The kids have been out of school for weeks now. You’re lying in your hammock with a gentle summer breeze softly cooling you and the sweet smell of summer flowers fills the air. Yeah, right! Reality check! You have probably heard “I’m bored. I have nothing to do” a hundred times today!

Don’t run down the street panicking, wildly flinging your arms and screaming like a madwoman. We say this not because of what the neighbors might think. Most of the other moms would probably be hard on your heels. We just don’t believe in using any more energy than necessary.

Instead, peel Tarzan off the chandelier and catch Superman in the midst of his fifth flight from the top bunk bed, trying carefully not to tear his cape made from your favorite red silk blouse. With your free hand grab child No. 3 who is painting a great copy of the Mona Lisa on your bedroom wall.

March the kids to the kitchen (there may be some resistance but you will prevail) and try these recipes. Who knows? Between these and a small miracle you might just get to swing in the hammock yet. (But then again, probably not!)

Slime

1/2 cup white glue
6 tablespoons water
Food coloring
1 to 4 teaspoons Borax
1 to 4 tablespoons water

Mix the glue, 6 tablespoons water and food coloring until it is dissolved. In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon Borax into 1 tablespoon water. Add to the glue solution. You will get a very thick clump of slime when the two mix. Pull the clump of slime out of the glue mixture and put it in a separate bowl. Mix another batch of the borax solution and add to the remaining glue mixture. Repeat until all the glue mixture is used (about three to four times). With clean hands, knead the slime to mix. This will take about 10 minutes and is not very difficult as the slime easily separates between your fingers. If a looser, more slimy texture is desired, knead in a bit more water. The more water you add, the slimier it gets. The slime doesn’t leave a residue and doesn’t get stuck on anything. Store in an airtight container.

Homemade Bubbles

1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
Drinking straw
Rope

Put the dishwashing detergent in the water. Carefully stir in sugar trying to avoid suds. Take a regular drinking straw and cut into 4 pieces. Then dip into the solution and blow your bubbles.
Or tie a rope loop up to 1 foot in diameter on the end of a stick and make a gallon of bubbles. Dip the rope in the bubbles and run with them. This will give you giant bubbles.

Edible Play Dough

1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or flavorings
1 pound powdered sugar
Food coloring (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients together. Add powdered sugar. Knead it. Divide and add food coloring. Keep refrigerated to keep from spoiling when not in use. You can replace vanilla with flavored extracts to give flavor other than just plain sweetness.

‹ Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the editors of http://www.LivingOnADime.com. As a single mother of two, Cooper started her own home business without any capital and paid off $35,000 debt in five years on $1,000 a month income. Kellam and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in five years on $22,000 a year income. They have helped thousands of people all over the world to save money and get out of debt.