Mixing Paint

We do a TON of painting over here. Like a ton. My kids could paint all day every day if possible. It makes me so happy they love art and when they are creating they get so focused and engaged. It really is a pleasure to watch. I am always on the hunt for cool process art projects or crafts to set them up with. I had the pleasure of stumbling across the amazing world of Meri Cherry on Instagram. Everything she does is pure magic and inspires me to the nth degree. I literally scrolled down so far into her feed and was sucked into a rabbit hole of art bliss that she is responsible for.

It is really super simple, but she had this post about mixing paint in small jars and letting the kids name the colors. Super thoughtful and nothing short of awesome. It really resonated with me and I couldn't wait to do it with my kiddos ASAP! (I searched and searched for her post on this, so I could show you exactly where the spark happened, but I couldn't find it :( Sorry.)

Baby food jars, tempera paint, and masking tape.

That is all you need.

I let the girls mix the paint to create different colors and then pick names for their creations. They came up with some great ones!

 

It was an activity they really loved and they were bummed when we ran out of jars and had to stop. The other amazing thing about this is I have noticed we are using less paint. We aren't painting less, but the small baby food jars are a great alternative to the kids squirting out massive loads of paint during projects. We did this project before Halloween and the jars still have a good amount of paint in them. That means we are saving money and I am all about that!

This is my new jam! And whenever the paint runs out in the little jars we can mix up some more, pick new names, and repeat again and again!

Check out www.mericherry.com for SERIOUSLY everything awesome! And if you live in the Los Angeles area, go to her art studio! I want to go to LA just to visit her space! I would also follow her on Instagram and buy her book ASAP! You're welcome! :)

Episode 06

Episode 05

Earth-Friendly Laundry

I love doing laundry! It is my FAVORITE chore. I could do laundry all day every day. Is that weird?

I have been on the hunt for for some earth-friendly laundry products to use in our home. And this is what I came up with.

I came across Molly's Suds when someone I follow posted about a giveaway. I am such a sucker for Instagram giveaways (although I never freaking win! Ugh!) that I liked, followed, commented, all the things. But I actually really liked the posts from the company and started looking more into the products and their mission. I decided to order the original laundry powder and give it a go.

It is ultra concentrated, so you only use 1 TBSP of the powder per load (it comes with a little scoop). It has peppermint essential oil and smells nice and fresh.

My go-to was the original Tide liquid detergent. I typically pay $17 for the big one, so $19.99 for the powder didn't bother me and I don't mind spending more for products that are better for the environment. It's a good investment!

The first load I did was just with the powder itself. Everything looked clean. The clothes did not have a peppermint smell, but that didn't affect me in any way. The second load I added vinegar, which says helps if you have hard water and for boosting power (I live in a townhouse and use the laundry room in the complex, so I don't know if it has hard water or not?), but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Overall, pretty happy with this product and will continue to use! :)

      Next up, the stain remover!

My girls tend to get a lot of stains on their clothing. Food, art, nature stains- either way I was going through a ton of stain spray and putting lots of plastic in the bin (even though I was recycling it, it didn't make me feel great). Last week I used an entire spray bottle of Seventh Generation for one load of laundry!!! I felt like I was wasting money (it was about $5 for the bottle) and of course, the plastic. I started searching for alternative options that would make me feel better. I came across Ethique.

                

The Flash bar is conscious and concentrated. No plastic! I rubbed a wet washcloth on the bar until it was lathered up then rubbed on the stained area. I repeated this as needed. After using it on a full load of the kid's laundry it looks like it did right after taking it out of the box. I feel like for the $9 this is going to be super cost effective and last for quite some time.

After washing with the Molly's Suds, some of the stains were still there. And of course I dried everything, so I'm sure they are set in. But this could have been because the clothes had been sitting in the hamper for who knows how long before being treated (I was waiting for this item to arrive).

But I will say I think the second time around I need to get the clothes more saturated with water and scrub a bit more, almost giving the area a wash in the sink with this product and I have confidence it will improve the stain removing power. I was going pretty fast and didn't spend adequate time actually trying to get rid of the stains. I guess I am so used to just spraying stuff and leaving it I didn't put in enough work and was not patient enough with the process.

But this product is pretty neat. I love the package and that it is plastic-free. They also have shampoo, conditioner, and soap in this bar format that I am dying to try!

Episode 04

Episode 03

Episode 02

Episode 01

Episode 00

I Am A Horrible Stay At Home Mom

I logged on to Blogger after almost a year of inactivity. I mainly use Instagram (because blogging is dead right?) and have been putting a lot of my focus into the Millennial Mother podcast. But I found this draft and decided to post it now, a year later. I got hired at my current job a month after I wrote this last year. The girls started 1st grade today. It always gets better!

P.S.
My house is still always a wreck and I still walk around in circles not really completing any chores or projects (because I most likely have ADHD,which can be it's whole own post, maybe sometime soon). But it's fine! Sometimes we can't sweat the small stuff. There will always be more time to catch up on laundry or dishes.

P.P.S.
The picture is from around the time I wrote the original post content, just for kicks. We have all grown so much in just 365 days.

*****

I made the decision to leave my job back in July. I was the lead teacher and my daughters attended the same school for Pre-K. It was not a good fit for me and my family to stay there, so we left. Kevin and I talked about everything before hand and decided I would stay home with the kids until they started Kindergarten and then find a new job. It was great. We went camping and made some amazing memories. The girls enjoyed a relaxing summer leading up to the big transition to K.

Now it’s almost the end of September. The girls are (sort of) adjusting to Kindergarten and we are getting into a decent routine during the school week. But I am miserable. I am not a good stay at home mom. I am not a good self-motivator. I feel like I can’t get anything accomplished even though I have all this time. When I was working I dreamed of just being able to stay home and thought of all the chores/errands/projects I’d get done. This is not my reality. My house is still a wreck half the time, I avoid going grocery shopping, and I literally feel like all I do is walk around in circles trying to figure out what to do and never start doing anything.

I have a really great work ethic and pour myself into my position when I am working. Work is my escape and not having that these past few months is starting to catch up to me. Staying home is so isolating, living in a place with not many friends or close family. It has been ramping up my anxiety to crazy levels. I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything, which in turn continues this cycle of anxiety.

I have put my resume out there and applied for a few jobs, but nothing yet. I am staying positive and I know the right opportunity will find its way to me, but this waiting game is killing me! So, in the meantime I am going to work on getting my anxiety under control and make the most of this free time I am sure I will crave once I do get back to work. Fingers crossed I can write about starting a new job soon!