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 … [Read more...]
the must-send email to teachers before holiday break (or after!)
Friends. I know for a while, we've all been thinking about gifts and gatherings and getting our families ready for the holidays, and now we're all cleaning up and returning and reorganizing and trying to be good and healthy about everything, but there's something everyone must do now. I've got a must-send email to teachers from parents for you. You need to touch base with your children's teachers. Now. Because there's no better time than now to really know how your child is … [Read more...]
our favorite thanksgiving printables for BIG kids!
This week is the big week for us--lots of travel, lots of family, lots of friends, and lots of food! Officially, the fun winter holiday season is upon us, and from here until January 2nd, it's a wild ride. But often that wild ride means that our kids tend to be kicked off of their normal schedules. They get tired. We get tired. They get cranky. We get cranky. And they need some down time. We need some down time. So we've gathered a few of our favorite Thanksgiving … [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...]
top secret ‘happy day’ notes for the whole ‘hood
Originally published September 1, 2010, but republished today because, well, friends, everyone could use a lift. Last week, we ran into a verrrry blue Thursday morning. Everyone was cranky, everyone was bickering, and everyone was down in the dumps. Maybe our summertime later-night schedule was finally taking a toll on us; maybe we were anxious about the upcoming change of schedule. Whatever it was, we needed a lift. I remembered my pal Jessica's recent post about 'Doing Good … [Read more...]
use family photos to develop oral language skills: reading tip 12 #raiseareader
Friends, one of the tips that Allie McDonald and I share when speaking or presenting that usually yields the most nods of approval is what I'm sharing here, via video, with you today. It may seem super-simple to you, but this tip is M-O-N-E-Y. It really is. Totally worth your time for so many reasons. So go ahead. Skim the post quickly, click 'play' on the video below, and you'll be in the 'know' too. And the cool thing is that the only thing you'll need is the one object you most … [Read more...]
easy snowman footprint craft for kids
I am so thankful that my sister and her boys have been on a cool and crafty streak, because lately my kids and I haven't been feeling the crafty pull. After our wild tween crafts, crafts for gifts, and crafts to wear, it seems as though we've been on a short craft hiatus. It's all good. I'm thrilled to share this sweet and easy snowman footprint craft for kids, compliments of my amazing sister and her two crafty boys. It's a great last-minute gift for grandparents, for playdates, or for … [Read more...]
proud mama moment: two new videos (starring my kids!)
Things have been so super busy over here lately, and quite honestly, I'm just doing what I can to breathe. Like everyone, I've got a to-do list 100 miles long. I have what feels like a million people tugging at my sleeve, asking me for a minute here or a quick favor there. So I've been harnessing my inner yogi and trying to find my zen on a daily basis, despite the constant push to rush, rush, rush and go, go, go that's continually buzzing during the holiday season. I'm saying 'No' … [Read more...]
handmade gifts for the whole family
Friends. You know I've been doing some work with Klutz lately, and it's been a blast. A few weeks ago, we held a twitter event filled where the main focus was to share ideas for handmade gifts for the whole family. What was shared was amazing. Honestly. I'm ready to clear off the table and get my craft ON. So I thought I'd share a bit from that event so that if you weren't able to make it, you'd still get the info. And? You can even win all FIVE of the books I share here. For real. So … [Read more...]
5 cool handmade gifts that tweens love to make
Let's face it: we're all busy--even our kids. As they get older, they're juggling homework, activities, sports, lessons, chores (ahem. . . ), and friends, so when our kids carve out the time to create a handmade gift, it really means a lot. Believe it or not, friends, now is an ideal time to start thinking about the holidays. So we've got some cool handmade gifts that tweens will love to make. Really. Huge thanks to my friends at Klutz who just keep designing these cool books that … [Read more...]
craft and wear: 2 new, must-have craft kits for kids
I'm so excited to have had the opportunity to work with Klutz this year through my writing with Scholastic, and now? Now I am thrilled, over the moon, totally beside myself now that I get to finally tell you more! This summer we were super busy with our tabletop surprises, and the kids had an absolute blast with them. But we were also busy jaunting around New York City helping our friends at Klutz host a super-cool blog event where kids and parents could chat and craft it up. Believe … [Read more...]
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