Sunday Snapshot — At the Pumpkin Patch

Wishing you and your family a fun (and frugal) weekend filled with Autumn treasures!!

Cheap Thrills — Feeding Ducks

For a fun time that won’t break the bank, visit your local fish hatchery to feed the fish and/or ducks. Ours sells bags of fish food for just $1. Not sure how to properly feed the ducks? Princess Clara will show you how — in just 3 easy steps!! Step 1: Sprinkle a bit of […]

Wordless Wednesday – Teddy Bear Picnic

Newspaper Play Structures

Know what I love to do on days when it’s too cold or wet to go outside? Build stuff!! This fun geodesic dome was built using rolled up newspaper to form rods — SO frugal! I basically followed the tutorial here, but made one important adjustment. Rather than using staples at the joints, I punched […]

Our Favorite Pumpkin Crafts

Here’s a look back at some of our favorite kid-friendly pumpkin crafts — and we’ll be adding a few new ones too! Pumpkin Treat Bags   Super Easy Marshmallow Pumpkins   Tiny Pumpkin Patch Play Set Do you have a fun pumpkin craft to share? Feel free to link up in the comments section, and […]

Inspiring Fall Crafts for Kids

Autumn is filled with beautiful colors, making this the perfect time of year for lots of crafting fun! Here are some festive, frugal, and inspiring crafts for kids from around the web… Enjoy!! 1. Live in a climate with no colorful leaves available? Take matters into your own hands with these marbled painted Fall leaves using […]

Nature Inspired Wrapping Paper

The beginning of Autumn also happens to be the start of the “birthday season” for our little family, so we continued with our frugal and FUN Fall wrapping paper tradition! Emily gathered several leaves from the yard — lots of different sizes and shapes for variety! We used masking tape to secure them to a […]

Autumn Window Collage

Emily and I made a fun discovery this afternoon! Did you know that you can use washable glue stick to adhere tissue paper to glass??! When it’s time to change out the display, peel off the tissue paper and wipe the leftover glue stick clean with a damp sponge. (Try a small test area first, […]

7 Fun Ideas for Sensory Bins

Ever since my kiddos were old enough to know not to put things in their mouths, they have LOVED playing with sensory bins. I can’t even tell you how many hours were spent pouring, measuring, sorting — sensory bins can be completely mesmerizing!! New to the idea of sensory bins, or looking for new ideas to […]

Simple Pleasures Saturday — Apples!!

Wishing you and your family a weekend FULL of simple pleasures!!!

Beautiful Fall Crafts for Preschoolers

I LOVE this time of year, don’t you?? Here’s a look back at some of our all-time favorite crafts for Fall! 1. Toddler Art — Autumn Tree Painting 2. Easy Fall Tree Suncatcher   3. Quick Craft — Leaf Wreath   4. Falling Leaves Wrapping Paper   5. Autumn Window Display Lots more ideas for […]

How I Chose to Spend My Birthday

My Birthday Manifesto (i.e. 5 Steps to a Perfect Birthday): 1. Ignore Dirty Dishes in the Sink. 2. Ignore Laundry Pile. 3. Turn Off Phone Ringer. 4. Procrastinate Errands. 5. PAINT stuff. Alongside the kiddos. ALL DAY. It. Was. Awesome.

Apple Crafts and Activities Galore!

I   L O V E   A P P L E S !!!!!!!!!!!! 1. Go Apple Picking!! 2. Make Apple Printed Book Covers 3. 3-D Apple Tree 4. Apple Printed Lunch Sack from Old Jeans 5. Don’t have apple trees near you? Make your own! 6. Check out our Around the Web post featuring […]

Catch the Comet

Using some leftover scraps of felt in lots of bright colors, I sewed a super-easy comet ball that has been used for several games of catch around here! I have seen much more expensive versions in toy catalogs, but it was a lot cheaper (& more fun) to make our own. It is SO much […]

6 Fun Ideas to Entertain Kids at a Restaurant

If you are a parent, you know that keeping the kids entertained while waiting at a restaurant is no small task! We rarely go out to eat, but for those special occasions when we do, it’s always nice to have a few fun ideas up my sleeve for keeping the kiddos happy while we wait. Here are […]

Back to School Round Up

Emily had a terrific first day of 2nd grade, and we are looking forward to a great school year ahead!! In the spirit of back-to-school, I dug deep into our archives and around the web to put together this fun round up: From the Archives: 5 Easy DIY School Supplies Celebrating Education Nation with The 10! […]

Indoor Apple Picking

We have had several days of rainy weather here, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying some apple picking! ((with a little help from some apple-shaped sticky notes and sticks from the yard)) It was GREAT fun!! The best part? Re-attaching the apples back to the branches to be picked again (and again)! Mmmmmmm… apple […]

Let’s Build a Flashlight!

This little boredom buster is quick and easy to set up using just a flashlight from the dollar store! It’s perfect for older kids who love to take things apart and put them back together, which meant Emily really had LOTS of fun with it!! Take apart an ordinary household flashlight. To help keep all […]