Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Free Mother’s Day Printables (for Grandma, too!)

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These adorable and FREE Mother’s Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They’re a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they’re perfect for creating an annual tradition.

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday!

I created these fun and free Mother’s Day printables (with a grandma version, too) as a cute way to memorialize my kids’ thoughts about me and their grandmothers. It’s true that kids really do say the darnedest things, and who appreciates that more than moms and grandmas? Probably no one, which is why these printables make such great gifts.

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

The pages are great for giving on their own, especially if you don’t usually buy Mother’s Day gifts for grandmas. They make wonderful gift-giving inspiration, too; let your child’s response to one of the blanks (“she loves to wear…”) serve as a starting point when it’s time to shop for presents.

To get this free Mother’s Day printable, as well as free access to all my printables, simply sign-up below for my free newsletter. If you’re already signed up, the link and the password you received in the original email are all you need.

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Pin these Free Mother’s Day Printables for later!

These adorable and FREE Mother's Day printables make perfect inexpensive gifts! They're a thoughtful keepsake Mom or Grandma will treasure, and they're perfect for creating an annual tradition.

Toddler Craft: Easy Stained Glass Art

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With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

My two oldest kids, ages six and four, love crafting at home. They both do a lot of art projects at school, but they’re up for more at home (hence the three batches of salt dough ornaments we made last Christmas). I’m so not a Pinterest mom, though; I tend to find an easy craft that requires a few inexpensive supplies and run with it.

Speaking of Pinterest, I remember making stained glass art with my preschool students way back in 2008, before Pinterest was even a thing. It’s been on my mind for the last few months, but it took me that long to remember to buy contact paper and then to figure out where in Walmart to find it (in the plastic storage containers/shelf organization aisle, if you’re wondering).

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

We made our rainbows the same day I brought the supplies home, on a fittingly rainy Monday. The kids loved it so much we made donuts the next day- B’s suggestion- and they’re already dreaming up the shapes they want to try next. We still have nearly the whole roll of contact paper and a ton of tissue paper left, so I’ll have no problem pulling off easy stained glass art again and again.

With just two inexpensive supplies and a few minutes of time, you and your toddler can create this easy stained glass art.

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Tips for Easy School Lunches

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #2Good2Bear #CollectiveBias

Does packing your kids’ lunches fill you with dread? It doesn’t have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

My two oldest kids started school this year. I went from only worrying about my own lunch to being responsible for the three of us (full disclosure: J makes their lunches sometimes, too). I started the school year with big ideas about what I’d pack them and how I’d make the process easier. Some of those ideas panned out, some of them flopped, and some have been tweaked to create what I consider to be a pretty streamlined system.

Tips for Easy School Lunches

Prep for the Whole Week on Sunday

Maybe you can relate to this: Sunday night brings the best intentions regarding school lunches. You’re going to pack well-rounded meals every day. Monday goes well, and Tuesday isn’t bad either, but things go downhill. By Friday, you’re raiding the pantry for combination of items that won’t draw judgment from you kids’ teachers.

Here’s my best tip for overcoming that weekly slide: do as much prep work as possible on Sunday. This can include slicing cheese, making sandwiches, cooking a batch of chicken nuggets or pasta and portioning it into containers. Basically, do in advance anything you can. Not only does it take little additional time to make five sandwiches instead of one, you’ll also save yourself the headache of doing the same chore four more times during the week.

Turn to Ready-Made Treats

I’d say at least 80 percent of what I send in my kids’ lunches is prepared in our home. I’m not talking homegrown produce or from-scratch bread, but instead of prepackaged cheese and crackers, we buy a box of crackers and a brick of cheese. We do this to save money and to make sure our picky eaters get meals we know they’ll eat.

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

There are times I turn to store-bought snacks, though, because they’re convenient and because my kids love them. One of our favorites is TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks. My kids love that they’re shaped like bears, and I love that they don’t contain artificial colors, artificial flavors, or high fructose corn syrup. They’re made with ingredients I’m familiar with, like eggs and milk (and, of course, chocolate!).

Does packing your kids' lunches fill you with dread? It doesn't have to! Check out these tips for easy school lunches.

Don’t forget to use ibotta to earn cash back when you purchase TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks.  I grab them in the cracker/cookie aisle at Walmart when I’m stocking up on other school-lunch necessities. If you were there February 23, you might have noticed a fun demo featuring TEDDY SOFT BAKED Filled Snacks and GoGo Squeeze.

Use Your Freezer

A long time ago, before I had kids, I saw a tip about making and freezing peanut butter sandwiches. I thought it was ridiculous because peanut butter sandwiches are crazy easy to make. Then I had kids, and those kids started school, and I learned how naive I’d been. Sure, making a peanut butter sandwich may take two minutes, but that’s sometimes two minutes you don’t have.

Now, I buy a loaf or two of bread and use all the slices to make peanut butter sandwiches. I half them, freeze them, and pull them out one at a time as needed. I also use the freezer for berries purchased fresh in season and for pureed vegetables used to make our own pouches.

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What I’m Reading Lately: Children’s Books Edition

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Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We’ve done it, though! Here’s what I’m reading lately: children’s books edition.

Between Christmas gifts and school book orders, we’ve been reading a lot of books lately. Often, the kids get hooked on a couple books that J and I don’t care for. I love that my children share my passion for reading, but it’s no fun to read (and read and read and read) books you don’t like. That’s why J and I are thrilled when we come across children’s books we enjoy reading.

Since I’m sure we aren’t the only parents out there in search of entertaining kid lit, I put together this list of children’s books we’re currently loving.

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

What I’m Reading Lately: Children’s Books Edition

“The Day the Crayons Came Home“

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

My four-year-old got this book for Christmas from my husband’s mom. We came home after opening presents that day and discovered my mom had gotten her the exact same book. So now we have two copies. Considering how much the kids love it, that might be a good thing. Not only is this story really cute, it’s full of puns and humor just for the grown-ups.

“Mother Bruce“

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

This book is hilarious. The first time J read it to the kids, I couldn’t stop laughing at the random lines I could hear from the kitchen. The kids were cracking up, too. This story is one of those rare gems that delights parents as much as it does kids. There’s a second book, “Hotel Bruce“, that the kids and I are excited to read.

The Children’s Storybook Bible

Finding books that appeal to kids and parents can be tough. We've done it, though! Here's what I'm reading lately: children's books edition.

A few years ago, within the span of a couple weeks, I saw this story Bible recommended by several friends and trusted bloggers. I had to buy it, of course. Even three years later, it’s still our favorite children’s Bible. I love the doctrine and the kid-friendly writing, the kids love the bright pictures and the easy-to-understand story.

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Toddler Summer Bucket List

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We want to make the most of the summer, instead of just watching the days fly by, so we created our toddler summer bucket list.

We want to make the most of the summer, instead of just watching the days fly by, so we created our toddler summer bucket list.

This summer is going to look a little different around here. Baby #3 is due in late July, which, according to my track record, really means mid-July. We’ll be spending about three weeks with family in Oregon as soon as school gets out, and we’ve got a handful of other trips and commitments squeezed in, too.

As the kids get older- G is five and B will turn four this summer- it becomes more important to me to make memories with them. I’m finding that especially true this year, as I know it would be easy to blink and have the entire summer be gone. To avoid that, and to make sure both kids have a great summer before the baby arrives, I’ve created a toddler summer bucket list.

The list isn’t too long, it contains a variety of easy, realistic activities, and we can knock the whole thing out without spending too much money. It’s the perfect road map to a fun summer.

Toddler Summer Bucket List

  1. Make sun tea | Goodness knows we should be putting this Mississippi heat to use somehow. The kids will get a kick out of setting the tea outside and coming back later to have a refreshing drink.
  2. Play in the sprinkler | This just seems like the quintessential childhood activity, but I don’t think G and B have ever done it. We had a kid sprinkler a few years ago, but they were too scared to go near it.
  3. Make dish soap silly putty | One of our favorite indoor activities is homemade playdough, so I know the kids will love making a different fun substance like this.
  4. Make coffee can ice cream | I made this once as a child at my aunt and uncle’s house and it’s stuck with me (I guess that shows how much I love ice cream). The kids get to burn off energy outside rolling the can, and we all get to enjoy homemade ice cream after. It’s a win-win.
  5. Get a water table | G and B love to stand at the sink and play with cups and bowls of water. I know they’d love a water table just as much. Plus, I can let them play on the back porch, in the shade, while I sit inside in the A/C with my swollen ankles propped on the coffee table.
  6. Eat sno-cones| This is a Southern thing. We have an adorable sno-cone stand here in town. In the heat of the summer, it’s the perfect cold, affordable, refreshing treat. I’m guessing this pregnant mom will make sure we fit in more than one trip.
  7. Make bath paints | Because summer is usually too hot for my fair-skinned little gingers to be outside for too long, I’m planning ahead to make fun happen inside instead. They’ll have a blast painting the tub, and themselves, and then washing off after.
  8. Have one-on-one outings | This is my personal goal for the kids, and it’s more to do with the coming baby than with it being summer. I want to do something individually with each child- even something as simple as going to the grocery store- before my time becomes consumed by a newborn.
  9. Bake cookies | The kids ask often to help me in the kitchen, but I don’t say yes as frequently as I’d like. We’re going to set aside time this summer to let them help with every messy step of cookie baking.
  10. Make s’mores | My kids love s’mores. Because duh. My dad has promised them a camp out while we’re in Oregon, so I’m hoping the s’mores making will happen then. If not, we’ll make sure to make them another night.
  11. Have an indoor camp out | Like I said, my dad has promised them camping, but I’m not about to brave a tent during the Mississippi summer while eight months pregnant. Instead, we’ll build a big fort inside, pop popcorn, and sleep in the critter-free comfort of the air conditioning.
  12. Visit the library | This one is a big stretch for my don’t-know-the-meaning-of-inside-voice toddlers, but since they’re both starting big school next year, and G’s been to the library with his preschool class, I think it’s time we made it a family thing. Both kids love to read, and I love that we can check out books for free, so hopefully it’ll be the first of lots of trips.
  13. Go to Wildlife Safari | One of the only concrete outings we know we want to do while in Oregon is take the kids to Wildlife Safari. J and I went pre-kids, and we took G when he was too young to realize what was going on, but they’re both at the age now that they’ll love it.
  14. Have a midnight Sonic run | This idea was pretty big on Pinterest several years ago. Here’s the gist: put your kids to bed, but wake them a little while later. Everyone piles in the car and goes to get ice cream. It could be that our kids are still a little young for this, but I want to give it a try anyway.
  15. Go fishing | G and B have asked a few times in the last couple months to go fishing. We don’t have any equipment and I don’t even know where we’d take them around here, but we’ll be Oregon just in time to fish for salmon. Not only will they get to experience something they’ve been excited to do, but, with any luck, we’ll all enjoy fresh salmon for supper.

What’s on your summer bucket list? Did I leave off anything you think we can’t live without?

We want to make the most of the summer, instead of just watching the days fly by, so we created our toddler summer bucket list.

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