Hey Loves!
Happy Fall y’all! For those who want to “boo” your neighbors or friends, I have these free labels for you!
Simply print, cut and attach however you see fit!
Be sure to tag me in pics! I’d love to see them.
Enjoy!
Love you. Mean it.
Hey Loves!
In case you are new here or if you need to be reminded. I love a well-executed Holiday. I just can’t get enough of it. One of my most favorite holidays to celebrate growing up was Halloween. My parents were divorced and lived far away from their families so basically every other holiday was a wash-up of which parent I would be with and what they wanted to do for said holiday. Oh, but Halloween was EPIC.
As far back as I could remember, my dad went hard. Even when I was too old to trick or treat, he went hard passing out candy. For those wondering, he still goes hard to this day and has added costumes to the lineup. Anyway, because of that, guess who then always went hard for Halloween? This girl!
With our usual spots and traditions closed for fall fun, I’ve had to adapt ad we’ve been celebrating all month with the goodies in our BOO Baskets all month long. I am one of those family costumes, coordinating shirts, skipping through the pumpkin patch moms to the point where I get my kids’ costumes as early as possible, like 364 days early.
Well, that all worked out in my favor until COVID-19, which, I kinda feel like is a recurring theme in most households. So, you know me, my brain went to town on planning something out for the kids.
After counting all the doors in my house and realizing I was too tired to hide behind each one, I remembered the scavenger hunt we did on Easter and then searched, “halloween scavenger hunt” and google did not fail me. I few clicks later, I stumbled upon, downloaded and immediately printed this scavenger hunt.
Next, I asked myself, “wait-what is going to be the loot?” I asked this because my kids trick-or-treat for sport. There is so much they can’t eat so we buy it from them and they make out like bandits. This year, they can get some treats they can actually eat and I will probably break even. To start, I found some festive things they could eat like these halloween themed veggie chips and gummy treats. Then, I went went with some of their favorites like Kettle COrn and Lara Bars. To make it cute and have happy kids when they find it, I put the loot in their treat buckets (dollar spot find years ago that I slapped a vinyl monogram on) and viola! A safe, socially-distant family-fun Halloween. Follow along via Instagram or Facebook for more deets.
Hey Loves!
I know with us going into month ??? Of Pandemic life, the title of this blog may come off a bit confusing, crass even. Bare with me.
If you follow me on socials, (again, if you don’t are we really friends???), you’ve seen how serious I take memory making and with so much being #cancelled or not safe, I’ve had to take lots of it in to my own hands.
You can’t see the smile on my face now, but let me assure you, it is wide. Why? Well, because I could’ve given up, just let this season be what it was or could take very sour lemons, add way more than a spoonful of sugar and some lavender, tie it with a bow and call it a memory. I chose the latter.
Friends, I must tell you, this was far from easy and in my true fashion, so much was extra. SO. MUCH. So I’m learning to straddle the line a little better.
I say all that to say, I know this season, most of these days are far from easy. I am saying that I, like you, am very tired of this season. I am also saying that when this season is over, I do not want to regret an ounce, not a day of it.
When my kids remember “the germs” and all we couldn’t do, they will also remember all that we did, shared, explored and the magic I made happen.
So, if you still love me, follow along as I’ll have easy ways to whip up memories and fun safely.
These two are super easy and a hit with my family:
Apple Dippers board– a few weeks ago I shared a “fall fun” checklist that contained all the things you could do with apples. The last thing we did was this apple dipping board and, let me tell you, when my husband beat my kids in asking for seconds, I knew this was hit.
Here is what I did: Grab a serving tray, cutting board, or a large plate. Then core and slice about 3 medium-large apples to start depending on the appetite of your crowd.
Next, grab some small skewers or toothpicks and stick them through the apple slice from the bottom up, so it kinda looks like a lollipop. Now, to the fun part. Grab any topping you’ve ever had or wanted to have on a candy apple and lay it out. Now to the extra- I had some red dessert plates on hand and chose to put my toppings- caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, peanuts, sprinkles, marshmallows- in separate dishes and then let my family pick what toppings they would like and “dip” each apple slice then top how they please. It was a pure mess but I was happy to help make it!
Chili Board- Not to toot my own horn here, but according to my kids, this was the best dinner they’ve ever had. Between me and you, this was one of the easiest meals I’ve ever made, so that equals the ultimate win-win! I pulled chili from the freezer-yes, it was frozen because I had some veggies about to tap-out on me so I threw them with some spices, beans, and stock in the instant pot and 20 minutes later I had chili. Then, obvi, I froze it. So, I let the chili simmer to perfection on the stove in my new Dutch oven. While that simmered I made some cornbread muffins (again, legit the easiest recipe I’ve ever found and the tastiest.) Why muffins you ask? So I could freeze the leftovers. This enneagram 6w5 is always thinking ahead. So, chili simmering, muffing baking, right? Then you get your toppings out. I had scoops, red onion, green onion, goat’s milk cheddar, and parsley. Again, you go to town how you see fit! Take a little design liberty here and make it pretty. Ladle chili in bowls and let the board work its magic. 2 bowls and 2 muffins later, I had to refuse third portions because I value leftovers.
Throw in some games and give got some family fun and great memories in the books!
So, basically, you give me a board and basket and I’ll give you a year of memory making. Both of the above took maybe 25 minutes to execute but the smiles-those last a lifetime.
Happy memory making!
Love you. Mean it.
Hey Loves!
I’m back with another collab with Lakeisha from Maya’s Book Nook and this one is all about Halloween. True story- I love Halloween. Growing up with my dad, we went hard every 31st of October and it’s honestly the holiday I have the most memories of. If you’ve been following along vis socials, you’ve seen my kids Boo Baskets and our attempts to have lots of Halloween fun safely! This year, as COVID-19 continues to impact how we do things, what won’t change is the learning and fun we will have with books. Let’s get into it!
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes is a beautifully illustrated book that takes us through Halloween night. Black cats, carved pumpkins and witches, oh my! They join some other ghouls and at the haunted mansion they converge for a monstrous ball! This bilingual book provides great Spanish vocabulary and includes a Spanish/English glossary.
Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson is a cute rhyming tale that follows little Winifred on a quest for a good night’s sleep. She loves ghouls and thinks monsters are cute but when it comes to bedtime, she still can’t sleep. Fed up and tired, Winifred finds a gentle way to keep the monsters at bay.
Samurai ScareCrow A Very Ninja Halloween by Rubin Pingh follows two siblings on Halloween night. It can be rough always being followed around or copied by a younger sibling and it can be tougher being told you aren’t welcome. That doesn’t stop these two from showing each other love on Halloween night.
Shake Dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa is a jazzy tale of Halloween Night. As the city gets dark and quiet, it’s not time for the ghouls to come out and prank. It’s time for the music to crank! Join your favorite classic fairytale characters at the Halloween Ball. Written to a lively beat and poured with diverse illustrations, your kiddos will be grooving all the way to Halloween.
Día De Los Muertos by Roseanne Greenefield Thong breaks down this special Mexican Holiday for you and your littles. Removing lots of the culturally appropriated propoganda, this books allows the whole family to learn and celebrate by learning why this celebration is special and important.
Pumpkin Day by Candice Ransom is the perfect read before going to the pumpkin patch. The simple, rhyming text describes a family’s trip to the patch to find the perfect pumpkins. I love all of the adjectives used throughout the book, as they can be reinforced in daily conversations and activities.
Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman is a new release that just came out in August 2020. A bumpy ride back to school after a class trip to the pumpkin patch causes a latch to open on the bus causing all of the pumpkins to fall out. The only one left is a huge pumpkin strapped to the top of the bus. While disappointed, the students make the best of it by coming together to decorate the lone pumpkin. Just like the saying, make lemonade out of lemons, neighbors came together to make pumpkin pie (and other goodies) out of the smashed pumpkins that fell from the bus.
Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub is a good book to get your little ones counting. It features another field trip to the pumpkin patch, but this time, the class counts everything in sight! Lots of number practice on each page as you try to identify all of the things counted by the class.
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow by Wendell Minor will take readers on a fantasy ride! Little readers will learn lots of synonyms for big, while reimagining what some of the country’s landmarks would look like if enormous pumpkins were involved.
Super Spooked by Gina Bellisario is a part of the Ellie Ultra chapter book series. Ellie is invited over to a friend’s house for a Halloween sleepover. Everyone is having fun until the lights go out and Fairy Frightmare sprinkles nightmare dust all over them. You’ll have to read this one to find out if Ellie can conquer her fears to help save her friends.
