Looking for a fun craft to do with the kids?  Try this votive candle craft we found on Kaboose.  See their version and photo here.

Gather small leaves and other foliage from outside. They should still have some life to them and shouldn’t be too dry or crumbly. Then lay leaves in a single layer and place a large book on top to flatten them. Leave for a few hours.

Completely cover one side of the leaves with white glue and attach to the votive or glass. Dilute the rest of the glue 50/50 with water.

Tear the tissue into large 2 inch pieces and using a paintbrush or foam brush and glue the pieces over the glass and covering the leaves as well.

Allow it to dry overnight. Use with small votive candles for a lovely fall decoration!

These are some of our family’s favorite fall time activities. Which ones would your family enjoy?

1. Go apple picking. Even the little ones can help, though you may have to lift them up to the trees!
2. Go to your local high school football game on Friday nights. Kids enjoy the band, the football, the cheering and the food!
3. Have a picnic in the park. When the weather gets a little cooler, this is the best time to take in all the park you can before the cold sets in.
4. Have smores in the firepit out back. Cool weather makes it a great time for lighting a fire and having friends over for the evening.
5. County fairs are often held in early fall. Visit one in the next county and enjoy a change of scenery!
6. Amusement parks are typically open on weekends in the fall and often have fun fall themed activities!
7. Can you think of some fun crafts to do with bright colored leaves and acorns? Have the kids help decorate your front door wreath. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s yours!

We plan for vacations all year.  Whether the trip is long or short, we still need to keep the kids occupied.  Here’s an easy idea for something you can grab from the   house so you don’t have to spend a ton of money on toys to entertain on the trip.  I’m
all about the quick and easy!

My kids loved painter’s tape.  A few rolls and they were entertained for hours in the
car!

Tear strips off to decorate the window.  Give them a shape to make or
pattern.  Let them use their imagination.

Have them decorate their pants.  Seems simple enough, but they can make
stars, stripes, dots.   So fun to see what fashion they come up with.  And if you
make a stop you won’t know anyone, so let them strut their stuff in their
fancy pants!

Bring paper along and have them tell a story with tape only.  You can see
what their creative minds come up with.  They can use it to make animal
shapes and even create letters with the tape.   Have them read their stories to
you on vacation!

Any other ideas?  What would you have your kids do with 2 rolls of painter’s tape and a two hour car ride?

We love the colorful display of the July 4 fireworks.  Well, the fireworks are over so lets add some flair to our snacks! These colorful treats might remind you of sparklers without the sparkle! You’ll have a blast in the kitchen making these no bake, no cook pretzel sticks and your kids will have even more fun because they made them themselves!

What you’ll need:

One bag of long pretzel sticks
1 can white prepared icing
Candy sprinkles in various colors

Start by dipping the pretzel sticks in the icing tub. If you want the icing to cover more of the pretzel, try spooning it out of the container an placing it on a plate. Then instead of dipping the kids can roll it in the icing until they get enough icing for their tastes. Sprinkle with candy in any variety of colors, turning the pretzel while they sprinkle so the sticks become colorful and festive.

You can let the icing harden or eat right away (my personal choice!)   This is a fun treat for any holiday and with no shortage of decorative sprinkles, you can dress up a treat any time of year!

Your kids are under foot all day long.  And so are their messes.  Keeping up with the mess can be a full time job.  What works for one family may not work for another.  But keeping these simple tips in mind can ease the frustration and keep the chaos at bay.

Identify what is important – Ability to walk without tripping and a clean / sanitary environment may be your priority.  Figure out what is critical and focus on that first.  Ask the kids what is important too.  If they have some input they will see the value in maintaining the home as well.

Purge on a regular basis – Examples of good times to purge are after holidays, birthdays, spring, before school starts.  Get the kids involved as well, particularly when it comes to donating to church or charities.

Leave room for more stuff – After a purge, it’s a good idea to leave room in cabinets, dresser drawers and storage boxes for more.  That way as items accumulate, you can keep the clutter off the tables, counters and floors.

Organize in a logical way – More frustration comes when items are not easily accessible or in the wrong place.  Take the time to diagram where things should go and how much space is needed.  Plan for the immediate future such as back to school and holiday stuff.  Make sure that stuff the kids need to access is at their level.  If they can put it away without your help they are more likely to do it!

Clean as you go – The best tip for keeping it clutter free is to clean up your mess.  Just like your mother taught you, right?  Teach your kids to do the same.  We are so hurried these days that often we leave it to come back later.  Avoid frustration by keeping up as you move through the day.

Do you have a particular frustration with keeping everything clean?  Or are you a rockstar who has some advice to share?  We’d love to hear!

It’s something many kids go through — nearly half, according to a new study. Many of you probably dealt with it when you were younger. Now as parents, the idea of it happening to your child just makes you fearful and sad. It’s becoming the victim of a school bully.

The study, presented recently at the American Public Health Association‘s annual meeting in Philadelphia, is based on survey results from more than 10,000 middle-school students who anonymously answered questions online.

Here’s the frightening part…

Bullies did much of their intimidating in the classroom, lunchroom and school hallways, the researchers found. Those who were bullied in the classroom felt more threatened and unsafe on campus than other students.

You’d think that being under the supervision of teachers and other adults would at the very least keep your child protected in and around the classroom. But contrary to the idea that most bullying takes place in the schoolyard, kids feel just as intimidated in class. That’s why it’s important to teach your child about standing up for him or herself, and speaking up to you to let you know what’s going on in school. We often hear about these situations when they’ve already been going on for too long. Continue reading…

So the weather is getting a bit colder outside, and it’s taking more than the promise of a warm day at the beach or park to get your kids to go outside?

Times like these call for special adventures that will get the whole family itching to put on that coat and hat and get out into the fresh air—even if that air is decidedly frigid. And what else gets kids as excited as the promise of a treasure hunt? From low-prep to high-tech, here are three ideas for adventurous family fun that will get kids (and grown-ups) of all ages rushing out the door:

Scavenger Hunts. You don’t need any special equipment or much planning to pull off a scavenger hunt. You don’t even have to leave your yard! Read this clever tutorial for creating a toddler scavenger hunt (could be easily modified for bigger kids) at United Teaching, and check out the awesom glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt this mom blogger created for her daughter’s birthday party! Continue reading…

‘Tis the season to start budgeting for the holidays. This year, I’ll have the added expense of having a child in school. If you already have school-aged kid, you’ll probably relate to these some of these extras:

Last week, a notice came home asking for a donation for the school’s Christmas Fair: $10, plus the purchase of a baby item for a raffle basket.

Soon, the class mom will inform all of the parents about collecting for a holiday gift for the teacher and teacher’s assistant: $20 is usually the standard.

The kindergarten is putting on a holiday performance, and everyone is asked to wear a plain red turtleneck and black jeans… which we, of course, don’t already own. Continue reading…

Does anyone else feel really stay-at-homey this time of year? I know I do. While I’m usually into being out and about with my family, something about the shorter and shorter days and the getting-chillier air turns my thoughts toward my own warm house and the simple comforts of family. More often than not I find myself wanting to huddle with my kids around the warmth and light of the dining-room table rather than venture out.

And the dining-room table, it turns out, is a pretty great place to be! Here are a few activities perfect for snow days, sick days, and just any day you’d rather stay in than head outside:

Family Game Night: When was the last time you cruised through The Game of Life, amassed a fortune in Monopoly, or knocked out your opponents in Sorry? Board games are low-tech family fun that includes everyone (when we’re playing a game that’s above the little one’s heads, we put them on teams with older sibs or Mom and Dad and give them an important job like rolling the dice or holding the money). Lately our favorites have been Monopoly, Guesstures and Boggle (which now comes in a handy enclosed container so you won’t lose letter cubes to a toddler’s fast-moving hands).

Check out Hasbro for tips on how to host your own Family Game Night as well as special offers on family favorites like Boggle and Jenga. Also be sure to follow Family Game Night on Twitter and let the Twitterverse know about your next Family Game Night!

Crafts: This time of year, I just love having a homey, seasonally-decorated dining room and living room. Over at Make and Takes you’ll find a few easy Thanksgiving-oriented crafts you can do with your kids to jazz up your table…even if you aren’t “a crafty mom”.

Playdough: Even as a bona fide grownup, I still can’t resist the feel or smell of a fresh, warm ball of homemade playdough. That’s why I usually make my own! After the fun of cooking it up, the kids take over, creating miniature bakeries full of playdough pies, muffins and cookies, little creatures, and tiny towns. I usually hang on to a ball myself just so I can keep rolling it around in my hands. Playdough is easy to make, from simple salt and flour recipes to scented and colored varieties. Check out three great recipes at the Moms Talk Network blog.