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9:30 am by Penelope

Hey Duggee! A (Not) Adoption Story

“MOM! An elephant adopted an alligator! You have to see!” I am amused, walking toward the living room. Then I am amazed. There on the screen is an elephant in a car with an alligator.

We are watching NickJr’s new animated show Hey Duggee! The show is about a big dog named Duggee, a troop leader for the Squirrel Club. The Squirrel Club Members are Tag, a rhino, Norrie, a mouse, Roly, a hippo, Betty an octopus, and Happy the alligator, whose parent is indeed an elephant.adoption-stories-cartoons-nickjr

In each episode, the Squirrel Club engages in fun educational activities that help them earn badges. The animation and dialog is simple and easy to follow making it suitable for preschoolers to watch.

The most amazing aspect of this program is that while Happy is adopted, there is no focus on it. Happy’s elephant parent is an accepted fact. I’m still not sure if the parent is mom or dad, but it really doesn’t matter. Nothing in the dialog states why Happy’s family is different. The implication is that the family is just different, that’s all.

This understatement is a big loud shout that different families are relevant and part of everyday life. The other very subtle observation is that crocodiles have attacked elephants in the wild. So even though Happy is not a crocodile but an alligator, the nuance of an elephant embracing an alligator into its heart and home nails down the fact that LOVE DOES CONQUER ALL.

In the past, television has portrayed adoption as a problem to be solved, or the adoptee or child needing a home is the center of the plot, and at times portrayed in a negative light. The audience is constantly reminded that adoption is the premise of the story, as well as the unconventionality that goes with it.

Not so with Hey Duggee! All families are welcome, with no questions asked. What amazed me most is that my child instantly recognized that Happy was adopted, without having it pointed out in the dialog. That is no small feat for children’s’ programming.

This has not gone unnoticed. Hey Duggee! has earned Studio AKA a BAFTA award in 2016 as well as an International Emmy award in 2017. The show is already in its second season and gaining popularity with adopted and traditional families alike.

Hey Duggee! can be seen on NickJr weekdays at 1:30pm EST or on the NickJr website anytime.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I did not receive any compensation as NickJr doesn’t even know about this blog. This is simply a mom excited about a new children’s program with an adoption element. 

Theresa Davis has been working with children and families for years, wearing different hats, mostly as an early childhood educator and now a teaching assistant. She writes for a local publication “The Parent Pages” as a columnist for the past two years, covering topics surrounding adoption, foster parenting and special needs families. She is also a former foster parent, now an adoptive mom of one daughter.  She enjoys knitting, yoga, trying new recipes, and crafting with her little one.

10:11 pm by Penelope

12 Homemade Halloween Costumes + my DIY Disney Frozen Olaf Costume

Do you need an easy Halloween costume? Are you a fan of Disney’s Frozen? Does “Elsa” need a date for Halloween? This easy DIY Disney Frozen Olaf Halloween costume is simple and would also work great as a Run Disney costume.

DIY-Run-Disney-Frozen-Olaf-costume

 

SUPPLIES for Hat of DIY Olaf Costume:

White baseball cap
Large googly eyes
Brown pipe cleaners (large)
Orange craft foam (for carrot nose)
Black adhesive felt (for eyebrows)
White felt (for tooth)
Hot glue gun
Black sharpie

Check out this easy DIY Olaf costume for RunDisney

 

My little boy loves his Olaf hat and has worn it on Silly Hat Day at school.

SUPPLIES for Body of DIY Olaf Costume:

White t-shirt
Brown long sleeved t-shirt or leg warmers (for Olaf’s arms)
White baseball pants
Black adhesive craft felt (for Olaf’s coal)
White socks
White shoes

Easy DIY Frozen Olaf Costume for RunDisney

 

Plus here’s more cute DIY Halloween Costumes!

Awesome Costumes Blog Hop

DIY Pineapple – Sugar Bee Crafts

Pinata Shoes – Morena’s Corner

Easy Mime – Ginger Snap Crafts

Dark Fairy Wings – Crafty Lady Abby

Skein of Yarn – Dukes and Dutchessess

Caps For Sale – Blue i style

No Sew Mermaid Tutu – 365 Days of Crafts

Disney Frozen – Foster2Forever

Plants v. Zombies – Twin Dragonfly Designs

Inside Out Bing Bong – Desert Chica

Princess Anna Apron – Ruffles and Rainboots

Modern Mother Earth – BumbleBree Blog

8:28 am by Penelope

Silly Song to Teach Children to Control Emotions

My kids and I loved the Disney/Pixar movie, Inside Out! (Have you read my Inside Out movie review for foster/adoptive parents?)

What makes the Inside Out movie a great tool in parenting is that it gives kids a language to talk about ways to control emotions they are feeling. Getting your children to talk about their emotions can be quite frustrating as a parent.

Here’s a silly song about emotions so you can teach your children various ways to control emotions.

{sung to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It}

If you’re JOYful and you know it – Laugh out loud
If you’re ANGRY and you know it – Breathe in deep
If you’re SAD and you know it – You can cry
If you’re SCARED and you know it – Hug your dad

Be sure and read these 8 Tips to Teach Children How to Control Emotions.

If you’d like to laugh at me, here’s my blooper reel from this video.

Remember that activity also helps children regulate emotions. Check out these top toys for active boys (& girls). 

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post; however, the plush toys were purchased via another sponsored post.

10:45 am by Penelope

Homemade Mother’s Day Gift Idea plus FREE Printable

I Love You Beyond Measure DIY Candle Gift Idea: Child at Heart

Hey ya’ll! I’m Deonna and I write Child at Heart: A faith-based DIY, gift ideas, and family blog. I’m a stay-at-home mom, police wife, and mommy to this little cutie 🙂

IMG_2001

Had to share a picture from my Instagram with my new Foster 2 Forever friends 🙂 I was asked by Penelope to share an easy gift idea for Mother’s Day with you. I was one of Penelope’s roomies at Blog Elevated and we had SO much fun!

I LOVE making gifts for Mother’s Day and when I think of my mom, I think of how much she LOVES cooking…I didn’t get that gene 🙂 I found this great little measuring cup the other day and I decided to turn it into a fun kitchen candle. I am sharing a simple way to make a soy candle with essential oils in your microwave. It’s super easy and they turn out really pretty. I also made some simple gift tags that say “I Love You Beyond Measure” to add to your candle gift. All you have to do is print, cut, and you’re done!

Okay let’s make our candles:

You can choose any little bowl, cup, or mug to make this project if you don’t love the measuring cup idea. Just choose your bowl or cup and clean it out and dry it really well. I did the tutorial with this fun little bowl I found.

How to Make a Soy Essential Oils Candle in the Microwave:  Child at Heart

1. Place your wick in the center of the bowl or cup. I used a glue dot to hold it in place. Once, the hot wax hits the glue dot it will move but it does help get you ready to pour.

2. Measure your soy wax flakes by pouring them into your cup twice. This should be enough to fill the bowl once it’s melted. I melted them in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Stir to make sure it is thoroughly melted.

3. Add your essential oils of choice. I did about 20 or 30 drops and my candles don’t smell very strong so if you want a stronger scent, use more. Stir for about 2 minutes and then slowly pour into your bowl or cup.

4. Place a small piece of wax paper over the candle with a hole in it for the wick. This will keep your wick centered while the wax hardens. Allow several hours to cool.

Here are some of the other finished candles! Besides the bowl and measuring cup, I used a tiny tea cup and a coffee mug that I wrote on with a gold Sharpie. The printable gift tags for the mug and tea cup are available on my blog as well. Just click on them, print, cut, and you’re done!

DIY Kitchen Themed Candle Ideas:  Child at Heart

FREE Printable Gift Tags: Click on the link, print, cut, and tie it on your gift with some cute ribbon or jute. I made a colorful option and also a black and white option. You could hit the black and white tags with some watercolors for a fun twist!

“I Love You Beyond Measure” Gift Tag Printables in Color

“I Love You Beyond Measure” Gift Tag Printables in Black and White

Free printable gift tags with homemade candle tutorial. Great idea for Mothers Day.

Please check out some of my other DIY projects and family posts and thank you SO much for letting me come visit 🙂

Which candle is your favorite? What other things could you use from your kitchen for a candle gift?

homemade-mothers-day-gift-tag-candle-idea

8:00 am by Penelope

Spring Break Activities for BIG Families PLUS GIVEAWAY

Looking for spring break activities for families? But what if you have a large family? Are you looking for things to do with all your kids without breaking the bank?

Spring Break Activities for Large Families

Spring-break-activities-things-to-do-for-large-families

DAY AT THE PARK – A cheap and easy spring break activity to do with your large family is to spend a day at a local park. You can pack a lunch, snacks, and drinks. You can make this easy kite out of a paperbag and streamers.

Make-a-Kite-500x500

HIKING – Take your big family on a hiking trip during spring break. Here are 7 great tips for hiking with kids.

CAMPING – You don’t have to spend a bundle to go camping with your large family. Here are some great camping tips you should check out!

kids-camping-tips-spring-break (2)Also, be sure and get a tent that has a tall height so you don’t have to slump over to walk inside, such as this 8-person family tent with a center height of over 6 feet!

GEOCACHING – Go on a treasure hunt with your kids during spring break! Geocaching is treasure hunting with a GPS.  Begin by going to geocaching.com to find where over 2 million small “treasures” (called geocaches). Find your location and then solve the clues to find the treasure!

Spring-break-activities-things-to-do-for-large-families

FAMILY PIZZA NIGHT – Make homemade pizza dough and have each kid in your family make their own pizzas! Let each child add as much of their favorite toppings to their own personal pizza. Great for those with picky eaters too.

Pizza-Night

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT – With no early school mornings, enjoy a family movie night together – complete with snacks and lots of popcorn.

family-movie-nights

FAMILY ROADTRIP – There’s nothing that creates memories and true family bonding than a family roadtrip. Here are some great tips on how this family takes BIG trips on a small budget.  And check out these road trip tips for LARGE families!

littlebudgetbigtripfrugaltravel

STAYCATION – You can have a fabulously fun spring break at home by planning a staycation where your large family completes a fun “bucket list” of things to do on spring break locally.

create-a-staycation-schedule

Whatever activities you do with your kids during spring break, the important thing is that you have fun in your family bonding time!

Increasing the “family fun factor” helps build relationships: “Recent studies have found that the best predictor for good sibling relationships later in life is how much fun the kids have together when they’re young. The rate of conflict can even be high, as long as there’s plenty of fun to balance it out.” via  The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind {affiliate link}

spring-break-activities-for-large-families

$500 SPRING GIVEAWAY

spring-break-activities-family-giveaway-2015

Win one of THREE $500 cash prizes directly in your paypal account! This giveaway is open internationally. You must be 18+ years old to enter. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Winners will be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Please see detailed terms and conditions below the giveaway for more info.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

11:10 am by Penelope

Easy Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Recipe

After searching for Dr. Seuss food ideas, I finally found the easiest Dr. Seuss green eggs and ham recipe!

You see Dr. Seuss’ birthday of March 2nd touches a special memory in my heart of the grandfather my children never met. Every year, I celebrate with my kids with a special edible Dr. Seuss food menu…because of their grandfather’s epic recipe fail of green chicken…

Check out this easy green eggs and ham recipe for a Dr. Seuss party

Making the green eggs was easy – white chocolate with green M&Ms – but I couldn’t think of any easy way to make the green ham. And then! Perusing the candy aisle at H-E-B I found the perfect green ham!!

The new Peeps Minis in Sour Watermelon flavor!

Just cut off the head & turn upside down! 

These Peeps look just like green ham for a Dr. Seuss party snack

Here’s my Dr. Seuss Green Eggs & Ham Recipe! (Note: the larger Mega M&Ms would probably look even better)

7:56 pm by Penelope

Fabulous Valentine Box Ideas for Boys

Making Valentine’s Day boxes for boys isn’t the easiest task since boys aren’t usually into hearts and doilies, including my two boys. Here are some great ideas for your boys to make their own boyish Valentine boxes!

Check out these fabulous Valentines Day boxes for boys

Valentine Box Ideas for Boys

Army Tank Valentine Box for Boys

tank-valentine-box-idea-boys

Batman Batmobile Valentine Box for Boys

Batmobile-boys-valentine-box-ideas

Crocodile Valentine Box for Boys

Crocodile-Valentine-Box-idea-boys

Firetruck Valentine Box for Boys

firetruck-valentine-box-idea-boys

iPhone/iPod/iPad Valentine Box for Boys

iphone-valentine-box-ideas-boy

Lego Valentine Boxes for Boys

lego-valentine-box-ideas-boys

Minecraft Creeper Valentine Box for Boys

minecraft-creeper-valentine-box-idea-boys

Easy Monster Valentine Box for Boys

monster-boys-valentine-box-ideas

Ninja Valentine Box for Boys

Ninja-valentine-Box-idea-boys

Purple Minion Valentine Box for Boys

Minion-Valentine-box-idea-boys

Check out these other great ideas for Valentine’s Day boxes for boys!

7:00 am by Penelope

How to Make a Wonder Woman Costume + 88 Other DIY Costumes

If you’ve followed me for a while, you may realize that I just love Halloween costumes and dressing up. (Is that weird for a Christian?) Each year, our family has a theme for our Halloween costumes. Check out how our family has dressed through the years for Halloween costume idea for families or groups.

Last year, we dressed in Halloween costumes as a family of superheroes! Dad was Green Lantern, one son was Batman, the other Superman, and I dressed in an EASY DIY WONDER WOMAN COSTUME I put together!

wonder-woman-costume-ideas-running-superhero

How do I look?

How to Make a Wonder Woman Costume

SUPPLIES: HEADBAND & CUFFS for Wonder Woman Costume

diy-wonder-woman-costume-supplies

 

I made the cuffs out of toilet paper rolls.

  • toilet paper rolls
  • sparkle craft paper in gold
  • red felt
  • scissors
  • hot glue gun

I simply cut the toilet paper roll lengthwise and traced a pattern onto the sparkle paper. I then cut the sparkle paper and hot glued the paper onto the toilet paper roll.  I then cut a small star out of red felt and hot glued it on.

For the Wonder Woman headband, I used an old large soft but solid headband.  I used this pattern for Wonder Woman costume headband and cut out the sparkle paper. I hot-glued the sparkle paper onto the headband. I cut the red felt into a star and hot glued it onto the front of the Wonder Woman headband.

how-to-make-wonder-woman-headband

 SUPPLIES for Wonder Woman Costume

  • Red shirt
  • Blue shorts
  • Red softball socks
  • Red shoes
  • Yellow and white Duck Tape sheets
  • Fiskars x-large star punch
  • White masking tape

I traced the Wonder Woman logo onto the yellow Duct Tape sheet using this Wonder Woman costume logo pattern. I placed on the front of the red shirt.

how-to-make-wonder-woman-costume-logo-pattern

For the shorts, I cut the stars out of the white Duct Tape sheet using the star punch. Because of the stickiness of the glue, cut out a few stars with folded foil to keep the punch from sticking. Place randomly on the blue shorts.

how-to-make-wonder-woman-costume-running

 How to Make Boots for Wonder Woman Costume

Wear red baseball socks with red shoes, then put masking tape from the toes of the red shoes to the top of the socks. Then place masking tape around the top of the socks.  Official (kind of) Wonder Woman boots! 

how-to-make-wonder-woman-costume-boots

Check out our Halloween costumes for a family of superheroes!

Check out this family of superheroes! Great Halloween costume idea for family or group!

Along with how to make a Wonder Woman costume, I’m sharing 88+ more really awesome handmade costume ideas from talented bloggers everywhere!  Here are 80+ DIY Halloween costumes, including my WONDER WOMAN COSTUME!

Check out this handmade Halloween costume site, Really Awesome Costumes that has tons of easy ideas to craft up DIY Halloween costumes for everyone including your pets, family costumes, and even trunk or treat ideas!

 

101+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

And now it’s time for tons more DIY Halloween costume inspiration! You can join in on the BLOG HOP! Click on the links below each collage to get the detailed instructions about how to make the costume pictured, just like mine above. Don’t forget to follow the Handmade Halloween Costumes Pinterest Board for even more DIY costume greatness!

88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

1. Handmade Baby Hamburger Costume

2. DIY Baby Game Boy Costume

3. DIY Minecraft Steve Costume

4. Football Brothers Halloween Costumes with DIY Pads and Onesie

5. Star Trek Halloween Costume for Kids

6. A Bee and Her Keeper

7. No Sew Magician Costume

8. Flint Lockwood Costume

9. Pinocchio

10. Marty McFly

11. Princess Wedding Dress Costume

12. Handmade Lalaloopsy Doll Costume

13. Homemade Toothless Costume

14. DIY Mermaid For Less Than $20 (No-Sew Option)

15. Easy Tinker Bell Costume

16. Mario and Luigi Go Kart Costumes

17. Dog The Bounty Hunter and Beth

18. Family Monsters University Costumes

19. Scooby Doo family costumes

20. DIY Storm Cloud Costume

 

88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

21. Cheap and Easy DIY Spider Costume

22. Easy Tin Man Costume

23. No Sew Bee Costume

24. Planet Halloween Costumes

25. DIY Cheshire Cat Costume

26. DIY Instagram Board

27. Elsa crown

28. Dog Collar Ruffles

29. DIY Pineapple Baby Costume

30. DIY Lego Movie Costume

31. Weeping Angel Costume

32. Disney Planes Costume: Dipper

33. Easy Pirate Costume

34. Easy Costume Idea – Renaissance Girl

35. 10 Minute Homemade Jellyfish Costume

36. DIY Cat Costume

37. Lucy And Ricky Costumes

38. Easy Frozen Costumes (Carrisa!!)

39. Easy Greek Goddess Costume

40. DIY Family Willy Wonka Costumes

101+ Handmade Halloween costumes at Creating Really Awesome Free Things

 

41. DIY No Sew Maleficent Costume

42. No Sew Pineapple Halloween Costume

43. Graveyard Bean Bag Toss: Trunk or Treat Car Costume

44. DIY Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Costumes

45. DIY Raccoon Costume with Printable Mask

46. Easy WildStyle Lego Movie Costume

47. Simple Hello Kitty Costume

48. No Sew Minnie Mouse Costume

49. DIY Inspector Gadget and Penny Costumes

50. DIY Frozen Elsa Dress Baby Edition

51. Fairy Princess Dog Costume

52. DIY Hashtag Halloween Costume

53. Toddler or Baby Egg Costume

54. Easy No Sew Olaf Costume

55. DIY Baymax Costume

56. DIY Tooth Fairy Costume

57. Baby Short Stack Pancake Costume

58. Elephant and Piggie Halloween Costumes

59. Instagram Halloween Costume

60. Peter Pan & Mr. Smee Halloween Costume

88+ Handmade Halloween costumes at ReallyAwesomeCostumes.com

61. Wildstyle Costume from the Lego Movie

62. Fred and Wilma Couples Costume

63. Viking Family Costumes

64. DIY Cruella de Vil Costume for a child

65. Disney Frozen Olaf Halloween Treat Bucket

66. How to Make a Minecraft Steve Head

67. DIY Harry Potter Costume

68. DIY Duck Dynasty Costumes

69. No Sew Cupcake Baker Halloween Costume

70. DIY Skunk Mask

71. Ghostbusters Proton Pack DIY

72. Frozen Anna Costume Tutorial

73. Candy Corn Costume

74. Paw Patrol Halloween Costume

75. No Sew Toothless Dragon Costume

76. DIY Robot Costume

77. Wonder Woman Costume

78. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Costume

79. Thrifted Gentleman Spy DIY Halloween Costume

80. DIY Boy Garden Gnome Costume

81. Group Costume: Bob Ross, Happy Tree, & Squirrel

82. DIY Blues Brothers Costumes

83. Snow White Costume

84. Peacock Princess Costume

85. Scarecrow Costume

86. Easy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costume

87. Handmade Teddy Bear Costume

88. Princess Elsa and the Spy Kid

89. DIY Baby Koala costume

What handmade costume ideas did you love the most?! Be sure to click over to get the costume instructions, pin the costume, and let them know you love it!

8:00 am by Penelope

10 DIY Halloween Costumes for Families

Are you searching for easy DIY Halloween costumes for your family? Here are some cute Halloween costume ideas for groups!

best-easy-diy-halloween-costumes-ideas-family-group

Wizard of Oz Halloween costumes for family

Muppets Halloween costumes for family

Family of Superhero Halloween costumes

DIY Pirate Halloween Costume Ideas for Family

Easy DIY Care Bears Family Costumes for Halloween

DIY Family CandyLand Halloween Costumes for Family

Easy DIY Mario Cart Family Halloween Costumes

Football Themed Family Halloween costumes

Easy DIY Cops and Robbers Halloween Costumes for Family

Batman, Robin, Joker & Catwoman Halloween Costumes for Family

Check out all this other Halloween fun!

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