COAT CLOSET MAKEOVER

I bumped into my neighbor Lani at the grocery store the other day.  She was telling me all about what they'd done with their coat closet.  The thing is, Lani has the exact same house plan I do, so I figured what worked for her would work for me too.

I've never been so excited about a home improvement project in my life.  Actually, I've never been excited about a home improvement project period.

In fact, I was so excited to get started that I forgot to take a before picture.  Let me conjure up an image in your mind.  First, it's important to remember that no child under the age of 18 will use a hanger voluntarily.  Second, you can't hang backpacks, purses, umbrellas, etc. on hangers.  Third, even the coats that do get hung on hangers tend to slide off.  Basically, hangers are useless in a coat closet situation when children are present in the home.  All of our backpacks and half of our coats were constantly piled on the floor.  The rest of the coats were jammed together haphazardly on a random assortment of hangers.  In short, our coat closet was a mess.

And all it took to fix it was a few pre-painted 1x4 boards and an assortment of hooks and screws.....

Although I prefer wooden shelving, the wire shelving came with the house, and because we'd be shutting the closet door, I didn't see any reason to make the project more difficult or expensive.  We did have to move the top shelve up several inches to allow for 2 rows of hooks, and we added an additional shelf on the bottom for shoes.  We don't wear shoes in the house--a custom we adopted from  my Canadian husband--and all of our shoes seem to end up in the garage, since that's the way we always enter and exit.

I am so excited to have place for our shoes just inside the door!  I can't tell you how many times I've nearly tossed a bag of groceries tripping over shoes to get into the house.

Up top, we added some baskets to hold our hats, scarves, mittens, and re-usable shopping bags.

We found the hooks at Hobby Lobby for around $2 a piece (at 50% off), which was far cheaper than anywhere else. Everything else was purchased at Home Depot. The entire project cost about $80.  You are going to need a saw of some kind (although ours isn't much, I assure you) to cut your wood.  A drill will come in handy too, as will a level, so if you don't have some basic tools, I suggest borrowing them from your neighbor!

I love how this weekend project really opened up the space in our tiny closet and made it so much more functional.

Now, I better get busy hanging stuff up in my new coat closet while I've still got time.  Because Ty Pennington is probably going to show up on my doorstep any minute now to offer me a job on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. 

GEEK VALENTINES

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.....I had to come up with a Valentine for some slightly geeky (and I mean geeky in a cool Sheldon Cooper sort of way) boys.  A Valentine that was the epitome of cool, while offering absolutely nothing in the way of romantic sentiment. 

Enter Pinterest and the humble glo-stick, once reserved exclusively for holidays that are celebrated after dark like Halloween and Independence Day.  Not anymore.  Last Easter we put them inside plastic eggs for a glow-in-the dark Easter egg hunt, and now we're using them in our Valentines.

Before you know it, someone will figure out how to bake a glo-stick into a cupcake!  I'm pretty sure the Glo-stick Manufacturers of China (that's where 100% of glo-sticks are made, right?) are going to have their best year ever.

There are all kinds of ideas on Pinterest these days for glo-stick Valentines.  We went with the light sabre option.  Because it's manly.  And it has a light sabre.

I found the cute Star Wars printables here.   And I found the glo-sticks at Target.  They have packages of 15 in the $1 bin.  Which made these Valentines practically free!

You just cut a little slit with an Xacto knife where the top of the light sabre handle is, slide in your glo-stick and tape it down on the backside.  Unless you want a double-edged light sabre in the style of Darth Maul.  Then you need to make a second slit at the bottom of the light sabre handle and slide your glo-stick back through the front.

We added a card stock backing first, which made our Valentine's a little sturdier (and more cute, in my opinion), but it was also harder to get the glo-stick in there.  So next time I would add the glo-stick first, then attach the card stock back.  Of course, that would make it hard for the kids to pull the glo-stick out and actually use it.  So maybe you shouldn't complicate things the way I do and just opt for a single layer of paper. I also recommend having a few more glo-sticks than you need.  We cracked several into action when we were inserting them into the Valentines.

Now get on over to Target A.S.A.P.  There's going to be a run on glo-sticks!

MY MONTHLY DOSE OF GLAMOUR

A few months ago, I mentioned how much I loved getting my monthly Birchbox full of beauty samples.  So I feel obliged to tell you that I've found a similar service that I love even more.  It's called Ipsy.

Every month, for $10, you recieve a cute little make-up bag with 5 awesome beauty products.  They call it a Glam Bag.  Which is fitting, because it's the only remotely glamorous thing that happens to me over the course of a month.

Here's what I got in January.

Tuscan Blood Orange Mini Body Butter: It's winter in Colorado.  I can never have too many lotions.  In the car, the purse, the kitchen drawer, the bathroom.  I am not really into smells, but this stuff smells really good.

Soho Makeup Brush:  Make-up brushes alone can run you $10, which makes the monthly subscription fee worth it, if you ask me.

Nailtini Nail Polish:  I'm not one for using nail polish on my fingernails, but I almost always have my toenails painted, at least during the warm weather months. And if we're being honest ladies, none of us shaves our legs regularly in the middle of winter either.  But when spring rolls around, it's always fun to have new colors!

Big Sexy Hairspray:  This is the one product I probably won't be using.  Big sexy hair is just not a priority for a 41 year-old mother of three.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil:  I don't even know what this stuff is for, but according to the website, it can be used "for many areas including hydrating and nourishing skin as a daily moisturizer, skin treatment, treating spilt ends, and softening cuticles. It's gentle enough to use on all skin types and is known to help with skin conditions including acne, eczema and rosacea."

Here's what I got last month.

Honestly people, I am not really into make-up and beauty products  For the last 20 years, I've never even owned more than one eyeshadow at a time.  I feel adventurous when I buy a new shade of lip gloss.  Which is the very reason I love this service so much.  I get to try fun beauty products without making a huge financial commitment, and I don't end up with drawers full of full-sized, unused beauty products I didn't like.  I'm not even getting any money or free stuff to tell you this.  I just think it's awesome! 

The only thing missing is chocolate.

80 AWESOME STOCKING STUFFERS FOR BOYS

As the mother of three boys, I always find stuffing their Christmas stockings a challenge.  Especially now that they're getting older and I can't rely on old standbys like Hot Wheels and bouncy balls (although they do still love those).  Maybe I'm just not very creative, but it seems like girls would be so much easier, with all the nail polish and lip balm and jewelry and hair accessories to be had. 

 

So I consulted some experts--other moms of boys--and came up with this fabulous list of stocking stuffer ideas for boys in the 10-17 year old age range--give or take a few years.  Really, many of these would be perfect for college age boys and even grown men.  Especially the thumb wrestling masks!

 

Something useful: I'm a practical person, so I insist on including at least one useful, by which I mean "not fun", item in my kids stocking every year. 

1. Toothbrush and toothpaste: Not the most exciting thing to find in your stocking on Christmas morning, but I find with boys, it's important to emphasize personal hygiene at every opportunity.

2. Deodorant:  Appropriate, if not necessary, for boys as young as 10.  Really.

3. Axe Products: Personally, I think this stuff stinks to high heaven, but the young men love it.  and apparently the young ladies do too.  There are all kinds of products to choose from, including shampoo, body wash, deodorant, and various aromatic sprays.  You can usually find a few Axe products in the sample section of the grocery store.  They're the perfect size for stockings, and you don't have to put up with the smell for quite as long.

4. Shaving supplies, for older boys, of course.  Although perhaps not as old as you'd think they would need to be.

5. School Supplies: Pens, pencils, post it notes, etc.  December is about the time of year the kids have either run out of or lost everything you sent to school with them in September.

6. A 2013 planner:  I have been trying, with little success, to get my high school sophomore to use a planner for his homework since he was in the 5th grade.  But this one might just inspire him to new organizational heights.

7. Gas card: Obviously for kids who are of driving age.

8. Christmas Ornament: Your boys will not appreciate this.  At least not right away.  My mom used to give us an ornament every Christmas.  I thought it was the dumbest thing ever.  Until I got married and had to decorate my first Christmas tree. But maybe if you get an ornament like this, your boys will warm up to the idea more quickly.

9. Wallet

Something to wear:

10. Socks: Boring, but pretty much everybody needs them.  Especially in the winter.

11. Watch: nothing too expensive.  It's just a stocking stuffer.

12. Tie: Even if they don't dress up much now, they're going to need one eventually.

13. Belt

14. Hats and Gloves: You can never have too many, as they are always getting lost or left behind at school. 

15. T-shirt: Roll it up and tie it with a festive ribbon.

16. Sunglasses

17. How about a Harry Potter scarf?  Just be sure to choose their favorite house.

 

18. Pajama Pants or Shorts:  Target always has a fun selection to choose from.

19. Baseball cap featuring their favorite team or high school mascot.

Something to read (or help them read):

20. Paperback Books: The Fablehaven series is a favorite around here.

21. Comic Books

22. Barnes and Noble gift card

23. Bookmarks

24. Magazine Subscription

25. Book light

Camping Gear:  Even if your boys don't camp, they'll love this stuff. 

26. Survival Bracelet: If you haven't heard of these yet, it's time you did.  And if you like to do homemade gifts, you can make your own.

 

We've made them for about $2 with supplies purchased in the fishing department of our local outdoor store.  Here's a helpful video tutorial.  The idea is that you'll always have a handy piece of rope to get you out of any predicament. Which sort of makes your son feel like MacGyver.

27. Flashlight

28. Pocket Knife

29. Caribiner Clips

30. Headlamp:  My boys would be ecstatic to find a headlamp in their stocking on Christmas morning.  They would wear it all through Christmas break (especially to read in bed at night) and probably end up with some sort of permanent mark on their foreheads.

31. A compass, or a GPS, if you really want to splurge.  Or have a child who gets lost on a regular basis.

 

The latest technology:

32. Earbuds

33. Or some earbud holders.

 

34. Thumb drive.  I'm kind of partial to this 8GB Red Ninja Flash Drive.  I mean, what boy doesn't love ninjas.

35. Phone Case

36. Mouse/mouse pad. 

37. iTunes gift card. Because if they don't have Angry Birds Star Wars yet, they want it.

38. Laptop/phone skins: Skinit.com has an amazing selection.  You can even create your own design.

39. How about some i-cloths, to clean up all of those techie gadgets.

Sports Equipment:

40. Golf balls and Tees

41. Water Bottle

42. Hockey Tape

43. Bike Computer:  This one from Schwinn tracks speed, distance, time, calories burned, and more.

44. Football or baseball gloves

45. Pedometer

46. Mouthguards: Kids who play contact sports can never have enough of these.

47. Swim goggles

48. Sweatbands:  Trust me, that dodgeball movie made them cool again.

 

Games:

49. Card games or a deck of cards.  Check out Gamewright for tons of great card games, like GUBS.  Most of their games are also available on Amazon.

50. Rubik's Cube: Always a classic.

51. 20Q: This thing has been known to entertain my boys for hours.  And being boys, they really enjoy thinking of words like toilet, vomit, and whoopee cushion.

 

52. Video Games: You don't want to spend an arm and a leg on stocking stuffers, so look for older games in the $20 or less range.  And don't forget about buy back game stores, where you can get great deals on used games.

53. Speaking of video games, consider a gift card to a favorite video game store, like Game Stop.

54. Spot It: It's like four games in one.  A favorite at our house, and the perfect size for stuffing a stocking.

Homemade Gifts:

55.  Make a coupon book with things to do with them or for them throughout the year (movies, ice cream, chore free day, water park, zoo, hike, favorite restaurant, or a "do whatever you want day."

56. Marshmallow Shooters

57. Chocolate Bar Snowmen and Santas from Martha Stewart

 

Junk Food: Because boys love to eat.  Preferably things that will turn their fingers orange.

58. How about an entire 2 liter bottle of soda?  Just put an orange in the toe and you're done!

59. A can of Pringles

60. Beef jerky

61. Pez Dispensers

62. Gum or breath mints.

63. Pop Rocks:  I've seen a peppermint flavored Christmas version at Wal-Mart.

64. A gift card to a local candy shop, like Rocket Fizz.

65. If sugary cereal is usually off-limits at your house, single serving cereals can be a fun, special treat. And they'll even double as Christmas morning breakfast!

Just for Fun:

66. Legos: Minifigures are the perfect size for stockings.  These small Lego Creator sets are another stocking stuffer favorite around our house.  I've even found Target gift cards with small Lego sets included.

 

67. Movies on DVD or Blu-Ray.  Don't forget to check the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.

68. Xbox Live points card.

69. Or a Wii points card.

70. Or PlayStation.

71. Practical jokes, like these from Restoration Hardware:  My youngest got the pack of gum that snaps shut on your finger at Chuck-E-Cheese once, and he thought it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

 

72. Collections:  Does the boy in your life have a collection?  Add something to it.

73. Thumb Wrestling Masks:  Even my husband would enjoy these.  Nachooooo!

 

74. Fast food restaurant gift card: Think McDonald's, Taco Bell, that sort of thing.  Great for older kids who can leave campus during school lunch.

75.  Movie Theater Gift Card: Especially good for older kids who like to go out with friends.

76. Action figures

77. The Snowballer: perfect if you're expecting a white Christmas.

 

78. Gifts card for the local fun center. You know, the place with laser tag, mini golf, go karts and arcade games.

79. Cash: Wrap it around a favorite chocolate bar, or fold it into an origami shirt.

80. Tickets to a concert or sporting event:  A bit of a splurge, but definitely memorable!  Just make sure you will be available to drive or come along if necessary.

GARLAND OF THANKS

Last week, the Halloween decorations came down and the Thanksgiving decorations went up.  And by decorations, I mean a handful of things on the mantle.  The skinny little pilgrims are kind of my favorite.

And yes, we still celebrate Thanksgiving around here, even though Wal-Mart is going to cut things short by starting "Black Friday" at 8:00 pm on Thanksgiving Day.  Seriously.  Can you even believe that?

But we are going to be right here at 8:00 pm on Thanksgiving Day, eating a turkey sandwich and a second or third slice of pie.  And reviewing all the things we've added to our garland of thanks throughout the month of November.

After I put the decorations up on the mantle, I kept thinking that it needed a little something more.  So I strung a piece of string and attached few faux fall leaves and acorns and the garland of thanks was born.  Every day at dinner, we pass around a little piece of paper and we all write down something we're thankful for.  Then we attach it to our garland.  It's hard to tell from this photo, but C has already added "toilet" to the list.

I've attached our thankful thoughts with some cute little clothespins that I bought (ironically) at Wal-Mart.  Although I am considering never shopping there again since the announcement of "Black Thanksgiving Day."  Luckily, I'm pretty sure regular clothespins would work just as well. 

The important thing here is not the garland, it's the gratitude.  So write down what your thankful for and put it in a jar, or a box, or stick it to the refrigerator.  Or just talk about it when you sit down to dinner. 

Because as the saying goes, gratitude turns what we have into enough.

EASY MUMMY HALLOWEEN CRAFT

Looking for a quick and easy Halloween craft?  And by quick and easy I mean something you can throw together the night of October 30.  Provided you can dig some empty toilet paper tubes out of the trash can. 

 

First, you'll need to decide how tall (or short) you'd like your mummy to be and trim your toilet paper tube accordingly.  Then you'll need to make your toilet paper tube white.  I covered mine with cardstock, but I'm sure covering it in white paint would also work.  If you're really OCD, you might want to cover the inside too.

 

As you can see, I am not.

 

 

 

 

Next, attach some googly eyes.  Aim for the top third of your tube.  Finally, you'll need to wrap your tube in strips of light weight white fabric.  Scraps are perfect for this project.  Make sure you don't cover up the eyes as you wrap!  I secured the ends of my fabric to the tube with a little dab of glue.  For a real mummy-like effect, tear your fabric into strips rather than cutting it.

 

If you want to fill your mummies with little treats, you'll need to attach a cardstock base to the bottom of your tube.  I found it worked best to do this at the end, when there was a bit of fabric to glue my cardstock to. 

 

Aren't they cute?  If you wanted to go all out, you could even add a little handle and make a mummy basket.  Don't you ever wish someone would fill your head with chocolate and candy corn?

 

This project was inspired by Work in Progress.

GENERAL CONFERENCE KIT

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you know how much I look forward to my church's twice yearly General Conference.  Instead of dressing up in our Sunday best and heading off to the church, we get to sit at home in our stretchy pants and watch church on t.v.  While eating snacks!  What's not to like about that?

This time around, I decided to make General Conference Kits for a few of my church friends, to help them enjoy the proceedings even more.  I was inspired by these kits over at A Bushel and A Peck.

 



 First and foremost, I included some snacks.

 

 

I also included a little notebook, a pen and a highlighter--for note taking.  And a package of tissue.  Because the speakers are just so touching and inspiring.  I put everything in a colorful gift bag and tied a note to the outside letting the recipient know what was inside.

 

 

Finally, I put in a copy of the 2006 General Conference talk by Jeffrey R. Holland "Prophets in the Land Again," and some printable cards with interesting facts about some of the speakers.  I designed the 4x6 cards awhile back to entertain my kids during church services, and I thought they would make a great addition!  You can download them here.  Just follow these instructions:

 

Click on the thumbnail of the picture you wish to download. Scroll your cursor over the larger photo that appears on the right, and when the menu tab appears, click on the file folder icon with the green arrow to save a copy to your hard drive. Please remember, these prints are for personal use only and are not to be sold or reused in any way for profit. Source for images and information lds.org

 

General Conference weekends really are my favorite weekends of the year.  To give you an idea of the kind of things I'm looking forward to hearing, this is one of my favorite quotes from the last General Conference in April.

 

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines." ~ Jeffrey R. Holland

 

I can't wait!

 

  

HOORAY FOR HALLOWEEN

The last of our guests left this morning and suddenly, I realized it was October.  Time to break out the Halloween decorations!  Honestly, I'm not a big holiday decorator.  But with a few quick changes, I do manage to transform my mantle once or twice a year.

One of the easiest ways to change up your decorations is to get an inexpensive all-purpose picture frame and switch out the print to reflect whatever holiday is upcoming.  I found this adorable free Halloween printable at Fabulous Features by Anders Ruff.  Pinterest is a great place to look for free holiday printables.

The giant apothecary jar stays on the mantle year-round.  I just switch out what's inside as the seasons change.  For example, at Christmas, I'll fill it with ornaments.  And that's pretty much the only other time of year that I make a change.

The highlight of this year's Halloween decor is this totally awesome Pac Man Halloween garland I found over at Minieco.Co.Uk.  Pac Man.....ghosts.....Halloween.  I don't know why I never made the connection before.  And seriously, so easy.....especially if you use circle punches for the eyes.  Giant google eyes might be fun too!  My boys are probably going to nominate me for mom of the year thanks to this one.

I added a few other knick-knacks to finish things off.  Not counting the time it took me to make the garland, and the time I had to dig around in the basement to actually find the rest of the decorations, the entire thing only took about 20 minutes.

I love it when a plan comes together.



LET THE GAMES BEGIN: OLYMPIC RING COOKIES

We interrupt our regularly scheduled vacation posts to bring you some super cute Olympic treats.

We used sugar cookies, but cupcakes would probably work too.  Just FYI, the percentage of brown M&M's in the bag was quite low.  I did see black M&M's at Party City, but at $6 for a small bag, we decided to go with brown.

Let the games begin!

APPRECIATE A TEACHER

It's teacher appreciation week, and if anyone deserves to be appreciated, it's the people who spend all day with my children.  Times twenty.  I volunteer at school twice a week for an hour.  I can't imagine doing it for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.  Never mind that you get summers off.  I'd end up in the looney bin long before summer rolled around.  I simply do not have the patience.  And I am very thankful for the people who do.

Not only do teachers teach (and sometimes I wonder how they manage to do that), they act as counselors and mentors.  They deal with family problems, emotional problems, hunger, and homelessness.  I've known teachers over the years who keep a drawer of food in their classrooms for the kids who don't get breakfast.  I've seen teachers go out and get library cards or purchase books for kids who don't have any books at home.  I've seen teachers do everything they could to give a kid a chance, because it was obvious that every other adult in that child's life was robbing them of any chance they ever had.

My kids have had some amazing teachers over the years.  A handful have made a huge difference in their lives and taught them things I never could have.  Mostly because they don't listen to me.  I'm so glad there are teachers to give the same advice and teach the same lessons that were ignored and scoffed at when they came from me.  At least my kids listened when I taught them not to scoff at their teachers.

So I've scoured the Internet Pinterest to bring you some fun ideas for saying thank you to all of the wonderful teachers out there.

If you're going to go with the traditional apple may I suggest including some caramel dip to go with it.  You could even get the apple with the caramel already on it.  Because who doesn't love a caramel apple?

Source

If there is one thing teachers are always running out of, it's pencils.  They're always happy to have more.  They wouldn't even care if you made them into a cute little flower vase, like this......

Source

but I'm sure they would love it if you did.  What they would really love is if you sharpened the pencils for them.  Approximately 2.5 million hours are spent sharpening pencils each week in classrooms across America.  Okay, I totally made that up, but I bet I'm not far off.

Here's an even easier way to give a supply of pencils, using this free printable.  However, you will seem much more clever using the phrase "you're so sharp" if you actually sharpen the pencils.  Do I make my point?  Haha!  Pun intended.  

I'm sure teachers run out of most classroom supplies well before teacher appreciation week rolls around, so don't wait until May to send in a supply of glue sticks, tissues, pencils, or whatever is needed most.

This is a great idea if you have a lot of teachers to appreciate.  A chocolate bar with a cute wrapper.  If you have a child in junior high or high school, it's a safe bet they won't be getting much in the way of appreciation this week.  Because people don't want to buy gifts for 8 different teachers.  But this, I think, would be doable.

I found this idea on Pinterest,  but there was no legitimate link association with it. 
So whoever came up with this cute idea, thank you!

 

For older kids with multiple teachers, a simple thank you note will do. As a matter of fact, thank you notes will also do for younger kids with a single teacher. Often, these are the most cherished gifts of all. The teachers really do appreciate it, and writing a thank you note is a good exercise for kids too.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that teachers love homemade treats.  Cookies and brownies and such go over especially well with male teachers.  And if you want to go all out, you can put them in a cute package with like this one from Eighteen25.  It even comes with a free printable.

One of our favorite teacher gifts is a photo book or DVD slide show full of memories from the year.  I take my camera to every class party and on every field trip so I have plenty of pictures to work with.  You could also collect pictures from other parents.  I cannot tell you how much teachers love this! 

If you know your child's teacher well enough, you can do something even more personal.  This year for Christmas we gave C's teacher, who loves to cook, a cookbook with our favorite family recipes.  We're still hearing about how much her and her family love trying the recipes. 

One year, on behalf of E's teacher, we donated to a school fund that helps send kids on a yearly Eco Education trip.  This particular teacher was one who always helped plan and chaperone the trip, and loved the outdoors.  He's also not the type who likes a lot of attention.  We wrote him a little note letting him know what we'd done.  He was delighted, and told us, "Now that's the kind of gift I like."

Books for the classroom library, or a gift card to the local bookstore are always welcome gifts too.  The most important thing though, is to say thank you in some way.  It doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate.  They say it's the thought that counts, and that's never more true than during teacher appreciation week.

BEYOND MEALS: SNACK BASKETS, GIFT CARDS, AND OTHER TIPS FOR HELPING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS DURING A HOSPITAL STAY

The past few weeks, I've taken meals in to two different friends.  One just had a baby, and the other's husband had been in the hospital for a minor surgery.  Meals are always appreciated, but there are some other great things you can do for friends and neighbors when someone in the family is experiencing a hospital stay.

The Snack Basket:  This is hands down my favorite way to help someone out during a hospital stay.  When E was in the hospital after his first seizure, one of our friends raided her pantry and brought us a huge basket of snacks.  It was full of things like granola bars, fresh and canned fruit, and crackers.  It was a lifesaver! 

Often, when a family member is in the hospital, people are coming and going, but no one has time to sit down to a full meal, or do any grocery shopping.  Everyone's schedules are disrupted.  This is especially true if the hospital visit is unexpected.  During a family emergency, eating right (or eating at all) can be the last thing on anyone's mind.  We literally lived off of our snack basket for two days.  It's also portable, and can be carried back and forth to the hospital, where both patients and visitors often need or want something to eat.

Snack baskets are also quick and easy to put together.  Try picking up a few cheap baskets when you see them on sale. There's a good chance you'll have enough food in your pantry and/or refrigerator to make up a basket on the spur of the moment. You could also include things like homemade cookies, beef jerky, fruit leather, nuts, popcorn, pretzels, juice, and even some chocolate or candy. Easy Mac is great for older kids who might be home alone without anyone to cook for them.  Individually packaged portions like the 100 Calorie Packs are great for something like this too.

An Offer to Watch Children:  If you can offer to take someone's children during a hospital stay, I can tell you from experience, they will be eternally grateful.  This is especially true of mothers who are due to deliver a child and have other young children at home.  More so if they don't have family in town.  One of my biggest concerns when I was pregnant with my second and third child was what I would do with the other kid(s) when it was time to go to the hospital.  A new mom might also appreciate someone taking older kids for a few hours once she and baby have returned home.

I also know how grateful I was when a friend came to my house at 5:00 am so I could be at the hospital for a 6:00 am surgery.  She woke the children and got them dressed and ready for school so that my husband could accompany me to the hospital.  What to do with the children is always a stressful thing to consider when a family member is in the hospital, and anything that can be done to help out in that area is always greatly appreciated.

Hospital Care Kit:  Depending on the situation, you could put together a small care package to send along to the hospital.  Consider including things like books and magazines, lotion, Chapstick, snacks, warm socks, change for vending machines, and for expectant mothers, a scrunchie to hold their hair back during labor.  If children will be frequent visitors to the hospital, you might even include a few art supplies or small toys.

Freezer Meals:  Like I said, meals are always appreciated.  However, people often receive more food in the week or two after a hospital stay than they can possibly eat.  For this reason, I like to take in a freezer meal whenever possible.  Meals that freeze well include soups, Mexican dishes like enchiladas, pasta dishes like lasagna, and most casseroles.

I always splurge on disposable pans and Gladware when I take in a meal.  I don't want the people I'm trying to help to have to worry about returning any dishes to me.  It's the last thing someone wants to think about during or after a hospital stay.  If you're taking in a warm meal and don't want to use disposable dishes, ask if you can transfer the food to the recipient's dishes right then.  You can take your dishes home and they won't have to worry about returning them later.

Often, the most overwhelming time for a new mom or someone who has been in the hospital comes few weeks later, when everyone has stopped pampering them and the offers of help have died down.  A freezer meal will be very much appreciate then!

Gift Cards: Consider a gift card to any a local restaurant that delivers. Pizza is the obvious choice, but depending on the family, you could do Chinese or sandwiches. This is a great option for providing meal if you are busy too and don't have time to cook for your family and someone elses. And much like a freezer meal, it can be saved for a time when other offers of help have slowed down.

Mixes & Staples:  My friend Kristen recently told me that when she brings a meal, she also likes to include some homemade pancake mix, along with instructions and a few staples, like eggs and milk.

There are tons of recipes for mixes in a jar out there.  Many of them would be fun to include with a meal, and would be great on their own as well.  It might even relieve a little stress for the family members at home to be able to whip up a batch of cookies together, using a mix and other ingredients that you've provided.  People appreciate knowing that you're thinking of them.  You don't have to do something elaborate or time consuming to let someone know they're in your thoughts and prayers.

Don't be afraid to get creative and ask what's really needed!  Sometimes the answer will be meals, but there are often other things that people are in need of when they or another family member are in the hospital.  And don't forget that the time after arriving home from a hospital stay can be a difficult transition with different needs.  One thing is certain, your help will be welcomed and appreciated.

DUM DUM EASTER BUNNIES

When I saw these adorable Dum Dum Easter Bunnies on Pinterest, I was compelled to go out and buy all of the supplies to make them.  Because they are just so cute!  Never mind the fact that I don't consider myself a crafty person.  Creative, yes.  Crafty, no.

As soon as I got home with my bag full of pipe cleaners and pom poms, the motivation left me.  That was about 10 days ago.  My cute little Dum Dum Bunnies were destined to be nothing but bunny parts and pieces.

But C stayed home sick from school yesterday, and the weather stunk, so what else were we going to do?

See, I told you they were cute!  I had to do the painting and hot glue the pipe cleaner ears, but C was able to do most everything else himself with some tacky glue.  We decided to mass produce, because that's what bunnies do, and made about 30 of them.  I pondered as I sat tying tiny little bows why I had decided to devote an entire afternoon to bunny making.

But C kept saying things like, "These are so cool," and "This is so fun."  Which totally made it worth my time.

Did I mention how cute they are?  The best part is their little bunny faces. 

It's like there's a tiny little bunny personality behind every cute little pom pom face.  I can almost imagine them having conversations with each other.  Whatever it is bunnies talk about.

If you'd like to make your own Dum Dum Bunnies you can find instructions at The Mother Huddle.  There are tons of great recipes and tutorials and crafts over there.  You really should check it out.

And then you need to go buy some bunny parts, and probably the ingredients for the strawberry shortcake.

I MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION

I've been scouring Pinterest for Valentine ideas.  The great thing about having only one child left in elementary school is that I'm willing to spend a little more time and money (like $3.00 more) on Valentines.

Here's what we came up with, based on an idea we saw over at the Crafty Monkey. 

They used an actual fake mustache, whereas our mustache is Photoshopped on.   They even attached fake mustaches to each Valentine, giving every child the opportunity to sport some facial hair at the class party.  Based on my experience with bringing these mustaches to last year's Valentines party, any fake mustache you choose to attach to your Valentine will be eagerly embraced, with a great deal of giggling, by all of your child's friends and classmates.

I had mine printed up at shutterfly.com for a grand total of $8.00 (including shipping) for 30 4x6 prints.  But you could always have them printed up locally and save yourself a few dollars.

Here are a few more fun ideas.  In case your child doesn't want to grow a mustache for Valentine's day.

You Rock, Valentine! from A Small Snippet.

Hooked on You from Be Different, Act Normal.

And I Chews You,  from Love the Day.

You could do this one with a regular old pack of gum too.

There are many more fun ideas over on Pinterest.  But I warn you, if you go there, you may never come back!