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What baby items did you get and almost never use?
Blankets, quilts. Used swaddling blankets only.
I bought peepee teepees and used one once. Receiving blankets. Used maybe once or twice. Baby nail file! As much as I have to admit it...just get clippers and suck up the fear of cutting their nails. The files don’t work very well.
Pee guards. I didn’t use these with my first boy but decided to give them a try with my second. Only used it the one time!! It totally got in the way when trying to change him and I needed to take it off to wipe him anyway. Better to just move as quickly as possible, and use the diaper itself as a guard if necessary, to avoid the pee in the face!
Multiple baby bath towels - the ones with the irresistibly cute animal face hoodies. They were bulky to wash and awkward to fold. Plus, my tots grew up and out of them so fast. They wore more like capes than towels.
Fun Halloween activities for kids, beyond trick-or-treating?
Find a local pumpkin patch or corn maze to explore as a family. Many really go all out with fun Halloween activities for kids.
In our last neighborhood, one of our neighbors had a casual Halloween party every year. On Halloween before trick-or-treating, the neighbors would all hang out in their driveway for dinner and to check out everyone's costumes. It was always one of my favorite parts of the holiday!
We like to paint or carve pumpkins to leave outside of our house to decorate for Halloween.
If your kids love making paper chain countdowns for events they're anticipating and ripping off a link each day, make a black and orange one for Halloween!
Easy Riddles for Kids...With Answers!
If there are six apples and you take away four, how many apples do you have? Four.
The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I? A hole.
What starts with E, ends with E, and has only 1 letter in it? Envelope.
Michael’s father has three sons. Two are named Snap and Crackle. What’s the third son called? Michael
159+ Funny Jokes for Kids...Got One to Add?
What did the shark say when it ate the clown fish? Tastes funny.
Why does a duck have feathers? To cover his butt quack
What did the triangle say to the circle? You're pointless.
Why should you never give Elsa a balloon? Because she’ll Let it Go.
Protein snacks for kids...on the go or at home?
Yogurt. My little kids are picky about what they’ll eat at school for lunch, and won’t eat most foods with protein, leaving them hungry. Thankfully, I recently realized they'll eat yogurt, which has helped a lot.
Hard boiled eggs. We will hard boil maybe 6-8 on Sunday for my teen to eat throughout the week. Stinks up the fridge, but worth it! (And actually, when I store them in a container with a lid it’s not so bad.)
Peanut butter. By itself, on a sandwich, with sliced fruits - it’s a delicious work horse in the protein department!
Edamame is a good source of protein and fiber, so I like to keep it in the house for snacking. Costco has bags in the freezer section that you can steam in the microwave, but we also really like crunchy roasted edamame from "The Only Bean" because it comes in different fun flavors and is easy to pack for school snacks.
Life skills for teens to learn before leaving home?
How to change a tire and jump start a car.
How to do laundry!
How to grocery shop and make simple meals with the stove and oven - eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, cutting/peeling fruits and vegetables
Basic banking skills, like depositing a check, withdrawing money, making electronic payments, using an ATM.
Bedtime routine tips for toddlers and preschoolers?
Consistency is a key factor !
Give yourself plenty of time for the routine! I think starting an hour before we actually want the kids to be asleep has worked best for our family.
Involve them however you can, so they have some choice in the process. For us, it is often picking the story we read, or the number of books we read (within reason), as well as which kid goes first to brush teeth or take their bath.
Halloween activities for teens that keep the spirit alive?
Halloween movie marathon! Teens might be excited to "graduate" to scary movies from the spooky little kid ones they grew up with.
Volunteer to participate in a trunk or treat event! This is a fun Halloween activity for high school kids who have a car. They can pick a theme, decorate the car and dress up in costume, and hand out candy to kids.
For teens that are into baking, there are a lot of fun Halloween treat recipes to try.
Read scary books or spooky mysteries in the month of October to get in the Halloween spirit. My teen is reading a few Neil Gaiman books this year.
DIY halloween costumes that come together quick & easy?
Scarecrow is an easy diy costume. Jeans, button down plaid shirt, floppy hat. Use makeup or facepaint for a brown nose and red circles on cheeks.
Wednesday Addams. Wear a black dress/skirt with a white collared shirt. If you can, put on a black long sleeve shirt over the collared shirt, and add white knee socks, black shoes, dark makeup, and braid your hair for the finishing touch!
Rosie the Riveter with jeans, blue button up shirt with sleeves rolled up, red bandana around the head, red lipstick.
My husband dressed up as a picnic table one year at last minute, to match our son's ant costume. He cut out a big rectangle from a cardboard box, and hot glued some of the kids' toy food onto it, including a tablecloth and toy dishes. Then he hung it around his neck using some yarn, and voila! A picnic table. It was done in less than 30 minutes, and he got so many compliments!