Prairie Scraps

Until a few months ago, I hardly ever made breakfast for my family.  We were on the night shift, so often would stagger getting up and then I never wanted to cook first thing.  I was able to get boxed cereal for around $1 a box, so I wasn't very motivated to do anything else.  Then I decided I should try to cook breakfast for my family.   I had heard that making oatmeal was an inexpensive and healthy to make breakfast for my kids.  The problem for me was nightmare experiences eating oatmeal as a kid, made oatmeal, extremely unappetizing!  When cooked on the stove top, old fashioned oatmeal is really gross, tasteless, and the texture is something that I will not soon get over! I went on an endeavor to find the great tasting, yet family friendly oatmeal.  After quite a few unsuccessful attempts at crock pot and stove top oatmeal, I discovered Lynn's Kitchen Adventures!   She has been a life saver with her Baked Oatmeal Recipe!  I can't thank her enough for sharing all the

I am going to be brutally honest here - I find exercise to be embarrassing.  Why? I don't want people to see me do it.  I think it's embarrassing to sweat, to wear immodest clothing, and more importantly, after five children, things move that shouldn't.  All that aside, I have been making the effort to exercise every weekday in some way shape or form. In my home, by myself, is still very embarrassing!  My kids will come in and out and see me suffering.  Yes, I am sensitive to the comments (not intended to be critical, but still comments.)  You know kids can be honest, brutally honest!  I decided to try the Wii out last week as a part of my routine.  This attracts the little kids - they sit down in a row to watch the "game" right behind me.  As I'm trying not to think about the embarrassment and am telling myself that it's good for them to see their parents exercising regularly, I hear it.  Yes, my belly flab bounces and makes a noise!   Thankfully, my c

Our Little Monkeys is offering a Free download HERE for tots.  You have to sign up for an account, but there is no cost.  I just love to snag free Preschool activities like this and make them into Activity Bags for my youngest kids!  It gives them more variety in their daily activities and reinforces what they are learning!   Here's an Easter Printable for First Graders that is Free.  Click HERE for this math printable.  It seems like there are a lot of freebies out there for preschoolers, but with a 2nd Grader in the house, I'm always looking to give him appropriate activities too. Another great homeschool activity books are Lapbooks.  I found this Resurrection Lapbook HERE. I am using a combination of these to put together Lapbooks for both of my kids.  I will post a picture soon of how they work out for us.  I'm actually using a combination, so that I can cater to the abilities of my kids that are 2 years apart.

Today is the day!  Cricut Cartridges are on Sale!  If you have a Cricut, you won't want to miss out on this opportunity to miss out on this sale from 9am-9pm Central Time at My Website Here.   When you purchase one Cartridge for $55, you get 30% off the second.  Creative Memories has exclusive Cartridges that can't be found in any craft store, so this is a great opportunity to get them!  (Of course, I would love it if you would consider purchasing them from me, since I am an independent consultant!) 'Tis The Season Traveler Cartridge Here are the cartridges we carry.  If you would like to go to the direct cartridge to see more information, please click on the title under the picture. My personal favorite is the Traveler Cartridge. I like to use them for my travel and camping albums!  Which ones do you need? Reminisce Accents Stork's Delivery This & That Divine Wedding Cheerful Seasons    

Making children's chore charts or job jars are not a new idea, but it seems that every few months, I'm trying something new to get the kids excited and motivated to get their chores done.  (I'm wishing I had someone doing the same for me, too! lol)  Well, we were due for a change with the move.  Our last round, we had a laminated list with clothespins to move down the charts.  They conveniently disappeared in the move (wishing the chores disappeared, too). I decided to dig into my scrap piles and make some chore sticks.  Here's what you will need if you want to make them too: Mod Podge Popsicle sticks Paint brush Scrapbook paper scraps Paper Trimmer Nail file Ink pad ABC Stamps Jars of choice Here's how you make them: Cut strips of paper that are as wide as your sticks.  I used the little sticks, but you could use the tongue depressors, too.  I just used what I had on hand. Using the Mod Podge and paint brush, brush the glue on the stick.  I got the kids

Be sure to mark the date: Monday, March 26th from 9am to 9pm for the Crazy About Cricut Cartridge Sale!  For that one day next week, Cricut Cartridges exclusive to Creative Memories will be on sale.  If you buy one Cartridge, the second will be 30% off.  Creative Memories Cartridges are normally only $55, which is lower than the cartridges in the stores, so getting two of them for $93.50 is a deal!  These are the full size cartridges!  Plan to visit my website at: My Site . 

If  you read my post HERE last week on my old blog, you will know that I don't really have a love/hate relationship with exercise, but I am trying to live healthy.  So this week, thanks to the advice of a reader to that post, I decided to go ahead and try something new for working out.  I seem to get really stuck in a rut when I eat and when I work out.  I feel like I can't go to the next routine until I've mastered the first one.  I know that if you change it up, it actually is better for your body, but I get in a rut and od the same thing.  So for the last month and a half, I've been working out on the treadmill everyday doing the same two routines.  I just didn't feel like it was getting better, so I didn't move on to anything else. Today is a new day, so I decided to try out the Wii Fit again! It's been over a year since I checked in.  Really?  It seems like yesturday since I was doing that everyday!   I only used the basic program that came with th

If you are a crafter, (or hoarder) you may have the same dilemma that I have: too much of a craft stash!  I knew this about myself before moving to the Prairie, but actually packing it all up, seeing the amount of  boxes it all took and then trying to figure out what to do with it once I got here was quite an eye opener.  While packing things, my craft room was actually my last thing to pack, because I just didn't know what I could give up.   Well, here I am with a huge scrap pile, and no where to go with it.  I'm way too practical to have moved it across country to abandon it now, so I have decided to get rid of it by making things from it!  All of it!  Yes, boxes and boxes and boxes of stash!  I can't even bring myself to posting a picture of it because it embarrasses me so much!  It is overtaking my bedroom to be sure! Of course, I won't be doing this overnight, but I have put it on the forefront of my priorities!  So each week, I am going to feature here, a new p

This has to be the one thing that I was most hesitant about changing names - starting a whole new blog.  This time, I hope I have chosen a name that will travel with me.  Prairie, because I graduated from Sun Prairie High School and because I now find myself back on a prairie after the biggest move of my life! Scraps can mean fabric scraps, paper scraps, scrapbooking and even the scraps of my life.  I hope that this can be a place where my life plays out - the place where I share whatever scraps I'm working with whether fabric, paper, or even children, food, or relationships.  I hope those from my old blog, Sparta Savings  will join me and enjoy the new life I am beginning!