Category: family
Thanksgiving Kid Crafts and Activities
Everyone did a painting of a turkey in the shape of their hand in school; and kids still do. But doing something new never hurt either. We highlight a few Thanksgiving kid crafts and activities that you can do to get into the spirit of Fall and will add some festive flair to your home.
This adorable painting is easy for even the youngest littles. They can use their fingers or paint brushes. All you need is paper, paint, leaves and tape. When it’s all dry, put it in a frame and every year pull it out to display in your home. You’ll be able to talk about the day it was painted with your kids for years to come. Find a tutorial here.
Kids love to make things, but things with eyes on them are always better. This simple craft could be done with a group of kids with each one being a little different. Another idea would be to let your kids make enough to use as napkin rings. Find a tutorial here.
On the big day sometimes it can be hard to keep the kids distracted long enough to cook. Have them paint some feathers (or just buy colorful ones) and hid them around the house. Tell your kids they have to find all of the “Turkey” feathers before they come into the kitchen. Depending on how well you hide them you may even be able to sit down for a few.
To see more fun ideas, check out Parenting.com’s great article!
Family Time: Month Long Thankful Wall
During the craziness that is this time of year, it’s easy to rush through our Thanksgiving plans and into preparing for Christmas–it can be hard to really stop and breathe for a moment to reflect. Last year one of my favorite blogs, Our Happiness Tour, was featured on her local news channel for a “craft” she did with her family of four. I loved it! I immediately put it to work in my home. I couldn’t believe the difference it made for me. {Lindsey’s Blog Post , Lindsey’s Video Interview about the Banner}
We had to think hard about what we were thankful for each day. Closer to the end of the month it was getting a little difficult, but that is the point. You have to truly decide and speak out loud what you can’t see yourself being without. Below you can see the start to ours in our entry way. Because we are proud of the things we write down, we want everyone that comes into our home to see them.
My kids enjoy it because they can participate and help hang them up. But it’s a daily activity that will build a memory over time. Although mine isn’t as fancy as Lindsey’s, I hope to add some fun touches over the month.
{Tip: you can find cute paper cut outs at your local craft/scrapbooking store}
Mom Talk: Kayla Evans
For our Mom Talk Mondays we have something new for you! A different and unique mom every Monday that will hopefully give you some inspiration for your everyday life.
(If interested in being featured on Mom Talk Mondays, please email Bethany at bmbarrow [at] hotmail [dot] com, title MOM TALK)
-Tell us a little about your family and why it is special?
I am a farmers wife and a mother of 3 with #4 on its way soon! My kids are from ages 11 to newborn [soon]. We recently built our forever home on my childhood farm and I LOVE being home! It’s been my dream since I was little to live on the farm and I am living that dream now. My children have loved being a part of moving cows, playing in the ditches and riding the atv’s around the farm and to Grammie and Grandpa’s house and even to their cousin’s down the road. Being close to family was important to us.
-What do you do for work/volunteer outside of being a wife and mom?
Outside of helping with the farm, I co-own a photography/hair salon called Paisley Studios. I have had a camera in hand for 14 years, starting in my mom’s darkroom in her house developing my own film and moving on to good old Photoshop! I love what I do, but I have to admit it is hard because my work is always with me. Still trying to find balance with working at home. At the same time I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
-Is there something your family does on a regular basis for quality time?
We love to have family game night! We choose a game and play it over and over…..well until bed time.
-How do you take time for yourself to recharge?
A night out or day with my girlfriends! Shopping, food…..it always makes for a great recharge! Connecting with other women in the same season of life as I am helps me know that where I am at is normal.
-What is your go to, never fail and in a pinch recipe?
Taco Soup – My kids love it but I think my husband is starting to get tired of it after 13 years.
-What is the one product you can not live without?
I would have to say Doterra On Guard Cleaner Concentrate. I use this on a daily basis to clean all of my counter tops and other surfaces in my home! I had battled with eczema for quite awhile and really needed to keep my hands out of the water as much as possible, and this is what did the trick for me to get things while keeping my hands dry. I literally have a spray bottle plus a bottle of the concentrate in all of my bathrooms, my laundry room and my kitchen. I would really have a hard time without it for very long! [I am discovering that I am a little OCD on clean, so this is the product that I must have!]
Thank you Kayla and congratulations on your soon to be here baby!
One Small Child’s Newest Member: Bethany
My name is Bethany and I am so excited to be a part of the One Small Child team! I will be assisting with social media to spread new products, projects, any and everything baby and most importantly inspiration from other moms.
I am still a “new” mom, I have 3 littles that I adore. My oldest is a boy who is 4 years old, my daughter is 3 years old and my newest is a sweet boy just 8 weeks old today! I call myself new because I still have so much to learn and experience with my children that it’s almost overwhelming to think about. And I have been blessed to be able to work from home but it can be easy to work when my children need me, even if they didn’t tell me they did.
S0 I have come to realize that slowing down in life is not a bad thing. Yes, work, activities and adventures are also necessary to learn, grow and enjoy life but I have learned that too much can leave us feeling drained. I want to lead an intentional life with my little family and it starts with me and how I set the tone for my household. My example is what my children learn from, good and bad. For example, our sweet baby boy at just 13 days old had open heart surgery to save his life. We were so blessed with everything and everyone involved. I could have panicked more than necessary though but I didn’t. I wanted my older two to see and understand that being sad, worried and scared was okay but that we had to be positive and keep going. So when Mommy and Daddy were gone for 10 days at the hospital, they were okay. They didn’t worry. Now they love to tell people how baby brother “got his heart fixed by the doctor” and then roll into what they did at school, dance class or story time at the library. I would say for today it’s a win.
I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of this great company and blog and look forward to interacting with all of you!
Easy Baby Costume Ideas in a Pinch
Halloween for children is one of the most exciting times of the year. They can be their favorite superhero, princess or whatever their little hearts can dream up. The best way to use their imagination! But with that imagination comes a project for you. And as busy as we are it can be the last minute before we come up with something worthy of leaving the house.
Following are easy DIY baby costume ideas that we loved because many of the materials are things you already have. Making a smaller trip to the store and helping your wallet.
Happy Halloween! And here’s hoping you get at least one good piece of candy out of your kids’ bucket before they notice. You deserve it!
21 Easy Homemade Baby Costume Ideas
A couple of favorites from the link:
A Gnome! Having made this one personally in the past I can with confidence say how cute it is!
Tinkerbell, every little girl wants to be her, or just some kind of fairy. You can find wings at the dollar store and making the tutu is super easy. Here is a link just to show you how easy it is: Easy tulle tutu tutorial
And last but not least, a bowl of spaghetti. Because if your kids are anything like mine, they look like this anytime they eat it anyway.
Holiday Fun: Family Fourth of July Activities Pinterest Roundup
Are you looking forward to all the Independence Day celebrations as much as I am this year? It’s always fun to get together with family. My family loves to play games, do crafts and watch the fun firework displays. It’s a time that we can all get together and catch up with each other.
I have been in charge of my family party on the Fourth of July for several years now, and I needed a few new Fourth of July activities for all the kids this year. I have to entertain every age from toddler to teen, which can be challenging! Not to mention I’m short on time to prepare, and I really don’t want to break the bank. So I went searching on Pinterest and found some great ideas for kids of all ages. (Are you following us on Pinterest?) Most are very inexpensive and simple to prepare. I wanted to include a craft, at least one thinking activity and a couple ‘get up and move’ activities for each age group. Here’s what I came up with:
Fourth of July Activities for Toddlers
Let’s start with the little ones: I picked a straw fireworks paint activity for their craft from ArtsyMomma.com. For their thinking activity, I chose a simple felt build-a-flag activity from LittleFamilyFun.com. The get up and move activities are water bottle bowling from RootsandWingsCo.blogspot.com and an awesome hand and foot-print flag from ParentMap.com. (Wouldn’t this be fun to involve all the kids and compare the flags as they grow each year?)
Fourth of July Activities for Kids
Next up is the kiddos. I chose a fun can wind catcher for their craft from MamaOlie.blogspot.com. I scored with this free printable patriotic bingo from Makoodle.com for their thinking game. And for their get up and move activities, I chose a simple water bottle ring toss from RootsandWingsCo.blogspot.com and fun can-do stilts from Spoonful.com. (To simplify decorating the cans, I may have construction paper to wrap the cans, and use star stickers instead of trying to let the kids paint the metal and let it dry, etc. Crepe paper would also be a less expensive alternative to ribbons for the wind-catcher.)
Fourth of July Activities for Pre-teens and Teens
Now for the older kids. I’ve planned on all these activities at least entertaining the pre-teen kids, and I’m hoping the teens will jump in and enjoy them as well. I chose ribbon dancers for their craft (A little juvenile for a teen, I know. But their “not into crafts” anyway, yeah?) from theGoldJellyBean.com. I’ll use crepe paper for these as well. Their thinking activity is a word search from FourthofJuly2013.com. (I might also do a Declaration of Independence matching game I saw briefly on theRedHeadedHostess.com that would be more challenging for the older kids.) Their get up and move activities are a balloon dart game from RootsandWingsCo.blogspot.com and a fun scavenger hunt from PartyGamesNow.com. Whew! Glad that’s all figured out!
The Challenge
Okay, here’s the monkey wrench. There is a very large, very fun fireworks display that is about 45 minutes away from our small town. After a day of food and fun activities, it’s always fun to go watch this particular firework display. However, we need to show up to claim our spot on the nice soft grass reasonably early. Otherwise we will end up with sleepy kids laying on asphalt or a big tree blocking our view. So, I need a few Fourth of July activities to take along, so the kids are entertained while we wait for the big firework show. Can I just say, Pinterest is a lifesaver? I saw this awesome pin from SugarBeeCrafts.com that is perfect! These games don’t take up a lot of travel space, and they’re very inexpensive. It’s nice that you don’t have to worry about something getting broken or left behind when packing away all the sleepy kids. (Honestly, I’ll probably end up tossing them in the trash on the way out.)
I’m excited to try out all these fun Fourth of July activities this year! I’d love your input! Have you tried any of them? Do you have any other fun Independence Day games or tips?
From the Trenches: How to Fly with Toddlers
Recently we took our 4 kids, (9 yrs, 4 yrs, 18 months, and 3 months), on a trip to visit family. The trip included 6 hours on a plane, including a 2 hour layover in between flights. I was desperate to find activities for my 18 month old. I went to the wonderful world of Pinterest to search for genius ideas on how to fly with toddlers, as well as asking advice from friends and family.
First- this was one of our FAVORITES! Super simple and inexpensive. I purchased fun buttons and a sandwich container. I cut a hole large enough for the buttons and kept the buttons in a bag in the container to pull out when we were ready to play. He loved placing the buttons in the hole and this activity saved us from a few melt downs.
I found this activity at a local book store. It came with many different color shoe laces and a few different boards to thread. While my 18 month old didn’t quite enjoy this like I thought, my four-year old loved it.
This was the best one yet! My friend had this in her church bag and when I saw it I knew I needed it as well. This was super simple and an ingenious idea.
Take a spice jar with the larger holes on top, and cut pipe cleaners to fit the length of the jar.
My 18 month old loved this. He would pull out all the pipe cleaners and put them in one by one.
Last but not least, this snack kit that I found on Pinterest was awesome. Even the flight attendants stopped to look at them and commented that they wanted some for themselves on long flights.
I packed a few sweet snacks but tried to keep it healthier by packing crackers, jerky, nuts, and granola bars. You want more high protein snacks to help have fewer melt-downs.
Since our trip I have used these ideas at church and it has helped tremendously to keep my little ones quiet and entertained.
What things have you tried?
One Small Child Tribute: A Heart-Warming Father’s Day Quote
I Love You Dad
What can you say to someone who has always been
One of the most essential parts of your world,
Someone who took you by the hand when you were little
And helped to show the way?
What do you say to someone who stood by to help you grow
Providing love, strength and support
So you could become the person you are today?
What can you say to let him know that he’s the best there is
And that you hope you’ve inherited some of his
Wisdom and strength?
What words would you say if you ever got the chance?
Maybe you just say, I love you Dad
And hope he understands.
~Vince Crispaul
{Wishing you a wonderful Father’s Day from One Small Child.}
OSC Family Friday: Meg’s Baptism
{Miss Natalie LDS Baptism Dresses}
This girl recently celebrated a special day: she reached the age of eight years old and chose to be baptized and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is a big deal for her, so she invited her grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends to attend the service and come to our home afterwards to enjoy a few of her favorite treats. It was such a pleasure to have so many loved ones in our home!
We’ve talked a lot about planning a christening or similar event on this blog, and I have to make a confession right here: this all came together at the last minute…because that’s how I roll. I utilized the same process, just smashed all the prep work into the day before. And while I don’t necessarily recommend taking on huge amounts of stress the day before a meaningful gathering, it worked for me because I tend to keep things fairly simple. {grin}
The menu selected by Miss Meg was as sweet as she is: chocolate chip cookies, vanilla cake, and root beer floats. I threw in some yummy ham-pineapple-cream-cheese-roll-ups for a touch of savory to go with all the sugar. I wouldn’t call it a balance, but it definitely took the edge off, and those babies disappeared fast!
This cake comes with a bit of a story. Because it was the last minute, I ended up ordering a cake from our local grocery store: vanilla cake with simple white frosting and pink lettering. When I picked it up, the lettering was…really awkwardly done. Grrr. I considered my options on the fifteen minute drive home, determined to make it work. When I arrived, to my DELIGHT, I found that if I was very careful, I could pick the lettering off the cake without any major damage. Pinterest supplied me with an awesome buttercream recipe, and I free-handed this simple design in nothing flat. It’s not perfect, but for me it was good enough. And yummy! (In case you’re wondering, CTR stands for Choose the Right.)
A sweet flower arrangement rounded out the preparations, and gave the table a pulled-together look that I loved.
All in all, it turned out to be a lovely day filled with the things that matter most: faith, family and friends!