DIY Egg Carton Fire Starters for Camping, Fireplace, and More

We are officially moved into the camper and out of our old house. This is our second week of camping bliss. Yes...I am lying. It has been...edited version...an adventure! We borrowed the camper from a sweet cousin, but it had not been used in a while, and it had a few problems. First there was a hose leak, and we didn't have water inside for about 4 days. Then we found a gas leak, and we did not have hot water for another 3 days. 7 1/2 months pregnant (A 5 year old, 3 year old, and a husband) without water or without hot water is NOT paradise. At least they have started building our new house. I am pretty sure this will lead to some funny stories years from now but I might be lacking a little humor at this point! (I'm laughing thinking about it though)

In the meantime, I made some really cool fire starters.

 

 

I have to say I learn so much from my patients. One of the best parts of my job as a nurse is talking to people. I meet the most interesting patients that I have to credit for teaching me a wide variety of things. One day, I had a patient that was a retired firefighter. I am not sure how we got on the topic, but we began discussing fires and ways to make fire starters. He explained to me this simple process for making homemade fire starters out of candle wax, sawdust, and cardboard egg cartons.

 

My husband was very skeptical the first time I used one of these little homemade fire starters. I placed one under the logs of our fire pit, and lit it on fire. Within minutes, even with quite a strong wind, our fire was ablaze. I made a quick believer out of him! I have to admit...I was quite amazed myself at the power of one little egg carton fire starter.

 

Supplies:

Old candles

Old pot

Tin can

Clamp

Sawdust

Egg cartons (cardboard)

 

 

Step 1: Fill egg cartons with sawdust 

 

 

Step 2: Melt old candle wax. I rigged a pot of boiling water with a clamp and a tin can to melt the wax in.

 

Step 3: Pour the candle wax in each egg carton compartment.

 

 

Step 4: When the wax is cool, tear apart each section, to create an individual fire starter.

 

Trust me...these things are amazing. It takes only 1 to start your average fire!

 

 

 

 

Magic Pumpkin Seeds

On our camping trip last weekend we participated in the most precious activity. It was called "Magic Pumpkin Seeds." My boys received a bag with 2 pumpkin seeds, a craft stick with the end painted orange, and a baggie full of glitter. We met at the the hay ride and rode far out into the "magic pumpkin field" filled with straw.

 

 

Each of the boys dug a little hole with their finger and planted their magic pumpkin seeds. They covered them up carefully with hay and sprinkled the magic dust (glitter) on top. Then they placed their stake with their name written on the orange section beside their seeds.

 

Here is my youngest and I on the way out. His favorite part was the tractor and the "farmer" driving it.

The kids cousins came along for the fun filled weekend.

 

 

The driver told us a story of the Hidem Ma Hidem tribe that had buried their dead at this site years ago. It apparently makes it the magical place it is today for pumpkins to grow sooo quickly. She warned them not to dig the holes too deep or they would get Hidem Ma Hidem guts on their fingers. (You should have seen the little kids disgusted faces. Ha!)

 

Two hours later, we took a second ride out on the hay wagon to find our "magical" pumpkins.

 

The kids thought it was incredible and were so exicted to haul their magical pumpkins back into  the wagon.

 

My youngest tried desperately to pick his up and carry it. This would be such a fun activity or tradition to do at home every year for Halloween. I am going to be sad when my little ones grow up and they are not quite such believers in the "magic" of simple things like these pumpkins.

 

Water Balloon Target Practice

Can't beat the heat..join it!! Nothing is suited better for a hot summer day then water...or even better...water balloons. As usual, I was dumpster diving a few weeks ago, and found some old water noodles on a curb. I grabbed the whole bag and took them home. I knew they deserved a second chance and I had just the plan. Of course, I hid them in the trunk of the car from my husband until the time was right. It is just not worth the sigh of exasperation some days and "What exactly do you plan to do with those?!?" He does say it all in good fun...but it is truly more fun to suprise the whole family with my crazy little plans for quality time.

 

To start with I filled a LOT of water balloons. The boys could hardly stand watching me get them ready, without getting their grubby little hands on them. (Next time, I might have to fill them up during nap time!) Ha!

I took my "noodles with a second chance at life" and taped them into circles. I used a sharpie to write on 1,2,3,4 for points. Line them up and get ready for target practice!

We brought out a chalkboard from inside my son's room and he named two teams. From the start, the score was never accurate. He gave himself points every time he had a chance. It was so much fun, that this was not the time to teach him true score keeping.

Let the fun begin!

Of course, my well planned game transitioned into many new forms. One being...jump on the water balloons and squirt your little brother. Hee hee.

We also ended up on the top fort of the swing set, bombing anyone who dared walk below. My boys are already requesting round 2 of the great water balloon target practice. I think my husband and I had as much fun as they did!!

Star Spangled Glow in the Dark Ring Toss

Are you ready for the 4th of July yet? Have you scoped out where to go see the best fireworks? I googled the whole DFW metroplex today, and found out Granbury, Texas has an amazing show. It is a really small town, but apparently they have an enormous fireworks show. It was ranked in the top 10 in the Southwest and top 50 in the nation. It is tomorrow night...so we will see if I can keep the kiddos up late enough to go at 9:40pm. Yikes! Today we made a Star Spangled game to play in the dark.

We started playing as soon as it was completed. Our rings for the ring toss were made out of two glow in the dark bracelets put together. They held together even better then I expected.

Supplies:

3 wooden stars

Dowel rod

Wood glue

Red, white, and blue paint

Glow in the dark bracelets

All of my supplies were left over from previous projects. The dowel rod was just long enough to cut into three sections. I used wood glue to adhere the dowel rods to the wooden stars.

Next, I painted them red, white, and blue...the obvious patriotic color choices of course.

Game on! My son is so competitive and we are really working on sportsmanship and behavior. Lol! At first I kept telling him he could not be a "bad sport" when we played games. It took me a while however, to realize he did not know a "bad sport" meant a poor loser or attitude. He just thought I was telling him he was horrible at it. (That was what he was already upset over) Oops. Lesson learned. Sometimes, I just think my kids are little grown ups and I don't even realize what they don't know yet. I really want to teach him it is just about having a good time and trying.

As it grew darker, we grew better, and the boys loved how the rings glowed in the dark. Did anyone else notice that pesky little cricket that jumped into my picture for his "superstar" moment on the red star?

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!!

My Family Fun Magazine Feature...Make Flip Flop Imprints in the Sand

I am so excited! One of my ideas made it into Family Fun Magazine this month (June/July 2012). Even better, they give $100 prizes for creative ideas. Last year, when I first started my blog, I noticed the My Great Idea feature in Family Fun magazine. It says, "Send it to us and you could earn $100!" I thought...hmm..what the heck...it is worth a try. I was shocked last month when I was contacted by email from someone on the editorial team. They were completing the fact checking before publication. Yipee!

Did you get your Family Fun magazine this week? Look for me on page 44.

I even got a half page. Isn't that mermaid towel so cute too from Kim Fuglestad of Wrightstown, PA?

Here is my original post...

Are you ready for some flipping flopping fun?

Supplies:

Flip Flops

Foam Cut Outs or Foam Stickers

Hot Glue Gun

We started out with some regular flip flops. My oldest son and I took some foam stickers and decorated the bottom of them with animals and words. We put two on top of each other to increase the thickness. The stickers would not stick well enough on their own, so we ended up using hot glue to adhere them to the bottoms side of the flip flops. (Worked like a charm!) Then we headed out to the beach to try them out. Did I mention we live in Texas? Ok, we really went to a man-made beach by a lake. 

In motion flip flop pictures were impossible!

LESSON LEARNED...You must be smarter then the flip flops and expect a mirror image. The first pair we made had his name on them and it came out backwards!

The sand imprints were even better then I expected.

The animals were the easiest because they can not be put on backwards. For our second attempt, we put the letters on correctly in mirror image format. You must use regular foam cut outs, not stickers, for words. The problem is stickers end up with the sticky side facing towards the sand. Please learn from all of my mistakes. Ha! I enjoyed this project because it was fast, simple, and we had all the supplies needed floating around our house.

 Now go out and make some amazing flip flops of your own.

I hope your summer is wonderful and you have lots of...

Treasure Drinks for Summer Fun

My boys and I find ourselves outside even with these 100 degree Texas days. We take short trips out and try to stay in the shade. In an attempt to keep my little monsters hydrated, I started serving their water in plastic bags with straws. They are so entertained by the unique packaging, I am convinced they drink more. Goal achieved! Here are some of our favorites...

Supplies:

Plastic Bags (Favor bags or Ziploc bags)

Rubber Bands

Straws

Water, Juice, or Gatorade

Treasures of  Your Choice

I have been using this set of 30 favor bags I bought at the $1 store. I have only "sprung" one leak so far in them. (This is exactly why they are outside only drinks)

Directions:

Fill your bag 1/3 to 1/2 full of water, juice, or Gatorade. Add "treasures." We have used plastic bugs, army men, Dots candy, fruit, plastic butterflies, marbles and more. Just remember anything that is plastic, may be washed with soap and water, and is significantly larger then the diameter of the straw will work. Insert straw and secure rubber band. The tricky part is the rubber band. Make sure to wrap it well...but loose enough that your kiddos can easily drink out of the straw. Treasure drinks can even be made in advance and kept in the fridge. I hope you enjoy your cool treat! 



It is even easy for my one year old to drink from these.



This one is full of creepy crawly plastic bugs.

 

My three year old is enjoying gatorade with Dots candy inside.

Have you "Lost Your Marbles" summer drink



Just a few more suggestions...

• Give them fun names like "bug juice" or "butterfly potion"
• Bring them to the beach, the park, or outside at home
• Tie fun tags on them describing your drinks
• Personalize them with special treasures for themed birthday parties

Parties I linked to:


http://todayscreativeblog.net/
http://www.nothingbutcountry.com/
http://jandmseyecandy.blogspot.com/
http://www.crystalandcomp.com/







Flip Flop Fun at the Beach...Make Prints in the Sand!

Here was my guest post for Someday Crafts last week for flip flops that leave imprints. I was so honored to be visiting there.

Hi! I am so excited to be visiting Someday Crafts. My name is Michelle and I am a nurse, wife, and mom. I find true joy in even small attempts at creativity. I live at what I like to call Greene Acres Hobby Farm. It all started when we took in our fourth stray dog. My husband said, "We can't keep him unless we move to the country." The next day I emailed him a picture of a house I had found and we put an offer on it that week. (Not exactly what he expected.) We have lived here for 6 years and we now have two little monsters boys, a cow, a horse, two goats, chickens, and our same four dogs.

Just another calm day in paradise!

Here are a few of my favorite projects I have done recently.

Melon Jello Boats

Vintage Train Birthday Party

Book Walk Reading Activity

Now on to today's project. Are you ready to have some flipping flopping fun??? Me too! These are the newest creation at our house.

Supplies:

Flip Flops

Foam Cut Outs or Foam Stickers

Hot Glue Gun

We started out with some regular flip flops. My oldest son and I took some foam stickers and decorated the bottom of them with animals and words. We put two on top of each other to increase the thickness. The stickers would not stick well enough on their own, so we ended up using hot glue to adhere them to the bottoms side of the flip flops. (Worked like a charm!)  Then we headed out to the beach to try them out. Did I mention we live in Texas? Ok, we really went to a man-made beach by a lake.



In motion flip flop pictures were impossible!

LESSON LEARNED...You must be smarter then the flip flops and expect a mirror image. The first pair we made had his name on them and it came out backwards!



The sand imprints were even better then I expected.

The animals were the easiest because they can not be put on backwards. For our second attempt, we put the letters on correctly in mirror image format. You must use regular foam cut outs, not stickers, for words. The problem is stickers end up with the sticky side facing towards the sand. Please learn from all of my mistakes. Ha! I enjoyed this project because it was fast, simple, and we had all the supplies needed floating around our house.

Thanks for letting me visit. Now go out and make some amazing flip flops of your own.

I hope your summer is wonderful and you have lots of...

Parties I linked to: