Traffic pro

We have instructions for many types of Tie Dye on the main website but the one that gets the most attention is the Faux Tie Dye. You can make Faux Tie Dye with younger kids and there is less chance for things getting ruined. It is not the real thing but it is still pretty fun and kids still love it. This is a great summer time activity. Doing it outside can help limit the clean up needed and it eliminates the smell you could get in the house.

You Will Need

Sharpie Markers
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubberbands
Plastic Disposible Cups
Dropper Bottle
White T-shirt or other 100% Cotton Material
*I suggest you also have a practice fabric to try it out a little first. You may want to get a feel for what patterns you like and how fast to drop the alcohol on the fadric.

Instructions

The instructions are really very simple.

1. Place the material you have chosen over the plastic cup and secure with a rubberband.

2. Then use the Sharpie markers to place some dots or lines in the center of the fabric circle. Any pattern or colors that look nice together will work.

3. Take your dropper bottle and slowly drop rubbing alcohol into the center of the pattern. You will probably need about 20 drops to get the desired look. It is very important to drop at a slower speed or you will just get a mess. This is where the practice fabric would be helpful.

4. When you are finished with the circle you can move on to another area of fabric and do it all again.

5. When the whole Faux Tie Dye project is all done you MUST let it air dry fully. Rubbing alcohol is flammable so you do not want to do anything else with them until they are fully air dried.

6. When they are FULLY air dried you should place them in the drier for 15 minutes to heat set the project.

IDEAS

You can use this idea and do all kinds of things with it. You do not have to do the whole shirt. You could just do a certain part or a pattern. You do not have to just do shirts. You could do anything that is 100% cotton. How about those cheap plain aprons? If you have some mens shirts that got too dingy you could create pretty arts & crafts smocks out of them. My kids love doing Faux Tie Dye on their socks. They are known for their crazy socks so creating their own designs was the next step.

This post sponsored by lapolicegear.com

Happy Friday, I hope you take the time to relax and play for awhile.

This weeks Friday Game...

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I have seen lately that a lot of people have taken the VistaPrint opportunity. I did not take the opportunity because they are already one of my sponsors for my sites.

I always have piles of ideas for blog posts waiting for their day to shine. It seems like many times someone else beats me to the idea though. This time that was really true. Not only did one person beat me but many people did. I still want to talk about VistaPrint though because they have great free offers all the time. So I am going to.

I love VistaPrint! Actually I love VistaPrint so much that I became a VistaPrint Reseller. They used to call us Independant Dealers and then Independant Consultants. Now they changed it to Resellers. I do not know if I like the term yet. I have not been doing it recently though. I just do not have the time to promote it, do the design work, and run another store. So I will just promote their store.

All of us that have blogs and/or websites are trying to find ways to get more readers online. Are you promoting your sites to people you meet in person though? That is where VistaPrint comes in. I first discovered Vistaprint when I was thinking about getting business cards made. I looked at way too many websites and ended up going with VistaPrint. They had the best selection, best tools, and best prices by far.

I actually created my first logo on their site. They have a very easy logo creation tool. You pick and choose emblems, text, font, colors, and shadows. That logo I created on their site is actually the card I use today on Entrecard. VistaPrint also keeps all the projects you have saved so you can go back and use them later. I have used that logo on my business cards and my return address labels.

Creating things on VistaPrint is super easy. You pick the design you like or upload an image of your own. From there you can customize everything! You can move things around to however you want. You can add and subtract lines of text. You can also change the color themes of most designs. On my business cards I have the logo in the middle, my name on the bottom left, and my main website on the bottom right. Now that I have added more websites and stores I think I will order more cards that have some of the additional sites listed.

As I meet people and we start talking I give them my card. When we had the garage sale I stuck a stack of my cards on the bookshelf that had kid's books for sale. I even put my kids to work with the cards. They each have some in their backpacks to write their phone numbers on when people ask for them. Everyone else hands out business cards so why not me? The day those things came in the mail was a very happy day for me. It just felt good.

The address labels are fully customizable too so I added my logo to the left and added my website to the top. Now I am advertising my site to anyone that touches my mail. I still want to get some pens printed by them and maybe some other things. They have soooo many things to choose from. VistaPrint also prints T-shirts but I have not gone that far YET. I am actually thinking about getting some. I do not know if walking around with a shirt that advertises my websites would be too tacky. :)

If you are not into the shameless promotion of yourself you can still get really cool return address labels for your family. They have a really neat one where you can pick out characters that look like everyone in your family. They are super cute!

Shipping prices vary. They have three different rates according to how fast you want to get everything. The faster you want it the more expensive. I got the cheapest shipping on my address labels and I got them in 4 days. That was plenty fast for me.

This has been a very busy week for us. This week is the end of summer school so there have been field trips and picnics. Today is the last day of summer school so Neona will be doing a show with the other kids in her cheerleading class. As great as these summer classes have been I am looking forward to a month of no early mornings and no driving back and forth to school. With all of the craziness around here I have not been able to pass on the awards that I have gotten this week.

This award I got from Toni over at It Is Nap Time . I really like her blog so I was touched that she gave it to me. She seems like a very sweet person and has been great about commenting here when no one else does. That really is a pick me up when I feel like no one is actually reading it.

This award I got from Lora over at Lora's Journal. I also really like reading Lora's blog and I love coffee. You may remember that Lora was also the person that tagged me with my first Meme.

I should be passing these awards on but it kills me to pick out just a few good blogs. It also pisses me off when I pick what I think is a good blog and then find that the rude people that have the blog can not even bring it upon themselves to say thank you. So I will give these awards out to YOU. Yes you! You the person that did not just come and drop your Entrecard on my page and leave. You the person that did not just read two lines and get bored. You the person that decided to read all the way to the bottom. You are the people I love and write for. You deserve these awards.

People are talking about going green all the time. Some people are doing it to save the planet. Some people are doing it to live healthier lives. Some people are doing it because studies are now showing how the chemicals we use in our homes can affect not only our health but our kids behavior as well. What ever your reason, I have a few tips on how to clean and still be green.

Did you know that there are no regulations on the use of the term "green"? If you look at the ingredients in some of the products that claim to be green you may very well be shocked. You need to really check into anything that claims to be green. Just like you have to really look into things that say all natural. Poison Ivy is all natural but I will not be rubbing that all over my body!

The easiest way to be sure that what you use is really green or all natural is to make it yourself. This also saves TONS of money when shopping. We all love saving money. So here are some recipes for all natural and green cleaning products. I really like the oven cleaner and drain cleaner ones. The products you buy at stores are such harsh chemicals. I really do not like harsh chemicals where I cook my food. You may remember from my Fun With Microwaves post that I do not use chemicals in my microwave either. Microwaving a damp rag for a minute takes care of the mess.

All Purpose Cleaner

Mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) with 1/2 gallon of water. This can be used to clean just about everything including showers, windows, and mirrors.

Wood Floor Cleaner

Combine equal parts of white distilled vinegar and water. Add to that several drops of pure peppermint oil. This can be used for damp mopping wood floors.

Oven Cleaner

Make a paste of 3/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup salt and 1/4 cup water. Wipe the oven clean with a damp cloth and then spread the paste on.. Avoid bare metal and openings. Let the paste work over night. The next day use an old spatula to remove the paste and wipe clean. Some areas that are really bad might need fine steel wool.

Drain Cleaner

Pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain. Then pour down 1/2 cup of vinegar. After 15 minutes pour boiling water down the drain. If you have PVC pipes do not use boiling water. It will be too hot for the pipes. You should not do this if you have used chemical drain cleaners recently. It could cause harmful fumes.

Removing marks off of walls and painted surfaces

Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and rub gently. Rinse with a wet rag.

I hope you found something you could use. Feel free to leave comments with any recipes for homemade cleaners that you make. I would also like to add that cutting up those old towels and using them as cleaning rags keeps them out of the landfills.

We often think of how we can make more money and move forward in our career. Sometimes we even think about finding a new career. With the economy getting worse everyone worries about what is to come. Many big companies are already feeling the effects and starting to down size. The big talk in our town is the companies that just started doing lay offs. Everyone is worried that they would be next.

Here is your Friday game. Search through the kitchen and find things to help you escape. You can not just click on things you also have to find ways to use them. If you get frustrated and want hints or just want to cheat, look at the bottom of this post for hints and a link to a walkthrough.

HINTS...
The hammer at the top left is to construct something from what you have found. You can click on it early though and get an idea of what you are looking for. Not everything can be used as is. Some things have to be used together in the room to access other things that you will need.

Okay here is the walkthrough I promised you if you give up and just want to know how to do it.

Some posts, ads, links, and giveaways are paid for by companies that sponsor this blog. The content and opinions are 100% mine and not influenced by the companies that sponsor this blog.

Everyone in my family except Nicole needs glasses. James and I wear contacts so we have not bothered to get new glasses in years. The insurance only covers one or the other so we always get contacts. Nice looking glasses always cost a lot so we never bother to get new ones.

Recently I got OFF bug repellent in my eye and could not wear contacts for a few days. That is when I realised how much I hate my old glasses. I really did not want to be seen in public with them on. So I started thinking about getting new glasses for just such occasions when I have to wear them in public. I think I may just get them from a place online.

Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses

They have great frames at great prices. They manufacture the glasses themselves so they can sell them at a better price. For the prices they have I may have to get Noelle and Neona extra pairs. We always have extras for the kids. They come in handy like when Neona got a ball in the face at soccer and her glasses had to be fixed. Zenni Optical was on FOX news! If you need new glasses you should really check out the Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni.

Did you know that we have classic books that you can read for free online? On the main website I have 10 classic novels that you can read any time. No need to go to a book store or library. No need to wait for a book to be mailed to you. Anytime you feel the need to read a book you can.

What is special about our books is not just that they are free to read. The really special park is that the program allows you the reader to customize how the book looks! You get to choose what color background will be the easiest for you to read comfortably. You can also choose the font type and size. This allows people of all ages to be able to read easily.

You are worried about finding your place again after you stop? Not to worry. You can enter your email address and an email will be sent to you so you can just go to your email and click to pick back up where you left off.

This is also a great way to read a book for awhile to see if you want to purchase it. I will be adding new books from time to time so check back often! So where can you find these wonderful books? You just have to go to the Free Classic Novels page and see for yourself.

My kids have loved Ewan McGregor since the new Star Wars movies came out. This film looks like it will be a great adventure. Ewan is so funny and has a great personality so seeing him just being himself will add to it all. In the film Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman take a 15,000 mile motorcycle journey from Scotland to South Africa and it is all captured on the big screen.

Here is a quote from Ewan McGregor...

“There is something liberating about just having what you need, on your bike. A tent, a roll mat, a little bit of food, a bit of petrol in your tank and a vague idea of where you’re going and that’s all you need. There is something beautiful about that.”

It sounds like an exciting trip! I have made the drive from Wisconsin to the very bottom of Arizona two times now. James has made the drive three times. There was no great adventure for us though. They were long stressful drives with pets and kids while we moved across the country. There is nothing fun, exciting, or adventurous about that. Especially when you add in a deadline because James had to work right away after each one.

I think a trip like this one would stay with you in your thoughts for a lifetime. Maybe some day we will have the time to go on such a great adventure. Until then this film will have to do. The film is only going to be shown at select theaters though and only on July 31st for one night. If you would like more information about the film or to find out where you can see it you can check out Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Down .

Today, a college degree can be the key to securing a new job or advancing an existing career. A program called Project Working Mom can help working moms afford the college degree they need to succeed for themselves and their children. This is an article from ARA. They are one of the companies that provides articles for the Your Fun Family Magazine

Millions of Scholarship Dollars Help Moms Through Tough Times

(ARA) - Motherhood comes with many tangible and intangible rewards; but often, challenges moms face and the rigors and demands of the job are often overlooked. This year is no different and the job is getting tougher.

With food prices expected to rise more than 5 percent this year and gas topping more than $4 per gallon in most cities, many families are barely making ends meet. The inflationary prices are also making jobs harder to come by. In May 2008, the unemployment rate rose from 5 percent to 5.5 percent, with nearly 4 million of those unemployed being women. Moms are seeking new ways to stay competitive in the workplace and, in many cases, turning to education to give them that leg up.

Today, a college degree can be the key to securing a new job or advancing an existing career. According to the College Board, a woman age 25-to-34 with a bachelor’s degree will earn 70 percent more than a woman with a high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree can also add an extra $900,000 in lifetime earnings for working moms, which can better the lives of their families.

Take, for example, Denise Browning of Cincinnati, Ohio. Since 1986, Browning has been promoted 6 times at her current job, but she has hit the glass ceiling without a college degree. Despite working for her employer for 22 years, she was recently overlooked and deemed “not qualified” for a promotion.
“Wow, that was devastating. Twenty-two years with a company, my accumulated years of knowledge, my excellent rapport with the reporting staff, my willingness to do the job, to be told ‘you’re not qualified, ouch,” exclaims Browning.

Browning applied for a full-ride college scholarship to go back to school through a program called Project Working Mom, an online education advocacy campaign to help working moms afford the college degree they need to succeed for themselves and their children. In the campaign, eLearners and partner schools join forces to award more than $2 million in full-ride scholarships to help working moms overcome the obstacles of time, money and confidence. Browning was one of 42 women selected as a Project Working Mom scholarship recipient.

In addition to the college scholarships, Project Working Mom includes a comprehensive website, Project Working Mom, designed to empower women to enhance their career by going back to school. The site includes self-assessment quizzes to determine readiness for online education, an online community where people can talk with others in similar situations, a database with $15 billion in financial aid opportunities and numerous articles filled with advice and insight.

Another Project Working Mom scholarship recipient, Vivian Bradley from Fort Wayne, Indiana, recently lost her home to foreclosure. She has worked 2 and sometimes 3 jobs at once to care for her children, without any support from family.

“I work double shifts most days and the rest of my time is spent with my children,” says Bradley. “I try to instill in my children that without an education they will end up like me working their life away on some low-paying job. I cry every day because I am not able to provide for my children like I should be doing."

Browning and Bradley are only 2 of the more than 50,000 working moms who applied for scholarships through the first Project Working Mom campaign, which ended April 30.

As a result of the incredible response to the first campaign, eLearners.com and 5 participating schools launched Project Working Mom 2 on June 23, 2008. In this back-to-school effort, more than $2 million in full-ride college scholarships will be awarded to students to attend one of the participating accredited universities or college: American Sentinel University, Ashford University, Capella University, Everest University or Penn Foster College.

To apply for a Project Working Mom scholarship, or to obtain advice and financial aid information on going back to school online, visit www.ProjectWorkingMom.com .

Copyright © 2008, ARAnet, Inc.

Now I am starting to catch up on some work and life is some what resembling normal. This means that I can do this Meme I was tagged with by Lora over at Lora's Journal. I have never done a Meme before so I am sorry if my life is boring. I am always too busy to be very interesting. :)

Four Things:

Four jobs I’ve had: I will name the ones that might be found most shocking from many years ago when I was younger.
1. cashier & cook at a deli
2. packaged board game pieces into those little plastic baggies
3. soldered the power cord and switch onto Andis clippers
4. cocktail waitress at a sports bar - those were 4 wild years!

Four movies I can watch over and over: I really do not like watching movies over again so I will list what movies I am forced to watch over and over again.
1. Star Wars movies
2. Harry Potter movies
3. Family Guy Seasons on DVD
4. Mr Bean DVD collection

Four places I’ve lived: Sorry it was only 4 places so I could not tell you where I live now. :) The closest I will ever say is that I live in a small town that is in the same county as Madison, WI.
1. Racine, WI
2. Tucson, AZ
3. Oro Valley, AZ
4. Sierra Vista, AZ

Four TV shows I love: As you will see we watch a LOT of BBC America. Actually that is the channel we watch 90% of the time.
1. Days of Our Lives - Oh oh my secret is out.
2. Doctor Who - BBC America
3. Torchwood - BBC America
4. Robin Hood - BBC America

Four places I’ve vacationed: Now is where you find how boring I am. We have moved so much that we really never get vacations.
1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. California
4. Wisconsin Dells

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Greek Chicken
2. Meatball Calzones
3. Irish Stew
4. Ham & Au Gratin Potatoes

Four sites I visit daily:
1. My Blog
2. Entrecard
3. My Newspaper
4. Multiply.com

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Somewhere that I could just sit outside with out all of these bugs biting me.
2. Wisconsin Dells with the family
3. Any zoo with the family
4. Any museum with the family



If you read this far and have not fallen fast asleep or died of boredom congratulations and thank you. I know I have a very boring life.

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Charter is offering a new deal that should convert all those people that have not jumped into the 21st century yet. I have had high speed internet since the year 2000. I can not imagine why some people have not switched yet. Actually, since this last move in January we have had Charter for cable television, phone, and internet. I have not experienced any problems with any of it.

With this new deal they are having everyone that can get Charter internet in their area and has not already gotten it should jump on the chance. Their new deal is speeds up to 5Mbps for only 14.99/month and no long term contracts. This comes with a 30 day risk free window of cancellation. If you order online Charter is throwing in a $25 Shell gas card. You have to hurry though because the deal ends July 31st.


With Charter internet you also get...

* Get the fastest and most reliable Internet speeds available- Get speeds up to 5Mbps to surf up to 90X faster than 56kbps dial- up and 3X as fast as 1.5Mbps DSL!

* Automatic protection from viruses, hackers and spam - Charter High-Speed Security SuiteÆ has the fastest response to new virus threats and best virus detection.

* 10 e-mail accounts - enough for the whole family plus 20MB of Web space.

* Download in seconds, not minutes plus a reliable always-on, always-fast connection.

* Exclusive content on charter.net- get your news, weather, local movie listings and more!

Window clings are loved by kids during the holidays. What about the rest of the year though? These window clings can be used all year long and be as beautiful as stained glass. All you need is a picture and the ability to color between the lines.

Kids can make things from their favorite coloring book and adults can make things that match or enhance the room it will be in. If you would like to see the full instructions with extra tips or an easier method for younger kids check out the Window Cling page on the main website. You will also find more ideas of places to use window clings. They do not have to just be used on windows.

Okay so with all of the 4th of July celebrating at my house I almost forgot that it is also Friday.

Oops!!! Well here is your Friday game.

The game looks blurry right now but when you click to play it is all as it should be.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons lemon zest
4 to 5 lemons
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from the lemons)
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar

1. Scrape the 2 teaspoons of zest from one of the lemons, then cut all of the lemons in half and juice them. Measure 1 cup, reserving the rest for another use.

2. Use a melon baller or spoon to remove any remaining pulp.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the water to a boil, then add the lemon juice and zest and boil for 2 minutes.

4. Transfer the liquid to a mixing bowl and allow it to cool to room temperature. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture begins to freeze, several hours or overnight. Use a fork to break up the ice, then stir it until fluffy.

*NOTE - If we have berries that are getting too ripe we will cut them up and add them as we boil the liquid.


Coffee Can Ice Cream

I know a lot of your are afraid to make homemade ice cream because you think it is too hard to do. This is a way to get the kids to do the hard work and they think it is fun.

INGREDIENTS:

(1) 1-pound coffee can with lid
(1) 3-pound coffee can with lid
1 pint of half and half (milk can be used instead)
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup, or 1/4 cup of strawberries

PREPARATION:

Add all of the above ingredients to the 1 pound coffee can; mix well. Put the lid on the coffee can and secure with duct tape. Place the 1 pound coffee can into the 3 pound coffee can. Surround with crushed ice and rock salt and place the lid onto the 3 pound coffee can.Have your kids sit on the ground and roll back and forth 3 to 4 feet apart.Roll for 8 to 10 minutes.(The kids can kick the can back and forth as well.)Check to see if the ice cream is hard; if it isn't, replace the lid, add more ice and rock salt. Roll for another 8 minutes. Remove the lid to the 1 pound can and serve in bowls.

Serves 4-6 people.

Cool Product

Okay after all this time of us making coffee can ice cream some brilliant inventor came up with this and probably made it rich. I saw it a few months ago and keep forgetting to buy one. It would make it all so much easier. The kids would still have fun rolling it around too.

Summer is in full swing so some of the Your Fun Family sponsors are doing summer sales and some are already doing back to school sales. This year is really flying by.