Goldilocks Halloween Costume Hat by babygraceprops
Knight Helmet by ThisNThatBoutique
Customize Your Robot Hat by palomiux
I know you'll find great ways to use this multipurpose pack ... book labels, blank cards - use them as lunch box notes or messages to the teacher, weekly homework planner, and of course bookmarks.

Special post from Nikki at NikkiInStitches. 
Enjoy…(and you’re welcome!), 
The story of Santa Claus starts with St. Nicholas, a saint who was known for anonymous gift giving to the poor and needy. Although it is mainly a European holiday, many families inside the US celebrate aspects of St. Nicholas Day on December 6th as apart of Advent or as an activity in their Christmas countdown.
Every other year or so my parents siblings get together for a family reunion - three generations all together. Have you found that the more you know the people at a family reunion the more fun it is? I remember attending a reunion when I was 11 or so … hundreds of people were there. I was connected with all of them through one great great grandparent, but my siblings and I were bored to tears because we didn’t know a single soul there other than our parents and grandparents. In an effort to help the 3rd generation, (aka, 1st cousins once removed) get to know each other better and strengthen family ties before the family reunion, bridging thousands of miles, multiple states and in one case, an ocean separating these kids … we paired them up as pen pals.
It’s been great fun. The kids get to practice their handwriting, spelling and composition, and I can’t tell you how excited they get when there is a letter in the mail just for them! They are also getting to know their extended family, strengthening family relationships which will hopefully bring strength and comfort to them as the years go on. I wish I could say that they write weekly or that they are always chomping at the bit to write a letter to their cousins … they don’t and they aren’t. But it’s never diminished the excitement they get when a letter arrives in the mailbox addressed to them in 4th grade pencil.
Our first pen pal letters turned into mini care packages. We made our own bubble wrap envelopes, covering them in scrapbook paper. We filled them with light, inexpensive trinkets we thought they might like and in some cases told a little bit about the child sending the letter … seed packets, stickers, drink pouches, and pictures of the activities talked about in the letter. Since then the kids have tried to include a little something or other that won’t mess with the postage to make their letters a little more interesting to send and receive … sudoku puzzles, bookmarks, temporary tatoos, favorite recipes, coloring pages, etc.
If you have family reunions in your future, or you want your children to build relationships with cousins and 1st cousins-once-removed they don’t see often, consider starting up a little pen pal ring and see what happens. It might be slow going a first, but don’t give up, you just might find that the whole thing takes off and continues well past the family gathering.
Reposted with permission from tinystitches.wordpress.com.
Summer is a perfect time to visit your local library or bookstore and discover new books! When I taught elementary school, I would try to find ways to get my students excited about reading…
One of the things that I made for my students was a reading log and whoever had the most books read received a special prize from me the next school year. The kids loved it! This time around, I’ve created a whole Summer Reading Kit (two designs to choose from) for you to enjoy! You can download both designs from my blog.
I hope you find some wonderful new books this summer! We'd love to hear about your a recent good read and if you're looking for local summer reading programs to help reward your children reading through the summer, check out these summer reading programs.



We're potty training our caboose. My fifth and final go at potty training. It's bittersweet.