September 13, 2018

DIY Wreck-It Ralph Family Costume Ideas for Florida Weather

Written by christie 3 Comments
Crafts & Entertainment

Looking for fun Disney themed costumes for the whole family? Make these DIY Wreck-It Ralph Family Costume Ideas for Florida Weather. May contain commissioned links.

DIY Wreck-It Ralph Family Costume Ideas for Florida Weather

I love that my kids are getting to the age where they love family themed Halloween costumes. It’s really the bomb-dot-com. And with Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 movie sequel coming out this fall, it’s time to wreck it with some really amazing costumes for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. But Houston, we have a problem.

Wreck-It Ralph never had to deal with Florida heat and humidity…in August. A predicted 90 degree night meant a few Florida modifications to the classic Disney look. But I can fix it! See how we made these DIY Wreck-It Ralph Family Costume Ideas for our Not So Scary night, kid and Florida weather approved!

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July 30, 2018

No Sew Water Bottle Holder for Back-to-School + I Can Read! Giveaway

Written by christie 81 Comments
Crafts

We are preparing for kindergarten with this No Sew Water Bottle Holder for Back-to-School. This post is sponsored by HarperCollins and the I Can Read! Early Reader Series. All kindergarten-ready opinions are my own.

No Sew Water Bottle Holder for Back-to-School + I Can Read! Giveaway

250 sight words memorized by the end of kindergarten – no pressure. I’ve got one little girl entering the “BIG school” this year and we are doing everything we can this summer to make her kindergarten year the best school year ever. Reading is not only a priority, it’s a necessity for my daughter’s love of learning for all of her school years to come. Find out how we’re using the I Can Read! Early Reader Series to help prepare for kindergarten, plus make your own No Sew Water Bottle Holder for Back-to-School (inspired by Pinkalicious), and be sure to scroll down for a fun giveaway!

Getting Ready for Kindergarten with I Can Read!

I admit that getting a 5-year old excited about reading is not always an easy task. Unlike her brother (who can read a chapter book with no prompting), it takes a bit more coaxing to get my daughter to read without a groan. But with kindergarten on the horizon, reading is our #1 priority. And when flash cards and reading logs don’t work, I call in the reinforcements.

I Can Read! Early Reader Series is a fun and easy way to get my kindergartner excited about learning to read. The easy I Can Read! color coded levels help parents and kids find the books that fit their learning needs. The “My First: Shared Reading” and “Level 1: Beginning Reading” levels are perfect for my upcoming kindergartner. With characters she knows and loves like Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, The Berenstain Bears and more, lots of colorful illustrations, stories geared for little learners and simple sentences for success, my daughter is slowly but surely gaining the confidence to sound out words, read on her own and most importantly get excited about the big school year ahead.

This girly girl can’t get enough of Pinkalicious. Pink + unicorns + excitement for school = one happy little girl. We’ve been reading this book over and over to get ready for kindergarten.

No Sew Water Bottle Holder, inspired by Pinkalicious!

My little girl just absolutely adores everything Pinkalicious. Inspired by her new Pinkalicious I Can Read! Early Reader Series book, we are getting ready for kindergarten a little early with this easy No Sew Water Bottle Holder. Reading and growing go hand in hand, and we always have a drink ready during our reading time together. I want to ensure that she always has water on hand to fuel up her little brain for more learning, especially during school. Can you guess what color we made it? Yup, PINK! Ready to make your own Pinkalicious No Sew Water Bottle Holder in just a few minutes? Here’s how:

What You Will Need:

(1) O-Ring (found in the plumbing section of your home improvement store)
Sturdy ribbon (we chose this fun pink pom-pom ribbon)
1/4-inch thick ribbon cut into about 6 inch strips (get creative and use different colors, patterns and more!)
Scissors
Hot Glue

Directions:

Cut your sturdy ribbon to fit your child (either cross body or strap).
Tie each end of the sturdy ribbon strap around the O-Ring and secure with a knot. Hot glue the knot in place. Allow to dry.
Loop in your 1/4-inch thick ribbon strips around the O-Ring as shown. Alternate colors if desired.
Place the neck of your water bottle into the middle of the O-ring.

Allow your child to carry,

and drink from their own no sew water bottle holder!

Perfect for carrying around with her this kindergarten school year or on-the-go for our many after-school adventures, I love how this no sew water bottle holder expresses her love of pink and encourages her to read more Pinkalicious books! Help get your little learner ready for the school year with I Can Read! Early Reader Series books. Check out all of the amazing kid-friendly titles at ICanRead.com.

Follow HarperCollins on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

I Can Read! Books Prize Pack Giveaway

Ready to get your little reader excited to read this back-to-school season? Enter to win a HUGE I Can Read! Early Reader Series books prize pack including:

An Assortment of (5) I Can Read! Early Reader Series Books
(1) State Bags Lunchbox
(1) State Bags Pencil Case

over $75 value! Open to U.S. residents only. Ends 8/6/18. Here’s how to enter:

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July 9, 2018

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 Craft + New Trailer #RalphBreaksTheInternet

Written by christie 3 Comments
Crafts & Entertainment

Get ready for the long awaited 2018 Disney movie sequel with this Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 Craft + New Trailer. Cute and easy DIY kids craft idea! May contain commissioned links.

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 Craft + New Trailer #RalphBreaksTheInternet

Guess who has been dying to make a Wreck-It Ralph craft? “The kitty gets the milkshake. The bunny gets the pancake!” The Ralph Breaks the Internet teaser trailer certainly got the world’s attention with a baby Moana playing an adorable bunny and kitty app on her tablet. The exploding bunny and confused kitty certainly peaked my interest with this new Wreck-It Ralph 2 Craft idea. Make your own “eating” bunny and kitty, complete with their very own pancakes and milkshake as we get ready for the Wreck-It Ralph sequel. Grab your fun and easy tutorial and check out the new trailer. November 21st can’t come soon enough.

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July 2, 2018

Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids + Juicy Juice GIVEAWAY

Written by christie 146 Comments
Crafts & Giveaways

Super excited for Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2? Make this Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids for a fun play date idea! This post is sponsored by Juicy Juice. All crafty opinions are my own.

Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids + Juicy Juice GIVEAWAY

Do you have your super suit? Time to suit up for Incredibles 2 in theaters with limited-edition Incredibles 2 Juicy Juice and this fun and Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids! Great idea for a play date or a summer craft, your kids will love bringing out their very own super powers for the most anticipated animated film of the summer! And that’s not all! Get ready for an INCREDIBLE summer with new limited-edition Incredibles 2 Juicy Juice, enter the $10,00 Incredibles Family Adventure Sweepstakes, and of course, scroll down for a fun Juicy Juice giveaway!

Limited-Edition “Incredibles 2” Juicy Juice + SWEEPSTAKES!

Ready to suit up for the biggest animated movie of the summer? Incredibles 2 is in theaters now and your family can experience all of the fun with this FREE Incredibles 2 Ticket Offer and Sweepstakes from Juicy Juice! On shelves May 1, Juicy Juice Disney•Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” 100% juice will be available in 8-pack juice boxes in Apple, Berry, Fruit Punch and Grape, and multi-serve bottles in Apple, Berry, Fruit Punch, Cherry, Kiwi Strawberry and Orange Tangerine.

Ready to make your family adventures more incredible? Enter the $10,000 Incredible Family Adventure Sweepstakes! Visit juicyjuice.com/Incredibles2 for a chance to win $10,000 for an Incredible Family Adventure. The fun is endless! [No Purchase Necessary to enter Sweepstakes, ends 10/31/18 at 04:59 p.m. ET, 18+, 50 U.S. & D.C. Void where prohibited.]

Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids

Are your kids incredibly excited for Incredibles 2 in theaters? To celebrate our favorite Disney super heroes returning to the big screen, we made this Easy Incredibles 2 Craft for Kids. Easy, fun and full of creativity, your kids will love making and wearing their Incredibles 2 mask as they watch the film! Ready to get started?

What You Will Need:

Black super hero masks
Your child’s favorite craft supplies like letters, glow-in-the-dark pens, glitter glue, paint and more!
Creativity & super hero abilities

Directions:

Have your child decorate their super hero mask to match their amazing super hero personality!
Wear your Incredibles 2 mask craft as they enjoy limited-edition “Incredibles 2” Juicy Juice!

We had the best play date as we made this easy Incredibles 2 craft for kids and enjoyed our favorite limited-edition Incredibles 2 Juicy Juice too! Talk about an incredible day! Bonus – the masks make the perfect accessories as you watch the film! Get ready for Incredibles 2 in theaters now with Juicy Juice and limited-edition Incredibles 2 juice bottles and juice boxes. Be sure to follow Juicy Juice via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest juice products, offers and more.

Incredibles 2 & Juicy Juice Giveaway

Excited for Incredibles 2? Get ready for the most anticipated animated movie of the summer with this Incredibles 2 & Juicy Juice giveaway! One lucky reader will win an Incredibles 2 & Juicy Juice prize pack including:

(4) Fandango tickets to see Incredibles 2 in theaters (up to $60 value)
(1) FREE Juicy Juice coupon for product of choice
(4) Limited-Edition Incredibles 2 Juicy Juice boxes
(1) Incredibles 2 beach towel
(1) Set of Incredibles 2 stickers
(4) Masks + craft supplies to make your own Incredibles 2 Mask Craft with your kids

over a $75 value! Open to U.S. residents only. Ends 7/13. Here’s how to enter:

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June 15, 2018

FREE Incredibles 2 Lunch Notes Printable + Bento Box Ideas

Written by christie 3 Comments
Crafts & Entertainment

Get ready for Disney Pixar’s Incredibles 2 movie with these FREE Incredibles 2 Lunch Notes + Incredible Bento Box Ideas. This post is sponsored by Pixar. All yummy opinions are my own.

FREE Incredibles 2 Lunch Notes Printable + Bento Box Ideas

It’s an INCREDIBLE day for a movie! Incredibles 2 is open in theaters starting today, June 15th! (See my full Incredibles 2 movie review here.) To celebrate, I’m “super” excited to share the super hero love with these FREE Incredibles 2 Lunch Notes. Perfect for summer camp reminders, back-to-school notes or just some extra encouragement, I adore how these comic book inspired lunch notes show your incredible kids how much they are loved! Grab your free printable now to get a head start on those back-to-school lunches plus grab an adorable Incredibles 2 Bento Box lunch ideas!

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May 16, 2018

Pool Noodle Unicorn DIY to Celebrate Nella the Princess Knight #NellaThePrincessKnight

Written by christie 4 Comments
Crafts & Entertainment

Celebrate the new preschool show Nella the Princess Knight with this easy Pool Noodle Unicorn DIY. This post is sponsored by Nickelodeon. All royally awesome opinions are my own.

Pool Noodle Unicorn DIY to Celebrate Nella the Princess Knight #NellaThePrincessKnight

I’ve got a preschooler ready to ride off into the sunset – literally. As we begin to wind down our last few days of Pre-K, my daughter is already dreaming up summer adventures with her new favorite show, Nella the Princess Knight! Since she already had the sword, crown and necklace, I knew the next logical step was to get her noble steed to ride. So we made Nella’s trusty friend Trinket in this Pool Noodle Unicorn DIY. Come celebrate the newest princess in the hood with this adorable DIY unicorn idea, and watch Nella the Princess Knight weekdays on Nickelodeon.

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May 10, 2018

DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft + The Itchy Book Giveaway

Written by christie 68 Comments
Crafts & Giveaways

Celebrate the newest Disney Books release, The Itchy Book, with this easy DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft your kids will love! Post sponsored by Disney Books. All dinosaur-iffic opinions are my own.

DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft + The Itchy Book Giveaway

Itching to get your little ones to read more? Me too! With Kindergarten on the horizon, I’m collecting all of the books I can for my littlest reader. She absolutely LOVES reading books right now – and I love that she loves learning to read. Disney Books always has really fun and engaging titles for my kids. It’s not too surprising that the latest new book already has my girl giggling with just the title name. Check out why we love The Itchy Book and make this easy DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft too.

About The Itchy Book

From Disney Books and the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series, this hilarious new book dives into what happens when you combine dinosaurs and that nagging little itch! Perfect for young readers age 6-8 years old, my daughter loves laughing along as dinosaurs resist the urge to scratch in The Itchy Book. Using easy-to-repeat word phrases, an engaging comic book like read and brightly colored illustrations, my daughter is picking up new words and reading them with ease!

Itchy dinosaurs try to follow a very important, very prehistoric rule. A rule so important and so prehistoric, it’s written in stone. DINOSAURS DO NOT SCRATCH!

Triceratops has an itch. . . so does Pterodactyl. . . and Brontosaurus. . . and T-Rex! But Dino-Mo reminds them all of the BIG rule: Dinosaurs do not scratch! What’s an itchy dinosaur to do? Find out in this hilariously charming beginning reader by author/illustrator LeUyen Pham.

DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft

I couldn’t resist the itch (see what I did there) to make a fun little craft to go along with this adorable new book. This DIY Back Scratcher Dinosaur Craft is the perfect activity to pair with The Itchy Book! Read together then craft together, WINNING! So easy and fun too.

What you will need:

Wood paint stirrer (Hello, FREE craft supply!)
2-5 Wood clothespins
Favorite dinosaur colored paint
2-5 Bobby pins
Glue
Optional: favorite dinosaur inspired “accessories” like pom poms, glitter, etc.

Directions:

Paint the stir stick and clothespins in your child’s favorite dinosaur color. Allow to dry. If desired, let them glue on dinosaur accessories (like pom poms, glitter, construction paper) to bring out their dino’s personality.
Bend bobby pins at one end to curl like a dinosaur claw. Place claw inside of clothespin and glue in place.
On one end of the paint stick, arrange and attach your clothespins at the non-opening ends (3-5 dependent on how many claws your child would like). Glue in place.
If desired, embellish your DIY Back Scratcher with crafty accessories.
DONE! Allow your child scratch all of their itches with their own dino themed DIY back scratcher, perfect for reading along with The Itchy Book!

To scratch or not to scratch, we are loving our new book – definitely on rotation through the summer as we get ready for kindergarten! Learn more about The Itchy Book and the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series from Disney Books. We absolutely love the titles that come out – so fun for my *almost* kindergartner!

Follow Disney Books on social media for the latest new kids book releases: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The Itchy Book Prize Pack Giveaway

Itching to get your hands on a copy of the newest kids book from Disney Books plus a collection of books for summer reading? YES! Enter now to win The Itchy Book Prize Pack including:

Copy of The Itchy Book
2 more Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! titles: We Are Growing! and The Cookie Fiasco
The final Elephant & Piggie title: The Thank You Book
Branded back scratcher
Custom THANK-O-RAMA “Thank You” notes!

Open to U.S. residents only. Ends 5/18. Here’s how to enter:

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April 16, 2018

Incredibles 2 Kids Craft | DIY Pixar Concept Art Super Hero

Written by christie 6 Comments
Crafts & Entertainment

Our #Incredibles2Event visit to Pixar Animation Studios inspired this Incredibles 2 Kids Craft. Make your own DIY PIxar Concept Art Super Hero, just like the Pixar animators do! This post is sponsored by Disney. All “incredible” opinions are my own.

Incredibles 2 Kids Craft | DIY Pixar Concept Art Super Hero

I have a whole new respect for anyone who is a concept artist. After sitting down with Pixar artist Alonso Martinez, I realized just how many important steps go into the making of a Pixar film. And one of my favorite Incredibles 2 sessions at Pixar Animation Studios was learning to create our own concept art super hero, just like the ones we love today. So that inspired this Incredibles 2 Kids Craft. Grab the kids, paper, scissors, glue and their Pixar animator creativity as we make our own DIY Pixar Concept Art Super Hero, just like the pros.

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March 13, 2018

FREE License Plate Game Printable for Kids

Written by christie 15 Comments
Crafts & Family

Taking the family on a road trip? Don’t forget to print this FREE License Plate Game Printable for Kids before you get into the car! This post is sponsored by G.H. Cretors. All delicious opinions are my own.

FREE License Plate Game Printable for Kids

Would you take your family on the ultimate road trip? We recently visited friends who made me take a different look at our family life. In a few months they had bought an RV, sold their possessions, and packed up their family. Now, they are beginning a beautiful journey to travel the country as a family over the next few years. Needless to say, we were shocked, excited and hopeful for this amazing road trip adventure ahead.

“Is this your house?” “Does your bed go with you?” “Can you go potty in here?”

Visiting their home-on-wheels got us dreaming of our own family adventures. Where will the road take us this year? I honestly don’t know. But one thing is for sure, our kids will definitely be along for the ride. Road trips with kids in tow can be challenging. That’s why we will be road tripping with this FREE License Plate Game Printable for Kids – and lots of road trip snacks, of course.

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March 5, 2018

Sherlock Gnomes Ice Cream Party Ideas

Written by christie 26 Comments
Crafts

Celebrate the new Sherlock Gnomes movie in theaters March 23rd with these Easy Sherlock Gnomes Ice Cream Party Ideas! This post is sponsored by Paramount Pictures. All delicious opinions are my own.

Sherlock Gnomes Ice Cream Party Ideas

Who can say “gnome” to ice cream? I certainly can’t. With the new movie Sherlock Gnomes hitting theaters on March 23rd, I knew that ice cream sundaes were close on the horizon. Something about those adorable hats and ice cream cones, am I right? Grab your spoon and your love of everything gnome-y as we dive into these tasty Sherlock Gnomes Ice Cream Party Ideas to celebrate this lovable family-friendly film!

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