Mother's Day Gifts Kids Can Make -- To Do List

These To Do Lists are such a useful gift for Mom -- plus they are reusable! The girls had so much fun making these, and you only need a few materials to make one of your own.

I took an ordinary sheet of construction paper, folded it in half, and drew a 1 inch margin around the border. Then I let the girls decorate them with some markers!! 

5 Tips to Minimize Food Waste with Kids

Please join me in giving a warm "Frugal Family Fun Blog" welcome to my guest, Debbie Lillard, from SpacetoSpare.com for today's post! Debbie is the author of Absolutely Organized – A Mom’s Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and a Clutter Free Home, and she has generously offered her best tips to help minimize food waste with kids. Picky eaters can quickly bust your budget, and Debbie offers tips that help save money as well as the environment.

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Does this happen to you? You come home from food shopping and the kids tear into all the new bags of food yelling, “Whadya get?” before you have time to unpack. New snacks are ripped open, meanwhile you have 4 half-full bags of cookies, pretzels, and crackers in the cabinet, but somehow those just don’t seem so appealing. My children are 7, 10 and 13 so I go through this about once a week. I hate to waste food, so I’ve had to come up with some simple tricks to finish one thing before we start another. (This is one of my Absolutes of Organizing).

1. Healthy After School Snacks - When they get home from school they are famished – so put out what you want them to eat on the table. If it’s easy, they’ll grab it. I often do cheese & crackers, chips and salsa, cookies and milk or a big bowl of grapes.


2. Party Trays -The day before you go food shopping, check the cabinets for half full bags of snacks and use them up. To make these more appealing, put them in a decorative serving tray. I have one with three compartments so I might do: nuts, pretzels and chips or cheese, crackers and cut up peppers. If your kids like dip, put that out in a little bowl.


3. Mix It Up -Produce doesn’t last long so I find myself with black bananas quite often. For this reason, I always have a big container of vanilla yogurt on hand for smoothies. Toss one cup of yogurt, one cup of fruit juice and whatever fruit you have: bananas, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries into the blender and let it whip. I like to add some crushed ice at the end. These make a great after-school snack or breakfast. A little whipped cream on top makes it even more appealing. And who can resist a bendy straw!


4. Buffet Style - Left over meals are an economical way to save food and money, but if you have picky eaters, they won’t like the sounds of this. Again, on the day before I plan to food shop I have a “Pick Your Own” dinner or lunch. I will categorize the food by protein, starch and fruits & vegetables and put it all out on the counter. Everyone in the family gets to choose one of each and that’s the meal! If you don’t have enough left-overs to round out the meal, make one new thing that the kids love like oven fries or pasta, this will make the meal seem fresh.


5. A better lunch – It’s so easy to go for convenience these days when it comes to packing lunches. I used to buy big boxes of school snacks at BJ’s and just use them until they were done. Now I’m trying to be more environmentally & health conscious, so I invested in some key lunch box items to do both:

Small stainless steel drink bottles– no more plastic.

Cloth napkins – no more paper

Reusable containers – for cut up fruit, snacks and sandwiches

Foil – to wrap other items ; I tell the kids to bring it home to recycle.

Thank you, Debbie, for sharing these wonderful tips with us!

Do you have any other tips to share? I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Eliminate Plastic Bag Clutter with this Easy Craft

We recently borrowed Ed Emberley's Picture Pie (Ed Emberley Drawing Books) from our local public library, and it inspired this quick project for a plastic bag organizer that uses an empty tissue box!

We used a large circle cutter to cut all the pieces quickly and easily. Then Emily chose a design from the book and copied it by gluing down the pieces of construction paper on the side of the box. This activity encourages fine motor skills, since she could only use tiny dots of glue on each piece.

She was so happy with how it turned out! She couldn't even wait for the glue to dry before stuffing it full of plastic bags.

Geometric designs are very appealing to Emily now (see here), so I have a feeling we'll be doing more projects from this book! Plus, now our plastic bags are so organized!

And the winner is...

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Absolutely Organized giveaway (chosen by random.org) is Amy from A Small Farm Family! Congratulations, Amy!! And thanks to everyone for entering. If you haven't picked up your copy of Absolutely Organized: A Mom's Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and a Clutter-Free Home yet, now would be a great time to do so! I am so happy to have this book on hand, and I refer to Debbie's tips quite often.

Another fun giveaway starts soon!

Book Review and Giveaway -- Absolutely Organized

Looking for a book with practical advice you can actually use? Then you must have a copy of Debbie Lillard's book Absolutely Organized: A Mom's Guide to a No-Stress Schedule and Clutter-Free Home. I had the honor of meeting Debbie while taping a recent segment for The 10! Show, and she featured some fabulous ideas for back-to-school organization. Those of you with school-aged children know what I'm talking about when I say backpack management is a full-time job!

What I love about this book:

• Simple, yet effective solutions every household can use.
• I love how the book begins with Organizing Your Time. This is one aspect of organization most other books ignore, but it is crucial for busy moms.
• The chapter on taming the toys was particularly helpful to me.
• The book presents many different approaches to organization, so you can find one that works for you and your family.
• Debbie is a mom of three, so her ideas have been proven to work!

You may be interested to know that Debbie is now working on her second book Absolutely Organize Your Family. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for that!

Now the fun part -- One lucky reader will win a copy of Absolutely Organized! Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. Blog or Tweet about this giveaway, come back here and leave a comment about your tweet or blog post, and you're in for three more entries! Subscribe to the feed or become a follower of Frugal Family Fun Blog, leave a comment that you subscribed, and you're in for three more entries!

Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen by random.org and giveaway ends Wednesday, September 9th @ 6:30pm EST. Good luck!!

Frugal Wall Organizer

Oh, the stuffed animals and where to put them! Do you have this problem in your house? I try to limit the number of stuffed animals that are out at any given time, and we have boxes full of them in the basement that we rotate through again and again. I'm not sure how we accumulated so many..?

This wall organizer works well to keep the stuffed animals off of the floor when she's not playing with them, and it was super-easy (and VERY inexpensive) to make. I used an old pillow case, pockets cut out from old jeans, a stick from our backyard, some twine, and a little fabric glue to put it all together. No sewing!

Emily helped glue the pockets on. If the kids are doing this project, be sure to use fabric glue that is non-toxic and water soluble when wet. Once the glue dries, it makes a permanent bond.

Behold... the Power of Mod Podge!

Mod Podge is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to re-use recyclables.

You can find Mod Podge in the glue section of any craft store, and we have found that one bottle will go a long way.

Isn't it cute?? Emily wants to make another one to organize her paint brushes, colored pencils, crayons and other art supplies. She won't have to twist my arm, but Mark has a bit more recycling to do. (Hee hee!)

Chalkboard Fridge Magnets

These magnets are so easy to make and very practical for organization purposes. We are loving them and plan to make a lot more! To make your own chalkboard fridge magnets, you will need some metal frozen juice concentrate lids, a little chalkboard paint, and some magnets.

Paint one side of the juice can lid with chalkboard paint, and allow to dry for 24 hours... I thought maybe the paint would not adhere well to the metal surface, but it worked very well! We used about 3 coats of paint on each lid.

Attach magnets to the other side of the juice can lid. These were adhesive on one side and came in a package of 18 for less than $2 from Wal-Mart, so we plan to make more magnets as future gifts!

Write on the chalkboard side with some chalk, and hang to any magnetic surface. The chalk erases easily, and can be re-labeled as necessary. Enjoy!

Organizing with Recyclables -- Pencil Holder

This decorative pencil holder is great for organizing pencils, paint brushes, pens, and/or markers. We used chalkboard paint, and a little ribbon to give new life to an empty baby formula canister!

This is messy, so you might want to do the painting part outdoors. We used a water-soluble non-toxic chalkboard paint. You can find chalkboard paint at a craft store. We removed the paper label from the baby formula canister, and Emily covered the outside with the paint. It takes about two coats. 

Once the paint is dry, glue some ribbon around the top and/or bottom edge of the canister. Emily loved drawing on hers, erasing it, and drawing again!

Fill with pencils, paint brushes, markers, and/or pens. Isn't it great to be organized?

Treasure Box

This is one of those activities that keeps the kids busy, and has the added benefit of organizing tiny toys. To make your own treasure box, you will need a small fold up box from the craft store (this one cost just 30 cents), some stickers, and an empty egg carton. 

Have your child decorate the outside of the box with stickers. You could also use markers or paints, if you're feeling particularly ambitious. 

Cut an empty egg carton in half, and it is the perfect fit inside! Have your child place all their little "treasures" inside the box. Storage solution for 30 cents!!

Spring Storage Boxes

Looking for some great frugal storage solutions? You may be able to find just what you need by looking in your recycling bin! Emily needed some storage for her books on CD and other music CD's. This little baby food box was sturdy and just the right size and shape. It was easy to spruce up with just a little tissue paper, glue, and some flower photos cut out from a seed catalog. 

Add a little water to the glue to thin it out a bit, and layer tissue paper on the box as though you are making a collage. Cut out flower photos from a seed catalog and glue those on too. Add another layer of glue over the entire box and allow to dry.

Emily worked on this while Clara was napping this afternoon, and it kept Emily quiet and busy for a long time! As an added bonus, she had the opportunity to practice using scissors. Finally a nice place to keep all those CD's organized!

The Day We Unplugged - Part II

This is something that has been on my "To Do" list for awhile - organizing the Learning Studio. Last summer, Mark and I (mostly Mark) created this fabulous space in the house for the girls to get creative. It is full of every craft supply you could possibly imagine, plenty of books, and a good amount of natural light. Every few months, I try to make it a point to re-organize everything and I save this task for one of our "unplugged days" because inevitably while I am organizing art supplies Emily will be struck with inspiration to start a great project. 

While we have a separate room dedicated to art and learning, if you do not have the space you could easily re-create some of the most important elements in the corner of a room using a bookshelf or a toy bin organizer. By shopping at thrift stores and yard sales, this room proved to be quite affordable and provides Emily with hours and hours of creative entertainment. 

Here's the tour:

The reading nook is the perfect spot for Emily to enjoy a good book with lots of natural light and a kid-sized rocking chair. We keep some board games in here for her too. Above it hangs a bulletin board with some of her recent creations.

A kid-sized table and chair serves as Emily's workspace. She likes to keep some flowers on the table for added color.

My grandmother's sewing table makes a fantastic writing desk for Mark or me.

This is Emily's favorite part of the Learning Studio. It houses all the essentials for art projects and everything is easily within her reach. She is even careful to put away the supplies when she is finished! On the left are some Lego sets, a Magna-Doodle and some flashcards. The toy bin organizer on the right was purchased at A.C. Moore in the unfinished furniture section with a 40% off coupon. The shelves on the left were on clearance at Wal-Mart for $5.

Here is a close-up of how I organized the crayon, marker, and colored pencil bin. This really helps encourage Emily to get creative! We usually purchase craft supplies like scissors, glue, pencils, crayons, and paint at Big Lots for much less than regular craft stores. Sometimes we find yarn, stencils, pipe cleaners, and ribbon at yard sales. I try to have a good selection of construction paper and felt on-hand.  Oh yeah, and this is the room where we keep the Invention Kit too.

Do your kids have a special spot in the house for creativity? I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!

Preparing for Next Christmas

Now all the presents are unwrapped, and the holiday rush is just starting to settle down. I was tempted to just relax at home and enjoy time with the family, but the truth is now is the best time to score some awesome holiday deals at after-Christmas sales and start planning a holiday fund for next year.

You can decorate a plain 3-ring binder and use this as your Holiday Planner. Include address lists for cards, budget worksheets, recipes, gift ideas, etc. The key to saving money is to plan ahead and stay organized.

Here are some ideas to help you prepare for next year:

1. Shop After-Christmas Sales -- Many stores have wrapping paper, cards, trees, ornaments, lights, candles, and even gifts for 50% off or more. I also stock up on holiday chocolate to chop up and use in baking, hot cocoa mix, or homemade granola bars.
2. Set Up a Holiday Fund -- This is so simple to do and can help alleviate much of the financial strain of the holidays. Go to ING Direct to set up a high-interest savings account that is linked to your existing checking account. Set up an automatic weekly direct deposit of about $10, or whatever your family can comfortably set aside. At the end of one year, you will have saved $520 plus interest!
3. Holiday Cards -- You can purchase these at after-Christmas sales, and you might as well go ahead and address the envelopes now. If you use the Forever stamp, you might save on postage if the rates go up again.
4. Set up Next Year's Holiday Budget -- Make up a list of everyone you want to buy for, and how much you are willing to spend per person. ThrifyFun.com has a great example of a printable Holiday Budget Worksheet.
5. Photo Gifts -- Shutterfly has photo cards available for 20% off and photo calendars for 25% off. Get creative, upload some photos, and you won't have to stress over whether or not your cards/calendars will arrive in time for next year.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!
If you have a holiday planning tip to share, please leave us a comment and tell us about it!

Make Your Own Organic Cleaning Supplies

In honor of Cleaning Day at the Deneen Household, here is a fantastic video demonstrating how to make your own organic cleaning supplies.  I will be trying several of these out today.  Making  your own cleaning supplies is better for the environment (no harsh chemicals), and will save you money!

Cleaning Day

Today is cleaning day in our house.  I am planning to attack the clutter that has taken over the dining room table, but sometimes I lack the motivation to clean and I keep procrastinating.  There is never any end to the cleaning, and I can come up with about a million excuses not to clean.  When the house is not neat, I tend to get grouchy because I cannot find things, or I avoid having company over because the house is too cluttered.  

When I find myself putting off the cleaning, I go to FLYLady.net for some inspiration.  Her approach to keeping your house neat and tidy is brilliant.  You start with baby steps.  First, you keep your kitchen sink shining.  Then you work on  your morning routine, and one zone of the house. 

From the site:

Are YOU living in CHAOS?
(Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

Do you feel overwhelmed, overextended, and overdrawn?
Hopeless and you don't know where to start?
Don't worry friend, we've been there, too.

I have found FLYLady to be a terrific resource, and I hope you do too!

Free Photo Book

In case you missed Oprah today, Snapfish is giving away a free 8 x 11 custom cover photo book to help viewers organize their kids' craft projects.  Click here for more information.

From the show:

Overwhelmed by what to do with growing piles of your child's art projects? Peter has a great solution! "Take digital photos of their artwork, upload them to Snapfish.com, and they will send you back a beautiful, bound book of the kids' artwork. So, over time, you can build a library of your children's artwork—let the pieces go, but keep them in this form forever."

Get your free book here.  Hurry, this offer is only good until Friday at 11:59pm PST!