School is finally out and it’s time to find some new fun activities to do with the kiddos! Check out this idea for a Marshmallow Catapult! To make it with your family, you’ll need:
Head over to It’s Always Autumn for the instructions!
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School is almost out for the summer so it’s time to start finding new activities you can do with the kiddos! This Glue and Salt Watercolor Painting looks fun and different! To make this craft you will need:
Head over to Sweet Happy Life for the instructions on how to make these!
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The following is a guest post by Rachael Jones, a blogger for DIYMother.
If you’re like me, your family’s safety is more important than anything in your world. If you’re unable to work your schedule around your children’s school and extracurricular schedules, improving safety measures at your home is vital. Not until your home is broken into will you know true terror, as you will realize your home isn’t as safe and secure as you once thought it was. As the old adage goes, you can never be too careful. If you’re looking for ideas to make your home more secure, here are a few useful tips.
Replacing your home’s windows is not only a home improvement upgrade that will increase your property value, but it will also make your home more secure. Burglars use your first floor windows as a point of entry, making these windows particularly important to replace. Aside from installing new windows in your home, installing a locking system for your windows is of equal importance. A lock system provides your home, and more importantly, your family, with a secondary defense measure against potential burglars.
While this may seem rather elementary, installing new door locks is one of the easiest security measures you can take. A single-cylinder door lock comes with a knob that requires a key to lock and unlock (to be installed as the exterior handle) and a hand knob on the other handle. A double-cylinder lock, while more secure, can become a safety hazard if you were to ever have a fire in your home. These locks use a key from either side of the door, and cannot be locked or unlocked without the key.
If you don’t already have deadbolt locks installed on all of your exterior doors (including the one leading to your garage), this should be the first home security purchase you make. Deadbolts offer you and your family greater protection, as they are longer and thicker than standard door handle locks, and as they lock into your door frame, they can withstand more pressure from a potential burglar. When you’re buying any lock for your exterior doors, remember that you get what you pay for.
Yet another security measure you can take is to install a security camera system at your home. This allows you to record anything and everyone who comes close to your home. Even if you were to only install security cameras outside of your exterior entry points, you will always know who is attempting to enter your home.
Many of the newest security camera systems offer streaming capabilities, meaning you can access your camera’s live feed from any personal computer or laptop. This is an incredible feature, as you can access your camera feed from anywhere (provided you have a Wi-Fi connection) and saves you from purchasing a monitor solely for the camera system. When you pair a security camera system with automatic flood lights, you’ll scare off many would-be burglars, while catching those who aren’t phased by the lights, should they try to break into your home.
While there are dozens of measures you can take to improve home security, which measures you choose to take will likely come down to cost. Even if you are on a tight budget, there are plenty of options which you can afford to implement. Take some time to research which options you can afford. Your family will appreciate it, and you’ll rest easier knowing your family is safe.
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This looks like a fun treat to make for 4th of July parties and guests! All you need to put these together is scrapbook paper and red licorice.
Head over to Room to Inspire for more info!
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School is out now so it’s time to find some great new crafts to do with the kids! Here’s what you need to make your own Lava Lamp!
Head over to Come Together Kids to find out how!
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Head over to Whole New Mom for the details!
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Does your little one want to get in on the gardening action this year? Then help them plant this bean seed in a jar and watch the roots grow!
glass jar or bottle
cotton wool balls/wads
a bean!
Head over to The Imagination Tree to see how to put this together.
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The following is a guest post. Lean more about how you can submit a guest post to Moms Need To Know
If you have a spot for a flowerbed but are overwhelmed by the amount of weeds and debris that currently resides in it, find comfort in knowing that you can turn that little spot of land into a beautiful flowerbed in a few short hours.
What you will need:
Beginning this project is going to be the hardest part.
Start by clearing the weeds. If you are dealing with a lot of weeds, it can be a little tough to convince yourself that you are going to spend the next little while on your hands and knees, in the dirt, pulling weeds. But once you get started it’s really not that bad. Pull as many as you can by hand, but don’t worry too much about the little tiny ones.
Loosen the soil with a garden hoe and/or shovel. This is especially important if you are in an area that has a lot of clay. When unattended, clay can become very compact, almost like concrete. You don’t want to plant your flowers or crops in hard dirt. As you turn the dirt over, watch for any loose weeds, rocks, and other debris and remove them.
One way of doing this is to shovel a few scoops out at a time and put it into a wheelbarrow. Run your hands through the dirt a few times, breaking up any clumps and removing weeds and rocks. Then return the dirt back to the flowerbed, and repeat with another section of the bed.
Once the dirt is nice and loose, you’re ready to move onto the next step.
The hard part is over. Once the flowerbed is clear of weeds and debris and is good and loose, you’re ready to amend it with soil, compost, and/or mulch. A bag of MiracleGro from Wal Mart will do the trick.
Spread enough of the garden soil on top of the dirt until it is about 1 inch thick. Then take your hoe or shovel and mix it into the dirt really well. Keep watching for weeds and debris. You want to get all the weed roots out that you can so that hopefully you won’t have to deal with a ton of weeds later on.
By this point, the dirt should be looking more like soil and you should be able to run your fingers through it. This next part is the funnest. Place the plants you picked out from your local nursery on the surface of the flowerbed and organize them into the spots that they will be planted. It’s always good to get a bird’s eye view before you start planting so that you don’t regret any previous placement. Remember to give each plant enough space to grow and to thrive.
You are now ready to dig your holes, add some MiracleGro beads and bury the roots. Pat down the soil around the plants really well. Generously add your Topsoil to the surface of the soil with a shovel or by hand.
If you have an automatic irrigation system hooked up near your flowerbed, you will want to install the drip irrigation manifold before you apply the top soil. If there is a sprinkler head designated to the watering of the flowerbed, it is always better to use a drip system because the water is fed directly to your plants and you do not waste water to run-off, over-spray, or evaporation.
Replace the sprinkler head with a drip irrigation manifold and attach your drip line. Most drip manifolds allow for up to 8+ drip line attachments. It’s important that you use more than one main drip line for your flowerbed because of water pressure. You can see an example of here.
If you don’t want to deal with the automatic drip irrigation system, by no means is it required. You can always water your plants by hand if you don’t have access to an underground automatic sprinkler system.
About the Author: Nate Armstrong enjoys digging around in the garden and getting involved in various outdoor projects. Nate uses Orbit Sprinkler Parts because quality is important. Follow Nate on Twitter and Google+ for more DIY projects.
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Clorox Wipes are expensive, save money by making your own! Here’s what you need:
Head over to Living on a Dime for the instructions!
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Want to decorate Easter eggs this year but don’t want to buy the kits? Here’s a way to dye eggs with something you already have in your pantry!
Head over to Hey Jen Renee for the instructions!
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Here’s a cute spring craft to try with your kids. To make these Handprint Lilies you need:
Head over to One Art Mama for the instructions!
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These Marbled Easter Eggs are pretty and you can make them with supplies that you already have on hand! You’ll need:
Head over to Tot School for the instructions!
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Moms Need To Know by Mindi Cherry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
