It's been cold in Minnesota lately. Don't get me wrong, we're used to cold, but not THIS cold! Air temps in the -20ºF range with wind chills in the -40ºF range?! School has been canceled for the 4th time this month and we're going stir crazy! I decided to look back through our archives to come up with 5 cold weather day activities we can do during this crazy, stuck indoor time. Click on the large words to bring you to the post with directions. 1) Make and indoor obstacle course The perfect way to burn off energy while sparking imagination! Arrange and re-arrange to come up with endless obstacles. Spread it all over the house for more exercise! 2) Corn Starch and Water Need a quieter activity that will keep your kids busy for at least an hour? Try the corn starch and water science experiment. You just might end up playing with it yourself! 3) Paper Beads Bring out the crafty side in your kids by making beads out of paper. You should have all the supplies just lying … [Read more...]
8 Valentine Crafts for Kids of All Ages
It's been bitter cold again this week and we've been stuck inside. What better time for crafts! The girls and I scoured the internet high and low and found some of our favorite Valentine crafts for kids of all ages. Valentine Wreath for the Birds A craft that all ages can appreciate and one that birds will love even more! Hand Print Hearts Garden For the littler ones, the perfect thing to make for Grandma and Grandpa! Love Bomb I admit, I was a bit confused by this one at first. Once I figured out what they were doing, I thought it looked fun! Love Bugs Kids of any age will love making these cute little friends! Paper Flower Who knew making a paper flower would be so easy and look so good! The girls and I definitely tried this one! Picket Fence Valentine One of ours from last year but still a favorite! Valentine Owl Too cute not to share! Valentine Necklace Older kids will love making these adorable necklaces! … [Read more...]
Loom Bracelet Valentines–FREE PRINTABLE!
Loom bracelets are all the rage this year. My girls couldn't wait to get theirs for Christmas (they were pretty sure that Santa was bringing them one. In fact, it was my sister who gave the looms to them). Since then, I've got more bracelets than I can wear, and I'm constantly picking up little rubber bands all over the house! Despite being able to make their own, my girls love getting and giving loom bracelets to their friends. Thus, I thought loom bracelet Valentines would be fun to make! Both girls are getting to work cranking out as many bracelets as they can make and I'm still frustrated with the rubber bands all over the place! If you look closely, you'll see that the Valentine that says "Your Friendship Is IlLOOMinating" is made out of glow in the dark bands :) If your kids want to make loom bracelet Valentines, click on the printable below. Make sure to click on this download button and THIS BUTTON ONLY! It is small and just under the photo. Are your … [Read more...]
Invisible Ink Valentine Failure
I've been on a free Valentine printable kick lately. I've done scratch off Valentines, Kool Aid Valentines, and my next one was suppose to be these invisible ink Valentines. Well, if you can't tell from the photo above, I failed. I didn't fail at the printable I made. In fact, I think it was turning out pretty cute until I quit. I failed at the invisible ink part. I did invisible ink all the time when I was little. My sister and I, or my friends and I, would write with "invisible ink" then hold the paper up to a light bulb and watch the message appear. I'm not sure what my mom used as ink when we were younger but when I looked it up online, people said anything from vinegar to lemon juice to milk. I tried vinegar and milk out on a piece of paper to see which one to recommend to my readers (we didn't have any lemon juice). I wrote the word "test" out on paper, let it dry then held it up to a light bulb. Nothing happened. I figured it was just because our … [Read more...]
Caramel Cashew Bites
I saw these caramel cashew bites on Pinterest and knew I would use them one day. It turns out New Year's Eve was that day! My neighbors had a gathering and I decided to bring some sweet appetizers. Along with these caramel cashew bites, I also brought baked brie bites. Both were a huge hit! No photos of the girls and I making these tasty little treats as things were hot and required a lot of supervision. Besides being hot, and me worrying about burning things, these caramel cashew bites were super simile to make. Caramels, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cashews, chocolate chips, and vegetable shortening (I used margarine) are the only 6 ingredients you'll need! Head on over to My Baking Addiction for the actual recipe. … [Read more...]
St. Jude Red Carpet for Hope #GoldenGlobes Event #StJudeRedCarpet
As a pediatric intensive care nurse in my off-line world, I see the worst of the worst of what cancer can do to kids. I also see survivor miracles. Those miracles are what keep me going in my job. Without research, however, those survivor stories would be few and far between. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a world leader in childhood cancer research. Through their efforts, they have brought 5 year childhood cancer survival rates from 5-50% in 1962 to 65-95% today (survival rates depend on the type of cancer). St. Jude research is freely shared with doctors and scientists all over the world, including with the hospital in which I work. All of this is done with NO COST to the patients and families that go to St. Jude. That's right, they pay for NOTHING! That's where events like the St. Jude Red Carpet for Hope Golden Globes Viewing Party come into play. St. Jude is funded by donations from large companies and regular people like you and me. St. Jude Red Carpet … [Read more...]
