Blog

December 2014 Visiting Teaching Message

Thursday, December 4, 2014

I’m excited to share the final set of monthly Visiting Teaching of 2014 with you! You can find the December Visiting Teaching Message here: The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ: Prince of Peace and scroll down to download the 5×7 printable using the link below.

I’ve loved creating these visiting teaching printables each month throughout the year and plan to continue in 2015! If you’re looking for ALL the 2014 printables you can find them here:

https://simpleasthatblog.com/2014/06/july-2014-visiting-teaching-printables.html — July

Click here to download Prince of Peace December Visiting Teaching Printable

If you enjoy these quotes please tell your friends where they can find them by sharing via Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter! Thank you so much!

I link up with these fabulous blogs.

Crazy for Christmas Party on Pinterest TONIGHT!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Pin, Win, & Let the Pinspiration Begin… TONIGHT!

The Crazy for Christmas

Party on Pinterest is Finally Here!

{*Pssst!* There’s a GIVEAWAY too! Keep scrolling….}

Yep, it’s ALL going down TONIGHT!

Just hearing about this for the first time? Check out all the deets HERE! With these 13 fantastic bloggers pinning up a storm with us tonight you are NOT going to want to miss this! Stretch your clickers cause you’re about to start a 1-hour Christmas-themed Repin-a-thon of a lifetime!

Haven’t registered yet?

Trust me! You’re going to want to RSVP for this Party so you can get your hands on these FREE Digital Party Favors made by the TALENTED Kristin of Yellow Bliss Road!

And that’s just a PEEK at what you’ll get for hanging out with us tonight and repining to your heart’s content. {You MUST be registered to receive your party favors!!} So hurry and enter your info below ’cause it’s TONIGHT!

And the Party of all Parties would of course have a GIVEAWAY that is SUPER easy to enter!

{…drumroll please…}

Want to win YOUR CHOICE of an iPad, Nikon camera, Kindle, TV, or CASH?!?

Just click HERE to head on over and throw your name into the hat!

May your Pins be Merry & Bright!

See you all TONIGHT on THIS Pinterest Board at…

6-7:00 PM PST, 7-8:00 PM MST, 8-9:00 PM CST, 9-10:00 PM EST

Elf on the Shelf Fun: Build Your Own Olaf

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Our Elf on the Shelf is here for the holidays and he’s been having all kinds of fun at our house! Today he had the urge to build a snowman – and not just any snowman! Olaf! Keep reading to find out how to build your own Olaf in a snap!

How to Build Your Own Olaf

So here’s what you need to know about our Elf, Harvey. We love him coming to visit each year, but he likes to keep his adventures simple, relatively mess-free and easy. He’s my kind of Elf and his latest escapade – building an Olaf snowman out of toilet paper was perfect! My kids thought it was the silliest thing…needless to say our TP Olaf was a big hit!

Click to Download –> Free Elf on the Shelf Olaf Printable

All you need to do to recreate this Elf on the Shelf fun is gather a couple rolls of toilet paper. If you have one that’s a little smaller than the other, use that for the head. Next you’ll need to download the Build Your Own Olaf printable by clicking the link below.

Print on white cardstock then cut out the Olaf pieces. Attach to the rolls of toilet paper using scotch tape. For the hair, tuck it in the cardboard tube and tape to the inside. That’s it! Your Elf just built an Olaf and your kids will think it’s the best thing ever!

Easy Elf on the Shelf Inspiration

Keep up with our Elf’s adventures on Instagram where I’m sharing daily, no-fuss Elf on the Shelf inspiration! Search hashtag #AdventuresOfHarveyTheElf and follow rebecca_simpleasthatblog. Here are a few more Elf resources for you – ideas to help keep this tradition fun for kids and easy on Mom! More than 40 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas

If you liked this post you might also enjoy…

Making Christmas Memories with #Intel2in1

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Make watching your favorite Christmas movies even more memorable this holiday season with the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1! Find out what we love so much about this incredible device and see our list of top 10 Christmas movies for the whole family!

Nothing says “the holidays are here” quite like snuggling up on the couch as a family watching one of our favorite Christmas movies. We have a top ten list of movies that we make our way through each year and my kids love to watch these Christmas classics over and over! This year we can watch our favorite holiday movies on the go or at home with the new Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1!

This device is in a word – amazing and I’m excited to tell you what we love so much about it!

Two powerful devices. One elegant design.

The new Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 combines the powerful performance of a premium laptop and the versatility of a 13.3″ tablet with built-in stylus. It’s powerful laptop meet tablet versatility – the possibilities of what you can do with this device are endless! One way we’ve been enjoying our Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 is to watch some of our favorite holiday movies.

What Christmas movies are on your family’s top ten list?

Find out everything you need to know about the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 right here.

What we love about the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1:

Flexible Viewing Modes: I love that the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 offers multiple viewing modes, each one perfect for so many everyday situations! It can be used in laptop, tablet, display or tent mode, making it perfect for every family member young and old. I love that I can prop it up in tent mode for my preschooler to watch a Christmas movie while I get ready in the morning one moment and be editing photos on it in laptop mode the next!

Tablet capabilities: We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of all this 2-in-1 device can do, but the touch screen tablet capabilities are something I’ve been really impressed with. It’s made the Inspiron 13 7000 series 2-in-1 easy enough for even my preschooler to use with ease.

Vibrant display: A 13.3″ display with optional Full HD makes details pop on screen. You can scroll and zoom effortlessly with 10-finger capacitive touch. The graphics truly are amazing whether you’re watching a movie, playing games or editing photos. As a photographer, display capabilities are important to me and the Intel 13 7000 series has really impressed me with how my photos look on screen!

I think what it comes down to is the fact that I love the versatility of the Inspiron 13 7000 Series 2-in-1! From streaming movies to editing photos it’s perfect for the whole family! Watching our favorite Christmas movies is just one of the MANY ways we’ll be using our Intel 2-in-1 device this holiday season!

Top 10 Christmas Movies for the Whole Family:

1. Curious George A Very Monkey Christmas

2. The Muppets Christmas Carol

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

4. The Polar Express

5. Barbie: A Perfect Christmas

6. Elf

7. Home Alone

8. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

9. VeggieTales Christmas

10. Miracle on 34th Street

Want to learn more about this Intel 2 in 1 and other devices? Then join the Intel Advocate Experience below. You will get tips, extra information and insider alerts.

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel This could include Intel providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

Simple Christmas Treat Cups

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Simple Christmas Treat Cups – quick and inexpensive fun for the kids this holiday season! These cute cups are perfect for party favours, classroom treats and double as an easy holiday craft!

A few years ago I created these Halloween treat cups and they were so much fun I just couldn’t resist coming up with a Christmas version! My kids loved making these little cups with me and they’re so easy and inexpensive – they’re perfect for holiday crafting!

Supplies

We made three varieties of treat cups – Snowmen, Santas and Reindeer. Let’s start with the Santa cups.

Santa Treat Cups

Start with a red cup and next cut out a strip of black construction paper for Santa’s belt. Be sure to cut in a curve so it will fit properly around your cup.

To cut my black strip I took apart a paper cup and traced the shape.

Attach the black strip of paper around the center of the red cup to make Santa’s belt.

Next cut a square out of gold glitter paper and cut out the centre of the square – this will make Santa’s belt buckle.

Attach it to the front of the cup in the centre over top of the black strip of paper.

Reindeer Cups

To make the reindeer cups, start with some brown construction paper.

Cut out two small antlers. You could also use brown pipe cleaner if you want.

Attach your antlers to the inside of the cup on either side.

Next attach the googly eyes and a small red pompom for the nose.

We used tootsie rolls but this homemade Chex Mix Christmas Crack would also be perfect to put inside your reindeer treat cups!

Snowman Treat Cups

Begin by attaching two googly eyes to the front and centre of a white cup.

Next cut out a small triangular piece of orange construction paper for the nose.

Attach the nose just below the two googly eyes.

Next, using a sharpie, draw on the snowman’s mouth.

Once your treat cups are put together it’s time to add your treats. I chose to fill each cup with a color coordinating treat. Cherry laffy taffy for the Santa cups, tootsie rolls for the reindeer and marshmallows for the Snowmen. There are all kinds of yummy holiday treats you could add to them – you could even choose healthier options like pretzels, chex mix, popcorn, etc.

Put your treats in a small cellophane bag, tie it shut with some coordinating ribbon or twine then add the bags to your treat cups.

We made these treat cups last week for a family movie party. The kids put their own together and then I gave them a variety of Christmas treats they could fill their cups with. They snacked on their treats while we watched a favorite holiday movie and it was a fun (and simple!) activity to do together.

If you liked this post you might also enjoy…

Which Holiday Card Would You Choose from Minted?

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

We set out on a little family photo adventure this past week and we snapped some photos for our annual Christmas card. All that’s left to do is choose design and get our cards printed! I was so happy with our Christmas cards from Minted last year I couldn’t wait to work with them again! The only problem….which card to use – there are SO many unique and beautiful designs to choose from! So tell me, what card would YOU choose?

Stay tuned for a post outlining some tips for taking your own family photos – that’s what I did and I’m so happy with the results. I’ll let you in on some of my secrets for getting a great shot for those Christmas cards!

Today only save on 15% and get free shipping on all holiday cards from Minted.com with CODE: 15CM. Get 25% off everything else with CODE: 25CM!

Check out the 2014 selection of holiday cards from Minted here. A few that caught my eye were the beautiful foil-pressed cards, some of their classic non-photo cards and their unique shape cards. Check out their coupon page for all the latest discount codes.

Daily Elf on the Shelf Instagram Inspiration

Friday, November 28, 2014

Follow along with the adventures of Harvey the Elf! Daily, no-fuss Elf on the Shelf inspiration on Instagram throughout the month of December.

Our Elf on the Shelf arrives December 1st from the North Pole and my kids can’t contain their excitement! This is our third year enjoying this fun holiday tradition and I think I’m just as excited as the kids are for our Elf Harvey to get here!

We like to welcome our Elf with a fun Christmas breakfast. Below is a photo of what we did last year — the kids loved it so much I’ll be sticking with the same game plan! Snowman pancakes (2 round pancakes, chocolate chips, bacon, pretzels are all you need), hot cocoa to drink and healthy Santa hats made from strawberries, bananas and a tiny dollop of whipping cream.

I’ll be sharing updates on Instagram chronicling our Elf’s antics over the next month. Search hashtag #AdventuresOfHarveyTheElf and follow rebecca_simpleasthatblog for daily, no-fuss Elf on the Shelf inspiration on Instagram throughout the month of December.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your own Elf here are a few great resources for you – ideas to help keep this tradition fun for kids and easy on Mom!

25 No-Fuss Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Free Printable Elf on the Shelf Notecards

This free printable Elf on the Shelf calendar is a handy tool. You can download it for free at one-happy-mama.com!

You can find all kinds of Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest. One of my favorite boards to follow is this Elf on the Shelf Mania board! Lot’s of great stuff there!

Follow Zina Harrington’s board Elf on the Shelf Mania on Pinterest.

GetAway Today Disneyland Resort Black Friday Savings

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

We absolutely loved working with Getaway Today to book our recent trip to Disneyalnd and this week they’re running some amazing Black Friday specials on Disneyland Resort Vacations!

This week only!!!

Get Adults at Kids’ Prices at the Disneyland Resort for all of 2015 – no date restrictions!

If you’re planning on visiting the Disneyland Resort next year for spring break, summer vacation, fall break, the holidays, or just for fun, buy now and you’ll save BIG.

Packages include:

-Adults at kids’ prices on 3-day and longer Park-hopper tickets – you save up to $16 per ticket this week only!! PLUS You can combine this offer with promo code SimpleAsThat for an EXTRA $10 off any 2-night or longer Disneyland vacation

-One magic morning with each 3-day or longer ticket (this was KEY in us being able to meet Anna and Elsa on our trip!)

-Free gifts with purchase valued at over $300

-No booking fees

-Combine with 3rd, 4th and 5th night free Anaheim area hotel specials

Adults at Kids’ Prices is valid for travel 2015 with NO date restrictions! Availability is limited and dates are selling out. Tickets must be purchased by November 30, 2014. Book now for the best availability including free night specials at area hotels. Or, lock-in your low price with our Layaway Lock-in for just $125 down when you book by November 30, 2014.

More posts about our first Disneyland experience as a family:

Tips for Making the Most of your First Disneyland Vacation

How we Surprised our Kids with our the News of our Trip to Disneyland

Free Printable Disney Themed Journaling and Filler cards for recording your Vacation memories.

Tips for Capturing Memorable Photos of your Disney Vacation

Linked up here.

Free Printable Advent Calendar or Christmas Countdown Tags

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Use these printable Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown Tags to create your own advent calendar or to label packages in your Christmas book countdown. There are so many uses for these little tags this holiday season.

Focus on Meaningful Traditions

I’ve found that focusing our energy on fewer but more meaningful traditions brings so much more joy than spreading ourselves thin trying to do it all.

Enjoying a simpler holiday season is a priority for me so I let some of the other traditions go, but this is one of those tradition that means so much to us: our Christmas book countdown! I got our Christmas books out of storage a few weeks ago and have ordered a few new books to add to our collection this year! It’s hard to believe December 1st is almost here!

We have many fond family memories of snuggling up on the couch and reading Christmas books by the light of the Christmas tree each year. I try my best to subscribe to a less-is-more mentality this time of year and I love that this simple tradition brings a bit of calm to the craziness of the holiday season. It gathers our family together at the end of each day, fosters connections and creates special memories.

About our Christmas Book Countdown

Through the years I’ve slowly added Christmas books to our collection. We borrow them from the library before we buy to make sure we’ll really love them first. Near the end of November I pull our Christmas books out of storage and wrap them up to be place under the Christmas tree in a special basket/container.

We start our countdown on December first and the youngest child gets to open the first book. Each night before bed –pajamas must be on and teeth brushed first – we take turns opening that days book and then read it together as a family

Packaging our Books

Wrapping 25 books is no small task so I like to keep the wrapping very basic, but still pretty, since these packages will be on display in our home throughout the month of Decemeber. I use white or brown wrapping paper – I love the look.

In an effort to keep things simple when it came to labeling all 25 of our wrapped books I created a a numbered set of advent calendar or Christmas countdown tags that I could easily attach to each package and reuse again each year.

I created two sets of tags, one in black and white that can be printed on any colour paper – I really like how they look printed on Kraft cardstock! I also created a pretty set of gold foil tags that add just the right touch of glitz and glimmer.

Download: Black Advent Countdown Tags | Gold Advent Countdown Tags

How to use these tags

You can use these tags to put together a simple advent calendar. Attach them to paper bags, a series of envelopes or small gift boxes to create your own countdown to Christmas OR you can use them like I did for our Christmas Book Countdown. Attach one to each wrapped book to be opened as you countdown to Christmas!

First you need to download the printable tags. They’re available in PDF format. Next print the tags out. Print the gold foil tags on white cardstock and the black and white ones on kraft cardstock or another color of your choice.

Next cut the tags out, my current go-to scissors for craft and paper projects are these stainless steel softgrip scissors by Fiskars. After you’ve cut out your tags you can get as creative as you’d like with attaching them. You could use washi tape, twine, ribbon or simply tape the tags directly to your package and call it good.

I hope you enjoy these simple little tags, however you choose to use them this holiday season! I’m really excited to be using them to help wrap our books this year. You can find out more about our Christmas book Countdown in this post. I’ve collected some well-loved Christmas classics that we enjoy reading together as a family year after year.

Our top 12 Christmas Books

These are the books my kids look forward to reading the most and that I love reading with them! These books are sentimental and carry with them many special Christmas memories. You can find a list of 50 of our favorite Christmas books in this post.

If you liked this post you might also enjoy…

Kids Decorative Paper Straw Christmas Tree Ornaments

Monday, November 24, 2014

Get crafty with the kids this holiday season with these darling decorative paper straw christmas tree ornaments! Follow along with Courtney from Crafts by Courtney as we create this cute and inexpensive Christmas kids craft!

Hello everyone, I’m Courtney. I hope you’re ready for AWESOME Christmas kids craft!

You can find me over at Crafts by Courtney where I blog about kids and home decor crafts with some DIY party inspiration! I’m very excited to be guest posting over here at Simple as That for the talented Rebecca!

I was super excited when Rebecca asked me to guest post over here at her amazing blog. I really wanted to pick the perfect project for her readers. I thought why not a kids craft!! I have three boys so I’ve become a professional on kids crafts, LOL!

Plus I love working on projects with the kids and Christmas is right around the corner.

I did several Christmas ornament crafts with the kids last year and they were a hit. I’ve been stocking up on paper straws this year and I’ve really been wanting to use them for a project.

Materials

Decorative paper straws

Hot glue gun

Star punch or sticker

Ribbon

Scissors

Getting Started

I rounded up all my Christmas-y looking decorative straws and the kids to get started on this project. I think we were all excited about this craft!

Step 1 – Create Back of Tree

Your are going to need two paper straws for the back of your tree. Add a little hot glue (with parents supervision of course) to the back to keep the straws together.

Step 2 – Create Your Tree

Now it’s time to start putting your tree together!

Start off by adding the top of your tree, we cut our first straw about the same width as the two green straws. Then leaving a little more to the ends as we added for straws down the tree.

Each straw we added a little hot glue to the back. My six year old was able to do this party by himself.

Step 3 – Trim Your Tree Trunk

Next your going to cut off any extra at the bottom of your tree trunk.

Step 4 – Add Your Star

I pulled out my “trusty” star punch and some glittery paper. We hot glued on our star for the top of the tree.

I think the glittery star finishes the tree off perfectly, don’t ya think?!

Step 5 – Add Ribbon

Finally we needed to add our ribbon so we can hang our ornaments up on the tree. We picked out a simple white and hot glued that into place as well.

Finishing Touches

Now we are ready to hang our cute and super easy ornaments on the Christmas tree!! We really had a blast working on them together. I really think these paper straw Christmas trees are adorable.

I want to give Rebecca a BIG thank you for letting me guest post for her blog today!

I really had a great time talking with her and getting the post ready. I hope you all can find some great holiday inspiration here and make some special memories with your kids.

Working on projects with your kids are great ways to have fun together and create beautiful long lasting memories together. And now you’ll have a special keepsake to pull out every year to decorate the tree with.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like…

Children’s Sharpie Art Ornaments