"Mom, I want to respect the world.""What do you mean?""I want to help poor people mom."That was a true conversation I had with Nutty just a few days ago. I'm not sure where it came from, but I am so glad she wants to give back, and I had just the thing to help her "respect the world."I discovered Operation Christmas Child a few months ago. It is a non-profit organization that inspires people to pack shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for children in developing countries around the world. Filling a shoe box is the perfect way to teach your children values such as compassion, kindness, and generosity. After telling Nutty and Tottie about the shoe box gifts, and showing them some Operation Christmas Child videos (because they just couldn't quite understand it with a simple explanation), they were all excited about packing their first box! We ran to our local Dollar Store and Target to find some gifts that not only would fit in a shoe box, but also that my girls would love to have for … [Read more...]
Gingerbread Playdough
I am on playdough duty this month at my kids pre-school. This means I have to either buy a ton of Playdoh OR make three batches of my own. I chose to make my own. I like to do this because I can add glitter, colors, smells and other things to it to make it unique. November is a perfect month for some Gingerbread Playdough! Here's the recipe.1 cup flour1/2 cup salt2 teaspoons cream of tartar1 Tablespoon cinnamon1 teaspoon ground clove1 teaspoon nutmeg2-3 teaspoons ginger2 Tablespoons oil1 cup waterCombine all the ingredients in a large pot and mix while cooking over a medium heat. It will appear very soupy in the beginning but do not fret...it will thicken up as it heats. You will know it is done when it starts to turn a darker brown color and when you think your arm is going to fall off from stiring it. Dump the dough out on your counter top and knead with your hands until cool. Place in an air tight container or plastic bag. I'm giving these away this year to some kids so I made one … [Read more...]
Pumpkin Picking–A Family Affair
Halloween is on Wednesday! Have you picked and carved your pumpkins yet? I'll share a secret, we haven't (GASP!). No need to worry, we're going this evening. After all, if you carve your pumpkins too early they get yucky before Halloween anyway. Plus, we tend to turn our carved pumpkins around to the uncarved side after Halloween and use them for Thanksgiving decorations on our door step. If you haven't been to a pick your own pumpkin patch with your kids, I highly suggest you find one in your area! It's so much fun to watch your kids walk through the field to find the perfect pumpkin... ...and even more fun to watch them try to cut it off the vine! Walking through pre-picked "perfect" pumpkins or digging through a bin of pumpkins no longer cuts it for my family. We enjoy the hunt!Sooo...this evening we're going pumpkin picking...what are you doing? … [Read more...]
You’ve Been Boo’d! (FREE download!)
Last October a friend at work was talking about how she had been Boo'd and how fun it was. Been Boo'd?? What's that? She went on to tell me that someone left a plate of treats on her doorstep with a sheet of paper that said, "You've Been Boo'd!" She then returned the favor to someone else. What's so fun and special about that? Well, it's a ding-dong and ditch thing! Essentially, you make a plate of treats, copy the sheet of instructions and the "We've Been Boo'd" sign, go to someone's house in your neighborhood, leave the plate and papers on the doorstep, ring the doorbell, and run! Two weeks before Halloween last year, Nutty, Tottie and I went out and Boo'd two neighbors. My girls LOVED the ding-dong and ditch part of this! Because we started it in our neighborhood, we did not put a "We've Been Boo'd" sign on our door right away. We were then Boo'd by another neighbor and got to Boo two more neighbors! My girls were so excited to do it 4 times and can't wait to … [Read more...]
Pillow[ology] by Sleep Number
![pillow[ology]](https://i0.wp.com/toysinthedryer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pillowology.jpg?fit=300%2C234&ssl=1)
Ok Lindsi and Jamie, isn't it Monday? Aren't you suppose to be doing an activity post? Why are you talking about pillows on an activity day? Please click to make bigger. Let us explain...According to WebMD, "Pillows can not only impact the quality of our sleep, but also how healthfully we rest and recharge." According to us, and based on common sense, if you aren't rested and recharged, you can't spend quality time with, or do activities with your kids. Both of us have slept on some BAD pillows and we've woken up with headaches and sore necks. We live out the next day, or two, drugged up on ibuprofen (or something stronger) and can barely get by, let alone, do extra activities with our kids. Sleep Number knows that not only does your bed make a difference in your sleep, your pillow does too. That's why they've come up Pillow[ology] to help you find your perfect pillow so you can rest and have energy to do things with your kids. We had a chance to visit our local Sleep … [Read more...]
Sponge Ball Fight–Pinned it, Did it!
Welcome to our first Pinned it, Did it! post!! Every Friday, we'll bring you things we've tried after pinning them on Pinterest. Sometimes they'll be things we've pinned on our personal accounts, sometimes, ideas we've pinned on our Toys In The Dryer account. Either way, we'll let you know if the project or recipe was worth the effort and if our kids had fun doing them. We start with a sponge ball fight: When I saw this pin on Pinterest, I knew it was PERFECT for our neighborhood block party! We've had water balloons in the past that left a huge mess to clean up in the morning plus parents worried their little ones would try to eat the small balloon parts left in the grass. Thus, sponge balls were tried and were an exponential success!! Both the little kids and the teens loved them! Confession before I continue: I have no photos of the actual sponge ball fight because I got to the party at the very end of the fight (work ran a little late). These photos were also taken … [Read more...]
