Helping Families to Connect and Thrive

DIY Kid Art Jack-O-Lantern Jammies

10.13.20

The idea for these DIY Jack-O-Lantern jammies using our kiddos’ artwork came to me on November 1st last year, so I have been waiting oh-so patiently for an entire year to make them a reality.

I must say, the finished jammies (and the time I spent working with the kids to create them) were absolutely worth the wait!

Supplies:

Orange pajamas (we used Primary and cannot recommend them enough! They are super soft and so easy to work with)
Silhouette or comparable cutting machine
Black heat transfer vinyl
Orange construction paper
Black construction paper
Pencil
Black marker
Glue stick
Iron

I knew I wanted to include these Jack-O-Lantern jammies in the kids’ Hooray for Fall baskets, so I had to be a little sneaky in my approach for creating the face designs. Crafty things are happening all the time in our house, so I simply told them we were celebrating the arrival of fall by creating Jack-O-Lanterns!

I made the Jack-O-Lantern decorating a little event in itself by putting on our favorite fall sound track and surprising the kids with their first apple ciders of the season.

This photo of Cole has nothing to do with making the jammies, but I was clearly getting too close to his cider and his side-eye just kills me!

Knowing most 6 and 3 year olds’ artistic abilities are vastly diverse, I differentiated the activity, and the kids created their faces using different methods.

For Cole (who mostly still scribbles), I used my Silhouette to cut out several different eye, nose, and mouth shapes. I let him pick his favorites and he arranged them on the pumpkin. Then I helped him secure them in place with a glue stick, being careful to maintain his exact placement. To be totally honest, I was expecting more of a Picasso pumpkin from him– can you imagine how fun those would be?!

Isla loves to draw, so I simply gave her a sheet of orange paper and she sketched her own pumpkin and features. I asked her to outline and color the eyes, nose, and mouth so that it would increase the contrast for my Silhouette software.

Later, when the kiddos were elsewhere, I photographed their pumpkins, uploaded the photo into my Silhouette software, used the trace tool on the faces, and increased the size of the design. I knew I wanted the faces to be as large as possible, so I held a ruler on the blank top to get a feel for the appropriate width. Remember, you must account for the curve of your child’s torso once they are wearing the top, so if you print something all the way to the side seams, those details will end up under their armpits. I left around 3 inches of buffer space on each side. Once I had everything finalized with the design, I cut the face features out on heat transfer vinyl. Be sure to mirror your image prior to printing!

Lastly, I ironed the faces onto the pajama tops, following the vinyl manufacturer’s instructions, and taking extra care around the corners to ensure the edges would not roll up.

Voila! Custom kid art jammies that you are sure to cherish for years. The hardest part of the whole project was keeping them a secret until Isla and Cole opened their fall boxes!

Bonus tip: Pumpkin spice doughnut holes are great incentive for kiddo cooperation with photos. Portrait sessions are the ONLY time I use bribery, and let me tell you, Isla and Cole make out like bandits! We will also be sharing the recipe for these amazingly tasty and dangerously simple doughnut holes later this week, so be sure to check back!

Apple Picking and Apple Cider Floats

10.12.20

Apple season seemed to fly by this year, but we managed to sneak in a quick picking trip near the end of the season, and boy, was it sweet!

A little more about our Sweeter Than Apple Cider Tee.

This was our first visit to the Beilke Family Farm and we absolutely loved it. There was plenty of space for us to spread out safely to pick, and since we had several rows all to ourselves, we were even able to de-mask for a few photos. Ah, the little things we appreciate these days, right?! Many of the apples were low enough for the kids to pick by themselves… that is, when they weren’t busy sneaking bites! We left the farm with happy hearts, lovely memories, and nearly four buckets of the most delicious apples we have ever tasted!

With so many apples to enjoy, my mom and I have have been busy making apple sauce, apple butter, and apple pies– my mom even made homemade apple pie ice cream! Ah, there are so many incredible apple treats to enjoy in the fall! While we have never made it ourselves, we absolutely adore freshly pressed cider, and always pick up a few jugs in the fall. Several years ago we tasted our first apple cider float… and we fell in love! Cider floats are unbelievably delicious and super simple to make. We like to fancy ours up with a cinnamon sugar rim– and a little spiced rum for the grown ups when we are feeling festive!

Ingredients:

fresh apple cider (it is worth it to splurge for the high-quality, straight from the farm cider)
vanilla ice cream
lemon
cinnamon sugar
spiced rum (optional)

Run a lemon wedge along the rim of your glass and dip the glass into cinnamon sugar. Add a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and top with apple cider. If you adults out there would like to turn your treat into a cocktail, a shot of spiced rum is a tasty addition. So easy and so delicious!!!

Also, Isla will tell you that sneaky apple cider floats while your little brother is napping taste the sweetest. Love special moments like this with my girl! She is, indeed, sweeter than apple cider. And apple cider floats. That is saying a lot!

“Hooray for Fall” Boxes 2020

09.23.20

Hooray for Fall Boxes have become a much anticipated way to celebrate the arrival of our very favorite season! This is my third year putting these boxes together (see our first year HERE and second year HERE) and I just love the creative, heartfelt process of finding and making goodies for each of our kids. Today I am sharing my favorite tips and practices, in case you would like to put together boxes of your own!

I try to be very intentional when putting these boxes together, seeking items that are necessary and/or encourage our family to spend time together. Every year our boxes vary based on what I find, and this year happened to be heavily Halloween-focused.

Here are some suggestions for what you can include in your Hooray for Fall Box:

Items your children need. These are things I would have purchased anyway, but including them as a gift for the kids to open was WAY more exciting!

pajamas
warmer clothes (pullovers, vests, hats, gloves, socks)
boots
coats

Items that encourage family time and creativity.

New seasonal books We LOVE snuggling up and reading books together. Need some new book suggestions? Check out our favorite fall books and favorite Halloween books– they are perfect for these boxes!
Games (card games, memory, brain teasers, Halloween Mad Libs). The Target Dollar section often has little games. There are also so many wonderful small shops that sell or give out printables, which is super convenient because you don’t even need to leave home to get them.
Craft and art supplies Pipe cleaners, pencils, stickers, glitter, paper, shaped hole punches, beads, paints, etc. Affordable seasonal/holiday art supplies are readily available at any craft store or online. You can also find lots of crafty staples at the Dollar Store.
Plans for an outing or experience Include a little note or picture in the box that describes your plans (go leaf collecting, try a new fall recipe, visit the pumpkin patch, attempt a corn maze, make a Halloween craft, etc.)
Cooking or baking supplies Finding great indoor activities for the colder months is always a good idea– why not create something tasty?

Odds and Ends All the little fun extras!

Cute accessories (headbands, hats, nail polish, themed shirts, temporary tattoos, mugs, etc.)
Decor items for your kids’ rooms (wall art, garlands, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, string lights, pumpkins, etc.)

This year’s boxes were actually sturdy black wire baskets that we could use around the house.

Inside Cole’s box:

Books
Jack-O-Lantern jammies (I’ll share a separate post about these, but they were super special– the kids actually designed the Jack-O-Lantern faces!)
Halloween shirts/pullover
Leaf blanket
Witches brew mug
Haunted house wooden sign to paint (he was obsessed with this!)
An apron (Cole’s newest passion is helping us in the kitchen, so we’re going to try our hand at making pumpkin cinnamon rolls)
A few sparkly spiders

Inside Isla’s box:

Books
Jack-O-Lantern jammies
Halloween shirts/pullover/skirt
Jack Skellington pumpkin decorating kit
Skeleton socks
Pumpkin checker board
Glitter bows
Witches brew mug
Haunted house wooden sign to paint
Pumpkin greeting cards, bat stickers, and Halloween pencils
A few sparkly spiders

Creating seasonal baskets does not have to be difficult or expensive. You can make them as grand or as simple as you’d like! Below are my favorite tips for making your own boxes:

Shop ahead.

Buy after-season sale items THIS year for NEXT year’s box. I purchased a number of items after Halloween last year (almost all of the clothes, the Jack Skellington decorating kit, leaf blanket, sparkly spiders, and the pumpkin checker board) for this year’s boxes. Just make sure you make note of what you have purchased, so you don’t forget! I keep a list going in the notes app on my phone.
Use Honey to watch for sales on fall and Halloween items throughout the year. You can add desired items to your Honey Droplist, which follows them for 60 days and alerts you if the price drops.

Buy used. Many of the books we buy for the kids are used. This allows us to keep our costs down and be conscious about our consumption.

Choose a fall craft to do ahead of time so that you can include the necessary supplies in the gift box. Pinterest has so many wonderful craft ideas. Here are some fall crafts that have inspired us!

Make a checklist of what you want to include in your box, and check off what you have purchased. This helps keep your planning more organized and your purchases more intentional.

Consider and incorporate your children’s interests when choosing items. Cole loves helping us cook, so I got him his own little apron and chose a fun fall recipe to try together. Isla adores receiving and sending letters, so I got her some cute little pumpkin cards (Target dollar section last year) and Halloween pencils (Dollar Store) to encourage her writing.

Make sure your box doubles as storage. Choose boxes or baskets that you can use around the house or that you can store your Halloween goodies in during the rest of the year.

If you have more than one child, try and anticipate any potential points of jealousy. Make sure some of the items are the same, or that their gifts can be shared. Last year Cole was completely enamored with the leaf blanket Isla received, so I made sure to get him his own this year.

Shop small businesses whenever you can. Gifting is a great opportunity to look for small businesses you can support. We included some adorable fall bows from Harper Ella Co. Accessories in Isla’s box.

Summer 2020 Highlights

09.23.20

Yesterday we bid farewell to summer. It has been such a special season for our family, with so many happy forest hikes, sunny days on the sand, and cozy evening bonfires— I have literally lost count of the number of s’mores consumed! The downtime and opportunities to connect were just what our hearts needed. Before we march through the crunchy leaves into the crispness of fall, I thought it would be fun to share some highlights from the summer.

It was a Father’s Day for the books! Yep, I went there.

And Taco ‘Bout a Great Birthday! It really was the best.

Our 6th year picking berries with our sweet friends!

Our favorite s’mores pullover is from The Wishing Elephant.

Our little shop got up and running!

Cousin time at the beach!

We tried a new hike, which we dubbed the Path of Peril, after Onward, our favorite movie of the summer!

Our Stay At Home State Fair might have been our most clever idea all summer!

To commemorate this particularly happy stretch in time, we decided to take our family photos before the summer ended and highlight some of our most treasured pastimes from the last few months. As the sun began to set, we hiked up and over the hill to our favorite lookout spot, and then down onto the beach for a bonfire and, you guessed it, s’mores! As an added bonus, the cats joined us for the entire adventure— even on the sand! It was such a lovely evening, and the perfect way for us to bid farewell to the season. As we ascended the hill, Lauren took this photo, and my heart just about burst when I saw it. The connection, the familiar road, the sunlight streaming through the trees– this image so perfectly captures the feeling of our summer, and it fills my heart with sunshine.

COL-E is 3!!!

09.10.20

As Cole’s third birthday drew closer, we began dreaming up ideas for his celebration. We like to create parties for our kiddos that highlight their interests and help commemorate that particular stage in their lives. Cole’s very favorite movie is WALL-E, and one of his nicknames is Coley, so the idea of a COL-E birthday party must have been written in the stars!

Since we were unable to have a big celebration this year due to the pandemic, all our energy went into creating details that were extra creative and fun for Cole. I’m not sure if I have ever had more fun preparing for a party. Isaac, Isla and I brainstormed and crafted together for days, and it was such a wonderful experience!

The morning of Cole’s birthday we woke up to hazy yellow skies from all the fires burning along the west coast— surprisingly similar to the deserted Earth in WALL-E. Yikes! Thankfully, the conditions indoors were much nicer!

A space scene, spray painted on a sheet of kraft paper, served as our backdrop and anchored all the decorative details together. We featured several recognizable items from the movie: the Axiom spaceship, a Rubik’s cube, a fire extinguisher, a crushed cube of garbage, and of course, the plant in a boot. We also created a galaxy cake, and made sure to include WALL-E, EVE, and Hal, the cockroach!

Isaac created the Axiom from a large piece of cardboard– one of the many perks of being married to a creative guy with an art degree! He also made the “COL-E IS 3” paper signage, which we cut out with our Silhouette and glued onto our backdrop. We used the same COL-E design to make Cole a custom shirt with iron on vinyl.

We took our wrapping skills up several notches with the Rubik’s cube, fire extinguisher, and crushed cube of garbage, so that those gifts could serve double duty as decor! The crushed cube of garbage was seriously my favorite wrapping job ever! I painted sheets of kraft paper with metallic paint and then scrunched and hot glued them straight into the cardboard box holding the gift. We also added some smashed cans and bottle caps to make it look more like garbage. I was careful to create a seam where the flaps met on the back side of the box, so that we could easily open it without any damage and then keep the box for future play.

I thought it would be fun for Cole to have his own little Hal the cockroach that could ride around on his shoulder. I created the cockroach out of paper mache and pipe cleaners. It was all a bit of an experiment, so I had to figure things out and make tweaks as I went along. I put a magnet in its belly, so that with a second magnet, Hal could attach to clothes. Cole loves Hal, but still isn’t so sure about having a magnet inside his shirt!

To create the plant in the boot, I snipped a small piece of salal and secured the end of the stem into a ball of clay, which I stuck to the bottom of a small glass and placed in the boot. The clay kept the plant upright and didn’t make a mess in the boot, which was a good thing, as Isaac still uses those boots!

We decorated the dining table with some of the WALL-E sketches Isla has made for Cole over the past few months. We dusted the black paper plates edible star sprinkles for a little galactic touch as well.

Cole received such thoughtful calls from family throughout the day and he got lots of practice holding up three fingers. “I’m free!”

Cole could not wait to come out and see his birthday set up in the morning. His reaction was absolutely priceless!

This double fist pump just about did me in! Pure JOY!!! For me, there is nothing better than knowing I was able to use my time and efforts to bring someone I love this level of happiness!

Cole spent a lot of time excitedly admiring each and every detail. My sweet boy!

Isla worked SO hard to create an amazing snuggly WALL-E for Cole. She spent hours and hours working on it. First, she scoured for the perfect picture to replicate, then she drew her own version to use as a template. She cut out the fabric and then stitched and stitched and stitched… and then, she stitched some more. I was blown away by her design, and even more so by her dedication to make something so meaningful for her little brother.

Look at how her eyes are just locked on Cole as he opened it, eager to see his reaction!

Birthdays call for sprinkle pancakes in our home! Yum!

Cole spent a little time hanging out with Hal before opening more of his presents.

After breakfast, we took a walk on the beach to the mouth of the river and then headed back home so Cole could take a nap. After he woke up, the fun continued with his final gift– his own electronic WALL-E!

After a little play time with WALL-E, we enjoyed a pizza dinner (Cole’s favorite) and then tucked into some birthday cake! Cole requested a chocolate birthday cake, so I whipped up my go to recipe, and then tried a cookie dough filling and vanilla frosting. I followed this tutorial to make a galaxy cake, and for a first attempt, decorated in a kitchen that was far too warm, I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Most importantly, it was delicious!

Three years ago, the world gained an amazing new soul. He has grown into a bright, imaginative, hilarious little boy who lives every day with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, a smirky smile on his face, and a happy melody in his heart. A passionate, endlessly energized little boy who is crazy about cars, runs like he’s on a mission, and entertains us by making up his own theme songs! A curious, observant little boy who feels deeply, has music in his bones, and makes us melt when he tucks his head into our shoulders before bed.

Col-E, you are an out-of-this-world kid! Thank you for always keeping us laughing and on our toes. We are so very grateful to call you ours! Happy third birthday, precious boy. We adore you!