College Student Cookbook and Other Gift Ideas

0 Comments/ in Other Fun Things We Want to Share / by Kirstylee

May 17, 2013

It’s that time of year when school gets out and students are graduating! If you’re like me it’s hard to come up with ideas of what to get 18 year olds and even college graduates. Fortunately, I’ve come up with a list of great ideas that the graduates you know are sure to love!

First off, I’m going to put a plug in for our College Student Cookbook. You can either buy the hard copy, or you can buy a digital copy that they can use on their iPad, Kindle, and other tablets. You can read the original post we did about the cookbook for more details, but basically it’s a really simple cookbook that is perfect for students. The recipes serve two and only require a few kitchen supplies.

College Student Cookbook

That said, here are some other great ideas!

Amazon Prime Membership (a little pricey if you aren’t the parent, but have a couple people go in on it!)
Sauce Pan
Frying Pan
Make a bouquet of kitchen utensils
A collection of your favorite recipes in a cute recipe book
A basic cookbook
Pillowcases
Headphones
Frisbee, Volleyball or football
Amazon Giftcard
Graduation Necklace
An oil change :)
Games such as Ticket to Ride, Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, Loaded Questions, Bananagrams, Set, and Quirkle
Card Games such as Phase 10, Rack-o, Uno, Skip-Bo or playing cards (from the dollar store)
Cash or Gift Cards

In my family, our aunts and uncles generally give us cash and someone finds a cute container to put it in. I have to say, I loved having the extra money when I was in school!

For more ideas on gifts check out this list of 10 ideas. And of course, Pinterest is always a great way to find tons of websites and people with great ideas. Good luck with your graduation gift giving! If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out our College Student Cookbook and Missionary Cookbook, more details on the original post.

College Student Cookbook

Missionary Cookbook

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Thank you readers!

0 Comments/ in Other Fun Things We Want to Share / by Kirstylee

April 30, 2013

We realized that we’ve featured several blogs in the last few months that have been kind to us but have failed to recognize our amazing readers! In the last few weeks especially we’ve seen a large increase in readership and we are so excited!

We just wanted to thank you all for coming to our site, leaving comments, sharing our posts and sending us emails. You really are what continue to make this blog possible. You have provided great insight and feedback which we love! Thanks to reader requests we’ve added some posts we hadn’t considered before. Thank you so much to those who have been here with us from the beginning and to those who have recently become part of our community. We are so grateful to all of you.

Also, because we love you so much, we wanted to let you know about a couple changes. Google is discontinuing Google Reader which we know is one way that a lot of you follow our blog. The change is taking place July 1st so everything tied to Google Reader will need to be changed by then. We have added the option to subscribe to our posts via email. For now, we feel like this is the best option. If you have any suggestions of other ways you’d like to follow us, just let us know and we will take a look!

We are trying to really focus on teaching ideas for those of you trying to do a preschool at home with your kids or those who are just looking for great educational activities. We will be running a series of posts around a specific theme and will have a summary post at the end of each series. Please let us know if this is something you feel to be helpful! If not, we’ll change it up.

Thank you again for being so wonderful and supportive! We love hearing from you and hope you’ll continue to share posts and ideas that you enjoy!

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

How to Keep Children Happy on Rainy Days: Guest Post

0 Comments/ in Fun Activites at Home, Guest Posts, Other Fun Things We Want to Share, Preschool Activities, Toddler Activities / by Kirstylee

April 26, 2013

What are some easy ways to keep an active kid happy on rainy days?

We are excited to share a guest post with you today! Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of Nanny Pro. Learn more about her here.

She has some great ideas today on how to keep kids entertained indoors on rainy days. Enjoy!

9 Ideas to Keep Kids Happy Indoors on a Rainy Day - Moms Have Questions Too

When you have a very active child rainy days can feel like a death sentence. You have this child on your hands that wants to run outside in the rain and make a huge mess, yet you have to keep them indoors and happy in confined quarters. How do you do it? Well, here are some fun activities for rainy days:

Can Bowling – When my brother was small he was always on the move. Rainy days kept us cooped up indoors and while I was happy to curl up with a good book, he was not so quietly entertained. That is when our mom came up with can bowling. Like the games you play at the fair, can bowling is mostly just seeing how much you can knock down. Kids love it because it is noisy and you can do it over and over again. All you need is some canned goods and a little floor space. Have the kids stack up the cans in a small pyramid and then roll another can at the pyramid to knock down as many as possible. Empty cans are easier and louder, but full cans work too.
Making Music – Being noisy is a sure way to keep kids entertained. There are many ways of making music around the house. Some ideas are: Plate tambourines, where you staple two paper plates together and put a few beans in between. Drum sets, where you let the kids beat on old pots and pans. Rain sticks, where you seal the ends of empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls and fill them with beans or rice. You can also make a tissue box guitar out of rubber bands and an empty tissue box or you can use a shoe box. An empty canister of oatmeal and a piece of thick paper attached to the top makes a great drum. Have kids make their own instruments and then create music like Jingle Bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You can even have a music guessing game where the others try to figure out which song they are playing.
Building Blocks – This basic indoor activity is something that most kids love. From Legos to waffle blocks to plain wooden blocks kids love to build and destroy. If you don’t have blocks or your kids are bored with them you can make a giant set out of cardboard boxes, tissue boxes or shoe boxes. Kids can create their own forts and tear them down to rebuild over and over again. Another fun way to keep kids interested is to have a competition on who can build the sturdiest creation. Kids build a tower or house and then throw a ball at it to see how many times it takes to break it. Or you can have them drop their creation a few feet and watch it shatter.
Mess Free Finger Paints – The last thing you want to do in the rain is clean up paint. However the kiddoes love to paint. What do you do? Well, why not try a mess free painting session? Put a couple dollops of different colored paint in a gallon sized plastic bad and then seal the bag shut with tape. Tape the bag to the table and let the kids swirl it around to paint pictures, learn how colors interact and just have fun without the big clean up.
Sewing Buttons – I know that sewing may not sound like something your kid would like, but give it a shot. You might be surprised. If you have a bunch of buttons, some thick thread and a large needle you can let kids thread buttons and create necklaces, garlands, wreaths and more. Or if you have some scrap material around then the children can make art using buttons or just practice their fine motor skills sewing on button after button. Create rainbows, flowers and more from buttons and watch them learn as they play.
Cardboard Creations – A cardboard box is a wondrous thing to a child. Combine it with some washable markers or crayons and maybe a cut out door or window and you have a variety of fun ways to play. Help your child build a house out of a large cardboard boxby cutting in a door and windows. They can then draw in things like doorbells, flowers, a mailbox, an oven, a bead and more. A collection of smaller boxes can be tied together with yarn to create a train. Add a toy steering wheel and draw on some tires for a car. Get out the toy cars and create a whole tiny racetrack by cutting out a tunnel through the box and drawing some roads across it. Add some red and orange construction paper flames and make a space helmet out of a smaller box for a rocket ship. Add googly eyes and claws to empty tissue boxes for monster feet that kids can wear around. There are so many things that can be done with cardboard boxes!
Puppet Theater – For an imaginative child, a puppet show might be the way to go. All you need are an old pair of socks and some markers to make a fun sock puppet. Add some googly eyes and yarn hair for a fancier effect and then have kids act out their own shows. If you do not have old socks on hand, you can use small paper lunch bags. They are the perfect size and shape for a puppet and can easily be drawn on to make all sorts of fun people or creatures. Add construction paper ears for different animals or have kids create a whole outfit for their puppet out of paper. Puppet shows can take place from behind a curtain, from inside a large box, or even from behind the couch.
Monster Shoot – What kids doesn’t like to shoot things in the house. Save your furniture and your sanity by having a monster shoot. Have kids draw and cut out monster shapes and then use a small triangle of paper to help them to stand up on the floor or table. Now it is time to make your shooters. Cut a small plastic cup in half. Tie the narrow end of a balloon into a knot and then cut off about an inch of the wide end of the balloon. Stretch the balloon to cover the cut end of the cup. Now you have a popper. Use paper balls, pompoms, mini marshmallows or whatever is small and light to shoot with. Have the kids see how many tries it takes to knock down all the monsters. You can also make another kind of shooter with crafting sticks and string. Have kids tie a string to one end of the stick and then bend the stick into a bow shape and tie the end of the string to the end of the stick, forming a bow. You can shoot cotton swabs at the monsters for your arrows. Kids can also decorate their bows for an authentic look.
Dress Up – Dress up is not just for girls. Every kid love to try on costumes and have fun. If you have some old clothes that are unusual, be it sparkly or manly, then have the kids give a fashion show. You can also make things like crowns, top hats, and Indian headdresses out of construction paper. Hula skirts are easy to make out of green construction paper with strips cut into it.

These are just a few of the ways that you can entertain active kids on rainy days. Indoors does not have to be boring. Just take a little time to think about some fun things your kid loves to do and you will pass the time in a snap!

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Top 5 Online Learning Websites for Preschoolers

2 Comments/ in Fun Activites at Home, Other Fun Things We Want to Share, Product Reviews / by Kirstylee

April 16, 2013

What are some online learning sites that my preschooler can go to and actually learn something?

Little Bear really likes to play on the computer. I’m a bit of stickler when it comes to computer playing, so I really only let him play on the computer if he is learning something. There are so many online educational websites out there today and honestly, a lot of them are pretty lame. Over time I have found some great ones and today I am going to share with you what I think are the top 5 online learning websites for preschoolers. They are in order and the best ones are last, so be sure to go all the way to the bottom for the best online learning websites. Let me know if you have any other website that your preschooler loves. I’d love to find some more.

Top 5 Online Learning Websites for Preschool -- Moms Have Questions Too

This website is very educational and will definitely provide lots of learning for your child. It is very easy to navigate and really fun for kids. If you want a full preschool curriculum (or you just want to supplement the curriculum your child gets at his preschool), then this website is perfect. It does cost money, but you can add up to three children for the same price. I do recommend this website because there is so much learning. If you are looking for something very educational and not necessarily free, this is the website I would recommend this most.

One last thing, this post is not sponsored in any way and I will receive no compensation if you sign up with any of these websites. I just wanted to give you an honest review of some good online learning websites.

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Breastfeeding, Weaning, and the Guilt that Follows

2 Comments/ in Growing Up and Daily Life, Other Fun Things We Want to Share / by Kirstylee

April 9, 2013

Why do I feel so guilty about weaning by baby off breastfeeding and what can I do about it?

This is a special post written specifically because a friend asked me to write it. It’s all about weaning off breastfeeding and the guilt that goes along with it. If you’ve ever breastfed a child and then weaned that child from breastfeeding, then you probably know what I’m talking about.

Breastfeeding, Weaning, and the Guilt that Follows - Moms Have Questions Too

Why is this guilt so strong? I have a couple theories, but what they all boil down to is this: 1- breastfeeding is hard. There is at least one aspect that is hard for almost every woman that breastfeeds. 2- Breastfeeding provides THE best nutrition for a baby and today almost everybody knows and understands this. On the one hand, you have your body telling you how hard breastfeeding is and how much easier it would be just to wean your baby off breastfeeding. On the other hand you have your brain telling you that breast is best and you absolutely must press on at all costs. Because, don’t you want what is best for your baby?

Well, guess what people? Sometimes weaning off breastfeeding IS better for your baby. How could this be, you ask? Didn’t I just say that breastfeeding is THE best nutrition for a baby? Let me share a simple story to illustrate my point.

After my sweet and wonderful Smiley Man was born, I was hit pretty severely with post-partum depression. I won’t go into very many details (because they aren’t all that pleasant), but I was not doing well and I knew it. I never felt like I could hurt myself or my children, but I could see very clearly that if something was not done about the depression, that I would get to the point that I wanted to harm someone. That scared me. A lot. I was desperate to find something that would make me feel better. I tried lots of things. I went off sugar completely. I took a vitamin D supplement religiously. I exercised a bunch. All of those things helped a little, but it wasn’t enough and I knew it.

I had heard that breastfeeding can sometimes make post-partum depression worse. I honestly don’t know if that is true for a lot of people. I had only heard of it with one person, but I was desperate. I needed to feel better so that I could take care of my sweet children. Honestly, the decision to wean my sweet Smiley Man off of breastfeeding was an easy one. I knew that breastfeeding was THE best nutrition for my baby, but I also knew that if I took my life because of post-partum depression that would be FAR FAR worse than my baby having not quite as good nutrition from formula.

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. I weaned Smiley Man off of breastfeeding when he was only four months old, but it took less than a week for my post-partum depression to disappear almost completely. Breastfeeding provided THE best nutrition for Smiley Man, but formula provided him with the best environment to be raised.

Now, I’m not saying that every woman who has post-partum should stop breastfeeding because I honestly don’t know if it helps everyone. Also, I’m not saying that post-partum depression is the only reason you should wean your baby off breastfeeding. What I am saying is that sometimes there are higher priorities than THE best nutrition for your baby. Maybe you can’t breastfeed because you have to work to provide a roof over your baby’s head. Maybe you can’t breastfeed because you don’t make enough milk for your baby. Maybe you can’t breastfeed because your baby just doesn’t understand how to latch on.

Whatever your reason, don’t be afraid to let the guilt go. I definitely think every mother should breastfeed her baby for as long as she possibly can. But when the time has come for weaning, just remember that there are often higher priorities than the best nutrition for your baby. You are responsible to give your baby the best possible environment to grow up in. Sometimes that means breastfeeding and sometimes that means formula feeding. Whatever the case is for you, try to let the guilt go. As long as you are trying to do what’s best for you baby, then you are doing the right thing.

Do you agree? What are some reasons you’ve had to wean from breastfeeding sooner than you wanted?

We've found some fun people with great linky parties. You might just see this post linked up on one of these amazing sites! Link and Learn from No Time for Flashcards Sunday Showcase from Train Up a Child Share it Saturday from Teach Beside Me Tot School Gathering Place from 1+1+1=1 Montessori Monday from Living Montessori Now Tuesday Tots from In Lieu of Preschool Show and Tell from ABC & 123 For the Kids Fridays from Sun Scholars Finished Friday from All Our Days Weekly Kids Co-op from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails Preschool & Kindergarten Corner from Homeschool Creations TGIF Linky Party from 123 Homeschool 4 Me