Yummy and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is so easy. You take a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and a bag of chocolate chips. Mix them all together, then scoop them onto cookie sheet and cook at 350 for about 10 minutes and enjoy. Can it get any easier?

Cheap and Inexpensive Halloween Decorations

Scrapbook Paper

I love decorating with scrapbook paper for any season or holiday. For the spider picture I cut out a spider, for the string of web I used craft wire, and then I glued the wire and spider to the paper and then framed it. Instant artwork, total cost- .80 cents. For the shelf I just put different pieces of scrapbook paper inside the different size frames. Total cost- $1.50 for paper. I already had the frames but if you do buy them, buy them at the thirft store and then paint them the color you want.

Junk Around the House and Town

My husband brought this old wooden crate home from work for me, he said he knew I would like it. Which I did but I didn't know what to do with it so when fall came I wrote on it and filled it with pumpkins. Did this bring any ideas to mind for you? Total cost- FREE

Candles

I love candles because you can dress them up and they are cheap. I bought the candle at the grocery store for a dollar. Then I wrapped a inch piece of scrapbook paper (it came from my scraps) around it and secured it with a pin. Then I cut off a piece of garland and wrapped that around it to and secured it with a pin. Ta Da! Total cost- $1.25


Witch Broom

My sister and I made this in about 15 minutes. First we went out and found a chunky old looking stick and some weeds. We then cut all the knobs and extra branches off the stick with a hand saw. Then we hot glued the weeds on and then wrapped juts around it and secured it with hot glue and then you're done. Total cost- FREE

Witch Hat

I got the witch hat at a yard sell for .25 cents. I bought the feather boa at the Dollar Tree Store. I glued the boa on with tacky glue and then hung the hat over a chair as if a witch had just got home and hung up her hat for the day. Total cost- .75 cents

BOO

I cut out the letters for the word boo and stuck each letter on a pumpkin and then placed them up on my kitchen cabnet. Easy as pie. Total cost .25 cents for the letters and however much your pumpkins are.

Spooky Branches

I went out and found some spooky looking branches and then hung from my kitchen cabinet. You could hang them really anywhere. Your entertainment center, book shelf, a shelf, etc. I also had a Chinese lantern from Tai Pan Trading (love that store) so I hung it from the branches. I know you can get Chinese lanterns at the Dollar Tree Store that have Halloween design on them for a dollar. Total cost- Free for the branches and my lantern was $4.00.

Halloween Sayings

There are lots of fun saying that go along with Halloween. I took the first line of the song "What are you going to be on Halloween night?" and printed it off on the computer. Then I glued that on to a piece of, what else, scrapbook paper. I then glued the scrapbook paper to a piece of cardboard and then I tied ribbon on each side and hung it on my old window on my wall. Total cost- $1.50

Halloween Tree

I got this willow tree on clearence at a grocery store for a dollar. I've had it for awhile and I finally had an idea of what to do with it. I first pulled some of the berries off of it, then I spray painted it black, then I cut out circle out of orange and purple glitter paper. I then attached them to the wires of the willow tree. You could also us just a branch from outside to do the same thing. Total cost- $2.00

The Five Magic Hours

Don't you find that when it comes to spending time as a family there seems to be no time to squeeze it in. We are so busy with life that we aren't spending time with the people that need it the most. So here are five ways to take time with your family, hopefully one will work in your busy home because remember that a family who plays together stays together.

Partings: Don't part in the the morning without knowing one interesting thing that will happen in each other's day. (2 minutes a day X's 5 working days=10 minutes a day).

Reunions: Take 10 minutes to talk about your day (a stress reducing conversation, i.e. no harsh comments or startups). Each family member alternates in actively listening. Rule: support and appreciation for each family member. (20 minutes a day X's 5 working days= 1 hour and 40 minutes).

Admiration and Appreciation: Find some way everyday to genuinely communicate affection and appreciation to each family member. (5 minutes a day X's 7 days= 35 minutes).

Affection: Touch, hug, cuddle each other in ways which to express love. (1 hug a day X's 7 days=7 minutes)

Love Maps and Arguing: Take at least 2 hours a week for staying acquainted. Play twenty questions, talk about conflictual issues, repair negativity, or just ask how the other is doing. Husbands and wives should take at least a 2 hour date each week to catch up with each other.
(2 hours a week=11 minutes a day)

You can give it a try and remember minutes add up fast!

Don't Break the Beauty Bank

I love the shampoo and conditioner by Biolage, BUT lets be honest who can afford that every time they buy shampoo and conditioner. Well I have found a substitute and a good one too! Suave Bio Basics shampoo and conditioner. I love how my hair smells and feels after using it. The best part is it only cost me $3 a bottle. Hip, Hip, Hooray Suave has saved the day or your bank account!

Tablecloth Pillows

This idea is awesome for outdoor pillows. It comes from the Family Fun Magazine or familyfun.com. You don't even need to be able to sew. All you need is two 24 inch squares cut from a tablecloth, a 18 inch square pillow form, tacky glue, and clothespins. Now for the pillow form use an old one from around the house or hit the thrift store. Don't buy a pillow form from the store if you don't have to because they're kind of pricey. Then all you do is lay the vinyl square down and run an inch thick line of glue around three sides of the square, two inches from the edge. Then lay the other square design side up on top of the square you just put glue on, then press together. When the glue is dry push the pillow form between the two square and then glue the pillow closed. Secure the seam with the clothespins while it dries. There you have it. These can be used for picnics, sporting events, and another outdoor activity.

APRIL SHOWERS

In the magazine Parenting Early Years April 2009 on pg. 59 it had these fun ideas.

Rainy-day Fun

* puddle jump Go ahead- get wet. Se who can make the biggest splash, jump across the widest puddle, and be the first to fill up her boots.
* create a "tie-dye" craft Do the first part indoors: Grab some coffee filters and have the kids color them with markers (not washable ones), and lay them on a cookie sheet. Then put them outside in the rain and watch the colors run. Bring them inside, and after they dry, the kids can make flowers: Pinch each filter in the middle and twist, then wrap a green pipe cleaner around to make a stem.
* take your kids on a "rescue the worms" walk (You don't have to touch 'em!) Stroll around the neighborhood and let your kids pick them up off the sidewalk and toss them back into the grass. When you're home got Yucky.discovery.com and search for cool info on earthworms.
* do a rainy-day Monet Head outside with some sidewalk chalk. When it's wet, it works almost like paint.
* have a splash Take a bunch of bath toys outdoors- boats, buckets, cups- and play in a puddle, or find a "stream" at the edge of the street (if you live on a safe one) and race a boat against a lightweight ball.
* make a rain chatcher If you just want to stay inside, have your child decorate a two-liter bottle, and measure and mark half-inches with a Sharpie. Then you cut off the top and put it outside a window where you can see it from inside. Set some fun goals: "When it gets to half an inch, we'll play a board game. When it gets to an inch, we'll make cookies...." etc.!

Coloring Easter Eggs

I found these fun ideas for coloring easter eggs on the Better Homes and Garden website, http://www.bhg.com/, hopefully you can try one and it will inspire you to decorate eggs in a whole new way.

Pysanky Eggs:
Pysanky is the Ukranian folk art of waxing and dying easter eggs. To do it just put a pin in the easer of a pencil then use it to dip in the wax and then put on the eggs, then you put it in the dye.
Wax from a crayon works well to if you don't want to work with hot wax.

Candy Eggs:
Take small candy dots and apply them to the egg using a paste made of water and powdered sugar or you can purchase frosting in a can. This gives the dots a 3D effect.

Dots, Dots, Dots:
You can use an easer, a q tip, or a toothpick to put dots on your eggs. Also the toothpick will make flowers. Dip the toothpick in paint 1/4 of the way up the toothpick. Then lay the toothpick on the egg and each time making a petal for the flower.

Stickers:
Put stickers of any shape or letter on your egg before putting it into the dye. When you put it out of the dye take the stickers off, leaving the design behind.

Rubber Bands:
Stretch rubber bands on your eggs before placing it in the dye. When done dying remove rubber bands and drop it in another color to dye.

Bubble Wrap:
Coat the piece of bubble wrap with acrylic paint, then roll the egg over the paint, holding the egg by the ends. Let the paint dry and then repeat with another color.

Aluminum Foil:
First crumple a piece of foil and then uncrumple it. Then coat the foil with acrylic paint. Then gently fold around the egg. Let the paint dry and then repeat the process with another color.

String:
Dip the ends of string in acrylic paint and then sweep the string across the egg. Try different colors of paint and different sizes of string to make different a variety of markings.

Our*Play

Great on-the-go games by Barbara Rowley (Parenting Magazine/Early Years)

Keep 'em busy at the store or mall

* Tally Ho - Let your child keep track of how many teddy bears (or people wearing purple shirts or men with moustaches) he can see while strolling through the mall. Give him a piece of paper and a crayon to keep count, and tally his finds at the end of your outing.

* Talk to the hand - Put a small plastic shopping bag on your hand, and , as you push your child in her stroller or a cart, let the plastic bag be a puppet narrating what you see and "talking" to your child.

* Honk if you love..... Choose a funny sound ("honk," "quack") you both can say whenever you see a certain object- candy, a baby, a circle shape. This keeps your child focused on looking around rather than getting out of his stroller!

Keep 'em busy in the waiting room

* Magazine "I spy" - Open a magazine to a page with lots of photos. Tell your child that you spy something green, or something he like to eat. He guesses what you're looking at (you can give him "warm" or "cold" hints), then it's his turn.

* Mini-hide-and-seek - Close your eyes, and ask your child to hide a small toy in the waiting room for you to find. Now hide it yourself.

* Insta-puzzle - Tear a magazine subscription card into four or five pieces, and have your child put them back together.

* Float or sink - Got a half-filled water bottle? Let your child see what floats and sinks. How about a little piece of paper or a piece of cereal? A raisin? A coin? (Keep an eye out so little objects don't end up in your child's mouth.)

Keep 'em busy in the car

* Magnet magic - Give your child a baking sheet with plenty of big, fun-shaped magnets on it to move around and play with (easy to stash under the seat when he's not using it!)

* Laughing all the way - You say "ha." They say "ha-ha." Now you add one more "ha." The object: to keep the ha's going without actually laughing. (Each round doesn't last long, but your kids will want to play again and again.)

* Stick it up - Hand your child a square piece of sturdy cardboard and several pages of stickers. While you drive, she sticks. That's it, yet the most absorbing car craft known to moms.

Keep 'em busy in line

* Cereal drop - Set an empty cup on the floor next to your and challenge your kids to drop a piece of cereal, a small toy car, or whatever else you can find in your pockets into the cup. Kids love this!

* Street artists - Draw a simple shape on your child's back with your finger, and see if she can guess what it is: A square? Circle? Heart? Triangle? Then let her try her hand.

* Posers- in waiting - Both of you strike a silly pose and hold it until the line moves- make a funny face and stand on one foot, for instance. The first person to move before the line progresses "loses," and the other person gets to invent the next pose.

The Beauty of Motherhood

As a mom I am finding that as time goes by I'm not getting the sleep that I was use to before becoming a mom. With the lack of sleep comes the dark circles under my eyes. So an article in Parenting magazine, february 2009, page 53, caught my attention. The article says that wearing blue-based eye shadows, like mauve, plum, and navy will highlight the dark circles under your eyes. So swap those colors for a peach or taupe eye shadow to help brighten your eyes. Some of the colors they suggest is Maybelline New York Expert Wear Eye Shadow Trio in Almond Truffle ($5.50) or Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Duo in Peach Puff ($8). This is a great tip for one sleepy mom.

The Feel Better Basket

The end of February and the first of March seem to be so hard because everyone seems to have someone in the family a little under the weather, we have been in our house. A while back I came across the idea to make a get better basket. It is full of the things you need to help you or your loved one feel better. It is filled with medicine like cough syrup, cough drops, Motrin, Tylenol, band aids, hydrogenporoxide, a thermometer, a flashlight (for taking temperatures in the night and giving medicine), a can of sprite, a teddy bear to hug when it's just to much, ect. We also filled ours with ideas of things to do when you're stuck on the couch. Some of the ideas are games, favorite books and movies, music to listen to, crossword puzzles and other book games, coloring books and crayons. Sick days come to everyone and this idea has made them a little easier for us to deal with. Make your basket to fit your families needs and make it together and remember hippity hoppity spring is on it's way.