Dishwashing liquid breaks down hard to remove stains

I have found a cheap and effective solution for tough laundry stain removal! Stains such as fats or body odours can be notoriously hard to remove. Normal washing powders may be made for getting out dirt and stains but not for breaking down fats and body fluids. To combat the problem, I simply add a squirt of dishwashing liquid to the wash, along with my normal powder and soaker and it works like a charm. After all, it breaks down grease and fatty food residue when doing dishes, it makes sense for it to work on clothes too!

Make every cake of soap last twice as long

To make a cake of soap last twice as long, simply paint the top or bottom with some PVA wood glue and let dry. Doing this means only one side of the soap dissolves, enabling the cake to last double the time. I paint the top side of the cakes of soap when we bring them home. Sometimes my granddaughter even glues a pretty picture to the side!

'At-home' cooking classes for kids

A great way of enjoying a fun activity while learning a valuable skill is to teach your kids to cook. I set up cooking lessons once a week after school for my two girls and their two cousins in our kitchen at home. The focus is on one recipe each week, something they can bake and take home. It's all about the kids having hands-on fun and there is a lot of chatter and laughter. The kids love it!

A memorable family gift

Instead of buying Christmas presents this year, I asked my parents to write a 'book' for their grandsons. My boys love listening to bedtime stories so I thought this would be a great way for them to learn more about their grandparents and what they did when they were younger.

At first, my parents didn’t know what to write about, so we went through old photographs, scanned them into the computer and they wrote about what was happening in the pictures. We didn’t just use the usual photos like wedding pictures, but chose lots of candid shots and even photographs of places that evoked memories for my parents.

In the process of putting these books together, I learned things about my parents that I didn’t know and it made me realise that the 'book' would also be a perfect Christmas present for my brother and his family. So, for the cost of a few sheets of paper and some printer ink, I have an inexpensive gift that is priceless!