End of the Year Teacher Gift

Posted by jennifer | On: Apr 08 2013

Ok, so this was actually something I did last year, but I am just getting around to organizing my photos and posting. So, in plenty of time for this year’s end-of-the-year parties. Here’s a fun teacher appreciation gift:

I used tissue paper and twisted it into an ice cream shape, glued on a pom pom for the cherry, and put it in these cute bowls (I think I found them at Hobby Lobby). We added a gift card to the local ice cream shop and packaged with a thank you label. A fun way to thank your teachers as you head off into the summer!

Gift Idea for Runners

Posted by jennifer | On: Apr 02 2013

This was a gift I made for the runner in our family. I painted this on a board and used L shaped screws (from Lowes) to give him a spot to hang his metals.

running-metals

Happy Easter

Posted by jennifer | On: Mar 25 2013

Here’s a fun little arrangement I made a few years ago. I arranged chocolate covered strawberries with a pre-made chocolate bunny on top.

Easter Strawberry Bouquet

You can also checkout some other Easter gift basket ideas, Easter egg lunches, and our egg dying trick HERE.

Fighting the Morning Meltdowns: Solution for Organizing Outfits for the Week

Posted by jennifer | On: Mar 18 2013

In our house, morning meltdowns occur when a sweet little 5-year-old doesn’t like the outfit that mommy picks out for her to wear to school. Or, when mommy requires that the outfit be long sleeves and pants. This kid would wear a skirt and t-shirt through the entire winter if I’d allow it (can you tell she’s from Texas?!).

In an effort to stand my ground and also give her some freedom of choosing her outfits, I came up with these Outfit Tags. On Sundays, we go through her closet together and decide what she should wear for the week. I give input based on the weather and she picks which clothes she wants to wear on which day. So far it has worked wonders. No more morning battles over what she is going to wear. Yay! Even better – since she doesn’t have to get my approval of her outfit choice each morning – she gets ready all by herself!

clothing-tags

To make the tags, I came up with this little design and printed it on card stock. I punched a 2.5 inch hole at the top for the hangers to slide through.

Things to Do in Texas: Temple Railroad & Museum

Posted by jennifer | On: Mar 12 2013

temple-trains

Located in Temple, Texas, this railroad and train museum was a fun morning trip for us. They have a few stationary trains that you can climb on, look in, and even pull the bell. With a group of little ones, we didn’t go through the museum (it didn’t appear to be very kid-friendly). The outside trains were the reason we wanted to visit and it entertained the kids for about an hour. It’s a fun spot to play if you are ever driving along I-35 and need a place for the kids to get out and stretch.

Cowgirl Birthday Cake

Posted by jennifer | On: Mar 04 2013

cowgirl-cake

I’ve been doing a terrible job of keeping up with blogging over the last few months. In an effort to get back on track, I was going through pictures from last year and found this cake that I made for a friend. I really love the way it turned out… it makes me want to have a cowgirl themed birthday party for one of my girls!

Things to do in Texas: Cameron Park Zoo

Posted by jennifer | On: Feb 25 2013

zoo

Right here in Central Texas, we have a really neat zoo. I can’t believe we hadn’t been sooner. The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas is great. We have been to the zoos in Dallas and Fort Worth, but this was a nice day-trip for us. There were no crowds and the walking distance was perfect for younger kiddos. Definitely a place to see in Central Texas!

Elephant Theme 3rd Birthday Party

Posted by jennifer | On: Feb 22 2013

Our little cutie loves elephants so her third birthday party was all about ELEPHANTS!

The Invitation

invite

The Party

table

cake food juice party-favors

pinwheels

The Birthday Girl

shirt

Memory Photo

One of my new traditions is to take a photo of the girls on their birthday and include a few of their current interests at that age. I have their first year well documented in a scrapbook/baby book, but after that, I’ve been terrible at writing things down. This, at least, forces me to document their interests once a year!

payton-age3

Elf on the Shelf Brings Snow to Texas

Posted by jennifer | On: Dec 11 2012

Henry {Our Elf on the Shelf} has been up to lots of mischief over the last week. One of my favorites so far is the fake snow he brought to Texas. The texture was just like real snow but the girls could actually stand touching it and playing with it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make a very good snowman but they were still excited to play in the snow.

You can see more of our Elf on the Shelf ideas from last year here.

25 Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Posted by jennifer | On: Nov 13 2012

We had a great time introducing our Elf On The Shelf, Henry, last year. Taylor (4) was a bit terrified after reading the story. The thought of a small elf watching her all day really freaked her out. She warmed up to him after seeing all of the mischief he got into each morning. I’m looking forward to bring Henry back in a couple weeks! Here are some of our ideas from last year.

Snowman Donuts (a peace offering on the first day)

Elf Made Lunch

Working on the Laptop

Left Grow Capsules for the Girls to Finish

Coloring

Wrapped a Present That They Got to Open Early

Eating Ice Cream

Carried Away By Balloons (Dum Dums)

Toilet Papered the Bathroom

Taking a Bubble Bath

Brought an Ornament (so we can remember the year we introduced Henry)

Making Brownies

Henry left a note telling the girls to finish adding the ingredients and bake.

Watching a Movie on the iPod

Sneaking M&Ms

Tangled in Christmas Lights

Fishing

Henry Has A Cold

Hanging from the Fan

Riding a Horse

Reminding the Girls to Brush Their Teeth

Henry the Explorer

Riding in the Car

With a 1 year old in the house, we had to put Henry out of reach.

Making Faces on Family Pictures

Going to Grandma and Grandpa’s House

We traveled the days leading up to Christmas. In order to get Henry with us, the day we left he was found hanging out in the car. The next day, he made his way inside grandma & grandpa’s house.

Eating Taylor’s Gingerbread House