Gingerbread House Decorating Fun- Life-size!

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Make your kid's dreams come true with this life-size gingerbread house idea!

My kids just love the little playhouses made out of cardboard and I love them too, because the kids are entertained for days... playing and coloring them until they are literally destroyed and then I get to throw them out! 

This year I was inspired by the gingerbread house decorating competition I was watching on the Food Network and I decided I would do something similar at home. I have seen the cardboard houses in the brown color (normally they are white) and so I ordered one from Target... along with all these other goodies from Oriental Trading. Here is how simple and fun this was! And how cute! All the kids from the neighborhood will love coming over to see, play and decorate! 

  1. Build the simple to construct cardboard play house from Target
  2. Decorate the house with large candy decorations like these from Oriental Trading
  3. Adult only!! Use a hot glue gun to glue the main decorations to the house (this will help hold the decorations on securely so the kids can play and use the house for the coming days)
  4. Add fake snow on roof (can use felt)
  5. Let the children add actual candy (like gumdrops and peppermint) & snowflakes using Elmers Glitter Glue- if the candy is large or heavy you can glue them using the hot glue gum for a firmer hold
  6. Add wire string lights
  7. Use decals to decorate the floor and/or window
  8. Use a white rug/throw to look like snow (I picked this up from Century 21)
  9. Let the kids color their own designs with Crayola Scented Markers 
  10. Enjoy days of fun with this!!

Happy Holidays! 

Smells so good, you'll want to eat it too! But don't!!!! Hot Chocolate Playdoh DIY

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I love playdoh and I always let my kids make a mess and have fun with it. It really keeps them entertained for so long and just seeing them being creative and "in the zone" really inspires me. 

This season I wanted to do something fun for them!

I was at a tree trimming party with my daughter and they were serving hot cocoa in these adorable glass mugs. When we got home, it hit me, why don't we make this out of playdoh!

Here's how we created this fun and nostalgic holiday season drink; marshmallows included!

Here is what you'll need:

  • Flour, Salt, Cream of Tarter, Food Dye, Vegetable oil, Essential oil or natural scent, small glass mugs, glitter (optional), hot water
  • Combine:
  1. 2 cups flour
  2. 1 cup salt
  3. teaspoon cream of tarter
  4. tablespoon vegetable oil
  • In a separate bowl, combine:
  1. 1 cup of hot water
  2. 20 drops of essential oil or natural scent
  3. 1/8 teaspoon - 1/2 teaspoon food dye (add as much as needed for desired color)
  • Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and combine (add more scent and/or color as desired)
  • Stir and kneed dough until totally combined 
  • Do this in seperate bowls for the chocolate and the marshmellow
  • *Add a few shakes of glitter to the marshmallow dough
  • Layer the chocolate scented dough into the small mug or jar
  • Then top with a small amount of the marshmallow dough 
  • Cover and store (this will last up to 2 months if covered properly or for ultimate freshness store in the refrigerator)

We wanted our chocolate dough to smell really super chocolatey so we added a few more drops of the essential oil! Add as much or little as you like!

To finish, add a holiday ribbon and label for a cute little gift for friends! The kids will love playing with this.. watch their faces light up when they open and smell the sweet scents. I know a lot of kids love to eat playdoh so make sure they don't eat it! It doesn't taste as good as it smells... Trust me! 

Holiday Bath-time fun! Seasonal Scented Bath Soap DIY

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Who's guilty of trying to holiday shop with the kiddos?!!

Well, I am sure we've all been there. But the other day when we were at the local shops, my kids wanted me to buy them the most expensive seasonal soaps and lotions. I agreed, they smelled so good and I actually left wanting them for myself also but I didn't want to spend money on things we really didn't need right now. So, I went home and thought, we can make them something similar with things we already use. 

I took the kids' all natural Aveeno lotion and soap from their bathroom. The ones that won't bother their eyes and I know work well on their skin. Then, I found small travel bottles that I normally fill and use for trips. So, I washed them out and filled them with the kids tear free and all natural products. And here's exactly how I did it! So easy and cost me literally just a few dollars for the products I would have bought anyway! 

  • Use all natural, kid safe shampoo/wash/conditioner (tear free and fragrance free works best, we use Aveeno)
  • Let the kids add a small amount of each product into separate small bowls
  • Then let them add approximately 8 drops to each bowl of your kids favorite scent using skin safe essential oils (we picked cupcake)
  • Stir with a spoon or spatula (the kids will love this!)
  • WARNING-- If desired, add a few drops of food grade dye, like Wiltons (ONLY use a light color, like yellow, to avoid skin staining or color transfer - you don't want to dye your kids hair!) If used in a very small way, you should have no issues with the color however, you can try a small batch to test it out. If this scares you, it is totally not necessary! So just skip this!
  • Stir until color is combined
  • Then, add the product to the travel bottles and label
  • Enjoy! Bath-time, made even better!

The best part about this is that the kids and I are both happy! They get to lather themselves in yummy scented soaps and lotions and I know their sensitive skin won't be bothered by all the harsh chemicals in the store bought scented products! Plus, I wouldn't want to skip out on celebrating the holiday cheer with the kids; using festive products and I may have just made a little extra for myself! Smells so sweet and yummy...

Snow Globes and Christmas Trees... what could be more perfect?!

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When you think of a perfect winter weekend you would probably imagine the whole family cozied up together; the children playing with snow globes and sipping hot cocoa while decorating the tree and a fire crackling in the background.  Sounds amazing right? Well, I wanted to make sure that this was a reality for us this holiday season. Check out how we did it!

While my husband was stringing the lights on the tree (and untangling miles worth of tangled bulbs) I worked with the kids on this easy homemade snow globe craft. Here is how we made them... And you probably have all of these items floating around the house already!

  1. Start with a clean mason glass jar (or any glass jar from the recycling bin)
  2. Super Glue a small figurine to the inside of the lid (we used these adorable Elf on the Shelf ones!)
  3. Optional - add a small tree (I found these at Target)
  4. Then sprinkle the glitter and snowflakes into the empty glass jar
  5. Add water almost ALL the way to the top (optional- use glycerin for a thicker liquid)
  6. When the super glue holding down the figurines is completely dry you will turn the lid upside down and submerge the figurine and secure the cap. 
  7. Optional but recommended- Add a small amount of super glue around the edges of the cap before securing. This will help to avoid any little fingers from possibly opening the jar and causing a major leak!