This is a great craft that is easy enough for 2-3 year olds to do!
Supplies:
Chinet® paper plates – these really do work best
Green paint
construction paper in the following colors
red
yellow
orange
glue
marker or pen
yarn or ribbon

Cut the center out of the paper plates, leaving about 3 inches of the edge. Punch a hole in the top about 1/2 inch from the edge. Paint the bottom of the plate with the green paint and allow it to dry.

Cut some assorted leaf shapes from the construction paper.

Choosing some of the larger leaves, write things you and your kids are thankful for (i.e. mom & dad, brother or sister, sports, music, etc).

When the plate is dry, glue the leaves onto the green side in little clusters, putting the leaves with your thanks on top.

String the ribbon or raffia through the little hole as a bow.

If you want to hang it up with ribbon, punch another hole towards the top.

Ari’s wreath is a couple of years or so old, it started out with LOTS more leaves! This craft is fun because you get to hear things that your kids are thankful for that just might surprise you!

Autumn is my favorite time of year… the air is crisp, the leaves are changing, the nights are cooling off. What better time is there to get out and enjoy God’s creation! Here are a few of our family’s favorite Autumn Activities…

1. Take a Hike
No, I really mean it! Pick a Saturday & head to the hills, desert, beach, whatever is accessible to you and your family. The leaves are changing colors, the animals are storing up for the cold Winter months, bushes & trees that normally hide behind everything else are starting to come out of hiding. Be sure to dress in layers and take along both water and something warm to drink – apple cider or cocoa work great. To make it more interesting, pick out 1 or 2 leaves or animals to look for & see how many your family can find!

2. Rake those Leaves
…and then jump into the pile! This is one of my favorite childhood fall-time activities. My cousin & I used to create boats, mountains, horses… you name it, we built it out of leaves & then destroyed it by jumping into the middle! I introduced our girls to this activity a couple of years ago… now they look forward to it whenever we go to the park!

3. Make a changing leaf garland
Gather some leaves in different colors and string them on some fishing line or ribbon for a beautiful & inexpensive Autumn decoration! It also works well for teaching younger kids about how and why the leaves change color and fall off of the trees.

4. Go to a farm
The crowds have most likely gotten smaller, and the produce is getting ready for harvest. One of our favorite traditions is to go pumpkin picking. The fields of bright orange pumpkins are beautiful to look at, and the girls love the chance to actually “pick” their pumpkin! If there are animals there, let the kids have a chance to pet them or just watch them. Most farms that are open to the public offer ways for kids to take part in feeding or care of the animals too.

5. Attend a Festival
Depending on where you live, the produce will differ. Before kids, my hubby & I went to the Cedaredge Apple Fest every year… yummy apple treats, farmer’s market, and best of all, apples! Now the apples are on the other side of the mountains, so we find other fun festivals to attend. Kids love the excitement, and you get a chance for a change of scenery… and usually some very tasty treats!

These are just a few of our favorite family traditions. I hope they helped get your creative juices flowing to create a few more fun traditions for yours!

Happy Autumn!

My daughter’s birthday is coming up and it took her an amazing amount of time to choose a theme this year… not normal for her! When she finally settled on a theme I went hunting for a fun and unique party invitation. What I found amazed me.

Shannon from ScrapIts.com designed these adorable photo invitations and sent them to a local photo printing lab for me to pick up. They have all of the necessary information, and a cute picture of our little birthday girl – just in case anyone forgets who she is! We handed many of them out today and everyone was amazed at the ingenious idea of them.

The pricing is great for something that is so unique – I am definitely setting one aside for the scrapbook this year!

Shannon makes wedding invitations and engagement announcements as well, and they are all gorgeous. What better way to announce your engagement that with your engagement picture with a little extra boost to get everyone excited!

If you know anyone having a birthday or planning a wedding, you simply have to take a look at ScrapIts.com!

Happy Autumn,
Jennifer

This is a great resource for those who enjoy reading, but don’t want to pay the high prices that the bookstores often want. Basically, you post books that you have and want to get rid of, and others browse through the available books and order the ones that they want.

For every book that you send out, you get a credit for a book to order. The only cost at this time is to ship the books – and they get the media mail discount. They provide you with the label, you just wrap it around the book & ship it out.

We have posted some books, and one of them was requested the next day. I shipped it out, she received it, and I got a credit applied to my account that I used to order a book for my husband. This is great! It saves money, as he can get books for free to read when he travels instead of buying them at epensive airport bookstores, and I am clearing out our over-filled library one book at a time – and I don’t feel bad for throwing books away.

If you have too many books laying around, or you want to get some new-to-you books, check out PaperBackSwap.com

With the kids going back to school, you may find it harder to make sure that they know just how you feel about them. This article offers you some great ideas for showing your little – and big – ones just how much you care!

10 Little Things
By Julie Miller

We all love our kiddos, but so often we run out of time or ideas on how to show them that we love them. Here are 10 simple, easy and inexpensive ways to show your little ones that they are the apple of your eye. It just takes a moment each day to assure your child that they are special and loved.

* Write a Letter ~ Even little ones that can’t read yet LOVE to get mail. Find a special card, or make one yourself. Write a letter to your child and let him know that you love him and he is special to you. Be sure he is the one to get the card out of the mail box. Read the letter together. Then, keep all of the cards that you send in a special place…when he’s older, you can give them all back to him as a reminder of all of the reasons he is dear to you.

* Special Breakfast ~ For an unexpected treat for your little one, cook her favorite breakfast and serve it for dinner! Better yet, have her help you cook…kids love to help cook.

* Little Love Notes ~ Write little love notes for your child. Leave them in hidden places that he will find…under his pillow, in the refrigerator, under his dinner plate, in his school book, tape it under the toilet lid (great when he’s potty training), on his car seat, anywhere that he will find it. This also works great if you have to leave for a few days…then there are reminders that you love him even when you’re gone.

* Have a date ~ Even little ones love dates! Take her out to “coffee” with you…steamed milk with a bit of vanilla and cinnamon makes a lovely treat. Pack a picnic lunch, go out to a movie, look at the stars, take a stroll together. She will appreciate the extra attention, and you can use that time to let her know how much you love her.

* Get involved ~ Pay attention to your child’s favorites. Does he love trains? Take him for a walk by the train tracks. Does she love flowers, help her start her own garden. Does he love to read, take him to the library and let him pick a special book for you to read together. Doing things together that involve something he loves is always fun and will let him know that you are paying attention to him.

* Set a Timer ~ Pick a time, 15 minutes, 30 minutes…whatever. Then set the timer and use that time to completely focus on your kids, play, paint, sing, dance, run around, laugh, giggle…anything! Don’t get distracted by anything else…ignore the phone, the house, the dishes, give this time to your child. He will thank you for the undivided attention.

* Snuggle ~ Go to the video store and let your child pick out a movie. Then pop up some popcorn and snuggle under a blanket with your little one and watch the entire movie together. So often we get involved in other things that we forget that a good snuggle and a movie can really let a child know that they are worth your time.

* Hugs ~ This one is so easy! Simply give your child a big hug and tell him you love him. Tell him some special things about him that you appreciate and love. Tell him why you are happy that he is your baby.

* Journal ~ Get a notebook and write down all of the little memorable moments in your child’s life. Remember to write down things that are funny, amazing, silly, kind, and things that come out of his mouth that are incredibly profound. Write your thoughts and prayers for him as he grows. Then give him the book when he is grown. It makes a great gift for him when he has his first child.

* Display Their Work ~ Your child will give you countless pictures, drawings, paintings and projects. Find a special place in your home to display them proudly. The refrigerator is a great way to show your child that you appreciate his work. Another idea is to attach a small strip of metal to a wall (Under a cabinet works great). Then you can hang current artwork up with magnets and change it out as new masterpieces are created. This pride in his work will show your child how much you love him and appreciate his artistic talents.

Remember that you are the first one to foster your child’s self-esteem. Showing your child each and every day that he is special and that you love him and appreciate him will help him to grow knowing that he is a special child of God.

Reprinted with permission.
© 2005-2007 Julie Miller
Julie Miller is a work at home mom to two small boys and currently resides on the lovely Central Coast of California. She owns and operates two home based online jewelry shops. Her first,Little Girls Pearls’, is an upscale online boutique which offers heirloom quality pearl and sterling silver jewelry for girls of all ages. Her other, Jules, offers elegant and whimsical handcrafted jewelry.

Summer is here, and this is the perfect thing to take a regular Summer vacation and make it magical The Fairy Bower is a gauzy green hideaway that can fit quite a few kids inside, and turn their outdoor playtime into something very special. They can pretend that they are fairies hiding away amidst the flowers, or be princes & princesses. Only their imaginations will limit them!

Once Summer is over, you can bring it inside and hang it from the ceiling to let the magic continue…

Do you have a little artist in the house? This is a wonderful solution to store all of their fanciful creations!

My Place For Art is a large accordion file folder (in great kid colors) that will sort and store the creations of your budding artist – or artists – in an easy-to-access place that will not only keep everything contained, but keep their art accessible for years to come.

Take a look at My Place For Art today!