We are on the journey of downsizing our lives,living debt free and following God where He leads. All while renovating our tiny house, running our business, cooking, cleaning, raising and homeschooling our large family in our tiny house. Everyday is different and interesting...and you get to read about it right here!
Last week Alex and I sat down to put together one of his Christmas presents. It is a 4M Tin Can Robot. It took us a while to get around to it. Partly because we do not really keep soda in the house. So, I made him wait until I remembered to buy a 12 pack of soda.
Then the soda can was put in his room and promptly lost/forgotten about until this week. Mainly because we were sick for the majority of January and February... and partly because....That's how we roll here at this tiny house. ;)
So, with out further ado...
The Tin Can Robot Review.
The video is at the bottom. However, we thought it would be fun to take some pictures. As well as, post our thoughts on the item here on the blog. Don't forget to head over to our channel and subscribe, like and share!
Here is the project before we started.
Look at that fancy tripod set up. I knew these school books would come in handy!
All of us before we began! Alex is doing the review, Emma is manning the cameras...and Addison is 'babysitting', eating a snack and watching television in another room. Anna was just hanging out..until the end.
Me talking to the camera. It is seriously weird talking to the camera...and not screwing up. Which, I did a lot. The looks that this boy gives me crack me up. Because clearly I am clueless on how to do toy reviews and tutorials. I am waiting for him to tell me I am never doing a video with him EVER again. It hasn't happened yet, but WHEN it does I will not be surprised. lol
Lol. Poor Alex, we clearly have differing ideas on how to do a review. But, isn't he cute?!
Time for the real work to begin!
Lots and lots or tedious work!
The screws were so tiny!
Some items you need to finish the project.
Cooking oil
Q Tips
A tiny screw driver. (I honestly thought that would have been provided given how small of one was required.)
1 AA battery (The only item listed on the outside of the box was the battery.)
Some items you might want to have on hand to make the project easier
COOKIES!! (This project was a bit stressful and it was snack time!)
Super Glue!
The screws on this project are SO TINY, and they go in crooked most of the time. Super glue really does the trick.
Seriously Mom's, If you are doing projects like this with your kids, KEEP SUPER GLUE NEARBY!
Cooking oil and Q Tips
Cookies!!!
Our Final Thoughts On The Tin Can Robot
Here is the finished product. I have to say that I am very pleased with how it turned out. More often than not, these things fall apart or don't go together well,at all.
This little robot has held up well for the last couple of days and not a single part has fallen off. It also runs very well. It is quick and moves smoothly. (We did notice that it doesn't do very well on thick carpeting)
It may be a bit of a challenge to put together (At least for us), but it is worth the effort involved!
If you are looking for a challenging, fun and functional science project for your elementary aged child...this is a GOOD pick!
The Tiny House Homeschool Life Crew give this one a BIG THUMBS UP!
Also, for your viewing pleasure....the fun antics of us doing our first review/tutorial.
Have you tried the tin can robot yet?
If you have or choose to, be sure to come back and share your thoughts. I really want to know if we are the only ones who can't seem to put those tiny screws in straight. LOL
Dustin is not a fan of eating breakfast super early in the morning. He leaves for work fairly early, he prefers to eat his breakfast at his first break.
At first he was eating off of the 'Food Truck'..and not one of those nice food trucks you see on tv. Plus is wasn't very cheap. When I realize how much he was spending on his breakfast, as well as what kind of a food truck it was(Gross and SO unhealthy!)...we decided it was time to come up with a solution.
So, I went to Pinterest!
Yay Pinterest!
That was back in the Summer...I found an awesome breakfast burrito recipe. It made 30+ burritos for a fraction of the price he was spending for the burritos at work. He really liked them. They were quick and easy for me to make. Once I had them made I could sort of forget it for a few weeks..and all he had to do was grab one and toss it in his lunch lox on his way out the door. Once at work he puts in his heated lunch box, and it is piping hot by first break.
I made those for a few months.
About 2 months ago he started saying that he was getting tired of his burritos. (How dare he mess with my budgeted breakfast system!) He said he would really like some breakfast sandwiches, like Mcd's, only better.
So back to the drawing board I went. It had to be tasty and it had to be cheaper than actually purchasing them from the place with the golden arches. Why?? Because I am just that frugal. ;)
I had some certain parameters to work within.
1. It had to have Bob Evans sausage, But not the premade patties.Because they shrink up like hockey pucks!
2. It had to have Kraft American cheese. (Because, if you are going to have processed cheese product, it had to be the good kind. ;) )
3.It had to be easily freezable and had to go seamlessly from freezer to heated lunchbox to table. If there were any other steps in between...it was a no go.
Ok! Let's get started!
Here is what you will need!
2lbs BobEvans Sausage (I get ours at Sam's Club)
Kraft American Cheese (Aldi)
English Muffins (2 Packs, Aldi)
You will also need
A skillet or griddle
Aluminum Foil
Gallon Sized Ziploc Bags
A Toaster
Everything you will need to make this amazing Mc Muffins!
Now it is time to get cooking!
Our sausage comes in a 2lb tube. I am not very skilled in the department of cutting them in uniform slices. So I cut the long tube in half. It is easier to work with it 1lb at a time. I divide the each lb into five even pieces. Make sure they are even!
Then form patties and cook.
Be sure to make the patties as flat as you can.
Cook and Drain the Sausage Patties.
While we are at it, take a look at that beautiful griddle!
I got it for Christmas.
Love it!! :)
While the Sausage Patties are cooking I get all the foil pieces prepped and set up the toaster.
We are shooting for fast assembly line style here.
Slice the Muffins
Label the gallon size bag
Now you are ready to......Assemble!!!
Toast a Muffin, Add sausage and cheese.
Wrap up tightly
Repeat 10 times
Freeze in labeled ziploc bag
Now if you are me..you get to forget it about for two weeks..and the husband can happily eat breakfast at his first break without breaking the budget or risking his health.
A Few Thoughts/Tips and Some MATH
(Because, what is the point of all of this if we don't include the math?! You know that is the only reason you came and bothered to read up until this point.)
1. Don't forget to lightly toast the Muffins.
Someone has continually reminded me that this is the utmost important step..and I must not forget.
Even though I have not forgotten to toast a single one yet.
You would think he thinks I have gotten forgetful after having four children or something. LOL
2. Be sure the sausage is divided evenly, or you might hear about how inconsistent they have turned out.
I love my husband dearly, but he is pretty adamant about consistency with his meals. I am a free spirit...it is SO HARD to make everything so similar every time I do it. I love him though, so I strive for consistency. However, I like to keep things slightly inconsistent just to keep him on his toes...so.. no two McMuffins are wrapped the same!
3. Try to flatten the patties as thin as possible. Because..no matter how flat you get them...they WILL shrink up!
4. You can save even more money on these by using non name brand products. My husband really prefers Bob Evans and Kraft. However, if I was to use the sausage from our butcher it would be SO MUCH cheaper! The American cheese can obviously be purchased for less.
The English Muffins....I have used the good brand (Thomas), and we have used a few of the off brands. I have also made them from scratch before. (That was before Anna. I seriously don't have the time right now.)
The brands do not seem to make too much of a difference in the taste and consistency...and I have found that Aldi has the cheapest price as of this moment in time.
5. It is best to assemble it all while it is warm so the cheese can melt and everything can stick together in true "McMuffin' form.
6. You do not have to use foil. Clear wrap or wax paper, parchment paper or some other form of wrapping would obviously be cheaper. We do not have that option because his heated lunch box gets too hot and will melt/burn anything else. So, Foil it is for the THH family!
NOW...For the money!
(Because we all know this is why I even bother with all of this stuff. ;) )
Dustin can get a Sausage McMuffin from McDonalds for $1.
Or he can get something similar from the 'food truck' (Gag) for $2.75 (Highway robbery)
I can make them for roughly $.90.
Like I stated above, you can bring the price down even more with less expensive ingredients.
All of that being said. I'm pretty happy with the price considering the guidelines I had to work with.
Now for your viewing pleasure, We have started making some how to videos to go along with the blog posts. Because..why not?! I hear we are rather entertaining. But hey, you be the judge.
Oh and don't forget to like, comment and subscribe! Thanks!
Be nice! :)
What are your budget favorite budget friendly breakfast ideas?!
Well, February went fast! Or maybe it was painfully slow?! I'm not sure really. I spent half of it severely sleep deprived, with sick kids. Stomach viruses, Rotavirus, Cough/Cold Viruses, Severe asthma attacks, Ear Infection and an epic migraine...yep that was the month of February at the Tiny House!
I don't think I have EVER been so happy to see the calendar flip to a new Month!!!
Since I basically have not blogged for a month...figured I would do my best to catch everyone up. So you will get a brief over view of our lives...with pictures. (Wow, You are lucky! ;) )
I've sat and tried to figure out the best way to update everyone...and I am thinking it is best to do it by person. So, here you go....a updating glimpse into our tiny world.
Dustin... He managed to miss most of the sickness. Lucky Duck!
He finished up a car flip, worked on the dining room and fixed some totally awesome dinners while I was tending sick kiddos and rocking the baby. He drove to Indiana with his friend Michael to pick up a truck. From what I hear it was quite a trip. One that will go down in the lengthy book of adventures for them...and will be retold at many get togethers to come.
He also put together our new dining room table. Our dream and plan is for him to make most of the furniture for the tiny house. However, this house is a long term project and we can't go years without certain important pieces of furniture. Such as a table that we can all sit at to eat dinner. We were strolling through Kmart the other day and found this little beauty. We actually really like it. It has storage in the benches and we can all sit together. (We have lived here 18 months without being able to sit together. I know that isn't a big deal to some people, but it is to us.) It is made of real wood, and it was on clearance. Plus, it fits perfectly in the dining space nook area we had planned.
Also...do you see the paneling on the wall??
That is your little glimpse of the tiny house update. He has been
paneling, mudding, trimming and busting his tail on this room. Can not
wait to make a post about it very, very soon.
Since he wont stand still long enough to get picture of him..you get a picture of him holding Anna.
Alex... He got the least of the sickness.
He spent the better part of the month trudging through school (The worst torture of all.), staying up to date on youtube, Playing basketball, playing minecraft, and beating Assassins Creed 4 on the X box . He did get a nice surprise from his Dad. A new BB gun! He has had a blast with it ever since.
I also feel obligated to tell you about the fact that he now has something to lord over me for the rest of his entire life. He has been complaining off and on about having leg pain and cramps for a while...like 9 months. I put off taking him to the Dr...because he tends to be a bit over dramatic and kind of a whiner. (Said with much motherly love, of course.) So much so that we have a theme song for him now.
I finally get around to taking him to the Dr and turns out there really is something wrong with him. He is VERY flat footed. He has to do exercises and wear corrective Dr Scholl's inserts in his shoes. Nothing too life altering, but he will have to work on it so it will control the pain.
The second that the Dr said that there really was something wrong with him he turned to me with this look on his face and said..... "I told you there was something wrong with me!!!!!!"
Uh huh, never going to live that one down.
I am expecting my 'Mother Of The Year' award to arrive at any moment.
Emma...
She took the brunt of the sickness. She has not had a very good year in the health department. Poor kiddo.
Emma went to a gymnastics tournament and had a night away at her grandparents house. Gymnastics is one of her absolute favorite things to do. This was a serious bucket list moment for her. She had such a good time with her Grandma (and Grandpa, of course).
Sadly though, she spent most of February on the couch or in her bed. She was so sick...the poor child dropped 4 lbs in a week. After the stomach virus moved on she caught an upper respiratory crud and ended up on round the clock scheduled breathing treatments and steroids.
She is finally feeling better and back to practicing gymnastics moves, jumping on the trampoline and playing basketball with Alex.
Addison... She was the one to kick off our fun filled month of sickness. She started with the stomach bug and then ended up with the upper respiratory crud as well. She actually really scared me with the upper respiratory stuff. Her breathing was so tight one night that I thought she had croup. She did however spend the better part of the month GermXing and telling everyone else not to get her sick...despite the fact that she was patient zero. When she wasn't feeling yucky she was busy being well..Twirly....which is just how Addison is. She is sweet, fun loving and busy, busy, busy. She has been trying her absolute hardest at school lately. She finally got to the point in her reading program when she started reading actual stories..She is SO proud! She is also zooming through her math. She is so proud Addison has also been very crafty this month! She has been making from tents to zoo animals out of paper. She also decided two days ago that she had to have a boat made out of paper. She spent hours yesterday gluing paper together to make it. She eventually got frustrated and started asking me for help. Let me tell you right now...Lyndsay, is not a crafty craft person. I am just not once of those science experiment, decoupage project sort of homeschooling moms.Believe me, I have tried..but it is just not in me.
However, She asked and how do I say no...so off to Youtube I went. Youtube has saved me on more than one occasion. So we made a paper boat. She decorated it and has been happily sailing her paw patrol figures along the imaginary seas ever since.
I also have to share with you Addison's most recent little quark, if you will...the fact that she will only wear one sock. *shivers* It gives me chills just typing it. I asked her the other day why she had been only putting on one sock...she said "I did not put one sock on, I took one sock off.'
Her thought process amazes me sometimes.
I also caught her putting her boots on this past weekend without socks. I said "Don't forget socks.' She said "Don't worry, I have one on.' There is more to the conversation...but it ended with me sending her to find another sock. She went off in a huff, because how dare I require two socks of her. She then returned with one hot pink frozen themed ankle sock and a knee high gray hello kitty sock, with stripes.
She also is a firm believer that a skirt can and should go with absolutely every outfit. (Did you see the red sparkly shirt in the family picture above? Go ahead, scroll back up to Alex's portion, I'll wait.) Yep, she as her own style. I know she will outgrow it someday, so for now I grin and bear it and make sure she has clean underwear on.
Anna... Despite having what the Dr said had to be Rotavirus, respiratory crud and an ear infection...Miss Anna made some Big leap and bounds this month. She finally started liking fruit, is sitting up, sat in a high chair, drank from a sippy cup, found her feet and had (A family record breaking) 8 outfit changes in one day. (Thank you Rotavirus! I am seriously thankful for the Rotavirus vaccine. Anna had a rather mild case of it compared to the older kids, who had it without the vaccine.) She still managed to smile through it all. She makes us smile every day.
She has EPIC thighs!
Me....
Hmmm...what didIdo this month? Like I said above..most of it was a blur of sick kiddos and just plain ole craziness. I can tell you that I drank a LOT of coffee, started reading my Bible from Genesis (Again, one of these days I will get all the way through.), disinfected the house endlessly, prayed for these kiddos a lot, made up a totally awesome new garlic bread recipe, started working out again (12k+ steps a day with my fitbit), and drinking 100oz of water a day, shampooed the living room rug, dumped facebook off of my phone, left most of my social media sites and did my best to keep up with all of these people who call me Mom and this ever changing river we call the tiny house.
I have been having quite a few back issues since Anna was born. Back issues are not anything new, I just did a good job at ignoring them until after she came along. I used to use a Mody Wrap for my babies..but it was killer on my back! Plus, Anna is a "personal bubble" type of baby and Hated being that close to me. So, I ordered an ERGO! Love it! Didn't get to use it that much since ordering because it was just too cold..and we were too sick to really get out and about. I've used it more this month and it is a life saver. Can't wait to go to the zoo with it.
WEAR ALL THE BABIES!!!! <3 I'm also on a mission to lose the last of this pesky baby weight before Summer. (Because I'm too cheap to buy more Summer clothes.) I have kicked it into high gear. Using my Fitbit (Thank you husband, BEST Anniversary gift ever.) and tracking calories. I started out requiring myself to log 10k steps, and recently moved it up to 12k. With 30-60 moinutes of tracked activity, and an estimated calorie deficit of 500-1000. Yes, I am that determined. ;) I will make a post updating that as well. (I've lost almost four times the amount I have to lose now, in the past..so it is not like I am new to this. It's it just time to suck it up and get back to it.)
Ergo selfie at the Allergist; Dr visit with zero sleep; I liked my hair, and felt awesome for hitting 7500 steps before 10am. :)
How was Your February??
Here's to March! Hopefully it is Merciful on the Tiny House Homeschool Family!
Blessings!!!
~Lyndsay~
*** A couple random pictures that didn't have a place... Addison's decorated boat.
Emma reading with Anna.
Sometime in the midst of all the sickness we had a nice day and the kids had a pic lunch.
The screws were so tiny! 
