Taking Advantage of At-Home Courses During COVID

Just a quick PSA that if you were ever considering taking a class or course in something but the schedule or distance put you off, to look into it again. So many courses out there that were in-person only have been converted to online-based during the pandemic. College courses, continuing education, licensing for various things, etc. Of course not everything is available online now but a lot is, making it more accessible than ever - so stop putting it off and get to it, whether it’s something personal or professional.

What courses have I done, you ask? Well, nothing too crazy - but I was able to finally check a few personal goals off of my list. For years I’ve been wanting to get my OHRV (Off-Highway Recreational Vehicle) License and Boating Safety License but never seemed to find the time to line up taking the courses on a weekend. However our state is now letting you complete these online which was great, so over the summer I was able to complete both of them as well as my Paddling Safety Certificate (for canoeing/kayaking) all online and at my leisure which was wonderful.

I really enjoyed finally checking these courses off of my to-do list and hopefully you will find something you’ve been wanting to accomplish available online too!

The Biggest Money-Saving, Eco-Friendly Change We've Made During Quarantine

Being home 24/7 and trying to limit grocery trips and ordering really makes you evaluate how quickly you’re going through supplies in your home. With two little kids, paper products were something we were blowing through and made me wonder how we could change this for the better. | This post is not sponsored but does contain affiliate links |

Now when I say "paper products" in this post I'm talking about paper towels and paper napkins. To greatly reduce our usage of these things we made the switch to reusable "unpaper" towels and aren't looking back.
(And before you ask... yes, reusable toilet paper/wipes do exist too - but that's not for us, though if the toilet paper shortage continues who knows...).

“Unpaper” towels are cloths that you can use like paper towels but wash and reuse for a long time. You could really use just about any kind of cloth - wash cloths, tea towels, cloth napkins, pieces of flannel, etc. Hopefully you have something around the house already that you can use, but if you don’t and decide to purchase some we’ve found them to be worth the investment. For the price of a large package of throw-away paper towels, you can purchase of set of reusable ones that will last you a very, very long time and will eventually pay for themselves.

We thought about just using our current dishtowels but we use them regularly already for dishes and big spills (which happen a lot with two small kids). We were primarily looking for something smaller that would function like a paper towel and also wouldn’t fill our washing machine quickly (something else to consider), which is why we settled on these modestly-sized, organic bamboo cloths.

Some people will roll them on a paper towel holder and use them in place of ALL paper towels, completely eliminating paper towels in their home. For our household we decided to fold them and place them in a basket on our counter, next to our roll of paper towels. That way we’d be constantly reminded to grab a cloth instead of a paper towel whenever we had to wipe a dirty face or sticky fingers, but we’d still have paper towels at the ready if we really needed them. I even hung a little note over the paper towel holder to remind us to use less of them.

Since starting this system we’ve cut down on our paper towel usage big time. This has saved us money on our grocery bill and we feel like we’ve made a positive long-term change that’s more eco-friendly.

Cleaning Unpaper Towels: I hung a small mesh laundry bag on the doorknob of our laundry closet, which is conveniently right off the kitchen, to toss the used unpaper towels in to be washed. Whenever I start a load of laundry, I just throw the mesh bag in with the rest of the washing. You could also easily hang a mesh bag or small basket on the inside of a cupboard door with a Command Hook too if that is a more convenient spot.

Hopefully I’ve inspired you to find a reusable, money-saving solution to something in your home like we have found unpaper towels to be for us.

This post is not sponsored but contains my personal opinion as well as affiliate links.

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• Preparing to Homeschool

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Preparing to Homeschool

We are still waiting to hear the final plans for our local school district (whether that’s in-person learning only, remote learning only, or a choice/combination between the two) - but whatever our school district decides, we’ve already made our decision. Because of the unknowns regarding COVID and how things will play out this fall and winter, we have decided to keep our kids home either way. | This post contains affiliate links |

We are waiting to hear what our district offers before we purchase a curriculum… if they offer remote learning then we will likely do that and supplement on our own with what we feel our kids need more help with or are interested in learning more about. But if they don’t offer remote learning then we will choose a curriculum and officially homeschool.

I recommend looking into what your state requires regarding homeschooling as every state is different. In New Hampshire we have a lot of flexibility and pretty basic requirements… I find this to be a blessing and curse - it’s great because it’s very open-ended… but it also makes it very difficult to choose what to do because, well - it’s very open-ended. Right now I’m in the process of looking into different curriculums (in fact I’m attending an “e-open house” online tomorrow for our 1st grader). A family member also offered to loan us some of their homeschool books from a few years ago which is very helpful. But since our kids are only going to be entering 1st grade and preschool I’m not too stressed about choosing the right curriculum for them… what they need to learn is very basic and could be taught on our own if needed without following a specific curriculum (which could be okay in our situation). Regardless, I have more homework to do in the coming weeks to decide how we’re going to handle everything.

In the meantime though, I thought it would be a good idea to start setting up our homeschool area in our home. Ideally I would love to get our 1st grader her own desk and designated school space but we just don’t have the room. Instead we worked with what we had and decided to dedicate one corner of our dining room to be our homeschool area.

We already had a chalkboard easel (similar one linked here), and decided to repurpose a small metal utility cart we already had as a shelving unit for our homeschool supplies. You could also use a 3-tier rolling cart for the same purpose.

The cart will hold most of our supplies for homeschooling. On the top shelf we have play money, sight word cards, and some basic art supplies.
On the middle shelf we have a collection of workbooks for both kids as well as their Kids Kindle Fires. We love the Kindles for playing age-appropriate educational games for each kid, and reading books for our first grader.
On the bottom shelf we have a small collection of reference books for kids, some early reader books, and a small globe. I lined the bottom of this shelf with a wooden board so the books would stand up easier.

We absolutely love the "First Big Book of.." series from National Geographic (Space is linked here). They have many in the series and our kids could spend all day looking through them.

FIRST GRADER | Again, we still haven't picked a curriculum yet - but here are some supplemental workbooks we've gotten for our 1st grader so far: Cursive Handwriting (this isn't something that is typcially taught in first grade here but our daughter has expressed an interest in learning, so this is more of a fun bonus activity we plan on working on if she feels like it), Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 1 (we love this series of workbooks for fun, educational worksheets that cover a variety of subjects), Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids (age-appropriate logic puzzles are great for everyone to practice thinking and problem solving skills), and Human Body Activity Book for Kids (we chose this to cover some science and health basics).

For our First Grader we also ordered this set of play money. Getting kids familiar with money is so important on many levels - not only will they need to learn our currency and what everything is called and what it's worth, money is also great for teaching math concepts of addition, subtraction, and equivalences.

PRESCHOOL | For our preschooler, we're keeping it VERY basic. At this age I think it's best to mostly learn through playing, but we're going to work on reinforcing and learning some very basic things like letters, numbers, colors, and how to write her name. For her I purchased "My First School Book" from Learning Without Tears, which came very highly recommended to me. I also got a Melissa & Doug Water Wow ABC Book as a fun reusable resource to reinforce her ABCs.

A computer is also SUPER important in most remote learning/homeschooling situations these days... I upgraded my Macbook last year so our daughter has been using my old Macbook for school but a basic Chromebook is a great option for most. It's also a very good idea to have a printer available to print out worksheets and activities that can't be done online.

You also may want to consider some "school decor" to help set the stage for them to help it feel more like school. A calendar center might be a good idea for younger grades, or some laminated maps. I picked up some maps for us that I will hang up soon - our daughter has been really interested in maps and learning about the world and I personally think it's important to teach them about the bigger world out there, especially since we're so closed off at home these coming months.

Not pictured is our Art Cart which we keep in our pantry - it's well stocked with art supplies, pencils, crayons, glue, rulers, coloring books, paper, and just about anything they might need for hands-on activities or creativity.

We still have a lot to figure out but now that we have our classroom space starting to shape up I feel like we're heading in the right direction. Whatever you decide for the coming school year, know you’re not alone - it’s definitely a difficult and stressful decision no matter what you choose. Best of luck and stay healthy!

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• The Biggest Money-Saving, Eco-Friendly Change We’ve Made During Quarantine

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Backyard Camping Tradition During Quarantine

We’re still social-distancing very seriously but all our favorite outdoor spaces (hiking trails, lakes, beaches, camping areas, etc) have been totally overrun lately with people looking for a change of scenery. This unfortunately makes it impossible to social-distance safely, so we tend to just stay home. | This post contains affiliate links |

In order to make our weekends more special we started a weekend tradition early on during Quarantine to “camp at home” every weekend. During the colder months and bad weather, this meant camping in our living room every Saturday night with sleeping bags and staying up late watching a family-friendly movie. Sunday mornings we make a special breakfast, usually of pancakes or egg sandwiches.

Now that the weather is warmer, we’re doing more backyard camping. Our large tent is nice and roomy for all of us to spread out - and the extra large screen areas on the top mean we can leave the rainflap off in nice weather so we can see the stars and watch the fireflies (which is what we typically do). It feels really magical and the kids love it!
When we set up the tent we typically try to camp for at least two nights in a row to get more out of it.

(Pro-tip: Put a doormat outside your tent to help keep grass and sand from getting tracked in - We purchased our mat from one of our favorite companies, Maine Rope Mats.)

We may be stuck at home, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t make special memories. I hope you can find a fun tradition to start at home during this time too - stay well!

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Cloth Face Mask Organization and Storage

We’re definitely living in different times right now… and it’s becoming clearer that it looks as though we will have to co-exist with the COVID-19 virus for the foreseeable future. Because of that anything we can do that might mitigate the risk of virus transmission, like always wearing face masks or face coverings when outside our homes, have become a part of our “new normal.” Since mask-wearing should be part of your new routine whenever you leave your house, it’s a good idea to have a system in place to make sure you always have clean masks at the ready and you never leave home without one. | This post contains affiliate links |

Disclaimer: I am not giving medical advice. Make sure to always consult the CDC and local health officials for up-to-date recommendations on mask wearing, storage, and care. Cloth masks are not considered medical grade and should be washed in between each use… check with individual mask makers/companies on the best way to store/wash/care for your masks.

Mask Storage at Home

It’s a good idea to keep your clean masks in a designated area of your home, preferably in a place where you’ll be sure to grab one on your way out the door to do errands, go to work, etc. At first glance it might look like we have a lot of masks, but we really don't considering we're a household of four and it's essential to have enough masks to get through between laundry loads. We're still staying home and social-distancing very seriously, but whenever we have to do an essential errand/appointment or just go for a drive to get out of the house, we always make sure to have a clean mask for everyone that’s leaving the house.

In our home, we've designated a special basket that sits up high on our mudroom shelf, full of clean masks. We put the adult masks towards the back, and then kids masks in the front. I was unable to find a basket the same size on Amazon to link to, but I did find this sleek bamboo box that looks to be the perfect size. If you don't have shelf space for a basket, you could alternatively use wall-mounted baskets for storage.
Our masks are a mix of ones made with love for us by family members, as well as ones purchased from Old Navy and Miss Harlow VT (one of the local makers I featured in my "Masks by New England Makers" blog post).

If you don't like the idea of using a basket like we do and would rather hang your masks by the door, another option would be using a small set of hooks such as a set of compact coat hooks or key rack - or even just simple Command Hooks.

Mask Storage On-The-Go

We have found a slim wipes container is the perfect size for holding several face masks on-the-go! In fact, we always make sure to leave our case packed with an extra mask for each family member in the car. That way we're always covered if we forget one or need to change masks while we're out of the house.
I think this would be a great way to carry extra face masks in your bag for work, or your child's backpack whenever they return to school. It would probably be a good idea to also keep a ziplock bag or separate sealed container in your bag in case you have a dirty/used mask that needs to be brought home to wash.

And if you wanted to take it a step further and have an organzied mask system on-the-go to put in your work bag or child's backpack, you might want to consider having two cases - one for clean masks and one for dirty masks. I ordered these clear mask cases from Amazon and cut labels for them on my Cricut. We'll be packing one with extra clean masks, and the other will be empty for dirty masks to come home in. Since we recently invested in some better quality masks I wanted to make sure they stay in cases when not in use to keep them in good shape.

Alternatively, if you don't have any slim wipes containers hanging around you could also use Small Craft Storage Cases , which come in clear and a variety of colors. This might be more cost effective too if you needed multiple cases - especially if you needed one or more cases for each family member, or if you were a teacher and wanted to make a case for each student in your class.

You can also easily label any of these cases with a label maker.

We always make sure to keep the car stocked with our plastic case of extra face masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes to help protect ourselves when we’re out doing errands.

Mask Care

Always refer to individual mask makers/companies on the best way to care for each of your masks (hand wash only vs machine wash, line-dry vs dryer, etc.) But in general, all masks should be washed and allowed to thoroughly dry in between each use.

Since all of our masks are machine washable, we've found using a mesh lingerie laundry bag is perfect for keeping the masks from getting lost in the wash or caught on other items.

Quick Adjustment Tips

If you feel like your face mask is a little large or isn’t fitting as closely to your face as you would like, you can typically adjust it very easily by making a small knot in the ear loop elastics (as shown above) to make it smaller.

There are also lots of options for "ear saver" or "mask adjustment" straps available out there, though we have not personally tried any ourselves yet.

One mask accessory that we've found super helpful lately are Mask Lanyards. We personally use them most often when we're out hiking or going for a long walk, that way the time we're out alone we can keep our masks down, however in the event we see someone coming up we can easily put them on if we need to pass others on the trail. We made a point to choose lanyards that have a breakaway safety feature, but use at your own discretion/risk.

Disclaimer: I am not giving medical advice. Make sure to always consult the CDC and local health officials for up-to-date recommendations on mask wearing, storage, and care. Cloth masks are not considered medical grade and should be washed in between each use… check with individual mask makers/companies on the best way to store/wash/care for your masks.

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Vaccination Card Protector

Vaccinated? You may want to consider getting a Vaccination Card Protector for your vaccine card to help keep them protected and clean at home or while you're traveling. These are nice because you can remove your vaccine card to record updates/boosters if needed.

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Sheet and Towel Stripping How-To

While home for Quarantine, I’ve seen a lot of people posting about “stripping” their towels and bedsheets and showing disgusting After photos of dirty water - I was intrigued! Stripping the linens is supposed to get rid of any kind of build-up on them (whether that’s laundry detergent, body oil/sweat, hard water mineral deposits, etc). So I decided to give it a try myself and share the easy process - and let me tell you, it was a disgusting and oddly satisfying Quarantine Project. | This post contains affiliate links |

Apparently one should consider stripping their linens when they aren’t as absorbent as they used to be, they look or feel dingy, or they start to smell musty.

Supplies:

Everyone seems to be using more or less the same supplies, which are:

• 1/4 cup Borax Powder
• 1/4 cup washing soda (or 1/4 cup baking soda if you're in a pinch and don't have washing soda.. I used baking soda)
• 1/2 cup laundry detergent

How-To:

Fill a bath tub with hot water and dissolve the Borax, washing soda or baking soda, and laundry detergent in it. Next add your towels and sheets (make sure to only do similar colors together… in some cases it can cause some colors to run. We only have done our white and light colored linens so far.)

Then leave them to soak for the next four or so hours, stirring occasionally. You should see the water turn from clear to a gross yellowish-dirty color.

Once the water cools, drain the tub and squeeze the water from the linens, rinsing them with some fresh water. Then put in the washing machine (with no detergent - your items will already have absorbed detergent and Borax and you want to rinse everything out, not add more soap at this point), and run through the “wash” cycle to rinse everything out thoroughly.

After that you can put them in the dryer, or re-run the washing machine with detergent like you normally would to give them a fresh wash before drying.

Draining the dirty water after stripping. Ew.

| Whale Bath Spout Cover |

Our Personal Results:

So it wasn’t the magical night-and-day change across the board that I was expecting, visually anyways - and some items definitely had better results than others. OVERALL - Our linens definitely felt cleaner, and looked a little brighter - however, our old white towels (which have turned very off-white over the years), did not magically turn luminous white again like I was hoping. But again, that’s probably too much to expect as they are 10+ years old and have had many years to get discolored in the regular laundry. Nevertheless, just SEEING the dirty water after we stripped the linens makes me feel a lot better about doing this process - visually not everything looks perfectly white again, but I KNOW it’s cleaner after removing all that invisible gunk and that makes me feel a lot better.

Okay, so the old white towels are still off-white, but I know they’re cleaner than before after seeing the dirty water after the stripping process.

It’s my understanding that you can repeat this process as needed, and I can see myself doing this maybe up to 2-4x per year going forward to try to keep build-up at bay.

Disclaimer: Try at your own risk. In some cases this process may make colored fabrics run and may not be suitable for all fabrics.

Want to see another satisfyingly gross example…?

Here’s a photo my sister sent me after she did her sheets - wow!

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Masks by New England Makers

We’re definitely living in different times right now… and it’s becoming clearer that it looks as though we will have to co-exist with this virus for the foreseeable future. Because of that anything we can do that might mitigate the risk of virus transmission, like always wearing face masks or face coverings when outside our homes, are becoming a part of our “new normal.” Today a lot of small businesses are hurting, including small local makers, many of whom have pivoted to also offer masks for sale. As we move forward into our new normal, consider supporting a local maker and purchase masks from them.
| This post is not sponsored or an endorsement. Makers are listed in no particular order and I plan to continue to add to this list as I come across more makers who request to be added. |

Masks by New England Makers

Disclaimer: I am not giving medical advice. Make sure to always consult the CDC and local health officials for up-to-date recommendations. These masks are not considered medical grade and should be washed in between each use… please see each individual mask maker regarding details, care instructions, pricing, and current availability.

Scrub Caps for Scholars

| Shop Masks and Scrub Caps by Scrub Caps for Scholars |

Scrub Caps for Scholars is an Etsy shop recently started by Marissa of One CrafDIY Girl (who’s also an ICU nurse in Massachusetts) looking to give back to frontline nurses who are struggling to pay their student loans. Proceeds from sales of masks and scrub caps will go towards that fund. Masks are available in different styles in child through adult sizes with different fabrics to choose from; there are also some matching scrub caps available too.

Masked in Style

| Shop Masks by Masked in Style (Order requests via Facebook Page) |

Nicole has created 615+ masks so far - including donations to local businesses and healthcare workers across the country. She has many fabrics to choose from, with masks in tie and elastic styles. (*If there's an essential worker you want to surprise with a free cloth mask, send her a message and she will send it out with a thank you note!)

Think Greene

| Shop Masks by Think Greene |

Think Greene is a Maine-based company best known for their eco-friendly items and apparel. They are offering boldly designed masks in adult and kid sizes made with organic cotton. Masks are tie-style.

Singer Vintage

| Shop Masks by Singer Vintage |

Singer Vintage is a Maine-based Etsy stop, which normally sells vintage sewing machine parts, but now offers a wide variety of summer-inspired masks (gingham, chambray, lobsters, etc) in different styles and sizes.

Little Green Pear

| Shop Masks by Little Green Pear (Etsy shop temporarily closed, please order through direct message on Facebook or Instagram) |

Little Green Pear is run by a Vermont-based mom and best known for hair bows and baby accessories, but is now offering a variety of masks in different styles, fabric patterns, and sizes from toddler through adult.

Maine Mom Boutique

| Shop Masks by Maine Mom Boutique |

Maine Mom Boutique is a highly-rated shop on Etsy, best known for baby-related items, now offering elastic loop style masks for adults in a variety of fabric patterns.

Sea Crow Company

| Shop Masks by Sea Crow Company |

Maine-based Sea Crow Co. is best known for their popular colorful bags and accessories and is now offering masks too. Masks are pleated-style and available in a variety of fabric patterns and in both ear loop and tie options (child sizes are available upon request).

Miss Harlow VT

| Shop Masks by Miss Harlow VT (Order via Google Form) |

Miss Harlow VT is a Vermont-based crafter best known for her sewn baby items and gifts and is now offering masks as well in many different fabrics, in both child and adult sizes. To date she has made over 500!

Jackie’s Boutique

| Shop Masks from Jackie's Boutique (Website currently under construction but can order on Facebook) |

Jackie’s Boutique are two “brick and mortar” shops located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire known for resort wear and accessories. Right now they are also offering masks with vintage Lake Winnipesaukee map patterns on them. The fabric is made and printed in New England.

The Artsy Fox

| Shop Masks by The Artsy Fox (Request order via Facebook Group) |

The Artsy Fox is New Hampshire-based and known for crocheted and knit items as well as quilted items, and is now also offering masks in different patterns too.

Two Little Beans & Co.

| Shop Masks by Two Little Beans & Co. |

Two Little Beans & Co. is a Maine-based company best known for their baby booties, bibs, and other baby items but is now also offering ear loop style pleated masks in many fabric options, in both kid and adult sizes. She has also been making mask donations for healthcare and frontline workers. (*There is a tutorial on her website if you’re looking for instructions to make your own mask.)

We Fill Good.

| Shop Masks from We Fill Good |

We Fill Good is an eco-friendly shop in Kittery, Maine known for selling reusable products that can help you achieve a low-waste household. Right now they are also offering masks in a variety of fabric pattern options in both adult and kid sizes.

Red House VT

| Waitlist for Red House VT Masks |

Red House VT is best known for their waxed canvas and leather bags and are now offering simple modern style masks, currently as a wait-list item.

- All photos used with permission -

If you are a New England Maker who is also making masks and would like to be added to this list, please send me a message and I would love to add you. Thank you all for your hard work to help keep our communities a little safer.

Disclaimer: I am not giving medical advice or endorsing any particular seller - purchase at your own risk. Make sure to always consult the CDC and local health officials for up-to-date recommendations. These masks are not considered medical grade and should be washed in between each use… please see each individual mask maker regarding details, care instructions, pricing, and current availability.

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Related Posts:

• Cloth Face Mask Organization and Storage

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Interviews from New England Makers:

Working Towards Creating a Kid Oasis During Quarantine

Just wanted to hop on here and share this ADORABLE KidKraft Cabana my sister bought for our kids as a fun, very thoughtful gift. We’ve been trying to turn our home into an oasis of sorts for the kids since we’re home 24/7 now. Mostly just rearranging their current toys and books to create zones and make things more efficient for play, remote learning, and relaxing - but this Cabana takes the cake! It’s absolutely adorable and perfect for relaxing outside for snack, reading a book, or taking a rest after they get out of the kiddie pool. We might not be able to go on vacation this year, but they can certainly pretend they’re at a beach resort now - though I must confess, I’m totally jealous and wish I had one in my size too!

This KidKraft Cabana can be found on Amazon (affiliate link) if anyone is interested.

The Cabana also has cupholders and a little storage cubby which the kids absolutely love! It’s definitely been a huge hit and now I know where the kids will be hanging out all summer long.

Thanks again Auntie Suz for such an awesome gift for the kids! :)