Want to go some place good to eat?? Some place that’s not too crowded? With good food, and great service?? I think I know the perfect place! A special thank you to 45Wall Design for inspiring today’s post, and to my amazingly awesome husband who gifted me with several rolls of gummed reinforcement tape as […]
10 Winter Crafts & Activities for Tots
December 21, 2011 by
The Winter months bring the challenge of keeping the kids entertained while indoors during cold and icy weather. Need a few Winter craft and activity ideas to help? Here are ten of our favorite ways to spend a Winter day! 1. Set up an “ice cream” shop for hours of pretend play fun! 2. Craft up […]
Day 13 — Creative Christmas Countdown
December 13, 2011 by
It’s Day 13 of the Creative Christmas Countdown and that means it’s my turn to share a special way to spend some holiday time with the kiddos! We chose to make handmade wrapping paper because it’s getting to be a real tradition around here. What I love about handmade wrapping paper is that there really […]
Newspaper “Snowman”
December 12, 2011 by
Ever have an uncontrollable urge to build a giant snowman when there’s no snow on the ground?? ….No? Just me then?! Well, I had no trouble talking Emily into my crazy idea — she ran to find her hat & gloves! She and I had such a FUN time dressing up our newspaperman with silly accessories! […]
5 Quick and Easy Holiday Crafts for Kids
December 8, 2011 by
Here are some super-quick holiday craft ideas from around the web. Added bonus — these use items most households already have on-hand! Yay for no-hassle crafts!! I love these festive, yet simple handmade ornaments! See the full tutorial at The Crafty Crow. Use some leftover wrapping paper scraps to make holiday cards like these ones […]
Handmade Pine Tree Holiday Cards
December 7, 2011 by
Looking for a quick handmade holiday card the kiddos can craft up using items you probably already have on-hand?? These pine tree cards are so much fun to make, and we are looking forward to mailing them to far away friends and relatives! Added bonus — the kids were SO proud of their finished cards!! […]
Quick Craft — Salty Snowflake Ornaments
December 4, 2011 by
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 […]
Teaching Kids the Art of Graciousness
November 30, 2011 by
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 […]
DIY Holiday — Play Salad
November 23, 2011 by
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
November 22, 2011 by
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!)
November 21, 2011 by
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 […]
No Mess Sandpaper Snowflakes
November 17, 2011 by
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 […]
Play Donuts from Dollar Store Socks
November 10, 2011 by
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!
November 9, 2011 by
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 […]
Blinkybug Invasion!
November 7, 2011 by
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 […]
5 Simple Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids
November 4, 2011 by
So much of the frugal lifestyle is filled with cultivating a sense of appreciation for life’s simple pleasures. A nice side benefit of learning to be grateful for what you already have — you’ll save money!! Yay for saving money! It’s never too early to start encouraging your kids to express thankfulness and gratitude. Here […]
DIY Scratch Art Pages
November 1, 2011 by
Do you have a kid who loves scratch art?? Did you know you can make your own scratch art pages?? It’s true! Aaaaand it’s a lot cheaper (and more fun!) to make your own! To make your own scratch art pages, you will need: a kid who LOVES to color, a sheet of card stock […]
