Homemade Paint - for kids

This week has been a sick week here. Poor Miss G. She has had such a runny nose. It has now moved on to a cough. Poor girl. Hopefully this is the end to the sickness for this winter season and we will have nothing but health from now on.

Since Miss G. has been home from school she decided this would be the best time to do experiments. And why not? The schools science fair is coming up so this was the perfect opportunity to do her science fair project. She was looking at how well certain items absorb water.

I showed her how water absorption worked and what happens when things get over saturated. Here is a link to a great experiment to do with the kids. With the water left over from that experiment Miss G decided she was going to add a bunch of different things to see if she could make paint. I think she was on the right track but had the proportions out of wack. Well today we remedied that. Here is how to make homemade paint.

1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 1/3 cup water
food colouring of your choice.

This makes four generous sized amounts of paint. For more colours either make more or have smaller amounts.

I found this recipe in the description of this youtube video. Thanks youtube! Have fun painting!

How to Refill Foam Soap Dispensers Inexpensively

I don't know why but bars of soap just wig me out. They look beautiful (well they do until they are on their last legs), but the thought of using the same one others use to wash their hands just bothers me. I know that it is irrational. I am not a big germophobe so I don't get it. But there you have it. We all have our interesting quirks. Because of this liquid soap is for me.

Liquid soap is great. You just have to pump a little on your hands and a way you go. You don't have to worry about the bar slip sliding around and landing on the floor. I love how easily it lathers. To me it is amazing. But the thing with regular liquid soap is that you go through it like crazy. Or at least we seem to in my family. I think I was refilling the container once sometimes twice a week. That is with the older two at school for most of the day. The kids would use a full pump when only a half pump would do. And the refill jugs were pricey. I think the last one I bought was $6.99 and that lasted only only a few weeks.

Enter the foaming soap. I love this stuff. It is already lathery straight from the bottle and it uses way less soap. The container usually lasts two weeks with my family, so that's great. But once again, what to do about the refills?

Well lucky for me I have brilliant friends who show me all their nifty tricks of the domestic engineer trade. The following tip is brought to you by my friend Sherri. She truly is incredible!

All you need to refill your foaming soap dispenser is an empty soap container with foaming pump and your favourite kind of gel body wash. It has to be the gel kind. It cannot be the white creamy kind. That will not work.

Add about 1/2 an inch to an inch of the gel body wash to the container. (I am usually under an inch.)

Fill the rest with water. Make sure you leave space at the top for the pump and for the water and soap to move around.

Secure the lid tightly and gently rock the bottle back and forth to thoroughly mix the body wash and water. (You don't want to see any of body wash chunks.)

That's it. It takes a couple of pumps to get the foam at the beginning but then it is perfect!

The gel body wash I used I got for $2.99. I have refilled my soap dispenser six times and I still have gel left for probably 2 or 3 refills. (The body wash that I have in the pictures is bigger then the one I have been using so it will probably refill a lot more. I used it because the colour contrast is greater and thus easier for you to see.)

So if I get a full 9 refills from this bottle it will cost me $0.33 per refill. Not too bad. Even if I only get 8 it is still only $0.37.

I found another recipe online that makes it a bit more eco/people friendly. You can get that recipe here. I am going to try it out someday, I just don't have the materials on hand. So for now I will stick to the body wash.

What kind of inexpensive domestic tricks do you have that you get excited about?

Fall Fun

Well, the weather is getting cooler. The nights are getting darker earlier. I can definitely say that we are for sure in fall.

I love fall. I love seeing the leaves change. I love making big leaf piles. I don't like it when neighbours rake their leaves to the side of the road making it impossible for cars to park on the street. But other than that, I love fall.

I love the orange pumpkins, the red leaves and the brown memories of summer fun. I love the smell of foods being baked or roasted in the oven. I love the sound of the furnace turning on in the morning to heat up the house. So far that is the only time we have needed it on. The house has been able to maintain a decent temperature throughout the day which will be very nice for our gas bill.

This past Sunday we all went out and raked the leaves that were littering our driveway. I am not sure what type of tree is out there. I really must get serious and find out, but I think it might be part of the willow family... but it could really be anything. It has a billion leaves on it. They are slender and longish and when one falls, they all seem to. One morning we left for school and there was a few leaves on the ground. When we were walking back six hours later, you could barely see our driveway it was so covered in leaves. The girls thought that was pretty awesome.

Well as I stated before, on Sunday we all went out and raked leaves. We made a very large pile. All of us girls ganged up on my husband and threw leaves at him, and he got us back. My 19 month old rain along our neighbours front yards... about four houses down and when I was looked to see what she was running to I had to laugh. It was one of those little tykes cars that are yellow on top and red on the bottom. It was sitting out at the end of their driveway with some other junk they were putting out for garbage day. By the time I caught up to her she had already settled herself in and was excited at the prospect of the drive. So, I started to push the car back to our house where it has a new home. There wasn't anything wrong with it, just a bit cobwebby. The girls had a blast pushing their sister around and pushing each other into the leaves.

the oldest and the youngest going for a ride in the car

I think the highlight was when we buried the middle daughter in the leaf pile. She thought it was hilarious. I did too. What a fun afternoon.

she was dressed up like a witch so you can see the tip of her hat and the points of her shoes

That sense of family togetherness, adventure and joy has buoyed me up all week. I am so glad that we have those special moments. Those moments, when there is no squabbling, there are no dishes or other household chores to worry about. We are all working together, laughing together, and having fun together.

Sometimes those moments are organic, like this Sunday seemed to be. Sometimes they need to be a bit more contrived by the parent. And you know what, that's okay. I think the important thing is that we contrive and then let it develop into an organic feeling. The kids don't know or care if some activities are planned or not, what they care about is feeling loved and happy. They want to feel those feelings, and if they feel it through something that you planned out, that is great. And if it happens all on its own, that's great too!

What do you like to do for fall fun?

Happy Thanksgiving for all those in Canada!

Whimsical Last Days of Summer

Well... Today I just don't know what to write about. I feel like I have done so much in the past few weeks, yet I also feel like I have done nothing at all. Most of the things that we have done are family memory building activities. I haven't been canning, though I really should, I haven't been preparing things for the fall, or anything of that nature. I have been relishing in the last few days of summer vacation and loving being able to stay at home with my kids and doing things at a whim.

For example. Tuesday, was one of the hottest days of the summer. It has been a really chilly summer and the heat was nice. Since it was so hot, we decided to go to the beach at Pinehurst (A near by conservation area). It was so nice. My husband took off a few hours off work and came with us, which was a really nice treat. That beach was nice because there was lots of shade that was close to the water. Also really nice change rooms. If we had more time we would have gone for a little hike or something but it was just nice to be out in nature, on a beautiful day, being cooled off at a little lake. We packed a picnic lunch full of yummy snacks and cheeses and tomatoes bought fresh from the Farmer's market that morning. Really it couldn't have been a nicer midday activity.

Today I happen to have the van at home which is bit of a rare thing, quite often my husband has it at work. So, I took the kids to the St. Jacob's Farmers Market. I had the little one on my back in my Boba (best baby carrier ever!!!), and the other two walking along beside me. The girls loved seeing all the different things for sale. What they really wanted to do was bounce in the bouncy castle. So I let them and they even paid for the ride themselves! They were so excited to give the worker their money. They felt so proud. We then had lunch at Conestoga Fries which serves their food from a covered wagon. It was fun. The girls especially liked it because their favourite babysitter works there and served them. After lunch my middle girl bought a dream catcher. She found the most sparkly one there. My oldest bought a package of candy for us all to share and one for my husband. (We then drove to his work which is nearby the market and surprised him!) We walked back through the vegetable/fruit vendors and the girls loved calling out all the different kinds of food they saw. We saw some yummy corn so we are going to have corn on the cob with our dinner tonight. It will be delicious!

It is nice when you have days like this. Not to hot, beautiful sun and clear skies, and nothing on tap to do. It is nice when you have the flexibility to go ahead and do things and not worry about time off etc. 

When you decide to live off of one income your life becomes one of trade offs. You trade off exotic vacations for staycations. You trade off going to fancy resorts, to going to camp grounds and local parks. You trade off big renovations with making do and doing a little at a time. You trade having to work every day 9-5 for the ability to be flexible about where you want to spend your energies and time that day. 

There are times when I wish I could go to an office and someone else could look after my 18 month old because she does drive me crazy! But then there are days like this, when all the kids are sweet, the dishes are done, we have the car, and we are ready for adventure. I like these days the best. It is worth the trade off.

Getting Inspired by the Past

This past Monday was a holiday here. We have a pass to the regional museum so we decided to go for the morning. They have a village there that is set for the time of 1914. It was fun to walk around and look at how they did things back then.

The girls liked seeing the old fashioned washing tub and ringer. They also liked playing the different games, like crokinole, horseshoes and the egg toss. They also gave walking on stilts a try. My husband was pretty good.

These pictures are from last year's Canada day. I really need to remember my camera!!

I liked going into the general store to see the different products in tins and how beautiful it looked. I also liked going into the old mennonite house and I was drooling over their cellar. It was beautiful with built in stone shelving for their preserves. I told my husband that it was my dream house, though I would prefer to have electricity, running water and a few other modern conveniences.

I also saw the chicken coop and run of my dreams. Right now the city doesn't allow chicken coops in our back yards but I am hoping that changes soon.

I like going to these "pioneer villages". It gives me inspiration for things I can do now to get back to the basics. It makes me want to make beautiful quilts for my home, get it organized so it can be productive and comfortable, and makes me want to reduce time spent using electronic devices and increase the time of actually living.

It also reminds me that these people did not have giant rooms or their own craft space or what have you and they were still able to be productive in their home. One of the houses in the village was a log cabin that had the kitchen and two smaller rooms on the first floor and then the attic for the children to sleep and play. This woman did have her own dedicated room for her sewing set up or her books or her craft storage. She made do with the room available. I need to do that too. Instead of moping about not having the space or not having the kitchen gadget I really want I need to just get on with it.

Living the simple life does not mean having to live without modern conveniences or like a pioneer. But we should be looking for ways to cut back, to come to grips with what is truly necessary to do in life and what will give us fulfillment and then concentrate on those things.

It has been a year since I started this blog. I am still looking for my voice, I am still trying to change how I do things to have a simple life, and I have had so much fun documenting what we are doing in little old Waterloo. I am excited for this next year of blogging and hopefully something I write will inspire you, help you, or just let you know that you are not alone. Thanks for dropping by this year. Please say hello in the comments, I love hearing from you.

I won't have a blog post next week as we are busy with holiday stuff, but I will be back on the 21st. I hope your August is enjoyable!

I Love to Ride My Bicycle! I Love to Ride My Bike!!

I must say, this summer, temperature wise, has been awesome. There have only been one or two super humid days and even they didn't seem all that bad. Because the temperatures and humidity have been so nice we have been biking a whole lot more and we are loving it.

Where we live in the city we are lucky because there are so many trails nearby. While teaching road safety is always a good thing to do, I don't completely trust my kids to be looking out for dangers or keeping their bike going straight etc. So roads and sidewalks aren't my first choice. That is why I love the trails, they aren't as busy, there aren't as many entry points to watch out for and it is wide and obstruction free.

The closest trail to our house is really awesome as it goes straight to the library! We have been going to the library at least twice a week because it makes for a great bike ride. So it's like super bonus points for awesome parent of the year! (I need all the bonus points I can get.) My kids are getting exercise and expanding their brains at the library (though the last one is debatable), seems good to me!

I wonder what others on the trail or at the playgrounds we pass think of our caravan of bikes. We have the oldest who zooms along, staying just close enough to be in yelling distance, but not so close that she  has to claim she is with us. Then we have the middle one who troops along, peddling her legs so fast that it is crazy. And then there is me pulling the bike trailer with the little one. (I love my bike trailer, it is a Chariot brand and seriously, the best purchase ever! We have had it for 7 years now and have used it in the summer and winter and it still looks and works great!) I hope that whoever sees us is motivated by us. I hope it helps them know that if I can do it with three crazy kids they can too. I hope it helps motivate them to go on their own adventure with their family, and to the pregnant lady that I have seen on the trails twice, I hope she feels assurance that she won't be a shut-in with kids but that there are lots of possibilities of getting out and having fun. Life, and an active life does not end with kids, you just tweak some of the expectations you put on yourself and then blam! You are back in business.

Biking is a great way to exercise and move your body without lots of strain and stress. You can go as fast or as leisurely as you want and you are still moving faster than walking, and thus, you get a more varied scenic look of the city. For this reason, I love to ride my bike!

The Sacrifices We Make Aren't Really Sacrifices at All

I have been reflecting a lot about sacrifice of late. We all make sacrifices, though we might not always call them that. We allow a car to merge ahead of us on the highway, we are sacrificing our spot in the line of traffic to help someone out. We need a new driveway so we might sacrifice some of our savings or a planned holiday to pay for it. A lot of the sacrifices we make are just day to day decisions, conscious effort to sacrifice a life we don't want to live for one that we do.

As a stay-at-home mom of three goofballs people could justifiably say that I sacrifice a lot to be home with them. I sacrifice a second income, which would definitely come in handy as we try to pay off the mortgage and do home repairs. Trips to Home Hardware for supplies sure add up. I sacrifice my clothes, they are never pristine for long. They are a snot rag, a paper towel, and who knows what else. I sacrifice my privacy. The bathroom is no longer a sacred place. Why they need to come in when the door is clearly closed is a mystery that seems to be beyond me. I sacrifice my sanity. Hearing my 16 month old constantly say Momma, over and over and over and over and over again. Gak! Or when the older ones come and start complaining, or whining or asking for things or whatever. I seriously start thinking, perhaps a paying job wouldn't be so bad. And I sacrificed my body to bring them into the world. Stretchmarks from here to there and everywhere. I don't know where the stretch marks came from, as I never get that big ,but geez Louise, my career aspirations of being a bikini model is out, unless there is quite a lot of airbrushing ;) There are other things that we sacrifice, I could probably be here all day.

But, when all is said and done, I wouldn't have it any other way. I get to see the mischief they get into. I get to see them build towers and habitats for their animals. I get to see them have a crazy dance party. I get to hug them when they are sad and be their confidant. There are somethings that when we think of the checklist of the world that we are for sure giving up, but when you think about love and family and things that really matter, the sacrifices don't really matter. We would and still do keep doing the same sacrifices over.

habitat that my oldest made

a dance performance for their dolls

a tall tower for their turtle

By being a one income family, it allows us to prioritize what is important to us, especially where our dollars go, and what family activities we should do. Are our priorities always what they should be? Heck No! We make lots of mistakes, but we are learning along the way and doing our best. It is also showing our kids that we can't always get what we want exactly when we want it. We have to work and save and plan for things. Are we perfect teachers? Nope! But, we are trying. We are trying to teach them the value of a dollar, what are needs and what are wants and that we have to cherish what we have already instead of going out and consuming more.

Sacrifice does not need to be a hardship. If we think about it. Sacrifice is an opportunity to live a life that will make us feel happy and fulfilled. That could be going against the norm and being less driven by consumption, or it could be going the other way and embracing consumerism and instead forgoing the simple pleasures in life. Sacrifice is about choice, about choosing how you want to live and then tailoring yourself and your surroundings to fit that ideal. If you want to get out of debt and stay out of debt, spending and mindless shopping needs to be sacrificed. If you want to have a garden, a nicely manicured part of your lawn will need to be sacrificed. If you want to spend time with your children as they grow up, a career may have to be sacrificed.

There is no one size fits all when it comes to sacrifice. It also doesn't mean you have to choose between a bad and a good thing. It could be choosing between a good and a better or best thing. So, think about what is important to the way you live, whether it be your own morals, ethics, or religious beliefs and say to yourself "what are the best things I should be doing to achieve the ideal?" Then strive to do them. As we do this we will realize that the actions, habits, or ways of life we are shedding is a freeing experience and that the sacrifice really isn't a sacrifice at all. It is bliss.

What are some of the ways that you sacrifice to live how you do? Do you consider them a hardship or do you find them to bring joy?

Strawberry Jam

This past Saturday I had the most productive Saturday ever. It was amazing how things just seemed to work out that my family and I were able to accomplish what we set out do do. We went to the farmers market, took things to donate at the secondhand store and even got free pizza for lunch! I capped the day off by making three batches of strawberry jam. I did it once the kids were in bed. It was a bit of a late night, but it is much easier to do canning when they are not underfoot.

fresh Ontario strawberries getting ready to become jam

I made jam for the first time last year. It was so nice to have jars ready as gifts, and we didn't have to buy any jam. I had made a years supply! It was so nice in the middle of our cold winter to open up a new jar of jam and get a faint whiff of June. It was so yummy and sweet.

one out of many freshly made jars of strawberry jam

The nice thing about jam is that it is fairly easy to make, yet when you give it so someone they are always impressed. All you have to do is buy the box of pectin and follow the recipe. If you follow it exactly, your jam should work out. I love it when my jam bubbles and gels. I then like using my canning tongs to put my jars in the big canner and then taking them out again. There is no more satisfying sound then the little pop of you lids forming a vacuum seal. Music to my ears.

I think this year I might try my hand at making relish. My mom has the best yellow relish recipe. I usually steal a jar or two of it from her cupboards when we go to visit. I think it is time to stop my thievery and make my own.

While jam and relish may be simple things to make, I get so much pleasure in knowing that I made this for my family and friends. When you put work into something and it helps others, you can't help but feel good. I love seeing my jars lined up and I think to myself wow, look what I accomplished today. Creating, whether it is preserves, or knitted dishclothes, or bread, or a tidy room, makes you feel great. It is nice to create and look on your works and feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment.

What are you going to create today, this week, this month, this year? Are there any canning foods that you enjoy making?

I Love This Time of Year

If I had to pick anytime of year that I absolutely loved more than any other, this would be it. It is warm but not sweltering. It is not humid, and even when it is it is bearable. The leaves are out in full and the flowers just explode out.

In our backyard there is a beautiful poppy patch. When I first moved in I knew there were poppies, but I didn't realize how much they can spread! Last week I saw all the poppy buds, and then a couple of days ago there were two flowers. That made me happy. I love poppies. Today I looked out from my dining room and this is what I saw!

Isn't that super exciting and beautiful. I love the bright orangy red colour. A house down the street has pink poppies in the front yard. I am tempted to go and get some seeds from their plants to add variety.

Also spread throughout our backyard and some in the front are these beautiful irises. They aren't the typical irises with the broad leaves. I love how fine their leaves are. Last year almost ripped them out because I thought they were day lilies. (We have so many daylilies in our yard and they are so tightly bunched, I need to thin them.) I am super glad I didn't.

I forgot to take pictures last year of what the gardens look like and what plants come in different seasons. This year I am going to be diligent so that way I know what I want to keep and what needs to go for next year. That's the thing with inheriting someone else's garden. You don't know what they have put in for different seasons, what are weeds and what aren't. This will be our second summer fully moved in to our house, so this is the year to keep track and figure it out for next year.

In the back corner of our yard we have what we have termed, The Meadow. It is a beautiful sea of forget-me-nots. My middle child loves to pick flowers and she was so excited to see all these beautiful  flowers free for the picking. My husband doesn't have the heart to mow them down yet as the kids are having such fun. I hope our neighbours don't mind as they do spread.

can you see the kids hiding in the flowers?

Next year at this time I will have my vegetable garden planted. We weren't in a position this year to get it done. We are concentrating mostly on getting the inside de-cluttered and so the garden needs to wait. There are only so many hours in the day and so much energy to be had. But, I am excited about establishing a nice veggie garden. I know my kids will be excited too. At least we have an awesome farmers market just up the street. I will be going there soon to get strawberries to make strawberry jam. Last year I made enough jam to last us the whole year, and give away some as gifts. Nothing is better then strawberry jam, especially freshly made. Yummers!

This time of the year is awesome. There are so many beautiful things to see and look forward to. What do you love most about this season?

Spring is finally here!

The Snow has melted. The grass is coming back to life. The shoots are showing! It is definitely spring. This morning while my little one was napping I was able to get some yard work done. I picked up sticks that fell during the winter and got rid of some leaves that fell after the snow came. It was super windy so I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted, using a rake was pointless. But it felt great to be out in the sunshine and the warmth, despite the crazy wind. I am looking forward to getting the front and back ready for enjoyment and beautiful bulbs.

That's one thing about my house's previous owners. They did crazy things inside (we are constantly scratching our heads about something, a barn door in the basement? Really?) but on the outside they got it right. Last spring the coolest looking tulips came up and daffodils and poppies. Beautiful is the only way to describe it. Now it is up to me to make sure it stays looking good and not getting over grown. (Some of the things they planted was a bit too much of a good thing, but we're getting there.

Enjoy your spring day. Here are some pictures of what I found while out working in the yard. It definitely fills me with confidence that spring is actually in Waterloo!

Remember my winter picture from December? What a change!

Vinegar, you are awesome!

Over the holidays my normal chore routine did not happen. There were way more fun things to do then clean a bathtub or toilet bowl. This week I had my work cut out for me. As I was cleaning the bathroom it reminded me how awesome vinegar is. I use vinegar to clean just about everything. It is so amazing, things get so clean, and there are no harsh chemicals on my surfaces.

I know there are different recipes that others make when using vinegar as a cleaner but, I prefer to keep it simple. I get a spray bottle and do a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar. Voila, done. I use this cleaner for my bathroom surfaces, I use it as my floor cleaner. I use it on my counters in the kitchen. I basically use it on anything. Even the mirrors.

For my toilet I pour in some vinegar. (I used to measure a cup, now I just pour until I think I have enough.) then I sprinkle in some baking soda. A minor eruption occurs as I scrub, but man does that toilet ever look sparkling.

I know that the initial smell can make your home smell like a pickling plant, but the smell soon dissipates and leaves your home surprisingly odor free. In fact a bowl full of vinegar set out is a great deodorizer.

Vinegar is acidic so you shouldn't use it on any marble surfaces or other types of material that reacts with acid. If in doubt test on a small area of the surface you want to clean, just to make sure there will be no adverse affects.

I like using vinegar because I know that there are no chemicals left on the surfaces that my kids are going to be touching. As well, I don't have to worry about them getting into my cleaners because it is just vinegar. If they drank that, well they wouldn't want to drink it again. I love the taste of vinegar, but not straight up.

Not only is using vinegar a great substitute for other dangerous household chemicals, it is good on the pocket book too. I can buy 4 litres for $1.99, sometimes even less. Once I dilute it I can have 8 litres of cleaning product, that cleans everything, for $1.99. That is awesome.

I am always pleasantly amazed when I find a new use for vinegar. It is definitely an all-rounder, something that can be used for anything. From fries, to toilets. Amazing. How do you use vinegar? Are their any other green cleaners that you have in your cleaning arsenal?

Indian Summer

The nice thing about living in South Western Ontario is you truly get to experience all four seasons. This year we are getting a fifth, Indian Summer.

The mornings are nice and chill. The afternoons are beautiful and warm. The cornstalks are turning golden, ready to be mown. The forest canopy makes the horizon look like a patchwork quilt with it's pops of red, orange and yellow.

This Indian Summer is giving us our last chance picnics, bike rides, playground fun and warm sunshine on our faces before Winter comes with its bundling and biting air.

Though I do love it when true fall comes, and you smell the earthy fragrance of fallen leaves and the air feels refreshingly crisp, I shall be ever thankful for this Indian Summer and bask in its warmth and beauty.

I hope you are enjoying your seasons, whatever season you may be in.