Non-Scary Halloween Part 1 -- Peanuts Party, Teal Pumpkin & More

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

It is October and this is Hazel's least favorite month. Many of the Halloween decorations and costumes scare her. In fact there are only a few stores she will go into with me this time of year. Yes, just seeing the Halloween displays can give her nightmares. But she does love to dress-up and loves to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood, so I always try to find a friendly way to celebrate Halloween. Last year we did a Christian Halloween party. This year Hazel discovered Snoopy and the Peanuts gang so thanks to Oriental Trading we are hosting a Peanuts themed Halloween party. 

Bringing God and the Bible into Your Life for All Ages

 Disclosure: Kregel Publications sent me copies of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Do you want to bring God and the Bible into your life more or perhaps into your child's life? Today I am sharing some books and a printable game for kids to do just this. Going by age we will start with the book for the younger child, The Bible and Me: Stories with a Message to Live By retold by Lois Rock and illustrated by Alida Massari.  

Multicultural Math: Leonhard Euler -- Global Learning for Kids

This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring Switzerland. Since we explored Switzerland last year before Global Learning for Kids officially started, I thought we would focus on a Swiss mathematician. Hazel did remember some of the books and wants cheese fondue again. We did read a few of the same books and watched two DVDs (one of which we watched last year as well).

Beyond the Tiger Mom -- Book Review with Math Lessons & Free Printables

 Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

As a parent I want to make the best choices for Hazel and I am sure you feel the same way about your own children. With all the mixed messages out there it can be hard. There are the studies that say our children need more free play time and then there are the messages that our kids need to be doing academics more. I had a conversation with a fellow parent of one of the boys in Hazel's class that expressed concern about the school not stressing the academics enough. I was a little shocked because in my opinion it was stressing them too much at such a young age. But this mom has five children with the boy in Hazel's class being the youngest and she told me her older children (who started at a different Christian school that has since closed) had a better foundation in math than our kids are getting. She even talked about the Asian families in Singapore and having to compete with them. It does make one wonder what is being done differently in Singapore, Asia and in Asian American families that often put their kids in the top positions in math and science classes. 

All Things Bright and Beautiful -- First Look Book Review

Sharing Saturday is still open!! Stop by to be inspired and share your child-oriented crafts and activities!

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Worthy Ideals. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you a beautiful picture book called All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander and illustrated by Katy Hudson. This book makes the song come alive with its gorgeously detailed pictures.

The Sparkle Box -- A Must Read Christmas Book!!

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge from Ideals Books./Worthy Kids. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

When reading Christmas books I always like ones that have the true meaning of Christmas in the story. Many just retell the story of the first Christmas, however the book I am sharing with you today does not. It shares the real meaning of Christmas with children and gives an activity for the family to do as well to focus on Jesus during this sometimes over commercialized season. The Sparkle Box by Jill Hardie and illustrated by Christine Kornacki is one of my favorite Christmas books ever. 

Happy Thanksgiving -- Easy Craft and Free Printables!

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where family and friends gather and are thankful for the many things we have. It is a time where I also think about the history of the United States and pray that we can treat each other better in the future. Above is a simple paper plate craft that Hazel made at Lakeshore Learning this past weekend. It is meant to be a centerpiece, but ours does not stand up very well. I think maybe a toilet paper roll instead of the rolled up brown paper would be better. However it is really cute and I loved all the things she is thankful for this year! You can download instructions on their website for this craft and all the free crafts for kids. 

Back to School Lunch Ideas and Clothes: Everyday Bento Book Review & More!

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. I am a Little Passport and a Gymboree Affiliate. If you purchase from the Gymboree or Little Passports links provided I will earn a small commission.  

Are your kids back to school yet? Here in Massachusetts we have between one to two weeks more to go in general, but there is a lot of buzz about the start of school. I also know my Facebook news feed is full of those first day picture from friends across the country. Well I know as a mother there are two things on our minds besides those school supply lists we all get from the teachers--school lunch ideas and new school clothes. I remember as a child going back to school shopping. I always looked forward to it. Since Hazel wears a uniform to school we do not worry so much about back to school clothes as we do just new fall clothes. This summer she definitely grew in fact many people have commented on how much taller she seems as the summer winds down, so she has changed sizes again. This meant a few trips to Gymboree for new fall clothes. But first lets talk about those lunches. 

Lucky Ducky Valentines with Free Printables

Now I know I have talked about Hazel's Ducky before. When I saw this idea for a Valentine, I knew we had to do it. Of course, I cannot find where I saw it. Sorry!! However, I found red and pink mini rubber ducks at Michaels and bought two packages of 8.

Groundhog Masks inspired by the Wild Kratts with free pattern

Hazel's favorite television show is The Wild Kratts. It is on PBS and features Chris and Martin Kratt in real life who go into cartoon to explore different animals lives. In cartoons they have all sorts of great technology including creature power suits that allow them to change into the animals. Of course it is not on enough for Hazel so we watch it On Demand often. Since she was home all last week we have been watching the four or so shows that are On Demand over and over. One of the episodes is an Episode from Season 2 called Groundhog Wake Up. (You can see the full episode here for $1.99.) I am sure it is On Demand since Groundhog Day is fast approaching. On the show they make a map on their Creature Pods (I think that is what they are called) after scanning a real groundhog's burrow. Hazel decided to use her play tent as her burrow with the tunnel as one of the entrance tunnels. Watching her play groundhog gave me an idea.

"Groundhog, eating" by D. Gordon E. Robertson - Own work.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

DIY Disney's Frozen Birthday Party Thank You Notes--Free Printable

Last week we shared the fun things we did, served and decorated with for Hazel's Frozen-themed birthday party. The girls are still talking about it and how much fun they had. Hazel thinks it was the best party ever!!

Frozen Themed Birthday Party with free printables and product review

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This weekend we had Hazel's Frozen themed birthday party. Ever since Hazel saw the movie (her first movie at the theater), I have been collecting Frozen ideas on Pinterest. I got to use several of the ideas I pinned and products I pinned for this fun party. All of the girls had a great time and loved it. Today I am going to share the details with you including the products Oriental Trading sent me for the party to review. First I have to share Hazel's Elsa dress. Elsa is Hazel's favorite character in the movie and she really wanted an Elsa dress. With all the sheer fabric on them I knew her delicate skin would not be able to handle just any Elsa dress, so I made one for her. I used the Simplicity Pattern 1233, however I lined the bodice and cannot imagine using any of the sequined fabrics without lining.

DIY American Girl Doll Themed Birthday Party with Free Printables

For Hazel's sixth birthday, we decided to have a small family party and a friends party. So on her birthday we invited her grandparents (and aunts and cousin who live too far to come) and a few close friends like her godparents and their daughter. Since Steve always takes Hazel's birthday off and her grandparents are retired, we had the party on her actual birthday. We had all three of her living grandparents, her godparents' daughter (age 3) with her grandmother and one of my best friends with her two boys (ages 4 and 1) who Hazel loves. The invitations invited the guests to bring a doll with them. Only the two boys did. Hazel wore the crown I got at the American Girl Doll Store for my birthday and Ducky wore one of the ones that the dolls got. 

Doll Sized Starbucks!

The other day Hazel and I were at Starbucks (a favorite place to go of ours) and we noticed the adorable cup ornaments they have for sale. We realized they were the perfect size for the 18-inch dolls. Hazel of course had to have one, so we bought one. My plan had been to wait until after Christmas and buy her some more on clearance, however when we were at our normal store one of the managers informed me the tend to sell out quickly, so I should buy them now. We did. Hazel was so excited to play Starbucks with her dolls. 

DIY Doll Checkers Game & Clipboard

Make sure to enter my current giveaway!!

We needed to go to Home Depot to get air conditioner filters. We have a friend from church who works at Home Depot so Hazel and I always take Steve's list to him and he helps us find everything Steve needs so Steve doesn't have to deal with Home Depot on a weekend. Hazel also loves to go visit our friend. I remembered seeing this pin for a doll clipboard and mistakenly thought it was sample floor tile, so we got two of those while we were there. Now the floor samples are square and did not make the perfect clipboard (I may go back for the counter sample).

While driving home Hazel commented how the square tile would make a good checkers board. She had fallen in love with the one at the American Girl Doll Store that came with the Fun and Games Table for $58.  We were able to make one for free! We got a wood floor sample from Home Depot and used a printed checker board (which I will provide as a download), Mod Podge glue, red and black foam sheets and a hole punch. You could also use a 4"x4" square of cardboard instead of the floor sample.

At first I made a typical black and white checker board, but Hazel wanted a red and black one, so I made another print out and covered the black and white one. For my printable, I offer both in case you have a preference or your doll does. All I did was cut the checkerboard out and use the Mod Podge glue to stick it to the wood sample and then put a thin coat of the glue over it. I used a glossy finish because it is what I had.

Now I was going to buy buttons to be the checkers, and I stopped at Joann Fabrics yesterday to see what they had for button sizes. I didn't buy any since I wanted to figure out the size of the squares first. Then last night I was trying to think about what else we could use for buttons and I was thinking of cutting them out of paper, but that would be too thin and I thought of foam. I went to our foam supply and got a regular hole punch (I was wishing I had a slightly bigger one) and punched twelve checkers from a red sheet and a black sheet. Sorry with the lighting the black ones are hard to see on the black squares.

Finally Hazel's dolls were ready to play a game. Hazel invited Mimi over for a game.

Hazel is getting ready to make the first move.

So instead of $58 to get a checkers game we made one for free! I thought about doing a box, but decided since the board cannot fold, not to bother. 

For more DIY doll ideas check out:

• Doll Panties from a Newborn Onesie
• Easy Spa Wrap from Washcloth
• DIY Doll Sandals
• DIY Wooden Doll Table
• Doll Ice Cream Sundae Party
• DIY No-Sew Doll Purse
• Cheap Doll Items to Buy or Make
• DIY Doll Pencil 
• Doll Mermaid Tail and Tutorial with Free Pattern
• Leather Doll Clothes
• Easy Doll Clothes to Sew New or From Baby Clothes
• Baby Doll Clothes and Changing Area
• Making a Waldorf Doll
• My Doll Clothes and Craft Pinterest Board

DIY Mermaid Tail for an 18-Inch Doll with Free Pattern

I have finally found time to give you the tutorial for the mermaid tail for the 18-inch dolls. I shared pictures of the first one awhile ago. I should mention that Hazel has of course lost the first one. Or at least misplaced it. I was hoping to tweak my pattern a bit but my tweaks without having the first one did not work well. 

DIY Easy Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse Cake Plates & Free Food Label Printables

So when I bought all the Minnie Mouse stuff on clearance I did not get cake plates. I had pink cake plates we could use and Hazel was willing, however I kept seeing plates with ears on them as I researched for ideas. I realized how easy it would be to make them. I bought a pack of black cake plates at the Dollar Tree. Supplies to make the Mickey Mouse plates is just a pack of plates, black construction paper (two large sheets gave me enough ears for sixteen plates), a 3-inch circle punch and a glue stick.

I decided to use glue stick instead of craft glue so there would not be excess on the plates. To make Minnie Mouse plates you also need pink polka-dot paper (I found a pack of bright polka dot paper at Target--it was the only place I could find any) and scissors. I used the free jpg of bows at The Lovebugs Blog: Lovebug's Bow-tique Birthday Party.  Since I got them as a jpg, I was able to shrink the size for the plates. I am providing the new size of bows, but go check out her site for other great printables!! Here are the bows I used.

To make the plates, just punch two ears for each plate. I folded my large construction paper in half and did both sheets at a time so I got enough for two plates each time. Take two circles and put a little glue on one edge. Then glue to plate in appropriate places. Hold for a few seconds since it takes a bit of pressure to get the glue stick to stick. Let dry and do the next one. These will give you Mickey Mouse cake plates.

Mickey Mouse Cake Plate

(Sorry for the poor quality picture. My camera is acting funny!!) To make Minnie Mouse print out the bows using the template shared above on your bow paper and then put a small amount of glue stick on the back bottom edge of the bow and hold in place on the plate. You could also glue a ribbon bow on, but this would take longer and seeing how they are cake plates that will end up being messy and thrown away, I didn't think it was worth the expense or time.

I think they look cute and Hazel loves them! Since we are talking cake plates, I thought I would share our food labels with you as well. I will explain the food that goes with them in another post. I gave Hazel the choice of two types. I am providing you with both!  Just click picture for each type.

Food Labels Using Characters and Clip Art Found On-Line

Mickey & Minnie Mouse Food Labels

To make the Minnie Food Labels, I added bows again. I used the same template, but slightly larger. You can find them here.

So that is our newest installment of our Minnie Mouse Birthday Party series! For more posts check out:

• DIY Minnie Mouse Pinata and Free Activity Signs
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Tote Bags for Favors
• DIY Mickey and Minnie Mouse Ears and Party Printables
• Minnie Mouse Napkin Rings for Party
• DIY Party Decorations Product Review
• Minnie Mouse Outfit
• Minnie Mouse Dress
• Minnie Mouse Purse
• My Minnie/Mickey Mouse Party Idea Pinterest Board

DIY Minnie Mouse Pinata & Free Party Activty Sign Printables

Disclosure: I was sent the black jumbo streamers to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Free Valentine-Emphasized Scripture Printables

Have you seen all the wonderful Valentine's Day crafts that involve John 3:16? I love them!! Oriental Trading has a kit to make 12. I love the craft one on Catholic Icing: John 3:16 Valentine Craft. When Hazel can write better we will be doing this. A few years ago I did a couple of printables of it in different fonts. Click on the picture to get each one.

Then this year forgetting I had done the other year and once realizing it knowing I wanted a different Bible version than the one I used I made another one this year.

Then after doing the heart peacock craft with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, I decided to make one using that verse since it is so often used at weddings and is about love.

Then I made them both smaller to fit in the little frames I picked up at Michaels when they went on clearance.

 I love that we can keep them out all year. I know the frames are meant to be vertical, but I already had them.

Click any of the pictures to get that printable!

These printables are my Valentines for you!! I hope you like them!! Have a day full of love and friendship!! For more Valentine's Day themed ideas check out:

• Free Printables for Valentine Cards and Teacher Gifts 
• Celebrating Valentine's Day with 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 
• Valentine's Day Crafts some with Scripture and Bible References
• Simple Felt Hearts for Garland or Wreath
• For the Love of Geometry: Geometric Love Poems
• Strawberry Heart Muffins
• Felt Heart Gift--Hand Sewn
• Lavender Heart Sewing Lesson (Hand Sewing)
• Preschool Made Simple Valentines
• Valentine Tea Party
• Valentine Swap & Lots of Valentine Crafts
• My Valentine's Day Pinterest Board

Free Valentine Printables for Cards and Gifts

Today I am going to share a few ideas for Valentines which we made this year as well as teacher gifts. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of our main Valentines for Hazel's class and her party was yesterday since tomorrow is a teacher conference day. However we had some foam hearts and sparkle letters to write the names and then on the other side we used a label that says "Make no mistake, you are my Valentine." and we used glue dots to put heart erasers in the middle. The labels are available here and we used Avery 8663 (clear shipping labels).

For teacher gifts Hazel decorated some small jar candles. I took the labels off them first. Then she glued on some hearts from scrapbook paper. Next she glued on tissue paper. We used Mod Podge glue for these. Next we used one of the scripture stickers that Current sent me. Then I did a thin coat of Mod Podge over all of it. We used the high gloss Mod Podge. We left them to dry overnight. The next morning I tied on bows and added heart labels. One side of the label said, "Happy Valentine's Day!" and the other side said, "You light up my world! Love," and Hazel wrote her name. We also made labels for some Lindt Chocolates that I bought on clearance at Christmas time for all of her teachers (she has three specialty teachers--music, gym and library) that on the back said, "Thank you for being so sweet! Love," and she wrote her name. All of these labels are available here. I printed them on card stock and glued the fronts and backs together.

Since Hazel does not have school and she has been asking for a playdate with her four best friends at school, I thought we would do it on Valentine's Day. Only two of the friends can make it (next week is vacation week so a few are taking advantage of the extra day to leave). Hazel insisted on exchanging Valentines with them again. So this time we used some Valentine themed pencils and made these:

 

Hazel is writing her name on them and decorating them. These Valentines are available here.  She also wanted to have a book swap so we asked the girls to bring an unwrapped book as well. I thought it was perfect for International Book Giving Day. And since it is International Book Giving Day, I got a book to give Hazel--one of her favorites, The Little Moon Princess by YJ Lee. We also gave a book to her classroom, Jan Brett's Mossy, and will be giving The Colors of Us by Karen Katz to our public library. We made a donation earlier this week at the library for their book drive for this day as well. I love the tradition of giving her a book for Valentine's Day since it is not something wasted or candy. What do you do for Valentine's Day with your kids?