No one wants to leave empty-handed! Make your New Year's Eve celebration more memorable than ever when you treat your guests to their very own swag bag! Visit Party City, Michael’s, or Hobby Lobby for bags that match your party theme. Swag means free stuff, so depending on the amount of guests you'll be treating, consider buying items in bulk to save on cost. Shop stores like Sam’s or Costco for discounts on goodies, or stack up on after-Christmas specials at your favorite retailer (Amazon affiliate links included).
Christmas is over but the winter season has just begun, and the kids have at least another full week of “break” time. Here are 8 things to do before you ring in the New Year!
Something magical happens when you pull the whole family into the EXACT SAME ROOM all evening... push the coffee table off to the side... set up indoor tents, sleeping bags, and sofa cushions... munch on snacks and hot cocoa... and play games or watch Christmas movies all night.
Here are some quick tips for making your Holiday Slumber Party a successful, unforgettable event!
After church, we would stop at Fiesta and pick up bananas, oranges, apples, peppermints, and a package of brown paper bags. Then we'd go home, and for the next hour, the six of us would sit around the table in our small kitchen and package treat bags - 1 banana, 1 apple or orange, and 2 pieces of candy in each bag, then fold down the top of the bag, then set all the bags in a plastic crate. Then it was time to load up the bags and head to the convalescent home.
As kids, my three sisters and I called it the "old folks home," and my dad would admonish us every time. We would put smiles on our faces, visit the residents, hand out bag of treats, sing church songs (my oldest sister had to play the songs on their piano), and pray. And that was that - my first experience with volunteering. At least 2-3 Sundays out of every month, for many many years of my childhood.
Poetry is so much fun to read with kids! My family did a weekly poetry tea time for the longest, then we took a long summer break, and now the kids are requesting it again. This month we'll be starting a poetry "hot cocoa" time, to change things up a bit.
Do your kids like poems?
- Poetry doesn't take a long time to read, so you can start and finish multiple poems in one sitting.
- Poetry can provide comfort, improving your child's mental health.
- Poetry can also improve your child's vocabulary.
- Poetry can give your child a new perspective on the world and help with creative thinking.
- Some poems can make you laugh out loud, which is always a welcome treat.
Throughout our years of homeschooling, my kids have memorized dozens of poems. Memorywork is just one of those curriculum ideas that I never took off the schedule, even as my oldest girls advanced into high school. How nostalgic it is for them to recite an old poem from memory - at the drop of a hat. It's an especially useful skill when we get a Tornado Warning alert, and we all have to pile into the same closet for safety.
Here are some old and newer favorite poetry books to add your your family's collection (affiliate links included):
It's just you and your little one (or big one!) for the day, heading out of the house for a special mother-daughter or mother-son excursion. What's the occasion? Take your pick! You can plan a mother-child escape with any age child, for any number of occasions. Here are just a few:
- birthdays
- graduation (pre-K all the way through college)
- coming-of-age
- dad's out of town for work and you need something cool to do in the meantime
- school holiday
- no reason at all
You really don't need a special reason to spend quality time with your child exploring a new place or activity. Here are some fun things to do to have the most memorable excursion.
Lace up those boots. It's time to visit the pumpkin patch to take adorable photos! If you're looking for a patch in the area, this list is a great place to start.
When you have little ones, a pumpkin patch photoshoot is one of the highlights of the fall season. The family can pose all mannerly and civilized in front of a neat row of pumpkins, or you can spice things up with one of these ideas:
Feeling creative? You don’t have to paint the town red to get your fill! From pottery throwing to painting on canvas, I’ve found 7 FUN-tastic places in our area to unleash your inner artist! (Pictured above: Painting with a Twist)
And if you’re not convinced that you should even care, you might be surprised to learn that art can:
- Help you focus.
- Improve your creativity skills and dexterity.
- Be stress-relieving and therapeutic.
- Produce something tangible to cherish as a keepsake.
- Be a positive way to express your emotions.
- Showcase your talents and skills.
- Be soul-freeing.
Break the monotony of dinner and a movie. Next time you're up for a change of pace, try out one or all of these local artistic favorites:
Halloween Boo Baskets (or boo buckets or boo bags) are all the rage in the month of October! Have you heard of them? They’re a fun custom of sharing Halloween goodies with friends and neighbors by secretly leaving a basket of treats on their front porch. Once the giftee has been “Boo’d”, they pass on the fun by creating another Halloween Boo Basket and gifting it to another neighbor. It’s kind of like a Secret Santa, only scarier!
My eight-year-old will have a new BFF five minutes into our stop at Northshore Park. I'm not sure exactly how the magic happens, but literally within minutes, she and another kiddo are racing around the playground, sharing secrets as though they've been best friends for years.
As we get older, things aren't as smooth. Making new mommy friends in your 30's (and 40's) can be challenging. Now, you're not only looking for relationships that will benefit you, you have to think about those that benefit the rest of your family as well. (Or do you?)
