The Motherload Blog

Author Archives: Amy

Freebie Friday May 24, 2013

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freebie fridayHappy Freebie Friday, everyone! We would like to thank Couponing 101 for assisting us with our freebies each week for loads of deals, savings, and freebies!

This week on MomAdvice I am excited to be gearing up for the summer by sharing a Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint recipe, plus our 2013 edition of our 100 Days of Summer Pinterest Board with 100 NEW activities to do with your kids this summer! I’m also hoping to inspire you to look at old lamps differently with 9 Ways to Spice Up a Goodwill Lamp – I know I’m inspired by these cool makeovers! Our weekly notebook is again filled with even more inspiring DIY food, decorating and craft ideas, plus we have 200+ contests you can enter on our weekly round-up of great giveaways!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Health & Beauty

Garnier BB Creme Sample

BioTrue Contact Solution Sample

Escada Cherry in the Air Perfume Sample

Origins GinZing Moisturizer Sample

Sunn Celle Nutritional Supplement Sample

Fixodent Sample

Schick Hydro Silk Razor Sample: text SCHICK to 24444

Food & Drink

Gevalia Coffee Sample

Traditional Medicinals Tea Samples (send to a friend)

Entertainment

Boating Magazine Subscription

Tractor Kindergarten Printable Pack

PBS Summer Reading Challenge

Pampers Gifts-to-Grow Code: NLMAYFLOWER2013

Ladies Home Journal Magazine Subscription

Jiffy Mix Recipes Booklet

Tangers Outlet Coupon Book

Pets

Friskies Free Product Coupon

This Week’s Freebie Events

May 25 – 31

25th - Lakeshore Learning: Create a Patriotic Centerpiece, 11 am – 3 pm.

varies – Barnes & Noble: Dr. Seuss’s Oh the Place You’ll Go Story Time.

 

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100 Days of Summer Pinterest Board- 2013 Edition!

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100 Days of Summer 2013

Summer is just around the corner and I am so excited to share with you that I have gathered another 100 Days of Summer activities for you to do with your kids in the summer months. These are 100 activities that are all low to no cost, screen-free, and a fun way to build truly memorable moments with your kids in the summer months.

I had the best time creating our very first 100 days of summer activities board for our family to do and share with you and then last year’s 100 Days of Summer was another huge hit. It was so huge that I just knew I had to repeat it all again this year for you.

100 Days of Summer 2013

I am looking forward to tackling our own summer list and will be documenting our projects through mobile pictures.You can catch me on Instagram, where I am documenting our summer. Just search for the username momadvice and you will find me there. Just as a side note, I try to always answer all the comments on my pictures if I can. If you have questions about projects we are doing or just want to say hello, I will do my best to respond!

If you are on Instagram, you can join in on the fun by taking pictures and sharing all of your summer adventures through there. Let’s use the hashtag #100summerdays again like we did last year.

By tagging your photos, it will make it easy to find each other in the group and share the projects we are tackling together. You can add the tags to your caption or you can add them as a comment later. In either scenario, the tag will pull it into our summer group.

I still will be sharing our apron full of giveaways and our notebook of inspiration each week. I will also have fresh content through my freelance writing jobs this summer with Kenmore, Goodwill, Jack’s Pizza, & Walmart that will keep our site fully loaded with great ideas for your summer.

For the rest of my entries, I will be sharing what we are working on from our summer list through mobile pictures and quick notes on what fun activities we are doing at our house. I am hoping it will be an inspiration to you to get out and enjoy the summer with your children. I can’t say we will tackle a hundred activities, but I will be awfully proud if we do one cool activity a week.

100 Days of Summer 2013

This year’s list is AMAZING and my favorite so far from making chevron friendship bracelets, to building race tracks, to painting techniques on rain days, to creating popsicle light sabers. There really is something for EVERY age group this year.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for inspiration for your meal planning, home, reading, wardrobe and more! I am one happy little pinner!

Happy summer to each of you!

xo,
Amy

 

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Amy’s Notebook 05.22.13

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neon_dots_tea_towels

Source: Oh My Handmade

 

DIY dotted tea towels (and striped wood spoons) would make such an awesome – and personal – hostess gift!

These three tips on finding your unique style using what you have is full of great information.

Here’s a few more great tips – this time geared towards decorating for families with kids.

A cheese and wine party just seems made for outdoor entertaining, doesn’t it? I love these how these six steps for hosting a cheese tasting party make it seem easy!

Chipotle Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Source: The Stay At Home Chef

 

Don’t these twice baked sweet potatoes look amazing?

Making an orzo salad with spinach pesto instead of basil sounds like a great way to get a few more vegetables into our diet – I can’t wait to try this!

This list of 14 classic cocktails is just plain fun.

Now might be the time to try making Chocolate Espresso Macarons – yum.

Baby-Burp-Cloth-Cupcakes-Tutorial

Source: U-Create Crafts

 

Cupcakes made from burp cloths would be a such a cute way to decorate for a baby shower!

This kid’s outdoor play kitchen is not only sweet, but reuses things you’ve probably got laying around your house somewhere.

There are a ton of great ideas for boy’s bedrooms in this “undone” room reveal.

Freezing different themed toys into ice blocks = super summertime outdoor activity.

Oh, wow – these diy lace crowns are seriously adorable!

amys_notebook

I hope you enjoyed this collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

 

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9 Ways to Spice Up a Goodwill Lamp

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goodwill_lamp_makeovers

One walk through the aisles of Goodwill and I guarantee you will find a handful of great lamp choices just begging for a fun DIY lamp makeover that can dress up a corner in your home. To inspire you, I have gathered 9 of my favorite ways to spice up a Goodwill lamp. These lamp makeover ideas are so inspiring, in fact, that I can’t wait to run over to my Goodwill store to snag a lamp for myself!

To check out these ideas, visit me over at the Goodwill Tips Blog today and read my article on 9 ways to spice up a Goodwill lamp!

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Apron Full of Giveaways 05.20.13

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gingham chicken apron

Source: Mikasa Su Casa,  $12

 

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we are not giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Good luck to each of you!

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Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe

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Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe

Summer is just around the corner and before it gets here I wanted to share my favorite homemade sidewalk chalk paint recipe. Making DIY sidewalk chalk paint couldn’t be easier and many of the supplies are likely lurking right in your cupboard.

Today’s project is sponsored by Walmart and you can find all of the supplies you need to create this easy recipe, right at your local store, from the brushes to the food coloring to the paint storage containers.

Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint RecipeDid you know that you can make sidewalk chalk paint from three simple ingredients? Homemade sidewalk chalk paint is made from a mixture of cornstarch, water, and food coloring. When visiting the baking aisle to get your food coloring, be sure to pick up the brightest and most vivid colors you can find to really make the colors pop on your sidewalk.

Homemade_Sidewalk_Chalk_Paint_Recipe_4Proper storage of your paints will help them go farther. I love to grab lidded disposable containers to store the extra paint in and with a quick rinse of your brushes, your supplies are ready for the next day of painting.

Summer Bucket List

Of course, this isn’t the only recipe we have to keep your kids entertained in the summer! I am so excited to share with you that I will be doing another 100 Days of Summer AGAIN (third year running!) on Pinterest and will be sharing 100 SCREEN-FREE, FREE or PRACTICALLY FREE activities to keep your kids entertained this summer. Be sure to start following on Pinterest so you don’t miss the big reveal and so you can begin adding a few of these ideas to your summer bucket list! 

I think this year’s list will be the best one yet, but in the meantime, here are a few of our favorite activities we did this past year to get you inspired!

Summer Fun Inspiration

Glow-In-The-Dark JELL-O

The World’s Greatest Homemade Bubbles

Homemade Butterbeer Lattes

Easy Coffee Filter Posies

Easy Homemade Playdough

How to Make Car S’mores

5.0 from 2 reviews

Print
Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Kid Recipes
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 2
 

Skip buying sidewalk chalk paint and make your own with this easy DIY recipe!
Ingredients
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ½ cup water
  • Food coloring (as much as you desire)

Instructions
  1. Mix equal parts of cornstarch with water. Add your food coloring. This mixture will be thick. Use your paintbrushes to paint your sidewalk or driveway. Store excess paint in airtight containers.

I can’t wait to share more fun summer ideas with you and in the meantime, I hope you can give this easy sidewalk chalk paint recipe a spin in your kitchen!
walmart_mom_disclaimer

 

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Freebie Friday May 17, 2013

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freebie fridayHappy Freebie Friday, everyone! We would like to thank Couponing 101 for assisting us with our freebies each week for loads of deals, savings, and freebies!

This week on MomAdvice I am excited to be sharing a couple of our family’s favorites: 9 Awesome Baked Donut Recipes and a list of our best Disney Tips that will help you get the most out of your trip to the Magic Kingdom! Of course you’ll also find our weekly notebook filled with inspiring DIY food, decorating and craft ideas, as well as more than 100 contests you can enter on our weekly round-up of great giveaways!

I hope you have a great weekend, everyone!

Health & Beauty

Tena Sample Kit

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Hair Care Sample

Poise Sample Kit

U by Kotex Sample

L’Oreal Hair Care Sample

Food & Drink

Nescafe Taster’s Choice Sample

Entertainment

You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins Download

Memorial Day Printable Pack

Read 10 Books get $10 put in your Young Savers Account

Free Book with Book Log at Barnes & Noble

Pond Preschool Printable Pack

Homeschool Report Card Printables

Homeschool GradeBook Download

Red Riding Hood Printable Pack

Pampers Gifts to Grow Code: FBMD76C7HMEXT13 (expires today, 5/17)

$5 in Half-Price Books Bucks when you turn in your Summer Reading Form

Prisoner of Carrot Castle iPad App

Build a Ship with Kate and Harry iPad App

This Week’s Freebie Events

May 18 – 24

18th – Lakeshore Learning: Create Critter Creations, 11 am – 3 pm

 

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Amy’s Notebook 05.15.13

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shower-curtain-beauty

Source: Design Sponge

 

I absolutely love the gorgeous fabrics and fun look this patchwork shower curtain brings to the room.

Using a machine stitch to make diy vintage tea towels seems an easy way to create beautiful and unique gifts.

You know I love a great vase, and this glitter dipped vase would sure add a bit of sparkle to our table.

This diy mdf-mounted photo only looks expensive – what a great way to show off a beautiful photo!

mini fabric lamps

Source: It’s Taylor Made

 

Here’s a fantastic way to use the ever-growing pile of fabric scraps! I can just see these mini fabric lamps decorating a girl’s room or a colorful porch.

Speaking of porches, I loved how this post about creating the ultimate backyard breaks the planning down to four areas and helps make landscape planning not so overwhelming.

I think the kids and I need to make a chalkboard summer bucket list like this one to plan some fun things for the summer!

Making some diy watercolor art with the kids looks like it would be so fun (and easy!) that it should be one of the top things on our summer list.

Whole-Wheat-and-Flax-Pancakes

Source: Skip to My Lou

 

Dont’ these whole wheat and flax pancakes look delicious? I’m glad they’re healthy, too!

Got ant problems? This all-natural ant killer may be the solution.

I really like to up the nutrition in regular dishes, and this recipe for meatballs with zucchini added seems like a winner.

These strawberry coffee cake muffins are making me drool – what a great way to use seasonal strawberries!

amys_notebook

I hope you enjoyed this collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

 

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Our Best Disney Tips

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Disney Tips

Our family is currently having the time of our lives at Disney World for the Social Media Moms Conference and I was reminded of our family’s first experience visiting the Magic Kingdom and what we learned during that trip.

Are the tips I shared then still helpful? You bet! In fact, coming into this trip armed with the “insider” tips we learned during our first visit has made this one a lot smoother, even though it’s a bit different because I’m also attending a conference.

MA_Disney_collage

So I thought I’d take a moment to share again how we planned for Disney and what we learned (for further information on each tip, be sure to read the original post), and give you the opportunity to add any of your tips or tricks you’ve learned in visiting Disney World in the comments!

1. Advance Preparation Tips

  • Financially: start saving and looking for deals as soon as you start thinking about your trip.
  • Safety: print out current photos to carry of each child, bring a sharpie to write cell phone numbers with, and assign buddies.
  • Meals: plan for snacks and drinks before heading to the park.
  • Souvenirs: buy them at a local Disney store or the party store and pack them with you!
  • Navigation: load all needed GPS info beforehand.

2. Ride Tips

  • Make a family plan: list the rides everyone wants to go on by importance.
  • Visit rides with longest wait times first.
  • Use FASTPASS to get through longer lines faster.
  • Add the Wait Time App to your mobile phone to check ride wait times.

3. Photograph Tips

  • Capture your children’s view – not only of them seeing things, but how they see it (get down to their level).
  • Capture the moment – as many of the hilarious ride moments as you can!
  • Take pictures on the go, too – in the car and at the hotel – using both phone and regular cameras.
  • Remember a family photo: scope out someone who can take a picture of your family in front of something you like.
  • Capture the nighttime magic – do a bit of research in advance to know your camera settings so you can get some good memory shots of the fantastic light displays.

Now it’s your turn – what can you share with us about the best way to experience Disney?

 

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Apron Full of Giveaways 05.14.13

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red chevron apron

Source: Lizzy’s Biz,  $24

 

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we are not giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Good luck to each of you!

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