Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 123

Easy Spring Spin Art for Preschoolers

The following post is from Kristina of Toddler Approved:

source: Kristina Buskirk

There is nothing better than an art project that yields beautiful results while also getting kids actively moving and having fun with a cool tool. Salad spinner art is a favorite activity with my kids because the salad spinner is so exciting to use!

This week we decided to cut up some spring shapes and drop them into the salad spinner and see what happened.

source: Toddler Approved

All you need is a salad spinner (or a spin art machine), scissors, cardstock, and liquid watercolor (or lightly watered down paint).

First, we cut out different spring shapes (tulips and butterflies), and then we dropped them into the salad spinner along with some paint.

source: Kristina Buskirk

Then, we shut the lid and made the salad spinner go around and around and around (the best part of the activity).

source: Kristina Buskirk

Once we’d spun each spring shape and sufficiently covered it with paint, we took each of them out and let the images dry.

source: Kristina Buskirk

We loved the results and used our spin art creations in a lot of different ways. We stuck them on little cards, wrote notes, and attached them to plates of cookies for friends.

source: Kristina Buskirk

We also just created some spring art scenes to hang around our house.

source: Kristina Buskirk

If you love garlands, you could easily string these shapes up with some twine to make some pretty spring decor. In addition to using paper, we also love to do coffee filter spin art and cut them into different shapes once the paint has dried.

This activity has become a daily favorite because is so simple and keeps the kids laughing, experimenting, and giving their arms a “workout.”

Do you have a salad spinner? Have you ever used it for spin art? What else could you make with your spin art creations?

Kristina is a mom of 3 and a former Special Ed teacher for children with communication disabilities. She blogs at Toddler Approved as she looks for ways to make life a little more fun and creative with her kids while embedding learning into everything that she does. Kristina tweets as @ToddlerApproved and can be found on FB and Pinterest.

Easy Spring Spin Art for Preschoolers is a post from Life Your Way

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Day 24: Finish Cleaning the Family Room {Spring Cleaning Made Easy}

This month we’re spring cleaning the easy way with our Spring Cleaning Made Easy series! The goal is to get the whole house clean — one mini task at a time — without having to set aside a whole week, or even a whole day, to clean.

In our house, the family room is the hub — the room that’s used the most and gets the dirtiest — so today’s task is an important and oft-repeated one!

source: Mandi Ehman

Bonus: If you have a formal living room, take the time to deep clean that room while you’re working on the family room!

Today, we’re going to follow the same basic method we followed in the bedrooms. Start at the top and clean your way down:

Grab a duster or vacuum cleaner and clean off the fan blades.


Using your duster or vacuum, clean the corners between your walls and ceilings.


Dust window frames and clean blinds. Hang your curtains outside or tumble them in the dryer to get rid of any dust in them.


Next, wash the windows and any mirrors.


Dust any shelves and knick knacks as well as picture frames.


Clean under the couch cushions.


Pull the couch out from the wall and clean under/behind the couches.


Clean the baseboards and behind other any furniture.


Finally, vacuum and steam clean or sweep and mop.

And you’re done!

Track your progress this month with the Spring Cleaning Made Easy checklist, which comes in two versions — one with dates to coincide with the live series and one with generic labels so you can do it on your own at another time. Click here to download or print your copy!

We’re almost done; is your home feeling clean? Tomorrow we’re going to start on the laundry/utility/mud room!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever found in your couch cushions?

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.

Day 24: Finish Cleaning the Family Room {Spring Cleaning Made Easy} is a post from Life Your Way

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Buy a Shirt & Support a Survivor of Domestic Abuse {Sevenly.com}

Have you discovered Sevenly yet? Sevenly offers a new shirt design each and every week, but these designs aren’t just pretty — they’re designed in support of a specific cause or charity, and $7 from each shirt sold is donated directly to that charity!

This week’s charity is Next Door, an organization that serves battered women and children by providing emergency shelter, crisis intervention, community advocacy and education and prevention activities.

See all of this week’s designs here.

Why Sevenly?

Sevenly is a for-profit company that is making a tangible difference through their giving. They offer high-quality, stylish clothing at a reasonable price and instead of pocketing all of the revenue, they give $7 from each and every shirt purchased directly to the cause of the week.

While giving directly to a charity is always the better option, Sevenly is a great way to expand your wardrobe and support the causes you care about at the same time. And your new shirt offers you the opportunity to become an ambassador for these charities as well, as the designs are sure to open up conversations along the way!

Buy a Shirt & Support a Survivor of Domestic Abuse {Sevenly.com} is a post from Life Your Way

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Why and How to Become A Morning Person

The following post is from Kat of Inspired To Action :

source: edgaa

Editor’s note: There are a lot of great posts in the archives here at Life Your Way that don’t get much attention anymore, so I’m sharing a couple of my favorites each week. I love Kat’s perspective on our role as mothers as the barometer of our homes!

Our children are mirrors of us. If we greet them tired and grumpy in the morning, guess what? They’re probably going to act tired and grumpy too.

If we greet them prepared, encouraging and full of vision for the day, then their outlook will be radically different too.

Our attitudes and actions have a direct, immediate and long term impact on our children. At some point in all our lives we have prepared for work or school. It is no less important for us to prepare for our families as well.

Whether you are naturally a morning person, or it’s something you need to work at, here are five simple ways to kickstart your day.

1. Go to Bed Earlier

A great day starts the night before. Very few of us get as much sleep as we really need. Do yourself (and your family) a favor tonight and go to bed early. Nothing starts a day off wonderfully like being well rested.

2. Get Dressed for Success

Whether your plans are to workout, go to work or run errands and play 5,386 games of Candyland with your 3 year old, it’s important to get dressed for the day right away. It is much easier to get motivated when we are dressed for the part.

3. Drink Something

Even if your morning drink is coffee or tea, try to get a good glass of water in first thing in the morning. It will help you wake up and give your body what it needs to have a productive day.

4. Have a Plan

Give thanks, pray, read, listen, journal, exercise and review your to do list. Whatever you choose to get done in the morning, just make sure you have a plan for it. You can never underestimate the excuses we can come up with in the morning. If we have a plan, there is no room for debate.

5. Recipe for Success

Make a list of what would make the day great. Games with the kids, cleaning out the fridge, going for a run. What are the big things that would make you lay your head down happy tonight? Write them down and work on completing one of them today.

These are just five simple things, but they can have a huge impact on our mornings our families as we interact in those hurried minutes before everyone needs to be everywhere.

As mothers we are the barometers for our homes. Let’s do what we can to make each day a bright, sunny and peaceful day.

Are mornings easy or hard for you?

Kat blogs at Inspired To Action, a site dedicated to helping moms develop the habits and skills they need to effectively manage their homes and raise children who are prepared to change the world. Kat loves music, running, technology, Jesus and Tex-Mex food. Not necessarily in that order.

Why and How to Become A Morning Person is a post from Life Your Way

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Creative DIY Storage Ideas for Your Home

The following post is from Lisa of The Pennington Point:

source: The Pennington Point

There’s never enough storage at my house.  If didn’t find creative ways to store things every little cubby and corner would be piled with stuff.  Toys, school supplies, wii accessories, and everything the kids collect all need a home, and I need a neat and tidy house.

So, I try to look for clever storage spots.

1. Flea Market Finds

source: The Pennington Point

These vintage lockers are the perfect way to keep my kids’ school books tucked out of sight and the lockers add an element of fun to the living room.

2. Baskets

source: The Pennington Point

We all know that baskets are a great way to contain things on a shelf.  In this case, I added chalkboard labels so we know just what’s in there.

3. Boxes & Buckets

source: The Pennington Point

My boys’ Legos were taking over the house, so I labeled boxes and buckets for their pieces and now they can keep them off the floor.

4. Under the Bed

source: The Pennington Point

My teen daughters share an attic bedroom that has no closets.  None!  So we had to really get creative with storage.  I got those cheap plastic under bed boxes, and we skirted the beds so you can’t see them.  Looks nice.  Lots of storage.

5. Over Your Head

source: The Pennington Point

I like a metal bucket, but if you don’t want what’s in there to be seen you need to raise the bucket higher than your head.  We have our wii accessories in locker baskets on top of the gym lockers (see above #1), and in my bathroom I keep my feminine products in a bucket above the toilet.  They are right at hand but can’t be seen.

6. Dressers

source: The Pennington Point

A dresser doesn’t have to be just for clothes.  I use dressers in other parts of the house for holding small items.  One under the TV can holds all of our movies.  I also have one in my homeschool area for holding paper and pens.

7. Cans & Bottles

source: The Pennington Point

My daughter uses so many teeny tiny pieces when she creates, so we built a simple shelf for her to put empty cans and bottles full of her treasures.  This would be great for many kids’ collections!

8. Trunks

source: The Pennington Point

Chests and trunks hold a TON of stuff and look pretty doing it.  I found one at the flea market and put it at the foot of my bed.  Without a linen closet, I needed space for sheets and blankets.  Besides holding the bedding, it’s a great place for the kids to sit when they’re hanging out in my room talking with me.  Also in this room I have a dresser holding my personal items and the big wardrobe stores all of our luggage.

Whatever your needs, I’ll bet you can find a creative storage solution.

Do you have a need for some creative storage?

Lisa winds through her little Texas farm house every night, tucking in her nine homeschooled children and turning off lights. Then she scans the rooms & makes a mental list of what she wants to rearrange, restore or paint. Her husband of 26 years hangs on for the ride while she blogs about it over at The Pennington Point.

Creative DIY Storage Ideas for Your Home is a post from Life Your Way

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Day 23: Books, CDs & DVDs {Spring Cleaning Made Easy}

This month we’re spring cleaning the easy way with our Spring Cleaning Made Easy series! The goal is to get the whole house clean — one mini task at a time — without having to set aside a whole week, or even a whole day, to clean.

Today’s goal is to sort through your books, CDs & DVDs — decluttering those that you no longer want or need and organizing what’s left!

source: Paull Young

Books

Last year Rachel shared her reasons for keeping a small home library, and she started by describing books as the most contentious area to simplify or minimize in a home. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s right, and I personally list children’s books as one thing that I won’t declutter. {For a great discussion on home libraries, be sure to hop over to this week’s Weekly Reads post and join in the conversation in the comments!).

Because this is such a personal decision, I won’t try to lay out specific numbers or guidelines for how many books you should own. But I would encourage you to take time to go through your book collection, evaluate why you’re keeping each book and declutter those that you don’t love or don’t plan to reread.

I actually decluttered a whole shelf of books this week. We’ve kept the books we consider “twaddle” {a term coined by Charlotte Mason to refer to dumbed down literature} on a low shelf for our toddlers.  This gives them more freedom to pick up a book to “read” without worrying about the books we love getting torn or written in (although we still obviously discourage both of those things!). However, our youngest is now 3.5 and pretty respectful of books, so we packed away the twaddle until our new little one reaches the toddler stage.

I absolutely think it’s okay to have an extensive home library if you’re building it intentionally and love being surrounded by books, but I think it’s important to keep it organized and decluttered as well so that you don’t fall into the trap of collecting books just for the sake of saying you have so many of them!

CDs & DVDs

Although I don’t know many people who are still actively building their CD collections, many of us still have large collections from back in the day. And many people do enjoy collecting DVDs. So what are you to do with all of your great music and movies? You have a few options:

Take the CDs/DVDs out of their cases and use a CD sleeve instead so that your collection doesn’t take up much space. This is what we’ve done with our CDs, and I love that they’re so condensed, but the downside to doing this with DVDs is that we can’t really give away or sell those now because we don’t have the cases to put them in, so I’ve stopped doing it with movies.


Digitize your music and pack away the physical copies. {Keep in mind that technically you shouldn’t give those away if you’re keeping the music for your personal use.}


Keep the CDs/DVDs you love in their cases and organize them on a shelf for your enjoyment!

Services like Spotify and Netflix are great options for families who love music and movies because you can enjoy those things through your subscription without actually purchasing them, which cuts down on your physical and digital clutter.

Track your progress this month with the Spring Cleaning Made Easy checklist, which comes in two versions — one with dates to coincide with the live series and one with generic labels so you can do it on your own at another time. Click here to download or print your copy!

Tomorrow we’ll be deep cleaning the family room — hopefully we’ll find some change in the couch cushions!

How big is your collection of books, CDs or DVDs?

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.

Day 23: Books, CDs & DVDs {Spring Cleaning Made Easy} is a post from Life Your Way

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Smart Sweets by Katie Kimball On Sale for $0.99!

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship is one of my favorite green / real food bloggers. Not only does she readily admit her mistakes and cheats, but she also shares her in-depth research into, well, pretty much everything, so that her readers can evaluate that information and make decisions themselves.

Her ebooks are packed full of not just recipes, but information about variations, why she uses the ingredients she does, methods for preparation and so on.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, today only you can get her dessert ebook — Smart Sweets: 30 Desserts to Indulge Your Sweet Tooth — for just $0.99 for Kindle.

This is a great deal, and not only will you get 30 dessert recipes but also the information you need to smarten up your favorite desserts as well!

Click here to get a sneak peek inside the book and order your copy today!

Smart Sweets by Katie Kimball On Sale for $0.99! is a post from Life Your Way

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Farmer’s Market Season: 5 Tips for Shopping the Market

The following post is from Kate of Modern Alternative Mama:

source: photoskate

Very soon, it will be farmer’s market season.  May opens the market in my area!

For awhile, people have touted farmer’s markets as “the” place to shop for local foods and get a great deal too.  But farmer’s markets have become trendy and also more business-like, and some have found that they really aren’t a cheaper options anymore.

It’s still awesome to support local, so how can you shop the market and still keep to a budget?  Luckily, there are ways.

Buy specialty items.

I really love basswood honey.  It is a specialty honey that is almost impossible to find anywhere.  It costs $5/lb. at the farmer’s market, and I could get honey for about $3.79/lb. at a local health food store (also raw/local).  I save up to buy a few pounds of this basswood honey each year because I love it.  I don’t pay extra for a basic wildflower honey, though.  I stick to the specialty honey that isn’t available elsewhere. Choose a few items at your market that you just can’t find anywhere else.

Look for “seconds.”

“Perfect” fruit might be $2/lb., while the “seconds” (bruised, blemished, overripe but perfectly fine to eat) might be $1/lb. or less.  Try to buy these “seconds” especially if you will be cooking the food before eating it and no one will even notice the blemishes. Ugly tomatoes still make great soup.

Shop late in the day.

Sometimes, farmers will offer whatever is left at the end of the market for really cheap, just so they don’t have to carry it back with them.  Come towards the end of the market and see what kind of deals you can get.

Connect outside the market.

Farmers bring their best to the market and have to compete with other vendors for business.  Part of that means keeping their prices fairly competitive, or similar to other farmers in the market.  Especially if you are looking to buy in quantity, ask if you can come to their farm and if they’ll give you a deal for doing so — many will, if you buy a lot.  While I often see farmers selling tomatoes for $1.50/lb. or more at the market, talking to them about hooking up outside the market has led to buying canning tomatoes for $0.50/lb. or less!

Splurge sometimes.

Sometimes I save $10 or so in my weekly budget and go and buy something that just looks delicious.  Maybe I’m having some people over and want to make a nice salad, or I’m dying for a bag of the first apples or strawberries of the season.  Nothing’s better than fresh and local!

How do you shop the farmer’s markets?  Do you find good deals in your area?

Kate is a wife and mommy to 3 and is passionate about God, health and food. She has written 7 cookbooks and is planning to release more in 2012. When she’s not blogging, she’s in the kitchen, sewing, or home schooling her children. You can find her at Modern Alternative Mama or contributing to Keeper of the Home.

Farmer’s Market Season: 5 Tips for Shopping the Market is a post from Life Your Way

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How I Get Brand Name Clothes on a Not-So-Brand-Name Budget

The following post is from Tiffany of Mommy Goes Green:

source: Rubbermaid Products

While I’m no fashion trendsetter, I have always been the type of girl that likes to be dressed up. You won’t often find me in jeans and tennis shoes and my go-to winter outfit is skinnies paired with boots and layers up top – it’s still cold in our little mountain town! As you might imagine, I love dressing up my littles, too.  And hubs? He’s a jeans and tennis shoes kind of guy. Opposites do attract, in our case.

Some of my favorite brands include J.Crew, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, and Boden but when we became a single income family years ago, I had to get a lot more creative about how I was going to keep dressing in the clothes I like and feel good in.

Don’t get me wrong, we also wear clothes from Target, Walmart and Old Navy. But I’ll be honest with you, the difference in quality is noticeable once they’ve been worn as hard as my kids like to play. I do not mind paying a few more dollars for clothes to wear longer and are then able to be passed onto others.

Here’s a few of my favorite ways to find high quality clothes I love at a price I can afford:

1.  Outlet Malls

Once or twice a year, I take a few hours to go to the largest outlet mall in the state. It’s two hours from home so we usually hit it up as we are passing through the area.  The best deals to be found are usually during holiday weekends and I make sure to print and take lots of coupons (subscribe to the store outlet emails several weeks before you go). Banana Republic Factory, J.Crew Factory, Nike, Gap and Carter’s are some of my favorite outlet stores.

2. Online Consignment Stores

I’ve found some great pre-owned clothes at online consignment stores for both women and children. Like Twice (get a $10 credit for signing up) carries women’s clothes and I recently got a very cute Banana Republic silky ikat tank for $2.80 shipped! ThredUp (get a $10 credit for signing up) carries all children’s clothing where I scored a Ralph Lauren button down for my preppy little boy for $4.00 shipped.

3. Children’s Resale Events

When I had babies, I SCORED at children’s resale events like Just Between Friends.   I picked up some of the cutest new and pre-owned clothing and shoes for $1 and $2 apiece.  Now that my kids are older, I’ve found the selection to be more limited, but if you are pregnant or have kids under 3, I would find a couple events to attend per year. Get in line early or volunteer a few hours so you can go to the pre-sale, it’s worth your time.

4. eBay

eBay is my hidden gem for shopping. I create a few saved searches for items I am looking for such as my favorite jeans or a winter coat.  When one pops up on my radar at a great price, and they always do, I purchase it. Some of the best deals to be had are in the off season, so start looking for winter clothing in June! (I keep money in my Paypal account just for this).

5. Store Credit Cards

I know credit cards do not work for everyone, but I would be remiss to pretend that I don’t use them. I have a Banana Republic card that regularly gives me discounts of 30-50% off all my purchases at Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic, and I get free shipping on every order.  I pay it off every time I use it; it works for us.

6. Discount Retailers

T.J.Maxx and Nordstrom Rack are two of my favorite places to find jeans and shoes that I could not otherwise afford. I often comb through the clearance racks at these stores to find off-season clothing for even less.

7. Local Resale: Facebook Swaps, Craigslist and Freecycle

When I lived in a larger city, Craigslist and Freecycle were a great way to get pre-owned clothing for cheap and free. Now that I live in a smaller town, I am part of several local Facebook groups where moms buy and sell to each other. Once you find a few moms with a style you like, you can connect outside of the group to sell each other your stuff.

8. Garage Sales and Thrift Stores

I certainly couldn’t make a list like this without mentioning these as I have found a few things at garage sales and thrift stores, but it’s not often enough to make it worth my time. Honestly, eBay is my choice for the most efficient garage sale/thrift store.

What creative ways have you found to get your favorite clothes on a budget?

Tiffany is a wife and mom of two, living simply to indulge her family’s love of outdoor recreation and travel. You can find her contributing at Simple Homemade, The Creative Mama and her personal home on the web, Mommy Goes Green.

is a post from Life Your Way

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Weekly Reads + Whether You Keep Books {4/8/13}

Oh my goodness. For the first time all year, I didn’t read a single page in a single book for the whole week! I definitely enjoyed my extra sleeping hours, though.

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

This week’s question has to do with owning versus borrowing books and how you grow your book collection.

It’s no secret that I love my collection of children’s books, and my dream is actually to grow a fairly extensive children’s library, not just for my own children, but for my children’s children and beyond (maybe I’ll be able to keep them local with that promise? LOL!). With that in mind, we buy a lot of books each year for our homeschool (and also because our library system is good but not great and I want to be able to surround them with tons of great books), and our shelves are overflowing. However, I’m not especially picky about the quality of those books. I actually love the look of a well-loved book and often buy used.

When it comes to my own books, I’m not nearly as attached to them, and I really only have one small shelf of my very favorites. These days, I do buy a lot of books for my Kindle, but I’ll occasionally buy one of my favorites in paper as well (which reminds me that I still want to get Love Does for my collection!). My friend Shaina, on the other hand, loves to own the paper copies of the books she reads, and she is careful to keep them in pristine condition as well.

How about you? Do you borrow or buy books? Do you have a growing collection or give them away? Do you like your books to be in a certain condition?

Looking forward to hearing your answers!

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