Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 114
May 16, 2013
9 Tips to Help You Save Money & Enjoy Your Disney World Trip More
source: Mandi Ehman
Although we’ve been to Disney quite a few times, I am far from a Disney expert. (But I did have fun playing tour guide for Amy and her family on their first day in Magic Kingdom!)
While I can’t give you the lowdown on every ride and attraction, and I happily turned over my tour guide status to Shannon’s husband on our final day in the park, I have learned a few tricks that make Disney a more affordable and more magical experience, especially with little ones!
So, in no particular order, here are my top tips for making the most of your time and budget at Disney World:
1. Go in the off-season.
I know…this one seems a little obvious, but truly, the crowd levels in a month like October are so much lower than May through August, so if you can take advantage of those off-season months, do.
2. Rest in the morning and enjoy the parks in the afternoons and evenings.
If off-season isn’t an option for you — or, really, even if it is — my favorite discovery this year was how much more fun the parks are in the late afternoon and evening. All of the people who showed up when the park opened have started to leave, the sun is going down and taking the heat and humidity with it, and there’s still a ton to do.
Use the black out curtains in the hotel room to your advantage, letting little ones sleep as late as possible, enjoy a nice and relaxed breakfast and swim in the hotel pool, and then head to the parks mid-afternoon and party the night away!
3. Take advantage of the budget resorts for the full Disney experience.
We’ve always stayed off-site during our Disney vacations, except for two nights in an RV at Fort Wilderness, but I’m pretty sold on the value of the budget resorts after our most recent trip. Not only does staying on-site allow you take advantage of special offers like Disney Dining Plans and Extra Magic Hours, but the resorts themselves have cool themes — from Art of Animation featuring your favorite characters to All-Star Sports with a huge football field right in the middle — and the rooms are pretty magical too.
My only complaint about our Ariel room at the Art of Animation (which is basically a classic motel room decked out in Little Mermaid decor) was that the mattresses were noisy, and I woke up whenever one of my kids rolled over. In fairness, though, I asked around and no one else had that issue, plus the room was clean, the pool areas were amazing, and the price was right at just $119/night.
4. Use your FastPasses!
Like I mentioned yesterday, this was my first time taking advantage of the FastPass system, and I’m now sold on the benefits. You’ll spend less time waiting in line and more time enjoying the magic of the parks with just a little more pre-planning and intentionality!
source: Resourceful Mommy
5. Bring your own glowsticks.
I know this sounds silly compared to some of the “big” tips in this post, but it’s one of our favorites. Grab a pack of glow sticks at your local dollar store or party outlet and light ‘em all up for the fireworks! Not only will you save money over the more expensive glow items available in the park, but they’re also a great distraction for kids while you wait for the parades or fireworks.
6. Split meals among children.
My kids are not big eaters when they’re excited, so to cut down on wasted money and food, I often split a kids’ meal between two of them or an adult meal between three of them. It’s easy enough to order more food from a restaurant or counter service, and I’d rather do that than throw away a perfectly good meal because they weren’t interested!
7. Pack snacks and water.
Similarly, we pack lots of snacks and plenty of water for our girls so that when they do get hungry, we have something available for them. This time I picked up a huge box of GoGo Squeez applesauce from Amazon before our trip (on sale, of course), and those made the perfect snack between meals all weekend long.
We also brought our own water bottles and carted a gallon (or two) of water around in the bottom of our stroller so that we could refill them all day long!
8. Rent a stroller.
This is not exactly a money saver, but we rented a stroller for the first time this year, and it was so nice to just have a beautiful double stroller show up at our resort! It came with a small cooler for our snacks, plenty of storage underneath and a handy caddy for water bottles and miscellanea on the handle. Although it was an additional expense for our trip, the convenience of having a stroller for two kids plus all our stuff (as opposed to a single umbrella stroller) definitely outweighed the cost.
source: Mandi Ehman
9. Hold your plans loosely.
My biggest piece of advice for Disney World? Make plans, scout out the attractions you’d like to see…and then hold it all very loosely so you can go with the flow!
Sometimes it feels like you’re in a time warp and everything is taking three times as long as you’d like. Sometimes you’ll come across a parade or street show that you want to stop and watch. And sometimes you’ll just need to find a bench and sit for a few minutes while the kids enjoy an ice cream cone to help everyone adjust their attitudes and prepare for more fun. Plans are good, but if you hold them too tightly, you will probably end up frustrated and disappointed, no matter how much magic you encounter around you.
We received discounted Disney World tickets and accommodations as part of our conference fee for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference, but as always, all opinions are 100% mine!
What’s your best Disney World tip? Do you disagree with any of my tips?
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
9 Tips to Help You Save Money & Enjoy Your Disney World Trip More is a post from Life Your Way
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The 2013 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Printable Cheat Sheet
The Dirty Dozen is a list published by the Environmental Working Group that prioritizes the fruits and veggies that you should buy organic because of their high levels of pesticide residue.
The EWG’s still stresses the importance of eating lots of fruits and veggies — organic or not — but if you can only afford to buy some organic produce, you’ll want to start with the Dirty Dozen. To put your mind at ease, they’ve also published the Clean Fifteen, which lists produce that has low levels of pesticide residue so there’s no need to spend more on organically grown varieties.
Here is the 2013 list, plus a printable cheat sheet from the EWG to carry with you!
The Dirty Dozen
Produce that should be purchased organically:
1. apples
2. celery
3. cherry tomatoes
4. cucumber
5. grapes
6. hot peppers
7. nectarines (imported)
8. peaches
9. potatoes
10. spinach
11. strawberries
12. sweet bell peppers
…plus collards & kale
…plus summer squash & zucchini
The Clean Fifteen
Produce that is safe to purchase conventionally:
1. asparagus
2. avocado
3. cabbage
4. cantaloupe
5. corn
6. eggplant
7. grapefruit
8. kiwi
9. mangoes
10. mushrooms
11. onions
12. papayas
13. pineapples
14. sweet peas (frozen)
15. sweet potatoes
Do you follow the EWG’s guidelines for produce?
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
The 2013 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Printable Cheat Sheet is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Food Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
Make This Year the Best Summer Ever with the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar
Can you believe summer is almost here? With June right around the corner, Pinterest and the blogosphere are buzzing with with summer activities and recipes! The problem isn’t finding inspiration but figuring out which activities you want to do with your kids and what materials you’ll need to make it happen.
We’ve found that our children do best during the summer when we have some structure to our day without being overscheduled. It still allows them to get bored and have to use their imagination but prevents them from getting so bored that all they do is fight and whine.
However, summer seems to fly by a little faster each year, and it never quite looks the way I expected. I long for the lazy days of summer, without a ton of commitments or places to go, but I also wish for ways to mark these days as special — a little activity, a special frozen treat, a picnic in the backyard.
Enter the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar:
Susan from The Confident Mom wants to help you take charge of your summer and make it the summer you’ve always dreamed of with the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar. (And if you bought last year’s calendar, you’ll be happy to know this year’s activities are almost all new!)
The 2013 Summer Survival Calendar is a four month calendar with over 120 activities targeted for ages 3-12 to blast boredom and increase family time. It features at least one low-budget (and sometimes free) activity, craft project, or kid-friendly recipe every day from May 1 to August 31.
The Summer Survival Calendar keeps kids busy, happy, and engaged during those long, hot summer days—and moms will find it to be a lifesaver when kids exhibit symptoms of the “boredom blues.”
You’ll also find printable calendars, planning tools and worksheets to help you organize and plan your summer, plus an optional action guide and audio workshop to help you make the most of your summer!
Click here to get your 2013 Summer Survival Calendar now. Save $2 off the Summer Calendar + Action Guide Bundle with coupon code LYWSUMMER. Expires 5/23.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of The Confident Mom, but all opinions are 100% my own!
Make This Year the Best Summer Ever with the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Family Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
May 15, 2013
Photos & Stories from Disney World
source: Josh Hallett
Did you know our family was in Disney World last week?! If you read many posts here or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you probably did. Sorry about that — we were pretty excited leading up to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference!
Our family loves Disney World, and because we have family in Florida, we’ve been lucky enough to make several day trips to the “happiest place on Earth” as well as one longer trip with my parents.
source: Shannon’s Table
From left to right: me, Amy, Amy, Shannon, Amy & Jennifer
This trip was extra special, though, not only because we were attending an invitation-only conference put on by the amazing team at Disney, but also because some of my closest friends were there too. It’s rare in life to find a group of friends as diverse as this (in background, politics, perspective and more) that gets along so incredibly well, and we were over-the-moon excited that our in-person chat sessions were just as good as our Skype chats and that all of our children and husbands enjoyed each other as much as we do!
Before our trip, Disney announced their brand new Story app, which allows you to tell your own stories in pictures and words and share them on Facebook or via email. I put together a brief recap of our trip with the photos on my phone. Sadly, between juggling a fussy three-year-old and an iPhone battery that kept dying, I didn’t take as many pictures as I’d hoped too, but I love the story that the ones I did take tells:
Some of our favorite moments were attending Merida’s Royal Celebration, the big girls’ first ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (they loved it!), sleeping in an Ariel room at the Art of Animation resort (our two-year-old was asleep when they got there and the next morning she woke up and stood in awe in the middle of the room just taking it all in!) and watching the Wishes fireworks from the courtyard of the Contemporary resort with some of our friends!
Of course, Disney didn’t invite us there just to knock our socks off; they also used the opportunity to tell us about some of the things they have on the horizon. A few of these are really cool, and I’m excited to share them with you as well:
Magic of Healthy Living
Disney’s Magic of Healthy Living initiative is an unprecendented commitment from a major media corporation to encourage healthy eating and exercise habits in children. With new advertising standards in place to ensure that the food promoted to kids meets their nutritional guidelines, the TryIt! campaign to encourage kids to try new foods and activities and the Mickey Check system to highlight and promote healthier foods in the parks and at grocery stores, Disney is a leader in this area.
I, for one, was happy to see lots of fresh fruit and veggie options with all of our meals and at restaurants, concession stands and cafes throughout the parks and resorts!
More FastPass attractions
Our family has never really taken advantage of the FastPasses at Disney, mostly because we’ve been there off-season and haven’t really needed to — although last trip we missed Dumbo completely because the line was so long (we made up for it by riding it twice this year!). However, we did use the FastPass system on this trip, and I’m sold on its benefits now!
Basically, a FastPass lets you hold your place in line without actually standing in line. You insert your ticket into a FastPass machine to print a FastPass that lets you skip the line when you come back during a certain window of time. So, for example, if you go to Dumbo at 1:35pm, and there’s a 45 minute wait, you can head to the FastPass machine and print a FastPass that tells you to come back between 2:45pm and 3:45pm, and when you come back, you get to go through a separate line that basically puts you at the front. Cool, right?
Well, the coolest part is that they announced at the conference that FastPasses are coming to more rides and attractions, including character meet & greets, in the future. It requires a little more planning on your part to make sure you gather your FastPasses and show up when you need to, but the planning is well worth making the most of your time and avoiding long lines, especially in the heat!
Disney Infinity
Disney also introduced us to their new Disney Infinity game system (available for Wii, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360), which will be released later this summer.
This unique toy-based video game allows kids to create their own games with their favorite Disney characters — customizing play worlds, mingling characters from various movies, solving puzzles and overcoming obstacles. The system literally lets kids design their own games, which they can then share with other players, and the tradeable play sets and figures work on all three systems. This is a video game that harnesses kids’ imagination rather than limiting them to the inventions of the video game creators, and while we’re not huge video game players here, I’m looking forward to getting this for the girls!
P.S. Right now you can enter to win one of three Disney Infinity Starter Packs on Facebook.
And More…
This post is getting long, so I’m going to stop there, but be sure to come back tomorrow for my top tips for enjoying Disney World with your family!
Has your family been to Disney World? What is your favorite ride or attraction?
Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Photos & Stories from Disney World is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Family Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
Keep Your Kids Reading with This Book Report Printable
The following post is from Kacey of Next Level Mama:
Source: iStockphoto
These days, there’s no shortage of distractions to keep our children occupied — video games, social media, TV, computers, smart phones, sports leagues, and on and on. However, with benefits like increased vocabulary, improved writing skills and creativity, it’s also important to make sure reading stays at the top of our kids’ activity schedule. As the saying goes, reading is fundamental!
One way to interest kids in reading is to encourage them to complete book reports, and this About My Book printable can get you started.
You can up the book report fun quotient by throwing in a few challenges. For example, have a competition to see who can complete the most reports. Another idea is to reward your kids with a special gift or treat after they complete a certain number of reports. You could even have themed-book report days based on your children’s interests or use the reports in conjunction with the summer reading program at your local library.
Click here to download or print the About My Book book report printable.
Whatever you do, keep them reading!
What other ways have you interested your children in books? Do you have trouble getting them to read?
Kacey loves her kids to pieces and the many ways they’re refining her into a better person. She’s on a mission to inspire and encourage moms to take it to the next level. This die-hard Texas girl rarely meets a dessert she can refuse. You can find her at her blog, Next Level Mama, or tweeting away at @nextlevelmama.
Keep Your Kids Reading with This Book Report Printable is a post from Life Your Way
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Steak and Egg Pasta
source: Shaina Olmanson | Food for My Family
I often end up with leftover steak. The thing is, we started buying a side of beef a few years ago. We split a whole cow with the neighbors, and we each take home an equal portion of the entire thing. It has saved us money on the price per pound of expensive cuts like steak, but it is also far cheaper than buying even conventional beef in the store. Cheaper grass-fed organic beef. Nothing to argue about.
The reason we end up with leftover steak, however, is that the cuts are packaged in brown paper when they arrive from the butcher. They are loaded into the freezer by type, and then when we pull them out of the freezer we often have these vexing issues: Do we need one package of steaks or two for six people?
It’s a simple issue, really, but the answer is usually we really need one and end up cooking two to be safe because we have four growing children, including a 13-year-old who eats more than I do. (I’d eat more if I swam 2 1/2 hours a day, too.) Enter: Leftover steak.
Now, we sometimes take our leftover steak and re-season it with fajita seasonings, add a few grilled peppers and onions and have a fiesta. Other times we slice it thin and heat it up with caramelized onions and top the whole thing off with a dose of cheese before adding it to a toasted bun. Then, there is the pasta.
Steak and eggs is traditional diner fare, but we’re serving it with a few sautéed greens over a creamy sauce and plenty of pasta. It’s breakfast for dinner, leftovers redone, and just plain good use of the food in the refrigerator at the end of the week.
Steak and Egg Pasta
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
3 cups brussels sprouts, halved
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cognac
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb cooked steak of choice, cut into pieces
4 eggs
1/2 lb spaghetti or fettuccine pasta, cooked
fresh cracked black pepper
minced parsley
Directions
Place the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the shallot and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the brussels sprouts to the pan and cook, turning once after about 4 minutes, until the cut sides start to turn a golden brown. Remove the brussels sprouts from the pan.
Deglaze the pan with the cognac. (At this point you can remove the pan from the heat, add a bit of flame to the alcohol and let it burn. It will flame, so be careful should you choose to do this.) Add in the cream and return the pan to a medium heat.
When the cream sauce starts to thicken, add the steak in and turn the heat to low to warm the steak.
Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Crack the four eggs into separate cups. Once the water is simmering, carefully pour each of the eggs into the water, at least 4″ apart. Turn off the heat and cover the pan for four minutes.
While you are waiting for the eggs, toss the pasta and the brussels sprouts with the cream sauce and steak and plate on four plates. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water and top each plate with one egg. Sprinkle with black pepper and fresh herbs.
2.2.8
Do you have any other ways to use leftover steak?
Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. She is a contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.
Steak and Egg Pasta is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Food Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
May 14, 2013
6 Ideas for Getting Mom into the Photo
The following post is from Krystal of Krystal Griffin Photography:
source: Krystal Griffin
Moms are often the memory keeper, and therefore, the ones who are usually missing in the photographs. If by chance those roles are flipped in your family, that’s okay — all these tips still apply to getting dad into photos. In either case it’s never okay to be missing from your family’s photographs. You can’t be absent from family history. Your family MUST be able to see you in their photographs!
If you aren’t crazy about getting in front of the camera, that is another topic for another day. But trust me when I say that your family will treasure your presence in your photographs, the same way they treasure you in their daily life.
I have six ideas to start getting you into the family photos:
source: Krystal Griffin
A six year old took this. I set up the basics for him and he did the rest. The camera was on manual and he could toggle the focus points. They really can do it. This photo isn’t perfect but I love it.
1. Teach your kids to use the camera.
Now, I have made this one easy for you and already provided some suggestions to get you started in this post. Your kids may not take perfect pictures, and they may have to take a few extras before you all make it into the frame. But you don’t need perfect pictures, just memories recorded. You also might find that you enjoy those images taken from their perspective.
2. Teach your spouse.
This tip isn’t much different than the last. If your spouse doesn’t know what to do with the camera, show them. Keep it simple and you will both be happy. Your spouse may already know how to use the camera and take some great photos. This is my situation and all I really need to do is remember to hand the camera over more often.
source: Krystal Griffin
3. Take a reflection shot.
We have all seen (or taken) those bathroom mirror shots that end up as a Facebook profile. While they sometimes seem cheesy (usually accompanied by the duck face and some squished eyes), there is a lot of promise in that method. A mirror in your home is a great way to photograph you with a child or your spouse. Large dark windows (the kind on a store front or museum) are also a great spot to get a reflection. Even a large puddle or a wet sand bar will work well.
4. Use a self-timer or remote trigger.
Most cameras come with a self-timer and they are pretty easy to use. Pull out your manual (Google the instructions if you lost the manual) and start to practice. If you practice when it doesn’t matter, you will be a pro when you really want it to work. Another option is a remote trigger or shutter release. Most camera models are compatible with at least one remote. They are a pretty cheap item to buy and really easy to use.
source: Krystal Griffin
5. Ask a stranger.
Yes, the traditional stand by, “Will you take our picture?” works wonders. Get your spot picked out, frame your photo up and find some generous soul who will help you. I often look for someone who is also trying to get a picture and offer to take theirs while asking them to take ours. If you are concerned about handing your valuable camera over to a stranger, consider who you choose to give it to. A mother with a stroller, an elderly couple or an employee of your destination is not likely to take off with your camera.
6. Pay someone.
While it is important to do all you can to chronicle your everyday life, and keep all family members in those photos, there is something to be said for hiring someone to photograph you and your family. A professional will be well worth your money to capture photos of you and your family just as you are right now. If you aren’t ready for a big family session, or you already did one, you might consider finding a mini-session. These are great for Mommy and Me photos or a few updated photos of just you. There are many kinds of sessions available with a professional:anniversary, family, modern glamour, lifestyle, etc. Any professional will help you get what you need with just a simple phone call.
source: Krystal Griffin
How do you get into your family photographs?
Krystal is a stay-at-home mom of four children, ages 4-9, whom she homeschools. She is acutely aware of how fast her children are changing and is passionate about keeping family memories alive through photographs. Now and then she gets to help other families’ bottle up their own memories at Krystal Griffin Photography.
6 Ideas for Getting Mom into the Photo is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Tech Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
How to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids
The following post is from Amanda of OhAmanda.com :
source: ntr23
I used to teach Bible stories in our church’s preschool class. When I walked in, we’d all sing, “It’s clean up time, it’s clean up time, let’s put the toys away…” And what do you know? Those little preschoolers and toddlers would hop right up, put their toys away without a complaint or a pout.
Now, I have a preschooler and an elementary aged kid of my own. I wish I could just turn on some music that would magically make them clean their rooms or pick up their toys around the house.
Instead of harping, nagging and hounding my kids into picking up their mess, I try to think of different ways to encourage them and even add incentives to motivate them to clean up.
Here are a few ideas to help make picking up and cleaning up fun…ok, well, at least a little more fun:
1. Make a checklist.
Write a checklist on a chalkboard, a piece of paper or even on an easel if you have one. Pick the five things that need to be cleaned the most and write (or draw pictures of them for your non-readers) them down. Then, let the kids check them off when they are done. Using a marker on a whiteboard is somehow incentive enough for my kids to keep working!
2. Make a pile.
Sometimes when every toy, game piece and crayon is scattered from hither to yon in the playroom, I can see my kids’ eyes glaze over at the enormity of the task. So, I’ll bulldoze everything into a pile on the floor. Then we’ll race to see how quickly we can get the pile eliminated.
Taking away the whole “what should I clean first” problem helps them stay focused on actually doing the cleaning!
3. Make a square.
I know when I’ve got a big mess to clean up, I have to take it in small portions. Cleaning the whole kitchen overwhelms me but, picking up the dirty glasses, I can do!
To help my kids keep the small tasks in front of them, I’ll mark off a space in their room, “Only clean up what’s on the floor in between the closet and the desk.” That’s an easy, doable task and helps them be confident to go onto the next space.
4. Make a game.
Some kids need a reward. Try picking a simple prize (our favorite is a handful of chocolate chips) then set a timer for 10-15 minutes. As you pick up items and put them away (in their correct spot), count each one. Whoever has put away the most things when the timer goes off gets the prize. (We usually let the winner decide if the rest of us gets the prize, too. And they usually say yes. And everybody wins!)
This doesn’t make cleaning their favorite thing to do, but it certainly makes the chore go by more quickly. Regardless of what we clean or how we do it, I try to always keep the focus on taking care of our family. We keep our home clean because we want to honor our family–the stuff we have, the people who use it, the people who bought it and the space we share. Cleaning together also promotes belonging, helpfulness and servanthood. I want to use everything I can (even cleaning up) to bring fun and togetherness to our family!
What’s your favorite creative way to clean the house with your kids?
Amanda is a stay-at-home mom of two who blogs at OhAmanda.com. In her former life, Amanda was a Children’s Pastor — overseeing, organizing and developing ministry for kids in nursery through middle school, but now that she is a mom, her “skills” are used up on her kids!
How to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids is a post from Life Your Way
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved - This feed is provided for the convenience of Family Your Way subscribers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited. If you are reading this content elsewhere, please send an email to contact@yourway.net to let us know. Thanks.
DIY Pedestal Plate or Vase
The following post is from Janel of Life with Lucie and Ella.:
source: Janel from Life with L and E
Months ago, I saw Myra’s post for DIY Hurricane Vases, and I fell in love with them. What a great way to take some simple dollar-store or thrift-store items and give them new life.
When I needed a decorative item for my mantel with a little more height, I decided to take inspiration from Myra and make my own with the flowers and vase from my Rolled Paper Flower Arrangement tutorial. I also realized that I could do the same thing to create a pedestal plate — it’s a great way to display different items at a buffet for a special occasion. Items at different heights add a little more visual interest.
source: Janel from Life with L and E
Whether you want a tall vase or pedestal plate, the process is the same. You’ll need some Gorilla Glue to glue your pieces together and some water to activate the glue. Because the glue dries a bit bubbly and has a color when it dries, I preferred not to use a clear glass plate or vase because you’d be able to see the glue in the finished product. But, of course, if you fill up your vase or pile up treats on your plate, the glued section will be covered so probably won’t see that anyway. Just use what you prefer.
How to Make a Pedestal Plate or Vase:
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Supplies:
plate, diy vase, or other decorative item to which you’d like to add some height
glass candlesticks (I got mine from the dollar store.)
Gorilla Glue
water
heavy books
Directions:
Clean the surfaces where you will be applying the glue. Place your decorative plate or vase upside down. Use water to create a damp circle where you will attach the glass candlestick. Also apply a little water to the rim of the glass candlestick where it will attach to the plate/vase. Try not to get any water inside the well of the candlestick or you will trap moisture inside.
Apply a small amount of Gorilla Glue to the rim of the glass candlestick. The glue will expand when it gets wet so don’t apply too much.
Place the candle holder on top of the plate, vase, or other item and center it. Carefully, place a heavy item such as a large book on top of the candlestick. The weight will help create a better bond between the two items. Allow the glue to cure for 1 – 2 hours.
source: Janel of Life with L and E
Fill your pedestal plate with cookies or your pedestal vase with flowers and enjoy!
Related Posts:
Step by Step Mantel Decorating
Rolled Paper Flower Arrangement and DIY Vase – This tutorial shows how I made the “vase” displayed here.
DIY Mantel Words – These make a fun addition to your mantel OR could be used as decorations for a buffet table.
Have you ever created something special for your mantel?
Janel is a stay-at-home mom of two and law school wife. Raised in a budget-conscious and do-it-yourself minded family, she loves seeing something in a store or magazine and making her own version at home for less money. Janel blogs about motherhood, crafts and recipes at Life with Lucie and Ella.
DIY Pedestal Plate or Vase is a post from Life Your Way
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May 13, 2013
Weekly Reads + Reading Out Loud to Kids {5/13/13}
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I still didn’t pick up my Kindle last week, but my reading list is growing at an alarming rate, so I’m looking forward to diving back in (hopefully) this week!
Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add your blog post to the linky below or leave a comment with your favorite reads from this week.
A Question for You
Earlier in the school year, I mentioned that I’d accepted that audiobooks were going to have to take the place of read-alouds for our family because of time constraints with school and work time; however, I’ve realized in the last few months how very much I miss reading stacks of books with and to the girls!
With that in mind, we’ve worked hard to move to more independent school work for many of our subjects, freeing up more time for me to sit and read with them rather than trying to teach a variety of subjects, and I’m really excited to start making our way through more of our collection (and rereading some of our favorites with the little ones!) as we head into summer.
All of that said, I’d love to know when you read to your kids! Do you read at meals or bedtime? At set times or randomly throughout the day? Where do you read together? How much time do you spend reading to your kids each day?
Share Your Reading List
