text: Well December is here and that means…..our Elf on the shelf is BACK. Our special little Elf means exciting, memory filled mornings as the kids wake to see what his daily antics are. They love him so. I had to come up with a great way for them to say good bye to him each Christmas until the following year. Last year a special gift appeared all wrapped under the tree on Christmas morning from our friendly little elf. It was a yearbook of his visits for the year and a goodbye message too including a message about the reason for the season.
  Christmas time is near and things get busy! I always try to make the holidays extra special at our house, and it certainly doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time to do so. I do a lot of little things during the holiday season to try and make everything memorable without going crazy wasting too much time or money. Here is a super fun way to warp a simple gift like a movie or game, that will simply delight your kids. By using plain paper and adding a few little extras with a dab of glue, the Christmas wrap goes from boring…to quirky and cute and super fun.
  Our family was blessed with a little boy and then two years later, a little girl. We really have the best of both worlds under one roof. In or house there are trucks, cars, sports, princesses, tea parties, and ponies. From dresses to cleats, we’ve got it all between both kid’s activities. Let’s just talk a moment about the power of a little girl. Because playing like a girl doesn’t always mean princess dresses and hair bows! Our little girl is, in my opinion, a perfect mix. She is a princess with the heart of a tom-boy. I will catch her in a princess dress having a tea party, but sitting in the sand pile covered in mud up to her eyeballs.
  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and it’s time to celebrate and be thankful! Here is a roundup of all of my favorite Thanksgiving activities to do, make, and talk about with the kids. It is the perfect time of year to slow down and spend some quality time talking with your kids about being thankful each and every day. From a tree that helps kids talk about what they are thankful for each day, to a creative turkey day centerpiece that lets the kids get crafty at the dinning room table – there is a project here that is bound to thrill and delight you and your kiddos!
  Who doesn’t love scholastic books. I remember sitting at home circleing the books I wanted as a kid, and now my own kids bring their folders home with flyers. I think I enjoy going trough them just as much as they do, and we always find something fun and exciting that we cannot wait to read. Here is a great campaign that gives you the opportunity to compete in monthly mini missions for an opportunity to earn free scholastic books and be entered into a sweepstakes.
  The cool fall weather brings movie night back to our house. It is one of our favorite family things to do when the weather turns cold and the days get shorter. Snuggling up together with a good movie and our favorite movies means good memories and sweet treats to share. Movie night is never complete without popcorn of some kind. Here is an extra special popcorn treat that is as fun to make as it is to eat! Microwave Caramel corn is a fun project to do with the kids and an extra special movie night treat!
  If you are at home with your kids, or you pack them a lunch to eat at school, this is a fun way to give them a healthy lunch a that will make them laugh. Tiny candy eyeballs can turn any sandwich into a silly monster that will make lunch full of silly fun. A great way to celebrate Halloween with a lunch that they won’t soon forget because, well…it’s looking back at them! This is a great way to make a silly Halloween lunch that takes little to no extra time!
  Need a super quick, super cute Halloween snack for you kids to share at school that is healthy and nutritious? Here is a healthy alternative to the normal trick or treat type Halloween candy treat. Festive orange solo cups turned into little monster popcorn holders and ghostly string cheese make for a healthy snack that the kids will be super excited to share with their class. The best part is, it will only take you a few minutes to prepare and your kids will get a kick out of this. They can even help too!
  This is the most fantastic time of the year, in my humble opinion. Anything that allows us to be outside enjoying the fresh, crisp fall air is something that I don’t want to miss. With some serious life changes happening in our family this year, projects are getting fewer and far between, but they are also getting more precious, simple, and joy filled too. Here is a fun little after school fall activity that anyone can fit into their busy schedule. Cute little candy corn painted pumpkins – just right to decorate for fall in a sweet and… not so spooky way!
  As the first week of school approaches, I find myself trying to soak in every last moment of summer vacation with the kids. I fill the last few days of our summer together with fun activities and things that focus on being together as a family. One of the activities on our summer fun list was for each child to pick a movie to watch and then I would plan a little themed dinner date to go with it. This was a great way for us to have a quiet little family day and make it extra fun for the kids. My daughter decided on a Little Mermaid themed movie date and it couldn’t have been more exciting for her. Complete with the cutest little starfish rice krispie dessert, it was the perfect way to celebrate the last days of summer together.