Blue Dawn is a Lifesaver!

I'm sure you have all been there.  You know the scene.  You are cooking in your kitchen and making pasta.  The stove gets a little too hot and some sauce ends up on your shirt.  ARRRGH!  Now your shirt is ruined!

Or is it?

Ok, for years when I would get little grease stains on my clothes, I would try to treat them with Shout, which would sometimes work, and eventually donate them or trash them depending on how bad the stains were.

I tell my husband to remove his work shirts before he has Italian food with us :)

Then about three years ago, I started buying Matilda Jane clothes for my little girl.  She has been known to dirty up her MJ.  For those of you that own this brand - you also know that it is a little expensive (compared to Carter's) and so taking care of it and making sure it doesn't get ruined is important.  At the same time though, I'm a firm believer in letting my kids get dirty and be kids!

I joined a bunch of mom groups on Facebook and a few ladies mentioned getting "blue dawn" to get out stains like that.  I had no clue what they were talking about.  It sounded like a fancy detergent.  WRONG!  They literally meant the blue Dawn dish soap.

I've been using the stuff for years now and it actually does work!  There's something about the fact that it works on removing oil from pots and pans -- it does the same for your clothes.  Here's a pic of me using some this afternoon.

All you have to do is apply it directly to the stains -- and then wash the items like you normally would.  That's that!  No more freaking out when pasta sauce gets on your shirts.  Let kids be kids... and let husbands be husbands :)

Samantha's 4th Birthday: A Royal Event

For Samantha's 4th birthday, she asked if we could have a princess themed party.  She never asked for a specific princess.  Unlike a bunch of other little girls who swoon over either Elsa or Anna, she doesn't really have a favorite.  Instead, she wanted a party with lots of princess details.  I immediately turned to Pinterest for inspiration. 


Here were some of the party details...


We had a dress-themed cake.  I liked the one that was pinned from this blog.  Here's my adaptation :)

My little girl helped with a lot of the food :)

We made "Princess Popcorn" which we ended up calling "Pocahontas Popcorn."   All you need to make princess popcorn is (1) popcorn, (2) pink chocolate or white chocolate with red food coloring, and (3) sprinkles.  Here is where we found the recipe. 

We also made "Princess Chex Mix" which we decided to call "Cinderella Chex Mix." All you need for this Chex party mix is Chex cereal, white chocolate, and sprinkles. 

We also had "Snow White's Not So Poison Apples" and "Ariels Fish Friends." 

One of our family members, Alyssa, also made rice krispy fairy wands for the party.  They turned out fantastic!  

Since we had a princess party, everyone needed a little bling.  We decided to have a "Sparkle Station" where everyone could pick up a necklace, bracelet, ring, wand, and crown.

I loved making the fairy crowns!

My daughter had a wonderful time!  I hope this has given you a little inspiration for your little princesses. 

~Princess Heather~

Teacher Appreciation Ideas

Each year for Teacher Appreciation Week, we do something special for my children's daycare teachers.  Last year, we took some pampering items (lotion, makeup, candles) and put them in a mason jar.  We then attached these cute labels that I found on Pinterest.

Let me just say -- teachers appreciate any little thing that you do.  Teachers love something creative that you have found on Pinterest, or even a simple thank you card!  As my college students will tell you -- all it takes is a Mountain Dew to make my semester brighter! :)

This year, I looked around again for a cute idea, but I decided that gift cards are a better option :)  I may never do anything else again.  I found this awesome free printable from Chickabug. Check it out!