Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Tips for Christmas Delivery Treats!

It's that time of year! We made it through Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we still have a few packages coming our way. So before it was cool we have been leaving treats on our front porch for our delivery drivers haha...before it all made the news. I know all of those men and women are up early and out late this time of year making sure all of our packages make it.



I thought I would share our sign that we post with our treats!

Feel free to download and sign your family's name--or leave it blank--and share with friends!

It just been fun to surprise our postman and UPS gal that always drops our packages off and Fedex has been coming by too


Here's what we have found our people--yes, people who deliver our packages are totally "our people" love

1. Cheez-it's and something salty
Cheesy crackers and Doritos are the hot items in our basket! They haven't really been into cookies in the past. This year we are trying out peanut butter stuffed pretzels and twizzlers too--for something fun!

2. Leave it out late at night
I didn't realize this until we missed a delivery person but UPS is out delivering well into the night--I checked my email for packages and it arrived at 8 PM so leave your treats out so you don't miss a Christmas helper!

3. Set it up early
The month of December I see mail trucks out earlier than usual so before taking kids to school just set your treats out. Our local USPS guys are out early dropping off packages and then the regular mail comes later in the day.

4. Restock! You don't need to set everything out. I set a budget for about $25 for all of the treats and things and just put a few things out for them to choose from. I rotate things so some of our same delivery people have some variety of snacks.


Here is the sign! Just print and you are good to go. I laminated our sign to survive crazy weather--mainly just humidity and rain because Texas never really has winter!



I know you and your family will love setting this up and all the delivery people stopping by your house will be so thrilled with a little treat during this busy season of the year.

Please print and pin and share!

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Christmas 2019 Gift Guide: Kids Who Aren't into Toys

Here's your gift guide for the kid that is more into art and creating than toys! Our daughter rarely plays with toys but can turn our playroom into a blizzard of an art studio in a hot minute. Just wanted to share things that we love for our budding artist because sometimes it's hard to find things that aren't toys! :) Merry Christmas!

#1 WATERCOLORS We are hitting watercolors hard this year! We need something more than the Crayola water palettes and this is paint set that we LOVE. It has all the colors and more and is perfect for the budding artist. Want an experience with this? Gift your child a water coloring class from Jones Design Company/Simplified Classes and they will for sure be busy all Christmas break.

#2 COLOR HAPPY I love RAD and HAPPY. This coloring book is not your average coloring book. The pictures are so fun I find myself sneaking this book away so I can do some coloring myself. Rad and Happy also offers a monthly coloring subscription that we love and other classes. Lots of options on this site that I highly recommend.

#3 SMOOOOTH CRAYONS Thought it didn't get better than Crayola?! Well, try these out. It will be smooth operating for your artist while they color away.

#4 SCRATCH ART This is a stocking stuffer for us this year and with so many reviews I know it's going to be a hit.

#5 FRAME PAPER Looking for some fun paper that automatically frames art? IT EXISTS. This paper is so fun and makes everything a masterpiece. It's out of stock but check back--I know our local teacher supply shop has it so I'm picking mine up from there this year. We've already gone through 2 packs since summer so I'd say it is a hit!

#6 DRAWING BOOKS We checked these out from the library this summer multiple times and they are currently already wrapped under our tree (I get my elf-ing duties out of the way early). Hours of fun and I love that they are always a source of inspiration. You can find the comic book here and the mermaid and fairy book here

#7 SENSORY KIT These sensory kits--play dough plus all the accessories to create-- are a home run. Young, Wild, and Friedman has the best boxes and are totally worth the price. Open ended play for hours and bonus...you don't have to mix the play dough or run to Hobby Lobby and buy #allthethings. It's all here! The dough is so smooth and smells good and all of the accessories make for awesome play. There are subscriptions offered and I am so tempted to subscribe--Check out the weather, fairy, and baking kits. Swoon. I think I want one for Christmas too!

#8 WATER COLOR BRUSHES After a trip to the Crayola Experience we had to have these! These water color brushes create fun effects and are a perfect stocking stuffer. They stand up to even the most aggressive of watercolorists so you'll get your monies worth.

#9 WASHI TAPE What's better than regular tape? Washi tape! These fun colors add all the flair to paper made crowns, super hero capes, and art projects.

#10 ART SPINNER My daughter asked for a potter's wheel this Christmas after a fun camping trip where she got to do spin art. Well a potters wheel is out of my budget but this is just right. I love this brand! We purchased this and reviews say you need extra paint--we have Crayola paint on hand. It's just a perfect art activity.

#11 ART FOR KIDS HUB SUBSCRIPTION If you don't know about Art for Kids Hub then jump on youtube right now! It's perfect for kids 4 and up and has EVERYTHING you could think of to draw. It's like the ultimate treasure trove of art lessons. While there are lots of lessons up on youtube their subscription is priced right and has even more goodies for your little artist--drawing guides, coloring pages and more! We spend every Christmas break drawing and watching these so it's a tradition now! I recommend starting with the snow globe.

#12 ART CADDY I am swooning over this art caddy from Lakeshore Learning. Everything from Lakeshore is top notch quality and it has ample storage for your artist to store everything they need.

Last thing, PAPER in bulk. Each year our Grandma gifts a big box of paper from Sam's Club and it is PERFECT to get our artist through the whole year. So check out your Sam's or Costco for supplies like paper, colored paper, tape, and fun markers for your artist. What are you getting for your favorite artist this year?

Love this list? Share it with a friend on FB or pin it!

Friday, December 6, 2019

Skip Wrapping Those Christmas Books



It's THE MOST wonderful time of the year! I just wanted to share out Christmas picture book countdown with you...and with a FREEBIE to help you countdown to Christmas Day! Whether you are in the classroom or wanting a countdown for your family at home this is for YOU!

                                

But first a short story...Last year I lovingly wrapped every book for my daughter. As the Christmas seasons went on we starting going through unwrapping fatigue...my little girl got tired of unwrapping the books. Then, I needed a book for a school event and it was wrapped up so I was guessing which one it was to unwrap it. Man. It was such a bummer to have this fun thing I was so excited about fall flat.

Fast forward to this year and I decided I want the books out! I love looking at the covers of the stories. Books are always festive and fun decor...right?! Sometimes, my little girl wants to read a book that might not be on the "Christmas book reading schedule" so UNWRAPPED CHRISTMAS BOOKS IT IS. Let them be free. I made this fun countdown for us to read every night. 

It has been so nice!

 I love that we can read "Santa's Book of Names" whenever we want too--and however many times we want. Caroline can read "Fat Santa" whenever she wants too because sometimes she just wants to read the pictures--and she loves the pictures in that book. Also, the Jolly Postman is just so fun to play and read that it needs to be out all year!

Below is a freebie that you can print to countdown picture books throughout the Christmas season too.

Please visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store and give me a follow there! 






This is SIMPLE y'all! Just hover your mouse over the pdf below and a dark gray box with an arrow will pop up...CLICK ON THAT to DOWNLOAD this free Christmas Bookmark Countdown!

You can print in color and I provided a black and white version too..just keep scrolling on the pdf.
PLUS all the NUMBERS--if you are the queen of being festive and like to read Christmas books starting in November--I've got you covered :)






Merry Christmas!

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