More Play and Imagination with Hide-a-boo Hideouts

Have you noticed that kids these don't seem to play and use their imagination like we did as kids? With the ever increasing technology, gadgets and growing schedules playtime just isn't what it use to be. If you want to change this then check out Hide-a-boo Hideouts!

Hide-a-boo Hideouts are here to encourage play for all kids. Hideouts are forts that slip over a card table for easy set-up and are a home base for adventure. Created with a puppet backdrop on one side and on top, an aerial view map that's also a play mat. Hideouts are incredibly versatile, giving kids endless opportunities for creative and imagination inspired play.

Included with the Hideouts are printables called Teachables. They give busy parents on the go a built in and pre-planned way to encourage play and learning. Simply print out the Teachables from the website and Hide-a-boo provides lots of fun activities to keep kids imagining.

If you want a Hide-a-boo Hideout hurry and head over to Kickstarter and place your order because they will only be available there for the low price of $29 until July 14th.

Make Your Own Olympics T Shirt

Since the Olympics are just around the corner I thought I would share this free printable so you can make your own Little Olympian t shirt. Brody and I made this one for the last summer Olympics and he loved it!

All you need is a printer, iron on transfer paper, a shirt and an iron. Simply follow the instructions that come with your iron on transfer paper.

Download the little Olympian shirt template here 

7 Money-Saving, Kid-Friendly Home Renovation Strategies

Children are Great Home Helpers! 

Source: Pixabay.com

7 Money-Saving, Kid-Friendly Home Renovation Strategies

            When it comes to home renovating, saving money, and children, most people simply hire a babysitter while they work on a DIY project. There are fun ways to ditch the babysitter and save money by including your children as little home helpers.

            Every home project should be aimed at increasing home value. Without cutting corners, make the most of your next project by taking advantage of the situation. Make your next home renovation project enjoyable, lucrative, and family-friendly with these child-centered home renovation activities.

Project 1: De-Stash for Cash

Enlist your children to help with the renovation ‘clear out’. Save money by listing unwanted items on Craigslist, and have them help you decide what to list and for how much. Your children will love throwing around some old toys and home items, it will bring in some extra cash, and save you the headache of bringing unwanted items to the donation sites. Need help with the Craigslist process? Check out this guide.

Project 2: Play ‘Shop Owner’

Children love to play ‘shop’ no matter what age group. Let your kids be a part of the renovation process and save some money by having a yard sale, and putting in some of their items, along with some of the renovation cast-away items up for sale.

If you’re shopping for items to install or food for a quick meal, visit your local co-op for eco-friendly, lower cost items to bring into the home, and include them in the choosing and purchasing process.

Source: Pixabay.com

Project 3: Play Decorator

When choosing what materials to use, or what colors to paint a room, invite your child’s input. Beforehand, let them know they are participating in a group decision, and you want everyone to make a vote. Helping to decide what will go into the home empowers them and helps build ‘teamwork’ experience.

Moreover, depending on the project, you can also allow your children to pick one aspect of the renovation project that is ‘theirs’. Choosing one item for a new room, for example, will provide valuable critical thinking experience as well as decision making practice.

Project 4: Enjoy the Chaos

Renovations can be a difficult time for everyone involved. Turn a chaotic situation around by embracing it. Rather than escape the house for fun excursions during the renovations, save some money by taking advantage of the mess.

Have an impromptu living room camp-out, complete with tent, flashlights and ghost stories. Plan a fort-building session with painting tarps, stepladders, big buckets and pails and other safe items you can find, either in the area about to be renovated or in another room entirely. You can always organize later!

Source: Pixabay.com

Project 5: Construct and Destroy

Home DIY renovations can be fun, cost effective and very rewarding. For your DIY projects, give the kids some items that are safe for them, in a safe space, to allow them to feel what it’s like to use their hands, get dirty, and have some construction fun. Check out this resource for more fun tutorial ideas!

Children learn from every experience they encounter. Take advantage of this process for them to learn about tools and the rewards from a job well done. Let them find their plastic toy hammer, and hand them an extra plank of wood. Let them smash, pound and be loud! Give them a paintbrush and some paint and let them paint on the wood at a safe distance while you work. Talk to them about what you’re doing and why. Let them put on safety goggles, put on work boots and, even get them an apron to be a part of the home construction project.

Project 6: Rent Your Extra Rooms

Whether you are going away for a period of time or have extra rooms in your home, renting a room is an amazing way to earn some extra money and build home value. Get the children involved by having them be the breakfast ‘cookers’ of the home. Guests love breakfast, especially free breakfast, and including your kids is a perfect way to keep the money flowing in.

While I love this tip, it is important to make sure you know how to find the best renters. Especially with a family, it is important to know who is going to live in your home. Airbnb, HomeAway and Craigslist are good places to start. However, when trying to find out more information about a renter, there are great resources out there, like this one, that keep all information private and still show any history of violence or bad rental outcomes.

Source: Flickr.com

Project 7 (A&B): Start a Kid’s Garden

Whether the renovations are outside or inside, offset some improvement costs by starting up a community or private garden. It’s an excellent way to save money and get kids involved in a home project. Furthermore, a garden itself is a huge home value builder!

A.      Home Garden. A home vegetable garden can provide food for the family for a whole summer, or even through a winter, at a fraction of the cost of regularly purchased grocery produce. One bag of potatoes, can cost anywhere from $2-$5 dollars, but a few potatoes planted in the garden will make more potatoes for years to come. Include carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, spinach, lettuce and beets, and you have an array of healthy foods for the initial cost of just the seeds some dirt, and a few hours or family fun.

B.      Community Garden. If you have ample space, convert landscaping in your front or backyard, and start a community garden. Post an ad in you online community bulletin, or just a sign in your yard, and offer up backyard or front-yard space to neighbors to come in and plant for a monthly fee. Include your kids in the planning, advertising, communicating and pricing process for an exciting family home-business adventure!

Need more garden help? Check out this resource for a great place to start!

Renovating to improve your home value doesn't need to be an emotionally and financially draining ordeal. With these tips, and some creativity, patience, and resourcefulness, you can save money and offset a portion of the costs, while also creating a great bonding time and learning opportunity for every member of the family.

Author Bio: Hank loves ice cream, Sour Patch Kids, and DIY projects that save money. He is a new landlord and loves to blog about the home. He hangs out on Twitter @hombyhank when he is not in the garden or working on a new project.

Child Bike Safety: The 5 Most Important Tips

By Christensen and Hymas Utah Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Teaching your child how to ride a bike is one of the traditional joys of parenting. Family bike rides are a great way to bond and spend time with each other. However, there are also many risks involved when kids ride bikes. Children and young adults are involved in over half of the most serious bike accidents across the country. Child bike safety is extremely important.

What are the most important and effective parts of child bike safety? As Utah’s Bicycle Accident Lawyers, we understand what kinds of mistakes lead to the most accidents. Here are some of our tips on keeping your kids safe while riding:

·         Always wear a helmet!

It is impossible to overstate the importance of wearing a helmet. Children and adults should wear a Consumer Product Safety Commission-approved helmet every time they ride a bike. You can know if your child is wearing an approved helmet by checking for a sticker on the inside of the helmet.

In addition, make sure that your child’s helmet fits and is fastened properly before they take off.

·         Wear the right clothes

Ill-fitting clothing can result in bike accidents. A key aspect of child bike safety is ensuring that no loose pants or untied shoelaces will be tangled up in the bike chain while they ride.

Proper shoes are also very important. Closed-toe shoes like sneakers with gripping soles will help your child’s feet stay on the pedals.

·         Ride a bike that fits

Making sure that your child’s bike is not too small or too big can play a big role in their safety. Experts suggest testing their bike’s size by comparing it to their height. Your child should stand straddling their bike’s top bar. There should be about 1 to 3 inches of open space between your child and the bar. 

·         No flat tires or sticky brakes

Flat tires and faulty brakes can make it difficult and even impossible for your child to steer and control their bike. Fortunately, these are both fixable problems. You should consistently keep up with the brakes and tires on your child’s bike. You can do this yourself or take it into a local bike shop.

·         Obey the rules of the road

Your neighborhood roads may seem quiet and safe, but it only takes one careless driver or one mistake by your child to cause an accident. Following road rules is crucial to child bike safety. You should teach them the basics of road safety, such as:

o   Obeying stop signs

o   How to act at intersections

o   Looking both ways out of the driveway

o   Using both hands to control their bike

o   Exercising extreme caution around cars, whether parked or moving

These tips are only some of the many ways that you can help your kids stay safe while riding their bikes. Always remind them to use caution and keep these things in mind.

We are experienced bike accident attorneys, who are dedicated to helping injured cyclists. If you have any questions about bicycle safety or laws, do not hesitate to contact us.

Easy Meal Planning with Kids

In an effort to have Brody help me with dinner and actually be excited about it I am recruiting his help in planning the meals. For a picky eater having a say in the family dinner plan makes him happy. I know I would have loved helping my mom plan meals as a kid, if only to avoid the foods I didn't like.

First we pulled out our cook books. I made sure to incorporate some of our kid friendly ones too. Even Sadie and Sammy wanted to look through them.

 Then we talk about some our favorite meals or new foods we want to try. We also talked about what things we would need to make them. Brody loves to help me cook and the girls are wanting to help as well (even if it is just stirring something in a bowl) so we also talked about how we would make the dinners.

Then we wrote down our plan. We decided to just plan the main course and only started with Monday through Friday since we are pretty low key on the weekends.

We used this awesome personalized chalkboard that Personal Creations sent us. Our name isn't just painted on, it is engraved, pretty cool if you ask me.

I love that Brody looks at this time as fun time spent with mom but he is also learning some good life skills!

DIY Valentine Mail Bag

Last year I made this easy, no sew Valentine mail bag with my kids. It was a hit! In fact, they played with it long after the holiday. it will only take a few minutes to whip up one of these bags.

You will need the following sizes of felt in the same color; 12 x 9, 8 x 9 and 2 x 24. You will also need a pink or red felt heart, a hot glue gun and fabric paint.

You can cut your heart free hand or use a pattern.

First lay down the 12 x 9 sheet of felt and then lay the 8 x 9 sheet on top, matching up the bottom edges (as shown below. With the hot glue gun, glue the bottom edges and side edges together. 

 The top half will then become the top flap to the bag by folding it over.

Now take your felt heart and center it along the bottom half of the flap as shown below. Using the hot glue gun glue the top half of the heart to the bottom part of the flap. Make sure you don't glue the bottom of the heart or you won't be able to get into your bag.

 To make the strap, turn the bag over and glue each end of the 2 x 24 strip of felt to the top of the back side of your bag.

 And lastly take your fabric paint and write mail in the center of the heart. Of course you can write anything you want, perhaps your child's name.

As you can see, my sassy little Sadie loves this bag!