Tag Archives: parenthood

Halloween Craft: Fluffy Ghost Bow Holder

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We’re back with another Halloween Craft. Since Mila has a ton of Halloween bows, I thought it’d be fun to make a Fluffy Ghost Bow Holder! Not only is it a festive craft, it’s useful too.

Mila and I both made one of these. Mine became the bow holder and Mila’s became a cute, green ghost. Each of them are so cute and they make me smile each time I see them. This is just a reminder to parents that their kid’s crafts do not need to be ‘perfect.’ They’re so creative as is and what they create is them doing their best!

Without any more introductions, here’s what you’ll need:

First, get a ghost cut out. I found a pack of four ghosts at the dollar store for one dollar. You could also easily find one of these online to print out or with a Cricut. That’s completely up to you.

Or you can order them here from Amazon.

Then, glue cotton balls down with regular glue. Mila was able to do this, so just use your discretions of your child’s ability. The best part is… it doesn’t have to be perfect.

After it’s completely filled, cut out eyes and a mouth with the black construction paper. You can show whatever kind of expression you want your ghost to have. Mine and Mila’s ghosts have completely different expressions. They’re both so cute though!

At this point, Mila was done with this craft. She decorated the rest of hers with green glitter. It makes me smile to see. We’ll eventually add some ribbon on to hers too.

If you continue on with this craft to make it a bow holder, you need to first make sure the front is dried.

While it’s drying, cut out different pieces of yarn and ribbon. I used both and chose neutral colors, but you can obviously use whatever works best for your space. Mila has asked to use pink for her when we get to it!

Once everything on the front is secure, flip it over and hot glue the ribbons on the ghost. Even though I measured all the ribbons before I glued them down, I had to trim them up since they were on an uneven surface. It didn’t take too long, but I think it made it more clean looking.

To be able to hang the ghost, I also hot glued a piece of ribbon at the top to make a hanger.

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out. All her Halloween bows look so cute on here too. They haven’t pulled any of the ribbons off, so it withstands them too. We’re hanging it on her bedroom door to make our morning bow grab easier. Plus it spooks up our little hallway.

This will be another craft (both Mila and I’s) that we’ll hang up year after year!

Do you decorate your entire house for Halloween or just small places? I feel like we’ll end up decorating every room in the next few years with all our crafts!

Fall Charcuterie Board

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One of my favorite fall activities are watching scary movies under a ton of blankets on the couch with a fall charcuterie board. It makes for a perfect date night or just a fun night with Mila.

I mean, who doesn’t love a charcuterie board?

To amp up our normal grazing boards, I incorporated fall colors and tastes. It turned out so moody and tasted delicious too.

Here’s everything I added to this Fall Charcuterie Board:

  • Apple Cider
  • Munster cheese
  • Ritz Crackers
  • Mini cupcakes
  • Chocolate covered pretzels (that tasted like pumpkin spice)

Not pictured were raspberry jalapeño jam to put with the crackers and cheese. Jams are the best addition to charcuterie boards. I also usually try to add some type of meat like salami, but I didn’t have room to add it on here either.

To make it a little more festive, I added the white pumpkin and the extras from my DIY Fall Wreath.

Of course, I took a video to show you all the whole process.

I can’t wait to make a more Halloween inspired charcuterie board for Mila’s Halloween party. Stay tuned to check it out!

What’s your go to items for charcuterie boards? Let me know in the comments.

Halloween Craft: Googly Eyed Monsters

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Halloween crafts and activities do not have to be complex. My preschooler’s favorite Halloween Craft are these Googly Eyed Monsters! Not only did she have a spook-tacular time making them, she loves making sure everyone sees them when they come in our home.

The best part about these monsters, you only really need to go buy googly eyes. Everything else are pretty common household items.

It looks pretty simple right? Here’s all we used:

To set up this craft for Mila, I cut some squares from old cardboard boxes. We love to upcycle and reuse items. If we can make memories by doing that, I’m all for it!

Then, I put out the colors of paint she wanted to use. I tried to persuade her to use more Halloween colors. She insisted on blue though, but I think it turned out super cute even though it’s not a traditional color.

I let her free paint and do whatever she wanted. They didn’t start off as monsters, just as big blobs.

If you have older kids, they’ll be able to do this next part on their own. I went in and drew outlines of monsters with her blobs. She might be able to do it now, but I just follow her interest and patience level with these types of activities. There’s no right or wrong ways to outline them. Just let their artwork speak to you!

When the monsters were finished and dried, Mila put the eyes where she wanted them to be. Let your child pick out how many eyes and the eye color they think they need. It’s so cute to see how they end up seeing their monsters.

Then, you can hot glue a pipe cleaner on the back of the cardboard pieces to hand them. This is an optional step, but I love it.

I love this little progression picture. This activity came out so adorable and I’ll definitely be hanging these up throughout future Halloweens. At first, Mila was afraid of some of her pictures. Now she thinks they’re cute. She’s really getting in the spooky mood!

Which is your favorite monster that she made?

Pumpkin Washing Sensory Bin.

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Another day, another fall activity! Today’s play is a Pumpkin Washing Sensory Bin.

We love sensory play for so many reasons. To summarize all of its benefits, it helps children’s brains in a ton of ways! It also gives me a minute to do a chore or task that needs done around the house too.

Now that it’s spooky season, I’m finally letting Mila pick pumpkins from our pumpkin patch on the side of our house. It led straight to this activity.

Before we paint or decorate these pumpkins, I thought they needed to be cleaned off. Instead of me just doing it, I thought it would be so much fun for Mila… and I was right. All I had to do was set up this station.

The only materials I used were:

The only thing I told Mila was that the pumpkins needed cleaning and she could use more water and soap if she needed.

Let’s just say… she went to work right away!

This activity is so simple and Mila had came up with a big story of why they needed washed. She pretended they came from a different farm and not just outside our home. I always love listening to how her mind works.

That’s what makes sensory play so fun for everyone.

I actually left this activity out for the next day and she kept on playing. Lets hope painting or carving pumpkins goes this smoothly too.

Do you paint or carve pumpkins?

I’ve done both, but I’m thinking Mila may like painting more than carving this year. I’ll keep you all updated when it happens!

DIY Halloween Paper Chain Countdown Calendar

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Looking for a fun way to count the days until Halloween? Try this cute Halloween Paper Chain Countdown Calendar.

Mila is SO excited for Halloween and keeps asking when it’s going to be. To show her how many days we have to wait to dress up, I thought this paper chain would be an amazing visual representation for her.

It’s filled with spooky and cute Halloween colors that would be perfect in any home. The graphics aren’t too scary either!

All you have to do is print the countdown, cut it out, and then staple it together.

Our little Halloween station is right by our front door. The Halloween Paper Chain Countdown Calendar made a boo-tiful addition to our spot.

I hope you like this little freebie. Make sure to take a picture and tag me in it on Instagram (@greyskies.rainbowhighs). It’d make me so happy to see it in your spot!

Again, click this for the Halloween Paper Chain Countdown Calendar.

Halloween Treats: Monster Rolls

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Happy Spooky Season everyone!

Today we’re celebrating October with Monster Rolls for a fun boo brunch. It’s not really a DIY recipe, but a way to make food festive for Halloween. Either way, you’ll love it.

Even though I’m SHOCKED it’s October, I’m so excited to bring you fun activities, crafts, and treats all month long. I absolutely love Halloween and everything that goes along with it. Let’s just say, Mila and I have a lot planned for you.

These Monster Rolls are really simple, which are perfect for fall mornings.

Here’s all you’ll need:

  • Cinnamon rolls and icing (I used Pillsbury)
  • Food coloring
  • Eye sprinkles
  • Colored sugar

First, cook the cinnamon rolls as directed. Since everyone has their own different recipes or favorite brands, I’ll just leave this up to you!

Next, divide icing in different bowls. Add food coloring and mix. Mila absolutely loved helping with this step. As always, you can make it educational by talking about colors and it’s a great way to work on motor skills.

Then, set out the eye sprinkles and sugar to decorate.

Once the cinnamon rolls are done, I suggest dipping them into icing instead of spreading. It’s less messy and just is was easier in my opinion. Mila also helped with this step too!

After they’re all iced, it’s time to be creative.

I promise you eye sprinkles are a MUST for spooky season. They make any food or treat extra special for halloween. Mila loves them too and I think all kids would think they’re fun too. The ones I bought actually taste pretty good too.

Anyways, I just put the eyes in a little bowl and let her use the sugar dispenser. I let her know we were making monsters and she just went for it!

They were so fun to make… and eat too! I loved how quick they were to bake and that it gave Mila some creative time in the morning. We’ll be making these again this month because we both enjoyed them so much.

What did you think of our Monster Rolls? Do you have any Halloween classic breakfast foods, snacks, or treats that you make every year?

DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte

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One of my favorite parts about fall is a good Pumpkin Spice Latte. Not only does it warm me up, it tastes delicious too. Since we don’t live super close to a Starbucks, I love making my own DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte.

In this blog post, I’ve decided to show you all my two go to options. One’s more a weekend at home recipe and the other is a quick morning recipe.

Both taste amazing!

The first recipe is the one I make on slow mornings. It makes the house smell amazing and really sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Here’s what you’ll need for it:

For this Pumpkin Spice Latte DIY, you’ll need to warm the pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice mix, sugar, and salt in a pot. Keep stirring these ingredients together until they’re simmering. While this is happening, you can make your coffee or espresso.

Then, add the coffee into the pumpkin spice mix and mix both of them together until frothed. You can also use a blender to speed up this process.

After, pour into your favorite mug, add whipped cream and pumpkin spice, and then enjoy your tasty drink.

If you think that was simple. You’ll love this even more.

Our mornings are BUSY. Getting myself, Mila, and the dogs ready for the day gets chaotic. I feel like we’re constantly running around. When I finally get to school, I need a pick me up. So, before the craziness, I make sure to make this easy drink to get me through the day.

All you need for a quick DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte is Javy Coffee and Pumpkin Spice Latte Creamer (I use Starbucks!).

Javy Coffee is SO easy to use. It’s coffee concentrate where you fill your cup up with milk or water, then one to two teaspoons of Jacy too! It can made both hot and cold. I change it up depending on my mood (and how it feels outside). Afterwards, add your creamer and take it to go!

Both of these recipes are perfect for parents on calm and busy mornings.

Do you ever try copy cat recipes at home? If so, let me know which ones or the recipes in the comments below.

If you, what’s your go to coffee order?

Mommy Recipe: Spiked Caramel Apple Cider

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If you’re looking for a the best fall drink to enjoy doing spooky and outdoor activities, you have to try this Spiked Caramel Apple Cider. It can be enjoyed hot, cold, and all fall long!

The best part… there’s only three ingredients that you need!

Apple cider is one of my favorite fall flavors. Mila and I love to go to the pumpkin patch and warm up with a hot cup.

It’s a fall must!

When I’m at home, I make Mila her special cup with cinnamon and caramel topping. Then, I make my own little mommy version that’s even better.

I won’t keep you any longer, here’s all you need:

  • Apple Cider
  • Caramel Vodka
  • Cinnamon
  • Caramel Topping/Drizzle

For the cold version, it’s quite easy. You just need to mix up the ingredients in a cup. I just eyeball everything, but will usually do a shot (or two) of caramel vodka and then add the apple cider in. The cinnamon and caramel is all to taste!

This is also so good blended up as a slushee.

For the hot version, there’s a few more steps. I warm the apple cider in a crock pot with cinnamon sticks. Then, when it’s heated enough, I’ll add the caramel vodka in my cup (again, a shot or two) then fill the rest with the warm apple cider. To top it off, I add a caramel topping rim and enjoy!

As soon as you try it, you’re going to want it the entire season.

Let me know in the comments if you try this out OR your favorite fall drink.

Preschool Activity: Halloween Activity Box.

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October is right around the corner and we’re gettin really excited for Halloween! To prepare Mila and to give her some activities to do when she’s not at preschool, I made this Halloween Activity Box.

It’s full of fun, but I’m saving a lot of activities we’re doing for the month of October. You’ll have to keep coming back for more.

I actually love Halloweven! It’s probably my favorite holiday besides Christmas. You get tk dress up and just feel magical for the month. Plus I love all the outdoor activities and the yummy treats.

This year seems just a little extra special because Mila is so excited and knows what’s going on.

I know she’ll be happy to see this box too!

Halloween Books

There are a TON of cute Halloween books out there, but I love these three! By the way, if you have any Halloween book recommendations, please let me know in the comments.

My two favorite classics are The Nightmare Before a Christmas by Tim Burton and Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. Yeah, I know The Nightmare Before Christmas is a controversial book on whether is Halloween or Christmas, but we read and watch it during both holidays!

Tim Burton is one of my favorite creative minds. So, we have some activities around this particular book and I want to introduce Mila to some of his movies this season too. Room on the Broom is fun for Mila at this age because she tries to follow along and does a great job! I have an activity for this too!

Our newest Halloween book is All Hallows’ Eve in Salem by Kristian James. I found it on Instagram and knew I needed to get it for Mila. The characters are adorable and I already want to plan a trip to Salem for Mila and I!

I promise, you’ll want to get this book for your kids too!

Play Doh Monsters with Eyes

Mila loves to play with play doh in her activity boxes, that’s why I include them!

This time, I added craft eyes for her to make monsters and to practice counting. It’s really cute to see all the creations she comes up with!

It’s such a simple activity, but she literally plays with it for a while. When there’s multiple ‘monsters,’ she pretends to do different voices and have conversations. It’s so much fun.

Plus, we use these craft eyes all the time! They make projects cuter and they’re perfect for Halloween!

Spooky Worksheets and Stickers

For this activity box, I didn’t use worksheets from Mila’s normal preschool workbooks. There’s none quite that spooky. I did find some cute worksheets that are perfect for the preschool and toddler level, coloring pages, and stickers!

I found the foam stickers and sticker book at Joann’s Fabrics, but this pack is cute from Amazon.

Stickers can be used for telling stories, counting, or making collages. Your child will lead you.

The little coloring page was also from Joann’s!

I found two printables that will have multiple uses. They’re both so cute and Mila really liked how they both looked.

The monster letters are from The Letter Vee. They’re so adorable and I’ll have Mila color them in first, then practice letter recognition with her resin letters.

I also had to print out this Halloween Countdown from Celebration Stylist! They have SO many cute Halloween printables. The Boo Banner hanging over the activity box is from them too! Plus a few other things that you’ll see in October posts.

Anyways, this countdown can be used as a countdown or to practice counting in general. I’m sure Mila will be using her stickers to do the countdown!

Potion Kit and Ghost Friends

You’ve definitely seen this fizzy ball before! They’re seriously such a hit with Mila. This month, we’ll be using them to make a witch’s potion. She loves using her ladle with our new bowl, so I’m excited for her.

I’m doing a post about a different witch’s potion next month too.

Mila and I also made these little stuffed ghosts out of an old sweatshirt. We had a lot of fun with them and Mila liked drawing their faces (not pictured). It was so easy to do! I’ll post a video or blog about how to do this too!

These are just some fun ways for Mila to play and pretend. It’s always nice to have a little brain break.

Miscellaneous Tricks

As always, we love using resin letters in all of our activity boxes. I cannot wait to show you my new set from Beags and Bubs. It’s in the mail right now, but they’re ADORABLE!

Not pictured in this post were face masks. I decided to add them in there because masks are associated with Halloween snd the characters on the packaging are our Halloween costumes. Plus, anytime I can make time for Mila to practice self care, I do!

There were also crayons, markers, and some other tools to play with the play doh too.

This is probably my favorite activity box so far. I love letting her discover different holidays. This can easily be converted and customized to more boy themed too. All of the elements are perfect for both boys and girls though!

I can’t wait to start doing more spooky crafts and activities and share them all with you.

What are some of your favorite Halloween activities to do? Or what are your favorite Halloween books you enjoy reading this time of year? Let me know both in the comments.

My Preschooler’s Question About Her Absent Father.

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“Mom, is my dad dead?”

When Mila started preschool, I knew there would be questions about our family unit. She knows her brother died and can obviously see she doesn’t have a dad.

I’ve been preparing myself for questions, but I never thought she might have thought he died.

For the last year and a half, I’ve let her know it’s her and I against the world. That it’s okay to just have a mom. All families are different. Some have just one parent: mom or dad. Some have two: a mom and dad, two moms, two dads.

She seems to understand and tells me she is happy. If you talk to her, you can see that too.

There is no shortage of love for Mila. Our extended family is amazing. She has men in her life that show her how guys should act and treat others. I think she’s balanced in what she does and who she’s around. And again, most importantly, she is happy and healthy.

I couldn’t ask for a better daughter.

BUT, no matter how happy or how much love she has, there’s still a missing piece in her life.

“Mom, is my dad dead?”

“No, he’s not dead. Why do you ask that?”

“At preschool, I told my friends I didn’t have a daddy, just a mommy, and someone asked if he died. Like Jensen.”

“He didn’t die. It’s just you and I. When you get older, I’ll tell you more about him. Promise.”

Then she gives me a hug and let’s me hold her for a while. I don’t know if she cried because I couldn’t look. When she let go, she told me she loved me and went along her way.

I can’t tell you all the emotions that conversation made me feel.

If I could have screamed, I would. There was so much anger and sadness in me, on top of wanting to protect Mila from the world, from her dad.

It honestly makes sense that she thought that. She knows she has a brother that’s not here anymore. Jensen died and whew not here. She doesn’t have a dad, so in her head it makes sense he died too.

I’ll never understand how one person is okay with leaving a little girl, their flesh and blood, with so many questions… especially in the most impressionable years of her life. Okay with never knowing her or wanting her to succeed. Okay with not keeping her safe: emotionally, socially, and physically. Okay with her wondering if he died. Not that I even want him or his family involved with her, it’s still unfair to Mila not to know and wonder if he just died.

Sometimes I think that would have been an easier explanation for her. Death would make more sense than just being an abusive, neglectful, and cruel person to a child.

I don’t even understand it, how could a three year old?

It was one of those times as a parent when I had to separate my feelings and just had to focus on Mila. She needs to know that no matter what, her mom will always be there for her.

Being a single parent is hard. There’s so many questions I know Mila will have in the future that will feel like a hurdle when we get there.

This was just one of those times.

The next few days after the big question, she seemed a little down. I tried to make those days special and read books to her about different types of families. We also made a little book of our family to show her how many people love her.

I can’t change the fact that Mila’s dad is a terrible person who’s abandoned her. What I can help is how she views the world and her situation.

She is the most special girl. No one can ever take that away from her.

Usually I ask for advice or a question at the end of every blog post. I know Mila and I’d situation is unique, but if you have any book recommendations about single parent families, positive and helpful suggestions, or other resources that would help, please let me know.