Goop!

After making the Borax GAK, Addison wanted to try another science project.  She asked if we could make GOOP because they had made some in kindergarten.

I found this recipe for GOOP on Pinterest. I changed the recipe a little. I did not want to use 2 cups of cornstarch, so I used 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 1 cup of water.

Addison played with this for a little while, but said it was not like the GOOP they made in school.

I probably would not make this again.  I think younger kids would like to play with it more, but for my six year old she thought it was kind of boring.

If anyone has any other fun science projects for kindergarten age girls, I'd love to hear them!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

We love homemade muffins at our house. We eat them for breakfast and snacks. When I came across this recipe on the Money Saving Mom website for banana bread it looked so good and who doesn't have bananas laying around that need to be used!

I usually have issues when making banana bread, where the middle is not cooked through and the outside is overdone. Because of this, I decided to use the recipe and make them in to muffins. 

I used the recipe from her blog as is and added 3/4 cup chocolate chips to the batter. I baked these for 22 minutes at the temperature in the recipe. This made 24 muffins.  

These are so good they don't last long at our house!
 
 

Chocolate Caramel Chex Mix

Last weekend Northern Minnesota was hit with snow and below freezing temps.  My driveway was blocked in from the snow drifts. I was browsing Pinterest and came across a recipe for "Better Than Sex Chex Mix".  It looked really good and I happened to have a box of Chocolate Chex on hand. I did not have all of the other ingredients, so I improvised and came up with my own recipe.

You can view the original "pin" here.

I used the chocolate chex and the caramel mix from the recipe. Then instead of all of the additional add ins, I just drizzled white chocolate almond bark and semi sweet chocolate over it when it was cool.

This was very good, addicting, and a fun way to use up cereal that I was not fond of eating for breakfast!

The Many Uses of Borax!

20 Mule Team Borax is a 100% natural mineral from the earth. This product naturally softens hard water, so it can maximize cleaning power. 

Borax can be used as a laundry booster by adding 1/2 cup to every load along with your regular detergent. This can also be used in your dishwasher to help with spots!

I have tried the Borax in my washing machine, which is a He Machine. I have used it with both colors and whites and have noticed a difference, especially in the whites.

I also tried it in my dishwasher. I was amazed at how it helped with the spotting. The water in Northern MN is very hard, and most of my glassware has spots, even with using a rinse agent. I just added 1/4 cup to the bottom of the dishwasher before starting the load, per the directions on the box.

I also found another use for Borox, besides the ones listed on the box, you can use it in many science projects!  My daughter Addison, who is six was very excited to try one of them, called GAK.  I reviewed different "recipes" on Pinterest and came up with one that worked for us. I didn't want a huge amount of it, because I just have one child. 

In a glass bowl pour one bottle of craft glue.  Then fill the glue bottle with warm water and shake, and empty that into the bowl.  At this point, you can add food coloring if you want colored GAK.  Of course Addison wanted pink, so we used some red food coloring to get a dark pink color. You stir this together.  Then in another bowl you add 1/4 cup warm water and 1/2 tsp of Borox and mix together. Add this to the glue mixture and start stirring. It starts to come together and is kind of stringy. 

Keep mixing and then use your hands to form it together. I have stored this in a Glad container and it has lasted over two weeks already. You can tear it apart, use scissors and cut it, and then you can form it back together. This has provided her with hours of fun play. 

Right now Borax is holding a contest where you can enter to win the $1,500 Grand Prize, or one of 171 coupons for FREE BORAX!  If you would like to enter you can click here!

Would you like a chance to win one of two coupons for a FREE box of 20 Mule Team Borax? I'm also holding my own contest where two winners will each win a coupon for a FREE box of Borax with a max value of $3.50. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Borax provided a free sample of their product so I could review them. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Torani Holiday Cheers

Have you tried adding Torani flavors to hot chocolate? If you haven't, you need to. I was able to test two flavors of Torani, Peppermint and Vanilla Bean.  These were a delightful addition to hot chocolate on a cold day. 

My favorite was the peppermint, but my six year old loved the vanilla bean the best. I have a cocoa latte machine that I just used water and regular hot chocolate mix. I then added two tablespoons of the flavoring to each mug and topped with whipped cream.

I would definitely recommend these flavorings for added fun this winter in your hot drinks. 

This was a sponsored post from SheSpeaks & Torani.

The Deposit Slip

I was able to read and review the book The Deposit Slip by Todd Johnson.  This book is about an attorney that takes on a case for a farmers daughter who found a deposit slip for over 10 million dollars in her fathers safe deposit box.

I really enjoyed this book. For one, it was set in Minnesota, and I live in Minnesota. Secondly, the book was very suspenseful. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns in the book. It kept me on my toes and surprised me a few times. 

This book is available in paper and electronically on Amazon. I would recommend this book if you like a good suspense novel.

I did receive a copy of the book from The Bethany House to review.

 

Treat Two Day Free Card Campaign 2012

Have you heard of Treat?  It's Shutterfly's new greeting card brand that has one of a kind greeting cards.

These cards are great for holidays, birthdays, thank yous, and every occasion in between. The site is user friendly and very easy to make personalized cards. 

For the next two days, Treat has made your holiday checklist shorter. You can create and send a personalized greeting card from Treat for FREE!  Whether you want to say thanks for Thanksgiving, wishing a friend a holiday birthday, or simply sharing the holiday cheer. Treat lets you create a card that is sure to impress.

Monday 11/19 and Tuesday 11/20 you can visit Treat to make one free card.  Just use the code TREATBLOGR to get your card for free!