It’s Halloween! Finally! I feel like this year it has drug on….and on…..and on….but that’s probably because we’ve done so many trick or treat events already. Gotta get more than one day of use out of these costumes! I thought I would dedicate this post to costumes and how to make homemade or semi-homemade costumes. Most of the time, they are easier than you think and cost waaaaay less money than big box store costumes. I can’t remember a time…
If you’re looking to up your crafting game, look no further than a cordless hot glue gun! Yes, they do exist! I had been tethered to an electric outlet my whole crafting life until my birthday this year when Sam and my father-in-law, Mark, teamed up to give me this amazing craft-changing gift. It’s only a matter of time before I make myself a holster for this and start wearing a cowgirl hat 🙂 The Ryobi Glue Gun P305 is…
Have you ever walked into a place and instantly felt a sense of calm and belonging? Like you could stay there for hours upon hours and not have a care in the world? I have two such places – a library and a botanical garden. Take me to either place and I’m a happy girl. For Christmas last year, Sam bought us a family membership to the Franklin Park Conservatory, and it was like handing me a ticket to my…
My childhood came full circle again last week when we were at a friend’s house and her little girls were making perler bead crafts. Remember those tiny plastic beads that you arrange on a tiny plastic peg board and then iron so they fuse together?? It was my favorite craft in the 90’s and I remember making so many of those things and giving them to my friends at school. I’m smiling as I write this just taking a trip…
It’s almost Halloween and we are super excited in this house! Just finished gathering the remaining couple items for Eli’s and Ava’s costumes, and our house has turned from pretty princess birthday back to all things pumpkins and leaves. Ahhhh, I love fall! One of my favorite things to do around Halloween is make “Boo Buckets/Bags” and secretly deliver them to friends and family (okay, so most of the time it isn’t really a secret). When I was little, my…
To continue on with our outdoor adventure from this weekend at Blendon Woods, here’s another fun and free activity for the whole family – treasure hunting!! If you’re not familiar with geocaching, it’s basically finding a “cache” of something in a “geographical” location – Geocache. Anyone can hide a cache and post the coordinates on a geocache website for others to find. There’s usually a log book for you to write in and document your find, plus depending on the…
Last weekend was gorgeous outside, so we decided to check out a new walking trail for kids. I love surprises – both being surprised and planning surprises – so we decided not to tell the kids where we were going and what we were doing. Plus, anytime we mention the words “hiking” or “walking outside” Ava immediately says her legs hurt and asks us to bring the wagon for her. Oh my dainty little princess 🙂 We picked up McDonald’s…
There’s a new phenomenon with playgrounds these day called “Natural Playgrounds.” Parks are starting to create play areas for kids made entirely (or mostly entirely) of things found in nature ~ teeter-totters made from tree logs, climbing areas made from logs, tic tac toe boards carved into tree stumps, etc. They are really cool areas and a nice change from the standard metal play structures, plus, it’s always nice and shady back in the woods! Major bonus for our fair-skinned…
The first year of motherhood was tougher than I ever imagined, but also more rewarding than I ever thought possible. So, when Eli’s first birthday rolled around, my mom and I took him to light a candle at church that morning ~ a thank you to God for helping me survive a year of motherhood and blessing us with Eli, and an ask to help guide me as a mother for his next year and to always be with Eli…
Birthdays are a big deal in our family. It’s the one day out of the entire year where we can focus on just the one child and make the day truly all about him/her. The rest of the year, we try our best to teach compassion and empathy for others, not being selfish with toys, and not being egocentric, which is a hard thing to do in our “me first” society. So, birthdays are celebrated big because I want my…