Tag: friday fav

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Friday Fav: Store-Bought Valentines

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Tis the season for the kids to pick out and give away valentines to their classmates. Every year I’m impressed by the creativeness of the valentines some kids give out. There’s always some non-food gift in original, homemade packaging and a clever little note, like giving away bouncing balls and saying, “You are a BALL to hang out with.”

But, my Friday Fav is the antithesis of these cute valentines. I’m all in on the bulk, store-bought valentines with TV and movie characters with stickers or tattoos as giveaways. They are easy! And, bonus, my kids love them!

I’m don’t begrudge anyone who takes the time to make homemade valentines. You do you and all that. I’m just not that person who wants to spend my time being crafty in this way, and I have no guilt in “outsourcing” the creation of valentines and buying the store-bought ones.

Photo Credit: Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Posted in Blog

My Friday Fav: Family Movie Nights!

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

Living an intentional life is not about all work and no play. It’s about making time for play and really enjoying the time our family has together. That’s one of the reasons I love family movie nights.

About once a week, during the cold winter months, we have a family movie night either Friday or Saturday night. I love snuggling with my family under a blanket with a slice of pizza to watch a feel-good, family movie. Our kids are a hoot to watch with though because anything suspenseful is immediately “scary.” They really get into the shows we watch, and they’ve been a good avenue for us to discuss different characters’ perspectives and motivations.

The trick is, I am not the kind of person who can watch the same movie over and over again, so I’m always on the lookout for good movies to watch as a family. Lately we’ve been on a live-action kick, watching movies that my husband and I grew up watching. We’ve seen Rookie of the Year, Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Freaky Friday.

I’m on the hunt for more entertaining, family-friendly movies, so let me know which ones you’d suggest for easily scared four and six year olds. So far we’ve stayed away from Ghostbusters and the Marvel universe, though we’re super excited to show them these movies when they are a bit older. What do you suggest?

Posted in Blog

My Friday Fav: Rubber Wristbands

Posted on by Stephanie Spinapolice

You know those 10 cent rubber wristbands the kids get in birthday goodie bags that usually go straight in the trash when the kids aren’t looking? Well, I found a perfect use for them in our family.

Our young boys are both in school with forever-changing schedules. Sometimes they have after-school activities like soccer or debate, sometimes they have a playdate with friends, and other times my husband or I pick them up at the bus stop. Because we’re not always consistent, the kids can get confused about what they need to do after school. The teachers have good systems for keeping track, but I also realize they have 20+ kids. I wanted our kids to know the plan.

Function over form won out for these rubber wristbands.

To help the kids remember, I labeled the rubber wristbands with various instructions (e.g., mom, dad, activity, etc.). I then attach the right rubber wristband to their backpacks each day and review the plan with the kids. At this point, the kids know what each color stands for. For example, red means that mom is getting them from the bus, green means they are going home with a friend, and yellow means stay after school.

I attach the wristbands with a carabiner or easy-to-open keychain.

This has been a simple and easy tool for us to implement. And, I don’t forget to do it each morning because it’s one of the to do’s listed on our morning checklist.