Quick Craft — Salty Snowflake Ornaments

Did you know that 32 oz Stonyfield yogurt containers have clear lids that are perfect for recycling into snowflake ornaments?? Emily had such a great time making these, plus they were so simple and easy to make! Poke a hole at the top. Use double-sided tape to form a snowflake design on the lid (older […]

The 2011 Creative Christmas Countdown

Looking for some active and unique ways to celebrate Christmas with the kids this year?? I’m so excited to announce the start of the 2011 Creative Christmas Countdown!! Alissa from Creative with Kids is hosting this fun blog event to bring you and your family 24 days of holiday magic — with the help of […]

Teaching Kids the Art of Graciousness

With the holidays being so close, now is a great time to remind kids about the proper way to give and receive gifts. One of the most effective ways to do this, is through pretend play! 1. Without the kids seeing, wrap up a few small items from around the house. Bags and tissue paper […]

Advent Activity Calendar from an Egg Carton

We had an empty egg carton laying around, and when I opened it, I realized this one had 24 little compartments. Hmm… 24? Are you thinking what I’m thinking?? Hello, Advent Calendar!! Instead of gifts or candy, I thought it would be more fun (and meaningful) to fill each compartment with its own little holiday activity. I just love […]

5 Amazing Toys You Can Make from Cardboard

I love crafting with cardboard because it is cheap, readily available, and SO easy to recycle into amazing things! Here are five inspiring ideas from around the web to make some frugal toys the kiddos are sure to treasure. 1. This cardboard parking garage is sure to bring hours of pretend play fun! See the […]

DIY Holiday — Play Salad

Emily played a big role in crafting up this fun play salad set! She couldn’t wait to show it to Clara, so now the two of them have been making up salads all afternoon. This was so simple (and very frugal) to make!! Emily cut out arbitrary lettuce shapes of green craft foam for lettuce, […]

DIY Glass Magnet Gift Sets

These glass magnets were so fun (and very frugal) to make! I love that Emily had a very active role in crafting these and that each of them is unique. We had hole punches from colored paper that were leftover from another project. With a little Mod Podge, Emily adhered the dots to the flat […]

SAJ’s Stealthy Book Tour — The Letter F (and giveaway!)

I’m so excited my friend Brenda Ponnay, a.k.a. Secret Agent Josephine, has a new series of children’s books!! These books are perfect for little ones learning their ABC’s, colors, and numbers — and they have clever details parents and older siblings will definitely appreciate. I love that these books are available in ebook formats for […]

Sunday Snapshot — Adventures in Geocaching!

Wishing you and your family a lovely weekend full of adventure!!

Giveaway — 4 Tickets to Sesame Place

We’re continuing with our series of reader appreciation giveaways in celebration of our upcoming 1,000th post here on Frugal Family Fun Blog, and today I have a super-fun giveaway for you!! This one comes from my friends at Sesame Place! We attended Opening Day at Sesame Place this year and last, and had SO much […]

No Mess Sandpaper Snowflakes

  With a few sheets of sandpaper found in the garage and some leftover white yarn from my stash, the girls spent some quiet time together making snowflake pictures! In mind was this sandpaper craft from Polwig found via The Crafty Crow. The yarn clings onto the sandpaper all by itself, which the girls thought […]

Giveaway — Highlights High Five (One Year Subscription)

Let’s continue with our series of amazing reader appreciation giveaways, shall we?? This one is from my friends at Highlights High Five, an ad-free magazine designed specifically for children ages 2-6. Each monthly issue features stories, poems, Hidden Pictures®, a fabulous craft**, kid-friendly recipes, and more!! I recently featured the magazine as one of our […]

DIY Holiday Gift for Kids — Doll Bath Set

After the girls were in bed, it was my turn for a bit of holiday-making! I combined a few things I already had on-hand (empty travel sized shampoo bottles and soap leftover from a hotel stay, a sponge) along with a few things from the dollar store or Target — hand towels, a pack of […]

Giveaway — Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Easel

As I mentioned earlier, we are getting very close to post number 1,000 for this little bloggy blog!!! After nearly THREE years of blogging, I think this is a milestone worth celebrating, yes? And what better way to celebrate than with a series of fantastic reader appreciation giveaways?? To kick off our blogiversary celebration, my […]

Play Donuts from Dollar Store Socks

There has been a LOT of holiday-making at our house lately — very exciting!! Now that Emily has one of her surprise gifts ready for Clara, I thought it would be fun to help Clara create a fun surprise gift of her own to give to her big sister. We had lots of fun sneakily crafting […]

Pretend Sweets Made with Sponges!

Recently, Emily and I made a bunch of pretend play sweets from dollar store sponges for her little sister’s holiday gifts. They were great fun, super frugal, AND very easy to make!! Emily cannot wait to gift these to Clara as part of her Christmas gift, and I love how pretend play food can lead […]

My Favorite Simple Pleasures

I thought it would be fun if you could share some of your favorite simple pleasures — little things that don’t cost much, but never fail to boost your mood. I’ll go first with 10 of my favorites, then leave a comment with some of your own, k?? 1. TEA!!!! It is supreme. 2. Jumping […]

Blinkybug Invasion!

Mark made some super-fun “blinkybug” toys for Emily, and the two of them spent some quality time together making and later playing with these all afternoon. After all, making your own toys is a lot cheaper (and WAY more FUN) than buying them!! These little critters have blinking LED lights that turn on when their […]