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It’s Aimée and Bettijo here from PagingSupermom.com to share one of our favorite books. If you’ve never read the Scrambled States of America book then you’re in for a real treat. It’s not often that a children’s book comes along that will please both adults and kids over and over again, but this one does, and it’s educational to boot! There are so many little clever quips in the quirky illustrations that it can be like reading a new story every time you go through the book....

It’s perfectly paired with some toasted crusty bread. Dip your bread into the broth for extra goodness! This soup is ready for lunch or dinner. Or I actually just ate some leftovers for breakfast this morning too, ha :) Simple Italian Soup Recipe Ingredients: 1-2 lbs cooked meat – any meat you have on hand, I used 1 lb ground turkey and 12 oz. breakfast sausage links 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces – I used brown russet potatoes, but you could use red or sweet potatoes....

I made simple Star Wars inspired puppets, but you can make finger puppets in any shape or theme you want to. Construct them from simple shapes, add googly eyes, button eyes, or if toddlers will be playing with them, draw the eyes on with permanent marker (ask me how I learned that!). Finger puppets are a great open-ended craft; you can basically embellish them any way you want to. Choose a favorite animal, cartoon character, or a family member to get you started with your first puppet....

Supplies for a Spring Wreath: Wreath (I spray painted mine white and added cherry blossoms flowers with hot glue last year) One page ripped from an old book Embellishment punch (you could cut out your own shapes as well) Twine or ribbon Glue dots Scissors or paper cutter Hot glue Fabric flowers (found at Hobby Lobby) Bunting is such a fun/cheap addition to add to your wreath for any holiday....

1. Self Portrait: Trace around and let kids decorate! Add clothes, jewelry, accessories, etc! 2. Checkers: Checkers is such a fun game–even funner when you are outside playing on the sidewalk. I marked half the rocks with sidewalk chalk so we knew who’s was who’s. AND then we kept another color to mark KINGS! 3. Wet Sidewalk Chalk: Splash some water on the concrete AND THEN draw! The water turns the chalk into paint like texture!...

Rainbow Leprechaun Trap: This rainbow trap from Playing with Words 365 is the perfect way to entice that little leprechaun. Leprechaun Trap Cake: Bake up this green cake from Not Martha to lure those leprechauns in. Then save the cake for dessert. Pot of Gold Leprechaun Trap: Put out a pot of gold to trick those leprechauns. You’ll catch them in a matter of minutes with this sneaky trap. Find the details over on The Crafting Chicks blog....

DIY Pore Strips: Did you know you can make your own pore cleansing strips at home? Find the tutorial over at Petit Elefant. Coconut Rose Body Scrub: Not only will this scrub make your skin buttery soft, you’ll also smell fantastic! Find the tutorial over at Lulus. DIY Clarifying and Toning Facewash: You can cleanse and tone your skin with just one homemade face wash. Find the tutorial over at Body Unburdened....

Twiggy Gnomes: Make a gnome family with sticks found in your backyard. Use a pencil sharpener to get that pointy top for the hat. Then paint on the face, beard, and red hat. (via Notey) Fairy Garden Flower Pots: Every gnome needs their own fairy pot. Make some for your own garden! (via Make and Takes) No-Sew Gnome Hat: Turn into a gnome with this DIY gnome hat with a cute flower on the side....

I can’t believe school is starting! It’s that time of year to gather up those pencils, pick out a new backpack, and get going with back to school organization. Sometimes back to school can seem overwhelming. Maybe you find yourself saying, “Where do I even begin?”. Well, don’t worry! 17 Ways to Organize for Back to School Back to School DIY Craft Caddy: This is a super simple way to organize crayons, scissors, pencils, pens, and more....

Speaking of cute costumes for kids… have you seen the amazing photography and styling of Gina Lee and her darling daughter? They are recreating some of Netflix favorite shows streaming right now! I’m part of the Netflix #streamteam and it’s so fun to see these shows come to life. Check them out: Inspector Gadget Dragons Race to the Edge Orange is the New Black Have fun dressing up for Halloween!...

Lego Invite: Build some Lego’s to make the cutest party invitation ever from lmnop Blog! Lego Cake Pops: These Lego treats would be a huge hit at any party! Get the recipe at Living Locurto. DIY Lego Stamping: Stamping clothes or crafts with Lego’s makes a great party activity! Find the instructions over on Petit à Petit and Family. Lego Birthday Party Printable Pack: Print out this Lego party pack from Peonies and Poppy Seeds to get fun ideas for your party!...

The Grass is Always Greener It’s unfortunate that so many of us associate that creepy faux-green-plastic “grass” with a holiday celebrating new life and spring. Why not get back to nature’s original basket-filler and grow your own? It was actually Marie that first turned me on to the idea. Check out this excellent Make and Takes tutorial on growing wheat grass. We’ve had great results and it grows so fast you can start today and make the March 31st deadline....

Here’s our advent calendar for the next 25 days. We’ll be taking off one of these paper chains until we get to the top on Christmas morning! It’s kid-friendly and super simple to make for young crafters. It can be hung from a fireplace mantel, a staircase railing, a wall, or a door! Supplies: 25 strips of paper – 19 green strips, 5 red strips, 1 yellow strip tape, glue or stapler...

Welcome, Ugly Baby and La Ru. It’s the brain child of Rosalie from Ugly Baby Shower Art and Lauren from La Ru. Centrally located in the heart of Seattle, right at Pike Place Market. With their quirky and artistic items, they’ve got what you need for that unique holiday gift. From suction cup shower art and AT-AT t-shirts, to illustrated necklaces and robot prints, you’ve got something for everyone. Here’s a little more from these amazing crafters: MT: How long have you been crafting?...

I picked up a small notebook at Target, and gathered the kids in the craft room. We decided that we would each write just one page, and then pass it to the next person. We could only read just the page before ours, before we continued writing. Not knowing the complete story was part of what made it so silly, in the end. So, I went first, “Once upon a time, there was a girl who was asked to babysit three children, for a whole week....

Recipe for Oobleck: 1 1/2 cups cornstarch 1 cup water Optional: 2-3 drops of green food coloring (for an extra slimy mix) Pour, mix slightly, and have fun! You can pick it up, squeeze it, and it forms a ball in your hand. But let the ball lay in your hand and it turns back to liquid. When you look into the bowl, it looks like white milk. Then punch your hand into the bowl and it is hard and solid....

Supplies for a Handprint Pumpkin Keepsake: Heavy paper – 2 sheets Orange fabric or paper White glue or Mod Podge Foam brushes Washable green paint Cut a pumpkin shape from orange fabric or paper. I used fabric, which adds a fun texture to the artwork. Brush glue or Mod Podge on the back of the fabric and stick it on your paper. My paper started to wrinkle a bit from the glue....

How to make a Halloween fruit tray This Jack O’Lantern Halloween fruit tray is so quick and easy to put together that you can get the kids to do it. Ingredients Mango Clementines or mandarins Peaches (we used canned) Cantaloupe Black grapes Blueberries You will also need a large round serving tray Instructions In the center of the tray add the black grapes and blueberries and shape them (as best you can) into a Jack O’Lantern face....

Supplies for Q-tip Easter Bunny: 1 – 2 inch Styrofoam ball 1 – 1 1/2 inch Styrofoam ball 2 pipe cleaners, any color 2 googly eyes 1 pink small pom pom 1 white small pom pom craft glue or hot glue (adult only) Q-tips – 100 + This cute little bunny was inspired by this Q-tip’s snowman craft from their holiday craft site. We didn’t use as many Q-tips as they do for the snowman, so if you want a more full look, keep going and going with the Q-tips....

Supplies for Dipping Desserts for Gifts: chocolate chips, colored chocolates in red and green, or melted caramel pretzels, candy canes, or cookies sprinkles Any combination of the above supplies work perfectly for dipping and gifting. Here’s a few we’ve done for treats: Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes: These are my favorite as you can add them to your hot chocolate and add a little extra flavor. Dipped Cookie Snowmen: If you use the mini chocolate creme cookies, you can make mini snowmen on a stick....