At most Drug Stores these mini-manicure kits are $7-8 a pop. Did you know Dollar Tree carries them?!? Yeah, I didn’t either until one of YOU told me about them. I love when you guys message me asking to hear about Dollar Tree products. Here is my review (spoiler alert…I was super impressed!).
This post is NOT sponsored. I’m a sucker for Dollar Tree and I go in and spend all my money there. You know. Like every day. It’s a problem 😉
I’ve been a teacher for 8 years. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap my brain around that…or maybe I just want to feel younger than I am. HA! I am so, so blessed <3 I know the Lord placed this calling on my life, and I am so fortunate to work alongside some pretty incredible people and kiddos. THANK YOU, TEACHERS for all you do! 🙂 Public school, private school, homeschool mommas. We need strong people like you to lift up our communities. You inspire the future.
Here are a few quick tips of ways I love to organize my classroom…some of these ideas you can even use in your house, too!
P.S. Only a squillion of you have asked to see my classroom at school. I actually don’t have my own room, I teach off of a cart and float around the building (yay Spanish class!), but I did have my own room for 6+ years. So I know these tips can hack it in a room full of energetic kiddos 😉
I LOVE lamination. As a teacher I consider myself to be more or less an “expert” at it. I have laminated so much in my day and had to be creative about it. I’ve been teaching for 8 years, so that’s a lotta paper!
My favorite Laminating ideas are in the video below, and here is more information about the products I show. There is no paid product placement in this video 🙂 I’m not trying to promote and one brand… just show you what’s available! I am an Amazon affiliate.
Dollar Tree Tape!
Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets (it’s cheaper to get them online than in-store!)
Thermal Laminating Pouches. These are the ones I featured.
My laminator
Walmart Laminator (haven’t tried but good reviews!)
Another option to get the pouches is laminator.com (I’m not affiliated but the prices are good!)
It’s fall, so a bread-themed post is more than appropriate and probably long overdue.
I’ve wanted to share a bit about our breadmaker. I’ve talked about it in passing in numerous vlogs, and I’ve had a fair number of comments asking to hear more about our Sunbeam. I’ve had it on my list to make a video about for a while: how it saves us money, why it’s healthier how we store it, how we keep our bread fresh after it is made, etc… why in the name of bacon would I store such a GIANT thing in my kitchen!?!?
So cheers to carbs and how to make your bread-maker count!
Let me know your 2 cents. Do you have a bread machine? Do you use it? I would love to know your favorite recipes if you do!
I firmly believe EVERY ROOM in your house needs something alive and green. Plants add beauty and elegance to your decor…and they also can have health benefits (more info on that here). While I love them, I simultaneously hate plants because I always manage make them look ugly over time. Too much water, too little water, or sometimes I think they are out to spite me. LOL!
And then I think to myself, “Why invest in plants when I am just going to kill them?”
But, over the years of owning many kinds of greenery, there are TWO types of plants that I have had really good luck with and I hope you will, too. I am not an expert or a pro at plant care, but I ran this by a few friends who are really (REALLY) into gardening and they responded with a resounding YES to these babies, too….
Sweetheart Vine or Heart Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron Scandens)
ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamifolia)
Let me explain why I love them so much and why (with minimal maintenance we have been able to keep them alive for 6+ years!)
So, full disclosure, I didn’t think I was going to post this video. I filmed it over a month ago, and thought it was too short and too goofy to post. So I was just leaving it in its “unpublished state” in my uploaded videos list. But then, super randomly, over the last week, I got no less than five messages/comments asking me what I ended up thinking of the headphones I picked up in this shopping vlog.
So for those of you that are curious, here are my two cents. I am enjoying testing out DT products and have more review to come!
Want to see more Dollar Tree product review videos? Click here!
P.S. Carson is at the end kissing Elmo, or “Mo” as he calls him. He’s already changed so much since I filmed this a few weeks ago. Ahhh!! Somebody freeze time.
P.P.S. I was listening to “Libre Soy” (Let it Go in Spanish from Frozen) when I was testing the headphones. Don’t judge. It’s a good song 😉
I wanted to share this deal with you, since I have gotten lots of questions on Carson’s nursery tour video on how I save money on diapers. I don’t use cloth (we don’t have the time since both my husband and I work), so I need to find diapers (usually in bulk) at their rock bottom price.
How I do it…
There is a deal RIGHT NOW on Amazon to get diapers as low as .10 cents for size 1, and .16 cents for size 4 (the size Carson is.) This is seriously a super score!!!
*GET THIS DEAL! CHEAP LUVS DIAPERS!*
1.You want THESE LUVS DIAPERS on Amazon (Select the size you want)
2. Clip the coupon on the page to save an additional .50 cents
3. Join Amazon Mom to save an additional 20% off your purchase (3 month free trial!)
4. Make sure to select “subscribe and save.”
* YOU GET A $36.69 GIANT BOX OF DIAPERS FOR JUST $26.30 SHIPPED! *
I cancel my Amazon mom subscription after the diapers have shipped and cancel my subscribe and save. Some people choose to keep it (which is great for Amazon and convenient for the customer), but shop deal to deal. 🙂 I make a mark in my calendar so I don’t forget and put an alert in my phone. It takes two seconds. Boom. Cheap diapers. Happy kid. Even happier mommy 🙂
P.S. I also buy size 1 diapers when they are at rock bottom prices and keep them in the attic. I can take them out for baby shower/sprinkle gifts and for baby #2. Yes, I’m that crazy!
I heart Ikea. <3 And no, this post is not sponsored ;) After receiving a totally random gift-card blessing (those are the best!), I decided to spend part of the money on some new toddler toys for Carson. I love Ikea because they have cheap toys that are great for imaginative play. All of the items I purchased are very difficult to find second-hand...they are usually missing pieces or worn down by the time they get there. Or, they really aren't much cheaper than you can find at Ikea. At consignment sales/stores wooden toys are always so marked-up! So we "spent" $98 dollars (really it was free because of our gift card), on some toys that will provide lots of fun over the years. Yay imaginative play...and felt food! You can click the pictures below to see them on Ikea's website if you are interested for your little one. Happy playing! A 'toy' that we've seen other children at the park play with have been scooters and we've been considering getting one too as it seems to be a great way to get children playing outdoors. This list from Best Products Pro has some good options.
I’m so thankful for a mommy group that I am a part of that suggested ice painting. Carson is 13 months and he had a BLAST with this. So easy to do, perfect for summer, and FREE.
Our melted nubs after lots of painting!
Here is how they turned out on our art wall! Yay! (Sorry for the cell phone pictures). We also went to a birthday party this weekend. Carson was OBSESSED the balloons. He carried them around the whole afternoon. Gotta love a kid and his love of colorful things. 😉
Here is a step-by-step video tutorial!
My favorite Essential Oil
Life is stinky. Period.
I wanted to share with you my DIY Air Freshener that’s just three ingredients…most of which you probably already own! You can download and print the labels below and try it for yourself. Take that yucky aerosol cans!
The ingredients are water, baking soda, and lemon essential oil! That’s it. This 4 oz-er of essential oil should last you, oh I don’t know…forever. My favorite essential oil is lemon, but you can be fancy 😉 You could try peppermint during the holidays or your favorite scent. You can find smaller quantities at craft stores, but they are more expensive over time.
I also use essential oil for a bunch of other cleaning, so it’s multi-purpose!
CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER WAYS I USE ESSENTIAL OIL
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE RECIPE LABEL FOR YOUR SPRAY BOTTLE HERE!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some of you may ask about this, so I wanted to clear the air (so to speak 😉 ) Because you are using baking soda, you might notice a slight, white residue on surfaces you are spraying. This is a GOOD THING. This product is best used on upholstery and carpets (I don’t recommend it for hardwood or tile floors, although it won’t hurt them). The baking soda will continue to trap odors after the lemon scent has dissipated, and the very fine white powder will come up when you clean, dust, or vacuum. Baking soda is sprinkled on carpets and upholstery by professional cleaning companies all the time to trap odors. You probably won’t even notice it unless you have very dark fabric/carpets!
WATCH THE STEP BY STEP VIDEO:
