Mud Run Boys Party

We had a great time at the Mud Run party for my ten year old boy.  It was a lot of work {for my husband} but a lot of fun.  The party goers (mostly the boys) said what a great party it was over and over again.  The best comment was from my friend.  She told her son to get as dirty as he wanted and to throw all the mud he wanted because she was NEVER going to have a party like this for him!

We are cool parents!

Our invite just said "Bring on the mud!"  I printed it on card stock with a brown background... easy and effective.  We told the invitees to wear something to get muddy, bring a change of clothes, and a towel.  This was a 2 hour party including food, cake, and presents.

We lined a path to the bathroom with Plastic Drop Cloths, 9' x 12' -  a helpful hint to keep the dirt off the floor as much as possible.

I made this DIY Mason Jar hand wipes so they could wash their hands without going inside.

Here are the obstacles we had.  It does help to have some property to dig up.  You could probably do the deeper pits shallow if you needed to keep your grass pretty.

All of our mud was top soil purchased from Walmart.  We did not want to use the sand out of the yard because we did not know what kinds of organisms were living there. {yuck}

We used Caution Tape, 1000' to rope off the course- it added some color and some spunk!

When I say "we" I really me "he".  I coordinated invitations, food and drinks.  :)

This was the slip and slop.  Using plastic sheeting we made a slip and slide that slid right into a pool of mud.  We added a little baby soap to make it super slippery and kept the hose running on it the whole time.  The kids congregated to this even after they were done running.  It was definitely a fun one!

The spider web was not muddy but a way to add an obstacle to the course.  We tied up random strings to two trees.

This is a baby pool filled with night crawlers we purchased from the bait shop.  It was to add a little yuck.  The kids started throwing the worms on each other- quite fun!

This obstacle was like barbed wire.  My son created it with some orange tape.  They had to crawl under the tape in a pile of mud.

This was called the tunnel of yuck.  My husband  used pallets to make the tunnel, threw some old bags of mulch under it and some left over popcorn {?} from the movies.  The mulch really did not smell good during the hot summer day.  He ran a tube sprinkler over the top that continued to  sprinkle down water the entire run.

We also did an over under obstacle using the caution tape.  My husband dug out two pits.  With the caution tape, the kids had to go under into the pit, jump the tape, and then under into another pit.

We added in some tires just to run through also.

Overall, tons of fun!  Some manual labor is involved but this party really does make you cool parents!

*If you are shopping at Walmart, consider site to store or store pick up.  If you shop through Ebates you can get cash back from Walmart (and lots of other companies) and pick up at the store.  **referral link

Flip Flop Wreath

I saw this at Michaels and copied it.  

I am adding a bow later to give it some depth.

DIY Mason Jar Hand Wipes

I love this idea from Clean Mama for Mason Jar Wipes.  

We are having a Mud Run birthday party today.  I do not want those dirty boys and girls running in the house to wash their hands before we eat.  I used the recipe from Clean Mama for the hand wipes so they can wash outside and eat food with out thinking about what is on their hands from the mud.

The recipe on her blog called for citrus castile soap.  I did not think those kids would care if their hands smelled citrusy so I used Aveeno baby soap that I already had in the house.  

Here is what you do for one jar (this is a wide mouth more than a pint mason jar):

• tear off 12 paper towels (I did use the Bounty Dura Towel because they are really thick)
• cut them in half
• individually shove them into the jar (If there is more space, add more!)
• mix 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon baby soap, 1 tablespoon almond oil, 1 tablespoon witch hazel in a measuring cup
• pour into the jar and swish around until all the towels are wet
• drain liquid
• make a cute sign :)
• You could add essential oils for a scent if you would like.  Just a few drops though.

These are good for a week.  A nice way to make wipes for traveling or for a picnic.  Clean Mama also had a recipe for baby wipes and cleaning wipes.

Let me know what you tried!

Citrus Lane Review

This post does include my referral link for Citrus Lane!  We both benefit by you clicking on it.  I get $10 off my next box and so do you!

Today I got my first Citrus Lane box for my 3 month old baby girl.   I used someones link and paid $15 for the box.  The overall idea is a monthly subscription gift service for children with products selected for the age of your child.  You receive 4 or more items each month.  I believe the highest age is 5 but you might want to check before you decide.

I was very pleased with my box.  My little girl got an Iplay sun hat with 50 SPF, Boon "rubber" odd duck, soothing cream from Episencial, and foot therapy cream for me from Susan Brown Baby.  There was also a sample of diaper cream and nourishing lotion from Susan Brown. For the $15, this was definitely a deal.  I felt that the products were well selected for my daughters age and stage.  I liked that the products were useful and high quality.  There were also coupon codes if you wanted to but more products from three of the four companies represented.

I will at least try one more month and see how the products are in the next shipment.  

Citrus Lane does have a Facebook page, but stay away if you want the box to be a surprise.  Not to mention, this month there seemed to be a lot of negative comments which dampened my mood.  However, I have nothing negative to say and think it was well worth the money.  I needed a little sunhat for my girl and this one is perfect!

Remember you can save $10 on your first order for Citrus Lane by using my referral link.

Freezer Meals- A First Try

After being asked to cook a freezer meal for a new mom, I came across the Happy Money Saver blog for 50 freezer meals in a day.  I decided to give it a try.  Since it is the first of the month and the beginning of summer break it seemed like a good time to test it out.
This is what I ended up with:

• 1 pan of chicken enchiladas
• 2 bags of beef barley stew ready for the crock pot
• 2 bags of honey glazed pork chops ready for the grill
• 7 twice baked potatoes (one half failed to make it)
• 2 chicken pot pies (one became tonight's dinner)
• 2 dinners of beef for sandwiches similar to this recipe for french dip sandwiches
• 4 chicken burritos with chicken, Spanish rice, and cheese individually wrapped in waxed paper to be microwaved 
• 2 bags of dough for pizza

I still have a pork roast to cook tomorrow for BBQ sandwiches.  I already froze one meatloaf this week and one chicken tetrazzini.  

I will need to figure out what I spent but for a few meals that are already stocked and ready to go, it was worth it.

And thankfully my husband cleaned up most of the kitchen while I was working.

I started out this morning by cooking the potatoes while I was cooking sausage balls for breakfast Sunday at church.  It was exactly the amount of time to cook breakfast as was needed to cook my potatoes.  Then I put 6 chicken breast in the crock pot with salt and pepper and two beef roast into the oven with a can of coke at 200 degrees before church.  They cooked about 6 hours and were done when we got home for lunch (yes, we ate out right before my cooking marathon).  I also started the pizza dough first thing so I could let it rise twice.  When I got home, I divided the pizza dough into two portions and got it into the freezer.  (By the way, my husband also had to clean out the freezer for me.  With a side by wide freezer, this was tricking getting everything in plus the freezer items we already had.)  

After lunch, I let the meat cool and start assembling one recipe at a time.  It probably took me 4 hours to complete everything.

I am way excited and hoping this will decrease the amount we eat out over the next few weeks.  We will still have breakfast for dinner one night and probably eat out once a week, but I certainly do not have an excuse to eat out for a few weeks!

Easter 2010

I just noticed one of my last posts was last Easter. And look how they have grown!

Oh my... almost a year

How is it that time gets away from us... so much that we forget to blog. Of course, everyone was into blogging there until Facebook became so popular. Now no one even emails, they just post it on a wall. And I do not have a Facebook page, so I never know what is going on... the ways trends change!

Somewhat Healthy? Fried Okra

I know, fried and healthy should not be in the same title! But this is a healthier version of fried okra, if only because of the whole wheat in the breading.

2 slices whole wheat bread (I look for bread without HFCS in it)
1 cup honey nut cheerios
2-4 eggs
1 cup olive oil
okra

Wash and dry the okra and cut into cylinder pieces. Lightly beat eggs in bowl. Add bread and cheerios to food processor and pulse until they are a bread crumb consistency (here I added a few whole wheat crackers because I had them lying around). Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees. Dip okra and cover with egg. Dip into bread crumbs. Cook until golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes). They get nice and crispy if you let the oil heat and not over heat! Turn it down if it starts getting too hot or your okra will not cook!

I used the leftover bread crumbs/egg mixture and made little whole wheat hush puppies (without the rest of the seasonings)- hubby loved them!

Time at the Beach

Since the last few weeks of kindergarten were all about sea life, we have had a ton of conversations about what lives in the ocean, what lives in the lake, and what does a sea anemone feel like. This past weekend we went to the aquarium and the beach and got a lot of touchy feeling experiences. Nothing is better learning that touching a real life sea creature!

A hermit crab

We never figured out what this was!

At the aquarium

New Blog

Hubby started saying how there are not a whole lot of popular sites for real mom tips on decorating, shopping, child rearing, cooking, etc. Well there are a lot, but you have to look real hard. So I am starting my new venture with a new blog (haven't done that for a while).

Everyday Mom Tips

Easy Banana Cake Recipe

My friends at Confection Connection gave me this recipe- an easy fix with over ripe bananas (I added the extra sugar)!
1 box yellow cake mix
2 over ripe bananas
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat oven according to box directions. Smash the bananas in a medium size bowl. Add box mix and add water. Stir all together. Add nuts, reserving 2 tablespoons for topping.

I used a bundt pan for my cake (greased well with olive oil spray). I added the brown sugar and the 2 tablespoons of nuts to the bottom of the pan. Then add the cake mixture. Make sure it is even. Cook according to package directions for a bundt pan.

My son loves this with peanut butter on top.

Initials Inc Starter Promotion for June

I have been a consultant with Initials Inc for over a year now. While I do not do many parties, I do buy lots of product. This month, they are offering a great new promotion for new recruits... The starter kit is $100 and you can personalize everything in it! So when you are done with your Initials Inc business, you have some great products of your own! And- you have only at $250 requirement to sell on a rolling quarter! That is a low amount to sell- enough you can buy on your own or for gifts. If you have ever been interested, now is the time. Leave me a comment and I will help you get started...