Using a CHEAP Bookcase to Get Organized

As a mom with a small house, three growing boys, and a lot of stuff... I am always looking for easy (and cheap) ways to bring a little order to my chaos. Last week, I was looking at the "piles" of "stuff" all over my older boys' room, and I knew I needed to find a way to organize their things. Today, I am sharing my tips for getting organized... with the help of a $30 bookcase.

My two older boys (who are 9 and 10) share a room, where they like to pile their stuff on top of any free surface. I needed to find a way to organize their stuff in a way that they could access it, and easily put their items away in a logical place.

The starting point for my project was a little blue table in their room that they have outgrown. I removed the table from their room, and I replaced it with a $30 three-shelf bookcase.

This little shelf looks a lot neater, and all of my boys' belongings are definitely more organized!

I was even able to remove a lot of the items from the top of their dresser and find places for their books and treasures on the bookcase.

This is what their dresser looks like now. Much better, right?

I am loving how much tidier my boys' room looks now. Not bad for $30!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Several years ago, I shared my mom's recipe for "no fail" banana bread. I use this banana bread recipe frequently... and sometimes I use the same recipe for muffins. These banana chocolate chip muffins are simple to make, they always turn out great, and they are perfect for my boys' lunch boxes.

To make my mom's simple banana chocolate chip muffins:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and insert liners into a muffin tin.

2) Whisk the following dry ingredients together:
     2 cups of flour
     1/4 cup white sugar
     1/4 cup brown sugar
     3 tsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp baking soda
     1/2 tsp salt
     1/2-1 cup chocolate chips

3) Beat the following ingredients together:
     1 egg
     3/4 cup milk
     1/4 cup melted butter (cooled)
     1 1/2 cup mashed bananas

4) Mix wet and dry ingredients until combined, and pour batter evenly into the muffin tin (to make 12 muffins).

5) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I make these muffins every couple of weeks, and I often freeze them for school lunches. If you give them a try, let me know what you think. 

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

5 Fantastic Family Movie Night Ideas (including special treat pairings)

After a busy week, there is nothing like getting into comfy PJs and cuddling up with the kids for a special family movie night. Netflix has a growing catalogue of family movies and Disney classics, and today I am sharing some fantastic movie ideas and super-fun (and easy) matching treats. It's everything you need for the perfect family movie night!

1) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - This movie might be a bit scary for younger kids, but older kids will love it... and so will parents. 

For pirate treats, why not try some peanut butter and jelly fish sandwiches? Make regular sandwiches, cut them out with fish-shaped cookie cutters, and add chocolate chip eyes. Easy peasy!

"Fish and chips" is another fun option! My boys think this idea is hilarious.

2) Tangled - This classic Disney tale is based on the story of Rapunzel, and it is sure to delight children and their parents.

For Tangled treats, why not bake up a batch of these Pascal cupcakes? 

To create these Rapunzel's Chameleon (Pascal) Cupcakes:
1) Make your favorite white cupcakes.
2) Cover each cupcake with green icing.
3) For the eyes - use white chocolate candy melts and chocolate chips (with chocolate icing for the "glue").
4) Use chocolate icing to draw a simple nose and mouth.
5) Use green icing to pipe on eyebrows and the protruding part of its head.

3) Lilo & Stitch - This sweet Disney movie is set in Hawaii, features a quirky and adorable alien, and focusses on the importance of family. What's not to love?

For Lilo & Stitch themed snacks, why not try some "beachy" treats? For example: gummy sharks, pool water (blue juice), fish and chips (gold fish mixed with salt & vinegar chips), sea creature crackers, pool noodles (liquorice), and chips served in (clean) buckets.

4) Cool Runnings - This classic underdog story is full of colorful characters and lessons about not giving up. It's great for older kids, and parents will be entertained too.

For a Cool Runnings snack, why not try a yummy and "cool" treat? Check out the recipe for our favorite homemade Reese's peanut butter cup no-churn ice cream here.

5) Planes - This airplane version of Disney's classic "Cars" movie is an entertaining adventure that will appeal to children of all ages.

For Planes themed goodies, why not add sweet tags to pre-packaged treats to create custom in-flight snacks?

To download the adorable tag I designed: right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo. You can cut each photo into three tags, and staple the tags to bags of your favorite movie treats.

Aren't these fantastic ideas for making movie night special? Have you seen all of these Disney movies? If not, you should make plans to enjoy them on Netflix ASAP.

What are some of your favorite flicks to watch with your children?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive special gifts and perks as part of my affiliation with Netflix.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.

First Day of School 2016

Today was the first day of school for my sweet boys. They are now in grades 2, 4, and 6... and I can't believe how quickly time is passing. Today, I am sharing our back to school traditions and a few photos from our first day.

We started our day with a special pancake breakfast.

Then, the boys reluctantly posed for a few pictures. We always take pictures with some photo props and with the boys holding their "first day of school" photos from the previous year.

After they finished their mini photo shoot, the two younger boys headed to school with some little treats for their friends and teachers. 

Apparently, when you are in Grade 6 you don't really want to do this anymore. :-)

Fun, right?

My oldest son has hockey practice after school, but after that, we'll all have a special snack and talk about the day. I can't wait for them to get home. I miss them already!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Skittles Science Experiment

Teaching kids about science is really about encouraging questions and making observations. I love simple science experiments, don't you? Today I am sharing a fun Skittles science experiment that my sister shared with me. My boys loved it, and I am sure your little ones will enjoy it too.

To make a Skittles rainbow:

1) Line the Skittles on a plate.
2) Add warm water to the middle of the plate.
3) Watch the rainbow appear.

Check out this time lapse video that shows the cool effect.

If you enjoy exploring science activities with your kids, you can check out 15 simple science experiments for kids here. If you have never done an experiment with your kids, I guarantee they will love creating a Skittles rainbow. Have fun!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

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Healthy lunchables

Making lunches is one of my most dreaded tasks, and I know I am not the only parent that feels this way. So, when I find something that makes packing lunches a little easier for me, I want to share the idea with as many people as I can. Today, I am showing you how to make healthier (and more environmentally friendly) "lunchables" that kids will love and parents can feel good about.

The key to these simple lunchables are these cute little Lock & Lock round containers. I love them because they are a perfect size, and kids find them easy to open and close.

Then, you just fill the containers with whatever you want. I like to use preservative free pepperoni or lunch meats, multi grain crackers or pretzels, cheese, and fresh fruit or raw veggies... but you can use your child's favourites (or whatever you have in your fridge/cupboard).

I think this is a fun option for lunches, and it would be easy to have your child help fill these containers with healthy options. What would you put in your homemade "lunchable"?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)


Disclosure: The link to the lunch container highlighted in this post is an affiliate link. If you purchase this container using this link in this post, I will receive a referral payment. Thanks for supporting my blog and all the free content I provide!

First Day of School Class Treats (for smart cookies)... with free printable tags

My boys are heading back to school next week, so this week we are busy labelling school supplies and finding sneakers that fit everyone. We are also putting together some treats to share with their classmates on the first day of school. Check out the adorable first day of school treats and sweet printable tags they will be handing out to their friends.

Cute, right? It's a simple idea, but it is a sweet and thoughtful treat.

Each of my boys chose their favorite (peanut free) type of cookie, and I designed a tag to staple to the top of each bag.

To download the tags I designed (for free): right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo. Each print can be cut into three tags.

Isn't taking a special treat on the first day of school a fun idea? And these first day of school class treats are super-easy and inexpensive to put together. No baking required!

Are you ready to send the kids back to school? I wish it could be summer forever, but I have a feeling that Fall is coming whether I am ready or not. ;-)

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)