The 413 Mom

Easy Upcycle: Firefly Flouride Rinse Pump Bottle

If your kiddos use the Firefly Flouride Anticavity Rinse with the character head pump bottle -- do NOT throw this away when empty. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but don't even put it in the recycle bin. Unlike many single-use pump items, this bottle is so easy to reuse. The character head pump just screws off and you can wash out the inside and prepare it for reuse.

To start, I peeled off the labels and then saturated the bottle with some Goof Off to loosen up the stickers. I filled the bottle itself with hot, hot water to loosen the adhesive from the back too. After a bit of scraping, all of the stickiness was gone.

And, voila! An upcycled hand sanitizer pump ready for playdates, classroom, or anywhere kids hang out. The pump stick is so side it would also work well for lotion, hand soap, paint, or any other thick liquids kids use. As we all know, characters make using any product more fun. 

A few words of caution:

1) Obviously, you want to remove the rinse cup that comes with the original bottle so nobody gets confused and thinks its mouthwash (I actually came up with this upcycle idea when a house guest saw the flouride rinse in the bathroom and assumed it was hand soap and was confused why his hands were so sticky). 

2) Don't use the same color soap as whatever mouthwash your kiddos use (unlike I did). My eight-year-old is old enough to know which dispenser is soap and which is fluoride rinse, and we keep one pump in the bathroom and the other on the kitchen counter, but for an extra layer of caution be sure to very different colors. 

Original bottle looks like this in-store. The product retails for about $3.

Enjoy! #reuse #recycle #upcycle #loveMamaEarth

Tips for parents working from home as seen on Mass Appeal

Working from home is all the rage! Glad to offer some advice on today's Mass Appeal show for those parents for whom work from home is a brand new experience. It was funny to have Mass Appeal on MY couch for a change! You can watch the whole clip here. 

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe #diy #momwin

I ran out of dishwasher detergent today and a trip to the store was not on the agenda. Tried this homemade solution and it worked perfectly!

Just add to the machine’s soap dispenser cup: 

• 3 drops of regular dish soap
• Fill the cup 2/3 with baking soda
• Fill the remaining 1/3 with table salt
•Run the machine as usual 

I've run two loads of dirty dishes today and both came out shiny clean! I'm so delighted to have found something that works and doesn't require a separate trip to the store. Hope it works for you as well! 

PRO TIP TUESDAY: Fancy glasses for bathroom rinse cups #happykids #healthyteeth

PRO TIP: buy your kid the little fancy clear crystal plastic cups at Dollar Tree to use as rinse cups in the bathroom. Tooth brushing battles will just disappear. (A buck for a package of 5 of these gems...best $ ever spent). 😃 #momwin #dollartreefinds

Stay Holiday Ready with Biz Stain Fighter

Thanksgiving was amazing -- a house full of family given and chosen; so so much food; and all the laughs. It was a perfect day. The only fallback is that my favorite tablecloth barely survived. It was gross, y'all. There was coffee, sweet potato casserole, turkey grease and gravy. At least those were the stains I could identify. 

This is the only tablecloth I have that fits my "guest" table -- the size of my dining room table with all the extenders in place. I did NOT want to have to buy a new one before Christmas which is when we host the next big, family meal. I have enough to shop for this time of year. Biz Stain Fighter to the rescue:

 

I pre-treated as many of the glops as I could find. I just poured a bit of the stain treatment directly on the offending food and rubbed it in a bit. I let it sit for about a half hour and then added another capful of Biz to the wash along with some regular detergent, chose a warm water cycle and and hoped for the best. And hooray, hooray! LOOK:

 

All better! Ready for the next big holiday meal. I'm seriously in love with this stain fighter.

BIZ Liquid:  

• Cleans up to 80% BETTER than detergent alone
• MORE STAIN FIGHTERS than other brands
• Fights tough stains BETTER THAN OXI CLEAN guaranteed!
• Contains a UNIQUE blend of enzymes which quickly dissolves stains and odors
• Made with BIODEGRADABLE surfactants (a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved)

You can learn more about this little miracle product here. Locally, you can find BIZ Liquid Stain Fighter at Wal Mart and you can even download a coupon for $1 off.  Your holiday laundry will thank you! 

*Photos by Eden Berry

When you're too BIZy making messes...

I've never been the type of mom to worry whether someone got dirty. I don't often complain about muddy knees. Or glitter on the carpet. Or marker covered shirt cuffs. Fortunately, I actually enjoy doing laundry. However, I don't always get to it right away. We might be too busy cleaning up a river, painting a masterpiece, or chasing a muddy dog. 

Which is why my go-to laundry savior is BIZ Liquid Stain Fighter. It's a super simple laundry booster -- it helps any laundry detergent work harder. Just add a capful to any load. It also works as a great pre-treater (when I remember) applied directly to a clothing stain. BIZ works on all types of stains: blood, grass, paint, grape juice, chocolate, mud...whatever a creative/outdoorsy family can dish out. 

 

BIZ Liquid:  

• Cleans up to 80% BETTER than detergent alone
• MORE STAIN FIGHTERS than other brands
• Fights tough stains BETTER THAN OXI CLEAN guaranteed!
• Contains a UNIQUE blend of enzymes which quickly dissolves stains and odors
• Made with BIODEGRADABLE surfactants (a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved)

Pre-treat stains directly with BIZ liquid by wetting the area with warm water and applying BIZ. Rub gently and wait 5-10 minutes then wash as usual. Or, add BIZ to every load to boost the power of your detergent.

You can learn more about this little miracle product here. Locally, you can find BIZ Liquid Stain Fighter at Wal Mart and you can even download a coupon for $1 off.  Your laundry will thank you! 

DEAL ALERT: Dinnerly -- the deliciously affordable meal kit delivery service *FREE shipping on first order*

I’ve often wondered about the boxed meal delivery kits available – there are great incentives out there to give them a try…but then I think, who needs help cooking dinner? I cook dinner for my family just about every single night the old-fashioned way: buying ingredients at the grocery store, pulling a recipe out of my head and making a meal. How can a meal kit make it any different?

But then Dinnerly asked me to try out their service. And curiosity got the best of me. Because maybe there is a better way to do things.

I picked out three recipes to try from their collection:

• Grass fed beef burgers with fried pickles and tangy slaw
• Crispy chicken fingers with honey mustard and green beans
• Pork Souvalki meatballs with romaine and toasted pita salad

Maybe, like me, you're wondering how this works? Please allow me to enlighten you. Once you're registered with the subscription delivery service, you can place your order online and pick your delivery window. My Dinnerly box arrived right as expected around 5:00 p.m. on the day promised. I had already planned a meal for that night so I unpacked all of the food items and put the perishables away. One of the gel ice blocks in the box had burst and melted making a bit of a mess but all of the ingredients arrived in excellent condition. I was excited to try out the recipes the next day!

Neat things about Dinnerly:

• Recipes include six ingredients and only five steps or less for simplicity's sake
• All recipes require minimal chopping as the goal is "package to table in 30 minutes or less"
• Their recipe cards are only found online
• The cost is only $5/serving and is designed with quick weeknight cooking in mind
• With the subscription service, customers will receive a chilled box with fresh, seasonal ingredients to make three simple meals. You can skip a weekly shipment at any time -- there is no quantity requirement.

 

I eagerly tried out all of the the recipes which were delicious (we ate every bite). I found the Dinnerly recipes truly easy to follow and I appreciated that they encouraged me to use new ingredients -- I had never made lamb meatballs before. Also new to me: fried pickles. The recipes are broken down into logical steps so you feel confident that everything will indeed be ready in 30 minutes or less. While I enjoyed all of the meals, the chicken fingers were my favorite because I have the palate of a first grader and could eat chicken fingers daily. The honey mustard sauce was delish and the chicken came out perfectly crispy. 

I also appreciated the simplicity of the ingredients and recipe steps as it made it easy for the kids to help me prep dinner. Dinnerly kits would be a great introduction to cooking for kids who want to be more independent in the kitchen. I can also see Dinnerly being a great gift for the elderly who still love to cook but may have mobility issues which make it difficult to get to the store for groceries. These meal kits really are a great intergenerational fit for the whole family. 

While I’m not a person who needs inspiration to cook dinner – I do it every day – I do appreciate that the Dinnerly recipes encouraged me to try slightly different ingredients than I would chose myself. And the meals were delicious. I will try the service again when I one of those pesky cooking ruts hits and I need inspiration for something new. 

I’m grateful to have given Dinnerly a try. The only drawback for me is the waste associated with a meal delivery service. I was able to recycle about 60% of the packaging that arrived with the kit. I would estimate that I’m able to recycle about 90% of food packaging for meal items I purchase at the grocery store as I shop with minimal waste as a goal. 

Dinnerly pricing plan is as follows:

A couple box containing 3 meals that will feed two adults for $30.00, plus $8.99 shipping.
A family box containing 3 meals that will feed four adults for $60.00, plus $8.99 shipping.

Right now you can get FREE delivery on your first Dinnerly order by following the links on their Facebook or Instagram. 

Especially with the free shipping deal, the Dinnerly kits really are an affordable dinner option. I hope you enjoy the meals as much as we did. 

 

Find missing LEGO build instructions at WorldBricks.com! #LEGOlife

Did you even KNOW that WorldBricks.com catalogues old LEGO design page?! File this under amazing! #legolife #unpluggedfun

DIY holiday storage (elf on the bookshelf...literally)

Our holiday book collection is a a bit out of control (shocker) and every year I struggle with how to keep the books accessible and organized. Can't believe I didn't think of this until today so I'm sharing here in case this not-so-genius-solution-right-under-my-nose is helpful to someone else.

Gather together your out of control holiday collection (AKA that pile of Santa hats and reindeer antlers, holiday stuffed animals or those seasonal Little People or Plamobil sets). 

Find yourself a sturdy lidded box. Wrap the box in some lovely festive wrapping paper. 

Corral collection inside lovely wrapped box and voila: instant, festive storage! (Elf butt on top is optional). Now we can find our holiday faves whenever the mood strikes but they're not scattered all over the living room. And the book collection is ready to go back into storage when the holidays are over. Easy peasy! #raisingreaders #stayorganized #upcycle

 

How To: Turn a Girl Scout vest into a pillow #girlscoutpride #upcycle

Proud Girl Scout Mom moment! Eden recently bridged up from a Junior Girl Scout to a Cadette, which brings a change in uniform. She loved her patch adorned Junior vest so much and didn't want to just file it away in a memory box. So we decided to turn it into a decorative pillow. The project was easier than I thought and didn't require any special supplies. I just upcycled items from around the house. Here's how:

1. Reinforce any patches on the vest that may be coming loose with a quick stitch around the edges of the patch. 

 2. Choose fabric for a pillow cover. Instead of buying new we used a worn Girl Scout themed t-shirt.  

 3. Choose a pillow form. Doesn't have to be new -- again, we found an underutilized one in the house. 

 4. Prepare the pillow cover. We turned the t-shirt inside out and stitched across the top and down the sleeve openings to create a rectangular pillow 'case.'

 5. Next, we turned the t-shirt inside right and tucked the pillow form inside.  

 6. Then we tucked in the tail of the t-shirt, pinned a seam and stitched. 

7. Once the pillow cover was complete we wrapped the vest around the pillow and tucked and pinned until it had a nice shape. We made sure all of the patches were nicely displayed. (Although not shown here, her vest also had patches on the front). Finally, we stitched around the edges of the vest to secure it to the pillow. 

 

 9. Ta-da! A lovely keepsake for your Girl Scout! 

I hope you enjoy this project as much as we did. I love that we didn't need to purchase any supplies and yet here we have renewed life for her beloved vest. #girlscoutsrock #upcycle #cherishmemories