Bare Feet on the Dashboard

18
Apr
2015

Clean Mud Bubble Dough – The Easiest Sensory Dough Ever

categories: kids, play

We love to play outside, but sometimes need fresh ideas to get the kids engaged. They’ve been really in to bubbles lately, so after making a DIY bubble solution with dish soap and water I was inspired to try a new twist on clean mud dough. Play dough of all kinds is so much fun and give kids a great sensory experience, but making it yourself can be a challenge. This recipe for clean mud bubble dough is pretty much the easiest sensory dough ever and creates clean bubbly fun for your kids. It takes only 3 ingredients and about 5 minutes, plus the clean up is super simple as well. Ready to have some bubble dough fun?

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17
Apr
2015

My Best Cloth Diaper Advice After 4 Years in the Trenches

categories: baby, budget, cloth diaper, green living

My oldest child is about to turn 4, and his birthday always makes me reflect on all I’ve learned in these few short years of motherhood. One of my favorite parenting decisions we made was the choice to use cloth diapers. We have saved thousands of dollars using cloth diapers for our kids, and have kept tons of waste out of landfills. Besides the obvious economic and environment benefits, cloth diapers are super cute and great for my babies’ sensitive skin. Today I’m sharing my best cloth diapering advice after 4 hard fought years in the trenches so you can learn from my mistakes.

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15
Apr
2015

What is Natural Childbirth Really Like? A Mom’s Perspective

categories: baby, birth, pregnancy, vbac

The two most common reactions I get when I share that I had an all natural birth with my daughter are, “Why would you choose NOT to have pain medicine?” and “That’s cool, but I could never do that.” As her birthday draws near, I’m reflecting on the choices I made surrounding her birth and the beautiful experience it was. I’ve only birthed two children, but because of the choices I made each time I’ve experienced both a very clinical, controlled, medicated birth and an all natural, no medication, no intervention birth. Spoiler alert: the all natural birth was by far my favorite for many reasons. Because of these experiences, today I’m sharing what all natural birth was like for me and why I preferred it to the medicated version. No two births are alike, and you have the right to choose what is best for your body and your baby. I’m just a mom sharing my experiences.

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13
Apr
2015

Preschool Name Recognition and Writing Practice with Sidewalk Chalk

categories: kids, preschool

We work on lots of preschool skills at home with our kids, all while having fun. Our almost four year old loves to learn through play, so I try to make our home preschool activities an exciting adventure rather than boring and stiff. We’ve worked on pre-writing skills all year and it has been really fun to see his handwriting skills develop. Lately we’ve been doing preschool name recognition activities to tie in with the writing practice so that soon he will be able to write his own name. We love to play with sidewalk chalk outside, so I combined the skills practice with play to help him learn to recognize his name and practice writing it.

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10
Apr
2015

How to Kill Fire Ants without Harsh Chemicals

categories: essential oils, green living

Living in Texas, we are constantly on the lookout for fire ants. Their bite is vicious and the wound can last weeks without proper treatment. Every time I see a fire ant mound starting to form in our yard or public parts of our neighborhood, I treat it. Through research and trial and error I’ve learned how to kill fire ants without harsh chemicals. That way I can go to battle and win against the little tyrants without damaging the environment or putting my kids at risk.

Why do I hate them so much? Last year our daughter wandered in to a pile of fire ants and was stung over 30 times in a matter of seconds. It was horrible, and had we not gotten them off of her in time she could have died. One wrong step led to days of misery for my sweet girl, and a very traumatic time for her mama. Read on to find out how we annihilate fire ants in our area and keep them away.

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09
Apr
2015

How to Make Date Night a Priority

categories: dining out, love, marriage

Making Date Night a Priority #LobsterWorthy — Date Night Selfie!

Making time for date nights with my husband is a real struggle with our busy schedule, but every time we make it work it is so worth it. It can be so easy to push it to the back burner and let budget, busyness, and kids get in the way of quality time together. One of goals this year is to have at least one quality date night out a month, and we are working hard to make that happen. Today I’m sharing tips to help you make date night a priority, plus some fun details from our recent #lobsterworthy date night out at Red Lobster.

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08
Apr
2015

Easy Ways to Green Your Home

categories: green living

Creating an environmentally friendly home can seem like a daunting task. There is always something more we can do to decrease our home’s footprint and lower our damage to the environment. How do we start down the path to green living without being intimidated by all that needs changing? At our house, we make one simple change at a time. Today I’m sharing a few simple and easy ways you can start to green your home in honor of Earth Month. Join in the conversation in the comments section or on my Facebook page here.

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03
Apr
2015

12 Preschool Activities for Earth Day: All About the Earth and Conservation

categories: green living, preschool, toddler school

In celebration of Earth Month, I’ve gathered 12 fun activities to help get kids learning about the earth, conservation, pollution, and all things earthy. These activities are hands on, teach other important skills as you go, and will help kids to better understand the world around them and appreciate and care for the environment. Read on to find 12 of the best preschool activities for Earth Day from the Kid Blogger Network.

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02
Apr
2015

Kid Art: Turn a Used Cardboard Roll in to a Telescope and Sword

categories: green living, kids, play

Have you noticed how kids will turn something bound for the trashcan in to a treasure? At our house, this most commonly happens with cardboard rolls from paper towels and toilet paper. The Bear (almost 4) loves to turn them in to swords, binoculars, and telescopes. We don’t use a lot of paper towels, so whenever we run through a roll he gets really excited to make an “eye scope”. Usually the roll becomes a telescope until it is too bent to see through and then transforms in to a sword. Paper towel rolls get taped together and made in to “knock-ulars”. For this spring’s 60 Day Junk Play Challenge, we decided to take a few of our old paper towel rolls and turn them in to special works of art.

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01
Apr
2015

Easy Ways to Give Your Kids a Green Childhood

categories: baby, green living, kids, parenting

Raising kids to appreciate and care for the world around them isn’t easy in our society that loves instant gratification, constant entertainment, and disposable everything. We want our kids to become adults who appreciate the earth, take responsibility for their effect on it, and work towards conservation for future generations. We believe that it is our responsibility as their parents to teach them about nature and how to love it and care for it. Today I’m sharing a few easy ways we work to give our kids a green childhood. April is Earth Month, so this year I’m joining with a group of bloggers for a series on Natural Parenting and Green Living. Join us we celebrate Earth Month and help each live a greener, more environmentally responsible life. We are far from the greenest family on the block, but we are working to become more eco-friendly every day.

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