Looking for something unique and fun to put in an older child's Easter basket this year? How about FlashPals! These super cute USB drives will have all their friends talking!FlashPals are the creation of Doug Stienstra who's girlfriend asked for a "cute" flash drive for her birthday. When he couldn't find one he liked, he made one. His creation was such a hit with his girlfriend and her friends that he turned it into a full-time business! What's better, is that FlashPals has partnered with the world's leading giraffe organization, the GCF, to support their efforts to protect giraffes through sales and donations, so now FlashPals save data AND the wild.Each FlashPal represents a real animal species that faces real threats and each has a name. Jamie was lucky enough to review Zena the Zebra. Zena came in the cutest little box. When I opened it, I was instantly in love! Here was this super cute zebra flash drive in this awesome clear storage tube. I was a little worried about the … [Read more...]
Frozen Bubbles
We've had a cold winter this year in Minnesota. Though most of the time we keep our kids indoors when the weather is well below freezing, there are times when sub 0°F can be a lot of fun! Take bubbles for example...they are a summertime or indoor activity, correct? No! Take them outside when it's below freezing and watch what happens! The colder the temp outside the faster the magic happens, however, don't go outside when it's too cold or you won't be able to do it for long. Also a bit of a hint, make sure it's pretty calm outside. Any breeze and your bubbles will fly away before you get to play with them. Don't have bubble solution or a bubble wand? No problem! Make the solution out of dish soap and water. Use a straw as a wand. Experiment by blowing a bubble, letting it freeze, then taking it inside. What happens? Freezing bubbles was a ton of fun with my girls and I'm sure your kids will have just as much fun! … [Read more...]
Cadbury® Creme Eggs® Milkshakes–Pinned it, Did it!
Easter is one of my favorite times of year for candy because that's when Cadbury® Creme Eggs® come out. I am seriously addicted to these eggs! I was browsing Pinterest last Easter and came across Cadbury® Creme Egg® Milkshakes. OMG, yum! I at first thought that this link would lead me to a recipe that made milkshakes that tasted like the best little eggs ever, however, these milkshakes are made with them.They are nothing more than Cadbury® Creme Eggs®, vanilla ice cream, and a little bit of milk blended together. If you want to get all technical about ratios how how much goes into the shakes you can visit the original site recipe.Though simple, this milkshake is to die for! Super sweet, however, so I wouldn't recommend drinking a glass the size of what they made.What is your favorite Easter candy?Click on the button above to learn more about Pinned it, Did it! … [Read more...]
American Girl Fashion Show
Do your girls love American Girl®? I know mine do. Their favorite dolls are their Bitty Babies® and Nutty is soon to graduate to a regular American Girl® doll (for her birthday maybe? Shhhh...).A few weeks ago we visited the American Girl® Store at the Mall of America®. The American Junior League of Minneapolis was there advertising their American Girl Fashion Show®. I knew this would be a perfect fit for our blog.What is The American Junior League? Well, their mission statement is this:"The Junior League of Minneapolis is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League of Minneapolis reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism." So what is the American Girl Fashion Show®? It is one of … [Read more...]
An Inspirational Playlist for My Girls
Recent studies show that self-esteem issues for girls begin as early as age 5 (Source). I am all too familiar with this as I've watched my oldest (age 6.5, 1st grade) compare herself to her friends since her second year of preschool. I've watched her go in the bathroom, stand on a stool, and look at herself in the mirror...I've heard her complain that she doesn't like her hair...For the most part, I belive both of my girls have a pretty good self esteem. After all, my husband and I try to foster it whenever we can. We repeatedly tell them (and try to show them) that we love them. We tell them they are beautiful, we praise them when they succeed at things, and we encourage them (and let them know it's ok) when they fail at something.Sometimes we struggle though. It's hard to find just the right words or life and time get away from us and we forget that kids need encouragement every day. I know it will be even harder as my girls grow into the teenage years. They will rely less … [Read more...]
Birch Bark Valentine
Welcome to day 14, our final day, of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines!For the past 14 days we've brought you non-stop Valentine's posts as a celebration of this lovely Holiday. We hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Don't forget to click on the button at the end of this post to see all of our past Valentine's posts.We have a beautiful River Birch Tree in the front of our house. It constantly sheds bark and I am always tempted to do something with the bark. (Our Birch Tree after an ice storm last winter. The limbs are heavy with ice)I finally came up with a unique idea for the bark--Valentines! Super cute, super easy to make, and nearly FREE!We started by taking some bark off of our tree. We made sure to only take bark that was already falling off so that we did not injure the tree.Next we pealed the layers of the bark as best we could so that it wouldn't shred any further.Then we painted a heart on the inside of the bark. If you are doing this project, make sure … [Read more...]
