File Folder Games

In an attempt to keep my kiddos a little quieter during our weekly church meetings, I decided to make some file-folder games. These were a lot of fun to do, and I look forward to finishing the rest of them! Here is how I did it....

Supplies Needed:

(1) File folder game books (or come and borrow mine. I've already paid for it, so save yourself some money!) They can also be found online.

Copies of the games, colored and cut out.

File Folders (I cut mine down to fit my laminating sheets. If you plan on taking your folders to Kinkos or somewhere to laminate, you can leave them full-size.)

Glue or tape (to attach the sheets to the folder)

(Above) The supplies gathered and ready to go!)

This particular game is a rhyming game. They need to match the pictures up with words that rhyme. (Car/Star, Tie/Pie, etc.)Once your papers are mounted on the folder, simply laminate.

**Spotlight Review. I have this WONDERFUL laminating machine that I received as an early birthday gift from my hubby. It is called the "Your Story" machine. Not only does it laminate, but it also binds books!!! Let me tell you that it has been the BEST thing ever! I have had SOOO much fun with it. If you ever need to laminate some things, give me a call!After laminating all the pieces, simply cut out. Using velcro or magnets, attach small pieces to both the file folder and on the "game" pieces.

We plan on taking a few of these in the car for our Disneyland trip. I hope the kiddos like them!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Howdy! For some odd reason, my previous post on laundry soap has disappeared. The good news is that I have the recipe...the bad news is that I won't be posting any pictures today. I still have 5+ gallons of soap in my basement waiting to be used, so I don't need to make any more just yet. :o) I hope the instructions do it justice. Have fun!

4 cups of HOT water

(1) Fels-naptha soap bar, grated into small pieces

1/2 cup of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda

Large pot

5 gallon bucket with lid

1. Add grated soap bar to hot water in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until all soap is melted. (stir frequently to prevent it from sticking and burning to the pot)

2. Using the 5 gallon bucket, fill half full with hot water. Next, add the washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved.

3. Slowly add the melted soap. Mix everything very well.

4. Now, fill the rest of the bucket with hot water. Mix well.

5. Place lid on bucket and let mixture sit overnight. It will thicken up into a gel.

To Use...

Add gel mixture to a 1 gallon container (or any laundry soap container.) Fill up container with 1/2 soap gel and 1/2 water. Shake to mix.

For top-loading machines, use approx. 5/8 cup per load. Shake container well before each use.

POWDERED RECIPE

If you prefer powdered laundry soap, all you need to do is:

Add grated soap bar, washing soda and borax. Using a food processor, mix ingredients until it makes a fine powder. Add about 1 tbsp. per load of laundry.

Feeding Your Family On A Budget

Hello! First off, I'd like to welcome any new readers that attended my "Feeding Your Family On A Budget" class last night. I hope you learned something new!

As I began my post for today, I thought it might be more helpful to provide links to the homemade cleaner recipes I have previously posted. SO....here they are!

Homemade Cleaning Products

Homemade Fabric Softeners

Top 10 Uses for Vinegar

PLUS: My laundry soap post has mysteriously disappeared.....so I will post the recipe again tomorrow!

P.S. If you came to the class last night, please leave any comments/questions. I'd love some feedback about the presentation. Thanks so much!

April Snow!

Happy Winter! (You'd think at least by looking outside! LOL!)

To help with this "wintery" weather pass along in peace, I decided to blog about a snowman kit that was given to us as a gift this past winter. (The REAL winter, not this fake one that we are currently facing!)

SO, here is what it is....

(1) Basic felt hat. Simply sew the fabric into circles and add a nice brim.

(1) Felt scarf. SUPER easy! Cut felt into a long strip and clip the ends.

(8) or so.... Wooden circles with a hole in one end.

(8) or so dowels that will fit into the end of the wooden ball.

(1) can of black spray paint (paint the wooden balls and dowels black)

(1) plastic carrot

Snow!! My kiddos simply piled the snow in the yard and patted it firm.

Using the dowel/circle buttons, press them into the snow to make eyes, (a mouth, if desired) and buttons. Decorate the snowman using the remaining parts.

My kiddos LOVED this project in APRIL! Looking outside right now, it looks like we might be able to do it again tomorrow!

Happy Snowy Spring everyone!!

Great finds at Target!

Once again, Target has proven itself to be a GREAT place for bargains! I hit the Riverdale store late this morning to find some Easter clearance. They had some fun "basket stuffers" for 50% off. My personal favorite finds were: Lego Duplo Farm sets for $1.49/each, See & Say for $2.49, and a new Tag book for Branson for $2.49. In addition to these great finds, their Blue Dot $1 toys are now 50% off! They had cookie cutters, books, notebooks, games, stickers, and more for just $.50! SOO fun!
In addition to Easter items, they had some of the Sparkling Grape Juice (white and purple) with the Easter stuff on "clearance" for $1.57 each. They are good until 2012! They even have coupons on them for $1.00 off of two, so it makes them an even better deal. I bought a few to keep for special occasions and just for fun!

While you are there, be sure to check out the standard "back-isle" clearance. I found some Make Your Own Keychain sets for $1.49, some FUN Color Wonder sets for $1.49, Color-your-own-tattoo kits for $1.49 and much more for 75% off!

Crafting SANITY!

SO, I missed blogging yesterday....lets just say that I have been horrid sick since Monday morning and haven't felt like doing much lately. :oP

BUT, here I am today, looking at the mess that accumulated while mommy took a few days off! What a JOKE! I think the biggest joke of all is that my craft items, ie: laminator, book bindings, felt, sewing projects, etc, etc, etc. have no home! If my laptop was fixed, this is where I would download a picture of my pathetic "craft bin" in our room! (It would scare you--trust me!)

SO. This is where I need YOUR help!! What has worked for you as far as organizing your craft, sewing, project, etc. items in your home? Is there a trick or tip that you have found valuable in containing the clutter? If so, leave a comment at the end of this post. Hopefully we can all find some suggestions and solutions to help solve this craft dilemma!

Thanks so much!

Puzzle Pockets

Some of you might have seen this on my Facebook page awhile back, but I thought this would be a better place to file it. :o)

Puzzles are a HUGE hit at our house, but keeping the pieces together is a chore. To remedy this, I used some felt and my sewing machine to make a pocket to store the pieces in.

Step One.
Measure your puzzle. Cut two pieces of felt to fit on the back of the board.
Make one piece 2 inches larger than the other. This will allow room to make the "flap" on the pocket.

Step Two.

Sew around the felt making a pocket. I used velcro to fasten my pocket. Make sure to leave a pleat in the fabric when sewing to allow proper room for the pieces to fit.
Using tacky glue, place the pocket on the back of the puzzle. Allow to dry overnight.

Step Three.

Once puzzle is dry, open pocket and place pieces inside!

Easy-peasy! These pockets have been a sanity-saver for this mommy. My kids know that they are expected to place all of the pieces back into the pocket when they are finished playing. We haven't lost a puzzle piece in months! Hurray!