DIY projects with little ones

I hate to talk about the weather, but it's been very strange around here lately. Last week we had a few days that were so windy and cold, I didn't even want to walk from my house to the car, especially with the kids. On days like those, I get a lot of laundry done and work on little DIY projects. Here's what we've been up to:

Elijah helped me mix our new homemade laundry detergent.

We made the powder version which is incredibly cheap and easy. A few tips for anyone interested in doing this yourselves:

1. Only use the powder version with top loading washers. The soap needs to dissolve before adding your clothes so they don't come out with clumps on them.
2. Start the load with hot water and the soap will dissolve much easier. Swish the water and soap around with your hand and then quickly switch the setting to cold or warm water depending on the colors you are washing.
3. I used 3 bars of Ivory soap. Works great!

*making my own laundry detergent makes it possible for me to use the very best soap for my cloth diapers. even though i pay an arm and a leg for my Rockin' Green Detergent, i am still saving money. unbelievable!

Elijah and I made a shark costume. It is not my proudest work, but we whipped it up in 15 minutes and Eli had plenty of time after dinner to "eat" everyone for dessert. Elijah painted the mask blue and then I quickly sewed a fleece hat complete with a fin (can't quite see it in the photos).

Now, back to the weather. When it's not 40 degrees and blustery, it's 75 and sunny. On days like those, we want nothing more than to play in our back yard.

{he tries so hard, but wearing his big brother's snow boots naturally makes things more difficult}

He eventually made it.

Show off!

I've been thankful for these last few days of warmth. It would be nice to wear my leggings and boots in the middle of November, but I've been in the Midwest long enough to know that winter is a-coming. It's just around the corner and I WILL NOT complain about 75 degrees!

Last night was another chilly windy night. The boys and I met friends down town for some holiday festivities. We missed the actual tree lighting but had fun in the decorated City Garden, watching the fireworks.