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Mother’s Day Magic at Sneakerdoodle: A Crafty Family Adventure
This weekend, as a special treat for Mother’s Day, my family and I ventured to Sneakerdoodle, an extraordinary place that blends creativity, fashion, and personal expression in the most enjoyable way possible. As someone who thrives on crafts and creativity, it was an idyllic way to spend quality time with my family. The sneaker customization process at Sneakerdoodle was fascinating, engaging, and super cool! It all starts with sharing your vision or inspiration for your personalized shoes. The artists guide you through the process, making it interactive and exciting. Unlike places that dictate a step-by-step process, Sneakerdoodle encourages you to dive head-first into the project you want to create. The…
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7 Staycation Ideas Around Atlanta
*We visited most of these places during the height of the pandemic when mask-wearing was the norm. Mask-wearing is not currently required at any of the places listed below. Looking for family-friendly staycation ideas near Atlanta that everyone will enjoy? Check out these unique activities we discovered, including historical gold mines, charming doll hospitals, amazing space centers, and picturesque train rides. Spin Art Atlanta Discover the magic of Spin Art Nation Sugar Hill, an immersive and interactive art experience that captivated Jackson and Ansley with its unique and exhilarating approach to creativity. This one-of-a-kind destination in Sugar Hill, Georgia, offers visitors the opportunity to create colorful, mess-free masterpieces using a…
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Mermaid Sleepover Tea Party
In planning this party, it was super important to me that the girls be able to see themselves represented in the imagery used. When I found this cute Mermaid illustration  bundle from Mujka design, I knew that it would be the perfect representation of Ansley and her  guest.Â
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Fall Break
This week is Fall Break for 2 of my 3 kids. Because of the differences in their school schedules, we can’t travel this year. We’ve decided to take a few in-town field trips and spend our days working on some fun fall activities. This week we are going to skip the educational component that is usually included in camp weeks. While I love the opportunity to teach the kids new things, because school has been in session for several weeks, they could use the break and are really are not in the mood to learn. Highlights for this week include Creating Floating Cheese Cloth Ghost Going Apple Picking Taking a…
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A Black Mom’s Review Of Babyland General Hospital
Growing up playing with Cabbage Patch Dolls, I am sure I was more excited than Ansley to visit Babyland General Hospital, a showroom of original cabbage patch dolls, a birthplace for new dolls, and a store. While the visit started great, my excitement waned when I discovered one very disappointing fact: on the day of our visit, there was not a single doll of color in the Babyland Exclusive Cabbage Patch Doll Collection. We took the hour and fifteen-minute trek to Cleveland, GA, to visit Babyland during Camp Toying Around. Babyland is located in a picturesque southern white mansion sitting against the backdrop of the North Georgia Mountains. The grounds…
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Tie-Dye Beach Towels
Tie-Dye is definitely trending this summer. We decided to jump in on the fun by making our own personalized tie-dye towels. Using a spray tie-dye kit, large white towels, and craft vinyl, we were able to create colorful and fun beach towels that the kids couldn’t wait to take to the pool. Important Tip Using 100% cotton towels will ensure the brightest and most vibrant colors. The lower the cotton percentage, the more dull your final towel will be. Avoid polyesters as it does not absorb the ink as well. Directions Wash your towels before tie-dying. New towels are often treated with chemicals that may alter the dye’s ability to…
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Why Failure & Success Should Be Treated The Same
As parents, David and I consistently push the boundaries of our kid’s self-perceived capabilities. This is especially the case when they take one look at something and decide it’s above their skill level. We gently remind them that they don’t have to succeed, but they have to at least try. And almost every time, they live up to the challenge. I will often present Jackson, age 10, and Ansley, age 5, with the same project. It seems a little daunting to Ansley at first. But, I think the challenge of keeping up with her two older brothers, coupled with our encouragement to try new things, motivates her. She more often…
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Taking Toys Apart
If I knew that giving my kids a few tools, some old toys, and permission to take the toys apart would lead to hours of engagement, I would've done it years ago. Following along with this simple book Taking Toys Apart by Kristin Fontichiaro we learned how to safely disassemble some old toy cars. From removing the outer carriage to extracting the circuit board, this highly educational activity exposed us to the inner working of circuits, motors, resistors, capacitors, switches, and overall how electricity works. The kids were super pumped about this activity and asked if we can do it again soon.
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How to Make Lego Gummies
I find myself often surprised at how simple certain things are to make. Seriously, who knew with only 4 ingredients, you can make your own gummies. All the credit for how to make this fun food you can play with is given to the late Grant Thompson over at the King of Random. Unfortunately, Grant passed away a few years ago. I hope his family smiles knowing his awesome ideas are creating lasting memories in the hearts of all his fans. Grant gives some great tips on leveling up your lego gummies. He suggests adding vitamins to your mixture to make your gummies healthy and using real lego plates to…
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Lego Candy Dispenser
If your house is anything like ours, then you have more legos than you know what to do with. Because my kids rarely reassemble the original project that the legos were purchased for, we are often on the hunt for new and creative lego instructions to make new things. We were excited to find the Lego Candy Dispenser instructions created by Sarah at Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls. A video showing how the dispenser works is located at the bottom of this post. The directions provided are really easy to follow. We did have to modify a few pieces because we did not have the exact lego blocks used…
