Tag: Kids

Mom Hacks for Traveling with Kids

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 PLUS FREE TRAVEL JOURNAL TEMPLATE FOR KIDS

This shop, Road Trip Hacks, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FRAMFreshBreeze #CollectiveBias

Years ago, a very young Mr. Marigold and I moved out of our home state for our careers . We miss our families and our home state very much, and we try to get back to visit our families when we can. This means we are very, very experienced in road tripping, and since having kids, we’ve learned a thing or two about traveling with young ones.

Today, I’m going to share my road trip hacks for traveling with kids.
Mom Hacks for Traveling with Kids + FREE Printable Travel Journal Template for Kids | Five Marigolds #FRAMFreshBreeze #ad

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Big Boy Room Reveal

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Colorful, eclectic Boy Bedroom

When we moved into this home two years ago, one of the first rooms I decorated was my son’s.  It’s where inspiration struck first, and I had so much fun creating custom framed engineer prints, pallet art, and industrial pendant lighting. I loved everything about it, and declared his room, “done.”

However, he has since graduated to a bigger bed…which required new bedding…and while I was at it, I decided his room was missing color, and elements that better reflect his personality. Since he’s a little bigger now, he deserves to have a new big boy room to go with it!

My design style, if I had to describe it,  is an eclectic mix of colorful, vintage and updated traditional. Today I’m going to reveal his colorful / preppy / rustic /  vintage big boy room. Hopefully, this will give you some inspiration on decorating your son’s bedroom and try some of the same things too!

Big Boy Room Reveal: Decor for the Book Worm. | Five Marigolds #birchlanekids

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DIY Christmas Ornaments for Kids

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Christmas Crafts You’ll actually want to display

Time to get your craft on! Today I’m excited to share four projects perfect for kids. Even better? They look so good you’ll actually want to display them on the fancy, do-not-touch tree.

Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean.

These projects are so kid-friendly you won’t have to finish them by yourself. Mom win all around! DIY Christmas Ornaments for Kids: Snowglobes, Christmas Tree Truck, sequins and sparkles. #RollAwayLint #ad

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Lunchbox Jokes Printable

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Back to School Lunchbox Jokes Printable

My free lunchbox printables are always super popular this time of year – the one time we moms *actually* feel organized enough to do things like print cutesy lunchbox notes! In the spirit of mom unity, I’ve added another lunchbox jokes printable to my offering so we can all score an A+ in “Pinterest Mom: 101.”

Thanks to my girlfriends who tirelessly pumped their kids for their best jokes to help create this fun collection. Happy back to school season, fellow moms! We can do this!

Free lunchbox jokes printable, just in time for back to school season! | Five Marigolds

Download your free Lunchbox Jokes printable here. (Psst..Don’t forget to share this free resource on your favorite social channel to help me continue to offer these fun freebies!)

More lunchbox printables:

 

 

 

Back to School Wardrobe for Girls

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Back To School Capsule Wardrobe for Girls for $100

Earlier this week I posted my BTS capsule wardrobe for boys, and now I’m sharing my Back to school wardrobe for girls. It’s amazing what great pieces you can afford when you plan ahead and really envision how they will all work together to create multiple outfits. Here, I’ve put together 10 key pieces that work together create 10+ outfits, head to toe, for just around $100.*

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Fill In The Blank Lunchbox Notes Printable

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Is it just me or are summer breaks getting shorter and shorter? My kiddos are dreading going back to school in just a few weeks, but we’re having fun gearing up with new school supplies and goodies, including a newly designed set of fill in the blank lunchbox notes.

I love tucking a fun lunchbox note into their cold lunch at school, and this year decided to make a blank set of notes for when I just want to add my own personalized message. Fill In The Blank Lunchbox Notes Printable | Five Marigolds

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Pinwheel Party Favors + Peppa Pig Printables

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Peppa Pig Birthday Party Ideas

Peppa Pig printables, favors, and inexpensive birthday party ideas.

Looking for a super easy, inexpensive birthday party favor that kids will actually use? Look no further than these “It’s Pinwheelie Fun” Peppa Pig party favors.

I’m planning my daughter’s upcoming birthday party, and since she’s a huge Peppa Pig fan, it was easy choosing a theme. I had so much fun researching Peppa Pig party ideas, and came up with a Peppa Pig picnic party theme.

To go with the bright, cheerful theme, I decided on combining two kid obsessions for our Peppa Pig party favors:  bubbles and pinwheels.It's Pinwheelie Fun Birthday Favors + Peppa Pig Free Printables | Five Marigolds

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Easter Lunch Tablescape for Kids

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There are only two weeks until Easter, and I kicked off the season with a casual Easter lunch for the kids.

The menu was very fancy: PB&J, applesauce, string cheese, and milk.

The table was a little fancier. We used their Easter baskets as centerpieces, and filled them with some Easter things we bring out each year: books, little stuffed animals, bunny ears, and some (empty) plastic eggs.

Simple Easter Tablescape for Kids | Five Marigolds

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Christmas Thank You Note Templates for Kids

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Merry Christmas! Hopefully yours was spent with loved ones creating new happy memories. If your kids were fortunate to receive gifts this season, it’s time to start those thank you notes. I love using templates to keep it a bit more manageable for the kids, especially with Eve just learning to write this year.

Christmas Thank You Notes Free Printable Templates for Kids | www.fivemarigolds.com

Here are the thank you notes I whipped up to use this year, and I’m offering them here as a free printable. Enjoy!

Christmas Thank You Note Template for Kids | www.fivemarigolds.com

Hot Cocoa “Tea” Party – Christmas Style

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Hot cocoa party, anyone?

Host a winter hot cocoa "tea party" for kids, Christmas Style. Just grab an old comfortable quilt, marshmallows, candy canes , and a few fuzzy friends.


In addition to the fab blogs in the right sidebar, this was also linked up at Tatertots and Jello,Savvy Southern Style, Live, Laugh Rowe, Nap Time Creations The Turquoise Home,Tidy Mom, Elizabeth and Co. Vintage, Chica on a Shoestring and The Scoop.

Vintage Doll House Makeover: Part I

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Update: Please visit my updates to this vintage dollhouse makeover series here:

Vintage Dollhouse Makeover Part II Exterior, Part III Boy’s Room, Part IV Girl’s Room, Part V Laundry / Bathroom, Part VI Living Room

This summer I picked up this vintage doll house from the thrift store for a few dollars. I can’t explain why I picked it up, but I was thrilled with the find. So, what to do with a 1940’s era doll house in disrepair? I originally had delusions of restoring it, because it certainly had charm. However, once I started trying to do some touch ups I was faced with the reality that this baby needed a complete overhaul.

Here’s how it looked when I brought it home.

Vintage Doll House Makeover Before | Five Marigolds Continue reading →

Free Printable Letter Writing Templates for Grandma, Pen Pal

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Family is important to us and we live a little too far from the kids’ grandparents for our taste. Now that both Dub and Eve are writing I want to encourage them to work on their letter writing and communication skills via snail mail. To help them (and your little writers), we use letter writing templates for kids.

Letter to Grandma Printable Templates | Five Marigolds

Letter Writing Templates

I’ve searched high and low for letter writing templates that will work for young writers and have struggled to find a template with prompts that are appropriate for casual letter writing.

Many are specific to summer break (we love this one, especially for non-writers), summer camps and travel which is great but doesn’t work year round.

So, I created these letter templates that I’m really happy with.

The friendly letter template includes writing prompts that cover the things we talk about at home at the end of each day: what they’re learning at school, their feelings at the moment, and the best and worst part of their days.

I also added a “weather today” section, just for fun, and an area for them to just draw, which is their favorite part.

With different writing prompts the kids don’t feel like they are writing the same letter again and again.

You can find our letter writing templates for kids below. 

Letter to Grandma Printable Template Girl | Five Marigolds

More Letter Writing Ideas

Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are the obvious first choices when thinking about who your kids should write letters to but don’t forget about friends that live close by.

Start a neighborhood pen pal program when your kids are preschoolers. It was so great for them to have friends their own age in the neighborhood that they could easily walk to visit. When they get older, they can write letters about shared interests, weekend plans and stories about school.

Another idea is for the kids to list things they want to do with their grandparents when they visit. This way, they can start thinking about and looking forward to their next visit!

If your kids are hesitant about letter writing, have them start with a postcard. They can be found almost anywhere (we even have some from our travels that the kids love to send) and are less intimidating than a full sheet of paper.

Another great way to ease into letter writing is with a fill in the blank letter. These are great for younger kids or those just getting started.

You can also hype up the writing process with cute kids writing paper, special stamps and some washi tape.

And don’t forget that you can always encourage your kids to write letters by writing a few yourself!

I hope these templates help your young writers and that you enjoy getting letters in the mail as much as we do!

Do you have friends and family members who live far away? Are your kids starting to interact with pen pals, or heading off to summer camp? This template is for you! I’m sharing them here for my subscribers. Enjoy!

Children’s Artwork Display for Less Than $5

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This is one of my favorite projects to date – also the easiest and least expensive: the children’s artwork display located in our Family Command Center  – otherwise known as the mud room.

I wanted plenty of space where the children could hang their artwork and good grades with pride, without that messy cluttered look on the fridge. It also needed to be really flat to the wall, since the area I’d designated is in a space the width of a hallway.

Mud Room Family Command Center DIY Kids' Art Display | Five Marigolds Mud Room Family Command Center DIY Kids' Art Display | Five Marigolds

Here’s how I did it:

  • Buy these eye hook screws and wire at the hardware store for less than $5 total (or spend a few extra bucks and shop Amazon at the links above if you want to save a trip to the store).
  • Drill holes into the wall where you want your eye hooks to go. Screw the eye hooks into the wall by hand.  Then, wrap your wire around one of the hooks a few times. Stretch it to the other eye hook, pulling and straightening as you go. Wrap it around that eye hook 2-3 times and cut the wire.
  • I already had these cute little inexpensive clips on hand, leftover from Eve’s party favors.They work great for holding the various art and school papers the kids bring home.
  • Voila! Children’s art center complete in 20 minutes and for less than $5.

Mud Room Family Command Center DIY Kids' Art Display | Five Marigolds

As for the rest of our family mud room command center, it’s still a work in progress. I have dreams for this space!

Mud Room Bench Storage | Five Marigolds

Mud Room Key Drop | Five Marigolds

I found that sign at the thrift store. I think it was from a hotel long ago. I just love it!Mud Room Family Command Center Key and Mail Drop

What do you think of my low-tech art center for the kids?

Sources:

  • Rug, Homegoods (similar here and here)
  • Basket, Mary & Martha (similar here)
  • Door Paint, Sherwin Williams Tidewater
  • Walls, Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
  • Drawer Pulls and Knobs, Restoration Hardware
  • Key Hook Sign, thrifted (similar here, here,  here and here)

Shop your Kids’ Closets for Halloween Costumes!

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DIY HALLOWEEN Costumes FOR FREE

Looking for last-minute Halloween Costumes? Look no further than this inspiration for shopping your kids’ closets for these super cute looks!

Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker: All it takes is a Karate uniform top, a bathrobe or bed sheet (or you can buy a Jedi cape inexpensively here), some khakis and a pair of boots – and a blue light saber, of course. Here is how I envisioned the costume:

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween - Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

Shop your kids’ closets for Halloween – Star Wars Jedi Luke Skywalker| Five Marigolds

And here’s how it looked on Dub.

Shop Your Kids' Closet for Halloween Costumes | Jedi Luke SkyWalker Star Wars | Five Marigolds

 

Sock Hop – I love this look for a brother and sister! The boy look is super easy, of course. For the girls, I paired a pink tutu pettiskirt with a cardigan, scarf and some black Mary Janes. Either cut out your own “poodle’ or grab a really inexpensive one online. Add some cute glasses for a final touch!

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween Costumes 50's Sock Hop | Five Marigolds

Here’s how it looked on my little one (Yeah…that was before her hair was done, but the only happy look I got. Toddlers!):

Shop your kids' closets for Halloween Costumes 50's Sock Hop | Five Marigolds

 

Baby Jazzerciser: This goes down as my favorite costume yet and it’s super easy. Just pair a baby onesie with a bright cut-up onesie,  legings or tights, some baby legwarmers or Baby Legs (or cut up some old socks) and use a knit baby headband for, well, the headband. I actually cut the elastic tops off of some baby socks for the little baby wristbands! My mother sewed an adorable boom box to complete the look. You can get something similar here or here.

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween | Baby Jazzercize Jane Fonda | Five Marigolds

Here’s how my little one rocked it:

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween Costumes | Jazzercize Exercise Baby | Five Marigolds

 

Baby Kitty Cat: This one can’t get any easier. Combine a black baby onesie with black leggings or tights, and maybe a cute matching fur vest or black tutu pettiskirt, and you’ve got yourself a kitty cat! Add the finishing touches of a black nose and whiskers using eyeliner, and don’t forget the kitty ears! You can currently buy kitty ears headbands at the Target Dollar Spot, online here, or you can make them on your own. Use a thin feather boa from the dress up pile, and cut it up to make “fur” wrist cuffs and use as the tail.

Shop your Kids' Closets for Halloween | Baby Kitty Cat | Five Marigolds

 

Pink Poodle: Similar to the black cat costume above, this costume starts with a pink leotard and tutu. I completed the look with a DIY Poodle Headband and faux fur cuffs.

Copycat Chic: DIY Pink Poodle Costume Pottery Barn Halloween Costume | Five Marigolds

Shop this look: Pink top or leotard, tights, tutu pettiskirt, ballet slippers

Copycat Chic: DIY Pink Poodle Costume Pottery Barn Halloween Costume | Five Marigolds

Looking for more last-minute Halloween Costume inspiration? Find more ideas for shopping your own closet here and here.

 

DIY Open Air Terrarium

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DIY open-air terrarium (or at our home, Yoda’s home on planet Dagobah).

I’ve always been obsessed with terrariums, but was too intimidated to try my own. After I came upon some free supplies, I decided it was time to try my own open air terrarium as a special project with Dub.

First, here is what you need for an open air terrarium:

  • Glass vessel
  • Succulent plants – as many as you can fit in your container. (I found mine at Home Depot)
  • Potting soil
  • Small gravel (the size you find in fish aquariums)
  • Large smooth stones, if desired
  • Moss – I used sheet moss

First, make sure your vessel and rocks are clean. Then, I placed the large decorative stones around the edge and filled the middle with the gravel for drainage.

DIY Open Air Terrarium | Five Marigolds

Cover the rocks with moss which acts as a filter.

DIY Open Air Terrarium | Five Marigolds

Next, cover the moss with as much soil as your plants need to build roots. We covered our soil with moss because we liked the way it looked, but this is optional.

DIY Open Air Terrarium | Five Marigolds

When you’re done arranging your plants, give it some water to set the soil and roots in place and continue watering just a bit each week, being careful not to over-water, which promotes rot.

Once our terrarium was complete we thought it needed a little ornament. We thought it looked like Yoda’s swamp, so we added a little Yoda Lego man. He fits right in, don’t you think?DIY Open Air Terrarium | Five Marigolds

Overall, this ended up being incredibly inexpensive for me since we sourced everything for free except the plants and soil. This was a fun project to do with Dub. He was stoked about this project and excited to put the terrarium in his room!

Family Growth Chart for less than $15

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We recently made the decision to sell our “starter” home and build a new home that better accommodates our growing family. We bought this home just months before our wedding, had three babies here and many, many precious memories as a family. We’re ready for the next chapter, but this sentimental mom is feeling a bit emotional about it, as well.

The moment we signed the papers to build our new home I was immediately motivated to take on a project I’ve been meaning to for a long time – make a family growth chart that we can take with us – wherever we go. Our former growth chart was done the old fashioned way – with pencil on the wall of our kitchen (that I still can’t bring myself to paint over even since I’ve made this beautiful new chart).growth chart2

I’d once tried my hand at an embroidered chart that was supposed to be  cute and charming, but didn’t end up looking quite as polished as my inspiration. I also  found that I was too lazy to embroider once a year. My laziness factor is high.

So I moved on to those cute reclaimed signs I’ve seen all over Pinterest.

I started with a 3/4″x7″x8′ piece of cedar lumber that I purchased at Home Depot for less than $9. First, I enlisted Dub to weather it for me. I gave him chains and a hammer and let him have at it. I stained it with leftover stain that I used on our stairs for our garage makeover.

From there, I had to get measuring – my least favorite part. Our family is really tall, so I cut my board to 6′ tall and painted 1′ white stripes using leftover paint from the garage makeover. These are some terrible progress photos, but you get the idea.

Family Growth Chart for Less Than $15 | Five Marigolds

I actually liked the way this looked when I was done, but I went ahead and sanded it to give it a more distressed look.Family Growth Chart for Less Than $15 | Five Marigolds

Family Growth Chart for Less Than $15 | Five Marigolds

Then, I used my silhouette to create the measurement marks. I barely use my Silhouette but I used it for this, figuring it would make the measuring much easier for me. I measured it on the computer, cut it out on the Silhouette and then used transfer paper to stick it right on the board without having to re-measure.

Family Growth Chart for Less Than $15 | Five Marigolds

I’m super happy with the way that it turned out! I can’t wait to hang this measurement chart in our new home next year. I can see keeping this chart in our home forever, and measuring little grandbabies someday.growth chart2_1

Postscript: after completing my chart, I stumbled upon this cute version by Handmade Charlotte

growth-chart6-handmade-charlotte-powerofpaint-dot-net

If I had to do it over again, I think her way of painting the numbers would be a lot cheaper and easier. However, I’d still want to make the measurement marks so that I could tell visually exactly how tall the kids are. Everytime they get measured they want to know EXACTLY how many feet, inches and centimeters tall they are. Because that matters to 4 and 6 year olds.

What do you think? Do you have a family growth chart in your home?