I marked off a peace sign on the back of a paper plate, and let Clara have a go at it with the paints!!

There’s really no wrong way to do this project. She needed very little encouragement from me to cover the plate with paint… so much fun!!

Clara painted several of these, and each one is unique and colorful!

Once the paint is completely dry, peel off the masking tape to reveal the peace sign and outline with black marker. Proudly display in your home or classroom!!

Have fun!!

Clockwise from top left: organic carrot flowers, crackers, Stonyfield organic yogurt topped with home-grown watermelon stars, more watermelon, organic grapes, tuna salad topped with more carrot flowers. Yum!!

In less than a week Emily will be starting first grade, which means we’ll be packing up lunches for her to take to school. Have you jumped on the bento bandwagon yet? If not, you should consider it! Bento lunches promote healthy eating habits, and they can be very budget-friendly. Here are some tips to make up quick & easy bento lunches that won’t break the bank!

• Be Creative with Leftovers — Wherever possible, incorporate leftovers into your child’s lunch. A little clever arrangement, or help from some cookie cutters can go a long way towards making leftovers more appealing.
• Think COLOR — We try to include about five different colors in each bento lunch. It is an easy reminder to pack a variety of healthy foods.
• Aim for a Waste-Free Lunch — Avoid single-serve convenience foods with packaging that ends up in the landfill,  and opt for reusable containers, stainless steel cutlery, and cloth napkins instead. It’s better for the environment, and you will save money in the long-run since you won’t have to buy packages of plastic sandwich baggies, plastic-ware, and paper napkins over and over again.
• Buy in Bulk — My girls are crazy for Stonyfield organic yogurt, and we found the large 32oz. containers are very reasonable (at around $3) and provide about 8 servings of 1/2 cup of yogurt each. Buying in bulk means less of your money is wasted on the cost of packaging.
• Make Your Own Accessories — Making your own decorated toothpicks is cheaper and a lot more fun! I love these owl cupcake toppers from Executive Homemaker, and they are FREE for you to print out! Of course, I wouldn’t limit their use to only cupcakes. These would be fun for mini-fruit and cheese kabobs, or sandwiches too!
• Pack the Night Before — After dinner, I pack a lunch (using the leftovers) for Mark to take to work, and one for Emily to take to school (I’ve already started doing this, even though she hasn’t started school yet!). The next morning, I might add some cut up fruit or some other treat to the box, and that’s it. By packing lunch the night before, Mark is a lot less likely to buy a lunch because of mornings when we are too tired or too busy to pack it then. And yes, I sometimes make him super-cute bento lunches too… just to make his co-workers at the office jealous! Ha!!

Bento lunches can be so much fun to make and eat!!

Have a tip I forgot to mention? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!!

This afternoon was spent in the backyard where I set out a large piece of cardboard, some washable paints, and let the girls have LOTS of fun painting with their feet!!

I put down the paint on the cardboard, and the girls spread it out all over with their feet! We started with the lightest color first and worked our way to the darker colors. Our neighbors probably thought I had lost my mind, but the girls had a BLAST with this!

It made for a great before-bath art activity — messy, but a lot of FUN! Plus, it really tired them out!

They loved swirling the paint around with their toes, and it made for some interesting artwork!

A short video of all the crazy action –

Feet Painting from Valerie Frugal Family on Vimeo.

Gather up some leaves! Emily thought these small green leaves would make perfect necklaces, so she picked plenty of them from our backyard. Press down firmly on the leaf using a metal cookie cutter on a cutting board. It may be easier to use a dishtowel on top of the cookie cutter, and then press down on top of that to keep your fingers from getting sore.

The set of cookie cutters we used can be found at Amazon, click here. They are also available at AC Moore. It is a complete set with numbers and letters, and they are SO much fun!!!

Sandwich the leaf between two sheets of clear contact paper, and use a hole punch to thread some string for your personalized necklace.

Admire your fantastic leaf necklace!!!

Emily made a couple more of these to give away to friends too!

Have fun!!

……time for a BATH!!

Wishing everyone a fun (and yummy) weekend!

It’s time for another FUN giveaway!! This time from our new sponsor — The LoungAir! The LoungAir is a unique piece of inflatable furniture that converts into four different configurations — making it very versatile. It can easily be flipped or folded into a lounger, a twin size bed, a recliner, or a chair.

When I was sent a Heavy Duty LoungAir for the purposes of this review, I could instantly understand why it would be so appealing to campers, boaters, college students, and those who live in small spaces! It is like owning four pieces of furniture in one, plus when it’s not in use can be deflated and stored in its own case, taking up very little room.

My girls adore the LoungAir, and took to it instantly! It has a soft suede-like finish, and is very comfortable in any configuration. The girls seem to like it as a lounger the most, as this gives both of them ample space to spread out and enjoy some good books.

The LoungAir makes a terrific addtion to our outdoor reading nook! Yes, the LoungAir can even be used outdoors — talk about versatile! It’s perfect as an extra bed to take to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The LoungAir comes complete with it’s own case, electric air pump, and patch kit. I was impressed with the quality of its construction, as well as the thought that went into the product’s clever design.

Now the fun part, one very lucky reader will win a LoungAir of his/her own!! Giveaway is open to all US residents. To enter for your chance to win, leave a comment on this post. Giveway ends Saturday, September 25th at 6:30pm EST and winner will be chosen using random.org

Good luck!!