5 Reasons Why Guinea Pigs Make a Great First Pet

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kaytee, but all opinions are my own. I wouldn't telly ou about something I didn't love. Promise.
Getting a pet seems like a rite of passage for most kids, but sometimes a family doesn't want the responsibility of a cat or dog. Why not consider a guinea pig? Several years ago, my pre-teen son wanted a pet of his own and he did a lot of research on what would be best. He kept going back to guinea pigs and after having Norman and Cooper in our home for more than two years now, I'd have to agree that guinea pigs make a great first pet. Here are five reasons why your family should consider getting a guinea pig as a pet.

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Harry Potter Chocolate Pretzel Rod Wands

There is nothing I love more than watching my children devour a good book. I love to read and have done my best to foster a love of reading in my children. It helps when there are books like Harry Potter that kids just gravitate towards. There is something magical about those books that have drawn my kids in and created a desire to devour page after page. It's no wonder they have spanned the gap between generations. These chocolate wands are the perfect treat for any Harry Potter fan. They would make a great distraction during a long holiday break, for a book club treat or for an upcoming Harry Potter birthday party snack. They are fun to make and fun to eat and everyone will love them!

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How to Keep Travel Sports Siblings Entertained

As a travel sports parent, you already know how much your young athlete loves their sport, or else you probably wouldn’t spend the crazy amount of time and money it requires. Chances are that you love the sport, as well, or at least the bonds you have made with other travel families.

There is one group of people that may or may not be as thrilled about the whole travel sports thing - the siblings. Brothers and sisters are usually just along for the ride. Often, they make friends with the other siblings and keep each other occupied during long travel weekends and practices. But, what do you do when there are no other kids their age or when the whole group of siblings is bored?

Don’t panic! Just plan! You know it’s going to happen, so just be ready. Here are some ideas to keep your travel sports siblings happy.

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10 Epic Places to Visit with your Family in the United States

When my kids were younger it felt like they would always be in our home. But then we blinked and we realized that we had just a few years left before kids started launching. My husband and I think that travel is a really important gift to give to our children, so we started making a family travel bucket list. We had 5 locations and 5 years to complete them before our oldest left for college. Just after our son's graduation from high school, we completed the final destination that we had laid out. We still have two kids at home and haven't stopped traveling, so I thought I would share 10 epic places to visit with your family in the United States. You can take these as suggestions to add to your family travel bucket list or cross them off one at a time. Either way, I don't think you will be disappointed!

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Easy DIY Unicorn Notebook Back to School Craft

It's back to school time! Kind of hard to believe because I think the summer just started, but alas, we are back to another school year. I remember sending back some of my kids but not all of them and the ones left behind were always looking for school-like things to do while their siblings did their homework at the table in the afternoon. This DIY unicorn notebook would be the perfect thing for that! Or, maybe your kiddo needs a little journal to help jot down their thoughts after school. There is a lot that happens during the day, maybe they want to write it down and process it. Whatever you are using this unicorn notebook for, it's not only fun to put it together, but it's fun to use. I'm not sure I have met a kid right now who doesn't love unicorns, so give this fun little craft a try. I've got everything you need and a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it.

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Back to School Kleenex Teacher Gift with Free Printable Gift Tag

This post is brought to you by Kleenex­® Facial Tissue. All opinions are 100% my own. 

It's hard to believe that the summer is coming to an end, but I've started seeing the aisles at the store fill with school supplies and back-to-school-themed everything, so I know it's coming. Maybe you've already started digging into your kids' school supply list or perhaps you are dragging your feet soaking up every last second of summer. Whatever camp you fall in, it's happening, so let's get you prepared. 

Several years ago, with college expenses looming and a school system in desperate need of emergency substitute teachers, I signed up to be in the classroom. I got a totally new outlook on how classrooms are run from a teacher's perspective and was shocked that many of the supplies kids brought in on the first day of school were depleted from the shelves by mid-year. I stopped complaining about the 26 glue sticks we were asked to send in and started sending in extra supplies. I'm not going to say I became the classroom hero but...ya know.

I will say, it sure made for some grateful teachers who were very thankful for my support. I'm sharing a simple way you can help this year as your kids head back to the classroom. You'll be a hero in the eyes of the teachers-I promise you that.

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Create the Perfect Summer Snack Cart

During the summer my teenagers eat like they did when they were newborns. You know, every two hours. It's a constant struggle to keep the refrigerator and the pantry stocked with enough food. But I don't want them grabbing just anything, and I don't want to hover and monitor what they are putting in their mouths every second either. The goal is to launch them into this world in just a few short years for goodness sake! It's my job as a mama to steer them in the right direction making good food choices, so I came up with a solution that works for all of us. I set up a summer snack cart. I kind of learned this little trick several years ago when my kids were much younger and coming home from elementary school starving. I would have a prepared fruit or veggie platter out for them when they walked in the door and it was like a magnet. The same is true of this summer snack cart. I've filled it with healthy snacks that will keep them energized and fueled up for their active summer lifestyles and the snacks are things I feel good about them grabbing throughout the whole day. Come check out how I put together the perfect summer snack cart.

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Sneaky Ways to Get Your Kids Outside

disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Culturelle® Kids. All opinions are 100% my own. 

I have fond memories of spending most of my childhood outside. We would spend hours with neighborhood kids making up games to play and wandering from yard to yard. I even found this old newspaper article from our local town paper when I was only 5 playing with some of our best friends.

Things have changed over the years and there are lots of fun shiny things that grab kids attention indoors but the desire to get outside and explore nature is still something that is innate in growing bodies. As parents of children in this generation, we have to put a little more effort into getting our kids outside. We may even have to be a little sneaky about it. Outdoor play and recess offers so many benefits to a child's development.  Kids need to be outside {or as I like to say to my kids "get the stink blown off of ya"} to receive the cognitive, health, emotional, social and physical benefits and I've got some ideas for you to help you do that.

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Create a Reading Nook for Kids Using What You Have

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Activate. I have read to my kids since they were young in an attempt to create life-long readers. It's getting harder and harder now that books have to compete with hand-held screens but I'm doing my best to try! Summer is the perfect time to encourage reading since study after study has shown that children who don't read over the summer decline or stagnate in their reading abilities. You don't want all that hard work during the school year to be undone during those dog days of summer now do you? So I'm sharing how I created a reading nook in my home that is encouraging my kids to pick up a good book and curl up for the afternoon. There is nothing fancy about it and I'm showing you how!

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21 Camping tips, tricks and hacks

These pictures make it seem like we are a camping family. We are not. We call this faux camping. 

On two different occasions we have worked with local photographer Stephen Matera on two separate campaigns for Kelty camping gear. The funny thing is, we don't camp. We only "camp" with the safety of a photographer nearby and we NEVER spend the night. What are you crazy?! 

We have heard though that there are families that enjoy camping. I know that summer is a popular time to pitch that tent and spend the weekend in nature, so if that's your thing, I have gathered 21 camping tips, tricks and hacks just for you. 

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20 Patriotic Crafts for Kids

The Fourth of July is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start crafting those patriotic crafts with the kids. I've gathered 20 fun crafts that you can make in the next few weeks to help you celebrate the Fourth of July.

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15 Easy Crafts to Make for Father's Day

Father's Day is right around the corner. When my kids were little, my husband always complained that he never got any sweet handmade gifts from the kids. School was usually out by the time Father's Day rolled around, and while the moms were usually gifted some handmade sentiment, the dad's got left out in the dark. Don't leave that special dad or grandpa out in the dark! Spend some time making these 15 easy crafts for Father's Day.

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Summer Fun! Summer Activities for Kids

I used to break out in cold sweats when I would think about the last day of school. The kids were going to be home for weeks straight and unless I wanted our home to turn into The Hunger Games where only the strongest survived {and I'm fairly certain that wouldn't have been me}, then I needed to come up with a plan. I needed activities, I needed play dates, I needed things on the calendar that we could look forward to.

Those activities didn't have to be elaborate, they just needed to be something I could break out of my secret stash of mom goodies if I heard the words "I'm bored" or if I started to hear the rumblings of fighting between siblings. 

I've collected a few of those activities that you can have on hand to put in your back pocket to help you stay sane and to give your kids some fun activities this summer.

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All About My Mom free printable questionaire

There is nothing cuter than having your young child answer questions about someone who is close to them. I still go back and read the answers that my kids wrote about me when they were in pre-school. Which is why I put together a free all about my mom printable that you can use for your kids to capture their answers.  I promise you, your older kids will look back on it and get a chuckle too.

This would be something sweet to help kids do for their mom's for Mother's Day, or it would be fun just because.

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Kids hand painted watercolor cards made into gifts for friends and family members

I know Christmas is over, but we didn't want to spoil the surprise for our friends and family members, so I'm just now sharing them with you. These watercolors are winter heavy, but the same idea can be used anytime of the year to make a special gift for friends and family members.

My 13 year old daughter painted them and I think she did a great job.

Come see what each of them looks like and find out how you can make your own.

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Easy painted tribal driftwood for your summer treasures

We live just minutes from the beaches of the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest.  As an Indiana girl that's been transplanted, I can't get enough of the beach, but our beaches are just a little bit different than some.

We have an abundance of rocks and driftwood at our beaches.  Which means on our beach combing, we usually pick up sand dollars and shells but also cool pieces of driftwood and uniquely shaped rocks.

 I'm always wondering what to do with all of our beach treasures, and perhaps you are too.  Or maybe you are visiting the beach this summer and want to create a treasure from your time there, either way, this easy painted driftwood is a fun summer camp activity for kids of all ages!

 

Start by picking out your favorite pieces of driftwood. One of my kiddos gravitates to the smooth round pieces, another goes for the rough thick pieces.

 

 Pick out your paint colors and start painting! I did one color at a time.  You really can't mess it up!

 

Once the wood was dry {it doesn't take long!} I let my kids go to town with sharpies. They drew all kinds of designs and markings on their driftwood and had their best time!

 

Your new painted driftwood makes a fun keepsake from your trip to the beach.

 

I've made a few other driftwood crafts on my blog.  You can find the full tutorials for them here.

 

Do you make anything with the treasures you find on the beach?




This post originally appeared on Design Dazzle as part of the Summer Camp series.

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Introducing the new We Made It line from Jennifer Garner and Joann's

As a mom, one of my favorite things to do with my kids is to craft and create.  Which is why I love this new line of creative kits and projects called We Made It from Jennifer Garner exclusively available at Joann's stores.

We are barely into our summer already and I am already getting the reports of how bored my children are, so I was happy to be able to take out this fairy princess craft kit with my daughter and spend the afternoon creating together for my three year old niece.  

Bri obviously loved the tutu and wand her big cousin made her and I can't wait to introduce you to the line of more than 100 creative kits and projects designed for kids ages 4-11.

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Tie Dye party with 6 different tie dye shirt restyle creations

Tie-Dye party with 6 different tie-dye shirt restyle creations

The weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining and the friends are coming over in droves! We are always looking for fun {electronic free} activities for the kids, especially as they get older.  My 13-year-old daughter Isabella is very much like I was at that age.  She is drawn to anything creative where she can express herself.  Her friends are very much the same way. So one afternoon, a half a dozen girls gathered around my patio table for some tie-dye fun!  But the fun didn't stop there!  We created six different ways {most of them no sew} to restyle their t-shirts!

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The days are long. How to beat the boredom this winter

It's not quite as dark in the morning any more. The sun is starting to come up before I leave the house to workout and it's staying out after the kids get home from school.  But we have been lucky this year.  The word on the streets is that Seattle is having their warmest winter on record.  It's been pretty amazing.  But I know not all of you have been so lucky. The Midwest and East coast seem to keep getting pelted with snow and freezing temperatures.  I hear reports of the longest winter ever.  In case you fellow moms and dads need it, last year I wrote 15 kids activities to beat cabin fever. 

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Clay ornaments made with cookie cutters and stamps

Can you believe that my nine year old son made these ornaments?!

They were such a fun activity for the two of us to work on one night and I think they turned out great.

These are the supplies you will need:

sculpey clay

silver paint

cookie cutters

rolling pin (or brayer) 

skewer

stamps

Start by taking a small bouncy ball sized piece of your sculpey clay and working it with your hands.

It's very stiff so just stick with it.

Once it becomes more easily manipulated, you can use your brayer or rolling pin to roll your clay out flat.  You will want to roll it to about a quarter of an inch thick if you are stamping it and an eighth of an inch thick if you are just going to use the cookie cutter.

Use your cookie cutter to cut out your shape.

If you would like, you can also use your stamp to make designs in the clay.

Poke a hole in your ornament with your skewer and bake according to the package directions.

Once your ornament is cooled, you can paint it if you want, or leave it white.

Place a ribbon as a hanger and stand back and admire your new creations!

These would make simple gifts for your kids to make or for a group craft project.

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