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Boxes the Kids Can Open Before Christmas

December 2, 2020 By Kelle

Boxes the Kids Can Open Before Christmas

This post is sponsored by kidpik.

There are a lot of packages coming to the door these days that the kids aren’t allowed to see or open (from the North Pole), so they were thrilled when their subscription boxes from kidpik arrived because they know the drill. They get to open them on the spot.

 

And being that we only have a short window in Florida when we get to wear the fun wintery clothes everyone wears every day up north, the kids were extra excited to find some much needed long sleeve outfits (our first real cold snap this week!) along with some cute holiday looks. If you haven’t heard of kidpik, it’s the leading fashion subscription box service for girls ages 3-14–and now they have boys’ clothes too! Kidpik is a safe and easy way to shop for your kids in 2020 by bringing the store to your front door–and it’s super affordable.

 

If your kids like particular things and have preferences for how clothes fit, kidpik takes care of that too. You take a fun 3-minute style quiz sharing your child’s preferences for style and fit, and then kidpik’ s seasoned stylists take it from there, personalizing your child’s box with amazing outfits based on their unique sense of style. Each subscription box ships with 7 coordinated items, including shoes!, that create a minimum of 3 head-to-toe outfits when you mix and match. You pay only for what you keep and have 7 days to try on your new items in your home and send back anything you choose not to keep in a pre-paid return envelope. Shipping, returns and exchanges are free! The average box is $95 when you “keep all” (approximately $13,50/item), and you can control the frequency of the delivery (members can choose a box delivered every 1, 2 or 3 months).

Dash loves looking at the layout of outfits included in the box and determining how he’ll pair his pieces.

Nella starts undressing the second she’s torn through her box to give us a fashion show of her outfits. This dress and silver boots combo was a huge hit.

And what’s a winter wardrobe without a good plaid flannel?

You can also shop items straight from the kidpik website. And what’s that? Do they have holiday jammies? Why, yes they do! And if you look on the site, you’ll recognize the family modeling them.

Once you sign up for a subscription, your kidpik box will arrive in 5-10 days, so there’s time to order your first box for Christmas—seven gifts in one box. Use code KELLE80 for $80 off your first box when you keep all, bringing each item to approximately $10 when you keep the entire box.


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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Kid Gift Guide (from Lainey, Nella & Dash)

November 28, 2020 By Kelle

Kid Gift Guide (from Lainey, Nella & Dash)

I wasn’t going to make one of these, but then I was answering so many direct messages with favorites and passing ideas to friends, I figured I might as well put them all in one place. So here it is—our 2020 Kids Gift Guide. These ideas are pulled from my kids’ favorite gifts they’ve received, our most loved and used toys in our home, things they’re asking for this year and some fun gifts I’ve found that I know they’ll love. Happy Shopping!

FOR LAINEY

1. Personal Smoothie Maker 
Oh my God with the smoothies. I’m sick of my blender being dragged out for one smoothie and the mess that follows. This is just the ticket. A personal smoothie maker with the cup built in.

2. Glossier Cloud Paint and Lip Gloss
Lainey’s discovered the cult favorite brand Glossier (I love them too!). Lots of simple sheer colors and minimal makeup looks for tweens and teens dipping their toes into the fun expressive world of makeup.

3. The Adventure Challenge Family Kit or just the book 
Created to bring families together, these kits include a limited edition signature Lomography Automat Instant Camera and a book full of scratch-off adventures for families to experience and document together.

4. Towel Steamer
I smiled when I saw this on Lainey’s list this year—sister loves some self care rituals. I also love that I know how this request came to be. Lainey sets up spa days for Nella, and she wants to level up with steamed towels ready to go. I hope Santa brings this just so I can steal some towels for my own self care nights.

5. Tortilla Blanket
This has been on Lainey’s list for months. I admit, I don’t understand the appeal.

6. Fjallraven Crossbody Bag
Lainey received this last year and loves it. Lots of colors to choose from!

7. White Zoe Chelsea Boots
(similar boots from Zara if still in kid sizes)

8. Tezza Wall Collage Kit

9. LED Lights for Bedroom

10. Electric Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt Maker

11. Write Here Now Journal
The prompts in this journal are so creative and inviting!

12. Canon Cliq Camera with Built-in Printer

13. Ipsy Subscription
$12/month (you can cancel any time). Monthly make-up bag with 5 deluxe-sized samples selected from a quiz you take with all your preferences.

FOR NELLA

1. Boden Rainbow Stripe Slippers

2. Olli Ella Suitcase
This timeless beautiful suitcase is one you’ll use again and again and save as a keepsake. Pretty enough to keep out as a display (we store doll clothes in ours when we aren’t using it for trips).

3. Wreck This Picture Book
Brand new book from the makers of the hit Wreck This Journal. This one’s just for kids! They’ll have so much fun making this book their own.

4. Spa Barbie
This is what Nella says she wants any time we ask her about her list.

5. Trish Scully Dress-up Dresses
Nella LOVES fancy dress-up dresses, but so many of them are cheaply made and one-size-fits-toddlers. These are beautiful real dresses that come in a range of sizes.

6. Galaxy Projector
Our galaxy projector is one of our favorite things we own for kids and something we’ve made memories with for years. They finally made this more affordable version (ours was $100–this one wasn’t available when we bought it several years ago).

7. Frida Kahlo Sweatshirt
We LOVE Piccolina Kids tees. It’s fun to wear our heroes.

8. Pottery Barn Kids Sleeping Bags
This is the gift that’s kept on giving in our home, and I highly recommend. They’re so well made, adorable and easy to roll up and store. We keep ours in our closets and pull them out to the living room every time we have a movie night.

9. Alice & Ames Dresses
Our signature twirly dress. Nella’s been through probably 15 of them over the years, and she loves them today as much as she did when she wore them as a toddler.

10. Olli Ella Dinkum Doll
The most beautiful doll—and the clothes you can order! Oh my God!

11. My Generation Retro Hot Dog Cart
My kids don’t even need the dolls to have fun with these.

12. Burger Balance Game

FOR DASH

1. MagnaTiles
If we had to take one toy to a deserted island, this would be it. They entertain every kid at every age, and I’ll have them in my house even after my own kids are old and grown. And you can keep adding more to your collection to build bigger structures. Currently, the kids love building our hamster MagnaTile obstacle courses.

2. Wood Bingo Game
How beautiful is this Bingo game?! Made in Japan and sold through a lovely black-owned business in Chicago.

3. Squeakee Balloon Dog Robot
This has Dash’s name all over it.

4. Worm Farm
Lainey and Dash have been wanting one of these. Excited to see if Santa pulls through.

5. Walkie Talkies
A hit gift for my kids at every age. The three of them will disperse both inside and outside and have so much fun communicating with each other only through Walkie Talkies.

6. The Upside Down Challenge
We love games for gifts, especially around the holidays because we’re home and relaxing and have lots of time to play them together. This one is sure to elicit lots of laughs and is something the little kids can play too.

7. Candylab Trucks
These keepsake cars and trucks are so fun to collect and display, even if they’re beyond the play-with-trucks age (which, to my delight, is still going over here).

8. Real Doctor Bag
My kids love playing clinic with each other and have gone to elaborate measures (making full body casts out of toilet paper) to make their clinic feel real. They’re kind of over the pretend doctor sets, so this year I’m making them a real one. I found a big black doctor style bag at a thrift store, and I’m filling it with a this real kit (cheaper than some kid doctor sets), Ace bandages, medicine syringes that look like shots, prescription pads, etc.

9. Bad Guys Books
Dash is OBSESSED with Bad Guy books. So obsessed, his teacher lets him take them home from her library for a reward. He hoards them like candy and gets super excited when he acquires a new title.

10. Jellyfish Tank Table Lamp
Looks so real! These kind of things delight Dash to no end.

11. Nerf Gun Target Set
If you can’t go to the carnival, bring the carnival games to you. Maybe I won’t find Nerf balls all over the house if he’s at least aiming them all in one spot.

12. Chasing Fireflies Game
This game is the cutest, and my kids are going to love playing this in the dark.

13. Gravity Maze 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Dryer Ball Snowman Ornaments

November 23, 2020 By Kelle

Dryer Ball Snowman Ornaments

If you’re looking for a cute and simple ornament craft for this holiday week, we made these little snowmen ornaments last week, and they turned out so cute! I used to make a styrofoam ball version of these with my fifth grade students, but the dryer ball ones are way cuter. It’s a great craft to make with a group of kids/siblings because you can buy dryer balls and socks in multi-packs.

Here’s what you need:

 

We used these socks and these ones, and both the toddler and little kid sizes worked great because they stretch. We used these dryer balls which run a little over $1 each. You can find little carrots or something comparable in the miniature aisles of a craft store, or there are lots online—like these ones (200 in a pack—ha!), these ones or this cute button version. The thread/string is to tie the hat shut. You don’t really need the needle if you want to secure a hanging ribbon with glue (for those who are scared off by any sewing :o), but I used it to sew a string loop to the inside of the hat to hang it on the tree when the ornament was finished.

1. Stretch the open end of the sock around the dryer ball to where a hat would sit. Hot glue under the edge of the hat and secure to dryer ball.

2. Snip the top of the sock off to your desired hat height. ‘

3. Tie a string around the top of the hat (I left a little bit of the sock to show) and tightly secure with a knot.

4. Hot glue the carrot nose and paint on eyes, pink cheeks and a mouth. If you use a carrot nose that has a little “insert extension,” just poke the dryer ball with some sharp scissors to create a little hole for the extension to go into.

5. Secure a hanging loop string or ribbon with a needle & thread or hot glue (you could even safety pin it to the back of the sock). And that’s it! Your ornament is done.

*A friend just reminded me dryer balls are great for holding essential oil scents, so if you want to level up, try rubbing some peppermint, balsam or clove scented oil to make your ornament holiday extra.

These make cute gifts for grandparents, friends or an adorable way to decorate a gift. Our tree is happier.

Happy Monday!

Filed Under: Holiday, Make Stuff Tagged With: Christmas Craft, Ornament Craft, Snowman Ornament

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