A Christmas gift teens & tweens will LOVE!

DIY SPA KITS FOR TEENS

What does you preteen (tween), or teen want for Christmas? I don’t know about your kiddos but my girls are getting harder and harder to buy for the older they get.

I’m a momma of 4 girls, three of which are all with in 3 years of one another. They are stair steps and I love having them so close in age. One of the benefits is they are all kind of into the same things at the same time. But, this year the older 3 girls had just a few items on their Christmas wish lists, which isn’t a bad thing but it does make for more challenging shopping.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Anyway, I thought long and hard about what to get the girls for Christmas. I just know with 2020 being what it is, that we are going to have a TON of time at home.

So I decided we would gift them things they that would keep them busy over winter. On the list of items bought so far are lots of books, board games, art supplies and….. a SPA KIT! But not just any spa kit, this is like the ULTIMATE SPA KIT for teens!

I looked online and didn’t really find exactly what I was looking for so I thought I’d put together my own. So fitting for a frugal DIY momma.

So, how do you make a DIY SPA KIT you ask?

It might be easier than you think. If you are great at shopping online you can easily put one together too!

I started with this book, Girls' Home Spa Lab: All-Natural Recipes, Healthy Habits, and Feel-Good Activities to Make You Glow

It’s amazing! It has tons of recipes and other good for you activities. And since it’s written and illustrated for teen and tween girls they will extra love it. There’s no old fashioned old lady vibe with this DIY book. It has a fresh and modern look to it that’s super attractive and it makes me want to read all of it and make my own spa products.

Since this was just the book, no ingredients or anything, I read through it and picked out ingredients that were repetitive throughout the book. I didn’t want to buy every single ingredient in the book because that would be expensive and we keep several of the ingredients like olive oil and witch hazel on hand at home. I bought the main ones I kept seeing that we don’t usually have at home.

Here’s what I bought

1. ESSENTIAL OILS

2. ASSORTED DRIED FLOWERS & DRIED LAVENDER

3. COCOA BUTTER

4. BENTONITE CLAY POWDER

5. ARROWROOT POWDER

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Non ingredient items I ordered:

1. MORTAR & PESTLE

2. HANDHELD MIXER

I have a fancy Kitchen Aid stand mixer but I really didn’t want it taken over. I opted for this handheld mixer AND I was sure to get the one that has attached storage for the beaters. That way there’s less chance they will loose them.

3. DOUBLE BOILER

Just like with the mixer I really didn’t want the girls to use my double boiler for bath and body ingredients. I looked on good ole Amazon for double boilers and found this gem! It was exactly what I wanted!

This pot is great because it will fit in any pot we have at home. We have a few different small sauce pans and this double boiler option will work perfectly with all three of them.

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Of course the spa kit wouldn’t be complete without containers to put all their new spa products in. If you search on Amazon there’s a ton of different things to choose from. Here’s what I ordered for my girls. No judgements on the glass containers please ;) if you don’t feel comfortable with yours teens having glass there are other options out there. We typically will always choose glass over plastic, it’s just a personal preference.

4. SMALL PLASTIC CONTAINERS WITH SCREW ON LIDS

5. AMBER GLASS MINI SPRAY BOTTLES

6. 10ml AMBER GLASS ROLL ON CONTAINERS

7. 8OZ CLEAR SPA CONTAINERS

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As I’m writing this it’s early November so I have not packaged any of the gifts yet to put under the Christmas tree.

The girls know that one of their gifts is one big gift to share. So I think I’m going to wrap all the spa ingredients individually then put everything in a big box that will be wrapped too. You know, make it more fun for them to open it.

This gift is going to be amazing for the girls this winter and I can’t wait for them to start experimenting in the kitchen making their own bath and body products.

I’d love to know, is this something your teens/tweens would love? Let me know in the comments.

DIY sensory activites your toddler will love

What is sensory play for toddlers?

Sensory play is crucial for your child’s development. I’m not going to spout out all the scientific reasonings sensory play is huge for your toddler…because I am not a doctor or licensed in this field in any way. I am, however, a momma of 4 and have seen what it’s done for our own daughters. And since I’m super frugal and crafty I am going to share with you how you can make your own DIY sensory activities on a dime! If you’d like to read a little more science behind sensory importance read this article from Heather at Growing Hands-On Kids.

Sensory play touches on these five senses

• sight

• smell

• touch

• taste

• hearing

When we let our kiddos explore the things around them they start to understand their bodies. They start to understand just how all these different things work. So when all you see is a mess what they “see” is so much more. They are learning through play. Just as you would learn through doing something, say a new craft technique, or a task at work. We learn when we do and our babies and toddlers are no different. So, don’t focus on the mess. Focus on the wonderful things that are happening inside your little one’s brain.

And a plus is that it’s SO easy to make your own sensory activities at home. More than likely you already have everything you need to create these too.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional. This is just a way I can help add to our family finances to raise our four daughters. Please know I would never recommend a product or service I do not totally stand behind.

If you love this article you’ll also love my post on toddler apple stamping canvas art. This is sensory oriented and makes an adorable keepsake for you!

Here are my top sensory activities to do at home for toddlers

1. Colorful fluffy paint on foil

Here’s what you need

• containers

• paint brushes {or they can use their fingers}

• pan

• foil

• food coloring

• cool whip

Cover a metal pan in foil. Fill containers half way with cool whip. Add a few drops of food coloring. Let them paint. You can wipe off the foil if there gets to be too much cool whip “paint” on it and let them do it all over again.

2. Color sorting with noodles

Here’s what you’ll need

• colored noodles. I made these by placing them in ziplock bags, adding food coloring and shaking. Allow them to dry overnight prior to using.

• bin or bowl

• colored paper to coordinate with the colors of noodles you have

This is a really fun game for kids. This would literally keep our youngest daughter busy for a solid hour! You can even add some drops of essential oil to the noodles when you color them to make it an even better experience for your tot.

3. Racing cars in paint

Here’s what you’ll need

• trash bag

• tape

• toys with wheels

• non toxic paint

Cut the bottom off your trash bag and a slit in the side, so that the bag opens flat. Tape it to the floor, a solid ground not the carpet. Add some paint and let your kiddos explore what it looks and feels like to run wheeled things through it. Even better because they see what it looks like when they start mixing the different colors together. This is super fun!

4. Scented Playdough

Here’s the recipe I used for DIY playdough. I did add food safe scented oils to mine. You can see this one is still a big hit with our older daughters. We bring out the cookie cutters, rolling pins when we play with our DIY playdough. Don’t worry if they mix all the colors together, it’s apart of the fun for them.

5. Water Play

Here’s what you’ll need

• bins

• water

• measuring cups

• floating balls

• large kitchen ladles and anything else that looks like fun to use in the water

This one was HUGE with kids! They love playing in the water. Show them how they can pour a scoop of water from one thing to the other. There are so many senses that are used during water play.

6. Rice Bin

Here’s what you’ll need

• rice, LOTS of rice

• pvc, solid pieces, elbows, and T’s

• funnels

• scoop spoons

• large bin

I saved this one for last because is has been the ALL TIME FAVORITE with the girls! I don’t have exact plans for this DIY sensory rice bin but it didn’t take too much thinking to put together. I just cut pieces for sides, two pieces for the top bar, added some elbow’s, t’s and it was ready to go. I did not glue this together as I wanted to be able to take this apart to store away. You could even do something like this for water play!

There you have it, my top 6 sensory play activities for toddlers from a mom’s point of view. Most of the materials for these activities you probably have around the house, talk about frugal toddler fun! Yes, they are messy but let them get messy. Let them learn. Let them explore. Let them be toddlers and enjoy this time you have with them.

Check out more kid friendly posts below

How to juggle it all during the summer when you're a WAHM

Is it possible to be a mompreneur during the summer months?

Yes, absolutely! Working from home during summertime with kiddos is, let’s just say a little crazy sometimes, but it’s still possible. I haven’t always been a WAHM so I’ve definitely had to adjust how we “summer” these days. And after a few years I think I finally found our happy middle. As long as I keep these 5 tips for how to juggle it all I can keep my sanity too.

Here are 5 tips to help you “summer” better as a work at home mom.

1. Set a MOM IS WORKING schedule.

This does not have to be the same every single day. In fact, ours changes daily. I create handmade décor & craft kits so my days are really pretty flexible and this type of scheduling works well for our family. If your schedule can’t be as flexible decide what days you need to work and be sure the ENTIRE family is on board. And then implement the schedule all summer long. I personally have chosen to work 3 days a week and scheduled off 2 fun days per week.

2. Let them help

If your kiddos are old enough and your type of business allows for it let them help you. Take the time to show them what it is you do. They will have a much bigger appreciation for your work AND they will love that they got to be involved. Some things our girls help me with in our crafty business is organize invoices, write thank you notes to our customers, and help with packaging.

3. Plan a bucket list

Planning a summer bucket list will give them something to look forward to all summer long. Even better, plan it together. Here is the summer bucket list that our family planned. They are all FREE things to do so I don’t even have the stress about finding room in the budget for a ton of summer activities.

4. Take an hour a day to tidy up the house

Keeping a tidy house will help you keep your mind clear. It’s when the laundry starts to pile up, the toys are scattered everywhere, and the bathroom counter looks like an explosion…don’t judge lol we’ve all been there…that your mind starts focusing on those items instead of what’s on the calendar for the day, whether it’s a fun or a work day. I take 20 minutes each morning to do some light chores and 40 minutes before my husband gets home from work we do the rest of the chores that need to be done that day. This has really helped me from getting distracted and staying on task for the day. We are a chore family so all of our girls, even our 3 year old, get involved in the housework.

5.. Take the time to unwind

For the most part I stop working my crafty job when my husband gets home from work. Although I could craft and create all day everyday it’s so important for my sanity, my marriage, and my job as a mom to take time to just let my brain unwind and breath. Enjoy a drink with your husband on the patio talking about your day. Jump on the trampoline with your kids. Take a walk as a family around the block. No matter what it is, take the time to be present with them every day.

I hope this list of managing your summer as a work at home mom helps. Remember to enjoy those precious babies, work will always be there but they won’t be little forever.

12 tips to make your trip to the zoo even better and stress free

I love watching my girl’s faces light up when they see all the animals at the zoo. But to tell you the truth, I haven’t always loved actually going. I know all moms everywhere can relate. It can be so much work and STRESS to take your kids places like this by yourself. But it can be fun for you too you just have to change a few things up. For more fun stress free adventures with the kids check out my backyard camping tips.

Here are my top 12 tips to make your zoo trip even better.

1. Go to the zoo when it’s not crazy hot. When I’m hot I get grumpy, which really just means that I’m not enjoyable to be around lol! So we always go on days when this crazy Midwest weather isn’t scorching.

2. If you’re taking multiples have them wear the same color. I have four girls so I bought larger pink shirts from Walmart, so they could grow in to them each year, and those were our zoo shirts. This way it’s super easy to pick them out in the crowd.

3. Take a backpack. this is a must! Anytime we are going to be out walking around for extended periods I ALWAYS wear my backpack. I’m not a fashion forward kind of girl so this does not intrude on my style one bit. Comfort over fashion, that’s how I roll lol!

4. Don’t over pack. I know you’ll want to take everything but the kitchen sink but the truth is you don’t need everything. I used to be that mom and I learned that I don’t need to be prepared for EVERYTHING. The zoo is equipped with Band-Aids if one of my precious girls falls and skins her knee. So keep the load light and if you absolutely need something you didn’t pack it’s not the end of the world, the zoo will likely have what you need.

5. Pack the essentials. I’m talking wet wipes, ibuprofen for both you and the kids, Benadryl for the kids {this is a must with us because we’ve been in situations where we needed it asap for a yellow jacket sting and now I don’t go on trips like this without it}. These items are small and will fit easily and weightlessly in your backpack. Trust me, these are items you don’t want to buy once you get there. Talk about a convenience fee.

6. Pack a lunch. I don’t think we’ve ever bought lunch at the zoo. The prices there are crazy high so we pack one. If you choose to pack a lunch keep it simple. We usually take a sandwich, cut up veggies, chips, and something sweet for everyone. I’ve found if I keep my kids busy they don’t want to snack all day. So keep pointing out those animals and talking about them, they’ll likely not ask for a snack.

7. Take refillable water bottles. We usually take two and I keep them in the side pockets of my backpack. Our zoo has water refill stations everywhere there is a bathroom so we usually refill every time we stop to use the facilities. And with four kids we stop often.

8. Everyone NEEDS to wear comfortable walking shoes. We don’t ever wear sandals or flipflops, always tennis shoes because again, comfort over fashion ;)! Not having your kiddos complain that their feet are hurting from wearing uncomfortable shoes is a glorious thing! You might have to stand your ground before you leave the house but you’ll be SO thankful at the end of the day bc the jelly shoes little Susie wanted to wear won’t be giving her blisters today 🙌!

9. Pack sunscreen. Our family is full of fair skinned faces so we apply this a lot throughout the day. If your sunscreen bottle is a little too big to carry around all day get a small travel sized shampoo bottle from the Dollar Tree and fill that with your sunscreen.

10. Bug spray. If you live in an area with little flying evil blood suckers, in other words mosquitos, you will probably need this. Even on days when it’s not typical prime mosquito weather we’ve still encountered them at the zoo. I always take this just to be on the safe side. For some reason they REALLY love us.

11. Take quarters, enough for all your kiddos, to feed the animals. Our zoo has several areas that kids can feed the animals and sure enough the times when I forget quarters the change machine is down. So take enough for each of your children to get their own to feed for the animals.

12. Don’t feel like you have to see everything. The times when my girls and I have had the most fun at the zoo is when we go in without a plan. These are the days when I’m not stressing over making it in time for them to watch the birds get fed, or rushing through the animals so fast so we can see them all and we end up not really SEEING them because we rushed. Take your time and enjoy it. And if your kids want to stop and play let them play. Granted you’re there to see the animals but you’re also there to enjoy the day with your kids and if stopping for 20 minutes will make them happy, let them play.

As a mom of four this list has helped me tremendously enjoy our trips to the zoo. The important thing to remember is tip #12. It’s all about enjoying the day with those precious little souls.

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Starting a side hustle from home when you're a stay at home momma

SIDE HUSTLE I know so many mommas out there can relate to this. Whether you want to bring in a little income to make ends meet or you simply just want to feel apart of the work force again you are not alone.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

Before I get too deep into this I want to clarify I LOVE being a SAHM {stay at home momma}. It fulfills me and makes me a better person. I have never resented the choice to stay home with our four girls and I know I never will but I also enjoy bringing in an income for our family and doing something that makes me feel like I’m apart of the workforce.

So you want to start a side hustle from the convenience of your home while still fully being a SAHM. How the heck do you do that in such a saturated online market space? I’m not going to tell you it’s easy but it IS easier than ever before to make money from home. Even just 11 years ago when we had our very first daughter there was no way we had the resources in our home for me to be in the online space. Heck, my husband and I didn’t even have fancy phones back then we still relied on our home phone to make calls. But now here we are in 2019 and I am not only doing a side hustle in the online space from home I am making a part time income that we use to pay actual bills every single month. As a mom of four this is SO fulfilling! I get to express my creativity, bring in money for our family, and live out my dreams.

I’m going to walk you through some things you should be doing if you too are a SAHM and want to start your own side hustle.

You need to decided what you love to do. Starting a side hustle doing something you love and enjoy will be far more successful than something you hate. For instance I love crafting! I’m pretty sure it runs through my blood stream so naturally I went that route. I don’t particularly love taking surveys or doing MLM {multi level marketing, think Mary Kay} although I have tried those types of things, they aren’t for me. If you don’t know what you love I suggest making a list of things you might be interested in. Start researching those topics, see if you can make a side hustle out of them first, then try your hand at whatever it is before you get too heavily deep into your hustle. Sometimes we find that we really like something on the surface but it isn’t till we get our hands in it we don’t actually LOVE doing it.

Research. Research. Research. I can’t tell you how many videos I watched, articles I read, and newsletters I subscribed to until I found the answers I was looking for. And I’m still learning every single day because the online space changes rapidly. I personally was looking into selling on Etsy but selling online was a bit foreign to me. I had never been a customer on Etsy before so I had no idea how that platform worked but I knew it would be a good starting off point for a handmade business from all the things I researched. I learned so much about things I didn’t even know I needed to know. If you do some research and want to open your own Etsy shop you can get 40 FREE listings. {that is an affiliate link where Etsy will give us both 40 listings for free when you open a shop}.

Block time out. This is a must and something I struggle with because I am a momma of four. I have learned over the years I NEED to do this. Multitasking in your business, for instance I would starting painting boards and while they were drying I would do house work. While this may seem logical it really wasn’t. I would move from one chore to the next because the housework needed to get done and before I knew it the day was over and school was letting out. Find a time that works for your family and schedule it. Remember though, you’re a momma so there will be times when your schedule gets all messed up and crazy, that’s life. Just go with it and if you try to make an effort to stick to your schedule the best you can and you will see bigger results in your side hustle.

Take it seriously. If you take your business seriously and don’t care what anyone outside of your immediate family {your husband and your kids} thinks your business will be successful. You can’t let anyone make you feel like what you are doing doesn’t matter or that you won’t go anywhere with it. That negativity is not welcome! If I listened to those vibes then I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here typing this for you to read.

Have a space to work. This is a must. It doesn’t have to be very big but you do need a space. When I first started selling online we were living in a TINY house with just 2 bedrooms for 6 people. Granted we could make that work because our girls were young, newborn-2nd grade, but we were still living on top of one another. I made my space behind our couch. I had a small 4’ table that I had set up that I only took down if we had company coming over for a party or holiday so we could make more room. Was it my dream space? Absolutely not. But it was a space where I could work on orders and I was grateful for that tiny little space.

Don’t give up. If you truly want to make your side hustle work you can’t give up the first time you fall. I have fallen many, MANY times but with each fall I learn something new that I can apply to my life and business. When I first started out we didn’t have internet in our house, no computer, no printer, so I would go to the library to print off my Etsy orders and shipping labels. Do you know how hard it is to take four kids to the library to try and work? But I didn’t give up, I pushed forward and I am SO glad I did. It wasn’t easy but I knew it could be done if I just kept trying day after day.

I hope these small tips help you on your path to finding that side hustle you’re looking for.

How I survived 16 months breastfeeding our fourth {and last} baby

I am not ashamed of saying I am PRO breastfeeding. Growing up I never saw anyone breastfeed. Honestly didn’t pay enough attention as a kid to ever notice any women ever doing it in public. My mom didn’t breastfeed, my grandma didn’t breastfeed her, and I never saw a family member do it either because it wasn’t done in our family, not publicly anyway. Yet, I always knew I would breastfeed my own children.

I didn’t have the best experience with breastfeeding our first two daughters. My only regret is not being informed with them. If I would have known what I knew with our youngest or had the resources I am certain we would have successfully nursed just as long.

I was able to breast feed our youngest two daughters for far longer than past the few weeks mark. They were healthy and I was so thankful I didn’t have to rely on any formula for them. Our third for 10 months and our fourth for 16 months…woohoo! So PROUD of those numbers!

Here are my tips for a long and successful breastfeeding journey.

-GOOD BREAST PUMP. It wasn’t till our 4th and last daughter that our insurance paid for this. A good pump has a pretty price tag on it and we couldn’t afford one with our older three so I just didn’t have one with them. If I did I probably could have exclusively breast fed them without the use of formula. However, I am SO thankful that we had formula as an option to keep our girls fed and healthy.

-BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUPS I’m going to be honest when the lactation lady stopped by my room to talk to me after having our first daughter I was like “who is this weird hippie lady???” I’m just going to say it…I was a total idiot for having such a closed mind. Although I always knew I would breastfeed I had never heard of people that wanted to help other women breastfeed. I didn’t know that was a thing, like a real life thing. Fast forward to our third daughter, I was DESPERATE for help. I had thrush {which I’ll talk more on next} and I was willing to do anything to make it better. I was determined to make nursing work with our third, after failed attempts with our first and second. I called that “weird hippie lady” and she was an angel sent straight from heaven! After we had our fourth I went to every breast feeding support meet up I could. The ladies are wonderful, there is no judgement. You weigh your baby, eat tasty snacks and ask any questions that you might have. Our local meetings are ran by the LLL, La Leche League . They are THE BEST!

-THRUSH I mentioned this above and it is such a PAINFUL thing to have. I got thrush with both our third and fourth daughters. If you’ve never had thrush it feels like razor blades are coming out of your nipples. It hurts. And your poor baby’s mouth starts to turn white on the inside and I imagine it’s itchy for them too. The first time it happened I had no idea what was going on. I was scared and didn’t know what to do except call the doctor. Of course it was the weekend so I called the doctor on call at my OBGYN and he literally told me women can not get thrush through their nipples, it was made up. Yeah….so glad he was not my regular doctor. I called my regular doctor the next day and he wrote me prescription to take care of it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I was about to give up on the whole successful breastfeeding journey. As a last effort I called the “weird hippie lady” and thank goodness I did. She was so kind, so helpful, and KNEW exactly what I needed to do to make the thrush go away. She recommended I get Gentian Violet* to get rid of it. And holy crap it worked!! I told my grandma what she recommended and she knew what it was. She said they used that stuff often when she was growing up. I will warn you it is PURPLE. It will stain anything and everything it touches but that’s a small price to pay for it’s magical powers…it doesn’t really have magical powers but it’s pretty amazing stuff!

*this is not medical advice, please consult your medical professional before using any new product formedical purposes

-TWO SHIRT METHOD this is the way I nursed our 4th daughter in public most of the time. For the few short weeks I nursed our oldest two I ALWAYS used a thin blanket to cover. Let me tell ya, this was such a pain in the butt! The blanket would fall down then I would get all nervous, baby would unlatch and milk would drip everywhere…talk about a new mom’s worst nightmare! With our 3rd daughter I started to implement the two shirt method but still occasionally did the blanket thing. By the time our 4th daughter came along I said “screw it! If you don’t like it look away!” and I just did my thing. Honestly, in my opinion, you can’t see anything nursing this way. And if you do, you’ve probably seen more skin exposure on tv so what’s the big deal?

-NOT CARING this one is HUGE. When you push past the fears of “what if I offend someone”, “what if I make someone uncomfortable”, “what if…” and you just let it all go. Trust me you will have a much more pleasant breastfeeding experience if you just stop caring what others think.

-FAMILY SUPPORT I have been blessed to have a pretty amazing husband that FULLY supported my breastfeeding journey. His advice was always “if they don’t like it **** em” he has some pretty colorful language most of the time. But without his support there’s no way I would have been successful at breastfeeding our youngest two for as long as I did.

-PILLOWS you don’t need anything fancy but I do recommend using pillows for support, especially during the first few months, while you’re at home to nurse your baby. You will feel so much more relaxed and it will in turn give you more confidence as a breastfeeding momma.

-NURSING PADS in the beginning I used disposable ones, but those can get pretty pricey when you need to buy them every week. So I eventually made my own. They were thin, but discrete and did a great job. I don’t have a HOW-TO post to make your own but if you can sew it’s super simple. You can always buy some from a handmade seller on Etsy {CUTEANDFUNKY, MAMAMELONCA, PCFAO, I am not affiliated with any of these shops, nor am I getting a commission from them. I simply want to spread the love of handmade}

-FINDING YOUR RYTHM This is going to be different for everyone. I think what’s important is to just keep trying till you find your comfort zone. There is no shame in trial and error. If your new mom friend said a certain hold position worked for her and you try it and it sucks for you…that’s ok. That just means it didn’t work for you and you try something different.

I hope these non traditional breastfeeding tips help you on your breastfeeding journey. If you have questions ask them down below.