Discarded Fence Wood becomes a A FREE DIY Play Set

So you may know by now that I am a DIY Girl. You can thank my Daddy for that! As the daughter of a carpenter, there’s nothing like the joy of a well done do-it-yourself project. And it’s even better when it’s FREE!

I love the Nextdoor app. Besides ways to meet neighbors and truly build a community, there are so many giveaways that can lend themselves to a great project. One of my neighbors gave me a bunch of fence wood. I wasn’t exactly sure how I would use them.

They sat for about a year as I pondered their use. And then it struck me: a playset/climber for The Kid. We’re still designing and decorating our house and backyard and the real play set I want to buy him is nearly $2000 and has about 2000 pieces. We truly haven’t had the wherewithal to tackle that project yet.

So, turning this wood into a battery burnout play set for The Kid is a win!! I didn’t have a complete design plan when I started. I literally just improvised as I went along. I knew I (aka The Hubs) wanted to do very little cutting.

My measurements were simple. I used the width of each plank to space out the ladder walls. The Hubs cut about 20 squares from two fence boards to help me space each ladder level evenly and provide better climbing support between spaced out ladder levels. I found some leftover screws from past projects. I used three fence boards as the vertical support on each ladder wall. And I made each ladder wall fit together like a puzzle for more strength and security.

All in all, it took me about 3 hours to settle on a design and throw it all together. The Hubs anchored it into the ground so no child is injured while climbing and voila!

A free play set! It’s a hit!! And it didn’t cost me a penny!! I love it when free materials get a new life!! Upcycling is fulfilling!

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A Quick Breakfast

Hey Vegans!! A yummy, easy breakfast to help keep your breast milk flowing or just to keep you ladies and gents going: Avocado Toast! I don’t know why these ingredients told me to combine them but I also don’t know how the genius behind mayonnaise or ketchup came to their discoveries either. Take your favorite toast, smear it with a tart and sweet preserve combo (I went with strawberry and apricot), layer just ripening sliced avocado and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. It’s quick. It’s vegan. It’s delicious and it’s packed full of fiber, healthy fats, protein, magnesium, copper and manganese. Top all of this with a sweet lettuce and it will really sing (I didn’t have anything but tart kale so I skipped this step)

Pair it with fresh fruit, Protein Nut Milk or Orange Juice for a good round breakfast. Power your morning meal with a little variety and strangeness courtesy of Millbrain- always in a rush and missing breakfast but not today!

Oranges for Home and Health

I love oranges any which-a-way. Juiced, sliced, ummm…that pretty much covers the edible stuff. But once I eat or juice any citrus fruit (grapefruit, blood orange, Valencia orange, lemon or lime) I take the peels and make an all purpose cleaning product for my home!

Having kids means keeping harmful chemicals and germs at bay 24-7, 365. This cleaning solution does just that!

Materials and Ingredients:

-Large Recycled Glass Jar with Lid (Pickles, Mayo, etc)

-Spray Bottle(s)

-citrus rinds from 2-3 fruits, collect as you eat (orange or anything else)

-1/2 To 1 tsp Tea Tree Oil

-White Distilled Vinegar

-fresh mint leaves

There’s no real magic mix here. I simply stuff the peels in the jar, add mint for added aromatherapy then fill the jar with vinegar. I add a teaspoon of tea tree oil and close it up. Let it sit for two weeks and you have a CONCENTRATED cleaning solution for non-hardwood floors*, greasy gunk, sticky messes, bathrooms, non-stone countertops, glass and plastic surfaces. You’ll know it’s ready when the vinegar has turned as deep orange color.

*For hardwood floors, just use Apple cider Vinegar in the place of white vinegar to protect the floor’s finish.

No matter which vinegar you use, this concentrate should be diluted before use! For heavy duty cleaning, use a 50/50 mix of vinegar solution and water in a spray bottle. For lighter duty cleaning, you can stretch your mix further by adding more water to it.

Now here’s the BEST PART: it’s kid safe! This is a no-rinse way to clean baby’s toys, eating surfaces and floors where they love to crawl and lick. (This is why we don’t allow shoes inside our house)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

If you incorporate chores in your children’s lives, they can clean their own bathrooms with this!! The Kid now has a weekly chore of cleaning his sink, mirror and shower and he’s (currently) excited about the rite of passage of getting to use cleaning solutions and clean his own space.

So, oranges. Good for your health and your home.