Entertaining a Toddler on a Dime: Make Your Recycling Work For You

I love a bargain, but I love free stuff even more. And if the kids have a blast with the free stuff, it makes it all the more gratifying. Below, I've shared some fun things to do with your common recycling that will keep the kids entertained:

Cereal boxes and paper bags: When it comes time to paint, either with fingers or brushes, I open up the seam on an empty cereal box to flatten it out, tape it to the easel with the plain inside facing out, and let Junior have at it. Cereal boxes hold up to gobs and gobs of paint much better than your standard construction or art paper, and when they're done, you can just throw it in the recycling bin. Paper bags are great if you have sliding glass doors--cut the bags down the seam to open them up and tape them to the doors for a mural-style art session. (And if some paint gets on the glass, no big deal. It wipes right off the glass.)

6 Slow Cooker Recipes for the Busy Mom

My slow cooker has been working double time. I've been using it at least three times a week, trying different recipes. I don't want to sound like I'm the first person who has ever used a slow cooker, but seriously, this thing is changing my life. I spend 10 to 20 minutes prepping dinner when my toddler goes down for his nap, and then I have the rest of the afternoon free. No more spending the later half of the afternoon stressing over what to make and trying to throw it together. It's dinner for lazy people, and I LOVE it.

Now, before I share the results of my experiment with you, I just want to make a couple of things clear. 1) I am not a foodie, nor do I pretend to be. Rather, I consider myself a reluctant (sometimes begrudging) chef who is simply trying to make dinner work for our family. I have a tumultuous relationship with food, and I married someone who couldn't care less about food--so we're kind of stuck with whatever I come up with.  2) I'm not one for taking pictures of my food. You've seen food before. Use your imagination.

Entertaining a toddler on a dime: Homemade play food set

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Wow. I can't believe I spend money on toys when an empty tissue box and a wooden spoon make my toddler happy"? Yeah, so have I.

We've been handed down a toy tool bench, a wooden train set, more Duplos than anyone could possibly need, and a Lego table, so when my son started showing interest in pretend cooking, I wasn't about to buy a play kitchen that would take up even MORE room in a house where adult space* is quickly dwindling. Instead, on a boring snow day a couple of weeks ago, I took an old Amazon box, cut a door in it, used black crayon to draw some knobs and a window, red crayon to draw some burners, and I called it an oven. It took me ten minutes, and my son played with it for HOURS. He had only seldom used the Melissa & Doug wooden pot and pan set that he got as a Christmas gift until he had a specific place for them, and now it's his favorite thing. A plus--the cats like to hide in the oven, which isn't really a benefit, just funny.

Working full time, staying at home, and everything in between: My story

So far, I've interviewed a mom who works full-time and a mom who stays at home. Now, it's time to share my story. I belong in that gray area in between. I freelance out of my home two days a week. During those days, my son goes to a family day care 15 minutes away, and I sit in my ugly home office and edit books, write articles, and check Facebook a lot. At times, this situation feels ideal. At other times, not so much. Part of me really misses going to work. I like critical thinking, problem solving, having adult conversations that don't revolve around offspring, and wearing real pants. My freelance work doesn't offer any of those. It's been a nagging dilemma for many moons now, and I suppose the best way to explain it is to interview myself.

1.  What prompted your decision to work or stay at home?
Before I even got pregnant, I knew I didn't want to juggle working full-time with raising a baby. I didn't feel like I could be a good mom and a good employee--the thought of being pulled in two different directions got me nervous. Plus, my job was frustrating, and the company I worked for didn't know which way was up, so I had the perfect out. I took it. Sue me.

The circumcision decision: To snip or not to snip?

I remember walking through the grocery store one day while I was pregnant, and a woman came up to me and asked whether I was having a boy or a girl. When I told her I was having a boy, her first question was whether I was going to have him circumcised. Then she told me the story of her son's circumcision. I just wanted to buy bread.

Like most parenting issues, circumcision debate is both personal and polarized. Some parents in the circumcision camp argue that non-cicumcisors (I made that word up) are just setting their kids up for a lifetime of infections and ridicule, while some in the no-snip camp consider circumcisors baby mutilators. The rest of us don’t really care what choices other families make, as long as they are the right ones for them.

It’s a tough decision that every family must make on its own. My goal here is to provide information about circumcision, not to tell anyone that they are wrong. As long as you love your babies and treat them well, I really don’t care whether they have foreskin. Let’s break it down by argument.

More practical projects for the crafty mama

I don't have a whole lot of free time for making large quilts anymore, so I've turned my attention to smaller, practical projects that the baby and I can enjoy. Here are a few projects that will keep baby warm during cold winter months.

I purchased the pattern for this adorable animal hat from Tie Die Diva on Craftsy.com. I love it because although the pattern is officially for the bunny, devil, cow, and bear hats, it's so easy to play around with the fabric and adjust the shape of the ears to make just about anything you want. I made two dog hats as gifts for Christmas by rounding out the ears on the bunny pattern, and I turned a plain old cat into a cheetah (gggrrrr). The pattern is really simple to follow and quick (which is really the important thing, right?). I took one night to cut out all the fabric for five gift hats, and the next night I spent sewing. We've been stopped more than once in the grocery store by old ladies wanting to gush over my little guy in this hat.

Talk about mistletoe!

Boy, I have fun with headlines.

I'd like to say that when I repeatedly mumbled "Jesus Christ" while making these dough footprint ornaments, it was because I was remembering the true meaning of Christmas. But it was because I was covered in flour, my child was crying because he put the dough in his mouth and didn't like the taste, and I couldn't get a good hand print (which is why it became a foot print). But all in all, they came out pretty good--a little large, but they still pass for an ornament. Plus, they have that homemade feel, which I always enjoy.

My husband and I decided that every year, we'd make an ornament for our son until he became old enough to make his own. Last year, I stitched his initials onto a felt ornament that I made, and when my super crafty friend sent me the link to this project, I got inspired for this year's ornament. Making this ornament became extra special when my husband remembered a hand print ornament he made in preschool. He dug it up, and now we have a father/son set.

The recipe can be found at Under the Table and Dreaming. I halved the recipe and still got three footprints out of it, so make a little at first and add more later if you need to. Mine needed to go in the oven for a little longer than recommended, and when they were cool, I sprayed them with an acrylic coating so that the cat would stop trying to eat them.