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 … [Read more...]
Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Families
Image Credit: © Shawn Spencer-Smith (text added) | family in shadow | CC by 2.0 The New Year is a great time to come together and set some family goals for the upcoming year - and it doesn't have to be done on January 1st, it's not too late! In case you need a little help, I've put together a list of 10 New Year's Resolutions for Families. You'll notice that a lot of the items on the list are things that you're probably resolving to do for yourself this year - I just added a family … [Read more...]
Top 9 Holiday Drinks for Kids
Let's face it, the holidays are for kids! All the activities and traditions are so our kids will have wonderful memories of this special season. My husband, for example, grew up with his mom making wassail during the month of December. She had a special crockpot she would put it in and the kids looked forward to it every year. Even as an adult, he still looks forward to it every year. You could keep things simple and buy packages of hot cocoa for our kids as a special holiday treat. … [Read more...]
How to Find the Perfect Christmas Book for Your Kid
I love to pick up one new Christmas book for our collection each year... or to put lots of holiday books on hold at the library for December. But I often have trouble settling on exactly which book to select. Sometimes, you're looking for a specific kind of Christmas book, but it's hard to find one because the bookstore or library has them all just categorized as "Christmas." Whether you're looking for a Santa story, a Christmas version of your child's favorite book, or a sweet story to read … [Read more...]
Parenting Styles: The Truth about the Elf on the Shelf
Image Credit: © Jon DeJong | The Elf is Shelved | CC by 2.0 I watched my son lose a little bit of his childhood the other day, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. Two years ago – maybe three – we caved to the elf on the shelf hysteria, primarily because our kids were bewildered and a little hurt that no elves invaded our house come Christmas time to spy and create mischief. Fine. Bring on the elf, even though I find the whole idea a little creepy and I have a real aversion … [Read more...]
24 Super Low-Prep Advent Activities For a Fun (and Low Stress) December
I am always super gung-ho about doing an activity Advent... before December actually starts. By December 5th, I am regretting all of the super involved crafts I had planned, like building a gingerbread house from scratch, and wishing for a simple activity like singing Christmas carols instead. Then I feel like a failure because I can't do everything I had planned. December just gets too busy too fast. Advent activities are supposed to be fun, not stressful. They should help you connect … [Read more...]
Do You Have a Halloween Ritual?
Our family is big on traditions. We've got them for major events like birthdays and Christmas, as well as small things like Saturday mornings and bedtime. Recently, I’ve been thinking about all the Halloween activities and projects we’ve tried (or wanted to try) since the kids were born. This year, I’m looking to officially elevate a few of them to “tradition” status. As I was compiling ideas, it occurred to me you too might be interested in starting a family Halloween tradition. So I’ve … [Read more...]
9 Mother’s Day DIY Projects Your Kids Can Make in Under 10 Minutes
Mother's Day is on May 8th this year. If you're like me and don't have a thing planned, first, no judgement. We're all juggling what feels like a million things. Second, we're here to save the day with some adorable DIYs that your kids can make in just 10 minutes this week. Maybe your kids will be making them for you or maybe for their grandma or that special 'grandmotherly' person in their life. Either way, the recipient of one of these gifts is going to be awed that someone took the … [Read more...]
Mother’s Day DIY Mug (You can call me Queen Bee)
Mother's Day is the perfect time to try a DIY project and I guarantee you're going to adore this one. I want to make one for every mom I know! Here's Alli with the details... I am loving the "make your own mug" trend for two reasons: 1. There's nothing better than a handmade gift. 2. It's so amazingly EASY! I mean, really. The possibilities are endless. I picked up one mug at the dollar store for this project, and I found myself wishing I'd grabbed a dozen. I decided to go with a … [Read more...]