Seeing Valentine's Day Through a 7-Year-Old's Eyes

Valentine’s Day - watching this holiday through the eyes of the 7-year-old puts sort of a different spin on this holiday. She is making gifts, swearing she won’t ruin the surprise, then tells us 10 minutes later. To her, this “holiday” is about showing your love to its fullest extent and making things to prove her devotion in various art forms.

All of the OMB kiddos love to craft and create, so we have put together some fun crafts for you and your little guys and gals.

bitzngiggles

Rainbow Sprinkle Bath Bombs - These are fun heart-shaped bath bombs that make a rainbow in the bath. We love this recipe by bitngiggles because it is all-natural. We use essential oils, though, because we don’t do fragrance, even though the girls love scents like bubblegum. We really like 5 drops of vanilla and 5 drops of sweet orange. This heart-shaped mold does the trick beautifully.

justjen

Since candy is out in most schools these days, we found these to be a fun alternative. This mold will do almost a whole class and these are a great way to use up those broken crayons. You can package up a cute little bag or stick to an index card and write “i <heart> u.”

Gran sent her a Crayola Crayon Factory and she is making 14 hearts for the girls and 10 cars for the boys for her first-grade class. This has kept her busy 3 nights in a row and has won several awards like Parent’s Choice. Other than the breaking of crayons and the peeling of paper, (we vacuum right after), this is relatively mess-free. Totally fun way to recycle old crayons. You can buy it HERE. Crayola also has fun coloring pages and freebies.

gigglesgalore

Monster Box

What better way to collect your Valentines then stuff them in the mouth of a Monster! Mariah with Giggles Galore shows how to turn a tissue box into a terror in a few easy steps!

craftymorning

Heart Puppy

Who doesn’t love a cute puppy? Craft Mom, Michele with Crafty Morning, shows a way to make this heart-tugger completely out of hearts. All you need is construction paper, scissors, and glue. Follow Crafty Morning’s instructions.

krokotak

Handfuls of Hearts Tree

Beautiful wispy love tree that is sure to warm the heart this chilly Valentine’s Day. Krokotak’s site also has a ton of educational crafts and free printables. Worth checking out.

theidearoom

Fabric Heart Wreath

The Idea Room has been around since 2009 and is a great resource for crafts and recipes. There is a video tutorial that tells you how to do it!

eighteen25

Monster Love

Yarn and pipe cleaners, some cute paper, googly eyes and you get these little cuties. Sisters, Jodie, Jamie, and Jen offer DIY and crafts plus useful information on things like “Top Ten Things to Bring to Disney in Your Backpack.” Their Pinterest page is worth the follow.

kidscraftroom

Washi Tape Suncatcher

Came home with washi tape for my planner and thought the 7-year-old was going to battle me for the rolls. We worked it out and made this adorable suncatcher for a Valentines Day gifts.

daysofvalentine

Hand to Heart Card
This one is fun and messy and we love that. Get out the paint, slap it on those tiny hands and start your assembly line - Voila! The cutest cards you have ever seen. Says of Valentine has a slew of heart-themed projects.

Greenkidcrafts

Heartshaped Bird Feeders

We made these last year because even the birds say, “BRRRR.”  We loved picking out strategic spots for our feeders so we could watch from the window. You can use the same heart molds as the bath bomb project. Green Kid Crafts also has fun stem-based subscription boxes.

ohmybalm

     10. Melted Bead Free Form Suncatcher

Guess who got a Poop Emoji melted bead ornament at the holiday? Well, we saved the leftover beads and made a wonderful free-form heart. You can get “pony beads” from the Craft Outlet and they come in a million colors including some that are metallic. Be sure you pick the transparent ones for this craft though.

And then we used it…

as a prop! Do you need some advice about what to get your sweetie for Valentine’s Day?

We can help! Know what one of us gets for this special day? Her husband does the taxes. Useful, though not exactly romantic.

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Our Gettin’ Frisky Valentines Combo makes a wonderful treat for your honey! Hurry, our Limited Edition Lavender Delight won’t last!

Happy Valentine’s Day from OMB to you and Yours!

Two Moms Making it REAL!

DIY All-Natural Laundry Powder

The other day, the littlest OMBer developed a rash under her underpants, so we started brainstorming about things we have changed in our home. Then it dawned on us, a couple of days before, we were out of home-made laundry detergent and had piles of laundry that had to be tackled. So, we punted and used the store brand, which we hadn’t done in quite some time.

Most leading laundry detergents are a cocktail of harmful chemicals that leave a chemical residue on clothing, which is in turn absorbed by our skin and inhaled into our lungs. The fragrances added in present their own special mix of chemicals.

Not only are these chemicals bad for us, but they are also terrible for the environment. Detergents don’t completely biodegrade and they contaminate our water supplies, rivers, and oceans with toxic heavy metals like cadmium and arsenic. If we don’t have time to make our own, there are detergents like Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Products that are derived from plants and are environmentally friendly.

After trying quite a few recipes, this is our favorite powder, and it works well even in cold water and is cost pennies per load

-WHAT YOU WILL NEED-

Borax - many people confuse Borax with boric acid and they are not the same thing. Mule Team’s Borax is completely safe but should be not be inhaled and caution should be used when touching because it can irritate skin.
Washing Soda (Soda Ash) - a natural water softener and cleaner, and is really good for stubborn stains. Arm & Hammer is the brand we use.
Baking Soda - works as a natural booster for your detergent, fights odors, and acts as a fabric softener.
Bar Soap - most of the time, we use Ivory because it is easy to find at our grocery store.

INGREDIENTS &

MATERIALS

4 Cups Borax
4 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups Baking Soda
4 Cups Grated Bar Soap (around 4 bars)
Essential Oils
Scarf, Dust Mask or Banana
Large Metal Bowl
Wooden Spoon
Large Container with Lid (5lb coffee can works well)

Directions:

Grate the soap with a cheese grater.

Pop the grated soap in a food processor and let run until soap turns into a powder. Grab a scarf, bandana or a dust mask, let the dust settle a bit, and pour slowly into a large metal bowl.

Measure the borax, washing powder and baking soda, mix in with grated soap, and stir gently with your wooden spoon. Use gloves or wash hands well if you come into contact with borax, as it can irritate your hands.

Add 20 drops of essential oil. Our favorite is 10 drops each of tea tree and lemon. The tea tree oil is strong, yet gentle and the lemon has antifungal, antiseptic and astringent properties. Another one we like is 10 drops juniper, which can help remove body oils from clothes and 10 drops oregano, which helps to sanitize clothes.

Pour into a large coffee can or bucket, put on the lid and give it a good shake.

Turn the water to “hot,” and pour in ¼ cup of powder, when the soap is dissolved, switch to the desired temperature.

Don’t forget to add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften your clothes - you will never want to go back to regular harmful detergents and fabric softeners again.

Want to the recipe for a liquid detergent?  Stay tuned! You can get these tips and more by subscribing to our email list on the home page.

--Two Moms Making it REAL!