A few days ago my girls played the "I'm bored" card on me yet again. All the suggestions I gave the came back as "no". It was a beautiful day outside so I wanted to keep them in the fresh air. Searching through my garage for some thing new to do, I spotted some water bottles and a ball...bowling! I grabbed six water bottles (because that's all I had), put x's on the driveway where the water bottles should go. Then I drew a line a few feet away so the girls knew where to stand. I let them go at it and they had a TON of fun! They spent a good hour to hour-and-a-half bowling! Here's a hint for you though...if you are bowling up the driveway (toward the garage) make sure the garage door is shut or you'll have to keep retrieving the ball from under the car! … [Read more...]
25 Ideas For Keeping Children Calm During A Storm
(photo source) Last week was quite stormy in our neck of the woods. Yesterday we did a post on Severe Weather Kits because we realized during National Severe Weather Preparedness week (April 22-28) that our families were not prepared for emergencies during severe weather. Today we're giving you 25 ideas for keeping your children calm during storms Keep yourself calm--This is the most important thing of all. If you are not calm, your kids won't be either. Cuddle--Sometimes a little physical contact is all your kids need to feel safe and calm. Practice--On non-stormy days practice what you would do in the event of severe weather. Knowing what to do will help your kids feel in control. Severe weather kit--Have your kids help you make a severe weather kit. It helps them to know what you have that will keep them safe. (photo source) Light--Lots of kids get scared in the dark so make sure you have plenty of flashlights on hand to keep things bright if the power goes … [Read more...]
Quick and Easy Meal Planning with Relish!–Giveaway too!
What's for dinner? It is a question that many of us dread each day. What is for dinner? What do I have the ingredients for? Ugh...I don't feel like cooking... If you've been paying close enough attention to our blog, you know that Lindsi is a meal planning freak "expert" and Jamie has been trying her hand at meal planning too. We both find meal planning to be helpful in stress, energy, and money saving. It also helps with the dreaded, "What's for dinner?" question! The one problem however, is the time it takes to come up with recipes. Flipping through multiple different websites and cook books can get confusing and overwhelming. Add in the time it takes to make a grocery list for all your meals and making a weekly meal plan can take up to 1/2 a day! That's where Relish! comes in! We've been using Relish! for our meal planning for a little over 2 months and we couldn't be happier! The first week Jamie used Relish! her Facebook status said, "Trying out a new online … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Word Search
I have always loved word search puzzles. When my daughter started bringing them home from Kindergarten I was so excited that she seemed to like them as much as I do. The word searches she brings home from Kindergarten contain sight words that she has learned. I thought it would be fun to make her a personalized word search puzzle that contained her own name and other family member names along with site words that she knew. I Googled "make your own word search" and came across this website. It was the best one I found because you can choose how many letters you want in each column and row and you can also choose to overlap words or not overlap words. I wish I would have gotten a picture of Nutty's reaction when she realized that her first, middle and last name were in her puzzle! She thought it was the coolest thing in the world! Making your own word search puzzle is a great way of teaching your children their sight words and building their confidence. Personalizing … [Read more...]
Plates In The Dryer Recap
Our Plates In The Dryer event was a HUGE success! We had a great turn out and fun was had by all (at least we hope)! OK, so it started out a bit rocky...Lindsi and I were late for our own event!! How embarrassing for our first ever IRL (In Real Life) event!! Blame Lindsi's truck's great way of breaking down and fabulous traffic on 494 (notorious for being stop/go traffic). However, when we walked in (only 9 minutes late) and saw everyone having fun, we knew everything was ok. Huge shout-out to Jamie's friend Pam for helping us not be even later by picking up the Caribou coffee for us! And, yes, that is a Toys In The Dryer plate made for us by the staff of Color Me Mine! (Jamie's daughter and husband) It was as fun for us to watch the kids painting the pottery with their parents as it appeared they were having. It was also great to get to meet some of our readers and interact with other local bloggers! We painted pottery, socialized, ate delicious cheesecake from … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Harmonica
My daughter came home from Kindergarten with this homemade harmonica and I thought it was so cool and simple that I had to share it with our readers! My girls spent hours (I'm not joking!) playing with this simple harmonica! For hours of fun with your kids you'll need: 2 large popsicle/craft sticks (or tongue depressors) 1 large rubber band 2 small rubber bands 1 straw scissors Step 1) Cut 2 pieces off of your straw that are 3/4 to 1 inch in length Step 2) Wrap the large rubber band around one craft stick Step 3) Slip the straw pieces under the rubber band (one on each end) Step 4) Use the 2 small rubber bands to put the other craft stick on top and bind the two sticks together. One rubber band on each end on the outside of the straw pieces. Step 5) Play your harmonica! If no sound comes out at first, have your kids press down with their lips while blowing to make the sticks come together a little more. … [Read more...]
