#MomHacks -- Sick in the Car

Red solo cup, I fill you up

Let's have a party, let's have a party

In my life as a mom, I esteem the red solo cup quite highly.  It let's me entertain with less dishes, can be used for crafts, planting sunflower seeds and many other assorted uses.  However, today's #momhack is meant to highlight my most helpful use of the red solo cup.

Red Solo Cup = car vomit receptacle AKA "the sick cup"

Kids getting sick in the car is just about one of the worst things that can happen in day-to-day life, especially if they are still in car seats.  All you hear while driving is the heaving sound as you know multiple surfaces and, more than probably, every buckle crevice is being coated in stomach expulsions.  If your family is anything like us, each kid has one carseat with no spare since you've got the one family car.  Which means that you either have to deal with the stench for awhile or immediately change your plans and execute a deep clean of the fouled carseat.  No matter which you have to do, those buckles, straps and crevices are going to have to be cleaned and it's never pretty.

Enter the red solo cup.

I keep a couple in my center console.  The minute any audible indication of being unwell is made, the cup gets passed/tossed back to the child.  Obviously, not the easiest concept for the younger children but even my two year old has successfully told me "I don't feel good" in time that the majority of her vomit ended up in the cup. 

So, next time you are having the type of party where one of your children is filling up a red solo cup, I wish you well and stand with you in solidarity!

#MomHacks -- Diaper Bag (or Purse) organization

Snacks -- if you're a mom, your bag of choice whether it be a purse or diaper bag or just the cubbies of the minivan is bound to have snacks in them.  How do you keep your snacks organized and in good condition?

I've got three #momhacks that have given me so much peace of mind when it comes to snacks and eating out with kids.

#MomHack 1 -- Large Portable Snack Container
Crystal Light, bless them, makes hard sided containers that their powdered drink mixes come in.  They have a nice tight fitting lid and aren't crushable when shoved to the bottom of a bag.  And, they perfectly fit a squeeze applesauce and cereal bar!!

#MomHack 2 -- Small Portable Snack Container
I've mentioned before how I like to reuse an old Snappies breastmilk storage container for measuring laundry detergent but they also make a great small snack container.  Hello, Cheerioes or Goldfish!  I keep one of these in our diaper bag and one in my purse because, let's face it, sometimes mom needs a snack too ;-)

#MomHack 3 -- Bendy Straw Holder
Unless the only restaurant you frequent is Chick-Fil-A (bless them for bendy straws and placemats!) you've run into the scenario where your child is given a drink in a cup with a giant straw and the first thing they do, tip the cup toward them to be able to drink from the straw, you shudder imagining the lid tumbling to the ground and the contents emptying on your child's lap.  For that reason, I carry my own bendy straws...in a travel toothbrush container!  My mom thought of this one and I am forever thankful.

What tips and tricks do you have for surviving outings with little ones?  What go to item do you keep in your diaper bag/purse?

#MomHacks -- Kids' Art Display

My kids are prolific artists, especially BigSis, so today's #MomHack is brought to you by my desire to not be overrun by artwork but to satisfy the children's desire to have their prize creations displayed in some manner.  Oh, and not to spend alot of money! :-)

Introducing, the Curtain Rod Artwork Display

Materials
- cheap curtain rod ($2-3 at Walmart or Target)
- ribbon
- clothes pins (Dollar Tree)
- hot glue or regular white glue if you have more time and patience than me

Instructions 
- Cut ribbon into assorted lengths.  This will help prevent artwork overlap when hanging.
- Glue one end of the ribbon to the clothes pin.  With the other end, glue the ribbon to itself to form a small loop.
- Once dry, attach the ribbons to the curtain rod by passing the clothes pin end through the loop, forming a sort of slipknot over the rod.
- Mount the curtain rod wherever desired.

When all the display positions are full, the child(ren) must decide to take something down before a new piece of art can go up in its place!  My kids and I also have an understanding that once something is no longer displayed it will very likely end up in the trash or mailed to a grandparent or other family friend.

Happy creating!


 

#MomHacks -- Making the Most of Your Laundry Detergent

I don't know about you but bargain shopping for liquid laundry detergent can be quite mentally challenging.  Maybe I'm overthinking things but I find myself in the detergent aisle debating how to determine best value: price per load or price per ounce.

I've started defaulting to price per load since there are some super-concentrated versions about there that require teeny tiny amount of detergent to get your clothes clean.  With that being said, does that bottle of detergent actually clean the 76 or 150 loads that is claims it will or do you get some number marginally less?  Using the barely legible lines of demarcation on the bottle top to decide how much soap to use is anything but an exact science -- until now!

#MomHacks: Snappies container + rubberband = laundry detergent measurement precision

If you've given birth anytime in the last few years or so you probably have a handful of those 2oz Snappies containers lying around.  My laundry measurement #momhack is quite simple: a Snappies container and a rubber band.  Most laundry detergents will say on the back in the instructions section the actual volumetric measurement for a "normal" load by which their selling labeling is calculated (in the picture it is 1.78oz).  I place my rubber band at this mark on the Snappies container and boom we're in exact measurement business!  If you've got a particularly soiled load, fill above the rubber band line; not so dirty, obviously just use less.

Happy Laundry Days! [since we know there is never just one day of laundry]