Amber, Author at Rays of Bliss

Partner Helping with Cloth Diaper Laundry?

I secretly love doing my Cloth Diaper Laundry. I don’t know why because I hate doing the regular laundry for my house. There have been a couple times I have not been able to do my beloved cloth diaper laundry and the “duty” fell onto my husband. Now, every time he has had to do the laundry I have had to repeat my instructions over and over. I guess it’s because he knows how precious these cloth diapers are to me and how much special care I give them.

So in preparation for the next time I am unavailable to do my Cloth Diaper Laundry I created and posted this Easy Instructional Cloth Diaper Laundry Printout. In hopes I will not be bombarded with question and confirming he is doing it correctly.

Your Laundry Routine is most likely different then mine, but if it’s the same fell free to print and use mine! You can easily make one of these on your own either write it out or use your computer!

Do you allow anyone else to help with your Cloth Diaper Laundry?

Wordless Wednesday- Plane ruins Photo…..or DOES it?

Wordless Wednesday

A PLANE!

ZOOM!

PRICELESS!

Easy Gluten Free Pizza Pasta

Blog, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Recipes

My first job was at a pizza place and we sometimes made something similar to this dish. It’s super easy to make and the kids love it (I love it too!). They especially love the pepperoni part! My son calls it the “Bonus!” You can easily make this gluten free or not gluten free. Just depends on the noodles you use.

Easy Gluten-free Pizza Pasta

Easy meal to make and everyone is sure to love!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb meat ground beef or sausage
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1/2 the spaghetti sauce jar full of water
1 pack of pepperonis
2 cups of gluten-free elbow noodles
shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Brown meat.
Drain.
Add sauce, water, and pepperonis to meat.
Bring sauce to boil and turn down to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Boil water in separate pot and add noodles.
Drain noodles and pour them into meat sauce.
Sprinkle mozzarella on servings in bowl or plate if desired.

GREEN Your Kids Summer! 5 Easy Tips!

Blog, Family Guides, Green Living

1. Use Safe Sun Protection

Here are quick tips from EWG:

•First Check out your sunscreen rating at EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens. The rating reflects the hazard of the combined ingredients. The lower the rating the better.
•Since children are more sensitive to chemical allergens test a small spot on their wrist first.
•Apply plenty of sunscreen especially if swimming or sweating a lot
•The best defenses against getting too much harmful UV radiation are protective clothing, shade and timing (not midday)

2.No Disposable Swim Diapers

Opt for reusable swim diapers instead. They are reusable, they do not get waterlogged and no chemicals! They are designed to keep solids (poo) from getting in the pool, but do not absorb water so urine can get out. You may want to add an absorbent cloth diaper insert when babies out of pool. You can get swim diapers for as cheap as $10 dollars. Target even sells Charlie Banana Reusable Swim Diaper in store! My 3 year old is potty trained now but I still can use his 24 month size iplay swim diaper!

3.Stay Hydrated without Plastic Bottles

Instead use BPA free water bottles. We use Brita water bottles with filters, and the kids love their Reduce Kids Water Bottles. The Reduce Bottles come in a variety of themes and are all BPA free. Not only are you reducing your kids exposure to possible chemicals in plastic bottles but also it’s better for the environment!

4.Use a safer or homemade Bug Spray

Again reduce kids and your own exposure to chemicals like DEET.

Here is a Guide to Bug Repellents for Kids from Parents.com.

Check my post for Homemade Bug Spray Recipes HERE.

5.Have Summer Fun with non-toxic Homemade Bubbles!

Non-Toxic Homemade Bubbles Recipe

1 Cup Warm Water

2 Tablespoons Natural Dish Soap (like Honest Company or 7th Generations)

1 Tablespoon Glycerin

1 Teaspoon White Sugar

Mix all ingredients in a container. Let stand uncovered overnight for best results.

We used pipe cleaners to make the bubble wands! My boys had so much fun just making different shapes with the wands.

Hope you have yourself a Green Summer!

Father’s Day DIY Gift Ideas

Blog, DIY, For Gifts Printables, Holiday Printables, Kids Printables, Printables

Father’s Day is about a week away so I have planned out a special day for my hubby!

I found free printables to make easy DIY gifts with the kids. You can give great Father’s Day gifts that Daddy will love, without spending much or even better, nothing!

Here’s the game plan: Making pancake stacks with little signs, cupcakes with toppers, a hand print tree art project, and an about Dad questionnaire.

Here are the FREE DIY downloads I plan on using this year.

I will use these signs from Paper Glitter attached to a toothpick and stick them in our breakfast pancake stacks. The boys will help me make the pancakes, they love to bake!

Use these cute signs from Paper Cutz Midland as cupcake topper signs attached to toothpicks.

The art gift from my boys will be handprint trees from The Crafting Chicks. I will do one for each boy and one with all three. I will paint each boys hand a different color to make a colorful tree with 3 different size hand prints! My boys love getting to play with paint, especially when they get to paint their actual hands!

I thought this questionnaire would be a funny and cute gift for daddy also from The Crafting Chicks . I’m sure my boys will have some hilarious answers! This will be a great gift to save and look at when your kids are older!