Laundry Colors - Go Ahead, Mix 'Em Up

If you haven't already discovered the beauty of the Shout Color Catchers, your wait is over. My sister-in-law Linda told me about this and it has saved me loads of laundry. Basically, you throw one, or half (I rip them in half for small loads) of a Color Catcher sheet into the washing machine with your clothes and these babies suck the color out of the water so it doesn't transfer to the other clothes. I threw all three of the sheets above into different loads - the white sheet still remained white because I threw it into a white load with only a couple of colored things just to make sure color didn't get onto my whites.

I'm not going to tell you that throwing one of these into a batch full of new red shirts with white ones will stop any color from transferring. I am going to tell you that in general it makes it possible to mix colors with whites. Such a lifesaver when you don't have time or enough of each to do them separately. Love these!

What are your tried and true laundry tips?
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The Loudest Chomp

Getting my kids to willingly eat their veges is a real hit or miss around these parts. Usually a miss. The other night we had eaten I think it was cheese pizza for dinner, so I got out some carrots and snap peas to save their little systems from oil overdrive. Instant refusal. Then, my husband Joey grabbed a carrot and said all animated, "Let's see who can make the loudest chomp!" The kids eyes lit up and their little hands reached into those baggies so fast and my mouth hit the floor. They wanted to play it again and again, and they were eating their veges with smiles on their faces. Brilliant.

Do you have any secrets to get your kids to eat their veges?
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Guest Post: Canister Goodie Bags

I had a bunch of crystal light cans stashed away. We drink a lot of "crystal light" around this house (I know, I know, it isn't good for us) and I hated throwing away these containers knowing one day I would find use for them. I thought of these babies when it came time to make the "goodie bags" for all of our little guests.Then I put my little helpers to work. This job was easy for them because there was hardly any adhesive holding on the labels.I added scrapbook paper with double sided tape. And then I added a simple ribbon with name tags for our friends. And I totally forgot to take a picture of the final product. Lame-O me.

Linda, Illinois

Do you have any creative and simple crafts to share?

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Brighten Your Own Day

I love flowers. When we lived in Wisconsin and the winters were long I decided I was going to start buying flowers for myself to brighten up my kitchen. It was the greatest decision ever. Don't get me wrong, my man buys me flowers! But can we women ever get them enough? I just find seasonal flowers or whatever is cheapest (I don't spend more than $5) at the grocery store. They last a couple of weeks and make everything more cheery.

What do you do to brighten your surroundings?
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Understanding Why

I have three kids. Kaela, my oldest and I hit a rough patch after I had baby number three. She was a persistent four year old, I was hormonally challenged, and we were constantly in cahoots with each other. There seemed to be no resolve to her disobedience and my impatience. One day I felt inspired to pick up this random parenting book. In reading it, I had a huge “light bulb” moment. I needed to start asking why and listening to Kaela’s views/thoughts/reasons before reacting. To this day it still saves our relationship and brings many arguments into understanding.

In fact, I just used it on my 3 year old Luke the other day when we were outside. I looked over to see him peeing (yeah, I'm just going to say it like it is) on our porch. Before I reacted, I simply asked why he would do that and his reply was, “I’m making a waterfall mom!”. Instead of boiling up inside, I turned my head and started laughing. Here is just a snippet of what inspired this change:

“When you find yourself entering an argument with your children, listen. “You’re upset; tell me why….I didn’t understand that. I’m sorry. Tell me more.” You’ll be surprised at how the conversation changes. Rather than state their positions, your kids may explain their points of view. Instead of building walls, you’ll find them falling.”

“…try to learn your son’s point of view, rather than get stuck in your own. You ask why he thinks you are unfair, rather than quickly reject his opinion. Once you understand his thinking, you can help him understand yours and work with him to find a compromise.

Listening well may be more like a habit than a skill. Rather than rush to solve a problem or settle an argument, slow yourself enough to learn from your children why you differ. Once you do, you will be more persuasive when you talk.”

How to Negotiate with Kids…even when you think you shouldn’t, by Scott Brown

Have you had "light bulb" moments with parenting?
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Guest Post: Icey Grape Drinks

I don't know about anyone else but I don't like my soda to be watered down in the summer with melting ice. Here is how I stop that. You know the grapes at the end of the bag that are good but just not as firm as you would like them to be. Well I throw them in the freezer and use them instead of ice cubes. My drink is cold, not watered down and I have a snack at the end of the drink. It works great.

Christy, Wisconsin

Do you have any other savvy food tips?
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Laundry Basket Toting

My sister-in-law Jill has discovered that the laundry basket has a dual-purpose. It becomes a really great "box" to carry things in when there's more than your two hands can hold. It can hold stuff for long car trips, for church activities, for beach trips, for taking dinner to a friend, for camping...the possibilities are endless. She will tell you that the hip-hugging laundry baskets are best for the job.

Have you found a dual-purpose for common things around the house?
CLICK HERE to submit a post to The Lemon Tree Project.