#19
Helping your children with spelling words can be easy. I have discovered a trick that has really worked with two of my kids.
I have a dry erase board on my refrigerator. Each weak when they bring home their spelling words, I write them on the board. They each have their own column. This way, they are there to see all week and we can test while we are doing almost anything.
Since I have done this, both of them have done better on their tests at school. Good luck and have fun with it.
Affectionately,
Franci
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
#18
I can't believe that it took me until last year to figure out all the amazing things that I can do with baking soda! Since I learned, I have been cleaning and doing all sorts of things with it. And the good thing is that baking soda is very cheap.
In case you've never thought about it, here are just a small handful of ideas...
Use it to relieve bee stings
Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.
Put out small fires
Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
vacuum cleaner to remove the odor
Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs
Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
Remove grease from pots and pans.
Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.
Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.
Clean your shoes with it.
Clean garbage cans with it
Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.
Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
I may post more in the future. Ya never know.
Affectionately,
Franci
I can't believe that it took me until last year to figure out all the amazing things that I can do with baking soda! Since I learned, I have been cleaning and doing all sorts of things with it. And the good thing is that baking soda is very cheap.
In case you've never thought about it, here are just a small handful of ideas...
Use it to relieve bee stings
Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.
Put out small fires
Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
vacuum cleaner to remove the odor
Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs
Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
Remove grease from pots and pans.
Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.
Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.
Clean your shoes with it.
Clean garbage cans with it
Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.
Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
I may post more in the future. Ya never know.
Affectionately,
Franci
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
#17
Cakes.
I am going to share with you my secret ingredient for awesome cakes. My cakes always turn out very moist and it's because of my secret ingredient. I usually don't tell people because they turn up their noses screaming "eeww." Or, they simply don't believe me. However, it is true. I use mayonnaise in place of the oil. The same amount that the recipe calls for. Now before you get totally grossed out, think about it. What is mayonanaise? Mayo is made from oil and eggs. Really. It's that simple! So, I encourage....better yet, dare you to try it and see for yourself. I have had many folks coming back to me to order my cakes for years. You won't be sorry.
Here are a couple cakes that I've done. I will share more in the future.
Affectionately,
Franci
Cakes.
I am going to share with you my secret ingredient for awesome cakes. My cakes always turn out very moist and it's because of my secret ingredient. I usually don't tell people because they turn up their noses screaming "eeww." Or, they simply don't believe me. However, it is true. I use mayonnaise in place of the oil. The same amount that the recipe calls for. Now before you get totally grossed out, think about it. What is mayonanaise? Mayo is made from oil and eggs. Really. It's that simple! So, I encourage....better yet, dare you to try it and see for yourself. I have had many folks coming back to me to order my cakes for years. You won't be sorry.
Here are a couple cakes that I've done. I will share more in the future.
Affectionately,
Franci
Monday, January 11, 2010
#16
I seem to struggle at times with what to send to school in my children's lunches or for snacks. I know I have done a list on a prior blog about snacks for the car, but there are a few unique ideas that I have used, not just for what I send but how I send it.
I just made my own snack mix with pretzel sticks, chocolate teddygrams, goldfish, cheetos, & honeycomb cereal. Then, I used a scoop to fill re-sealable snack baggies. I filled as many as I could with the mix. The baggies went into a basket for easy grabbing when I need to pack lunches or somebody needs a snack on the go.
Another thing that works is saving and reusing seasoning bottles. I sent little pickles to school with the kids in a clean, old cinnamon bottle. I did this so the pickle juice wouldn't get everywhere and be so messy.
Did you know that coolers aren't just for summer time? Really, have you thought about it? It is cold enough where I live to leave a cooler on my back deck and keep things in it that won't fit in the fridge. We like to keep sodas out there so they don't take up room in the fridge. This is great if you are having a party or get together too. Trust me, people do not mind walking out there to get a soda. On this same note, I have been making all five lunches the night before and putting the lunch boxes in the cooler. The kids just grab them out on the way to the van. It's right there where they can see it. So, we have less forgotten lunches and less trips for me running to the school a second time.
These are my thoughts for today.
Affectionately,
Franci
I seem to struggle at times with what to send to school in my children's lunches or for snacks. I know I have done a list on a prior blog about snacks for the car, but there are a few unique ideas that I have used, not just for what I send but how I send it.
I just made my own snack mix with pretzel sticks, chocolate teddygrams, goldfish, cheetos, & honeycomb cereal. Then, I used a scoop to fill re-sealable snack baggies. I filled as many as I could with the mix. The baggies went into a basket for easy grabbing when I need to pack lunches or somebody needs a snack on the go.
Another thing that works is saving and reusing seasoning bottles. I sent little pickles to school with the kids in a clean, old cinnamon bottle. I did this so the pickle juice wouldn't get everywhere and be so messy.
Did you know that coolers aren't just for summer time? Really, have you thought about it? It is cold enough where I live to leave a cooler on my back deck and keep things in it that won't fit in the fridge. We like to keep sodas out there so they don't take up room in the fridge. This is great if you are having a party or get together too. Trust me, people do not mind walking out there to get a soda. On this same note, I have been making all five lunches the night before and putting the lunch boxes in the cooler. The kids just grab them out on the way to the van. It's right there where they can see it. So, we have less forgotten lunches and less trips for me running to the school a second time.
These are my thoughts for today.
Affectionately,
Franci
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Baking Soda
Day #15
It wasn't until last year that I learned there are many uses for baking soda. It isn't just that little box you put in your refrigerator to absorb odors. It does that too, but there is so much more it can do! Once I discovered this, I went crazy with it. It's a good thing it's cheap to purchase.
I hate to admit that I actually had a fire in one of my pans on the stove months ago. I poured baking soda on it to put it out!
Here are some other options;
-Cleaning tough spots off of vinyl and tile floors.Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls. (Just make sure you rinse well or it will leave a powdery texture.)
- Great for putting on bee stings and other insects stings, just add a little water to make a paste.
-Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
-Add to your bath to relieve skin irritations.
-Put out small fires (like mine)
-Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
-Sprinkle it in your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
-Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
- add to your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor
-sprinkle on carpet and let sit for about 10 minutes before vacuuming to freshen up the room.
-Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
-Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
-Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs (I've been using it to clean anything I can!)
-Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
- Remove grease from pots and pans.
-Sprinkle in the washer with your laundry for extra clean clothes.
-Clean your shoes with it.
-Clean garbage cans with it, then sprinkle a little in the bottom to help eliminate odors.
-Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
-Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.
-Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
-You can make a paste with it by adding water and brush your teeth.
I know there are many more and probably some I haven't even discovered yet. It is environmentally friendly, so the possibilities are endless. Have fun with it!
Affectionately,
Franci
It wasn't until last year that I learned there are many uses for baking soda. It isn't just that little box you put in your refrigerator to absorb odors. It does that too, but there is so much more it can do! Once I discovered this, I went crazy with it. It's a good thing it's cheap to purchase.
I hate to admit that I actually had a fire in one of my pans on the stove months ago. I poured baking soda on it to put it out!
Here are some other options;
-Cleaning tough spots off of vinyl and tile floors.Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls. (Just make sure you rinse well or it will leave a powdery texture.)
- Great for putting on bee stings and other insects stings, just add a little water to make a paste.
-Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
-Add to your bath to relieve skin irritations.
-Put out small fires (like mine)
-Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
-Sprinkle it in your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
-Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
- add to your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor
-sprinkle on carpet and let sit for about 10 minutes before vacuuming to freshen up the room.
-Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.
-Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
-Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs (I've been using it to clean anything I can!)
-Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
- Remove grease from pots and pans.
-Sprinkle in the washer with your laundry for extra clean clothes.
-Clean your shoes with it.
-Clean garbage cans with it, then sprinkle a little in the bottom to help eliminate odors.
-Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
-Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.
-Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
-You can make a paste with it by adding water and brush your teeth.
I know there are many more and probably some I haven't even discovered yet. It is environmentally friendly, so the possibilities are endless. Have fun with it!
Affectionately,
Franci
Friday, January 1, 2010
Day #14
It's back to work and back to school after the holidays. As we start back to the routine, there is no easing into it. I have kids at different schools and meetings and games and cheerleading practice. The list goes on. Thinking of my day and needing to feed my children snacks to hold them over between events until dinner, I came up with todays blog.
Sometimes it's hard to think of a snack to grab for them, especially if I am in a hurry. So I decided to make a running list of snack ideas for a couple weeks, that can be kept in the van. Once I have done this for awhile, I will have a list to look back on when I don't know what to take.
I have done this with meals before, but not with snacks.
To start with, you can add;
Sandwiches- (but take along the mustard, mayo, & ketchup packets to add them on right before eating so they don't get soggy)
peanut butter crackers, or peanut butter on celery
Crackers with cheese
Popcorn or Popcorn balls
Cereal (you can put it in baggies or containers)
Granola or granola bars
Nuts
Dried fruit/ trail mix (you can make your own trail mix)
Muffins
Fruit
Veggies (raw & take some ranch dressing in a container for dipping. Kids love to dip!)
Yogurt / Go-Gurts are great and really good frozen!
Hard boiled eggs
Wraps (you can put almost anything in a tortilla and wrap it up)
Cheese
Chips
Pretzels
Well, I better go prepare those snacks so they are ready when I pick up the kids!
Affectionately,
Franci
It's back to work and back to school after the holidays. As we start back to the routine, there is no easing into it. I have kids at different schools and meetings and games and cheerleading practice. The list goes on. Thinking of my day and needing to feed my children snacks to hold them over between events until dinner, I came up with todays blog.
Sometimes it's hard to think of a snack to grab for them, especially if I am in a hurry. So I decided to make a running list of snack ideas for a couple weeks, that can be kept in the van. Once I have done this for awhile, I will have a list to look back on when I don't know what to take.
I have done this with meals before, but not with snacks.
To start with, you can add;
Sandwiches- (but take along the mustard, mayo, & ketchup packets to add them on right before eating so they don't get soggy)
peanut butter crackers, or peanut butter on celery
Crackers with cheese
Popcorn or Popcorn balls
Cereal (you can put it in baggies or containers)
Granola or granola bars
Nuts
Dried fruit/ trail mix (you can make your own trail mix)
Muffins
Fruit
Veggies (raw & take some ranch dressing in a container for dipping. Kids love to dip!)
Yogurt / Go-Gurts are great and really good frozen!
Hard boiled eggs
Wraps (you can put almost anything in a tortilla and wrap it up)
Cheese
Chips
Pretzels
Well, I better go prepare those snacks so they are ready when I pick up the kids!
Affectionately,
Franci
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Day #13
Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you all have a very magical and blessed holiday!
The ideal way to do things, is to finish your shopping early so that you can also finish your wrapping without a manic wrapping session. However, that just isn't reality. The reality is that no matter how hard I tried, I will still be up all night racing Santa.
We left tree shaped brownies, meringue santa hats, & peanut butter and chocolate pinwheel cookies out for Santa. I hope he enjoys them and that it gives him enough energy to finish his special deliveries!
Enjoy your families & remember the reason for the season!
Affectionately,
Franci
Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you all have a very magical and blessed holiday!
The ideal way to do things, is to finish your shopping early so that you can also finish your wrapping without a manic wrapping session. However, that just isn't reality. The reality is that no matter how hard I tried, I will still be up all night racing Santa.
We left tree shaped brownies, meringue santa hats, & peanut butter and chocolate pinwheel cookies out for Santa. I hope he enjoys them and that it gives him enough energy to finish his special deliveries!
Enjoy your families & remember the reason for the season!
Affectionately,
Franci
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