Wheels is the master of life hacks. Give him a challenge and he’ll figure out how to solve a problem with what’s on hand, make square pegs fit in round holes and get things done faster and better. When we decided to add a wreath to each front window on our two story house during the Christmas season, that became another challenge. How to hang a wreath securely with minimal tools in the least amount of time possible? His solution means it takes him ten minutes to hang all the wreaths each year. And that includes going to the garage attic to get them. Here's the secret of his simple solution! It uses curling ribbon and an old bead garland. You could replace the curling ribbon with anything similar but it must be strong and thin. Strong to hold the weight of the wreath in ... [Read More]
Holidays
Happy Thanksgiving
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Thanksgiving Themed Games
There are lots of Thanksgiving crafts for kids. Case in point, Thanksgiving Kids Pinterest Board. They are great and kids love to do them. My boys were only good for so many coloring pages, board games, and projects. There comes a time when a kid's gotta move. And so does a mom! I was glad for the excuse of taking the kids outside because I wanted to move, too! Here are some games guaranteed to get everyone moving and having fun! PUMPKIN ROLL You need pumpkins and sturdy sticks, like a broomstick. Racers line up on the starting line with the pumpkins turned on their sides. At the signal, racers use the stick to ROLL the pumpkins to the finish line. Pumpkins must stay on the ground at all times and hitting the pumpkin with the stick means losing a turn. Tips and ... [Read More]
Elegant Halloween
Halloween is not just for kids. Nor does it have to be creepy. Fun as those things are, there are options. How about an Edwardian Halloween? Elegant and classy. More Edgar Allan Poe than Friday the Thirteenth. A pumpkin covered in black lace. A stack of books. Story -- that bottom book -- the one labeled 'Spells"-- is an old geometry book from high school. I loved geometry and asked the teacher what kind of job used geometry. He didn't know so he made me set out in the hall for the rest of the class. My first job as a landscape designer used geometry. Lots of it. And now I've found another use for geometry -- the base for a pumpkin. So there, Mr. McC! A glittered owl. She looks wise. She probably knows what careers use geometry. And lots of other things. An ... [Read More]
Grasshopper Guts – Halloween Treat
Pin Pretty Please!!! Grasshopper Guts are a Halloween twist on a classic kids treat! This one is simple, not too sweet, and easy to make for your Halloween party. If your preschool regularly allows homemade treats, it also qualifies for the G snack. :-) The F snack? Smashed Frog, of course. For a peanut free treat, use chopped almonds or pecans instead. Or go nut free and use mini M&Ms. Chopped toffee is another possible substitute. Halloween in a preschool classroom is fun! The little ones get so excited about dressing up and “be-tending”. Isn’t that a perfect word!? A great term for trying on a new persona. Being and pretending at the same time. That’s the best part of Halloween -- letting out the inner princess in charge of the world or being the great ... [Read More]
Smashed Frogs – Halloween Candy
Notice that Smashed Frogs cereal snacks only take one half bag of fall colored M&Ms. They only come in the big bag so don’t look for a little one. If you can’t find the fall colors, you’ll have to pick out the brown and yellow and orange ones from a regular mix. And that also means you’ll have to buy a big bag of the regular mix so there is enough. Whichever you buy, you know what to do with the leftovers to keep them from going stale. You are welcome! :-) Smashed Frogs is a pretty standard cereal and marshmallow mixture and follows the same process. Choose dark green food coloring paste if you can find it, as it is easier and quicker to stir into the melted marshmallow mixture. You can wipe butter on a couple of tablespoons and use them to drop the candy mixture on waxed ... [Read More]
