This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, a brand my family loves! All content and opinions are my own.

Hey mamas! Happy *almost* 2018! I have a super fun and simple New Year’s activity for you and your kiddos today! We’re getting pumped up for our NYE bash at the Omaha Children’s Museum! Any New Year’s plans that have me home and in bed by 9:00 sound just about perfect ;)

My girls got restocked on Play Doh for Christmas and have been itching to get their hands on it. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to set up a festive little snack time activity for them. After all, it’s been well established that the best activities include a yummy treat!

Play doh mats are a fave around here. They give the girls a starting point to get their creativity flowing plus I’m able to sneak in some color, pattern and number practice ;)

To get yours, simply click here to download and print!

I simply slid their party hat pages into sheet protectors and laid out rollers, cookie cutters (numbers for 2018 of course) and a good selection of Play Doh colors.

I also set them up with some yummy Stonyfield yogurt smoothies which makes any occasion feel a bit more festive!

They had a great time sipping their strawberry smoothies and creating the *perfect* NYE party hat. It’s safe to say we’ll be playing with these long into 2018!

Wishing you the happiest new year!

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This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, a brand my family loves! All content and opinions are my own.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas with your families! We had a very low-key holiday around here, and now we’re reveling in that time between Christmas and New Year’s where you cozy up, wear jammies 24/7, and have no clue what day of the week it is! Bliss!  

I find myself falling asleep pretty early on these chilly Winter evenings and then waking long before the sun rises. I love how peaceful our house is before the day begins. I prep for the day with the glow of our Christmas tree, but before long, I’ll usually have some company.

Eleanor will softly pad downstairs in her My Little Pony slippers and hug the back of my legs. The “to do” list stacking up in my brain gets tossed aside, and I embrace the early morning magic of a quiet moment alone with her.

Earlier in the week I had found the perfect Christmas break recipe for a slow morning at home – maple pecan french toast bake! My plan was to have it ready and waiting for the girls when they woke up, but having a kitchen sidekick was even better.

Eleanor chatted merrily while tearing up the sourdough, cracking the eggs, and scooping the yogurt – all while soaking in a little alone time mom :)

By the time our yummy french toast bake was finished, the rest of the house was awake and buzzing with plans for the new day. We all enjoyed a delicious breakfast together before Eleanor gave me one last sticky, syrupy hug and ran off to get her day started.

It’s taken me a long time to embrace the early morning magic, but it often leads to the sweetest memories :)

And yes, the french toast was a delicious as it looks! We used Stonyfield Smooth & Creamy Whole Milk Plain yogurt because that’s what we had on hand and it turned out great (even though the recipe calls for whole milk greek). The leftovers were just as awesome too – definitely give it a try!

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This post is sponsored by Omaha Children’s Museum one of our family’s very favorite local attractions!

New Year’s Eve can look a little different once you become a parent, but that doesn’t mean the fun needs to stop! This year our whole family is heading to Omaha Children’s Museum for their New Year’s Eve Bash, and we couldn’t be more excited!

You may notice that one of OCM’s New Year’s models looks a little familiar ;)

We want to ring in 2018 together, and the museum is the best place in town for a kid-friendly NYE experience! Our girls will get to enjoy all of the traditional late-night festivities while still getting tucked into bed at a decent hour (#momwin)!

Families can explore all of their favorite parts of the museum, snack on some yummy treats, and boogie at the dance party with DJ Shane. The bash will also have free carousel and train rides (yay!), professional face painting, and a balloon artist! Plus you can top off the night with a fun countdown and parade complete with DIY cardboard floats!

Reserve your ticket and save!

OCM was kind enough to pass along some great promo codes for Makingmine readers! 

For some extra savings, OCM members can use promo code NYE5offmember and non-members can use NYE5off! **These promo codes only work for advanced ticket sales and will not be accepted the night of the event.

New Year’s Eve Bash at Omaha Children’s Museum

What: Celebrate the last night of 2017 with a party at Omaha Children’s Museum!

When: Sunday, Dec. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: Omaha Children’s Museum, 500 S. 20^th St.

Cost: Tickets to New Year’s Eve Bash are available now, and are $15 per person for members and $25 for non-members and may be purchased online at ocm.org, in person at the museum, or by phone at 402-342-6164. Children under the age of 1 do not need a ticket. Little ones who will be eating or taking part in the crafts and activities do need a ticket.

Hope to see you there! :)

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Hey mamas! I’m back today with another simple and fun ornament idea, and yep – you guessed it! It uses felt! If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m really loving felt lately. It’s so easy to work with, it’s super cheap, and the color options are endless!

These sweet little felt angels are so adorable and a joy to create!

Ok, now on to the DIY….

Felt Angel Ornament Craft

What you need to get started

Supplies:

Angel body and wings template
Freezer paper
Sharpie
Iron
Felt (various colors)
Scissors
Fabric glue
Bells
Ribbon
Wood beads

Creating your felt angel ornaments

Step one is to download and print the angel body and wing template. Choose one color of felt for the body and another for the wings. Then trace the patterns onto the freezer paper, iron it to your felt pieces, and simply cut along the lines!

If you want to add a little “pizazz” to your angel, now is the time! I cut out little scraps of coordinating felt and secured them with fabric glue. You could also use sequins, ribbon, pom poms, etc…

Now you’ll add a line of fabric glue (or hot glue if that’s what you have on hand) to one edge of the angel body before rolling it up and securing the other edge on top.

Once that glue has dried, glue your heart piece (angel wings) over the seam.

Now it’s time to get the rest of your angel assembled. Cut a length of ribbon and string it through the top of the bell. Then thread the ribbon and bell through the bottom of the angel body so that the bell is hidden inside.

Now add your wooden bead to the top before tying the ribbon in a loop for hanging on the tree!

Here’s a good visual of the assembly deconstructed a bit…

Time to Deck the Halls

It’s as easy as that folks! Grab a few of your favorite colors of felt and let your imagination run wild! Let me know if you and your kiddos give these sweet little angels a try! I hope it’s a fun addition to an already amazing holiday season :)

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This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, a brand my family loves! All content and opinions are my own.

We’ve entered the phase of life where Eleanor has various extracurriculars (dance, swimming, etc…) throughout the week. And Everly… well, Everly gets drug along for the tedious task of waiting for her big sis in the lobby.

Over the course of this fall, I’ve nearly perfected our routine for getting out of the house and surviving the dreaded waiting room (even with a toddler in tow).  Here are my four best pieces of advice…

Surviving the Waiting Room with Littles

Let her feel involved

For Everly, this means dressing like a full-fledged ballerina for Eleanor’s dance lessons (yes, the tights, leotard AND shoes) and goggles for swimming lessons. Sure it’s a bit of a hassle to remember Everly’s “accessories” too, but it’s well worth her positive attitude from feeling involved in the activity.

Leave a “distraction” bag packed

I leave a bag full of fun little activities packed and ready at all times in our laundry room. It’s easy to grab on my way out of the house whenever I think there might be some waiting involved. I keep ours stocked with this doll dress-up book, these wipeable cards, and a few other odds and ends like books and blocks.

Bring mess free snacks

Some of my favorite snacks to pack are Stonyfield yogurt squeezers. They’re healthy, the girls love them, and they’re easy to pack! Have you tried the Birthday Cake flavor yet?! My girls go bananas for them! With a couple of yogurt tubes in my bag, I know I’ll have an instant win no matter how long the wait is!

Don’t forget your grace

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly – I *try* to remember my grace. I was the little sister of my family too, and waiting around for my big sis wasn’t always the easiest for me either! No trip goes perfectly, but we’ve had a lot more fun together since I’ve left the house a bit more prepared :)

Do you have any tricks for surviving the waiting room with littles? I’d love to hear!

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This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, a brand my family loves! All content and opinions are my own.

Hey mamas! Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? You will be after this post! I’m back with another craft/snack – because there’s nothing better than an adorable craft you can eat ;)

These yogurt pouch reindeer are the perfect addition to any holiday gathering with kiddos! I mean, Stonyfield’s bright red lids are practically begging to be Rudolph’s shiny nose!

Play date? Check! Class snack? You bet! Ornament making party? Oh yeah!

The reindeer easily slide on and off the yogurt pouch, so you can prep these ahead of time for easy fridge storage! Or, be like me and make these with your kiddos and devour right away ;)

Yogurt Pouch Reindeer Craft {+ Snack}

What you need to get started

Supplies:

Stonyfield Yogurt Pouches
Brown paper lunch bags
Scissors
Googly eyes
School glue
Hot glue gun & glue sticks
Decorative tape
Brown pipe cleaners

Creating your yogurt pouch reindeer

To get started, trim your brown paper lunch bag approximately 5.5″ from the bottom (closed/folded side). Stick a Stonyfield yogurt pouch inside (all you should be able to see is the red lid – aka, Rudolph’s nose) and fold the extra width of the bag around the back.

Now use your decorative tape to secure the bag around the yogurt pouch.

With your bag in place, now you can add your googly eyes! I used school glue so my girls could help, but you can use hot glue here if you want.

Next up you’ll be creating your antlers! This just takes some trial and error, but I promise it’s easy! Just fold your pipe cleaner in half and then twist the ends of each side to make the spiky (technical term here, haha) parts of the antlers. Hot glue is best for securing your antlers to the back of your reindeer.

A tasty reindeer treat

And with just a few simple steps, you have a super cute (and super delicious) reindeer treat! Stonyfield has lots of awesome flavors of yogurt pouches, so you can find something for everyone! Strawberry Beet Berry is always the first to fly out of our fridge around here!

Let me know if you give this crafty snack a try! Enjoy this holiday season mamas :)

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Hey mamas! I have the cutest {or ugliest?} Christmas ornament craft for you today! This would make a great addition to a December play date, classroom holiday party, or just a cozy afternoon at home!

These felt ugly Christmas sweater ornaments are a breeze to make and add a whole bunch of flair to any tree ;)

Ugly Christmas Sweater Ornament Craft

What you need to get started

Supplies:

Sweater template
Freezer paper
Sharpie
Iron
Felt (various colors)
Scissors
Fabric glue
Silver pipe cleaners
Hot glue
Optional: pom poms, googly eyes, sequins, etc…

Creating your ugly Christmas sweater ornaments

Step one is to download and print the sweater template. Then trace the pattern onto the freezer paper, iron it to your felt, and simply cut along the lines for your sweater base!

Time to get creative!

Cut up pieces of different colors of felt, grab some spare pom poms, or add some sparkle with sequins. This is where you let your tacky side fly! Use the fabric glue to make your fabulously ugly designs stick to your sweater.

Next up is creating your hanger!

Fold a silver pipe cleaner in half. Starting with the folded end, twist the two sides together until you get about halfway down. Then pull open the bottom half to create the “arms” of the hanger and bend the top into the “hook.”

Now just use your hot glue gun to secure it to the back of your sweater!

It doesn’t get easier {or tackier} than this folks!

I hope you give this fun project a try with your kiddos this holiday season. But let’s be real, it’d be just as fun with a bunch of girlfriends and a bottle of wine ;)

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This post is sponsored by Stonyfield, a brand my kids and I love! All content and opinions are my own.

Hey mamas! I’m so happy you popped by today because I have a super cute {and easy} Thanksgiving turkey craft that doubles as a delicious snack. And we all know crafts you can eat are the very best kind ;)

Now that I’m coming off my Halloween sugar rush, and all of my goblins and ghosts are safely tucked away until next year, it’s officially time to dive into Thanksgiving!

I was trying to think of a healthy snack I could provide for our play group kiddos this month, and Stonyfield yogurt was the very first thing that came into my mind. Kids love it, moms love serving it, and I had a great idea for transforming it into an adorable Thanksgiving-themed snack.

So grab your kiddos (they can definitely help) and get ready for some turkey time fun!

Yogurt Cup Thanksgiving Turkey Craft & Snack

What you need to get started

Supplies:

Stonyfield YoBaby or YoKids 4oz – 6 pack
Brown paper lunch bags
Scissors
Googly eyes
Glue
Orange washi tape
Water colors
Paint brush
Coffee filters
Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Creating your yogurt cup turkeys

Your first step will be to paint the coffee filter “tails.” They dry really quickly, but it’s still best to knock them out right away! My girls and I just dabbed on brown, red, yellow, and orange paint from our water color set, and they turned out great! Then just lay them out to dry!

The turkey body

Next, you’ll need to get your brown turkey “body” ready. Cut a 2.5 inch strip from the bottom of a brown paper bag. You’ll end up with a loop. Cut it open, wrap it around the Stonyfield yogurt cup, cut to the correct length, and tape to secure. One loop will be able to cover several yogurt cups.

Voilà! 

**If you want to be able to keep the craft, make sure you don’t tape directly on the yogurt cup. That way once it’s snack time, you can just slide the turkey portion off without having to rip it! This is also great if you want to make the craft ahead of time but not store fully assembled turkeys in your fridge ;)

The turkey face

Now it’s time to make your turkey face! Your yogurt cup needs to be upside down at this point – the lid provides the perfect base to keep your turkey upright and leaves plenty of room for the tail to shine!

Cut a triangle “beak” from your orange washi tape and then position two googly eyes above and secure with glue.

The turkey tail

Ok, tail time! Once your coffee filters are dry, crumple them up into a little ball and then spread them back out. This adds some dimension and “fluff” to your tails ;)

Now fold it into fourths and tuck up the bottom triangle piece so you have a flat edge (see below). Then simply use your glue gun to secure the tail to the back of the yogurt cup! I added a couple of extra dabs of hot glue inside the tail to keep the folded portions intact.

A turkey treat

And that’s it! Sweet little turkeys that are just as cute as they are delicious! Stonyfield has tons of awesome flavors that kids {and moms} love to gobble down. Plus we all love a healthy snack that we can feel good serving!

These would be perfect to take to school, play dates, or just to make snack time at home a little more special! Let me know if you make these yogurt cup turkeys with your little ones this Thanksgiving!

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This post is sponsored by The Rose Theater :)

Eleanor and I kicked off another awesome season at the Rose Theater last month, and I’m coming at ya today with all the juicy details on their latest show (PLUS a chance to win 4 tickets)! Yay!

Before I dish on Madagascar, I just have to say that the season kickoff, Babe The Sheep Pig, was ridiculously cute and a ton of fun!

There were carnival games set up to keep the kiddos busy before the show started, and Eleanor felt SO special getting to go up on stage! We’ve been laughing about the silly sheep ever since ;)

Madagascar: A Musical Adventure

But, back to the latest feature! Eleanor and I hit up a preview performance of Madagascar last week, and since she’s never seen the movie, Eleanor didn’t quite know what to expect. Needless to say, once the cast of kooky animal characters was introduced, she was hooked!

Without a doubt, the unforgettable King Julian was her favorite, but I was pretty partial to flock of penguins plotting their escape. The songs were so fun, the costumes were incredibly creative, and the sets really took you on a journey to the jungles of Madagascar and back!

Just like the DreamWorks movie, Madagascar follows Marty the zebra and Alex the lion as they escape Central Park Zoo and go for an adventure of a lifetime with their band of animal friends. And of course, dancing to “I like to move it move it” is a major highlight! This is a show the whole family will love, so don’t miss it!

About the Show:

Dates: Oct 6-22, 2017
Times: Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 2pm, Sundays at 2pm and select Sundays at 10 am
Show specifics: Best for ages 5+, run time 75 minutes
Purchase tickets: $20 for main floor and balcony. Call (402) 345-4849 or purchase online at www.rosetheater.org. Discount ticket vouchers are available at all area Hy-Vee store for $16. Reservations are required.

Enter to win!

One lucky Makingmine reader will win 4 ticket vouchers to Madagascar: A Musical Adventure for the date/time of their choice (October 20, 21 or 22)!

Madagascar: A Musical Adventure Giveaway

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Hey mamas! I hope you have had an awesome week! We have a busy weekend ahead of us, but I wanted to pop in today with a fun snack time activity to do with your kiddos! I created this fun little game that combines color recognition, shape identification, fine motor skills, and most importantly – a yummy snack ;) 

Pepperidge Farm has these awesome bags of Goldfish crackers filled with four fun colors – orange (like we all know and love), yellow, green, and red! They’re all made with 100% real cheese with colors derived from plants.

Goldfish crackers also happen to be perfect for practicing shape and color skills. They’re like teeny tiny building blocks ;)

Snack Time Color and Shape Game

To get started, grab yourself a bag of Goldfish crackers and then download, print, and cut out your game cards! It couldn’t be easier!

The game cards include 8 shapes and 4 colors. Simply have your child choose one shape card and one color card. Then, use the Goldfish crackers to create the corresponding design.

So… a red color card + a heart shape card = a red heart! 

Mix up the cards to create endless combinations! And don’t forget that you can eat your creation once it’s done!

Want more?

Once your kiddo has mastered their shapes and colors, you can tell them about all of the interesting ways Pepperidge Farms has used plants to give Goldfish crackers their colors!

Red: red beet juice concentrate and paprika extracted from sweet red peppers
Green: watermelon & Huito (wee-toe) juice concentrates mixed with extracted Turmeric
Yellow: extracted Turmeric.

What’s your favorite color?

“Plant Your Vote” for your favorite Goldfish cracker color! Just visit this website, click your favorite color, and wait to see which one wins! The color with the most votes will get its own limited edition bag at select retailers this spring.

Let me know if you download the cards and try the game! :)

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