DIY: Convert a Standard Kid's Bike Into a Balance Bike

 

 

Not to brag, but I really love teaching kids to ride their bikes, and most of the kids love learning too! 
One of the quickest ways to teach them to ride without training wheels is to first teach them to balance.

In order to learn balance, they need to be able to reach the ground.  Remember that when buying a bike.  That's super important.  Don't buy a bike too big for your child, or you're just asking for trouble.  Yes, I know it's tempting to save a few bucks by buying a larger one they can use for a little longer, but it's usually not worth it for their safety, and for their comfort level.

We have a tiny blue bicycle I picked up from a garbage pile a few years ago.  It was actually pink at the time, and maybe even from the 70's.  Even though it clearly looked like garbage, my heart whispered that it was special.  So I brought it home, and with the help of my brother and my husband, we refurbished it. 

I think I've taught 7 kids to ride without training wheels on that bike.  The first day or so we work on balancing by just using their feet on the ground, no peddles.  Then once they get going pretty smooth that way, we incorporate the peddles.  Works every time!

I'm sure you've heard of the craze with Balance Bikes, right?  I personally love them, but think they are WAY over priced.  Now to be honest, we did just get a  Strider No-Pedal Balance Bike for our youngest daughter, because we couldn't modify one on our own to be short enough for her.  And because we got a crazy good deal on it that I just couldn't refuse (Thank you Strider and Amazon!).

But just for fun, we made one for our son!  He's 7 and has been riding the neighbor girl's balance bike every chance he gets for a year, so I knew he would actually use this. 

We converted his old $40 Wal-Mart bike into a balance bike in about 15  minutes, using a super helpful YouTube Video.  You can find used bikes EVERY WHERE.  Facebook, thrift stores, garage sales, etc.

 

I could try to write up steps for you, but honestly this guy covered it so well that I'm just going to direct you over to him:

In the Kitchen: DIY Homemade Almond Milk Recpie

Today I’m going to share with you a super simple DIY Homemade Almond Milk Recipe.

All you really need for this is Almonds and Water.  If you want to sweeten it up a bit and add a little more flavor you can add a Pitted Date, a pinch of salt, and a small splash of vanilla. 

 

Let's get started!

 

Soak 1 C. of almonds in 4 C. of water overnight.

 

 

Your water will turn a funky color and you’ll wonder if it’s still okay to use.  Yes, it is.

 

 Strain off the water the almonds have been soaking in.

 

You end up with these nice beautiful plump looking almonds.

In a blender or food processor add your plump almonds, and 4 C. of water.  If you chose to add the date, vanilla, and salt, now is the time.  I did add those for this batch, that's why the water is the color it is.

 

Turn it on and wait about a minute.  It doesn’t take too long at all to see the magic happening.

 

Strain the almond meal from the almond milk.  I had a small cry over some spilt milk, but we kept going anyway.  At this point you can use the back of a spoon to push some extra liquid through the strainer.  Thanks to my hubby for that creative thinking!  We got probably another half cup of almond milk from his trick!  Which is probably about how much we poured out on the counter!

 

Then just pour the milk into a jar and put it in the fridge!

 

Easy right? Now quit spending so much on store bought almond milk that can be full of fillers/processed junk.  Remember just because a label says “natural” doesn’t mean it’s actually natural.  You can totally make this! 

The leftover almonds, called the almond meal are still very much edible.  I put ours in a covered container the fridge overnight because I didn’t feel like doing anything with them right away. 

Today I toasted the almond meal on a pan in the oven at 425 for about 5-10 minutes. You can sprinkle it over just about anything; flavored or plain yogurts, oatmeal, hmm, maybe even some homemade ice cream…

FYI-  I’ve read you can keep homemade almond milk in the fridge about 5 days.  I don’t imagine it’ll last that long around here, especially because I love to blend up frozen coffee cubes and almond milk for a tasty midafternoon treat quite often.

Double FYI- Making this with your husband is a fun bonding experience.  It’s probably not something either of you has made before, so no arguing over which way is the “right” way, or whatever.  Not that we do that sometimes or anything.  My husband doesn’t care for almond milk, but he was still a team player when it came to playing in the kitchen together.  The Fashionista, our oldest daughter who might as well be nicknamed future foodie, enjoyed staying up with us to help out also!

{Sneak Peak} DIY Hot Cocoa Stand for Family Pictures

{Sneak Peak} I'm crazy excited about this hot cocoa stand my hubby built, for our family photo shoot.  The best part is that when I asked him to make it, he didn't even try to talk me out of it.  

 

He's learning! haha

 

 

 

I pulled the idea off of Pinterest.  There were so many cute ones to choose from, but this is what we came up with.  We sort of used this design {click here} from Ana White to get us started.  Really you could make this just about any way you'd like. 

 

 

 

 

We had a majority of this lumber leftover from other projects, so the cost was minimal.  I picked up most of the accessories from the dollar store or used things we had on hand already.  We spent a grand total of about $30 to pull this off. 

Now, that's not including the new coats I picked up.  But hey, I had coupons at one store and used Cartwheel at the other! Honestly us 3 girls really needed nice dress coats anyway. 

 

 

 

 On Thanksgiving we got the stand out to give it a trial run.  All the cousins loved playing with it.  My super styling SIL & my momma helped me finalize our coordinating warm outfits.  Outdoor family photos in Iowa are pretty rare during the winter, but us crazies gave it a try anyway! 

 

The actual photo-shoot day was super fun!  We had a young photographer and her mom (my friend) pose us, laugh with {and probably at us}, and capture some great memories that we'll have for a lifetime!

 

Here are my tips for pulling off an outdoor family photo session like this in the coooold winter:

1. DRESS WARM.  Hats and gloves kind of warm, okay?

2. Let the kids play.  Relax mama, the shots of them playing were the best.

3. Ask the kids how they want to pose.  You'll be surprised -or not- but their personality really comes out when they are free to move how they wish.

4. Bribe them with cookies.... then take more pictures!

 

 

I've been so excited to share some of these with you!  I'm glad I finally had a minute to sit down and compile these scribbles!  I hope you enjoyed the pictures, I know I sure did! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the Scenes Photos:

 

 

 

 

Ps.  If you don't have a Beverage Dispenser yet, I suggest you get one!  We love ours for when we are hosting company, either big groups or small.  We usually just put water in it with lemon and mint leaves, but the presentation is beautiful!  I bought one, and we received one as a gift; which was perfect because now we have one for upstairs and downstairs! Kids LOVE them!

Simple Craft: DIY Brag Tags

Hey Guys, Today's simple crafts is making brag tags!
Last school year my kids earned brag tags by reading on their own. I'll link to that when I edit this. 
For this school year I decided we would make some of our own tags in addition to using the ones from last year.
Instead of only getting them for reading they will also get one when they accomplished a goal.  My kids are highly motivated by earning "stuff".  I don't love it, but it's just how it is.  So these little tags are perfect for our family.

Here's how you can make these:
Trace a tag onto cardstock (or design your own shape) .
Design the front with the goal you want to accomplish.
Cut them out.
Sign your name on the back so you know who's it is.
Laminate them.
Cut them out again.
Punch or cut a hole for a necklace to go through.

Viola!

What are your goals for your kids this year?  What are theirs?  Ask them, you may be surprised!

DIY Lavender Sleep Spray and a Real Mom Confession

I picked up this tiny spray bottle for just under $1 @ Wal-Mart tonight.  I filled it with water and added 15 drops of lavender.
I'm going to mist this on my sheets and breathe deep the beautiful aroma as I  drift off to Dreamland and try to forget that I just lashed out  on my husband for checking out another woman at the store.  {lashed out seems vague. Let me explain, I threw a temper tantrum right in the isle it happened in, then stomped away....oy! Yeah, bad move}.
You see what happened was I smiled to myself when I noticed her check him out... but shit hit.the.fan when I saw it go back the other way.  #keepingitreal #tomorrowisanewday #pmsHormones #psycholady

PS.  I still think I'm right in being upset, but I cannot let this consume another minute of my life. It already ruined what is usually a pleasant 45 minute drive together.

Dyson DC28 Hose Replacement

For over a year now {maybe two, I have lost track} I have been duct taping, and re-duct taping the hose on my Dyson dc28.
Dyson's are great vacuums, the problem was I tried to stretch the hose all the way down the basement stairs while someone stood at the top holding in the vacuum in place for me.  It tore a little and a little tape fixed it fine... but I kept doing it.  

Yeah...  I know.. Slow learner, I suppose. ;)
After several layers of tape, and feeling frustrated every time I used it I decided it was time for a new hose.

I picked this new one up on Amazon for about $20. It's a generic but works perfect!  Installing it was a breeze!  Just disconnect the original hose the way you would put another attachment on. Then at the base of the hose is a little tab you pull out and force the hose up & off.
Reverse that to add the new hose.
Voila!
What repairs have you been putting off? More importantly, what are you going to do about it?

  

Ps. Want a  challenge? Type the word hose 1000 times and see how many times your phone wants you to use house, hosed, hoses instead! Bahaha.

BEAUTY: DIY Lip Gloss

Here is a quick how-to on making your own lip gloss.

We used:

Coconut oil

Younique pigments

You can also start with a chapstick base & add pigments.

Homeschool: Reading Incentives

It's no secret that I am an avid follower of Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Her blog posts and YouTube videos have been a great inspiration in our homeschooling journey.  If you haven't checked out her homeschool room tour, you've just got to do it... like right now... Well, you know, after you finish reading this! 

Last month I stumbled over THIS POST she had about reading incentives.  She had adapted it from another blog post that she saw.  Isn't that great how us women can keep on encouraging, adapting and sharing?  I love it!

I've shared here before that my oldest daughter (The Fashionista) has dyslexia.  The Fashionista has made great big strides in reading, but it can still be a struggle to get her to set aside time to read. 

She is the type that is highly motivated by a prize.  I don't like rewarding everything (in fact, that's a pet peeve of mine!), but this is one area I think it's okay to give a little encouragement. 

If you're a teacher (homeschool or other) looking for a way to encourage your students I highly suggest you check out Confessions of a Homeschooler for details on how to make your own reading incentive area. 



Because we have a huge whiteboard already on the wall, we just didn't have room for a bulletin board too.  Instead we used push pins to stick the reading necklaces in the tree on the wall. It works perfectly for our family! 

I think this idea could easily be adapted to whatever your child needs an incentive for: Behavior, chores, school work, feeding the pets, etc. 

If you take on this little #DIY project, I'd love to see it!  Post a picture to my facebook page: www.facebook.com/ASlightlyBetterWife



This picture was taken before we added our reading incentives, but you can see our beautiful whiteboard.  It was a $5 garage sale find from a friend.  Thank you Aimee!  It's been SO helpful in our schooling. 

18 inch doll PJ shirt & tu-tu

The fashionista (formally known as, The Princess) has been wanting to learn how to sew for years. But life gets busy, you know?  Well we decided this week we would just go ahead and tackle her first sewing machine project!

Because it was her first project we started off simple. We took a onesie that no longer fit her baby sister and hemmed it into a PJ shirt for the doll.

Thrifty and fun!

After that we stitched up a little piece of elastic and tied tons and tons and tons...and tons more of tulle around it to form a tutu!
 

Success!  & the mother daughter bonding time was a beautiful success too!

 

DIY: 18 Inch American Girl Knock Off Turns Into a BOY!

About a month ago I took the kids to the American Girl store. My daughter loves their dolls, so I was looking to get a boy one for my son. When I realized how crazy expensive they were, I started searching the internet for a do it yourself (cheaper) option. 
My sweet girl is trying to earn a new doll that looks like her mini-me.
The doll that she bought last year had blonde hair and blue eyes, looking an awful lot like her brother.
so we decided to turn the old doll into a boy doll. This is what she gave her brother for his birthday. He likes it.

I removed the lipstick with nail polish remover & a q-tip.
My sister in law gave the doll a haircut at her salon.
We dressed this little guy in old Build A Bear clothes. The clothes were a little big.  I am imagine preemie or newborn clothes would fit really well.

Cheap, cute & fun! 

DIY Designs: Clock Wall

I'm not a designer or decorator by any means (trust me on this one, it's bad).  But I do love all things DIY, cheap & pretty.  That's just what this one is to me. 

 

We'll make this quick. So I saw this pin:

 

Pinterest "Stop the clock when your babies are born. A moment in time, changed forever. Love this idea!"

 

& I created this:

 

I looked for a couple of months and couldn't find 3 coordinating clocks that I loved.  So instead, I bought 3 that matched!  The clocks were $5 each at Shopko.

I cut the names using black vinyl and my Cricut machine.

 

I didn't measure distances (that's sort of obvious, isn't it?), and I hung these little guys with tacks.  It worked.  I'm happy.  And if I later on decided to, I can paint the clocks different colors and move them somewhere else.  Or I can throw them on the garage sale pile, because that's what I sometimes do.  ;-)

 

Total cost of the project: Under $20.

DIY: Diaper sprayer shield

This post contains affiliate links to what I purchased to make this set up.

You can read all about my affiliate links through my disclosure tab- but it's basically this:  Amazon pays me a percentage of each sale that is made through clicking my links.  I use that money towards homeschooling my children, running this blog, glorifying God, and hosting giveaways. 
I would never EVER post a link to a product I didn’t believe in- Promise!

 

We are a cloth diapering family.  I catch a lot of crap for that.  Get it? crap.   Yep... Not as funny as I thought it might be. 
There is a product on the market similar to this and it is only about 20 dollars. However I wasn't able to find one to purchase as they are all out of stock everywhere I looked.  & I'm a DIY  kind of gal anyway.
So I made a quick run to the dollar store and picked up a plastic clip board and a plastic folder. We already had duct tape on hand.
I attached the folder inside out so when I sprayed the water the junk would not get stuck inside the pocket of the folder.
After I made this I anxiously waited for the baby to give me a poopy diaper to work with.  {Insert your own corny "you know you're a mom when" joke.}
The verdict:
It's definitely an eyesore but it works amazing and for under 4 dollars, it was definitely worth it. 

 

If you're not a DIY'er, check out the Spray Pal - Cloth Diaper Sprayer Splatter Shield on Amazon.  The reviews look excellent, and it'd be to your door in about 2 days with Amazon Prime.

Welcome 2013!

If you remember back to my posts in Dec. of 2010 I said I'm not much for New Years resolutions.  I feel like we should always be trying to be better.  I mean, why wait until a new year starts to make a change? 

Well back in Dec. 2010 we did take that time to implement changes.  My husband and I made some big changes that have been great for our family.  Mostly our food choices. 
Since being pregnant and having a baby in the house I've gotten a little more relaxed and have had to rely on some moderately-convenience type foods more often than I'd like to admit.  We went from being a no pasta family to having pasta every couple of weeks- and guess what- nothing major happened, other than of course we were more tired than usual when we consumed it.  But it did pull us through another day, even if it wasn't nutritionally the best choice, and I just have to be okay with that.  Over all I feel like we're doing good when it comes to our food.

So for 2013 I want to focus on spaces.  I fully believe that the spaces you are in have a huge impact on your overall well-being.
Our home was built in 2005.  At the time Mr. Awesome & I were dating/got engaged, we only had the princess, no pets, and I was working.  Now a little over 7 years later we're married,  I'm a SAHM to our 3 kiddos & we have a cat.  Our space has had to change to accommodate our growing family.  Not only that, we also have changed some of our hobbies, and what we do in our spaces. 

In fact the room I'm typing in right now has been:
My bedroom (before we were married).
My home office while I sold Mary Kay & did eBay.
The Princess's bedroom.
The Princess & Prince's bedroom for a short time.
The Home school room.
& currently is Blackie's (closet- since she doesn't sleep in here, but does store her clothes here!) room/computer room. 

Home improvement takes time & money.  It seems like getting the two together is a challenge.  I wish we could do it all at once and be done.  & to be honest, if we took out a loan we could.  But I do NOT want to still be paying on it when I change my mind and want to redo whatever we've just done.
 So things will be slow going, that's alright.

For 2013 I'd like to see:

• The Laundry room turned into a mudroom (But where on earth will you stick the laundry room you ask?  Well, uh, actually.....I don't know yet!).
• If it works, maybe pull out the big tub and put the laundry in the master bathroom.
• Build a swing set for the 1,000 kids that flock here in the summer. 
• Put blinds on the windows (Please God, I'd love to finally have blinds, let me pick a color and just order it already!).
• Make a backyard patio/seating area.
• Fix the kitchen faucet that has leaked for y.e.a.r.s!
• Install shelving in the basement bedroom closets.
• Paint the stairs leading to the basement.  Any color- I just want it all one color.
• Move the TV downstairs.  This means rearranging the living room.  I'm terrified of picking new furniture for that space. Furniture is expensive, and what if:  It doesn't look good, I don't like it, or it isn't as comfortable as our broken-in sectional? 
• Install new flooring in the dining room/living room.  It looks just awful, awful awful!  Next time we will pick a better quality floor and something that can stand up to 3 kids & a husband.  Oops- did I say that? It's mostly the kids.
• Sometime this year I'd also like it if Blackie has a room with her stuff, that looks like she actually sleeps in it, even if she doesn't.  She's our baby & right now I love her sleeping with us.  Judge me all you want, tell me that she'll never sleep in her own bed.  I know that eventually she will move to her own bed.  At some point she will also no longer want to be held and cuddled on a regular basis.  I am in no hurry for these days to pass.
• Move the big kids into their own fully decorated rooms.

There are probably more things I will think of here and there.  And maybe none of these things will happen, maybe some of them will.  If they do, I'll try to blog about it. 
My favorite DIY project of 2012 was when we painted our shutters & then did my FIL's shutters.  What a transformation!  I wish I would've blogged it!  Maybe I will some day, I did take pictures fully intending to post it here.

So what will your 2013 look like?