I love a good fluffy pancake. My family loves to have this easy from scratch pancake recipe for breakfast, but they love them even more when we have breakfast for dinner! I will whip up a batch of these pancakes and then make some sausage and scrambled eggs and everyone walks away happy!

(also, be sure to check out the cake batter pancakes that both of my children special request for every birthday!)

These fluff up nicely and have a wonderful flavor. My daughter loves when I throw in a few chocolate chips as well.

You can pre-mix the dry ingredients and stick them in a baggie to make this Easy From Scratch Pancake Recipe even easier!

Easy From Scratch Pancake Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons of melted butter
• (Optional: butter and syrup to top your pancakes)

Directions: 

1. Mix your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt & sugar) together thoroughly.
2. Now make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and add the milk, the egg and your melted butter.
3. Whisk the batter together until it is just smooth
4. Now heat up your griddle (I have a griddle similar to this that actually sits on my stove over 2 burners and it works GREAT for making this Easy From Scratch Pancake Recipe for a crowd!) or pan with a bit of non stick spray or butter. I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour out rounded pancakes on to the griddle spaced apart so they can slightly spread.
5. Flip the pancakes over when they start to bubble up slightly
6. Pancakes are done when both sides are browned.
7. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Last night, we had a doozy of a storm.

Our house felt like it was under attack by hail. I’m actually shocked that windows were not busted open and that our glass patio table is still intact. It was scary.

We went through Hurricane Harvey a few years ago and I found my fear creeping up to Harvey level at certain points.

Needless to say, we got very little sleep. So when my alarm went off and the first thing I saw was that school was cancelled, I said a prayer of thank you that we were all safe and snuggled in our bedroom with the kids and rolled over and went back to sleep.

However, I have not gone grocery shopping in quite awhile. I have really been trying to deplete our pantry/freezer before hurricane season so I can restock. So we are at bare bones around here food-wise.

My husband is working from home as well and he loves all things lemon, so in my scrounging I found the ingredients to make this Easy Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta! I walked into the kitchen and had this pasta ready to eat in 10 minutes.

I can spend longer making a sandwich!

This Easy Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta uses ingredients most of us can generally keep on hand at all times. The biggest expense comes from the shrimp, and if you are an Aldi shopper, even that isn’t very pricey.

I used the already cooked shrimp and the amazing buttery, garlicy, lemony flavor still permeated the shrimp and tasted like a dish you can get at your local fancy seafood restaurant!

Looking for more pasta recipes? Be sure to check out these great recipes:

Homemade Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Copycat Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Homemade Hamburger Helper Recipe Cheeseburger Macaroni

Easy Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

• 12 oz angel hair pasta (fyi if you are low carb/keto, use spaghetti squash. It is AMAZING with spaghetti squash too!)
• 1/4 cup (about 1 good sized lemon) lemon juice
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 lb cooked medium shrimp (if you have uncooked, that’s fine. Already cooked makes this an easy 10 minute lunch though)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil your angel hair pasta to al dente in salted water. I split my dry noodles in half before I put them in the water.
2. Meanwhile, melt your butter in a large pan. Add the garlic and cook until nice and fragrant.
3. Now you will either cook or warm your shrimp in the yummy buttery/garlic goodness.
4. Season with salt & pepper
5. Drain your pasta completely and add the drained pasta to your shrimp
6. Add the lemon juice and sprinkle with the basil. Stir to combine.
7. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until thickened.
8. Taste test to see if you need more salt & pepper.
9. Serve!

When I was growing up, my mom made the best thick and chunky homemade spaghetti sauce! Honestly, her spaghetti sauce more closely resembled chili than actual spaghetti sauce. I have always loved a meatier sauce, but my family isn’t as big of a fan.

This homemade easy spaghetti sauce WITH meat is the perfect ratio of meat to sauce for my family. Still plenty meaty for me, but lots of good well flavored sauce for everyone else.

You can use this Homemade Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Meat for just about any recipe that calls for spaghetti sauce! I have used this sauce in lasagna, for chicken parmesan (just use this breaded chicken recipe with this spaghetti sauce and top with mozzarella!) , to top spaghetti squash noodles, meatball subs, etc. The possibilities are endless!

Homemade Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 diced onion
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 (28 oz) can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (can be omitted if you are low carb but will alter the flavor slightly)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, saute your ground beef and your diced onions with salt & pepper
2. When beef is browned enough, drain the ground beef and return it back to the pot.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer the sauce for at least one hour. Taste test it and add more salt & pepper if you need to.
5. Serve with pasta of your choice!

One of our absolute favorite easy meals when we were first married was the Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper from a box.

Quick and easy ground beef recipes were our go-to because not only were they super easy, they were also super cheap!

I still get nostalgic for these boxed meals from time to time, but nowadays I can whip these recipes up from scratch with just slightly more effort than what we put into making the boxed stuff! (see my Copycat Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe here)

Be sure to make this Copycat Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff today and let me know if you think it’s on point!

Please note, boxed Hamburger Helper has a LOT of salt. You will need to season this to taste. You might be surprised just how much salt you have to add to make this taste EXACTLY like the boxed version. Which will likely convince you to make this at home from now on from scratch!

Copycat Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff

Adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 3 Cups Beef Broth
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 8 ounces Wide Egg Noodles
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, brown your ground beef with garlic powder, onion powder and salt & pepper. Drain.
2. After you drain your ground beef, add the tomato paste and cook through just long enough to make sure the tomato paste is fully incorporated.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir through.
4. Next, you will add your beef broth and your egg noodles.
5. Bring the pot to a boil and cover until the noodles are cooked through. Around 10 minutes.
6. Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the sour cream and mustard
7. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

When you hear PTA, what emotions do you feel?

Are you in this camp?

If you are, I hope you’ll read this open letter from me, a former 2 year PTA President.

I have been the PTA President at my children’s school for the past 2 years and it has honestly been a life changing experience.

Below are some common misconceptions that I have run into over the past few years as an active member of my school’s PTA.

(Oh and I promise, no fundraising will happen in this post. Fundraising is the smallest part of PTA for me! )

I am not judging you because you don’t volunteer as much as  me. 

This is something I hear OFTEN.

Not to my face, but indirectly.

One time, I was reading to my daughter’s class. We were supposed to discuss how we were a leader with the class, and it made perfect sense to me to talk about my leadership role within the school. After I talked about being PTA President, several of the kids raised their hands to tell me WHY their parents weren’t able to volunteer.

It made me sad, because I knew something must have sparked that conversation at home to make the parent feel they had to justify their lack of presence volunteering in the school to their child.

Please don’t feel guilty if you can’t volunteer in the school.

Look, I am a blogger who works from home. I have a flexible schedule and I have the TIME and ability to be their for OUR kids. So I will. If you need to go to  your 9-5 to raise good kids, then that is exactly what you need to be doing.

We are all just charged to do OUR best to make OUR kids awesome. It looks a bit different for everyone and that’s okay.

Another thing I hear often is that so and so is intimidated by me because they don’t have time/can’t help at the school.

Oh please, don’t!

I am the least intimidating person on the planet.

Most likely, we won’t even talk about PTA unless you bring it up.

I’m a human being with interests that are not limited to my involvement in my child’s school.

Finally, you are assuming I keep track of anybody else’s involvement in the school. I truly do not. Nobody has time for that, least of all me!

More than anything, I just really want you to be a paying member

As a PTA president, one of the most exciting and productive parts of the job is advocating! I have advocated on the local level, the district level and I have even gone to Austin Texas to help advocate on the state level! You know what helps PTA advocate? Our numbers.

The PTA is the LARGEST and oldest child advocacy group in America!

From National PTA:

Today, the issues that affect our children extend beyond their individual schools. The PTA’s nationwide network provides parents with the forum and tools to collectively influence the decisions that affect children not only at their schools, but also throughout their districts, within their states, and across the nation. This mission is unique to the PTA.

Many of the benefits our children receive today, such as universal kindergarten, the National School Lunch Program, and a juvenile justice system, were accomplished as a result of the PTA mission.

With Today’s PTA, families also have access to important benefits, including:

• Dozens of national programs, experts, and turnkey resources
• Regular updates and advice in the form of e-newsletters, PTA.org, Our Children magazine, and a robust Back-to-School kit of resources
• Leadership development through webinars and e-learning courses
• Millions of dollars in grants to help build PTA capacity and skills
• Prestigious national awards
• Cost savings from national retailers and other PTA partners
• Invitations to PTA conventions as well as our conferences for emerging minority leaders, male mentors, and advocates
• Support services and staff to help establish and manage your PTA

Wow! When I stand alone, my opinion doesn’t matter much.

When I stand with hundreds of other parent members of my school advocating for change?

Whether you are there in flesh and blood or just investing in our children with your PTA membership dues…you are making a difference!

Your membership MATTERS!

I have very little power

Done correctly, your PTA president should have even less power than YOU do as a general member of the PTA. For real!

My job as PTA president was to preside over meetings primarily. Otherwise, the work of the PTA is truly done in committees and by it’s membership.

Here is how an ideal PTA runs: 

You have an executive board that includes elected officers and standing committee chairs.

The vast majority of “work” is done by your standing committee chairs. The work is done in each individual committee and those committees should be comprised of a wide variety of parent (and if you are lucky! student) members.

The committees come back to the membership to report how things are going, propose changes to established rules/guidelines/budgets/etc.

The MEMBERSHIP (that’s YOU!) says yay or nay.

Now it is true, if you attend a PTA meeting that is run correctly (you should be using Roberts Rules of Order), it will seem like all decisions have been made. Or at least that the discussion is minimal. PTA meetings are not generally “idea” meetings.

That work is done on the committee level. But the power and the ultimate say so rests with YOU, the average member.

What is the PTA president doing during this important decision making process? Making sure that everything is done according to procedure! They even have a back up (the Parliamentarian) to help them out with this.

Not only that, they have to stay neutral far more than they would otherwise to be sure that they are not swaying the discussion towards their own will.

The power rests in the MEMBERSHIP in a well run PTA.

Is it possible to have a PTA President on a power trip? Absolutely. Unfortunately, the stereotype does have a basis in reality. However, if things are not going by the book, get involved and start forcing it. The only way to take back a PTA from a power hungry president/board is to dive deeper into your own involvement.

I am not keeping track of how much money you have donated, how much time you have spent working in the school store and/or if you contributed to the teacher class gift.

Not much to say on this one. I honestly have NO clue how much money you have donated. I don’t know when you came to eat lunch with your kid and I’m sorry that I don’t remember that you sent in all of the oreos for our Halloween craft.

My brain is on constant overload (hence the “My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open” cup that you can get here) and I’m just trying to keep my head above water (I have posted about my struggles with ADHD here) .

I try my best to thank everyone for their involvement, donations, etc…but I don’t typically even notice a LACK of of those things.

(Okay, teacher gift might be the one exception. If I am room mom, I am keeping track of who has given so that there is accountability for me handling all that money. But if you don’t donate? I am not judging you. My thought process will typically go straight to, oh they must be doing something to thank their teacher on their own. That’s it!)

There is drama, but so what?

Most of the time, your active PTA members will be women. Not always. We have some very active dads in our school and I LOVE it. However, yeah…mostly women. What happens when you get a group of women together working in sometimes high stress situations?

Drama!

This is not unique to PTA. This is life. 

Sometimes I think it’s a bit more elevated when you are working in a volunteer capacity because nobody is being paid to “make nice”.

However, it is there and even if it’s minimal, it can be frustrating/off putting.

So what though? What is the mission of your PTA? Is it to be besties with the moms in the school?

No.

The mission of PTA is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

Engaging. 

Empowering.

Advocating. 

That is why you are there.

I find, when I go back to the mission, it gets my head right back where it belongs.

I will work with ANYONE (even people who I might otherwise stay far away from) to help complete the mission.

My paycheck comes in the forms of the hugs and smiles of the kids who are benefiting and being given a more equal playing field in life because of OUR involvement.

Drama happens? Take a deep breath. Check your own motivations. If they are good, proceed.

**In some cases, you might have to go higher up. This is why I am such an advocate for a PTA over a PTO. PTA’s hierarchy can help in situations like these! You are not alone. If things are really wrong and really messy, you can seek help.

I have learned SO MUCH.

The secret to a good PTA?

Training.

The secret to a GREAT PTA?

More training!

A well trained board can make a HUGE difference! This is the only situation where the benefits start at the top and trickle down. Your president SHOULD BE the most well trained person on your board. Your elected officers should be next. Followed by your standing committee chairs.

Some of your parent programs should involve parent training for your membership.

We are all better when we learn how to be better.

(Another reason to love PTA over PTO IMO)

Go to the trainings. Invest in training your board. Set aside money to send your people to conferences. Take advantage of district training. Take advantage of programs offered for free (Texas PTA offers some GREAT free programs!).

Most problems I have witnessed in PTA is a lack of training. Most drama can be avoided if PTA’s are trained and mission focused. If your PTA does not currently have a budget for training, make that your mission for this year!

All this to say, do you have questions?

Please come ask me!

Do you have concerns?

I want to hear them!

I have been trained for this purpose. I am here to communicate with you.

Transparency and willingness to engage with the membership are two of the most important things that a good PTA President can charge his or herself with. My job is a job of service. Service to the membership and most importantly, service to the children!

If you have been on the fence about joining your local PTA, I hope you will.

If things are not good in your PTA, I hope that you will reach out and try to make things better.

If you think all PTA presidents are like the Bad Mom’s PTA President, I hope you have learned something from what I have shared today.

Finally, I love your children. I  might  not know them (I probably don’t!), but I love them and I want what is best for them. I truly feel that joining your local PTA (even as a paying member and NOTHING else) is so important and if we ALL commit to joining, our world will start becoming a more friendly and empowering place for our children.

I’m just going to admit something here. I LOVE Hamburger Helper.

Yes the super bad for you, preservative filled box of powdered seasoning and noodles. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. This one is my favorite, but I also love me some Cheeseburger Macaroni! Yum.

I recently found a recipe for Cheeseburger Macaroni from scratch though and you know what? It’s not that much more difficult! In fact, it’s honestly about the same amount of work.

And yes…it is BETTER than the box mix.

From now on, we will be making this homemade version. I’ve made it 3 times so far and 3 out of 4 family members LOVE it and go back for seconds (the 4th one likes dinosaur chicken nuggets and PBJ’s.).

If this becomes a “go to” meal for your family, you could theoretically even make baggies of the spices & cornstarch and keep it in your pantry to make this dish even faster and more simple!

Feel free to use ground turkey or ground chicken!

You will definitely want to use a very deep saute pan with this recipe because you will be adding quite a bit of liquid. This pan is HIGHLY rated and is dishwasher safe and oven safe! Definitely worth it (and it’s on sale right now!):

Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni Recipe

From Food.com

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground beef, turkey or chicken
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups macaroni
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions: 

1. Go ahead and brown your ground beef in a fairly deep pan or pot (you’ll be adding a lot of liquid).
2. Drain the fat off the meat and put it back in the pan/pot. Add spices, cornstarch, water, pasta and milk and bring to a boil.
3. Bring your heat down to a simmer and let simmer until the pasta is finished.
4. Add your cheddar cheese and turn off the heat. Stir until the cheese is melted.
5. Let sit for a few minutes and serve!

This is SO tasty! I love to add some ketchup to mine so it’s more “burger” like. I’ve heard some people love THIS SUPER POPULAR STUFF on it as well

Serve with a salad or another good green veggie (these brussels sprouts are awesome!)

There have been some comments about this being bland…you need to season this to taste.

If your family is VERY used to the boxed Hamburger Helper, this probably will be very bland as written. So adjust seasoning to your family’s liking. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep tasting. This is how you make a recipe work for YOUR family.

There are some helpful tips from other readers who have made slight substitutions with success, be sure to look at those and decide if those will work for you. This is a great base recipe that  my family LOVES, but your family might need to tweak it…and that’s perfectly alright!

Growing up, the only steak we ever had in our house was London Broil. It’s cheap, tasty and grills/cooks up fairly quickly.

My mom’s London Broil recipe involved seasoning the meat with salt and pepper and broiling it. I have fond memories of this preparation, but when I tried it myself as an adult, I never could quite get the timing right and I always ended up with dry and chewy meat.

I stumbled upon a version of the below London Broil recipe a few years ago and have made it this way ever since. You can cook it on a grill pan (I have this one…I make EVERYTHING on it! It’s great for pancakes too!) on your stove OR you can grill it out on your backyard grill. I typically grill it inside because it is so simple and quick!

London Broil Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 4 lbs London Broil Steak
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon oregano

Directions: 

1. Mix all above ingredients together in a freezer bag or other container (this one looks like it would work GREAT!) that will fit your London Broil Steak (you’ll marinade your steak in this container).
2. Poke holes in  your London Broil with a knife (not a ton, just 4-5 per side)
3. Marinate your steak with the marinade for 4-6 hours or overnight
4. Heat up your outside/inside grill until it is sizzling hot (this is how you get that nice dark brown outside!)
5. Cook your steak about 3-7 minutes per side based on how “done” you want it to be.

Enjoy!

You might also like:

The location we went to (18032 Saturn Ln, Houston, TX 77058) was in a great spot (situated between 2 Pokestops for my Pokemon Go readers!) in close proximity to Space Center Houston (and of course Johnson Space Center), Clear Lake and Kemah.

It’s a nice big and bright restaurant and you can tell all of the ingredients are fresh. You see the dough being made right in front of you!

You also get to see your pizza being cooked in the big brick oven right behind the counter.

The pizza was great, it was a fun experience and we most definitely will be back!

It looks like you can also order online to pick up OR you can choose delivery (delivery is through Space City Takout)!

If you don’t live close to our local 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizza, you can find a location near you!

Follow 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizza on Instagram here. 

Our local 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizza gives away free pizza on Facebook, so if you are local, be sure to like their Facebook page! 

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. 

It is that time of year again. Time to sign your kiddos up for extracurricular activities!

I remember when my son was in first grade, we made the decision to sign him up for Cub Scouts. At that time, 1st grade was the earliest time boys could enter the #scouting program. He entered as a Tiger. Look how adorable!

My nephew had been involved in Cub Scouts for a few years, so we knew a bit about what to expect. However, I really think we were still just assuming it was yet another extracurricular activity for my son. We had no idea the impact and involvement that would eventually encompass our entire family.

We were lucky and were able to join a pack that was well established and that my brother in law and sister in law were already fairly involved in. My son’s best friend (and cousin!) was even in his den (and still is to this day).

Cub Scouts has been such a bonding experience for them, but it has also really grown my son socially, academically and has even made a difference in his overall character.

Cub Scouts has given him SO much confidence and I think a lot of that is due to the fact that through the scouting program, your den advances with you. You really get to know those boys and  you become family!

For a young boy to have that ongoing support from his peers is completely priceless.

They get to do life together. Go camping. Learn. Play. Grow. Fail. Succeed.

They might all have different interests. Some might be baseball players. Some are swimmers. Some are involved in robotics. Some are book worms and some are outside shooting hoops until bedtime every night. However, scouting brings them all together.

I recently heard that the scouting program is piloting an all new curriculum – the Lion Program – to extend experiences centered in adventure, leadership and character development to kindergarten-age boys and their families. (Find out more about the Lion Program here)

Let me just say, I LOVE that boys will be able to join scouting in Kindergarten! My daughter was able to join Girl Scouts in Kindergarten, so I think having a scouting program in Kindergarten makes perfect sense. I feel like my son would have had a lot more confidence in Kindergarten if he had had his core group of Cub Scout friends that year.

Even my daughter gets to play when we go to Boy Scout camp!

As it was, the first year in Cub Scouts he majorly blossomed:

• He went from a slightly behind reader to a well above average reader
• He won an award for great character AND the outstanding student of the year award
• I was consistently told by his teacher (and ALL teachers since) about how many connections my son was able to make in classroom discussions and when asked where he had that experience, his answer was almost always Cub Scouts!

Imagine if he had been able to start in the Lion Program in Kindergarten!

My son has always done Cub Scouts in conjunction with other extracurricular activities. We’ve always put a priority on it because it is his most favorite activity. Even with heavy spring little league, he was still able to make 95% of all den meetings.

And our crazy Monday nights begin again.

A photo posted by Heather Shaw (@heathershawblogs) on Mar 17, 2014 at 3:13pm PDT

Cub Scouts is where he learns life skills that his city parents are learning right along beside him. As a family we have learned:

• how to start a fire
• how to set up a tent
• how to hike
• woodworking (pinewood derby)
• and more!>/li>

My husband has also handled the fundraising for our pack for the past several years, so that  has been a learning experience (mostly good, haha!) for our family as well.

Cub Scouts has been incredibly beneficial to my son, but it has also made a difference for our entire family as well. We have been so BLESSED to be a part of Cub Scouts!

My son is a Webelo now (ETA: Now he is a BOY Scout!). To look at this picture in comparison to the tiny Tiger picture above is bittersweet.

When I think of all that scouting has done for our family over the course of the past few years, I just can’t help but choke up. We’ve made wonderful friendships, bonded even more with extended family and learned valuable skills. We all learn in Cub Scouts. It’s time and money so well spent.

To learn more about the Boy Scout program, check out their website by clicking the logo here:

Also, be sure you follow Boy Scouts on social media on Facebook and on Twitter.

Have you had a great experience with the scouting program? Tweet me (@familyfrugal) using the hashtag #scouting. I’d love to hear about others experiences!

Flag ceremony at Bovay Scout Camp

Not long ago, my daughter came down minutes after we had put her to bed in tears.

She had her American Girl Doll’s head in one hand and her body in the other.

“Lily’s head fell off!” she cried.

My husband fixed her and sent her back upstairs.

10 minutes later, she came downstairs again.

Daddy fixed her and off she went.

Annnnd, here she comes again!

At this point, I’m wondering…what in the world is she doing with her American Girl doll? I take her doll to get a closer look and realize that I don’t see the string hanging down the back of her neck.

“Where is her string?”

“I threw it out…it was ugly“.

Well, my dear child, it also kept her head on!

We put her head back on and decided she would be a “look but don’t touch” doll until we could take her to the American Girl Doll Hospital an hour away.

When I finally had some free time, I decided to look up pricing for the American Girl Doll Hospital. We had gone once before when she had some marks on her face and they wiped it off for free, so I assumed the price would be pretty reasonable. NOPE!

The American Girl Doll Hospital wanted $32!

At this point I decided that this was a problem I could probably tackle at home myself. Since I love to sew, I knew it would be similar to inserting elastic into a casing (like with my easy to sew pants tutorial here).

We set up our very own American Girl Doll Hospital here at home and it was actually a super simple fix!

Hopefully, you never find yourself in a situation where you have to fully replace the string that holds your American Girl Doll’s head in place, but if you do…here’s how you can do it.

You will need:

• a safety pin or a rounded needle with the tip cut off (I used jewelry pliers like these to clip the tip off)
• some sturdy cord/string (mine was a bit too thick/rough but it did the trick!)
• scissors

How to reattach your American Girl Doll’s Head

This took me about 20 minutes. HOWEVER, what I did not realize was that there was still some STRING left in the doll! Everytime I tried to feed the cord through, I hit resistance. I broke several safety pins and stabbed myself several times. I completely gave up on the rounded needle (which would have worked fine if there had not been an obstruction in the way). From the time I got that string out, start to finish it took less than 2 minutes!

1. Thread your needle (leaving a long tail) or secure your safety pin to your cord
2. Locate the casing (you might find you have more room to work if you pull some of the stuffing out of your doll) and thread your needle/safety pin into the casing.
3. Move the needle/safety pin through the casing carefully. Pull the needle/safety pin forward, scrunching the fabric as you go (if you are using a safety pin, be sure not to squeeze it. It’s a real pain if it opens inside the casing!), then let the cord catch up. This will make sense as you do it.
4. When you get to the other side, pull out your desired amount of cord. Cut the tail.
5. Put any stuffing you took out back in.
6. Put your American Girl Doll’s Head back on and tighten the strings
7. Tie her head back on and enjoy!

Tada! Look at my happy camper! Our American Girl Doll Hospital DIY fix cost less than $3 and I have cord leftover!

Have you had any American Girl Doll catastrophes? Comment below!