Fun & Frugal Easter Ideas - Part 2

Last time we gave you a few ideas for your Easter celebrations.  Here are a few more ideas and a couple great links -

Make an Easter garden.  This is a really cool idea that lets you recreate the resurrection of Jesus with your children.  Added bonus - kids always learn and remember more with hands on activities!

There's also an Easter devotional that will encourage your kids to share their faith.

I came across this cute tutorial on making your own Easter baskets from old containers.  Such a great idea - save money and recycle!

You don't even have to use a "real" Easter basket - instead, place all the goodies in a cute pocketbook, a backback, etc.  Think outside the box when it comes to fill the Easter basket too - instead of just candy, include movie tickets, art supplies, small toys, jewelry, nail polish, etc.

What fun things do y'all have planned for Easter?

Fun & Frugal Easter Ideas

It's almost Easter!  There are a lot of fun things that you can do with your kids to celebrate!  Remember - it doesn't just have to be about candy and the Easter Bunny.  Make time to celebrate the true reason for Easter with your kids - the resurrection of Jesus!

Here are a few ideas for Easter fun with your kids -

• Resurrection eggs - available at Wal-Mart or Christian Book Distributors.  You can also make your own.
• Dye easter eggs - kits are available almost anywhere, and they're cheap inexpensive.
• Have an easter egg hunt!  This can be done inside or outside, depending on your weather and the level of difficulty you want.  Some towns even have big egg hunts that you can participate in.
• For your littlest ones, let them color a bunny shape and glue on a cotton ball tail.
• Make Jelly Bean Prayer Eggs
• Make Resurrection Cookies - this is such a great recipe!

Make sure to check back for even more ideas!

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life As Mom - check it out for even more great frugal ideas!

Works for Me Wednesday - Make Your Own Baby Food

Making your own baby food can be a great alternative to the little (and expensive!) jars.  Plus, when you make your own baby food you know exactly what you're feeding your baby.  While you can make it fresh every day, there is an easier way.  Mash up fresh fruit and veggies and fill ice cube trays.  After they freeze completely, pop them out and store them in labeled freezer bags.  Then just thaw however much you need each day.  You'll save time, money, and feel good about what you're feeding your baby!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday - check out all the other great ideas over at We Are THAT Family.

Frugal Friday - Make Your Own Easy Bake Oven Mixes

Today we're participating in Frugal Friday, hosted by Life As Mom.  Head over to her site to find all kinds of great money saving ideas.

Our money saving idea is to use inexpensive alternatives to Easy Bake Oven mixes.  Since those can be pricey, this is a great option (this is also good if you happen to run out of the prepackaged mixes!).  Here are a few recipes your kids will love -

Peanut Butter Fudge

- Ingredients

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon soft butter or margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

- Directions

1. Grease Easy Bake Oven pan.
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together until smooth.
3. Spread mixture into pan.
4. Bake 5 minutes. (It will appear undercooked).
5. Cool completely.
6. Eat!

S'mores

- Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chip
• 2 teaspoons marshmallow cream
• 2 graham crackers

- Directions

1. Preheat oven for 15 minutes.
2. Half fill one warming cup with mini chocolate chips. In the other, put marshmallow cream. Put on warming tray and cover. Warm for 6 - 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour chocolate onto one graham cracker and the marshmallow onto another. Sandwich them together and enjoy.

Quesadillas

- Ingredients

• 1 tortilla
• shredded cheese
• Additional precooked fillers (optional)  You can add precooked chopped chicken, precooked chopped peppers and onions, etc. - whatever your child prefers.
• Salsa, sour cream, or guacamole for dipping (optional)

- Directions

1. Cut a small flour tortilla into wedges small enough to fit the pan. Sandwich shredded cheese (and any other fillers) between two wedges and bake for 4-6 minutes or until cheese melts.

 For Easy Bake Oven deep dish pizza and brownie recipes, check out our previous post.

*All recipes from Recipezaar.com

Works for Me Wednesday - Hair Accessory Storage

Today we're participating in Works for Me Wednesday.  It's a great way to find tips for all kinds of things.  Make sure you go over to We Are THAT Family and check out all the great ideas!

Our tip is about storing something that all little girls seem to have in huge quantities - hair accessories (ribbons, ponytail holders, headbands, bows, etc.).  Keeping track of everything can be challenging, and it can be hard to find just what you're looking for when you're in a hurry.  There's an easy way to solve that problem - repurpose an oatmeal container.  Just wipe out the inside with a damp cloth to get any remaining oats and dust.  Then cover the outside with fabric (use hot glue, modge podge, or spray adhesive), contact paper, or paper.  You can decorate it with trim to dress it up even more.  And you're done!  Now you have a simple and frugal way to store all your child's hair accessories - bows, ponytails, scrunchies, etc. can go inside the canister and headbands fit perfectly around the outside.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today we're going to give you a few more ideas in honor of St. Patrick.  We already mentioned some fun ideas that you can try with your kids.  Here are a few more suggestions -

Make themed shirts for your kids - just use green fabric paint and a clover stamp or stencil.

Learn the history of St. Patrick's Day.

Decorate - hang green streamers, create green flowers, and let your kids create themed artwork.

Make shamrock sugar cookies - just use a shamrock cookie cutter and finish with green icing (and sprinkles, of course).

Craft Ideas - Making Jewelry

Most children love to do craft projects - especially if the project involves paint or glitter (or both!). While that is certainly fun, sometimes you need a project that doesn't take quite as long to clean up. For little girls, a great option is to make jewelry.

The type of jewelry you make depends on the age of your child. Older girls would love to learn more complicated techniques, while younger ones might prefer to have fun with yarn and pasta. Here are a few ideas that can suit most age ranges -

~ Make stretchy bracelets - all you need is thin elastic cord and some pretty beads. Make sure you choose beads that have a large enough hole to thread the cord through easily. Just cut a piece of elastic big enough to fit around your wrist (plus a few inches). Add beads in whatever pattern you prefer and knot the elastic to secure the bracelet. If you want to add extra security, put a dab of glue over the knot. Then hide the knot in a bead.

~ Make pipe cleaner rings - you can find the tutorial here. They're really cute and simple to make!

~ Decorate bangle bracelets. Buy some inexpensive wooden bangles from a craft store or discount store. Let your kids decorate them - they can modge podge tissue paper onto them, paint them, or glue "jewels" onto them. After they're dry spray them with a clear coat to make them last longer (optional).

*Extra tip - these would all make great projects for a birthday party.

What are some of your favorite "clean" craft projects?

Decorating Ideas for Little Boys

These accessories are proof that a little boy's room can be just as adorable as a girl's! So cute!

Handsome Puppy Canvas Wall Art

Handsome Puppy Musical Mobile

Creating a room from these inspiration pieces is simple - start with brown and/or blue walls. Blue walls with brown trim would make these pieces pop and go well with the modern feeling.

Choose simple curtains - roman shades or maybe tab top drapes. Make sure to keep it simple and use clean lines.

For bedding, solid colors with pops of pattern would look great - it keeps it modern but still fun enough for a child.

Much needed storage can come from shelves with baskets or boxes. A contemporary dresser painted a deep brown would look great and hide a lot of baby "stuff" (it can even double as a changing table - just add a changing pad to the top).

St. Patrick's Day - Fun and Creative Ideas

St. Patrick's Day is coming soon!  While it may not be a "major" holiday, it is a fun holiday to celebrate with your kids.  Here are a few fun and festive ideas -

• Read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
• Make ALL your food green!  Green Jello, green eggs, green koolaid, green smoothies, green grapes, green milk, etc.
• Shamrock Puzzle: Give your child 3 same sized green heart shapes and 1 wide "comma" shape. Let them put it all together to make a shamrock.

Make your own shamrocks! (plan ahead - allow at least 1 week to grow):

• Supplies - new sponge, pie tin, water, plastic wrap, scissors, rye grass seed
• Cut a new sponge into the shape of a shamrock
• Soak the sponge in water after you cut out the shamrock shape
• Place on a pie tin
• Sprinkle all over the top with rye grass seed
• Add water to the pie tin (so the shamrock sponge is sitting in water)
• Cover lightly with plastic wrap until your seeds begin to sprout
• Remove the plastic wrap once the seeds start to sprout
• Place in a sunny spot
• Keep the shamrock sponge moist
• Within a few days, you will see your plain sponge transformed into a pretty green shamrock!

Make a green collage -

• Give your child a piece of paper cut in the shape of a shamrock and a glue stick. Put out piles of green tissue paper, green pompoms, green sequins, green glitter, green Easter grass, green feathers (you get the picture) and let him/her make a green shamrock collage.

Make green -

You'll need  -

• White paper
• Bowl of yellow paint
• Bowl of blue paint
• Empty bowl

- Let your child experiment to make his/her own shade of green paint.