Party Planning - Tinkerbell Theme

Peter Pan is popular with both boys and girls, but most girls' favorite part is Tinkerbell.  After all, what little girl wouldn't love to be a flying fairy?  If your little girl is a Tinkerbell fan, these party tips are perfect for you.

• Have all the guests come dressed as fairies (boys can come dressed as Peter Pan or some of the Lost Boys).
• Make Pixie Dust Trees to use as decorations and centerpieces.  You could even make larger versions using shipping tubes.
• Weave flower garlands around the tables.
• String flower lights around your home.
• Send out flower or fairy shaped invitations.
• Give out wands for favors.
• Make bubble blowing wands with all the guests.  (Use craft wire and dowels or pencils.  Decorate with beads.)
• Use Tinkerbell themed plates and utensils.*
• Serve cupcakes embellished with "fairy dust" (colored sugar).

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

*Image source

*Affiliate link used - for more information see our disclosure.

eBook Update - Submit Your Ideas!

We're working on finalizing all three eBooks, and they're turning out great!  We've got TONS of ideas that are almost ready for you.  But before we finish everything up, we wanted to ask if you have any tips that we can include - favorite recipes, fun activities that you do with your kids every summer, etc.  We'd love to have you submit an idea for any of our eBooks (Beach, Summer Fun, or 4th of July theme).  We can't guarantee that we'll use all of your ideas, but we're looking forward to reading all of them!  We'll be accepting ideas (you can email us, post them on Facebook, or comment on this post), until May 5th.

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Happy Easter!

Today we're celebrating Good Friday - the day that Jesus was crucified for our sins.  But there's another day coming soon - Resurrection Day!

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!"

(Luke 24:5-6)

This weekend as you celebrate Easter with your family, remember the TRUE reason - Jesus!
*To read the whole Easter story, check out Matthew 26-28.

Have a blessed Easter!

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Tips for Traveling with Kids - Part 2

With Easter coming up, a lot of people are traveling to visit family.  If you have young kids, this can be difficult.  We've given you some tips for traveling with kids before (check out this blog post).  Here are a couple more ideas -

Use a covered ice cube tray to store snacks.  The different compartments let you include a variety of finger foods, and the lid will help prevent messes.  Plus, the tray can easily fit into a cooler.

If possible, schedule your trip at night.  Dress your kids in pajamas and let them sleep through the whole trip.

Are you traveling for Easter?

How do you keep your kids occupied on long trips?

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Easter Fun Part 3 - Easter Egg Hunts

Easter egg hunts are a fun family tradition.  Many town, churches, and cities host their own, so there are plenty of opportunities for you and your kids to attend one.   There's even a great website that lists Easter egg hunts in each state, so check it out if you're having a hard time finding a good one.  And if you aren't able to find one in your area, why not get together with other parents and host your own?  It's pretty simple and your kids will all be thrilled!  If you're looking for some ideas to get you started, check out this article.

Do you go to Easter egg hunts with your family?  If you host your own, what are your kids' favorite fillings?

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Coming Soon - eBooks!

We're excited to announce that Bear Hugs Baby is going to be offering eBooks!  We're creating 3 different eBook right now - a Beach theme, a 4th of July theme, and a Summer Activities theme.  All of them will include a wide variety of information and ideas (including crafts, educational ideas, and activities to do with your kids).  They're perfect for homeschoolers (they can easily be used as unit studies), and for moms with kids out of school for the summer.  Stay tuned for more information, sneak peeks, and more!

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Easter Fun - Celebrating the True Reason

Easter is about more than candy and Easter Eggs - it's about Jesus' resurrection from the dead!  Here are a few craft and activity ideas that will help your family focus on the real reason for Easter.

• Make a Jelly Bean Prayer cross.
• Make Easter Story cookies.
• Make your own resurrection eggs. (You can also buy them at most Christian bookstores and online.)
• Read the Easter story with your family.
• Create your own mini Easter garden (you could also let your kids create one with their Legos).

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Spring Cleaning - Get Your Kids Involved!

Spring cleaning is a dreaded (or ignored) event in many homes.  After all, just keeping up with day to day cleaning can be a challenge!  A great way to improve your cleaning productivity (when you're spring cleaning and on a daily basis) is to get your kids involved.  This has a few benefits - it keeps them occupied while you're working on some of the larger tasks (which hopefully means you won't have another mess to clean up when you're finished!), it teaches your kids to clean up their own messes, and it helps instill a good work ethic.  Here are a few ideas to help you get your kids cleaning -

• Let older kids use a small hand vacuum to clean corners and baseboards.
• Younger children can help wipe down walls - give them rubber gloves and their own sponge and bucket.  (You may want to have them work in rooms without carpet.)
• Have your kids dust the lower shelves of your bookcases.
• Let them sweep porches and sidewalks.

Many spring cleaning tasks can be modified so that your kids can help with them.  It may not be done perfectly, but the important thing is that your kids are getting involved and learning to help.

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday - head over to check out all kinds of great ideas!

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique