printables

Minecraft Valentine’s Day Miner Printable

January 16, 2020 by Danielle

Have a Minecraft fan at home? Print off these Minecraft Valentine’s Day Miner Printables for your kid to personalize and pass out in class!

You know how I’ve mentioned a few times before how obsessed my son is with Minecraft? Well in an effort to continue the tradition and make handmade valentines for the kids, I wracked my brain to try and think of ideas to make Minecraft valentines. I couldn’t figure out what to use as the treat, edible or non-edible.

And then as my son was building another world and digging through the ground, it hit me. A Minecraft miner valentine! And I could use Hershey’s nuggets as the treat. I thought the gold would be perfect. And then my son reminded me that you can also mine for silver. So I grabbed some milk chocolate Hershey’s nuggets to go along with the chocolate with almond for the kids who don’t eat nuts. Luckily there are no allergies in his classroom.

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These valentines were super easy to make. I used the same process I have in the past and made them in PicMonkey. And while it took a little more work adding each additional square to make the background look pixelated, it was totally worth it! I love how much fun these valentines are to make every year. I sure hope my kids continue to want me to make their valentines (or take over completely themselves!).

Minecraft Valentine’s Day Miner Valentine

What you’ll need:

Minecraft Valentine’s Day miner printable
scissors or paper cutter
snack bags
Hershey’s nuggets
stapler

What you do:

1. Print Minecraft Valentine’s Day miner printable and cut them out.

2. Place a few Hershey’s nuggets in a bag.

3. Fold the valentine in half and measure where on the bag the valentine goes to.

4. Fold over the bag onto itself so there is no overlap when you place the valentine on top of the bag.

5. Using the stapler, secure the valentine onto the bag.

TO PRINT MINECRAFT PRINTABLE CLICK HERE

What is your little gamer giving out for Valentine’s Day this year?

Looking to customize your own Valentines? Check out this post below:

How to Make Valentines In PicMonkey

Looking for more Valentine’s Day ideas? Read on!

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This post was originally published on Jan 21, 2018

Filed Under: Holidays, Valentine's Day Tagged With: crafts, DIY, free printables, Minecraft, printables, Valentine's Day, valentines, valentines crafts, valentines day ideas

Tips to Make Potty Training Fun for Kids + A Free Potty Reward Chart Printable

August 1, 2017 by Danielle

Check out this FREE printable to help make potty training fun for you AND your child. No more tears, stress, or frustration when you follow these tips and use this potty reward chart printable.

This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups.

When your child has finally shown all of the signs of readiness and is eager to potty train, you may think the journey will be an easy one. But sometimes their interest loses steam. By making potty training fun for kids, you can bypass that disinterest and keep your child engaged! We’re sharing a few ways we’ve had success at making potty training fun for our kids, including a free potty reward chart printable, with the help of our sponsor, Pull-Ups Training Pants.

Tips to Make Potty Training Fun for Kids

Make the Potty Accessible and FUN!

When a child is learning how to potty train, access is key. And when a child doesn’t know the path to the potty, you may be providing a block in the road without even realizing it. Make sure that your child’s potty is accessible and you’re sure to make potty training fun. Whether this is a small, portable potty seat, or a toilet cover and stool that is near or on the regular toilet that allows them easy access without having them fall in. Yes… my child has fallen in the toilet before…

Now, access to the potty isn’t just for when you are at home. When you go somewhere new, make sure to talk to your little one and point out to your child where the nearest restrooms are in the area you’re in and assure them that as soon as they feel the urge to go, they can let you know and you will help get them to the potty. Sometimes kids get nervous that they’ll miss something when you’re out and about or if they’re playing. By reassuring them that their toys will be there when they are done or that they’ll return to the same spot they left, they’ll feel better about stopping to go.

Keep Your Child Involved

When your child is first starting to show signs of readiness, get them involved. Allow them to pick out their own pack of Pull-Ups in the theme or style they like, take them to pick out their potty or potty cover, and get them involved when you’re heading out of the house by making sure their potty pack is ready to go when you’re on the go. What I’ve learned through trying to keep my kiddos involved is that Pull-Ups is more than just a training pant – Pull-Ups.com has tons of simple ways to make potty training easy and fun for parents and children to start together, with guidance on how to tailor the journey based on your child’s unique personality. In fact, 3 of 4 moms prefer Pull-Ups^©!*

Pull-Ups provide an award-winning design specifically to help teach potty training skills. They look and fit more like underwear, which means they’ll give your child the independence to slide their pants on and off. They also provide consistency for any learning style throughout their potty training journey. What does this mean for you as a parent? Less frustration!

Pro tip: Bring a travel potty pack with you when you’re traveling around with your toddler. Your potty pack should include a few pairs of Pull-Ups, a travel potty seat, some potty seat covers (in case you need to use the big potty), and wipes.

Create a Potty Reward Chart

Who doesn’t love receiving a sticker when they do something they’re supposed to? I know I love them. Your child doesn’t necessarily need a physical reward at first. When your child has success on the potty (because we don’t focus on the failures) let them mark off their successes each day on their own Potty Reward Chart Printable. This allows them to take control and see the marks when they succeed on the potty – how fun!

If your child needs a bit more encouragement, you can use incentives after lots of success too. We’ve had great luck with chocolate candy and lollipops. Not only are they easy to store away, they’re also travel-friendly and are small. Once they’ve had success for a full week, you can start letting them pick out an item from the dollar store or dollar section of your favorite store.

Click to Print Potty Reward Chart Printable

Share your Big Kid’s Big Moments

Think you might be ready to start potty training? Share your Big Kid’s Big Moments on Instagram or Twitter using #DisneyAndPullUpsSweepstakes for a chance to win a vacation to Walt Disney World with your family! Hurry though – the sweeps ends on August 4 and you don’t want to miss a chance for a FREE trip to Disney!

What do you do to make potty training fun? Do you use a potty reward chart?

*Pull-Ups offering includes product, packaging and in-pack prizes and activities vs. Pampers^© Easy Ups^©.

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Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Potty Training, printables

Inspire Your Child’s Independence Through Potty Training + a First Day of Preschool Printable

July 13, 2017 by Danielle

From picking out her clothes in the morning (always requesting a “pretty dress” to wear), to telling us when she has to go to the potty, to expressing a desire for learning, the time has come to countdown to our youngest child’s first day of preschool. She may only be 2, but she is more than ready to start in the fall when her big brother and sister start back again. And lucky for us, there’s a preschool right on campus next to the kids’ elementary school. How convenient is that?

As Norah shows us her desire for independence, I’m reminded of how much independence potty training gives our little ones. As we pass through our potty training readiness check off and move towards our preschool check off, I’d love to share a few ways you can inspire your child’s independence through potty training in this post sponsored by Pull-Ups Training Pants.

Inspire Your Child’s Independence Through Potty Training

Just as our kids find it important to make choices like what they are going to wear and what they want for breakfast, learning how to go potty is a big step in independence. If you’ve ever heard a child insist that “I do it!” then you know that if their desire to do something is strong, there’s more of a likelihood of them succeeding. This plays a lot into the potty training journey once your child has shown signs of potty training readiness.

There are a few things you can do to help inspire your child’s independence through potty training:

Teach your child how to slide their pants and Pull-Ups on and off – Pull-Ups Training Pants provide an award-winning design specifically to help teach potty training skills. They look and fit more like underwear, giving your child the independence to slide their pants on and off, while also providing consistency for any learning style throughout their potty training journey.
Share how your child can tell if they’ve had an accident – Pull-Ups Cool & Learn Training Pants provide a brief and gentle wetness that mimics the feel of real underwear to help teach your child the signs of when they need to go.
Offer other ways your child can express their independence – let your child pick out their own Pull-Ups at the store and purchase them. This gives them the power to choose what they’ll wear and what design they love. My daughter goes crazy over her Princess Sofia and Palace Pets designs.

Pull-Ups is more than just a training pant. Pull-Ups has simple ways to make potty training easy and fun for parents and children to start together, with guidance on how to tailor the journey based on your little one’s unique personality. In fact, 3 out of 4 moms prefer Pull-Ups vs. Pampers® Easy Ups® – including product, packaging and in-pack prizes and activities. When we have a dry day, we put one of the special stickers inside my daughter’s favorite package of Pull-Ups on her potty training progress chart.

First Day of Preschool Printable

We’re hoping Norah is on her way to potty training success before her first day of preschool. But just in case she’s not quite there yet, I am confident in the independence we’ve inspired through our potty training journey. Every child is different and every child learns and adapts at their own pace, so we’re in no rush!

If your child is about to start their first year of preschool too, celebrate by printing out this First Day of Preschool sign.

Click to Print First Day of Preschool Sign

Click to Print First Day of Preschool Sign with no dates

How does your toddler show their independence?

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY Tagged With: printables

4 Tips For Cold and Flu Prevention + a Free Bathroom Printable

November 28, 2016 by Danielle

We’re sharing our tips on cold and flu prevention alongside a cute printable for the bathroom today with help from our sponsor, Vicks.

With three kids, two of which are in school, we’re constantly bringing home one thing or another. So it’s about time I say enough is enough! I’ve declared a war on germs and am not about to succumb to the latest illness that’s going around our community.
2With these tips from notable Manhattan-based physician Dr. Peterson, we’re able to reduce the germs we’re in contact with. Making these small adjustments to our daily lives can help us reduce the chance of cold or flu running rampant through our homes. Because there’s no fun in a sick house. Especially if my husband finally gets it. Which inevitably always happens these days.

My grandma would reach for the Vicks VapoRub^TM topical ointment – a topical cough medicine with medicated vapors – any time we were sick when I was growing up. It starts working quickly to relieve cough symptoms (for ages 2+). Now we turn on our humidifier when any of us starts to feel icky (we have one for every bedroom) and put in Vicks VapoPads® when needed. But sometimes it’s better to prevent illness instead of just taking care of the symptoms all the time.

I made a few signs using PicMonkey (similar to how I made this Subway Art) in an effort to remind the kids of a our morning and evening routine to wash, wash, wash along with a few other essentials they need to be doing in the bathroom. Feel free to download them here.

4 Tips For Cold and Flu Prevention

Wash Your Hands

Wash your hands with soap and water regularly, especially after touching dirty surfaces like doorknobs and keyboards. Thorough washing should take as long as singing “Happy Birthday” twice.

I’ve found that when washing hands with the kids, having each kid sing the song (or a different verse of the song) makes them remember to wash for the proper amount of time. You could even frame a copy of the song in your bathroom next to the sink to remind people to sing along (out loud or in their heads) while washing.

Don’t Touch Your Face

Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. These are direct entry points for germs. Most adults touch their face about 16 times a day, and children do a lot more often, increasing the spread of germs.

It’s super hard to stop this but staying cautious of how often you do touch your face will help reduce the contact. I find myself reminding my kids quite often during the day since they’re obsessed with picking their face, touching their ears and nose, and sucking on their fingers. It’s even harder because one of our kids is quite fond of their thumb.

Keep Common Areas and Surfaces Clean

Germs live on surfaces and spread to humans through skin contact so anything that we touch frequently can be a threat. Use disinfectant wipes to wipe down your workspace daily, as well as your telephone, mouse, and keyboard. Make sure you regularly disinfect doorknobs and shared electronics like TV remotes. Also, wash your children’s toys after playtime. We even have a dirty bin for toys that we load into the dish washer after we unload the dishes from the night before.

Don’t forget about the kitchen! Kitchens happen to be the filthiest room in the house. Sponges, countertops and sinks have been shown to have 488 bacteria per square inch due to residue and foodstuffs that breed bacteria. Ugh! I shudder to think of it.

Turn on your humidifier

Studies indicate flu viruses thrive in cold and dry places, making winter air an ideal breeding ground for the virus. By keeping humidity levels in your home between 40 and 60 percent you can reduce the survival of flu viruses on surfaces and in the air. It also helps my husband and son breathe better when in use.

The new Vicks Sweet Dreams Cool Mist Humidifier is the latest in an array of models that are designed to meet your family’s growing needs. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends using a cool mist humidifier throughout the winter months to help relieve congestion and cough in children.
To help control your cough, you can try the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier which releases a warm mist to help offer temporary relief from cough and congestion. You can also use it with Vicks VapoSteam® which creates a medicated steam with cough suppressant to relieve coughs for children ages 2 and older.

Vicks VapoPads® can be used in conjunction with Vicks Humidifiers to provide soothing Menthol or Sleepytime Rosemary & Lavender scented vapors for up to eight hours of comfort. I have the Mini Filter Free humidifier and love using the Vicks VapoPads® with it, but the Vicks Sweet Dreams Humidifier is on the wish list!

How are you preventing colds and the flu from running rampant in your home?

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Health & Wellness, Printables Tagged With: free printables, printables

Trading Clean Time for Screen Time This Summer + a free chore chart printable

June 27, 2016 by Danielle

Kids are getting way too much screen time these days. With the help of this free chore chart printable and our sponsor, Walmart and SheSpeaks, we’ve create a way to trade clean time for screen time in an effort of reducing screen time and getting the kids more involved in the household chores!

My son has been out of school for two weeks now and my daughter graduates preschool tomorrow. To say that we’re in full summer mode is pretty accurate. And when you work from home, that means you have to get creative with ways to keep them busy without resorting to letting them watch tv all day. Because what’s that going to do for them when they get back to school, right?

In an effort to lessen the amount of times I hear, “I’m bored,” and to try and ramp up the kids involvement in household chores after starting them slow with cleaning their rooms, I created a system where they earn screen time (up to 2 hours a day) in exchange for doing certain tasks. And in an effort to better keep track of those hours – because it was getting quite difficult in my head – I created a free chore chart printable as well.

Once we got going I realized we needed to restock the cleaning cabinet so I headed over to www.avoidtheoops.com and grabbed a few essentials including:

Dawn dish soap
Mr. Clean magic erasers
Cascade detergent pods
Swiffer refill pads
Dawn dish soap
Febreeze spray

I was able to order everything online and, with orders of $50+, get shipping to my door free. Took the hassle out of bringing all of the kids to the store with me and trying to haul everything around! The best part is we were able to stock up on larger sizes and simply refill our smaller bottles and keep the larger sizes in the garage. This means we’re less likely to run out without a back up. And when we do run out? Walmart.com will be there to help!

How to Trade Clean Time for Screen Time

Come up with a list of tasks your children can do or help with
Assign a minute value to each task
Create a max number of minutes the children can earn each day (sometimes we even throw in a bonus or two)
Stock up on cleaning supplies from Walmart.com
Let the kids start tackling things on the list
Put the responsibility of tracking in the kids hands – have them check off tasks as they complete them
Once the kids are done with accruing their minutes, let them know how much screen time they have for the next day (this is key)
Start the whole process over the next day

What I’ve found over these past few weeks after instilling this system in our home is the following:

My kids really hate cleaning but REALLY love their tv and tablet time.
My son has been more eager to help when we offer to find new games on the tablet for him to play as well (including educational games).
Making sure they know that the time they earn that day is for the NEXT day is really important. And, hopefully, it’s teaching them delayed gratification.
Our limit of 2 hours max has still yet to be met. The kids usually earn between 30-55 minutes each day.
We still need to re-evaluate our weekend tv and screen time rule. That might change as we move forward.
Family movie time or family shows watched together is not counted against their earned time.
If mom or dad turns on the tv, they don’t lose their earned time.
The kids are really getting creative in finding ways to keep them entertained AND they’re actually playing together!
This means a whole lot of oops moments. Spills, messes, general disaster areas in various rooms of the house. But that’s OK! With the help of our www.avoidtheoops.com supplies and their willingness to earn more time for the next day, most of the oopses are picked up.
Their moods have improved. We have less fighting, less bickering, and more helping.

Grab your free chore chart printable here!

(or click the photo below)

How do you get your kids involved in household chores? What age do you start?

Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: chores, clean, clean routine, cleaning, cleaning tips, free printables, kids cleaning, printables

Lunch Box Letters – Notes from Mom Printables

August 23, 2013 by Danielle

As your packing your child’s school lunch the one thing you want your child to know is that you’re preparing it with love. And what better way to share your love with your child than with lunch box letters?

A few simple words of encouragement for an upcoming math test or simply a note to say I love you, kids love this little touch even if they turn their noses up at it in front of you. And what child needs less support? That’s right, none. So enjoy these printables and write a few encouraging words of your own to let your kids know you’re thinking of them even when they’re in school.

Simply click on the photo below to download these Notes from Mom Printables! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, In the Kitchen, Uncategorized Tagged With: free printables, Lunch, lunch box notes, Lunch Time, notes, notes from mom, printables

Learn the ABCs with this Free Alphabet Worksheet for Preschoolers + Printables

July 31, 2013 by Danielle

My daughter is obsessed with letters and spelling right now. She might only be two but she’s constantly asking me how to spell names of people, places, and things. So I figured I’d start going through the alphabet with her and to make it fun I’ve made this Alphabet Worksheet for Preschoolers that we can work through as she asks about different letters.

Today we started with the letter A.

Each week we’ll go through each of the letters and depending on her interest in each letter we’ll do a different activity. I’ve listed a few great ideas on how to use these worksheets below. You can also click on the image below to save and print your own worksheet! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Uncategorized Tagged With: alphabet, educational, free printables, learning, printables