Christmas Countdown {printable}

Advent calendars can be pretty expensive, but my boys and I love counting down to the big day. Today I am sharing a cute Christmas countdown that you can download for FREE!

To download and print this simple Santa advent calendar: right-click on the picture above, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8X10 photo.  (I printed my Christmas countdown at our local office supply store for 39 cents.)

This adorable print can be placed in an inexpensive dollar store frame, and each day the kids can cross out one of the dates. It would also be sweet to use white stickers or white pom poms to cover the numbers.

How do you plan to countdown to Christmas?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Bowling Party Favours... with free printable tags

My oldest boy is turning eleven next week, and he decided to forgo having a big party. Instead, he has decided to go bowling with his brothers and a few of his friends. Given that we are going with a "bowling party" theme, my son opted to give his friends a pack of gum and a roll of hockey tape with a simple bowling pin tag. You can check out the adorable bowling party favour (and download the tag I designed) below.

Cute, right?

To download and print the FREE party favour tags: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4X6 photo. There are three tags per page.

I am really pleased with how these party favours turned out. It is a simple treat, but the tags I designed add a fun flair.

Have you ever hosted a bowling party for your kids? What did you hand out for party favours/ loot bags?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

11 Birthday Traditions {you are going to want to try with your kids}

My oldest will be turning 11 this month, so in honour of his birthday, I thought I would share 11 birthday traditions that you are definitely going to want to check out. Some ideas are mine, and some are ones I have heard/read about... and they are all simple, fantastic and fun.  Take a read through these 11 Birthday traditions, and choose the ones you love best!

1) Serve candy for breakfast - Can you think of a better way to start the day? My sister-in-law serves her kids a tray of candy in bed on their special day every year, and they love it. I think candy for breakfast is a super-fun birthday tradition.

2) Make birthday pancakes - Pancakes are the birthday breakfast of choice for my boys. I make birthday pancakes in the shape of their age, and I serve them with milk in a wine glass. It's a simple idea, but it starts the day in a special way.

3) Write a birthday letter - Every year, I write my boys letters on their birthdays. The letters are a "snapshot" of my boys' likes/dislikes/personalities. Writing birthday letters to my boys is my favorite birthday tradition. You can find an example here.

4) Decorate while the kids are asleep - Waking up to fun decorations on your birthday is an exciting way to start the day. Decorate a special chair, hang streamers, or fill a room with balloons. 

5) Bake a special cake - I always like to bake my boys a special cake on their birthdays. I am not a pro, but I know they appreciate the effort. Check out this Jake and the Neverland Pirates cakes I made for my youngest son on his 5th birthday. Cute, right? You may also be able to find some inspiration on my DIY Cakes Pinterest board.

Another option is to let siblings make birthday cakes. They aren't fancy, but they are made with love.

Simple cupcake parfaits are another super-easy option.

6) Host a fun DIY birthday party - Kids love hosting their friends on their birthdays. Focussing on unique DIY details will make it extra special. You can check out some of my favorite DIY parties here. 

7) Let the birthday boy/girl choose the meals - Picking the meals on their birthday is fun for kids. Kids can choose to eat out at a restaurant or they might prefer to stay at home and enjoy their favorite homemade meal.

8) Have the birthday boy/girl wear a special birthday shirt - It's always fun to let the world know it's your birthday with a special birthday shirt. In the past, my boys have made their own shirts, and I have created shirts to go with the theme of their parties. 

9) Set up a birthday scavenger hunt - Instead of just giving the birthday boy/girl their birthday gift, send him/her on a scavenger hunt to find it. It's a simple idea, but it adds a little bit of anticipation and fun to the occasion.

10) Have a "yes" day - I've never been brave enough to do this, but I have read about parents that let their kids have a "yes day" on their birthdays. The idea is to say "yes" to everything the birthday boy/girl wants to do on his/her birthday. I think (with a few parameters in place), this could be a lot of fun!

11) Play Hooky - A good friend of mine has a tradition of "playing hooky" with her kids on their birthdays. I love the idea of a special day filled with one-on-one time, fun activities, and special treats. 

Does your family have special birthday traditions? Did your favourite make my list?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - Find more party planning ideas here.

Halloween 2016

Just a quick post to share my boys' Halloween (and costumes) with you. I hope you are having a spook-tacular day with your little ones. There is definitely a lot of excitement (and chocolate) around here!

My oldest decided he wanted to be a robber, so we threw together a simple DIY robber costume. We started with a striped shirt and black pants, and we added a felt mask (that I sewed using this pattern) and a dollar store black hat. We finished the look by adding a dollar sign (with fabric paint) to a bag we purchased at the dollar store.

My middle son decided to be Captain America. We bought a second hand costume, and I made a DIY Captain America shield from a dollar store frisbee and some duct tape. Easy peasy!

Finally, my youngest wanted to be a Power Ranger, and he borrowed a costume from a friend. He loves it, it cost me nothing, and it doesn't get much easier! lol

My boys all got to be exactly what they wanted to be, and they love their costumes. Isn't it great being a kid?

Happy Halloween from my family to yours. I hope you have a super-fun night, and eat lots of chocolate and treats. The tiny bars don't have any calories on October 31. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere! ;-)

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Hilarious (and simple) Screaming Pretzels

Do you know "The Scream" paintings by Edvard Munch? These paintings are the inspiration for these adorable screaming Halloween pretzels. Aren't they cute? They are also super-easy to make.

To make these simple treats:

1) Melt baker's chocolate according to the package directions. I melted mine in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stirred the chocolate, and then melted it for another minute. I also added a little bit of vegetable (canola oil) to make the dipping a little bit easier.

2) Dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate, and lift the pretzel out of the chocolate with a fork. (This will allow the chocolate to empty out of the "mouth hole".

3) Place the chocolate dipped pretzels on a piece of wax paper, and add candy eyeballs.

4) Allow the chocolate to harden, and then remove the treats from the wax paper.

These screaming pretzels are simple to make, they are adorable, and they taste great. Do you think your kids would like these festive Halloween treats? My boys love them!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Halloween Treat... for moms

For kids, Halloween is all about candy, but moms deserve a special treat holiday treat too. And after a night of trick-or-treating, doesn't every "mummy" deserve a glass of wine? How cute is this Halloween themed wine bottle?

It's adorable, AND it was super-simple to make. All I did was rip up some strips of masking tape, wrap the tape around the top of the bottle, and attach a pair of googly eyes.

I think this mummy wine bottle is festive and fun for after the kids go to bed on October 31st. It would also be adorable at an adult Halloween party.

Do you know someone that would like this not-so-spooky Halloween treat? Feel free to share this post with them. Happy Halloween!

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Disclosure: I receive compensation as part of my affiliation with Woodbridge Wines.... however (as always) the opinions on this blog are 100% my own. #WoodbridgeWines


PS - You can find more easy and inexpensive Halloween ideas here.

DIY Teacup Bird feeder... using a dollar store mug

Recently I was at a craft show where they were selling bird feeders made from tea cups, and I knew it would be simple and inexpensive to make my own. I used some dollar store supplies to create an adorable and charming teacup bird feeder, and today I am sharing all the DIY details.

All you need for this super-easy project is: a teacup, a spoon, a strong adhesive (like E-6000), twine, birdseed, and peanut butter or suet.

Then:

1) Use the adhesive to attach the spoon to the cup, and let dry according to package directions. My glue suggested a 48 hour drying time.

2) Tie a piece of twine around the handle.

3) Fill the mug with a mixture of birdseed and peanut butter or suet.

Isn't it a charming little bird feeder?

I've already had some black capped chickadees visiting my new teacup bird feeder. It's such a darling little feeder, and it was extremely simple to make. You could make a bunch for gifts, or you could craft them for your own use. Will you be making one for the birds in your backyard?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)