Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Parents.com – info on Irish traditions, recipe for Shamrock pancakes and warm potato salad

Better Homes & Gardens – food and entertaining, crafts, cards, and decor

Teaching Heart – Contains activities for elementary school children.  Great site for teachers, homeschoolers, or moms that are just looking for a little something for the kids to do.

Kids  Domain / Kaboose – There are lots of great craft ideas for kids and recipes for you.  I see some things to try in my classroom. 

Family Fun – crafts, recipes, coloring pages, games, and more

DLTK’s Growing Together – recipes, crafts, worksheets, coloring pages, games, songs, and more

The Activity Idea Place – games, crafts, songs, art, and more

Child Fun – parent’s site with craft ideas, recipes, and other ideas

Ed Helper – ideas for elementary aged children

Family Corner – patterns, recipes, ideas, and more

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Last week at school the students made Valentine cards.  I let them add hearts to the cards with my foam stampers and some hearts cut from construction paper.  I used their hands to make a heart.  To make the heart I put paint on each of their hands and pressed their hands (fingers down), overlapping the thumbs.  Handprint art is always a hit.  They also used heart stickers to decorate the cards. 

Last week they also made Valentine bags with white lunch bags.  They used markers and hearts that I had cut from construction paper to decorate their bags.  I hung them on the bulletin board so that they could get Valentines in their bags throughout the week.

This week we are going to make heart collages.  I used the die cut machine (love that thing!) to make hearts of various shapes, sizes, and colors.  We are also going to marble paint hearts.  To do this I am using hearts that I have cut from large paper.  I am dipping marbles into different colors of paint.  I will put the large heart paper in a box top (a copy paper box top works well) and then add the marbles on top of the paper.  The students will turn the box top all different ways to make marble designs on their heart.  Maybe I can take some pictures and post them later.

Here are some other sites for kid’s Valentine ideas.

Kids Domain - make chocolate candy hearts, heart bracelets, heart pins & magnets, candy pots, and more.  We will definitely play a game of Heart Bingo this week at school!

Family Fun – finger puppets, coupons, stained glass hearts, love bugs, and more.

DLTK’s Growing Together - wreaths, valentine boxes, animal crafts, and educational crafts.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Click here for the photo ornament idea from Photojojo.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I know that most of my friends either scrapbook or at least get the pictures into photo albums before the kids start school.  I have done neither but it is on my list.  What does this have to do with being thrifty?  Simple.  Parents need to take time for their selves to enjoy everything else in life.  Getting caught up in the business of life is just not healthy for anyone, especially the one who is responsible for the household.

IMHO, parents should spend their time keeping the house in order and playing with the kids.  Unfortunately jobs tend to get in the way.  But PLEASE don’t forget to rejuvenate yourself every once in a while.  The kids take naps, the teenagers hang out with friends, the parents find something else to work on as a chore?  I don’t see the logic in that.

So here is a fun way to give yourself some pampering time while having a little fun.  Tasra Dawson has begun a great little contest on scrapbooking.  The Real Woman Scrap Contest is alive and well.  Tasra wants your best, most meaningful scrapbook creations.  The contest is to celebrate the “first book for career women and busy moms that uses scrapbooking as a metaphor to teach life lessons.”  There are some fabulous prizes to be had.  So come on, moms!  Scrap until your heart is content and then get out there and win!!!!

Oh, yeah, let me know how you do…

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

The internet is full of resources, many of them are free.  Today I stumbled across a list of quick and easy craft projects on the Better Homes & Gardens website.  The ideas are free and you might want to try some of them with the kids.

Some of the ideas I saw are a black cat treat jar, a pumpkin wreath, a pumpkin pillow, Halloween coloring pages, a black cat door hanger, and many more. 

Check out these free ideas! 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy