I can hardly believe that my blog is now 1 year old! I had been wanting to start my blog for years and finally just did it. Sometimes you have to stop wishing, hoping and dreaming and just DO it. I am so thankful to have this outlet to share with others the information that I have found. The topics that I talk about on my blog are often random but they are bits and pieces of my life that make me a Creative Crunchy Mama. Some things are deep morals and beliefs, and some are lighthearted tips and advice.
My passion in life is to be the best Mother, Wife, and ME that I can be. To live naturally and do what I feel is the right decision for all aspects of my life. I can only hope that if this blog has made a positive difference in someones life that I have served my purpose for all the time and energy that I have put into what is creativecrunchymama blog.
Here is to another wonderful year!
What are some things you would love for me to blog about? Any questions? Or advice you'd like? Leave a comment below and I'll make sure to feature it in my blog!
Check out my first ever Video Blog Entry! Today I'm talking about how to keep your cash out of the trash by chopping up and freezing veggies. Not only does it save the veggies that might go bad before you get to them, but it also will make your weeknights easier when you have these pre-chopped items on hand. Check out my video below!
I seriously can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. Between moving and family vacation I totally lost track of time... and seem to have lost any free time as well. But I certainly haven't forgotten how to be both cheap and green! ha! Let me share how you can save some $ next time you move.
So during our last move, my husband bought a bunch of boxes from Lowes or Home Depot. That was great because we were able to get the specific sizes we needed, and when we needed them. He asked me to pick some up one day to finish our packing, and boy was I surprised! These boxes sure aren't cheap! Priced at at least $1 and up the cost adds up fast. I was determined to be a bit more budget friendly during this move so I found several places to get boxes, for FREE.
My Daughter helped label the boxes, "Fragile" :)
Reuse boxes and not only is it free but also eco-friendly! All retailers have boxes that their stock comes in, and I have found they are happy to send them along to a new home as opposed to "crushing" them. The place that was most convenient was my local grocery store. I visit it weekly, and all I had to do was call ahead and ask for them to set the boxes aside for me. Target, and other large retailers would often have free boxes, just make sure to call ahead of time or go early in the morning when they are stocking. Other places to check include http://www.freecycle.org/ ; http://www.craigslist.com/ and even your local mommies group.
When your done with your move, let your kids have at it and decorate the boxes to look like a house, or tape together to make a fun tunnel, what kid doesn't love boxes? Or just share the wealth and when you are done with them and pass them along to someone else that can use them.
Do you have an inexpensive moving tip or an idea to make moving easier? Please share in the comments below:)
All my life I've loved cutting and dying my own hair. I even cut hair when I was 14, yep, my friends and even my sisters trusted me at such a young age. I've always been a do-it-yourselfer! ...and who really wants to pay for something that you can do yourself...for free? I haven't dyed my hair in years, but I do still cut it on my own occasionally.
Ok, so I don't always cut my hair myself... Sometimes I'll go to a walk-in type salon to get my hair cut. I can count on one hand the times I've had my hair cut professionally in my adult life. Here is a picture of my last (professional) hair cut I had about 1 1/2 years ago.
I loved my hair short, it forced me to style it, instead of just tossing it in a ponytail.
Well, fast forward to now, and my hair is past my shoulders. I have been meaning to go get my hair cut for months, but really when do I have time? I certainly don't see myself lugging 4 kids in with me! Lol. And when my husband will watch the kids, I'd rather hang out with them.
So I finally gave up and just decided to do it myself. I scanned youtube for layered cuts and wanted to try something new. I found the quickest and easiest Do-it-Yourself cut ever! It seriously took me 1 minute to cut my own hair, and it looks fab!
First brush your hair forward from the back of your head to the front (I wet my hair since it was easier to control).
Then line up the tips of your hair using a fine-toothed comb, and use scissors or a trimmer, and cut a straight line across.
Voila! You have a new layered cut!
Check out this video for a demo:
Here is my after pictures of my 1 minute hair cut. Please excuse the fact I don't have on a stitch of makeup... but look at my hair instead;)
This 1 minute hair cut is SO awesome, I even cut my daughters hair using the same technique and it was a cinch! Want to make it even easier, cut your hair over a trash can or spread out a piece of newspaper and cut over that for super quick cleanup!
*TIP* Only cut a small amount off at first. It's no fun when you cut off way more than you intended too, I know this from experience, ha! You can always cut more hair off later.
If you royally mess up though, you can go see a pro to fix it;)
And if not, hey, it'll grow back, right?
Have you ever cut your own hair? Were you pleased with how it turned out?
I love going to pick-your-own farms! The kids get to see where their food comes from, the fruit is DELICIOUS, and it makes for a great field trip.
Seriously, Look at these scrumptious red berries.
We went strawberry picking recently with some of our homeschool friends and it was so much fun. We picked strawberries first, which went pretty quickly even though my 2 year old picked several unripe strawberries, and my 4 year old only picked five! My 6 year old and I managed to pick a whole basket in no time. The farm we went to has several activities for the kids including a maze, play area, duck race, and more. We also brought a picnic lunch to enjoy on site which ended the morning perfectly!
My little helper and I picking Strawberries:)
I had plenty of strawberries, so we ate a bunch, froze some for smoothies and made some delicious freezer jam (thanks to my awesome friend Michelle) and I will share that later.
Strawberry season is typically from the end of April through the month of May. So check out http://www.pickyourown.org/ to find a pick-your-own farm near you, and get to pickin'!
I love a good smoothie to start my day off right. I find that if I eat something heavy (cereal, oatmeal, muffins, typical breakfast food) I feel weighed down, and after only being awake for an hour, want to go back to bed! So after my tall glass of water (or 2-As a breastfeeding mama, I have to stay hydrated;) ) I typically have a tasty smoothie. Mango's are one of my favorite fruits, and eating them (or drinking them) always remind me of when I was in Puerto Rico for a Mission Trip years ago. They had mango's EVERYWHERE, and I happily indulged.
Mango's become creamy and perfect in a smoothie, especially when combined with zesty oranges. This is vibrant,refreshing, and will certainly put you in a good mood.
Orange-Mango Smoothie:
2 mango's-peeled, chopped and frozen
2 oranges-cold
a bit of fresh squeezed orange juice or water
Add all the ingredients in blender, and blend until' smooth. Add more liquid as needed. If you were unable to freeze the mango, you can add ice to make it nice and chilly. Savor!
Ok, so they all didn't turn out as vibrant as the store-bought dyes, but we had a great time making them. I did use brown eggs, (local, organic from the local farmers market) so the eggs didn't turn out as great as they could if I used white eggs. But I refuse to buy storebought eggs, the laying hens are treated so inhumanely, you can read more here. Pluse local, organic eggs have SOOOO much more nutrition, it's almost a no-brainer for me.
Back to the egg dying-
Get the kids involved, it's always more interesting. Each of the kids got to make predictions about our egg dyes. While we waited for the dyes to boil, the kids and I wrote down our educated guesses about what color each ingredient would dye the eggs. We predicted the following:
carrots=orange
orange peels=orange
spinach=green
blueberries=blue
chili powder=red
tomatoes=red
But instead, only a few colors stuck, and the blueberries, and chili powder did the best. The blueberries made a purple, and the chili powder did come out reddish, and it was fun to see as the eggs change before our eyes. Things I might do next time to make this project work better is, boil the dye longer, and maybe even puree the dye (spinach, carrots, etc) after it's been boiled for a while, then submerge the eggs into that and see if it turns out better.
Pictured below:
Carrots, Spinach, Oranges
Blueberries, Chili Powder, Tomato
My 6-year old wrote the labels;)
Here is the basic steps to making your own dyes at home:
Boil about 2 cups of water then add your "natural coloring". Let it boil long enough so the color leaches into the water.
Pour the strained liquid into a glass container, add a tablespoon or 2 of vinegar to the hot coloring, then submerge your already boiled eggs.
Let the eggs soak until' brightness of color is achieved. Store in refrigerator.
I found this list online that had suggestions to get the different egg colors.
If you choose to dye your eggs naturally, how did they turn out? Do you have any suggestions, or which natural egg dye did best?
