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When the power goes out, it can be extra challenging to keep your kids busy.   You often don't realize how much you rely on electricity until you don't have it for a few hours (or a few days).  As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy ( aka the "Frankenstorm") here on the East Coast, I thought I'd come up with a list of things your kids can do that don't require power.  Many of the supplies you'll already have on hand, others you can easily pick up when you're out at the store stocking up before the storm.   Click on the link in each title or on the photos  for a full post with recipes and directions 1.  Make and play with some some Playdoh  Supplies ~ flour, oil, salt,  cream of tartar, Kool Aid packets, (NOTE: This recipe does require using boiling water, so if you have an electric stove, make up a few batches before the power goes out)  2.  Make some GAK Supplies ~ Borax (found in laundry aisle at Target, Walmart, etc.) , white glue, fo...

  If you're looking for something fun and active to do with your family, I have just the suggestion. The kids and I just did the Color Run this morning in Washington, DC.  If you haven't heard of The Color Run , it's an awesome "fun run" that's called "The Happiest 5K on the planet".  It comes to cities all over the U.S. (and it looks like it might be headed to Australia too!)   As you run (or walk) along the course, you pass through several "color zones where you're hit with colored powder.  At the finish line, everyone has a packet of colored powder they get to throw as part of a color festival!  We definitely had a blast (as you can see from the pictures) and I'd totally recommend it as a fun activity for families.   (NOTE: The colored powder might be a bit too much for really young children, but my school-aged kids had a blast)   Check it out... Like I said, I'd totally recommend it if your kids are school-aged (or go with other...

These cute pillowcases and sleep masks were the favors for my daughter's slumber party.  The pillowcases were very easy to make and also provided a little activity for the party.  The sleep masks involved a few more steps, but I made them without having to do any sewing at all.  The total cost for both items was less than $4 per girl and I think they turned out really cute. Check them out... I ended up making 13 sets of them all together ~ 9 for the girls at the party, one for a good friend who couldn't make it, and 3 for the "little sisters" ~ my youngest daughter and two nieces who had their own sleepover the night of the party. First, for the pillowcases... Here's what you'll need:     * plain pillowcases ( I got them in a 2-pack at Walmart for $5)    * Heat n Bond Ultra Hold    * fabric (I used one yard of fabric total for the 13 sets of pillowcases and sleep masks)    * letters to trace ( I just found a font on my compute...

Without a doubt, this was one of the favorite activities of the evening at my daughter's slumber party.   The girls had a great time designing fashions using some unconvential materials.  It cost less than $10 for the materials for nine girls and it was super easy to set up and clean up. Check it out... How cute is that?  Here's all I did... We had a group of nine girls here, so I simply divided them into three groups.  (I put slips of paper into a basket with the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on them so the groupings would be random).  I gave each group a roll of toilet paper and a package of aluminum foil ~ no need to get extra soft TP or heavy duty foil, the cheap stuff worked just fine! The girls divided up into different areas and got to work.  Some groups decided to only design an outfit for one girl while others designed all their outfits simultaneously.  Some girls wanted to only be models, others chose just to design.  I didn't have any hard and fas...

Nail painting is such a big part of my girls' lives.  A few years ago, I made them these Spa Bags and they pull them out every few weeks to do their nails.  If I want to give them a special treat, I just let them buy a new bottle of polish.  It doesn't matter to them if it's the cheap stuff, but I do get bonus points if it's a fun, bright color or it has glitter and sparkles.  For my oldest daughter's recent slumber party, I knew I wanted to include nail painting in the evening's activities.  I took the idea of the "Spin the Bottle" nail painting game (where you spin the actual bottle of polish and the girl it points to has to paint their nails that color), and put a little twist on it using actual spinners. Check it out... I actually had some blank spinners left over from my teaching days (but you can find similar ones in the Math resources section of teacher supply stores or order some online ) .  I used two of the spinners to make the game.  On the...

My daughter recently celebrated her 10th birthday with a slumber party for several of her friends.  When planning the treats for the party, I knew I wanted something fun and easy to serve.  As I was browsing Pinterest (seriously, how did I ever plan parties before Pinterest?) I came across these super cute cones at Maddycakes Muse .  How perfect!  They look so much like real ice cream cones but the fact that they're actually chocolate-covered Rice Krispie treats make them so easy to make in advance and serve easily. Check them out... Here's how I made them... (Note: To make 18 cones, I had to make up two batches of the Rice Krispie treat mixture) 1.  Make up a regular batch of Rice Krispie Treats.           * 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)           *  1 bag of marshmallows           *  5 1/2 cups of Rice Krispie cereal ...

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark . All opinions are 100% mine. I've mentioned before that I don't have much of a green thumb.  I'd love for my yard and flowerbeds to look great, but I need a lot of guidance and help to know what kinds of plants would do best in which spots.  Then, once they're in, I need even more help to keep them growing well.  Luckily, there's lots of help out there.   Miracle Gro recently introduced a team of real-life gardeners who share their tips and experiences to help the rest of us ~ they even have helpful videos to show you exactly what to do in different situtations. I've learned that Fall is a great time for adding some new plants or shrubs to your yard.  The ground is still warm so new roots can take hold, but it's not so sweltering hot that tender new plants dry up before they even have a chance to grow. (Plus, it's not nearly as uncomforable ...