It's become a tradition in our family for each member to get their own pumpkin on Halloween. We usually hit the pumpkin patch in early October, then get around to decorating our finds a few weeks later. (Which actually works out well because pumpkins become kind of a 2-for-1 family activity that way.) So far the little ones have lost interest in carving after the first pumpkin, which leaves three more still needing to be decorated. Paint is an option but it's nice to have a … [Read more...]
Handmade Halloween: DIY Paint Chip Garland
That's right, I'm officially diving into Halloween. I know, it's only September and usually I'd be totally with you in thinking it's a little obnoxious to start gearing up for a holiday this far in advance. However - C is at a super fun age for getting into the holiday spirit and I have so many Halloween activities that I want to do with him. They bounce around my head all night, every night and keep me from sleeping. So I've decided to start purging them in order to finally get some much … [Read more...]
Outdoor Kid Activities & DIYs for the 4th of July
I'm at momtastic again today posting on lots of outdoor kid activities to keep the kids happy during your 4th of July cookout. And speaking of the 4th, click through for a special look book of my favorite patriotic goodies from around the web. As always, click on the pics (including the one above) for more info. Similar Stuff: Our Favorite Stuff to Play Outside with ALL Weekend! Summertime Fun Here and Around the Web Previous Look Books … [Read more...]
Last Minute Father’s Day Projects
Still looking for an easy Father's Day project? I'm over at momtastic sharing five sweet and simple ideas. Also, click through here for some more easy (and free!) last minute DIYs. I spotted this quote book tutorial at Kinderpendent. Filling one of these books every year with some memorable and dad-centric quotes would be a lovely tradition. Found via How About Orange, this huge collection of free printables will turn Father's Day into a real party. Also check out these free … [Read more...]
A “Manly” Photo Project for Father’s Day
I already lamented earlier this week about the hard time I had coming up with a good Father's Day gift last year. In the end I was successful, read all about it here, but a whole year has gone by and I'm having the same problem. I always seem to default to a photo gift of some sort. Maybe it's because my kids are still so young that they change A LOT from year to year and I like to give the hubs mementos of how small they once were. This year I'm once again going the photo route … [Read more...]
Father’s Day Idea: Help Dad Create Great Memories
Father's Day is hard! I think gift-giving for men in general is tough. Add on the pressure to find something that's personal, special, and that he actually likes - and it's damn near impossible! Around this time last year I was bemoaning this problem when it dawned on me that the greatest gift I could give my husband was to help him create some lasting memories with the kids. Don't get me wrong, my husband is generally fantastic at telling jokes, playing around, and just being … [Read more...]
Easter’s Over, Now What?
I know it's been Easter-central here for about a month now. I'm just about ready to put it to rest and move on to lots of new and interesting stuff for May, I promise. But before I do, I've got one more post I know we could all use. Because aren't we all incessantly tripping over plastic Easter eggs, haphazardly strewn about the house, right about now? And if you're anything like me, you probably cringe a little at the thought of chucking all that plastic into a landfill somewhere … [Read more...]
Anatomy of a “Creative Play Easter Basket”
I hinted about this post last week, so here it is - C's "Creative Play Easter Basket". I had 3 goals for this basket: No candy allowed Absolutely every part of the basket has to be usable for play Inexpensive to make (and by that I mean CHEAP!) Thanks to a lot of clever bloggers and the dollar section at Target, I was able to meet all three of my goals. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think C will be thrilled. Click through and I'll share all my resources so … [Read more...]
Candy-Free Easter Basket Goodies
Dunck from Skip Hop. Sunny Bunny Wooden Teething Toy at Buddy and JoJo. Animal Ear Headbands at Hart + Sew. I'm putting the finishing touches on the kids' "all play, all the time" Easter baskets this weekend. (For a sneak peek, see here and here). In the meantime, I thought I'd give you a few basket ideas of the non-DIY variety. Check out the candy-free finds above (OK, so one of them is a DIY - I couldn't resist). Then click through for lots more items. Set of Six Rainbow … [Read more...]