5 Reasons I Love Being a Mom of Boys

As a mom of three boys, I am often asked, "Are you going to try for a girl?"  I always find it a strange question because I feel extremely blessed to have three healthy boys, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.  So... to answer the question... "no, I am not going to try for a boy", and here are 5 reasons I LOVE being a mom to my sons:

1)  My boys love to move. -- Although I find it exhausting at times, I love that my boys are so active.  My guys love to play sports, chase each other around the yard, and dance around the house.  PS (Little boys make awesome dance partners.)

2)  My boys play the best games. -- My house is full of LEGO, mini sticks, light sabers and race cars.  We may not have a single princess dress, but our dress up box is brimming with Jedi robes, super hero capes, pirate clothes, and hockey jerseys.

3)  My boys are best friends and they build fantastic forts together.  A few blankets, pillows, and chairs can keep them entertained for hours.

4)  My boys don't fight about clothes. -- I don't have to fight about what they wear to school each day.  My boys are happiest in jeans and t-shirts.  Add ball caps and sneakers, and they are good to go!  (and... having three boys means lots of "hand-me-downs"... score!)

5)  My boys give big hugs and heartfelt kisses. -- They are also awesome cuddlers... and they love their mom!

And on top of all this, I can save time when I am trying to get somewhere because I don't need to use their names.  I can just say "come on boys", "hurry up boys", and "don't forget your coats boys".  :-)

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Simple Preschool Class Treats

My 4 year old has been going to preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and he wants to bring little treats to his friends on their last days together.  I came up with two simple ideas, and I have included the details (and free printable tags) below.  

For his Tuesday friends, he is bringing bubbles wrapped with little "owl" ribbons and tags that say, "Owl miss seeing you at preschool. Have a great summer!"

To download the tag, right-click on the 4X6 photo below, save it to your computer, and print it.

For his Thursday friends, he is bringing cookies with tags that say, "You are a smart cookie.  Thanks for being my preschool friend."

To download the tag, right-click on the 4X6 photo below, save it to your computer, and print it.

I can't wait for my little guy to share these treats with his preschool friends next week.  He is pretty excited to hand them out.  Do your kids like to pass out class treats on the last day of school?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East CoastMommy)

Alphabet Crafts - Letter U

My 4 year old and I are continuing to craft our way through the alphabet, and after today, we only have 5 letters left!  This time, we made a paper plate umbrella craft, and we did a little letter U printing practice.

To make the paper plate umbrella:

1)  Cut a paper plate in half, paint it, and allow it to dry completely.  (You can also add some "scalloping" at the bottom, but this step is optional.)
2)  Glue the paper plate to a piece of paper.
3)  Draw a handle on the umbrella.  (My son insisted on using a pipe cleaner, but it takes a lot of glue to make it stick.  I think drawing it is easier, but I leave it up to you!)
4)  Crumple up bits of tissue paper, and glue them onto the paper to make raindrops and puddles.

Cute, right?  After our craft we did a little printing practice. If you want to practice printing the letter U with your little one, you can right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it.

Want to make more "letter u" crafts with your Preschooler? Check out this sweet underwater scene. Start with a "U" and colour it blue. Then glue on some seaweed and add some underwater stickers.

And how sweet is this "letter U" unicorn? Start with a U, colour it, and add a unicorn head and feet. Then, glue on a googly eye and a yarn tail.

Fun, right? Next up... the Letter V!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more alphabet crafts here.

Have an "Egg"cellent Summer {free printable tags}

It's that time of year again -- school is ending and summer vacation is just around the corner.  My boys enjoy bringing little gifts to share with their classmates on the last day of school, and today I am sharing an idea for a fun treat little ones will love (and I have designed free printable tag for you to download).

Cute, right?  My boys love Kinder Eggs.  What's not to love about a chocolate treat and a toy surprise?

If you want to make these treats for your child's classmates (or just for your little ones as a special "last day of school" surprise), just right click on the 4X6 picture below, save it to your computer, and print it like a normal photo.

We are really getting excited for summer around here, and we have already started to work our way through our Summer Checklist.  We are especially looking forward to our road trips to Halifax and PEI.  Maybe I'll pop a few Kinder Eggs into my purse to keep the boys happy in the van.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?  I'd love to hear about the summer adventure you have planned with your family.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East CoastMommy)

Disclosure: I’m part of theKinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation withthis group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Alphabet Crafts - Letter T

My 4 year old and I are continuing to craft our way through the alphabet, and yesterday afternoon we had some fun with the letter T. We made a turtle puppet from a paper plate, and we did some letter T printing practice.

To make this turtle puppet:

1)  Cut a paper plate in half.
2)  Paint the paper plate yellow.
3)  Use a cotton ball to add green dots to the turtle's shell, and allow to dry completely.
4)  Cut a head, 4 legs and a tail from green construction paper, and tape to the back of the paper plate.
5)  Tape a craft stick to the back of the turtle.
6)  Glue on a googly eye, and draw on a mouth.

That's it! Isn't it a cute little craft?

After our craft, we did a little printing practice. If you want to practice printing the letter T with your little one, you can right-click on the picture below, save it to your computer, and print it.

Looking for more "letter T" crafts?

Try turning a "T" into a tree. Colour the trunk brown, and glue on scrunched up squares of tissue paper to create leaves.

This scrapbook paper turkey is another sweet and simple letter T craft. Cut a square of scrapbook paper, and glue it to a piece of cardstock. Add some heart feathers, a beak, and a heart wattle under the beak. Finish by gluing on a googly eye and drawing some feet. This would be a darling Thanksgiving craft too! 

And how much fun is this paper towel roll train that stands up on its own? The children colour a train that is printed on cardstock and cut it out. Then, an adult makes it stand by cutting slits in pieces of a paper towel roll. 

Adorable, right? Next up... the letter U.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more alphabet crafts here.

DIY Teacher Gift {Candy Flower Bouquet}

Last week I shared the DIY Candy Bouquet I made for my husband for Father's Day.  This week, I am showing you how easily it can be transformed into a fun and inexpensive teacher gift.

Isn't it cute?  You can find the full tutorial for making a candy bouquet here.  

Then, after you create your candy bouquet, you just need to add the cute "I couldn't have picked a better teacher" tag that I designed.

To download the 4X6 tag I designed: right-click on the photo below, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular photo.

I just love this little gift on its own, but you could also add a gift card and a hand written note to make it even more special.  What is the best teacher gift you have ever gotten/received?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

6 Father's Day Gifts {kids can make}

Homemade gifts are the best, and they are especially meaningful when they are coming from a child. Today, I am sharing 6 {simple} DIY Father's Day gifts that kids can make for the special man in their lives.

1)  Find a picture of your little one, ask a few questions about his/her dad, and (with one hour photo processing) you will have a special photo gift for dad that he will love.  You can find all the DIY details here.  

2)  Print this tie, have your little one decorate it, add some elastic, and you're done.  Easy peasy!  You can download the tie template here.  

3)  Fill a paper bag with Dad's favorite treats, and add a cute tie embellishment.  Total cuteness with loads of time to spare!  You can find all the DIY details for father's day gift wrap here.  

4)  Set the mood for a festive day about dad with this adorable father's day book page banner.  This little project is sure to bring a smile to Dad's face.  You can find the simple "how to" here.  

5)  If the way to Dad's heart is through his stomach, then this gift will definitely be a winner.  This candy bouquet is easy to put together and costs less than $10.  Now that's a sweet deal!  You can find the candy bouquet tutorial here.

6) With summer just around the corner, any dad will love this little s'more kits. It's perfect for when you are sitting around the campfire spending time together. You can download the tags (for free) here.

Don't you just love a simple DIY gift that the kids can make? Happy Father's Day!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)