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

The Diaper Cake: A Great Baby Shower Gift!

4 Comments/ in Mom Crafts, Other Fun Things We Want to Share / by Kirstylee

February 22, 2013

What is a fun baby shower gift idea? How do I make a diaper cake?

Kirstylee and I have a friend who recently had a baby. So fun! Our group of friends decided to get together and make a diaper cake for her. We figured while we were at it we’d show you how we did it!

Diaper Cake Tutorial -- Moms Have Questions Too

Here is what you’ll need:

Lots of diapers (We bought a box of 200 at Costco but it ended up making 3 large cakes, I’d recommend a smaller box or two with about 60-100 diapers. I also recommend using size 3 diapers so they can use the cake as a decoration for a while.)
Small Rubber Bands (we used these little hair rubberbands)
Large Rubberbands
Ribbon (we bought ours at the Dollar Store!)
A cardboard base (we used the diaper box)
Cardboard tube or a tower of bottles
Strong Tape (we used duct tape since it was just attaching to cardboard, if you use bottles I’d recommend masking tape or something a little less sticky)
Optional: Receiving blankets, small toys

So, first you start by rolling up each of the diapers and putting a small rubber band around it. We thought it looked best to put the “open” end on the inside of the roll.

Once you have all the diapers rolled up you’ll want to make the base of the cake. Start by cutting a large circle out of cardboard. This will go under the largest layer of the cake so you’ll want it pretty big.

Next, you’ll attach the cardboard tube or bottles to the base. These will provide support for the cake and prevent the layers from sliding off each other when you move it.

Place a few diapers around the base of the cake and then place a large rubber band around them. Keep adding more diapers inside the rubber band until the base layer is as large as you’d like.

Start placing diapers on the next layer using the same technique as above. Do the same for any additional “cake” layers.

Once all the layers are set just how you’d like them, you’ll tie ribbon around the middle of each layer to cover up the rubber band. If you want, you can wrap each layer with a receiving blanket before adding the ribbon. This is a fun way to include extra gifts on the cake.

Diaper Cake Tutorial -- Moms Have Questions Too

You can also add a card or sign to the cake as well as decorate the cake with little toys or clothes. So many options!

Diaper Cake Tutorial -- Moms Have Questions Too

Like I said earlier, we ended up making three cakes with all the diapers we bought. It was a lot of work but she loved it! It was a really fun thing to make and a great useful gift too!

Diaper Cake Tutorial -- Moms Have Questions Too

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

Inexpensive Valentine Gift Ideas — All under $20!

5 Comments/ in Holiday, Other Fun Things We Want to Share, Valentine's Day / by Kirstylee

January 28, 2013

What are some inexpensive Valentine gift ideas for her, for him, and for kids?

Have you ever been one of those girls that said you didn’t want a Valentine’s Day gift and your significant other actually listened to you!?! I never have because the simple fact is, I like gifts and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Gifts are a really great way to express love and that is what Valentine’s Day is all about, right? I do like giving and receiving gifts, but I also don’t like feeling pressured to spend a fortune. Just because I want a gift on Valentine’s doesn’t mean I expect an expensive diamond necklace. In fact, one of my favorite Valentine’s Day gifts was the Disney movie, The Incredibles. My husband knew I really wanted that movie for our family so he took the opportunity of Valentine’s day to give it to me, and it was awesome!

Inexpensive Valentine Gift Ideas for Him, Her, and the Kids all under $20!

So, how do you have an awesome gift-filled Valentine’s Day without spending a fortune? First, set a budget. I know that seems so un-romantic to give a cheap Valentine gift or to set a limit and I’m sure lots of people will disagree with it, but that is what my husband and I do every year. We are each allowed the same amount of money to spend on each other. I’m pretty sure we were only allowed $5 each for our first Valentine’s Day. We have increased that amount as we make more money, but we never set a budget that is more than we can afford. Even if you don’t have money to spend on Valentine’s Day you can always do a homemade gift which can often be much more memorable anyway.

The next best way to have a gift-filled V-day without breaking the bank is to have a long list of inexpensive Valentine’s gift ideas. Luckily for you, I have supplied just such a list below. The list has Valentine’s Day gifts for kids, handmade gift ideas, gifts for her, gifts for him, and even Valentine’s Day gifts for elementary school classes or just for your kids.

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Anyone:

Altoids or some other type of mint
A bar of Toblerone or another gourmet chocolate
An extra special homemade dinner
Movie tickets
DVD, here’s a great selection of DVDs that are $5 or less
iTunes gift card
Cute mugs and hot chocolate

If you still haven’t found just the right thing you can take a look at the list we made for Christmas with gift ideas under $30. We would love to hear your ideas and add to the list! Feel free to leave comments and link to any ideas you have! Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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

Baby Preschool Pack – The Perfect Gift for Families Expecting a Baby

5 Comments/ in Free Printables, Fun Activites at Home, Preschool and Teaching Ideas / by Kirstylee

January 11, 2013

Where can I find a baby themed preschool pack?

My sister just had a brand new baby which is always a very exciting thing! She also has a boy and girl (twins) the same age as Little Bear and they already love their new baby sister. I remember when I was in the hospital after Smiley Man was born. Several people brought presents for Smiley Man, but a few people brought a present for Little Bear, too. I was really grateful for those gifts because they really helped Little Bear feel special with all of the commotion that a new baby brings.

Baby Preschool Pack -- Moms Have Questions Too

Since I’m the best aunt ever ;) , I wanted to bring a little present for my niece and nephew to help them feel special with a new baby around. I decided to buy them some bingo markers from the dollar store, but of course I couldn’t stop there. :) I figured it would be fun for them to have some preschool activities with a baby theme with dot marker activities, of course. There are so many preschool packs all over the internet, I thought I would find a baby themed preschool pack in no time.

Baby Preschool Pack -- Moms Have Questions Too

Well, I was wrong. I couldn’t find anything. I found a baby animal pack, but that wasn’t really what I was looking for. So, I did the next best (and most time consuming) thing. I made a baby themed preschool pack. It is over 30 pages long with lots of fun activities.

Of course I went all out and printed these preschool activities in color and laminated some of them. Luckily, my niece and nephew are pretty smart kiddos who like to learn, so they really enjoy this preschool pack. Plus, it is all baby themed, so it keeps them excited about their new baby sister.

Baby Preschool Pack -- Moms Have Questions Too

This preschool pack can be used anytime with your kiddos. However, it is perfect if you have a new baby in your family (or will be having one soon) or know someone with a new baby.

Baby Preschool Pack -- Moms Have Questions Too

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