Search Results for: blog are you a spoon

Putting Your Preschooler to Work

Nothing makes preschoolers happier than helping their parents.  Studies show that young children are wired to get pleasure from pleasing their mom or dad.  So, instead of ignoring your four-year-old when he offers to help you make the beds, fold laundry or put away groceries, allow him to exercise his independence by lending a hand. In some cases, a preschooler’s attempt at helping is more of a hindrance to parents; however, with a little patience you can turn these heartfelt efforts into teachable moments. When my now 8-year-old daughter was a preschooler nothing delighted her more than being able to … Continue reading →

Frugal Food: Make Your Own Chewy Granola Bars

My kids are crazy for those chewy granola bars. They love to take them with their school lunches or to the park when they might need a snack. They are very convenient to have. Unfortunately, the price of chewy granola bars has been rising, all while the amount you get in a package has been shrinking. Combine that cost with the unsavory ingredients in some of them (“natural” versions are even more expensive), it only makes sense to create my own homemade version. I experimented with a number of recipes but wound up settling on one that uses honey as … Continue reading →

Ways to Spice Up Your Easter Party

Add some spring to your step and kick up your upcoming Easter get-together with extended family and friends.  The following fun-filled activities are designed to supplement traditional egg hunts without breaking the bank or forcing you to your breaking point: Craft Stations:  Before the annual Easter egg hunt gets underway have kids partake in some craft making.  This can be done by setting up various stations in your home.  Not only do these project centers keep kids busy while the adults mingle, but they also ensure your youngest guests have something to take home besides a bunch of chocolate.  An … Continue reading →

Paint Your Way to an Affordable Halloween Costume

Face paint is a spooktacular way to get into the Halloween spirit. What’s more, you don’t have to wave a brush like Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo or Pablo Picasso in order to look scary good on All Hallows’ Eve. And, even better, you don’t need to drain your wallet paying for elaborate face painting kits or fancy supplies. With a little time and energy you can whip up a batch of face paint using materials found around your home. A safe and easy recipe for face paint requires: one teaspoon of cornstarch, a half teaspoon of water, a half teaspoon … Continue reading →

Cleaning Your Microwave

I don’t like cleaning my stove or refrigerator. But there is another appliance in my home that I dislike cleaning even more…the microwave. I guess that’s because I don’t have to clean the stove or fridge on a regular basis. However, the microwave gets a lot of use out of it so cleaning is much more frequent. What I especially don’t like is the awful smell of popcorn inside (even though I love popcorn). But what’s worse is when my children have warmed up cans of Spaghetti O’s. Not only do I want to gag at the smell but the … Continue reading →

Could You Profit From Pickles Or Preserves?

If you enjoy cooking and would like to start a home – based business that involves food, you may want to look into canning and preserving. Home made jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, and all kinds of other preserved produce are popular items at farmers’ markets. Each person who makes canned or preserved foods may use unique recipes, in order to offer their customers something slightly different than just the basics. For example, if you make apple sauce, why not offer a few different flavors like strawberry apple sauce and cranberry apple sauce. If you decide to learn more about canning … Continue reading →

5 Exfoliants You Can Create at Home

For the luxury of a spa treatment without the expense, create your own formulas. Exfoliants are fun and a good party of any beauty treatment. They work by sloughing off dead skin cells that can make your skin dull or cause break outs. You can create your own scrub and experiment with different recipes until you get one that works perfectly for you. While not all of the ingredients listed below are all natural, you can feel confident about choosing ones that are, if that is a concern for you. You can also avoid any ingredients that may cause allergies. … Continue reading →

Scrapbook Layouts as Gifts

Earlier this summer I attended a wedding for one of my former TV news co-workers. He and his wife got married in a lovely ceremony on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a touching vow exchange, though, I was equally impressed by the gifts the couple received from the bride’s crafty friends. Each of the gals from her weekly book group got together to design individual scrapbook layouts for the newlyweds’ wedding memory album. While this is not an entirely novel idea, what made their layouts stand-out (to me, anyway) was the fact that they all included the same … Continue reading →

What You Need to Know about Maple Syrup

Is your maple syrup all that it should be? Real maple syrup can be used not only for pancakes but also in many savory dishes. When choosing maple syrup from the store, it is important to read the ingredient label. There should be only one: maple syrup. Just because a bottle is labeled all natural does not mean that it is pure or real maple syrup. Cheaper syrups, usually labeled pancake syrup often have no trace of maple syrup in them at all. Maple syrup comes in four different USDA grades, lighter and darker. The darker grades (the syrup is … Continue reading →

Free eCookbooks for Your Kindle – Week of May 23, 2012

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Do you have a Kindle? These handy little ebook readers are good for more than reading a novel or browsing through a newspaper! People who like to cook can put their favorite cookbook onto their Kindle. Get the page that has the recipe you want to make on the screen, and you are ready to go! You won’t even have to find something to hold down the pages. Here are some eCookbooks that you can download onto your Kindle for free from Amazon. SPOON is a FREE eCookbook that you can download from Amazon onto your Kindle. The full title … Continue reading →