Last week, when my daughters' schools were closed for two days for the Rosh Hashanah holiday, I was finaly able to cross a big item off this mom's to-do list. My daughters learned how to ride their bikes! My kids have been riding their bikes -- with training wheels -- for a a few years now. I was nervous about the whole teaching-them-how-to-ride-a-bike thing, and wasn't really sure how to go about it. Plus, my kids never really rode their bikes too much (up until last week), so I wasn't sure whether they were ready to make the no-training-wheels leap just yet. Off with the Continue reading...
Pretty Craft Flowers for a Rainy Day
One rainy day a few days ago, my daughters and I broke out the "Growing Gardens" Kiwi Crate that we received in the mail. My kids had a wonderful time! In the crate was enough craft supplies for my kids to create two adorable craft flowers each out of paper cut outs and pipe cleaners. The craft was simple enough that my girls (both 9) were able to create their flowers completely on their own, without any guidance from me. After they made their flowers, they used the colored clay that comes with the kit to decorate the four Kiwi Crate cardboard pots. I was impressed with the pretty designs Continue reading...
What’s For Lunch: Cookie-Cutter Sandwiches
My kids wanted sandwiches for lunch today, so I decided to jazz up their usual salami/cheese and turkey/cheese sandwiches by cutting fun shapes out with cookie cutters. I simply made the sandwiches (making sure to place the meat and cheese so they will stay in the sandwich once cut), and cut the sandwiches into shapes with some of my cookie cutters. I have a large heart-shaped cookie cutter, and cookie cutters for each of my daughters' first initials, so I used those. I used a smaller heart cookie cutter to top each heart sandwich with a smaller heart-shaped piece of cheese. Below are Continue reading...
What’s for Lunch: Deviled Eggs and Pasta Salad
Now that the school year is here, I am hoping to better manage my kids' nutrition by making lunch for my daughters most school days. In the past, I used to let them buy lunch, since they liked their school's lunches. But, it turns out that this year, my daughters would rather bring in their own lunches, so I am happy! It seems that the appeal of the school's lunches have worn off for my daughters. They also don't like the long lines they have to stand in to purchase a lunch. When I pack a lunch for them, they get to choose their seat in the lunchroom earlier, and get started on their Continue reading...
Kiwi Crates, Fun For Kids
I’ve been offered the opportunity to try and review Kiwi Crate, a subscription service that supplies kids and parents with a box full of fun activities to do each month. We received our first Kiwi Crate in the mail just last week, and my kids are anxious to get started on the projects in this month’s crate! Our “Growing Gardens” crate is filled with two of everything, which is wonderful, since I have two daughters. In the crate are things to create a miniature window garden: Squash and bean seeds, plastic bags to start the seeds in and suction cups for hanging the bags on a Continue reading...
A Day at the Zoo
Thanks to a warm winter and several unused snow days, my kids had a few extra days off this Memorial Day weekend. So, my husband and I took advantage of the extra time yesterday and took the kids to the Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County, N.J. We have a lot of great zoos near us, as where we live in Central New Jersey is close enough to both the Philadelphia Zoo and the Bronx Zoo. The lesser known Turtle Back Zoo was a great pick for us. The zoo was easy to get to, parking was free and easy and there were no crowds. Plus, admission for the family only cost us $34! Among the many Continue reading...
Toy Organization
A big problem most moms face is how to organize kids’ toys. It seems that these days, kids have way more toys than kids did when I was young. Or, maybe, my parents did a better job of organizing my and my sister’s toys when we were kids than I do organizing my kids’ toys. My daughters’ room doesn’t get cleaned as often as it should because it takes me over an hour just to clear all their toys off the floor and their beds before I can change their sheets, make their beds, vacuum, etc. Sometimes, I simply just don’t know where to put it all! Getting Organized So, what to do? I’ve found Continue reading...
Organizing With Shoe Bags
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I’ve been pinning a fair amount on Pinterest lately, and I’ve been finding a lot of creative uses for hanging shoe bags – and I mean doing much more than organizing shoes! I’ve seen shoe bags used as office and craft supply organizers and by adding some potting soil, even as hanging planters. I’ve been thinking of maybe trying the hanging planter idea – I’d like to find something to add interest to my yard’s chain link fence. Organizing This and That A hanging shoe organizer can also be a great central organizing area Continue reading...
Creating Living Space in the Basement
Basements have to be the WORST place to declutter. At least mine is. I've been wanting to create a playspace for my kids in our home's basement for years now, but haven't gotten around to it. That's because our basement, which once once fairly neat with only a few boxes piled in it, is now a mess. When my twins were tots, I didn't have the time needed to keep the space clean, so whenever we had stuff that we needed to store, we just threw it down in the basement. To top if off, we accumulated belongings from family and friends that is now stored in the space. I have set up a play area Continue reading...
TGIF, But Not for the Extra Clutter
It's Friday, which means that the end of the school and work week is nearly here. It's also the day that my children, their eyes bright and searching for praise, empty their school bags out in my living room the minute they get home. Before I know it, the floor will be covered with artwork, drawings, homework and countless other items. I love looking through their work, but dread adding them to the pile of other treasures that sit in my home office waiting to be filed -- either in the "circular" file that only I know about, or to be placed among the many piles of my children's artwork, Continue reading...