Saturday Solutions: Non Toxic MultiPurpose Cleaner

Over here at the LSG house I try real hard to not bring in funkie chemicals.  I try to use all natural, non toxic cleaners whenever possible.  I like to lighten the chemical load for our family and keep our lungs nice and healthly, beings that the Lord only gave us two of them.

For several years now, I have been using white vinegar on my kitchen floors.  It does a fabulous job of getting up all the gook and grime that 4 kids and 3 dogs seem to leave behind.  Some people do not like the smell of vinegar, I persoanlly love it!  For me it brings back memories from when I was a kid at the beach eatting crabs, of course dipped in vinegar!   Anyway, for those of you that don't like the smell, it really doesn't linger that long. 

A few months back a friend of mine shared another vinegar tip with me.  Did you know that you can take an empty spray bottle and fill it 50/50 with white vinegar and water and use it on mirrors and glass!  Yes, on MIRRORS and GLASS!   With NO STREAKS!  I thought that was definitly a wonderful tip.  I now use my vinegar mix for my kitchen table, counters, stove, appliance fronts, bathrooms, mirrors and glass!

Scramble Squares Product Review & Give A Way!

As a family that loves puzzles, I can say that Scramble Squares are by far the coolest and most challenging puzzles we have ever done.  With only 9 pieces, one would think no problem, right?  WRONG!  The hubs is likened to a puzzle master and let me just tell ya he couldn't figure it out and still hasn't. 

I believe the words "this is simple" actually flowed from his mouth as he first sat down.  "Hey Honey, how is that puzzle coming along?"

I came across Scramble Squares when I searching online and I found AblePlay.org.  Able Play is a company that reviews products that are user friendly for children with learning and physical disabilities.  They have a rating system that rates products based on the special needs that some children have.  Many of the toys on the Able Play website would be great for workboxes.  That was just my thought for the Scramble Squares. I know this will be a great puzzle to keep Alpha Boy happy and content while I am working with one of my other children.  The Scramble Squares are great for critical thinking too!

Scramble Squares are recommended for ages 4-104, I think that covers everyone, right?!  There are 140 Scramble Square to choose from.  They have everything from Roosters to Rodeos.  The Lil' Chef got the Ice Cream you Scream puzzle.  Computer Girl got horses.  Alpha Boy got Dinosaurs.  The hubs got Football.  I got Sea Shells.  We also got Noah's Ark, Frogs and Insects.  Please do not ask which one is our favorite because they are all really great! 

After an afternoon at the beach the girls pulled out the Sea Shells puzzle.

Not only are these good for workboxes, I thought because the age range is so wide that these would be great to just have on hand for a last minute gift.  Scramble Squares can be purchased for only $9.95 plus s&h. 

Now for some great news!  b. dazzle, the company that has created Scramble Squares, has graciously offered to host a give a way for one Scramble Square Puzzle (of your choice) to 5 of my readers.  What a Blessing!  Please DO NOT FORGET to leave me your email address so that I may contact you if you are a winner. 

Oh, so close!

I am going to run the contest until June 1st.  Here are the ways that you can enter.  Please leave a seperate comment for each way that you enter.

• If you are a Follower or Subscriber of LSG please leave me a comment.
• If you have become a new Follower or Subscriber please tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• If you blog about this contest please come back and leave me a link to you post.
• Go check out Scramble Squares and tell me which puzzle you would like to Win! 
• Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway and leave me a comment to let me know about it.
  I spoke with the owner/creator of Scramble Squares this evening and I told her we haven't been able to solve one yet.  I then asked her if we were normal?  She assured me that we were!

Pasta a la Whatevers in the Fridge

Bottom line is I needed to feed my crew tonight and I really had no plan.  We were supposed to order pizza tonight, but we did that last night.  The hubs was going to make waffles - yuk! 

I grabbed a few handfuls of the veggies in my fridge and this is what I came up with...

asparagus

squash

zucchini

onion (half of one to be exact)

a pack of mushrooms

I put them on by bar pan and coated them with olive oil.  A few shakes of salt, pepper and oregano.  In the oven until they were cooked but not over done.  Maybe 20-25 minutes.  Then I added a large can of diced tomatoes with the juice to the other veggies.  I chopped up some Sweet Italian Chicken Sausages and threw them in.  Last but not least, I added about a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. 

To be honest my crew is very picky!  When one of my girls, I am not going to name names, saw the food she said "What smells so gross?!"  My response with a nice smile was "Oh darling, that is your dinner."

I really couldn't believe it but EVERYONE LOVED IT!  My sweet, wonderful, darling nephew said "Aunt Brandi, what is this?  It is really good!"  I am thinking, Thank You Lord!.  I think after that is when my kids chimed in with yeah mom, it is really good. 

TOS Homeschool Crew

I am VERY excited to announce that I am going to be sailing with The Old Schoolhouse Crew for their 2010 - 2011 voyage!  I am very thankful for the opportunity to review products for them with my family.  I can't wait to get started!

Re-Introducing

When I started the blog the kids and I thought it would be a cute idea to "name" them after nursery rhyme characters but I have decided to "rename" them in a more personal way.

This is Lil' Chef.  She is 9 years old and LOVES to cook and bake anything and everything.  On most days she is the one that blesses us with breakfast.  While I am drinking my coffee in the morning, Lil' Chef is busy making breakfast for her siblings and her self.  Her favorite thing to make is waffles, and it is not unusual for her to create a work of art out of them.  Just this morning they had waffle faces with blueberry eyes and strawberry eyelashes.  

Lil' Chef hard at work, she was making chocolate covered pretzels.

I am going to call my 6 year old Computer Girl, because she loves the computer!  She really enjoys playing learning games, making computer paper dolls and playing with her WebKinz!  She has been know to babysit, make a meal and ski all on this very laptop.  I am sure that she dreams of, one day, having her very own bloggy blog and Facebook account just like her mommy : )

Computer Girl is pretending to eat a worm to gross her little brother out.  Yum-yum!

This young man is Alpha Boy!  We call him Alpha Boy because like most almost 4 year olds he is learning his letters.  He enjoys playing games with the different letters, watching the Leapfrog Letter Factory videos and reading books that focus on a particular letter.  I am sometimes amazed how many letter sounds he already knows just from the watching the Letter Factory and from playing with Mom.

Alpha Boy with his best buddies, Chestnut and Oreo!

Last but not least is Little Bits.  I could have called him the Little Climber, but I am going with Little Bits.  I have been calling him this almost from the beginning because has always been a little guy.  He is finally starting to catch up a little, but he is still my Little Bits! 

I love when me children are independent.  Little Bits was having Art Class all by his little self!