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{ Cherished Memory Boxes }

by Filed Under: children, diy, kids, kids craft, kids project, memories, memory boxes, saving memories 8 Comments

More often than not, I’m saving little doodles, projects, jotting memories and more of my little ones! I would use two drawers in my kitchen to keep the stuff, but it was getting out of control! Does this sound familiar? If so listen up!
I ran into these adorable kraft style photo boxes on sale at Michaels for $1.50 each! I should’ve grabbed a bunch, unfortunately I only grabbed two for this project! Once I was home I personalized the boxes with each childs name with stickers I already had (from Target dollar spot!)  You could decorate the boxes with their favorite colors using wrapping or scrapbook paper or even have the little ones draw a picture on the boxes! 
Include all those special memories you don’t want to forget in that little box! I have things like school projects, school pictures, ticket and movie stubs, first haircuts, party invites, etc! I’m looking forward to adding more and more as they grow! I’m sure I’ll end up with a few of these, but it will be so fun to look back when they’re older!

Sharing this project on these fantastic blogs!

{ MC: Favorite Activities When It’s Too Cold Outside }

by Filed Under: children, kids, MC, mommy panel, The Mom Connection, winter activities Leave a Comment

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.
Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.
If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!
Coming on January 26th, we will discuss:
How do you handle picky eaters?
Now on to this week’s topic!
What is your favorite indoor activity when it’s too cold to play outside?
Here is what Mom Connection shared:
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Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. These are some of our favorite activities when it’s too cold to play outside:
Years ago, before Alice arrived into this world, we transformed our basement into an in-home preschool. I was responsible for teaching 6 kids including Averie. It was a lot of fun! I loved working with that age.
Now, my preschool is on hold so we now use that space as a special play area. I would like going down to the preschool to be a special treat. So when it is too cold to go outside and enjoy the day we enjoy playing downstairs in the preschool. It has everything you can imagine, such as library, computer, art table and easel, dress ups, music, pretend kitchen, and much more. As Alice is getting older she really enjoys our trips to the preschool.
Hi! I’m Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I’m a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 4, 3, and 20 months. These are some of our favorite indoor activities when it’s too cold to play outside:
There was definitely a time when I would have drawn a blank on this one. However, like many aspects involving motherhood, I’ve grown in patience and creativity…
I’m learning to see life like children do, and find fun activities in the most ordinary things. There are occasional days in which the kiddos take off to play in each others’ rooms or just play quietly by themselves, but not usually. On the cold days when we’re stuck inside, we do anything from art projects to games, to puzzles, to reading books. We might play in a kitchen sink full of soapy water, plastic dishes, scrub brushes and other random objects. We definitely build forts around the house, and window crayons are always a favorite. We play dress up and have story time, we get out the play dough, cookie cutters, and plastic silverware to create “meals”. We gather every small, disposable object we can find in this house and “decorate” {with glue} poster-board. We glue leftover birthday streamers to mason jars {Anyone else ever notice the jars come in 20 packs? What else would I do with them??} and paint popsicle sticks for no reason at all. We punch shapes out of colored paper with mommy’s shaped punchers and glue them all over a white piece of paper to create masterpieces. You get the idea.
With three little ones who would absolutely LIVE outside if I let them, the key is creativity and viewing the world as a child.
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My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). These are our favorite activities when it’s too cold to play outside:
I actually laughed when I read this week’s topic because when I read it I was standing outside pushing my girls on the swings in 78 degree weather! We rarely get days that are too cold to play outside, however, in the summer time we do get many a day that it is too hot to play outside. So it’s good to have some tricks up your sleeve.
My kids really enjoy playing games. Whether it be our own crazy made up version of “memory” (which really just consists of matching anything that makes sense – like Ariel and Flounder rather than Ariel and Ariel!) or doing large floor puzzles, the kids like games. Our favorite game is called “Hullabaloo.” It’s from the makers of Cranium, and there are floor pieces you stand on and then follow directions from the “brain” as it tells you what to move to. It’s something I enjoy playing with them as well!
Arts and crafts are hit or miss. Unless it’s a really unusual project, I can’t hold their attention span for more than 10 minutes, and it usually takes a lot more than that to set up and clean up.
Finally, they have a new favorite game since Christmas. My five and three year old entertained themselves for over an hour the other day collecting up their books and toys and wrapping them in Christmas paper and having a gift exchange. It was too much fun for everyone! So I will be stocking up on wrapping paper and tape the next time I see it on mega sale! Awesomesauce!
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My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous, Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 20 months and Christian 6 years). These are our favorite activities when it’s too cold to play outside:
Well, we’ve really had a cold winter here in Ohio. We had 4 snowstorms within a few-day time period. There’s nothing worse than having cabin fever with two bored kiddos running around the house! I always have some easy-to-make crafts on hand when there’s “nothing” to do. Both of my kids love drawing, so we draw often – pictures for friends, family, my son’s teacher, etc. Isabella simply scribbles, but it keeps her occupied for quite a while!
We also love to read! Christian is really mastering the skill of reading, so he’s able to read books to Isabella and me. Isabella is mesmerized by him when he reads to her. It’s precious! Isabella even takes her turn “reading” to us and jabbering! I think that reading is so important for a child’s development and I’m thrilled my kids enjoy it as much as they do!
Another go-to activity we do during the winter months is puzzles! Christian went through a phase where all he wanted to do was puzzles, so we have a bunch! Isabella is still too young to understand it, but she sits with us and hands us the pieces. It’s good coordination development for her at the same time! Love spending this time with them!!

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My name is Kristen from The Mrs. & The Momma. I’m the momma of three girls (ages 7, 5, & 3) and a little boy (18 months). This is one of our favorite activities when it’s too cold to play outside:
Homemade playdough! This is a cheap, easy, and fun way to kill numerous hours when the little ones and me are cooped up inside. For my 19 month old, I don’t care if he eats some since it’s basically just flour and salt. I give them cookie cutters, plastic knives, and a place mat…. and they’re good to go for a solid thirty minutes if not more.
Here’s the recipe for Perfect Playdough:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
1-2 pkg. unsweetened Kool-Aid (or food coloring)
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. veg. oil
2 c. water
In a large pot, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well and add oil, water (and food coloring if you did not choose to use Kool-Aid). Stir over medium heat until mixture is almost too hard to stir (it will still look a little wet). Dump out onto counter top (be careful- it’s HOT!) and allow to cool for a few minutes. Knead until smooth and pliable. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!!!!
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Your Turn:

What is your favorite indoor activity when it’s too cold to play outside?
Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!
Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

More Ivory – – Home Decor!

by Filed Under: bedding, children, china cabinet, color inspiration, dining room, family heirloom, Greek, home decor, ivory, microfiber couch, pets, Pinterest Leave a Comment

Ivory, not a very logical color when you have young children or pets… But, you can incorporate it by using it for wall color! I am in full swing of preparing our new home, and although I don’t know an exact color yet, I know I want the walls to be painted a shade of ivory.
My formal dining room set is a family heirloom from my Greek grandparents. It is an stunning piece from Italy in the 1970’s. It includes large oval-like table, 8 chairs, china cabinet and buffet chest. It is ivory articulately embellished with detailed trim and carvings. My husband and I have re-done the fabric on the chairs, giving them a new look to match our decor! I can’t wait to bring this piece back to life and showcase it in our new home!
Currently, the couch we have is a very light, ivory color in microfiber. Although, it’s beautiful to look look at, it’s a booger to keep clean and not great with a dog who sheds and little kids. It is, though, very easy to steam clean and have it back to looking new again! This piece will take it’s new place in our gorgeous loft area!
I would love to have an ivory bedding set for our room, giving it a rich, warm feeling. You can easily add any of your favorite color(s) to fit your needs.
Here are just a few beautiful examples for using ivory in your home!
These look like my formal dining chairs!
Beautiful bedding
Beautiful ivory!
Contemporary- style couch
Ivory and chocolate brown
Ivory and light blue
Pictures courtesy of Pinterest. Original sources unknown.

Glitter Play-dough!!

by Filed Under: activities with kids, children, dollar store, easy, food coloring, fun, glitter, glitter play dough, happy kids, kool-aid, play dough, quick Leave a Comment

Today my son, Christian chose to make glitter play-dough out of the ‘fun’ jar! So we headed off to the dollar store to get the glitter! I had all of the other ingredients needed… The only glitter colors the dollar store had that we went to were red, green and silver, but we were happy with that! The other day, I posted a link to the site that I found the recipe on, but I will go ahead and put it on here again anyways…

Glitter Play- dough:

  • 1 Cup flour
  • 1 Cup water
  • 1/4 Cup salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • Food coloring or Kool-aid
  • Glitter
  • Pot and spatula

I doubled my recipe so that we could make a few different colors. Simply add everything to a mixing bowl, no specific order. Stir, making sure everything is completely mixed. Slightly warm a pot on medium to low heat, add mixture, then add food coloring (or kool-aid which makes it smell good and gives it color!), and lastly add a good amount of glitter. Stir, not letting it stick to the pan, and sort of flatten it with the spatula and flip over. Remove from heat, and let cool. I let mine cool on a plate. After a minute of it cooling, knead it a little to make sure it’s not too sticky or gooey. Let cool completely before letting your little ones play with. *If dough is still too gooey, just add back to the pot and cook a little bit longer. I also bought six small plastic containers with lids to store the play-dough in so it stays fresh!

We made purple-grape scented, red-cherry scented, yellow, green, blue and rainbow. This was extremely simple to do, quick and fun! It’s also by far the best play-dough I’ve ever played with. It doesn’t stick to anything and is very smooth! We will be making this again and again 🙂

Birthday Pictures

by Filed Under: birthday pictures, children, keepsake, love, photographer, Photography by Rose DeVore, photos, Pinterest, Rose DeVore Leave a Comment

Every year like most people, I get my sons picture taken for his birthday. I love looking back year after year to see the differences! I am in love with the idea of having his picture taken and including his name, age and favorite things. I will definitely be doing this for both of my children. What a precious keepsake 🙂
Looking for a great photographer?! Photography by Rose DeVore. Please email me at rosedevorephotographysales@gmail.com

Thank you to Pinterest for this adorable picture!

Decorating for the holidays!!

by Filed Under: children, Christmas, Christmas gifts, Christmas music, Christmas tree, decorating, family, fireplace, garland, gingerbread man, glitter, green, holidays, kids, presents, snow, snowman, Thanksgiving Leave a Comment

I am a huge fan of decorating for the holidays, and I can’t wait to start this year! I know some people that have already setup and decorated their house for Christmas; I personally, think that’s too soon, but to each is their own.. I like to decorate for Christmas right after Thanksgiving! I posted a picture the other day of our Christmas tree last year.. I can’t wait to get it up! This year I am going to do some fun activities with my son to incorporate into decorating the house. I got a 8 pack of green glitter felt Christmas trees and we are going to either use yarn or fish line (haven’t decided which yet) and make it into a “banner” style decor over my lit up garland over the fireplace. Can’t wait to see how it turns out, how I’m picturing it will be adorable. Also, I’m going to have him make and decorate gingerbread men out of felt, glitter, googly eyes, etc. and hand out with our Christmas gifts this year! We are trying to focus more on gifts for our children and each other, rather than everyone else. It might seem sort of selfish, but we don’t have much extra to spend anyways and why struggle? I’m not going to… in fact I would much rather make my kids happy! I am putting together little gifts for each of our aunts and uncles, mother and father in-law, my mom and Nana, that’s it! It really adds up when you do a little here and a little there for so many people in the family. We are trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, rather than just the “stuff”. My son mentioned to me today when we heard Christmas music on the radio, that he couldn’t wait for Christmas so he could get presents… I know as a kid that is what you look forward to most, but I had to explain the meaning to him. I want to make it a time where as a family we spend extra time together and have a lot of fun! Every year as a family we look forward to making our own creative masterpieces, and this year we’re going to do gingerbread trains. We didn’t get to build a snow man last year, so my son is really hoping for a lot of snow, I must say, I am too 🙂 Especially on my birthday (Dec. 16th) and Christmas!

I think these days, more than ever, it is crucial to distill the meaning of FAMILY. Having routines and looking forward to spending time together. I didn’t have a whole lot of structure when I was growing up, and although holidays were fun, they could have really been memorable.. I want to make those lasting impressions on my children and create traditions that they pass on to their kids.


She has a name!

by Filed Under: Buy Buy Baby, children, family traditions, Isabella, Victoria Leave a Comment

Choosing a name was very important to me, but equally important to my husband, Reuben. Important to each of us for different reasons.. When we named our son, his middle name, Keaton, was named after my grandfather. Reuben wanted to continue the trend of naming our child after family, but he didn’t have anyone specific in mind. I was really keen to the first name Isabella and would ask Reuben often for
his opinion! Finally, we both agreed upon Isabella for her first name, but still unsure about the middle name.

Even though this will sound like somewhat of a cliche, we decided on the middle name when we were shopping at Buy Buy Baby. We were both crazy about Victoria, but not sure it sounded good together.. We were shopping around the store looking at bedroom furniture when we came across adorable, handcrafted toy chests. The two on display were, Isabella and Victoria. And then our decision was made! Isabella Victoria 🙂 The significance of the Victoria, related to family would be Reuben’s mom, Vickie.

We couldn’t be more happy with our decision and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our gorgeous baby girl!

Do you have any standards or family traditions you go by when naming your children?!

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