Happy Memorial Day

                It is the end of May already and it is Memorial Day, what should I do? Memorial Day is a time to reflect and remember the people we have lost. Some people look at this day as a day off from work and to just relax. I do both. But mostly I like to visit the Cemetary, to visit the people that I have lost.

This can be a sad time and a happy time. Some of the people we have lost were old, sick or it was just there time to visit Heaven. For whatever the reason, it is a time to either put flowers on their grave or just to say you love and miss them. Where do go or what do you do on Memorial Day?

                The one person I visit on Memorial Day is my father who passed away 3 years ago. I like to weed around his gravestone and place flowers in his urn.

You don’t have to spend a lot on flowers, just the thought counts. I go to a dollar store to buy these flower’s, they are just as nice as any other store at half the price.  Sometimes I take real potted flowers that I have grown from home and plant them by his gravestone. You will have to check with your Cemetary if this is allowed.

                Another great thing do, is to have a family get together and talk about the loved ones you have lost. This is a great way to remember them and show them how much you care and miss them. Memorial Day is not just a day to forget the ones we love but remember all the good times you had with them while they were alive. I will never forget my father and the fun thing he taught me and all the fun times we had together. I have taught my daughters to respect their elders and to always remember all the good things about them. Memorial Day is also a time for them to reflect and visit the Cemetary to honor our fallen military and all that they have done for this country.  Go to any Cemetary and ask if you can volunteer to place flags on the gravestones. Wouldn’t this be a nice way to honor our war heroes that gave their lives so we could be free? Have a memorable Memorial Day from Suzie Homemaker.

Homemade Water Slides

                Now that summer is almost here it is time to think of things to do with your children and grandchildren. The weather will be getting warmer soon, time for something fun to do outside with the kids. How many of you had a water slide when you were growing up? We had one, but not the typical one you can buy from the store. Money was always tight when I was growing up, so my parents decided to make a homemade water slide. Water slides from the store are so expensive and don’t last very long. So today I will tell you how to make a homemade water slide the kids will love. Then if you like at the end of the summer just throw it away.

How to make a Homemade water Slide

1.       First, find some heavier plastic.

Try not to find anything that can cut or scratch the children.

2.       Next roll out the plastic to as long as you like on your lawn.

Find a spot that is level and no rocks.

3.       Take a rotating sprinkler and let the water spray onto your plastic.

4.       My mother used to put a little dish soap on the plastic to make it a little slippery.

5.       With an old towel or just our bare bellies, we would slide across our slippery slide.

This was so much fun to slide on. We had the whole neighborhood over having fun. There are so many things you can use at home to make this slippery slide. Why spend $20 to 30 dollars on this slippery slide from the store when you can make it at home yourself for little to no money at all. The children will have a ball. This was one of my favorite things to do when I was growing up in the summer.  You don’t have to break the bank to have fun and stay cool during the summer. I hope you enjoy my quick and easy water slide from Suzie Homemaker.

Recycle Recycle

                Garbage and recycling day is coming up, how many of you recycle?

We live in a small town so we only have pick up every two weeks. Once a month we have recycling day. Depending on where you live and your town or city you live in will decide on your days and times for both recycling and garbage pick- up. Today I want you to think about all your garbage and recycling that you throw away each month. How many bags of garbage do you throw away each month and how much you recycle? Since we live out in the country we can also burn some of our garbage instead of throwing it away. Really think about this for a moment and be honest with yourself, do you just throw things away to save time or do you really recycle everything you really can? Go drive by a landfill once and really see all the garbage that we throw away, you would be surprised. So today I want to talk about recycling.

Landfills

                Like I said we live in a small country town and we have a landfill less than two miles away. Some parts of this landfill are now taller than the trees. I can see a mountain of garbage and don’t get me going on the smell when the wind it just right. When my daughter was in middle school in 7^th grade they had a class trip to the landfill to see first- hand what we throw away and waste. This was an eye opener for my daughter. Now she tells me what I can and cannot recycle. I think every school should visit a landfill so our children and grandchildren learn how to recycle and not waste so much.

Recycling

                Our little town each year sends out a letter in the mail reminding people to recycle and what they can and cannot recycle. Plus they have special days during the year to pick up bigger items like computers, phones and other big items that cannot be recycled during your monthly recycling day. Check with your city or town to find out what you can and cannot recycle.  Most cities and towns now give you special trash cans for your recycling.

Please use these and not throw things in the garbage. I have a special place that I throw my recycling each day, then at the end of the day, I throw them into my recycling can. If you don’t have a recycling can for pick-up place your cardboard and papers into a box or paper bag. Place all glass and any cans into a recycling plastic bag, when it is your day for your recycling just place the recycling out by your curb for pick-up. Recycling does not take a lot of time to do, so think of that big landfill filling up.

Burning

                We live out in the country so we have a burning barrel. Check with your city or town if you can burn. Since we can burn anything that is not recycleable, I now burn the rest. Burning is a great way to save on garbage bags and garbage being thrown away. My husband has an office where everything has to be burned, so instead of paying for a burning service, we burn everything at home. This saves us hundreds of dollars a year.

                So how much do you throw away each month, and how much do you recycle? Every month I have a full recycling barrel full from our home and from my husband’s office. They recycle in his office too. How hard is it to put a couple of baskets out for recycling?

We only have recycling once a month by us. Now, how much garbage do you throw out? We have garbage pick-up twice a month, and in one month for 4 people I have 4 bags of garbage I throw out.

Everything else is either recycled, burned or any food scraps are given to my chickens. Think about all the waste we produce and how it all ends up in the landfills. Make a conscious effort to use less and recycle more from Suzie Homemaker.

Homemade Bubbles

                Summer is almost here and the children and grandchildren like to go outside and play and enjoy the weather. When I was a little kid my mother would send us outside to blow bubbles and chase them around the yard. Since I had two older sisters and one younger brother we had a lot of fun playing with these bubbles. As a treat, my mother would buy us a bottle of bubbles once in a while to play with, but this got a little expensive and we would use them up in less than 15 minutes. She then started buying the gallon jugs but with four children we still went through them pretty fast. Money was always tight when we were growing up, so she had to find a cheaper way for us to enjoy playing with the bubbles. So today I want to give you my mother’s recipe for homemade bubbles.

Homemade Bubbles

                2 cups of Water                                              3 Tablespoons of any type of dish soap

                Put into an old dish soap bottle of a glass jar and shake well. You can make any size batch you like and just store it in your container. When ready shake up well. To blow some bubbles just pour into a dish or use straight from the bottle.

Homemade Wands

                Take an old wire hanger and bend into any shape you like.

If you have very little children or grandchildren try using an old slotted spoon.

Just dip the spoon into the bubble mixture and blow. The metal hangers should only be used for older children so they do not hurt themselves. You can use about anything that has holes in them for a wand.

                What child doesn’t like to blow some bubbles and pop them or just watch them drift away? Summer time is a time to be outside enjoying the sunshine with your children and grandchildren. Why go to a store and spend way too much money on a little bottle of bubbles when you can make these anytime for a fraction of the cost. Now anytime you want bubbles just make up a batch instead of running to the store. These homemade bubbles are easy to make and work just as well as the store brands. Have some fun with your children and grandchildren blowing bubbles from Suzie Homemaker.

Planting Trees (Earth Day)

                A couple of weeks ago It was Earth Day! What did you do on Earth Day? From the time my children were in Kindergarten they did a school project on Earth Day.  Earth Day is for replanting trees and enjoying what we have. In our area, the schools have a replanting and harvesting day. Our schools have a little wooded area for kids to learn about planting trees and nature and how we need to always replace what we cut down or dig up.  I think all schools should have a science project like this so children learn to not always take but also give back to nature.

So I thought it would be neat to show you what my child's school does in our area for Earth Day. Every few years they dig up trees for the kids to bring home and plant at home. Then they replant new trees to replace the ones they dig up. I love to plant and grow my own produce during the summer. Earth Day is another great way to plant trees and enjoy nature. This program the schools do is a great way to teach our children how to give back and enjoy the work they do in the process.

My youngest child brought home her first trees in Kindergarten. They let the children bring home as many trees as they liked as long as they promised to plant them at home or some other place. Since we live out in the country she brought home a lot of trees to plant. Here is a picture of her trees today 12 years later.

They taught the children to never take more than what they would actually use. After they dug up the trees they replanted new ones in their place. Teaching children to give back and replace what they take is very important.

Now when my child got a little older and was in Middle School they went to a different area and dug up more trees to take home. This time she only came home with on tree. Here is a picture of her tree she received in Middle School, it is planted in our front yard.

Even as the children grow up the value lessons never change.

My child is now a Junior in High School and she decided this was her last year to bring home trees because she will have no more Science classes next year. She brought me home 4 more trees to be planted. She loves planting and watching her trees grow up.

Here is a picture of the trees I need to plant with her soon.

Earth Day is such a great day to remind us to always give back and enjoy nature. My child as she gets older will look back at school as a fun experience. Plus as she grows into being an adult she will watch her trees grow to be big and tall. This is such a good lesson to teach our children, and I am glad our schools have these opportunities for our children to learn about Earth day. If you have space or know someone who would want a tree to plant have you children bring some home. Enjoy planting trees with your children from Suzie Homemaker.