Saturday Solutions: Kid Friendly Laundry Center

I can not take credit for this fabulous idea.  It was my 11 year old, The Lil' Chef, that came up with it.  We already had the laundry center.  I believe one day I was complaining sharing about how I would just love to get my dear children to sort their clothes, even the little boys.  Out came this great idea....

Please do not judge us by our drawing skills or the piles of laundry.  We simply took a black sharpie drew on each of the three bags.  Here is what we drew:

Whites - T-Shirt, Socks, Undies and Light Pants

Darks - Dark Shirt, Jeans

Towels - Towels, Washcloths

Saturday Solutions: How to Cheer Up a Child with the Sickies

If you have read my blog for atleast a week or two you probably know that we are sick all the time.  So in keeping with our monthly tradition, last week 3 of the 4 kids here in the LSG house were sick. 

It started with Computer Girl, then the Lil' Chef and last but not least Alpha Boy.  Alpha Boy seemed to have it the worst.  He had a fever for a few days and slept thru the day for two days in a row.  My little alpha Boy was really sick! 

With Alpha boy laid out on the couch I felt really bad for him. Then it hit me, a Sick Basket!!  I took an empty container and filled it with things that I thought he would enjoy having on the couch with him and hopefully cheer him up.  I put a bunch of books in there along with his Leapster & cartridges, his water bottle, a puzzle, a Rescue Hero, a small Superman, pen and paper and  a BELL! 

I think my little basket turned out great, except for the BELL.  Good night, what was I thinking!  I mean really, what mother in her right mind gives a bored little boy, that is laid out on the couch, with nothing better to do a BELL?!!

I do believe the little Sick Basket cheered him up : ) 

  

I even put new batteries in the Leapster for my boy.

See what I'm saying.  You can't hear it, but trust me, that bell was a ringin!

Do you have anything special that you do for a child with the sickies?

Saturday Solutions:Shoe Baskets

When you have more than a child or two, shoes can over run ones home.  When my kids come in the house I like them to put there shoes away instead of them ending up all over the house.   I have 3 dogs and a 2 year old that I trip over, I do not want to add shoes to the list.  Just sayin' : )

I have come to two conclusions about kids shoes.  1) They need to have a home and 2) I do not like running up and down the stairs for shoes every time we are leaving the house or the kids are going outside. 

My solution, The Shoe Basket.  Several years back I started placing a basket by the entryway to corral all the kid's shoes.  As the kids kept a comin' so did the shoes.  Our one basket has grown to be 4 stackable Sterilite containers.

Each child has a basket of their very own and puts their shoes away when they come in, of course sometimes I have to remind them.  Even Little Bits (2) knows that his shoes go in his basket. 

I like these containers for several reasons:

• They are VERY sturdy!
• They are STACKABLE.  This allows me to have 4 with out taking up too much real estate in the house.
• The are ROOMY!  Because the containers are such a nice size the kids can fit their sneakers, flip flops, church shoes, etc. 
• They are affordable.  At around $9 each (from Amazon) they won't break the bank.

We also have a wicker basket in our laundry room for their back yard shoes,  snow/rain boots and all the mud that comes with them : )

Saturday Solutions: Homemade Furniture Polish

A friend of mine gave me some really awesome little books that give great tips for using things around your house.  When I read that I could make my very own all natural furniture polish I just had to give it a whirl!

Here is the Recipe:

• 1/2 of Pure Vegetable Oil (I used Canola because that is what I had on hand)
• 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice
• Empty Spray Bottle or Jar with a Lid

You just pour in the oil and lemon juice into the empty spray bottle, shake and you are ready to go!  I actually doubled my recipe and it was still great. It is so easy that your kids could even mix it up for ya.  The Lil' Chef mixed up mine.  (Thanks Lil' Chef!!)

I have been using it for several weeks and really like it.  I use it on my bookcases, all my oak furniture as well as on my china cabinet.  I did find that I DO NOT like it on my kitchen table.  It is definitly cheaper than your average wood cleaner and safer for your home and YOUR LUNGS : )

A while back I also posted about another non-toxic homemade cleaner that I made if you want to check it out.  I use it EVERYDAY!!

Saturday Solutions: Get a Wagon!

This might sound a little goofy but it has been a huge blessing in our little world.  Last fall we were blessed to find a plastic Radio Flyer Wagon in great shape at a yard sale for only $5.  Of course we bought it, it was a deal we didn't want to pass up.

The Hubs and I had figured that we got our money's worth after watching our 4 kids play with this wagon for about an hour once we pulled it out of the car. 

If I haven't told you before, the Lord gave me one smart husband.  One day when I had returned from the grocery store with a van full of groceries he had a brilliant IDEA!  Instead of making 8 trips to the van why not use the handy dandy wagon. 

From that day forward that is how the LSG house carries in groceries, the lazy efficient way.  We load up the wagon and usually only have to make one trip. 

We just wheel that baby right on in the kitchen, unload and then put our groceries away. 

Like I said, Get a Wagon!

Saturday Solutions: Bible Reading Time

I am not sure if I have mentioned before how I get my Bible reading done or not, but I wanted to share.  I would love to say that I am 100% faithful in reading every single day ,but I am not.  I have, by God's Grace, gotten much better at making my reading/prayer time a priority, do do accomplish it on most days.

Here are the things that are working for me:

• First Thing - For me, reading first thing in the morning works best.  I feel like, if I don't get it done right away, then it is really hard for me to get to it at all.  Once I get up, I get a cup of coffee,  quickly scan my emails and then go to my reading.  My desire is to go to the Lord first, and ask for His wisdom and direction through the day.  If for some reason we are having an off morning I can make up my reading time at quiet/nap time.
• Have a Plan - I am more likely to follow through with something if I have a focus.  I have found that I REALLY love the M'Cheyne Bible Plan.  It gives you 4 chapters to read each day (2 with the family and 2 alone), 2 are from the Old Testament and 2 from the New and takes you through the whole Bible in 1 year if you keep up.  I just read through the beginning of the Bible with the kids for MFW's Bible, so for now I am just reading 3 chapters a day. 
• Utilize Technology - Most of the time I do my Bible reading right online, I just go right the M'Cheyne website and read from there.  There as several Bible reading programs out there that you can even have sent right to your email. 
• The Kids - I need to have quiet to read and process so I let the boys watch a cartoon, like The Cat in the Hat or Curious George while I read.  The girls, at this point ,are usually getting ready for school, doing their independent work or making breakfast.  They also have a private Bible reading time that they do, usually in the afternoon during quiet time, but I think I am going to be moving that to 1st thing in the morning too!
• Just do it - Even if I over sleep or am having a bad morning, I still try to at least read one chapter from the Bible.  Whether you follow a plan or not, whether it is in the morning or not, find a quiet time with the Lord.  You really need it, I know I do!  If you don't have a lot of time, read a Proverb or just pick a book of the Bible to start in and read a chapterer a day. 

Saturday Solutions: Garlic Ear Drops

If you have children then chances are that you too have been awakened in the middle of the night with a crying sick child.  This is not fun for anyone and mom's can sometimes feel helpless.

If one of our children wakes crying in the middle of the night complaining of an ear ache or pulling on their ears then I go right for my garlic ear drops.  We've been using them for years, they are safe, natural and have been very effective for us.  Usually, we have all been able to return to sleep.

There have been times that I have taken our children to the doctor's, been told that they have an ear infection and then been given a prescription.  I politely decline and explain that we have garlic drops at home.  We have in the past used the garlic ear drops and returned to the doctors for a follow up, the results have been excellent. 

Usually I buy the garlic ear drops from a health food store but am starting to make them on my own.  Here is the recipe I am using:

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 head of fresh garlic - peel and slice all cloves
small glass jar, like a mason jar
small square of cheese cloth - enough to cover the top of your jar

Gather your supplies.  Peel and slice all of your garlic cloves and place in the jar.  Pour the 1/2 cup of olive oil over the cloves.  Place the cheese cloth on top and secure with a rubber band.  Give a little swirl to mix.

Keep in a warm place.  Every day or 2 give a little swirl to mix, do this for 2 weeks.  After the 2 weeks are up, strain the oil through the cheese cloth and into a a small glass jar with a lid (preferably a small dark glass jar where the lid has a built in dropper).


Using the Garlic Ear Oil:

Place the glass jar into a bowl full of hot water.  Heat the oil to a nice warm temperature but be VERY CAREFUL NOT TO MAKE IT TOO HOT!!  Check the temp on your wrist.  Place a few drops in each ear and then use a cotton ball.  After a few minutes the cotton balls can be removed.  It is also helpful to rub the oil around the lymph nodes and neck. 

CAUTION:  DO NOT USE EAR DROPS IF THE EAR DRUM IS RUPTURED! 

Please note that I am NOT a doctor, just a mom.   I am just offering a suggestion that has worked for us in our home.  Please use your own judgement in caring for your children.  Obviously, if the drops are causing additional pain STOP using them and see your doctor. : )

Saturday Solutions: Natural Eye Make Up Remover

If you use water proof mascara then you too have probably thought of using a pressure washer to get that stuff off.  Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that I can get in a pool, cry at a movie or from laughing so hard that I almost, well you know, and not have to worry about looking like a raccoon afterwards. 

I found a cheap inexpensive way to remove that stuff with out spending lots of cash, or using harmful chemicals near my eyeballs.  Simply put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on a wash rag, Q-tip or cotton ball and wipe it off. 

Not only does it remove mascara but it removes eye shadow and liner as well.  As a bonus it conditions your lashes and moisturizes around your eyes : )

If you wanna see the olive oil in action check out this video I found on youtube.

Saturday Solutions - Salad Fixin's Bar

Back in December we had some friends over for dinner after church.  I had made Baked Cavatini, one friend brought salad and another bread.

My friend Robin arrived with her salad green washed and ready to go in a salad spinner and THEN she pulled out a veggie tray.  This veggies tray was FULL of salad fixin's!!  I am sure that she probably thought I was a real dork, LOL, because I keep going on and on about how great of an item it was (because it really was a great idea).

She had this the fixin's bar filled with shredded carrots, green olives, raisins, and lots of other goodies.  Oh, and in the center, FETA CHEESE!

Let me tell you why I love this idea and how I am incorporating it into my world.  First of all I really NEED to be eating more salads again and I by nature can be a little lazy and don't like to have to chop up all these veggies each time I want a salad.  AND mixing your greens along with everything else only seems to last a day, maybe two before slime starts setting in.

 

If this doesn't make you want to run off and eat a salad I don't know what will!

When you chop up your goodies and place them into the divided veggie tray, you have killed two birds with one stone so to speak (FYI no birds were harmed during the making of this salad).  Your veggies are ready to go and the best part is they stay not slimy longer.  See, it's the two bird thing!

  For those of you wondering what's in my fixin's bar, I have green olives, broccoli slaw, green onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, shredded carrots and of course FETA.  If I had more slots I would had added sunflower seeds and raisins.

What kind of goodies do you put in your salads??

Saturday Solutions - The Ultimatest Grocery List

It dawned on me the other day that I have NEVER shared my grocery list print out with you all, or at least I don't think I have.

For several years now I have been using the Ultimatest Grocery List because it is absolutely AWESOME!!  I printed one out long ago and just make several copies at a time.  I of course occasionally lose my master and have to print a new one.   On their website they have a deluxe grocery list as well as a vegetarian one .

I LOVE how just about everything that you can think of it right there in front of you and all you have to do is check, check, check!!  How easy is that!

Saturday Solutions: Mass Producing Breakfast

For a while now I have been trying to keep my freezer full of breakfast foods for the kids.  I like to do this because I am NOT the kinda mom that likes to get up and put on a huge breakfast in the morning, I guess that is one reason that I like to do Breakfast Night for them.  The most I like to cook in the morning is oatmeal. 

I like to try to keep things like waffles, pancakes, french toast, banana bread and breakfast burritos in the freezer ready to roll.  I also prefer not to buy these things, I like to make them.  Sometimes I will go all out and do everything at once but most of the time I will just do a big batch of something, like this morning I made a ton of pancakes. 

I used to dream about having two skillets to cook on but only had one.  I contemplated buying a second one but thought it was a little frivolous, it's not like I have ten children and really needed an extra.  Then, last month my dream became reality, during our Fall camping trip I realized that I had forgotten my skillet.  Honestly, this was not on purpose!  So, I "had" to go buy one.  This morning, there they sat - TWO SKILLETS!  Side by side!  What a blessing to whip up all those pancakes in half the time!  I was so excited that I quadrupled my batch!  If you are able to acquire two skillets, I say go for it!

You may be wondering how I freeze them, with out them sticking together.  I take a sheet cake pan (from my pretending to be a cake decorator days) and I lay the pancakes on sheets of parchment paper.  I spread them out so that they freeze with out touching.  After they are good and frozen I throw them into large freezer bags.  This way we can pull out only the amount we need and they are not all stuck together.  I also save the parchment paper for the next time I mass produce! 

When I am making french toast I cut them into sticks and freeze them this way. 

When I do the Breakfast Burritos I start out by making a double batch of Oven Scrambled Eggs and then top them with shredded cheddar.  You can also add some salsa to this but my kids prefer them with just the cheese.  I put an ice cream scoop full of the eggs on to each tortilla and wrap.

I also freeze the Breakfast Burritos spread out on a baking sheet before I put them into freezer bags.

For other freezer friendly family meal ideas {say that one five times fast} check out Raising Olives and Smockity Frocks!

Saturday Solutions: Carpet Spills & Stains

Here is one from The Hubs, we have a carpet cleaning business and he has been cleaning and restoring carpets FOREVER. 

This is a wonderful tip, a friend of mine who has faithfully used this tip has told me that it has truly saved her carpet.  If something spills on the carpet you obviously want to get it up IMMEDIATELY.  Do not rub it, pat it dry.  Now to prevent the spill from causing a stain, go get some baking soda, pour a little bit in a bowl (maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup depending on the size of the spill) and then add a little bit of water until you end up with a paste.  Take the paste and rub it into the area where the spill was and let it sit until it drys.  After it has completely dried you can take a scrub brush to loosen the paste, vacuum up and be amazed that there is no stain. 

He also wanted me to add that white vinegar removes coffee and pet stains!

Saturday Solutions: DVD Storage

We love movies, so a while back I decided that I was tried of all of the dvd cases lying around here.  The cases just take up too much space in my opinion.   I tried the cd case idea for a while but now I have a new, hopefully improved, way of storing the dvd's.

I got this cd storage box on Amazon for about $10.  It holds 330 discs. 

Then I ordered the colored cd sleeves to color code our movies. Blue & Green are for cartoon show like Veggietales, Thomas the Train and Diego.  Red & Orange are for family movies like Facing the Giants, Uncle Nino and Flicka.  The White cases are for movies that we don't feel are appropriate for the kids, the kids know that they are not allowed to watch these, PERIOD!  

Last but not least, the Yellow cases are for exercise videos that the kids can us for PE. 

 We also have a video cabinet as well, that I store our VHS in and some dvd sets in.  Yes, we still have and USE some VHS tapes! 

Saturday Solutions: Removing Permanent Markers from the Wall

Truthfully I wasn't going to post today BUT I just had to share this. 

My youngest little darling, Little Bits, just loves to draw.  He especially LOVES to draw with black or red permanent marker on my WALLS!!  I know exactly what you are thinking right now, lucky me, right?! 

Before I go any further, let me just tell you that we have some painting done earlier this month.  One of the rooms that we had painted was the girls room.  We all really loved the drawings that Little Bits had made for us, but the girls were really ready for a new look. 

Well this evening, I was helping the girls clean out their drawers because they had so many clothes in them that they couldn't even open them. and noticed MORE ARTWORK!!  I am am actually very proud of myself, I did yell even once : )  I figured no biggy, I would just touch it up with some leftover paint, but after looking online I found a great tip. 

Toothpaste!  I asked the Hubs to rub a little toothpaste onto the wall and then wipe it off with a wet rag.  All I have to say is AMAZING!  The artwork is ALL GONE!!  I just couldn't believe it.  Doesn't make me feel real warm and cozy that this is the stuff that we brush our teeth with but none the less, IT WORKED!

Like I said, I had to share. 

Saturday Solutions: Wood Stains

One day last week I was talking on the phone with one of my friends.  This friend, who will remain nameless, happens to clean houses part time.  While she was cleaning she said "Brandi, I am going to be in so much trouble!"  I asked her what the problem was, she informed me that she had brought the wonderful new cup that I had bought her house cleaning.  I am think why is this a problem??  She then informs me that she had placed this wonderful cup on an ANTIQUE TABLE and now there were white rings on the table!!  So of course, she was freaking out.  I told her to calm down and go get a jar of mayonnaise.  I told her to rub the mayo into the table and wait a few minutes.
After a few minutes one ring had disappeared and then a few minutes later the other ring disappeared too!  Like I told her, I thought everyone knew this trick.  I think my mom may have showed me this many years ago.
She told me she had not known about it before and then said "This is why I keep ya around."  ; )

Saturday Solutions: Drink Station

Not sure if I have mentioned it before or not but yes I am guilty.  I color code my children.  To the best of my ability I try to find things for them in "their color."  Here is how I have them color coded...

The Lil' Chef is Purple
Computer Girl is Pink
Alpha Boy is Blue
Little Bits is Orange

The things I try to color code are towels, toothbrushes, cups, plates (more on this in a minute) and NOW they have a color coded drink station.  I saw this idea on another blog, I would happily give credit to this super smart blogger but I can't remember where I saw it, sorry.

Anyhow this is what a drink station is....

I am not sure about your little crew but my crew thinks they need a N.E.W. cup every time they need to wet their whistles.   I don't know about you but I do not like washing 57 cups every day!  So, when I saw this handy dandy idea I knew it was a keeper!  Here's how you do it....

Packing tape, mono adhesive (or double stick tape), card stock or construction paper and a hole punch.  Oh yeah, and scissors to cut your tape.  1st punch your desired shape from your paper and tape them (mono or double stick tape) to the counter.  Trust me on this one, it helps them to not move when you place the packing tape over them.  I'm not saying I had to do this a few times to get it right or anything : )

Make sure that the tape covers all the edges of your punched shape, especially if this drink station is by the sink where it may get a little wet.  Again, not sayin' this happened to me or anything.  The finished product...

It might not look like much, but it really has cut down on the dirty cups in the LSG household.  No more extra cups to wash!  Everyone has a cup for the day and they know exactly where it is.  Believe it or not, the kids actually remember to put their drinks here when they are not drinking them.

BTW is anyone does know the owner of this idea please let me know so that I can give them credit, thanks! : )

Saturday Solutions: Mason Jars

My plan was to tell you all about some of ways that I use mason jars around here, with lots and lots of pictures.  BUT, since I live with four young people my camera isn't always in good working order. 

Accidents happen, like last night when SOMEONE dropped my camera on the ground and BROKE it!!!  I am not naming names nor am I upset about this, cause accidents happen (sigh).  I am not even going to bother telling you all how I just can't seem to keep a camera in working order for any length of time (double sigh).  Do they make disposable digital cameras yet??  Any camera suggestions?  I am thinking, how can a person blog with out a camera?

Ok, now that I got that out of my system lets talk about mason jars.  I really do love them, what is there not to love right!!  Here are some of the ways that we use them round these parts, I may not live in the country but at least I can talk like I do.  LOL! 

Soap Dispensers - I recently turned my one and only blue mason jar into an adorable with hand soap dispenser, kinda like this one here... except I have a cute little raggedy piece of fabric tied around mine. 
It is sitting on my kitchen sink and it looks just adorable.

Food Storage - I love to store my oppy-meal (that is oatmeal for anyone that is 5 and under), popcorn kernels, brown rice, and pasta.  I also like to use it for my homemade colloidal silver and kombucha.

Craft Storage - Love to use them to hold, knitting needles, ribbon, beads, buttons, colored pencils and paint brushes.

Drinking Glasses - we have jelly jars, pint and quart sized jar that we drink from.  Actually, I talk a quart of water to bed with me every night, although I never quite finish it.  That might be a good thing otherwise I may not get much sleep. 

Lamp - Yes, I have a mason jar lamp that is filled with buttons.  It sits on my kitchen counter next to the one pile of junk that I allow myself to have.  I have strategically placed the lamp here in hopes that eyes will be drawn to the "cute and adorable lamp" and off of the junk pile.  See, I am one smart cookie! 
The lamp is just a quart sizes jar and a lamp attachment thingy that you can buy at Michaels, AC Moore or if you live out in the country I believe it is Hobby Lobby.  I tied a fat gingham ribbon around the top of the jar because it just needed somethin'.

Canning - Well, kinda.  I have only done this twice and it was appleauce.  I guess taht counts.  we go apple picking at this lovely orchard each fall and we always end up with way more apples then we could ever eat So we made applesauce, in a crockie pot and canned it.  It was yummy, I hope to do it again this year.

Candle Holders - You can stick a candle in the bottom tie some cute ribbon around your jar and call it a day OR you can take a quart sized jar and fill it with something (like right now I have sea shells and water, at Thanksgiving I do water and fresh cranberries or you can just use potpourri) then put a glass votive holder in the jar opening.  Now finish it off with a ribbon, raffita or berry ring around the jar.  These are great sitting on your kitchen counter, in a bathroom or sometimes I will line up three of them as a centerpiece.  Once you have the jars and votive holders you are all set for any occasion.

Really wish I had a camera to show you all a picture of these.  I will have to post a picture once I get a new camera.

Flowers - I would love to tell ya that I fill my mason jars with all the beautiful flowers from the flower garden that I have out back but that just isn't so.  I have concluded that this is just not the season in my life for that to be.  I do however make sure that ours trees are trimmed well enough for me to enjoy all the flowers in my neighbors garden. 
I occasionally put flowers of the store bought variety in mason jars.  Flowers in a mason jar just shout Spring Time!  And you know when your adorable little ones bring you weeds "flowers" from the yard, Mason Jar! 

I have our house decorated our home in a Primitive Country kinda Style (or like Bob Evans as The Hubs says) so anywhere or anyhow I can fit mason jars in here suits me just fine, like I said I love them.

There are a few ideas taht I have found and would like to try with mason jars:

Sewing Kit - A Mason Jar Sewing Kit.  You might wanna check it out, it is made by Martha Stewart so you know it is cute.

Canning - I would love to get into this but I think you need to have a successfully growing garden.  Well, Lord willing there will be next year. 

Gifts - I have never made the Mixes in a Jar, I think I might put some of these together to give out for the holiday.  I also wanna make some Applesauce Cakes in a Jar because they just really sound neat.

Mason jars are so veritile, you can really use them for so many things.  How do you use your mason jars?

Saturday Solutions: Wet Socks for a Fever

Yes, you read correctly, wet socks to bring down a fever. When I was a youngin' my Memo (grandma) used to put wet socks on my feet to bring down a fever instead of using medicine. It usually worked for me. Of course now having my own little people I like to use the wet sock trick on them.


The way it works, according to Memo, is that the wet socks actually draw the fever down and dry the socks. I just use luke warm water to wet them and re wet them as needed. Obviously, with kids and fevers you need to use common sense!! If the child is really bad off I may go right for a fever reducer, or I will try the socks for bit and use the meds only if needed.  If it is a low grade fever or if they are not really bothered by the fever, I will just let it run it's course, this is simply the body's way of fighting infections.

We have been sick off and on thru the WHOLE month of July, unbelievable I know!! As I type Little Bits is laid out napping next to me with his blue and white striped wet socks on. We started getting sick again on Sunday.  Last night at approx 3am he started throwing up and had a fever of 104.5, I just went for the Motrin and he felt much better until about 1pm today. Today his fever doesn't seem to be as high so I am using the socks while he sleeps.  (Update the sock did the trick TWICE!)

Just for the record, I am not a doctor. Just sharing a home remedy that has worked for us. Please use your own discretion with your children.

If you have ever used wet socks on your children or have any other home remedies for fever please feel free to share.

Saturday Solutions: The Care & Keeping of Flashcards

I had hoped to post this yesterday (Saturday) but truthfully I was on the couch all day and didn't have the energy.  We still have the sickies over here at the LSG house.  I think we are finally getting over it though, Praise the Lord!  On with the solution....

This is a simple idea for keeping all those flashcards together, can't remember where I found it.  Even though I really do not like flashcards, facts are we need them.  Truthfully, I think Abeka has burnt me out on flashcards and I think anyone that has used Abeka would probably be smiling and nodding their head at this point.  Anyhow, I had to find a way to keep all this flashcards that I can't stand really don't care for together. 

In writing this post it seems we have a flashcard for everything!  We have flashcards for math facts, money, letters, numbers, Presidents, animals, space.  And dinosaurs.  Oh and for exercising. 

What I have done is punch a little hole in the corner of our flashcards and then I use one of those office rings to hook them together in sets.  I then store all of our flashcards in one basket on the bookcase.

Another thing that I have started doing is laminating some of our flashcards.  I know that the laminating paper isn't cheap but we have some flashcards and phonics charts from Abeka, which are very nice but a little on the pricey side, I really try to laminate most of these.  I wish I had this idea years ago, it would have really saved us some cash!   I also laminate any homemade flashcards that I make.

The laminator that I use is by Scotch, I got it from BJ's for about $30.  The laminator pouches are about $6.99 for 50 pouches.  It is not a top of the line laminator but it has been great for our needs.

Saturday Solutions: Paper Clip Book Markers

As I have said before, I LOVE books!  However, the strange thing is that I am one of those people (assuming there are others out there!) that rarely read one cover to cover.  I guess mainly because I like reference type books, cookbooks, and books about Christian wisdom, homeschooling and raising kids.  I am always in and out of several books at a time. 

After being in the Barnes & Noble lines a few times I decided I really liked those cute little packs of book markers.  You know the kind, they are usually either a magnet of some sort or a clip.  Any who, I really didn't want to spend $10 for 3 tiny clips so I came up with a super simple little idea.

This works especially well for those of you that scrapbook and have otherwise useless little pieces of ribbon laying around, like I did. Of course, cute ribbons make a cute book marks. 

You simply tie a little knot around the end of a paper clip!  And BAM!  You have lots of little cutesy book markers for all of your unfinished books : )