From the category archives:

Birthdays & Holidays

Nine (Nearly) Free Things To Do on Labor Day Weekend

August 31, 2010

We had a baby on July 29 and I’ll be taking some time off to welcome him to the world. I am grateful to friends and fellow bloggers who are helping out with guest posts.  This article is by Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore of Buttoned Up. Labor Day is your opportunity to give summer one [...]

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Make Your Own Gourmet Easter Cupcakes

March 18, 2010

My daughters still talk about making these cupcakes for their little brother, whose birthday is near Easter. You could buy a batch of cupcakes, but they would cost you a pretty penny and would also rob you of the joy of making something as silly as these treats. Plan Ahead and Spread Out the Fun [...]

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Sleepover Party: Really Cheap but Worth It? (Final Episode)

February 19, 2010

This is the second part of an article that began with a debate over birthday party dilemmas and plans for a new kind of party. So my 7-year-old’s sleepover party is set: the RSVPs are in (two friends will join Sofia and her sister), the groceries are bought, and the goodie bags are ready. Easy-Peasy Preparation Compared [...]

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Sleepover Party: Really Cheap but Worth It?

February 16, 2010

I have a love-hate relationship with birthday parties. The idea — and preparation — are fun and exciting. It’s when the party has to actually take place that I run into problems. For my kids, it’s the best day of their lives so far. For me, it’s stressful, exhausting, and disappointing. Yet I dive in [...]

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Make Your Own Party Favor Lollipops

February 11, 2010

This post was written in honor of the fight against ovarian cancer, in an effort sponsored by Modern Mom and Buttoned Up. See the end of the post to vote in Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off:  for every vote, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The only problem with these lollipops is [...]

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How to Throw a Last-Minute New Year’s Eve Party

December 27, 2009

When I was single, New Year’s Eve always presented a dilemma: restaurants and organized parties charged an arm and a leg, but how to make the night special? Now that we have children, finding and paying a babysitter doubles the premium for a night out. Over the past few years, we’ve developed a new tradition [...]

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Re-Using Wrap: Order in the Frenzy

December 23, 2009

Even if you appreciate a beautifully packaged present (like I do), you will rarely have to buy wrapping supplies if you can hang onto the trimmings of birthday and holiday gifts. On Christmas morning, we set out several shopping bags to collect re-usable wrapping paper, ribbons and cards. Kids can join in the fun by [...]

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Holiday Traditions: Making Candy

December 20, 2009

Rituals that a family looks forward to each year can take the pressure off presents.  ”I think the best way to de-commercialize Christmas w/kids is to have lots of non-gifting traditions,” wrote writer and parent Nancy Shohet West on Twitter a few weeks ago. Holiday rituals are keepers of our values and pleasures.  As Nancy [...]

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Do-It-Yourself: Sparkly Pine Cones

December 14, 2009

Classy in a quiet way, these pine cone ornaments are basically free and are fun to make with children. What You’ll Need pine cones school glue glitter (we used shades of white) string (optional) Christmas ornament hooks (optional) How to Make Them Gather pine cones. Our family collected pine cones under evergreen trees in Central [...]

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