I was 7. It was my first sleepover. And it was all Barbie. It should have been a dream but all I remember is the sheer horror of watching my 12 closest friends trample through my brand new poster, unintentionally ripping it to shreds. It was my birthday, and I was the one crying. Fast forward a couple…
This year I have spent all twelve months stocking our family’s entryway closet with board games and activities. In fact, we have more board games for kindergarteners in our house than we have broken crayons and spare socks combined… and that’s a lot. Too many days in the past our family was looking for a…
Several years ago I also heard about the 4 gift giving rule. You know “Something you want, something you need, something you’ll wear, something you’ll read.” It’s cute. But it always missed the mark for me. I would come up with ideas that were good, but didn’t fit the mold and personally, I desire the…
I realize that 25% would be a failing grade. I realize that 25% of a dollar can’t buy much. I realize 25% generally isn’t a lot of anything. …But today, Jenn is 25% of 18 years old and it feels like such a big number. It’s big and important because soon enough she’ll be too…
My oldest daughter could build and tinker forever. I mean, she loves to build with blocks. But blocks get old. And there is so much more that can be created than a basic tower with a few special and unique building toys, which is why this year we started expanding our toy library to really tap…
My mom always bought our birthday and Christmas gifts long before we ever had a chance to even create a list. As an adult, it now makes sense why she shopped the way she did, but even with the best of intentions, I am not perfect. However, I have found ways to spend a little…
In our extended family and our circle of friends, there are nut allergies, soy sensitivity, and wheat & gluten intolerances. Because of this, when everyone gets together (which is typically at birthdays), it is really important that we can find a way to make sure no one feels left out by the food options available….
So you recently got an invitation to a birthday party and it says “no gifts please”. What do you do? Do you come to the party empty-handed or do you bring something just in case? What does it mean? Is it obvious or is it just trying to be polite? Here is a breakdown of…
Because playing is learning, it’s important to be well-stocked with great toys that facilitate certain learning concepts. As a rule, I like to keep clutter in our home to a minimum so anything that I buy has multiple uses and typically encourages lots of open-ended play and I have learned what seems to be most…
Looking for an easy game to make out of things you probably already have around the house? Make a DIY Skee Ball and Darts game. So it’s not quite skee ball, but has some elements, and it’s not really darts either, but it also has some elements. SO It’s just the love-child of the two. Maybe…