Thanksgiving Craft Idea!

I just took down all my Halloween decorations and realized that I don't have very many Thanksgiving decorations, so I decided to have the kids work on these cute turkeys to put in our windowsill.  I got the idea from the Family Fun website which is actually for hats, but we just made them into decorations.

It's so easy to do and the kids had a blast making them!  The best part is that you will probably have all the materials on hand.

Materials:

• Small Paper or Plastic cup
• Construction Paper
• Googly eyes
• Glue
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut out 5-6 feathers from different colored construcion paper.
2. Trace a circle onto brown construction paper for the turkey's head by using the top of the paper cup as a guide.  Then cut it out.
3. Cut out a small orange triangle for the beak.
4. Cut out a red wattle.
5. Glue on the feathers onto the back of the upside down cup.
6. Glue the googly eyes, beak and wattle onto the brown circle head and then glue the head onto the front of the turkey.

I hope you enjoy this decoration!

What to do with All Your Halloween Candy!

If you are like me, you've probably been indulging on your kids' Halloween candy for the past few days and regretting every bite. Well now that a few days have passed since Halloween, it's time to find a new home for the all of the Halloween candy that is giving you & your kids cavities!

Here are a few ideas to re-purpose your Halloween candy this year:

Clipart from http://www.hasslefreeclipart.com

1. Baking/Cooking:  Set aside the candy in an airtight plastic bag or container and use it for the upcoming holidays in your cupcakes, muffins, brownies, etc.  M&M's or Reece's Pieces make perfect cupcake or cookie toppers (put them on after the frosting).  You can chop up candy bars such as Hershey, Snickers or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and mix them into the batter of your cakes, cupcakes or brownies!  Any of these candy are great as ice cream sundae toppings too.
2. Donate It:  Many local food banks, such as Hospitality House in Walled Lake, will accept wrapped/sealed Halloween candy to give to the children that come in to visit food bank.  Consider bringing the rest of your candy to put a smile on a child's face!
3. Movie Candy:  Put it in a airtight resealable plastic bag (preferably the freezer kind) and put it out of the way.  Whenever you go to the movies, have each family member grab 2-3 of their favorites and you'll save a ton!
4. Bring it to Work: Bring it in to work with you or your spouse to share with coworkers.  Many people don't have small children that have trick-or-treated, therefore haven't had any candy in their homes.
5. Birthday Party Pinata:   If you have an upcoming birthday, consider using the Halloween candy in the pinata.  You will have a nice variety and it will keep for few months in an airtight container or plastic resealable bag!

I hope these ideas will get the candy out of your house fast!  Good luck!

Get Ready for School!

School starts in less than one week - are you ready?  Many of us parents are stressing out over the last minute details of school, such as bus schedules, class lists and more.  I have put together a list of helpful hints and information to help you get through this last week as stress-free as possible:

• Class List/Teacher - Will be posted on the doors of most local (Walled Lake) schools starting Thursday, September 1st.  You can also find out the teacher by logging onto the Skyward Family Access page here (you'll need a login and a password, which can be requested if you don't already have one).
• Bus Schedules - are already listed on the Walled Lake Schools website.  You can find them here (just find click on the link for your child's school).
• Clothes - Of course you can shop at all the local retailers for clothes, but if you're looking to save a little, why not try a used clothing store or local mom-2mom sale?  Here are a few of my favorites:
• Baby Baby in Northville
• Once Upon a Child in Novi
• mom2mom Sales: (for a complete list, please go here)
• Farmington Area Mom's Club (9/16)
• Plymouth/Canton MOMS Club (9/24)
• St. Matthew Hearts & Hands CCDC, Wixom (10/8)
• South Lyon MOMS Club (10/15)

•  School Lunches - Please take a look at this great article on "Ten Tips for Packing a Nutritious Lunch".

Another tip is that just because school is starting soon, doesn't mean you have to run out and buy all your children's clothing right away.  You probably have another month before temperatures start getting cool enough to put away the summer clothes for good.  Use that time to your advantage to wait for big mark-downs and sales after school begins!