Free Educational Printable: My Transportation Coloring & Writing Book Anyone else have kiddos that are obsessed with cars and trucks? Both H, 6, and J, 3.5 could seriously talk about vehicles all day. This fun printable features eleven vehicles for your children to print out, color in, and practice their writing. Whether your little one is obsessed with police cars, fire trucks, tractors, motorcycles, etc – there is definitely something they will all love in this free printable! I made sure the letters above were outlined, and traceable letters below were dashed so the boys have two ways to practice writing and sounding out the words. The full page graphics are also fun to use as play doh mats! I have the boys try and recreate the shape of the school bus, etc. And then we talk about where it may be going, who might use or be riding on each vehicle, and where they would be found. Little #MomHack for you: Instead of printing these out again and again and again, consider grabbing a pack of plastic sleeves! We bought this pack for my son’s Kindergarten class and his teacher said they’ve been amazing for saving paper. […]
I was so excited to see that my A to Z Animals Trace + Color Book Printable was so well received! The boys finished theirs up this afternoon, and it gave us some great animals to look up and learn more about. They also used legos and play doh to recreate some of their favorite animals from the free printable! And with being new to the whole idea of homeschool while we wait for things to pass, I love that these booklets are so versatile and can inspire so many spur of the moment ideas for further education. This next one is perfectly themed for Spring! Free Educational Printable: My Spring ABC Book Like the ABC Animal version, this Spring printable is great for both my Preschooler (3.5) and Kindergartener (6). This one is really fun because they have loved learning the names to some of the flowers we have in our garden. And they were quick to point out which of the letters were related to Easter! Which then spurred conversations about the Easter Bunny and plans for egg hunts and wondering if they could catch the Easter Bunny. Grab your play doh for this one too! There are […]
Are you struggling with ideas for things to do with your kids right now? I know all of our schedules have been disrupted by schools closing and the need to self-quarantine. And a lot of parents are probably racking their brains with how to keep your kids occupied without watching TV or playing on a tablet. First off, screen time is fine. There are some great at home educational apps for your kids! But if you’re looking for a fun and easy educational activity for your kids to do at home, look no further! All you’ll need is a printer and some crayons / markers. And this is a great at home idea that’s appropriate for both my preschool and kindergartener! A-Z Printable Animals Trace + Color Book This free printable includes 7 pages of 26 animals that you and / or your kids can easily cut and make into a small booklet. I have the boys trace the outline of the animals, as well as go over the letters themselves. For my kindergartener this is especially beneficial for working on his lowercase letters! And for my preschooler it’s perfect for working on his letters and hand eye […]
This post is sponsored by Stitch Fix Kids and contains affiliate links. Zach and I were SO hesitant to move to California. It was the one place we agreed we had zero interest in moving to. But in a conversation last weekend we agreed that this move has been amazing. The boys are 100% obsessed with everything about living here. The beaches, the weather and all the beautiful sunshine are hard to beat. Except for the traffic. The traffic… is not my favorite. It’s not any of our favorite. Sitting in rush hour traffic with two (pretty soon 3!!) kids who hate the car is not my idea of a fun time. I know I talk about it constantly, but I’m all about making life as simple and easy as possible. And that includes shopping for new clothes. Especially for the boys! Between work, school, life, trips and exploring all that California has to offer, I am happily handing off the boys’ clothing shopping to Stitch Fix Kids. You know how excited you get when you get something in the mail that’s not a bill or junk? That times a thousand is how the boys feel when they get something […]
<img height=’0′ width=’0′ alt=” src=’http://pixel.watch/4d220f01-02c7-4ba2-ad9e-478af0a0dd25′ /> This post is sponsored by KIDZ BOP; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I remember it clearly. The year was 1998, I was 10 years old and had my $20 proudly in my pocket. My parents drove me to Tower Records and I excitedly hurried over to the Country section to flip through the stacks of CDs. And that’s when I found it! Her album. The one I had been saving all my money for – Trisha Yearwood’s (Songbook) A Collection of Hits. Fostering a love of music with our children: Music is something so universal, and so tied to memories. My next few albums I think were a really great representation of the assortment of music I grew up with. The second album I bought was a Hootie & the Blowfish, then a new type of record that had just hit the shelves: KIDZ BOP, and Green Day because they were my brother’s favorite. I didn’t care about genre, I just cared about the way music made me felt. Even from a young age. And I love fostering that with my children even now! The feeling when the boys wake up […]
This post is brought to you by Abercrombie Kids. While this was a sponsored opportunity, all content and opinions expressed here are my own. Over the last few months, it feels like we’ve been running around like crazy. A new baby coming this Spring, selling our home, and a big move coming in a few weeks. To say the least, life has been insane. And the kids are definitely feeling it! We try and make sure we get quality time in with each of the boys all year long. But even more so now. Zach is gone from Sunday to after they go to sleep on Thursday, and it feels like time is going faster than ever. So how do we combat these huge life changes from wreaking havoc on us all? Hygge! You know I love the Danish idea of Hygge. Creating coziness and warmth. And I think it’s kind of a shame that it’s so geared towards adults. Because Hygge moments for kids can be so incredibly therapeutic. When life throws curveballs and everything around them is changing, I think it’s incredibly important to give them those slow and intentional moments of joy. How do we cultivate Hygge […]
I think one of the questions I get asked most always correlates with the fact that we keep screen time to a minimum around here. First off – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with screen time. In fact, during this first trimester, the boys have watched way more TV than normal. Some of their favorite shows, like Wild Kratts, and Planet Earth I think are great. Educational, interesting, and they don’t make me want to pull my hair out. But for the most part, we like to keep things old school around here. The boys do not have tablets, nor are they allowed to use mine. To each their own, and just do what works for you! The biggest reason we cut down and eliminated screen time for the most part? The boys’ behavior. The more TV they watch, the more insane they get. There are more meltdowns and more attitude. Basically, I can see an immediate change in them. But I digress. Here are a dozen of our favorite toys, etc that help facilitate screen free days: This post contains affiliate links Screen Free Gift Guide for Kids. National Geographic Dinosaur Play Sand H has had this set […]
This post is sponsored by Huffy; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Choosing the right gift for your kids: Tis the season to start thinking of wishlists, gifts, and family gatherings! I know I talk a lot about keeping the excess down in my Instagram Stories. So I thought I’d share an easy way we do that when it comes to the holidays. But first, let me preface with this: no matter what you decide, never let anyone make you feel guilty about what you do or do not gift during the holidays. Whether you feel 1 or 27 presents is perfect for your little ones – that choice is all yours. Here’s how I keep things simple with our almost 5 year old: All year long, H will stop us in stores. “Mom, take a picture for my list! I like this one!” He’s a kid. He loves stuff. He loves toys. He loves sound and bright colors and wants it all, now. I was worried about figuring out how to get him something he would actually love each year. Especially because his birthday is so close to Christmas, there’s just a lot happening at […]
This post is sponsored by Kroger. Regardless, all opinions are my own. 3 Toddler-Approved Superfood Smoothie Recipes, inspired by Bumble Bee. What were some of your favorite Saturday morning cartoons when you were a kid? I wanted to be just like my brother, so everything he liked, I liked too. We would head downstairs in the morning, grab a bowl of cereal and tip toe into the living room. He switched on the TV and I would stare at the screen, transfixed at the magic happening in front of me. That magic was The Transformers. Watching the Autobots not only save the world, but go from vehicle to robot was unlike anything I had ever imagined. We weren’t allowed much TV growing up, but being an 80s baby, we made sure to save up our TV time to watch the Autobots defeat the Decepticons every week. Flash forward, just a couple of years later, and now I have kids of my own. And my oldest, H, is obsessed with all things mechanical. When we found out there was going to be a new BumbleBee movie this holiday season, I genuinely don’t know who was more excited. Especially considering […]
This post contains affiliate links. You guys have been clamoring for a post on the boys’ bunk beds. And I finally have the time to sit down and write this out! I’ll probably come back and update pictures as we finish their room. But for now, these will have to do! A few things to note: This was ridiculously easy. We Googled all sorts of Ikea Hacks for the Kura bunk bed, and kept falling in love with every new idea we found. So, we left it up to the boys! I was really surprised, albeit a bit relieved when H said he wanted to keep it simple. That meant I didn’t have to be the one struggling with decals or wallpaper. And Zach wasn’t going to have to try and create anything crazy. Our style is kind of a jumble. I like to describe it as a Scandinavian / Boho mix, with a little eclectic mid-century thrown in for good measure. I LOVE color and jewel tones and everything lush and velvet. Meanwhile, my husband is very drawn to black and white and minimalism. The boys room, I think, is a great melding of all of the above. DIY Ikea […]