Sharla Kostelyk

Frozen Sensory Bin

There’s a Disney movie you may have heard of called Frozen. I am probably one of the few people in North America who has not seen it. I heard little snippets of it once when the kid had friends over who had brought the movie with them and they were all watching it in the other room while I made supper, but I have never sat down and watched it.

I can deduce though given the amount of references to the movie, the frequency of times I’ve been subjected to listen to “Let it Go” sung by my tone deaf daughter, and what I see in stores that this movie is a big deal, in particular to children of a certain age. In this case, given that I haven’t seen the movie, I guess you could say that I was inspired by the movie’s popularity to make a Frozen sensory bin.

For the base, I used salt, but you could also use sugar (which I don’t recommend because it may be too tempting for kids to eat it!) or epsom salt. I added reusable plastic ice cubes in purple and various shades of blue. I froze these to begin with to add another sensory element to the bin of having something cold.

I added fuzzy pompoms in blue and white, glass beads in blue and clear, a tiny Elsa figurine, and some larger Frozen characters, Olaf, Kristof, Anna, and Hans or Sven ( I don’t know which is which!).

This Frozen sensory bin is a simple one but it combines several textures and opens itself up to imaginative play with the addition of the characters.

For hundreds of other sensory bin ideas, you can also follow my Sensory Bins board on Pinterest.

Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Sensory Bins on Pinterest.

If you are looking for information on making sensory bins, you may be interested in my book.

Join our free 5 part email series Sensory Solutions and Activities and get our Sensory System Behaviours Easy Reference Cards.

Easy Monster Craft

By Sharla Kostelyk

Most of our craft ideas are born out of what we have around the house. We happened to have these green paper cups leftover from a party and when I looked at them, the colour made me think of monsters so that’s exactly what we made them into!

easy to make monster craft out of cups. These are so cute! Materials needed:

paper cups
pipe cleaners
googly eyes and/or eye stickers
permanent markers
tape or glue

If you want to attach legs to your little critter, poke the ends of pipe cleaner through the cup and wrap the ends around (see image below).

making cute little monsters You can also use a similar technique to add antennae by poking pipe cleaners through the bottom of the cup (which is now the top).

Use googly eyes, stickers and permanent marker to decorate and personalize the monsters.

What I like about this monster craft is that it is very open-ended. Children can use a variety of methods and materials to create a unique little monster friend that will not look like the others. They can even name their monster.

cute little monsters You can set out other monster craft materials such as sequins, glitter, gems, and feathers to further decorate these little guys. You can attach these with clear tape or glue.

These would be cute to make for Hallowe’en or to go along with a Monsters party.

A few years ago, the kids enjoyed playing in this Monsters Sensory Bin.

If you are looking for other easy activities for kids, you may want to follow my Kids’ Activities Board on Pinterest.

Follow Sharla Kostelyk’s board Kids’ Activities on Pinterest.

Vacation Meal Plan

By Sharla Kostelyk

With a large family, traveling requires a bit more planning and meals are a big part of that. We almost always stay somewhere that has a kitchen. It not only allows us to save a lot of money in terms of not eating out, it also cuts the stress level down. Eating out with a lot of kids is not my idea of relaxing!

Before leaving home, I meal plan for the vacation and write out a grocery list so that as soon as we get to our destination, I can go shopping and get settled in. I pack a few things from home such as spices to cut down on costs and try to plan somewhat around what is seasonal or what the location we are going to is known for.

There are certain meals that make it into every one of our vacation meal plans because they are easy to make and sure to be a hit with my family.

For me, food is a big part of a vacation, so it’s important that we eat well. I don’t want to eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches and KD on my holiday! I also find that if we just eat easy food (read junk), I don’t feel well and that puts a damper on the time away too.

One of our sons is gluten free, so that is something I also have to take into consideration even when we are away.

The vacation meal plan that I am sharing with you today is from a recent vacation that we took to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It’s the third time we had stayed at this particular place which made planning much easier as I knew which kitchen utensils the condo rentals came with and what local grocery stores to shop at. I had also discovered on previous trips some locally made cheeses that I knew I wanted to incorporate into some of our meals. I also knew we wanted to have at least one meal with fresh seafood since we were on the ocean.

Since it’s also supposed to be my vacation too (!), I try to plan so that I can do some of the prep work for future meals when I already have out the tools and ingredients to save myself time.

I also plan the easiest meals for the first and last day and I use some of the prep work for meals for our snacks as well.

Day 1

Breakfast

Oatmeal, toast or cereal

Lunch

Toasted BLTA sandwiches (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado)

cook extra bacon for the Cobb Salad on Day 3
wash extra lettuce for the souvlaki pitas on Day 2 and for the hamburgers on Day 3

Supper

Spaghetti (regular noodles and gluten free)

Day 2

Breakfast

Oatmeal, toast or cereal

Lunch

Souvlaki pitas

To make these, you will need to first make tzatziki. You can also buy it pre-made, but it’s very simple to make and so fresh tasting! You then cut a pita in half and open it to create a pita pocket. Inside, put lettuce, tzatziki, crumbled or cubed feta cheese, sliced purple onion, and sliced tomato. They are delicious!

slice extra purple onions for Cobb salad on Day 3

Supper

BBQ chicken, roasted asparagus, baked potatoes, and vegetable packets (this particular time, I put red pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, yellow squash, and purple onion in the veggie packets)

To make the veggie packets, cut the vegetables into large chunks. Lay them on tin foil. Add a few slices of butter and salt and pepper and seal the foil. Cook in the oven or on the BBQ until they are as soft as you like them to be. Use what’s in season or what you have.

cut extra veggies for the quesadillas on Day 4

Day 3

Breakfast

Omelettes and breakfast potatoes made with the leftover baked potatoes

Lunch

Cobb Salad

Supper

Hamburgers, raw veggies

Day 4

Breakfast

Bacon, eggs, hash browns

Lunch

Cajun chicken quesadillas with guacamole

Coat a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in cajun spice. Fry them up in olive oil and cubed them. On flour tortillas, add the chicken cubes, grated cheese, chopped red peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, and sliced jalapeños.

make extra guacamole for snacks or to have with nachos on Day 6

Supper

BBQ ribs, baked potatoes with all the fixin’s, corn on the cob, grilled garlic bread

make extra bacon bits and sliced green onions for Nachos on Day 6

I know that ribs are expensive, but they are a fraction of the cost of what feeding our large family in a restaurant would be. Having a splurge meal like ribs or steak while on vacation helps us stick to our plan of eating in as often as we can.

Day 5

Breakfast

cereal or oatmeal and bananas

Lunch

Leftovers or sandwiches

Supper

Penne a la vodka

Day 6

Breakfast

My sister-in-law Deanne’s Paleo Breakfast (eggs scrambled with sautéed onions and garlic, topped with parmesan cheese, cubed avocado and salsa)

Lunch

hot dogs for the kids + grilled Brie, bacon and granny smith apple sandwiches on rye bread for the adults

Supper

Salmon (fresh caught, bought from a local fishery), wild mushroom rice (Uncle Ben’s!) and Greek Salad

Day 7

Breakfast

cereal or oatmeal

Lunch

Hash browns, fried eggs topped with local cheese and bacon

Supper

Macaroni and cheese for the kids and Nachos for the adults

Vacation Snacks

pitas with tzatziki
meat and cheese
fruit
veggies
salsa, guacamole and chips
nuts

Of course, there will still be times on vacation when you do eat out. For those times, try using some of our tried and true methods to save money in restaurants with your family.

This particular vacation, we were actually there for 9 days, but there was one night where our friends watched our kids and they ordered in pizza while The Husband and I were able to go out on a lovely date and eat things that made my foodie heart content. There was also a day of cleaning out the fridge and eating whatever we could find.

Extra tips:

pack sandwich bags, tin foil and large resealable bags
bring more expensive spice blends and salt and pepper from home to save money
do some recon ahead of time to find a grocery store that is near where you will be staying but has good prices. The prices right at resorts or campgrounds tend to be inflated.

What meals do you make when you go on vacation?

Converting Freezer Meal Recipes to Gluten Free Recipes

By Sharla Kostelyk

One of the ways that I have been able to manage my time with such a large family and still manage to have dinner on the table is to do most of my cooking in batches of freezer meals. When our son had to begin a gluten-free diet, I had to make changes to my usual freezer meal recipes to accommodate his new food sensitivities.

There are certain considerations to be aware of when converting a regular freezer meal recipe to a gluten-free one. I’m sure there are some that I have not considered here, but these are what works for me when making freezer meals for my family.

The most critical thing to know to be able to convert regular recipes into gluten-free recipes is how to read labels to find hidden gluten. Gluten can be called many things and it’s important to be able to identify it. Here is a list of ingredients to be on the lookout for if you are trying to avoid gluten.

Another thing to be aware of is that the consistency of gluten-free items can be very different than non-gluten-free, so for certain recipes, you will have to experiment.

For pasta, I prefer Tinkyada brand because it maintains its shape well and doesn’t seem to get as mushy like some other brands. The other trick I’ve found with pasta when it comes to gluten-free freezer meals is to either cook it to just under what you normally would before including it in the freezer meal or to leave it uncooked and attach it to the bag and then cook it normally and add it on the day you serve the meal.

When it comes to things such as tortillas, the gluten-free varieties don’t always hold up well to being in a freezer meal. I have yet to find a recipe that works for gluten-free burritos in the freezer. I have personally used Udi’s gluten-free tortillas in some of my freezer meals and had them turn out and have also used corn tortillas. I suggest you experiment to find what works best with each recipe.

When I make freezer meals, I generally plan ahead and make one or two month’s worth of meals. This is done over one or two days. I often do it in a small group or with a friend. Just a week ago, my friend Christie and I made 110 freezer meals (55 each) in just over two days. I have it down to a system! You first need to plan it out, then need to get everything prepared, and finally, execute it on what I call The Big Day. It’s a lot of work, but so worth it! I love not having to think about what I’m going to make for supper for the next few months!

There are some ingredients that seem to be very popular in freezer meal recipes. However, you need to be careful when avoiding gluten.

Ingredients to be cautious of for gluten-free diets:

Dry Onion Soup Mix

Most of the store-bought versions of this contain gluten. There are some versions that are gluten-free but you need to read the labels very carefully. At a bulk bin store near me, they carry a gluten-free dry onion soup mix. Alternatively, you can also make your own using a recipe such as this one.

Condensed Soups

There are condensed soups available to purchase such as Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup from Pacific Natural or Amy’s Organic Cream of Tomato. There are also recipes readily available online for making your own cream soups such as this one for cream of mushroom soup because gluten is usually found in most condensed soups.

Sauces

Some of the common sauces often called for in freezer meal recipes usually contain gluten. These include soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Be careful to choose a brand of soy sauce or hoisin sauce that does not contain gluten.

Seasonings

Many seasonings, especially seasoning blends contain gluten. A lot of my freezer meal recipes call for taco seasoning. Most taco seasonings contain gluten, but there is a tex mex seasoning blend that does not contain gluten. This can be substituted for taco seasoning without compromising flavor. Again, you can also make your own taco seasoning mix. This is my recipe for homemade gluten-free taco seasoning.

I buy many of my seasoning blends through Epicure Selections, as they have really wonderful spice blends and mixes and they are gluten-free. Many are also sodium-free which is a preference of mine because then I have control over how much salt I add to the dishes.

Gluten-Free Freezer Meal Plan

Our gluten-free freezer meal plan includes 5 of our tried and true recipes, shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels.

Of course, for the fastest freezer meal recipes (enabling you to assemble 10 meals in just one hour), check out my Chicken Dump and Beef Dump Recipes. All of the recipes include gluten-free instructions.

A list of our gluten-free freezer meals:

Homeschooling Made Simple

By Sharla Kostelyk

I am about to embark on my 15th year of this incredibly difficult and rewarding journey called homeschooling. Even though I am what many would consider a veteran homeschooler, it seems that the longer I do this, the more I realize there is for me to learn.

But homeschooling doesn’t have to be complicated and one of the best ways to simplify it is to ask others who have walked this same road to share their experience. Another way is to find the best resources you can to help you in your journey.

Over the years, I’ve found that our homeschooling journey has morphed and changed as our family situation has changed, as I have learned new methods that worked better for us, as I have gained confidence in the fact that my kids are learning “enough”, and as I have had the opportunity to talk to and learn from other homeschool moms.

I know what a treasure it has been for me to be able to talk to other homeschool moms and hear about what has worked for them and what hasn’t. It’ s also just nice to talk to other moms and know that I’m not alone. With that in mind, I gathered some wisdom to share with you.

I asked other homeschool moms, some just starting out and some with decades of experience to share a piece of homeschool advice with you.

Advice from real homeschoolers:

“Keep it Simple, Sister. When you are first starting out, add one thing at a time and work at it until you get your feet under you before adding one more thing. Start with the basics, and don’t add too much too fast. You can do this. When you start to get overwhelmed, take a step back and think about what you can let go or accomplish in a more simple way.” ~ Amy, Homeschool Encouragement

“Don’t compare the way you homeschool with others.” Alecia, Learning 2 Walk

“Do what is right for your family. People will tell new homeschooling families, “Don’t replicate school at home.” I’ve said that to new homeschooling families myself. However, the fact is, you’ve got to do what works best for your family. If that’s a school-at-home environment, so be it. If it’s unschooling – or anywhere between the two – that’s okay, too. Chances are, your homeschool will change and evolve as your family grows and changes and as you get comfortable homeschooling. Different seasons will bring different needs. Embrace what makes your family unique and don’t be afraid to let your homeschool reflect that.” Kris, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

“If it doesn’t work, change it. So many homeschoolers feel they have to be loyal to a certain company even when their child may not learn well with that curriculum. Or they have spent the money on it, so they feel they need to finish it. Every child learns differently. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to drop it and replace it with something else, until you find what works for your child.” ~ Katie Hornor, Paradise Praises

“I cannot stress enough the importance & the impact that making your children a part of the planning can have. When they feel they have had input in WHAT they are going to learn about – they are more invested. They take ownership of their schooling. It also pulls the family together as a team, planning your next move.” ~ Kelli, Adventure Homeschool

“Expect hard days. Know that there will be days when no one, including you, is in the mood to do school work and everyone is grumpy or whiny. But press on! Because there will also be days where everyone is excited to learn and you are all having so much fun together, you can’t even believe how blessed you are to get to stay home and teach these amazing little people. So be flexible on the hard days, and enjoy every moment of the amazing days, because they all go by so incredibly fast!” ~ Bethany, Math Geek Mama

“In the early years its okay to focus on only one thing at at time. I only focus on reading in kindergarten and first grade. Giving a child the ability to read will unlock the rest of the world to them!” ~ Becky Marie, For This Season

“Make a plan for your days if you must, but also ask your children what they want to learn about. And then set aside time each day for them to explore their interests and passions. This is how you will ignite a love for learning.” ~ Marcy, Ben and Me

“Don’t be afraid to have fun and follow your children’s passions. Children learn the best when they are relaxed, engaged and interested. Having fun with your learning will help trigger better learning and retention of concepts. Plus, it helps develop a life long love of learning.” ~ Shelley, STEAM Powered Family

“Ask for advice from others, but ultimately remember that your homeschool does not have to look like anyone else’s. Your homeschool is a reflection of your family and their needs. Trust God’s guidance and have faith that He will lead you to the resources you need when you seek Him.” ~ Vicki, Simply Vicki

“Probably the hardest lesson that I’ve had to learn as a new homeschooler is that my year will never, ever turn out how I think it will. This was a very difficult and painful lesson for this Type-A perfectionist! As a result, I’ve learned to set broad goals for each child and for our homeschool year, but to leave enough room in our homeschool experience for God to come in and change things up as He sees fit. By keeping my goals high (but my expectations open), I have found so much freedom and joy! I encourage every homeschool mom to keep this kind of flexibility (what I talk about in my book “Plan to Be Flexible“) in her daily and weekly homeschool planning. Focus on setting specific pillars in your day (or goals you want to achieve in a certain timeframe) but then give enough room and space for that learning to happen in real and natural ways. This is what I call “rhythm-based homeschooling” and it allows for moms to prioritize growing relationships with their children instead of trying to force-feed knowledge.” ~ Alicia Michelle, Vibrant Homeschooling

“Use the tools and resources that are available to you. Trust me, you’ve already got enough to do. No need to reinvent the wheel!” ~ Kim, Not Consumed

“Never compare what your homeschool looks like or functions like to any other family’s homeschool. Just like each one of our children have different personalities and learning styles – the dynamics of each homeschool family will vary greatly as well. Remember it’s not about what anyone else is or isn’t doing – rather it’s all about teaching our the children to learn in the unique way God created them to. Have fun and enjoy!” ~ Carlie, Today’s Frugal Mom

“Delight-directed homeschooling has taught me to allow my children to be who they are–to cater to their gifts and interests. It has also given me the freedom to be who I am–to capitalize on my own strengths and interests and to stop comparing myself to other homeschooling moms whose gifts and talents are not my own.” ~ Ami, Walking by the Way

My personal homeschool advice:

Why I Marched My 12 Year Old Into the Police Station

By Sharla Kostelyk

I know that in writing this that there will certainly be those who disagree with my decision and I’m okay with that because parenting choices are one of those things that people have strong opinions about, which is understandable. Those who don’t disagree with my decision may still disagree with me choosing to share it in such a public forum and I have to admit that I am on the fence with that one myself.

I am always looking to find that balance between helping other families and protecting the privacy of my kids. In this case, I happen to have two sons who are the same age which provides a small layer of anonymity since there is a 50/50 chance I’m talking about the other one! In the vein of putting my kids’ first, I am also going to gloss over some details. If you are, or have ever been, the mother of a 12 year old child, I assume that you will be able to read between the lines somewhat!

Image Copyright: jgroup / 123RF Stock Photo

It was a Tuesday. He was having a day where he was attempting to assert his independence more boldly than usual. For a 12 year old boy, trying to find the edges of those lines is not uncommon.

On this particular day, we had an appointment for his sister that we were running late for. He didn’t want to come, but I was going to be gone most of the day and him staying home was not an option. Things went rather downhill from there.

There were refusals; there were words. We were very late for the appointment. It was downtown in the city nearest to us.

Following the appointment, there was a 20 minute standoff in a parking lot because he refused to put his seatbelt on and I refused to drive without him buckled in. Eventually, he let out a big sigh and I heard the click.

Just a few short blocks from there in heavy traffic, the kind that you only see in cities in rush hour or anytime in construction season (where we live, anytime there isn’t snow on the ground is construction season), there was almost an accident in front of me and I had to slam down hard on the brakes.

Unbeknownst to me, this same son of mine had unbuckled his seat belt the minute I had taken my eyes off of him. Unrestrained, he flew forward and hit the seat in front of him with such force that the following day, he had a large scrape and bump on the upper bridge of his nose.

I explained again the importance of his wearing his seatbelt and pointed out that not only was he risking his own life, he was also endangering others because if we were to be in an accident, he could essentially become a projectile, a potential problem especially for the brother seated directly in front of him.

There were eye rolls and tone and grumbles but the was buckle was clicked in once again. Until…I wasn’t paying attention to him and was instead paying attention to the road when he unbuckled it again. And again. And again.

I try to be a “yes” mom. I choose my battles. I know better than to lock horns over trivial things. I know a molehill and I know a mountain. This was a mountain.

[easy-tweet tweet=”I know a molehill and I know a mountain. This was a mountain.” user=”chaosandclutter” hashtags=”#parenting”]

I calmly explained to him that not wearing a seatbelt was against the law and that if he took it off again, I was going to have to involve the police. He took me up on my offer.

I had five kids with me and a list of errands that had to be done a page long and we had company coming over for supper that evening and I knew the house was still a mess. Since we were already running behind because of being so late for that first appointment and the 20 minute seat-belt-standoff in that parking lot, I didn’t have time for an extra stop that day. I did not WANT to turn around and drive to the police station. But I did.

When we arrived, said son did not want to get out of the van to go in. I stated that it was his choice but that either way, I was going to go in and ask for an officer to speak to him. I suggested that if an officer had to come out to the parking lot to talk to him because of his refusal to go in, they might be more frustrated. He chose to come in.

I think all of my kids were shocked that I was following through with my threat. When we got inside and took a number, reality set in for him and he started begging me not to go through with it.

“Mommy, I’ll wear my seatbelt. I promise. We can leave now.”

There were 5 people in front of us so it was a substantial wait, but I stood my ground. When our number was called, I walked up (I was shaking inside and super nervous but tried not to let the kids see that) and apologized for coming in for something that was wasting their valuable time. I explained that my 12 year old son refuses to wear his seatbelt and that it is unsafe for me to drive with the distraction of having to check his seatbelt status every few minutes, not to mention that it is illegal and risks his life.

There was a bit of a process, but eventually an officer came out to speak with him. She told him that she had been to car accidents where those who were wearing seatbelts walked away and the one who wasn’t was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. She explained that if she were the officer to pull us over because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, she would have to issue me a ticket but she would expect for him to have to pay it. She also said that the next time he takes his seatbelt off while I’m driving, she suggests that I should pull over and make him walk home.

He was embarrassed and unbelievably angry with me, but he has worn his seatbelt without a word of protest since.

So why did I march my 12 year old into the police station for something that some would say is not that big of a deal?

It’s very simple. A seatbelt can make the difference between living and dying and if my son isn’t going to listen to me on a life and death issue, I’m going to make darn sure that he understands that there are consequences to that.

Because the next time I’m trying to talk to my son about something that is a life and death issue, it may be about drugs or about drinking and driving or about gangs and I want him to know that I am serious.

But my biggest reason is this: I want him to know that his life is valuable to me. It might not be valuable to him at the moment (whether that is because of his trauma related issues or because he is young and he thinks he’s invincible because his frontal lobe hasn’t fully developed), but I need him to know that it matters to me.

His life matters more than getting my groceries on 15% off day or getting the house clean for company or even getting supper made on time (it was ready an hour and a half after they arrived incidentally, but everyone survived). His life matters more than my own embarrassment or my concern about what others are going to think of me.

I need him to know, really know, especially going into the critical teen years, that I will drop everything else in those crucial moments.

I need him to know the difference between a molehill and a mountain and to know that to me, his life is a mountain.