{Valentine's Day Favors} Pink Popcorn Recipe and FREE Printable Popcorn Tags

This is my daughter's first year in a classroom -- I decided to make things a little more fun by including a bag of PINK Popcorn along with her little cards!  I used to make this popcorn for my 3rd graders (oh, how I miss them!), but I know these PreK-ers will love this lollipop-alternative just as much!

I picked up some adorable cellophane Valentine's bags in the Dollar Bins at Target, so I'll fill them with the pink popcorn & will tie w/ a twisty and some ribbon.

To make it even MORE fun, I designed these little square tags that will be hole-punched to hang from the bags!  And, because I love all of you so much, I made you some too:

Valentines Popcorn Tags

Go HERE to download a free set of the Valentine Popcorn Bag Tags!

Now, to make some yummy (but not really healthy) PINK popcorn to go along with these tags:

PINK Popcorn

Around 15 Cups of popped popcorn (I highly recommend an air popper)
2 cups sugar
1/2 small box red Jell-O gelatin powder
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Put the popped popcorn in a large bowl, carefully picking out any unpopped kernels. (I do this by popping into one bowl, then lightly scooping out the popcorn with my hands into another, leaving the unpopped kernels in the bottom.) Preheat the oven to 250F. Line one or two rimmed baking sheets with foil.

In a medium saucepan (with room for the mixture to at least double in size), bring the sugar, Jell-O, water and butter to a boil. Once fully boiling cook for 4 minutes without stirring, swirling the bowl occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and soda. Pour over the popcorn and toss with tongs to coat completely. Spread out onto the baking sheets and bake, stirring once or twice, for an hour. Set aside to cool.

Scoop about 1/2 c. into cellophane baggies and tie with a twisty-tie and ribbon.  Hole Punch the Tag, thread on to the ribbon to finish off!!

ALTERNATIVE:  I have never tried this, but you can replace the sugar, water and vanilla with 1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows.  Melt Slightly, add 3T, butter, add 4T. gelatin and then pour over popped corn.  Let me know if you try that way... or maybe I will.

Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

I always like to have little gifts on hand for the mailman, the USPS guy, neighbors, or any last-minute guests we may stop over during the holidays.

Here are some frugal ideas for things we have done in the past:

• For the Hostess or Writer: Small basket with notepad, address book, and pens (Michael's $1 bins are great!) Upgrade: Add in a soothing CD.
  
• For the Movie Buff: A classic DVD - These can be found for as low as $3 for some pretty decent ones. Upgrade: Put the DVD in a popcorn bucket w/ a couple bags of popcorn.
  
• For the Coffee Addict: $5 Starbuck's Gift Cards - If you don't end up handing them out at least you'll have a coffee treat for yourself! Upgrade: Throw in a portable mug.
  
• For a Cold Night: Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix and a mug. Upgrade: Wrap everything in a cozy, fleece throw (can be found for around $5-10).
  
• For a Couple: A bowl/colander with pasta, sauce, and wooden spoons - This could cost you more than $5 if you don't hit the dollar store or use coupons. Upgrade: Add kitchen linens or a cookbook to the gift basket.
  
• For the Gardener: A hand-painted Terra Cotta planter, seed packets and a baggie of soil. Upgrade: Throw in some gardening gloves and a sun hat.
• For Grandparents: A handmade ornament or personalized video of their favorite little people, your kids. Upgrade: A personalized stepping stone (HINT: Use a 50% coupon from Michael's or JoAnn's).
• For Kids: Book, bubble bath, hula hoop, paint set. Upgrade: Add an art smock, bath towel, or blanket. Or fill Children's Backpacks with Coloring books, crayons, etc.
• For Tweens/Teens: iTunes gift cards, magazines, journal, lip gloss. Upgrade: Pick out some special earrings on sale or a discounted trendy hat.
  
• For a Teacher: A large glass jar filled with a healthy snack with some pretty ribbon tied around it. Upgrade: Any teacher would appreciate a Starbuck's gift card or something just for her. (I can speak as a former teacher and, while I loved all my students dearly, I am still wondering what to do with all the ornaments and "teacher-y" knick-knacks.)
• For the Neighbors: A basket full of homemade samplings (see recipes below) or some fresh produce from a local market. Upgrade: Toss in a Blockbuster gift card for an evening the whole family can enjoy.

Adding some homemade treats to a basket or a stack of coordinating tins makes for a simple, inexpensive gift that is sure to please anyone... well, depending on how well you bake ;). I usually like to include recipe cards with the handwritten recipes written for the recipient.

Here are some of our favorite Holiday-baking recipes:

• Oatmeal Scotchies
• Homemade Caramel Corn
• Pumpkin Bread
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Caramel & Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
• Chex Muddy Buddies
• Knock-off of Paradise Bakery's Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
• Roasted Nuts
• If you don't have time to whip up one of these homemade concoctions, try some Turtle brownies from Betty Crocker. These are so yummy that no one will ever know you didn't make the from scratch! ;)
  

No sweet tooth? How about a savory gift basket?

• Red Pepper Relish and Crackers
• Marinara Sauce and a bag of pasta
• Spiced Nuts
• Focaccia Bread with a jar of olives and peppers

The point is: It doesn't have to cost a lot to show someone you are thinking about them.
What are your last-minute, frugal gift tips?

Getting Crafty for Christmas

{Originally posted in 2008}

My daughter LOVES any arts and crafts project. Christmas is a great time to put her art skills to work while making decorations for our home and gifts for her grandparents.

Here are a few of our favorites that we're working on...

* Advent Wreath

* Angel made with Handprint/Footprint and Poem

* Puzzle Piece Picture Frame Magnet

* Dog Biscuits for Buster

* Santa Mask - Cutting out eyes and adding elastic to fit her noggin

* Apple Cinnamon Ornaments - These are so easy and smell AWESOME!

* Cotton Ball Snowman - My dd loves drawing snowman (with arms, legs, feet, ears, a belly button and curly hair)- now we've just covered his body with glue and cotton balls and glitter snow. FUN!

* CD Ornaments - Turning an old CD into an adorable ornament... These are too cute and thrifty! I love them!

Fun Printable Grocery Lapbook for Tots

This past year we have been busy doing homeschool/preschool.  We have accomplished so much, learned so much and we've had TONS of fun!  One of my favorite activities to do with the kiddos has been to create lapbooks -- We did one for each letter.  They are so easy to make and a great tool for the kids to keep reinforcing what we've learned!  You, basically, use a file folder and glue in various activities to cover different skills.  (See how to fold them here.)

Anyway, I stumbled upon a new lapbook on one of my favorite sites (Homeschool Share) that I thought would be fun to share over here.... a GROCERY lapbook!  This one is geared towards preschool/early Elem. and covers lots of skills.  What I love most about it is that you (and your tot) can create it, keep it in the car, and take it along to the grocery store to keep them busy!!! ;)

This Grocery lapbook would be a fun summer activity and includes printable play money, COUPONS, food groups, sorting colors/shapes, songs and more!  It's adorable -- and you can choose what you want to print and add to your lapbook.  For instance, you may feel the shapes are too juvenile for your child so you can leave them out. 

Here are a couple of pics of the completed lapbook to give you an idea:

Go HERE to Homeschool Share to view all the printable pages -- and look around because they have a LOT of great lapbook printables (all for FREE)!

Easter Crafts for the Kiddos

We've tackled a few crafts this holiday despite our super-busy schedule. In fact, we just read The Parable of the Lily for preschool and planted some of our own lilies. 

We are also making these printable Resurrection eggs (use the guide here) -- you can buy them already made with the actual pieces!

Here are a few of our favorites for you to try this weekend:

• Handprint Paper Plate Duck
• Handprint Flowers
• Jelly Bean Sorting and Graphing
• Easter Lacing
• Stained Glass
• Some more excellent Easter ideas
• Easter coloring pages
• Easter Bible Crafts

FREE Recycling Crafts E-book

If you saw me on abc15's Smart Shopper Segment you'll know that we love making crafts out of our recyclables...

Right now you can download a FREE copy of the e-book "Recycling Crafts" with 42 ideas for turning your trash into works of art!

FREE Father's Day Crafts at Michael's

Michael's is hosting two FREE gift workshops for kids and parents to come in and make a special gift for Dad’s special day:

June 6th: Cards for Dad (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) - Kids can make a Thumb Doodles card for Dad using their thumbs to create fun characters and designs.

June 14th: Get Hooked on Dad (1 to 3 p.m.) - With the purchase of a $2.50 t-shirt, kids can decorate and personalize it with designs and phrases Dad loves for free.

Find a Store Near You!

As Seen On... abc15's Smart Shopper

Welcome abc15 Smart Shopper Viewers!

I had the pleasure of meeting with abc15's Smart Shopper, Daphne Munro, today to share some of the best frugal ways to keep your kids busy and active this summer! There are no excuses for summer boredom with these great tips!

Here are some of the highlights from that segment so you and your kids can get going on some Summer FUN...

* Keeping the Kids Cool Ideas -- Is the Arizona heat bringing out the worst in your kids? Use these tips for keeping your "cool."

* Keeping the Kids Active -- Get the kids off the couch and moving with these fun activities.

* Keeping the Kids Learning -- School's out, but learning should never be "off." Encourage your kids with these new experiences!

* Getting Crafty with the Kids -- The ultimate boredom busters using recyclable materials and ideas for local places to visit for FREE craft days!

For a daily dose of deals, subscribe to The Good Deal Gal -- you'll be the first to know about new FREEBIES, printable coupons, and hot deals!

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Summer Crafts for Kids

If you caught abc15's Smart Shopper segment on Tuesday, June 2nd @ 5pm, you probably saw by the tons of craft projects that we've been busy! Most of our craft ideas are made from recyclable materials and with cheap, everyday items.

Here are a few of our most recent favorites:

Paper Plate Clock

You'll need:
* One paper plate per clock
* Paints
* Sharpie pen
* Cardstock scrap paper
* Metal brad fastener

1. Paint the "face" of the clock and let dry completely.
2. Add numbers around clock and minutes. We used sticky dots to indicate the quarter hours and dashes for the minutes.
3. On your cardstock or other heavy paper, cut out two arrows: one short for the hour hand, one a bit longer for the minute hand.
4. Layer the hands in the center of the clock and use the metal brad to affix the hands to the clock.

Paper Towel Rocket Ship

You'll need:
* Empty paper towel tube
* Paints
* Stapler
* Cardstock or other heavy paper
* Aluminum foil
* Stickers (to decorate)

1. Paint the paper towel tube and let dry completely.
2. Cut 4 slits on one end of the tube. Each slit should be about 2 1/2 inches long, and each pair should be located opposite another. (They should divide the tube into 4 equal sections.)
3. Using cardstock, cut out two triangles that are about 5 inches long and 4 inches tall and cover with aluminum foil (you may need to add some glue). Cut a slit in each of the two triangles. Each slit should go halfway through the triangle; one goes through the top of a triangle, the other goes through the bottom of the triangle.
4. Using the triangle with the slit in the bottom, slip the triangle onto the rocket's body in two of the slits. Using the triangle with the slit in the top, slip the triangle onto the rocket's body (in the other two slits). In addition to going onto the rocket, this triangle should also slip into the other triangle. You may have to jiggle the paper a bit to line the slits up.
5. Using cardstock, cut a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Cut a slit from the outer edge to the center. Turn the circle into a cone, and secure it with glue or tape.
6. Tape the cone to the top of the rocket. Decorate the rocket with stickers, markers or crayons.

Water Bottle Bowling Set

You'll need:
* 6 more empty water bottles
* Acrylic paints and brushes
* 1/8 c. dried beans per water bottle
* Heavy Ball (we use a rubber band ball)

1. Remove the labels from the empty water bottles and ensure that they are dry and clean inside.
2. Paint the bottles any colors you choose.
3. (Optional) Add numbers on the fronts of the water bottles.
4. After the bottles have dried, add 1/8 c. dried beans (kidney beans work great!) to the inside of the water bottles. Replace the caps tightly.
5. Line up the new bowling pins to resemble those at a bowling alley.
6. Using a heavy ball, see if you can earn a strike!

A Handful of Sunshine

You'll need:

* Paper plate
* Yellow and orange construction paper
* Glue
* Google eyes
* Pom-pom (for the nose)
* Yellow Paint
* Pipe cleaner (for the mouth, optional)

1. Paint the paper plate yellow.
2. Add google eyes, nose and mouth with glue.
3. Trace child's hands on construction paper and cut out.
4. Glue handprints on the back of the sun face around to make rays.

Personalized Planters

You'll need:

* Terra Cotta pots and/or empty, clean aluminum cans
* Acrylic paints and brushes
* Assortment of stickers, pom-poms, etc. to decorate (optional)

1. Cover an inexpensive terra cotta pot or empty aluminum soup cans with some fresh paint and cute designs to create unique planters!
2. Add soil, seeds, and water for a handcrafted garden.
   

NOTE: Herb seeds work great in these soup cans! Keep a row of them on your window sill for some fresh herbs at dinner time.

Egg Carton Animal Masks

You'll need:
* Egg Carton
* 1/4-inch Wide Elastic
* Pom-pom balls
* Pipe cleaners
* Masking Tape
* Glue
* Scissors

1. Cut one cup section from your egg carton and paint it the base color of your animal. Let dry completely.
   
2. Cut a piece of elastic big enough to fit comfortably around your child's head and thread through poked holes on the sides of the snout. You can either tied the ends off inside the snout or tape them securely with masking tape.
   
3. To make whiskers, poke matching holes in the sides of the snout and thread a pipe cleaner in one side and out the other.
4. Add a pom-pom nose, freckles or teeth with a permanent marker!

NOTE: These are great for younger children to re-tell or act out a favorite story!

More FUN Ideas:

• Paper Bag Puppets - Use printables from Enchanted Learning.com
• Coffee Can Drum
• Create handmade cards or postcards to send to friends
• Decorate a Summer journal
• Make beaded jewelry
• Tye-dye some old shirts

• Keeping the Kids Cool Ideas -- Is the Arizona heat bringing out the worst in your kids? Use the tips for keeping your "cool."
• Keeping the Kids Active -- Get the kids off the couch and moving with these fun activities.
• Keeping the Kids Learning -- School's out, but learning should never be "off." Encourage your kids with these new experiences!
• Getting Crafty with the Kids -- The ultimate boredom busters using recyclable materials and ideas for local places to visit for FREE craft days!

Keeping the Kids Busy without Breaking the Bank - Part 2

If you missed yesterday's Summer Fun ideas on staying cool, check it out HERE!

Part 2: Getting Artsy

Foster a love of the arts with these hands-on events:

• Pottery Painting - As You Wish has a great Summer program for kids of all ages and check out their site for current printable coupon offers. Look for similar promotions or call your local pottery painting store for their summer specials.
• Lowe's Build and Grow - Lowe's offers great Saturday classes for kids during their FREE Build and Grow clinics. You do need to register beforehand HERE.
• Home Depot's Kids Workshops - Home Depot offers FREE workshops for kids ages 5-12 the first Saturday of each month. You can check out this month's project and find a local store near you HERE.
• Michael's The Knack Kids Program - Michael's stores offer an excellent assortment of hands-on crafty fun for kids of all ages. Events are FREE but times and participating locations may vary. You can view this month's current family-friendly events HERE. While you're there, don't forget to check out Michael's Dollar bins for some cheap crafts supplies for at home fun!
• Joann's Creative Kidz Program - Kids learn how to develop their creativity through Joann's Creative University program. Check out the schedule of FREE and cheap classes online.
  
• Lakeshore Learning - Check out your local Lakeshore Learning location for FREE craft day every Saturday for kids ages 3 & up!
• Still too hot to venture outdoors? Check out these awesome sites for thousands of hands-on craft ideas:
  
  1. Family Fun
  2. Kaboose
  3. Enchanted Learning
  4. Family Education
  5. DLTK Crafts
  6. The Idea Box
  7. Crafts for Kids

Do you have a little music lover on your hands? Check out Festivals.com and FestivalFinder to find the perfect music events for your family!

Check out our favorite crafts HERE!

Easter Crafts

We've tackled a few crafts this holiday despite our super-busy schedule. Here are a few of our favorites for you to try this weekend:

• Handprint Paper Plate Duck
• Handprint Flowers
  
• Jelly Bean Sorting and Graphing
• Easter Lacing
  
• Stained Glass
  
• Some more excellent Easter ideas!!
• Easter coloring pages

Getting Crafty for Christmas

My daughter LOVES any arts and crafts project. Christmas is a great time to put her art skills to work while making decorations for our home and gifts for her grandparents.

Here are a few of our favorites that we're working on...

* Advent Wreath

* Angel made with Handprint/Footprint and Poem

* Puzzle Piece Picture Frame Magnet

* Dog Biscuits for Buster

* Santa Mask - Cutting out eyes and adding elastic to fit her noggin

* Apple Cinnamon Ornaments - These are so easy and smell AWESOME!

* Cotton Ball Snowman - My dd loves drawing snowman (with arms, legs, feet, ears, a belly button and curly hair)- now we've just covered his body with glue and cotton balls and glitter snow. FUN!

* CD Ornaments - Turning an old CD into an adorable ornament... These are too cute and thrifty! I love them!

Kid-Friendly Websites

Nothing replaces (or is more beneficial) than hands-on, active time with your children. But for those quiet times, or those few minutes needed to unwind, most kids enjoy being given the privilege of "working" at the computer.

There are loads of websites out there... here are just a few of the kid/mom-approved:

Starfall - One of our favorites. Teaches reading skills
Alphabet Animals - teach your child the ABC's, preschoolers will love this colorful animal picture ABC lesson.
Count Us In - games designed to help children understand basic number concepts.
Giraffian Alphabet - click on a letter at the top of the page and see it in capital and lower case. , includes pictures to help your child associate the letter with the word.
FisherPrice - designed for infants, toddlers, or preschoolers activities to help them learn letters, numbers, colors and shapes - includes color pictures online and play a variety of fun games.
Letter TV - click on a letter to hear the sound and see pictures. Upper and lower case letters. Coloring pages and songs.
Jazzles - alphabet sing along songs for fun and learning.

Children Storybooks Online - is a wonderful place for young children to read or be read to. All books include colorful illustrations that are sure to keep your child interest.
Story Place - a digital library where children can listen to interactive children stories, play on-line activities, print out take-home activities, reading list and more.

Coloring 4 Kids - provides interactive coloring books that children can easily color by clicking on areas of the pictures.
Printable Alphabet Coloring Pages - print picture to color offline.
Ivy Coloring Page Search Engine - specialty search engine that searches the web only for printable and online coloring pages.
Doodle - pick a color and draw a picture. Lets you post it online for others to see.

Rebus Rhymes - preschoolers and kindergartners can enjoy reading along by recognizing the key words that are illustrated by pictures. Fantastic site for parents that are teaching their child to read.
Zelo Nursery Rhymes - find the lyrics to tons of childrens nursery rhymes.

Kratts Creatures - an educational site intended to make learning about animals a fun experience. KidsGoWild.com - is a wonderful site to teach your child all about animals, everything from survival habits to the weird and wacky ways of your favorite animals. Play games, get fun animal facts and learn how you can help to protect our endangered species.

Makestuff.com - offers easy projects and fun activities for kids of all ages. Also has a section for holiday crafts and cooking for kids. Requires a $1.00 per month membership.
Kids Domain - Crafts - an index of craft projects submitted by parents, teachers, and kids.
Crayola Creativity Central - lots of easy, kid-friendly crafts. Requires a free membership to access craft ideas.
Kids Kreate - step-by-step projects for kids of all ages.

Enchanted learning - Printables and craft ideas

Little Explorer - Finding the meaning to words have never been so much fun. Little explorer is an illustrated online dictionary intended for young children. Each word is illustrated and used in a meaningful example sentence.
Learning Planet - Fun, interactive activities to help children learn math, languages, problem solving and grammar. Learning activities for Preschoolers to grade 6.
Sci4Kids - a fun place for your child to learn science - includes information, fun projects and games.
Time Machine - great learning site for kids that have an interest in coins, the Mint, and U.S. history.
AAAMath - illustrate and provide interactive arithmetic exercises and problems for children in Kindergarten to grade eight.
A Walk in the Woods - take a walk in the woods - see nature and find out about the different types of trees and plants that live in them.
Geography World - award winning educational and entertaining website covering many aspects of geography. 9 years and above.

ABC Teach - Printable Resources

PBS Kids - Selection of fun games for young children - include learning the alphabets, numbers, adventures games and puzzles.
UpToTen - Over 500 games and activities in a safe and fun learning environment plus links to other sites for kids.
Kaboose Kids Domain - All kinds of online games for kids.. Some work with any browser, some use Java, Shockwave, Cocoa or Roadster. Everything from arcade games and puzzlers to multiplayer games. Child Safe Site.

Kid-Friendly Festive Fall Crafts

Keep your kids busy this Fall with some super-cute, themed crafts:

http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and%20crafts/season/specialfeature/famf0802_sf_autumn/famf0802_sf_autumn.html

http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/seasons/fall/

http://gonewengland.about.com/od/nefoliage/tp/aatpfunfallprojects.htm

If only we had leaves that changed colors here... :(

Homemade Kids

Here are a few homemade, more natural versions of popular baby/kid products:


Homemade Baby Wipes Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 roll of paper towels (Cut in half to make short rolls -- I recommend a chlorine-free brand such as Seventh Generation.)

1/8-1/4 c. baby shampoo (I recommend Burt's Bees.)

1/8-1/4 c. baby oil (Try Burt's Bees Apricot Oil)

2 cups lukewarm water

1 plastic container that the rolls fit in

Cut roll in half and remove center cardboard. In Baby Wipe Container, mix liquid ingredients.and place half of roll in container. Place on lid and tip upside down. To use, pull out from center.

Kool-Aid Play Dough Recipe
Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup salt

1/2 cup water

1-2 tbs. vegetable oil

1 pkg. Kool-Aid
Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix flour, salt, and Kool-Aid. 2. Then add water and oil and mix well. 3. Store the play dough in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Homemade Silly Putty

Glue

Liquid starch

Mix two parts white glue with 1 part liquid starch. Let it dry before using. Store in an air-tight container

Homemade Clay:

1 cup cornstarch

2 cups baking soda (1 LB.. package)

1 1/4 cups cold water

Stir starch and soda together. Mix in cold water and stir over heat until mixture has consistency of mashed potatoes. Turn onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool enough to handle. Then knead. Use immediately or store in an air-tight container. This dough has a smooth consistency. It is good for ornaments, modeling, or pottery. It can be rolled thin and cut with cookie cutters. Dries at room temperature in 3 days. Or dry in a 200 degree oven .

Some Homemade Fingerpaints:
Basic recipe with food coloring
Finger paints with homemade natural dyes
Finger paints using juice for dyes
Easy corn syrup finger paint

Homemade Bubbles Recipes


Homemade "Slime" Recipe