My daughter Clara wanted an ice cream pool party for her eleventh birthday! Boy was this one fun to put together. There are so many fun affordable options out there for ice cream themes. Too easy! Here’s what we came up with. You can decorate with me in my YouTube video too! I started off… Read More Ice cream pool party!
I don’t know who’s easier to buy a gift for than a 5-year-old girl. For the most part think mermaids, princesses, glitter and the color pink. (But of course if the little girl you have in mind isn’t into all that, you should definitely check out my other 5-year-old list here!) Now hold onto your… Read More Gift ideas for a 5-year-old girl
My second boy turned eight last month, so it’s time to update my kid gift list! There’s something here for everyone — the athlete, the scientist, the outdoorsman, the chef … These are the things I’ve noticed 8-year olds go nuts over: LEGO I’ll go ahead and start the list with the big one at… Read More Gift ideas for a 8-year-old boy
Here are my daughters’ favorite toys! I’ve chosen gifts that will promote pretend play and imagination, as well as durable so they can withstand lots of play. This is such a fun age! I hope she enjoys them. Bag and accessories The first thing I would buy for a girl this age is this Minnnie… Read More Gift ideas for a 4-year-old girl
This weekend Clara turned three! We celebrated with a small family party at her demand … I mean request. She had the absolute time of her life and is now fully stocked with a lifetime supply of wands, bright plastic jewelry and tutus. I’ll share my tiny budget with you and how I didn’t buy… Read More How to save money on birthday parties
Today I’m adding two-year-old girl gifts my kid gift series. Clara turned two in April and I’m fascinated to see the difference between her and her brothers tastes in toys. She likes some things that they did, of course, but then she wants to carry a little purse around and always has a baby under… Read More Gift ideas for 2-year-old girls
I started this fun little tradition of asking the same 10 questions every year to my boys. This year Clara turned two so I did her first page. I’ve got the printable templates to do your own below. I’m not sure how long I’ll do these. In the back of my mind I think about… Read More 10 yearly birthday questions templates
Clara Anne is the sweetest thing I ever did see. She rarely fusses. Her smile comes easy and is contagious. She likes to know Mom or Dad will hold her, but would prefer to go exploring. She’s taking steps and toddling around. She does that precious backwards hand wave babies do. “Mama” is always on… Read More Clara turns one
My parents have little lines penciled all up and down the molding beside their pantry with coinciding names and dates. My mom started charting my brother’s height, (my short self had already stopped growing, darn it!) but soon there were lines for cousins and then friends and then even grown adults! When people come back to… Read More Easy DIY ruler growth chart
Luca turned four this year and Adriano just turned three! My toy-testers definitely have their favorites they go back to again and again. Here are my kid gift ideas for four-year-old boys: Digital camera Our favorite toy the boys got this year was a kid’s digital camera. It’s been dropped, banged around, and still takes pictures. We’ve got… Read More Gift ideas for 4-year-old boys
About a week ago we had a little birthday party for Adriano. It was really fun — even for Marcello and I! Normally Marcello has a tendency to go overboard on the food, and I have a tendency to go overboard on the decorations. But this time we seemed to have maybe found our balance of simple… Read More Kids birthday party checklist
My oldest son, Luca, turned three this year, so I thought I’d update my kid gift idea list to include three-year-old boys. (For more, see 1-year-old gift ideas and 2-year-old gift ideas). These are his favorites: Cash register I bought this toy cash register because I saw it on so many kid lists. I wasn’t sure… Read More Gift ideas for 3-year-old boys