Homemade peppermint playdough-Use the recipe year round too!

Are you looking for last minute stocking stuffers, friend gifts, birthday gift, play group gifts? You can make peppermint(or other scents year round) play dough today. I am planning making some over the holiday break to keep my kids busy when they aren't in school. Thanks, to Dixie coupon chicks for the blog post.

Peppermint Play Dough

1 cup water
1 Tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon peppermint extract, pure or imitation
red food coloring
1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter

Boil water in a bowl in microwave, about 2 1/2 minutes. Add oil, peppermint extract and red food coloring and stir until desired color. Add salt, flour and cream of tarter and combine with a fork. When it begins to ball up mix it with your hands until it becomes a play dough consistency.

Next I rolled it into a log and divided it equally. Then rolled them into balls and placed them into Ziploc containers. The 100 calorie bowls work perfectly.

Go here to Dixie coupon chicks to see how she packaged her play dough.

My b-day at Lagoon amusement park in Utah

For my birthday this year I didn't want gifts...I wanted to get out of this house and go somewhere FUN as a family! I didn't get a true vacation this year since I had the baby and a hurt ankle. I love adventures with my kids and finally I felt up to it (physically too). So off we went to Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah. It was a blast! The weather was perfect in the high 80's. It was decorated for Halloween and they call it Frightmares. It can be pricey but I did my best to find the best deal and still have fun.

Here's how I saved money and had a blast!DISCOUNT TICKETS: Our elementary school had coupons for Frightmare tickets for $31.50 for adults and everyone over 4 yrs. 3 yrs and under were the toddler price of twenty something.

FOOD: Lagoon allows you to bring food and coolers into the park. We packed our lunch, dinner, treats, and drinks. We left our cooler and box of non refrigerated items in a pavilion on site and no one touched it. Utah is pretty trustworthy in that way.

AMUSEMENT PARK FOOD TIPS: 1) I froze some water bottles and used them as ice in our cooler. Then we pulled them out and let them thaw for ice cold drinks. We refilled them at the water fountains. 2) Next time I'll bring a small crockpot with sloppy joe meat and use their outlets in the covered pavilions to heat while we go on rides-Some one else did that and it was genius to me!

WATER RIDES: Not this year based on my family ages and a baby.....but maybe when we get season passes one year. I don't see how you could do it all during the summer months. In September, Lagoon's water park isn't open and the entrance fee is adjusted for that, I think. I was ok with that since my kids are still young and we took the baby. We couldn't and wouldn't do it all this fall. But, I happily sent my husband and kids on rattlesnake rapids while the baby and I stayed back and were dry! I hate walking in wet shoes at an amusement park (now I am sounding old!)

Late September for Lagoon: Hardly any lines, we took the baby and took turns riding with the girls.

What can my kids ride? I checked their website for height guidelines ahead of time so I knew what my 3 1/2 year old and 5 year old could ride. It cut down on tears and time figuring it out. It worked out great to know in advance.

GAMES: We didn't play any! They didn't even ask. We were hard core--for the rides of course.

SOUVENIRS: We didn't buy any! They didn't even ask.SHOWS: I vote watch 'em if their good! We took a break and watched the dancing monster show and it was hilarious!

Nothing beats watching chainsaw guys dancing to I'm too sexy and You better work by Ru Paul! I was bustin' up laughing!

My 5 and 7 1/2 year old went on this double looped roller coaster! What a thrill.

All in all I love amusement parks, making memories as a family, and being frugal. It was one of my favorite adult b-days ever!

How to make Foaming Hand Soap

Do your kids use a lot of hand soap in the bathroom? Well, here's a thrifty tip to make your own foaming hand soap. Plus, it rinses off better when your 3 year old doesn't want any help anymore.

Photo from Common Cents Home

Things you need to make Homemade Foaming Hand Soap:
Previously used, empty foaming hand soap dispenser
Glass stones or marbles
Normal, liquid hand soap refill
Water

Go to Common cents home for the tutorial and all the soap making details!

Just in time for cold and flu season....boo hoo!

Don't drink Lemonade Kool-aid use it in your dishwasher!

photo courtesy Real Simple

Why Yes, that is lemonade Kool-Aid in a dishwasher dispenser! Real Simple magazine claims the citric acid in the Kool-Aid helps with the lime stains in your dishwasher. Put the whole lemonade packet into your dishwasher soap dispenser in an empty dishwasher. Run through a whole cycle. And you'll have a stain-free dishwasher. I got packets for $.10 at Winco. Not bad to the $4 dish washing packets at Walmart. (note: Only use Lemonade it's the only one that works!)

I have tried it and it works pretty well (not perfect but good enough for $.10).

10 Colorful outdoor walls in Utah-Great for fall family portraits!

Are you getting ready to take a fall family picture?

The TV show Studio 5 highlighted ten colorful wall locations in Utah.

Here's a sneak peek of one. A darling red, green, and cream stripe wall.

Colorful Striped Wall

650 N. Main Street, Logan
This wall is located behind the Papa Murphy's Pizza on Main Street in Logan, UT. I like the bold colors in stripes. I think if taken in black and white or sepia it would be nice since they are stripes.

Go Here to view all 10 outdoor colorful wall photography locations.

***Studio 5 and Staci do not encourage or promote the use of these locations without prior authorized permission. Photography is by: Laci Davis who is a local photographer check out her work at www.lacidavisphotography.com.
Thanks to Studio 5 and Laci for the copied information and photograph.

Homemade taco seasoning- With out MSG and preservatives!

I like to eat taco salads, tacos, and burritos! I don't like MSG, preservatives, and lots of salt. So, when I found a taco seasoning that you can make from ingredients in your pantry from scratch I was interested. I got it from Around my family table.

It comes across as really spicy, but it's not. If you are nervous just use half. If you can handle the the ones from the store you'll be ok. It's not time consuming either. Feel free to make it quadrupled or 10x it. Store it in an airtight container for several months.

Taco Seasoning from Around my family table
2 tsps dried onion flakes
2 tsps chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tsps cumin
1 1/4 tsps salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper (or leave it out)
1 tsp cornstarch

Mix all together. Yield: ~ 4 tbls

To use: Brown 1 lb hamburger meat. Add 2 tbls seasoning and 1/2 cup water to meat. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat until thickened, stir often.

Saving money on dining out and dates this summer!

I enjoy and look forward to entertaining in the summertime and having fun with family and friends. I have 5 ways to do this on a family friendly budget.
1) One year I organized a 4 person monthly Supper Club with friends and/or church members – We had 4 other married couples (no kids) take turns hosting the monthly meal Sept-Dec and Feb-May. There are two ways to do this: Each couple takes a turn to do the entire meal preparation OR the hosting couple provides the main dish & drinks--then the other 3 couples bring a dessert, side, and appetizer. We made some great memories doing this with friends and had lots of fun getting to know some new acquaintances better at church. This is a great way to save money in your dining out budget. Plus, you get to hang out with other adults. We sometimes played cards after dinner but not always.

2) I organized a couples only card night monthly at 7 pm with appetizers at my house. I decided since I came up with the idea I hosted it every month. It was a good thing because I deep cleaned my house once a month! :0) We hosted between 3-4 couples (a good number for cards) and we had drinks, cards or dominoes, and potluck appetizers. We hosted it from Sept-Dec and Feb-May mostly. We felt summers were too busy to keep a regular routine and babysitter. It was fun to laugh and joke around with our friends in the midst of a serious parenting life! My kids spent the night at my mother in laws on the night of cards. We got pretty loud so it worked out great.

3) Eat a Fancy Meal IN – Instead of heading out to a restaurant for a date out, consider making an extra special meal in at home, instead. We have done this as a family or as a couple. Valentine's day is one time we do this often. Yummy crab legs and steak go on sale that time of year so it's a lot more affordable. I of course, use coupons and watch the sales for these evenings in. The groceries for the evening were always cheaper than a meal at a restaurant, the food was so much better, the time spent together was more intimate, and we usually had leftovers (so our dollar was stretched a bit further). I also decorated the table with items from my "party" box to make it extra special.

4) Swap with Friends – trade babysitting nights, DVD's, games, etc. Why spend money renting a movie when you can just swap with friends? One note: Make sure when asking to swap make sure they are interested in loaning them out and swapping. Some people are reluctant to loan or use your stuff. If you break it or scratch it replace it!! I recommend doing it on a monthly basis, that way you always have new movies, new games, and a set night out with a free babysitter lined up. Some friends of ours swap babysitting nights every-other-week, that way one couple goes out on a Friday night while the other couple watches their kids, then two weeks later, they swap. This way, each couple gets one night out each month and one night as a “play date” for the kids per month.

5) Get Creative with family or couple dates – Dates with your spouse don’t have to be expensive and you can have fun for less $$. I have a list of fun and cheap dates in a file in my filing cabinet. The sky is the limit and have fun being frugally creative. It's a game for me to find something cheap to do with my husband! For indoors: Spend the night watching old movies (borrowed, of course), giving back rubs, playing your favorite game (we have 20-minute monopoly and scrabble games). If you don’t want to spend the evening in the house: Head to the mall with a $5 spending limit and surprise each other with what gifts you can buy, pack a picnic and head the park, or be active and go on a bike ride or hike. In my town there are so many free things to do. I subscribe to the paper and seek out those events downtown ex. free museum admission, community events, fireworks, festivals, etc. As I said, go for it be creative!

I hope you all find these 5 tips inspiring. It's just the tip of the iceberg. Don't be shy share with us what you do to have fun and save money this summer as a family, with your adult friends, or your spouse?

100 ideas of fun to do with the kids this summer!

Attention Moms and caregivers here's a simple list of 100 summer boredom busters from the Sisters Stuff blog (I added or changed a few to fit my likin'). I plan on printing it off, adding some new ones, and having it handy when I hear the words--I AM BORED. I doubt we'll do them all but it'll be fun to see how many we check off this summer with a new baby.

Have a great time checking some off this summer!

1. Go for a bike ride
2. Make homemade ice cream or visit an ice cream parlor
3. Bake a double batch of cookies and deliver one to another family
4. Learn a few magic tricks and produce your own magic show
5. Have a picnic at a park
6. Hike or climb trees
7. Make popcorn or maybe even caramel corn
8. Blow bubbles
9. Go swimming or water skiing
10. Plan a scavenger hunt for outside. Or plan one for in the house using every letter of the alphabet.
11. Make, roll, and bake a loaf of homemade bread together
12. Make homemade playdoh
13. Read a good book aloud to your parents or grandparents
14. Look through photo albums or view family movies, or videos
15. Make a collage from magazine words and pictures
16. Collect some canned goods for the food bank
17. Draw pictures with chalk on the sidewalk
18. Go fishing
19. Plan a family game night
20. Work on a jigsaw puzzle
21. Go roller skating
22. Paint a picture
23. Have a candy treasure hunt
24. Work on a crossword puzzle
25. Try origami (Japanese paper-folding) or make a paper airplane and fly it
26. Make an obstacle course in your back yard
27. Visit a tourist spot near your home
28. Write a poem
29. Make a bird feeder
30. Walk around your block and pick up all the litter you can find.
31. Go to the zoo
32. Go bowling
33. Make your own homemade pizza
34. Invite another family over for a game of charades or "Guesstures"
35. Listen to your favorite music and dance around
36. Go without TV for a day
37. Make a collage using seeds, rice, cereal, old buttons and sewing scraps
38. Run around the block 3 times
39. Paint your toes and fingernails
40. Go camping–or stay home and camp out in your own dining room.
41. Build with LEGOS or blocks
42. Make puppets out of lunch bags, old socks, felt, wooden clothespins. Put on a puppet show
43. Have a bonfire outdoors or in your fireplace and roast hot dogs and marshmallows
44. Write a letter to your best friend or cousin
45. Visit a shut-in or an elderly friend or relative in a nursing home
46. Pick wild flowers and take to someone you love
47. Make a double dinner and surprise someone with dinner
48. Sketch a picture of your house from the outside
49. Play educational computer games
50. Find a joke and tell it someone else
51. Make a piece of art out of objects you have around the house or yard
52. Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program
53. Color a picture or write a letter to send to grandparents
54. Make a list together of all the things in your house that use electricity. You might do this when you lose power sometime.
55. Plant something
56. Enjoy a shopping trip for something little, but fun like the dollars store---a jar of bubbles, stickers, paper dolls, a matchbox car
57. Play store, library or school
58. Visit a petting farm. Milk a cow, help to feed the animals. Take pictures.
59. Play a new sport- badminton, volleyball, tennis, Frisbee, yard darts or ping pong
60. Tour where Dad works
61. Play hide-and-seek (inside or outside)
62. Help wash the car
63. Share a favorite movie with a friend
64. Draw a family tree on paper and complete it as a family. Add old photographs if available
65. Go jogging or take a walk together
66. Give each person a large piece of paper and take turns tracing the outlines of their bodies on it. Color in the outlines to look like you.
67. Jump on a trampoline
68. Go to the library
69. Gather a variety of leaves and identify them
70. Rearrange the furniture in your bedroom
71. Memorize something meaningful: a psalm, a poem, a passage from the Bible, the Gettysburg Address
72. Make a sweet treat
73. Fly a kite
74. Jump rope
75. Learn how to harvest veggies from a garden
76. Visit a friend
77. Make a summer healthy snack
78. Read favorite poems aloud
79. Put together a scrapbook describing a favorite vacation or any special event (pictures, writing, souvenirs)
80. If it's warm outside, turn on the water sprinkler and run through it
81. Make a lemonade stand
82. Water the yard, houseplants or flowers
83. Play with sand toys and trucks in a sandbox
84. Swing
85. Play a card game
86. Go to a ball game or play one---football, kickball, softball, baseball, basketball, soccer
87. Finger paint with chocolate pudding
88. Make a milkshake or a smoothie
89. Have a real tea party with some friends
90. Take a trip to an amusement park, a museum or a planetarium
91. Clean out your closet
92. Practice playing a musical instrument. If you don’t play an instrument, try learning to play one, maybe the recorder or the harmonica.
93. Make a yummy salad and eat it
94. Build a fort
95. String beads or fruit loops to make a necklace
96. Write and illustrate a short story
97. Build something out of empty boxes of all shapes and sizes. Oatmeal and salt boxes work well
98. Volunteer to help a neighbor for free—just because
99. Play with water guns
100. Make your own list of things of more things to do when you're bored

Thanks, sisters stuff

June 1st start your local library summer reading program!

No matter where you live--In Utah or elsewhere this is your reminder to check out your local library summer reading program today!!

1. For Weber County, Utah The Children's Summer Reading Program Registration Begins on June 1st from 10:00-9:00 pm (go when you can they won't turn you down on another day!)
Their theme is heros! Quoted: "We'll have fun activities about heroes from the past, heroes in our communities, animal heroes, and the hero in you. Read three or more hours and earn a prize. Enter to win weekly raffles. This program will be most enjoyed by children aged 3 and up. For more information, call your nearest library location"

Go here for more info. for Weber County library go here

**Weber County Libraries also have a teen summer reading program too**

2. For the Davis County, UT libraries they are offering a neat splash theme with some great activities to go along with their program.

Go here for Davis county, Utah summer reading program

3. The Salt Lake County, UT libraries summer reading program will start June 3^rd. Go here for more info.