Tonya Staab

5 Minutes For Mom: Handmade Journals For Kids

We've been on summer vacation for over three weeks now. On the last day of school, the kids came home with piles of workbooks and papers from their classrooms. Some of those workbooks only had a few pages written in them and it seemed like such a waste to just throw them into the recycling bin, so when Marisol mentioned to me that she wanted to create her own summer bucket list and put together ideas for redecorating her bedroom I decided to create fun new journals for her.

If you'd like to make your own journals, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom where I'm sharing the tutorial to make these.

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Blissfully Domestic: Paper Heart Valentine's Day Craft

Looking for a fun craft project for the kids this weekend? I'm sharing the perfect Valentine's Day craft over at Blissfully Domestic. But this one doesn't need to be taken down after the holiday is over, leave it up year-round.

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A Stork Pinata Inspired by The Storks Movie

Disclosure: This blog post is sponsored by Warner Bros Pictures

The new animated movie, STORKS, is coming to theaters this weekend. The kids and I are so excited to catch an advance local screening this week.

STORKS comes from the studio that delivered THE LEGO MOVIE and stars the voice talent of Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Katie Crown, Danny Trejo.

Forever in party planning mode, of course this movie made me think of baby showers. My son, who is almost 21, went to a baby shower last weekend. Of course he had no idea what to buy as a gift, so sent me a copy of their needs and I put together a little stork inspired package for the happy couple containing a few essentials. And that got me to thinking about how fun it would be to have a stork themed baby shower, especially for a gender reveal, which seems to be all the rage at the moment.

And so I made this fun stork piñata that would be perfect for a gender reveal baby shower.

 

You would simply fill it with all things pink or blue.

The Centsible Life: DIY Fall Wreath Under $10

Are you decorating for Autumn?

It still feels like summer here in California, but I'm determined to get into the fall spirit, even if it means just looking at fall colors indoors.

I'm sharing how to make this simple, and inexpensive fall wreath over at The Centsible Life today.

Happy fall everyone!

 

A Captain Underpants Printable Bookmark

Disclosure: This blog post and free printable has been sponsored by Scholastic.

With back-to-school in full swing I've been stocking up on the reading material for the twins. I have them read every night in bed, it seems to help them calm down and decompress from the day. Plus  Reading Gives You Superpowers, okay, and it's part of their weekly homework.

My little man can easily read a short book every night, so I'm trying to find more lengthy books that he loves that will take him a little longer. Captain Underpants has been a hit in the past. My parents bought him his first one a couple of years ago so I can't wait for him to start reading the latest in the series Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-a-Lot. 

I also made him a special bookmark to go with the book. He's visiting his dad at the moment so I can't wait to give this to him when he comes home. I think he'll find the bookmark hilarious, because what little boy doesn't think underpants are hysterical.

Here's what you need to make the bookmark:

DIY Box Tops Container

Disclosure: This blog post has been sponsored by General Mills®

My kids' love collecting Box Tops for school, especially Marisol, who more often than not will search every item I bring home from the grocery store, and before the package has even been opened she's clipped Box Tops off and put them aside. In fact while preparing for this post, I'd purchased a number of Bonus Box Tops product at Walmart. Normally I put items aside on the kitchen counter if they still need to be photographed, but I forgot this time and put them away in the pantry and refrigerator. The next day I came back to photograph them and what do you know, all the Box Tops were missing already. So it was off to the store again for me.

She loves that she can support the school by helping them earn extra money, plus the classes often compete and whichever class collects the most Box Tops is rewarded with a party.

 

I had been keeping the Box Tops we collected on my office desk so I'd always remember to turn them in. When I came home from a recent trip Marisol had made a little paper bag that she'd hung inside the pantry so that as she cut them off she could put them straight in, but it was paper and was getting banged around a little so we decided to make something a little sturdier that we could put on the kitchen counter near the pantry instead.