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  • DIY, Sponsored

    DIY Wall Paint Stencil

    I was compensated for my time and this blog post. All opinions and positions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.

     

    It’s official, The Princess Fairy starts Kindergarten in only one month. That means it’s officially time to prepare for Kindergarten. Now that my big girl is going to be handing in homework on a daily basis, I wanted to create a cute and comfortable space in our New York City apartment for her to do her assignments. This weekend, I started the first part of decorating the space – painting. She wanted unicorns so I made a DIY Wall Paint Stencil in the shape of a unicorn. I wanted to share this fun DIY for you moms who are also working on homework spaces. Of course, you and your child can choose any shape you want, but my girl LOVES unicorns.

    ace-hardware-color-samples

    Our first step was to find the perfect color; we headed off to Ace Hardware and sorted through their awesome selection of paint samples. I must say the staff at the Ace Hardware store was very helpful. It was a tad bit overwhelming for me but The Princess Fairy was determined and she selected Clark + Kensington paint samples. Since, samples were on sale for only $0.99, I also grabbed two other adorable colors, one from Clark + Kensington line and one from the Vaspar line, for other projects.

    Here’s a before photo of the space, it’s the corner where the kids randomly play.

    Ace-hardware-before

    To make a DIY paint stencil, you’ll need the following:

    Paintbrush

    Cardboard

    Scissors

    Tape

    Paint Samples

     To make this stencil:

    1. Trace the desired design/shape on cardboard.
    2. Cut the cardboard into the design.
    3. Using tape, stick the cardboard on area of wall where you want to add design.
    4. Trace the outline onto the wall using an artist brush.
    5. Paint the interior of the shape.
    6. Don’t be intimidated to add some personality. For instance, I added hair to the unicorns but if you choose a car shape you can add a smile to the car.
    7. Allow to dry and then decorate the space.

    cut-template

    My daughter loved the design and we temporarily put her easel in her homework space as we use it a ton in the summer for at-home learning. She is excited to go shopping for her big girl desk and chair and I am definitely excited to share more on the journey of completing her homework space on the blog.

     

    DIY-stencil-afterDIY-unicorn-wall-stencildiy-stencildiy-ace-hardware-paint-samples-after

    Where do your kids do their homework? Did you create a special space for them?

    Updated Ace Logo

    Getting help at the paint studio at Ace is like going to your neighbor. Visit thepaintstudio.com to find your neighborhood paint studio as well as expert tips and inspiration.

    $.99 paint pint offer valid on Valspar and Clark+Kensington. At participating stores 8/1-8/31. Prices may vary. Limit 4. Color samples must be tinted in unique colors. I was compensated for my time and this blog post. All opinions and positions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.

     

     

  • DIY, Sponsored

    DIY Finger Puppets + Free Books

     This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #Back2SchoolReady #CollectiveBias

    diy-puppets

    It’s no secret that reading is a priority for me as a mom, that’s one of the reasons that I love the Read 1K Book Club so much. Whether you’ve already joined us on this amazing journey or not (you should),  I wanted to share two things that you can do to make the goal of reading 1K books to your tots and/or kids possible. Firstly, we are going to make DIY Finger Puppets, like most of my tutorials this is very simple and you don’t have to be the craftiest mom to do it. You will however be the coolest and most interesting mom when you read to your kids using these DIY finger puppets.  How do I know? Well, I’ve been reading to my kids with finger puppets for the past few years and they seem to be much more attentive to details of the story when the puppet reads to them. I’ve also noticed that they ask more questions and are generally more interested. Once, you’ve made your finger puppet, I will share how you can use the Kellogg’s Rewards Program to get free children’s books.

    So here’s how to make diy finger puppets to make the reading experience more enjoyable and keep your kids focused on the book:

    diy-fingerpuppets

    Here’s what you’re going to need:

    1. Stock Paper
    2. Ruler
    3. Measuring Tape
    4. Pencil
    5. Scissors
    6. Tape
    7. Eyes and/or any thing you want to add such as buttons etc.

     

    how-to-make-diy-puppets

    Instructions:

    1. Measure the width of your index finger and cut the paper 7″ x (width of your finger + 1″). For example, if your finger is 4″ cut paper 7″ x (4+1) 5″. You’re adding 1″ to make the puppet comfortable and fit with space.
    2. Discretely add clear tape to the side to create a cylinder shape.
    3. Try it on to ensure that it fits and make adjustments if needed.
    4. Cut the face into a fun shape with ears. You can even trace the shape of one of your kids favorite characters.
    5. For female finger puppets. I cut the shape of a triangle for a dress, it’s less complicated than an actual dress.
    6. Use glue to stick everything in place and allow to dry.

    finger-puppets

    Now that we made some finger puppets lets find some new books. I recently got to learn more about the Kellogg’s Family Rewards program of which members can redeem up to 30 free Scholastic books. This is really awesome especially if you already use these Kellogg’s products on a daily basis. Just one Kellogg’s product allows you to redeem one free book using your Kellogg’s Family Reward account.

    make-finger-puppets

    I purchased some snacks for reading on-the-go, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Cheez-it online from Walmart.

    To redeem my books, I decided to use the Kellogg’s app which is one of the three ways you can upload your receipt when you purchase these products ONLINE between 7/21/15 – 9/11/15.

    The other ways are via text or scanning into your computer, only when you purchase online. It’s pretty easy when you use the Buy Now button on the Walmart website here.

     

    scholastic-kelloggs-rewards-program

    The Princess Fairy and I decided to donate the books to her school’s library that way it wouldn’t only be beneficial to her but to her schoolmates. I love the fact, that once we made that decision I was able to have the mailed there free of charge.

    We had the option between getting E-books or hard copy books. Of course, we went for hard copy books since the E-books cannot be donated. The official timeline for books to arrive is 6-8 weeks so it should be there by the time she returns to school or early fall. I love that we were able to add a little note that to let the school know that it was generously donated by our family.  Like I mentioned before, I volunteer at my daughter’s school so I am looking forward to using my finger puppets the next time I do read a book for the kids in the classroom.

    I love that this program gives parents the chance to get a book when they buy something that their family already uses such as cereals and snacks. I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to build up your home library and get along towards our goal of reading 1K books.  If you feel like your family don’t need any more books or you want to share the joy of reading choose to donate your free Scholastic books. Your kids will love you for it!

    diy-puppets

     

    Do you your kids like finger puppets? 

    Which book do you think will be your kids favorite from the Kellogg’s Rewards Program?

  • Motherhood, Sponsored

    Energizing Tips For Busy Moms

    Many thanks to Starbucks Refreshers for sponsoring this post!

    I’ve been a stay-at-home mom, working mom and work-from-home mom and one thing that remained the same in all cases was that I’ve always been busy. Parenting can suck all of your physical energy especially while your kids are still very young. Over the past few years, I’ve learned a few things that have definitely helped me to feel energized and get through the busiest of days. I know some of you are probably new moms who are adjusting to life with a pint size boss or just a plain exhausted veteran mom. So I wanted to share some energizing tips for busy moms that’s worked for me that you can implement into your days.

    {Mornings}

    Wake up early

     

    I started waking up at 4:00am a few weeks ago and since then I’ve noticed that I am much more energized and organized during the day. As an early riser, I can take my time and get through my day with intention and ease and enjoy some sentimental summer moments with my children.

    Whenever I hit snooze and sleep in, I end up eventually having to drag myself out of bed and I am constantly racing to get everything completed, very exhausted.

     

    Eat Breakfast

     

     One of my personal rules is to always eat breakfast. I know that most of us feel like we just don’t have the time to sit and eat but as clichéd as it sounds, it is the most important meal of the day. If you currently don’t have the time to make breakfast, try doing so the night before or having your breakfast on the go. A healthy breakfast with some protein will give you the energy boost that you need to run after your babies during the day.

     

    Exercise

     

    While I haven’t found an exercise routine that I have been consistent with, I know that I get a great energy boost whenever I exercise especially in the morning. Exercising puts me in a great mood for the day. All of the endorphins that I release gives me a natural high and puts me in high spirits both mentally and physically. Whenever, I don’t have time to do a full workout I try to do a few mountain climbers and burpees in my bedroom to increase my heart rate.

     

    {Afternoons}

     

    An Afternoon Pick-me-up Drink

    Starbucks-Refreshers

     

    The period between lunch and dinner is usually when I start feeling tired. If I woke up early, it’s just about the time that I feel like crashing. Not to mention, it’s usually the period when my toddler is freshly up from a nap and filled with energy. Whenever I feel myself on the verge of crashing, I put him in the stroller and walk over to Starbucks to grab a Starbucks Refreshers™ drink. I’m not sure if it’s the green coffee and natural caffeine but it always works without making me feel over stimulated. I usually grab either the Strawberry Lemonade or Raspberry Raspberry Pomegranate flavors which taste really good and take a nice stroll to get myself up again.

     

    {Evenings}

    energizing-tips-for-moms

    Start Kids Bedtime Routine before dinner

     

    I used to wait until our family had dinner to start getting the kids ready for bed. That sometimes meant rushing through dinner so I had enough time to bathe them, brush their teeth and read to them before bedtime. This schedule caused our evenings to become very stressful for me and I wasn’t able to enjoy family time at the dinner table. To remedy this, I switched my kids’ bath time to before or during dinner preparations. For instance, I bathe them while my husband prepares dinner or while we wait for a hot meal to cool out. That way all that’s left to do is read books and brush teeth after dinner. It’s a small change that’s made a big difference in the flow of our evenings and made our home less stressful.

     

    {Nights}

     

    Get sleep.

    For us moms, sleeping isn’t always as easy as getting 7 hours sleep at night especially if you’re still nursing or you wake up to take your child to use the bathroom. To make sure I get enough sleep, I try to squeeze in naps ever so often or I head to bed earlier than usual after nights when my sleep was interrupted. Also, it’s important to let your significant other know that you’re tired and really need rest. Ask them to take over the responsibility of taking the little ones to the potty or answering their midnight requests for water.

     

    Keep your smartphone away from your bed.

     

    Let’s be honest here, one of the main reasons that many of us aren’t sleeping enough is because we are scrolling through social networks at bedtime. You know how you lay down and find that you’re having a hard time falling asleep so you pick up your phone and start scrolling through Instagram and another hour later, you’re still scrolling. Smartphones stimulates us and contributes significantly to insomnia putting us in a vicious cycle of poor sleep. Of course, I am not perfect and I am guilty of doing this but recently I’ve started to place my phone a few feet away from my bed that way I am unable to reach it while I am laying down – and guess what I’ve been falling asleep.

     

    Anyway, these are some ways that I’ve been able to boost my energy and have revitalized myself enough to get through busy mommy days.

    energy-tips-for-moms

    How do you boost your energy?

     

    With a revitalizing blend of sparkling fruit juices, b vitamins and ginseng, Starbucks RefreshersTM has all the goodness you need to get the most out of today.

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