Give Dad a Gift for Each Reason They Love Him! (An Easy #FathersDayCraft)

Thank you to Oriental Trading Company for providing the craft supplies and Father's Day gifts to facilitate our Father's Day craft tutorial.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Do you ever wish that you could do more to show Dad how much he is loved beyond just making that one day, be it Father's Day or his birthday, a special one?  How about making Dad feel special for 3 days, 7 days, or 10 days?  This is a super-easy craft that will let Dad know all the things his children love about him by presenting him with a small gift that represents each reason.  We narrowed our list down to 7 reasons and will be presenting my husband with one gift a day for the 7 days prior to Father's Day this year.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see our daily gift for Dad starting this coming Sunday!

Today's Craft:  A Gift for Each Reason They Love Dad

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Kraft Paper Gift Bags

Everyday Journal Cards

Cream Tags & Ties

thin permanent markers

glue stick

Foam Self-Adhesive Dad Shapes (optional)

fun gifts (scroll down for list of ideas)
tissue paper

Step 1.  Do some prior planning.  Make a list of reasons your children love their Dad and brainstorm some fun gifts that would go along with each reason.  Make your list manageable.  (You can find our list at the bottom of this post, along with some other ideas to help inspire you.)

Step 2.  If you use colored gift bags and journal cards, match one card up with each gift bag.  Then write one reason why your children love their Dad on each journal card.  I used the format:  " . . . (reason here)!"

Step 3.  Using your glue stick, apply glue to the corners, edges, and center on the backside of your journal card.  Then center the card, writing side up, on the front of the gift bag and press firmly.

Tip #1:  The gift bags we used were approximately 9" x 6-1/2".  If you use a smaller gift bag, be sure to leave enough room for the "Because . . . " tag to hang from the handle without covering the writing on the journal card.

Step 4.  Make sure you have one tag and one tie for each gift bag you plan to fill.  Write "Because . . . " on each tag with the tag positioned horizontally with the punched hole to the left (as pictured below).

Step 5.  Using the provided ties (or your own string, ribbon, or yarn), secure the tag onto the right side of the handle on the side of the bag on which you have glued the journal card.

Tip #2:  Although I we tied our string into little bows, you could opt to just make a loop with the string and hang the tag from the handle.  Just be sure not to let the tag hang down over the writing on the journal card.

Step 6.  This step is optional, but was a fun way for our children to get involved with the gift wrapping.  Use the Foam Self-Adhesive Dad Shapes (or other stickers and embellishments) to decorate the front of the gift bags.

Tip #3:  Because the words are an important part of the gift, be sure to tell your children not to cover the journal card.  Also, remind them that less is more.

Step 7.  Now you're ready to fill your bag with the gifts that represent each reason your children love their Dad.  Be sure to place the correct gift in the corresponding bag.  Add some tissue paper or gift bag filler to create a nice presentation.

Now all you need to do is find a good hiding spot to store your filled gift bags until they are ready to be presented to Dad.  You could give one gift to Dad per day to make the fun last longer or give them to him all at once!

Our list of reasons and gifts . . . 

• Because we love when you act silly! = Realistic Rubber Chicken
• Because you know everything! = Magic Fortune Teller Ball
• Because you can be really sweet sometimes! = Dubble Bubble American Flag Gum
• Because you tell the best stories! = My Dad:  His Stories, His Words Journal
• Because you are an awesome cook! = Humorous Rub Set
• Because you are a little nutty! = Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Brand Whiskey Praline Pecans
• Because you are our hero and protector! = A Daughter's First Love Tabletop Sign

Other reasons your children might love Dad . . . 

• Because you chase the monsters away!
• Because you're the king of the grill!
• Because you're so handsome!
• Because you always know just what to say!
• Because you can always make our ouchies better!
• Because you're a great listener!
• Because you always give great advice!
• Because you're so wise!
• Because you like to sing in the shower!
• Because you cheer the loudest during my games!
• Because you're the coolest Dad ever!
• Because you can fix anything!
• Because you smell good!
• Because you give the best piggyback rides!
• Because you teach us so much!

What other reasons would you add to this list?

Silly Monkey Stories: Where Is Your Off Button?

You parents will know that kids can often be....rambunctious (to say the very least!) and this Father's Day was no exception.

In the morning we went out for breakfast and as always when we prepare to leave the house mayhem ensues. As I am herding the children into the proper seats my oldest Jake says:

“Don’t you wish we had an off button like the t-shirt you have says?” 

This in itself wasn't so odd, but the fact that I did not own such a shirt was.

My youngest son Luke was first to yell at Jake for outing one of my Fathers Day gifts, which turned out to be this Where is Your Off Button? t-shirt.

What the kids do not know is this:  I was thinking the exact same thing about power buttons on children the very moments before all this transpired . . .

Click here to read all our Silly Monkey Stories!

Can't Figure Out How Your Children Grew Up So Quickly? . . . Relive Those Precious Moments Through Photos

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

This photo was taken on Mother's Day 2010!  Our twins were just 3 years old then and their big brother only 6.  Can you believe how much they have changed over the past 3 years?  It is actually extremely easy for me to remember what our children were like when they were first born.  It's everything between then and now that's a bit of a blur.  When people warned my husband and I that time flies by too quickly when you have children and that they would be grown up before we knew it, they were right.  Luckily, I take lots of photos.  By "lots", I mean boatloads.  In fact, I take so many photos that some people think I'm crazy.  Well, I have many more precious photos, like the one I've shared with you today, to help me remember all those blurry moments.  I'll never regret taking the extra time to capture as many of the big and small moments in our children's lives as possible.

If you take as many photos as I do, then you understand where I'm coming from.  If you don't . . . well, it's never too late to start!

No matter how old your children are, there are still new memories made daily.  There will be to come many more Mother's Days and Father's Days, proms nights, graduation days, wedding days, and everything wonderful that happens in between.  This Spring, Best Buy can help you get on the right track to capturing as many special moments as possible.  As much as I love the camera on my Nokia Lumia 920, I still bring out my D-SLR camera when I'm taking photos at home and during special occasions . . . basically whenever I want my photos to be outstanding and not just very good.  Best Buy has a vast selection of D-SLRs, compact cameras with long zoom, Wi-fi cameras, point-and-shoot cameras, and camcorders with the latest technology to fit all budgets.  They also carry digital photo frames ranging from 7" to 10" LCD screens.

7 reasons to shop Best Buy and BestBuy.com for your digital imaging needs this Spring . . . 

• There is currently Free Shipping on all cameras at BestBuy.com.
• Best Buy has a low price guarantee.
• You can bring in your old camera to Best Buy and trade it in for a Best Buy gift card.
• Save an additional 25% off select digital photo frames through June 22nd with promo code.
• You can get a free 8x8 Shutterfly Photo Book with a purchase of a qualifying camera or camcorder.
• Select point-and-shoot cameras come with a free camera bag or a free camera bag plus memory card.
• If you need something quickly, you can purchase online and pickup in-stock items at your local store.

As always, if you shop, be sure to come back and tell me all about what you purchased!

10 Tips for an Easy Low-Stress Family Breakfast (#FinishRiseandShine)

Thank you to Finish for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a gift card so we could purchase supplies and ingredients for our #FinishRiseandShine breakfast.  All opinions expressed are my own.

With Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up, you may be aspiring to surprise your spouse or your parent with a family breakfast.  If the idea of preparing a big breakfast by yourself (or with your children for that matter) seems daunting to you, then you must read on to see how easy it was for us to make this tasty family breakfast for the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge.  Simply following one or more of these tips will make your meal preparations that much easier.

Tip #1:  If you are planning on serving bacon as part of your family breakfast, make it the day before and store it tightly covered in the fridge.  I usually line a cookie sheet with tin foil and bake the bacon in a single layer. The next morning, you can just reheat it quickly in the microwave.

Tip #2:  Choose one easy recipe to make in the morning.  Checkout my recipe for Easy Bacon & Scallion Cornbread.  If you have prepared the bacon ahead of time, the prep time for this cornbread is less than 10 minutes and it will bake while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Tip #3:  Serve microwavable breakfast sausages.  If you have bacon waiting to be reheated, just cook the sausages in the microwave for 1 minute less than called for.  Then add the bacon to the plate and microwave for an additional minute.

Tip #4:  Choose one or two beverages that everyone in your family enjoys.  My husband had coffee, but our 3 children and I had hot cocoa.  It was easy to make with just a little hot water.  We usually only give the children half a mugful because they can never finish a whole one.  I highly recommend that you try your hot cocoa with a dollop of vanilla ice cream in it.

Tip #5:  Use dollar size microwavable pancakes.  They are quick to heat up and you won't be required to cut pancakes for each child.

Tip #6:  Just so you are not feeling too guilty about all the grease and salt, fill a bowl with fresh fruit.  We served large strawberries, but grapes or blueberries would work well also.

Tip #7:  Fill your plate with some of everything in case your family eats all the food before you even get to sit down at the table.

Tip #8:  Remember to take a photo of your family enjoying this meal you've prepared to preserve the memory.  Also, there is no need for them to know how easy it was for you to put this breakfast together, so you can show them the photo in the future to remind them about how much you slaved over a hot stove for them.

Tip #9:  Leave the breakfast dishes for later and go enjoy time with your family.

Tip #10:  Before you go to bed, load all the dishes into your dishwasher, so you can let it run overnight.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

What made this last step possible for me is the Finish Quantum Power Gel.  To be honest, when I agreed to take the Finish Rise and Shine Challenge to leave our breakfast dishes until bedtime, I was extremely skeptical.  Our dishwasher is old and I always rinse off the dishes before I load them.  My regular detergent is actually the bottled Finish Gel.  It works pretty well, but there are some things it will not get out, such as dried hot cocoa, lipstick on stoneware, and sometimes dried melted cheese.  I had very strong doubts that this little Finish Quantum packet I popped into the detergent well would get out the dried cornbread mix, the dried syrup that nearly fused our stacked plates together, and especially the dried hot cocoa inside the mugs.

Can I tell you how floored I was the next morning?  Everything came off the dishes . . . even my arch nemesis, the hot cocoa.  Not only that, my dishes actually shined!  All I could think about was how much time and water I could save from now on just by using the new Finish Quantum.

What is your arch nemesis when it comes to getting your dishes clean in the dishwasher?  I'd love to know what it is and if you are able to get it clean without rinsing and only using the Finish Quantum Power Gel.  Get your FREE sample of Finish Quantum (1 per household), take the #FinishRiseandShine Challenge, and share your results on the Finish Dishwashing Facebook page.

Personalized Beer Glasses . . . a Perfect Gift for the Home Brewer

Last year for a Father's Day gift, my children and I gave my husband a home beer brewing kit.  It was something he had mentioned previously as possibly being an interesting hobby.  I knew it would appeal to his scientific side and I was right.  This gift also opened the door to future no-brainer gifts, such as additional ingredients, supplies, and equipment.  A gift idea that did not occur to me until I saw it on RedEnvelope.com was a set of Personalized Pub Glasses.  There were actually two styles to choose from . . . these Bulldog Pub Glasses and a set of Barley Pub Glasses.  Both styles were dishwasher-safe.  Since we are a dog-loving family, I went with the Bulldog design.

Of all the gift ideas for men I have seen, this one was uniquely perfect for my husband.  These personalized beer glasses sort of make his hobby "official" even though he is still a novice.  I was able to personalize these glasses with our family name, town and state, as well as the year in which my husband started being a home brewer.

On the back of the glasses are printed the words "Sit.  Stay.  Drink." . . . a very hospitable message for anyone who will be sampling my husband's brew.

Although the product description states that the glasses have a 16oz capacity, I think they could comfortably hold 12oz of beer (as shown below), especially if the beer has a thick head.

My husband was extremely thrilled to received this surprise.  It was not his birthday, nor was it a holiday, so it was very unexpected.  Just because gifts are sometimes the best ones!

Thank you to Red Envelope for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Easy Craft: DIY "Spell It Out" Photo Gift

This is a photo gift craft I had done for Father's Day earlier this year.  I think it would make a great Holiday gift for almost any friend or family member because this craft has so many possibilities.  I got the idea when I saw a baby photo example on Pinterest from a blog called The Coleman Chronicles.  This was really so simple to make that I don't even think I need to write out a formal tutorial.  Basically, all you need to do is . . .

1.  Buy a horizontal or vertical collage frame that fits the number of letters in the word or phrase you want to spell out.  I got my frame at A.C. Moore for under $10.

2.  Since I did not want to spend a few dollars per letter on white wooden letters, I just bought some inexpensive white foam sheets and cut my letters out of those to spell "We [heart] Baba."  If you have any letters that are shown twice, you can reuse a single letter rather than make more than one.  I did buy the wooden red heart though because I would probably use that again in the future.

3.  Have your child or children hold each letter and take a photo.

4.  Print your pictures out on your own printer or have them printed by a photo service.

5.  Trim your photos to the right size and put them into the frame.

That's it!  You're done!!

(Click any photo to enlarge)

If I had to do it all again, I would have had my photos printed by a photo service because my printer just makes everything look darker and duller than it really is.

Regardless, my husband loved this photo gift!  It sits right on his desk in his office at work.  What would your "Spell It Out" photo gift say?

3 Favorite Gift Ideas For Dad

As a dad, I get lots of gifts from my kids and family, although all of them are welcome, some will always have a special place in my heart.  I think my daughter presents me with a new drawing rolled up with a rubber band at least once a day, often waiting for me on my chair when I get home from work.  What a wonderful feeling that is . . .

. . . But over the years, I definitely have some favorites.  My most favorite gift was from all of my kids for Christmas a few years back.  They presented me with a professionally published and bound photo book of all of my favorite family pictures, many of them of my kids and I having fun.  I keep that book on a stand on my desk, I want everybody to see it.  It is not uncommon for me to come back to my desk and see people looking through it.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Another of my all time favorites is a canvas print of me with my son Jake on my back having a blast.  I've always loved stylized pictures on canvas prints.  Every time I walk past it in the hall I remember that day like it was yesterday.

And a list of my favorite dad gifts would not be complete without my "I can't know!" custom t-shirt.  That was my little boy Luke's favorite get out of trouble line for a long time.  It is not uncommon to hear "I can't know!!!" and see a Luke high tailing it away from the scene of a crime in my home.

I love everything they do for me, but these gifts will always be on my mind as they remind me of some great times.

Ruby Tuesday: Italian Celebration Cake

Last week, my sister and brother-in-law treated everyone to a Father's Day dinner at an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo.  This restaurant served dinner family style, so it was a nice change of pace compared to other family restaurants.  For dessert, we had Tiramisu and celebration cake.  We thought the children would love this colorful cake, but they actually found the colors to be off-putting.  I tried it and thought it was rather good.  The bottom layer of red was especially buttery.  Have you ever had the chance to try Italian celebration cake?

If you'd like to see more Ruby Tuesday photos, go visit Mary at Work of the Poet!

My Photos (W/E 6-25-11)

I took an abundance of photos on Father's Day.  I've shared many on Facebook and in last week's Silly Monkey Story, but the first two photos below stood out to me the most.  I can't wait to see some of the Father's Day moments captured by the other Weekly Winners participants!

"Awaiting Dinner"

"Drool-Worthy"

"Freshly Brewed"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.