Give those kids something they really want and that will last forever – and you’ll love it too! Give them some of your time and make some fun memories with them. Because, what kid wouldn’t want a special date or activity and to be the center of your attention? Carve out some special time for your favorite activities together with these printable Kids Love Coupons.

KIDS LOVE COUPONS: A MORE MEANINGFUL GIFT

As a mom of 4, I know all too well what it’s like when kids have plenty of stuff. Mine definitely don’t need more toys and things to leave on the floor. Because of this, I try to give my kids meaningful and worthwhile gifts. And, as a busy mom, time is one of the most precious things. I would much rather spend more time doing fun things with my kids than picking up more toys.

And I love that these kids coupons are perfect for every budget. The actual coupons cost some ink and paper. The outing redeemed with the coupon can be as expensive or frugal as you want or need it to be. My kids get just as excited about going to the park as they do about going to the movies.

They don’t need fancy, they just need you.

Things come and go. Toys break. Fun and memories can last forever.

KIDS LOVE COUPONS: THE PERFECT GIFT ANYONE CAN GIVE ANYTIME

These Kids Love Coupons are a perfect gift to receive from anyone. What kid wouldn’t love to get some fun dates and special activities from one of their favorite people? Anyone can give someone their time: Parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren, favorite aunt or uncle to niece or nephew, even friend to friend.

And Kids Love Coupons are great for lots of occasions:

• holidays
• birthdays
• big life events
• as rewards for accomplishments and exceptional behavior

It can be hard to juggle life’s demands. Love coupons are one way we help ensure our kids get some quality one-on-one time. If they need some extra attention, they redeem a coupon. It’s a great non-confrontational or mom-guilt-inducing way for them to say “hey, I need a little extra right now.”

MAKING YOUR OWN KIDS LOVE COUPONS BOOK IS AS EASY AS 1-2-3

A good homemade gift is the best. But life is busy and there aren’t always hours to spend putting together something for every gift that comes along. This kids love coupons book is simple, quick and will look great when you’re finished.

With just a handful of materials you probably have already and a half an hour, you will be ready to hand your favorite kid some memory-making magic in the form of 9 awesome things to do with you.

KIDS LOVE COUPONS SUPPLIES:

• Kids Love Coupons – free download below. There is a full set of 28 ready-to-print coupons, plus editable files to easily create your own custom coupons in my Etsy shop, if you want a larger set of coupons.
• Printer and Paper – I recommend cardstock
• Paper Cutter or Scissors
• Washi Tape or Ribbon and Hole Punch
• Craft Knife (optional)

KIDS LOVE COUPONS DIRECTIONS:

1. DOWNLOAD AND PRINT YOUR COUPONS

Step #1a: Download your free printable coupons by clicking on the green “Click to Download” button below. Save the file to your computer.

Step #1b: *If you upgraded to the full set of coupons in my Etsy shop, make sure you personalize the cover and fill in any of your own special coupons before you print! Follow the directions on the Printing Guide.*

Print your coupons. This file is designed to print at “actual size” on 8.5″x11″ paper. I recommend printing on cardstock for added durability. Personally, I use THIS CARDSTOCK for most of my projects. I prefer a 110 lb weight and a brightness of at least 90.

This file is intended to be printed on a single piece of paper. If your printer has the option to print double sided, use it and flip on the long edge. If your printer does not print double sided, you will have to manually flip the page and put in back in the printer before printing the 2nd page.

PRO TIP: When manually printing double sided, I put a little ‘x’ in pencil at the bottom left corner of the page before I print anything so I know how to put the page back in the printer when I print on the back side. The ‘x’ will need to be at the same end of the printer, facing down when you put the page back in.

2. CUT APART YOUR KIDS LOVE COUPONS

Step #2a: Cut the coupons apart. I love my Swingline SmartCut paper cutter for this stuff. Makes cutting straight lines a breeze and so, so fast. And I love that the blade is fully enclosed with all the little fingers around my house.

PRO TIP: Your coupons may not have printed perfectly straight on the page. Make sure you check the edges of the coupons on your cutting line before you cut so your coupons don’t get cut crooked.

You could also use a ruler and craft knife or scissors to cut the coupons apart.

3. BIND YOUR KIDS LOVE COUPONS BOOK TOGETHER

Step #3a: Gather your coupons together and arrange them in the order you want them. Line up all the edges on the side you’re going to bind. The easiest way to do this is to hold the coupons loosely in your hand and knock the side you’re going to bind against the table a few times.

Step #3b: Cut a piece of washi tape a little longer than the length of the edge you’re going to bind. It doesn’t need to be precise, the tape just needs to cover the entire length of the edge. Place the tape on the edges of the coupons, pressing firmly. Wrap the excess tape around the front and back of the coupon book. Press each coupon firmly into the washi tape binding. Use your craft knife or scissors to trim the ends.

PRO TIP: If your coupons aren’t sticking to the washi tape and staying in the book, put a thin zigzag of white glue across the full length of your washi tape. Because washi tape isn’t a permanent tape, some kinds won’t be sticky enough to hold the coupons in place. A small line of white glue should help with that, without making the coupons hard to remove from the book.

That’s it! You’re ready to wrap and give those love coupons to your favorite kid. And get ready for some awesome good times and memory making!

GIVE YOUR FAVORITE KIDS A GIFT THAT WILL LAST THROUGH THE YEARS: KIDS LOVE COUPONS

Theodor Seuss Geisel, maybe you know him better as Dr. Seuss, said “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”

It might seem like building a fort or going to the library isn’t a big deal, but when your kids look back on their childhoods they will remember the people and the fun. They will remember the forts and the story times. They won’t remember the things.

Go make your favorite kids their very own Kid’s Love Coupons Book and give them something to remember. 

Want to expand your Kids Love Coupons collection? Check out my Etsy Shop for the full set of 28 ready-to-print coupons and an editable file that will help you make your own personalized, custom coupons in just minutes!

The post Kids Love Coupons are a DIY Gift That Will Last Forever appeared first on While He Was Napping.

Do you keep a journal?  I am the worst journal-keeper ever.

I used to be pretty good at it when I was younger – okay, I used to do it when I was younger. Being good at it might be a little too generous. But, then… Life. Marriage. Motherhood.

I was so busy living (sometimes surviving) day-to-day that I was sure I wouldn’t forget the important stuff and the daily stuff was monotonous. Did I really need another journal entry about dishes and laundry and baby snot on my clothes?

WHY WE NEED TO JOURNAL THE LITTLE THINGS

But, I realized that I WAS forgetting the important stuff.  Wait, what day was it when my beautiful little niece was born again?! And how much did the doctor say my youngest weighed at his well-baby check up last week? If only I’d written it down!

And, you know what, the dishes, laundry and baby snot DOES matter. It might seem like small, inconsequential chores and a boring daily grind – but it’s my life! It’s not always glamorous and fancy, but it’s mine.

When I’m feeling unaccomplished and like I spent my day just spinning my wheels, some times I need to account for the little things like laundry and dishes. Because keeping my family fed and clothed IS important. Having a physical list of my accomplishments helps me have the motivation to do it all again the next day.

EVEN YOU HAVE TIME TO JOURNAL WITH A CALENDAR JOURNAL

Part of my struggle was time. I felt like I didn’t have time to sit down and write for 20 minutes! And filling only three lines in my journal was kind of depressing.

However, I seemed to have stumbled on something that works! A Calendar Journal. I first saw a similar idea on a Flickr feed. The one I originally saw, I can’t seem to locate, but the link is quite similar. I totally fell in love with the idea. THIS I can do! AND I DID!

Eleven months down and I only missed a week plus a couple days. It looks so neat and only takes a couple minutes a day (usually right before I go to bed). The good news: I think I’m hooked!

WHY THE CALENDAR JOURNAL WORKS SO WELL

The limited space is just what I need. It’s small enough that I don’t feel like I need to spend large chunks of time on writing. I just jot down a few quick notes and I’m done. Some times, I write in it while I brush my teeth at night. Super quick, super easy.

It’s also a creative outlet for me and that’s just what I need to wind down and relax at the end of my day.

And, if I do miss a couple days, I can go back pretty easily and fill it in. (Confession: I may or may not have spent some time filling in about a month and a half in November and December… whoops. But I was able to get it all filled in before I forgot everything and my calendar still looks awesome.)

WANT TO CREATE YOUR OWN CALENDAR JOURNAL?

I have the 2018 calendars available for purchase in my Etsy shop. It is a one-time, single instant download with all 12 months. The PDF file has all 24 calendar pages and is ready for printing right at home. Another nice thing about the PDF packet is that you will be able to print the pages back-to-back all at one time. Each month also has extra space to write down additional notes.  I used it for things my kids said, anything exciting that didn’t fit in the box for that day and little extras (like when my husband surprised me with a new cell phone upgrade).

I never got around to binding my pages, they are all still just loose papers, as you can see in the photos above. Some binding ideas are: You could put them in a three-ring binder, bind them with tape and glue or sew them together.

UPDATE 2018: I now do my calendar journal in my planner. I used the Mom on the Go Planner from leafytreetops.com last year. I love the weekly spread where each day is split into three columns. I use the bottom box to do my calendar journal and the top boxes are my appointments and to-dos. Any blank calendar or planner would work though. I also really like the Erin Condren Life Planner – it has the three column layout as well.

Enjoy and happy journaling!

The post Calendar Journal appeared first on While He Was Napping.

Sometimes, I get some of it done and a lot of the time, I don’t. I hope what they say about good intentions isn’t true. I hope, in this case, it really is the thought that counts.

There are some traditions that I really try to make sure don’t get overlooked in the chaos that leads up to the holidays. One of those is our Thankful Tree and I try to have a toy purge before we’re invaded by gifts from relatives and that jolly old Santa Claus.

But, most of all, I try to find ways to encourage gratitude and get my kids to think about others. While we try to do those things all year long, it seems to be a little easier and more natural when November comes around.

ENCOURAGE GRATITUDE IN YOUR KIDS BY MAKING IT A GAME

I want to help my kids focus on what we have, not what they want. With Christmas coming, the inevitable “I want, I want” is about to get stuck in high gear.

I want to encourage them to do things for others; but, when you’re little, it can be hard to think about others before yourself. I want to offer my kids the opportunity to learn to put others ahead of themselves. But, it always works out better when they think it’s their idea or that it’s a game. So, a few years ago, I introduced them to The Gratitude Jar.

A big part of gratitude, to me, is being willing to help others. And to say thank you when others help you. That’s what The Gratitude Jar is all about.

HOW TO ENCOURAGE GRATITUDE WITH THE GRATITUDE JAR

The best part about The Gratitude Jar is that you can use it however it best fits into your home.

We have used it as a boredom jar in the past. This year, though, we are making it into a game.

When my kids have a free minute, they choose a slip from the jar and do the activity. What has made this successful so far is that The Gratitude Jar is constructive, it’s a privilege. And it’s individual. Sometimes, they do the same activities at the same time. But, if one of them doesn’t want to do the activity that was drawn, or has already done it, they can choose their a different one.

We’re keeping track of how many good deeds each of them do. At the end of the month, they can choose a reward based on how many activities they complete. There’s 10 activities included that will encourage gratitude and serving others. My kids helped come up with rewards.

• When they complete 1-3 activities, they get to choose a special treat or candy.
• When 4-6 activities get completed, they can stay up an extra 30 minutes.
• If they do 7-9 activities, they can get out of one chore.
• If all 10 activities get done, we’ll have a family movie night and they get to choose the movie and the snacks.

The competition is against themselves, not each other. They are trying to do their best, not better than their brothers.

READY TO ENCOURAGE GRATITUDE IN YOUR OWN FAMILY?

If you’re ready to encourage gratitude in your family this holiday season, download your own high-resolution copy so you can create your own Gratitude Jar.

All you need is

• a printer
• a pair of scissors or a paper cutter
• and a clean container to store the slips in

A dozen snips to more grateful children…?  Can’t hurt to try, right?

DOWNLOAD YOURS HERE!

Get your gratitude growing!

Like this chalkboard print? You’re in luck, it’s a free printable! Click here to get this print!

The post 10 Activities that will encourage gratitude in your kids appeared first on While He Was Napping.

EVERY TOY CAR NEEDS A TOY CAR ROAD!

Now that we have all these super cool cars to play with, I was itching for some fun play road time. Giving kids the chance to free play is high on my list, but sometimes it’s fun to have a little guided play too. This DIY is the perfect way to combine the two. Make your car-loving kids this printable toy car road track set for their cars, because what’s a race car with nowhere to race?

The best part? It’s reusable and there is no right or wrong way to play. When my kids feel like they are in control of play time it tends to lead to longer and more engaged play, which means I can cook dinner without tripping over little boys in my kitchen. Between their imaginations and this DIY toy car road, they should be happy for quite a while.

MAKE YOUR TOY CAR ROAD IN 5 EASY STEPS

Life with kids is great, but play time can get rough and tough. A paper toy isn’t bound to last long in my house. Yours either? Well, I’ve got a few tips so you only have to print this toy car road once and to help it last as long as possible once you let the kids loose. Ready? Let’s do it!

Toy Car Road Materials:

• Printable Track Pieces in Color | Track Pieces in Monochrome
• Scissors
• Laminating pouches or self-laminating sheets | I recommend these pouches. I haven’t used the self-laminating sheets, but these ones have been recommended to me
• Laminator (if using thermal laminating pouches) | this is the new version of the one I use and love
• 5/8″ hook and loop fastener dots | get them here

Toy Car Road Assembly Instructions:

1. Print the track pieces. I suggest a card stock or other thick paper for durability. You may want to print more than one copy of the pieces, so there will be more to play with. This tutorial uses 2 sets of the color track set.
2. Cut the track pieces out with the scissors, getting as close to the edge of the road as you can unless you want a white border on the edges.

3. Laminate the pieces. I prefer a thermal laminator, but you can use self-laminating sheets too. Follow the directions on the packaging to get the best seal. A thicker sheet or pouch may help your track pieces last longer. I use these thicker 5mm ones and love them.

4. Cut around the track pieces with the scissors. Make sure to leave enough border so the seal stays intact.

5. Attach the hook and loop fastener dots to the ends of each piece. Put the hook pieces on the front side of the track pieces and the loop pieces on the underside. This makes it so you can rotate the track pieces. Repeat for each track piece, trying to get them as close to the center as you can so they will line up.

That’s it. You’re ready to play! Store pieces in a ziptop bag or other container with a couple of cars so you’re always ready for some race time play! Not much room to play? Only get out a few track pieces out for a compact track. Or go all out and try to use all the pieces!

NEED A TOY CAR ROAD THAT WILL LAST?

Let’s admit it, this version is pretty simple and not terribly expensive. A year later, ours is still in pretty good shape, all things considered. But, it definitely has some wear and tear on it. I’ve had to replace a couple of the hook and loop pieces and we’ve had things spilled on the pieces, like half a bottle of bubbles… So, if you’re looking for a toy car road set that will hold up just a bit better you should really check out this Felt Road Track. It takes slightly longer to create, but the pieces will hold up better – and just toss them in the washer if they need a quick cleaning.

RACE ON, MY FRIEND!

The post The Printable Toy Car Road Race Track Set your Kids will Love appeared first on While He Was Napping.

Are you getting ready for the holidays yet?

Do you wish there was a way to make your holiday preparation easier?

Do you just love the most wonderful time of the year?

If the holidays have you in a stressed out craze already or if the mention of mistletoe, sipping hot cocoa, and winter wonderlands make you a little giddy inside, listen up! Christmastime is my favorite time of the year! But, it’s busy and crazy and sometimes even stressful! Well, you can just call me Santa; because, I have a holly jolly surprise just for you that will help you calm the stress so you can enjoy the season!

Pay attention because… This. Is. Amazing! {And it’s only for a limited time so you gotta hurry!}

Okay, ready…

Remember the fall bundle that I and some other great digital designers put together a couple months ago? It was a complete and total HIT; and, as soon as it was over we had tons of you asking us if we could do this again for Christmas!

Well… You asked. We listened!

That’s right! We’ve done it again! I teamed up with 20+ other extremely talented designers. Some of them are big names you already know and love, and some of them are up-and-comers; but, they are all spectacular at what they do. This time, we created the ULTIMATE All Things Christmas bundle!

ANNND – of course – we’re totally hooking you up with a crazy, killer not-gonna-believe-this deal!!

Yes, this one is EVEN better than the last! Not even kidding. There’s tons of value in this bundle. If you’re like me, you’re on a strict budget for the holidays and don’t have a lot of extra cash to throw around. This is gonna help you out and be totally worth the cost. I cross my heart, pinky promise it’ll be worth every penny.

Let’s take a look!

There’s over 500 pages of printables that will bring out the best kind of cheer for your holidays.

22 helpful Christmas printables— all for a CRAZY LOW price!

You can get over $200 worth of ADORABLE items

for only $15!

No. That’s not a typo. You really will save over 90% when you grab this holly jolly bundle!

Get gorgeous wall art, gift ideas, stocking stuffers, service ideas, holiday organizers, holiday recipes, and MORE all from your favorite bloggers!

Order from me, and you’ll get a mini bundle of some of my most popular holiday printables as a FREE bonus! My bonuses alone are valued at more than you’ll pay for the whole bundle+bonuses!

How’s that for a KILLER steal?!

You’re waiting for the catch, right? Well, there is a teeny, tiny one…

You’ll have to ACT FAST- this is for THREE DAYS ONLY!

If you miss it, you’re out of luck and it will cost you hundreds to piece it together yourself.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

This is a 3-Day sale, but the price goes up a little each day. So, you can snag the whole All Things Christmas bundle for ONLY $15 today! BUT the price is going up tomorrow! Here’s the breakdown…

• Buy on the 16th for only $15
• Buy on the 17th for only $18
• Buy on the 18th for only $20
• After that – this deal is GONE FOREVER!

You definitely want to act fast to lock-in the best price!

Okay, are you ready to see what’s included?! I think you’ve waited long enough…

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• Beautiful Christmas Prints to Decorate Your Home for the Holiday Season
• Fun and Creative Christmas Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers
• Meaningful Family Countdowns and Advents for Making Memories
• Delicious Holiday Recipes and Party Printables
• AND SO MUCH MORE! {See EVERYTHING in detail below!}

All together – it’s a collection of OVER 500 PAGES of darling printables… only available for a limited time!

Yeah, {Santa} BABY!

Get Yours Now for just $15!

WANT TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT EVERYTHING INCLUDED? WHAT EXACTLY IS IN THIS KILLER ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS BUNDLE? CHECK IT OUT!

1. Christmas Memories Printables by A Girl and a Glue Gun – Keep track of all those fun Christmas memories with this printable pack! These printables to help you remember the food you ate, movies you watched, songs you sang, how your Christmas tree was decorated, people who visited, and presents you gave and received! There is even a calendar to give a day-by-day of fun events and spots to glue on pictures and your Christmas card! AND BONUS kids printables! Kids can draw their presents, what the Christmas tree looks like and their favorite Christmas activity! Print it year after year and your kids will have a blast reading about all the fun things they have done over the years! (I wish I had this growing up! Don’t you wish you could remember what you got for Christmas when you were 10?!)

2. “Bust out the Ugly Sweater” Party Printables by A Pretty Little Party – Bust out your ugly sweaters for the most wonderful time of the year! Entertain your friends & family in style at the ugliest party in town. This printable pack includes everything you need to print, cut & create your own party. Including: Assembly Instructions, an 8×10 Voting Sign, 3×5 Official Voting Ballots, Award Badges for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, Cupcake Toppers and Decorative Decals, Fold Over Menu Cards, Straw/Appetizer Flags, Wine/Sparkling Cider Bottle Labels, AND an “Ugly” Banner with two decorative pennants!

3. Gorgeous Hand Lettered Christmas Prints by Alexa Z Design – Tis the season for holiday decor! Use these darling printables to spruce up your walls or pop in a frame for an easy holiday gift. Each of the 3 prints is sized as an 8×10 and hand lettered by the crazy talented Alexa Lurcher. (Honestly, I would buy this pack for these prints alone. Not even kidding!)

4. “Oh Joy” Banner by Andrea’s Notebook – Deck your halls with this fun and festive banner! All you have to do is: cut, hole punch, thread, and hang! Doesn’t get much easier than that. And don’t you just adore this fun Christmas sweater pattern?

Ready to get yours?

5. Watercolor Holiday Printables by Bella Love Letters – What’s better than curling up in a comfy chair listening to Dean Martin croon your favorite holiday tunes? How about a collection of watercolor printables – so gorgeous they’ll make you forget how cold it actually is outside? Each and every element was hand painted with love by Bella Love Letters and is print-ready. Use the charming “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” print as cheerful holiday decor (or heck, a quick gift for a neighbor!), send the “Merry and Bright” greeting card to your grandmother (she’ll love it), attach the recipe card to a gift plate of your famous homemade cookies, and have the kiddos write their letter to Santa in style this year!

6. Christ-Like Christmas Service by Chicken Scratch n Sniff – Over 40 pages to help you fill your Christmas season with acts of love. Perfect to do as a family or for date night! From bag toppers to gift tags and candy wrappers, you and your family will discover just what you need to compliment your acts of kindness.

7. Two Christmas Countdowns AND Stocking Stuffers by The Dating Divas – TWO of our best-selling countdowns, the Spouse Christmas Countdown AND the Family Christmas Countdown to help you celebrate each day leading up to Christmas! Our adorable Stocking Stuffer Kit complete with gift card holders, coupon booklets, Santa letters, and SO much more!

8. Intentional Christmas Planner by Faith Filled Parenting – The holidays can be so chaotic. We sometimes forget the true meaning of even enjoying the holiday season. This intentional planner will walk you step by step to a less-busy holiday. We will talk decor, meals, gifts, and more. This Christmas is all about simple, and this guide is your ticket to enjoying your Christmas with your family.

Don’t miss out on this amazing deal!

9. Your Santa’s Family Initiative Kit by Frugal Confessions – Santa has issued your family an initiative this holiday season and a family reward under the Christmas tree is up for grabs upon successful completion. Are you and your kiddos up for the challenge? You will decide which of the 3 initiatives − spreading Christmas cheer, volunteering at a location, or completing a household project your family will complete together, and what the family reward will be. (Pssst: don’t worry about coming up with ideas yourself! Santa’s included a sheet of ideas to get your brain working).

10. Merry Christmas Party Pack by Happy and Blessed Home – This printable party pack includes 30 pages of Christmas Party Printables including a Merry Christmas banner, Santa and his sleigh cupcake toppers, napkin rings, straw toppers, labels, invitations, and Christmas party decorations.

11. The Christmas Story- A 12-day Advent Banner by How Does She – A simple way to focus on the real meaning of Christmas: Christ! This darling 12-day advent banner features the story of the birth of Christ, as found in the Bible. Simply print the double-sided banner and flip over each day to reveal the full Christmas story by Christmas Eve. Perfect for stringing across the mantle or hanging on the tree.

12. Christmas Cootie Catcher with Bonus Christmas Lunch Jokes by Inspiration Made Simple – Worried about having a silent night around the Christmas dinner table? Well don’t be! This Christmas Cootie Catcher is the perfect way to keep conversation light and fun. Bundle includes a pre-filled cootie catcher full of fun Christmas themed questions and jokes, as well as a blank version so you can come up with your own! BONUS! Also included is a set of 8 Christmas themed lunch jokes, sure to get the kids in the Christmas spirit.

The Holiday Cheer is waiting for you…

13. Holiday Gift Tag Variety Pack by Less Ordinary Designs – Spruce up your holiday packaging with these printable gift tags from Less Ordinary Designs. They are incredibly easy to download and print and they take your gift wrapping to the next level. With 8 unique designs included, you will surely find something to coordinate with your wrapping paper or gift bag. Print one style or print them all! Why buy tags when you can print as many of these as you’d like, year after year? These are the perfect finishing touch and will look great top your holiday gifts.

14. Christmas Printable Art Bundle by Lolly Jane – No time to decorate for the holidays? Need a festive gift tag to tie onto holiday gifts? Want to make a bunting that’s Christmas-y and cute but easy to make? Print off this 3-pack of holiday themed printable art and size it to whatever suits your fancy! Frame for easy decor, size down and punch a hole in the corner to make a gift tag, or print all 3 cute styles and string up for an easy holiday bunting! All 3 styles are perfectly coordinated in the popular buffalo check and handwritten fonts together OR print separately to break them up. Whatever you do, we know you will love these cuties!

15. Favorite Holiday Recipes by One Good Thing by Jillee – Jillee says… Holidays = Happy Times in our house! There’s no place like home for the holidays, and not just the ones that take place in November and December. No holiday celebration would be complete without some really good food thrown in the mix! Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without My Mom’s Famous Sour Cream Cookies…and the 4th of July wouldn’t be the 4th of July without my Mom’s Homemade Ice Cream and Snickerdoodles! I love sharing the recipes that have become traditions in our family and a delicious part of our “happy times!” Find a new tradition for YOUR family in this beautiful collection of recipes my family uses to make the holidays special throughout the year!

16. Printable Christmas Planner by Planning Inspired – Get organized this holiday season! This Christmas Planner includes everything you need to take the stress & chaos out of the holidays! Use these holiday planner printables to create your own Christmas Binder and have the most organized Christmas ever! Print and punch for your 8 1/2 x 11 inch binder or similar sized planner!

You’ll be oh, so organized with those printables! Get ’em now!

17. Ultimate Road Trip Bundle by Printable Crush – This Ultimate Road Trip Printable set includes everything your kids need to prep for your road trip, activities for the car, and pages to keep track of all the memories you make along the way! Set includes over 40 pages of bright, colorful and fun printables for all ages.

18. 10 of the Best Cookie Recipes for Santa by Six Sisters’ Stuff – Santa will definitely leave you the best gifts on the block with this eCookbook! From festive and cutesy, to downright delicious – these cookie recipes will be the highlight of the season. Download the simple PDF eCookbook to any device and use it all season long.

19. “Pun”ny Christmas Song Neighbor Gift Tags by Somewhat Simple – Such a clever and simple way to put a smile on your neighbors’ faces this Christmas! These tags will take the guesswork out of gift-giving this year – grab some muffin mixes, Sprite, Hershey Kisses, Joy Dish Soaps, seasonings, Jolly Ranchers, etc. and start ‘singing” your way to a less stressful holiday season!

20. Essential Holiday Recipe Guide Book and Holiday Printable Art by That Crazy Oil Lady – Do you LOVE essential oils? Whip up some crazy-awesome Christmas recipes in the kitchen and in your home with the Essential Holiday Recipe Guide and Holiday Printable Art set! These beautiful recipe cards are great to create family memories with, gift to a loved on this holiday season with some essential oils, or use as a gift tag along with the recipe you make yourself! You are not going to want to miss out on this beautiful bundle, that includes beautiful framable wall art as well! Simply print on paper or card stock and cut out the recipe cards! Use the outer red edge as your guide, (cut if off completely) leaving the outside edge of your Recipe cards white.You can use these recipe cards yourself, or gift them along with essential oils, a hot-cocoa ready mug with an essential oil bottle, or one of the fab brownie recipes in here, this holiday season! The recipe cards are the perfect size to put into a standard 4×6 photo album if you are looking to share this as a gift, or if you’re looking for a cute and pretty way to store the recipes in your own kitchen!

Everything you need this holiday season is waiting for you!

21. Christmas and Holiday Gift Tag AND Banner Set by Thirty Handmade Days – This adorable Christmas Gift Tag Bundle is perfect to make all of your gifts sparkle this holiday season. There are over 50 tags – from movie lines to handlettered awesomeness, for Christmas and the holidays in general. There’s also a Merry & Bright banner in there too. You will love all 7 pages included in this set!

22. Naughty or Nice Love Coupon Set for Couples by While He Was Napping – Spice up your love life when your sweetie opens up these Naughty or Nice Love Coupons this holiday season! This is one naughty list your sweetheart should definitely be on! You’ll both thank me later. Included are 66 ready-to-print coupons, 4 cover options, and blank templates so you can customize them just for you and your lover; plus, printing is a breeze and assembly is simple – just print ’em out, cut ’em apart and wrap ’em up!

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! DON’T MISS OUT ON THESE BONUSES!

If you grab your copy of the All Things Christmas Printable Bundle through one of my links, I’m going to throw in my own little mini bundle just for you! My little mini bundle is valued at $24 – that means you’ll get your money’s worth just from my bonuses!

See?! Told ya! EVERYTHING you could ever want or need this Christmas! Buy now and save BIG! This All Things Christmas bundle has a value of well over $200 but you can get it all for just $15 – $20!

Remember the price goes up tomorrow and this is only a 3-day sale!

What are you waiting for?! RUN, don’t walk!

Put a little hustle in your step and get the All Things Christmas printable bundle because the price jumps up tomorrow and it’s ONLY AVAILABLE FOR TWO MORE DAYS! Get on it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The post 22 things that will make Christmas easier this year! appeared first on While He Was Napping.

Hey, I’m glad you’re here today! I’ve got a fun project for you and I can’t wait to share it! Have you ever wished there was a little more personal, fun way to gift a gift card? Well, what if I told you you can turn a musical card into a gift box that plays music when you open it? And it’s really pretty simple to do. Ready to give a gift card that won’t soon be forgotten? Let’s go!

Do you like to give gift cards or cash for gifting occasions? Let’s face it, everyone likes to get a gift card or cash. No one opens a birthday card and thinks “oh, I hope there’s NOT money inside! That would be terrible!”

But gift cards and cash have a bad reputation of being thoughtless gifts. Wait, is there such a thing? It’s far from thoughtless, but there’s no denying that a gift card or cash can be less personal.

If you want to up your gift card or cash giving game and put that personal touch right back into your gift, I’ll show you how. You’ll need a musical greeting card for the best results, but you can definitely cut out the musical part and just use a regular card too.

Do you have someone in your life that is particularly hard to buy gifts for? Maybe more than one someone? I have two. My husband and my dad.

These are the guys that if they want something, they go out and get it. If they can’t afford it, I sure can’t either. Truly, the best gift for them is a gift card that they can use when the whim strikes.

But, gift cards can feel impersonal. No one wants their gift recipient to feel like their gift says, “Here’s something I picked up on my way here, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” So, I worked to find a better way to give those hard-to-gift-to people in my life what they want and let them know that the gift really is from my heart.

DIY MUSICAL EXPLOSION BOX

Materials Needed to Create your own DIY Musical Explosion Box:

– Two 12″ x 12″ pieces of scrap book paper –  card stock will make a sturdier box, I used card stock for the bottom and regular paper for the top.
– Musical card 
– Ruler
– Pencil
– Pen cap or something with a blunt edge you can use to score your paper – it’ll make the folding easier
– Glue stick – a hot glue gun and glue sticks will work even better.
– Clear tape
– Scissors
– Craft knife – like an X-acto

Directions to Create your own DIY Musical Explosion Box:

Want a sneak peek at the whole project, check out how easy it is to make your own Musical Gift Box!

1. Take the first piece of your 12″ x 12″ paper (the card stock piece, if you’re using only one piece of card stock) and measure 3 inches in on all four sides with the ruler. You’ll want the outside of your box to be face down on the table. Mark three inches and then use the ruler to draw straight lines to form a grid-like pattern. This means the bottom of your box will be 6″ x 6″ and the sides will be 3 inches tall.

2. Use the pen cap or whatever blunt edge object you are using to score the paper on the lines you just drew. Fold on your score lines. Curl the corners into the box. Don’t cut or tape them though. These will help push your box open when you take the lid off and make the music play. Put the bottom of the box aside.

3. Take your musical card and unseal the inside of the card to reveal the music speaker and electronic board. Cut the plastic switch from where it is attached to the front of the card. Cut the front flap off of the card.

4. Cut the speaker and electronic board out of the song card. Be careful not to cut the wires. If you need to move the speaker closer to the electronic board, you can just pop it off the card back and then tape if back down. As long as you don’t damage the wires, it should still work.

5. Tape the little plastic piece you cut from the front of the card to the side of your card stock box with the clear tape. Use the craft knife to cut the tape along the edges of plastic piece. You’ll have to play with the placement of the speaker and electronic board to get it right. You want the plastic switch to interrupt the contact on the board when the box is closed, but to open the contact when the box pops open. Check out the step-by-step video for more direction on that.

6. Set the bottom of the box aside and take your last piece of 12″ x 12″ paper and measure and mark 2 and 7/8 inches in on each side. Create a grid-like pattern on the page with your measurements. It’s just like you did on the first piece, minus an eighth of an inch. This will help your lid fit on your bottom box piece better.

7. Score and fold on the measurements. This time fold the corners out and use the glue stick or a small dot of hot glue to secure the triangular flaps. Folding them out will keep anything from getting caught on the inside when you’re trying to get everything inside the box. Do this will all four sides.

8. Use the inside and front of the song card to decorate the top and inside of your box. You can use another piece of 6″ x 6″ scrapbook paper to cover the speaker and electronic board or use the inside of the card to cover it. Just make sure you don’t tape or glue anything over the plastic piece that needs to move when the box opens so the music will play.

9. Find a fun way to attach your gift card so it isn’t sliding around loose inside the box. You can make a little spring for it to bounce on, or stick it on one of the flaps. Or use the gift card as your switch that makes the music play when it’s removed. Check out the video for more info on that.

10. Fold up the bottom of the box and stick a finger in each of the curled corners to hold it in place and slide the lid on top. Wrap it up and give it to your unsuspecting victim, er, recipient.

11. Bask in your awesomeness and know you’ll be giving the perfect gift!

The art of card giving is NOT dead! We live in this time of instant gratification. With all the digital technology, we don’t often have to wait long to send and receive communication with friends and family, even when we are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. But snail mail is still going strong. Send a song card to create a memorable moment.

My kids (and myself!) love to get birthday cards in the mail. It’s a great way to let the special people in your life know that you were thinking about them, that you love them. A song card can help you express yourself with music. And, sometimes, music can speak louder than words.

 Let’s do this project together!

Gather your materials and then watch this video for step-by-step directions
on creating your own DIY Musical Explosion Gift Box!

The post 30 Minute DIY Musical Gift Box appeared first on While He Was Napping.

PRESCRIPTION FOR LOVE
PRINTABLE LABELS

Materials:
– Printable Prescription for Love Bottle Labels (or you can use the extra spicy versions)
– Clean Medicine Bottles
– Glue Stick
– Scissors
– Washi Tape
– Candy that will fit through the neck of your bottle

Directions:
– Print out the Prescription for Love labels and cut them apart.

– Clean off your medicine bottles, if you’re reusing them. I used an empty infant pain reliever bottle, an empty allergy medication bottle and an old prescription bottle. I had to soak the labels off in hot water and scrub the sticky off. This is the hardest part.
– When the prescription bottles are clean and dry, glue the label to the bottle. Put the glue on the back of the label, on the end that doesn’t have any text on it. Stick the label on the bottle and wrap the label around the bottle. It will overlap a bit, but that’s okay!

– Glue the end of the label down with the glue stick.

– If your lid has a label on it, you can use washi tape to cover it up. I just put a couple strips on the top and bottom of the lid and then one down the middle to cover the edges of the tape.
– Fill up the bottle with your candy. You’ll want something small enough to get in… and back out… of the bottle without too much trouble. Round candies or long and skinny candies seemed to work best.

There are two sets of Prescription for Love labels for your printing pleasure. One is more lovey dovey and one is a little more spicy. There are also two sizes of labels. One that is two inches tall and one that is three inches tall. Those seemed to be the most common sizes of bottles when I was looking though my medicine bottles.

Please note: These labels are not intended to be used with children – I don’t encourage anything that associates medication and candy for children. So, please don’t use them with children! Share all the love-inducing candy you can with your sweet special someone though. Valentine’s Day is all about sweet right?!

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FILL IN THE BLANK PRINTABLE COUPONS

Materials:
– Pen, Markers or Pencils
– Scissors or Paper Cutter
– Fill in the Blank Printable Coupons
– Hole Punch
– String or Yarn

Directions:
– Print out the high resolution Fill in the Blank Coupons. Click the link or the image to download the high resolution file.
– Use the pen, markers or pencils to fill out the coupons however you want.
– Cut the coupons apart with the scissors or paper cutter.
– Punch a hole or two in each coupon, string the coupons together on the string or yarn and tie them together. Alternatively, you could staple the coupons together or put them in an envelop. Whatever method you want to use to keep all the coupons together. You can also embellish the coupons more if you want.
– Gift your coupons to your lucky recipient and enjoy some fun moments and memories for the next year. I purposely didn’t put an expiration date on mine, but you can write one in if you’d like.

That’s it. Super simple, right? And it’s free! I know I definitely don’t need to spend any more money on Christmas, but this is still a meaningful gift. And I love that I was able to make one for each of my kiddos (well… the older two) and my husband without having to spend a lot of time create extra templates and doing redesigns.

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We are working on our third week of school here and the routine is finally starting to iron out a bit. But, it wasn’t always smooth sailing.

I need a good system. And, with any good system, comes some great organizers.

One thing I want in my organizers is that I can re-use them. I don’t want to waste that much paper and re-using the organizers lets me develop a system that works for me through trial and error.

I couldn’t find exactly the organizer printables I was looking for, so I made some.  And, it’s super easy to make them reusable with this easy Dry Erase Organizer Printables Set and tutorial! Ready? Let’s do this!

DIY DRY ERASE ORGANIZER PRINTABLES

Materials:

– Thermal Laminator (This is the one I use)
– Thermal Pouches Letter Size (these are my preferred pouches)
– Printable Organizer Set (free download!)
– Dry Erase or Wet Erase Markers (I like these wet erase ones – the writing lasts better)
– Pen or Fine Tip Sharpie

Directions:

– Download and print out the Organizer Printables Pack.  Click the link, download and save the file to your computer and then print out the pages.  You can use them all or just pick and choose which pages you think will work best for you because I want these to be helpful for you.  The pages are formatted to 8.5×11″ and the file is in PDF format.

– Turn on your Thermal Laminator and let it warm up completely.  The little ready light will turn blue when you’re ready to go.  Make sure the laminator is ready before you try to use it; you’ll get the best results that way.

– While the laminator warms up, put each organizer printables page into a thermal pouch.  Pull the two layers of the pouch apart – one side of the pouch is sealed.  Lay the page on one side of the pouch and fold the pouch back over.

– When the laminator is ready and your page is positioned in the pouch, line up the pouch on the paper tray of the laminator.  In complete honesty: I loved everything about this laminator, except the paper tray.  It has a fabulous fold up design, but because of that it is not very sturdy.  I never had the tray collapse or anything, but it was pretty flimsy.  But the cord wrapped away into the bottom of the machine and that almost made up for the unimpressive paper tray.  And it had zero effect on the outcome of the pages.

– Gently slide the page into the machine until it starts to pull it through. Let go and the machine will pull it through.

– When the page completely comes out the other side, lay it down on a flat surface until it cools to prevent any curling or weird wrinkles.

– Use the dry or wet erase markers to fill out the organizer printables.  I prefer the wet erase markers because they don’t wipe off as easily and my kids think it’s hilarious to wipe off my planners.  The wet erase markers give me a slightly better chance of keeping all my info intact.

– Use your DIY Dry Erase Organizer Printables.  I don’t actually keep all the organizers on my fridge, but I wanted to show them to you all at once.  The menu planner and shopping list are my absolute favorite; the calendar and weekly planner pages are close seconds.

TIPS FOR USING YOUR ORGANIZER PRINTABLES

There are some pages that you may want to keep the information on and not have them be reusable.  The important dates or important people pages, for example.  I keep the important dates page next to our calendar to help keep me inline and not forget anything.

Use the important people pages as it fits your needs best.  I have one page that has a list of important phone numbers on it. We keep it in a special drawer. I filled it out and then laminated it.  It is not reusable because the info on here doesn’t change.  My boys know where it is and know, if they have an emergency and there is not an adult that can help, that page will give them phone numbers to call.  I also keep one that IS reusable as a baby-sitter reference, because I haven’t designed a baby-sitter reference page since my family is usually our sitter.

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Guest post by Sinea Pies 

 

Our craft was something I found pictured on Pinterest. Isn’t Pinterest great? It is like visiting the World Library of Ideas.  We glued Fruit Loops onto a page to form a letter “O” as well as completing the Olympic rings. 

 

This is the template I used.

How’d it go? After 14 weeks with my students, I have come to know them pretty well. If I gave them ALL the cereal at once, those rings would never have been made. Katie agreed.  Rings first, big “O” later.

 

So, I came in prepared with snack-size zip bags, one of each color. I called upon my “Teachers Helpers”  to go around and leave one piece with each of their fellow students.  

 

Everyone carefully glued them into the Olympic rings. Not all of the rings were the right color but, no biggie, this is preschool! When I heard the familiar “Teacher, I need more Fruit Loops” it was time to give them the rest of their cereal. It worked very, very well. 

 

Supplies for your Letter O Art Project

Fruit Loops cereal
“O” template printed on card stock
Elmer’s® glue
little cup for the glue
cotton swabs

Directions for your Letter O Art Project

Sinea Pies is the inspiration behind Ducks ‘n a Row. Admittedly not nearly as organized as she’d like to be, Sinea encourages her readers to join her as they head toward the goal of “The Beauty of an Organized Life” together. 

Ducks ‘n a Row also visits the world of cooking/baking, time management, home/office decor, health, fashion, education, faith, Fido (dogs) and, most recently, preschool. Having years of experience as a high school guidance counselor and school administrator, she is now having fun teaching preschool and sharing with her readers! 
Follow Sinea (pronounced SEENA) on social media: Facebook/ Google+ / Pinterest  / Twitter / Sverve and please stop by for Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop on Ducks ‘n a Row, as well.

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