Arts and Crafts

5 Ways to Thank Your Child's Teacher All Year Long {Teacher Appreciation Week} This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at our school and several others around town, and many other local schools will be observing in the coming weeks. In years past, Teacher's Appreciation Week has caught me off-guard as I rushed around frantically to buy and wrap acceptable gifts and get them to school in one piece. I mean, do busy moms really need one more thing to do? I think not. But this school year, it feels different. Maybe it's because my oldest has had some behavioral challenges, but his teachers have been so patient with him. Or maybe it's because my baby is now in preschool and is so comfortable around his...

Springtime always reminds me of baby showers. All those beautiful tiny clothes get worn once or twice. The baby blankets are snuggled closely and that monitor gets plenty of use. The cards are read and enjoyed during a moment of gratitude, then placed back in the gift bag. The real tearjerkers might get passed around first. But then where do they ultimately end up? I had my daughter two years ago, and yes, I still have all the baby shower cards. I'm not usually a hoarder, but I kept them partially because they meant a lot since she was our first, and also because I always planned to do something with them. If you haven't already thrown yours away, put...

I'm about to let you all in on a little secret. I learned it from my mama. This secret has the potential to change your life. Or at least your gift giving routines. If your child has received a gift from my family in the past 10 years, it has come from my a stash of toys in my hall closet, aka the gift closet. The box in the gift closet is filled with puzzles, play-doh products, art sets, baby outfits, and popular candles. I even have gifts for specific people - my nieces and nephews and my own children - stored in this closet. All of it was bought on sale. "But wait", you say, "The biggest gift giving...

I have been eyeing the beautiful red wreaths at Target for the past several years. Don't ask me why I never bought one. I guess partly because I didn't want to spend $30 on something that I would only get to enjoy one month out of the year, partly because I'm usually grocery shopping and I see it as I pass by in a hurry to get to the baby aisles. Regardless, I never did bite the bullet but the other day I was in Hobby Lobby and an idea hit me. I would make my own DIY wreath. I love crafting so this would be fun! It's super simple. You need only 4 items. A 12" floral foam circle -...

Growing up, I always anticipated our yearly trip to Christmas Forest, just north of Zachary, to choose and cut our Christmas tree. It was my family's tradition, and I couldn't wait to begin the yearly trip with my own children. For a few years, my own little family continued on with the tradition, then Christmas Forest closed shop. We tried a few other choose and cut places, but none with the same ambiance. Choosing a pre-cut tree in front of a hardware store wasn't quite as festive, and while I know some people prefer it, using an artificial tree seemed cold. We decided to think outside the box and start our own Christmas tree tradition. Two years ago, we bought...