How To Make Love Bags For The Holidays (And All Year Long)

Advent Calendar Idea Using The Christmas Story

I know we are thinking about Thanksgiving now, but I wanted to share this because December 1st will be here soon!

If you like doing Advent calendars with your kids, you might want to try something a little different with it. I shared this a couple years ago but wanted to share it again for anyone that missed it.

It is an Advent Calendar that has the Christmas Story divided into 24 sections. Each day, you reveal a portion of the story. On Christmas Eve, you and your kids can read the whole story together.

Many Advent calendars have a gift or trinket each day, so this is a great way to keep the meaning of Christmas alive and have less toys and clutter in the house!!

For a free printable of the numbers and of the Christmas Story already divided into 24 equal parts, visit the original Advent Calendar of The Christmas Story post.

Happy Thanksgiving 🙂

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Bribe Your Kids With These…They Work.

Over the summer, I got a little spoiled being able to use popsicles as a bribing tool with my kids. I finally caved and bought the sugary, almost-neon ones and, consequently, created monsters out of my kids. The good kind of monsters, though. The ones that can be bribed and lured by sugary treats.

As much as I was loving my parenting with popsicles, I realized I really should have a better plan. And by plan, I mean adding trickery to the bribery.

Turn Your Family Photos Into Works Of Art

Do you love having photos around the house but get bored easily with them? Here is something to try.

The BEST gift you can give your kids (Hint: It’s Free)

I’ve been working on a project for a while now that I can’t wait to share with you soon! The project involves connecting with the generations before us to draw out their best stories~the stories that made them who they are. It’s been a lot of fun (and a lot of work) but I think it’s really important so it’s become sort of a passion project 🙂

In my research, I’ve connected with people who share similar philosophies and are doing their own exciting work. One person, in particular, is Jennifer from Tales of a Peanut. She has an online paper and gift shop with all kinds of beautiful paper products. Her latest line is called Handwritten Heritage.

Photo courtesy of Handwritten Heritage

Don’t Throw Out Your Dried Up Markers! Turn Them Into Watercolors.

Turn Your Child’s Artwork Into A Custom Bookcase

If you have little budding artists around your house, then you know how easy it is to accumulate piles of pictures and artwork. The coloring book pages I can part with, but the freestyle drawings that show so much imagination, I can never seem to throw away.

Frame And Display A Love Letter

The problem with love letters is that they get tucked into a box only to be read once every few years. Why not pull them out and put them on display where they can be enjoyed all the time?

Make a Balloon Bouquet

If flowers are your go-to gift for holiday celebrations, you might want to consider a balloon bouquet. It definitely brings the “party” to any room you enter with it.

A Creative Way to Use Up Your Celery Stalk Ends

I was cutting celery the other day and my 4 year old kept saying, “It’s a flower.”