Elf on the Shelf - Letter from Santa announcing his arrival

My boys are {already} getting excited about Christmas, so I thought it would be fun to build some anticipation around the return of our Elf on the Shelf -- "Elfie". What could be more fun than getting a letter in the mail from Santa announcing that our Elf on the Shelf will be arriving soon?!?

So.... I wrote this letter from Santa {to the boys}, and I mailed it today {with a North Pole return address}.

The stationary I used is no longer available, but you can download a .pdf version of Santa stationary that I designed here.

Or you can download this .jpg by clicking on the photo below, saving it to your computer, right-clicking, saving it to your computer, and printing it like a regular 8x10 photo. (Print the stationary, and then run the paper through a second time to print the letter.)

Here is what our letter said,

Dear Boys,

I just wanted to send you a short letter to let you know that Elfie is getting very excited to see you again.  All the scout elves are trying to get lots of rest because they will soon be making nightly flights back to the North Pole.

Are you starting to think about what you might like for Christmas?  My elves have built a lot of great toys this year.  I bet we have something you would really like.  Be good… and keep sharing with each other and listening to your Mommy and Daddy.

Elfie will be visiting you very soon!

Love,

Santa

PS (Elfie has a surprise for you this year.  Can you guess what it is?)

Fun, right?  I can't wait for our mail carrier to deliver it.  My boys are going to be super-excited to hear that our Elf on the Shelf will be coming soon!

Don't you just love Christmas? 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (Check out more awesome Elf on the Shelf ideas here.)

Check out a fun idea for an Elf on the Shelf arrival breakfast here.

Cooking with Kids {Chef Hats}

My boys love to bake with me, so recently we decided to make some simple chef hats for them to wear.  Cute, right? 

The best part is, they are super-easy!  All you need is: a piece of bristol board, a sheet of white tissue paper, and some tape.

To put it together, follow these three simple steps:
1)  Cut a strip of bristol board 4 inches wide.
2)  Fit the strip around the child's head and secure with tape.
3)  Tape the edges of the tissue paper to the inside of the bristol board headband, and "fluff up" the tissue paper.  {See below.}

I hope you make these chef hats with your little ones, and that they love them as much as my boys did.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Halloween Fun

It is the night before Halloween, and we are in final prep for the big day.

Our pumpkins are carved.

I just finished frosting 60 cupcakes for the boys' Halloween parties at school.

Special{surprise} Halloween lunches have been packed.

And supper is ready to stick in the oven prior to trick-or-treating.

Are you ready for the Halloween fun to begin?  Happy Halloween, everybody!  Stay safe.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 Easy Halloween Treats

Special treats are an important part of Halloween celebrations, but moms are busy -- especially this time of year.  So, I have put together a list of 5 {Easy} things you can bake for Halloween.

These Halloween treats are easy to make, but definitely cute enough for Halloween parties and classroom treats.

1)  Candy Corn Ginger Crinkles - What is easier than baking a recipe you already know and love, and then adding a "Halloween twist"?  I baked my favorite ginger cookie recipe, and after the cookies came out of the oven (and they were still hot), I added a piece of candy corn to the top of each cookie.  So simple! 

2)  Mini Cupcakes...with a tiny surprise - This little cupcake is guaranteed to delight little ones, and they so simple to make.  I used a chocolate cake mix to make mini cupcakes, and I frosted them with ready-made chocolate frosting.  Then, I topped each cupcake with a Halloween ring I got at the dollar store.  {Don't worry, I washed all the rings well before inserting them into the cupcakes.}

3)  Wormy Cupcakes - These cupcakes are so much fun for little ones.  My boys think the idea of eating dirt and worms is hilarious!    I used a chocolate cake mix to make the cupcakes, and my boys used ready-made icing to frost them.  Then, they dipped the cupcakes in "dirt" aka cookie crumbs, and added some gummy worms.  What kid wouldn't get a kick out of this creepy treat?

4)  Cookie Pops - Isn't food just more fun when it comes on a stick?  Well, these cookie pops are no exception... and they are super-simple to make.  All I did was insert sucker sticks into Ready to Bake Cookies, and baked them according to the directions on the back of the package.  Don't you just love a good shortcut?

5)  Pumpkin Cut Out Cookies - Sometimes an old-fashioned cookie is the most fun.  Kids love to roll out dough and cut it into shapes.  We used a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, and ready-made icing tinted with green and orange food coloring.  My boys thought it was as much fun making these treats as it was to eat them.

Doesn't this great list inspire you to head to the kitchen and start baking?  Which treat are you going to make?  

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Pumpkin Headband

This Halloween craft is fun for anyone, but it is especially great for toddlers and preschoolers.  I just finished crafting it with 7 little ones, and it was a big hit.  :-)

Want to make one with your child?  Just follow these four easy steps:

1) Cut out a pumpkin shape from orange construction paper and a pumpkin stem from green construction paper.  Glue the stem and googly eyes onto the pumpkin.  Draw a nose and mouth with a crayon or marker.

2) Cut two 1 1/2 inch strips of paper, and decorate them with stickers.

3)  Staple the ends of the strips to the pumpkin.

4)  Size the headband to the child's head, and staple the ends together.

Isn't this pumpkin headband a great/simple craft for Halloween?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
 
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10 Easy and Inexpensive Halloween Ideas

Here is a great list of my favorite Halloween posts {past and present}.  Click on the links for more info and full tutorials.  So much fun all in one place... I can barely contain my excitement!  

1)  Magic Pumpkin Seeds - Carve a pumpkin and plant the seeds in sugar.  The Halloween moon will work its magic.

2)  Booing - Sharing fun treats with neighbours is a super-fun Halloween tradition.

3)  Dollar Store Signs {2 versions - "Along Came a Spider" & "BOO!" } - Both of these cute signs started out with $2 wooden plaques from the dollar store.  Such easy and expensive transformations!

4)  Book Fairy - A fun tradition that allows clever moms {and dads} to limit the amount of junk food consumed by their little ones.

5) Lunchbox Note - Use cheesecloth and googly eyes to make a child's Halloween lunch box extra special.

6)  Classroom Treats {2 Candy Alternatives -- "Eye" treats and Photo Cards} - Perfect "treats" for little ones to share with their friends.  No need to worry about cavities!

7)  Googly Eye Vase - Little ones will love this simple craft that uses lots of glue and lots of googly eyes.

8)  Oreo Ghost Pop - Simple and yummy treats the kids will love to make.... and eat!

9)  Dollar Store Spider Frame - This decoration is simple to make and looks "Spooktacular" on a hall table or mantle.

10)  Milk Jug Pumpkin - Recycle old milk jugs into adorable jack-o-lanterns.  Just add some orange glow sticks for some glowing Halloween fun.

Is there one project/activity you are looking forward to trying?  I'd love to know which ones are your favorites.  Happy Halloween!!!!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
 
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{Halloween} Treat... Candy Alternative

My older two boys wanted to bring a "non candy" treat to their friends at school, so this is what I came up with.  These Halloween Photo Cards are really simple and fun!

Here is how you can make some for your little ones to hand out to their classmates:

1)  Take a picture of your child making a fist and holding their hand out.  I used a dollar store tablecloth as a fun/festive backdrop.  (You could also add words using Picmonkey or another photo editing software, but this is totally optional.)

2)  Cut slits (above and below the fist) using an X-Acto knife.

3)  Slide in a pencil, plastic snake, or anything else you find that would fit.

That's it!  Happy Halloween!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
 
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