New Use for Old Things #10: Burp Cloths

The common cold has crept it's way into my families noses, throats and lungs.  It has also stolen our sleep and ability to laugh without coughing up nastiness.  We all feel like crap.  And I am one of those people that never has tissues around.  Every time my mom comes to visit, she asks where the tissues are and I have to search for them.  We just don't really need them all that much.  Luckily, I have held onto some of my daughters old burp cloths.  I saved a few that have her name embroidered on them and a few other soft ones, I'm not sure why b/c I won't be needing them for anything but wiping kids noses.  My dad always had a 'hankie' in his back pocket and my husband does have some handkerchiefs he has collected over the years, but the soft plush burp cloth is much more soothing!  I don't particularly like the idea blowing my nose in a piece of cloth and putting it back in my pocket, so for myself, I will stick with tissues.  So glad that I held on to these shmatas , not only for my family but for the environment as well!  TTFN!! 

New Uses for Old Things #8: Rubber Band

I can't recall where I read this recently, but I decided to try it in my classroom the other day! The kids in my class, and my own, have a habit of using way too much soap.  All you need is a rubber band. Simply wrap it around the neck of the soap pump and voila!  The rubber band acts as a stopper, allowing for only perfect, child size portions of soap.  I used two in this pic because it is a large container.  Happy hand washing :)  TTFN!

New Uses for Old Things #7:Vitamin Organizer

I don't know about you but I often use small pouches to bring jewelry on a trip.  Not the best idea for necklaces!  I love this idea taken from Real Simple (of course!).  Pack enough jewelry for a week away. 
The individual compartments are the perfect place to keep earrings, necklaces, and rings safe and tangle free.

borrowed from RealSimple.com

New Uses for Old Things #6: Ice Cream Scoop

Use an ice cream scoop to dole out dry ingredients. Most standard ice cream scoops double as 1/4-cup measuring devices.  Good to know!

Borrowed from RealSimple.com

New Uses for Old Things: #5 Paint Swatches

A while back, I read about this great idea in a parenting magazine.  At the time when I tried it out, my son who was probably about 12-15 months, was not ready for this type of game AT ALL (even though I went to Home Depot, collected the color samples and brought them home anticipating engaging in a lively game of Memory!).  Um, FAIL.  But now that my son is 4, he would love it.  Disney has a great collection of Behr paints at Home Depot.  I have found all sorts of colors and shapes online but can't be sure if they are available in the stores.  I found stars, jolly rogers, clouds, butterflies and even tiaras.  All you have to do is hit up your local store, grab a few matching sets of colors and voila! You have a fun, FREE memory game!  Another great idea I stumbled upon while writing this post, is gathering a one of each of the cards (in basic colors) and writing the color name across Mickey's outline like here.  This would encourage you child to learn basic color words along with identifying them.  You could do this with any leftover paint swatches, but these are super fun!  TTFN!
**As always and as promised, this is a tip that can be used in the home or school setting**

New Uses for Old Things #3: Hair

If I know my sister, she will die reading this.  However, being the aspiring gardener that she is, she should listen up.  A few years ago I shared with a former co-worker that I was frustrated about 'something' that was eating my plants.  She told me that if I sprinkle human hair in the garden, the pests won't be attracted to the plants.  It makes perfect sense.  The animals smell humans and then stay away!  I have implemented this little tidbit the two past gardening seasons and it really does work.  How do I get the hair? That is the part that is going to put my sister over the edge.  I take it out of the hairbrush of course.  I do have a bit of a habit of letting it build up in the first place, so this is not difficult for me.  My sister can not stand hair build up in a brush, so it may be a bit more difficult for her to collect.  Anyway, then I just snip little bits and sprinkle it around the plants.  This little tip has helped turn my black thumb to a darker shade of green, so I share this with you and hope you use it,  if you have the same unfortunate skill of killing plants as I do.  As for indoor plants, I'll keep working on it :)  TTFN!

New Uses for Old Things #2: Baby Food Jar

Borrowed from Real Simple

Instead of prying open the paint can every time, simplify paint touch-ups by pouring a few ounces of each new wall paint into a jar for when those times it’s needed to cover nail holes and scuffs.   

Why Re-Invent the Wheel: New Uses for Old things

With the school year crawling coming to a close, I have decided to change this topic to New Uses for Old Things.  We all have old crap lying around, don't lie.  Luckily you now have me to tell you how to re-use it :)  Each week, I will post something new to do with common household items on Wednesday afternoons.  I decided to start this now because I will  soon have 10 glorious weeks off with my children and I will most likely not be posting things that can be done in the classroom.  But I might, you never know!  Also, I don't want you to think I am really clever or creative or brilliant because I will be borrowing some of these ideas from  one of  Real Simple's newest publications 869 New Uses for Old Things.  Furthermore, my principal has recently asked me to be the "Recycling Liaison" for the upcoming school year, so I think I should brush up on how to decrease my carbon footprint.  Wow, I am really going places.
So, without further ado, New Uses for Old Things, #1:

Birthday Candles

   For this one, I really did come up with the idea.  My man hands don't quite fit into jar candles when they get down to the bottom, so I use birthday candles to reach without getting my hand stuck and/or that annoying black soot on them.  Brilliant!