Today we have the great privilege of guest hosting Ruby and Macy from Real Housewives of Minnesota! We met Ruby and Macy at the Minnesota Blogger Conference and were immediately drawn to them because they are awesome girls, they are a blogging duo just like us and, they blog about being thrifty! In this post they talk about saving money while shopping for Christmas presents. Without further ado... How To Be Thrifty When ChristmasShopping When it comes to holiday shopping, it’s easy to spend oodles! But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of ways to save when doing your Christmas shopping. Here are some thrifty tips to keep your pocketbook safe this holiday season. Photo by armadillo444First off, prepare your list. Take a moment to sit and write out who you have to buy gifts for. Think hard now, and be sure to include any teachers, nannies, coaches, etc. Be sure to cover all your bases before you move on to the next step. Now that you’ve made your list, stick … [Read more...]
Decorating your staircase for the holidays
Blah! Look at that icky, blah, boring staircase. I kept thinking good golly (yes, I say good golly) that is one sad looking staircase. I pulled together some of the tips I had learned about decorating from my mom and a few that I came up with too and got straight to work. Alright, looking a little better, right? The pretty greens add some much needed color. I found these at Michael's Craft Store for $4.99. (They wanted $24.99 for the ones with colors, decor, and bulbs on them). These were plain old green garland bunches. Nothing snazzy at all. I walked through the store and found a package of red glittery balls in the dollar area. Yup, an additional dollar and a hot glue gun later and I have pretty red and green garland for my stair case. Now, you may be asking- I thought this blog was about fun things to do with your kid. It is- hold your horses! My 5 year old son helped me decorate the greens. I pulled out my LOW temp glue gun and let him slobber the glittery balls up … [Read more...]
creative birthday party ideas
As each year passes I learn more and more ideas of what I can do to make my child's birthday party a sure fire hit. (And if I am being totally honest- they probably would be fine with some cake and a candle to blow out, but the party is so much fun!) For my children's first birthdays I tried to keep with the theme of their rooms (i.e. my eldest child's room was frogs-so he had a frog 1st birthday party). I thought it would be fun to share a few tips, tricks, and ideas I have learned along the way. 1. A "themed" cake- Sure, it's not required but it sure does help bring the theme together. When you choose a cake make sure you keep in mind that for their first birthday you will probably want a smash cake (one they get to dive into all on their own). 2. First birthdays are the ones that most people will come to (so if you want to impress this is the one to do it, wink, wink). It is a ton of fun to share photos of their first year with people but be creative about it, plaster them … [Read more...]
Dishin’ Up Delicious
“Mom, this was the best day ever!” declared my five-yr. old boy. I agreed, as I whipped off my bike helmet and gently uncurled my sleeping toddler away from the pumpkin she was “taking care of.” We had really loaded the bike trailer down with a 25 lb. toddler, two large pumpkins and various other ingredients we purchased at the fresh produce stand. My husband was the brave soul that pedaled all that weight through the bike trail outside our home. We really look forward to this day – the day we bring the pumpkins home! I was thoroughly pleased that my boy was satisfied with our conquest of securing our chosen pumpkins and returning home, however our family tradition includes a couple more hours of kitchen fun! “Addison, don’t you remember that now we get to roast the pumpkin seeds? THAT makes it the best day ever!” My eldest daughter never forgets anything. In order for my kids to have a vested interest in what they’re eating, we try to get them involved with the process of … [Read more...]
Creative lunchbox ideas
Creative lunchbox ideas...yeah that's what I said! Are your kids picky eaters? When you send a bag/box lunch to school with them is half of it uneaten? I might have the cure for you and your picky eater. My quest to get my kids to eat more all of their lunches started with the growing list of things I COULDN'T pack in their lunches. The school they go to has all these "rules" about things that you can and cannot pack in their lunches, yet they offer no school lunch program. (Nothing that needs to be heated up, no peanut butter (or any nuts for that matter), under the age of 4 no carrots or celery (choking hazard), blah blah blah). I found myself, and my kids, were getting bored with the same old standby of a meat and cheese sandwich. So......I thought to myself "hmmm, what can I do to livin' up the lunches?" I did a little searching on the internet and found some great blogs and ideas of things to do to jazz up their lunches. I can say, it takes a bit more time (a few minutes) but it … [Read more...]
Costume making 101
Now, now...don't run off all scared when you see that post title...I'm not going to overwhelm you in anyway! I promise! There are four approaches to costumes, in my opinion, and I am going to share them with you! Approach #1- For the crafty nerd, sewing fanatic, and mom who doesn't sleep There are many amazing patterns out there that you can find to help you make the most amazing costume for your kids for Halloween. While I hate to admit it sometimes, I just really find sewing to be relaxing (I know- I'm a nerd) and I really enjoy making my kids costumes. Here are some great resources for patterns and fabrics. Simplicity Their patterns are for the beginning sewer, and they're really easy to follow and complete McCalls Their patterns are a little more advanced, so newbies beware. Sewing Patterns These patterns are pretty complex and can be quite intimidating. Photo courtesy of Coolest Baby Costumes Approach #2- For the "sort of crafty" person The sort of … [Read more...]
