I often have friends and family asking what you can gift kids instead of toys. Many of us are looking to downsize in the toy department and would rather gift our children with meaningful non-toy gifts that they will enjoy but won’t cause all of the clutter or extra “stuff”. Enter: arts & crafts as gifts! Cool Arts & Crafts Gifts for Kids If your child is a bugging artist or enjoys painting and creating then these art gifts for kids will be a huge hit! We especially like to gift our toys with things that are educational or Keep Reading
18 Brilliant Ways to Give Money as a Gift – Clever Money Gifts Everyone Loves to Receive!
Giving gifts is one of my favorite things to do. While I always love finding unique gifts for people, there are sometimes where the best gift to give is money. Rather than just hand them a crumpled $20 in an envelope, I do my best to make the experience special. I've written about fun methods of gifting cash before and felt like coming up with some more ideas! Here are the super clever & unique ways to bless your recipient with cash. 18 Best Ways to Give Money as a Gift I asked a few of my blogging friends for suggestions, and got some great ideas! Here are some of the Keep Reading
17 Brilliant Money Gifts Made with Dollar Tree Items!
Anyone who knows me knows that I just love discovering unique do-it-yourself gift ideas for the kids in my life. I don't believe you have to spend a bunch of funds on an expensive gift. A thoughtfully put together homemade gift can be just as meaningful. I've written about lots of really cool DIY money gifts like the real money notepad (tutorial here >>) which everyone loves to receive. Then one day I realized that the dollar store is a great place to find inexpensive containers for creating my money gifts. So for this post I thought it would be Keep Reading
How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas
There are a lot of great things about the Christmas season, but one of the best things has to be the smells! I absolutely love filling my house with things like homemade Christmas scented sachets or Christmas essential oils. It's taken me a while to figure it out, but this year I totally nailed it. I now know how to make my home perfectly scented. You can too! And, P.S. - you aren't limited just to the month of December! My home rocks some of the scents on this list all year long. ;) How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas When you think of Christmas Keep Reading
Santa Claus’ Real Mailing Address
So my oldest is now 5 years old and she has written a letter to Santa. She knows the mail takes a while to get to the North Pole and is upset that we might miss the mail lady on Monday if we don’t address the letter NOW and put it in the mailbox. :=) I thought surely we can't actually do this. But something inside of me told me to double check that Santa didn't have an actual mailing address. And guess what? He does! What is Santa Claus’ actual mailing address? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the United States Postal Service has a program Keep Reading
10 Fun Ways to Give Money as a Gift!
Every year I try to find a neat way to gift money to the kids in my life who prefer receiving cash instead of an actual gift. It may seem rude to some, but I don't think it is! What is inappropriate or tacky about giving someone exactly what they want and need the most for a birthday, Christmas, or graduation?! Keep reading for 10 awesomely creative & fun money gift ideas for kids of all ages, from the 9 year old who wants to pick out his own Nerf Gun at Target to the teenager or college kid who needs spending money! Creative & Fun Ways to Give Money to a Kid These Keep Reading
Creative “Playdough” Money Gift
I love it when someone shows me creative ways to give money as a present. Maybe it's because I used to love getting money at Christmas or my birthday? Or maybe it's because I love seeing the look on someone's face when they open up their present and find another gift inside? Whatever the reason, it's so nice to make someone happy with a simple cash gift. Giving money is great because everyone loves to receive it AND it couldn't be easier to put this type of gift together. That leads to dilemma -----> How to make a money-filled present Keep Reading
10+ Easy Ideas for the Lazy Elf on the Shelf
Sometimes we have the best intentions around the holidays before real world time issues mess them up. Let's face it, Elf on the shelf is a cute idea and fun for the kids but when exactly am I going to set that scene up? The gist seems to be that the elf hides (or is in plain sight) around the house and watches children to make sure they are on their best behavior for Santa. Who wants to get on the naughty list? The trend I see with other moms on social media are elaborate mini stages and cute handmade props that are pretty enviable but I Keep Reading
Free Printable Dear Santa Letter for Kids
One of my favorite things about Christmas each year is seeing the season through my kids' eyes. They get SO EXCITED about everything, and it infuses some much-needed holiday magic into the everyday. Want to guess what makes them most excited about this season? LOL, you probably guessed it...Santa! They love seeing him at the mall and in movies and put a surprisingly great amount of thought into what to ask him for each year. Every year we write a letter to Santa together with each kid using a free printable Santa letter template–now you can too! Keep Reading
Blank Letter to Santa Template {Free Printable!}
Christmas is one of my favorite seasons! Every year I look forward to all the magic of Christmas—the lights everywhere, the festive atmosphere, and, of course, our yearly traditions! One big tradition we do every year is to fill out a printable letter to Santa with the kids' wishlist on it. Mainly because this is how they tell us exactly what they want for Christmas. hehe Super Cute Idea - Writing a Letter to Santa :) Filling out this template makes life so much easier when it comes to figuring out what on earth you should tell your child to share with Keep Reading
Free Printable Letter to Santa Template ~ Cute Christmas Wish List
I just love getting into the Christmas spirit. Our kids love Christmas, learning about Jesus, and of course, getting a visit from Santa Claus! My oldest is almost old enough to find out the truth...I'm sure we only have another year or two before the magic is over for her, so while it lasts, I'm hanging on to it! If you have little ones who believe in Santa Claus, you'll need this printable. Print it out, have them fill it in, and mail it to Santa according to these directions. They'll love it! Free Printable Christmas Wish List ~ Letter to Santa Keep Reading
{Easy Holiday Tradition} Write a Letter to Santa with a Free Letter to Santa Template
'Tis the season to do all the things. I love Christmas, truly, but sometimes I can get a bit overwhelmed with all the tradition crammed into a single month. I've learned to simplify and pick and choose which traditions to participate in yearly...and one thing I LOVE doing every Christmas is helping the kids write a letter to Santa! It's easy and makes such a sweet memento to look at year after year. Guess what? You can do it too...honestly! I've made it super simple for you—check it out! What Should You Say in a Letter to Santa? Of course, there are so many Keep Reading
How to Make a REAL Money Notepad {Step-by-Step Instructions}
Today I have the neatest thing to share with you!! I've been wanting to create this gift idea for the blog for quite some time, but I never got around to it because I always make these gifts at the last minute! Then I forget to take pics. This year I got my act together and snapped pics of the entire process for you! It's pretty easy to make a pad of cash and they make the best gift! THESE ARE REAL MONEY PADS! Yes they are real. LOL Someone just asked me where I got the fake money! hehe It's not fake money - it's real life money. :) How to Make a Keep Reading
10 Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids {all under $20}
When my kids were little, we didn't have a lot of extra money to spare. I remember my first baby's first Christmas, we had a "$10 Christmas." That year we really couldn't afford Christmas gifts because I had quit my job to be a stay-at-home and we weren't very good at living on one income just yet, so we had to keep our costs low. We bought a little gift for our baby and put her under the tree as our gift to each other for the year. I'll never forget that Christmas! From Strictly Budgeting to Overspending on Christmas Gifts Little did I Keep Reading
Free Santa Letter Templates + How to Mail a Letter to Santa
I'm so excited to share this with you all—I've been planning this post for years it feels like (you mamas know how that goes, right?). I know there are a lot of super fun things you can do during the holidays, and a lot of traditions, but this one is one of my favorites: writing a letter to Santa! Okay, so I don't write a letter, but my kids do. And it's so cute! I love seeing what they ask for and how their dreams change year after year. It just makes a really sweet thing to hold onto and look back on! So, I created 4 printable Santa letter templates so you can Keep Reading