20 Household Objects for "Inventor" Kids

My 6 year old, Tater, is a natural born inventor. From the infamous "baby slingshot" she invented when Junior was a newborn (a prototype I did not allow her to test out), to the more recent new and improved "up-the-stairs-diaper-lifter" (a good idea, but not a particularly hygienic design), she's always been one to tinker.

Here are 20 household items I always try to have on hand for her when she gets a creative bee in her bonnet and wants to invent something. Putting the little, loose items together in a cute container makes it extra easy for her to grab when she's bored.

You'll be amazed what creative contraptions your child will come up with...the possibilities are endless, even with these common and somewhat random household objects. When your child is done, you can either toss everything or recycle the items for the next creation.

Most of these things can be found at the dollar store, and if packaged right, would make a really cute DIY gift.

*Certain listed items could be a choking hazard and are recommended for children aged 5 and up. Please supervise children at all times.

1. Rubber Bands
-all different sizes and colors 

2. Paper Clips
-the big clippy ones are extra fun

3. Bottle Caps
-save the caps from your water bottles and juice gallons for different sizes

4. String
-a ball of endless wonder!

5. Tape
-what is it with kids and tape?! 

6. Straws
-we love the big smoothie straws, although the flexible ones are useful too

7. Plastic cups
-paper cups work too

8. Paper plates
-extra points for colorful paper plates

9. Wooden Spoons
-get a pack of them at the dollar store

10. Single Hole Punch
-how else is string supposed to fit through a paper plate?

11. Markers
-for decorating the invention

12. Paper 
-for drawing a model/design

13. Wooden Chopsticks
-who knew!?

14. Paper Muffin Liners
-yes, really...

15. Empty Plastic Containers
-wash out those sour cream and yogurt cups

16. Popsicle Sticks (Craft Sticks)
-one of the best "creative" supplies you can get

17. Cotton Balls
-every invention needs a little padding

18. Metal Washers
-these are super inexpensive at hardware stores

19. Plastic Spoons
-one word: catapult

20 Aluminum Foil
-these turn into balls, wrap thing, become a cover...more useful for the kids than for me!


Pin This!



Follow Save Money, Live Joyfully on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Winter Confessions of a Lifelong San Diegan

I am among a rare group of "native" San Diegans. Unlike permanent snow birds, I was born and raised right here in San Diego. Growing up here I became accustomed to outdoor malls, fresh tortillas, fish tacos, and sand on the floor of the car at all times. It wasn't until I got older that I realized how spoiled rotten living here has made me for any place else, especially in the winter.

It's kind of hard to explain, so let me just give you some examples...

• When I say it's "freezing" out, I'm referring to a temperature within the range of 51 and 57 degrees. 58-67 F is "cold", and if it ever dropped below 51 degrees, I'd probably refuse to leave the house. 
   
• I turn on my heater twice a year. I've never even seen a furnace.  
  
  
• My "winter coat" is a sweatshirt.
  
  
• When it hails, I text everyone I know. Then, I run out outside, collect as much ice as I can, and stash it in the freezer as a collectible.
   
• If there are rain sprinkles in the forecast, I do all my errands the day before, then sit home and "wait it out".
   
• Scarves are just a fashion statement.
   
• Pulling out my "winter wardrobe" means buying socks.
   
• I think rain boots and snow boots are the same thing. I own neither.
  


• Once there was frost on my windshield. Fourteen years ago. It was obviously a monumental moment.
  
  

• My air conditioner is running at this very moment. It's December.
  
  

• Any amount of precipitation warrants a county-wide "Storm Watch".
  
  

• Dressing in layers means putting a sweatshirt over my tank top.
  
  

• I don't even understand what "winter tires" are.
  
  

• I can't leave Christmas candy in the car or it will melt. 

Pin This!



Follow Me on Facebook,  Twitter, and Pinterest

Post Roundup-November 2014

It's hard to believe that another month has passed us by, and that 2014 will be drawing to a close this month. Here are all the posts from Save Money, Live Joyfully in November. The most popular post this month was an open letter I wrote to a woman who was rude to Junior because of his challenges. I also have a free printable Christmas budget worksheet for you, as well as some easy stocking stuffer ideas for men. So, take a look, and don't forget to Pin your favorite posts!

Junior/Special Needs
Dear Lady Who Told My Deaf Son to be Quiet
Junior's Update-November 2014

Christmas
FREE Christmas Budget Printable Worksheet
25 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Guys


Kids/Homeschool/Learning
Free $10 Credit to Educents
5 Must Have DIY Travel Activities

Recipes
10 Ideas for Best Ever Homemade Cheese Sauce

Saving Money
Why I Stopped Couponing (and How I'm Still Saving Money)

Book Reviews
Discover God's Heart Devotional Bible (Bible)
Inside the Test Kitchen (Cookbook)
365 Moments of Peace For a Woman's Heart (Devotional)
Farewell Four Waters (Fiction)
The Pizza Bible (Cookbook)
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Bible Reference)

Post Roundup-October 2014

I can't believe it's November already. It seems like October just flew by! It was a busy month here. I turned 30, we took a family road trip, and Junior got a big boy bed! Here are all my posts from the month of October.

About Me

• 30 Life Lessons From My 30 Years
• 10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

Special Needs

• Junior Being Junior is Better Than Being "Normal"
• The Burden of Comparison: A Momma's Struggle

Kids Fun and Activities

• Surprise Ice Cubes Sensory Activities
• Stinker's New Name

 Homeschooling

• Homeschooling When Your Child is Uncooperative

Recipes

• How an $11 Roast Lasted Us 4 Meals

Book Reviews

• The River (Amish Fiction)
• A Star for Jesus (Children's Christmas)
• Tacolicious (Cookbook)
• Feast for Thieves (Fiction)
• Finding God at the Kitchen Sink (Nonfiction Encouragement)
• The Southern Foodies Guide to the Pig (Cookbook)
• Honor  (Fiction)

 Come Visit Me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

30 Life Lessons for My 30 Years

I'm turning 30 this week. Oh, how much younger that feels than it used to. Lately, I've started to wake up slower and my back hurts more often. (I continue to blame it on the 37 lb. 2-year old that wants to be carried everywhere.) No matter, I've been getting all sentimental lately, since apparently that's what "old people" do, so here are my musings about turning 30, and some of the most poignant lessons I've learned in my time. You know, the good old days.

1. "Fair" is a place with Ferris Wheels, the description on the front of expensive coffee, and my Math test scores. Life is not fair.

2. Chocolate can cure anything...except maybe diabetes. But everything else.

3. A 30-pound sleeping child actually weighs 100 lbs. It's a scientific fact. 

4. Never fall asleep chewing gum unless you want a haircut.

5. Five minutes of quiet is blissful...unless you have a toddler...then it's terrifying.

6. Glitter is only fun when you're not the one cleaning it up.

7. Life goes too quickly when you want it to slow down, and too slow when you want it to speed up. Try to enjoy it all.

8. High schoolers continue to look younger every year. Soon they'll put be putting 2nd graders in teeny bopper clothes and calling them Freshmen.

9. The original Nintendo Super Mario Brothers beats any game on any system. Ever.

10. Knowing how to do the Macarena is cool. Actually doing the Macarena? Not cool. 

11. Never leave your husband's toolbox next to the car. Your toddler may start beating the car with a hammer. Or remove the license plate. Or both.

12. Silly String and sand. See #6.

13. "Sleeping in" means something totally different after kids. Before kids, it means dozing until 10, then lollygagging with a warm beverage and a magazine. After kids, sleeping in means the sun is already up and no one is screaming for you.

14.Whoever said "it's only water" has never seen the destruction a 2-year old can create with "only water".

15. Your Grandparents are special characters in your life. Unfortunately, you don't usually appreciate the privilege of spending time with them until you wish you had spent more time with them.

16. In the hands of a toddler boy, books, dirt, spoons, and shoes can all be used as a weapon.

17. Walking into a dark room with Legos scattered on the floor is among the most painful experiences you will ever encounter.

18. Ice cream for dinner is acceptable. A fruit and nut topping makes it healthy.

19. Fire alarm batteries only die at 3am. I think it's a law.

20. Always roll up the windows before you go through an automatic carwash. If car windows (saayyyy, from a 1960s VW Bug) are broken and don't go up, well, enjoy the hot wax facial.  

21. Whatever crazy antics you put your parents through will come back to you tenfold from your own kids.

22. Try to arrange layovers at airports you wouldn't actually mind being stuck in. Being stranded in Kansas City during a blizzard is cruel and unusual. Ditto on Syracuse.

23. If you're in control of the TV remote, you're in control of the house. Use or distribute the power wisely.

24. 99% of the things you worry about never happen. Of the things that do happen, 99% are not as bad as you thought they would be.

25. Playing the harmonica through your nose is a rare talent. Note: Rare doesn't always mean good. 

26. Strapless wedding dresses must be fit properly. Otherwise, the risk of a "wardrobe malfunction" in front of your new in-laws is a distinct possibility.

27. Find something (or many things) to smile at every day.

28. When your 5-year old tells you she can't talk to you because she's on her imaginary cell phone playing Words with Friends, maybe you should dial back the phone usage. Or at least just play while she's not looking.

29. Comparing your struggles with the successes of someone else is like hating Mt. Everest because it's not the Pacific Ocean. God made us all unique with our own individual talents to offer. Don't belittle your talents because they're different than someone else's.

30. Sometimes, your greatest heartache becomes your greatest blessing. (Read Junior's Story Here.) God's peace feels so much stronger in the struggles.

Come Hang Out With Me on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me...

1. I played baseball as a pitcher until high school. I even got to throw out the First Pitch at a Major League Baseball game.

2. I've been to 9 MLB stadiums. Wrigley was iconic, but my seat was right behind a concrete support beam so I'm not entirely sure who actually won.

3. I'm left-handed.

4. If I had to live someplace other than California, it would be somewhere in the South. I love bacon and saying "y'all". 

5. I love Jeopardy and at one point (obviously before children), didn't miss an episode for 10 years.

6. I came in 9th place in the State Spelling Bee in middle school. "Spigot" tripped me up...the woman pronounced it "spicket" with an over emphasis on "ick". I was one round away from advancing to Nationals.

7. I don't play any musical instruments, unless you count the harmonica. In high school, I recorded a CD of myself playing Harmonica Hymns. I gave it to people I loved. Looking back, they probably thought I hated them.
 
8. I have a major sweet tooth, and always have at least 3 kinds of chocolate in my secret stash. (Lately it's been dark chocolate coconut bars.)

9. I traveled quite a bit in my younger years...I managed to visit most of the "I" countries: Israel, Italy, and Ireland. Unless something really drastic happens, I will probably never make it to Iraq or Iran. Iceland is still a possibility.

10. Breakfast for dinner is always acceptable. Especially pancakes. I have a weakness for pancakes. (Try my favorite Blueberry Pancake Recipe!)

Now I want to get to know you! Come chat with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!