Aspen the Elf first showed up in my house six years ago when my daughter was almost a year old. The Elf on the Shelf has been a holiday tradition for my family since that time. Aspen has had fun hiding around the house for my kids to find starting on December 1. She even […] More
A world without faith and imagination is a sad place indeed. A world without Santa is even sadder. “Is Santa Claus promoting imagination and Christmas magic, or is it just lying to your kids?” once asked a friend and fellow blogger. For me, the question is both easy and complicated to answer. For me, believing […] More
The Duck and the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island features a rubber duck basking in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean on the Coney Island Beach. At the beginning of 2013, I made a resolution to post a weekly photograph of a rubber duck. Because my daughter loved rubber duckies so much, my goal was […] More
Both my children have loved books from an early age. My daughter started reading at age 4, and my preschooler son will soon begin his journey to readership as he begins recognizing letters. Both my kiddos also love listening to me read books aloud, and my son is especially fond of colorful picture books with […] More
The Duck and the Turkey features a rubber duck with a turkey at Rader Family Farms in Normal, Illinois. At the beginning of 2013, I made a resolution to post a weekly photograph of a rubber duck. Because my daughter loved rubber duckies so much, my goal was to post a picture a week of […] More
Autumn is here, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I love making wreaths with supplies that I mostly find at the dollar store. Although I have crafted more than enough wreaths to hang around my own home during the autumn season, I still enjoy making more that I donate to various wreath sales for […] More
I believe that every child — girl or boy — should have at least one doll with which to play growing up. As a kid, I personally had many dolls that I love, but my absolute favorite was my Baby Doll. She was my security toy (along with my Blanket) that I slept with every […] More
The Duck and the Black Hawk State Historic Site features a rubber duck in front of the Black Hawk: Sauk Warrior sign located at the Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, Illinois. At the beginning of 2013, I made a resolution to post a weekly photograph of a rubber duck. Because my daughter […] More
C is for cookie! Make a fun chocolate chip cookie craft to help your preschooler learn about the letter Cc using paper plates, construction paper, paint, and cotton swabs. Materials White paper plates Brown construction paper Scissors Glue Black paint Cotton swabs Instructions Cut the brown construction paper into small squares. Glue the brown squares […] More
Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday of the year! Unfortunately, the day to give thanks often gets overshadowed by the Christmas season, which seems to start the day after Halloween, if not sooner. Although I do start putting up some Christmas lights at the beginning of November (especially outside when the autumn weather is still […] More
The Duck and the Statue of Black Hawk features a rubber duck in front of the statue of Black Hawk, a band leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe, by Welsh sculptor David Richards located at the Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, Illinois. At the beginning of 2013, I made […] More
The Thanksgiving season is upon us! While I have put up many of my Christmas decorations already, I refuse to leave poor Thanksgiving out in the cold. I thus also decorate my home with red, orange, yellow, and brown and many turkeys. Last year I created two Thanksgiving wreaths using red, orange, and yellow plastic […] More
