Searching for "christmas"

The Cutest Valentines for Loved Ones & Classrooms from Minted

Create the perfect Valentine for your special someone at Minted.Y’all already know I’m a huge fan of Minted. We use them for our Christmas cards every year, the Pearl Girl’s birth announcements, and for fun photo gifts. I had no idea until this week that they also have the cutest Valentine cards around. Send personalized Valentine’s Day Cards to your friends and family or pick out individualized cards for a few recipients. With designs from hundreds of independent artists, you’re sure to find something really special for your loved ones.

Find the cutest classroom Valentines ever at Minted for your kids.Minted is also the new go to solution for the cutest Classroom Valentines cards. It’s true! That unicorn card is about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I want it just for me.

Send personal Valentines to friends and family from Minted.

If you didn’t quite get those holiday cards out this year, what better time to send a card to share your love with friends and family than Valentine’s Day. Did a cute new Valentine arrive at your house this winter? Send a V-day themed baby announcement. Pick a design from Minted and use their free address assistant to knock out the job in minutes. The designs are gorgeous and fabulous. I’m obsessed with the foil pressed designs. Click the box below to get 15% off on a Valentine cards, or get a free set of stickers with your set of classroom Valentine’s Day cards.

Build a DIY Boat Dock

Directions for Building a DIY Boat DockWhen we were at my parents’ house for Christmas, my brothers and Jed worked together to build a DIY boat dock for the backyard. My parents live on a small lake, and for my entire life we’ve launched the canoes and fishing boats off the muddy shore or a sad little log. Those days are over, my friends. The boys teamed up after my brother Matt came up with the idea, and made it happen. Matt was kind enough to write out the plan so you can make your own DIY boat dock if you’re so inclined. Thanks Matt!

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Active Indoor Play: Mini Trampoline and Jumping Activities

Active Indoor Play Mini Trampoline and Jumping Activities

Stuck inside with kids who desperately need to burn off energy? Yep, me too. We saw the long, cold winter ahead and bought our kids a mini trampoline for Christmas. It was the Bear’s big present and it has been a LIFESAVER. We were at my parents’ house for the holidays with 5 kids 5 and under, and we got our money’s worth that first week. The trampoline is super fun and helps the kids to be active indoors. The only issue we’ve run in to is that sometimes just plain jumping gets a little old. I’ve compiled a great list of fun activities to do on a mini trampoline (or on the ground if you don’t have one). Our mini trampoline has a support bar, which I’ve found is really helpful for kids under 5. If you want one for your kids, find great deals on mini trampolines here.

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Three Ways to Celebrate Epiphany with Preschool Kids

Three Ways to Celebrate Epiphany with Preschool Kids

I’ve always loved the way Epiphany (the coming of the 3 kings/wise men) is celebrated in Spanish culture. Most Americans don’t make a big deal out of the January 6th holiday that is the traditional end of the 12 days of Christmas. I studied abroad in Spain in college and fell in love with the culture, and was *this close* to moving there in my mid 20s. I thought it would be fun this year to celebrate Epiphany with my kids and teach them about the holiday. This post is a part of the Christmas Around the World Series hosted by my friends over at Multicultural Kid Blogs. Visit the main page here and the Pinterest board here.

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How to Give Once-In-A-Lifetime Experience Gifts to Your Loved Ones

Give Your Loved One a Once In a Lifetime Experience Gift with Cloud9 Living

Holiday shopping can be stressful as you search high and low to find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. This year consider thinking outside the box by giving experience gifts to your loved ones. Would your dad love to be a fighter pilot for a day or play a round of golf at PGA National? Would your sister love to learn to fly or have a private wine tasting with a master sommelier? Would your husband love to race a Ferrari or learn to sail? All of those experiences sound incredible, right? Cloud 9 Living makes it simple to give any of these or a multitude of other options.

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Advent with Kids – Reading Song of the Stars & Playing with the Nativity

Advent with Kids Reading Song of the Stars and Playing with the Nativity

The Advent season is one of my favorite times of the year, as we celebrate the awaited arrival of Jesus. My goal this year is to involve the whole family in our Advent traditions to make the joy of Christmas real and full for our kids. We will be using a Jesse Tree and the Jesus Storybook Bible each day starting November 30th, along with a fun activity each day. I’ve joined with a group of other Kid Blogger Network bloggers to bring you a special Storybook Advent series to help you incorporate books and kid activities in to your holiday celebration, as well as a Christmas Read and Play series all about our favorite holiday books. I’m sharing a quick and fun way to bring the Christmas story to life with your kids using The Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story along with a children’s nativity set and a few extra friends.

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Ten DIY Holiday Keepsake Ornaments

10 DIY Holiday Keepsake Ornaments

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is creating DIY holiday keepsake ornaments each year to remember important events, stages in life, and vacations. The next year as we decorate the tree as a family we are reminded of those precious memories by the ornaments we hang. I’ve compiled a list of 10 easy DIY holiday keepsake ornaments you can make yourself. They are simple and frugal options and I hope they will become family favorites at your house as you create them. At the bottom of this post you’ll find links to other DIY holiday posts from the Festive Family bloggers as well as the entry form for our HUGE Festive Family Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway with over $1800 in prizes that ends November 17th.

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Gifts for Toddlers ~ Educational, Active, & Fun Ideas

The Best Gifts for Toddlers Educational Active Fun Ideas

Toddlers are fun all year round, but especially during the holidays. They can be a handful, but fill my heart with joy as well. Their eyes aglow with wonder at the lights on the tree, singing carols with the words all wrong, throwing a fit during that visit with Santa, caring more about the gift wrap than the present itself… all of it makes for a special holiday season. If you are looking to be strategic with your toddler gift giving this year by choosing gifts that will grow with your child and benefit them throughout the year, I’ve got the list for the best gifts for toddlers with options for every budget. With an 18 month old and 3 year old in our house, we are not looking to pile a bunch of stuff under the tree, but want to give our kids meaningful, useful gifts they’ll love. At this age you get to choose the gifts you want them to have rather than the latest toy they’re obsessed with, because they don’t really know any better. Read on to find our ideas and share your own in the comments section.

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Festive Family Holiday Gift Guide Favorites ~ Gifts for Everyone on Your List

festive family holiday gift guide giveaway $1800 in prizes

Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be stressful. I’ve chosen my favorite items from each of our fabulous Festive Family Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway sponsors to help you knock out your shopping quickly and easily, and hopefully on budget. To read more about each brand, check out the full Gift Guide event here. At the bottom of this post you’ll find not only our HUGE $1800+ giveaway to win prizes from each of these sponsors, but also Gifts for the Season posts from the Festive Family bloggers.

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Peg and Plum Peg Dolls Review

Peg and Plum Handmade Peg Dolls Review #KBNWishlist #FestiveFamily

Holiday shopping for kids can be a daunting task. With millions of options, how do you find the best gift for your child that they will love and treasure? I’ve teamed up with a group of fabulous Kid Blogger Network folks to bring you real reviews of items from your kid’s wishlist. Peg and Plum is an Etsy shop focused on making high quality peg dolls perfect for imaginative play. Nativity sets for Christmas, Thanksgiving sets for the kids’ table, wedding and birthday cake toppers, custom sets made to look like your family, favorite characters, community helpers, and just about any type of peg doll you can imagine are available at Peg and Plum. Read on to find out what we thought about the peg dolls and enter to win a set of your own.

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