FRIDAY:  HOW-TO DAY

I thought I'd start this catagory with something simple: 

Keeping Your Car Interior Clean
#1  When you get out of the car, take all your trash with you.  I have a garbage can about a foot from my parking place in the garage, so when we get out it's easy to throw away all our empty water bottles, candy wrappers, kleenex's, etc.  It's amazing how this simple step keeps your car clean looking!
#2  I keep a basket in the back of the car/ trunk of the car with 2 small pillows, a blanket, ice scraper, scissors, an extra water bottle, small first aid kit, baby wipes, sun screen and bug spray.  These are things I routinely forgot when we went to soccer games or for walks in the park, so keeping these things on hand saves money, and having a place to put them maintains order. 
#3  Re-useable grocery bags are in the car, all in one large bag.  They do me no good if I store them in the kitchen!  Store these in the car.
#4  Use those baby wipes from the basket to wipe down the seats and the dash from time to time. 

Any other ideas to keep that interior clean?  Please share.

WEDNESDAY: Books

Art for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media, by Susan Schwake.

Confession to make- I love doing the art projects myself and not with kids.  Although, I owe much of my thinking out of the box to kids messes and misuse of art supplies.  This book is a simple guide to using the collection of art supplies that has accumulated in my cupboard over the years.  We always intended to use the oil pencils, charcoal pencils, papers, etc, but ran out of time for one reason or another.  Maybe I can use this collection of "goods" with my grandsons, but first I want to learn how to use them myself!

Today's project:  Leaf Prints with Watercolor
My garden is full of leaves this time of year.  Instead of block-printing ink I will use thinned black craft paint.