Fruit Flies?!!!
Yes, I am making another post about some pesky pests… but this one is a tip!
First, did you know fruit flies hatch in under 48 hours? Also, one fly can lay about 300 eggs!!!!! Finally, they come in on your fruit… as eggs in the peel. Pretty gross.
Anyway, like many people who have fresh fruit and vegetables, fruit flies seem to run rampant as soon as summer begins. They have been a thorn in my side for years. I tried many different “natural” solutions, but no luck… UNTIL…
Put a piece of fruit (bananas work great) in the bottom of a glass or clean jar (not pickle jar because the odor lingers and the flies won’t be attracted. Then, put plastic wrap over the top of the glass. Make sure it is smoothly sealed down. Then, poke a few holes in the top with a pencil or knife. The flies can crawl in, but can’t figure out how to get out! Just make sure you empty the jar out and start over every other day… before new ones hatch.
The first day we had hundreds!!!! Now, there aren’t any flying around and there are very few going into the glass. Pretty cool!!!!
WARNING: Razor usage
First off, let me note, we do realize you are currently not able to post comments. We are working on this. Please feel free to send me your comments and I will try to add them to the post. I am always interested in what people have to say. My husband assures me we will get this fixed as soon as possible. Meanwhile, send me your thoughts at wondertwinsmom(at)gmail(dot)com
On to my post… lol
I laugh because I feel like a bit of an idiot today. See, my armpits are on fire. They are covered in a burning rash. Yes, TMI, but I post this so you won’t make the same mistake. **insert rolling eyes… at myself***
Months ago my husband wanted to try the “bald” look. He got a special electric razor to make it nice and smooth. I think it is similar to a facial razor, but this one was recommended by another friend who shaves his head bald.
Anyway, DH gave up the bald look, and the razor has been collecting dust. One night I tried it out on my legs. I don’t know about you, but my showers have become record times! I swear I can get in and out, totally washed, in under 2 minutes! I put on Dora… and RUN!!!!! lol
Obviously, the olympic speed showers do not give time for shaving. So, one night I tried his razor on my legs. I was amazed at the job it did! I can now sit with the kids, while they watch TV or something and take care of the cause of scaring kids of a hairy monster! It is a great time saver! I can also take care of any dark patches that appear, without having to take another shower.
So, that in itself is a time saver. However, next comes my mistake.
I knew we were going to the pool today… and though my pit area wasn’t crazy, it wasn’t what I wanted to show if I were in a swim suit. So, last night before bed I thought I would do some quick work with the electric razor. ***WARNING: Electric Razors should NOT be used on arm pits!!!!!!!!!******* It was definitely one of my poorer decisions. I can tell you, the massive razor burn has reminded me several times today. I also had to sleep with my arms over my head last night to not irritate them further.
Lesson learned. AND, being the good person I am, I am forgoing my own self-esteem by sharing this embarrassing story with you. Hey, if I can save one person from this mistake, it is well worth it!!!! lol
Getting your child to eat- The finger game
Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but I am actually posting TWO DAYS in a row!!!!!
A friend of mine found one of my tips helpful and told me to post it on here. So, here it is… hope it helps.
My kids are different eaters. Bree will try just about everything with a little encouragement. The only thing she regularly dislikes is peanut butter. Zane, is like his father. He knows what he likes and sticks to those items. Sometimes, it is hard to get him to eat all together. He is so long and lean… and constantly on the go. So, I came up with a simple game that works really well with him.
I hold up my hand with 5 fingers. He only has to make sure he takes 5 bites. Each time he takes a bit, a finger goes down. Often, he will end up eating more than the 5 bites. However, it is a great visualization for him and he knows that is all that is required. It helps him to have some control, I think.
Anyway, my friend’s child has sensory issues, was a micro-preemie, and has had problems gaining weight. He LOVES this game!!!! She said when he says he is done, after only a couple bites, she asks if he wants to play the “finger game”. He always does… and he always eats at least 5 more bites.
Hope it helps with your picky eater!
A tissue… and tea for two! (or more)
I was recently talking to a mom who’s little girl has a sore throat with her upper respiratory infection. She has not been drinking because her throat hurts. She asked for ideas. So, I passed along these thoughts.
When we, as adults, get sick with a cold or something where are throat hurts, we find a warm drink will often help soothe. That with some honey to coat the throat does wonders!
So, if you are in this situation, have a tea party!!!! Warm peppermint or chamomile tea is tasty. Add some honey to sweeten it up. If your child likes lemon, add some of that too. Your child will feel better and will enjoy having an old fashioned tea party with his/her parent!
(By the way, we don’t have tea cups. So, we just use coffee mugs. That in ITSELF is a novelty for them! lol We also dress up, if they are up to it.)
Removing temporary tattoos
My kids have gotten loads of tattoos this Halloween season. Which is fine with me! I would rather them have some little tattoos, stickers, or playdoh instead of candy.
Well, the other night we went crazy. I let them have as many tattoos as they wanted, which meant their arms were COVERED! We are going to another Halloween party… and guess what they will have? More tattoos!!!!! So, I decided to take the old ones off.
I had heard you could use baby oil, but we don’t have any. Not sure we ever did. I was never too sure about oiling up the babies. (We did use coconut oil massages). So, I got out the olive oil. I rubbed it on the tattoos. Massaged it in a little. And rubbed it briskly with a towel. They came off!!!! No screaming, whining, or squirming… they came right off. And now the kids have smooth soft arms! 
Best invention EVER!!!!!
There are a few things I have found we could not live without. The Ergo and Bob Stroller are two of them. When you have twins, simplicity is everything. These are 2 of the, very few, things we bought outright. I have NEVER regretted either purchase!!!!
Well, here is my 3rd recommendation, the TOT Clock !!!!! This is one of those true finds… once you have it, you don’t know how you ever lived without it!!!!!
As I have posted, we have been having LOADS of trouble getting Zane to sleep or even stay IN his toddler bed. I have put him back repeatedly, offered a reward, all sorts of stuff. The kid just refused to sleep. I was at my wits end!
After some research I found the TOT Clock . I spoke to the company and they agreed to send me one to review. I ordered a 2nd one for Bree because I was so excited about it! We got different faceplates for each of their clocks, that they picked out. Zane got sports and Bree got pink with a rainbow and castle. I felt this would help them buy into the idea and feel ownership. They were both THRILLED!
The features on this thing are AMAZING!!!!! It lights up in different colors to help your child know what they should be doing. Right now we have mostly just been using 3 of the colors. Dark Blue for night time, Light blue for nap, and Yellow for daytime. You can set them for the times and duration you want. Plus, if you are changing the schedule, you can start them when you want!
At first things were a little rough. Being 2, it took awhile for them to understand the concept. BUT, I am happy to say, they both fully understand it now!!!! Their nap setting is set for 2 1/2 hours. Bree has never had much trouble with sleep time, until we gave up the binky. We had a rough couple of weeks. Now, they are both laying in bed until the clock turns yellow again. Most of the time sleeping! They are so proud when they come out and say “Clock is yellow! Time to get up!!!!”
I’m finally having a bit of peace and quiet to myself! Plus, the clock has even MORE to offer! You can set it to tell your child a story, play music, AND have white noise sounds for sleep. In addition, you can program it with a wake up song to wake your child for school. This clock is amazing!!!! Plus, you can plug it in, or put batteries in so you can take it with you if you travel! This is so nice… When we go somewhere, I am always trying to find something to help produce the white noise my kids are use to sleeping with. Now, I can just take this along and their routine isn’t changed!!!!!
Let me tell you about the stories… we have 4 of them. We have the original one that comes with the clock, Goldilocks, Sleeping Beauty, and Tortaise and the Hare. Not only are the kids listening to timeless classics, but the way these stories are created truly help the kids to relax and go to sleep!!!! I was listening to one the other night. The story almost sounded like a meditation CD I have used to get to sleep! It talked about relaxing your body, then during the story it had some slow repetition and the person swinging back and forth… back and forth… back and forth. They have REALLY put some thought into this!!!! Not only are they helping kids learn when to be in bed, how to start reading a clock, and listening to a story, but the kids are also learning how to calm their body and mind! This is something I am JUST NOW learning!!!!!
In conclusion, I can’t say enough good things about the TOT Clock . The product is amazing!!!! In addition, when I first received a clock that had a small flaw, they immediately sent me a new one AND a paid shipping box for the return of the other! They took it right in to examine it so they could avoid having any more problems. In addition, they sent us one of the treasure stories. They have been the best costumer service I have ever worked with!
My opinion, this is a MUST HAVE! It will help with sleep time, time out, night waking, and much more. I don’t know how parents of toddlers can live without it!!!!
Redbox Code
This code expires at midnight tonight. Go out and try redbox with today’s free rental code!!!!
Code: QNGJ7KD
Bye bye Binkies… Here come the BIG KIDS!
So, Zane rarely takes a binky, but Bree has been DEPENDENT on it! We have been talking to them since they started potty training, that binkies are for babies. Yesterday, we really started hitting it hard core. Bree wanted earrings (”like Mommies”). I told her only big girls could wear Earrings.
Naptime for Bree was rough. She didn’t really sleep any. I gave her some “broken binkies”, but that just made her mad.
Tonight we made a family date. I searched the house for all the binkies. We went to the nearby mall. At the suggestion of a friend, we went to build-a-bear and stuffed all the binkies in a Hello Kitty and an owl (minus 2 newer ones… Hey, I was worried and hid them. lol)… It was so funny, because Bree had to suck EVERY SINGLE ONE before it was stuffed into the kitty… but, They were SOOOoooo excited to get new animals!
Then, Bree and I went and got her ears pierced, since only big girls can wear earrings! It was pretty smooth. A little crying on the 2nd ear, but excitement once it was done!
At bedtime, they both went down. Bree cried for a bit and actually told me to “Get them out of Kitties’ BACK!”. But I told her they were gone. DH put a sleep sack on Hello Kitty (like Bree and Zane’s) and she went to right to sleep! I think her falling to sleep so quickly was due to no real nap, but I’m still excited!
Day 1 with no binkies!!!!!
How to vermicompost or make a worm bin.
So, I have had a few people ask about the vermicomposting, or worm composting. This is something we did in my classroom years ago, as composting is part of NCs standard course of study. If you want to build one, here are some basic steps. I learned from Susan, who visited my class years ago and who graciously had us over to her house to build ours yesterday. If you are in the Raleigh, NC area, I advise you to contact her at redhen@nc.rr.com
So, you need:
- newspaper (shredded into 1/2 inch strips… moisten with a spray bottle so they are good and damp).
- 2- 10 gallon solid tubs (you don’t want clear… the light should not go through)
- organic food scraps (peelings, rotting veggies/fruits, coffee grinds, etc)
- Drill
- a brick, piece of styrafoam, tupperware container, or something that can help leave a gap between the two containers
- Worms (We got ours from Susan, but there are sites online where you can find them. Just search: red worms)
Drill holes in the bottom of one of the containers. We drilled about 20-30 holes.
Then drill holes along the top of the same container about 2 inches apart. This creates circulation for air for the worms.
Put the brick or whatever you are using for a spacer, in the bottom of the undrilled bin. Then nest the other in it. This creates a place to catch any moisture that drips from your bin or worms that are on the move (this happens at the beginning sometimes because they are frightened and fleeing).
Layer the drilled bin with about an inch of moist newspaper.
Put the worms, and whatever dirt they have in shipping, on top of the newspaper.
Then, place about an inch of your organic food scraps on 1/2 of the area. This will leave the other half to use the next time. If you put too much, it will not get eaten quick enough.
Cover the entire area with about 1-2 more inches of moist newspaper.
Then, leave the bin in a well lit area for 24/7. They need to get acclimated. The light detours them from wanting to escape. You can keep it in your house. It will not smell. You can put the lid on top to keep animals/kids out. I have left ours open for the moment to keep the light on them.
After a week or so you should see the pile of refuge starting to go down. Once it looks like it is being sufficiently eaten, you can put food on the other half. Do not use meats, cheeses, milk products, etc. Only plant material (fruits, veggies, etc). Don’t let the newspaper get too dry. Though the food should keep it fairly moist, it can sometimes get dry. I use a spray bottle to keep things moist and the worms happy.
Another tip: The worms need to stay between 65-80 degrees. Don’t let the bin be in the direct sun… it will kill them. If the temperature gets below 65 they will stop moving around and eating. I plan on putting our bin in the bathroom closet during the winter (though dh doesn’t know that yet! ;)).
Hope this gives you enough information!!!! Let me or Susan know if you have other questions. Good luck!!!!!
Quick carrot cake pancakes
With money being tight I have been trying to use up all the food in our cupboards, rather than go to the store once a week. So, last week I had to come up with something for breakfast. We were out of the usual yogurt, oatmeal, and cereal. However, I did find a box of instant carrot cake mix.
So, I mixed up the cake mix and added a cup of apple sauce to it. Mixed it up and poured it on the griddle. I tried to make Mickey mouse shapes, but no luck.
The pancakes were DELICIOUS!!!!! Maybe not the healthiest… but I figured it was better than donuts. I gave the kids some fruit and milk with it… Poof! An almost nutritious breakfast! The kids loved it!
