There is just something about this time of year that brings out that southern greeting. It’s Fall Y’all and that means pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

to get the recipe click here! 

*the 2 ideas below originally posted 5 years ago in this post*

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This recipe is so very simple! All you need are a few ingredients and a great blender and your set!

What you need:
1/3+ tsp harvest pumpkin spice, depending on your taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup frozen pumpkin (cubes from silicone tray)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1-3 Tbsp honey (or sweetener of your choice)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder *optional*
Handful of Ice cubes

What to Do:
*Add all ingredients into a blender, except protein powder.
*Blend together until desired consistency, add more milk or water as needed.
*Once you have your desired consistency, add in protein powder but only blend until mixed (about 10 seconds or less). If you overdo it, the protein powder will make the smoothie too frothy.
*Enjoy your pumpkin smoothie! Yum!

Pumpkin Yarn Craft

What you need:
orange yarn
a couple balloons
multi-purpose glue (like elmer’s or make your own paste with flour and water)
1/4 C water
green pipe cleaners + green felt
scissors
small bowl
plenty of paper towels

What to do:

To make this fun with as little mess as possible (this IS a messy craft), follow these simple steps.

1. Gather supplies, decide number of yarn pumpkins you’ll be making
2. Blow up your balloons and tie a knot
3. Cut yarn in 2-4 feet strips depending on your balloons sizes, set aside (3-5 strips per ballon)
4. In a cereal bowl make glue paste using the whole bottle of glue, and 1/4 C water, mix well, set aside
5. Dip your yarn into the glue paste, then lightly slide yarn through 2 fingers dripping access glue off
6. Wrap yarn around pumpkin, overlapping pieces of yarn to make it sturdy
7. Once all yarn is wrapped around balloon, hang dry or set on a jar for 1-2 days
8. Once dry, pop balloon and pull thru an opening
9. Use the pipe cleaners & felt to make a stem, twirly vines, leaves 

Display for all to see, your kids will love their crafty pumpkins!

These 3 ideas are shared in the video below:

(youtube video) 

And here are more pumpkin ideas found on this blog:

• Spiced Pumpkin Pie
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Cream Cheese filled Pumpkin Muffins 
• Redeeming Halloween

ps. Im curious, if you are a reader here, would you like to see more posts? I have been almost exclusively posting on youtube because this blog lacked interaction and comments but if you all are reading and commenting, I would try more to post here! 

-Rachel 

The post All Things Pumpkin Ideas appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Courtney @ A + Life, Contributing Writer 

It is hard to believe that we are already one month into the fall season and that before long (if not already!) we will be bombarded with all things Christmas related. But, today, I wanted to share about some of our very favorite fall things to do with our daughter, Abigail.

This time of year is perfect for being outside all day long! The crisp autumn air, the bright sun, the sights and sounds of fall, all make for a wonderful outdoor experience. There are SO many fun things that you can do, but here are just a few of our favorites! So, without further ado, I give you:

Five Fun Fall Activities For Children 

1. Visit A Pumpkin Patch 

The one thing we always make sure to do in the fall is to visit our local pumpkin patch! It may be small and quaint, but we love walking around and selecting our pumpkins and mums, taking a small hay ride, capturing a few special moments on our camera, and letting the farmers teach our little girl all about pumpkins. 

2. Watch An Outdoor Movie 

This has been a new addition to our family fun, but recently my husband, Jim, acquired a small projector to play movies on. We set up a comfy place to sit in the backyard, hang up a big white sheet, and enjoy making our very own drive in of sorts in the back of our house! Projectors are pretty easy to rent and borrow, so I highly suggest getting your hands on one and giving a backyard movie night a try this fall! 

3. Backyard Camping

If you’re already in your backyard for a family movie night, why not also set up a tent and have a camp out as well? I’m not much(read: NOT AT ALL) for camping, but if the weather is right and my own personal bathrooms are close, you can get me out there  

4. Play In The Leaves

We aren’t fortunate(or are we? enough to have large trees in our yard capable of being piled up and raked, but Grandma’s house sure does! There isn’t anything more quintessential childhood than running and jumping and burying yourself in a massive pile of leaves.  

5. Roast S’mores

And of course, what is fall without a roaring bonfire, toasted marshmallows, and s’mores to enjoy? Getting sticky, sweet, and messy together make some of the most fun memories!

This is my list, but I would love to hear yours! So tell me, 

What are some of your favorite fall activities to do with your kids? 

The post Five Fun Fall Activities For Children appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Birthdays come once a year, per family member, but for me, I often feel all rushed and hurried like it snuck up on me. 

Some might call this procrastination (ahem!) and others might call this the “creative last-minute” adrenaline rush. 

When celebrating birthdays in our family, I typically do something special on the day and have a birthday party later on. I did this for our daughter Julia’s recent Frozen Birthday Party since her birthday in a few days after Christmas, we had her party later on in January.  

We try to avoid the junk like food coloring, candy and limit sugar on birthday celebrations. They get enough sugar throughout the year and a birthday can still be fun without all the junk. 

If you are like me and birthdays all of a sudden appear on the calendar, I have some simple ideas for you. These tips aren’t for birthday parties but for making a child’s birthday day (or even week) special. 

Simple Ideas for Celebrating a Birthday without the Junk:

Box-O-Party Stuff

Ok, remember I mentioned above about the “creative last-minute” adrenaline rush?? This Box-O-Party stuff RESCUES you! 

To continue reading hop on over to The Humbled Homemaker…

What other ideas do you have to make a child’s birthday day special?

The post Simple Ideas for Celebrating a Birthday without the Junk appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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I cannot believe we actually have a ONE year old!

Granted she’s the 3rd baby, but only a few short years ago, I didn’t know if we would have any more babies, then I got pregnant and after 40+ weeks she was welcomed into the world at home on March 5, 2014. 

London is a vibrant little lady. She’s full of life! 

She adores her big brother and sister, she’s into everything. Her laugh is contagious and only smiles when she feels like it (Hum, wonder what kind of teenager she’ll be) She plays bashful with Daddy and is Mama’s girl, probably because I’m her only (mostly) source of nourishment- breastfed.

She brings a joy to our family we all cherish. (side note: My mom made her dress and she sells them on her Etsy shop, incase you were wondering!!) 

This past year has been a whirlwind! 

When I decided to plan little London’s first birthday I was set on a rainbow theme, I had seen dozens of cute ideas on pinterest and decided I wanted to jump on that bandwagon. Little did I know a “rainbow” theme had an even more special meaning to it that I had never heard of….

A rainbow baby is a baby after a loss of a pregnancy. What a fitting theme since we had two losses and then conceived London. 

So now I’d like to share with your her “Over the Rainbow” Birthday ideas that made her 1st birthday special! 

“Over the Rainbow” Birthday Ideas:  

The Decorations

We kept it pretty simple. A couple of balloons and some photos to make the room sparkle. 

With the balloons, it’s pretty easy to make a rainbow. Just put the colors in order and make a cloud with white balloons at the end.

I got a few prints from Walgreens to share with all the friends who came to celebrate London’s birthday. 

I thought it would be fun to display a picture from birth until current to see how she grown from an 8 pound 1 ounce infant to a 20 pound 1 ounce little toddler. It’s quite easy, just get some ribbon, tool and clothes pins, get the pictures developed and hang it up.

Plus it’s something you can keep in their room for how ever long you want to. 

I originally wanted to make one of these chalkboard birthday signs but I ran out of time so I quickly just wrote up somethings about our little London. I purchased this black board for only $4.80 (after using the 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby) as well as the chalk board markers. I just wrote a bunch of fun things about her. 

I also used somethings we already had at home to decorate, like the pinwheels and the chalkboard plate.

I purchased all the table clothes, some ballons and some a couple more pinwheels at the dollar store to add in more colorful fun. And the tool from Hobby Lobby added a fun colorful touch! 

The Food & Tableware

We had fruit, veggies and some popcorn and chips to add color to go along with the rainbow theme.

And since her birthday party was at a time you would normally eat dinner, we had pizza we ordered from a local healthy store. It was really good! 

The Activity

Since I knew we werent going to be giving London the typical “smash” cake, I wanted to come up with something fin that she would still get all messy and we would all have a ball watching her. 

Since her theme was Rainbow, I thought why not have her paint a canvas, so that is exactly what we did. 

It was so much fun! 

You can see how to make a 1st Birthday Canvas here. 

While London was painting her canvas, all the other guest got to paint small canvases of their own… with paint brushes!  

The Cake

I used this natural cake mix (in the chocolate flavor) and my friend made a delicious vanilla buttercream frosting made with Kerrygold Pure Butter… YUM! We topped it with natural colorful candies that are simiilar to M&M’s. The little “Happy Birthday” sign came from Hobby Lobby but you could use this free printable if you have time. 

I used double-sided tape and left over ribbon to create a fun space for London to enjoy a piece of “cake.”

I had made her up a quick throw together recipe of one banana, 1/2 cup of coconut flour, 1/2 t of baking powder , a little almond milk and maybe something else, and baked it for her and another little girl who is dairy intolerant, they both loved it! 

Lastly, we cleaned up and London got to open her little gifts. We had a wonderful time and thank God all the time for our precious rainbow baby! 

I hope you enjoyed these “Over the Rainbow” theme birthday ideas!

What other Rainbow ideas do you have? 

The post Over the Rainbow {First Birthday Theme} appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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I absolutely love getting crafty. 

Between part-time homeschooling, activities, and the regular day to day tasks I feel as though getting crafty has been put on the back burner. I have been more focused on getting the chores done, working around naptime, and so much more that I have forgotten to have a little fun. 

So my mission as we enter Spring and on into Summer, is to have more fun! 

And getting crafty is so much fun to me and my kids love it as well. So I wanted to introduce getting a little (age-appropriate) crafty with my newly one year old daughter London. 

We had a Rainbow themed birthday party and she painted this canvas at her celebration while older kids got to paint a much smaller canvas of their own. There are all kinds of ways to have fun with canvases! 

DIY 1st Birthday Canvas:

What you need: 

• a canvas size of your choice (we used 12″x16″)
• non-toxic paint
• sticker letters like these, I got them from Hobby Lobby with the 40% off coupon
• iridescent paint used as a top coat
• sponge paint brush

What to do:

1. Gather supplies
2. Adhere name using letter stickers 
3. Depending on where your baby is going to paint, put a disposable table cloth or garbage bag down.
4. Put baby on table cloth stripped down to diaper only, unless you don’t mind the mess
5. Put dabs of paint all over the canvas and rub baby’s hand so she knows what to do
6. Have lots of fun watching while taking lots of pictures
7. Give baby a bath and let canvas dry overnight
8. Remove letters
9. Use the sponge brush to paint a light coating of the iridescent paint to add a nice shimmer, let dry
10. Display in room as a fun reminder of baby’s 1st birthday! 

I cannot believe our baby girl is one, time goes by so fast doesn’t it? This 1st birthday canvas is going to be something we’ll cherish for a long time and we’ll get to tell her that she made it at her 1st birthday one day… I think she’ll love that! 

*This post contains affiliate links

What kinds of things do you (or did you) do to make your baby’s 1st birthday memorable?

The post 1st Birthday Canvas appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

I love spring! It’s my favorite season of all.

When the dull gold-green grass brightens to vibrant, fresh green and the tender leaves begin sprouting on trees and bushes, I get eager to turn my attention outdoors.

The garden calls, and I’m ready to clean out dead leaves that have littered the beds, repot plants that need larger homes, and bring some fresh new color to the garden and yard.

And on the days I spend many hours outdoors getting the garden and yard spruced up for spring, I’m not alone. The birds are excitedly chirping and singing, arriving from their winter homes, either by flight or simply by coming from the brush and woods to celebrate the warmer and brighter days.

Having butterflies and birds in the backyard is just as welcome as the tender green shoots coming up in the garden, and if you don’t have a large population of them each year, there are ways you can attract them to add even more interest and beauty to your surroundings.

 Butterflies:

The most attractive element that you can supply for butterflies is the right kinds of flowering plants. Butterflies are drawn by scents, and when you have plenty of fragrant blooms in your garden, they are naturally attracted.

Here are some of their favorites:

• butterfly bush
• zinnia
• salvia
• milkweed
• German chamomile
• cosmos
• verbena
• petunia
• yarrow
• dianthus (sweet william)
• echinacea (coneflower)
• bee balm (lemon mint)
• phlox
• lupine
• lantana
• black-eyed susan

Try adding just a few to your garden or yard, and add more each season, as you are able. It won’t take long for your yard to become a favorite haunt of these gorgeous insects.

Also, remember to consider the life cycle of butterflies. Not only should you provide for the adults, but also consider the egg, larvae, and pupa stages:

Milkweed is the nursery of choice for the monarch butterfly.

Parsley, dill, and fennel are all favorites of black swallowtails.

To make sure butterflies feel totally at home in your garden, be sure to provide water, basking areas, and a selection of overripe fruit.

If you’d like to make your very own butterfly feeder, these instructions are simple and a great project to include your children in. (I recommend skipping the red dye for both butterflies and hummingbirds.)

 Birds:

While birds in general (with the exception of hummingbirds) aren’t as attracted by flowers am much as butterflies, there are still some that they are attracted to, especially those that produce abundant seeds or berries.

Sunflowers, echinacea, and beautyberry are special favorites of song birds, and many of the same flowers that attract butterflies, will also attract hummingbirds:

• columbine
• bee balm
• cosmos
• phlox
• salvia
• yarrow

In addition to natural food sources, you can also provide for birds with feeders. Commercial feeders are available in a large range of designs and even specific for the type of birds you want to attract.

Or, if you are ambitious, you can make your own. When my children saw me getting the feeders ready for spring, they were inspired to make a few of their own using empty water bottles and coffee canisters. I think the birds will be just as happy.

Hummingbird feeders are a sure way to attract these gorgeous birds to your yard, and making your own nectar is easy. Simply mix one part sugar with 4 parts water and bring to a boil. Allow to cool, and fill your feeder.

Make sure your feeder has a red element (which hummers are highly attracted to) and skip the red dye in your nectar.

A nesting box buffet is also a great way to encourage birds to visit your yard. Birds are preparing nests this time of year, and supplying them with a basket of building materials that they can choose from is sure to entice them near.

Simply fill a suet feeder with colorful strips of material, string, yarn, or sturdy dried grasses. In the cooler times of the year, you can use the feeder to hold your homemade suet mixture which will be a great boost of energy for the birds in the leaner times when food is not as plentiful.

As with butterflies, make sure you have a water source available for the birds. And, if you have an overgrown hedge or brush area, consider leaving it in place. Birds love these areas for nesting, and escaping the weather or predators.

Make sure you get your children involved in attracting wildlife to your backyard! Not only is it a great way to enjoy the fresh spring weather, but it’s also an excellent way to teach an appreciation for nature and an opportunity to spark an interest that just might become a life-long journey.

Above all, start small, and have fun. Attracting wildlife to your property takes time, and although you may be surprised by how quickly you get visitors, you’ll be amazed over time by just how popular your space becomes. And if you watch carefully, you may just find that you have some repeat visitors year after year.

How do you attract wildlife to your yard?

The post How To Attract Butterflies and Birds To Your Yard appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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I guess it’s because of the catchy “Let it Go” song in combination of a story about sisters that caught her heart. So I have been collecting ideas for a while now but of course didn’t have anything ready until less than a week before the party. (Let the procrastinators band together) But really, it doesn’t have to be extremely elaborate or cost a lot to have a fun FROZEN party. 

My tip: DO NOT try to reinvent the wheel, there are soooooo many ideas out there, and that’s exactly what they are for, for you me to USE!!

I thought I’d share with you what we used to make our daughter Julia’s 6th birthday party magical! 

The Invitation

I have always loved online invites.

I usually use evite but this time I used punchbowl since they had a Frozen themed invite. It’s really easy to use, just type in the info you want. And it’s free and easy to keep up with all the RSVP’s. Plus you can email right through the site to all the attendees for any updates or even reminders. 

The Schedule 

I always write up a tentative itinerary to use as a guide, it usually doesn’t go exactly in the order I initially come up with, but it helps me to remember everything we need to do.  

The plan went a little something like this:

• 2:30- When guests arrive, I had planed to do this little scavenger hunt (but before the party started, I ran out of time getting everything ready).  Instead, kids ate some snacks, hung out and started on the craft.
• 3:00- The special guests arrive, meet & greet, a story, games and photo ops. (you’ll read more under other sections below)
• 4:00- Serve the cake and open presents, enjoy time together
• 4:30- Birthday party is over, clean up

The Decorations

I think simple is better AND a lot cheaper. When I was searching, I thought easy ideas like paper chains and coffee filter snow flakes would be the way to go.

The night before the party, my kids had fun making some of the snowflakes.

To save time, I bought one 2-pack of white streamers to use instead of paper chains. And I got a few frozen- themed balloons!  

I used blue plastic table clothes, metallic tissue paper, and snowflake doilies for table decor. Believe it or not, I spent about $20 on all of it and got all the decorations from the dollar store (yes, even the frozen balloons), which included the tableware supplies for eating.  

The exception, the silver fringe curtain some photo ops. (From Oriental Trading) 

The Craft

I have always loved to include making a craft instead of giving away a party favor- which quite honestly just gets lost or goes in the trash soon after.

At least a craft can be kept for a little while with special memories of making it. 

I found these snowflake necklaces on Oriental Trading and I thought all the kids would love to make their own. We had a station set up and a couple different times during the party, two kids at a time got to make them.

My husband and another dad helped in the beginning then later Elsa and Anna. I think the kids thought it was neat to work with the queen and princess. 

The Food

At kids’ parties, I think it’s important to have some food, whether it’s a full meal or snacks- that’s up to you. We served chili at my son’s Lego party, and everyone loved it. This time, since the party was in the afternoon, I decided a few snacks would be perfect. 

There are so many free printables offered on several sites to create fun food scape. I didn’t have any card stock so I just printed the ones I chose out, then, laminated them. (I use my laminator for certain things we do for homeschool, so I quickly pulled it out and used it, it only took about 5 minutes) 

There are a kazillion different food ideas to choose from but here’s what we had:

• Olaf noses- carrots with homemade ranch
• Arendelle ginger cookies
• Coronation celery and peanut butter
• Sven’s popcorn 
• Kristoff’s pretzels
• Frozen Hearts- white chocolate covered strawberries
• Olaf’s summer lemonade

**I used these Frozen labels from Posh Tart Parties. All of the containers either came from the dollar store or came from my kitchen cabinets. 

The Fun

What would a party be without fun?

Besides all the decorations, the craft, the food and games, there was an even BETTER idea! Two high school gals dressed up as Elsa & Anna…… score!!!

I had seen a post on one of the local garage sale groups on facebook from a mom whose daughter and her friend were earning money by coming as the characters and participating in all the fun. I didn’t know what to expect but it ending up being absolutely fabulous!

The plan kind of unfolded as the party got started but everything went smoothly. I’ll tell ya a little bit about it:

When all of Julia’s friends arrived, they got their snack and a couple kids started on the craft. I had asked a mom to let me know when the special guests arrived. Once they did, I had the kids finish up their snacks.

Elsa and Anna rang the door bell and I told Julia to go see who is was. When she looked out the door, she was in shock. She waved her hand for me to come. I went over and said excitingly , “Wow, Elsa and Anna have come to see you and celebrate your birthday!” The gals came in and ALL the kids were in amazement. 

Queen Elsa and princess Anna read the Frozen inspired book A Sister more like Me. Each gal read her part. A few of us moms couldn’t believe how quiet all the kids were.

Once the book was read, the gals talked with the kids, then it was time for some photo ops. It was funny because when I asked who wants to take a picture with the princesses, one of the little boys raised his hand and he was first in line lol. 

After it was time for the games (you can read in games section) then finishing up the craft. And of course you can’t have a frozen party without singing “Let it Go”. 

Lastly, we sang Happy Birthday to my princess Julia, enjoyed cupcakes and then she opened her gifts. Before we knew it, it was time for Queen Elsa and Anna to go. We walked them out and waved goodbye. It was so, soooo much fun. 

And I’ll take it as a huge compliment, when Elsa’s mom, who accompanied the teen girls told me before heading out, “this was the most organized party I have ever been to.” If you know me personally, you know I am last minute type of person, so that was such a nice compliment to me. 

The Games

We played two games. Limbo and Toilet Paper Olaf. 

For limbo, I simply unscrewed the broom from the stick and tied on yellow streamers. Elsa and Anna held the stick, the music played was “In Summer” from the Frozen soundtrack and went until there was a winner. 

Next we played Toilet Paper Olaf. 

Toilet Paper Olaf Game

Supplies:

For each pair or team, you’ll need a bin with a roll of toilet paper, a scarf, a cap or hat and 3 paper buttons with tape already attached, taped to bin. *Optional- paper carrot, also with tape on backside. 

How to Play:

1. Line up kids, tell every other kid to come on one side, then to find a partner. (You can choose teams how ever you would like to, that’s what I did) 
2. Then explain to the kids they are to make a toilet paper snowman/Olaf and must use things provided, be sure to show the supplies (I would not recommend telling them they have to use the whole roll of toilet paper)
3. Choose a judge
4. Give them a time limit. I played “Do you want to build a Snowman” from the Frozen soundtrack twice
5. Once song is over, the judge can choose a winning team
6. Have fun! 

Both games were fun and easy. I had purchased a few $1 items from Target for the winners. 

The Cake

As always, the cake, or shall I say cupcakes? Y’all, cupcakes are so easy. And I have used the same cupcake stand I got at hobby lobby with the 40% off coupon for years and years. 

I ordered the pictured white cupcake wraps from Oriental Trading and used these and these free printables for the toppers. (I printed them out, laminated them and taped them to toothpicks) 

I used this natural cake mix (in the chocolate and vanilla flavors) and my friend made a delicious vanilla butter cream frosting made with Kerrygold Pure Butter… YUM!
. 

Side note: I am ever thankful for my awesome friend Christina who came to help me out!! She is SUCH a blessing and has such a servant’s heart!! 

The Elsa Dress

On the invitation email, I had invited all the friends to come dressed as a princess (or superhero for the boys) and a lot of the girls did come dressed in you guessed it, Elsa.

And of course Julia wanted an Elsa dress too.

My mom made this beautiful one and she sells them on her Etsy shop.  

To end this Magical Frozen Birthday party post I have a question for you… Would you like to win an Elsa dress for your little girl?!? You have a chance to win one because she is actually doing a giveaway. Go here for all the details! 

It was a MAGICAL party! Julia absolutely loved it! 

Some more resources:

• For some extra fun, check out this Frozen Slime recipe
• These Popsicle sticks snowflakes are a fun decoration
• Here are some fun Frozen photo booth props
• I mentioned Oriental trading a few times, they always offer Free Shipping on Orders Over $49! Use Code: OTC757
• Amazon has tons of Frozen party supplies and Frozen gift ideas

*post contains affiliate links, see disclosure here

What are your best birthday party tips? Do you have a Frozen fan in your house?

The post A Magical Frozen Birthday Party {Tips and Ideas} appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Undoubtedly for years and years because once the now preschoolers and elementary aged girls are over it, the toddlers will gravitate towards it. 

Either way, our newly 6 year old daughter fell in love with it and just had a Magical Frozen Birthday Party. It was an absolute blast. 

AND of course she had an Elsa dress.

She’s been dressing up in princess dresses since she was about one or two, alongside her older brother who often dressed up in superheros or pirates. 

We absolutely love playing dress up (and even dressing up in our Halloween costumes)!!! It’s fun playtime and and lots of role playing. 

And I think nurturing our children’s imagination is a wonderful thing!

Would you like to win an Elsa dress for your little girl?!?

You have a chance to win one because my wonderful mom is giving one away from her Etsy shop: Mamaw’s Many Blessings.

My kids call her Mamaw and she loves making them adorable clothes. Her favorites are newborn gowns, this new Raggedy Ann dress, and matching sibling outfits. 

About the dress: 

The bodice of this Elsa dress is a sweetheart neckline and dropped front waistline with sleeves and elastic in the back made so that it can stretch to fit snugly but comfortably in confetti shiny dot fabric.

The skirt has a slight gather around waist in a shimmering spandex fabric. *note: The iridescent fabric show is unavailable at the time. I have made an excellent substitution, as well as adding snaps so it can be removed easily.*

Win it!

Enter this giveaway! If you win, you will get a made to order Frozen- Inspired Elsa Dress, made in sizes 6 months all the way up to 7 girls.  Enter giveaway using rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

What is your favorite song from Frozen?

The post Frozen-Inspired Elsa Dress Giveaway appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by KT @ One Organic Mama, Contributing Writer

In Central MA where we live – we are up to 5 snow days… not 2 inches of snow, snow days… but 2 feet of snow, snow days – which means just logistically snowmen are out of the question… the snow is taller than both of my kids.

The roads are narrow, driveways are dangerous, and the kids are getting a little stir crazy!  Here are 10 ways to make it through another SNOW DAY with most of your sanity  

10 Ways to Make it Through ANOTHER Snow Day: 

First up, 5 inside activities –> use these for before nap time, when the snow is so far up your door you can’t open it…

1. Mess Free Finger Painting

This is fun because it is like finger painting without any of the clean up.  Mix up some finger paint (or regular liquid paint) with a little water in a GOOD zip lock bag.  Tape it to the table.  Add some trucks or other things that you can run through the paint.  This will guarantee you about 30-40 minutes of sanity.

2. Sinkers and Floaters

Gather up some random toys and household items (think marbles, paper clips, action figures, blocks, legos, etc).  Fill a bowl with water (if you want you can fill another with snow).  Sit the kids at the table (or on the floor with a towel) – and check out what sinks… and what floats! This will guarantee you another 30-40 minutes of sanity… keep it up… it’s almost nap time!

3. PIT Playing

Get a pan with a lip (a cookie sheet with edges or even a box you would wrap a shirt in for Christmas).  Into the box, dump a bunch of dried beans, small pasta, or dried veggies (like peas for pea soup).  Mix them up or just use one.  Then go around your house and gather all the matchbox cars, trucks, and a few spoons and cups.  Let the kids move the beans like dirt in a pit This is good for another 30 minutes… almost there mamas! 

4. Masking Tape MAZE

Grab some masking tape (or washi tape, or any other colored tape).  Create roads… all over… the floor, up the couches, across any furniture you allow the kids to play on… make squares for parking lots, and big ovals for race tracks.  

Image via Pinterest from Our Scribbled Walls

Then take the matchbox cars from the pit.  Knock all the peas and beans out of them – and let the kids at the roads.  Organize races, car accident rescues, and traffic jams.  It will remind you of summer time when you can drive outside 30 more minutes here moms! I can SEE NAP TIME! 

5. Clean up and inspection

For some reason (maybe my kids are just weird) – my kids really take clean up seriously if I write out an inspection sheet.  I list out all the rooms and tell them to go at it.  When they are finished I say – ARE YOU READY FOR INSPECTION?! They stand at attention (again… I don’t know where this came from) – and we walk the house inspecting each room together… they love it.  I think it’s lame… but they love it! After you’re finished – it’s lunch and nap time! 

AFTER NAP… by now hopefully you can open the door… so it is time for some outside activities.  I find my kids will stay out longer if I go out there and play too… do this at your own risk  

6. Sand Play = Snow Play  

Grab all your sand toys… you know the ones buried behind all the shovels and salt for the driveway.  Dump them in the middle of the driveway and let the kids build snow castles, moats, and anything else they would typically build in the sand.

7. Snow Paint

Use a little bit of that artificial food coloring you keep out of your cooking and put it in squirt and spray bottles with water.  Let the kids paint their castles, practice their letters, and spray paint the snow! 

8. Animal Exploration

You know who has to stay outside all the time?! Animals.  Take a short walk through the yard or up the road.  Look for evidence of animals… where do the tracks lead? What do you think they eat? Where do they sleep?  Let the kids lead the way as they make some observations about the animals that are active during the winter.

9. Rolling in the Grass Snow

Just like you would in the grass… if you can get to the top of the snow – take a roll down! 

10. GET OUT!

If you can, walk or drive to the closest playground.  If you can get into the playground (you know if the snow isn’t higher than the fence – it was in 4 out of the 5 in our town) – and let the kids play on the equipment.  It was their absolute favorite part of the day! 

Good luck… at least you know after all of this they will be EXHAUSTED for bed time… most likely  

How do you make it through snow days?

The post Making it through ANOTHER Snow Day appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by KT @ One Organic Mama, Contributing Writer

So I strive, each year, to create a book of photos of my family.  I take thousands (seriously) of pictures, and my 5 and 2 year old would never see them if I never printed them out and looked at them – so I started making one photo book a year.  They love to sit down with them and talk about our friends and family.  I love that they can enjoy the many pictures I take.

I wanted to add a new touch to my 2015 photo book.  I always narrate it with the happenings of each month – which are easy to remember since there are so many pictures – but I wanted to capture my kids as they are – freeze them at their ages.

So… I resolved to do just that in 2015!

I have a plethora of Ball jars… who doesn’t right?!  I picked the 3 biggest ones I have… You know the ones that would allow you to pickle an entire zucchini, to put on the windowsill in the kitchen.  Since I am not pickling anything today (its -10 with the windchill in MA) I figured I won’t miss the jars.  So here is how I set them up:

Capturing Moments with Jars:

Jar 1

Jar 1 will collect memories.  Fun, silly, sad, happy, memories from 2015.   You know – like the day my 5 year old came off the bus ECSTATIC that he got the surprise bag (show and tell bag) for tomorrow! OR the day my 2 year old came to terms with the fact that there is definitely a baby in mommy’s belly, and definitely NOT one in his Each memory will be dated.  Each month I will devote a page of our photo book to those memories.

Jar 2:

Jar 2 will collect quotes.  Not quotes from me… I don’t want to remember most of what I say… but quotes from the kids… and my nephews too Quotes like, “Mom, does 1,000 come after 129?” or “Mom, can you please make the baby in your belly a sister?”  Each quote will be dated.  Quotes will then go right on column two of our memory page in the photo book for each month. 

Jar 3:

Jar 3 is for making memories!  Jar 3 gets spare change and money from the year.  I have to admit – I am a terrible saver – BUT – I have disciplined myself to get rid of change and leftover money from each week into the jar.  Additionally – any gift money (from Christmas, anniversaries, or Birthdays goes into the jar too).  Basically, any money that we won’t miss (money left over from weekly groceries, or found in the car, etc) will get put into the jar.  Come vacation time – we will use the money collected throughout the year.  Our vacation is always such a treasured memory making time and this savings plan makes it easier to enjoy. 

I put a basket filled with strips of paper and a marker next to the jars – so it is easy to jot down our happenings each day.  Also… I hope by the end of the year – my 5 year old will be able to contribute some memories too!!   I love making the photo books to enjoy with the kids – and I think this touch will really help me to remember how they were in 2015!!

How do you capture and enjoy your memories as the years go by?

The post Capturing Moments, Resolved appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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