Anti-Ants

Just a quick note to share with anyone with ant invasions due to the cold weather or rains.  Dealing with ants when you have small children or pets can be more challenging as you don't want to leave out ant baits or any poisons where the kids or pets might reach.  You also don't want to use spray poisons.  Two things that have worked for me are: dish soap and cinnamon. 

With the dish soap, put a few drops in clean spray bottle (I use Dawn), add water to fill bottle and gentle swirl to mix.  Use that to spray on the ants wherever you see them.  The soap in the water kills the ant or at least stops them in their tracks so that you can wipe them away with a paper towel.  (You can feel good about the fact that you are also cleaning the soap at the same time.)  The soap also wipes out the scent trail that ants leave behind them that tell their fellow ants where to follow.

With the cinnamon, sprinkle liberally at any entry points if you can discover where the ants are entering your home.  Within a day, all the ants will stop coming in.  The bonus is that cinnamon smells great, much better than any ant spray.  Most importantly, cinnamon is safe to use around pets and kids.  Even if they do taste the stuff, at least it's not poisonous.

The Great Eggsperiment

My kids don't like to eat eggs, and in fact, my son J is allergic to eggs.  As for me, I enjoy eggs over easy or sunny side up for my breakfast on Saturdays, the one day of the week that breakfast is not rushed.  I just love putting it on toast to soak up all that lovely yellow yolk.  Add a little bit of salt on the eggs, a nice cup of hot coffee on the side, and I am in breakfast nirvana.  Of course these days, with all the salmonella outbreaks, it is considered risky to eat eggs prepared that way.  The FDA recommends cooking all eggs until both the whites and yolks are firm.  I don't like hard egg yolks.  I am not a big fan of scrambled eggs.  Ceasar salad just doesn't taste the same with out the yolk in the dressing either.  So I guess I am rolling the dice each time I enjoy my over easy eggs.  Yep, that's me living dangerously.  On the edge.

All these reports of bad eggs, egg recalls, poor conditions for hens etc., have spurred a growing backyard hen-house movement.  It used to be something that was rather unusual -- something you see only Martha Stewart doing on her Connecticut farm.  Lately, I have read several local news articles about people having hens as pets and egg producers in their urban and suburban backyards.  Last week, one article featured a family in nearby Alamo who have now decided to go into business selling their fresh eggs.  Even my daughter's elementary school has egg-laying chickens next to their school garden.

My neighbor S is one of many local homeowners with her own chickens.  She has 10 hens.  Her three kids raised the chicks as pets, spending time with them every day and putting them on their laps like cats.  Each hen has a name and distinct personality.  They are very tame.  (Except for one called "Crazy Girl" who somehow didn't get as much attention as the other hens.  She's like the foster child that somehow fell through the cracks.  She didn't get as much love and it apparently shows.)  My kids love to visit and pet the chickens.

Last month, S and her family were out of town for a week.  She set up a rotation with friends to feed her chickens and collect the freshly laid eggs.  Her 10 hens lay about 6 to 8 eggs per day.  Each friend had a 2 day slot.  This was a great opportunity to try fresh eggs and to know where they came from.  I could enjoy my over-easy eggs without fear.  My top question though, was do fresh eggs taste better than store bought eggs?

Each person to whom I posed the question assured me that fresh eggs do taste better, but when asked to describe how, they were unable to put it into words.   So I was full of anticipation and curiousity when my turn came to feed the chickens and collect the eggs. 

On the first day, we collected these eight eggs.  Although the photograph doesn't show it, the none of the eggs were white.  Three were sort of a green-blue-grey color, while the rest were tan or brown.

The only day that I have the time to actually cook eggs for breakfast is on Saturday.  So we had to wait a few days before we could enjoy the fresh eggs.  How did they taste?  I scrambled two for my husband B, and had a couple over easy for myself.  Our conclusion was...

... they taste like eggs.  Perhaps because of the great anticipation, I was expecting something earth-shakingly different.  Neither of us noticed anything different.  Our impression was that they were good eggs, but just eggs.  How deflating.  I guess I was expecting some sort of egg-epiphany.

The following weekend, I decided to be a little more scientific in my approach.  I cooked one store bought egg and one fresh egg.  Upon a side-by-side comparison, I finally got it.  Next to the fresh egg, the store bought egg was decidedly bland tasting.  I was surprised that there was a marked difference.  The fresh egg still tasted like I expected a good egg to taste.  Next to the fresh egg, the store bought egg tasted like cardboard. 

I guess it is like pizza.  If you regularly ate Domino's pizza, you would not think much about the taste of the pizza.  It would be pizza.  If you later have a slice of Blondie's pizza, you would just think it is a good pizza such as you would expect a pizza to taste like.  If you had a Blondie's and a Domino's side-by-side, then you would really notice the difference.  If you were accustomed to having Blondie's regularly and then tried a Domino's pizza, you would conclude the Domino's is bland and tasteless.  If you never had Blondie's, you would not know what you were missing.

So with the eggs.  The fresh eggs are probably more nutritious.  I now know they are more flavorful.  They are probably more safe to eat over easy or in ceasar salad dressings.  Maybe some day when my kids are older and require less of my focus, I will consider having my own chickens.  But as for me right now, I guess I will have to stick with my bland-risky-store bought eggs.  Unless my neighbor decides to go out of town and wants us to feed her chickens. ;-)

Crafts for the Masses Part 4 -- Fortune Cookie Conversation Starters/Game

This was a fun craft we did with our MOPs group last February when Valentines day and Chinese New Year celebrations coincided.  This was based upon a craft I found on the Martha Stewart website at http://www.marthastewart.com/article/felt-fortune-cookies-from-the-martha-stewart-show.  I made several modifications to fit our groups time and budget limitations.  Also, I decided to use craft foam because it looks much more realistic and was easier for us to work with than felt as used by Martha Stewart.  We also provided our group with some pre-printed "fortunes"-- which were conversation starter questions or acts of service they could perform for their spouse.  To play this game, the players could choose either a conversation starter question (truth/share) or an action (dare/serve), and either answer the question or perform the required act.  At the end of the instructions below, I will include some of the "fortunes" we used.

Fortune Cookie Truth or Dare/Serve or Share Game Instructions

Supplies:

3" diameter cardboard circle template
ball-point pens
9x12 Red Foam sheet
9x12 Hot Pink Foam sheet
4 red pipe cleaners
paper "fortune" inserts
wire handled box
Sharpie markers
scissors
Fabri-tac (or hot glue gun)
paper cutter

1. Create template by using a compass or any household object with a 3" base (glass ware, jars, containers) and draw a 3" circle onto cardboard (you can use an empty cereal box or any other cardboard you might have around the house).

2. Using template and pen, draw circles onto the foam sheets.
3. Cut out foam circles to form your "cookie"

4. Cut pipe cleaners into 2 and 1/2 inch pieces.
5. Put a line of Fabri-tac along the center of each "cookie" (you could use hot glue instead of Fabri-tac for this step, but we chose Fabri-tac to avoid burnt fingers.)  Press a pipe-cleaner onto the Fabri-tac line, press down to adhere. Repeat for each "cookie."

6. While you are letting the pipe-cleaners dry onto the "cookies" cut out your paper "fortune" inserts.
7. Decorate your wire-handled box with Sharpie markers if desired.

8. Make sure your Fabri-tac is completely dry.  Fold your "fortune cookies." To fold, take one "cookie," roll both sides in toward the pipe-cleaner in the middle. At the same time, fold the "cookie" in half, bending the pipe-cleaner.

9. Insert the paper "fortune" in the "cookie."

Here are some of the questions and "dares" we included as fortunes in the cookies.  Some of these questions were taken from the MOPs book, Life on Planet Mom.

What is your proudest accomplishment? What are you proud of right now?

When was the moment you first knew you loved me?

What challenge would you like to meet in the next year? Can we challenge each other to meet our personal goals?

If you could choose another career, what would it be?

If you were a billionaire, what charities would you give money to? Can we give a small amount to each of those over the coming year?

What do you think defines an excellent marriage? How can we get closer to that ideal?

Do you know what I appreciate most about you?

Describe your ideal day to me. Can we make it happen for you in the next three months? Can we schedule it in? Can we do the same for me?

If money were no object, what are the top three places you would like to see in the world? Can we start saving a little money to see one of those in the coming years?

What is the scariest thing you have ever done? Would you do it again?

Tell your sweetheart “I love you” in at least three different languages.  See how many different languages you can come up with.

Get some lotion and rub it into your sweetheart’s hands for two minutes per hand.

Make your sweetheart a favorite beverage and bring it to her/him.

Make a snack for your sweetheart and bring it to her/him.

Give your sweetheart a ten minute shoulder rub.

Give your sweetheart five kisses in five different places.

Give your sweetheart a bear hug.

Get a basin, towels and soap and wash your sweetheart’s feet.

Your sweetheart gets to assign you one 15-minute task or favor to do this week.

On the next Saturday or Sunday, give your sweetheart 30-minutes of alone time to herself/himself to nap or do whatever she/he desires.

Crafts for the Masses Part 3 - Ribbon Memo Boards

Some people refer to these as "French" memo boards, but I don't know if they have any origin in France.  Perhaps I should call them "Freedom" memo boards.  (But I guess "freedom fries" never caught on, so that might not work."  ;-p)  These are handy for displaying pictures or keeping notes.  If you use a seasonal fabric, these boards could be a good way to display Christmas cards.  You could also find fun kids fabrics to coordinate with the decor of your kid's room.

Supplies needed:

1. 15” x 20” Fabric

2. 13” x 18” quilt or craft batting

3. 3/8” wide ribbon (8 feet)

4. 10” x 15” Foam board

5. Buttons or embellishments (optional)

6. Hot glue

7. Duct tape

8. Glue dots (optional)

9. Picture hanger

We purchased the foam board at Michael’s. They come in 20” x 30” boards and we cut them into four boards for our project. We purchased the picture hangers at OSH.  For the fabric, we got donations of remnants from various members of our group.  There were many women who had odd bits of fabric that worked perfectly for our project.  You can also find "fat quarters" of fabric on sale (usually used by quilters) that are the perfect size for this project.

Instructions:

1. Place fabric wrong side facing up on table.

2. Place batting in center of fabric.

3. Place foam board in center of batting.

4. Attach batting and fabric to board using glue gun or duct tape.  It works best if you attach one side, then attach the opposite side, pulling the fabric and batting firmly, but evenly across as you glue or tape.

5. Take your ribbon and cut two 22” strips and four 13” strips.

6. Use the two long ribbons to form and “X” on the front of the memo board. Secure the “X” by hot gluing or taping it onto the back side of the board.

7. Use the four shorter ribbons to form a diamond pattern on the front of your board. Secure the diamond by attaching the ends of the ribbons with hot glue or duct tape onto the back side of the board.

8. Put strips of tape along the border of the back of the board to completely cover the fabric and ribbon ends.

9. Using either hot glue or glue dots, tack down the ribbon to the fabric and the ribbons to each other at each point where the ribbons cross.

10. If desired, use hot glue to attach buttons or embellishments to the points where the ribbons cross on the front of the board.

11. Attach a picture hanger to the back of the board using a dot of hot glue.

If you want to "upgrade" this project, you can use an artist's canvas for the backing instead of foam board.  You would then use a staple gun, upholstery tacks, or small nails to secure your batting, fabric and ribbons to the canvas frame.

Crafts for the Masses Part 2 - Glass Tile Pendant Necklaces

Who doesn't love jewelry?  Glass tile pendant necklaces was one of the favorite crafts we did last year.  They are amazingly easy to make and look great.  Here are pictures of some of the necklaces.

On the top left is "mom" in simplified Chinese, the neckace under
it is "faithful."  The first character represents a person standing by
their word, the second character represents the heart.

Here is what we used to make them:

1.  7/8” clear glass tiles
2.  Medium silver plated aanraku bails
3.  E6000 adhesive
4.  Diamond Glaze
5.  Silk ribbon necklaces
6.  Paper designs
7.  Cotton swabs
8.  Emery board/nail file

Instructions:

1.   Using a cotton swab, lightly cover the back (rough side) of the glass tile with Diamond Glaze.

2.   Attach the paper with the print side facing the rough side of the glass tile.  Lightly tap the back of the paper a few times to minimize air bubbles and let dry.

3.   Place a drop of E6000 on the aanraku bail and carefully attach to the back of the glass tile (which is now covered with your paper design).  Be sure to center it.  Allow to dry (minimum 5 minutes, overnight is best).

4.  Use an emery board to file away any excess paper on the sides of the pendant.

5.   Cover the entire back of the pendant with another light coat of diamond glaze to seal the paper to the pendant.

6.  When dry, string necklace through the charm and enjoy!

The cheap generic cotton swabs (i.e. not Q-Tip brand) work best for this application because they are less absorbent and don't unravel when wet.

We obtained the glass tiles, aanraku bails and Diamond Glaze on EBay. Our source was http://stores.ebay.com/Those-Sweet-Sensations?_rdc=1. (If you are making just a few, the website for Diamond Glaze offers a free sample at http://www.diamondglaze.com/sample.html.) E6000 adhesive is available at most craft stores, including Michael’s. (Some websites and sellers offer super-glue instead of E6000, but I would not recommend super-glue. Super-glue gets brittle when it dries and would easily just snap off. E6000 when it dries is more elastic and will work better for jewelry applications.) We obtained the silk ribbon necklaces on EBay as well. There are many different sources for the silk ribbon necklaces available on EBay. They can be found by searching “silk ribbon necklaces.” Most ship from China, so be aware of shipping costs and times. In addition, for the necklaces we purchased, we had to re-crimp the ends to keep the ribbons from separating from the metal ends. In retrospect, we should also have added a drop of E6000 adhesive to the crimp ends of the necklaces for extra hold.

There are sources on Etsy.com and EBay for pre-made paper designs.  We made our own with nice scrapbooking paper and a laser printer.  We printed mom in many different languages.  We also printed designs with words like love, faith, hope, believe, smile, laugh, and live.  If you use an ink-jet printer, then you may want to prevent the ink from smearing with something called Micro-Glaze (made by the same company as Diamond Glaze).  It is a somewhat waxy coating that will help set the ink.  You can purchase a paper punch (also available from the same E-Bay source listed above) which will punch 7/8 inch squares, or you can use scissors to cut out your paper.

Waste Not -- Reuse For the Sake of the Environment and Your Wallet

During my post-partum  hospital stays, the hospital gave me certain standard hospital supplies to use: a plastic wash basin, a pitcher for water, and a squirt bottle for rinsing "down there."  If I had not taken these items home with me upon discharge, they would have been discarded by the hospital.  By re-using these items, I am benefitting the environment and saving money. 

The plastic wash basin came in handy to soak the inevitable baby diaper blow-outs.  Before you have a baby, you have no idea how often this can happen.  Strangely, it seems to happen most frequently just as you are about to attempt to go out somewhere with the baby.  The plastic wash basin is the perfect size to fill with water, detergent and the dirty clothes to soak.  Other ways you can use the wash basin: 1) for your own hand washables; 2) pour in some corn meal and throw a few small toys inside and you have an instant indoor mini sandbox when you need some new entertainment for those rainy days inside; 3) during summer, take it outside and fill with a little water and a few toys and you have a mini water table for babies or toddlers; 4) as a storage bin for small toys or blocks.

The water pitcher, in addition to its obvious use as a pitcher, is perfect for use in the bath.  Just remove the top cover and it is perfect for washing your child's hair. It can also be used as a sand play toy.

I have used the squirt bottle to water my plants.  I also keep one in the trunk of my car to rinse dirty hands, feet or shoes before the kids get into the car after playing at a playground.  It is especially useful when they have been playing in a sandbox, or they have somehow found mud to play in (if there is mud to be found somewhere at a playground, they will find it).  It's also handy for rinsing dirt from scraped knees or elbows before you apply neosporin and bandages. 

I am sure if you think about it, you can come up with other ways to reuse these or similar items that would otherwise be part of the hospital trash.  Save the environment and save money too.

Crafts for the Masses Part 1 -- Tote Bags

For the past year, I have been a Creative Activities Coordinator for my local MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers (see http://www.mops.org/ for more info) group.  Last year we had approximately 100 women in our group.  It was a challenge to plan and prepare crafts for the women that would be within budget (less than $3.00 per craft), take less than an hour to complete, easy for non-crafters, as well as interesting and useful.  The projects we did were: laminated chore charts, tote bags, glass tile pendant necklaces, foam fortune cookie sharing game, and ribbon memory boards.  Over the next few weeks, I will post the instructions and pictures of the crafts.  I'll post the tote bags first, simply because I have the pictures ready.

Tote Bags:

Supplies needed:

Blank canvas tote bags

Sharpies (r) markers

Stencils

Blank tote bags can be pricey at a craft store like Michael's, but we were able to find reasonable prices and quality online from ingreetings.com, located in S.F. 

We got Sharpies in a variety of colors from Costco, 12 pack for about $12.

We bought stencils from Michael's. 

The Sharpies did wick (bleed) a little on the edges of the stencil design, creating a sort of shadow effect.  Some people didn't care for that look and used paint instead.  I preferred the Sharpies.

Balloons in your Suitcase

A few things I have found to be handy when traveling with young kids:

1) Balloons- easy to pack (un-inflated of course) a few of these in your suitcase and blow them up and toss them around with your kids in the hotel room. They are cheap and easy entertainment and they won't break the furnishings.

2) Washable crayons and a notebook or blank paper- for in the car/plane or at a restaurant.

3) Mini-whiteboard and dry-erase markers- a variation of #2, but the novelty/variety helps keep the kids interested, and you'll spare the trees.  I recently found dry-erase crayons at Target.

4) Plastic cups- once at your destination, if you go out to eat and get plastic cups with your meal, save them. They can be useful for kids to play with in the tub or to rinse their hair when you are bathing them.

5) Ziploc bags- all sizes. Large ones are handy for wet swimsuits or otherwise soiled clothes.  In addition to using them to transport soiled clothes, you can also wash or soak them in the bags.  This is especially handy if the sink in your hotel room doesn't have a working stopper to allow you to soak/wash in the sink.  Smaller sized ziplocs are handy for snacks or unfinished food that you might want to save for later.

6) Small binder clips- you can use them to clip a napkin or paper towel  to your child's collar for an improvised bib.  You can also use them to close keep unfinished snack bags to save for later.  You can usually find a box of binder clips with an assortment of fun colors at any office supply store or a mass merchandiser like Target.