Works for Me Wednesday: On the Air!

This week, at Rocks in My Dryer, Shannon is hosting the "Mom I'm Bored!" WFMW edition.
She writes:

In today's themed edition, I'd love to hear from you alll about how you combat this issue in your home. Give us all your general outlook on the subject, or provide us with a list of specific modes of entertainment you use--whatever you'd like.

Our summers on the Ark are usually pretty busy. Between swim lessons, family vacations, the library's summer reading program, park outings, (whew~I'm not sure I'm ready for summer yet!) and the like there's an awful lot happening, but there are also ample opportunities for down time, which is where the beast of boredom tends to meet kids head on.

Let me begin by saying that I truly believe that one of the best things for a child (okay--maybe not for his/her mother) but certainly for a child is to *feel* bored. Big white spaces on the calendar invite in creativity and adventure. Summer is a perfect time for secret clubs to form, for impromptu theater performances, for madcap neighborhood olympic games and for the blessing of uninterrupted time to explore the beauty of God's world on nature walks. In my opinion, there is nothing better to spark innovation than a bored child. Granted, my brother was a genius when it came to boredom and reveled in such inspirations as taking apart radios and toasters. Given this, you'll probably want to make sure that all of the brilliant ideas your budding Einstein comes up with meet with your approval.

But there will still be moments when the boredom monster rears its ugly head. To that end, let me share a little tip that worked when the bored child of summer was ME. Understand, of course, that this was in the late seventies, so our most high-tech gadget consisted of a portable tape player (Note to my children: yes, I mean the kind that played those rectangular tapes with the twisty circles in the middle and the funny brown tape running through it; and no, we didn't have CDs back then. Amazing, huh?) which we carried around with us one summer. The purpose of this audio endeavor was to record, literally, what we did that summer. And at the end of each week, we'd lie on the floor of one of our bedrooms, ears pressed up against the speaker, and listen to the antics we had created. It was a bittersweet end to summer that year as we knew that we wouldn't have as much time--read: be as bored--once the school year commenced. We held on to that tape and replayed it over and over until it finally broke, but although the tape is gone, the memories of that summer are not of boredom, but something far more precious.

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Works for Me Wednesday!

When it comes to gardening, I am a complete poser. I have had a few minor gardening accomplishments during my married life, but I've been resting on those laurels for quite some time now. (In my defense, the nomadic tendency of the Ark does nothing to help my gardening quest.)

So, last night just after our final women's bible study (about which the Captain later asked, "Did you have a good bible study? Or (insert captivating husband smirk here) should I say did you have a good time visiting with Dawn? My answer? Yes and, of course, yes! Because what came out of that study is a clever little tip Dawn shared with me about gardening. (She, by the way, is the real deal when it comes to all things garden-related and tolerates my low garden IQ when I ask for help).

Complaining of pesky tomato-munching rabbit families in her neighborhood, she told me that the last straw was drawn when she went out to find one of her Sweet 100s crunched beyond recognition. Wanting to stop the free-lunch, she went searching for a simple tip to keep these pesky pilferers at bay. And she found one--GARLIC!

According to her, the only necessary equipment are bulbs of garlic. Just pop them open and plant the cloves along the perimeter of the garden to protect growing plants. Apparently, it repels the rabbits, who don't care for the smell or taste of garlic.

Go figure. And here I thought that Bunnicula story was a work of fiction.

Keeping gardens safe and sound? Works for Me!

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Works for Me Wednesday

This handy little bit of information came to me via an email just recently. I must admit, in all my years of saran-wrapping, aluminum-foiling, and wax-papering, I had neither seen nor heard of this simple tip. (Although, I can barely remember to read the morning newspaper, let alone the helpful advice on food preservation materials!)

So, in case you, too, didn't know about it. Here's a convenient way to keep those pesky rolls from propelling out of the box as you use them:

After having been attacked by yet another wayward roll of foil jumping out of the box as I pulled on it, something on the end of the box caught my eye. Written on the end it said, “Press here to lock end”. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too!

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Works for Me Wednesday: Make Your Own Ketchup and Raspberry Vinaigrette!

My thrift friend and Baby T's well-traveled godmother, Faith, sent me these recipes that were too good not to be shared with the entire blogsphere...They are from Everyday Cheapskate's newsletter. Read on for the "how" in how to make your own ketchup and raspberry vinaigrette dressing!

Ketchup

2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
4 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons corn syrup (like Karo light)
2 1/2 cups water

Mix all ingredients and place in a saucepan over low heat; simmer gently until you get the consistency of ketchup, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Taste and adjust salt if necessary before serving.

Clean your empty ketchup bottle, then pour this mixture in for a cheap and much tastier alternative to store-bought ketchup. Yield: About 3 cups; 24 ounces.

You should be able to make this ketchup for about half the price of the commercial variety. And once you taste homemade, chances are you won’t go back to any brand—it’s that good. Note: Heinz Ketchup at this writing: $3.56 for 32 ounces.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup raspberry wine vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all the ingredients. Shake well. Yield: 1 1/2 cups dressing; 12 ounces. Note: Marie’s Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing at this writing: $4.49 for 11.5 ounces.

I think we'll just have to have salad with dinner (again!) tonight, and perhaps french fries. Works for me!

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Inside Layla House-A Look at an Ethiopian Orphanage

Are you looking for a practical way to help orphan children? This story, reminded me of the most important thing we can ALL do to help.

Many times, upon the Captain's arrival home from Ethiopia with Hannah and Baby T, people wanted to hear about the experience.

Heck, as the parent who didn't travel, I wanted to hear about the experience.

Sometimes people ask because they are quietly considering adoption in their minds and wondering what it might be like to travel to a strange land, so far away, for the peculiar pre-arranged meeting of parent and child for the first time. Others wish to know about the conditions there-how different it must be from America-the poverty, the disease, the heartbreak. And a rare few are simply nosy enough to want to hear more about that very intimate moment of hearts colliding. But as much as people asked, the answer was usually something short and sweet--void of much emotion or opportunity for discussion.

Often, after the inquiring minds walked away, he would look at me and say, "I just can't put it into words. Maybe someday I'll be able to..." and then the moment would be over, the story stuck in his heart and mind, overflowing with unphotographable images, to wait for another chance at being told.

This morning, however, I read the story of another mom from our agency, Carrie of Willing Hearts, who recently traveled to Layla House (our agency's orphanage). Masterfully crafted, she manages to describe in heartfelt detail her experience while there. This should be required reading for anyone who is considering adoption and for those who have made the journey, whose stories haven't yet been told.

One final thought, if you aren't considering adoption, please-at the very least-when you are finished reading, pray our family's prayer for the waiting children:

"For every child who waits, a family waits for them."

Prayers for those who wait? Works for me!

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Works for Me Wednesday: Online Shopping

I have to admit, if I've got shopping to do and I have a choice between loading up six kids, taking my map of all local potty stops, and filling the diaper bag with a mini-fridge worth of snacks or sitting in front of my computer, hot cup of coffee in hand, I'm going to opt for the later.

Unless, of course, it's Lent and I'm looking for a penitential experience for myself and my fellow shoppers.

But on my non-hairshirt wearing days, online shopping is a wonderful solution for this mom! My favorite *store* isn't really a store at all. With a large family to clothe, feed, and nurture (who have come to expect such things every.single.day), the best online *store* for me are the coupon shopping sites.

Before I buy ANYTHING online, I stop by the Coupon Cabin, Current Codes, Dealcatcher, or any other number of bargain-hunting locations out there on the web. Often times, I can find free shipping, an additional percentage off or some other incentive not advertised directly on the store's webpage. If you're smart, you can usually combine a few bargains together--or take advantage of a known deal IRL--for even more savings online.

For example, if our Sunday inserts show a great sale on Levi's at Kohls (say $19.99--and, yes, that's for real!) and I have gotten one of their 15%, 20% or 30% coupons in the mail, I can go to one of these sites and find the online code for the maximum discount regardless of the discount I received via snail mail. If they're also offering free shipping for orders over, say $50, then I wait for when I can combine enough items to take advantage of that promotion, too.

Getting FOUR pairs of brand new Levi's--delivered to my door--for just over $50...Works For Me!

For other great online shopping ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer today!

Works for Me Wednesday!

Shannon, who writes at the incredibly popular Rocks in My Dryer, has hosted WFMW (Works for Me Wednesday) for as far back in blogging history as my memory goes--okay, I realize that's not saying much, but suffice to say...a long time. This is, however, my first time participating.

There are many helpful household tips my Ethiopian born daughter has shared with me since her arrival here on the Ark.

Practical tips such as "Don't go to fetch the water at night. That's when the hyenas come out." Living in a small, suburban town in the midwest, you can well imagine my fear when it comes to hyenas.

Sensible tips such as "When you go to kill the chicken, make sure you take off all the feathers before we cook it." You should have seen the look on the face of the teenaged-help in the meat department when I inquired about the plucking of his employer's chicken.

So as she stood by me in the kitchen insisting again that she knew a trick from Ethiopia to stop my eyes from watering as I chopped an onion; I must admit I was a bit skeptical. But she persevered. And the next time I chopped onions and my eyes began to tear up, my daughter reached over and grabbed a piece of the yellow onion skin and tucked it behind my right ear.

Instantaneously--my right eye stopped leaking! I was amazed! So much so that a few moments later, I reached for a second piece and hooked it over the back of my left ear. Sure enough, the tears dried up.

Onion skins behind my ears to stop my tears. Works-for-me!