Potpourri Mommy: kids

Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts

Super Duper Incredible Stain Remover (Does wonders on Baby Spit Up and Blowouts)

I have seen many of my friends in the past post on Facebook, asking for advice on how to remove spit up stains out of baby clothes that looked fine until unpacking them after being stored from a previous child. With baby boy number 2 on the way I unpacked all of our baby boy clothes and examined them closing before throwing them into the wash. To my surprise, I had the same problem as many of my friends. I had 25 pieces of adorable clothing stained with yellow spots from spit up. I figured there had to be a way to get rid of these unsightly stains and there is! I wasn't confident that this super duper incredible stain remover would work, but I am here to testify that it does. It works wonders on stored baby clothes. There was no trace of any stains after using the stain remover and washing the clothes. Since baby boy is now born and has many blowouts, I always have this stain remover on hand. The minute a blowout happens I use a toothbrush to rub this super duper stain remover on the stain. The stain may not be completely removed before putting it in the wash, but once it has been through the washing machine, it goes away.

Ingredients and Recipe:
Mix together:
* 1 teaspoon blue dawn dish soap
* 2 Tablespoons baking soda
* 4 Tablespoons hydrogen peroxide.
Spoon a little amount of the stain remover onto the stain. Rub it with a toothbrush or finger. The stain will still be there. Let the stain remover sit for at least an hour. I left the stain remover sit on the clothes overnight and washed it like normal. I was worried to dry the clothes in the dryer to set in any stains that weren't removed so I hung dried the clothes. However, all the stains came out, so I could have dried the clothes in the dryer.

Technically, it is best to have this stain remover fresh and not store it for long periods of time. But, be a busy mom, I don't have time to make the solution each time I need to use it. I just make a big batch and store it and I haven't had problems with it not working.

Picture of stain remover on the clothes.

After Picture

Things that Go Birthday Party

It seems like not very long ago I spent tons of time planning a Mr. Potato Head 1st birthday party. Time sure flies by. My little guy just turned 2. He has a love for anything with wheels and moves. He absolutely loves trains, cars, trucks, and airplanes. With moving, and being extremely busy, we just had a small little family party and I only spent a few hours planning and getting everything ready.

Car Cake: I am not a cake baker. I always see adorable cakes that are perfectly smooth made with fondant. I just am not that good in the baking and decorating department. Thus, my cakes always look very homemade, but it's the thought that counts. Rylan loved his car cake. He was more interested in playing with it than eating it though.

Stoplight Brownies: Bake brownies in a pan. Let cool. Cut them into rectangle shapes. Add a red, yellow, and green m&m to each. Rylan loved helping with these birthday treats by pushing each m&m down.

Birthday Banner: I didn't have time to be crafty, so I bought a birthday banner from the dollar store and printed, cut out, and taped the vehicles to the banner. Simple, cheap, and incorporates the theme. (oops, I didn't get a picture of it)

Tablecloth: I bought wrapping paper from the dollar store that had cars, trucks, and airplanes on them. Then, taped them to the table.

Like I said, these was very low key, simple, and cheap. Did my little 2 year old have a great time and enjoy the party. YES! He got a train set from Grandma that will keep his attention for hours!

I made the "happy birthday" decoration a few years ago and get it out for all of our family members' birthdays,

Outdoor Toddler Learning Activities

It's summer and my busy toddler loves being outside. We are in the process of selling our home and try to keep it in immaculate condition most of the time. This can be challenging with a little boy who just wants to have fun and play with all of his toys. I have found myself trying to keep our little guy out of my way more often so I can focus on a spotless house. I have realized that I need to get my most important focus back on track and plan daily activities for us to do outside. This way our house will stay clean and Rylan will be happy he gets to be outside.

Here are a few fun activities:

1. Water balloon Fun: Blow up water balloons in different colors. Talk about the different colors of balloons while playing. Play catch, throw them through a small basketball hoop, see how high in the air they can go. Skills: Colors, gross motor

2. Car Painting: Tape down a long sheet of paper. I used the back side of wrapping paper. Have your child dip the cars into the paint and drive around on the paper. You can create a car track around the paper or a start and finish line.

3.Ice Cube Painting: Fill ice trays with water and a drop of food coloring in each cube. Once they harden, let your kids paint on paper with ice. Skills: Colors, fine motor, written language

4. Fishing for Letters: Fill a kiddie pool or large bowl with magnetic letters. Let your child fish for the letters with a magnetic fishing rod. Skills: Hand eye coordination, concentration, letters, colors

5. Chalk: Talk about the colors, what you are drawing, and write letters or names. Skills: Fine motor, written language, colors, numbers, words

6. Bubbles: I never understood why bubbles were so popular until I had a toddler of my own. I am amazed at the love children have for bubbles. We incorporate counting by counting each bubble that Rylan pops. Skills: Gross motor, counting

7.Water bombs: Cut up sponges and attach together to make balls that you can soak up with water to make water bombs. Throw them at targets or play catch.

8. Water beads: You can buy water beads at The Dollar Tree. There are so many different things your child can do with these beads that will him or her busy for hours.

What are some things that you do to keep your active toddler busy and out of trouble?

Santa Handprint Ornaments

Every year for a family tradition we want to have our children make a Christmas ornament. It is tough coming up with ornaments that a newborn can participate in. This is the perfect ornament for small children to make or help with.

Step 1: Make the salt dough:
* 1/2 cup salt
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1/4 cup water (a little more or less)
Knead until dough forms.
Step 2: Trace infant's/child's hand on a piece of cardboard. Cut out cardboard hand.
Step 3: Roll dough flat and place cardboard hand on top.
Step 4: Trace around the hand with a knife.
Step 5: Poke a hole in the palm of the hand with a straw or pencil.
Step 6: Bake the hand on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours.
Step 7: Paint
Step 8: Put some ribbon through the hole and hang.

Enjoy the reminder of how little your kids once were as you hang the Christmas ornaments on the tree each year.

You can also give these ornaments as a gift with this poem:
"This is to remind you when I grow so tall that once I was quite little and my hands were very small."

Felt Christmas tree

Christmas time is such an exciting and fun time for little ones. There are so many fun activities for kids this time of year and decorations help children get even more excited. Some little kids love to help decorate the Christmas tree by putting on ornaments. Why not let them have this experience all season long. I made this felt board activity for a Felt swap. Each person picked a month to make a felt activity and then we swapped with each other . We now have a fun felt board activity for almost each month of the year.

It is best to buy felt at JoAnns when it goes on sale for 50 or 60 %off. For the light bulbs I glue the yellow light bulb to the black part with tacky glue. Everything else, I just cut out.

Let the kids enjoy decorating the tree all season long!

Recycled baby wipe container + milk jug lids = toddler entertainment

I always wonder why we spend money buying toys when most of the time our young children just want to play with the kitchen utensils, household items, and everything except toys. When my son turned one years old he became a lot more interested in playing with toys for longer than 30 seconds. The early toddler age is when they love to fill containers up and dump them out.
I made a toy that my son loves out of a recycled baby wipe container and lots of milk jug lids. Since the time my son was born I have been saving all of our milk jug lids for a variety of learning activities and game.
I was amazed at how interested my son is in this little activity. My son loves to put the milk jug lid in the hole of the baby wipe container one by one. He loves to dump the lids out and start over again.
While making dinner, I have put him in his high chair with the milk jug lids and baby wipe container. He keeps himself entertained for quite some time.

100% FREE & 100% TODDLER FUN

Spend Quality time with your young children and babies with these Free Activities

I have always been a very busy gal. I have a hard time sitting down and relaxing. Even if I am sitting in front of the television, I have to be do something else like folding laundry. I taught second grade for 4 years and 2 weeks before my first son was born. As a teacher you never have a moment to sit down. You are teaching, moving all over the classroom helping and interacting with students, or gathering materials for upcoming lessons. Once my son was born I had to learn that it is okay to not be moving constantly. With a newborn that really just naps, lays around, and cuddles, I learned that it is necessary and okay to just sit and relax. It is also critical that we spend lots of quality time with our little ones. However, I am not one to just sit around. I have a really hard time staying in my house all day. I need fresh air, people interaction, and a change of scenery. Also, my little guy is and always has been a busy, social, and active boy. He must get that from his momma. Although, as a child I was as shy as can be. After a few months, I got really bored and tired of staying at home and having zero interaction with the world. My husband is always busy studying or at school and my days started to drag on and I knew we needed change. We needed social interactions, fresh air, change of scenery, exercise, and quality time together. That's when I started coming up with things to do; me, as a new mom and my busy baby. Here are some great activities to do with your baby or young children to keep your spirits high, stay active, interact with others, and spend quality time together. Another bonus, they are free!

1. Library: I knew there were story times for young children, but did you know there are baby classes too! At many libraries they have "Mommy and Me" story time. Babies come with an adult for lap time. We sing, have a short story, and then there is playtime. This is a great way for parents to learn songs and activities to do at home with their baby/toddler. It is also a good way for babies to start to learn how to play with other children and a great time for moms to socialize with other moms.

2. Walks: Walks are phenomenal. When my son was a newborn he would have moments during the day when he cried a lot. Walks always calmed him down. They were a great opportunity for me to spend time with my son but also have some time to "myself", get some exercise, and be outside.

3. Parks: Many parks are for older children. But there are quite a few that have infant swings. Most babies love to swing. I know my little guy does. Slides are also fun for little ones to go down. If your baby is too small to slide down, have him or her go down with you. I love sliding down with my son and watching his huge smile. Even just sitting on the grass for your infant to feel the grass, hear the birds chirp, see the dogs go by, and watch the kids play is a great learning opportunity and fun refreshing experience.

4. Malls: Many malls have play areas for kids. These are great because they have cushioned floors (at least all the ones I've been to) to protect your child as they are developing motor skills. Many of these play areas have small slides, tunnels, things to climb on, mirrors, and other interactive activities. They are enclosed to help keep track of your kids. I know it can get challenging with more than one child to keep an eye on. The mall is a great option once the temperatures drop and the weather becomes gloomy. You can also bring the stroller along and go for a walk in the mall. Many malls open early for people to walk around. This is a great way to get some exercise once the weather isn't optimal.

5. Play Groups: My son is the only child. He is also the only grandchild on both sides. Thus, he doesn't have a lot of interaction with other children unless I put forth the effort. My little guy is a social boy. He loves interacting with other children and gets so excited when he sees other kids to play with. Once I realized how much my son (12 months) loved to play with other kids I decided to start a play group. I handed out flyers to friends and people at church. I set a specific day and time each week. We meet at the same park for a few weeks and then go to another park. Once the weather gets to cold we will meet at our church. You could also meet at someone's house. Play groups are great for children to have the opportunity to play with other children their similar ages and for moms to get some girl time too.

6. Exercise Groups: When my son was about 6 months old I started going to a dance/aerobic class at our church. Another mom started and taught the class. Women were invited to come for an hour to exercise while the children played in the back of the gym or did tummy time on the side. I loved this opportunity to exercise, get out of the house, and my son loved seeing other babies and watching other children play.

7. Wheeler Farm: Wheeler Farm is a farm that is free to go to and is open every day of the year. You are free to walk around and look at all their animals. They also have a park and area to eat lunch. Their address is 6351 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT. Check out Wheeler Farm's Website.

8. Outside Play Time: Take your baby outside and let him or her sit on a blanket or in a high chair. Blow bubbles, play with a ball, or let him or her finger paint.

I hope we will all put forth a little more effort to spend quality time with our little ones. It is important that we do things with them that helps them learn and develop.

If you have any other great ideas of what to do with your baby or young children, please comment and share!

Quiet Book Cover

I had a really hard time trying to figure out how to make the cover for my quiet book. I had all of my pages completed for almost a year, before binding them. I bought a plastic binder that is flimsy/bendable. I then cut out material and sewed it to make a binder cover. This way the cover of the quiet book is cute and I can still change out the pages of the quiet book if I ever want or need to.

Check out the finished product

and all of the individual pages.

Mr. Potato Head Birthday Party

My little guy turned 1! It's amazing how a year ago he couldn't do much and now he is walking, climbing, interacting with others, constantly on the go, and the list goes on and on. We had Rylan's 1st birthday party a few weeks before he turned one so that we could celebrate with family while we were in Oregon. It was also nice having my creative mom around to help out a ton. Here is a recap of all the fun and festivities of the party.

Decorations:

Mr. Potato Head Banner: We drew, traced, cut, and glued the Mr. Potato Head banner.

Photo Banner: Picture of birthday boy each month of his first year

Potato Heads: I found some at a garage sale and borrowed some from a friend. Thanks Kelli @ fingerprintsonthefridge

First Year Smash Cake: I wanted a smash cake that was bigger than a cupcake but smaller than your typical 8 or 9 inch round cake. So we got a 4 pack of foil round pans from the Dollar Tree. They were the perfect size. I made the best homemade frosting (recipe to come soon)and decorated it simple with sprinkles. I then piped frosting around the edge of the cake. This was my first time piping. I always have dreaded the thought of making homemade frosting because whenever I would try to make it, it never turned out right. Thanks to my cousin Jen, I have a recipe for homemade frosting that I’m going to stick with.

Food:

Mr. Potato Bar:

o Baked potatoes, sour cream, green onions, chili, shredded cheese, frozen broccoli, butter

Mr. Potato Head’s spare parts (Veggie Tray)

o Tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers

Fruit Kabobs

o Grapes, pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe

Drinks:

Water and Lemonade

Activities:

Mr. Potato Head: on table to put together

- Pictures of Mr. Potato Heads laid out for people to rebuild

Huge Floor Mr. Potato Head- Made out of fabric. Put Mr. Potato Head together on the floor/grass

Decorate your own Mr. Potato Head cupcake

Candies used for body parts:

o Eyes-York Peppermint Pieces with black icing

o Nose-Reese's Pieces

o Mouth- Life Saver gummies cut in half

o Ears- Licorice tidbits or Life Saver gummies cut in half

o Mustache/Eyebrows: Chocolate twizzlers

o Feet: Orange candy slices and fruit candy slices

Clown (aka my brother): Made balloon animals and juggled

Photo Booth: Get your picture taken with Mr. Potato Head

* Props: Hats, wigs, glasses, microphones, mustaches, party hats

* My mom made this Mr. Potato Head out of fabric and put it on burlap.

* Each family got their pictures taken with Mr. Potato Head. We put these pictures in with their thank you cards.

Party On!

13 Busy Bag Activities

I taught 2nd grade for a little over 4 years. Once my son Rylan was born I decided to stop teaching so I could stay home with him and be his teacher :) While teaching, I met some amazingly talented people who I also call my friends. Two of my friends, Vanessa and Kim, put together a Busy Bag Swap.
A Busy Bag Swap is when you form a group of 10 or so people. Each person picks a quiet activity to make that will entertain children and that is portable. They make enough of the same activity for each person in the group to get one. You later meet and swap your activities with each other. You end up making 10 or so of the same activity to share with others and get different activities in return. It is a great way to get some great activities for your children and to keep them entertained at home, church, or in the car.
After participating in my first busy bag swap, I decided to hold another busy bag swap with gals from church. I figured church is one of the best places to use busy bags to keep kids quiet and busy. Posted below are the busy bags that were created and swapped around with the gals from church. I made one of the activities below. All others were created by my friends. Soon, I will post the activities that were swapped with my friends from school.

1. Magnetic Fishing