Questionable Choices in Parenting

Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me

Egg-ceptionally Easy and Fun Easter Crafts and Activities

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When the Easter egg hunt that you carefully planned only lasts 10 minutes, you’ll need to hop into action to find a few quick and creative ways to keep your kids entertained. From your youngest bunny to your oldest chick, these super easy and super cute Easter activities and DIYs will be egg-sactly what you need to keep every bunny egg-static.

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Bunny Bowling– Once you set up Bunny Bowling, even the adults will want to take a few turns at trying for a strike. Using a plastic tablecloth as the bowling alley, pool noodles as the bumpers, water bottles for the bunny bowling pins, and a large plastic egg as the bowling ball, you’ve got a bowling game that is a real crowd pleaser.

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Easter Grass Seed Bombs– When it comes to Easter baskets, we’ve got a strict No-Easter-Grass policy in our house because it magically multiplies and I’ll find it in random corners of my house at Christmastime. But for this festive craft, you can put paper Easter grass to good use. Start by soaking the paper grass in water. Then add a few packets of seeds—like wildflowers– and gently mix. Create shapes by molding the mixture using cookie cutters, muffin tins, or even plastic eggs. When the seed bombs dry, spread them in a garden or in your yard and wait for your spring flowers to sprout.

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Egg Engineering– With a little Playdoh and plastic eggs, your tiny engineers can create and build egg-defying towers and sculptures. This is the perfect boredom buster when the youngest guests finish Easter brunch before the adults.

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Bunny Goggles– These silly bunny goggles are eggs-tra cute and super easy to make. Using white construction paper, cut out a bunny face and attach to sunglasses for a simple and sweet craft. Kids will love personalizing, decorating, and sporting their bunny googles during Easter festivities.

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Little Chick Place Card Holders– Let your kids help set the table for Easter brunch by making these adorable place card holders for all of your guests. Using small terracotta pots and craft paint, kids can personalize the pots and create a chick from a plastic spoon. Attach name cards and this DIY becomes adorable table decor that guests can take home.

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DIY Bubble Blower– Bubbles are a springtime favorite so let’s have a little more bubble fun by creating our own bubble blower. All you need is a cup and a straw to make egg-stravagent bubble.

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Peep Village– Looking for an easy way to get rid of all that Easter candy–seriously, we still have Halloween candy hanging around our house– Create a Peep Paradise or a Bunny Village for your marshmallow Peeps by building graham crackers houses. A little icing works great as the glue, and Easter candy as accents will make these houses sweet and one of a kind. Let your kids create their Easter village on foil lined cookie sheets to cut down on the mess and cleanup.

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Ice Cubes Gone Wild: The Best Ice Cube Tray Hacks

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If you are only using your ice cube trays to make ice, you need to put them to work! Yesterday I spent the morning over at Good Morning Washington to share my favorite ice cube tray hacks. Since live news can be so unpredictable, breaking news unfolded and part of my segment was cut! However, I’ve got the video of the segment and a few pictures and the details for the ideas that I didn’t get to share. I love spending my morning over at GMW, and I’ll let you know when I’ll be back!

Freeze Veggies: If you’ve got kiddos that refuse to eat their veggies, make veggie cubes! Buy vegetables like spinach and kale in bulk, chop them up, and place them in ice cube trays with hot water. The hot water will blanch the veggies so they keep their color and healthy nutrients. Freeze the cubes and when you are cooking, toss a few cubes into things like soups, sauce, or smoothies. Or when you bake, add a few veggie cubes to muffins for a sweet but healthy treat!

Seed Bombs– I’m not a fan of Easter grass but here’s a fun way to re-purpose that messy grass. Using paper grass–or colorful construction paper- cut or tear into small chunks and soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Then pop it into the food processor to make a pulp. Push the pulp into ice cube trays–I used a fun heart shaped tray- and add a packet of seeds. Top off with more pulp and let it dry for 24 hours. Let your kids put the seed bombs into a garden or spread in the grass. They will love watching the seed bombs bloom!

Make a New Crayon- If you are a mom, there’s a good chance you have a few broken crayons in your bag and probably all over your house, too. So take those broken crayons and use them to make new and fun shaped crayons. Start by taking the paper off the crayons– soaking in hot, soapy water helps to make this process faster. Then break up the crayons and place them in a silicone ice cube tray. Fill the tray to the top because the wax shrinks when it melts. Then pop in the oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let the crayon cool completely before taking it out the mold. When it’s all done, you’ll have a giant crayon that colors every color of the rainbow. So much fun!

 

Laundry Hacks on Good Morning Washington

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Laundry can seem like a never-ending task. By the time you’ve finished washing a load, the hamper is already building up again. To help ease the process with several time-cutting laundry hacks, I stopped by to see my pals at Good Morning Washington share how to fold shirts in two seconds, de-wrinkle a shirt without an iron, and how to save clothes that have shrunk in the dryer!

Here’s my segment from Good Morning Washington!

 

Valentine’s Day Hacks: Thumprint Vases and Twine Heart Candles

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Let’s get crafty! But, let’s keep it simple, OK? I’m making adorable thumbprint vases that are perfect to give as a sweet Valentine’s Day gift and twine heart candles that are easy to make but look so chic. Here’s my latest from my webseries on TLC.

 

Valentine’s Day Life Hacks: Candy Candle and Queen of Hearts Garland

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Don’t spend a ton of money on Valentine’s day decor! Here’s quick hack to make gorgeous candles and garland fit for a Queen! Both are perfect for a special Valentine’s dinner.

My latest from my TLC webseries.

 

Super Bowl Party Hacks: DIY on a Budget

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It’s almost time for Super Bowl Sunday and no matter which team you are cheering for (or if you’re like me and just watching for the commercials and halftime show) you can still put together an amazing Super Bowl party without breaking the bank. Today I was visiting my pals at Good Morning Washington and I shared some football-friendly party hacks that will help you score big during the Big Game. See the segment here!

Click right here to see the segment!

 

Game Day Mason Jar and Mug

I love how these mason jars turned out, and they were SO easy to make. Just a little craft paint and a few sponge brushes and you have the perfect silverware and straw holders for your party. These mason jars were such a hit, my husband has already claimed them for next football season when he hosts tailgates.

If you’re serving up beer, soda, or cocktails, skip the plastic cups and grab a few mason jars with handles. I used a little white tape and turned them into football mugs that are perfect for any pigskin party.

Guacamole Stadium

I’ve been obsessed with these dip stadiums ever since they started popping up on Pinterest. Even though they look super impressive, turns out, they’re easy to make. The trick is in the tin foil wall. Just grab two tin rectangle containers–one large and one small. In the smaller container, build two tin foil “walls” and place them inside the container. Pour the guacamole in the center and the salsa and queso on either side. Now you have the field and two end zones. Put sour cream inside a plastic bag and cut off one end. Draw lines to mimic the field and the tin foil walls. Place the smaller container inside the larger container and fill with chips and crackers.  Boom–you’ve got an entire stadium!

Field Goal Drink Station

For this fun centerpiece and drink station, it’s time to head to your favorite hardware store. With a few pieces of PVC piping and connector pieces and an indoor/outdoor carpet wrapped around a plastic container, you have the perfect place to keep all your drinks cold for the Big Game. When the party is over, this would make the perfect addition for your game room or as a laundry basket for your favorite young football fan’s bathroom. You can ask to have the PVC piping cut at the store or grab a small piping cutter if you want to cut the PVC at home.

DIY Field Tablecloth and Turn Bunting

I grabbed this green table cloth from the dollar store, added white duct tape to look like the lines on the field, and white paint for the numbers. That’s it! So easy and so cute.

For the bunting use leftover pieces from the indoor/outdoor carpet into trianlges, white paint or tape and hot glue to attach to white ribbon.

Football Brownie Bites

No need to make these brownie from scratch! Grab the brownie bites from the bakery and with a little white icing, add the laces for a bite size yummy treat.