Category Archives: Kids

Non-Candy Easter Egg Stuffers

Is anyone else out there sick of the Easter candy? In our house quite a bit of it ends up in the trash or eaten, and I’m not sure which is worse at this point. Therefore, this year I’m changing things up for the first time and not putting candy in the Easter eggs. Yes, I’m biting my nails and nervous about the outcome of this new experiment, but I’m just so sick of the junk and candy each year for each holiday.

This year I am putting Legos in my son’s Easter eggs. I’m going to put all the pieces from the Lego set pictured above into a bunch of eggs and hide them. When he wakes up in the morning he’ll find the directions booklet in his Easter basket, and I’ll tell him that he has to find all the eggs in order to put his new Lego set together. My guess is that he will be really excited about this, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Now, I’m sure I’m not the only mom out there who wants to put something other than candy in their Easter eggs, so here is a list of 20+ items that you can put into your eggs this year. I actually went up and down the toy isles in Target the other day coming up with this list. Just make sure you put age appropriate items in your eggs.

Money
Gift card/certificate
Legos or Lego minifigures
Race car
Bouncy Ball
Play dough
Slime
Silly Putty
Rings
Earrings
Necklace
Temporary tattoos
Lip Gloss
Chapstick
Doll accessories
Barrettes
Stickers
Squinkies
Mini erasers
Small action figures
Glow in the dark stars
Glow in the dark stones
Magic grow capsules

What are you putting in your Easter eggs this year?

Crayon Art

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Recently I was talking with some of my friends about what they have been doing during their winter days (we have a lot of them here, and more to come) with their children. Most of us are on the lookout for fun creative activities to help occupy us and our children. This got me thinking back to last summer when I was in Florida staying with my friend Kim…

Picture a beautiful, sunny, 85 degree day. Perfect weather for playing outside, going for a run, heading to the beach, etc. Therefore, you would expect us to be outside making the most of such a great day…Wrong!! Instead, Kim and I decided we wanted to try a craft we saw on Pinterest. I’m sure many of you have seen the whole “melt the crayons” art work that has been floating around Pinterest. Well, we gave it a try, and it was a smashing success! Kim and I were actually way more into it than our son’s were. Our kids just wanted to play outside and enjoy the weather.

Crayon Art

Supplies:

Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Crayola crayons…you choose the colors you want
Canvas frame…choose your own size
A hair dryer or embosser…the embosser will work better

First, choose the crayons you want to use and lay them out on the top of the canvas to make sure they all fit properly. Then, using the hot glue gun, glue each crayon onto the canvas with the tip of the crayon pointing to the bottom of the canvas. Once completed, make sure the glue on the crayons has cooled completely before you begin to melt the crayons.

Now, using your embosser or hair dryer (make sure you have the dryer set on low, or you will blow melted crayon everywhere) begin heating the crayons. Make sure you have your canvas tipped at an angle so the melted crayons can flow towards the bottom of the canvas. I had the dryer pointed at the top end of the crayon in order to melt as much of it as I could.

Once you have finished, keep the canvas propped up until the wax has melted completely. Then, hang your new art on a wall!! I highly suggest you give this project a try if you are looking for something fun, easy, cheap, and creative to do!

***Note: Over half way through our crayon melting, Kim got out her embosser. We discovered the embosser worked so much better than a hair dryer. The embosser kept the wax hotter longer, so that it could “flow” down the canvas more. Not to mention, it didn’t blow the air out as hard as a hair dryer, making it easer to control where the melted crayon flowed.

Saturday Shares

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The Love 4 Logan Foundation was created to inform the public of childhood cancer while generating revenue to purchase baby blankets, mobiles, and other items for babies in the NICU and those babies diagnosed with cancer. Through the foundation we are able to express our gratitude to those that helped our baby by helping other babies.

Right now there is a need for blankets.

Per Kortney: Hey friends & family! I am trying to get NEW FLUFFY (no thin flannel or receiving blanket) blankets together to send to Logan’s family to donate. PLEASE let me know if you would like to donate. These blankets can also be HANDMADE, but same rules, must be a warm, fluffy blanket. I found perfect ones on Amazon and they don’t cost much, but mean a lot to the families they are being donated to!

I am hoping for a few handmade blankets to donate to the children’s hospital where Logan was cared for. If you know how to knit or crochet I would be willing to donate the yarn! The blankets should be about 30×45, fluffy & warm. They would need to be ready in the next few weeks. Thank you!

If you would like to help with this amazing cause and/or if you know how to crochet or knit…or know someone else who does, please get in touch with Kortney at photoburpee@yahoo.com and use the subject line “Love for Logan” as soon as possible. Please share this with anyone and everyone!!

You can continue to follow Baby Logan’s journey on her Facebook page at Love for Logan. And most importantly, please continue to keep Baby Logan, her brother and her mommy and daddy and all babies affected by cancer in your thoughts and prayers.

Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos from Aggie’s Kitchen look beyond delicious! I cannot wait to make these for dinner soon.

Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies by Averie Cooks look so comforting and yummy. I’m trying to incorporate more coconut oil into my baking, so I’m excited to give these cookies a try, and there is no butter or white sugar in this recipe.

DIY Lavender Bath Salts from Heart, Love, Weddings is a perfect gift to make for friends or yourself. Plus it is a great craft to get the kids involved in. If you are reading dads…You might want to make this a Mother’s Day gift/project, or a great birthday gift for mom. They also have recipes for Herbes de Provence Salt, Citrus Salt, and Vanilla Bean Sugar.

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Check out Amanda’s post about Understanding Muscle Composition on her blog Run to the Finish. She does an amazing job explaining the need for strength training, and why you should not judge yourself by what the scale says.

Food, Fitness, and Family has come up with a Lean Legs Circuit that will help tone your tush and legs up. Go to her sight to get the rest of this Loving Lean Legs Circuit.

Saturday Shares

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It is FINALLY the weekend!! Woohoo!!! Time to sleep in folks! Once you get settled in with your cup of coffee and the sleep out of your eyes, I hope you enjoy all the shares I have for you today.

Run to the Finish is hosting a Spring Bootie Buster Challenge for the first this year!! The challenge will run from March 4th to April 21st. You know I already signed up for it! Plus ALL PARTICIPANTS will be receiving a pair of Lock Laces!! I did the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge, loved it, and took away so much from it. Not to mention some totally awesome Oakley workout clothing that I won (see picture to right). I highly encourage you to join me in the Spring Challenge. You will find yourself more motivated than ever to stay healthy and fit. When you sign up put down that From Florida to North Dakota sent ya!

Check out these recipes for homemade gummy bears without all the chemicals. Taralynn has come up with several gummy recipes that I’m dying to try out myself.

The picture really says it all, but what it doesn’t say is that these Strawberry Baked Doughnuts only have 1 tablespoon of butter in the whole recipe and no oil! Mary Quite Contrary Bakes has a winner here!

These Blueberry Yogurt Cookies by La Fuji Mama look yummy and healthy. This recipe uses Greek yogurt and NO butter or oil!

I’m a big fan of things that glow, so of course I pinned this fun kid project as soon as I saw it. Glowing a Jeweled Rose has a great project for you and your kids with the Glowing Rainbow Eruptions. If you have a black light it is even cooler!

I am a follower of the Food Babe, and I am so thankful for all the research she does to help keep the rest of us informed about what is actually in our foods and drinks. One post I point people to is the Low Calorie Beverages Will Kill You Before They Solve Obesity article. Please read it. It will open your eyes to a lot of ingredients that are in your beverages and foods. What did you think after reading her article?

Itz Linz has a great full body workout that consists of 10 exercises with 15 reps each. The above pic is only part of the workout, and to get the rest of it you have to go to Linz’s blog and fall in love with her #15 Full Body Circuit Workout!! I’ve done this workout several times myself.

Saturday Shares

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I’ll have more on my Florida travels for you next week (aerial yoga was amazing and I cannot wait to share the pictures with you), but today is Saturday, so that means Saturday Shares!!! It is time for me to share my internet finds with you! I hope you like them, enjoy them, are moved and motivated by them.

Remember that virtual Bacon 5K Race I shared last Saturday? Well part of the “bacon challenge” is to eat bacon after or during your run, jog, or walk. Everyone is posting different bacon recipes on the Facebook page for the race, and this maple bacon cupcake recipe is my choice!

Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce from Family Fresh Cooking is my new “pin” of the week that has me intrigued. The recipe looks delish, and I’m always looking for a healthier or cleaner version to my favorite Thai meals.

Out of the Box Food blog offers fresh alternatives to processed kid food, and they have another winning recipe with this corn dog recipe.

The Frugal Village has posted a ton of great at home kid recipes for moon sand, flubber, sidewalk paint, window paint, play dough, tub soap paint, finger paint and more! These recipes make for a cheap and fun way to have fun and create with your children on winter days when you are stuck indoors.

Cinco De Miles 5/5/13 Run/Walk to benefit the Leukemia &...

Team Cancer Crushers of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training of South Florida is hosting another virtual 5K, Cinco De Miles 5/5/13 Run/Walk. Right now they have a discount code available for a limited time. Use code 15EARLY to get 15% off!! The medal above looks pretty amazing too!

Since I was traveling and leaving the hubby at home and in charge of everything, I put together a “home management” binder for him in case of an emergency. Here are the sites with free printouts that I used to put together my own binder. Just click on the picture to go to the blogs they came from.

IHeart Organizing no longer has her pintables for free. Instead I used her examples from her etsy shop to create my own pintables, since I didn’t need everything she had and wanted to add some categories of my own to spreadsheets.

Virtual Fun Run for Children!!!