I love a bunch of small gifts! Give me a basket to fill any day. I've shared a bunch of Easter gift guides (here, here, and here) and am focusing on my kids' ages/genders this time around. Dax is 10, Nadia is 13, and Genevieve is 15. I combed through pages of sites' suggestions so you don't have to! And of course I added in some things we have and love. Let's go!

Easter Basket Filler Ideas for Big Kids/Boys

Let It Glow Facemask $5 Never enough face masks for these teens with near perfect skin. ;) This one comes in a lot of varieties.

Cross Necklace $48 Genevieve loves a cross necklace. This one is 14K gold plated.

Jelly Cat Plush Bag Charm. $26 A little pricey for my blood but we love the jelly cat charms/key chains. How cute is this one?!

Striped Stanley $35 How adorable is this new release?! Go ahead and add it to her collection. It also comes in blue, green, and pink. 

Cashmere Body Butter $12 My girls are really into EOS brand right now and this whipped butter will be perfect for after the (soon to come) hours out in the sun.

Body Scrub $8 Let's give Tree Hut scrubs some competition shall we? The girls love body scrubs AND crumbl cookies- a match made in heaven.

Foot Mask $4 Again, prepping for summer with this foot mask. Your teen will love its cute pattern.

Aesthetic Stanley Straw Cover $5 That time someone shared a bug crawling out of their Stanley straw. This is basically a necessity if they don't already have one. The pastel colors will look so cute in an Easter basket!

e.l.f. Moisturizing Drops $12 Love a dewy product- this one is on Nadia's list. Bonus- the price is nice.

Starbucks Gift Card $15 Get them a drink on you! (or if you're local, a SodaBox gift card is a good option too!).

Ruffle Socks $11 How cute are these socks? Whenever I buy a gift with multiple pieces, I'll split it between the kids' baskets. Life hack.

Touchland Body & Hair Fragrance $20 Touchland now has body spray (which TBH makes more sense to me. ha).

Scalloped Reading Light $17 I  have this book light- it's super cute and would be perfect for your reader.

Blink Card Game $8 Nadia played this game with a friend recently and insisted I included it. It's fun and fast paced.

Kendra Scott Ring (at Target!) $30 I got Genevieve the heart version of this ring and she loves it. This one is so pretty. 

Pink Portable Charger $27 So that they'll stop stealing yours...

Adult Coloring Markers and Scripture Coloring Book $13 and $12. There's nothing that makes me happier than the kids coloring at their current ages (you think it's cute when they're little...just wait!). It's such a calming activity. This is a sweet coloring book with scripture and the markers are well reviewed (these come in a pretty container and I love these too!).

Do you dress up for Halloween? Once I started, I couldn't stop! I usually go trick-or-treating with the kids but whether you're walking your kiddos around the neighborhood or handing out candy at your door, it feels so much more festive if you're in costume. This year I'm not going all out but decided to add leggings and a costume accessory kit to the softest most comfy sweatshirt I'd purchased from Walmart...times 3! It's really the best type of costume because it's cute, cozy, and you can wear it again (without the antlers). Whenever I've created semi-DIY costumes, I've always shopped Walmart fashion for basics and accessories. Keep reading to see the 3 fun costumes I created with the $11 sweatshirt you absolutely need in your life plus butter-y leggings you won't want to take off- all from Walmart.

The "Base:"

For each costume, I started with a cozy sweatshirt and leggings. It's so soft, a great length (I'm tall so it will be longer on most of you), and comes in 4 great colors. I've worn it nonstop since I got it a couple of weeks ago. At just $11.98, I can't believe it's not sold out yet (but it's selling out in some sizes so grab it while you can)! The leggings come in a bunch of colors and the price can't be beat. They're comfortable, soft, and slimming and honestly rival a brand's we all know and love (rhymes with shmulu shlemon. haha). SIZING NOTE: I sized up in the sweatshirt. I always size up in leggings and did the same here, so I'd say order whatever size you normally wear when it comes to leggings.

Costume 1: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I loved (LOVE) 80s fashion. This easy DIY 80's girl costume is so fun. The accessory kit is adorable and an easy way to 'dress up,' without a lot of hassle. I also added leg warmers, and bright makeup for a rad costume. 

What I Put in My Kids' Easter Baskets

1. Something tactile like these wooden balance blocks! I thought Dax might be too old for these when I bough them last year but he loves them! And bonus, they're adorable.

2. Bunny Lip Gloss. I love gifting consumables. And the girls love cosmetics. Win/win.

3. Bunny Facial Mist. This is on its way to  me- Genevieve (12) will love it! 

4. A spiritual book/devotional like this prayer journal. Jesus is the reason y'all. This is the latest I bought for my 12 year old. This one makes me tear up (for kids toddlers through about 6).

5. Swimwear- I adore this simple pink one piece. Filed under woulda-bought-it-anyway, but in the best way. It's the only item on the list over $25 but I also love this for an under $25 option!

6. Plus Plus- Filed under something tactile, these are a staple over here. The basic colors come in a blue.

Find more ideas in this post from a couple of years ago!

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Thank you World Market for sponsoring this post!

Tis the season! We love our traditions around here and one that we always enjoy is a hot cocoa bar! Sometimes I go all out, sometimes it just means fun mugs but generally we have at least one occasion (often our Christmas Eve party) where we pull out all the stops. This year, I shopped World Market to make it happen! Keep reading for tips on how to create your own festive, colorful, and delicious Hot Cocoa Bar!

 

Fun, family-friendly. Try saying that 5 times fast. ;) Do you go out on Valentine's Day? Maybe I'm getting old (ok, yes. yes I am) but going out on February 14th doesn't sound as appealing as it once did. We generally have a date night around Valentine's Day but on the actual holiday, I like to celebrate with my kids too. When they were little, I'd host Valentine's Day play dates and it was always so much fun. Now that they're older we do a variety of things that make the day feel special. Here are some family-friendly ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day with your crew.

One of the most fun things we use the Patio for is an outdoor movie night. Clearly, we had no idea it would basically become our real-life movie theater experience (Darn Covid) but it now serves as that too. It's a really simple set up but I get asked about it often so I wanted to break down how to set up an outdoor movie night and answer those questions, here.

When I shared the kids' Easter baskets on Instagram stories last year, I got lots of questions about what I put in them. I try to avoid candy and cheaply made toys that they will tire of or break within a few uses, yet, still keep it affordable. So I thought I'd whip up a quick post with some fun, budget-friendly Easter basket filler ideas! Side note: If an item isn't pictured or doesn't have a source, I usually get it from the Dollar Tree or Spot's Playground. But most items are linked below along with additional options in the "shop this post" widget at the end of the post and an image to pin if you want to come back to it later! Enjoy!

Did you know Claire's hosts parties?! I didn't! Once, during an AWFUL trip to the mall (one in which the kids were wild and I lost my ish), we spotted a sign advertising "We do parties!" Good things come from terrible mall experiences! A party at Claire's seemed like the perfect pre-tween party idea. We inquired and got some details that all sounded fantastic! Details such as:

I love advent. I love the anticipation of Christmas and how advent calendars and activities help us focus on the reason for the season. When you've grown up as a Christian, sometimes extraordinary matters of the faith, become all too ordinary. Advent helps refocus me (and my kiddos) on how extraordinary the birth of Christ truly is. While we do all of the usual stuff- shopping and eating and gifting and decorating and SANTA and the elf, I want my littles to look back and have clear memories of celebrating Jesus at Christmas time. While not all of these activities have a spiritual focus, they can all be tools to refocus your family and to anticipate the most wonderful time of the year.