Really Cool Cardboard Site

Why spend hundreds of dollars to rent an inflatable castle for your kid's birthday when you can make a cardboard version for next to nothing? This great site has tons of how-to's and inexpensive products to help you create some fantastic play places.

I read about this site on another blog and had to pass it on. Mr. McGroovy's very affordable box rivets offer a quick any easy alternative to more traditional means of connecting cardboard. As a side benefit, his site is loaded with simple plans and creative ideas to make your next birthday party memorable. The site even offers tips on how to get appliance boxes for free from your local shops and dealers. Be sure to check out their customer testimonials area. It's amazing to see what kind of creations their customers have come up with. My personal favorite is the huge pirate ship.

I haven't tried the rivets yet, but from what I've read from the previous customers, they look like a great solution. I can't wait to try them. Here's the site link in case you're interested: http://www.mrmcgroovys.com/castle.htm

Get more storage space from your closets

Moving into our new house last month has required a lot of adjusting. Our new place has different quantities of cabinets, closets, and even living spaces. One of the biggest changes has been the loss of our basement toy room. Consequently, I've had to use a little ingenuity to find new ways to store tons of toys in small spaces.

In our old house, these inexpensive stackable shelves used to stack vertically and house my son's books in his closet. In our new house, I gave them a new purpose by laying them horizontally across the top shelf in my daughters' closet. The cubbies provide convenient toy storage for the rarely used items and allow me to take advantage of the loads of available space above the hanging bar. This same technique would be great for a hall closet, mudroom, or laundry room. Just thought I'd pass it on.

I purchased my shelves at WalMart for just under $10 each. I couldn't find them on their website, but I found a similar product at Target.com. Here's the link so you can check out what you're looking for before you head to the store. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-6/qid=1176559378/ref=sr_1_6/602-2013175-7747016?ie=UTF8&asin=B0002I248G

Easy Easter Ideas

Easter is just around the corner so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite family fun ideas.

Puzzling Easter Egg Hunt
Purchase and hide a small, shareable prize (like a package of Peeps or a new game) somewhere in your house. Write down the prize location on a sheet of heavy cardstock and cut it into a 15-30 piece puzzle. You could also purchase an inexpensive Easter puzzle and write your secret message on the back. Add one piece of the puzzle to each plastic egg before your annual family Easter Egg Hunt. The puzzle adds a little excitement to the hunt and saves your family from the annual candy overload.

Easter Basket Search
Make your kids search for their baskets this year by creating a yarn trail. First, buy a different color of yarn for each child in your family. Next, hide their Easter basket in a remote location of the house. After they've gone to bed, tie their color of yarn to their doorknob and wind it all through the house (under couches, around corners, over tables, etc.). Tie the other end of the yarn to the handle of their hidden basket. In the morning, they'll have to follow their yarn to find their prize.

Easter Bunny Trail
I haven't tried this one yet, but I thought it sounded like a fun way to add a little magic to Easter morning. When your kids are in bed, use baby powder and your finger to create small, white Easter bunny footprints near your front door or next to your child's Easter basket.

If you have any fun & easy family traditions that you'd like to share, please feel free to add them. I'd love to try something new this year. Thanks.

Quick and easy Pancakes

A special thanks to Mary and Amy for reminding me of this one. They were helping me pack my kitchen last week when we came across my one of my favorite breakfast tools. I must admit, a dollar store ketchup bottle doesn't look like much, but when it comes to making pretty pancakes in a hurry, it gets the job done.

When I found this idea, I had 3 kids under 4. The kids had a hard time cutting their own pancakes and I found cutting them too time consuming. I tried making smaller pancakes the traditional way, but the end result was a bunch of lumpy blobs. Then I found this simple solution.

I bought a plastic ketchup bottle from my local dollar store and cut the tip down to create a bigger opening. I filled the bottle with pancake batter and then used it to create small, quarter-size pancakes (we call them silver dollars at our house). They cook quickly and were just the right size for my kids.

It wasn't long before I realized I could also use it to create fun shapes with the pancakes bottle too. On Saturdays, birthdays, or just when I'm feeling like being a fun Mom, I take requests and create all kinds of crazy pancakes for my kids. Flowers, dinosaurs, letters…anything their creative little brains can come up with.

When you're finished, just put the cap on your bottle and toss it in your fridge. You'll be set to make next batch whenever you need it. Just pull it out of the fridge and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to bring it back to room temperature. Easy and inexpensive…just thought I'd pass it on.

Want to try it? Here's a few tips…
1. Make sure your batter is free of lumps (I add extra milk to mine to thin it out a little)
2. Cook your pancakes on medium-low heat to give you more time to create
3. To add a little dimension to your designs (if you're feeling especially artistic), pour the darker portions first. For example, if you want to make a flower, pour the petals first and wait a few seconds before adding the center. The petals will have a little more time to cook so they'll turn out a little darker than the center.
4. Raid your kid's toys. I found that my daughter's mini metal spatula from her kitchen set is the perfect size for flipping the silver dollars.

If you have any easy or creative food tricks that your family loves, please post them in the comments area. I'm always looking for new ways to keep my family guessing. Thanks.