Learning by Play with a Fun Twist

   Learning doesn't (begin or) end at school for little ones. They are constantly learning and developing their mind. So I try to use toys and activities that encourage learning by play in our home. I recently found a wooden color sorting set when researching Montessori toys online....but it was $50. Here's my version using a bead/craft box and some colored construction paper.

   The craft box was $3 at IKEA and the construction paper was an assorted stack of 50 sheets for $2 at Hobby Lobby. I only needed one sheet of each color but you always need construction paper on hand for other projects so I'll use it 1,000 ways, I'm sure. I cut rectangles to fit the bins and used ModPodge to seal them down and coat them. G really liked helping paint the glue inside the box! 

The Fun Twist - To fill the box with small colored trinkets we went on a treasure hunt through the house. This is really exciting for a toddler and you can even dress up like pirates to go the extra mile. G had a blast. We sang the song from Jake & the Neverland Pirates as we "hunted". Great places to look for treasure:

• Kitchen junk (catch-all) drawer
• Bathroom junk (catch-all) drawer
• Laundry room jar of pocket collections
• Nightstand drawers
• Purses or coat pockets 
• Garage or back porch
• Bottom of the toy box
• Sewing Kit

We found an assortment of treasures including recycled caps, buttons, a key chain, magnet, small trinket toys that likely came from trick-or-treating or a party thank you bag, and an awareness wristband. I coupled these items with a bag of colored wooden blocks from Hobby Lobby for $3.

 

The final product was a color sorting box full of colorful knickknacks in various shapes and sizes. We can add to the box as we find more treasures from school, grandparents houses, parties and other adventures :)

Yo-ho mateys away
There'll be treasure and adventure today 
Heave-ho here we go 
Together as a team 
With Jake and the Neverland pirates 
And ME!

Thrifty Toddler Toys

   Kids are creative without much encouragement. They're just born that way. I find that by providing even the most simple toys and activities, they can have fun and develop remarkable skill sets. No need for elaborate toys with dozens of buttons and sounds (although we have a few of those). Many of our toys are Montessori-influenced but many others are thrift finds or hand-me-downs (hmd), which I love and welcome from friends and family. Here are a few of our favorite things!

   Beloved Hand-Me-Downs

   My amazing boss, a mother of 2 boys who have long outgrown trains and dinosaurs, generously brings in toys and clothes from time to time as she cleans and reorganizes the boys' rooms. The train tent above is one of G's favorite things. We fill it with ball pit balls (I snagged a bag of 100 for $10 a while back. Also great for pack-n-play turned ball pit!) and he has a blast. It folds up and hides behind the guest room door for rainy days or special occasions when I need to keep G in one place and occupied for a while like when I'm mopping. 

   The prehistoric tribe below, also a hmd gift from my boss, is another fav. I keep them in the diaper bag sometimes for waiting rooms or entertainment at a restaurant while mom and dad quickly scarf down food. They've been in the pool, the bath tub and sand box.  

   My brother played with these Matchbox cars 40 years ago and they are still in great shape. I've kept them all these years. The case they used to live in has now gone to toy heaven but the cars are going strong. G loves them and they are damn near indestructible. 

    The Lego tub on the right is filled with traditional Legos that my brother and I both played with. They spent many years in my parents' attic at my request, hoping I could one day play with them again with my kids. And here we are :) The MegaBloks I found at a consignment for $5, the whole bag with zipper. I have also invested in some Duplo (toddler size) Lego sets for G at this age. Let me say this about Legos...they are a fantastic buy. They last for decades, literally, and you can do so much with them. They withstand water, sand, mud, pets, toddler boy aggression...you get your monies worth!  

FREE New Toys & Books

   Our local library just had a really cool (free) "Ready to Read, Zero to Three" reading expo with a ton of reading and learning activities. Several of the booths were giving out free items like these cool board books. The Masonic Lodge was doing kid fingerprinting and giving wooden car toys to the kids. 

Thrifty Finds

   When I'm looking for something new to introduce G to, I try to hit the kids section of consignment and thrift stores. There are usually good finds for just a few dollars. My latest project is a DIY play kitchen which I'll post about later. I found an end table to repurpose and lots of tools and utensils for under $30. I also found this stellar wooden activity tray with 6 small compartments on the sides. It is perfect for puzzles and projects that involve small pieces that need to be contained. Also snagged 2 jumbo puzzles for $.50 each - Elmo and Spiderman (2 of G's favs).  

    For a few dollars more, I went to the craft section at Hobby Lobby and bought colorful pipe cleaners and alphabet beads for a fine motor skills activity. I'm also working on a color sorting box that I'll put together using colored beads and knickknacks found at thrift stores. Old costume jewelry beads make GREAT kid-friendly crafts when you take them apart to repurpose the materials. 

Healthy Bodies - A Goldmine for Deals on Vitamins and a TON of Other Stuff

   I recently learned about the amazing website, VitaCost. It is a total gold mine for vitamins, health food products, organic body care products and even pet food and supplies. The items they carry are a fraction of the price of general retail. Here's a few examples:

   I wanted to incorporate coconut oil in my diet but can't find the time or patience to include it in my daily meals. So I went on here to see if there's a coconut oil vitamin option and *bam*...softgels! I also recommended this to my dad for my mom because she has Alzheimer's and there's been a surge in research indicated coconut oil can really help stall or even reverse some of the effects of the disease. So now we all take it. $9.29 for 120 gels. This is 2/3 the price of most vitamin stores.

   My mom also takes B12 and I began taking it for an extra dose of energy while I'm fighting the woes of the third trimester and juggling life in general. The best way to ingest B12 is under the tongue. The body absorbs it much quicker and more efficiently. B12 drops are hellaexpensive. But, not on this site. There are drops and also quick dissolve tablets in a variety of dosage amounts but for comparison purposes, 1,000 mcg per dose 4 ml. bottle of drops is $11.50 here vs. $21.99 at other vitamin stores. I'm a gummy vitamin kind of girl so the berry flavored quick dot dissolve tabs are my choice for B12.

   My dad takes CoQ10 for his heart. This vitamin provides energy to large muscles like the heart, which my dad needs to battle Atrial Fibrillation. This vitamin is outrageously expensive. Before we found this site, my dad was paying $45 for 80 capsules, 200mg. We found them on here, 120 capsules for only $22.50. AND this one was free shipping. Read more about that perk below.

   My favorite find was Earth Mama Angel Baby organic herbal products. I LOVE these products but they can be pricey if you order them directly from the site, or even get them at Target. By chance I found them on here and they are 40% off retail price. EMAB brand carries every kind of body care product for expecting and postpartum mamas and for babies. There's even a morning nausea spray and a breastfeeding tea! You can use the products to remedy things other than what's recommended. For example, the C-Mama Healing Salve is also wonderful for any kind of scar, severe rash or burn. The Bottom Balm is not just for diaper rash but also soothing to thrush, itchy bug bites, scrapes, chicken pox, moderate rashes and burns.

I don't know how this site makes money but I know is saves me money!

A couple really cool things about this site:

• If you sign up (no cost) and place an order, please use my referral link. I get $10 off my next order and SO DO YOU! Then you will get a referral code to share with your friends and get another $10 off for each of you. 
• If you select the VitaCost brand, many of them are BOGO or BOGO 50% off. There are several brands of almost everything they carry. If the active ingredients are the same, get the deal. 
• Some items offer FREE SHIPPING. If you have just one of these "free shipping" items in your cart, your entire order receives free shipping. 

GET HEALTHY AND START SAVING!

   

Cut Health Costs with Essential Oils

   I've been a big fan of essential oils for a few years now - for medicinal, aromatherapy and cleaning purposed. Honestly, when I first looked into it, I passed on the idea of a tiny $40 vile of scented oil as a remedy for anything serious. But all these moms and bloggers and pinners around me were swearing by it, pledging allegiance to the effectiveness of them. I did some more research and got my foot in the door with this hidden gem website: Bulk Apothecary. In addition to 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils (at a fraction of the price of Young Living and doTERRA), they sell carrier oils, containers, soaps and raw ingredients like sugars and salts. You can by coconut oil from that site at a great price, but I also found big canisters of organic coconut oil at Sam's Club which I prefer because you save on shipping the heavy oil.
   I started with basic oils that are multipurpose like lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemon. With these four, you can make a ton of illness remedy blends and cleaning supplies. You need only scour the internet for recipes and get started with trial and error. I also invested in beginner book that includes recipes and uses for each oil.
   ***Not only is there a big savings by using the apothecary site I listed above for oils, but also in eliminating costs for expensive over-the-counter medicines and household cleaners.

   ***Facts about coconut oil: It is a solid balm-like consistency at room temperature. When heated, it turns to a liquid oil (which I do for mixing purposes) and then returns to a solid when cooled. It makes a really effective balm/rub and has incredible health properties all by itself making it the best carrier oil there is. Now, fractionated coconut oil comes as a liquid oil and will remain that way. So depending on what kind of product you intend to make, be sure to pay attention when choosing the form of coconut oil. Also be sure to get refined so it is odorless. Coconut scent isn't great with everything.

   Here are a few of my favorite recipes I have tried, tweaked and now swear by. These products also make great gifts.

   Bedtime Rub: Coconut oil (8 oz), 15 drops lavender, 15 drops cedarwood. These 2 oils have relaxing and sedative properties that sooth children (and adults) to sleep. I use it on G after bath time every night. It smells delicious.

   Hormone Balance: Coconut oil (8 oz.), 15 drops clarysage, 10 drops jasmine, 10 drops bergamont. These three oils all target PMS and menopause symptoms, balance hormone production and alleviate symptoms of moodiness, cramping and breast tenderness. This rub is also helpful during pregnancy, postpartum and when weaning from nursing as all of those events cause hormone fluctuation. Clarysage has been discovered as the "go to" oil for baby blues, postpartum depression and many other reproductive-related issues.

   Bug Off Spray: Equal parts water and witch hazel in an 8 oz spray bottle, 15 drops tea tree, 10 drops citronella, 10 drops cedarwood. Witch hazel has no odor but is great as a drying agent in a spray like this, similar to alcohol. It also has healing elements and is used to treat skin rashes, diaper rash, sores, etc. The woodsy smell of tea tree, citronella and cedarwood is what detracts the bugs. This spray smells pretty good and is really effective when applied thoroughly and often when outdoors.

   Fever/Cough Buster: Coconut oil (4 oz.), 10 drops peppermint, 10 drops eucalyptus. Peppermint is the best natural remedy for fevers. Its cooling quality is impressive. I've used peppermint rub on Grady to break a fever that Tylenol/Motrin couldn't touch. After picking him up from school with a 100.5 fever that wouldn't come down after meds, I slathered him in peppermint oil and nursed him. Within 5 minutes he broke a sweat and it was gone. Earth magic. Eucalyptus is amazing for all things respiratory - asthma, bronchitis, congestion of any kind. These two oils together have become by cure all for colds and flu-like bugs.
   *There are other blends you can get that work really well for preventing the flu like "Thieves" - which has 4-5 illness fighting oils blended to smell appealing including eucalyptus and cloves. I highly recommend putting a few drops of that in a humidifier or diffuser throughout the flu season.

   Migraine Management: 5 ml of fractionated coconut oil, 5 drops peppermint, 5 drops eucalyptus in a roller ball bottle. This is the same oil combo as the fever/cough buster, just in an easy to apply on your head kind of recipe. Roll along the hairline, temple and down the neck along the aorta. The eucalyptus targets stress and tension causing headaches. Peppermint helps with the cooling/calming needed to sooth it and also nausea sometimes caused by migraines. Lavender is also a great pain reliever and can be incorporated into this recipe if you like.

   Bite/Burn Soother: (For sunburn) 4 oz. raw aloe, 5 drops peppermint, 10 drops lavender. Ian got scorched by the sun while scalloping a few weeks ago. I used this recipe to cover his burn twice a day for a couple days and it gave him a lot of relief. (For bug bites) same recipe but sub coconut oil for aloe.  
 

Visiting NY on a Budget Part II - Food & Entertainment

   The OCD component of my brain took over when planning meals for NY. I researched affordable and highly recommended eats in the city and then mapped them out with numbers and colors on a series of printed maps from Google. This included distances from our hotel so we could make walk/ride choices before setting out. My coworkers got a kick out of this.
 
Here's a shout-out to some of the blogs I used while planning:

• 21 Best Eats in NY Without Breaking the Bank
• Where to Eat in NYC (with menu suggestions) 

   The plan was a progressive style of eating. We ate in courses, finding hidden gems that restaurants were known for. Our first tasty meal to go was the gigantic Greek gyro we discovered on our walk to the Empire State Building. Loaded with lamb, fresh lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce on a soft and chewy pita, it was perfection for only $8 from a very posh Greek diner. And I got a free side of kalamata olives because I played the pregnant craving card. We were stuffed after that and had to do some walking to relieve our busting guts.     

   We took a ride on the ferry around the Statue of Liberty for $18. We could have disembarked on the island to walk around but there was a security issue that left us bobbing in the bay for nearly an hour so we opted to head back to the mainland as soon as possible. The sights were beautiful from afar. 

   

   Later we grabbed a popsicle ($2) while walking around the 911 memorial. It was a really moving experience to stand where our nation was rocked 14 years ago. You can spend $35+ to go in the museum and then the memorial tower, which now stands taller than the Empire, but enjoying the main memorial park is free and I found it more breathtaking to be standing on the ground that shook anyway. 

   There are 2 infinity pools with 30-foot waterfalls leading into the pool, which empties into another deep drop into the earth. The pools are surrounded by slate stones carved with the names of the lost. A beautiful shady, grassy park surrounds the pools where people can relax and take it all in. I was glad to see that people respect the memorial enough to obey signs prohibiting coins and other objects from being thrown into the water. 

   The next morning, we walked 30 blocks to find the Donut Plant, which I had seen on one of the blogs featured above. The ONE I knew I was getting for sure, was the tres leches. When we finally got there and up to the counter, the barista said they were out of tres leches. I died a little inside. I told him we came from Florida, and walked 30 blocks for that donut. He gave an enthusiastic "wow" and asked if I wanted anything else. At that very moment, the food gods smiled on us as their morning delivery truck pulled up with fresh trays of tres leches. They offered all flavors in a cake style and a yeast style. A few were a puff style with filling inside like the creme brulee. We ended up ordering 5 (no judgement please) different donuts to share and sample, and iced coffee which was ground fresh that morning and brewed just for us. We tried fresh lavender, blueberry cream, coconut lime, tres leches and the creme brulee puff. We spent about $12 each on this amazing breakfast that held us over until mid-afternoon empanadas. 

There was pieces of lavender IN the icing! 

   

   The empanadas at Empanada Mama, located in Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, were amazing. There were about 20 kinds to choose from for only $3.50 each. They varied in types of meat and other stuffing from the Brazil to the Cuban - my choices. They even had one called "the Viagra". Two empanadas was plenty to fill you up for $7.
   We spent that afternoon riding bikes and window shopping...and real shopping :) I have a devout love for the NBC TODAY Show and had planned to go to the live show outside the studio (which is free and you can get on the RSVP list here) earlier that morning, but the jerks in the room next to us kept us awake and calling security all night so we got NO sleep. We opted to sleep in and skip the live show but visited the studio at Rockefeller Plaza in the afternoon. Here I am with Matt Lauer in the studio store!

  

    I've wanted to see Wicked on Broadway since college when I read the novels by Gregory Maguire. I thought this trip would be a great opportunity to see it since Ian wasn't with me and I don't think he's ever been keen on the idea. Christina was happy to oblige me. I scoured the internet for ticket deals and found the most affordable seats on GoodSeatTickets.com. Ticketmaster wanted $135 for the same seats I found on that website for $77 each. A steal!
    We only ate one complete meal on the trip, which was at Carmine's after the theater. It was highly recommended by our black car service as "the place" to eat in NYC and the reservation line was out the door at 11 p.m. so we knew the food had to be good. Luckily, we were only a party of 2 and they had space for us right away on the 2nd floor. Win! The family-style HUGE plate of chicken piccata, was enough for our dinner and then I took the other half home with me on the plane and ate on it for 2 more days.

   It was a quick 2 days in NYC but we did most of the highlights - site seeing, shopping, Broadway and eating - for a minimal amount of money. The food and entertainment costs (not including the optional retail shopping items that you can of course forego), was around $150 per person. When you add that to our travel and lodging expenses, you can do a 2-3 day trip to NYC for $550 per person and not miss any of the "must do's".