st. patrick's day tic-tac-toe
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Printable St. Patrick’s Day Tic-Tac-Toe (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

How is it already the middle of March? I love this time of year! But I feel that way about every new season. I love the anticipation of what’s to come. The warmer weather, the spring flowers, the green grass, and blossoms on the trees. Such a beautiful, refreshing time of year! And, of course, I love the holidays associated with each season as well.
Along with leprechaun traps, we always love a good St. Patrick’s Day game. Last year I shared our Roll-A-Leprechaun game (still a family favorite) here at Or So She Says, and this year I have a printable St. Patrick’s Day tic-tac-toe game for you. I have a valentine tic-tac-toe game that we use at our house, and my four-year-old loves it! So, I thought I’d make a St. Paddy’s Day version in honor of this Irish-inspired holiday.

Banana Split Mini Bundts | Baking a Moment
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Banana Split Mini Bundt Cakes (she: Allie)

ByAllie

Banana Split Mini Bundt Cakes are such a Fun Treat! Moist Banana Cake is Filled with Pineapple, and Topped with Strawberry Buttercream, Chocolate Sauce, Peanuts, and a Cherry on Top. Perfect for your next Party!

When I think of Spring, I think of birthday parties. Both my boys were Spring babies, and I love that! When they were first born, I loved that just when we were ready to venture out of our little cocoon, gorgeous warm breezes were beckoning us to go on long stroller walks. And now that they’re bigger, I love that presents, parties, and games are there for them, just when their house-bound stir-craziness is at a fever pitch.

Since baking’s my favorite, I always try to come up with something super-special and fun for them on their birthdays. I think these Banana Split Mini Bundt Cakes definitely fit the bill!

Tips for Being a Happy Mom (she: Heather)
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Tips for Being a Happy Mom (she: Heather)

ByHeather

Since the beginning of time, all human beings have sought the same thing: To BE HAPPY! The problem is that in the heat of motherhood, and parenthood and life, happiness can be hard to find. And when “momma aint happy, aint nobody happy.” The cooking and cleaning and whining and chauffeuring, and inability to have 30 seconds of privacy to use the bathroom alone, can sometimes make us feel like it is impossible to be a happy mom.

But that is not the case. Consistent research shows that happy moms have a few things in common. Here are 6 things that Happy moms do. These tips for being a happy mom could work for all of us!

postcard printable
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Postcard Printable … Because Everyone Loves Mail! (she: Sharon)

Bysharon

Hello again!

This is Sharon from Lemon Squeezy with another free printable download. I’ve made a simple postcard printable to mail to your family and friends to give them a little pick-me-up! My daughter has been writing notes to her friends and grandparents lately and mailing them, and absolutely loves to receive their notes in return. These 4×6 postcards are a simple way to send something yourselves, with the back completely blank for you to fill in your address information and your letter.

family reunion planning
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Jump Start Your Family Reunion Planning (she: Allison)

Byallison l.

Hello! It’s Allison from Tips for Family Trips. I believe that travel makes families stronger, smarter and happier, and there is no better way to strengthen families than through family reunions. If it has been a few years since your family has come together, this can be the year to make it happen!

A family reunion can be as simple as a picnic in the park with your parents, siblings and their children (heaven knows that just getting that group together can be hard enough), or a multi-day vacation that includes second and third cousins. Whatever works for your family is the right way.

If you want to plan a reunion for this summer, now is the time to start. Here are five steps to follow to help you with your family reunion planning:

Set up an invitation to play using pasta an beads on sticks.
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Simple Invitation To Play (she: Amy)

ByAmy Lee

As much as I love hanging out with Elle the 3 footer, sometimes I need a few quiet moments to myself. Whether it’s to make dinner, do laundry, go to the bathroom by myself, upload a picture to Instagram…all these little alone moments keeps me sane.

To get these snippets of alone time, one of the best ways I’ve found is to occupy the kids with something fun.

An invitation to play is simply setting up something really simple for your children to engage with and create something with no boundaries. They are free to do as they wish with the materials given.

In this simple invitation to play, I set out a tray of ‘stuff’ for Elle to put on a stick.

I went through our craft cabinet and pulled out anything I can find with holes in it. I gathered 2 bowls of pastas in different shapes that we dyed recently, some wooden beads, some small plastic beads and some caps from those squeezable baby/kid puree in a bag (is there an actual name for these?).

celebrating children
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Celebrating children on a “HOORAY” kind of day (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day! In my home, when Valentine’s Day hits, I know that chaos is about to follow. Four out of eleven of our birthdays are in March, so it’s time to get ready. Celebrating children includes one of my favorite birthday traditions, which is linked to one of my favorite items. My sister Mallorie instructed me that I was to hang my banner, and pull out my plate for all those “HOORAY” moments that take place in our lives. Given the number of kids in our home, we have those moments all the time. Birthdays are my favorite. It always goes up and most of the time it stays up for the next day or so, just because I love the reminder of what the word “HOORAY” stands for.

valentine in a jar
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DIY Valentine in a jar with printable (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hello there! It’s Creative Carmella again, and it’s good to be back here at Or So She Says!

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! Time to start thinking sweet thoughts and giving not-so-subtle hints to the hubby about what kind of chocolates you like best 😉

Today I am sharing a simple last-minute craft that your kids will love helping you with too… It’s a Valentine in a jar!

All you need is a mason jar, a sharpie, some cardstock, paint and treats (cute kid optional). There’s also a free printable included in this post to help you out.

three easy parenting tips
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Three Easy Parenting Tips for 2014 (she: Heather)

ByHeather

If we want to have strong relationships with our children, we HAVE to spend time with them. Not just every once in a while, but research shows that we need to find at least 15 minutes a day to spend with each child on an individual basis. This is uninterupted time where we put our phones and computers and the laundry away and just focus on them. Get down on their level, look into their eyes and really listen to what they say. If you are wondering what you are going to do, sit down together and make a list of all the things that you could do. From baking cookies, to going for a drive, playing a game or just chatting about the day. Then when it is time to be together, you wont waste it trying to figure something out. Pick something on your list and have a good time. Your kids will feel supported, listened to, understood, and you will even see improvements in their behavior. You will find that a little time makes a big difference.

goldilocks valentine
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Goldilocks Valentine… A Fun Valentine Story For Kids (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Your first year of teaching is a lot like having kids. You think you know what it’s like, but really you have no idea until you’re knee-deep in it every day. I was lucky enough to have Mrs. Lewis (my cooperating teacher) take my hand and guide me through every step of teaching my first year. She was so current, organized, loving, and amazingly creative! The Goldilocks Valentines and story I have to share today came from her. I’ve searched the internet for this story, and can’t find it anywhere. I don’t know if she made it up, (I’ve misplaced my original copy) or found it somewhere. Either way, this is one of my all-time favorite things to do for Valentine’s Day! My boys love to hear it year after year, and it would be the perfect activity for any valentine parties you have next week, or just to do at home with your kids.

family night idea
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February Family Night…Sending the LOVE! (she: Tonii)

ByTonii

I am so excited to be back and sharing a great family night activity for one of my MOST favorite holidays…Valentine’s Day! Now I don’t know about you, but in our house Valentine’s Day has become a family affair 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I love a romantic date with my hubby, but I am also not about to pass up a chance to spend the month of February teaching my kids how they can better show love in our family and to those around us!

Every year for Valentine’s I put out some cute little mailboxes I got from Target in the Dollar Spot. Once a day starting February 1st I put a little something in each of the kids’ mailboxes, anything from a note telling them something I love about them or a pencil and notepad. It has become one of our favorite traditions, and as I got them out this year I thought maybe we could use them to not only focus on receiving love…but SENDING some love out as well!

Surviving Motherhood: 12 Ways to Make it Out Alive!
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Surviving Motherhood: 12 Ways to Make it Through Alive! (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

Don’t get me wrong, being a Mom has it amazing and beautiful moments, it’s just harder than I ever imagined (I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, right?!).

We are stripping everything down and going back to the basics! At the end of this year I want you to look back and be proud of your accomplishments, who’ve you become, and where you are headed. More and more, I’m coming to understand that happiness is something you do, not something that just happens to you. Positive psychology researchers have identified definite habits that cause happiness (and have determined that it’s not the other way around) — these include gratitude, exercise, doing nice things for others, and lots more. Keep reading for some basic tips for surviving motherhood and finding as much happiness in it as you can in it.