DIY: An Elegant Yellow & Grey Elephant-Themed Baby Shower

Posted on February 22, 2016

This weekend, I threw a DIY baby shower for my baby sister who is expecting her second child, a baby girl. With a limited budget, I was able put together a pretty fab shower, I think, by being resourceful, and cutting corners but without sacrificing quality and style. It all looked elegant in the end and as if I spent a lot more.

(A couple of my sister’s friends, one who is a p/t event-planner and baker and another who bakes cakes helped me out a bit. My sister’s future mom-in-law did the games and her aunt-in-law helped out as well and provided the venue, her lovely country home)

My sister, like me, is adverse to pink and purple and traditional girly colors. She wanted a shower theme to match the nursery she was decorating for her soon-to-be-born daughter, (and my future Godchild) Aubrey.

Elephants, Chevron Yellow and Grey is the theme. I strayed a little on the Chevron and we had a mix of yellows but it all came together, visually, well, nonetheless, in the end.

Here is how I pulled it off.

Invitations.

In lieu of expensive invitations, I got downloadable printables from Fancy Shmancy Notes shop on Etsy for $15 and $5.00 for Cards asking for a children’s story book instead of a greeting card with any gift purchase. I purchased a pack of 60 Avery brand customizable Note Cards from Staples office supply store. They come with envelopes and cost just $24. Postage stamps were $30.00. The total cost was $74 for invitations. That move saved me about $100 in lieu of online-ordered customized invitations.

Discount, Dollar, Thrift and Bulk Stores Savings

I also saved money by hitting up thrift stores, dollar stores and bulk food stores. The party supply store sold paper and plastic table cloths for $9 each. Instead if those, I schlepped to my local thrift store and picked up 3 linen table cloths for $10 total! I washed and ironed three table cloths I already owned, including a very pretty one with grey and yellow in it that matched the color scheme. Score!

At Costco, a wholesale membership food warehouse, I got a huge bouquet of Daisies for only $10.00. I was able to convert that one bunch into 5 vases of flowers of different sizes and shapes that I set up on various tables at the venue. I also got food that would ordinarily cost more at a regular grocery store much cheaper there.

For example, a large 1 lb container of mixed greens was $4. A big 34 ounce bag of authentic nacho chips was $4. Two quiche pies were $13. An Alouitte Brie Wheel just $6. A large container of fresh cut fruit was just $10. A similar size retails for about $30 at my local grocers. I know because I looked it up and did comparison shopping.

At the Dollar Store, nice Misaka brand vases were just $1.00 each. Paper cuttlery, plates, napkins, cups in the theme colors cost $1.00 each compared to $3.00 to 8.00 at the party supply store. Favor boxes were just 10 for $1 compared to $30 for 50 at the party supply store. I got some craft items for the favors and cupcake toppers there for $1.00 each as well.

Here is the final haul I set up on my dining room table.

However, to save money, I used some items I already owned. I had a case of sternos left over from a previous event. I used a serving tray and a lead glass chip and dip tray, another serving tray and glass tea light holders I already owned.

We saved money on the venue by hosting it at my sister’s fiancee’s aunt’s house in a rural part of a suburb in Maryland. The host, Aunt Nicho, has a bright and sunny Morning room that also has yellow-colored walls and a large airy and bright glass wall that brought in tons of natural light.

The cost of the main cake was offset because another family member donated the cost of the materials and my sister’s dear friend baked it. She has a p/t professional cake baking business and offered the labor for free as a gift to the mom-to-be.

FREE Printables

Google printables and you’ll find a ton of free and paid ones as well. I was fortunate to find a free one online with the same color scheme as ours. There were water bottle labels, a candy station sign, and other printable items. When I printed out the printables, they came out darker yellow than on the computer screen, but it worked out because the color complemented well with the table cloth and coincidentally was the same shade of yellow on the the cake! Perfect!

I got the gumballs, sixlets and lollipop sticks in the color theme at the party supply store to set up a candy station. (We used the candy display jugs owned by friend who has the P/T event planning biz too) I also picked up steamer strays and yellow serving trays for a reasonable price there too.

I later discovered that Walmart and Target are now in the business of offering specialized modern party supplies. All of the supplies for a candy station, which I set up and is very popular, cost between 25-50% less at these big box stores compared to the party supply store.

Aunt Nicho had these great decorative juice jugs that we used to hold mimosas and non-alcoholic OJ

A friend of my sis, Lynee, who is an amazing baker and the one with the p/t event planning company, gifted homemade strawberry and lemon butter cream frosting cupcakes. They were amazingly good! Yum!

I got these cupcake toppers for free online HERE. I used the $1 box of toothpicks I got from the Dollar Tree to tape them to the pack of the toppers.

Here is a serving tray I already owned, a wedding gift from decades ago, that I used to serve the brie and crackers.

Again, I saved costs with glass tea holders I had from a previous event and a chip and dip tray I owned since my wedding. The tea lights were just $1 for a dozen at the dollar store.

Aunt Nicho created a very neat tiered diaper cake we used for decoration as well.

We used grey and yellow party favor boxes I got from Dollar Tree at $1 for 10. We filled them with candy from a big bag of Lifesavers I picked up at Target that was $8.00 on sale!

The roll of tulle and pre-cut Tulle circles are just $1.00 as well at Dollar Tree.

I printed out maternity portraits from my sister’s shoot using my inkjet printer I reviewed here. It looked like professional quality. I used matte photo paper I got from Target. The Target brand Up & Up is just $5.49 for 30 count.

Lynee brought this picket fence she found a while ago at a discount store that she filled with faux craft grass and stuck the candy lollipops I got from the party store in them for a nice effect.

Candy from the party store and the leftover Lifesavers made a nice candy station.

The shower was a brunch so we set up a Belgian waffle station complete with toppings, and whipped cream. The serving dishes were compliments of Aunt Nicho. I got the pitcher where I whipped up batter from Walmart for $3. My other sister got the great waffle iron that she loaned us for the event. It was on sale for just $24.99.00 at Kohl’s though it is now back to $29.99.

The Spinach quiche set on a really nice server/carver board Aunt Nicho owns.

I made my baked salmon with sauteed onions and green peppers. My mom made her signature West African Jollof rice. My sister Adama made hot wings. I whipped up eggs and sausages and Aunt Nicho made home-cooked hash browns and biscuits.

I set up the mixed greens and fruit on a utility station near the kitchen.

Overall, it was a great event!

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Here are 7 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy & Entertained in the Winter

Posted on February 17, 2016

Bellyitch Rewind

Winter doesn’t have to be a dreary and dreadful time. We are stuck in doors and may be sidelined but delays and cancellations when the weather gets bad. Finding things to do with the children that doesn’t involve electronics can be a challenge but our friends at summernanny.com offer the following tips for you to make winter months easier to deal with:

1. Bundle up and enjoy your favorite activities. Cold temperatures and snowy roads don’t mean you can’t get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Sure, it takes a lot more time and effort to get ready to go outside, but it’s worth it. Once you get putting on the snowsuit, boots, hats and gloves down to a routine, you’ll practically whiz right through it. And when you’re all bundled up and outdoors, kids can enjoy many of the same things they do in other seasons. You can go for a walk, play on the swings, run around the backyard or hit the slide. You can enjoy being together and being active, even when the thermometer dips.

2. Get back to basic outdoor fun. There’s no beating basic winter fun like sledding down a favorite hill, building a snowman complete with carrot nose and button eyes, having a snowball fight with siblings or neighborhood friends or ice skating on the local frozen pond. This is the stuff childhood memories are made of. Instead of watching from the sidelines, be an active part of the memory making. Jump on the sled for your own ride down the hill. It’s just as fun as an adult as it was as a child.

3. Create new winter games. There’s no end to the creative ways you can have fun outside during the winter months. Make colored icicles, paint in the snow with colored water, add fun shapes to the iced sensory table or set up a snowball target game. You can create a fun, engaging outdoor environment that your kids will enjoy and learn from. Get kids involved in developing new, fun things to do outside. Kids have amazing imaginations, and with a few simple household supplies they’ll create games and play spaces that will keep them occupied for long stretches of time.

4. Take advantage of local indoor play spaces. Many community centers offer indoor play spaces during the winter months. These spaces usually offer a free play area where kids can run, jump, twirl and bounce. Tumbling mats and cushioned climbing squares allow kids to release their pent up energy in a safe environment. Indoor spaces also offer riding toys like tricycles, scooters and kid sized cars. Some even provide kid sized props like stop signs, gas pumps and police stations; encouraging kids to create their own cities and towns. This type of imaginary play can keep your child busy for hours on end.

5. Head to the pool. It’s seems like an odd time to go swimming, but the winter months are the perfect time to enroll your child in lessons or reinforce his current swimming skills. It’s a perfect way to get some exercise into his weekly schedule and it’s lots of fun to boot. When summer rolls around, he won’t be spending his time learning to swim or getting reacquainted with the water. He’ll be ready to enjoy the local pool, lake or beach.

6. Find a local playgroup. If you have to be inside, it’s always more fun with friends. Connect with other parents or caregivers in your area through online sites or local parenting groups. Some groups have a multiple age make-up, which is a great fit if you have more than one child. Other groups focus on one age range, which is perfect if you have one child or are looking for a social outlet for a particular child. These weekly groups give your child a fun activity to look forward to and they provide you with social connections, resources and support.

7. Do some of the things you don’t have time for in the busy summer months. When the weather’s nice, chances are you’re too busy to take on some of the projects your kids would like to do. Wintertime is your chance to catch up. Spend an afternoon baking cookies for the local fire department. Pull out all the arts and crafts supplies and create new art pieces for your child’s bedroom wall. Long, dark afternoons can be the perfect excuse for tackling those put off projects.

Good luck parents!

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Make your Blended Family Work with These 14 Tips

Posted on February 16, 2016

Today, the U.S. Census estimates about 50% of families are some form of stepfamily.

The stepfamily has become the modern family.

Here are some basics tips and rules for anyone currently struggling to make it work, compliments of Jeannette Lofas, PhD, LCSW of the Stepfamily Foundation, whose ground-breaking research has been used to develop methods for assisting blended families work.

Build “Couple Strength.” Almost everything you do builds or takes away from couple strength. Know that you come from different points of view about many ways of doing things. Honor your differences and create new norms and forms together.
Displays of affection in front of the children, initially can lead to acting out and fear of loss of their biological parent. In the beginning, keep your loving behavior private.
The couple comes first (after you are married). A strong, supportive couple relationship sets the cornerstone and helps children build self-esteem.
The couple recognizes that the family is a blended/stepfamily and knows how stepfamilies function and does not expect this family to act like biological family. It cannot and will not.
It is OK to have discussions. Arguments are out. Agree to agree. Agree to disagree. And, work it out. Call time outs for the couple when things get “too hot.” Remember you are partners. He is the male head of the household. She is the female head of the household. You are partners in creating a stepfamily. Creating a stepfamily that works looks like the couple deciding on how they are going to manage all aspects of their household. Partners decide on rules, regulations, discipline styles, job descriptions, use of time, energy and money, etc.
Establish concrete house rules and structure. Rules need to be written in the positive form. The couple must decide on the rules and define job descriptions themselves and of each member with positive and negative consequences.
The biological parent disciplines his/her children and the stepparent says, “As you know your Dad/Mom and I have decided, in this house we…” The stepparent disciplines based on rules agreed and presented to kids as a couple. And the couple must make sure the children treat the stepparent with respect.
The couple must maintain their positions as male and female heads of the family. They cannot allow the children to dominate. The male and female heads of the household teach the children the models, forms and norms as to how we live and act with each other within the stepfamily.
The couple in the stepfamily takes responsibility for creating a predictable structure of events, manners and responsibilities for in house and visiting stepchildren. The couple agrees with each other and backs the other up so the children have consistency, which is a necessary foundation for creating intimacy and closeness.
Make sure meals with the children are not child-centered chaos. Plan to converse, know what is going on in each other’s lives and thoughts. The adults set the tone of dining. We come together not to eat, but to dine. Teach kids good manners. Good manners allow for intimacy. Poor manners create isolation, lower self-esteem and cause confusion.
Plan visitation as good co-parents (exes), parents and stepparent. Avoid allowing visitation to become a chaotic episode where the child is caught in the cross fire between ex-spouses.
The bad-mouthing of the prior spouse. When we bad-mouth and put down the other parent of our children we are bad-mouthing and disparaging half of that child’s identity. Less than half of divorced parents today realize that bad mouthing their ex lowers the self-esteem of their child.
Ask for counseling from professionals trained plo treat stepfamilies. The dynamics of stepfamilies are crucially different from the biologically connected family. The stepfamilies are now the majority of families, but not all professionals are taught about their specific behaviors in graduate school.
Research and Make it work.

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Parenting

10 Clues Your Child’s Daycare Center is Overcrowded

Posted on February 15, 2016

Many people, by now, have seen that horrible online video that has gone viral of a 9 or 10 year old kid physically abusing and violently shaking small babies in a crowded home daycare. The caregiver in charge of the room is seen on surveillance on the telephone and essentially ignoring the small infants and toddlers in her care while one of the centers older kids does some pretty horrible things to these small kids. I could hardly watch the entire video when I saw it. It is one more thing to frighten new parents who have to return to work and have to find child care options for their kids. Grrr.

It’s why this NannyJobs posting, it shared with us featuring 10 clues the daycare you are contemplating placing your child in may be overcrowded is quite timely and resourceful:

Constant illnesses – One of the first signs to watch for is constant illnesses. Spreading germs in a daycare is pretty much inevitable, but overcrowding only makes it worse. If your child is continually sick, this could be a problem with the daycare facility being stretched to its limits.
Behavioral problems – Another common problem with overcrowded daycares is lack of supervision. This can lead to behavioral problems if left unchecked. Children can become argumentative, defiant and unruly if left unsupervised for long periods of time.
Injuries – Children who experience overcrowding in local daycares are prone to more injuries. These can often be minor things like scratches and bruises or more major concerns such as cuts or burns. Lack of supervision can lead to kids fighting amongst themselves or getting into things they shouldn’t be allowed to.
Stalled development – Without adequate emphasis on learning and activities, children from overcrowded day care centers can have stalled development. They need constant interaction and stimulation to develop new skills and progress normally, which can be hard to do when teachers are constantly trying to manage too many children.
Children not being clean – If your child is often grubby when you pick him up from the daycare, this could be another sign of overcrowding. It’s difficult to keep active kids clean all the time, but if this is a common occurrence, it could be a cause for concern.
High turnover rate – Local daycare facilities with a high child turnover rate could also be a sign of overcrowding. Some parents may be forced to place their children in a less desirable facility until there’s an opening elsewhere. These daycares may also take on too many kids because of the volatile client base.
Owner is stressed – Another sign of daycare overcrowding is when the owner is in a perpetual state of distress. Trying to care for too many children day after day and keep up the illusion that nothing is amiss must be very stressful, and will eventually wear on even the most composed of people.
Unsanitary conditions – A common thing parents and daycare inspectors look for in daycare facilities is unsanitary conditions. This is not always a good indicator because overcrowded facilities can be kept spotlessly clean while others are not. However it is something to watch for.
Difficulty keeping staff – Overcrowded local daycares often have trouble keeping staff. If you notice constant staff changes at a facility that could be another warning sign. Caring for too many children and trying to hide it from others is not a job anyone wants to do for very long.
Headcount – Of course the most obvious sign of overcrowding is to get an accurate headcount of children being cared for and the number of staff. You then need to check with your state standards to find out what the acceptable limits are. Your own personal standards must also be considered when making a determination

Good luck, sleuthing, parents!

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What Candy Should You and the Kids Avoid This Valentine’s Day (INFOGRAPHIC)

Posted on February 13, 2016

Valentine’s Day is perfect for getting sweets and goodies, but parents and families have to be mindful of all the extra sugar that is loaded inside Valentine’s Day treats.

Because the day’s goodies are typically loaded with calories and sugar, AquaBall, the only no sugar, no calorie children’s drink on the market put together an infographic (below) showing which Valentine’s Day treats will make the day sweet for your little sweetheart and which ones you should avoid.

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Had the Baby Before the Wedding? Here are 4 Ways to Still have that Fairytale Wedding on a Budget

Posted on February 12, 2016

The fairytale wedding that you’ve dreamed of since childhood may be the most magical day of your life. But weddings come with a hefty price tag. The average cost of a wedding in 2014 was more than $31,000, according to nearly 16,000 brides and grooms surveyed by The Knot. The venue alone can cost upwards of $14,000, and the average wedding dress is around $1,357. Don’t forget these numbers exclude the required engagement ring and honeymoon.

If your savings account falls short of your wedding budget, here are four ideas to financially supplement your wedding funds.

Use Your Mobile Phone to Save

One of the top wedding trends for 2014 is using smartphones to wedding plan, such as researching venues and wedding dresses. Couples can also use their smartphones as a wedding tool for saving. Download Unsplurge, an app designed to help you save with visuals and a community aspect.

Enter “wedding” into the app as the event you want to save for, along with an amount and photo. You can even break down “wedding” into smaller goals, such as dress, venue, photographer and florist. Then using visualizations, the app tracks your progress and keeps you on target to reach your goal. The Town, a section of the app where you can see what other people are saving for, can also help motivate you to reach your financial wedding goals.

Become an Independent Business Owner

Earn extra income by joining the direct selling industry as an independent business owner selling products you’re passionate about. Amway provides the opportunity for you to start your own business and work on the side with flexibility and convenience. This means you can still work full time and wedding plan while growing your business in between. Also, as your business and network grows, you’ll strengthen your investment with higher earning potential. Continue your business even after you’re married to help support other major expenses such as buying a house or starting a family.

Get Crafty & DIY

DIY wedding projects can help you stay within budget — and the extra savings do add up. Not only does a DIY approach give your wedding details a personalized touch, but craft projects also provide bonding opportunities with friends and family. Grab a couple bottles of wine, meet up with friends and create the following items:

Ceremony decor: Avoid expensive speciality arrangements and adorn your ceremony with vases full of locally grown flowers or candle centerpieces to create a romantic ambiance. Popsugar.com also offers 53 stylish DIY wedding ideas, from a farmer’s market bouquet to a glitter star garland.
Favors: Homemade baked sweet treats, such as chocolate bark or heart-shaped cookies, wrapped in a colorful box or cute bags are an affordable, charming wedding favor. Other creative low-cost ideas inspired by Better Homes & Gardens include s’mores kits, recipe cards in brown bags with fresh herbs or custom tea blends in small glass containers with brewing instructions.
Invitations and Save-the-Dates: Wedding invitations cost nearly $430 on average. Create stylish invitations for less with a printable DIY wedding invitation kit. Brides Magazine suggests making DIY thank you cards with a three-tiered wedding-cake shape using three layers of patterned washi tape and black pen to draw the stand.

Raise Money for the Honeymoon

As part of the wedding planning process, couples register for wedding gift items like kitchenware, appliances, home accessories and more. But what about registering for a trip to the Caribbean?

Honeyfund is a free online wedding registry, crowdfunding site and fundraising platform where wedding guests can help you afford the honeymoon of your dreams. With Honeyfund, the perfect honeymoon destination is possible across the globe, from the coasts of Greece to the untouched beauty of New Zealand.

Once your registry is set up, tools are available to share it. Friends and family can easily send payment gifts both on and offline to congratulate you and celebrate your marriage.

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Parenting

Beat the Bedtime Battles With These 6 Tricks

Posted on February 11, 2016

After the end of a long day, the last thing any parent wants to do is fight with their child over bedtime. But for many families, bedtime is a daily source of stress and anxiety that climaxes with a full blown war. The parents want nothing more than their child to go to bed, and the child wants nothing more than to stay awake. While in many cases, the child wins and ends up falling asleep in his parents’ arms, in their bed, or even on the floor, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Consider these 6 ways parents can win the bedtime battle once and for all.

Have a consistent bedtime routine. Have you ever noticed that a young child loves to read the same books over and over again? Children love repetition and love anticipating what comes next. The same is true with bedtime. Kids find comfort in consistent routines. When a solid bedtime routine is established, it builds feelings of comfort, safety and security in the child. Each evening, start your bedtime routine after dinner. Give your child a bath and follow it up with a quiet activity, like reading a book, together. When it’s time to put your child to bed, give him a hug and a kiss before tucking him in. The more consistent your bedtime routine is, the less pushback you’ll get from your child.
Set the mood of the room for sleep. Have you ever noticed that babies can be lulled to sleep by the sound of a vacuum cleaner? The white noise a vacuum creates is soothing and drowns out other sounds. Young children, especially babies, tend to sleep better with white noise in their midst. Whether it’s a fan or a white noise machine, having white background noise helps kids fall and stay asleep. Having the room dark and the temperature set between 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit can also boost a child’s sleep quality and amount.
Establish healthy sleep habits. While it can be tempting to rock your baby to sleep, don’t. Instead, put your baby to sleep when she’s drowsy, eyelids heavy, but still awake. Doing so allows her to learn to fall asleep on her own. Many parents allow their older children to fall asleep watching television in bed. When kids watch television right before bed, they have a harder time falling and staying asleep. Helping your child establish healthy sleep habits will ensure he gets enough good, quality sleep.
Keep kids well rested during the day. Many parents stop allowing their children to nap because they believe that if they nap during the day, they won’t sleep at night. The reality is that overtired children are much harder to put to bed at night. Depriving your child of needed daytime sleep will typically make nighttime sleep worse, not better.
Avoid stimulating activities before bed. After work, some parents enjoy nothing more than roughhousing and wrestling with their children. When active playtime happens right before bed, children can get wound up and calming them down becomes problematic. For nighttime family fun, consider playing a quiet board game or reading a book.
Be sure that everyone is on the page. Whether it’s mom, dad or the nanny putting the children to bed, everyone should follow the same routine. If mom’s ready to sleep train the baby and dad keeps going in the room and picking the baby up, the baby gets mixed messages. Children put up less of a battle when the bedtime routine and expectations are kept consistent.

Good Luck!

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Parenting

Dads Doing their Daughter’s Hair is a Trending Thing

Posted on February 11, 2016

Daddy doing daughter’s hair is a trending thing in social and traditional media…and now with Patene’s Super Bowl ads, in advertising.

Pantene tapped into the recent viral obsession of dads doing their daughters hair when it showed a series of ads featuring NFL players doing (or trying to do) the hair of their daughters. It was part of the hair products company’s “Strong is Beautiful” campaign and was super cute!

I recall back in the fall of 2014 there was this stay-at-home dad who shared a photo of himself doing one daughter’s while attachment parent carrying his infant daughter in a front sling. He got a mix of positive and hate messages reacting to a viral photo of himself doing one daughter’s hair while attachment parenting carrying another on his chest. The negative comments prompted the dad, Doyin Richards, to pen a piece in the Good Dads Project, “I Have a Dream: That People Will View a Picture Like This and Not Think It’s a Big Deal.”

Well it is more and more common nowadays.

Last October, there was much buzz surrounding a Florida dad’s hair styling salon for single dads.

Earlier in the Summer, there was press coverage of Denver dads taking a hair styling class to teach them how to style their daughters’ hair. For $55 for a one hour session, a dad was allowed to bring as many daughters as he wanted to the class.

Since, there have been a bunch of hair salons that have started offering hair styling classes for dads. Nice!

Here are the Pantene spots

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Parenting

Here are 10 Easy Valentine’s Day Crafts For Your Child

Posted on February 9, 2016

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and soon you’ll be scrambling to find activities for your little ones to do while celebrating the day together! Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Make heart shaped pancakes – Make heart shaped pancakes for breakfast! Put pancake batter into a squeeze bottle and draw heart pancakes on the griddle! You can also cut sandwiches, deli meats, and fruits into heart shapes using cookie cutters. Creating heart shaped cupcakes or muffins is simple, just drop a marble or rolled up piece of tinfoil between the baking liner and muffin tin before baking to create an indent in the finished product, it will look just like a heart!
Create a conversation heart wreath – Cut the middle out of a paper plate to create a ring. Have your children help you cut out hearts and write short messages on them such as “I love you” or “You rock” and glue the hearts onto the ring to create a conversation heart wreath. Be creative with your phrases and make them special to your family.
Make your own valentines – Younger children will usually have a party in their classroom to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their classmates, so take some time to help your child create their own cards. They don’t have to be fancy, all you need is some construction paper, glitter glue, stickers, doilies, and adhesive to jump start the creativity in your child. Encourage your child to be creative and let them create whatever they want to, the cards don’t all have to be the same as long as there is one for every child in their class.
Valentine’s Day scramble – Post a piece of paper on the wall that has the words “Valentine’s Day” on it and see how many words you can create from those letters, adjusting to the age of the children around you. How many words can you find? You could also add the traditional candy heart phrases and see what additional words you can make using those letters.
Hold a Valentine’s Day dance party – Invite your neighbors over for a fun, family friendly dance party! Decorate the room with streamers and balloons, choose a few fun songs together, and get ready to dance!
Themed worksheets – A quick search online will turn up dozens of Valentine’s Day themed worksheets, from math sheets to crosswords, so you can easily find something to meet your child’s needs.
Love themed books – Hit up the library for books with a Valentine’s Day or love theme; most libraries will have seasonally appropriate books on a separate shelf, which makes finding them easy. Check a few out and read them together!
Create coupon books for family members – Talk about what love is and what it means and then discuss various coupons you could create to show family members that you care about them. Offer to walk the dog for free, give a back rub, have one on one time, play a game together or offer to sweep the floor. The receiver can then choose when to redeem the coupons. Coupon books are a great way for kids to be able to give back to the family without a monetary contribution.
Go pink and red! – Create a pink and red theme! Pink lemonade, strawberry milk, cupcakes with pink frosting, watermelon, beets, strawberries, and apples are all great pink and red foods to offer for snack time.
Make a paper heart chain – Use your cutting and gluing skills to create a chain of hearts to hang up in your house! You can either create a chain by cutting hearts out like you would with paper dolls or cut out hearts together and tape or staple them together to create a chain of unique hearts. Hang them where everyone can enjoy them.

Good luck and have fun!

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Parenting

Mommy Wars: Yeah, Quit Shaming Smartphone Moms at the Playground

Posted on February 9, 2016

Yes! All of this!

I’m screaming, AMEN! to guest blogger Nikki over at IAmNotTheBabysitter.com who recently blogged about the part of the Mommy Wars where other mothers shame those ladies who are engrossed in their smartphones while their kids play at the playground.

I mean, I get it. We should be engaged with our kids at all time. Or at least, we maybe should make sure they are safely playing and/or not being bullied or being the slide or see-saw bully. Yes. Yes to all of that, but still, there is so much judgment thrown around with regards to different people’s parenting styles.

There is no right or way to parent. Well, actually, there are a lot of people doing it wrong and we see them or their offpsrings in the nightly news. But besides those guys, parenting styles differ and that is okay.

In 2007, I blogged in my first blog, Mschiefmakers, about the difference between a park in a less pretentious area I once visited with my children compared to the middle to upper middle class park in my neighborhood park:

Took the boys to the local play park by my mom’s this afternoon. I noticed how less pretentious the moms were there as half of them were on their cell phones, reading books and having conversations with one another as their kids slid down the slides, pumped their tiny legs on the swings and wiggled and jiggled on the see saws.
In my stodgy, easily more conservative and cautious neighborhood, it was a no-no to be on the phone while at the park with the kids. You’d get these disapproving stares. I’m all for family values and undivided attention and all that, but sometimes you just got to take that call from a client. As a small business owner, I don’t really have the room to lose the few clients I have. I offer them the extra care and attention as a selling point separating me from the big dogs and unfortunately that means interrupted “mommy and me” times with the kids. I sure do feel guilty, but so is the sacrifice for being on my own.

Having had this experience, I could certainly relate to Nikki’s post which you can read in its entirety, HERE!

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Parenting

Use Your Mobile Phone to Save

Become an Independent Business Owner

Get Crafty & DIY

Raise Money for the Honeymoon