Back to School- Top Tips for Staying Organized

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And boom! We are back in school. Gone are the lazy mornings in bed and evenings by the pool. We are up and "at em" early for volleyball and staying up late with homework, dance, and cheer. To keep it all together, we are doing our best to stay organized. For our family, a little prepping saves us time and our sanity. Want to know my favorite ways we "keep it all together"? I am sharing them all today- PLUS a fun $50 giveaway & free products for you!

DIY Crafts for Tweens : Dream Catchers

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One of our favorite things to do in the summer is craft (of course). As the girls get older, I keep looking for new ideas to keep them interested and inspired. I have been fortunate that Craft Project Ideas sends me a box of goodies several times a year. The box contains a variety of beads, string, stickers, paint, pipe cleaners, sequins, and glitter. Then the fun part is up to us... what to make?! 

How about Dream Catchers? 

DIY Ribbon American Flag

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Ya'll! I hit the crafting jack-pot! My oldest daughter is making all my "Pinterest dreams" come true.

You know all those things I have pinned (see here) but have never actually gotten around to making. Well I found someone to make them! My kids! Before you laugh, take a took at this DIY Ribbon American Flag my oldest made. It turned out so cute.

Art is a Trigger

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Do you ever get an afternoon with 'nothing to do'? It seems like those days are few and far between. So when one pops up, we take advantage. Luckily, our 'free day' fell on the exact same day my "Happy Mail" arrived from Craft Projects Ideas.

Via Art Bar 

DIY Abstract Art (Using Tape, Paint & a Canvas)

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My oldest daughter just turned 11 years old. She is at such a fun age, I know that it is hard to see our kids 'get big'. But every year with my girls is better than the last. It's amazing watching them grow and see their personalities develop. For Afton's birthday, she just wanted to have a few friends over for a movie, some painting and a sleepover. I LOVE this painting project because any skill level can do this successfully. It can be customized for any color scheme. And unlike a lot of 'diy paintings'- you will actually want to hang this in your house!

DIY Pineapple Costume

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You know how I feel about pineapples right? Remember when my daughter went to cheer camp last summer and we created an all kinds of 'pineapple' themed decor and treats for the girls on the team? Those were good times! Last weekend, my daughter's team competed at NCA in Dallas in the Youth Level 3 Division. It was a great competition and her team did really well. Prior to the competition, the gym arranged for the girls to have a few dress up days to get everyone pumped up about NCA. Usually, the All Star teams have specific practice uniforms for each day, but during NCA week- it was all about fun costumes/outfits. My favorite one was the "Twins Day". Afton and her friend wanted to dress alike... which gave me the perfect opportunity to craft something super cute!  Enter the DIY Pineapple Costume!

Valentines Ideas (Save for Next Year!)

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Timing is everything. Which is why I am laughing as I write this post. Who wants great ideas for Valentines... on February 17th???? Well I am hoping you do! Or at least you are curious to see what we did for Valentines. And if you are sooo over the whole 'pink hearts and love blah blah blah' well... I hope you pin this post and then come back and read it sometime in February 2018.

Here are my favorites from this past month. I had so many cute ideas planned for Valentines this year and happily we got to do almost all of them!

"Fancy Lunches" for Kids (fake it til you make it!)

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Do you know anyone who makes beautiful bento lunches for their children? Lunches full of fresh veggies, hand-crafted sandwiches, organic fruits... all arranged so artfully they need to be photographed? Well that isn't me! My girls prefer Cheetos, a PBJ sandwich, a few strawberries and a little bit of chocolate. But even if you are a 'lunchable mom'-- you can still up your 'lunch box game'. I have rounded up 4 ideas for creating "Fancy Lunches" for Kids and because I like to keep it real, they are easy!

8 Fun Things to do with Kids on New Year's Eve

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With New Year's Eve just around the corner, it's time to start making plans. Most people with kiddos will ring in the New Year with their kiddos. Which, if you plan a few activities ahead of time, is actually the best! If you will be spending the last night of 2016 with littles, keep reading to see my favorite family activities for NYE.

6 Christmas Games to Play at Home

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Before school let out, I got to help plan my daughter's 5th grade Holiday Party. The party included a snack, craft and some fun games. Although the event was for 10 year olds, the activities are perfect for doing at home with your family (young and old!) Planned games and activities are a great way to get your family excited about hanging out together. Fun is good for all ages! Keep reading for 6 Christmas Games to play at home this holiday season.

Easy Christmas Tree Brownies

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Everyone decorates sugar cookies for Christmas. Want to change things up and do something different? Try these! Bake up a batch of brownies and turn them into adorable little Christmas trees.

DIY Rosette Headband

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Today I am so excited to share with you my favorite hair accessory project- DIY Rosette Headbands! I have been making these headbands for years- I used to sell them to boutiques all across the country. Today, I will share all my best tips and secrets for making this adorable headband. This is the first time I have ever shared 'the how-to' for this perfect 'boutique accessory'. It makes a great gift for girls (and women) of all ages. Now let's get started!

Christmas Party Ideas for Kids (Games, Crafts & More)

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Tis the season for parties! School parties, work parties, neighborhood parties. This time of year, everyone wants to celebrate together. I hosted my daughter's holiday cheer party over the weekend and it was so fun. Her team is made up of fourteen of the sweetest tween girls.  If you are getting ready to host a party for the holidays, keep reading for lots of ideas to make any holiday party a success! 

Santa Pancakes for Christmas Breakfast

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Who wouldn't want to wake up to this cute Christmas breakfast?! Fluffy pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I love to make special treats during Christmas break. Those two weeks when my girls are home from school are the best. Our mornings are slower, we listen to Christmas music and snuggle in jammies by the fire. The glow of our Christmas tree seems to warm the entire house. And making these Santa Pancakes is a treat- not only to eat... but to make!

Break out your apron and keep reading below for the recipe.

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Hat Cookies

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I recently attended a teaching conference and the speaker emphasized the importance of traditions. She explained that traditions help us feel like we belong and that we are loved. A tradition can be something done in a classroom or it can be something done at home. Holiday traditions that are repeated year after year, give us something to look forward to. Holiday traditions build a sense of family and help create lasting memories.

I share all of this because my oldest recently surprised me with her understanding of our family traditions. I was asking her about Thanksgiving and she said 'Well... for Thanksgiving- we always go to Mimi's and we always make Pilgrim Hat Cookies'. This made me laugh because although I do like making edible crafts with my girls around holiday times, I never considered these fun little cookies to be a 'family tradition'.

But to my girls, they are! These cookies are not just cute and sweet. They are a symbol of our family and our love for each other. And because of that, we will be making these every November! Keep reading for the recipe and ideas for creating your own Thanksgiving traditions. (See our peanut free pilgrim hat cookies here  & the no-bake version here and another one here.)

DIY Tea Party for Girls

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More than anything, my youngest daughter wanted to have her birthday party at home this year. And she wanted it to be a tea party. Parties at home can be tricky. Lots of cleaning, setting up, etc. So honestly, I tried to change her mind :) I offered up a big party, with as many friends as she wanted, at one of those trampoline parks. But she was set on the idea of little fancy tea party. And since I can't say no to my girl or the chance to throw a fancy party, I began to plan.... and now I am SO happy that she didn't choose that trampoline park after all!

"Not So Spooky Spiders" Halloween Cookies

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It's getting closer to Halloween, which means it's time to do all those fun Fall things. We visited the pumpkins at the Dallas Arboretum, ran through the corn maze at Hall's Pumpkin Farm, picked out costumes, and today we baked!

"Outer Space Art" inspired by Creative Galaxy

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Today I am sharing a craft that is 'out of this world' :) Ya'll know that one of favorite things to do with my kids is get crafty. Whether we are in the kitchen making a fun snack or breaking out the paints in the craft room-- I really enjoy being creative with my kids. It seems to bring out the best in all of us. And to be honest, sometimes playing with kids (whether its dolls, legos, "pretend" etc) is kind of hard! Which is why being creative together is so great. Artistic and creative projects allow you to spend quality time with your children and keep both of your minds stimulated :) 

Top 5 Back to School Ideas

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I have about a million projects, crafts, snacks etc. that I would love to do for my girls before school starts. But you know-- that's just not going to happen. So I have narrowed down all the pins, saved links, and dog-eared magazine pages to these "Top 5 Back to School Ideas". (And I am giving myself grace, if I only get to one... well that's ok!)

Teach Your Kids to Sew

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My girls are always asking for a craft. This time, my ten-year old really wanted to do a sewing craft. If you ever wanted to sew with your kids, this is the craft for you! Sewing is a good life-skill- it teaches patience, eye-hand coordination, and someday it will come in handy! (trust me!) So I took the girls to Hobby Lobby and bought two inexpensive embroidery hoops, a bit of fabric, needles, and embroidery floss.