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Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

November 17, 2020 by Rachel 10 Comments

The holiday season is going to be… different. My kids are still my number one priority when it comes to celebrating the holiday season. We will be staying at home this Thanksgiving and celebrating with just the five of us. In the meantime, I’m trying to think of fun and creative ways to keep my kids busy while we’re prepping our big Thanksgiving meal. And what better way to play than by making a Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey craft!?

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

What you’ll need to make a Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey

For this project you’ll need the following items:

  • Wood clothespins
  • Tissue paper – assorted colors
  • Cardstock – brown, yellow, red
  • Googly eyes, medium size
  • 2” circle punch
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

How to put together your Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey

  • Begin by using the 2” circle punch to make a circle from the brown cardstock.
  • Adhere googly eyes.
  • Fold a piece of yellow cardstock in half and cut in a triangle for the beak. Also cut a petal shape for the snood from the red cardstock.
  • Glue the snood to the beak and glue both in place. Set aside.
  • Cut or tear 4 different colored strips of tissue paper. Red, orange, yellow, and green are good for Thanksgiving turkeys, but purple and blue are fun, too.
  • Crinkle each up a bit. You can form the feathers any number of ways, but we found to place one wrinkled strip one on top of the other in the center, forming like a tissue paper pie.
  • And fold up. But you could always just gather them up randomly, too.
  • Then clip all the tissue paper in the clothespin.
  • Glue the face to the top of the clothespin.
Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

What age is this craft appropriate for?

This craft is appropriate for kids of all ages! My oldest is 8 and I will have him help me to cut apart the pieces of tissue paper into smallish pieces. My daughters, ages 4 and 2, will need some guidance, but there Turkey’s will turn out very age appropriate.

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

I definitely suggest that if you have little ones that you prep this a bit. Cut out the tissue paper ahead of time and also use the circle punch to cut through the cardstock during your prep.

Be sure to print this and save for later

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

Materials

  • Wood clothespins
  • Tissue paper - assorted colors
  • Cardstock - brown, yellow, red
  • Googly eyes, medium size
  • 2” circle punch
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

Instructions

    Begin by using the 2” circle punch to make a circle from the brown cardstock.

    Adhere googly eyes.

    Fold a piece of yellow cardstock in half and cut in a triangle for the beak. Also cut a petal shape for the snood from the red cardstock.

    Glue the snood to the beak and glue both in place. Set aside.

    Cut or tear 4 different colored strips of tissue paper. Red, orange, yellow, and green are good for Thanksgiving turkeys, but purple and blue are fun, too.

    Crinkle each up a bit. You can form the feathers any number of ways, but we found to place one wrinkled strip one on top of the other in the center, forming like a tissue paper pie.

    And fold up. But you could always just gather them up randomly, too.

    Then clip all the tissue paper in the clothespin.

    Glue the face to the top of the clothespin.

    Clothespin Tissue Paper Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

© Rachel
Category: crafty

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Filed Under: #MomLife, children, crafty, creative, holidays Tagged With: #MomLife, children, crafty, creative, holidays

Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

September 28, 2020 by Rachel 21 Comments

Twenty-twenty will forever go down as the worst phrase of our generation. As a mom of young kids, one of the worst things ever is knowing that my kids know that something is going on. I mean, my 7 year old and my 4 year old both keep saying “…when COVID-19 is over, can we….?” And it absolutely breaks my heart. But we’re all doing the absolute best that we can given the circumstances. So I have made it my personal mission to let my kids know that Covid doesn’t have to stop the fun. And that’s why I’m making the most of quarantine Halloween!

trick or treat

Trick-or-no-treat?

Our city is still very much on the fence regarding trick-or-treating. But I am not. Our neighborhood gets really busy — which we have always welcomed. But this year I am less than thrilled about the potential for kids coming and going and pushing around. With a heavy heart we decided against traditional trick-or-treating this year. And, honestly, I think that’s what’s best. My kids will have another Halloween and trick-or-treat. But, Covid is a wildcard. And I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.

So what should we do?!

There are so many ways to make the most of Halloween. Kids don’t really care about trick-or-treating. Heck! My kids usually only last 15 minutes! But they do love celebrations — and candy! So that’s what we will do.

Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

How we’re celebrating

We will still dress up. I will admit — I don’t like how much adults ‘love’ Halloween. I’ve always hated the idea of adult Halloween parties. But I will dress up this year for my kids. We will have a big at-home party! My kids and I will be setting up the most perfect candy charcuterie board for Halloween.

Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

What you need for a candy charcuterie board

Assorted candies
Small containers
Large cutting board or platter

Charcuterie Board

Candies may include:

Twizzlers
M&Ms
Candy Corn
Candy Pumpkins
Jelly Slugs
Halloween Pez
Bloody Bites
Spooky Lips Lollipops
Assorted snack size candies, wrapped or unwrapped

  1. Choose a board or serving dishes for the charcuterie board.
  2. Place loose ingredients (small candies, loose candies, etc.) into bowls or individual dishes. Place those bowls on the board or buffet first.
  3. Arrange other candies around the bowls.
  4. Add assorted tongs or Halloween decorations.

Tell me this…

How are you planning on making this the BEST Halloween ever for your kids?!

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PIN ME - MAKING THE MOST OF QUARANTINE HALLOWEEN
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Filed Under: #MomLife, children, crafty, creative, desserts, family, Halloween, mommyhood, parenthood, parenting, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, children, crafty, creative, desserts, family friendly, halloween, holidays, motherhood, parenthood, tips + tricks

Learn From Home, Right Now with iD Tech Virtual Camps

April 3, 2020 by Rachel 29 Comments

This post is sponsored by iD Tech. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Here in the United States, our lives have been completely upended in the last 30-ish days. We went from ‘business as usual’ to basically living, working, and schooling with just our immediate family.

This has created an unprecedented amount of struggle and stress for so many of my friends and family members. We are all learning how to live in our new-normal, and we’re basically doing this one day at a time.

Creating normal in times of crisis.

During this time, it’s really important to create some sort of normalcy for our children. Their lives have been upended just as much as ours, if not more. And we need to be ready to make some changes to keep them healthy, happy, learning, and thriving.

Homeschooling versus Crisis-Schooling

Most parents across the country have been thwarted into the new role of ‘teacher.’ For some, this may come easy. For others, like myself, this remains difficult.

Time and time again I’ve heard friends refer to this time in our lives as “crisis” schooling, not homeschooling. And it’s true. Educators, administrators, and parents across the country are now adapting to a totally new way of learning and teaching.

We’re doing our best, given the conditions. But our children are used to so much routine in their lives. They are used to seeing their friends. Our children are used to laughing and playing with people who aren’t their siblings. They’re used to being social creatures!

Enhancing their education and social experiences

My previous intentions for this upcoming Summer included sending Ari to several camps, including one at Case Western Reserve University for coding. But things have changed so quickly. I needed something to stimulate Ari’s learning now.

Virtual Tech Camps from iD Tech allow him to learn from home, right now.

iD Tech offers online courses to sharpen and develop tech skills from the comfort of our stay-home order! These specialty designed courses, aimed at children ranging in age from 7-19, are structured, week-long sessions, and are offered in various time zones. The small classes (max 5 students) are taught by adult instructors from top universities like Stanford, Caltech, and NYU!

Courses, which include everything from Python, Java, Minecraft, Roblox, AI, Unreal Engine, Adobe, and 3D modeling, are offered in both small group camp and online private lessons. iD Tech is here to help families that are suffering from being ‘cooped up’ by offering Online Private Lessons in which the student can invite a sibling or friend to join them for free! How cool is that?!

Our experience with iD Tech Virtual Classes has been amazing

I quickly signed Ari up for the Minecraft World Designer course. Like most kids his age, he has been a tad bit obsessed with videogames like Minecraft for a long time. However, this course is created to teach him actual coding to make his own worlds!

Virtual Camps from iD Tech - Learn from home, right now

His three fellow classmates and instructor meet every morning on a virtual ZOOM video chat to learn level design and problem-solving. This has been helpful in so many ways. Not only is he learning about something he’s passionate about, but he’s interacting with kids his age. The first morning after class he kept referring to them as his friends. I cannot tell you how awesome it is to have this connection during such a trying time.

The week-long course stretches out in spans of 2-hours of classwork and two-hours of self-paced learning (without the ZOOM call and instructor). Not only is he building skills which will benefit him in the long term, but he’s engaging in something constructive — and that’s something he can feel proud of at the end of the day.

Sign up today and receive a discount of $125 off of your registration!

Need a boredom-buster or more routine in your kids life? Registration is open for all of iD Tech’s Virtual Tech Classes right now — which means you can start as early as Monday! Sign up here and use code RACHEL125 to save.

PIN ME - Virtual Camps from iD Tech - Learn from home, right now

Filed Under: #MomLife, busy mom, children, creative, events, explore locally, Explore Ohio, family, gift ideas, gifts for kids, homeschool, mommyhood, money saving tips, parenthood, school, tips + tricks, work from home Tagged With: back-to-school, gifts for kids, homeschool, parenthood, school, technology

Tips to Get Picky Eaters to Eat More Vegetables

December 12, 2019 by Rachel 27 Comments

This post is sponsored by CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortilla but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Before having kids I was convinced my children would have a sophisticated palette. I mean, Chad and I have always been adventurous eaters. We weren’t going to change our eating habits for our kids. Nope!

For all of the parents in the room, you can totally eye roll and laugh with me now. Because the parent I thought I would be and the parent that I actually am? Those are two totally different people.

As babies, all three of our kids would actually eat anything and everything! But as they group from toddlers to preschoolers, they decided they only wanted ‘kid’ things. So I got creative.

Picky Eaters Will Be Picky Eaters

We make our kids try bites of foods they “don’t like,” but it often ends there. In my experience, creating a battle for the full length of a meal can be exhausting and lead to few results. I, for one, recall endless fights with my parents over my refusal to eat what they had prepared. I also recall having won those battles several times. It’s a battle of wills. And, guys… kids can be really strong-willed.

Beyond making them try the “gross” foods, we then allow them to have an alternative. I realize that this isn’t always a viable option. Preparing separate meals for the kids versus the adults can be exhausting, too.

Other Options

The good news is this — you have other options!

Mix it in!

I’ve come to love the option of pureeing vegetables, like carrots, and adding it to whatever I’m preparing. Our macaroni and cheese isn’t just any mac and cheese. It has pureed veggies in it! (Mom hack: You can sneak it in the boxed kind, too!)

If you don’t have the option to puree your own veggies, you can find dehydrated powder at the store to mix in.

Get creative with alternatives!

CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas have been a game-changer for our family. Since we are always on the go, we eat a lot of quick and easy meals like tacos and quesadillas.

Taco spread

My kids cannot tell the difference between a traditional grain tortilla and these CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas. They are vegan and dairy-freeand are available in both Original and Grain Free versions. And the best part? The first ingredient is cauliflower!

tacos with toppings

I picked up three bags from our local grocers freezer or refrigerated section, where I scored $2 off with this coupon! It’s also nice to know that they’re better for me, too. CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas contain less fat, fewer calories, and more fiber than traditional tortillas.

Taco shells with cauliflower tortilla

If they like it, give it to them!

My three-year-old has been on a near-hunger strike lately if she doesn’t get exactly the food she wants. But the one vegetable that she has decided she likes is brocolli. Sometimes her request for broccoli comes at breakfast.

My gut reaction was to say “no, we don’t eat broccoli for breakfast,” but I decided that if she wants it at 7:00 am, she can have it. So if your child is clinging to one vegetable, let them have it!

The Good News

The good news, friends, is that we all go through this phase. I went through it, my sister went through it, my husband went through it, and I’m sure his siblings did, too.

But it’s just that — a phase! Keep offering new foods, keep introducing new vegetables, and stay creative.

And don’t forget to save $2 off CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Tortillas by clicking here.

tacos

Filed Under: #MomLife, brews + food, busy mom, children, cooking, creative, family, food, life, mommyhood, money saving tips, parenthood, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, brews + food, family friendly, kids, mommyhood, money saving tips, motherhood, parenthood, tips + tricks

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips

November 26, 2019 by Rachel 31 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Big Lots. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Does anyone else feel like for all of the Christmas songs there should be at least a couple tunes for Thanksgiving? I, for one, am beyond excited to have our family over for our first Thanksgiving in our forever home. Our century-old farmhouse is the perfect place to host and decorate for this special occasion.

In our family, Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season. We all have to be separate places on Christmas morning, but for Thanksgiving, we are always together. This years’ total attendance will be 6 adults, 5 (young) children, and 3 dogs.

I picked up all of the necessary decorations and table settings at Big Lots. They’re both adorable and kid-friendly — on a budget. The rustic holiday look with buffalo check, burlap accents, and red vintage feel was exactly what we need to keep the farmhouse-feel.

Big Lots Kid Friendly Decorating Tips

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips:

Limit the breakables.

Instead of trying to keep breakable decorations away from my littles, I just eliminate them almost entirely. The items I’ve decorated with are sturdy, inexpensive, and made of soft or plastic materials. No glass here!

buffalo check living room decor

Get them involved.

Want your kids to respect the items you decorate with? Have them help you pick out the items at Big Lots! Getting them involved in the process gets them excited to have the items displayed in your home.

woman sitting on couch with coffee mug

Also? Kids love holiday chores. Get them excited to have company over by enlisting their help setting the table! My kids treat it like a craft project. They get to ‘put together’ all of the seats, plates, and settings.

woman sipping from coffee mug

Don’t take it too seriously.

I know so many people who take their holiday decorating to a whole other level. That’s great, but it also can set you up for major disappointment when something is out of place or doesn’t look right.

hot cocoa in front of christmas tree

Instead, have fun with it. Do you want to put your tree up now? Go for it! You don’t want to stick to one theme? Then don’t! The holidays should be a fun and happy time for everyone. So let it be.

If decorating farmhouse chic isn’t your thing, Big Lots also has a super gorgeous blue and gold line of decor as well as a colorful line! So something for everyone!

christmas living room

What’s your favorite holiday decor trend this season?

W

Filed Under: Akron, budget, celebration, children, cleveland, creative, holidays, home decor, money saving tips, parenthood, shop my favorites, tips + tricks Tagged With: celebration, Christmas, holidays, home decor, life on a budget, money saving tips, shop my favorites, tips + tricks

Explore Ohio // Family-Friendly Summer Fun at Pinecrest

June 9, 2019 by Rachel 14 Comments

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY PINECREST BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN.

 

Summer may not ‘officially’ start for another couple of weeks, but our local schools have been out for a couple of weeks now and we are in full-swing Summer mode!

I purposefully adjusted my Summer work schedule to maximize the time that the kids and I can spend time doing things we enjoy the most — like visiting museums, hitting up the library, and exploring local events.

And we are VERY excited to check out all of the family-friendly events taking place at Pinecrest in Orange Village!

If you haven’t yet been to Pinecrest, you’re truly missing out. Between the shops and restaurants, it’s also an amazing community of vendors and Cleveland supporters. And the family-friendly Summer event schedule is jam-packed with incredible opportunities to visit, explore, and open doors to adventure!

If you visit today, there is a Give Gifted Summer Marketplace taking place in Pinecrest’s Central Park and it features small-shop vendors like Little Red Bird Custom Cookies and Art of Sucre (whose kid doesn’t love cut-out cookies and fancy cotton candy?!). And every Sunday through the Summer they will feature a free concert series called “Simple Summer Sundays,” which sounds like a great way to wrap-up the weekend.

Weekday events like this Tuesday’s Pinecrest Play Days with NEO Parent are just as easy to come by. My crew and I will be there to kick off the season with their inaugural event, which is conveniently themed Summer Camp Out. The event will feature crafts, games, prizes, snacks, balloon art, temporary glitter tattoos, and more. It’s sure to be a fantastic way to keep the kids busy and entertained!

Other family-friendly events include:

  • Outdoor Movie Nights (Weekly, Wednesday’s at 8:00 PM — to include Ralph Breaks The Internet, Frozen, and more!)
  • North Union Farmer’s Market (Weekly, Saturday’s from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
  • Free Outdoor Yoga Classes (Weekly, Wednesday’s at 6:30 PM)

See below for a full schedule of Summer events!

Bonus Pro-Tip: While you’re there, treat yo’self (and your kids) to an extra special treat from Duck Donuts, Condado Tacos, or Pinstripes for Brunch! You won’t regret it.

What event

are you most excited

to attend?

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, brews + food, busy mom, children, cleveland, creative, date night, events, explore locally, Explore Ohio, family, Family Travel, life with a toddler, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, restaurants + bars, review, shop local, Summer Bucket List, Travel Adventures Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, being a mom, brews + food, busy mom, children, cleveland, creative, date night ideas, events, explore locally, explore Ohio, family, Family Travel, life with a toddler, local, mommyhood, NEO, ohio, parenthood, restaurants + bars, review, shop local, Summer Bucket List, Travel Adventures

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