Kids Holiday Cookie Exchange Party

The holidays can be such a busy time, but they are also super FUN! I think sometimes we all forget that in the chaos of it all.  Especially when it comes to the kids. The magic of it all never dies...just evolves a bit as they get older. One of my favorite events to host, that is fun no matter what the ages of the kids are, is a cookie exchange. Because who doesn't love a good cookie (or twenty?)? 

This is one of those events that seems like it could be a lot of work - but it's not. One year I made the mistake of spending days making cookies. After that I streamlined the process and realized it was much easier to let the kids make one cookie recipe and the rest of the cookies we purchase from the store. We then leave it to our guests to bring either. Some of our friends are major bakers, and others are more like me (and are not). 

This year we did our annual exchange a little early because we had a rare free weekend open that worked for most of our guests. The kids are already so excited about all things Christmas, so we decided doing it a little early couldn't hurt. 

I went with a fun holiday plaid theme, and found some of the cutest plaid party items at Oriental Trading. In fact, I was able to order almost everything I needed from Oriental Trading - including some adorable "Official Cookie Tester" tees for the kids. 

Oriental Trading always has the best holiday items. From home decor to classroom party needs they've been one of our go-to's for years. They've been running a ton of great sales lately too! Use our special code SQAUD19 to snag great deals all holiday season long. 

The party was a great success. There are some cookies the kids are still raving about, and some I might have hidden in the pantry in mommy's special place for further taste testing. 

Here's a peek at all the details before the sugar rush set in and the kids were banished to the backyard to play it all off. 

TIPS & TRICKS FOR HOSTING A KIDS HOLIDAY COOKIE EXCHANGE

• To keep it stress free, keep it simple! Have the kids bring their favorite cookie to exchange. If that's an Oreo, let it be an Oreo. No need to make extravagant cookies if that's not normally your thing. 

• Serve just a few drinks - no need to go over board! We served milk (because what goes better with cookies?) in these cute buffalo plaid coffee cups (because what goes better with kids than a cup with a top?). For the adults I might have served something a little stronger. ;) 
• Bring 1-2 cookies per guest. No need to go overboard because with the idea of an exchange kids will be having a lot of cookies. 
• No need to have a ton of leftovers! Have favor bags on hand for kids to take home their favorite cookies for later. 

• Have a well coordinated party with out breaking the bank. We love using Oriental Trading to set the tone for our parties. Through the holiday season you can use code SQAUD19 to access a ton of great deals on top of their already good prices. 

What is your favorite cookie to bring to a cookie exchange? 

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Happy Haunted Halloween Porch

Halloween is a few weeks away. (Okay. Okay. So October itself is a few weeks away.) But, the kids are just SO excited about Halloween this year that I couldn't resist starting the decorating process. It also didn't help that the kids found a massive order from Oriental Trading with some new fun skeletons to decorate with. It was either go ahead and put everything out or fear (further?) decapitation of all the new spooky decor.

Aside from a few fall touches on the inside, I decided to concentrate most of my decorating efforts on on our front porch. With so many young children in our neighborhood, Halloween tends to be huge. Many of our neighbors even transform their homes into complete haunted houses for Halloween night. 

We have a few standard posable skeletons that I pull out each year, but when I saw this Spooky Male Dress-Up Skeleton I couldn't resist adding him to the mix. 

He's just the right mix of spooky and fun, but not so over the top to scare our youngest trick-or-treaters. 

I kept the skeleton theme up throughout the porch, but in small subtle touches. I ordered a few of these small skeleton skulls to place throughout both our interior and exterior decor.   

And put out a bowl of these stretchy skeletons for any visitors as well as trick-or-treaters that come to our doorstep next month. Already these have been a huge hit amongst all the kids. However, I keep finding them in the most random places around our home. (I'm looking at you P and your placement on the hydrangeas, in my bed and inside the mailbox.)

I mixed in some new lanterns with my old ones, and exchanged my regular door mat for this super cute bat door mat.

I already owned the black buffalo check door mat and buffalo check pillow covers. I loved getting to use them utilize them for a different season. Both are pretty inexpensive and I can't tell you how many different seasons they've been pulled out for in the past few years. I love using them with pops of red for the holidays. 

Oriental Trading has a ton of inexpensive Halloween themed pillows to mix in with them. I opted for this Gothic Pillow Set. 

I just loved the fun little tassels hanging off each corner. 

I added in a few smaller details to try to add to the "haunted" feel of the porch. But nothing that would be overly scary for small kids. I have a box full of old books I like to pull from when needed and thought they would be perfect for this. 

Then I sprinkled these small feathered bats to the lanterns and some other decor. I thought they tied into the feathered wreath I have hanging on the door nicely. 

I have a few more details to add as we get closer to Halloween, but putting my Halloween decor efforts on hold so that my neighbors don't think I'm totally crazy (or crazier?).  But seeing the kids excited faces so far, I don't mind jumping on the Halloween train a little early this year. 

Oriental Trading is one of our go-to places when it comes to holiday and seasonal decor. Their skeletons, and a lot of their Halloween decor, are currently on major sale if you are looking to add a little extra spook to your haunted house. 

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Thank you to Oriental Trading for sponsoring this post as part of their Skeleton Squad promotion. All thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Win $250 to Oriental Trading!

Okay so we know it's only August, but we have partnered with our friends at Oriental Trading for a spooktacular little giveaway for Halloween! We - along with some of our blogger friends - are giving away a $250 gift card to use at Oriental Trading. Just in time for Halloween!

We love using Oriental Trading for just about any and every party we plan, and Halloween is one of our favorites! Really you can use the gift card anytime on any merchandise available, but you know how we love a good theme.  We thought this was perfect timing for all that Halloween planning on the horizon!

They literally have everything you might need! Halloween costumes for everyone in the family...

Halloween decor...

And any kind of Halloween party supply you can think of! 

WIN $250 TO ORIENTAL TRADING!

Entering to win is super easy! Contest starts today, August 15th, and ends September 5th. Winner will receive one gift card for $250 to Oriental Trading. Winner will be emailed shortly after entry verification. Enter below and good luck!

$250 Oriental Trading Halloween Gift Card Giveaway

What will you purchase if you win $250 from Oriental Trading? 

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Random Acts of Kindness {Kindness Treat Bags}

It's February 1st!!!  The month of LOVE.  Valentine's Day isn't the only holiday we will celebrate this month though.  February 17th is the National Random Acts of Kindness Day and I'm going to focus on acts of kindness with my kids all month long! Ever since my kids were little I have always tried to instill in them the importance of being kind.  Kind to their peers, kind to their teachers, kind to strangers, just kind.

Just recently a video was circulated around our area of a girl being bullied in a classroom setting and it literally pained me to watch. I just couldn't believe how cruel some children were being and all of the others who were just standing by doing nothing.  I certainly hope that if any of my children were ever in a position to stand up and make a difference, that they would choose to be kind.

I put an emphases on them treating others with kindness and respect when it comes to their peers.  I always tell them that they do not have to be best friends with someone, but they do have to be kind.  A mother of a student at our school recently shared with me that my daughter smiled and waved to her daughter on the playground.  Sounds simple, but she told me what a big impact that made on her child.  A simple smile and wave hello instead of turning and running off in the other direction to find her "best friends" made a world of difference for this child and that just made my heart soar. I made sure to share this with my daughter so she would realize how a tiny act of kindness can really make a huge impact.

I'm going to be sharing several ideas for Random Acts of Kindness Day over the next few weeks.  Some are free, some require a little preparation, some are totally simple and some a little more involved, but they all are guaranteed to bring a smile to another person and make their day.

Up first I wanted to share these Kindness Treat Bags the kids and I created.  I ordered some goodies from Oriental Trading and we put together these bags pretty quickly.  A positive message, little balls, our favorite cellophane bags and some ribbon is all it took! 

I got this idea because when we were in the middle of our basement and yard project we had people at our house all.the.time. There was constant banging, noise, and a lack of privacy. It started to annoy me and I just wanted the projects completed, but then I decided to shift my way of thinking and instead see it as a wonderful opportunity to have my children share some kindness.  Each afternoon we would gather Gatorades, waters, snacks, candy and other treats to walk down to all of the guys working on our house. They were putting in long hours and working tirelessly to complete our project and the least we could do was thank them with some treats to fuel their energy and keep them going. It became a daily routine and when they saw us coming they would smile and say "snack time!"  It made the kids feel good to know they were making someone's day and it put a smile on the construction workers' faces.

I started to think about other people who do a lot for us and how we could bring a smile to their face, too. We made some treat bags that could be shared with just about anyone.  We filled with candy, tied them up and were ready to start distributing.  

These can easily be placed on a doorknob for a neighbor, or left there for your package delivery person!  

We also plan to stick them other places for recipients such as in our mailbox for our postal worker... 

 ...and also for our trash collection workers!  

A few weeks ago when we were at a cheer competition a cheerleader from another gym randomly came up to Little Mama, gave her a little treat bag filled with candy and wished her good luck.  She was so taken aback, but it was the sweetest thing. I saw kids from that other gym doing the same thing all afternoon.  In a sometimes tense and high-pressure environment, they were spreading the love and positive vibes and it was so neat to watch.   That sparked the idea for these kindness treat bags that are geared towards kids. We filled them with these balls and some candy.  Now they are ready to be passed out to anyone my kids feel might need a little extra encouragement or brightness to their day. 

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Thank you to Oriental Trading for providing the supplies for this post.  All thoughts, ideas and opinions are our own.