Low Cost Rainbow Loom Storage

Hey there Rainbow Loomers!  If you or your child is like my daughter then you have Rainbow Loom bands everywhere and the more colors the better!  I had been in search of a way to store her all her stuff without spending an arm and a leg!  Those boxes with dividers they sell are great......but you could quickly go broke getting a few to store and separate all those bands!  Amber and I were out shopping one day and we put together what we think is a great and affordable way to store all the bands, loom and hook!!  The best part is that it didn't break the bank.  Our daughters love it!!  This cost us about $15 to put together.  All you need are:
A couple of seed starter containers.  (We found ours at the dollar store for a $1 a piece)

And 1 file box (I found mine at Walmart for $8.95)

Then we separated colors into the compartments.  My daughter likes each color to have its own spot lol.  Then when we were done separating them out, I stacked each container into the other one.  I know that the downside to this is that there is no actual lid, but I use and empty one to stack on the top.  Since these slide so nicely into each other, the empty one on top acts like a lid.  Then we put the stack into the file box and the loom fit nicely next to the stack.  The tools fit very nicely in the lid pocket on top!  The beauty of this too is that I can easily get more seed starter containers to expand if she needs more pockets for more bands!

Voila!  You have a great storage set up for everything Rainbow Loom!  :-)  

Girl's Night Bean Dip

                                                          Girl's Night Bean Dip

It's Celi, and I am finally posting!  This recipe was created one girls night and has stuck around ever since! First off Amber and I love dips and the spicier the better, lol.  But Amber is vegan so it takes creativity sometimes to come up with girl's night snacks!  She loves bean dips and 7 layer dips but usually when bought at the store it has animal or dairy product in them.  So here is what we came up with! 

Ingredients

 1 can refried beans (Vegan friendly)

Jalapenos

Black Olives

1 can 7 oz. diced green chilies
1 cup salsa or 1 can diced tomatoes and jalapenos
If you don't like spicy don't use jalapenos, use a mild salsa instead.

We used homemade refried beans this time around, which are really yummy! Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and microwave until it is warm or a temperature to your liking.  This is dip vegan friendly and not bad on calories or fat either. Then serve with chips of your choice!  Enjoy! :-)

I'm B.O.R.E.D.

So I found this great Pin the other day and thought that it needed a bit of polishing. It was from the blog I Lift Heavy Things. It's a list of things to do so kids don't bug you about being bored. As a mom, sometimes we want to have a day inside (especially here in the desert), and the kids often say things like "There's nothing to do!" "I'm bored!" "We never have anything fun to do!" or the classic, "Nothing is fun to do, except play video games!" When I saw this list, I thought is was genius, it's stuff kids can do alone, with a sibling, parent, friend, etc., and it can also be done by little ones and even by teens. I love the idea, but I wanted to the easy thing and just print it out (rather then hand write it, lol) So, this is what I came up with...

If you'd like a copy to print yourself, it can be downloaded from Google Drive here.

Pita Magic

I call pita "magic" because I'm surprised at how much my kids loved building a pizza from a pita, then how much they loved how a pita pizza tastes.  Plus it's so easy and cheap to make!

First buy pita bread, hehe, buy pizza sauce, marinara, pesto, vinaigrette, salsa or another sauce you may like to use, then your favorite toppings (cheese, vegan cheese and veggies are our staples).

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then assemble pizzas and place about 3 assembled pizzas on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese or veggies are at your preferred goldeness (I know, it's not a word).  Let cool a bit, so you don't burn your mouth, then ENJOY.

We made these for my 9 year old daughter's birthday party and all of the girls loved them and it was a very cheap meal for 9 hungry girls.

~ Amber

One of my favorite tricks!

Amber here. I just wanted to post one of my favorite tips. I have an almost teenage son, so I remember when the yogurt company's came up with their convient yogurt tubes. My son was an only child until he was 3, so a big box of yogurt tubes expired before he could finish it. That's when I got my bright idea! FREEZE THEM!!!

Not only did they last longer, but we also found that they make for a yummy frozen dessert! As I had more kids, I found out that I could put the frozen yogurt tube in their lunch bag and by the time they ate, it was thawed out a little, if not all the way, but still very cold, so it's perfect!

I hope this helps and you enjoy!