10 Favorite Household Tips (she: Rebecca)

10 Favorite Household Tips (she: Rebecca)

ByRebecca

Once upon a time, there was no Pinterest, or Facebook, or Internet and the only good household tips I knew were passed down from my mom or good friends. But not anymore! Now I’ve got a Pinterest board packed with cool household tips and tricks! I’ve tried many of them, and thought I’d share a few of my favorites … most are from Pinterest, but a few came to me the old fashioned way!

1. Clean Pee Stained Mattresses – This post has literally changed my life! I have three young children who manage to pee, poo and/or spew on their mattresses on the rare occasions they aren’t covered by their mattress covers. Right after the first major pee incident, I literally ran to the computer to see how we could salvage the mattress. The whole family sat around the mattress (after I applied the “magic” potion) and watched the yellow stain disappear. It is that good!

2. Get Grease Stains Out – This tip comes from one of our awesome ‘Or she she says …’ contributors, Veronica. She’s got nine kids, so she knows a thing or two about laundry. She promised me that if I rubbed Dawn (only use this brand) dish soap on the grease spot(s) and then sprayed it with my favorite stain remover that the stain would be gone, even if the item had been previously washed and dried. I have tried this trick on super old, set-in stains and it has yet to disappoint!

5 fun things to do in Carlsbad, California (she: Allison)

5 fun things to do in Carlsbad, California (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Carlsbad, California is a family-friendly beach town located about 35 miles north of San Diego. Many families know it as the home of LEGOLAND California Resort. However, Carlsbad has lots of other fun activities too, making it worthwhile to make Carlsbad the base for your next Southern California vacation.

Here are five favorite family things to do in Carlsbad, California:

LEGOLAND California Resort was a slam dunk for my kids, ages 8 and 6. Its roller coasters, playgrounds and shows are perfect for kids their age. Teens and adults may find the rides tame, but anyone with any interest in LEGOS will likely get a kick out of the LEGO structures throughout the park. Don’t miss Miniland, where famous cities, the worlds of Star Wars, and busts of famous historical figures have been recreated entirely in LEGOS.

The Name Game ~ A Fun Group Game! (& Our Bear Lake Vacation)
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The Name Game ~ A Fun Group Game! (& Our Bear Lake Vacation)

ByMariel

So, we spent this past weekend with Dan’s family in Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho. Have you been there?? It’s soooo beautiful. A huge, amazingly turquoise lake, right in the middle of the desert. Every year, we rent a cabin up there and spend the time boating, swimming, eating raspberry shakes (they’re famous!), wrestling (tons of cousins!), and relaxing. After we got all the kids to bed, the adults stayed up late playing games …AND, I thought I would tell you about it. It’s called The Name Game and so much fun!

But, first …a handful of pictures from our trip…

Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)
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Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Well, ready or not, school is just around the corner (a week from Tuesday for my boys- way too soon!). We just got back from a quick camping trip over the weekend. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who frantically rush out and try to fit in all the last-minute summer activities we can. It took us searching through four campgrounds to finally find a spot. It wasn’t our first choice, but ended up being the perfect little spot for our family!

I’m not sure if you’ve been counting down the days until school starts since the second week of June, or if you’re ignoring all the school supplies that are lining the shelves right now, and hoping the first day of school won’t happen. I have to say I’m a tad bit excited. I’ve LOVED every minute of our summer vacation, but there’s something rejuvenating about this time of year for me.

Ruler Frame Chalkboard Sign Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
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Vintage Ruler Frame Chalkboard Sign Tutorial (she: Lauren)

ByLauren

So, when Mariel told me that the blog hop theme for this month was chalkboard and asked if I wanted to tackle it, I jumped at the chance! I mean, chalkboard and I go together like Jackson Pollock and splatter paint, like Martha Stewart and apple pie, like Marilyn Monroe and subway grates. I’m sort of a chalkboard fanatic. And I had just the idea of what to create!

Here’s the tutorial, so you can play along at home! And I’m going to be sure to tell you what not to do…because this project definitely almost became a craft fail! *Click ‘Full Article’ to read more, discover 9 other fabulous chalkboard craft ideas, and enter this week’s ‘Your Great Idea’ link party!

Frozen peppermint patty pie on www.orsoshesays.com #pie #recipe #dessert #peppermintpattypie #peppermintpatty
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Frozen Peppermint Patty Pie (she: Jana)

ByJana

One of my favorite treats is a York Peppermint Patty straight from the freezer. I love going home during the summer because my parents always have a big box of them stored in their freezer. What a delight! (I don’t dare do that at home or I would constantly binge!) And incidentally that’s not the ONLY reason I like going home!:)

And if there’s one thing better than a frozen peppermint patty, it’s a Frozen Peppermint Patty PIE!! And it literally takes about 10 minutes to throw this bad boy together & you don’t have to worry about heating up your kitchen in the process! So throw this together and …taste the sensation!

Blog Buddies: Mique from Thirty Handmade Days

Blog Buddies: Mique from Thirty Handmade Days

ByMariel

Hi everyone! I’m Mique from Thirty Handmade Days. I’m excited to be here today to share a little bit about what I do over there. When I’m not creating, I’m busy trying to keep up with my 7, 11 and 13 year olds. I’ve been married to Josh for (almost) 15 years. And I own the Queen Bee Market, a craft boutique based in the San Diego area.

My favorite things to create are: recipes, printables and gifts. I make those things over and over and over every day of the week if my laundry would let me.

Banana Oatmeal
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Baked Banana Oatmeal

ByMariel

I’m a huge fan of oatmeal, so any oatmeal recipe will quickly peak my curiosity. I’ve had this recipe for Baked Banana Oatmeal kickin’ around the kitchen for a while now, just waiting for me to make it. I tore it out of the Parent & Child magazine and had a hunch it would be perfect for my family. And, it was! …especially with the addition of chocolate chips. It made plenty, was delish, and it’s always nice when I can serve everyone at once. I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough, so I doubled the recipe. But, it made tons! I had an entire 9×13 pan filled and 6 ramekins. So, we’ve been eating this for a couple days now.

The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!
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The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!

ByMariel

A few months back, I started hearing a buzz about this new site called Stitch Fix. What intrigued me was their pictures of super cute, original clothing and the fact that they become your PERSONAL stylist and MAIL you cute stuff. I had to know more! With six kids, as you can imagine, I don’t get out of the house much to buy myself clothes. I can always find fun stuff for my kids online (hello, Zulily!), but rarely do I find anything for myself. And, sometimes I want a cute outfit, dang-it. So, I decided to give Stitch Fix a try, see if it was as cool as it sounded.

I went online, signed up, and filled out their style form …not sure of the official name. But, it was a form that asked your sizes in everything, how much is too much to spend on specific clothing items, and lots about what sort of styles you like. They had pictures of all different styles, and you pick your favorites, to help them understand what you like.

Faux Sea Glass Vase Tutorial (she: Allison)
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Faux Sea Glass Vase Tutorial (she: Allison)

ByAllison

I’d never heard of sea glass until I was an adult (perhaps that is due to living in landlocked Oklahoma?) We went to beaches very rarely when I was a kid, and even now I’ve never found sea glass when scanning the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. But I did buy some at a craft store once and it was so much prettier in real life than it was in the pictures I’d seen online. Once I’d actually handled the stuff I kind of became obsessed. It’s so pretty and such an amazing little thing that the sea kicks out.

I decided that I wanted to make a faux sea glass vase to hold daisies and other pretty things. At the craft store I spied these gigantic mason jars. I’m talking bigger than my hand and as tall as a can of potato chips – to say I was a weensy bit obsessed by the large-ness of my new mason jar is a bit of an understatement! I decided to try and make the mason jar my faux sea glass vase.