Every year the kids and I have a really fun time searching for cool Valentines to make for their class party Valentine exchange. We don't go super-crazy. We just do something a little special that will hopefully make their friends and teachers smile. It's a yearly tradition--the search, the planning, the mess, the crafting, and the delivering. It's a lot of fun, and honestly, I could weep thinking that this yera will be Maddy's last year for a Valentine's Day class party. Next year, as a … [Read more...]
fun dip valentines
Judge me if you will, but I have finally given in to the pressure of Owen and Cora. I've held up for quite a while, though, and for that I'm proud. Every, single year when I bragged about creating fun, super-cool candy-free Valentines for the kids to make for their classmates, they sighed. Puh-leaaaase, Mom. We just want to give our friends candy Valentines. That's all kids want. Can we just get the Valentines from the store that everyone loves? The ones that have a lollipop or Nerds in … [Read more...]
valentine’s day class party ideas, 2.0
For many years now I've been roped into being Room Parent for my kids' classes, and though I do love the opportunity to meet other families from the school and to get to know the kids in the class, it's a lot of work. More than once I've wished that there was a secret site that gave me all of the Valentine's Day class party ideas I needed--the letters to send, the snacks to serve, crafts to make and the games to play. But knowing that such a thing doesn't exist and that each class party is … [Read more...]
quick and easy flower wish boxes
It's amazing how easily you can create sweet and easy gifts sometimes when you have a bit of inspiration. Sometimes it's a walk in the craft store. Sometimes it's a stroll through the park. Sometimes it's a glance through a photo album. Sometimes it's a movie, tv program, or book. These quick and easy flower wish boxes were inspired by a book series that we've recently discovered. It's a book series that Maddy and Cora have devoured, and it's a series that I love as … [Read more...]
teacher appreciation gifts for all of your kids’ teachers
Friends. Teacher Appreciation gifts can sometimes break the bank, and I know that can be hard. But being a teacher myself, I can tell you that really, sometimes simple and heartfelt is a much better way to go. Teachers appreciate hearing 'thank you' any day of the week. Really and truly. Having three kids in school and about a million teachers to recognize, I know it can also get super expensive to give gifts to these important people in your children's lives. Here's a sweet and … [Read more...]
secret message valentines: homemade, candy-free, totally cool
Longtime fans of the ole homemade Valentine, I've had to get a little more clever and crafty as the kids get older. But I still want them writing, reading, and thinking (come on. . . at least a little!) while they're making them. So when I did some Valentine searching this year, I found a ton of cool ideas. A ton of cool ideas. There are about a million, trillion awesome homemade Valentines out there. But the Secret Message Valentines caught my eye. I knew Maddy, Owen, and Cora would … [Read more...]
halloween giving: how to BOO! your friends (on a budget)
I've said it before--spooky Halloween is not my thing. So this weekend, when our family was officially BOO'ed for the first time, a whole new chapter of Halloween fun--and Halloween giving--opened up for us. BOO'ing is all the craze, it seems, though (boo-hooo!) we haven't fallen victim to BOO'ing quite like this--ever. What I love about BOO'ing is that it actually adds an element of sneaky, fun, giving to this candy-saturated holiday. Maddy, Owen, and Cora were actually thinking … [Read more...]
easy homemade stamped pencils: plain pencils go from boring to BAM!
It’s hard to find ways to send our littles off to school with a bit of love once they become tweens. So these easy homemade stamped pencils are a super-easy way to make plain pencils go from boring to BAM! (channel your inner Emeril), and they also are a great way to send kids off to the wilds of the week with a little love. Tweens may feel ready to walk to school or the bus stop with their buddies—sans parents. Tweens may feel ready to pack their own lunches without Mom or Dad’s … [Read more...]
backyard painting–with nature
Originally published June 16, 2011, I stumbled upon this post today, and it was a good reminder to slow down. No matter your child's age. We have been taking a lot of walks lately, just slow walks where we're looking closely at what's around us because I feel like we've been moving too quickly in the rush of the last weeks of school. And just like last year, when everyone started to get antsy and bickery and up and down and not too sure of what's going on because the school schedule's … [Read more...]
teacher appreciation–finger print note cards
Originally posted on May 6, 2010, this post has been getting so much traction on Pinterest lately, I thought it was worth re-sharing! Enjoy! As a Teacher Appreciation Week gift for Maddy and Owen's teachers this year, I wanted to do something that would be easy (okay, and quick) for us to create, useful for them, but that wouldn't break the bank. Note cards, note cards, note cards. Note cards! Embellished with thumbprint animals, a shiny bow, and a … [Read more...]
melted crayon valentines
These cute melted crayon Valentines have been floating around the web for years now, but this is the first time we've tried it. Our own take on the melted crayon Valentine turned out really, really awesome. Don't get me wrong--we've melted crayons before. We just never used them for Valentines. We experimented with them on a super-hot summer day. Our family is always on the hunt for crazy-cool, handmade and candy-free Valentines that the kids can make and share with their … [Read more...]
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