Quiet Toys as Easy as 1-2-3

When my children were young I would sometimes let them bring one toy to play with during family church time but they still weren't very quiet. My son would make action  figure sounds, or my daughter would pretend out loud. Sometimes it was embarrassing, and we were always afraid of taking away from the spirit of the meeting.

But President Monson said once in a Stake Conference, "Parents, don't worry that your children are not quiet during meeting times, we have to remember that they are big spirits in tiny bodies full of wiggles." We all laughed. But we still wanted to teach our children that they needed to be quiet and reverent at church.


So we went to coloring books or reading books quietly. That worked but never lasted the whole time of the family meeting. Then one day someone behind us let my children play with a quiet toy that they had made. It was awesome and my kids loved it.

Creating a Sunday bag is a good idea that can be helpful in keeping little ones quieter. A couple of treats, mess free, are good starters. Some picture books are good during the passing of the sacrament.

You can create your own sacrament books by finding pictures of the things Jesus did while on this earth. Put them inside a clear page holder and then put them inside a small binder. You could even create a book of nature (animals, flowers, etc) doing the same thing.

Here are some ideas that I have found for making quiet time toys. I hope they are helpful and easy as 1-2-3 to create.

Make a felt play board, the instructions are as easy as 1-2-3:
1) find a small box with a lid.
2) glue a piece of felt to fit the inside of the lid
3) cut out different kinds of felt pieces to create pictures, they store inside the box

 Make a seek and find bag:
1) take a zipper pencil bag with a window in it
2) fill it with beads and misc shaped items, shake it up good, after it is zippered
3) make list of the misc items for your children to seek for, while looking through the window,  among the beads, make sure you put in enough beads in it to make it a little challenging for the kids to find.

Lace Cards
1) Create a few patterns like the one in the picture and create cut outs from foam squares
2) Use a single hole punch and spread wholes about an inch apart.
3) Get shoe string laces to guide in and out of holes.

This last one is a Popsicle stick puzzle:
1) Paint Popsicle stick several different colors
2) create designs on white paper squares using different colors to match Popsicle sticks.
3) have children try to create the design on the paper using the Popsicle sticks.

Well, those are just a few ideas, there are tons more that are so easy to make and helpful in quiet time needs. Have fun creating!!!

High Cost of Milk

Good Grief!!! Milk costs what now!!!

I cannot believe I am paying over $4 for a gallon of milk. I think it's time to buy a cow. Or...maybe there are other solutions. I have been able to find it under $4 by going to places like Dollar General and Family Dollar, you have to shop around to find the best prices but if everyone goes to the same place does the demand for more milk increase the price (economics 101)?

With cost aside, milk is a necessity in life. Milk gives us certain vitamins for healthy bones and teeth. I read an article recently that list 3 reasons all people, of any age, need to drink milk.
3 Benefits to Drinking Milk Daily

1) It reduces risk of some diseases like colon cancer, osteoporosis, as well as hypertension.
2) It builds strong bones and teeth.
3) Milk helps you sleep.

The article says even when you are lactose intolerant you can find milk product that helps you to still have the milk you need daily in your life, but I think that costs even more. :(

Now that we know some of the benefits to drinking milk, how do we get past the cost of milk? As I said earlier, shopping around is helpful, I shop around my area for the best prices for everything. Another option is one my mother did when I was a kid while living in a high inflation period. She used to buy powdered milk.

She would take a gallon of whole milk and she would pour half, or sometimes thirds, into other containers. Then she would make a few quarts of powdered milk and add to the whole milk. This gave us a 2% or 1% taste of milk. We never knew the difference but it always helped her to stretch her budget money. She was a single mom working long hours to make ends meet and this was a solution to her problem. I thought it was a brilliant idea to saving dollars and still getting the vitamins you need.

I just recently read an article that asked the question about powdered milk being bad for you. I've attached it here for you to read for yourself.
Is Powdered Milk Bad for You?

Lets look at the cost of Instant Non-fat dried milk:

Walmart Brand $7.78 for 25.6 oz
Shelf Reliance $21.19 for 3.38 lbs
Ebay (variety of product) $47.50 for 10lbs

There are a variety of places you can find the product, you have to shop for what is best for you and your family. Here are some tips that can be helpful.

Powdered Milk Storage Tips

Saving Money with Powdered Milk

The shelf life of the dry milk product varies but average is about 8-10 years.
Shelf Life of Dry Milk

If you are someone like me then you want to be prepared for times of high cost in foods, or disaster; having an option for milk on hand is comforting. We use milk in preparation of many foods daily, using powdered milk as a substitute can also save money. So drink the regular stuff and use dry milk for cooking.

I hope this information is helpful, I know it was for me in my research process. I would love to hear more about your use of powdered milk or creative ways you saved money using powdered milk.

Saving by Making Homemade Treats

This year I am trying to save as much money as I can but not everyone in the house understands that concept. So I tried to think of ways to save money but still meet the wants of my family. As I was browsing I found some cool recipes that keep the favorite treats in the budget. Yes, it may require more of my time to prepare them but this helps to keep up with two of my goals, savings and family fun.

Better than Krispy Creme Bites

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

 Mini Banana Cream Cookie Pies

Chocolate Cookie recipe