Kids

Life in an Instant: A celebration of gratitude

by Stacy on November 27, 2011

Baking / Kisses / Crafting / Spending time Together / Creating / Sharing / Lovin’ / Hugging / Passing on traditions & making new ones / Being a family

This year I tried to capture moments I was thankful for, as they were happening. I did it all with my iPhone and the help of a few apps. The result was magical, documenting my gratitude not only helped me to truly enjoy this special time with the ones I love, but looking back on these precious moments fills my heart with so much joy. I am so very grateful for each and every one of the reasons I have to be thankful this year.

Thankful for helping hands in the kitchen,

the very best sweet hugs & kisses.

A Nana who likes to craft,

siblings who love each other,

and teaching them to be thankful too.

Knowing my children have grandparents who want to be a part of their lives,

and to have known a love like this.

Thankful for the happy home I have built with my best friend.

Life is good and I am blessed.

To celebrate this feeling and in hopes of helping it spread throughout the holiday season, I’d like to start a new series we can all participate in – Life in An Instant. A chance for us to share those moments that matter most.

Follow along as I capture Life in an Instant here

Catch these moments as they happen in your Facebook feed

Or leave a collection of your own

If you’d like some help getting started or have questions about which apps to use, I’m happy to help.

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Puff the Magic Dragon coming to a mobile device near you!

by Stacy on November 14, 2011

I’m so excited to tell you one of my very favorite children’s books is coming alive tomorrow in a beautifully illustrated app. I must warn you, I have yet to make it through this book without tearing up and I have a feeling the app will have the same effect on me … especially when I hear Peter Yarrow singing it! Still, you can bet I’ll be downloading this one first thing tomorrow.

Children can experience this whimsical app in three different ways:

- “Sing To Me”—listen to Peter Yarrow sing the classic song with pages that automatically turn as the song progresses

- “Read to Me”—narrated by Peter Yarrow, words are highlighted as they are read by the author

- “Read Myself”—children read the story at their own pace and turn the pages as they go

Throughout the app there are touch-activated animations to provide an added element of play and keep the little ones engaged. There’s also tilt-screen animation that lets kids create waves in the ocean around Honalee. This imaginative story celebrates a very special friendship that will be treasured by children of all ages. (Puff the Magic Dragon – Apple, Android $5.99)

Let me know if you download it, and if it makes you cry. I hope I’m not the only one out there who sheds tears at story time?

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Handmade Halloween Costume Round Up

by Stacy on November 2, 2011

I usually highlight handmade costumes throughout the month of October, but this year the whole month just sort of seemed to pass me by. I didn’t want to break from my tradition entirely, so before we put Halloween behind us for good I wanted to spotlight a few of my favorites this season.

Frosty the Snowman
Little Artiste
Pig in a Blanket
Optimus Prime
Red Riding Hood & the Big Bad Wolf

My Cakies has been wowing me with her Halloween costumes for years and her mini barber shop quartet did not disappoint!

But the first place winners of this years Handmade Halloween Costume Contest have got to go to Erika of Yellow Pear for her family of Star Wars characters. Her costumes were simple to do, easy to recreate, but oh-so-chic.
Just look at little Luke & R2D2
But wait, there’s another blue ribbon waiting for the epic Darth Vader Princess.
Cool as cool can be and hopefully I will have a chance to recreate all three of these costumes when my guys get just a little older. I can already tell it’s going to be GREAT!!

Got a great Handmade Costume I should know about? Send me a pic or shoot me a link, I’m always cataloging great ideas on Pinterest.

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Healthy Halloween Treats

by Stacy on October 26, 2011

1- Funky Monkey Freeze Dried Fruit Snacks/ 2 – Pirate Booty Snack Packs/ 3 – Annie’s Fruit Snacks/ 4 – Clif Kids Twisted Fruit/ 5 – Clif Kids ZBar/ 6 – Raisins/ 7 – EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars/ 8 – Mini Pay-Doh

I rounded up some healthy alternatives to sugary sweets this Halloween, not because I don’t think kids should ever be allowed to eat sugar, every now and then is fine. But because I believe there are plenty of tasty alternatives out there; treats you can use not only for Halloween, but also in your children’s lunches or for snacks at home. Besides, there will be plenty of other folks giving out the sweet stuff, you can rest easy knowing you gave the kids something they will like and that isn’t full of artificial flavors or colors.

My family has tried all of these brands at some point; in fact, I always have a large stash of Clif Kids ZBars and freeze dried fruit in the house. I’m really not sure who loves them more, me or the kids!

Tip: Most of these items can be found at Target Super stores or Whole Foods or online, there are usually great sales or coupons on these items too. The links I have provided do not necessarily represent the best price on these items.

I polled my Facebook and Twitter friends to see what their favorite alternative to candy were. Granola Bars ranked high, as well as goldfish, popcorn, pretzels, bottled water, and 100% juice boxes/pouches. Non-food items like mini play-doh, crayons, stickers, halloween costume jewelry, and glow in the dark bracelets were a big hit too (things you can find at the dollar store, Oriental Trading Company or the Target dollar section).

Have a favorite Healthy Halloween treat that wasn’t listed here? Please share it in the comments section for others who are interested.

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Let yourself Go a little WILD!

by Stacy on September 24, 2011

Just popping to tell you about a truly awesome website we found this week called, Build Your Wild Self.

I must warn you, once you visit it will be hard for you to hand over the computer to let the kids play with it. It really is that addictive. The graphics alone captivated me, but add in the endless possibilities and combinations of kids and/or creatures you can create and well, it is just plain genius.

Take a look at the Wild Kids we created

Once you’ve created your own Wild Self, the site will give you your species name and tell you a little about each part you have chosen. You can print these, send them to a friend or land them on your desktop.

Go here to BuiLD YouR WiLD SeLF

How much fun would these be to do for a Where the Wild Things Are party?

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