The Non-Candy Valentine

Every year, people spend $1.6 Billion dollars on Valentine's candy.  JUST THE CANDY, folks.  And I always feel like most of that ends up in my candy jar at home.

My kids are "special treat" fanatics.  I finished my dinner, special treat!  I stayed on the green apple today at daycare, special treat!  It's Thursday, special treat!  They are starting to reach the age where I can no longer pretend that apricots are candy, and of course their favorite treats are chocolate. (Pretty smart boys.)  So I do keep the obligatory special treat jar for occasions that I and I alone deem special.

But on Valentine's Day, they come home from daycare with 30 bags of candy each that I end up throwing away, because a. they will never eat it all and b. they are 3 and 1, come on people, they can't eat gum or Jolly Ranchers!

So I always end up being "that" mom, the one who sends her kids with other-than-candy treats.  And hopefully, it will be something parents can actually say yes to when their kids beg for another "treat" from the candy jar.  I just print and cut some free Valentines from my kids' favorite shows and attach a fun "treat."

So here is a list of my Top 10 fun non-candy treats that most kids (and parents) are happy to receive on their Valentine's cards.

1. Honey Spoons

The easiest thing on earth to make, and a great alternative for the kids who love suckers.  (Or for you to sneak for your tea!) You can buy them pre-made if you're strapped for time like me!

2. Chocolate or Yogurt Covered Raisins

My kids adore these, and they are really cheap too!

3. Freeze Dried Strawberries

These are such a yummy treat, and who doesn't love strawberries for Valentine's Day?  I like getting the quart sized containers and putting them in cute bags and reusing the big plastic tub as pantry storage for open bags of pretzels and crackers.  You could even get really fancy with these and dip them in chocolate!

4. Fruit Leather

This is a fun alternative to those artificially flavored roll-up gummy fruit snacks.

5. Nut-free trail mix

Nuts are a big no-no in most schools and daycares now, so here's a great recipe for a 5-ingredient nut free trail mix.  Or you can buy some here.

6. DIY kid-safe lip balm kit

Little ones seem to always have chapped lips during the winter.  They lick them constantly until they are raw.  I won't even tell you about the time my husband thought it would be good to put Carmex on my toddler, suffice to say he will never do that again.  So kid-safe lip balm is a must for the kids and makes the mommies happy too.  You can add anything to this kit, but the kids especially love flavored Kool-aid to add flavor and fun color to this DIY lip balm.  They even come with printable labels.  It's a really fun activity too!

7. Light Up My Life Valentine

I love these DIY glow stick Valentines.  I don't have a die cutter, but the same could be done with some heart stickers and glitter glue.  Don't forget the glowsticks!

8. Have a Ball Valentine

These are adorable, and my kids LOVE bouncy balls.  I love these Glow In The Dark Bouncing Balls because they are easy to find under the couch!

9. Valentine's Day Coloring Pages

What kid doesn't love coloring?  You could even include a couple crayons with each Valentine.

10. Awesome Sauce Valentines

These strawberry applesauce Valentines are so friggin cute I can't even stand it.  And I won't keep my kids out of them for longer than 5 minutes.

What ideas do you have for some Non-Candy Valentines?

30 DIY Gifts for Kids

Homemade gifts can be cool and fun.  And many are more special to the recipient than a store-bought gift.  I've scoured the internet for my 30 favorite DIY gifts for kids.  Check them out, I think you'll find something for every kid on your list!

1. This latches board is beautiful and would stand the test of time.

Via Domesticesq

2. Doesn't every baby need a taggies pillow?

Via Chez Beeper Bebe

3. And these sock sheep are so sweet.

Via Craft Passion

4. But this octopus (via Red Ted Art) made from kids tights is even sweeter.

5. This dress-up doll looks like a great car toy.

Via Cut, Craft, Create

6. This is a tutorial for a beautiful cloth doll.

Via Wagner

7. My kids adore their play food, it's so much fun.  Here's a whole garden full!

Via A Beautiful Mess

8. These dino tails look like so much fun.

Via Running with Scissors

9. I absolutely adore this DIY fishing game.

Via Make It-Love It

10. I always wonder what to do with all those mismatched sheets...forts!

11. There's no need to spend $150 on that particleboard dollhouse when you have an old dresser.  And if you're using it for Barbies just take out a shelf or two.

12. Lip balm is so easy with this DIY kit.  Flavor or color it with your recipient's favorites.

Via Rogue Naturals

13. Gotta love old dressers, here's a super easy sweet little dress up closet.

Via A Turtle's Life for Me

14. I was shocked when I saw how long stick horses kept my kids entertained at Grandma's house!

Via A Beautiful Mess

15. This gorgeous puppet theater is great for a bit more advanced project...

Via Adventure In A Box

16. I love these DIY superhero dress-up outfits.

Via Chiot's Run

17. And more cute felt dress-up items...

18. I might just learn to crochet so I can make this ADORABLE hooded cowl.

Via The Velvet Acorn

19. What kid doesn't love a bean bag?

Via 2 Little Superheroes

20. This mom made a Lego table out of an Ikea Trofast.  I think I'm going to flip over the top piece of my kids' train table and glue Lego baseplates to it.  *Smh how have I not already thought of this?!*

Via Dude Mom

21. These paper alphabet blocks are darling, or you could paint your own with some plain wood letters.

Via Digitprop

22. Do you have a skateboarder, surfer, or snowboarder in the family?  Here's a board cool sling.

Via Kojo Designs

23. And the always useful pillow-fight sheild.

Via Busily Spinning Momma

24. Put together this easy doctor playset with a few things you have around the house and a real stethoscope.

Via My Poppet

25. They will think you're the coolest person ever if you make these fun monster mittens, no knitting required.

Via Martha Stewart

26. Those 18" doll accessories can be pricey.  Build this gorgeous doll bunk bed with this really simple tutorial.

Via Ana White

27. I don't know a tween who wouldn't love this awesome hammock chair.

A Beautiful Mess

28. Here are 10 fun DIY gifts for young girls...

29. This Lego belt is very cool.

Via Delia Creates

30. Teenage boys would love these DIY paracord bracelets, you could even hide "survival" items in them like this one.

Via A Girl and a Gluegun

Like this list?  Check out my 10 easy tips for having a simpler, less expensive, less commercialized, but just as fun Christmas!

10 Steps to Grow Hair Longer Faster

I love long hair.  Love, love, love.  But it's always been a struggle for me to grow it out.  I cut it and donate it when it gets long again, but it seems like it takes sooo long.  I was averaging 3 years between donations...yikes!

Well a while back I came across something on Pinterest, like we all do, with a link to the Almost Exactly blog, by Alex Raye.  Here's the post.

After I started reading, I couldn't stop.  I followed her whole journey through no-poo to ROM (the rinse-only-method...wow!)  Her hair is long and beautiful and I wanted to jump right in and do everything she did.

But...I'm a working mom.  I know, I know, it's not an excuse.  But it's really hard to commit to going around grungy for an unknown amount of time in the professional world.  It's not fun for your self confidence either, to feel icky all the time.  On top of that, I have toddlers smearing gross things on me regularly, and don't want to carry all that crud around for a couple weeks.

But I tried anyway.  I was to the point where I was washing my hair every single day, and when I woke up the next morning it was greasy again.  Now, I won't take you through my entire journey, maybe another day.  What I do want to share with you is where I am at now, and some simple steps you can take to grow your hair longer much faster without a ton of effort.  I'm talking 8"+ per year.  After all, we're busy gals!

So without further ado...  steps to grow your hair longer faster.

1. STOP dying that hair!  Embrace your natural color girls!  Now, if you are 30 and gray, I'm not going to tell you not to cover your grays.  But hair dye is so not good for your hair or your body, so try to figure out ways to do it less.  Maybe use root touch-up instead of doing your whole head every time.  If you're completely gray you could try blonde instead of brown, because it doesn't have to be done so often, your roots won't show as much.  My mom does this, and it looks much better.  You could also look into more natural hair dyes.

2.  Use a Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner.  Make sure you clarify before you start using it, so you don't end up with a funky texture.  Sulfates coat your hair to make it look shiny and healthy, but what they are really doing is covering up the damage you are doing washing your hair every day.  And so my next tip is...

3.  DON'T wash your hair every day!  Before you say, "but I thought you were going to tell me how not to be grungy every day!" I will tell you that once you clarify and stop using the sulfate shampoos, your hair will not be as oily as before.  It's all about training your hair not to produce as much oil.  Start small.  Wash it every 2 days.  Try to make it a bit longer every month.  I've been at it a year and I wash my hair every 4 days.

4.  Read your labels!  There are lots of hair products out there, and even some of the organic brands have some yucky stuff on their labels.  Stay away from things that have sulfate, methyl, or EDTA in the names, and try to stay away from artificial colors and fragrances.  The Environmental Working Group has a great website called Skin Deep, with a free mobile app that you can search for most products, including personal care, cosmetics, and more, and check out all of the ingredients and their associated risks.  I highly recommend it!

5.  Only wash your scalp!  I hope you are already doing this, but to those that aren't, you don't need to wash the whole length of your hair unless you get something in it or are clarifying it.  Shampoo only your roots.

6.  Water down your shampoo.  You don't need nearly as much as you think you do.  Leave a cheap squeeze bottle like this one in the shower and add a squirt of shampoo to it, then fill it with water.  This will help you disperse it more evenly through your hair.  You only need enough that you barely feel suds to clean your hair.  This will not only keep you from drying out your hair and scalp, but it will save you a ton of money!

7.  Deep condition your hair.  Every once in a while, you need a deep conditioning.  It's so easy, so cheap, and makes your hair feel so good!  It's ridiculously easy.  Got some organic coconut oil in your kitchen?  Smear it through your dry hair and let it sit for a while before you hop in the shower.  A couple hours is great, but 20 minutes does just fine!  (And if you don't, try some!  It has a hundred uses!)

8.  Easy on that ponytail.  Wearing your hair up every day can cause a lot of breakage.  If you just have to, make sure you use fabric covered elastics or even cloth headbands.  Or try a braid instead!

9.  DO NOT brush your wet hair!  It is weakest when wet, so just don't do it.  Brush your hair before you shower, not after.  Try a boar bristle brush and a wooden comb.

10.  Last but not least...stimulate your scalp!  When you wash your hair, scrub that scalp with your fingers.  I like to really get in there with the boar bristle brush before my shower and distribute my scalp oils down the shaft of my hair.  And I love a vinegar rinse.  3 parts water, 1 part organic raw Apple Cider Vinegar, and a couple of drops each of organic peppermint oil and tea tree oil.  Just mix in another squeeze bottle and use after you shampoo.  Once you rinse it out, you won't smell like vinegar, but your scalp will be tingly and flake-free too!

Well, there you have it.  Grow your hair longer and stronger, quicker!  I hope you try at least some of these tips to grow your hair.  And I hope you consider donating your hair to Locks of Love, Wigs for Kids, or Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

What tips do you have to grow your hair long and healthy?