Gifts Ideas Archives - as Jules is going

Educational Tips for Using Halloween Candy And a Fun Ways to Get Rid of It!

November 3, 2015 by Jules Leave a Comment

Hello mamma with loot of Halloween candy you desperately need to make disappear! It's not even Thanksgiving/Christmas season yet and we are all gaining poundage by the minute with all this "fun sized" candy laying around. To start with, use the candy for fun "educational" tools. This will get this kids thinking of the candy as more than just for eating as a snack. Then I've got some ideas to help you sneak out that candy or to get the kids excited with you about all the "opportunities" you have to share it in fun ways.

Education Uses for Halloween Candy:

Math Sorting: by chocolate vs fruity, by type, by size, and then you can break them down into color for things like MnMs and Skittles.
Math Graphing: learning about graphing by creating lines of candy next to one another can create bar graphs and you can discuss greatest, least, same, most popular, grossest, weirdest, etc.
Science experiments: this can run from anything like "which melts fastest" to "which one dissolved in _____ the fastest". This will be fun but the candy still won't have to be eaten.
Language Lessons: alphabetical order according to name of candy, mad libs, compound words, etc.

10 Ways to Rid The House of Halloween Candy:

Operation Christmas Child Boxes: our number one way to "share" our bounty is by sorting out the hard, non-melty, non-chocolate candies for kids who don't have any candy much less an entire loot
Cookies for Friends and Neighbors: MnM cookies, monster cookies, better than anything cake with candy toppings,
Nursing Homes: make your candy a good excuse to go make some new friends who may need a visit
Stockings: we've totally done this! Put back a little bag of each child's favorite candy and scatter it into their stocking.
Birthday Party Pinata: smacking a pinata is always fun but can be expensive to stuff if you don't already have the candy laying around
Party Favors: if your kids birthday {or a friends kids'} are near Halloween, make up some stuffed goody bags Full of candies.
Neighbor Treats: holiday themed treats like Turkey cookies
Work Candy Bowl: loose the pride and hose all your work friends by placing a bowl of goodies out that they can't resist.
Waitress Tips: add to your generous cash tip for your waitress with a little goody pick-me-up for the night
Bribery: forget the same and call it what it is, keep a few treats as school bribes for good, on-task, fast work.

I am SURE there are lots of other educational uses for the candy stash as well as creative ways to Get. Rid. Of. Candy. Boom! #mommied

Filed Under: #mommied, Baking and Cooking, Birthdays, Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Homemaker, Homeschool, Organizing, Parenting, Parties, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Homemade Pretend Makeup {Thoughtful Thursday}

February 6, 2014 by Jules Leave a Comment

Valentine's Day is coming and I love giving my littles gifts but don't want to spend a lot of money. A small, inexpensive, yet cute gift for little girls this year is homemade pretend makeup. This is also a cute gift for birthdays and there's no threat of messes that parents wouldn't be happy about.

What you'll need:

used makeup container(s)
fingernail polish

How to:

clean out any remnants of the make over {I suggest a dry Q-tip}
fill with your choice of fingernail polish {I chose neutral/actual make-up colors but fun colors would be cool especially for eye-shadows}
let sit flat to dry at least 24 hours to harden completely
add a pretend applicator- the original makeup brush cleaned out, new makeup sponge, or Q-tip
gift it to your little princess and watch the fun begin

Filed Under: Birthdays, Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Homemaker, Parenting, Projects, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The ones about the Rothacher Home, Thoughtful Thursdays

This Year’s Love Note Stations

February 5, 2014 by Jules Leave a Comment

If we are friends on facebook or you hang out on the as Jules is going page, you may have seen our "love note station" hard at work. Mainly by my 5-year-old who loves crafting along with her new found skills of reading and writing.

Today I am sharing the basics of how we set up our station. Come check it out on the homemaker's challenge.

Filed Under: Decorating, Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Homemaker, Organizing, Parenting, Projects, The Ones about Homemaker's Challenge, The ones about the Rothacher Home

How-to Pack a OCC Shoes Box

November 7, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Now that you know the history of Operation Christmas Child; have answers to some f requently ask questions; and have some fun inexpensive gift ideas for your shoe box, lets talk about HOW to pack a shoes box with a little help from our favorite Veggies.

Those were the basics, tomorrow I'm going to add a video of my kids, who wanna share how they get all the goodies into your shoe box so its ready to touch a life across the world.

How to pack an Operation Christmas Child Box

Samaritan's Purse also has tons of other resources available to you and your family. Check'm out!

Click any image for the printable versions:

Learn more about the new Veggie Tales Christmas movie coming out via this trailer and print a coupon for it HERE:

Filed Under: Cool Ministries, Gifts Ideas, Holidays, Operation Christmas Child, Operation Christmas Child Week, Organizing, Parenting, Projects, The Ones about Jules Life {Randomness}, The Ones about Post Series, The ones about the Rothacher Home

Operation Christmas Child Gift Ideas

November 6, 2013 by Jules 7 Comments

History of OCC & FAQ
Keep a look out on the Facebook page for a OCC GIVEAWAY!!!!

Buying items for an Operation Christmas Child box does NOT have to be a budget breaker.

This has become an annual tradition in our house. Our preferred place to shop? The Dollar Tree!

For real. We have an average budget of ~$10 per child/box. Our 3 children get to go with us to the store and scavenge over the toy aisle finding the perfect gifts. This is of course after we've double checked any stash we may have had at home. We encourage the kids to work together in order to be able to provide more items in each box while keeping the spending low.

Packs of multiples as well as gender neutral items are a great idea. We always take everything out of the package that is possible to be able to cram as much into those tiny boxes as possible. Below are huge lists of possible items to get your creative juices flowing.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES:
- pens
- pencils and sharpeners
- crayons
- markers
- stamps and ink pad sets
- writing pads or paper
- solar calculators
- coloring and picture books
- colored construction paper
- small spiral notebook
- stickers
- foam shapes {with sticky backs}
- scissors or hole punch
- FAVORITE: boxes of crayons, markers, and other school supplies we stocked up on while they were on sale during "back-to-school sales}
TOYS:
- miniature cars
- miniature people/dolls/action figures {NO WEAPONS or WAR FIGURES}
- balls
- bouncy balls
- dolls or stuffed animals
- musical instruments: kazoos, harmonicas, clappers, whistles
- yo-yos
- jump ropes
- small Etch A Sketch®
- jacks
- marbles
- toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries)
- Slinky,® etc.
- Playdough{although, some children have been known to eat it not knowing what it was}
- mini Frisbees
- brand new kids' meals toys
HYGIENE ITEMS:
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- mild bar soap (in a plastic bag)
- comb or brushes {preferably compact or fold-able to save space}
- washcloth {consider those "growing" clothes to save space}
- mirrors {reflective but better if not actual glass}
- chapstick
- FAVORITE: bar soaps from hotels, small toothbrushes/paste from the dentist
CLOTHING/ACCESSORIES:
- t-shirts
- socks
- underwear {very hard to find in a lot of 3rd world countries}
- loves
- hats
- sunglasses
- hair clips
- toy jewelry
- watches
OTHER:
- thick plastic cups
- bowls
- plastic shoebox {rather than cardboard} so they can repurpose it
- flashlights (with extra batteries)
- hard candy
Here's a post that includes lots of handmade items!
A PERSONAL NOTE:
You may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may write back. Even if they don't, they would love to see the face and hear that someone is praying for them.

DO NOT INCLUDE:

Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids, liquid soaps/shampoos, or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

Reminder: you can always fit more into a box if you remove things from their packages. That's totally legit & the kids will have no idea they used to be in one more layer of wrapping 😉