Flashback Friday - How to clean a pack and play

 Welcome to Flashback Friday! Today we have this popular post on how to clean your pack and play.  I wasn't expecting it to get near this much attention but hey, lots of us have pack and plays and they all need cleaned.  Enjoy.

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Awhile back I saw a you tube video about how to clean your pack and play.  Okay, I'll file that idea away under 'things I don't need to know right now.'  My pack and play is NOT dirty.  I have had it almost 5 years and it still looks perfect. 

Wait.

Seriously, almost 5 years?

In the tub it goes.  Fill it full of hot water and a half cup of homemade laundry soap and a half cup of Melamagic (cleaner by Melaleuca).  If I didn't have those cleaners, I would use a half cup of any all purpose cleaner and 2  cups of store bought laundry soap.  Let it soak for a couple of hours.  This is how dirty the water got from my 'not dirty' pack and play.

Pretty gross if you ask me.

After I pulled it out of the tub I set it on a towel to dry.  The brown spots on my towel where out of control gross.  So I put in back in the tub, same as before. The water was just as dirty AGAIN! After it was done soaking for the second time I took it outside and rinsed it with the hose til the water ran clear and then set it on a towel to dry. The towel stayed clean that time.

Next time, I'll just rinse it the first time.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Apple Donut Bites!

Here is a flashback to a post you may have missed. Delicious apple donut bites... Perfect for some halloween treats, or a seasonal sweet tooth. Add some pumpkin spice to your batter for a special twist to make it more fitting! 

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 With summertime among us that brings fair season. A lot of fair food that is oh so sinful but oh so good. Cinnamon rolls, funnel cake, crepes, burgers, fries, nacho's, hot dogs, BBQ, tri-tip sandwiches, deep fried pickles, sweet potato fries, DEEP FRIED ANYTHING! Ugh! Must I say more? 

Anyways apple donut bites is my twist on a fair snack that is so yummy for a summertime treat when your craving your fair style bites. With a greek yogurt batter this recipe is a little different then your normal batter you would make. So give this recipe a try next time you have that crazy craving! 

I did NOT just lick my screen.. I swear... Oh my! 

Apple Donut Bites

4-5 medium sized cooking apples

1 Cup flour

1 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Egg

1/4 Teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup water 

Canola oil for frying

1/2 Cup sugar

1-2 Teaspoons cinnamon

Using an apple slicer slice down your apples you can peel if you wish but its not required. Mix dry batter ingredients. Add egg and yogurt in a separate bowl and whisk until combined. Add to flour and stir. Mixture will be thick and dry because greek yogurt is very thick. Add water until mixture takes on a thicker pasty batter consistency. You may need more than 3/4 cup. Add water and use your judgement. You want a cake like batter!

Heat your oil to 350 degrees either in a skillet or your deep fryer. Once heated grab your sliced apples. They will still be in apple shape so just start pulling off rounds in halves or smaller pieces if you want. Gently dip apple pieces in your batter and lay in the hot oil. Repeat in small batches until apples are gone. The batter will be sticky so it may look like a lot on your apple but thats what puffs up and makes it donut like. Fry for 40 seconds to a minute or so on each side if your skillet frying. For a deep fryer keep an eye on your apple bites until they are golden brown. 1-2 minutes. Once fried drain on a paper towel. 

Mix your sugar and cinnamon and shake over drained apple bites and gently shake around to get a coating all the way around your bites.

Once coated you can sit back and enjoy this delicious sweet bite! 

Click Here To Print!

Flashback Friday: Homemade Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Welcome to Flashback Friday, where we bring you one awesome post from the past you may have missed. Enjoy!

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My husband has decided to start drinking coffee in hopes that he will quit drinking so many energy drinks.  But he likes his coffee sweetened.  So do I, that's why I normally don't drink coffee. All the sugar first thing in the morning puts my blood sugar all whacked out all day long.  After I made this though I had to try some.  It's really easy to make too.  I saw the recipe on pinterest of course...where else do I get all my ideas?

1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

14 oz whole milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

 Pour sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and vanilla into a container and shake it like mad.

Click here to print recipe.

This is way yummier than store bought!  I'm going to experiment with more flavors.

Flashback Friday: Southwestern Macaroni Salad

Happy Flashback friday everybody, and apparently Fourth Of July, too! Rewind back with us and enjoy this old post with a delicious recipe!!!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!

 Best wishes for a safe and fun holiday full of memories to you all from Crafty Honey Badgers! 

Isn't this holiday the greatest? Well every holiday is great in its own way, but independence day is different! You feel a pride to be an American and thankful for all the brave men and woman who have fought to keep it AMERICA! Plus, a hot summer day on the lake ended with some fireworks is pretty hard to beat!

Kids playing with anticipation for the firecrackers when night fall covers. Family gathering and catching up around a BBQ. People wearing red, white and blue with lots of cheer. Parades bringing communities together to celebrate our freedom. This holiday brings us all as one together to be proud of this great country we live in! For one day we all can agree on one thing and thats what a beautiful country we live in and how we are blessed in so many ways. Holidays seem to have that effect on people and thats what I love about them. Opinions separate us quite often but holidays bring a spirit from deep down in us that makes us look one another eye to eye. As a country we can wave our flags and rejoice in cheer for old glory. Our beautiful country the United States Of America.

So I say it again, we wish you all a cheerful, sunny fourth of July. May the fireworks shoot high and light up the sky above you and fill you with cheer! Whether your on the mountain staring at the stars, or down on the streets of your hometown celebrating with your community we wish you a blessed day!

Anyways what's a holiday without a great recipe? Heres a last minute save for a delicious side dish for any of you who may be running behind today! Fourth of July or not, This recipe is a great all american side dish with a twist that will please any hungry appetite! 

Grab a spoon and crack your screen, you know you wanna!

Southwestern Macaroni Salad

1 Pound macaroni or ditalini pasta (Pictured is ditalini)

5 large pieces of roasted red peppers. (I use jar kind from condiment isle)

4 Green onions

1/2 Cup mayo

1/4 cup milk

2 Teaspoons sugar

1 Teaspoon chili powder

1/4 Teaspoon salt

LOTS of black pepper

Boil your pasta on medium high heat until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta has cooled off. Pour pasta in large salad bowl.  Chop your peppers and onions and stir into pasta. Whisk your milk, mayo and spices together and pour over pasta mixture. Stir until everything has combined and that heavenly dressing has touched EVERY piece of pasta!

Serve with your favorite summertime meals and enjoy! Or just eat a bowlful by itself.. Been there, done that! 

Have a GREAT fourth of July everybody!

Click Here To Print!

Flashback Friday: 9 Unexpected Effects of Homeschooling

Welcome to Flashback Friday, where we bring you a totally awesome post from the past that you may have missed. Since we are busy with school again this seemed like an appropriate way to start.

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9 Unexpected Effects of Homeschooling (from May 2014)

We are about to wrap up our first year of homeschooling and I'm pleased to say it has been a success so far. Harlee has learned so much this year and I'm so proud of what she has done, but I have learned even more!  And we are both so ready for summer! So in my short stent of homeschooling (so far) here are a few things I didn't see coming at us.

1) If I make my children get dressed they ask where we are going.

I tell the girls to get dressed everyday, half the time they come out in summer dresses in the winter or in different pajamas than they wore to bed.  It's when I pick out proper seasonal clothing that are appropriate to wear in public that they start to interrogate me.


2) My yoga pants get quickly worn out, without ever making it to yoga.

Right after you order your homeschool curriculum you might as well stock up on yoga pants, they are more important than new pencils. Come on now, all the homeschool moms are doing it.

3) After moving to a new state it was actually easier to meet people and make friends compared to life before homeschool.

I have found a fantastic homeschool group that does a lot of cool things together. We have P.E. together and co-ops and all kinds of fabulous things. It's a lot of fun and I have met some fabulous ladies that are know-it-alls in all things homeschool.  (And not the annoying show-off-I'm-bettter-than-you kind of know-it-all either.)

4) Exasperating questions from strangers.

General curiosity I can handle, but please don't look at me in horror, ask me how in the world my children will ever learn to stand in line, especially while we are standing in line at the grocery store.  Clearly we are here on a field trip to learn how to stand in line and all the groceries are just for the heck of it.  We don't actually need milk and toilet paper. (Yes, this has happened to me...twice.)

Besides I have two children not one, we do stand in line practice for exactly 27 minutes every Friday, see my schedule?

Friday:
8:45am give pet fish a bath
9:00am standing in line practice
9:27am pin things on pinterest
9:30am brush teeth while eating an Oreo

I know, I know you're looking at my Friday morning thinking about how ridiculous it is that I only spend 3 minutes on Pinterest; I mean is that even possible!?!

5) How much it costs.

First,  I pay taxes for public school and then I have to buy a curriculum and supplies for my children and for me as the teacher.  Even more money for science experiments and homeschool group projects and activities, and don't forget the yoga pants.

6) My house is always a mess.

Dusting has been replaced by phonics and vacuuming has been replaced by math. Science experiments have taken over my sewing time and TeachersPayTeachers has replaced working on my blog and writing my book.

7) I have lots of time to fold laundry.

Math time is laundry folding time.  Harlee needs me to be near her but not hovering, so I sit by her and fold lots and lots of laundry. The house might be a mess but at least I have clean yoga pants.

8) It is so so hard.

Most parents teach their kids their colors and how to count to ten. That's not so hard.  This is not like that.  Not even close. I'm teaching my 5 year old fractions and phonics while teaching my three year old number recognition and letter sounds, or on some days just to please leave her sister alone so at least one of them can learn. And try to not let our house end up on a FaBreze commercial all at the same time.

9) How worth it it is.

I get to watch my children learn everyday.  I know what they are learning and I can teach them in a way that they learn best. Harlee gets good grades all the time.  If she doesn't, then it's my fault for not teaching her better or spending more time on a topic.  We say the Pledge of Allegiance and we study the Bible every single day.  It might be the hardest thing I have ever done, but it's also one of the best, and I wouldn't change it for the world.