I love celebrating the holidays with my kids - they have such a knack for getting excited about each and every one. But that doesn't mean I want to stay up all night frosting cupcakes! Simple but special treats that take under 5 minutes to prepare are much more up my alley. Here's Janssen with a great one... Last year, I made some of that rainbow jello that's floating around on the Internet to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It looked great, but it took hours to make (because it had to set between … [Read more...]
Playtime: Valentine Fortune-Tellers & Knock-Knock Jokes
I don't know about your kids but mine are totally obsessed with knock-knock jokes - they think they're hilarious and absolutely love getting a laugh when telling one. So I know they're going to go nuts for these adorable Valentine Fortune-Tellers. Be sure to click for the printable with all 14 Valentine-inspired knock-knock jokes! Do you remember folding fortune tellers back in elementary school? (Maybe you called them cootie catchers?) If I wasn't busy playing M.A.S.H. with my BFFs, we were … [Read more...]
Family New Year’s Eve Idea: DIY Balloon Drop
Do you guys celebrate New Year's eve with your kiddos? In years past I've skipped it due to the whole, "there's no way my kids are making it to anywhere near midnight and, if by some some miracle, they do - I'm scared to see what will happen the next day" thing. But then I stumbled on the concept of "Happy Noonyear". Which is just what it sounds like, basically celebrating at noon instead of midnight. Kinda genius, right? Regardless if you decide "Happy Noonyear" or stay up for regular … [Read more...]
Free Printable: Family New Year’s Resolutions & Year-in-Review
How is it possible that we can easily countdown the final days of 2018 already? Whether I'm ready or you're ready, the end of the year is quickly approaching. It's just about this time when I always ask myself: Should I make New Year's resolutions this year? And if I'm making that plunge, which goals are both aspirational and approachable? This year we've come up with a simple tool to help you and your family make some goals for this year while reminiscing all the … [Read more...]
Giant Chocolate-Dipped Marshmallows
I had grand ambitions of baking a fancy madeira wine cake for each of my neighbors this year... guess how far I've gotten. I think, instead, I'm going to make a batch or two of these over-sized chocolate marshmallows with the kids and gift a few to each neighbor. I love Janssen's idea of putting them on a stick and adding them to a decorative bag filled with hot cocoa mix in the bottom! Psst one quick thing... Christmas is coming SOON, be sure to check out our SUPER POPULAR toy gift guide … [Read more...]
Hands-On Holidays: Simple Ideas for Making Memories October to December
With 4 weeks until Halloween I know many of you may be scrambling to get on the holiday merry-making with the kids. No worries, I've got everything you need to easily make Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas memories! We put a lot of time and love into creating this ebook because we wanted to give busy parents a way to make tons of holiday memories in a very low-stress and manageable way. Commit to Less Stressing & More Connecting this Holiday Season The holiday season is such a wonderful … [Read more...]
Halloween Recipe: String Cheese Bones and Blood
I love seeing all the food that people put out for Halloween get-togethers. At no other time is it appropriate to make food look disgusting. But, for Halloween, the grossest thing you can come up with is the biggest hit with the kids. This year, I put together an easy cheese-stick recipe that will work as a spooky after-school snack or as something you take to a Halloween party. Cheesy Bones and Blood Ingredients pre-made dough (Trader Joe's sells a bag of pizza dough) string cheese … [Read more...]
12 Crock Pot Easter Dishes
Whether you typically celebrate Easter with a fancy breakfast, a traditional ham dinner, or something in between, we can all use a short cut here and there to make meal prep easier, right? And what could be easier than setting it and forgetting it in a crock pot while you go on an egg hunt with the kids? Today we've rounded up a dozen delicious (and kinda genius) slow cooker dishes perfect for your Easter table. There are some classics, like carrot cake and honey glazed ham, that I didn't know … [Read more...]
DIY Thanksgiving Table Poppers w/ Free Printable
There's a lot of work that goes into Thanksgiving. We can all relate to the hours of pie prep and casserole making that happen days before and that turkey's not going to stuff itself. Even with lots for prep, the big day can be filled with setting the table and getting everything just right. The thing that makes all this work even more challenging is that children are off school. And usually they aren't too interested in peeling potatoes for more than 5 minutes. This year, set them … [Read more...]