Family Game – “Shoveling Snow” (she: Heather)
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Family Game – “Shoveling Snow” (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Happy Monday OSSS readers! Heather here with a fun “snow” game for you and your family. For about the first two years of posting on my blog, FamilyVolley.com, I always posted a family game on Fridays. Hence the name of my book, Family Fun Fridays, named after the games that I posted weekly. Hands down, one of the games that has gotten the most attention is “Shoveling Snow.” You have all the resources you need, right in your house, and it will provide laughter and bonding to help your family come closer together and make memories too!

dental health

10 Tricks for Teaching Dental Health to Kids (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

Hi it’s Jamie again, visiting from Prepared Housewives! I know I’ve recently talked about ideas to make going to the dentist easier, but today I’m going to give you some inside tricks on teaching your kids proper dental health. Hopefully after reading this you won’t have to visit the dentist as often, or help finance any more of their cars 😉

First off, children learn their healthy (or unhealthy) dental habits from you, so don’t be embarrassed to practice a few of these tricks & tips yourself!There are a lot of fun and creative things you can do to help teach your kids about dental health! You can download a fun brushing app, learn to make your own toothpaste, or even conduct a teeth experiment!

Be sure to remember that your children look to you and follow your example, so set a good one (no pressure or anything ;)).

Disney Inspired Apples – Tips and Tricks (she: Adelle)
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Disney Inspired Apples – Tips and Tricks (she: Adelle)

ByAdelle Belnap

Hey Everyone, it’s Adelle from Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. We love all things Disney, and let’s face it, candied apples are one of the best things about fall. So, we combined two of our greatest loves and have put together four different types of Disney inspired apples.
Some tricks for making your own apples – freeze your apples the night before dipping them in caramel. Then, be sure to refrigerate your apples for as long as possible before dipping in chocolate. Again, we recommend overnight if possible.

Now, onto the Disney-fication of your caramel apples!

Overcoming Challenges – Teaching Kids for Family Night

Overcoming Challenges – Teaching Kids for Family Night

ByVeronica

Happy October! It’s Veronica and it’s so fun to be back this month with another fun Family Night idea for you. For anyone new to Family Night, we basically gather our family once a week, have a short lesson, play some sort of game and then have a treat at the end. I love it because it gives us a time The best advice I can give them for overcoming challenges in life is to be humble, teachable and always willing to adapt.that’s set aside each week for us to learn together as a family and to have fun together.

This month, I thought I’d put a fun Halloween spin on it.

Lately, we’ve had different children who have been struggling with different things. So, I wanted to do a Family Night that would help them in some way as they face these challenges. Although their challenges seem very small in some ways, to them they are huge.

Moving on to Family Night…

15 tricks for picky eaters

15 Tricks for Picky Eaters (she: Mariah)

ByMariah

Hello again! I’m glad to be back today with some great posts that I’ve rounded up that just may make living with your picky eater a little bit easier. To be honest, I don’t have much experience with picky eaters. My baby hasn’t quite figured out how to refuse what I choose to spoon into his mouth yet, so for now, life is good! However, you better believe I’m pinning these posts in case I need them for future reference. I hope you find some of these tricks for picky eaters helpful!

Pumpkin Carving Party Ideas {With 3 FREE Printables} (she: Brooke)
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Pumpkin Carving Party Ideas {With 3 FREE Printables} (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Happy October to you all! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. This is easily my favorite time of year! And while baby boy number four will be here in a matter of weeks, I’m still trying to squeeze in any Halloween crafting, baking, and partying that I can. We have our other three boys’ birthdays this week, so we’re in full party-mode around our house. I’m just hoping this little guy waits until after the big party to make his arrival. My four-year-old was very cordial five years ago, and waited until the day after my twins’ birthday to make his entrance into the world, so I’m crossing my fingers that will happen again (at LEAST the day after all the birthdays, even a few days later would be better!).
Today I have some fun pumpkin carving party ideas, and FREE printables to share with you. My dad’s side of the family has a fun pumpkin carving party every year, and we’ve only been able to make it a few times. I wish we could make it more often because we have the best time! Since we don’t make it to the family carving parties very often, I’ve decided it’s high time to start our own little jack-o-lantern making party. Here are a few of the ideas I’ve come up with for our party:

Tips for Parenting a Shy Child

Tips for Parenting a Shy Child (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Heather here from FamilyVolley.com. We shouldn’t be surprised when we have kids, to find that each of our children are different. They like different activities, are scared of different things, and some are more outgoing than others. Today we are talking about those kids of ours who are not quite as outgoing as their siblings and peers. You know, the ones we label “shy.” Here are 9 tips for parenting a shy child and growing to love them more and more along the way.
All kids are different. Instead of labeling our children as shy, work with them a little and you will not only see huge differences in their actions but your relationship will be strengthened along the way as you are patient, understanding, and show love.

When to Go to Disneyland: A Month By Month Guide (she: Kim)
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When to Go to Disneyland: A Month By Month Guide (she: Kim)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

Hey Everyone, it’s Kimberly from Packed With Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. Right now we are in the midst of my favorite time of year to visit the Disneyland Resort: Halloween Time. Which is actually kind of funny, because Halloween is totally not my favorite holiday. But, Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is so festive and such a celebration of fall that I can’t resist. One of the questions all of our employees at Get Away Today are regularly asked is when is the “best” time to go to Disneyland. The answer is it completely depends on what you want out of your Disneyland vacation. So, to make things a little bit easier, I put together When to Go to Disneyland: A Month by Month Guide. I hope it helps with your Disneyland vacation planning!

You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration
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You Make a Difference ~ Sunday Inspiration

ByMariel

Hey ladies, if you haven’t seen this video yet, it’s a good one. Every morning, at the start of homeschool, the kids and I have a little devotional. We either read scriptures, watch a scripture or inspirational video, or memorize a scripture. The other day, we watched this one. I had no idea what it was about, but I ended up fighting back tears the whole time. I could totally relate! Sometimes it’s hard to not have much time for yourself. Sometimes it feels like you’re not making progress from day to day. Sometimes you wonder if you’re making any difference at all. Such are the thoughts that seem to come with motherhood.

http://www.skiutah.com/passes/passports
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Save Money in New York City- 5 Tips for Families (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hi, it’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips! Last summer, I finally(!) visited New York City for the first time to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was a family vacation and we wanted to do it right, so we planned obsessively to find the best attractions, hotels and transportation for a price we could afford.
New York City is expensive, but it’s an exciting and truly American city that most of us want to see at least once. My family had a wonderful trip and we’d love to return. Hopefully it won’t take me another 40 years!
If you’ve been to New York City, I hope you’ll share your own favorite places and money-saving tips in the comments!

teaching kids not to gossip
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Teaching Kids Not to Gossip: A Great Family Night Topic (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello everyone! It’s Veronica and I’m so excited to be here this month sharing a fun Family Night idea with you: teaching kids not to gossip. I know Mariel has explained the concept of Family Night before, but for anyone new to this idea, we basically gather our family once a week, we have a short lesson, play some sort of game and then have a treat at the end. It’s such a great way to reconnect as a family, but also a great time to teach your children in a fun and uplifting way.
When school gets back in session, I always feel a bit nervous for my kids. I want them to learn new things, make new friends and be happy as they go through their school year. But, it doesn’t seem so easy anymore. The world seems to be a lot harder to navigate than it was for me as a child. They deal with so much pressure, beginning at very young ages. Friendships seem a bit trickier at times and it feels like more kids struggle with a good solid sense of who they are. And with the awesome tool of social media, these things seem to be magnified. One of the other struggles they face is gossiping. It’s been around forever, and always will be, unfortunately. It can be so damaging and destructive to anyone involved. Recently I’ve seen the effects gossip can have, so I wanted to take the opportunity to teach my kids about it. I think it’s a great reminder for ALL of us, regardless of our age.

ABC activities
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ABC Activities for Your Pre-Preschooler

ByBrooke

Hello, hello! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. How are you all? Finally settling into your school routines? My twins just finished their third week of school, and my preschooler began Thursday, so we’re definitely into the school routine at our house. I do have to say it’s a bit strange not having a little one around all day (although that will be changing in about six weeks when baby boy number four arrives). I miss doing fun and simple educational activities with my youngest. We still do things here and there, but with school and other activities keeping us busy, we don’t have a lot of free time to do some of the activities we used to.
And considering baby number four hasn’t even been born yet, it will be a while before I need to pull out my ABC activites again. But before I put them away for too long, I thought it would be fun to share them with you. Some of these activities date back to my first grade teaching days, and some are ones I’ve discovered recently in this technology-filled world of ours. My boys always loved doing these at home before their preschool years. We only have ever done one year of preschool with our boys because I love doing things like this at home for FREE! I promise if you do just one of these a day (along with reading) with your three-year-old, he/she will be more than ready preschool, and much more. So, let’s get started!