One of the most common complaints from parents is the lack of sleep that seems to go hand in hand with having kids.  It’s inevitable, especially for those first few months.  I remember feeling like I entered some kind of rigorous boot camp of which there was no escaping from.  Being someone that has always loved going to bed at night, the lack of distinction between day and night pushed me to my limits.  I started to wonder if I would ever have the comfort of my old routine of brushing my teeth, washing my face and actually putting on my pjs, instead of just passing out whenever and wherever I had the opportunity to.  Would life ever go back to normal?

The answer, I soon learned, was yes (thank goodness!).  While I admit that I am extremely fortunate to have a child that loves going to bed and has never given us much of a problem in that department, I do think there is more to it than just luck.  A lot of Ryker’s love of sleep comes from our influence on him.  So I thought I would share with you some of the things that have worked for us:

Stick to a routine.  From the very beginning, we tried to keep somewhat of a night time routine.  And we stuck to it.  Obviously, there were times we had to be flexible, but our priority was always making sure Ryker had his bath, we read him a book and he went to bed by 7 pm.  And if other people are watching him for the night, we make sure they are aware of his schedule too.

Give them space.  I’m a firm believer that everyone should have there own bed.  I think it’s important for babies/kids to learn how to self soothe and be able to fall asleep on their own.  (I understand co-sleeping may work for many families, so please don’t take offense J)

Keep it simple.  People have always been amazed how easy it is for us to put Ryker to sleep.  In fact, most nights he reminds us it’s time for him to go the bed!  From the very beginning, we have simply put him in his crib, said prayers, kissed him goodnight and shut the door.  We’ve never rocked him, read him endless books or put up with any other attempts to delay bedtime.

Make it cozy.  I have always been conscious of making going to bed a pleasant experience for Ryker .  We make sure he has his favorite blanket and his little stuffed Elmo.  And we always let him fall asleep to his favorite music.  It may sound corny, but I’ve always tried to make going to bed feel like it’s a treat and something to look forward to!

David Bakke is a father of a young son living in Atlanta. He writes about budgeting and teaching kids about money on the popular finance blog, MoneyCrashers.com.

With summer vacation looming, you may find yourself struggling to budget for fun activities for both you and your kids. In a still sluggish economy, it can definitely seem like a daunting task but, coming up with entertaining things to keep your children occupied is not impossible. With just a little research and creative thinking, there’s no reason family entertainment expenses should take a big bite out of your budget.

1. Read Aloud to Them
Reading aloud to your children may be the most beneficial free activity you can share with them. Just pick up a box full of used books from a second-hand store. Select a wide variety and read your old favorites along with some more recent classics. You can engage your children in further conversation about the books after you’re done, and even suggest writing a “sequel” yourselves to spark their creative drive.

2. Play Old-School Games
Reach back into your childhood memories for the games you loved to play when you were young. Your kids are sure to love Red Rover, Blind Man’s Bluff, Kick the Can, and any other of your old favorites ñ and you may even have a little fun yourself. Playing fun, physical games is a great way to pull your kids away from their video games for a little while and get them out into the fresh air.

3. Create Your Own Games
Get creative and invent fun games of your own. If you live in a two-story home, get a tennis ball and play a game called Upstairs/Downstairs.  The goal is to toss the ball up the stairs and count how many steps it bounces on its way down. To earn points you have to catch the ball, and whoever gets to 50 points first wins. There are countless possibilities for a family game night if you and your kids put your minds to work.

4. Buy a Kids’ Trivia Game
If you want to entertain the kids and educate them at the same time, buy a kid-friendly trivia game. Most children are already motivated to beat their parents at just about anything, and this is one way they can easily accomplish it. If you’re liberal with the rules, throw in a physical element to get your kids some exercise while educating themselves. Most games are affordably priced at around $10-$15 and are good for hours of fun.

5. Consider Skating
I live in the Southeast, and was pleasantly surprised to find some ice- and roller-skating options not far from home. The cost for two was under $20, and if you purchase used skates for your children, you can pay even less in total costs. Roller-skating and ice-skating make for excellent exercise for both you and your kids, and you might be surprised to find a rink in your area.

6. Involve Them in Home Repairs
If you have a few touch-up jobs around the house, it couldn’t hurt to involve the little ones. As long as the project is fairly simple – changing out a door knob or a simple home bathroom repair – you can teach your kids at an early age about the benefits of performing DIY projects on your own, both for saving money and learning the value of hard work.

Final Thoughts
Once you start realizing some savings, make sure you put them in the proper place. You could bump up your 401K contributions, pay down some credit card debt, or start to build up an emergency fund. Reducing expenses for entertainment activities for your kids is important, but putting those savings to good use is what’s really going to give them a secure financial future.

What ways can you think of to entertain your kids without breaking the bank?

Anybody out there a new parent? An expecting parent? Yeah me too. I just had a new baby boy. What a wild ride, right? The other day, I was hanging out with the little guy watching a little TV, and I stumbled upon a commercial on CBS for an upcoming episode of the hit show Survivor. I started to really give some serious thought to the whole process of being a new parent. I began to think that despite all the success Survivor has had on CBS over the years, the producers had made a huge mistake and really missed the mark. The American public has become addicted to watching these comical, everyday people or former B-list celebrities survive under some very tough circumstances. They throw these people into the jungle, the desert, and who knows where else. I truly haven’t even heard of half of these places anyway.  

Well let me tell you CBS, and the rest of the world, nothing says “Survivor” more than being a new parent and having a kid. Now I won’t take away from the fact that these people are out there roughing it in the jungle, eating crazy food, and doing all kinds of crazy tasks so the American public can tune in and be entertained. But have you all ever seen my jungle?..aka my nursery. Man…it’s like thunderdome in there. Yes Thunderdome!

Let’s get this party started, shall we?  Here are my top 5 picks for “New Parent Necessities”:

Starting off the list at #5: Viva Paper Towels

Ok, I know its an awkward choice to start off the list, but these really do come in handy around the house and especially in the nursery. Recommended by our pediatrician, these are SUPER soft and are much better than the paper towels they give you at the hospital to take home. I mean come on guys…the stuff you guys gave me is like sanding paper….my kid’s tush is sensitive!!!! These can be used to wash off your little guy or girl during bath time or to clean up some unpleasant accident. A must have!

# 4 The Gro-Egg Color Changing Digital Room Thermometer

People say this one is overrated and you really don’t need it, but I disagree. For starters, when you are a new parent, you worry about everything. Is the baby hot? Cold? Whatever. In my house, the temperature changes a lot and the last thing I want to worry about is whether or not the room is the right temp. But, it’s hard to find ones that look cool. Look no further…this one rules!

#3 Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

Ok, I know we live in a world where everyone has smartphones and clocks, but this timer still is the best for new parents. This portable timer can go anywhere with you and keeps track of feeding, sleeping, and changing times that makes a new parents life so much easier. When you are really tired, I mean really tired, the last thing you want to do is remember anything. Have no fear anymore!

#2 Fisher-Price Newborn Rock’n Play Sleeper

I refer to this thing as “The Throne”…the place my son feels most comfortable ruling the house from. He spends a lot of time in this thing. I recommend this to any parent who has a newborn who is not yet ready to make the jump into the “big crib”. When your kid is only 8lbs, that big crib can seem like the Pacific Ocean to the little one. This Play Sleeper is so awesome, and affordable, that I bought 2. That’s right….2. One for upstairs and one for downstairs. This is a great investment for your kid.

#1 The Baby’s Eat, Sleep, & Poop Journal

I know, it’s not the sexiest baby product out there but it truly is a MUST have. Its hard to imagine before you have a kid that you would ever really forget when your kid went to the bathroom (ie…you changed a diaper) or how long since you last breastfed. WRONG! You are so darn tired at 2am when you awake from a broken sleep that you can’t remember what day it is let alone which side you started feeding on last time. This book is your bible. Your Holy Grail! You will take it everywhere, share with all your doctors, and take great pride in updating it for your child. This will be the best $15 you invest in for your newborn.

Over the past few months we’ve been listening carefully and are excited to announce several improvements we’ve made thanks to your helpful feedback.

1. 30-Day Returns. You can return any item that doesn’t fit the bill. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Full details here 

2. Return Assurance. Want items back that we can’t accept? Opt any Clean Out bag into our Return Assurance program and we’ll return the items we can’t accept. Full details here

3. New Shipping Rates. In place of our old flat-fee of $6.95, we now charge just $2.99 for your 1st item, then 99 cents for each additional item. (And as usual, if you spend $50 with us, you’ll get free shipping.) Full details here

Thanks for speakingUP and helping us make thredUP the best possible experience. Stay tuned for more exciting news soon, and keep that feedback coming!

The winning blogger will receive a $200 gift card to a craft store of her choice PLUS an exclusive thredUP discount to share with her readers.  We will also be giving away (2) $25 thredUP gift cards to two random voters.  

Below is a re-cap of the crafts.  Once you have decided on your favorite HEAD OVER TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE POLL TO CAST YOUR VOTE!

FAMILY FLASH CARDS - by Gretchen Bossio from That Mama Gretchen

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH DAY - by Box Play for Kids

Mother’s Day Decorative Box - by Jennifer Williams from My Frugal Wife

Kite! - by Cheryl from A Pretty Cool Life

On Friday, April 26th, you wil have a chance to vote for your favorite!  The winning blogger will receive a $200 gift card to a craft store of her choice PLUS an exclusive thredUP discount to share with her readers.  We will also be giving away (2) $25 thredUP gift cards to two random voters.  

Kite!

by Cheryl from A Pretty Cool Life

thredUP’s cheerful, polka dotted packaging inspired me to make something that I knew would bring plenty of cheer to my children…a kite!

Making a kite is really a simple project that takes about 10 minutes.

Gather your supplies.  I used:

twine

scissors

low temp glue gun {I was unsure about a high temp glue gun melting the mailer’s plastic!}

thredUP mailer

thredUP corrugated cardboard box, trimmed into two strips, about 20” x 1” and 12” x 1”

I removed the postal labeling as best I could from the mailer and cut it into a single flat piece.

I then snipped small notches in the ends of the cardboard strips.

I placed the two strips atop one another to make a cross and then tightly wrapped twine around their middle to tie them together.

I threaded twine through the notches, forming a kite shaped frame.

I then trimmed the mailer to just slightly larger than the frame, folded it over, and secured it to the frame with my glue gun.

I took scraps of the mailer and trimmed them into roughly 4” x 6” pieces.

I scrunched them into bow shapes and tied them onto a tail I secured to the bottom corner of the kite.

Finally, I tied a very long piece of twine to the “x” of twine securing the two cardboard pieces for a flying string.  I wrapped the excess around another piece of cardboard from the box.

And that’s it!  A simple but fun craft made from recycled materials in only 10 minutes!

On Friday, April 26th, you wil have a chance to vote for your favorite!  The winning blogger will receive a $200 gift card to a craft store of her choice PLUS an exclusive thredUP discount to share with her readers.  We will also be giving away (2) $25 thredUP gift cards to two random voters.  

Mother’s Day Decorative Box

by Jennifer Williams from My Frugal Wife

This practical gift box is so easy and makes a great gift for Mother’s Day!  Put it where your mail collects to keep your family organized.  Here are the simple instructions:

Materials

1 thredUP box

glue

Instructions

- Cut off the top flaps of your thredUP polka dot box.

- Cut out tree Shapes using the green flap for the top of the tree and a brown flap for the bottom.

- Glue the two pieces together.

- Glue the trees on to the box!

On Friday, April 26th, you wil have a chance to vote for your favorite!  The winning blogger will receive a $200 gift card to a craft store of her choice PLUS an exclusive thredUP discount to share with her readers.  We will also be giving away (2) $25 thredUP gift cards to two random voters.  

“THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH DAY”

This craft was submitted by Box Play for Kids

Supplies:

ThredUp box, pink, blue and green construction paper, glue, scalloped scissors, crayon, 3 craft sticks, cotton balls and finger puppets

Step 1:

Cut off outer lid and top, side flaps of the ThredUp box. Then cut out a rectangle shape from the green lid to create the stage. For the pink curtains, we recycled two panels from our pink refrigerator sticker set. Cut into curtain shape and use a darker pink crayon to draw vertical lines to make curtain folds. Use scalloped scissors to cut the bottoms of the curtains. Place curtain stickers on the sides of the box.

Step 2:

Use scalloped scissors to make rolling hills. Glue to blue construction paper sky. Glue cotton balls onto blue sky to make puffy clouds. Then, glue entire backdrop to the inside of the ThredUp box. We covered all 3 sides of the interior of the box.

Step 3:

Cut a hole at the bottom of the ThredUp box for the hand puppets the hole can also be used for a flashlight to create dramatic stage lighting. Place finger puppets (you can also make your own) on to craft sticks. And, you’re ready to go on with “The Greatest Show On Earth Day.”

On Friday, April 26th, you wil have a chance to vote for your favorite!  The winning blogger will receive a $200 gift card to a craft store of her choice PLUS an exclusive thredUP discount to share with her readers.  We will also be giving away (2) $25 thredUP gift cards to two random voters.  

DIY FAMILY FLASH CARDS

by Gretchen Bossio from That Mama Gretchen

These days many of our crafts revolve around my daughter’s interests. At 2 1/2 that usually means animals or anything purple, but lately she has become a bit obsessed with the alphabet and talking nonstop about all her favorite family members.

For our thredUP recycling project I decided to mix these two recent interests and whip up some sturdy family flash cards. Because we all know, regular ol’ flash cards don’t fair too long in toddlerland, especially when a baby brother is crawling around putting everything in his mouth! This little project doesn’t take much explanation, but here it goes …

SUPPLIES

-  One 4×6 close-up photo of each family member with their name printed on it in capital letters*

-  One or two thredUP boxes, depending on how many

-  Utility knife

-  Framing square or other straight edge

-  Scrapbooking tape

-  Storage bin**

STEPS

-  With the utility knife and framing square, cut the pretty polka dot sides of the thredUp box into rectangles, approximately 5×7 inches

-  Tape each photo to the plain side of the cardboard

My daughter has been a real fan of having her favorite people’s photos displayed all around her room and she has become a champ at reciting the letters in each person’s name. When crafts, fun and education intersect, I’m all for it!

*I used picmonkey.com to crop/edit my photos and add the names

**These storage bins from Target are perfect because of the side latches rather than the snap top