Handmade Giveaways! {May 16 until ???}

I have won some really cool things in blog giveaways over the past six months. The best prizes have been from the giveaways sponsored by Etsy shops or other handmade businesses. I was going to write reviews on each shop as a thank you, but we all know that a review without a giveaway will only be read by die-hard readers or those who are already looking to buy. So, instead, I decided that I would thank the shops by actually buying from them (what an idea!) Then, I got to thinking... to really thank these people, why not buy and give away some of their pieces of work? That way, I can not only help them out by buying from them, but I can get a whole slew of new people to check out the great stuff they offer.

Photos are just a few of the giveaway prizes. I am still working on this... I'll stop posting giveaways when I run out of money!

And now, things are coming together! I have earmarked $100 on my PayPal account for giveaways that will start on Monday, May 16th. Each day, I will add a new giveaway. The majority of the giveaways will be from Etsy shops. Many of the shop owners have added to the giveaways, offered to cover the shipping costs, and/or are offering some pretty great discounts to my readers.

So, if you're interested in joining in on these giveaways, why not like me on Facebook or sign up for emails so you can be sure to find out about them? Both are very easy to do - just look over there to the right and you'll find the little "like" button in my Facebook widget (yeah, I know - you don't even have to go to Facebook to like me. How simple is THAT?!) And there's that FeedBurner box right over there, too, where you simply add your email address, put the stupid Captcha in, and then, when you get around to checking your emails you can confirm. PLUS, those are two of the extra entries into all of the giveaways! The Facebook liking will get you one entry and the email subscription can get you a whopping three entries!

Found My Lost Blogger Posts!!! Here's how...

I found them!!! Yay!

If you subscribe to your own emails and opt to show the entire post in the email, you can just copy and paste - that simple. I deleted my email and it's now in yahoo mail's never-never land, so I couldn't do that.

If you don't subscribe or you did what I did, check out your RSS feed. I have my feed on my Google homepage. When I click the little + sign to expand the post, everything in the post shows up. I just copied and pasted the lost post into a new post. The only thing I had to do was add my photos and links again. MUCH easier than trying to remember what the heck I wrote in the first place.

And, for those really important posts, try writing them in Word or Office and saving them. I don't save every post, but the ones that are special to me or that took a long time to write are saved in my document files. I go through about once a month and purge out the ones that I no longer need,

I hope some of you manage to find your lost posts! I know how long it can take to write just a short, two paragraph post when you want to get it just right!

Bubbles!

Yes, it's that time of year again... Bubble Time! The weather is warmer, there's a nice breeze, and the kids are looking for something fun to do. So, you have two choices: buy lots of bubble or make your own solution. Below, you will find some of my favorite bubble "recipes." While they aren't completely "green", I just can't see a childhood without bubbles, so this is one of those things I just feel guilty about later. If you know of a good, environmentally-friendly recipe, please share it - I'll write a post on it and link it back to you. I'd love to know that the beautifully-colored floaty orbs I'm sending off into the world won't do any harm!

The basic formula is the same for all bubbles: dish soap and water. The addition of glycerin will make the bubbles last a little longer in-flight. You can buy glycerin in almost any health-food store and many of the pharmacy sections of the larger chain stores carry it. My 8 oz. bottle of vegetable glycerin cost me $2.99 at our local health food store.

Also, a note about dish soap and water. Using any old dish soap will not result in the best bubbles. Yes, you can use the cheap stuff or the eco-friendly stuff, but the bubbles are NOT going to be all that great and may frustrate some kids. Original, blue Dawn or original Joy (I think it sells as "lemon") are the best soaps to use. And, if you really want to be precise, distilled water works best for the longest-lasting bubbles. The type of water you use, though, is not nearly as important as the soap.

So, I'm not going to include instructions for these recipes unless there is something out of the ordinary that you're going to have to do. It's simple enough: pour it all into a bowl or something, stir. Don't stir too fast or you'll end up with your bubbles 'pre-made' and, if you're a bubble-blowing professional, you know how those things can ruin the perfect giant bubble!

Recipe #1 - Long-Lasting Bubbles
1oz. dish soap
1oz. glycerin
1 c. water

Recipe #2 - Sugar Bubbles
4 c. very hot water
10 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 c. dish soap
Mix sugar and water. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add dish soap. Do not use these if you have bees or wasps in your yard!





Recipe #3 - Colored Bubbles (a bit expensive, but might be worth it one time!)
1 c. liquid Tempra paint
1/3 c. dish soap
1 Tbsp. liquid starch (in laundry section of the store)
If you make these bubbles, take some paper outside. Have one person blow the bubbles and another person (or people) try to "catch" the bubbles on their paper. Please keep in mind that these are not going to be incredibly brightly-colored bubbles. Think about the thickness of the wall of a bubble and you can see why. Tempra paint will stain, so make sure to wear old clothes!



Recipe #4 - Super Bubbles
1/2 c. dish soap
1 c. glycerin (yeah, it's a LOT)
1/4 c. white corn syrup (Karo syrup)








Don't have any bubble wands? No worries, I've got you covered (and you'll be the COOLEST mom or dad - Ever!)

 Impromptu Bubble Wands
Plastic 6-pack holders
Bent metal coat hangers
Slotted spoons
Canning rings
Fly swatter (clean it first - Eww!)
Your own hands!

And one last idea that my kids LOVE:

You'll need:

Plastic water bottle

Rubber band

Old pair of Nylons

Scissors

Cut the bottom off of the water bottle. Pull the nylon over the cut end so it is flat across the bottom. Secure it with the rubber band. Cut off excess nylon material if it is hanging. Dip the nylon into bubble solution and blow into the top of the water bottle. You'll be making what my kids refer to as "bubble snakes"! Try experimenting with different types of cloth. The mesh from an onion bag, for instance. As long as it is woven loose enough to hold the bubble solution and to let air pass through, it should work. We've used old T-shirts, washcloths (they hold a LOT of solution so you don't have to keep refilling, and an old football jersey (made from netting.) BTW - this idea was born from one of those "I'm bored" days. I don't know how it popped into my head, but it did and we've used it many times since!

*** Bubbles are a great educational tool. While I'm an unschooling type of mom, I would jump at the opportunity to teach my kids about geometry, surface tension, etc. if they asked about it during a bubble-blowing session. If you want to use this activity to teach, here's a great site: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html

Have any great bubble recipes?

How about bubble games?

Please share!!!

Environmentally-Friendly Floss?! {Review}

I hate flossing my teeth. It's messy, it takes a while, and you need about 3 yards more string to wrap around your hand so you can get a good grip. It's a waste, in my opinion. Toothpicks are OK for those on-the-go moments, but they're not all that effective. Plus, you're just tossing them out when you're done.
Here are a few Fun Dental Facts I found about flossing:

• 73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss. Yeah, I do!
• A toothpick is the item most-often choked on by Americans. Yikes! 
• Americans spend $2 Billion per year on dental-related products (toothbrushes, mouthwash, floss, etc.)  
• Commercial floss was first manufactured in 1882
• The first material floss was made from was silk. Now we're using Gore-Tex!
• 28% of people say they floss everyday, but it is assumed that some are lying! 

So, what's the alternative to floss and toothpicks? I found it! There is a new product out called the Bryton Pick. It looks kind of like a tiny pocketknife and, in fact, it has paper-thing stainless steel ends. These are what you use to floss with. It's really simple to use:

Now, the really cool thing about this is it's reusable. You can use it once, rinse it off, and put it back into it's neat little carrying case. Oh? I forgot to mention the case, didn't I? Yeah, you can carry this little thing everywhere with you. I know I'm not the only one who has gotten food stuck in my teeth while out and about. No floss. No toothpicks. What do you do? Try your finger - not working. Grab for anything - pen cap, credit card, PAPER CLIP! With the Bryton Pick in your bag, you don't need those thing (dirty and potentially dangerous) to get that annoying piece of popcorn out from between those molars. 

AND, it's environmentally friendly. First, the thing is reusable. But floss is just a piece of string, it can't be that bad for the environment! Think of this - the newest material that floss is made from, Gore-Tex, is similar to plastic. It's not going to break down. The manufacturing of floss uses new materials, including plastics, meaning the byproducts (in the air) and the use of petroleum products is inevitable. Bryton Picks are made with 100% recyclable materials in the US. And, I know I've mentioned it, but they are reusable. I can't stress how important that is to me. I hate single-use anything!


If you want to try them out for yourself, you can find them in almost any store: Meijer, A&P, PathMark, and online: Drugstore.com, Amazon.com, Walgreens.com, etc.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas a Minneapolis SEO and Web Design firm. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Flower Power! w/ LINKY! {Wordless Wednesday 5/11}

I'm kinda a hippie. Since my oldest turned 13, he's been rebelling by acting ... um, well... Republican. He makes little statements about "those crazy PETA people" and how he sees no good reason to clean up the environment. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him checking to see if he managed to get get a good reaction out of me. No matter what he says, I just go with the flow. I know that his words are not backed up by his actions, so let him orate as much as he wants!

When I saw this, I very quietly raised the camera and clicked! I had no idea if it was in focus or anything, but I had my fingers crossed...

And, then Little Guy was bending way down to smell some violets when his big ol' head threw him off balance. He ended up with a snoot-full of dirt! LOL

Happy Wordless Wednesday! 

Check back next Monday - I'm going to have a little handmade giveaway spree to thank all of the creative business owners (mostly Etsy) who sponsored giveaways I've won. Also, if you have giveaways or want to enter some, check out my new Green Parenting Giveaway Linky!

Link up! Thanks to Java at Never Growing Old, I am embedding her linky here! She hosts Meet Me on Monday, so if you've wanted to get in on that meme, head over to her blog on Sunday night for the weekly questions and linky.

Thank You, MegaBrands!

A couple of months ago, I applied to become a Mega Bloks Mom. A Mega Bloks Mom gets to try out new products for a year and give feedback to the company. Boy, did I want to do that! Sadly, I didn't get chosen. They only had around 15 spots, so it's not like I expected to, you know? BUT, when they sent me the email giving me the news, they offered a consolation prize. I was able to choose from a ton of stuff!

It was kind of weird because there wasn't a form to fill out or even instructions on how to tell them what I wanted. Just a link to a page with all of these really cool toys listed. So, I took a shot in the dark and replied to the consolation letter. Well, guess what showed up today... Yep - my prize! Check this out:

It's perfect timing because I'm running low on craft supplies! And, maybe next year I'll get chosen, right?!

Thank You, Mega Brands!!!

Stupid Doctor...

Just updating those who asked -

So, the doctor doesn't know what's wrong, just that the old kidneys aren't doing the work they need to do. More tests... More waiting...

Meanwhile, no advice, either.

I asked if diet or anything might help. No answer. You see, I know the regular stuff - drink more water to flush everything out. But what about cranberry juice? Does it make the kidneys work harder? Could it potentially put MORE strain on them? Are there ant particular foods to eat/avoid? I got a great big shoulder shrug and "just keep on doing what you're doing until we know more."

Yeah.

Keep on rolling around all night, trying to get comfy?
Keep on finding it painful to bend over and pick up my kid?
Keep on reminding my husband not to hug me so hard because it hurts?
Keep on running to the bathroom every half-hour?


I understand not giving me anything to take until he knows what's wrong. I mean, the kidneys filter everything. Take the wrong medicine and you could just make matters worse. And I really don't want to take any meds - too many factors that could cause problems - mainly the breastfeeding and side-effects. I didn't go to the health food store like I said I would, but I did call. She mentioned Corn Silk. My husband, wise man of "all-things-that-can-get-one-inebriated", mentioned that you can smoke the stuff to get high. So, I'm definitely going to have to look it up first. I can't even drink half a beer without making sure little guy is asleep for the night! Heck, I can't even drink half a beer until I KNOW what's going on! LOL

So, that's the update with absolutely no news.

BTW - Oh, and when I wrote that last post about this, I searched Google for an image of kidneys to add to the post. Um... NEVER DO THAT! There are some VERY disturbing images and I've been waking up with nightmares based on those pictures! It's one thing to read about this kind of thing, but to see those pics is completely different. You just cannot shake something like that from your brain.

In the meantime, I'm slowly pulling a bunch of giveaways together. I've never done anything like this, so It's going to be lots of trial and error. Maybe I'll find some motivation somewhere and go make a special button! My target date for getting it all rolling is Monday, May 16.

Here's What We Do With Our Nature Walk Findings {Kids' Craft}

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Little Guy is a collector. Whenever we go anywhere, I have to bring along a small tote bag for his treasures. You know, pebbles, the perfect stick, a flower petal... nature stuff. When we get home, I usually mention that we'll have to leave the bag on the porch. Then, after bed time, I head out to go through his stuff. I usually keep the rocks. We're ever-so-slowly creating a little path alongside our garden out of cool looking rocks we found. The sticks, leaves, etc. usually go over the fence and into the woods behind our home. That is, until I saw something in an email.

I keep up-to-date on blogs through email subscriptions. I find it so much easier to know what's going on by reading a day's worth of posts in one place. I can read each email and flag the ones I want to comment on later. Well, on one of the days that I was feeling less-than-great, I remember seeing a picture of a craft that someone had done with their kids. It was really cool - a dragonfly made out of a stick and a couple of leaves glued to a piece of construction paper. I must have deleted the email, but that little dragonfly stuck with me (I LOVE dragonflies!)

It turns out that Crystal of Surviving a Teacher's Salary is the one who posted a photo of the finished project. You can see it HERE - I don't want to use her photo without permission, it's 1:30 in the morning so she's probably not around to give it, and I want to get this scheduled to post in the morning (when I'll be sleeping in (yeah, right!)

So, here's what we made:

And, here's how we did it:

1. Since these objects are rather heavy, I handed Little Guy the glue stick and let him loose on a piece of cardboard, to which we eventually glued the yellow paper. Meanwhile, I cut a thin piece of cardboard (cereal box) into the branch shape. 
2. While he was busy coating the "branch" with glue, I quickly cut some green paper (left over from homemade Christmas cards) into leaf shapes.
3. Then, he used markers to draw flowers on the branch.
4. Next, we glued the leaves on (this time with white glue because he wanted a change from the boring, old glue stick!) I helped him with this part because he's a born glue-eater and will purposely have an "accident" just so he can swipe some up on his finger and pop it into his mouth before I know what's happening.
5. Finally, we glued on our dragonfly. Before getting out the glue again, we set the pieces on the background and moved them around until he was satisfied with the look of it. 

That's it! One tip: Make sure to use enough glue when you put the heavier stuff on. It'll take a while to dry, but everything will stay intact!

I'm adding a linky here because I'd love to see what you can come up with. There are a million possibilities for this craft. Make a house, a butterfly, a race car, an abstract work of art! So, If you go on walks and return home hauling half the sticks and leaves on the neighborhood home, please make some pretty pictures with them! We've also created some flower pictures out of pine cones and leaves to give to grandmas on Mother's Day. Please share anything you make - I love seeing all of the creativity out there and getting new ideas!

BTW  -  If you get a chance, go check it out Surviving a Teacher's Salary - it is pretty cool. Did you know she's got a weekly "Educational Giveaways Around the Blogosphere" post where you'll find some pretty cool toys, games, and books for your kiddos.

LOL - Look What I Did!

I learned how to make a button! I am SO glad there are places to do this. If I had to figure out codes and stuff, this entire blog would be in black & white, no pics, no nothing but my silly thoughts...

Anyway, here's my NEW BUTTON! If you'd like to stick it in your sidebar or something, I'd LOVE it. I have no idea how to make those fancy-pants HTML boxes, so I'm just adding the text below for copy/paste.

<a href="http://mccrenshaw.blogspot.com/p/green-parenting-giveaway-linky.html" target="_blank">

<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3FLSs5ao6egU606-8089vRBdhbYHAfHpVhZBTVEaRQpigV1zev9TGkzrkWLpma6MrmqNLgezAhC7SXa5s-yWTRBfYUPosS6Ve_8808uP_iRNBJv1OysHvDhbOUyi9px-O210XXoCPHg/s288/13849308744.jpg" width="150" height="200" border="0" alt="Come link up or enter to WIN!" />

</a>

Why I've Been So Sick

I have always been able to boast of a pretty great immune system. The last time I really got sick with the flu was way back in 1999. My oldest was not quite two. It was on Thanksgiving. I popped the turkey into the oven at noon and went to watch the re-runs of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The next thing I knew, it was 2pm and I couldn't walk. I crawled into the kitchen and turned off the oven. I don't remember much from the next four days. My husband took off work (I later found out) and my toddler would crawl up onto the couch to nurse whenever he wanted (open bar!!!) When I finally was able to get my own juice from the fridge, the stench in the kitchen was overpowering - The Turkey! Yeah, my husband didn't even think to look in the oven. He was more concerned about remember to change diapers and feed the little one so he wouldn't starve. That was the only time I ever just threw out a perfectly good pan - I just couldn't deal with it at the time and my husband probably would have had rotten turkey carcass all over the kitchen and himself if I asked him to do it.

 Anyway, since then, I have had colds and sinus infections, maybe the odd fever... nothing much. Until the first of this year. I've been sick four times in as many months. I get fevers, my whole body is wracked with pain, I'm somewhat delirious (NOT a good thing with my Little Guy's curiosity and penchant for sneakiness!) Why didn't I go to the doctor right away? I have a bad history with them. I don't like them and I don't trust them. Read two reasons (among many) HERE (scroll down to #5 & #6.)

 I finally gave in and went to the doctor two weeks ago. I'm underweight (it runs in the family) and the first thing the doctors around here seem to think is that I'm some kind of drug addict. Maybe it's my nervousness at even being in their office. I don't know. The first thing he said when he saw my list of complaints was, "I'm not prescribing you any pain medication until I know what's wrong with you." Um, OK, don't want it! I'm breastfeeding and I don't want my little guy getting all of that fun stuff in him anyway. And did I even ASK you for anything???  Didn't listen to my heart or even check my blood pressure. Made sure to have me pee in a Dixie cup, though! He said, after the little dipstick came out in a rainbow of colors, that it looked like I might have a problem with my kidneys. That explains the back pain. He ordered a TON of blood tests and sent me on my way.

Went back last week for a follow-up, with all of the same symptoms raging. Here's what he told me: "Your kidneys are functioning at about 60% of what they should be. I need more blood tests, so get these to the lab (holding out a bunch of little Rx papers) and come back in two weeks." So, I ask what I can do until then. Should I drink water, cranberry juice, eat certain foods??? He actually rolls his eyes, sighs, and writes another script. Here's an order for physical therapy. WHAT?! So, I ask why. He got all pissed off at me! "Well, if you don't have time to go to physical therapy, then you'll be on dialysis within six months!" Then he stomped out of the exam room. Did I mention there was no physical exam - again?

So, I got home and did what everyone does - I Googled about it. First of all, I have no idea what is wrong with me. The doctor wouldn't say - he wanted more tests. All I have to go on are my symptoms and the 60% thing. I cannot find anything that indicates that any type of kidney problem can be resolved with physical therapy. None. I've checked the scholarly articles, journals, research papers, etc. Nada. So, my appointment with him is at the end of the week. In the meantime, I'm sitting here in agony. It hurts most of the time, with fever and delirium mixed in a few days a week. I can't see another doctor. I'm on a health plan under Medicaid. So, I just have to wait.

If this guy doesn't give me some real information at the end of the week, I think I may just head to the ER. But that just brings on a new set of problems. All of those scary "what-ifs" keep going through my head. The biggest is: What if they want to keep me??? Hubby is manic-depressive with a side of ADD. I can't leave the kids in his hands. It's not that he doesn't try, but he's just not able to keep up with a 13 year-old who is practicing being an adult (yeah - it's been pretty frustrating!) and a 2 1/2 year-old who has to investigate everything (especially everything that he's been told is dangerous!) I'd probably be more ill from the stress of being stuck in a hospital than just staying on this path. If I go and refuse to be admitted, I risk losing medical coverage...

So, that's why I've been AWOL for so long. I have 25 posts that are all half-written. I have four reviews to write. I really want to get a bunch of giveaways lined up. Argh! So, please bear with me. I think that dropping this class will be the first step in the right direction - the grade and lack of getting my papers "just right" is driving me nuts!