Friday, September 28, 2018

Random Tid Bits

  1. I tried my best to try and convince Travis that I so wished that we would have named the boys Conrad and Commodore. I said, "Aren't those the best brother names? They sound so masculine. We could nickname them "Rad" and "Commy".  He's like, "Ok!?"

    The next day I told Mica what I wanted to change Isaak and his names to and he said, "I love those names Mom!"

    All week I've been calling Mica "Conrad" and Isaak "Commodore" just to mess with my husband. Conrad isn't that bad, and I just quickly came up with it to pair up with Commodore. Every once in awhile I just have to play an odd prank on gullible, serious Travis. Luckily the boys usually go along with me. 

  2. I was measuring a project that the students are working on. It's the project where teach piece is blown up. Then I put them all together in the end. Size is important to this project!

    I had one student that came up, and each piece had the wrong size. She quickly said, "It's because I didn't use that to measure with." She was referring to the fact that I was measuring her projects with a yard stick, when she was using a ruler.

    I didn't know if I should shake my head in the back room, or laugh. Have schools really done this much of a disservice to our students?


    I had another student that measured her projects wrong 3 times. She was short each time, so I made her recut each one, each time.

    Then there was a guy that came up and said, "Can you just show me where 3/4" is at? I have to be honest I just don't know." I guess I preferred that he just came out, and asked.

  3. The company ParentSavvy I work for is going belly up in a month. I'll miss that extra income, and doing the projects with Isaak. I think he's ok with it being done. We bump heads at times on what to do. I don't always like his ideas, and he doesn't always like that I'm telling him what to do. It was fun, while it lasted!

  4. Source

  5. Mica's leg has been bothering him, since the start of his Cross Country run on Saturday. He has been limping. He had to go see someone about that. We sent him to a health clinic at school. If we don't have to take off work, take Mica out of school, and run all over town then it may be a great thing. I had him get a flu shot, while he was there. Result: He has a shin splint on one of his legs. I'll tell you if it was convenient when I get the bill.  

  6. It's starting to get cold here in Nebraska. A part of Nebraska snowed, but not where I live. Is it cold where you're at? 

Thursday, September 27, 2018

One Boy's Trash is Another Boy's Treasure #craft #art #paint #mixedmedia

My next art | craft post is up on ParentSavvy. I'm really excited to share the steps of this one.


There are 3 main things you need for this:

  1. Heavy Structure Gel
  2. A Masonite Canvas
  3. Light Weight Junk You Will Turn to Treasure

I was so happy! My work gave me a $5 coupon to use at Blick Art Supplies. I found Winsor & Newton Heavy Structure Gel on clearance. It was $7. I had my teacher's discount on top of that. It was pennies.


We had canvas laying around.


Isaak has a lot of of junk that he wanted to turn to treasure. 

Screens


Washers and Other Things


Rubber Bits and Rusted Metal


Rainbow Loom - Not Really Junk, but We Used Them
We Also Used String


A Spoon to Apply the Medium, a Pen or Something to Draw on the Junk to Cut Them Out, Scissors to Cut the Junk


You May Use a Paint Brush, or Foam Brush (Optional)


You May Use Paint or Sand (Optional)


Turning the Trash to Treasure

Figure out what you want to stand out, how things will look on the canvas, and if there's any add on things you'll use before you get started.


We kind of had it figured out here. We decided to make the white mesh the biggest thing on the page, also known as the focal point.


Using Heavy Structure Gel:

Once it was all laid out we started to use the gel. Important use something you can wipe off to apply it. We used a spoon. You can use a fork, a palette knife, or even a plastic comb if you wanted to. It holds it's shape really well, so a fork or comb might be interesting. You'll get lots of lines.


Apply it to build it up on things that have recessed areas. Everything else can just be stuck into it.





We lifted the screen up to re position it. The gel held the texture! It dries a lot faster than I thought. Not so fast that you can't re position things, but I was expecting hours of drying time because it's thick. Nope! More like 20 min. When it dries, things are down for good!






We could have stopped here:

The little circles are Rainbow Looms.


But decided it needed something that would make one thing travel to something else. I told Isaak, "It looks like a Thomas train set with all the buildings, but no track.

We added string:



We could have stopped here:


We Chose to Paint it!

Gold and Silver went on! Isaak sprinkled sand in the wet paint in areas.


Blobs of silver paint went inside the Rainbow Loom circles.


It's Finished!

I would have worked on it more to add reds and teals to enhance the metal look, but Isaak hit his limit. I think it looks cool. Seriously a monkey could have done it with us.


It can go vertical or horizontal. Which way would you put it?


Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Beeswax Wrap Food Storage Review

I love things that are reusable! I'm happy to share with you Beeswax Wraps By Criss Elite.


Variety Wraps:
  • 1 Small Wrap 7"x8"
  • 2 Medium Wraps 10"x11"
  • 1 Large Wrap 13"x14"
How to Use it:
  • You can put the appropriate size over bowls to protect your food. It so beats plastic wrap! 
  • You can wrap sandwiches or wraps with it. 



Care:
  • They can be stored in the fridge.  
  • Do not use them in the microwave, or any other hot surface. The wax will melt. 
  • Wash the in cold or lukewarm water.
  • Do not cut on them.
  • They last roughly a year after you start using them. It may depend on how much they are used.
Made With:
  • Cotton
  • Beeswax
  • Jojoba Oil
  • Tree Resin
Where to Get These Very Cool Wraps:

Get them on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G85XVG2 $15.95 on Prime.

I've been eyeing Beeswax Wrap Storage Bags for quite some time. I'm glad I finally get to try them out. They are really handy to have around the house! Have you ever seen Beeswax Wrap Storage Bags?

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. I only review products I think my family can use, and my readers will enjoy.

WW: Grumpy Cookie Dough {Linky}

I was busy making chocolate chip cookies. This one wasn't too happy about getting baked.



Monday, September 24, 2018

Sila Silicone Storage Bags Review

I'm so addicted to getting things that I can reuse! I have had cloth bags for years. They are good for many things, such as daily lunches. Recently I've been getting and using silicone bags. 

Each bag comes with a different colored top! I can say, "Mica get me the bag out the freezer that has the red top." He'll come up with the right bag! Yay! The tops are hard for kids to slip on and off. They are even hard for adults to slip on and off the first few times.


Sila Silicone Bags are Wonderful for: 
  • Soups
  • Produce
  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Dried Beans

and much more! 

I don't know if I'll use them for soups. For us glass containers that you can just throw in the microwave are easy peasy for soups. I will use these for berry picking, tomatoes that we've processed, but haven't canned yet. I also make a wellness drink that's packed with anti inflammatory goodness! Usually when I make that I put 1/2 of it in the freezer. These bags are wonderful for storing that in! It's so wonderful that they can go in the freezer! 

I like the bags for produce because they keep the moisture of the fruits and veggies locked in. Net bags don't do that. I'm often left with rubbery tasting veggies. Net bags do work for bananas. We take them out anyhow. 


An Apple 🍎 a day for an Apel a Day. 


Airtight and Leakproof!

Sila Silicone Storage Bags are both. The silicone is food grade! They wash up easily.

Where to Get Them:

Get the 4 set on Amazon Prime for $15.99. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=me%3DAZ2BIF8I4TNVQ&field-keywords=reusable+snack+bags

What type of bags do you use in the kitchen?

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. I only review products my readers, and/or family will find helpful.

Dr. Benjamin Rush Natural Whole Food Multivitamin Review

Dr. Benjamin Rush Natural Whole Food Multivitamin is great for men and women! 


Right now I'm outnumbered with boys, so they'll be taking most of these. I like that I don't have to switch bottles from Women's Vitamins to Men's Vitamins. We take a daily vitamin, and I review them any chance I get to save money.

Our kids are ok with gummy pills, or pills they swallow.


When to Switch Kids From Kid's Vitamins to Adult Vitamins:

I never really knew the answer to this. None of the bottles really say when to switch from kids to adults. Our boy's doctor said, "Around the age they start going through puberty." When you think about it, that's the time they grow a lot, need more, and are as tall as some adults. We switched our boys when they were 10.

Allergies to Colds:

It's hard to stay healthy this time of year. Allergy season is in full swing. Often times when the weather starts switching there's more colds floating around. I want my family to stay healthy! Two weeks ago Isaak got his first cold, then I had it last week. I still feel like my ears are plugged, I'm wheezy in the morning and at night. It was a few days in on the cold before I declared myself sick, and not just suffering from allergies.

I love that these vitamins have probiotics and digestive enzymes in them. I wish I would have gotten the vitamins a month ago. Maybe they would of helped prevent us from getting sick.


Perks About Dr. Benjamin Rush Natural Whole Food Multivitamin:

They are made in the USA! That's not something we can say about every product sold here.

They are sugar-free! I don't know if I can say the same thing about the gummy vitamins.

They are made for Vegetarians and are also gluten free.

Pills:

There's 90 in a bottle. I do think like many bottles they could have packaged them in a smaller one. There was a lot of empty space in there. Another option could be to fill it up more, and move the price up.

You are supposed to take 3 a day. I just won't do that. We eat a pretty balanced diet, so 1 a day is all we'll take. I really start to feel like an old person when I take multiple pills a day.

Where to Get Them:

You can get them on Amazon for $24.95. They are not on Prime, but shipped fast to me! You can purchase them, for a save and subscribe to get them for $23.70. I have to be honest I've never done a subscription with anything on Amazon, so I don't know how it works exactly.

Pick them up here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742J2PCR

Do you take a daily vitamin?

Disclaimer: I got these vitamins for free in exchange for an honest review. The company did not tell me what to say. I only review products that are great for my family, or will benefit my readers.

Disclaimer

The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

I am not compensated to provide opinions on a variety of topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own. If I claim to show knowledge of certain topic or product I will only endorse products or services that I feel, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.

If you have any questions about this blog, or want to get in contact with me please email me at: anapeladay@gmail.com