I’m Over at Melissa & Doug’s Blog!

Are you doing anything special to celebrate Dr. Seuss Day?? I’m guest posting over at Melissa & Doug’s Blog today to show how we created a “Speck” Discovery Lab inspired by the book Horton Hears a Who.   It’s fun, educational, and very frugal! Have fun!!

Birthday Party for Teddy!

Need a reason to celebrate? Are you up for any excuse to party?? Then a teddy bear birthday party is for you! One of our teddy bears had a birthday to celebrate recently, and Clara was quite the party planner.   She sent out invitations to all of the birthday bear’s friends, and served plenty […]

Fountain of Youth

Starting to feel your age? Looking for the fountain of youth?? Here are five of our favorite frugal activities to do with the kids — that help bring out the kids-in-us too! 1. Puddle Jumping!! — Always fun for the kiddos, but waaaaay more fun when Mom or Dad joins in too!   2. Be […]

Sunday Snapshot — Priorities

Last week, there were piles of dirty dishes in the sink, mountains of laundry, and our kitchen floors were a bit… shall we say… crunchy?? I worked hard to ignore all of that, so I could take Clara to the park to do this: You might say we were procrastinating, but I prefer to think […]

Super Quick Donuts

For a fun treat, Mark and I whipped up this batch of delicious donuts with the kiddos, and they haven’t stopped smiling ever since! I have never made donuts before, and these are very quick and super-simple to make! The recipe can be found here. Have fun!!

Let’s Build a Town!

Need to bring some excitement to your set of blocks?? Black masking tape is a fun and easy way for kiddos to build their own roads and towns. Added bonus — very little clean up!! We love the Melissa and Doug Town Blocks Wooden Play Set — it comes with cars, trees, buildings, and road […]

Pretend Office

Do you dread doing your taxes? Are the forms too confusing for you? Wish there was an easier way??   Now there is!! Call to make an appointment for Emily & Clara’s Tax Services, Inc. — the friendliest customer service, and most accurate tax returns ever!   They are the hardest working team in the […]

6 Creative Spring Crafts with Paper Plates

Have some extra paper plates on-hand?? Want to craft up something fun and Spring-like with the kiddos?? Here are six inspiring ideas from around the web to get you started! 1. This adorable Paper Plate Nest looks like so much fun to make! Found via Parents.com   2. I love the colorful look and simplicity of these Paper […]

Toy Fair 2012

I just got back from spending a week with my lovely friends from Melissa & Doug at Toy Fair — Amy from TeachMama and I had so much fun and felt so welcomed by the everyone!! We met some amazing bloggers, did lots of live-tweeting, and got a behind-the-scenes look at some of the newest […]

Valentine Pencil Toppers

Looking for a fun, useful, non-food Valentine treat to give to friends?? Something that’s super quick and cheap to make?? Then get yourself over to Target’s dollar section where you can buy pencils in packs of 10 for $1. Make some fun tags to go along with them! Want to make some of your own?? […]

Curb Appeal on the Cheap

Want to add some curb appeal to your home without breaking the bank?? You can! And in just 3 easy steps!! Step 1: Sweep up the sidewalk to remove any dirt or debris.   Step 2: Make some sidewalk chalk stencils with heavy cardstock paper (Hint: Old file folders or pieces of cardboard from empty […]

FFFB Projects By YOU!!

Know what makes me really HAPPY?? Checking my email and finding lovely notes from readers with photos of some of the projects we’ve helped to inspire!! It always makes me smile and do a happy dance! Here are some of my favorites… I love this version of our love bugs — especially the added speech […]

“Tiled” Photo Frame

I saved some of these paint tiles the girls made the other day for some late night crafting of my own — with a cheap clear acrylic photo frame from the dollar store. After a bit of experimenting, it turns out the “tiles” can be glued to plastic with a bit of Plaid Mod Podge (I […]

Fun Valentine’s Day Gifts and Treats for Kids

Know what I love?? Surprising the kiddos with little gifts and treats for Valentine’s Day to let them know how special they are! And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do it. A BIG thank you to our lovely Pinterest contributor, Stacy from Kids Stuff World for pinning these inspiring ideas […]

Kid-Made Paint Skin Tiles

These paint skin tiles were lots of fun to make, and they are great for mosaics and collage work! I set up a tray with some parchment paper and spread some leftover acrylic paint on top. Then I invited Clara over to swirl the paint around using toothpicks and craft sticks! She thought this was […]

Kiss Flip Book

When my father was battling cancer, Emily wanted to make something extra special for him. Something that would fit in his wallet, so it would be easy for him to take it to chemo and radiation treatments. Isn’t she so thoughtful?? When I came across this post at Color Me Katie (I adore her!!), I […]

10 Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for some handmade crafting fun! Here are ten of our favorite (frugal) Valentine’s Day crafts from the archives.   Love Bugs “Bee Mine” Valentine’s Day Cards Thumb-printed Heart Wrapping Paper No-Sew Felt Heart Cookie Play Set Valentine Felt Mail Set Valentine Collage Placemats Reverse Resist Paintings Paint Chip Valentine […]

Quick Craft: Heart Mobile

Clara has been helping me to decorate the house in time for Valentine’s Day, and there has been lots of crafty goodness going on around here! For this little project, I invited her over to sandwich heart-shaped sticky notes and color coding labels onto pieces of string. We usually have sticky notes and color coding […]