Don't Be Such an Itch!

Ah, Summer. Sun, fun, vacations, pool time....and mosquitoes.

They sure do know how to ruin the fun! I hate to see my poor toddler with his leg full of "boo boo" bites suffer through the itch. I was desperate for a remedy that was fast and easy.

I tried 2 options today to see which would work best. Unfortunately, he was scratching last night, and the bites are "open."

First, I tried putting toothpaste on them, and letting it dry. His reaction? I did not see him scratch it at all! That being said, he is a toddler, and he was soon playing on the couch/ground and that resulted in tiny little fuzzies that found their way stuck to his legs. Oops. Time for Mommy to wash that off.

I wanted to try baking soda and water for another remedy. A simple paste of water and baking soda is supposed to help the itch, as well. Yeah....that would be for bites that your toddler did NOT scratch open. I had the paste on for 2 seconds until my son started crying that it hurt. Mommy fail....but lesson learned.

If he ever gets bitten again like this, I will either stick with the toothpaste, or try other remedies (BEFORE he scratches them!) that I already have  such as deodorant, mouthwash (definitely only if it is not scratched open), vinegar, tea tree oil, or essential oil (I have lavender).

This gives me a great idea! My next entry will be a HOMEMADE mosquito repellent!

Have you ever tried a homemade itch reliever?

Naturally Yours,

Joyful

Broken Crayons, No Problem!

Got kids? Then you probably have broken crayons! But wait, don't toss those crayon pieces away- save them! I put them into a small container until I have a good amount, and then I make bigger crayons out of them!

When you are ready to create, make sure you have:

 vegetable spray (such as Pam)
 non-stick muffin pan.
plenty of crayons with NO WRAPPERS on them

*You can trim down the crayons even more, if you desire*

1) Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
2) Spray the pan with the vegetable spray
4) Place the crayons into the pan
5) Place in the oven
6) Cook for 7 minutes or until completely melted
7) Remove from oven
8) Set aside (or stick it in the freezer) until completely cooled
9) Remove from pan (I look it upside down and banged on the back with my hand until they fell out onto the counter)
10) ENJOY!



Let me know how it works for you! The more crayons that you add to each hole, the thicker the crayon! Experiment and enjoy!

Naturally Yours,

Joyful

An Easy Way to Help the Planet

Dryer sheets.

We all need them, right? They get rid of static and make clothes soft.That is all well and dandy.Here is some sad news about it: they also fill out landfills AND contain chemicals.

I am not going to get all tree-hugger-preachy, but if you think about how many dryer sheets you go through a year, it actually is a lot. Also, what exactly is IN them? Hmmmm.

Plus, how much money does it cost you? Even buying them at the local dollar store can become costly from buying them so often.

Well, I have found a solution. They are called dryer balls. You buy them once, and use them every time you put your clothes into the dryer. Think about it. Buy it ONCE use it FOREVER. Cool, right?

I got mine on etsy, but you can also make your own if you have wool around (I don't).

So there you go. Just throw 1 or 2 into the dryer, and you are good to go. It is quick, it is easy, and it helps the environment.

Enjoy!

Naturally Yours,

Joyful