Leaving Your Family Pet with a Pet Sitter

A new member of the family joined us 5 months ago.  Mickey is a Miniature Schnauzer mix and the sweetest puppy ever.  We have taken a few trips since having him and have been blessed to be able to take him with us.  However, we took a trip out-of-state and he could not come with us.  So we talked to family and friends and looked into kennels/pet boarding locations.  But, I was just too worried about leaving him in an unfamiliar place with strangers.  Besides, we would prefer to have him at home where he feels safe and comfortable.  So, we decided to find a pet sitter to come by a few times a day to let him run around the backyard and feed him.

The first people we thought of were our babysitter!  She lives just across the street and recently mentioned that she is saving up for a car.  Also, they have always had a family dog that she helps look after.  So, a familiar face for our puppy and she is close by, so coming over a few times a day wouldn't be too much to ask.  We were so excited when she agreed to watch him for us.

We had spoken to a kennel and they were going to charge us $10/day.  So, that's what we paid her.  Before we left, we let her know his routine.  We also wanted to leave her helpful information in case of emergencies.  So, I hit my keyboard and found the perfect downloadable template - Pet Care Instructions.  What I like most about it is that it includes all the areas I wanted to cover for my pet sitter but, I was also able to download the form and change it to fit my needs exactly.  I filled out the Pet Care Instructions form and was sure to leave a copy of his up-to-date vaccination records - just in case.

After being away from our pup for almost a week, when we returned I think he was disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing our pet sitter every day.  But, that made me even more confident with my decision to have a pet sitter watch him at home.

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops

A dinner my mom used to make for us that has only a few ingredients and is not only easy but fast to make is Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops.  Campbell's actually has a very similar recipe on their website called Tasty 2-Step Pork Chops.  This is how I make it:


Ingredients

• 4 Pork Chops
• 1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
• olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves or garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup milk (or water)

Directions

1. Brown garlic in oil then remove garlic.
2. Put pork chops in same pan.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper (and garlic powder if you didn't have garlic).  Brown on each side.  Then remove pork chops.
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and milk to pan.  Cook as directed on can using a whisk to include all the delicious pork chop flavor from the pan. 
4. Return pork chops to pan with soup and continue to cook until pork chops are done.
5. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Pool Noodle Fun!

I saw an article in a recent Parents magazine about all the fun you can have by getting creative with pool noodles called, "Use Your Noodle: Pool Noodle Backyard Games".  I was a little worried about the cost, since I'd never bought a pool noodle before but, I found them at our local Dollar Tree for $1.00 and I figure I could do the activities listed in the magazine for $12-15.00.  I am sold!!!  The next time I'm out and about, I'm buying a bunch of pool noodles, pulling out my husband's duct tape and using chopsticks from our recent trip to our favorite Chinese restaurant.  Then we are going to make it a family activity by working together to create our own obstacle course/backyard games.  My kids can't wait!!!

Painting with Shaving Cream

A few weeks back I found a picture online of a muffin tin filled with different colored shaving cream.  I thought "What a great idea!" and I immediately wanted to try it.  However, I thought it would be much more fun for my kids to do in the shower. 


Although a muffin tin would be great for a dry activity, it wasn't my first choice to use in the shower.  So, I used a divided rectangle Ziploc container I had for my husband's lunches.  We can keep it in the shower and not worry about rusting and it's easy for the kids to hold.  Having the separate compartments makes it easier to keep the colors separate but it isn't necessary.  The shower walls and clear shower curtain were a perfect blank canvas for the kids. They had a blast!


This is what you need:

• Shaving Cream
• Food Coloring
• Paint Brushes
• Container for "paints"

I used my husband's shaving cream which is only about $1.  The food coloring I already had but, it's only a couple of dollars a box of four in the grocery store.  The paint brushes I picked up in a 3-pack for only $1.  You can use anything laying around the house to keep you "paint" in: old yogurt bin, plastic bowl/plate, etc. 


If your shower is tiled, be careful because the food coloring might stain it.  This activity would also be fun to do outside in the summer too.  I think I'll let my kids do this in our inflatable pool!  Be creative and have fun! 

Get Organized with 3M Command Hooks

We have some much stuff in our house with five family members.  Often times things get lost in the closets from falling down or just getting tossed in.  So, I got organized with 3M Command Hooks.  These things are awesome!!!  They aren't just for Christmas lights and holiday decorations (which I started using them for).  This is what I use my hooks for:

• Keeping book bags/backpacks off the floor and easily accessible
• Hanging Coats
• Storing Belts
• Hanging necklaces and keeping them from tangling

"A place for everything and everything in it's place."  It's a motto I am trying to live by.  Get creative, get organized!

Quick Tip: Summer Playdate Contact Cards

Every summer my kids miss their classmates.  Since teachers don't send home classroom contact lists, I don't have anybody's information.  So, to be sure we stay-in-touch with my children's friends, I make Summer Playdate Contact Cards.  On index cards I wrote my child's name, my name, my contact information and a short note saying my child would like to get together over the summer.  I gave each of my kids three index cards to hand out to friends they want to visit this summer.  I've already gotten two calls from moms and school just ended two days ago!  Looking forward to a summer fully of friends and fun.

Great Wall of China Model

As mentioned in my post, How to Make a 3D Model of a Pyramid, my 2nd Grader is participating in a class project called "The Amazing Race".  Each student is supposed to "visit" five of the seven continents and do a "task" for each visit.  The 3D pyramid was for Africa.  My sons next continent was China and he decided to create a model of the Great Wall of China. 
So, off to the Internet I went to find ideas on how to make the Great Wall of China.  I found a great blog called, Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Her idea was awesome and fairly easy.  But, I had to make modifications to suit us and make it our own. 


I couldn't find Styrofoam blocks at my local stores, nor did I have time to order them online (we only had an afternoon to build it).  However, I did find a block of Styrofoam at Walmart.  It was about 2 inches x 12inches x 18 inches.  I had to cut this large block into small bricks.  I only used 3/4 of the block for this project 


I had never worked with Styrofoam so, I tapped away on my keyboard until I found a great website discussing the basics of working with Styrofoam.  They include a great informative video - STYROFOAM Tips.  From the video I learned how to cut Styrofoam, which glue I could use, and how to paint it too!

Supplies

• 1 foam poster board
• 1 block of Styrofoam, 2"x12"x18"- (you could use store bought Styrofoam blocks)
• hot glue gun
• acrylic paint (gray)
• stiff paint brush
• cardboard (we used a fruit snack box)
• scissors

Directions

1. Cut the Styrofoam block into small blocks/bricks with a plastic knife (run it through a candle first, to make cutting easier).
2. Using the hot glue gun, glue two parallel rows of Styrofoam blocks onto the foam poster board to create the base of the wall.  Make sure it is curved just like the real thing.  Be sure to include stairs at either end.
3. Add a second row of blocks on top of your base in a staggered pattern.  Repeat to make the wall as tall as you like.
4. Hot glue the cardboard on top to make a walking path.  Trim the cardboard with scissors to fit. 
5. Add another row of blocks along the edge of the path (cardboard).
6. Build a tower with the blocks in the middle of the wall.
7. Dip paint brush into paint and tap onto the the Styrofoam bricks, the cardboard path and around the base of the wall.
8. Use construction paper and a glue stick to create a mountain and some grass around your wall.

How to Make a 3D Model of a Pyramid

My 2nd Grader is participating in a class project at school called "The Amazing Race".  They have to do a project for five of the seven continents and whoever completes their project before a certain date will receive a prize.  My son decided to make a 3D model of a pyramid for Africa.  So, I hit the keyboard and found lots of different ideas for making a pyramid on Squidoo.  One stood out to us and we decided to make a similar one but make it our own with a few changes.

Supplies

• 8 dowel rods (found at Michael's Craft Store)
• hot glue gun
• pipe cleaners

Directions

1. Use the hot glue gun to glue 4 of the dowel rods into a square.
2. Glue the bottom of each remaining dowel rod to one corner of the square at an angle, so that the tops meet together above the center of the square.  (Tip - We used Play-doh to help keep all the rods in place until we were able to glue them.  This allowed us to make sure the angle was correct when we glued it.)
3. Glue the top of the 4 angled dowel rods together.
4. Wrap the sides and joints of the pyramid with pipe cleaners.
5. Print out or draw two pictures of a mummy or sarcophagus and glue them together, back to back.
6. Punch a hole in the top of the image and hang it inside the pyramid with a pipe cleaner.

I added 5 smaller dowel rods across the base of the pyramid because my son was worried someone might try to wear the pyramid as a hat but, this is not necessary for the structure.  We had so much fun my two younger children wanted to make structures of their own with the remaining supplies. 

My New Addiction - Thirty-One!

I was introduced to Thirty-One about 6 months ago and now I'm hooked!!!  I tend to refer to Thirty-One as today's version of a Tupperware party but more fashionable.  They have a great variety of bags, purses and more to help organize your life.  As a mom of three, I'm all about organizing!  I am slowly building my own collection.  I love the products so much, I'm considering becoming a consultant.


I was invited to my first Thirty-One party from a fellow PTA member.  I went without planning to buy anything, not knowing what I was getting myself into.  But, as soon as I saw all the beautiful bags and patterns, it took me a while to decide what to get.  Even after I left the party I had a wish list for the next party I would attend.


However, after finding out about the amazing Hostess Rewards, I decided to throw a party of my own.  By just having a party, I earned $125 worth of free Thirty-One products, 2 half-priced items (with half-priced personalization) and the chance to purchase two products exclusive to hostesses only.  I knew then that I would be throwing another party in the future!  Another great bonus, when a guest from my party decided to throw a party of her own, I received a free bag with free personalization!  Talk about rewards!!


Each month Thirty-One offers a Monthly Special discounting some of their most popular products!  For example, this month the special is "For every $31 you spend, get an All-In-One Organizer for $5."  That is a savings of $20!


My favorite products so far are the Large Utility Tote and the Hang-Up Home Organizer.  I keep a Large Utility Tote in my car to help me carry several bags up stairs to my kitchen.  I also use it for road trips and carting donations to my kids' school.  I have friends that use it for going to the beach or pool, tailgating or even laundry.  There are so many ways to use the Large Utility Tote, the possibilities are endless.  I don't know what I would do without my Hang-Up Home Organizer!  It has helped me declutter my desk and kept me from losing important papers in piles of paper.  I use the four pouches for each of my three kids and one for my husband and me.  I keep track of the meals I'm cooking for the week, party invitations, and school papers.  Also, it really looks great on my wall.  It's like a functional art piece.   


You can make Thirty-One products your own with the personalization option.  You can choose from a variety of thread colors and fonts and label it any way you like - your initials, your name or something like "Summer Fun", "Laundry" or "Going Fishing".  Check out the current catalog online - Thirty-One Catalog.  Get creative and have fun!