Back to School Sales - Make the Most of Them

At our house we love back to school sales. It's the time where we get to feel like we are getting a great deal. The wonderful think about these sales, is not only will I fill the coffers for my own children's school year, but many times these supplies make great gifts for young children too. Here are my top ten items to stock up on.

1. Crayons, all sorts. Brand does not matter, anything $.25 cents and under is a major stock up price
2. Markers and Pencils. $.50 cents and under and we run to stock up.
3. Scissors, if your house is like mine, it likes to eat scissors and at .25 cents a pop it is worth getting 10
4. Spiral notebooks, any other time of year and they are well over $1.00 each. At $.15 a pop get 20
5. Construction paper - I don't think I even need to explain why this is a good buy.
6. Glue - Oh how much glue a preschooler can use. Add in any crafty prone children and it's a great buy.
7. Rulers - Cheap to purchase they make great straight lines when drawing.
8. Tape - So many uses, and children love to use tape on everything
9. Staplers, Removers and Hole punches, Oh my! It never hurts to have a few and some backups
10. Notebooks, if you don't buy a couple now, you will wish you did two months in when theirs is already destroyed.

Now how do these make great gifts? I love to buy the pencil boxes when they are under $.25 and fill them with markers, pencils, glue, tape and scissors. Attach to a big bag of construction paper and you have a simple and enjoyable gift for almost any young child. If your really awesome, you will stick in a bag of M&M's and some fancy little stickers. Your gift will be the hit of the party.

Outdoor Heat Beating Fun Ideas

To beat the summer heat we here at Growing Your Family, sat down with our families and came up with a list of fun things to do that help you cool off. Hope you enjoy! Leave a comment with your favorite ways to cool off.

• water balloon toss
• water bucket relay
• sprinkler dash - make an obstacle course in the back yard, while the sprinklers are running
• spray bottle cup fill (have one child with a spray bottle and one with a cup. First group to fill their cup wins.
• wash the car, or the neighbors, or the neighbors kids.
• water gun wars
• make Popsicles
• frozen t-shirt relays  - you may have to plan ahead, but freeze one t-shirt for every child, and a few for adults. First one to unstick the frozen folded t-shirt and puts it on wins.

We hope you enjoy this hot hot day and take a few minutes to cool off with these fun ideas.

A 10 Minute Break for Mom

Face it, mom's need a break once in a while. While you may not get a whole hour nap in the afternoon, or even find a minute to use the rest room with the door closed, ALL THE WAY, you can carve out little 10 minute pampering sessions that can extend the wear and tear on your mental state. Here are just a few simple remedies to capture a few minutes of needed revival.

1. Peppermint Foot Soak - Have some fresh peppermint in the garden? Even several peppermint tea bags will work. Boil them for 10 minutes in 8 cups of water. Carry it outside and add another 8 cups of cool water. While the kids are playing, soak your feet in some cooling peppermint water

2. Put on your favorite music and dance with the kids around the living room for a few minutes. Happy music and laughter will serve your soul well.

3. Treat yourself to an outdoor hair washing. Yes, it's simple, and yes, it's very refreshing. A cool hose, on a hot day over just your hair and head will feel wonderful and invigorate your senses.

Potty Training - How does it work?

Summer time was always my choice for potty training. Since it's summer time I thought I would share my story and how we made it work.
I have potty trained twins, a boy, girls a single baby and a dog. Okay, the dog is a little different but I did train him! For the twins we chose summer time because they could run around in the back yard without a diaper until I could see them pee. Funny thing is, they were just as amazed that they were peeing as I tried to be. One of the first things you need to know as a potty trainee, is what it feels like when you need to go. You can't learn that if you don't know your going. This is why summer time was our choice training time.
The second thing we started was potty charts with rewards. At first each child got a reward for sitting on the potty. Usually a sticker to go on a chart. After three stickers they were rewarded with a fruit snack. Not too many, as they will sit on the potty a lot to earn rewards. After a couple of days of sitting and getting rewards, we worked on peeing to get rewards. Even a dribble got praised and rewarded. It takes awhile, but making it fun to learn, giving rewards and lavishing a lot of praise will make it easier.

Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream

Not only is ice cream a tasty way to cool off this summer, but making it can be just as fun. First off kids love to eat what they have had a hand in preparing. Secondly, you get to control the ingredients and feel better about what you are feeding your family.

All you need is a ice cream machine, be it electric or the old fashion hand crank. With some milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract or better yet, vanilla beans, you have the working ingredients for a delicious summer time treat.

Head over to Planet Gift Baskets to find out how to put these simple wholesome ingredients together to make ice cream.

Rhino Toys Inc. Recall

Keeping you informed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10, 2010 Release #10-260

Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 887-4433 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Rhino Toys Inc. Recalls Bead Toy Due to Choking Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
Name of Product: Beado handheld bead play toys
Units: About 5,500
Importer: Rhino Toys Inc., of Santa Cruz, Calif.
Hazard: The toys' plastic wires can detach from the hubs due to insufficient adhesive, allowing the beads to slide off. The loose beads pose a choking hazard to young children.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves the Beado hand-held beaded play toy with model number 1501 and date code 02910 04323A. The product measures six inches in diameter and is composed of four blue plastic "hubs", six white plastic "wires" and twelve multi-colored beads that slide along the wires. The model number and date code are printed on the bottom of the packaging and the date code is also inside of the blue hubs (see picture below). Beados that have a date code different than 02910 or have a date code of 02910 and an inspection sticker on the bottom of the packaging and a black mark by the date code inside the blue hub (see picture below) are not included in this recall.
Sold at: Specialty toy and juvenile retailers from March 2010 through May 2010 for about $12.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using this recalled toy and return it to the store where it was purchased to receive a full refund or a replacement Beado hand-held beaded toy.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Rhino Toys toll free at (877) 887-4433 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.rhinotoys.com

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Are you looking for a food that can be easily transported, last under summer heat and fill the tummy of those little energy balls without spoiling their dinner? Here is our favorite healthy oatmeal cookie. Full of fiber, dried fruits and honey this little cookie will keep them happy until the BBQ is ready.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (with Honey)
Ingredients:
Dry ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups of  Rolled Oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Wet ingredients

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Yummy ingredients

• 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.
3. Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.
4. COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge. (This causes it to harden like a cookie dough)
5. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.
7. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze very well and make a great snack! Enjoy.

This recipe was taken from http://www.wholegraingourmet.com, and varied slightly. Our family loved this recipe!

Healthy Summer Pasta Salad

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD from WebMD recently posted this amazing pasta salad. We tried it out and fell in love. It's a perfect compliment to a hot sunny day when you do not want to cook. Kids love the fresh cherry tomatoes and adults love the whole grain pasta and fresh veggies. Not only is this meal healthy, quick and tasty, it's also quite inexpensive. If you have tomatoes and basil growing in your back yard let the kids pick a few to add to the salad. We didn't have salami, but went ahead and chopped up some peperoni when we tried it. I think it would even taste wonderful without meat. Maybe adding in a few more veggies like broccoli or asparagus would be good too. Elaine did a great job reducing the fat and calories often associated with pasta salads and gave us a great base salad by which we can enjoy a different way each time we make it.

Insalata Caprese (Pasta Salad)

If you boil the pasta in the morning, drain, and let chill in the refrigerator, all you have to do is toss the ingredients together and dinner is served!

4 cups cooked whole-grain pasta blend, cooled
2 cups ripe cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
16 slices reduced-fat salami, quartered (optional)

• Place all the ingredients in a medium serving bowl and toss to blend well.
• Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

The Cleaning Power of Baking Soda

The last stop on our safe and effective cleaning products is baking soda. Soda is a great deodorizer, cleaner and gentle abrasive.

One of my favorite uses for baking soda is in the bathroom. Mix with just a little water to make a paste, and you have a soft abrasive cleaner without any hidden chemicals. It works great to polish sinks, deodorizer toilets and scrub the soap scum out of bathtubs. I also love it in the kitchen sink. Scrubbing the stainless steel or your porcelain sink has never been easier. When your done, run it down the garbage disposal with a lemon peel and your kitchen will smell wonderful.

You can also use baking soda to :

• add a deodorizer to your cat litter
• clean grout with baking soda and a scrub brush
• polish silver
• soak burnt on food by add baking soda to hot water
• sprinkle over pet vomit after all the major items have been removed, let dry and vacuum. 
• use to remove crayon from walls and tables