Tip To Keep Your Toddler Close By While In A Parking Lot

Last week I took my youngest daughter, Abby, in for her 3-year checkup.  I asked the doctor if she had any suggestions for controlling this little strong-willed ball of energy - specifically, how to keep her from running around in the parking lot when my hands were full. 

A few weeks ago, we were at the library.  I had two bags of books that I needed to put in the car before I could put Abby in the car.  I was putting the books in the car where Abby sat, so it wasn't like I was clear on the other side of the car.  I opened the car door and asked Abby to "stay right there; don't move."  I put the first bag of books in the car.  I looked down to check on Abby and she was gone.  She had run around to the back of the car.  This scared me to death and I wasn't sure how to get it across to her that this was really dangerous and that she could really, really get hurt.  How do you get that across to a 3-year-old - a very stubborn 3-year-old? 

Well, her doctor suggested we try this:

The pediatrician suggested to either put a magnet on the car or choose a spot on the car that would be Abby's safe spot - a spot on the car that Abby has to keep her hand on until she is told she can move. 

The gas tank lid is close to Abby's car door, so I thought we'd pick that to be her safe spot.  To my surprise, this has really worked well for us.  Abby thinks it's really neat that she has her own little safe spot. 

Now, I'm not suggesting you ask your toddler to stay at their safe spot while you unload a buggy full of groceries on the opposite side of the car.  But if you're just putting a couple of things in the car, then give this a shot.

Keep Track of Medicine Given

Need help keeping track of whether you've given your child their medicine the number of times you were supposed to or if you've given it to them the full 5 or 10 days or however long you're supposed to give it to them?  Try this:

In the picture above, my child took the medicine twice a day for five days (the pink label is covering up the last day).

I saw this on Pinterest a while back and I've used this method ever since.  You just take a Sharpie and draw a chart on the actual bottle of medicine.  Draw lines for however many times a day and for however many days you're supposed to give them the medicine and then check it off each time you give them the medicine.  

Kids Need Help Figuring Out Which Shoe To Put On Which Foot?

This is absolutely genius - which is why I didn't figure it out for myself! 

We are THAT family is the genius. 

(I read about this post here along with tons of other tips and tricks.)

Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar

Mix 1/4 cup sugar to one cup warm water.

I have to fill this hummingbird feeder up at least once a week.  They love it!

How to Extend the Freshness of Berries? Why, Vinegar, Of Course!

I cannot remember where I read about this, but it really does extend the life of a berry by a few days or more.

I just pour about 1/4 cup (more or less) of plain vinegar in a bowl and then add 5 or 6 or 7 or so cups of water.  Swish the berries around a little to get all the stuff off.  I don't even rinse them.  I just drain them off and lay them on a dish towel to dry.  I even rinse out the plastic containers with the vinegar/water solution.

Things That Should Be In Your 72-Hour Kit or Bug-Out Bag

I am, like, obsessed with this blog I found recently.  It offers so much useful information that I could sit and read it for hours. It's called Homestead Survival. 

One of their recent posts is about 72-Hour Kits or bug-out bags.  If you've watched any of the Doomsday Prepper shows, you'll know what they're talking about.  I think it's better to be safe than sorry, whether it's for doomsday or a natural disaster.

One day there was a fire burning really close to our house, and I was so worried that it was going to reach our house that I just started throwing anything and everything in my car.  It would have been much easier to just have all the important, necessary stuff in one spot instead of me running all over the house gathering stuff like a chicken with my head cut off.

Here's a list of that important, necessary stuff.  Each member of your family should have their own kit.

 

Thanks, Homestead Survival, for all the awesome information you provide.  Keep up the good work.

How-To: Stroller Handle Extensions

Does your back hurt after strolling baby around? I know mine does and so does my husband's. It almost makes a family outing miserable because we dread how our backs will feel after pushing our daughter around in her umbrella stroller.

Well, here's a solution we might try. It involves taking handles off another similar stroller, so be on the lookout for one at a yard sale.

Instructables: Stroller Handle Extensions

Cut Kid Clutter

I read a Good Housekeeping article a while back about helping with kid clutter - you know, all the little bits and pieces your kiddoes leave in their wake - toys, books, Barbie clothes, whatever.

The article suggested this: "Cut clutter by telling your kids that anything they don't put away during the week will be placed in the "Saturday Box" - meaning they don't get back a toy left out on Monday until Saturday. (To defeat rescue attempts, she keeps the box in the trunk of her car.) Usually the kids are so eager to hold on to their stuff, they put it away in 15 minutes."

Might be worth a try.

Kid Clutter?  Try a Saturday Box.

Homemade Fabric Softener - Don't Knock It Until You've Tried It

Homemade Fabric Softener

Since my husband is on strike for Lord only knows how long and I stay at home with our kids, I'm trying to think of every possible way to scrimp and save.  Well, I saw a link on Pinterest the other day about how to make your own fabric softener, and lo and behold I ran out of fabric softener this weekend.  I figured why don't I give that homemade fabric softener a try.

All you need to make it is hot water, vinegar and cheap hair conditioner.   The recipe calls for 6 cups hot water, 3 cups vinegar and 2 cups hair conditioner.  Well, the conditioner that's depicted in the picture (15 oz.) doesn't measure two cups, so I adjusted the recipe.  Here's my recipe for Homemade Fabric Softener:

About 3 cups hot water (more or less) - I just used hot tap water
15 oz. bottle of hair conditioner
About 1 1/2 cups vinegar (more or less)

Mix hot water with hair conditioner then add vinegar.  Pour into old fabric softener bottle or whatever clean jug you have on hand.  Mine just barely fit into my old 51 oz. Downy bottle.

Downy is about, what, $5 a bottle or more?  I paid .99 cents for the conditioner and I paid about $2 for a huge jug (1 gallon) of Kroger brand vinegar that only used up 3 cups so I have 13 cups remaining.  So I figured I spent a little over a dollar for my fabric softener.  Cool thing about this is you don't have to use the same fragrance of conditioner every time - you can switch it up.

Now, I don't consider myself to be a supermom.  I don't, like, sew all my kids clothes out of all natural fibers.  My kids don't eat vegetables or fruit at every meal.  I don't make my own bread or hug trees or anything like that.  But since we're having to tighten our belts a bit during this strike, I figured I'd give this homemade recipe a try and I'm so glad I did.

Pump Up The Volume On Your iPhone

Pump Up Volume On iPhone

I read about this neat trick on Pinterest.  I really doubted that it would work, but it did.  I was seriously contemplating one of those cute, little plug-in speakers so I'd be able to listen to music I'd downloaded on my iPhone.  I wanted to listen to the music in my vehicle, but my vehicle doesn't have the ability to hook up to your iPhone.

So after reading the deal on Pinterest about placing your iPhone in a bowl to make it louder, I decided to try it with my cup holder in my car.  It makes it, like, double times louder - no, for real, it really does.  Give it a try.