DIY “Help! We’re Out Of…” Purse Shopping List!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiveExtraGetExtra #Target #CollectiveBias

From gum to nail clippers, moms are always looking for the things they don't have enough of. Whether it's socks getting eaten in the laundry, hair ties snapping, or the last sandwich bag being used the night before a field trip, it's time to get re-stocked. This free printable shopping list will help you remember what you need a little more of, using a container from the 35-pack of Extra® Gum... with 35 sticks, you'll never run out of gum, no matter how much you share with your kids and your book club! #GiveExtraGetExtra #Target [ad]

As a mom, I’m always running out of things at the most inconvenient times…. My hair tie snaps on the hottest day of the year. I can never find the single sock that’s clean when we’re running late for school. No matter how many nail clippers I buy, within 6 months, they’ve all gone missing again. And it never fails, whenever I need gum, I’m always out, or worse, there’s that one crumpled piece in the bottom of my bag, covered in cracker crumbs and loose hair. Ew. Why is it so hard to remember to re-stock on these things before they’re gone?

Read more

DIY Recycled Bottle City Craft

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Don't toss out those bottles or newspapers! You can use them to create a fun bottle city for your kids! Learn about this craft, plus other ideas on how to teach kids to reduce, reuse, and recycle here.    #BringingInnovation #ad

If you walk into my house at any given time, you’re bound to find a few items lying around the toy area that aren’t quite what many would view as toys. My son’s play kitchen is fully stocked with real items– empty milk jugs, honey bears, coffee creamer bottles, and more. I love to repurpose items when I can (and of course, recycle them when I can’t), because I’m just not a huge fan of the thought of so much waste going into landfills. One of my new favorite crafts, though, is to take all of those little bottles– the ones from juice or soda or water– and make them into cool toys, like this great city. It’s so easy to do, which means your kids will love joining in on the fun, too!

Read more

12 Can’t-Miss Ways to Use Zipzicles! (And a Giveaway)

Growing up, it was clear that summer wasn’t summer without the industrial size bag of ice pops in the freezer. They were perfect– no stick, no drips, and you could let it melt most of the way before drinking that sickly-sweet syrup inside. That’s an experience for the ages, one I wanted my son to experience, but at the same time, I hoped for an option that would maybe be a bit better for him… and for me as I indulged in one, two, fifteen ice pops on the hottest days of the year.

Enter Zipzicles, which are pretty much the coolest thing since frozen water. I mean, they have all of the classic trademarks of summer– they’re plastic, just like the ice pops you remember, and they’re able to be filled with anything you can imagine. But even better, they’re reusable or disposable, whichever you prefer, and they’re re-sealable. I don’t know about your kids, but it seems like Zach gets halfway through an ice pop and gets bored, leaving the rest to melt all over or just be thrown away. I didn’t like either of those options, so the zip-seal on these is just amazing for ending the half-eaten ice pop battle.

The best part is that they’re recyclable, and they’re food-grade materials that are third-party tested to be BPA free. Woohoo for safety!

But I knew that just filling them with the same thing over and over was bound to get boring, so I wanted to get creative and figure out everything my Zipzicles could hold.

Zipzicles are perfect for making your own applesauce pouches for kids– at 2.5 ounces, it’s just the right amount, and it’s far cheaper than buying store-bought pouches. You can fill them from the large container of applesauce, or even make your own sauce for a healthy treat. And because the Zipzicle is flexible, it takes up far less room in a picnic basket than an applesauce cup.

Of course, you can also make your own yogurt-on-the-go pouches, which it seems ALL kids love. I personally buy the off-brand 38-cent yogurt at my store, and it fills 2 pouches. You can’t beat that price! If you freeze the Zipzicle overnight, then toss it in a lunch box in the morning, it helps keep food cool and will be perfectly thawed when it’s time to eat.

I can’t tell you how many times I go to the fridge and someone has drank all but the last bit of juice. There’s not enough for a full glass, but there’s also no way I want to just toss it. The solution? I pour it into a Zipzicle. The far-left ice pop is actually the  rest of some Mango Juicy Juice with bits of chopped mango tossed in for some real fruit flavor– yum! The mango pop is probably Zach’s absolute favorite, and like I said, it rids me of the last-drops-of-juice problem.

You can also tailor Zipzicles to your party theme or color by buying drinks that match the theme, then freezing them. For a red-white-and-blue idea, I went with a blue raspberry punch, a white grapefruit juice, and a red fruit punch. I filled the pop 1/3 of the way with the red, froze it until solid, filled it 1/3 of the way with the white, froze it until solid, and finished with the blue to the fill line. It made for a very festive pop without much work.

I’ve also noticed that when Zach and I make smoothies, we end up having some leftovers there, too. The pop on the right is just leftover Mango-Pineapple smoothie from the post last Friday. It’s a great way to make the most out of smoothies– just make a little extra when you’re whipping up your morning favorite, and pour it into a Zipzicle for a frozen treat later.

I can’t get enough of citrus in the summer, and one summer treat I always love is a cherry limeade. I took some key limes, squeezed them, then added grenadine. I mixed in a generous splash of lemon lime soda, then let the mixture rest until most of the carbonation was gone (freezing carbonation tends to be messy unless it’s very diluted and left to flatten a bit). As I filled the Zipzicle, I added in some slices of key lime and some diced maraschino cherries as a pretty garnish!

I also love the Passion Tea Lemonade sold by a certain (cough Starbucks) coffee chain. I make my own version by brewing some lemonade in my Keurig over a bag of Tazo passion tea, then chilling it until it’s cool. I then fill up Zipzicles for my very own frozen twist on a Passion Tea Lemonade, which is SO refreshing after a trip to the park.

I also love taking my favorite sweet tea, squeezing in some lemon, and then filling a Zipzicle with sweet tea for the best southern-style sweet tea treat in the world. It’s so perfect because I can customize it however I’d like.

There’s one New York Eatery that became famous for it’s frozen hot chocolate, and it makes sense why– the stuff is delicious. While this isn’t a duplicate by any means, the idea of hot chocolate served cold is always a great one. I froze my favorite hot chocolate, and garnished it with a little whipped cream at the very top. Pretty and delicious! Pair a frozen hot chocolate pop with some fake snowballs and you have everything you need for a winter party in summer!

I also often make Zipzicles filled with my favorite coffee. How many times have you brewed yourself a cup of coffee only to forget to drink half of it? Well, rather than dumping my cold, forgotten coffee down the drain, or microwaving it only to forget that I’ve put it in the microwave (darn you, mommy brain!), I pour it into a Zipzicle to enjoy frozen later. It’s a great way to re-use my forgotten coffee without any effort, and what coffee fan doesn’t love a decent iced coffee now and then? Bonus points– if your coffee is too hot, you can just break off pieces of this and throw it into your cup of joe to cool it off without watering it down.

But Zipzicles aren’t just for frozen treats. Zach and I love to go on picnics, or at least have picnics in the floor. Using Zipzicles to contain condiments instead of using the individual packets makes it so much more convenient, and cheaper. Now, we never pack a sandwich without a Zipzicle of mayo or have  hot dogs at the park without a Zipzicle of ketchup. It’s just so much easier than fumbling with bottles or paying for individual packets when we go out! It’s also a great solution for sandwiches packed on road trips– then they won’t get soggy from being slathered with mayo before-hand, but also won’t be dry from no condiments at all!

I also use a Zipzicle to contain the pizza sauce for my homemade pizza lunchables, as you saw on Wednesday.

You can even use Zipzicles for pre-measured formula powder. I mean, instead of buying those little expensive packets of formula, try buying a container of formula and measuring out the powder you need. Write mixing instructions on the label and you’re all set!

If you can’t live without Zipzicles another second, you can check out their website here and order some of your very own. Social media addict? Check them out on Facebook, or follow them on Pinterest for tons of great ideas.

There are literally hundreds of ways to use a Zipzicle and so many things you can fill it with, but these are a dozen of my favorite ideas, and I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below. What would you freeze in a Zipzicle? Tell me in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a package of Zipzicles to use at home! One lucky winner will get their own package so they can try all of the ideas above and any others they can imagine!

 

The contest will run until Friday, May 23, at 11:59 CDT. Only US residents 18 or older may enter. For full disclosure, Zipzicles by WizCo were provided to me for use in this post, but all opinions and thoughts are my own.