Must or Bust : Homemade Play-Dough and Food Storage

Truth be told-- I have missed doing the Must or Bust posts the little while! I've just been so swamped that I haven't had a chance to sit down and type up some of the things I've been trying. Such is the curse of December, right? :)

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Before I dive in to the Must or Bust, I need to give you a little background.

My mother-in-law gave me a book titled "Learn and Play" {or something like that} and it has a million different interactive-play ideas for you and your child based on their age/development. Since I've been so busy lately, Hannah has been feeling left out. . .and seeing as how I was feeling ambitious today, I decided to try out some of the ideas.

I had an extra Costco-sized diaper box laying around, and so I made it into a tunnel for her to crawl through. I placed a toy at one end to encourage her, but I needn't have bothered. While I was still taping the flaps together to secure them, she was crawling through the "tunnel". It was fun to hide her favorite singing toy inside and see how long it took her to find it.

Since she and I were having so much fun, I decided to try out a homemade play-dough recipe.

Baby-Safe Homemade Play Dough : MUST


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I found the recipe over at "It's Gravy, Baby" HERE. It was simple, edible {if you like salt}, and quick. I had all the ingredients on hand, too, which was a definite perk. While Hannah played in her high chair, I whipped it up.

I halved the recipe, and I'm sure glad I did! It still made more than enough.

I was paranoid of the food coloring staining the counter top, so I just kneaded the dough in my hands after it cooled slightly. You could also use a cutting board that you think could use some color if you'd rather. And, yes, my hands look like the underside of a rainbow. Thank you for asking.

I sure had fun kneading the dough . . . but about two seconds after I gave Hannah a dob to play with, she tried sticking it in her mouth. Now, I used this recipe deliberately because it didn't have anything harmful, but I still didn't want her to eat it by the fist-full. In my haste to have "interactive play", I decided that even though she's at the age where everything goes in her mouth, she would take one taste of the salty nasty-ness and never want it close to her mouth again.

I clearly overestimated Hannah's taste buds.

So. . . what I'm getting at here is that if anyone in my area would like a bunch of fresh play dough, let me know! I'd be more than happy to give it to you. I made green, purple, pink, and orange. :)  Don't be shy, either, because it will just go to waste otherwise. Somehow, I don't see Chuck and I playing with play dough for Family Home Evening. . . but I guess you never know!

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For the past few months, I've been feeling very strongly that we needed to work on starting our food storage and getting 72-hour kits organized. But, like most everyone, I had no idea where to start.

Food Storage Made Easy : Must


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I happened across this great website HERE, and it has helped tremendously. You can sign up for their Baby Steps Checklist and they'll e-mail you once a month with a list of things to get in order and tips on HOW to do it.

I've been really impressed with the easy and comprehensive layout of not only their lists, but also their entire  website. If your family isn't prepared for an emergency, you should really check out this site. It will help you without scaring you. . . which is always good. :)

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I hope everyone has a super-de-duper Merry Christmas in case I don't get a chance to post again before the holiday rolls around! Go live your little moments and enjoy your loved ones!