Welcome to day 3 of Toys In The Dryer 14 Days of Valentines! From January 25 through February 7 we'll be posting non-stop Valentine's posts to celebrate this lovely holiday.Disclaimer: I originally made the paper dot candy just for fun but then realized that they would make great additions to Valentines for kids. I ran out of red dye so I was unable to make more in Valentines colors that's why my photos look more Easter-like than Valentine-like.Do you remember paper candy? I sure do! I don't remember if I actually liked the flavor or if I just like the appeal of it...you know...trying hard to get the dot of candy off the paper without leaving too much paper left stuck to the back of it. I like to think of all that paper consumed as fiber! ;)Want to make your own??? It's actually really easy to do and kind of fun! You can stick with the traditional colors as I did or you can make them festive to the season such as pink, red and white for Valentines.The recipe:3 3/4 powder sugar2 egg … [Read more...]
We Love You Photo Card
Welcome to Toys In The Dryer 14 Days Of Valentines! For the next fourteen days straight (including Saturdays and Sundays) we'll be posting Valentines related posts! We're going a little off of our usual schedule during this time, but we hope you enjoy our tribute to this lovely holiday. Ok, I'm braggin' here because I think this is one of the cutest Valentine's Day cards we have ever made in this house! It didn't really require a lot of effort or work and it turned out so cute.Have your kids (or if they're not old enough you can do it) write out the words "we" and "you" and cut out a heart out of brightly colored construction paper.This next part is optional but I did it because I liked the look. Create a backdrop using a sheet, blanket or a piece of fabric and attach it to the wall.Have each child hold up their sign in front of the wall. Crop and edit your photos and create a simple Valentine's Day card. I used Shutterfly but you can use anything you choose. Many places offer … [Read more...]
Ice Fishing with your kiddos
Every year, the day after Christmas, we take the long journey to the great wide open (also known as Papa Tractors). This year was extra special because, this year Papa Tractor took our oldest son ice fishing. He had a special hat made just for him and bought him his very own ice fishing rod. It was special indeed! He reserved a special ice house just for us for the entire day. We hopped in a Bombardier (see the photo)and headed to 5 mile point. It was five miles out in the middle of the lake and it took us nearly a half hour to get there. But was it worth it? Indeed! We spent nearly 7 hours out there and the only person who caught anything was Papa. But, it didn't really matter because the day wasn't totally about catching....it was more about the memory, the special time, the incredible gift of grandparents. It was a successful day for sure! Have you ever been ice fishing? Do you have any amazing memories with your grandparents you want to share? … [Read more...]
Snow Angels- Inner child
The last week of December approached and FINALLY this year we have SNOW! Yay! We took a six hour car ride up to "Papa Tractor's" and braved the cold. It was time to channel my inner child. My oldest son and I took the opportunity to make snow angels. I am honestly not sure who had more fun- him or me. We bundled up in our snow gear and plopped down into a fresh batch of snow. We laid down and created angels. We giggled the entire time and after a few minutes we just sat there and chatted. It was a GREAT memory created and I am so glad we did it.Have you ever made snow angels WITH your child? … [Read more...]
Oral-B Smart Series 4000
Put a spin on your friends and family’s oral care regimen with Oral-B® Professional Care 4000 power toothbrush. The Oral-B Professional Care4000 power toothbrush uses clinically-proven oscillating-rotating-pulsating technology to attack sticky plaque from multiple directions, providing more plaque-disrupting movements than regular manual brushes and the leading sonic technology brush. I was given the opportunity to review the Oral-B Smart Series 4000 electric toothbrush, and boy oh boy was I glad to! Now, I'm going to admit something to all of our readers...I FEAR the dentist....and when I say fear I mean, shaking in my boots, sweaty palms fear! I had a bad experience when I was around 15 and it scared me for life. Since then I have used electric toothbrushes. Why? Because I feel like I can get a better at-home clean of my teeth and avoid any further "adventures" with the dentists drill. I have owned three different brands (which I will not name) in the past and have thought they … [Read more...]
What to do with last years Christmas cards
If you are anything like me you have a bit of guilt when it comes time to take, toss, or store the Christmas cards you received last year. I personally feel a huge sense of responsibility to save them....no, I'm not a hoarder! I just figure people took the time, effort and money to send me a card and I can't just toss them. This past January I got to thinking about it and came up with a neat way to save those cards without investing a lot of money or space into it! So gather up those cards and grab a paper hole punch while you are at it.I sorted my cards first by size...it just made it a little bit easier to punch holes in them. Get your kids involved and have them help you sort by size.I took three or four cards at a time and punched two holes into each of the cards. If your kids are old enough (and strong enough) have them help you with this too.I then printed out 2011 Christmas Cards on a pretty Christmas patterned piece of paper. You can get crafty with this and make it as fancy … [Read more...]
