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Give the Gift of Experience Instead of Stuff

Experience Gift Ideas for Kids

Both of my kids have birthdays shortly after the Christmas holidays. For anyone else in the same boat, you may share my hesitation to see any new toys come into the house. As we are committed to decluttering our home, one option that needs more attention is giving the gift of an experience, instead of another item from a store. Whether your kids are 2 or 20, there are so many options for them to enjoy that are outside the box.

Here are some of my favorite experience gifts for kids.

  • Trip to a show
  • Children’s museum visit, or a specialty museum that ties into your kid’s favorite hobby
  • Visit the zoo or aquarium
  • Spend the day at a local theme park
  • Let your child pick their favorite restaurant for a special birthday dinner
  • Attend a concert
  • Spend the day in the city, be a tourist even if you don’t live that far away
  • Sporting event. From basketball games to a gymnastics tour, there are many different options.
  • Movie tickets
  • Tour a local farm or orchard
  • Cooking or art classes
  • A session of classes: music, sports, dance, etc.

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Boston

Giving the gift of experiences is also a great suggestion for the grandparents and extended family looking to do something special for a birthday or holiday. We recently took a trip as a family to see the Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! event in Boston. It was just a delight to watch the kids get excited for the show. They danced, twirled, clapped and laughed the entire time. It made me realize that we are at the point where the kids are old enough to enjoy these type of experiences together now. (Although JJ is still saying “Loud” and covering his ears when Madison starts talking about the show!) I consider it a success when both Mom and Dad are happy coming out of the show and the kids are both singing on the car ride home.

As one of my readers said, “Making memories is better then a toy that will be obsolete sooner, then later.”

What are some other experience gifts you would add to this list?

Disclosure: We attended the Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! event to help facilitate this review and story. It in no way influenced my opinions shared here. I’m sharing this with the Tuesday Baby Link Up , Frugal Days and Your Green Resource.

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Monday Meal Plan Jan 28

It’s not just another Monday in our house. A little someone is turning 4 today! How did she get so grown up already?

Madison turn 4 collage

This week is happily filled with birthday parties, class cupcakes and her choice of pizza for dinner. Can’t argue with the birthday girl. For her class cupcakes, I made mini pumpkin muffins (nut-free) with cream cheese frosting. The birthday girl requested pink frosting so I used a recipe from Weelicious that colors the frosting with some beet puree. You can hardly taste the sneaky addition of a veggie in the fun frosting.

Monday Meal Plan Jan 28 Random Recycling

On our menu plan this week…

Sunday: Italian spaghetti, sautéed zucchini in garlic grape seed oil

Monday: Birthday pizza along with cake and ice cream

Tuesday: Sandwich and Soup night, this mommy is going out with friends.

Wednesday: Beef Stew (if timing is tight, I’ll make it in the pressure cooker)

Thursday: Slow Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken and Vegetables. One of my all time favorites. It makes a lot so it’s great when you have company, or save half for leftovers.

Friday: Pizza night or CORN if we have too many leftovers by the end of the week.

  Congrats to Sandra L. for winning the Kids in the Kitchen Giveaway this weekend!! Happy cooking.

For more menu planning ideas, head over to OrgJunkie’s Meal Plan Monday post.

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Did You Know Jan 3rd is National Returns Day? #HassleFreeReturns

I did a large amount of holiday shopping this year online. It’s an easy way to get great prices, but also order from some unique shops on Etsy. As we sort through all the lovely gifts we received, we have a couple that need to be returned or exchanged.  January 3rd is National Returns Day. It’s kind of like a back-to-reality moment when you want to clean up your house and check those returns off your to-do list. On January 3rd, UPS will ship more than 520,000 from consumers back to retailers. As companies like Amazon report their biggest year yet, many people will line up to do their returns in the easiest way possible.

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Here are a couple ways to ship your packages in an eco-friendly way:

  • Skip the overnight shipping option. It increases the carbon footprint of that package’s return trip.
  • Repack in a used box. I save a few during the month in case I have any returns I need to do.
  • Use grocery paper shopping bags to wrap a return. The paper is strong and free!
  • Pack breakables in newspaper instead of bubble wrap or packaging peanuts. If you have a shredder, you can use the shredded paper.
  • UPS offers carbon offset options
  • Skip the drive to the store and have your local UPS driver pick up your returns.

While you are at UPS, see if your location will accept any packaging peanuts you received. Select locations will recycle them.

On January 3rd, I’ll be at our local Needham UPS location at 946 Great Plain Ave spreading the word about UPS’s Hassle Free Return options. They make it easy. I’ll be bringing my box to return to Amazon so I’ll give it a test run. You can follow me on Twitter @RandomRecycling and the #HassleFreeReturns. Our local sponsor is Wayfair, rsvp for the twitter party below to win a gift card for some personal shopping on their site.

There are also other events happening in Atlanta and Denver.

  • The UPS Store, 10800 Alpharetta Highway, Suite 208, Roswell, GA 30076 with Megan Cooper, @jamonkey
  • The UPS Store, 8200 S Quebec St Ste A3, Centennial, CO  80112 with Jen Goode, @jgoode

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JOIN THE PARTY FROM YOUR HOUSE!

DATE: Thursday, January 3rd

TIME: 3:00PM – 4:00PM EST

LOCATION: #HassleFreeReturns

HOSTS: @AudreyMcClellan @VeraSweeney

PANELISTS: @WhitneyMWS @JoLynneS @MyGOMOM @SavvyMommy

TWEETGRID: http://tinyurl.com/bl73oyw

PRIZES: (4) Giveaways throughout the hour!!
– $25 The UPS Store gift card
– (2) 1 $50 gift card from Sierra Trading Post
– $100 gift card from Wayfair

RSVP required to win, enter HERE.

RULES: You must be a US resident 18 and older to be eligible to win. Please see attached document for official rules.

Disclosure:

The UPS National Returns Day public relations team partnered with bloggers such as myself to help educate consumers about UPS National Returns Day. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to say or influence opinions in my blog posts. UPS believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. UPS’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. 

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Make Your Own Homemade Vanilla Extract

You are going to learn how to make your own homemade vanilla extract in the steps ahead. I’m going to guess a few of you do a fair amount of baking. Did you have to buy vanilla extract at the store? It’s expensive and it’s not always that healthy for you. Many of the vanilla extracts sold are “imitation” and are really just filled with ethyl alcohol and chemicals. That doesn’t sound like a great way to make your desserts taste extra special now does it.  Here is an easy recipe to make your own vanilla extract. I give bottles of it away as hostess gifts, and have one more mason jar saved for myself. Time to make a few more batches.

vanilla extract label

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course: Extract

Ingredients

  • Alcohol- either vodka rum or bourbon
  • 5 vanilla beans I ordered mine from amazon

Instructions

  • I cut the vanilla beans in half with scissors, then scraped the vanilla beans out into an sterile quart size glass mason jar. The vanilla beans are also added to the mason jar. Then cover the beans with your alcohol of choice.  I used all three alcohols (separately) so I could decide which one is better. The bourbon smelled the best by far, but it is a more expensive choice. The better the alcohol you use, the better the end result.  If you choose vodka, skip the plastic bottle bottom shelf vodka and get a mid-level priced option instead. It will create a better end result.
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

vanilla extract with rum

Next, store the jars in a cool, dark place. It has to be handy so it may be easier to just make some room in a kitchen cabinet. Over the next week, give the jars a gentle shake. After a week is up, transfer the jars to a storage area and let them sit for a minimum of six weeks.  The longer they sit, the better. For the Christmas gifts I made, I did this in August and let them sit for months. Some say you can do it right away, others agree that longer steeping time is better.

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Photo courtesy of Nikki from Days With Us

Once your vanilla is ready, I strained the mixture using a double layer of cheesecloth. I bought adorable swing top bottles from a local store. I used these labels and printed them on sticker paper. I had to create my own sheet of just the vanilla labels, cut and paste into a new document to print just vanilla labels. Once the jars were full, I added in some of the vanilla beans for decoration.

There are tons of different ways to make your own vanilla extract.  This article here has links to many other crafters which helped develop my own recipe.

Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy your homemade vanilla extract!

 

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Monday Meal Plan Dec 24

Let the countdown begin! The kids are excited that it’s nearly Christmas Eve and the big day is almost here. They are exhausted from staying up too late at a holiday party but it was so much fun seeing them party like a rock star till well past their bedtime.

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The meal plan for the week is focused on the next two days. One more party to attend and then we are hosting 11 adults and 6 kids on Christmas Day. I’m sharing our Christmas menu today if you need a little last minute inspiration. We have never hosted Christmas Day so the menu is a mix of family favorites. The rest of our week will be filled with leftovers, using up pantry staples and a night out for mom and dad.

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Christmas Day Menu

Appetizers: Cheese and Crackers, Shrimp Cocktail

Main Course: Glazed Ham, Green Bean Casserole, Corn Pudding, Cranberry Sauce

Dessert: Buckeye Balls, Congo Bars, French Meringues, Gingerbread Cookies and Chewy Molasses Cookies.

What are you making for Christmas Day? Is it a tradition or do you mix it up every year?

For more menu planning ideas, visit the Monday Meal Plan at Org Junkie every week!

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How To Make Glitter Slime

When I first spied glitter slime on Pinterest I was hooked. Such a fun project for the kids with a lasting toy to play with.  This only requires three ingredients: glitter glue, Borax, and water. It’s not too messy and it was easy to make with both a three year old and a one year old.

Ingredients
1 large glitter glue bottle (glitter glue pens are too small)
1 teaspoon Borax
1 cup of water plus 1 tablespoon

Instructions
1. Empty glitter glue bottle into a large bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of water and swirl around to thin out the glue.

2. Mix 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of Borax. Add to glue mixture.

3. Let the kids swirl it all together and it instantly becomes slime!

Madison was really excited to find pink glue to make for her and a friend. It was a great sensory experience for both children.

We are storing our slime in reused glass jars. Large baby food jars are a good size too.

Easy peasy. Here is a cute Google + album sharing pictures of our experience making this project a reality.  Happy Halloween everyone!!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic
I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. This post is shared with Green Your Way.

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Switch to Natural Food Coloring for Holiday Baking

Source: More Design Please

I love this idea for Memorial Day. So did a lot of other people when I noticed my pin was repined almost 500 times in one day.  There are so many fun holiday decorating ideas I want to do, but I hesitate sometimes because of my goal to reduce our intake of synthetic food dyes. Check out my earlier post on why it may be important for your family to make the switch.

If you are looking to make the switch to natural food dyes, I found a few options online that look good.

The India Tree Natural Decorating Coloursis a good option for coloring frosting or a batter.

The India Tree All Natural Nature’s Colors Decorating Sugars Variety Setis an investment.  The price we pay for natural ingredients I guess.  The blue should work for making these patriotic strawberries. Maybe lighten it up with a little white sugar.  You can make them for both Memorial Day and 4th of July parties!
Check out more Summer Holiday inspiration on my Pinterest Board! What are you making this weekend?
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Natural Egg Dyeing with Kitchen Leftovers

I am in love with holiday decorating. Easter included.  Time to decorate those eggs!  This year I finally took some time to do some egg dying with natural ingredients.  Everything came from what I already had in the house.

I bought generic white eggs.  I went with hard boiled instead of blowing them out because I was wasn’t sure if my kids could handle something so delicate.  Cook for at least 15 mins on a simmer to avoid cracks.

I did some clean out of the fridge/freezer and cabinet to test out a few options.  The blueberries soaked in water for about an hour.  Others were boiled for about 20 minutes to draw out the colors.

Once the liquid was ready, I divided it up into smaller containers and added about one teaspoon of vinegar per one cup of liquid.

Cover the area with a large cloth or newspaper as this got messy when the eggs were dropped in!

We got used the following and let the eggs sit in the mixture overnight.

Spinach~ light green
Cranberries~ light pink…I would strain in a cheese cloth before doing this again.  I got funny bubbles on the eggs
Pomegranate tea~ turned green over night!  Originally was pink
Carrots~ light yellow
Red wine~ brown, almost prehistoric looking.
Beet juice~ (very) light pink
BLUEBERRIES~ dark blue. Favorite of all the eggs by far.

We drained them on a cookie cooling rack.  I didn’t care about little marks as it just adds to their character. This was an easy kids activity when adult can make the natural dyes at the stove ahead of time.  The eggs are safe to eat as long as they are refrigerated.  Find more egg dying ideas on my Pinterest Board.  Next up for me are some chalkboard eggs!

Happy Easter and Passover to all!

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Alternatives to Valentine’s Day Candy

10 Non-Candy Valentines Day Ideas

Guess what.  Valentine’s Day is coming upPe.  You may not make a big deal about it, but your kids classroom might.  That means getting an updated class list, making sure you have enough Valentine’s Day cards that work for the boys and the girls.  Then you have to decide if you are going to give candy in a cute little gift bag.

As I try to limit my kids exposure to the synthetic food dyes, I’ve tried to come up with a fun list of candy alternatives for the classroom.  This list is geared to the preschool/elementary age.  If you have other suggestions, I would love for you to share them in the comment section.

  • Stickers~ get a couple of packages and give a sheet for each child on your list.  We go through stickers so fast in our house, I’m always happy to get something new to decorate paper (or people.)
  • Craft supplies~ new Crayons, Markers, Chalk.
  • Bubbles~ spring is just around the corner!
  • Temporary Tattoos
  • Bouncy Balls
  • Musical trinkets~ little kazoo?
  • Healthy Snacks~ Annie’s fruit snacks come in fun-size packages, or pretzels. (better than candy!)
  • Homemade Cookies or Granola Bars 
  • Play dough
  • Pencils. (love this cute printable!)

At my daughter’s school, the choice was made easy this year.  There are so many food allergies that there is no candy allowed.  The kids will celebrate with a big party on Tuesday and pass out Valentine’s Day cards. (see my Pin for the card I’m going to make.)  I will be making sugar cookies, and I think I’ll just pass on the Red Dye #40 sprinkles. 😉

If you have a little free time and $2.50 to spend, this owl printable sheet is adorable! Print on sticker paper and cut out using a circle punch.  So cute!!

Source: Etsy via CherryClipArt

 

Do your kids pass around Valentine’s Day cards?  

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Excess wrapping paper?

Creative uses for excess wrapping paper ideas
As the holidays come to a close, do you have piles of random wrapping paper scraps? Maybe it’s time to create some storage space in the attic and use up some of the random pieces you have been saving.

There is a great picture gallery on the now defunct Whole Living.com full of ideas of what else you can do with the leftovers. It also serves as an inspiration to buy prettier wrapping paper that is less holiday specific so you can get more life from it, and use it year round. Some other easy ideas are:
  • Cover your table with the opposite side of the holiday wrapping paper and let the kids go to town coloring such a giant canvas
  • Laminate some flat pieces and create cute placemats for the kids
  • Create a banner to use in the winter or save for the next holiday season
  • Line your drawers
  • Shred for packing needs
  • Build a Christmas cone pine tree
  • Celebrate holiday photos and use wrapping paper as a mat
If you need ideas of how to organize your gift wrap and tissue paper, I shared an easy project of how to sort through it all and make it so much easier to quickly wrap a gift before the next party.
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