Time saver - easy labels for school photos

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It's that time of year again where we pass out school and sports photos. If your family is like ours, we have quite a few pictures to mail, and lots to hand out. A few years ago I started doing this trick, and I'll never go back to hand writing on the backs of photos again! Use small return address labels (like Avery 5267), print your child's name, age, and school year on each one, and put on the back of school pictures. This has lots of benefits:

• It's quick! Each year, you can just edit the label document with the new information
• It's neat! No smudges, illegible handwriting, or mistakes
• It's safe! No ballpoint pen pushing through to the front of the photo, no permanent marker bleeding through
• It's easy! 

Have you done this yourself? Share any tips or techniques you have found!

Giveaway!

There's a (not so secret) giveaway happening at my Hyena Cart shop! Don't miss out! There are only 47 entries right now (out of 749 facebook followers!), so your chances are pretty good :) Drawing will be held tomorrow.

A little slice of heaven

This little slice of heaven came to my door today, and I had to smile.

(This is the 6 half bar sampler set from Sweet Sally's Soaps)  Pin It


Have you tried handmade soaps?? They are my new addiction and guilty pleasure. I don't mind paying more for all natural hand crafted goodness that smells divine. It's one of those "me" things (and now the rest of the house goes along).

When I started eliminating toxins from our home, soap was one that had quite a few questionable ingredients, and is one habit that's easy to change (see here for information on ingredients in your own products). Plus, if you suffer from allergies, going with essential oils versus artificial fragrance can be a benefit. If you suffer from eczema, a goat's milk soap can be beneficial. We also switched to shampoo bars, but that's a whole other topic :)  Give handmade soaps a try - my guess is you won't go back!

Sprinkled oatmeal!

A fun family tradition we have started is to get holiday colored sprinkles for the kids' morning breakfast. Right now it's Halloween time! The kids love putting sprinkles in their plain oatmeal, and I love that it winds up being less sugar than the pre-flavored packets. Those have between 9-18g of sugar (remember, 1 tsp = 4g)! So even though they are liberally shaking out some sprinkles, I know it's less than 2 teaspoons, and I like that! I also put some brown sugar into an old sprinkle container so they can use that for flavor, and we don't have to worry about double dipping spoons into the sugar container when they are on their 2nd (and sometimes 3rd) bowls!

Ideally, we'd be flavoring oatmeal with fresh fruit...but for now, I'll settle for less sugar :)

Do you have any fun holiday breakfast traditions or healthy shortcuts?

Going outside your comfort zone

One of my frequent customers requested a custom order that at first scared me off a bit; it seemed too complicated. But after a little more discussion and thought, I decided I could make something I'd be proud of - and decided to step out of my comfort zone a little. Here is the result - gnome and toadstool longies!

It took a little more work, but it felt good to let my creativity shine. Plus, I was able to work with one of my best customers and get her something she truly wanted - and that feels good! Now, I can't say I can ever create these again - they are truly one of a kind! Each piece was cut free-hand.

Sometimes it's good to think outside the box you create for yourself. This summer I also set a goal to be able to run a 5K - and started the Couch to 5K training program (Yes, I truly was a couch potato...and I'm going into week 5 already and can run for 5 minutes!) Is there something you've tried recently that you were hesitant at first, but once you did it, you were happy? Please share!

Ironing board covers add some pizzazz!

Well, maybe I'm new...but I just discovered patterned ironing board covers! I've spent the past 1/2 hour browsing Etsy to find the one that's just right for me. I've been wanting to add some *spunk* to my laundry room (it's very small, so not many options), and not sure what to do. I have my boring silver padded ironing board hung on the wall. Well, no more!!!! (You can see the extent of my laundry room decor on my post here.)

It's true, it's really not a major breakthrough, but what a fun way to add a little something to a space! I had no idea people were even making these until I saw a patterned cover on a blog about laundry room organization, and started searching.

Here's one I'm eyeing from Compelled To Craft:

You can find lots more by doing a search on Etsy.
Once I get my new cover and some other things settled, I'll post an "after" picture!

Plan for waste-free lunches this school year!

Have you ever sat in the lunchroom during your child's lunch break at school? Whether preschool or elementary school, I have really noticed the "convenience" packaging offered by food manufacturers is a big hit with busy families. Individually bagged snacks, pre-packaged apple slices, juice boxes, water bottles....And then there's the ziploc baggies for everything else in between. Yes, those products make lunch-packing a bit quicker in the morning, but the waste that's generated in just one lunch is incredible!

There are MANY cute, colorful, cool options (or more sophisticated for older kids) available to have a completely waste free lunch. For us, it doesn't take too much time to put some chips in a container, grapes in a reusable bag, and wrap up a sandwich in a wrap-n-mat. My kids love having their own lunch packaging, and it has always come home (which is pretty impressive for a 6 and 4 year old).
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Check out reuseit.com for some great tips on packing a waste-free lunch.   Also, there are many great Etsy sellers who sell reusable items. Here's a list of lunch items from Team EcoEtsy.  Also search for things like: cloth napkins, reusable snack bag, lunch kit, etc.  There are also many options if you are trying to avoid all plastics (even BPA free ones). (Try to stay away from things lined with PUL that would go next to food - they have not been tested for food safety, though a lot of sellers use them for their waterproof nature.)

Here's another idea: You can get pre-made name labels from places like Mabel's Labels or Name Bubbles which work great to identify snap top containers, sandwich wraps, reusable snack bags, thermoses, and drink containers.This ensures your investment doesn't get stuck in the lost and found bin! (See examples on my son's water bottle and wrap-n-mat above)

Here's to a great school year; and healthy, waste-free lunches!