Day 107: Homemade Bubble Solution (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I think I've found our new homemade bubble recipe -- it's easy to make, uses only three ingredients, smells delicious, and didn't frustrate my kids when they were using it since they were easily able to create lots of bubbles using this solution.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/2 cup liquid dish soap (I may experiment with different varieties to see if the bubbles differ)
1/8 cup corn syrup

Pour the ingredients into a large container and shake well.  Allow the bubbles to settle for a few minutes before using.  This is what my solution looked like before allowing it to settle:

Play!

I found that we could blow the largest bubbles when I let the solution sit for a day before using. That's mostly a reminder for me to make this beforehand!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 106: Oatmeal & Banana Breakfast Muffins (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

Although I thought these were a little bland, my kids devoured them (due to the chocolate chips, perhaps??) and when I make them again, I'll add another banana or two to enhance that particular flavor.

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 ripe bananas (but I'd add 3 or 4 instead)
Chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and line muffin tins with silicone or foil liners (I used paper liners, and the muffins stuck to the paper).
2. Place oats in a blender or food processor and blend until oats are smooth.  Add remaining ingredients to the blender, or mix in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (I chose the second option).
3. Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).  

Isn't everyone's kid dressed as a bunny these days in preparation for the Easter Bunny's arrival this Sunday?!  This cute bunny has been eating 2-3 muffins in one sitting!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 105: Refrigerator Oatmeal (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I have only tried one recipe from the original post, but this overnight, refrigerated oatmeal is so good!  This may be my new, easy, "go to" breakfast option!

Ingredients for Blueberry Maple Refrigerator Oatmeal:
1/4 cup uncooked old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt (I used honey Greek yogurt instead of plain)
1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
2 teaspoons maple syrup (I used Agave)
1/4 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

Instructions:
In a small mason jar, add oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds and syrup.  Put the lid on the jar and shake to combine.  Remove lid, add blueberries, and stir until well mixed.  Return lid to jar and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days.  Eat chilled.

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 104: Gigantic Homemade Bubbles (fail).

Pinterest pin and website link.

It's felt like summer around here the last few days, and evidently, that means I only attempt pins involving bubbles :)  I'm still on the hunt for an amazing bubble recipe for my kids, as this one didn't do the trick.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
1/2 cup blue Dawn dishwashing detergent
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin

Instructions:
Dissolve the cornstarch in the water, stirring well.  Gently stir in the remaining ingredients.  Allow mixture to sit at least an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the cornstarch from settling to the bottom.

Our cornstarch never dissolved, despite frequent stirrings, and eventually became a hard mass on the bottom of the bowl.  When my 4 and 2 year old attempted making bubbles after a few hours, they weren't very successful and got frustrated.

And because of the cornstarch, my deck looked like this until I scrubbed it down with soap and water...

As a comparison, this is the amount of bubbles my son could create using the "super miracle bubbles" solution purchased at Fred Meyer.  I am on the hunt for a homemade concoction that works this well!

Verdict: FAIL.

Day 103: Bouncing Bubbles (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I didn't have distilled drinking water, but this pin still worked for me using bottled water instead!

Ingredients:
1 cup (distilled) drinking water
1 tablespoon dish soap
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin

Materials:
Bubble wand
Clean glove (to keep bubble from popping)

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 24 hours.  Then, carefully blow a bubble to catch / bounce with your gloved hand.  

The one thing I found is that I could really only catch a few bubbles per glove before this pin stopped working -- once the glove got a little wet, the bubble no longer was able to be caught or bounced; it would immediately pop.

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 102: Miracle Cleaner (partial fail / success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I was given this stained shirt, so I have a hard time saying this "miracle cleaner" doesn't work since I don't know what the stain was from or how long it's been sitting on the shirt prior to trying the stain remover  Although it didn't completely take out the stain, it's much, much lighter and I feel comfortable wearing this shirt without the stain being too noticeable!

This is what the original stain looked like:

Ingredients:
1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid (the original blue kind)
2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide

Directions:
Mix together and pour directly on the stain (or use a spray bottle if you have lots of stains to tackle).  Wait a few minutes, give the stained area a little rubbing to agitate it, and then rinse the item out.

I then threw the shirt in with a load of washing, and this is what it looked like after being in the washer / dryer.  The stain is still there, but hardly noticeable, right??

The original blogger even got stains out of a kids' fabric chair that she couldn't rinse out, so I may try this on non-clothing items too!

Verdict: PARTIAL FAIL / SUCCESS!

Friday Favorite: Binder Clip as Beer Stacker.

Pinterest pin and website link.

I love this binder clip idea to stack beer in the fridge without a) the bottles falling over and b) taking over the entire fridge with just beer storage.  I'll be doing this for our next party!

Verdict: SUCCESS!