Category: random

Did you see my first ever holiday gift guide last week? If you did, you might have noticed that I had a section for children’s subscription boxes. These boxes were one of the first things I listed to include in my gift guide, because they make wonderful holiday gifts to be enjoyed monthly (or even year-round, depending on your subscription!). In our house, we LOVE it when the grandparents want to gift these to the girls, as they’re gifts that we know will have strong lasting power, and then every month when they arrive, we get to talk about how grateful we are that the grandparents give us such wonderful gifts!

One of our favorite children’s subscription boxes is Bookroo. Though it has been a few years since we’ve regularly received boxes, we had about a year and a half when we received monthly boxes from Bookroo, some board book boxes and some chapter book boxes (and for a bit, one of each!). The girls were thrilled every month when their Bookroo boxes arrived, we loved the unique books (some, like Wherever You Go, are still favorites around here 4 years later!), and though we own way too many books, we only ever received one book that we already had. They just do a phenomenal job picking their books.

Then, you might remember that I worked with Bookroo this summer as they launched their new reader platforms, and I absolutely love the work that they’re doing to help young readers get excited about reading and share the books they love. So, it was a no-brainer to include them on my gift guide! Read on for a little bit more about Bookroo and my discount code.

Continue reading “Bookroo Discount Code” →

Have you followed along in my reviews of Literati Kids book boxes? I used my first two reviews to focus on the content of the boxes (5 books PLUS book-related goodies), their “try-before-you-buy” policy, and the ease of returns. Today, I’m sharing two last important and unique features of Literati Kids for you — the price points of the books included, as well as the option to donate used books to readers in need.

Continue reading “An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 3” →

I had had my eye on this beautiful light table for years, but had a hard time with both the price tag and the space it would take up in our playroom-less house. So, I moved on from it to a light table “box” from the same company, one that could be easily moved around as needed, or even stored out of the way when necessary. But, the price tag continued to give us pause… Until my handy husband realized he could probably make the same thing himself for a fraction of the price!

So, more than a year ago, he tinkered away and created a beautiful DIY light table box for our younger daughter’s 4th birthday. In fact, we loved his creation so much that he even helped a friend make one for their children, too! And, many, many of you asked for the step-by-step of how to make this yourselves. So, at long last — but hopefully in time for the holiday season — we’ve finally gotten it together for you! Read on to see how you can create your own beautiful light table box for your who family’s enjoyment.

Continue reading “DIY Light Table Box Directions” →

You may remember that a few weeks ago, I posted an unsponsored review of Literati Kids Book Clubs. That review served as a broad overview of the company, as my older daughter and I learned more about it in general. Today, I’ve got Round 2 of our honest Literati reviews! We received our second Literati Kids box last week, and I thought that this time, I’d focus on the variety of books they send you and their price points, as well as the ease of the return process (if you choose to take advantage of it). After all, I think the “try before you buy” aspect of Literati Kids is what sets it apart from other children’s book subscription boxes! Read on for more about the variety of books, prices, and return process!

Continue reading “An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 2” →

A few weeks ago, I posted a few Instagram stories about our girls recycling their old crayons to make crayon “letters” to give to cousins and friends as gifts, and I had TONS of questions about how to do this and requests for instructions! So, here you go — instructions on how to make DIY recycled crayon “letters!”

Continue reading “DIY Recycled Crayon “Letters”” →

Do you all have a little mantra or saying that you repeat to your children before school each day, to help keep their minds on what’s truly important while they’re at school (or learning from home…)? We started one last year (“Be brave, be kind, and have fun!”), but this year decided to involve the girls in creating our daily school mantra, with each of us adding one line. Keep reading to see what we tell the girls (and ourselves…) every morning before school, as well as how we’re tracking these behaviors to keep them at the forefront of our minds.

Continue reading “Our 2020-2021 School Year Mantra” →