAAAAAFBo/Ryr45tPNw3c/s1600/Tie+Dye+Birthday+Party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBtnH9lr69c/UknZrK5kCmI/AAAAAAAAFBo/Ryr45tPNw3c/s640/Tie+Dye+Birthday+Party.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">First, let's start with the food...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though I have very little cake decorating experience and have been just making cupcakes for all of our recent parties, I did make this tie-dye cake that turned out pretty cool. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-cake.html" target="_blank"><img alt="How to make a tie dye cake" border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGlmnEGFRf0/Ukrc3WhrRpI/AAAAAAAAFB4/t-Sj6qhdl48/s400/tie+dye+cake.jpg" title="Tie Dye Cake" width="295" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I just used boxed cake mix, canned frosting and food coloring and I only used a regular rubber spatula and spoon for the decorating, but it turned out well enough to impress a bunch of 8 year olds. The inside of the cake is even "tie-dyed" as well ~ pretty cool! <b>(Full post <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/tie-dye-cake.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I also made some <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/trix-krispie-treats.html">Trix Krispie Treats</a>. They were super easy to make and much more colorful than regular Rice Krispie Treats (yummier than the regular ones too!) They even had a tie-dye effect with the swirls in the cereal pieces.</span> <b><span style="font-size: large;">(Read the full post <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/trix-krispie-treats.html">HERE</a>) </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/trix-krispie-treats.html"><img alt="Trix Krispie Treats (colorful and perfect for a rainbow or tie-dye party)" border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jmks5hKBybY/Ukrd2tUTYBI/AAAAAAAAFCE/mRXQa2DKH0Q/s400/trix+krispie+treats.jpg" title="Trix Krispie Treats" width="353" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our next treat was actually a combination of a party activity and a yummy sweet to take take home. We made our own lollipops. They weren't quite tie-dye, but they were colorful and fun to make. <b>(<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/make-your-own-lollipops.html" target="_blank">HERE's the full post with the easy directions</a>)</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/make-your-own-lollipops.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Make your own lollipops with Jolly Ranchers" border="0" height="327" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m1yCkObJPNM/Ukrg9lXF_DI/AAAAAAAAFCQ/sD3muK7evPk/s400/make+your+own+lollipops.jpg" title="Make-your-own Lollipops" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, to counteract all the sweets that we were going to be eating, I served some fruit too. Since I was already using my divided container for the make-your-own lollipop station, my daughter and I decided to use the shirt cake pan as a fruit tray. She even helped me arrange the berries and grapes in a tie dye pattern.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DUhURnUEw_E/UkriH7FI-tI/AAAAAAAAFCc/hi1hEfML_lY/s1600/tie+dye+fruit+tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=""Tie Dye" Fruit Tray" border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DUhURnUEw_E/UkriH7FI-tI/AAAAAAAAFCc/hi1hEfML_lY/s400/tie+dye+fruit+tray.jpg" title="Tie Dye Fruit Tray" width="358" /></a></div>
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If you squint your eyes just right, it kind of has a tie-dye effect, doesn't it? ;)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now of course, a tie-dye party wouldn't really be a party without some actual tie-dying, right? For the main event, each girl had the chance to dye her own t-shirt, pillowcase, and pair of socks. I wanted to make sure everything would be ready to take home at the end of the party, so using regular dye was ruled out. <span style="font-size: small;">( Most dye kits require pre-soaking, then waiting several hours after dying before unwrapping and rinsing. )</span> Instead, we used watered-down acrylic paints as our "dye". We were able to choose from a whole variety of colors, we didn't have to use 100% cotton items, and everything was ready to go at the end of our 3 hour party! <b>(<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/how-to-tie-dye-with-acrylic-paints.html" target="_blank">Full post with directions can be found HERE</a>)</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the fun...</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/how-to-tie-dye-with-acrylic-paints.html" target="_blank"><img alt="How to Tie Dye using Acrylic Paints" border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Fjn1bmx5Qc/UktTS4vXYOI/AAAAAAAAFCs/NChORsF5tvc/s640/tie+dye+with+acrylic+paints.jpg" title="How to Tie Dye using Acrylic Paints" width="417" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Get all the directions for tie-dying with acrylic paints <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/10/how-to-tie-dye-with-acrylic-paints.html" target="_blank">HERE!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall, the party was a huge hit. The girls were happy with their finished projects and they enjoyed all the little treats.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharing our party at:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/10/link-party-palooza-homewerks-bath-fan-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Tatertots and Jello</a></span></span><br />
<a href="http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/10/chic-and-crafty-party-10-10.html" target="_blank">The Frugal Girls</a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com1037tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-66087348487912278672013-08-28T16:00:00.001-04:002013-08-28T16:00:16.231-04:00First Day of School Memory Page
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<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=10479153'>BIC®</a> for <a rel='nofollow' href='http://izea.in/r13ae'>SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
<p> <em><span style='font-size:14px;'>Most nights at the dinner table, I ask my kids about their day. Even though the questions are pretty simple ~ "Tell me one thing that made you smile today", "What was one thing that you were proud of?", "Tell me one thing that made you sad", etc. ~ their answers will vary day to day and they actually give me a pretty good indication of how things are going with both their classes and their friends. </span></em></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>For the first day of school this year, I wanted to capture some of their answers as a little memory page. I made a space to put one of the "first day photos" I took before they left for school and included some of our regular dinner time questions as well as a few about their new grade. </span></p>
<p> <strong><span style='font-size:26px;'>Check it out...</span></strong></p>
<p> <img style='width: 600px; height: 400px;' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YHegPNvQ1IY/Uhy4rK3JQjI/AAAAAAAAFBY/NP1pST9pmDE/s1600/Bic+pens.jpg' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>Even though they're not too excited to start actual homework, they didn't mind sitting down with some new colorful BIC Atlantis® pens (and a plate of brownies) and recording a few thoughts about their first day.</span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 550px; height: 693px;' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VGYKB_twQTQ/Uhy4rE39rYI/AAAAAAAAFBI/mhoHt06HHO8/s1600/Bic+pens+2.jpg' alt=''/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>Their responses are cute, colorful and the page will be a nice little keepsake to be filed away with their school work for the year. </span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:22px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>Of course, after they finished their questions, I had my own First Day of School paperwork to fill out ( times three!). I didn't get to use a colorful pink or purple pen, just a regular black </span></span><span style='font-size:18px;'>BIC Atlantis®</span><span style='font-size:22px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>, but there is something kind of exciting about some fresh new pens and a fresh new start to a new school year.</span></span></p>
<p> <img style='width: 550px; height: 367px;' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJHziTuX9-c/Uhy4rKyhgtI/AAAAAAAAFBM/g92epMZkZxE/s1600/bic+pens+3.jpg' alt=''/></p>
<p> </p>
<p> <span style='font-size:22px;'>If you want to add a little excitement to your Back-to-School paperwork, BIC® is sponsoring a cool sweepstakes. Check it out...</span></p>
<p> <span class='placeholder'><img title='Hosted by imgur.com' src='http://i.imgur.com/NxE8CTB.jpg'/></span></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com252tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-91884054034318990912013-08-28T15:00:00.001-04:002013-08-28T15:00:15.552-04:00Duck Tape Notebooks with Pencil Holder
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<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=10428099'>Walmart</a> for <a rel='nofollow' href='http://izea.in/r13ae'>SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
<p> <em><span style='font-size:16px;'>Like thousands of kids across the counrty, my kids went back to school this week, While they're excited to see their friends and start a new school year, it's a little tough to say goodbye to the fun days of summer. To make the transition to schoolwork a little easier, we jazzed up our plain composition books and pencils with some fun Duck Tape designs.</span></em> </p>
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<p> <strong><span style='font-size:28px;'>Check these out...</span></strong></p>
<p> <img width='599' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYqwdNwrT50/Uht4OT2o-gI/AAAAAAAAFAw/MwFUa7VlA2U/s1600/duck+tape+notebooks+5.jpg' height='481' alt='Duck Tape Notebooks with handy pencil holder'/></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>Aren't they fun? There are so many fun Duck Tape patterns, my kids loved choosing designs to match their personalities ~ silly pickles and a funky zigzag for my daughter and sports for my son! </span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>Oh, and did you notice the handy little pencil holders on the sides of the notebook? No more digging in their pencil cases when it's time to take notes, their pencil will be right there when they need it!</span></p>
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<p> <strong><span style='font-size:28px;'>Here's what you'll need...</span></strong></p>
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<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>* Duck Tape in the colors and patterns of your choice <span style='font-size:18px;'>(you can <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=28705&oid=10428099'>buy Duck Tape at Walmart</a> )</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>* Composition books and some fresh new pencils</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'>* plastic straws <span style='font-size:16px;'>( regular straws are a bit too small, so look for the bigger "milkshake" straws )</span></span></p>
<p> <img width='500' src='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SWW0-lEiGOQ/Uht4OTPjHuI/AAAAAAAAFA0/BBWWizcKN6Y/s1600/duck+tape+notebooks.jpg' height='500' alt=''/></p>
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<p> <strong><span style='font-size:28px;'>Here's what to do to make your own fun notebooks...</span></strong></p>
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<p> <img width='500' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-22WKs79ursE/Uht4Nt9vloI/AAAAAAAAFAg/a6LWAWzZL9c/s1600/duck+tape+notebooks+2.jpg' height='719' alt=''/></p>
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<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>1. This step is optional, but if you're using black marble composition books and a lighter color Duck Tape, I'd recommend covering your whole notebook cover with a layer of white Duck Tape to cover the black lines.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>2. Cut strips of Duck Tape that will cover the front and back of your notebook with just a little bit of extra. (My strips were 16" long and I needed 5 1/2 strips of tape). I found it really handy to put the strips on my cutting mat then cut them with a craft knife, but scissors would also work fine.</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>3. Attach the strips of Duck Tape to the cover of your notebook, slightly overlapping each strip.</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>4. Wrap the extra tape around the front cover so there's no stickiness on the edges of your notebook.</span></p>
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<p> <img width='500' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sTkt-pgOoFE/Uht4NU61T7I/AAAAAAAAFAY/BVb56OzcmhQ/s1600/duck+tape+notebooks+3.jpg' height='751' alt=''/></p>
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<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>5. This step is also optional, but we cut two pieces of Duck Tape in a coordinating color and overlapped them to cover the spine of the notebook. It looks fun and the contrast helps make it easier to spot the pencil and pencil holder.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>6. Next, cut your straw so it's slightly shorter than your pencil. I cut ours to be about 5" long.</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>7. Cut two pieces of Duck Tape about an inch longer than your straw (ours was 6") and overlap the two pieces to create a wide rectangle that will hold the straw in place.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>8. Position the straw at the top edge of the Duck Tape and attach it to the side of your notebook. Pinch the bottom inch of the Duck Tape (where it was longer than the straw) to seal off the bottom of the holder so your pencil doesn't slide straight through!</span></span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:18px;'>9. Cut a few small pieces of Duck Tape to decorate your pencil. Ours were about 1" wide and the width of the roll of tape.</span></p>
<p> <span style='font-size:20px;'><span style='font-size:18px;'>10. Wrap the tape around the top of the pencil by the eraser so you have pencils that coordinate with your notebook.</span></span></p>
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<p> <strong><span style='font-size:26px;'>That's it! Your kids will always know which notebook is theirs and they'll always have a pencil handy when it's time to do some work!</span></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> <img width='550' src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OknXjpv1_zA/Uht4NhZE9bI/AAAAAAAAFAc/Hd_n7qC_WNs/s1600/Duck+Tape+Notebook+4.jpg' height='824' alt=''/></p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com168tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-64431556893096788142013-08-17T10:12:00.001-04:002013-08-17T10:12:20.512-04:00BIG Custom Sports Photo Poster Collage (super easy and Inexpensive)<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Yesterday I shared the <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/08/huge-custom-photo-poster-and-its-really.html" target="_blank"><b>HUGE Custom Photo Poster </b></a>I made for my girls' room. My son was impressed when he saw it and wanted something similar, so I used the same concept with an engineering print, but made it a sports collage instead.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scsyUSsOLfU/Ug9iAznWBTI/AAAAAAAAE_k/gcNhUQaZxuU/s1600/custom+sports+photo+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Inexpensive DIY - Make a huge 24x36 sports collage for just a few bucks!" border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scsyUSsOLfU/Ug9iAznWBTI/AAAAAAAAE_k/gcNhUQaZxuU/s640/custom+sports+photo+poster.jpg" title="" width="426" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I knew I wanted something sports related to match his room and his interests, so I made a collage of him playing four different sports and added text labels.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DcPeoc8A_NE/Ug9i4My9pUI/AAAAAAAAE_w/J0A5KsboSSI/s1600/photo+poster+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DcPeoc8A_NE/Ug9i4My9pUI/AAAAAAAAE_w/J0A5KsboSSI/s400/photo+poster+5.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Again, I used <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey.com</a> to add the effects, make the collage and add the sports words. This isn't a sponsored post or anything, but if you haven't tried PicMonkey for photo editing fun, you really should. It's really easy and there's so much you can do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I simply went to the collage page and chose the layout that I wanted, then added my pictures. I changed all the photos to black and white, adjusted the sharpness and exposure, and cropped them to best show the action. When I had everything looking the way I wanted, I hit "Edit" at the top of the collage page, and I was able to add the sports' names. I rotated them to fit where I wanted them and everything was ready.</span></div>
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<b>NOTE: Because you'll be printing this out at 24"x36" , you'll want a 2:3 ratio when you're making the final pixel size of your collage so it fills the whole poster without being cut off. It sounds really "math-y" but it's just simple multiplication tables. You'll want the short side to be a number multiplied by 2 and the long side to be that same number multiplied by 3. For example, mine was 1400 (700x<u>2</u>) by 2100 (700x<u>3</u>).</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once I got the collage the way I wanted it, I uploaded it to Staples again. I chose the engineering print option in 24x36 and chose to fill the page with the image. I picked up a black 24x36 frame. (Black seems to be a lot easier to find than white and it was cheaper than the girls' white one ~ only $9 for the frame!)</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xvyNfJ900BQ/Ug9mD41CewI/AAAAAAAAE_8/K5luV9tZrsw/s1600/photo+poster+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xvyNfJ900BQ/Ug9mD41CewI/AAAAAAAAE_8/K5luV9tZrsw/s640/photo+poster+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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My cat gets very curious when I'm doing projects!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I just popped the poster in the frame and I was good to go. My son loved it! I think it would be awesome to do this with any sports or hobbies ~ you could even make a big collage of a whole season's worth of photos or really with anything. And at $4 a print (mine was actually $3.29) you could switch it out whenever you want.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j7QVbWQoWNg/Ug9nuYcflCI/AAAAAAAAFAI/XZccyB6XwoQ/s1600/photo+poster+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Use engineering prints to make a huge photo collage for just a few bucks" border="0" height="544" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j7QVbWQoWNg/Ug9nuYcflCI/AAAAAAAAFAI/XZccyB6XwoQ/s640/photo+poster+7.jpg" title="" width="640" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Pretty cool, isn't it? And for about $13 total for the picture and frame, it's way better than any generic sports print you could buy for your wall!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com182tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-34295368736273668402013-08-16T22:26:00.000-04:002013-08-17T11:02:36.711-04:00HUGE, Custom Photo Poster (and it's REALLY inexpensive!)<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Last year, I saw this awesome <a href="http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2012/01/giant-picture-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Giant Picture on Sugar Bee Crafts</a> and knew I wanted to make something similar. All I had to do was wait till I got the perfect photo that I would want to make giant-sized. Well, last week I finally got that perfect shot of my girls and set out to make my own huge print.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here it is...</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73U71X3JS48/Ug7Pp3B4utI/AAAAAAAAE-k/Vft221oGOg8/s1600/HUGE+photo+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Awesome DIY! Huge photo print for under $5" border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73U71X3JS48/Ug7Pp3B4utI/AAAAAAAAE-k/Vft221oGOg8/s640/HUGE+photo+poster.jpg" title="HUGE Custom Photo Poster (and it's REALLY inexpensive)" width="448" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Isn't it pretty? It's 2 feet by 3 feet, so it's quite big, but fills the space above their big dresser just perfectly. <span style="font-size: small;">(For a tutorial on their pretty, fabric-covered dresser, go <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/05/dresser-revamp-with-fabric-and-liquid.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>)</span>. Oh, and did I mention that this gorgeous big custom print cost under $4? That's right, four bucks! It was so inexpensive that I splurged and got an $18 white frame to display it in. Just over $20 and such a wow factor when you walk in their room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When even an 8x10 photo enlargement can easily cost $4 or more, how did I get an 24x36 print for the same price? The secret is getting an engineering print at an office supply store or copy center. (I used Staples). Usually engineering prints are used for blue prints and such, but they also work fine for a black and white photo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what I did...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, I used a photo I got of my girls at a flower garden near our home.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2exH-xZYuA/Ug7Tj6E0R1I/AAAAAAAAE-w/BBg1tmE5vUI/s1600/photo+poster+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2exH-xZYuA/Ug7Tj6E0R1I/AAAAAAAAE-w/BBg1tmE5vUI/s400/photo+poster+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They're both smiling, hair is brushed, outfits match, pretty background ~ that's something to take a picture of for sure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, I went on <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">PicMonkey.com</a> (it's FREE and really user friendly) and changed the photo to black and white. I also adjusted the brightness, contrast, and sharpness just a little bit so it looked nice and crisp in black and white. Finally, I added the frost edges around the outer edge and put the year in the bottom right corner.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNETvslIbwE/Ug7UeizgpUI/AAAAAAAAE-8/nKi-43JIFyU/s1600/photo+poster+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oNETvslIbwE/Ug7UeizgpUI/AAAAAAAAE-8/nKi-43JIFyU/s400/photo+poster+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, I went online to Staples and uploaded my picture. (I imagine other copy centers have similar online ordering options, or you can just save your image to a flash drive and take it in) I chose the 24x36" size (the medium option) and selected to fill the frame with my image. Within a few hours, I got the email that it was ready and went to pick it up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The paper is thin, like regular copy paper, but the photo is surprisingly clear.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_DTRzUZTAI/Ug7V8WCijGI/AAAAAAAAE_I/Z6qoGAaGud8/s1600/photo+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_DTRzUZTAI/Ug7V8WCijGI/AAAAAAAAE_I/Z6qoGAaGud8/s640/photo+poster.jpg" width="515" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here is where I differed from the <a href="http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2012/01/giant-picture-tutorial.html" target="_blank">original tutorial</a>. Mandy had opted for the largest 3x4 foot size, so she mounted hers on a large piece of foam. I actually tried mounting mine on foam board, but it got a few wrinkles in it that I didn't really like. Then I realized that 24x36 is a standard frame size. I got another engineering print, then used a coupon so I was able to get a nice white frame for just $18. The print is protected behind glass and I can spend just $4 again anytime I want to just switch out for a new picture. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LZ_0LLZ53k/Ug7YF4xtbPI/AAAAAAAAE_U/mtrVuE1W1IQ/s1600/photo+poster+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Using an engineering print for a huge photo print" border="0" height="462" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LZ_0LLZ53k/Ug7YF4xtbPI/AAAAAAAAE_U/mtrVuE1W1IQ/s640/photo+poster+6.jpg" title="Awesome HUGE Custom Photo Poster (using an engineering print)" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, and the bottom of the picture looks a little blurry and hazy with a line running across their arms, but it's actually just the reflection of the bed in the background. (It was like trying to photograph a mirror ~ tricky, tricky)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The girls love it, I love it, and I'm just thrilled that it was so inexpensive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, I'll be sharing how I made a similar poster-sized piece of artwork for my son's room. You can check it out <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2013/08/big-custom-sports-photo-poster-collage.html"><b>HERE.</b></a></span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com623tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-82504381922605786552013-08-11T18:53:00.000-04:002013-08-11T20:54:41.322-04:00Kid in a Liquid Soap Bottle (funny photo idea)<i>I love when I can find fun ways to use photos of the kids in little projects or crafts. Last year, we made these <a href="http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/03/fun-photo-bookmarks.html" target="_blank">Fun Photo Bookmarks </a>and they were a big hit. After the kids did a super fun Mud Run obstacle course with their cousins this summer, I knew I wanted to do something clever with some of the photos I took of all the muddy fun. Then I remembered <b><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/100908847872950006/" target="_blank">this pin</a></b><b> </b>I'd spotted several months ago. I was super bummed that it was just an image and I can't find the source anywhere <span style="font-size: x-small;">(if you know the source, please let me know so I can credit this great idea). </span>However, I figured out how to recreate it and the kids love being trapped in a bottle.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out! Isn't this cool?</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OpFSBqlt1Og/UgevtZ1ZQ_I/AAAAAAAAE9Q/P8p6PLhitr8/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kid's picture in a liquid hand soap bottle" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OpFSBqlt1Og/UgevtZ1ZQ_I/AAAAAAAAE9Q/P8p6PLhitr8/s640/kids+in+liquid+soap+bottle.jpg" title="Funny photo idea ~ put kid's picture in a bottle of liquid hand soap" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was really easy to do, the hardest part was choosing a picture then making a quick run to the office supply store to get the transparency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, a quick peek at the fun they had getting filthy at the Mud Run</span> (it was a 1 1/2 mile course through tons of muddy obstacles and all the proceeds went to charity).<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dCuWHiLqbJQ/UggP9RBqgTI/AAAAAAAAE-Q/OC4DuoQLesw/s1600/mud+run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dCuWHiLqbJQ/UggP9RBqgTI/AAAAAAAAE-Q/OC4DuoQLesw/s640/mud+run.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Can you believe how totally mud-covered they were by the end? They loved it though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Okay, now on to the project. Here's what to do...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hynk90ezyqE/UgfF7tJYyUI/AAAAAAAAE90/KF__5wx1Sxg/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hynk90ezyqE/UgfF7tJYyUI/AAAAAAAAE90/KF__5wx1Sxg/s400/kids+in+liquid+soap+3.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">First I picked a few bottles of clear liquid hand soap or hand sanitizer and printed out some pictures of each mud-covered kid.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgS3NYAsb2M/UgfF7uObQvI/AAAAAAAAE-A/3kmQ4u_4PAQ/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgS3NYAsb2M/UgfF7uObQvI/AAAAAAAAE-A/3kmQ4u_4PAQ/s400/kids+in+liquid+soap+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRH1FyFLHcg/UgfF7i-wKsI/AAAAAAAAE94/6sO1DAmNv58/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lRH1FyFLHcg/UgfF7i-wKsI/AAAAAAAAE94/6sO1DAmNv58/s640/kids+in+liquid+soap+5.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, I carefully cut out as close as I could around each kid, then took the photos to Office Depot and had them make a color transparency.</span> (cost was about $2)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xn2Kx1QOYxg/UgfF8A47fXI/AAAAAAAAE-E/GZP3j4HlYOE/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xn2Kx1QOYxg/UgfF8A47fXI/AAAAAAAAE-E/GZP3j4HlYOE/s640/kids+in+liquid+soap+6.jpg" width="474" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, remove the label from the front of the bottle. <span style="font-size: small;">(I left the back label in place so the picture was a little easier to see). <span style="font-size: large;">However, if your photos are brighter than a muddy brown, you could remove the back label too.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I cut out each kid's picture, leaving some of the clear transparency film around it. <span style="font-size: small;">(It's a little tough to see in the picture, but I have the image of my daughter with about an inch of clear all the way around it)</span> Having a piece of transparency about the same size as the soap bottle makes it easier to fit it into the bottle. If you cut too close to the image, it tends to shift around too much inside the bottle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next, just remove the pump, roll the transparency so it fits in the opening and push it in. I then used a wooden skewer to help unroll the transparency and position it in place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Put the pump back in and that's it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The kids love their fun little "souvenirs" of their muddy day and it's a practical use for the photos</span>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--lG_iXEN84k/Ugev_73Xq8I/AAAAAAAAE9Y/NfUpBtoQ7RE/s1600/kids+in+liquid+soap+bottle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kid in a Bottle of liquid hand soap ~ how fun!" border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--lG_iXEN84k/Ugev_73Xq8I/AAAAAAAAE9Y/NfUpBtoQ7RE/s640/kids+in+liquid+soap+bottle+2.jpg" title="Put a kid in a bottle of liquid hand soap ~ so fun!" width="536" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I definitely plan on doing this same project again with "prettier" pictures, but we thought it was fun to tie together our super muddy images with the cleaning soap!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharing this idea at:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/back-to-school-ideas/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Monday Funday party </span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <a href="http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2013/08/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party.html" target="_blank">Craft-O-Maniac</a></span> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com202tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-22610354785298735982013-07-13T22:29:00.001-04:002013-07-13T22:29:42.688-04:00Funny Beach Photo Idea<span style="font-size: large;">The kids and I just returned from a little mini vacation at the Jersey Shore with my sister and her family. The kids had a blast with their cousins and I was excited to snap this funny photo "capturing" the cousins under a huge sand bucket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64CR6lr9c18/UeIKryJYpYI/AAAAAAAAE88/sYtc0KQx1sU/s1600/funny+beach+photo+idea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64CR6lr9c18/UeIKryJYpYI/AAAAAAAAE88/sYtc0KQx1sU/s1600/funny+beach+photo+idea.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I originally saw the idea on Pinterest from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cesarboillos/5906238678/" target="_blank">THIS</a> Flickr photo. My photography skills aren't as good as the original, but it was a simple shot to capture. I just asked the kids to go a little ways down the beach, then held the beach bucket in my left hand and the camera in my right. I told the kids to pretend something was attacking them from above <span style="font-size: small;">(which they gladly acted out). </span>Because I just used the auto focus on my camera, I had to lock the focus on the kids, then move the bucket into the shot <span style="font-size: small;">(otherwise the kids would have been too blurry and the bucket would be in sharp focus)</span>. I got a few funny looks from other beachgoers, but it was worth it for this cute photo.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com182tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-20375174281383715822013-07-03T09:38:00.003-04:002013-07-03T09:38:48.563-04:00Coloring Hair with Chalk Pastels<i><span style="font-size: large;">I'd seen this idea for using chalk pastels to color hair several times over the past year or so, but I finally had the perfect opportunity to test it out when the kids were visiting their cousins last week. I searched again on Pinterest, found <a href="http://www.littlepinkmonster.com/2012/03/20/how-to-dye-hair-with-chalk-pastels/" target="_blank">this tutorial </a>at Little Pink Monster and ran out to the craft store to pick up some soft chalk pastels.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the fun hair...</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KnC7kUNjRxc/UdQbOyO7qnI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/EOKNUa-8vO0/s748/chalk+pastel+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coloring Hair with Chalk Pastels" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KnC7kUNjRxc/UdQbOyO7qnI/AAAAAAAAE8Q/EOKNUa-8vO0/s1600/chalk+pastel+hair.jpg" title="Coloring Hair with Chalk Pastels" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The girls loved it and it was really easy and inexpensive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Here's what we did...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, I picked up this set of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004YZXRZM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004YZXRZM&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">soft chalk pastels</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Amazon affiliate link)</span> at the craft store, using a 40% off coupon it was less than $5! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouf7z9g2kuQ/UdQec1G3ArI/AAAAAAAAE8s/ZpDkE2QmQ3A/s550/chalk+pastels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouf7z9g2kuQ/UdQec1G3ArI/AAAAAAAAE8s/ZpDkE2QmQ3A/s400/chalk+pastels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Next we got to work putting colorful streaks in the girls' hair.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-264K6VU6mNY/UdQbO-qdZOI/AAAAAAAAE8U/ymuhU4Po9XY/s550/chalk+pastel+hair+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Temporary Hair Color with Chalk Pastels" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-264K6VU6mNY/UdQbO-qdZOI/AAAAAAAAE8U/ymuhU4Po9XY/s1600/chalk+pastel+hair+3.jpg" title="Temporary Hair Color with Chalk Pastels" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. We brushed their hair to get rid of any tangles and the girls chose a color.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. I took a section of hair where we wanted color and dampened it with a wet paper towel, then rubbed the pastel over the section. A spray bottle of water would also work well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. I rubbed the pastel over the section a few more times, trying to get the color somewhat even from root to tip.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Finally, we used a flat iron <span style="font-size: small;">(could also use a curling iron)</span> to "dry" the hair and heat set the color.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Look at all these funky hair streaks on the cousins...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3jxTA4bmDA/UdQbOmOaAuI/AAAAAAAAE8g/XeRzgJ6e6Mg/s962/chalk+pastel+hair+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coloring Hair with Chalk Pastels" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t3jxTA4bmDA/UdQbOmOaAuI/AAAAAAAAE8g/XeRzgJ6e6Mg/s1600/chalk+pastel+hair+2.jpg" title="Coloring Hair with Chalk Pastels" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">A few tips, suggestions and observations ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Make sure you get chalk pastels not oil pastels. Chalk pastels usually have flat sides and no wrappers. Oil pastels have rounded sides and a wrapper like a crayon. Oil pastels would most probably make a mess in your hair. The ones we used were soft chalk pastels which I think might have more pigment than regular chalk pastels. <span style="font-size: small;">(but I'm not totally sure on that)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. We used a flat iron, but you could also use a curling iron or possibly even a hair dryer. It really helped to heat set the color so it wasn't dripping down on their faces or clothes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Even with the heat setting, some colors did leave a little residue on fingers and foreheads <span style="font-size: small;">(especially the pinks and reds). </span>It didn't bother the girls at all, but it's worth noting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. The chalked colors did wash out of the hair with regular shampoo. It came out easily from the darker-haired cousins, but took one shampoo and then a swim in the pool before it came out of my oldest daughter's hair. Her hair is lighter, pretty fine and I used quite a bit of the pink pastel in it. It didn't bother her (or me) since it was summer and we had no plans that required color free hair, however, you might want to test the colors you want on a small section if you're worried about wash-ability.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com161tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-17125710237330803812013-07-02T20:48:00.000-04:002013-07-02T20:48:06.056-04:00Miss me?<span style="font-size: large;">Yikes, can you believe it's been over 3 months since I last posted?! Life always gets busy once Spring rolls around, but this year seemed even busier than usual. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">My past few months in collage form...</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Rw9jUCYSqU/UdNvPMizXII/AAAAAAAAE78/E15-oqTcDTY/s651/been+busy+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Rw9jUCYSqU/UdNvPMizXII/AAAAAAAAE78/E15-oqTcDTY/s1600/been+busy+collage.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Those same few months in list form...</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">3 days a week of baseball</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">2 days a week of soccer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">one 4th grade STEM fair project <span style="font-size: small;">(which won 1st place at her school!)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">one 3rd grade research presentation on conjoined twins <span style="font-size: small;">(really interesting)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">one 1st grade research presentation on Bald Eagles</span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">3 end-of-the-year art shows and Spring concerts <span style="font-size: small;">(one for each kid, all on separate nights)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">one long-term subsitute job for several weeks in Kindergarten <span style="font-size: small;">(wow, was that exhausting)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">an embarrassing amount of time playing Candy Crush Saga instead of doing something more productive once the kids were in bed at night</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Yup, no real excuses, I was just a mom, alternating between being super busy and totally wiped out. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In any case, though, I'm back. I have several cool posts about things we did over the past few months that I didn't blog about and we've done a few fun things since school let out. As I catch up with new posts, I'll also be sharing some really fun older posts on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ComeTogetherKids" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> that I think you'll enjoy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Oh, and make me feel better, has your Spring/Summer been crazy like mine? Were you able to manage everything or did you let stuff slide too so you could just chill out some nights?</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com380tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-73986201708367850112013-03-25T14:02:00.001-04:002013-03-25T14:02:06.784-04:00Getting Organized for Spring
<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<p>This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/disclosure_clicks?oid=9565743'>Rubbermaid® All AccessTM Organizers</a> for <a rel='nofollow' href='http://izea.in/r13ae'>SocialSpark</a>. All opinions are 100% mine.</p>
<p> Every year when the seasons change, I make my "I'm-going-to-be-even-more-organized-this-time" vows. As I put away the last season's clothes and accessories and bring out the new stuff, I keep trying to refine my system and try a few new things. With Spring (hopefully) right around the corner, I'll be doing the big winter to spring switch in these next few weeks. Gone will be the snow boots, scarves, and out will come the spring jackets, outdoor toys and sports equipment.</p>
<p> My current system utilizes tons of those plastic storage bins. I pack up all the stuff we're going to put away till next year, label the bin and put it up in the attic. Then I take down the bins I'd stored away last year and pull out all the spring and summer items we'll be needing. Overall, it's been pretty effective but there's always room for improvement.</p>
<p> This year, I'm going to be adding a new variation to some of my storage bins. Check out these new <a rel='nofollow' href='http://app.socialspark.com/clicks?lid=26155&oid=9565743'>Rubbermaid® All AccessTM storage containers</a> .</p>
<p style='text-align: center;'> <img style='width: 396px; height: 576px;' src='http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z245/lauranovo/rubbermaidaccess_zpsc088a62d.png' alt=''/></p>
<p> </p>
<p> So smart, don't you think? It's a plastic storage container just like the ones I've been using, but it has a clear drop down door on the side for easy access to the contents. There's a variety of colors and sizes, so I plan to pick up a few of them so we're even more organized and efficient. I'm thinking I'll get a couple to store all of our boots, gloves, hats and other winter accessories in. I'll still be able to put them up in the attic for the spring and summer months, but next fall I can just take down the whole container and put it right on the shelf in our hall closet. We'll be able to just pull open the drop down door and get the things we need ~ it totally eliminates the whole step of emptying out the bin and putting it in another container for easy access.</p>
<p> I'm thinking these would be perfect for the kids' sports' stuff too. Right now, I really don't have a good storage solution for their soccer balls, shin guards, basketballs, baseball gloves, cleats and all the other athletic paraphernalia. If I get a few more of these containers, I can stack them in the closet in my son's room during the sports' season, and move the whole bin up to the attic if we need more space during the off-season.</p>
<p> You can find these clever new storage containers at Walmart stores throughout the county ( and in my newly organized closets in the next few weeks! )</p>
<p>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-51126897667303948162013-03-15T11:37:00.001-04:002013-03-15T11:37:35.763-04:00Make-Your-Own Mini Pies (for Pi Day or any day)<i>Yesterday was Pi Day ~ an unofficial "holiday" celebrating the mathematical expression of pi ( the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and approximately equal to 3.14) Get it? March 14th is 3.14. Now my kids aren't so far along in their math studies that they've actually worked with pi, but they eagerly accepted any excuse for a fun little dessert.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out these fun, individual-sized pies...</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPAef8jrGyc/UUM6PCj_kLI/AAAAAAAAE4g/EUOVB--cfY4/s1600/mini+pies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XPAef8jrGyc/UUM6PCj_kLI/AAAAAAAAE4g/EUOVB--cfY4/s1600/mini+pies.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I made it super easy for us and just got some premade pie crusts and three different kinds of fillings ~ apple, blueberry, and cherry.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fz48ehuSeZU/UUM6grRq7yI/AAAAAAAAE4o/l9G88ptgSFc/s1600/mini+pies+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fz48ehuSeZU/UUM6grRq7yI/AAAAAAAAE4o/l9G88ptgSFc/s1600/mini+pies+2.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Making the pies was really <span style="font-size: x-large;">simple</span> and the kids liked choosing their fillings and adding some little designs to the tops of their pies.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tn-DaW2LGjw/UUM62dAbs1I/AAAAAAAAE4w/qwJRjBeLXos/s1600/mini+pies+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tn-DaW2LGjw/UUM62dAbs1I/AAAAAAAAE4w/qwJRjBeLXos/s1600/mini+pies+3.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">It's really pretty self-explanatory, but this is how we made our mini pies...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Preheat oven to 425*. I also used some parchment paper to cover my cookie sheets.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Using a small bowl or cup, cut circles out of your premade pie crust. <span style="font-size: small;">(Ours were about 5" or so).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Spoon some filling into the center of your crust circle.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Make an egg wash by putting just an egg white into a bowl and whisking it slightly. Then brush the wash around the edges of your circle. <span style="font-size: small;">(It'll help to act as a "glue" to seal the top and bottom crusts).</span> Put on the top circle of dough and gently push together the edges to seal. Then use a fork to help further seal the edges.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Using the extra scraps of crust, cut little shapes or letters out of the dough <span style="font-size: small;">(we had initials, footballs, cherries and more)</span>. Brush some of the egg wash over the whole top of your pie, put on your shapes, then brush a little more egg wash on.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Bake until the pies are golden brown. Our pies took about 12-13 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Allow to cool a bit and serve with ice cream!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Yummy! </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcVFxP69M9Y/UUM8_vGQL8I/AAAAAAAAE44/AMlqUHYes8M/s1600/mini+pies+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vcVFxP69M9Y/UUM8_vGQL8I/AAAAAAAAE44/AMlqUHYes8M/s640/mini+pies+4.jpg" width="440" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I was a little more literal in my interpretation and made my pie with the pi symbol!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6uTaUBgkgRM/UUM9QHX92rI/AAAAAAAAE5A/d-HXPz5KX1Y/s1600/mini+pies+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6uTaUBgkgRM/UUM9QHX92rI/AAAAAAAAE5A/d-HXPz5KX1Y/s1600/mini+pies+5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned, my kids haven't had to actually calculate the area of a circle or do any other problems with pi, but they are familiar with the term from one of their favorite movies ~ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GJTYIW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GJTYIW&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian</a>. We love watching it before we head down to DC to visit the Smithsonian Museums. In the movie, Ben Stiller's character has to crack a code and gets the answer from the Einstein bobble-heads in the gift shop at the Air and Space Museum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">As we were eating our pies last night, my kids kept shaking their heads as they tried to say all the numbers from the movie (3.14159265) Here's a little clip.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/l3DXVVSRYdE?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>
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Sharing our fun desserts at:</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com117tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-35376759936110183712013-03-11T11:49:00.000-04:002013-03-11T11:51:55.355-04:00Fort McHenry (Baltimore, MD)<i>Yesterday was a beautiful early Spring day here in Baltimore so I took my girls to spend an afternoon at <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort McHenry</a>. If you're ever in Baltimore, Fort McHenry is just a short drive from the Inner Harbor, Maryland Science Center, and American Visionary Art Museum. It's the perfect place to learn a little history and get out a little bit of extra energy outdoors.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out our visit...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i4Ybw71Xpt4/UT3qCb27XNI/AAAAAAAAE3o/1KMRJz1B2WQ/s1600/fort+mchenry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Baltimore with kids, places to go in Baltimore, NPS Junior Ranger Program" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i4Ybw71Xpt4/UT3qCb27XNI/AAAAAAAAE3o/1KMRJz1B2WQ/s1600/fort+mchenry.jpg" title="Fort McHenry (Baltimore, MD)" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As a little history refresher, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort McHenry</a> is best known for its role in successfully defending the city of Baltimore during the War of 1812. It was the morning after the British attack in September 1814, when Francis Scott Key saw the U.S. flag being raised above the fort, that the Star Spangled Banner was written.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">My girls enjoyed our afternoon...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-chqEuplZwfM/UT3xC4L5SEI/AAAAAAAAE34/RGvD1Bp9WKM/s1600/fort+mchenry+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="places to go in Baltimore, Baltimore with kids" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-chqEuplZwfM/UT3xC4L5SEI/AAAAAAAAE34/RGvD1Bp9WKM/s1600/fort+mchenry+2.jpg" title="Fort McHenry Baltimore, MD" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fort McHenry is part of the National Park Service and has its own <a href="http://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.cfm" target="_blank">Junior Ranger Program</a>. If you're ever at the fort, or any of the other NPS sites that have this program, definitely let your kids participate. (check their <a href="http://www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.cfm" target="_blank">website </a>for a list of participating sites) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The girls got <span style="font-size: large;">a</span> list of questions about the fort and the War of 1812. All the answers could be found in the Visitor Center and on the grounds. It was almost like a scavenger hunt for them, as they ran from exhibit to exhibit reading signs to find information. <span style="font-size: small;">(Pretty fun way to sneak in lots of learning, don't you think?)</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lyTWc2pwNGI/UT33plNO4QI/AAAAAAAAE4I/xHrZ1X8TKos/s1600/fort+mchenry+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lyTWc2pwNGI/UT33plNO4QI/AAAAAAAAE4I/xHrZ1X8TKos/s1600/fort+mchenry+3.jpg" title="National Park Service Junior Ranger Program at Ft Mc Henry" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After all the questions were answered, they took their completed papers back to the ranger station to be checked. The ranger determined that everything looked good and they were sworn in as Junior Park Rangers. They got certificates and fun little badges.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfmJjED1SPY/UT34LYRfqUI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/LKR2Jx_pXMk/s1600/fort+mchenry+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zfmJjED1SPY/UT34LYRfqUI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/LKR2Jx_pXMk/s1600/fort+mchenry+4.jpg" title="National Park Service Junior Ranger Program at Fort McHenry" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned, Fort McHenry is just a short drive from Baltimore's Inner Harbor and it's just off of I-95. There's also a <a href="http://baltimorewatertaxi.com/" target="_blank">water taxi service </a>that can take you from the Inner Harbor to the the Fort <span style="font-size: small;">(which is a fun boat ride for the kids). </span>I'd definitely recommend it as part of your Baltimore visit<span style="font-size: large;"> and it's would be a good side tr<span style="font-size: large;">ip <span style="font-size: large;">from</span> a vis<span style="font-size: large;">it to Washi<span style="font-size: large;">ngton DC</span></span></span></span>. Kids can learn some history and just run around on the grounds ~ there's a great path all along the water around the fort. It's a great spot for a picnic lunch as you watch the boats go in and out of the Harbor.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069781322689089196noreply@blogger.com181tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825615473592127452.post-58956678398880522512013-03-04T22:56:00.000-05:002013-08-05T19:18:17.697-04:00Pencil Dispenser (from an acrylic straw dispenser)<i>A few weeks ago, my sister told me she saw a cute idea to use a straw dispenser to hold sharpened pencils. I thought it was such a cute and clever way to always have sharpened pencils on hand and ready for use, but I was bummed that I'm no longer a full-time teacher with a classroom of my own. Then I realized we still go through a ton of pencils here during homework time and I'm always scrambling to find sharpened pencils when the kids have to restock their pencil cases before they go off to school in the mornings. I decided I was going to go ahead and get our own pencil dispenser for our house.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Check it out...</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnL6LOgeNxo/UTVl5kwNMaI/AAAAAAAAE24/5sHTX4SzYGw/s1600/pencil+dispenser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pencil Dispenser from an acrylic straw dispenser ~ so smart!!" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnL6LOgeNxo/UTVl5kwNMaI/AAAAAAAAE24/5sHTX4SzYGw/s1600/pencil+dispenser.jpg" title="Pencil Dispenser from an acrylic straw dispenser ~ so smart!" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's funny how exciting it can be to get a new electric pencil sharpener and a cool dispenser. No matter what time of year it is or how old you are, fresh school supplies can give you a fresh outlook!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There was really nothing to this "project". I simply ordered an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VZCSS0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001VZCSS0&linkCode=as2&tag=comet0c-20" target="_blank">acrylic straw dispenser from Amazon</a>,<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Amazon affiliate link)</span> the kids sharpened a bunch of the pencils we had around the house, and we filled up the dispenser.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GBzSICWgcjU/UTVl5Ts5MUI/AAAAAAAAE3E/0uRg9FJ61Fk/s1600/pencil+dispenser+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GBzSICWgcjU/UTVl5Ts5MUI/AAAAAAAAE3E/0uRg9FJ61Fk/s1600/pencil+dispenser+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To get a sharpened pencil, you just turn the knob on the side and a fresh new pencil rolls right out.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu1XT0TlKV8/UTVl5fMyywI/AAAAAAAAE3M/dn4Vxvu2vHQ/s1600/pencil+dispenser+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="pencil dispenser, pencil holder, homeschool, classroom ideas" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu1XT0TlKV8/UTVl5fMyywI/AAAAAAAAE3M/dn4Vxvu2vHQ/s1600/pencil+dispenser+3.jpg" title="Cute pencil dispenser (from an acrylic straw dispenser)" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I thought about adding a little label or stickers to the dispenser to jazz it up, but for now we like it just plain. (The kids love watch<span style="font-size: large;">ing to see which pencil falls out) </span>It sits right on top of the little cabinet where the kids put their school papers and we keep extra school supplies. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JTHWnb6HX68/UTVl5daaa5I/AAAAAAAAE3I/layLVMFdQOc/s1600/pencil+dispenser+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JTHWnb6HX68/UTVl5daaa5I/AAAAAAAAE3I/layLVMFdQOc/s1600/pencil+dispenser+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I think I may get more for each of the kids' teachers. I missed out on the chance to give them for back-to-school or Christmas gifts, but I think they'd be appreciated at any time of year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharing this cute and clever <span style="font-size: x-small;">idea at:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/03/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-wallpaper-for-windows-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tatertots & Jello </span></span></a> </span></div>
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