family hug
| | |

Sending a Family Hug to Loved Ones (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Having nine children in our family is crazy fun. But, as those little buggers grow up, they leave us! SO RUDE! 🙂 We have two in college and one who just recently left for a two year mission for our church in Salt Lake City. So, even though we have 6 kiddos left, it’s feeling very empty. (I know…it sounds crazy, but it’s true).

I decided that it was time to start sharing some fun ideas on care packages. Everyone has someone they know who would love to get a fun little treat in the mail. With technology being so advanced, it doesn’t seem to happen as often as it use to. So today, I thought I’d share a fun idea I first saw here. But, with having so many kids, I thought I’d make a few changes. We decided to send our son Israel a family hug from home.

handprint apple tree
| | | |

Handprint Apple Tree ~ Fun Fall Art Project For Kids (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Hey, it’s Brook from Blissful Roots again. I’m going to have to jump on the fall bandwagon and say, “I LOVE FALL!” It’s my favorite time of the year. My mom always loved fall, all three of my boys’ birthdays are in the fall, there’s Halloween, pumpkins, apples, leaves, fall baking- what’s not to love? So, today in honor of fall I have a fun autumn art project for you to do with your kids.

I’m not quite sure where I came across this idea, but I’ve been doing it for several years with my boys. Even though they’re getting a bit older, I think they still get a little excited about making this art project every September. Actually what they really love is the squishy, gooey feeling of the paint on their arm, hands, and fingers. We’re usually trying to avoid paint on body parts, but not for this activity. This is a perfect fall art project for kids!

First Day of School T-Shirt Tradition (she: Jeanie)
| | |

First Day of School T-Shirt Tradition (she: Jeanie)

Byjeanie

Today is a BIG day in the Create & Babble family! My first and only grandchild (“only” until February!) starts Kindergarten today! Yes, today is Jordan’s first day of school. I’ve been wracking my crafty brain to come up with an original photo idea for his big day. There a a lot of great ideas…

October is Kids Free Month in San Diego! (she: Kimberly)
|

October is Kids Free Month in San Diego! (she: Kimberly)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

San Diego is one of my all-time favorite vacation destinations with so much to offer year round. I normally visit at least once a year and have visited San Diego during each of the four seasons. I honestly don’t know that there’s a “best” time of year to visit if you’re looking at weather, crowds and seasonal events, BUT if you have kids, I have a secret that will probably affect when you decide to vacation in San Diego. OK, it’s not necessarily my secret. I would say it’s San Diego’s Best Kept Secret… Each October the best San Diego attractions join forces and offer free admission for kids – ALL MONTH LONG! When you consider your kids get in to most attractions free and your school aged kids have a Fall Break scheduled, October seems like the perfect time for a San Diego vacation.

Each of the top attractions have different rules and ages, so here’s what you need to know:

‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)
|

‘Sweet Treat Hunt”, Fun Way to Cheer Up Kids ~ Giveaway Too! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello my friends!! Many of you are getting ready to start school, but here in Tennessee, school has been in session for two weeks. I know – CRAZY! So for us, the fun has begun. I think starting school is a mixed bag for most kids. It never seems to be the easiest transition for everyone. Some of my kids have not had the best beginning and have struggled for different reasons. Not everything has been school related. Some of it is just normal icky things that life throws your way. But a struggle is still a struggle. Needless to say, it’s been a tough couple of weeks. Watching them struggle has reminded me of the challenge of being a mom.

One of the hardest things about being a mom is knowing that we can’t fix EVERYTHING. We have to watch our kids face challenges, we see them struggle to make sense of things, we see their heartaches, and there’s only so much we can do. But, the key is that there ARE some things we can do.

The Name Game ~ A Fun Group Game! (& Our Bear Lake Vacation)
| |

The Name Game ~ A Fun Group Game! (& Our Bear Lake Vacation)

ByMariel

So, we spent this past weekend with Dan’s family in Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho. Have you been there?? It’s soooo beautiful. A huge, amazingly turquoise lake, right in the middle of the desert. Every year, we rent a cabin up there and spend the time boating, swimming, eating raspberry shakes (they’re famous!), wrestling (tons of cousins!), and relaxing. After we got all the kids to bed, the adults stayed up late playing games …AND, I thought I would tell you about it. It’s called The Name Game and so much fun!

But, first …a handful of pictures from our trip…

Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)
|

Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Well, ready or not, school is just around the corner (a week from Tuesday for my boys- way too soon!). We just got back from a quick camping trip over the weekend. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who frantically rush out and try to fit in all the last-minute summer activities we can. It took us searching through four campgrounds to finally find a spot. It wasn’t our first choice, but ended up being the perfect little spot for our family!

I’m not sure if you’ve been counting down the days until school starts since the second week of June, or if you’re ignoring all the school supplies that are lining the shelves right now, and hoping the first day of school won’t happen. I have to say I’m a tad bit excited. I’ve LOVED every minute of our summer vacation, but there’s something rejuvenating about this time of year for me.

Portrait Drawing Activity for Kids (she: Veronica)

Portrait Drawing Activity for Kids (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

We are nearing the end of summer here in Tennessee, so my kids have been especially antsy. On a big “I’m SO Bored I’m Going to DIE” day, I came up with a fun drawing activity for kids. I asked each of my kids to draw three different pictures.

1. A picture of me.

2. A picture of Dad and Mom.

3. A picture of our family.

And they quickly went to work. My house became very quiet. They all found their own spaces and disappeared. After a while they all started emerging to show off their creations. They took time to point out little details, like the braid I sometimes wear in my hair, the brown spot I have in my eye, and details about each family member.

Egg Timer Seeking Game ~ Simple & Fun for Kids! (she: Caz)
|

Egg Timer Seeking Game ~ Simple & Fun for Kids! (she: Caz)

ByCaz

Hi, I’m Caz from A Little Learning For Two and I’d like to share a game idea with you that I hope your kids will enjoy as much as mine do! This egg timer seeking game is simple, fun and all you need to play the game is an egg timer.

The idea of this game is very easy; one player leaves the room while the others set the egg timer for 5 minutes (or less) and then hide it somewhere for them to find. The seeker has to find the egg timer before the time counts down and it rings.
For our youngest daughter (4) we use one timer but for our 6 year old we hide several at once and she loves to race around trying to find them before the time runs out and the bell sounds.

3 Reasons to love the Junior Ranger program (she: Allison)
|

3 Reasons to love the Junior Ranger program (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Family travel doesn’t get any better than in the national parks. National parks are the best places to see our nation’s most spectacular scenery and best cultural destinations. National parks offer activities for all ages. National parks are also an incredible bargain. Admission to most parks is $25 per vehicle (or less) for seven days.

The U.S. National Parks are also the home of the Junior Ranger Program, which has been a lot of fun for our family. My children have collected Junior Ranger badges from a dozen national parks, national monuments and national historic sites in several states. We have also found a few state parks that offer their own junior ranger programs.

Favorite Things Party for Kids! (she: Veronica)

Favorite Things Party for Kids! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

If you have kids like mine, they are fresh out of school and already BORED. So, we thought it would be fun to throw a “Favorite Things” party…for KIDS! If you’ve never heard of a Favorite Things party, you are missing out!! They are my FAVORITE parties. Typically they are thrown for adults, but I thought it would be fun to do for kids. If you love it, maybe you’ll be brave enough to throw one for you and YOUR friends. I’m going to share the basic instructions for a “Favorite Things” party and you can adjust it for adults or kids.

What is a Favorite Things Party? In a nutshell, you and your guests bring some of their favorite things, you exchange gifts in a fun way, and everyone goes home with some new favorite things. YIPPEEE!

‘Happy Birthday, dear family…’ ~ Celebrating Your Anniversary With The Kids!
| |

‘Happy Birthday, dear family…’ ~ Celebrating Your Anniversary With The Kids!

ByMariel

Dan and I just celebrated our 13 year anniversary, on June 2nd. Yay!!! It happened to fall on a Sunday, the day we go to church, don’t shop, eat out, etc. So, we celebrated on Friday. It was super fun. We decided to get an overnight babsitter and do a little stay-cation in Ogden, just 10 minutes from our house. We found a great hotel, walked the historic streets, saw a flick, and ate way too much food. I loved it!

Anyway, so since we ended up being home on our actual anniversary, I started to think about how it’s sorta-like our family’s birthday…so, why not celebrate with the kids?? It was a last minute decision, so I didn’t have all the fixins I would have liked, but it still ended up being a wonderful night with the fam.