Category » kidsJones Design Company

Feb

01

a special game of memory

Country Living featured this version of a homemade memory game in the December issue.

Since my little potty-mouth loves playing games, I thought it would make a special christmas gift. After thinking through different objects I could use on the cards, I decided on a photo of each of the kids in our extended family. Then I figured I should create a game for each of the families and the idea for cousin memory was born.

There are 11 cousins {with one more on the way} so I used a photo of each little darling on two cards each.

A combination of photoshop, illustrator and digital printable papers {plus the cousins’ cute faces} made for a colorful and special memory game.

I followed the instructions from Country Living {printed the images, cut to size, used spray adhesive to attach to mat board}. I probably should have sealed them with mod-podge, but I didn’t finish the games until the night before our family christmas celebration, so I skipped that part.

The kids think it is fun to see their faces on playing cards.

You could do a similar project using any image or clipart that is meaningful to you:

memorable locations {first date, vacation, first house} for a special game for your spouse

favorite toys for your kids

items around the house to help a toddler learn objects

colors

shapes

gardening images for a gardener in your life

I could go on and on. But I’ll stop.

All to say, it is a simple and inexpensive project that makes a delightful gift.

You can read the original Country Living article here.

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Posted by emily | 36 comments

Dec

02

land of nod

One of my favorite children’s stores is Here are my kids’ top picks from E T H A N ’ S P I C K { 7 . 5 }

B R A D Y ’ S P I C K { 6 }

M A S O N ’ S P I C K { 4 }

A U D R E Y ’ S P I C K { a l m o s t 2 }

and a few of my favorites {so hard to pick just a few!}

If you are looking for great gifts for the kids in your life, head over to The kind people at The Land of Nod have offered a $75 gift card to one of you!

TO ENTER TO WIN THE GIFT CARD {and seriously, who wouldn’t want $75 to spend on toys} leave a comment below telling us the very best Christmas gift you received as a child.

A random winner will be selected and announced on the JDC Facebook page on Monday.

good luck and happy weekend

*** The contest is now closed. To see the winner, click here ***

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Posted by emily | 975 comments

Oct

17

the pumpkin patch

Last week we went on a field trip with No. 3’s preschool class to the local pumpkin patch.

Mason is in a class with two of his best buddies {who happen to have mommies who are two of my best buddies, with older siblings who are some of Brady’s best buddies} so we all went along to join in on the fun.

We went on a hayride …

{K.C. and the kids}

We played in the corn room …

{what kid wouldn’t like jumping into a huge room full of dried corn kernels?!}

We took a ride on a cattle train …

Walked through the corn maze …

Did a little bit of learning …

{did you know that for every silk tassel on an ear of corn, there is a kernel inside receiving it’s nutrients from it? Fascinating stuff can be learned at the farm on a preschool field trip.}

And, of course, we chose some pumpkins …

When we reached the top of the hill after selecting our pumpkins, we saw this …

I really wish a photo would be able to capture the beauty of Mt. Rainier on a sunny day. It is pretty spectacular.

Which got me thinking … I had just returned from Florida where I was pretty impressed with the climate, the sandy beaches, the southern hospitality. So impressed, I started questioning why we live where we do.

And yet, there I stood surrounded by beauty of a different kind. The air was crisp, the leaves were turning, the ground was muddy and the mountain was out. It made me realize for a moment that I really do love Washington state. It may rain a lot {did you notice my new rain boots? My first pair since I was a kid … it was about time!}, it may not have the most ideal climate, but it sure is beautiful in it’s own evergreen kind of way.

So lesson learned. I will appreciate where I live and enjoy the beautiful autumn season we enjoy here.

And I’ll probably drink a few pumpkin spice lattes while I’m at it.

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Posted by emily | 36 comments

Aug

08

summer is dwindling down, but there are things to do

no 2

This handsome dude is starting kindergarten in just a few weeks.

He keeps having bad dreams about having to ‘sit on the wall’ or go to the principal’s office and he worries that his teacher will ask him to do things he can’t yet do. To say he is nervous about starting school is a huge understatement. Bless his sweet little heart. He will do so well in school, but I’m still feeling emotional about my baby leaving home. I don’t even want to think about the tears that will fall on the first day of school …

Until then, we are focusing on enjoying the last weeks of summer. I had high hopes of finishing a bunch of projects around the house and here we are with little time left and not one of those projects even started. So I figured I could at least put a list together and see if making it public can keep me motivated. So here it is:

summer to do

Need a to do list too? You can download the template, print and fill in your list.

{click image to download}

Here’s to making the most of the rest of the summer …

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Posted by emily | 32 comments

Apr

14

thank you and a good children’s book

Thank you kindly for your words of encouragement yesterday. Sometimes I just need to share my heart {however embarrassingly honest it is} and I love that 1. I receive such wisdom from you sweet ladies and 2. I feel more normal as many of you struggle with the same things. So thank you.

And have no fear … I am not going anywhere. Writing this blog is my job, my ministry and one of my favorite hobbies, so I won’t be giving it up anytime soon. Just trying to keep it real.

I will have a real post tomorrow, but for now {while Audrey is sitting in my lap and Mason is waiting not-so-patiently to play Sorry – my worst favorite game to play with kids} I will leave you with a great recommendation for a springtime children’s book.