Handy Tip #6

This Handy Housewife Tip is particularly useful if you have curly color-treated hair (aka, prone to frizzy-ness and dryness), like I do.

After washing your hair, apply a heavy amount of conditioner. Pile the damp, goopy hair up on top of your head, and cover it with a shower cap. Go about your house hold tasks with the cap over your hair.
Now, even while you vacuum, you are getting a nice conditioning treatment!

Rinse the conditioner out, and enjoy silky, moistened hair.

(I think I actually left my cap on for multiple hours because I was so busy, and I was really pleased with how hydrated my hair ended up being. Also, I bought my shower cap at Dollar Tree!)

I bought the blue one in the middle. ;)
Check out your local Dollar Tree and get one of your own!

Art Class #2

Sorry this post is so late--had a bit of a crazy week, because my husband left suddenly for a business trip and to take care of some family stuff. (As such, I haven't yet taken pictures of all the different pieces I cut out of magazine for this project, but keep an eye out for an updated version of this post that includes them!)

My art class theme from last week was Going Green in Art, and involved making a mural out of recyclable goods. (I think the only materials we used that weren't specifically recyclable were glue and markers/pencils/pens.)

Before I go into details, I will say this: This project was a little too complicated and detailed for the age group I was working with. The oldest of the group, a nine year old girl, did pretty well with it. But the younger kids--youngest being five, I think--1) lost interest and got distracted pretty quickly, and 2) had a lot of trouble doing this project without a lot of help. I think this project idea is cute and fun, but maybe for an age group more like 9-13.



















Before this class, I had cut out all the needed pieces from magazine. I cut out petal shapes for the flower petals; different sized circles for the flat birds; pieces for the leaves, stems, and tree trunks; pieces for the sky; pieces for the feathers; and pieces for the bottle cap birds.
I put the different pieces on different paper plates so the kids could get to them easily. I also had a plate of just all different shapes and sizes of magazine scraps and clips.

Petals

Scraps and pieces of sky

Leaves

To begin, I gave each child a piece of cardboard from some boxes that were being thrown away.
There were so many different pieces and components, that I decided to do each part step-by-step. I had the kids start with the trees and backgrounds. Again, the majority of kids in my class were too young for this project, and became bored and restless quickly.





As you can see from the pictures, most of the project was basic gluing of magazine scraps to make a mural. I will also explain how to make the nests, and the bottle cap birds.












Nests:

The nests were fun and simple (though not really simple enough for my class's age group, again).

Some fruit comes packaged in clear cartons with indentations for the fruit to sit in, much like an egg carton, but for fruit.
I was originally going to use actual egg cartons for this project, but someone gave me an old fruit carton, and I used it instead.
For either type of carton, you'll need to cut out each individual "cup." These will be the bases for the nests.

Side view: The "cup" is clear. 

Next, use a glue stick to spread glue around the whole inside of the cup. Glue in strips of magazine or newspaper. (After the first layer, it's difficult to use the glue stick to add more paper shreds, so I switched to liquid glue: a swirl in the middle, on top of the shreds already glued in. This can be repeated for as many layers as you want in your nest.)
After the strips have been glued in, you can glue in a bottle cap to be the "egg." I used a glue stick to put glue around the bottom edge of the cap, and then just stuck it on.
Then all that's left is to swipe some glue onto the bottom of the nest cup, and stick it onto the cardboard wherever you want it.


Bottle cap birds:

I pre-measured and cut circles and strips out of magazine.
To start the bird, use a glue stick to put glue all around the outside edge of the cap. Stick the long strip of magazine onto the edge, so that it goes all the way around and covers the sides.
Next, glue the circle to the top of the bottle cap. This is the beginning of the bird.

I had cut out small "feathers" from magazine (which were used for the flat bird as well), and used these for the wings.

 I placed a small amount of glue on one side of the "bird body" and used three feathers to make one wing. (I found: If you want yellow wings and one side of the magazine feathers is yellow, then glue the feathers on so that the yellow side is facing in. Then, the "wings" can be folded down slightly, to make them stand out straight instead of standing straight up.)
Repeat the same for the other side.
I used a larger, more blocky single "feather" for the tail, gluing it to the back of the cap.
For the "beak," I cut a small diamond shape out of yellow from a magazine. I then folded it to form an opened beak, and glued it on the front. I drew the eyes on with marker.

(This might be slightly confusing without more pictures to illustrate with; if so, bear with me until I take and upload more pictures of the process!)

You can find other fun ways to use the bottle caps as well, such as the middle of the flower (pictured above), or even something like a sun shining in the sky. Be creative!

The sort of "theme" I was aiming for in the murals was one of life and renewal, since it has to do with using old things that would be thrown away, to make new things.

And, of course, here are the pictures of the projects the kids made:

Six year old's project

Eight year-old's project

Seven year-old's project

Nine year old's project so far; she plans to work on
it more during the coming class.

Five year-old's project

In...

Nailed It

Excellent quote from the movie "Just Married," starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy.
While I'm not a huge Kutcher fan, I found this movie to be brilliant--a must watch for married couples (especially new and young!).

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of the clips I wanted on Youtube, but here's the advice from Tom's (Kutcher's character) dad when it seems like the new couple is going to get a divorce after getting back from their honey moon. His dad totally nails it.

Tom: I just don't know if love is enough anymore.

Dad: What do you mean, "enough"?

Tom: I mean... Even if Sarah and I do love each other... maybe we did need more time to get to know each other.

Dad: So...

[clears throat]

Dad: What your saying here is... you had a couple of bad days in Europe and... it's over. Time to grow up, Tommy.

Tom: Hmm?

Dad: Some days your mother and me loved each other. Other days we had to work at it. You never see the hard days in a photo album... but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next. I'm sorry your honeymoon stunk but that's what you got dealt. Now you gotta work through it. Sarah doesn't need a guy with a fat wallet to make her happy. I saw how you love this girl. How you two lit each other up. She doesn't need anymore security than that.

Tom: Thanks, dad.

Hopefully Coming Soon!

Keep an eye out for mini-books I hope to get started on soon!

Combat Clutter

This quote is a follow-up to my last post, The Empowerment of...Organization?
I just found it; it's from the woman who made the Daily Docket that I am loving.


"But I've come to realize that those things are just things, and that while they aren't inherently evil, they can actually erode my family's purpose in life--or at least water down the potency of our choices. They can multiply the surfaces I need to dust. They can dwindle my checking account. They can even cause stress. And they can keep my family from living life to its fullest, because we've slowly allowed our stuff to own us."

--Tsh Oxenreider, Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living

(I don't actually have this book; I just read the above from the preview on Amazon.)

The Empowerment of...Organization?

Being organized is empowering.

I am an extremely unorganized person, generally speaking.
It's not that I (entirely) lack the capacity to be organized; I'm generally just lazy and unmotivated about it. And I'm involved in so many little hobbies and interests, that I mess things up pretty quickly even when I do try to stay tidy and orderly.
My husband once lightly remarked that it was like a hurricane had come through my area (either he said that, or I was thinking it about myself--I don't remember). Whatever he said, I hopefully responded with an endearing smile "But I'm cute, so it's okay."
(Bless my neat-freak husband, he's so patient with me.)
Seriously, though, it's just the two of us, but sometimes my mess seems to be proportionate to five people!

However, last week, I focused the entire week mainly on just the theme of Order.
I went online and found things that I felt would work specifically well for me (such as the Daily Docket).
(There are other versions of the docket, as well.)
I designed my own monthly calendar pages on calendarlabs.com.
I wanted to make sure to make it was all fun and pleasing to the eye, so that I'd be more likely to use all of it. All of this went into a binder and formed an "organizer."
And throughout the week, I used a quote about order to inspire myself, and help me focus on my goals.

(I am a bit of a perfectionist when I actually really fully involve myself in something, so I allowed myself to spend hours filling out my monthly calendar on my computer. I changed fonts and sizes, color coded, high lighted, etc. This was a way I compromised with my creative side--as I'll explain further below.)

In the little organizer I made, I listed in my daily activities and tasks. But I also came up with extra organizational projects to do, one for each day of last week.
One day was for organizing my kitchen cupboards; one for cleaning my bathroom; one for my closet; etc.

While I didn't get to all of them in that one week, I did get my cupboards organized very neatly (complete with cute purple baskets for food storage containers, utensils, etc)! I also organized my closet (which was a decent amount of work, going through and properly storing all my clothes).
The fridge wasn't on my list, but I started it after the kitchen cupboards, and I'm really pleased with my new method of fridge-procedure so far. (It's not finished yet because I have to buy more supplies!)

Now whenever I open my kitchen cupboard to get a spatula or a pan to cook with, I feel a sense of calm and control. It's extremely pleasant to find everything organized so nicely, and it makes me feel good about myself.
I'd never imagined that just organizing a cupboard or a closet could inspire such a feeling of well being and strength! But it reminds me that I am the woman of my home, and I am in control of how it is run. I run it, it doesn't run me. 
Finding things in that kitchen cupboard no longer runs me; it's no longer difficult or time-consuming.
My affairs are in order; when my life is in order and control, I feel more in control of my life (the parts I do actually have control over, at least).
When I walk into my bedroom, an avalanche of clothing no longer spills out of my closet. My room is less busy with a mess of objects, and thus more tranquil. And when I open the closet door, it's neat and tidy and reminds me that I am a strong and capable woman.
And hey--there's nothing like walking into a a sparkling clean kitchen and knowing that you have space (both to do and think!) to make whatever you want for yourself--and it's because that's how YOU keep your kitchen.
(Now you just have to train your husband to follow the structure you've set in place. ;) )

I bought bins, buckets, and storage containers from the Dollar Tree, which was pretty cost effective--everything was just a dollar, or less! And it's summer, so they currently have a surprising amount of storage stuff, in really fun colors. (If you have to organize, it should be fun and expressive, right?)

Being more of a relaxed, creative person who's not so good with schedules, I have to find ways to maintain order that are my own.
It's sort of the compromise: Yes, I will try to have more structure and routine, but I'm doing it in my own way, so that my creative side doesn't rebel and prevent me from making progress. 

I'm not entirely finished organizing yet, but I'm already loving the progress I've made. I plan and hope to continue, even though it's not my main theme of the week.

When my home is organized and clean, I feel proud to have people come over; it's a reflection of me. And when I complete a task on my daily docket and check it off, I have a lovely little feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment to carry me through my day. (Not to mention, it helps me remember all the things I want to do and get done, since my mind is constantly on fifty things at once!)

Now please excuse me--I have to go check off some of my accomplishments today in my organizer! ;)