Category: Works for Me Wednesday

A few weeks ago I told you about a couple of my easy crock pot tips. Wellll, last week I discovered a secret to even easier crockpotting! I was looking in the pantry to see what I had to throw in the pot with my frozen chicken and cream-of-something soup and soup can of milk. I grabbed a box of Uncle Ben’s broccoli & cheddar rice and dumped it in, seasoning packet and all. Then, inspired by my inspiration, I grabbed a box of Green Giant mixed vgetables & sauce out of the freezer, microwaved it enough so that the sauce was melted, and dumped that in the crock pot too. Six hours on low later, the result was the tastiest and easiest crock pot meal I have ever made! Even picky Sophie loved it! Since then I have made a couple more meals this way using the pouches of Knorr-Lipton sides that are part of the Kroger mega-sale. They are also great! So, if you’re looking for a tasty, easy something for dinner tonight, throw a couple boxes in the crock pot and enjoy!

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer.

In all my CVSing over the past few months, I’ve discovered some CVS brand products that I really like. Being a total cheapskate, I’m always one to go for the generic, but there are some areas where generic just doesn’t fly. If any of you are new or soon-to-be CVSers, I thought I’d share with you some CVS brand products that work for me!

Let’s start in baby care!
I really like CVS brand diapers! And not just because Jill’s daughter is on the package! These pictured are the “Supreme” and I have also used the kind called “Explorers” and I like them both. My favorite is still Pampers, and you can often get name brand diapers cheap as free at CVS, but if you don’t have any coupons and the CVS brand are on sale, go for it! That being said, I do not like the Playskool brand diapers. Playskool is a CVS brand, and those diapers just haven’t worked well for Sophie. They may work well for your kid, if you wanna give ’em a try, but the CVS brand seem to work better for us. I do however, looooove…
Playskool wipes!
They were on ECBs in March so I bought about 4,387 packages of them. Seriously I have so many it’s ridiculous! But I really like them. They are very cloth-like, not too wet, not stinky at all, and they get those buns clean. So, I highly recommend them! And, you can get a $1 off coupon for them here. (you have to register to print the coupons, but you can print as many as you want! Yay!)

I also really like these Playskool Wash & Toss Cups
and the Playskool flip top straw cup. The lids to the Wash & Toss fit with the First Years Take & Toss also so that’s nice, if you already have those kind!

On to household items!
I really am very, very, VERY happy with these CVS Kitchen trash bags! I’ve never met a store brand trash bag that I liked until I met these! They are every bit as good as the Glad brand we had been using, and they even have a deodorizer in them that works quite well! Good job on these CVS!

These CVS slider storage bags are also really good quality. We have had no problems with them whatsoever! They do what we need them to and appear to be just as tough as national brands.

And finally, I’ll end my review with personal care.
I am very happy with this CVS brand Advanced Healing Lotion. I leave it next to my kitchen sink since I wash my hands about 4,821 times a day. It really moisturizes well and it stays on! You can feel it working but it’s not greasy.
Lastly, I’ll showcase this CVS spray hand sanitizer. It looks like a pen and fits neatly in your purse or pocket! It’s really convenient and has aloe in it so it’s not drying! Also, since it’s a fine mist that sprays out, it doesn’t run off your hands like the slippery gel you’re used to with hand sanitizers. These are great, I definitely recommend picking a couple up!

Allright, those are some CVS brand items that work for me! For more tips, check out Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer!

About a year ago, we were having a huge party for my husband’s circle of high school friends and their families, and I was looking for some kind of project that would keep the kids entertained (and that would require minimal assistance from the adults).

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this idea, but it was great!

Glueless Collages from FamilyFun.com:

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Clear Con-Tact paper
Masking tape
Flat stickables, such as felt scraps, tissue paper squares, crepe paper streamers, ribbon pieces, cut-up calendars and magazines, and feathers

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. Begin by taping a piece of Con-Tact paper, sticky side facing out, to a wall or a low table. Set out bowls of small, flat stickables nearby (see the materials list).

2. Now let your child explore the sticky feeling of the paper first with his hands, then by placing the items against the paper. Once he gets the hang of it, just sit back and enjoy the show.

3. Preserve the collage with a second piece of Con-Tact paper. Frame the artwork with colored masking tape around the edges.

4. Keep the fun going! Make a theme collage, such as a nature collage with flowers and leaves or a color collage of all things blue.

Tips:
Getting Started with Creative Projects for Little Hands
1. Keep it safe. Make sure supplies are labeled nontoxic and are not choking hazards. Discourage kids from putting supplies in their mouths.
2. Set it up. Designate an art area in your home with an easel or a low table where young artists can stand to work (this is usually easier for them).
3. Don’t rush. Make sure you allow plenty of time for setup, exploration, and cleanup.
4. Don’t stress over mess. Set things up so cleanup is easier for you, then try to relax and let your child have fun.
5. Write it down. Before you forget, write the date on your child’s creation and, if she’s talking, what she said about it.

I got everything set up before the guests arrived. I taped a piece of contact paper on the wall for each child, and wrote his or her name on it. It was a great project for kids of various ages, and really it required very little adult intervention. When they were ready to leave, I put the second piece of contact paper on and the kids had something fun to take home with them.

I’m actually planning to do this again at Kate’s birthday party next month. I am going to have a new baby on my hands and I’ll need a super-easy activity for the party.

That Works for Me! For other great WFMW tips, check out Rocks in my Dryer.