"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...]
Christmas in July- Santa Trail Mix
Santa Trail Mix- You know you NEED to make some!! Here's what you will need: 2 cups of red and green M&Ms 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts 1/2 cup of Craisins or other dried fruit 2 cups of Chex cereal (I used the rice version) Pretzels (holiday shaped ones are best) Bugles mini marshmallows coarse sugar 1 package of red melting discs (candy aisle) 1 package of green melting discs (same aisle) 1 package of white chocolate chips (or almond bark) Shortening Assembling the Santa hats, melt your red discs in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval (I added about 2tsp of shortening after the first round to help thin it out a bit). Or you can melt them in a double boiler if you wish too! Dip your Bugles in the red stuff (tee hee hee) and set aside on a piece of wax paper to dry and harden. Dip the larger end of the red Bugles in left over red discs or melted white chocolate and then dip immediately in coarse sugar. Snip the mini … [Read more...]
Christmas in July- Make your own play make-up
Want a super fun Christmas gift for your little girl? Try play make-up! My daughter LOVES to be "grown-up!" I just am not ready for her to be really grown up. Cue the play make-up! It's kind of ridiculously expensive and to be honest it's just junk. I feel like the stuff is REALLY hard to wash off too! I made my daughter her own set of make-up the other day and I thought I'd share it with you. You will need the following items: empty make-up containers nail polish Wash out the empty make-up containers and dry them well. (If you don't have any empty ones you are willing to share then you can always go to the dollar store and buy some there and empty them out.) Choose the colors of nail polish you wish to use. I chose a cream for the "foundation," a rose color for the "blush," and some vivid greens for "eye shadow." Shake your nail polish really well and let set for a minute to allow the air bubbles to rise. Then, carefully pour the selected color into the container of … [Read more...]
Christmas in July- Make your own Snow
Do you ever want to play with snow inside and not have it melt all over the place? Make your own fake snow! Perfect for these HOT July days! It's great for decorating , letting your kids drive their toy cars through or just plain playing in! All you will need is: A few unused disposable diapers (It would be super gross to use dirty diapers.) Water A container to mix in silver glitter (optional) Ok, now this is so easy you are going to think you missed something! 1) Cut open the diaper and pull out the inside absorbent layer. 2) Put it in the container and slowly add water 3) Mix until it becomes snow consistency! For powdery snow use less water, for slushy snow use more water. 4) Add a bit of glitter for some sparkle. (optional) My girls had a TON of fun playing with the snow! We attempted to add more water and make a snowman but it wasn't really successful. My girls did however, enjoy adding more and more water to see how slushy they … [Read more...]
Christmas in July- Make your own I Spy Bottle
Are you looking for a great gift? Perfect for all ages? Customized for each age, interest, gender and preferences. Make an "I Spy" bottle! It's super simple to make, and is good for kids of all ages (my husband loves it as much as my 2 and 5 year old!) Use the "I Spy" bottle for long car rides, laying low when your kids are sick, or keeping your little monsters busy when you need to clean. Here's what you'll need: A bunch of objects that are small enough to fit into a water bottle. An empty, completely dry water bottle without the label. Paper and pen Funnel (or a piece of paper to roll into a funnel) White rice Glue String, yarn, or ribbon Clear contact paper or laminating paper (optional) Now how to make it: Step 1) Have your kids help you hunt all over the house, garage, and outside for things to put in your bottle. Make sure to write on your paper everything you collect. Coins, nails/screws, Barbie or Polly Pocket accessories, Legos, hair stuff, … [Read more...]
Christmas in July- Christmas Tree Handprint
This just so happens to be an all time favorite Christmas present and is one of my all time favorite projects I have done with my kids. It's really easy and turns out just adorable! Gather the following supplies from your craft store or craft closet: 1 piece of white paper (large) (or a canvas-which is what I used- you can get them for pretty cheap) Green, yellow and brown paint 1 kid willing to get ooey and gooey carefully paint your child's hand with the green paint- make one row of 4 hand prints Then paint your child's hand again and make a row of 3 hand prints Next you will make a row of 2 hand prints on top of that Finally, 1 hand print on the very top Brown paint makes a stump and the yellow to make a star on the top. (Have your child autograph the tree with the year to mark the date) These make GREAT presents and they are always adored by grandparents. While making the tree I thought to myself....hmmm, what if I traced a circle really lightly in pencil … [Read more...]
