I was at a friend’s house the other day and we went down to her basement to look at the new laundry room remodel. As we were heading back up, I noticed a wall peppered with her girls’ artwork. Mostly projects they had done at school – some new, some a few years old. And…
kids
48 must-have children’s books to add to your collection
Audrey’s sweet dormer window reading nook would not be nearly as sweet if it were not for the adorable illustrated children’s books on display. For as long as I can remember I have loved picture books. As a child I would study the illustrations of my favorites – Blueberries for Sal, The Bremen-town Musicians, Caps for…
3 must-have picture books for school-aged boys (according to my 8 year old)
Our No.3 son is at that in-between age where he’s just growing out of picture books and in to chapter books. So when he came downstairs with a stack of books and asked us to read with him, we knew there will only be a few more chances for this. He sat between me and Ryan…
DIY watercolor wood blocks
Need a super simple project to do with the kids? This watercolor wood block project is perfect. It’s also great for an unexpected baby gift or fun party decorations for a birthday party or baby shower or thrown in a bowl for chic accessory on your coffee table. Multi-use diy’s that are inexpensive and simple…
our favorite children’s picture books
For as long as I can remember, I have adored children’s picture books. The sweet stories, likeable characters, clever plots and rhythmic cadence are all appealing, for sure. But my very favorite are the illustrations. Our collection of picture books continually grows … I just can’t resist. And the kids enjoy us reading to them,…
the kids’ bath mini makeover
Some people go to tropical places for spring break. Others spend their week redoing the kids’ bathroom. I wish I was in the first group, but as I look at my typing fingers, I see lots of dried paint which pretty much gives my spring break activities away. I’ve posted about the kids’ bathroom before…
tea party birthday
We celebrated our little Audrey-girl with a pretty tea party that was every bit as sweet and happy as she is. Using a color palette of pinks, oranges, gold and black and white kept everything cohesive without being overly themed and made decorating really fun for me. I started with these cute tea-bag invitations: A…
a book recommendation from my ten year old
Our oldest son just turned 10 and loves to read. He’s not all that interested during the day, but at night, give him a good book and he will read hours past his bedtime. I’m always on the lookout for good books for boys and bought the first book in this series at the school…
the {never before seen} bonus room decorated for christmas
Like many homes built within the last 10 years, we have a large bonus room above the garage. It has served many different purposes in our home – playroom, media room, office, bedroom – but we’ve landed for now on making it into a comfortable family room. It is where the kids play xbox, build…
how we do christmas gifts in our family
Last year we tried something different with our gift-giving. Usually, we call Christmas an excuse to buy our kids a whole load of things they want and things we want them to have. We don’t go completely overboard, but with four kids and a handful of gifts each, our tree is usually overflowing with festively-wrapped…
a note to my children
When I was a little girl, all I could dream of was being a mommy. Your aunties and I played dolls until we were way too old for it. We crafted baby books with photos torn from clothing catalogs to document our imaginary children’s lives. I spent hours daydreaming about how many children I would…
paper crowns {tutorial}
A party hat is always a festive touch for a child’s birthday party. For Audrey’s fancy/crown/girly party, I made these paper crowns for the guests to wear. They were so simple to make and very cute on the little ones. Here’s what you’ll need: :: crown template {download below} printed on metallic gold paper ::…
a fancy party {audrey turns three}
Our little darling turned three last week and we threw her a fancy party. {the invites as seen here} The theme was a mix of fancy/glitter/crowns/gold/silver/girly/ruffles/polkadots. How’s that for a concise theme? The table was set with a ruffled tablecloth {made painstakingly by me}, place setting paper placemats {from here}, silver vessels filled with inexpensive…
book week: favorite books for baby
This week is devoted to books. Each day I’ll share my favorites in different categories and I’d love to hear some of yours in the comments. On friday, we’ll do a link party. I’m really excited about this one. It will be a great way to hear about new books our internet-friends are crazy about. …
how to make playdough
Playdough is one activity that keeps my kids busy for hours {okay, fine, minutes}. But it does hold their attention for longer than many activities and I actually enjoy playing it with them. Every month or so we make a new batch of fresh playdough using a very simple recipe. Just a few pantry ingredients…