FREEBIE: Inspirational Bookmarks

Hello my friends!

Who here LOVES to read? Any bookworms out there? Maybe your wish is to get your kids to enjoy reading more? Well I've got just the thing for you today: FREE bookmarks! 

It's so important for us to take the time to allow ourselves a minute of down time every once and awhile and most will take that time to read. We don't always need to block off a ton of time but even if it's just fifteen minutes - hey, it's fifteen minutes to relax! ;) Having some time set aside to recharge is always a great thing for everyone around you? Right? ;) For me, having anything inspiring, whether it be something big or perhaps something as small and simple as a bookmark that has a little motivation on it or says something inspirational, gets me every time.

My daughter is the same way to a degree. She (luckily) has always enjoyed reading and never took much coaxing to do so, as she loves a good read just like the next person. When I showed her these designs she immediately said "those are for me, right?" LOL . . . of course they are! She loved these hand lettered bookmarks so much that she wants to include them in her gifts to all of her teachers this year for Christmas. (girl is thinking ahead, is she not? ;)

My hope is that they will inspire you to read a little more and a take a minute for yourself. Enjoy this 'eye candy' as you read your favorite books and put them to good use. Here's your FREE: 'Inspirational BOOKMARKS'!

How do I get these fun bookmarks you ask? Well it's simple, just a couple of steps and you are ready to use them!

Print out the file for the FREE Inspirational BOOKMARKS. I would suggest using a heavier card stock so they hold up longer. Then cut them along the border marks and you are ready to use them!

I don't think I will ever get over how great my Tombow dual brush markers blend together for projects like this. I love the look I got with these and if you want behind the scenes peeks at my designs in progress and what tools I use, just make sure to follow me on Instagram and see what I used here or even the beginning stages of this piece. That way you know what's coming next! ;)
 
Feel free to download your own 'Inspirational BOOKMARKS' and let your love of reading commence! I would love to hear if you are using them, so please feel free to let me know below.

**FREE printables are for personal use ONLY and may not be sold or claimed to be your design. By printing any freebies, you are agreeing to these terms.

What book are you currently reading or have on your list to read? Are you loving these bookmarks? Let em know below . . . 

 

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RECIPE :: Cut-out Treats + 5 After School Traditions

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

Happy fall everyone and hopefully everyone is getting to enjoy some cooler temperatures, is looking forward to the fall months and being settled back into a normal school routine. If you have kids in school, then you know whether you pick them up yourself or they ride a bus home, one thing they look forward to is, coming home. Period. I, personally, definitely love when my daughter gets home every day as I miss her when she is gone and look forward to when I can chat with her about how her day went. I think it's super important, regardless of their ages, to always make a connection with your kid after school or at least when you get home from work to see them, have a conversation and see how they are doing, as they need that time with us, whether they wish to admit it or not. But we, as parents, probably need it just a tad bit more. ;)

I have a routine, a tradition, a ritual, whatever you would like to call it, that I do everyday with my daughter when she gets home from school. I consider this my one-on-one time to bond with her every day, regardless of how busy our days get, we both look forward to this time together. 

Today I am sharing my 5 ways I connect with my daughter after school or our 'after school traditions' that we do.

1. We talk. Yes, we actually converse with one another and she asks how my day went and I try to find out how hers was. I taught her at a very early age that when I asked how her day was, I would not accept 'fine' for an answer. I wanted details!! lol So now she knows to answer with a more descriptive answer plus if you ask in ways to get them to tell you the things you want to know, it works wonders. Just be creative with your questioning . . . for example 'what was the most interesting thing you learned today? and why?' or 'if you could teach any of your classes, which would it be & why?' After a few of these type of questions, you will begin to see them open up and really share with you. Hope it helps.
2. We relax. Yup, I firmly believe in 'down time' for kids as I think they are under so much stress these days that I require it at home. Sometimes we will snuggle in our favorite chair with our puppy and take a '5 minute nap' or we will just be still and let the quiet come over us, just so our brains have a chance to recharge.
3. We DO something together. Most days you will find us working on crafts together or drawing something before she begins her homework. But whatever we DO, we make sure it is fun and far from looking like homework.
4. We move. Some days we have an impromptu dance party in the kitchen and other times we get out with our dog or do an outdoor activity.
5. We snack. This is really the time we talk too, while we are snacking. She knows this is the time when we have something 'fun' to eat and I make sure to have a great 'go-to' snack that is easy and doesn't require a lot of time to get out because when she gets home, she is hungry! Can you relate? We have got to be ready when the snack attack comes!

We love to get creative with food around my house as it's a great bonding time, which I love. Like I mentioned, I prefer that the snacks be quick and easy as kids these days have a social calendar like nobody's business! Am I wrong parents? School, sports, after school clubs, music and on and on, so finding some time to spend with my daughter AND enjoy a snack is a priority to us both. I am always looking out for some good snack ideas for after school because of our after school tradition.

Most days it's a quick throw-it-together and 'wing it' kind of time spent and other days I like to plan a little surprise for her. Sometimes it's only for five minutes and other days it may turn into an hour but we try to do it every single day.

But the other day I decided to surprise her with a little set-up when she got home that I thought would be fun to do because it combined TWO of the things we like to do every day: snack AND craft. I picked up some supplies I needed for this, the last time I was at Target and then decided we would have a craft snack time!

The best part of my plan was the fact that we got to play with our food, now what kid doesn't LOVE that? ;) Here's how you can create the same for you and your kiddo!

1.Gather all of the supplies and ingredients you will need: a box of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats, mini cookie cutters, icing, utensils to for icing and all of the sprinkles and toppings of your choice.

2. Unwrap the Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats.

3. Grab the mini cookie cutter of your choice to make your shape that you will decorate.

4. Choose an icing you love and add a little to each treat before you add the decor and sprinkles.

5. Get ready because here comes the FUN part . . . decorating these little guys however you like! I raided my sprinkle container and brought out some sugars, jimmies, candies and sprinkles to have some fun with! I even added some toasted coconut I had so I could use it for the pumpkin trunk. ;)

Decorate, decorate, decorate . . . we made a couple pumpkins, a bat and the other one is supposed to be a leaf and we had so much fun doing this together and it was so easy to throw together and have ready for her when she came home from school but the memories are the best part of doing it. And do not get hung up about how they turn out as you are just gonna turn around and eat them anyway right? Plus kids at ANY age will love this treat!

 

So the next time you are at Target (and we all know it will be soon), be sure to check out Kellogg's Back to School packaging and great on-pack offers in store at Target and pick up a box of these Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats so you can have a snack craft date with your kid and play with your food too! ;)

So how do you spend time with your kids when they get home from school? Do you have any good tips you would like to share? Please comment below . . .

 
     

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 

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Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop! 

FREEBIE :: Lunchbox Pudding Cup Joke Wraps

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

Hello to the 'unofficial' start to the fall season! It's back to school for all the kids, football season has started, the beginning of fall fun is here and it's about 100 degrees outside here. Yup, sounds about right! Why does it always get soooooo HOT after school starts?

Speaking of back to school, I have to admit something . . . I secretly LOVE shopping for back to school items with my daughter. I love it all . . . new supplies, fun new clothes for the school year, new lunchbox and finding fun items to pack for my daughter's lunches. My daughter started junior high this year and she still insists on me packing her lunch as she says school food is just NOT good and she really enjoys what I pack for her as I am always trying to mix it up and surprise her with something she will enjoy, which she does!

Personally I would love to think the reason she loves me packing her lunch is I have a tradition, that started back when she was little, of always leaving her some sort of little note inside to find. Every.Single.Day. Sometimes it's a little 'love note' saying having a nice day, good luck on your math quiz or I cant wait to go shopping after school. Other times she gets inspirational messages to lift her spirits if I know she has had a rough week, as I know that helps her deal with things, even when I can't be with her. Then at times, I leave little joke cards for her to read, as she loves these because she gets to tell them to her friends that she eats with. Of course they always get a kick out of a good joke. I mean who doesn't right?

Lately I have been trying to think of something a little different to do with some seasonal jokes and today I am going to share a simple idea I came up with to add a little laughter to lunch time at school!

Fall joke wraps.

What am I going to do with these you ask? Well, like I mentioned I am always on the lookout for something new or different to surprise my daughter with in her lunch. Being a busy mom, I try to be on the lookout for a quality item that can be used in her lunches plus after school for a snack because no matter how much you pack in their lunches, they still come home hungry, am I right? ;) 

Over the weekend, I picked up these Hershey's pudding cups at WalMart, when I was grabbing some other items I needed for her lunch. I spotted them in the cooler section not on the shelves and don't they look amazing? I can't wait to try them myself, pack them in her lunch because Hershey's pudding is rich, it's creamy and helloooooo . . . it's made with real Hershey's cocoa!!!! Can I get a hmmmmmmm . . . .

So I designed a sheet of various joke wraps that will fit around the Hershey's ready to eat pudding. Did I mention I picked up chocolate and s'mores flavor because you know . . . I eat lunch too and LOVE anything s'mores. ;) OK, back to the wraps . . . as you will see these are super easy to put on the Hershey's pudding cups and I will show you how.

1. click on this link for the FREE Fall Joke Wraps for your pudding cups and print as many as you'd like out.

2. cut them out by following the guidelines.

3. wrap around the pudding cup and grab a piece of tape to secure. I used washi tape here because I wanted it to match plus my daughter likes me to recycle my joke cards I make for her, so this way it's easy to get off. As you will notice as you are assembling these, I left the joke wraps just a tad short on purpose and it's so the tape can adhere to the actual cup better and keep them secure but it's hardly noticeable.

 
4. pack them in your child's lunch and wait for the laughs to roll in! The joke will appear on the front with the answer on the back.

Super cute right? This is such a fun idea for kids of any age as everyone likes a good laugh!

Have you tried these Hershey's pudding cups yet? Don't forget to pick them up on your next visit to WalMart? You can get more fun ideas from Kraft Foods by following them on Facebook and Twitter. Also look for a $0.55 cent off coupon in the September/October issue of ALL YOU magazine to save on Hershey's Ready to Eat pudding!
 
What flavor are you wanting to try . . . the chocolate or s'mores? Please comment below and let me know if you have a good kid-friendly joke . . .

Thank you so much for letting me share this product with you and for supporting the brands and companies that help support my blog! 

Are you loving the "eye candy" here?

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop!