The Bear and I love a good project. This little Easter Egg Garland was a really fun one to create with him, and gave him lots of great fine motor skill practice. Stringing objects is part of his upcoming skills check with our pediatrician’s ages and stages questionnaire, so we’ve been working on it together. I thought making an egg garland would be great practice and give us a festive decoration for our mantle at the same time. He is so proud of his creation, as you can see above. His two year old attention span couldn’t handle making the whole thing in one day, so we worked on it bit by bit over several days.
Category: kids
FROZEN Play Time: Make Melted Olaf Dip and Build Elsa’s Ice Castles
Is your family singing “Let It Go” nonstop these days? You’re not the only ones. I created a FROZEN play date for my kids and their cousins recently and it was a huge hit. The big kids were singing as they built Elsa’s Ice Castles and everyone got a kick out of my Melted Olaf Dip perfect for Eggo Frozen Waffles and fresh fruit. I picked up a few choice Walmart toys to share among the kids and set up snacking and building stations and we had a blast. Best of all, my recipes are healthy and activities are super easy to recreate. We are so pumped for the release of the FROZEN DVD on March 18th, and the discount price drop from $16.96 to $14.96 at Walmart. Grab a $5 off offer on special marked packages of Eggo Waffles and get an even better deal on the FROZEN DVD. Now for the #FROZENFun …
Simple Ways to Bring Jesus in to Your Child’s Daily Routine
One of the most important roles we play as parents is as the spiritual guide for our children. We’ve found a few simple ways to bring our faith in Jesus in to our children’s lives that I’m sharing with y’all today. We are far from having it all figured out and are still learning so much about every aspect of parenting. For our children to know Jesus at a young age and grow up with a strong faith is our constant prayer and highest goal. If you are of a similar mindset, here are a few simple ways to bring Jesus in to your child’s daily routine.
Eleanor Pearl at Nine Months
Our girl’s first year is flying by, and here I am late again with another baby update. Eleanor continues to surprise us with her mobility and curiosity. She and the Bear have been completely different in almost every one of their milestones. I think she is just trying to keep up with her big brother. At nine months she is pulling up and cruising across the furniture. She is beginning to use a walker to make her way across the floor.
Frugal Family Fun in DFW: Visiting the Dallas Zoo in the Winter {$5 Admission}
Fun and Durable Name Labels for Kids: Bright Star Kids Review
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I have wanted a set of name labels for my children’s things for ages, so I was super excited when Bright Star Kids sent me a set to review. I ordered the red labels and had both kids names printed on them for simplicity. I’ve put them through the ringer for a few weeks and am pleased to tell you they are awesome. The set came with a variety of labels and has worked really well for us.
Three Easy Ways to Green Your Family Today
Teaching our children to care for our environment is a responsibility, and one we work towards on a daily basis. We try to make eco-friendly choices, but don’t always get it right. One of my goals for 2014 is take more steps in greening our family and involve our children in those changes. Thanks to the folks from Direct Energy for sponsoring this discussion. They are planting a tree for every new Facebook like through the end of 2013. Click over using this link do something good for our environment in less than 10 seconds.
1) Recycle Everything You Can
For many of you, this is obvious and second nature. If you aren’t already recycling, start today. No excuses. Check your city’s government website to find out recycling guidelines for your area. Involve your kids by teaching them what goes in to the recycle bin and having them help with sorting. Think beyond the basics. Rather than throwing away old toys and clothes, donate them to a good cause, give them away through Freecycle or Craigslist, or sell them online.
2) Reduce Your Family’s Waste
We live in a throwaway culture. If it isn’t useful to us at this moment it goes into the trash. We create so much trash we are running out of places to put it. Reduce the amount of trash your family creates by switching to something reusable this week. We’ve switched to cloth diapers, cloth napkins, and cloth cleaning towels. Next on this list is cloth baby wipes. The amount of money we spend on baby wipes is crazy town, and I’m over it. If you are intimidated about switching to a reusable product, trust me when I say it is easier than you think and you won’t regret it. Pick one thing and go for it.
3) Get Out of the Car and Walk.
Living in DFW, I’m used to driving everywhere. Our grocery store is less than a mile away, yet we drive there. I’ve even driven to the playground near our house so the Bear can get some exercise. What the what?! Pick one errand this week and walk or ride your bike instead of driving. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint and burn calories in the process. If you don’t live in a walk or bike-able neighborhood, carpool with friends to one thing this week or park in one place when running errands and walk in between shops.
Don’t forget to click over and like New Leaf Energy on Facebook to have a tree planted in your honor.
Entertain the Whole Family with Merry Christmas Loteria {Bingo Style Game} with **Free Printables**
Saving Kid Art {No Hoarding Required} ~ Make A Kid Art Mini Bunting
To make the bunting you need a pile of your child’s paintings or drawings, a 2 inch circle craft punch, a hole punch, and a length of twine or hemp cord cut a little longer than the desired length of your bunting.
Start punching circles out of the paintings. Be strategic about your cuts and get the precious details: little finger and palm prints, great color mixing, etc.
I love linking my ideas at these blog parties. Click the links to check them out and find crafty inspiration. If you’ve never visited a blog party, you will be blown away by the creativity shared and imaginative ideas.
Monday: CraftOManiac, Mad in Crafts, Sew Chatty, Keeping It Simple, C.R.A.F.T., Boogie Board Cottage, and Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Tuesday: Hope Studios, Today’s Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, and New Nostalgia
Wednesday: The Trendy Treehouse, Polka Dots on Parade, Lil Luna, and The Thrifty Home
Thursday: All Things with Purpose, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Girl Creative, and House of Hepworths
Friday: Sugar and Spice, Kojo Designs, Diana Rambles Pin Me Party, and The Shabby Nest
Weekends: Sweet Tea Social @ Texas Women Bloggers, Tatertots and Jello, Serenity Now, Buttercream Bakehouse, and Candace Creations
Play Time Guest Post: Eight Fun and Frugal Ways to Bring Music Home
The benefits of early music education have long been touted, but signing up for mommy and me music appreciation groups or finding instructors to teach private lessons can cost a lot. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to provide your kids with exposure to music at home and on a budget, from crafting your own instruments to taking online music classes. Here are some easy but effective ways to give your children experience with music which can positively aid their growth and development.