Every year I tell myself that I should start my Christmas shopping earlier… but here I am again. If you are anything like me and are looking for a nearly last minute gift, and you happen to be shopping for a technically savvy 11-13 year old, I may be able to help! A few months ago I reviewed a 6 in 1 Educational Solar Kit (a great gift for younger kids) from OWI that I had a lot of fun building with my kids. OWI sent out their new 535 Robotic Arm Edge Kit ($53.95 retail but on great sale from OWI right now) for me to try. As the recommended age for this kit is 13+ , my 6 and 3 year olds were not going to be helping with the construction.  Read the rest of the story...

Every year, I have the urge to be crafty and decorate the gifts I give with beautiful, homemade accents. Every year, I put it off until the last minute and end up writing “To Junior, From Mom” on the packages with a Sharpie. This year will be different! Joy Williams- knitter (check out her stuff on etsy here), author of Nature Crafts, and former art teacher- sent me this quick craft idea to make gifts shine this Christmas. It’s so easy, even I can do it! And as a bonus, it uses some items that might otherwise end up in the landfill.  Read the rest of the story...

It is not uncommon for my daughter to come out of her room in the morning with an outfit that will make us gasp. Maybe it’s leggings, a tiered skirt, shirt and 5 necklaces all in various, uncoordinated colors, or maybe it’s a sundress paired with fleece pants and a long sleeved shirt (to combat the cold). She’s creative when it comes to her fashion, that’s for sure! Now there is a website that may be for her and girls with similar, uh, gifts. We’ve played with websites that let us pick an outfit for a character (human or pony), but Fashion Playtes lets girls design clothes and purchase their creations.  Read the rest of the story...

If you’re like me, you’ve already been hit with catalogs and internet lists of the hot toys for kids this year. But I have two dancing Elmos packed away in the basement that tell me that just because it’s “hot” doesn’t mean the kids will like it. To counter the popular new toy lists, the Five Hens have been working on a list of toys that day after day, year after year, our kids keep coming back to. These ideas will help get you ready for Black Friday.  Read the rest of the story...