How do I organize all the kids projects and papers?

All 3 of my children love design, color and art as much as I do and tend to have a lot of paper!

Because I hate when there is a clutter of paper and I like things to be aesthetic as well as useful, here is something that I am trying to do, to cut down the clutter of papers and projects that my children bring home from school.

I have a few things I do:
1) I have a receiving basket in the kitchen where it all (supposed to) goes. When we see it piles then we go through what they think is their favorite and then whatever we can part with, but would like to keep a memory of, I then have them take photos of those pieces (it takes much less space).
2) for the rest that we cant part with, I have containers for each of my children, like the scrapbook sort of size and we store those pieces for keeps. Eventually they and you will be able to part with more:)
3) for the permission slips and other papers they need me to see, they have to put it in another basket that I check daily.

I hope this helps:)

Family Adventure to “The End Of The World”

I took my family on a little adventure to the ” End Of The World” and it was a beautiful day!  If you’ve never been there, you head out on ali’i drive south until you get to the dead end.

I like to take my children on adventures every once and a while, because living in Hawaii we tend to not take advantage of the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis!  This area we went to is easily accessible and doesn’t have many people around.  We brought our lunch and enjoyed the view while enjoying each others company FOR FREE!

Watch my slide show and feel free to comment!

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Mama A La Mode ChiChi Covers!

Check out my Chi Chi Covers!  Nursing covers are one of the all-time favorite baby shower gifts, and have been praised by mothers and medical professionals alike.  This is truly a Mama must have!

• 100% Cotton
• Internal Pocket to hold breast pads or a pacifier, made with terry cloth to clean up little messes.

• Rigid Neckline allows for ventilation and direct eye contact with baby.
• Adjustable D-ring neck strap.

• Custom fabric carrying bag.

Please comment or message me if you would like to order a Mama A La Mode ChiChi Cover!

Taking care of the throw up Blues…

So my day has consisted of taking care of my son.  He wasn’t feeling quite right last night and threw up a couple times.  I never enjoy these moments of the “throw up blues”!

So here is what I do to make the “blues” go away very quickly:

1. Bring out my Vodka cleaning solution in force.
2. Bring out my BIG bowl (just in case we don’t make it to the bathroom).
3. Exclude all fruit juice, proteins and milk from the diet.
4. Purchase a bottle of gatorade or pedialyte (gatorade is higher in sodium but lower in sugar than pedialyte)
5. Don’t eat anything for 12-24 hours  (I do this so my stomach acid can kill whatever is going on). The more you eat the more the bacteria eats!
6. Only drink 2tbls. of water and/or gatorade every 15 mins. to keep  hydrated for the 12-24 hours.

Once finished with the “throw up blues” be sure to spray and clean all: light switches, refrigerator handles, sinks, toilet handles and door knobs with my vodka spray or something equivalent  to eliminate all the lingering germs that may be around.

I’ve done this every time a stomach bug has come to my house for the last 9 years and it’s usually gone pretty quickly!  I hope that this advice is as helpful to you as it was for me!

I look forward to hearing your comments and if you have any helpful tips on this matter

Spring Cleaning with…VODKA

Many of us are looking for natural safe ways to efficiently clean our homes and keep them germ free! This is one of the things that I do to keep my family safe and my home clean. You will be surprised at the many uses you can find from a simple bottle of Vodka…to me the stuff tastes disgusting but it does a good job at cleaning!

Use 1

Use vodka on your laundry. High-proof alcohol has a solvent effect and can work very well for removing some types of stains, including grass and vomit stains. Simply blot the stain with a clean cloth soaked in vodka. You can also use vodka to spot clean heavily beaded garments or clean beading. The alcohol will make the beads sparkle and clean the underlying fabric. By diluting one part vodka with five parts water, you can make a spray for freshening your clothes. Add a bit of lavender oil or other essential oil if desired. Diluted vodka spray is quite effective at removing cigarette odors, either by itself or after washing.

Use 2
Clean your bathroom. Vodka will help make a dingy bathroom sparkle. It is ideal for both glass and chrome and can remove that spotty dullness that effects the fixtures in your bathroom with little effort. Diluted in a spray bottle, it will remove hairspray and soap residue from the surfaces of your bath, especially ceramic tile. Cleaning with vodka is also effective on mold and mildew.

Use 3
Use it to clean small, delicate items. Many types of jewelry, with the exception of softer and more delicate items like pearls and opals, will come clean with a soak in vodka. Vodka is also ideal for cleaning your eyeglasses without leaving streaks. If you own a chandelier or lamps decorated with glass prisms, vodka will make them sparkle. Apply to a soft cloth and gently wipe each prism or dilute and spray, then wipe.

Use 4
Kill and prevent unwanted household pests. A diluted vodka spray can be used to kill ants and other common household insects. Houseplants can be cleaned with a soft, damp cloth and then wiped with diluted vodka to prevent aphid infestations. You can also use vodka to kill weeds. Combine 1 oz. of vodka, 2 cups of water and a bit of dish soap. Spray on weeds. These uses for vodka can keep your home free of unwanted visitors.

Use 5
Remove residues of various sorts. Vodka is an eco-friendly solvent and works quite well for removing adhesive from items of all sorts, even skin. Save yourself the money on expensive and smelly adhesive removers.

I hope this is useful to you and I look forward to hearing your comments!