The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are on day 4 of winter break and LOVING it! I can't remember the last time we had so much downtime and everyone reallllllly needed it. Cam and I made these cookies the other day and are sharing them over at The Land of Nod blog -- go get the scoop and get baking -- I hear Santa might love them!

Hanukkah Dreidel Decorating

The winter holiday season is one of my most favorite times of the year. I love how each year we create and celebrate all sorts of family traditions. We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our home so there is a lot of celebrating! One of the kids' most favorite ways to celebrate Hanukkah is by decorating new dreidels each year. And they love to go through our collection and remember what we've done in the past. This year we decided to keep it simple and sparkly. Head over to Honest to Nod to see what we're spinning this season! 

A FUN Kids Table for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays! I love getting up early, having my coffee while reviewing my cooking schedule for the day, and having friends and family hang the whole day before dinner. We always have our kiddos eat with the adults, but this year I also wanted to add a kids table that focused on fun and creative activities that are also in the spirit of the holiday. Head over to Honest to Nod to see how we plan to do just that!

Kids Reading Lounge

It's a rainy day in D.C., so our new outdoor reading lounge is packed up at the moment, but you can head over to Honest to Nod to see how we roll it out when the sun is shining! So easy and super cozy.

Summer Camp Organization

We're hitting our summer stride and finally have our camp organization pulled together! Head over to Honest to Nod to see how I help the kids avoid losing their goggles (again. and again. and again.).

Summer Travel Kit

I don't know about you, but we seem to spend A LOT of time in our car in the summer. From adventurous day trips, rides to the beach, or just the innumerable daily errands I have to drag the kids on, there is a lot of backseat sitting. To help curb the "are we there yet?!" nagging, I put together a Summer Travel Kit with the help of The Land of Nod. Head over to their blog to check it out! 

DIY Ice Candles

One of my most favorite art projects is candlemaking, but my supplies have basically been stashed away since Kane was born. I was so excited to find them old enough now to start making simple candles. Head over to Honest to Nod to get the goods on these super cool Ice Candles they made! 

Kids Maker Area

I'm sure you've noticed that Cam has become a prolific maker of all kinds of arts and crafts. I can hardly keep up with the projects she's got going on at any given time. So we decided to make her her very own maker space. Head over to Honest to Nod to check it out!!

Angular Art Project

It feels like it's been forever since the kids sat down and did an art project together. But they both spent the good part of an hour working on this simple watercolor and permanent marker activity. Sometimes it's the simple things that work out the best! Head over to Honest to Nod to see how we made these pretty paintings.

Staying Active Indoors

We've had such erratic weather this season that playing outside almost always happens spur of the moment. I'll think, oh it's 70 degrees out now? Get out there! Then the next day it's freezing and threatening snow. So I've loaded up on indoor back up plans, including several new fun games from The Land of Nod. Head over to Honest to Nod to see what our kids thought and get my tips for keeping everyone moving, even when you're stuck inside! 

Chuck Close Self-Portraits

 As the kids get older, I've been trying to challenge them a bit more with more difficult art projects. Sure, we still do our fair share of free creative time. But when we are doing particular projects, I've been trying to find some that require a certain technique or study a particular artist. To that end, we are sharing our Chuck Close Self-Portrait project over at Honest to Nod and I kind of love them! It wasn't easy for the kids, but they stuck with it. And they've since reported back that they are trying the style out on their own at school too. Head over to Honest to Nod to check them out!

Giving Back Advent Calendar

I love, love the holiday season. But every year I feel like I spend inordinate amounts of time making sure our family focuses on the real meaning of the holidays and not just the piles of presents rolling in. We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our home, so it's no small feat. The kids are always asking me for an Advent Calendar, but I've resisted. This year, I decided to try something different: a Giving Back Advent Calendar. Head over to Honest to Nod to see what I put together! 

DIY Rainbow Hair Chalk

Cam is always after me to color her hair and I'm all for it. But I know well how it feels to take a leap with hair color and wake up the next morning with regret, so I have stayed away from permanent color with her. She finds hair clips annoying though so we decided to try out some bright hair chalk and LOVED it. Head over to Honest to Nod to see how we did it! 

p.s. I might have also tried to relive my own hot fuchsia hair days and colored a few of my own strands. My 21-year-old self sported a full head of pink curls with no problem, but my current self was glad it washed out the next morning.

Confetti Cheesecake Cups

We are on our way back to DC from a fun-filled weekend in Chicago celebrating my nephew's first birthday AND baptism. On top of that, Kane's birthday is tomorrow (8!), so are in full celebratory mode. Check out these sweet and super easy Confetti Cheesecake Cups we made over at Honest to Nod -- party in a cup!

DIY Pixel Art

Looking for a new art project to reach your little techie? Try out our DIY Pixel Art -- it shook Kane out of his Minecraft obsession long enough to focus his efforts on a fun family art project! Head over to Honest to Nod to see how we made it happen.

Stargazing Playdate

We finally knocked one of our long running bucket list items off! The kids and I spent an afternoon reading a few books about constellations and making our own yummy versions. Head over to Honest to Nod to see all the fun!

DIY Mirror Painting

I have been carting around a set of mirrors for several years with the goal of using them in a painting project. And we finally made it happen! Head over to Honest to Nod to see how we used them to paint the sky!

Take a Hike!

I've written a few times about what big fans we all are of Andrew Clements' books. We've listened to them exclusively on audiobook and he always has great narrators. Frindle had us all sitting outside our house just to finish another chapter. And A Week in the Woods was no different. Narrated by Ron Livingston, A Week in the Woods tells the tale of a boarding school boy searching for his place at home and in life. He gets serious about camping in advance of a school trip and learns all about survival gear. Kane and Cam LOVED it and wanted to set off right away with bear sticks and heat reflective emergency blankets. But before we dove headfirst into serious gear (because I'd never do that, uhemm uhemm), I thought The Land of Nod's Great Adventure Kit would be a good intro to the world of survival gear. Head over to Honest to Nod to see if they agreed!!

*Amazon links are affiliate links.

Grow Your Own Crystals!

This science project was one of our most favorite from our Summer Bucket List so far! The crystals grew incredibly fast and are super sturdy. And we are all about anything mythical these days. Head over to Honest to Nod to check out how we made these awesome unicorn crystals!

July 4th Granita!

We are all about festive desserts this summer! Head over to Honest to Nod to get all the deets on our July 4th granita recipe—it's plenty sweet without added sugar. Happy almost fourth!!