Solar-Powered Lunch!

We had a scorcher of an afternoon today -- prime conditions to make our own solar oven! We recycled a pizza box and a clear plastic lid from a disposable cake pan. Add a little aluminum foil, and voilá... a super eco-friendly and frugal solar oven!!

We even made our own sun tea, just to harness the power of the sun a bit more. I love that it's made from a tea called "Children's Tea". Mark and I often joke that it is "made from only the most well-behaved real children".

It's actually a caffeine free berry/honey tea, and it's quite delicious! 

Emily LOVED helping out with the solar oven! We made our own pizzas using spinach tortillas, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and oregano... yum!

Adjust the reflector to get as much sun as possible directed into the solar oven. You can use a stick or wooden dowel to prop it up, but we found a little more foil worked well too.

After a few minutes, the pizza was done and baked to perfection!!

Now it's time to stuff yo' face!!!

Nom, nom, nom!!

I love that we were able to bake while keeping the house cool, and without using any electricity! We had so much fun, that we may even try baking some cookies for dessert!!!

Vacation 2010 Highlights

We just returned from our favorite frugal vacation spot -- a cabin we rented in beautiful Montebello, Virginia! Here are some of the highlights from our week-long trip!

We enjoyed lots of fishing and swimming (well, more like splashing) in the lake.

We went exploring on several nature hikes together.

We had to visit the local drive-thru zoo and feed the animals. It isn't very frugal, but it was definitely a highlight of our trip! Emily was a bit stingy with the food at first.

This fellow was a bit more friendly!

We spent some time picking the clover flowers.

....and Clara turned 2 right before our very eyes!

We stopped by Big Spy Mountain's Overlook....

....and caught lots of breath-taking sunsets!!

...and every night ended with a special story time of passages from Shel Silverstein's Falling Up.

It was a lovely trip, and now it's great to be back! This week we'll be sharing some fun ideas for the garden, a cute nature craft, tips for frugal picnics, and a super-fun giveaway! You won't want to miss it!!

Hurray for Playgrounds!

After driving to nearby Lewisburg, PA -- We are all suffering from a serious case of playground envy! Seriously. My skull still hurts from trying to wrap my brain around the size of this GINORMOUS playground.

The girls wasted no time! 

Sunday Snapshot -- Flying Fun

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Cheap Thrills -- Simple Bean Bag Game

For a fun time, sew up a few easy bean bags. Then take them to your driveway for a test run with some targets drawn with sidewalk chalk!

It's so much fun, and a great way to practice addition by keeping score!

It's not solely about the execution.... bonus points for style!

Extra bonus points for joining the kiddos!

Fun!!!

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Ladybug Cuteness

This fun ladybug picture was inspired by a recent ladybug sighting at the playground a few days ago. In our household, we are all about celebrating the little things in life! The best part -- this project is very low cost!!

Did you know that Home Depot has paint chips in the shape of leaves? Fantastic! If you don't already have some, you can pick some up for free! Invite your child to glue the leaves on a sheet of construction paper. Emily loves to use glue!

Finger Painted Strawberry Prints

For a colorful and fun project, roll out a long piece of freezer paper, and dip your child's thumb into some red paint. We used Crayola Washable paint. Make two thumb prints next to each other to make a heart shape.

Have your child dip their pinkie finger into some green paint and write a "W" on top of all the heart-shapes.

Cheap Thrills -- Inspired by Dandelions

For a fun time, have your kids collect dandelion seeds from the yard or park. This may sound easy in theory, but if your kids are like mine, they may get a bit distracted on their quest for seeds.

No, no, we're not blowing the seeds all over the ya--- Oops! Too late!!

That? That's an acorn cap, sweetie. No, no, we're looking for dandelion seeds... Keep looking!

12 Ways to Boost Happiness (for FREE!)

In need of a little pick-me-up? To help prove the old adage that the best things in life are free, here are a dozen quick and easy happiness boosters that our family has enjoyed -- and they won't cost a penny!

From Left to Right:

1. Make a card for someone you love using paint chips. Doing nice things for other people is a great way to boost your mood.

2. Play with bubble wrap. Bubble wrap is so much fun, and so hard to put down!

3. Volunteer. It doesn't cost a thing, and you'll feel better knowing you are serving your community.

From Left to Right:

4. Make story stones and sidewalk scenes. Not only is this free, but it's a fun imagination builder too!

5. Play a game of invisible basketball. Even those who aren't athletic can join in this sport.

6. Build a fun reading nook. Never underestimate the power of the indoor fort!

From Left to Right:

7. Create a family drawing night. Fun for the whole family!

8. Have a fun time with indoor ice skating. The kids can burn off some of that extra energy (and you can too). Be careful, it is slippery, but LOTS of fun!!

9. Start a tea ritual. A great way to unwind and focus on daily gratitude.

From Left to Right:

10. Jump on the bed. I highly recommend jumping on the bed for a quick mood lifter!

11. Visit with family and friends. Chat and get caught up with the people you love.

12. Go for a nature hike. Spend some quality time outdoors, and breathe in the fresh air.

Cheap Thrills -- Mud Pie Edition

For a fun time, go outside and set up some sand or dirt on a table with some old baking tins. Add a pitcher of water, and some spoons. Make mud pies!!

I can remember spending entire afternoons making mud pies when I was a kid. I think mine were decorated with sticks for birthday candles. There's something about kids and dirt... they just go so well together, don't they?

Decorate your mud pies (or cupcakes, if you prefer) with flower icing!

Make batch after batch of mud pies, since they sell out so quickly at the mud bakery from such high demand! Phew! This is hard work!

Have fun!!

Story Stones and Sidewalk Scenes

For some cheap creative fun, draw on some rocks with a fine point permanent marker to make your own story stones. Once your characters and props are all made up, take them out to your driveway and.....

....with a little chalk, draw up some scenery for your imaginative story!

Emily loves to make up stories, so this activity kept her busy for a very long time. We had quite a tale going on here, involving lost kites, fire trucks to the rescue, and boats that fell over the edge of a very high waterfall. The drama! The excitement!

Of course, there were also trips to Grandma's house, some minor fender benders, and one accident involving a car driving through a house. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

Emily asked if she could go back outside to continue with her story after dinner. She won't have to twist my arm.

Have fun!!

Flower Arranging 101 -- Dollar Store Style

With more snow forecasted for today, this sweet flower arrangement was a nice reminder that Spring will be coming soon!

Isn't it so bright and cheerful? Emily put it together all by herself, and the best part is that all of the materials for this craft either came from the thrift store or the dollar store. Very inexpensive!

First, we filled this thrifted basket ($0.20) with some floral foam ($0.50). Emily couldn't help but express her love for the dollar store during this step.

Next, I cut some of the flower stems off groups of fake flowers ($2.00) with wire cutters for Emily to arrange in the basket.

This kept her occupied (and quiet) for a long time!

.....still arranging........ okay, now she's ready.

She added a bit of floral moss ($1.00) in-between the flower stems, and tied some colorful curling ribbon ($1.00) on to the basket's handle.

She is so proud of her beautiful centerpiece!

When we were all done, she asked if we could make flower arrangements everyday. I think this activity was a winner!

Cheap Thrills -- Tea Time Edition

For a fun time, take photos of your child (or yourself) jumping around. Print out the photos, cut them out, and attach to the end of the string of a tea bag.

They make fabulous tea tags!!

Lucky for us, we have plenty of aforementioned photos, since Emily is constantly in motion! In mind were these tea tags from a café in Turkey. We found they were easy (and so much fun) to make ourselves.

I think they would be the perfect gift -- with a personalized touch! They would be great for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and of course, teachers. Basically anyone who loves tea! And who doesn't love tea??

And for us, tea time just became a whole lot more fun!

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