harper’s swim suit + bows  ||  houston’s tee + shorts  ||  hayden’s similar pants + top

Well, we are officially over a month into this stay at home adventure!! How are you all hanging in there?! I told my girlfriend it kind of feels like I am on the Corona Coaster with how my emotions fluctuate, but overall we are doing our best to see the good. That being said, chances are you’re starting to hear the dreaded “I’m Bored” a little more often. Am I right?! Well have no fear because today we have brainstormed and put together a new list of 18 out of the box boredom busters the whole family will love!!

my bra + leggings + shoes  || all home gym details 

:: DO A FAMILY WORKOUT 

One of the hardest things about getting a workout in right now, is having all of our kids home! So why not make it into something fun for everyone by making it a family affair. Get creative and let them help you plan partner workouts, games, or different active ideas you can incorporate in. They will love it and you will love that they are burning some energy and making working out a good habit!

:: INDOOR CAMPOUT 

While it may still be a little chilly to shoot for a backyard campout (just ask Joe and the kids) put a fun spin on it and bring camping indoors. Set up your tent in your living room or just pull out the sleeping bags! Make indoor smores (check this fun gadget out) and tell stories. Your kids will love having a “change in scenery” and will probably end up playing in the tent for hours!

:: MAKE A MOVIE THEATER 

Put a fun new spin on movie night! If it is warm, maybe try a projector movie outside! If you have younger kids, do a drive in movie! Give them each a box from your most recent retail therapy and let them decorate their own “car” to come to the movie in. They will love snuggling up with blankets and pillows in their car at the drive in! For bigger kids, maybe make it a marathon or a themed movie night!

my tee + jeans  || hayden’s similar top

:: HAVE A SPA/SALON DAY

I don’t know about you, but this is something I would have LOVED as a kid. Getting to try different hair styles out on my mom or sisters and doing nails. Make it extra wild and let your kids pick out a color of this temporary hair color to change up their look! Or let them practice their nail design! Make it even better for you by adding in some massage mom practice!

:: LEARN A NEW SKILL

Out of all the things we have done during our stay at home order, this has been everyones favorite. Each of the kids made a list of skills they wanted to learn or practice while we are at home. We had everything from Hudson learning how to braid hair to Hayden learning how to sew. They are things they always wanted to try but we’ve never had the time to sit down and learn, and it has been SO SO fun!

:: HAVE A CAR WASH 

Keep things simple and let them pull out the hose and rags and have a fun car wash! Another fun idea my friend does with her boys is let them have a Hot Wheels Car Wash outside. Gather all their toy cars and trucks, a few buckets of water and some soap and they will be entertained for hours meticulously taking each car through the car wash.

houston’s top + shorts + scooter  ||  harper’s jumpsuit + jacket + sandals  ||  hayden’s jumpsuit + sandals

:: GO ON A FAMILY WALK OR BIKE RIDE

You can still keep your social distance and enjoy the warm fresh air together. Getting out for an hour or so every day has helped us all keep our sanity! Whether it is a quick walk around the block, or longer bike ride, breaking free from some of that Cabin Fever is a great boredom buster!

:: MAKE TIME LAPSE VIDEOS

You may have seen me talk about this over on my Instagram Stories, but it has been such a hit with Hayden! I showed her the time lapse video feature on my phone, and she is OBSESSED with cleaning now because she can watch herself in super speed mode after. Best little trick ever!! Even if its not cleaning, have them video themselves making a recipe, building a lego, or even coloring a picture. It takes something they might be getting bored of and puts the fun back into it! ** To make your own using an iphone or ipad, just open the camera app, and swipe to the left to the time lapse option.

:: HAVE YOUR OWN LEGO MASTER COMPETITION

Get out all the Legos in the house and have a friendly competition. You can break into teams and draw ideas out of a hat that you have to create in a certain amount of time. Another fun spin is Lego Pictionary. Played just like the regular version, but you have to build with Lego’s for your team to guess.

harper’s top + shorts  ||  hayden’s tank + similar shorts  ||  table and chairs  ||  plates + cups + straw cups

:: HAVE A MIXED UP MENU 

My assistant just told me this idea and I love it! Growing up, one of her friends always did a mixed up menu for her birthday party.Every one is given a menu that has “code names” for all the foods. For example slimy worms = pasta noodles. Everyone in the family places their order for the different courses through that mixed up menu and it is SO fun to see what everyone gets. Sometimes you get ice cream and no spoon, or a straw and spaghetti. You can put a fun theme with it to help you name your menu items, or just make up names that have to do with how the food looks. I promise you’ll all love it!

:: PLANT SPRING FLOWERS OR A GARDEN

Enjoy the fresh air together in the safety of your own yard and do some planting. If you are feeling ambitious, start a garden together! Let them help pick out what they want to plant and do the planting. Having that part in the decisions makes them more invested and want to help with the watering and weeding down the road. If a garden sounds like too much, just plant some spring flower pots to have around your house! Stay tuned because we will be sharing a fun kid friendly tutorial on this soon!!

:: HAVE A DANCE PARTY 

Sometimes the best way to bust the boredom blues is to just dance it out. Turn the music up loud and let them loose. It works best if you and/or dad gets involved and crazy. Pull out all the karaoke stops and just have fun together. I promise it will end in giggles and boost the day for everyone.

my top + apron  ||  hayden’s similar jumpsuit + apron  ||  hudson’s apron

:: CREATE YOUR OWN CUPCAKE WARS

If you haven’t seen/heard of Cupcake Wars, it is a fun show where teams create delicious cupcake creations that are judged on both taste and appearance. This would be SO fun to do as a family or let just your older kids do. Break into teams and let them get creative!! Even just baking new recipes or treats they want to learn how to make together is a great boredum buster!

:: PLAYDOH PICTIONARY 

Put a fun spin on the classic pictionary but using playdoh instead of a pencil and paper. It is hilarious to see what people can create using just the dough and is so much fun!

:: PLAY BALL

I don’t know about you guys, but for us, one of the things our kids are missing most is their sports! They love and live for baseball and soccer and miss them so much! So what better way to brighten their spirits and let them get some practice in than by playing a family game of baseball, soccer, or even kickball! Burn some energy and enjoy the fresh air together!

:: TRY A NEW GAME 

While this one isn’t as out of the box, it can definitely help with the boredom blues. We shared some of our favorite games the whole family will love here. If you don’t want to order a new game, google fun new games you can play with a regular deck of cards or dice. There are so many!

:: GO ON A SCAVENGER HUNT 

This is such an easy idea to throw together. You can make your own custom hunt or there are lot of great lists online too! For toddlers you can keep it as simple as finding different colors, shapes, or letters. And when it warms up you can take it outside too!

:: DOORBELL DITCH YOUR FAVORITES 

I don’t know about you, but I miss people so much!! Just being able to see my sisters and friends and give them a hug!! And I know my kids feel the same about their friends too. So while this isn’t quite the same as actually getting that contact with them, plan a fun doorbell ditch instead. You can make cards, make a favorite treat or dinner, or even put together a goody box of some of your favorite boredom busters for them to try! Putting it all together will be something new and fun to do, and delivering it brings so much joy!

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I hope these fun ideas help you get yourself or your kids out of their boredom blues and enjoy the time we have together! I’d love to hear some of your favorites too!

my similar top (and here) + similar jeans + hat + bracelets  ||  houston’s tee + shorts  ||  harper’s swim suit  hudson’s  shorts

Raise your hand if your family time has increased by a LOT! It is kind of crazy, but we are loving it too! I have been bombarded with requests for ideas incorporating all things FAMILY FUN!! Since I have lots of littles to entertain, I have been searching out all the fun things we can do to stay entertained. As well as help keep our sanity! A couple of weeks ago we shared some of our favorite Boredom Busters. So I thought it would be fun to continue that on and share about some of our favorite family games!! I’ve included a roundup of a few that are perfect for toddlers, as well as a bunch that the whole family will love!

click right on the image to shop 

:: TODDLER FRIENDLY GAMES

First up is our favorite toddler friendly games. These are the ones we turn to that I know they will love, but I also don’t completely dread playing with them. We all know there are a few of those!! I love that just about all of these (except maybe Pie Face) have an educational aspect to them. Whether it is as simple as colors and numbers, or more complex like categorizing items I love that it teaches them something and gets there brains working. And they love it too because they are just having fun. Perfect added bonus!

. . .

click right on the image to shop 

:: FAMILY FRIENDLY GAMES

Next up is the Family Friendly games. These are the ones we reach for when we are having a game night with the bigger kids to, or with our friends (pre-social distancing). The babies still like to play along too with some help. We love these are such fun tried and true family options!

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I hope these fun family games help bring some joy to your days at home together and give you another way to enjoy this time we’ve been given with our families! And I wanna know your favorite family games too so we can snag some new ones!!

similar top + overalls + sandals  ||  wreath

The world is kind of a crazy place right now, I’m sure you will agree! From sickness + quarantines to surprise earthquakes, I kind of feel like I don’t know what to expect next!! It is hard to not let yourself get mentally and emotionally caught up in it and feel overwhelmed. For me, one of the best ways to clear my head and focus on the positive is serving others. With the social distancing we are living in right now, it can seem a little trickier to serve so today I thought I would give you 6 ideas of how you can serve those around you from a distance.

:: CARE PACKAGE 

Care packages are such a fun way to bring a little sunshine to someones day. Maybe it is for a girlfriend that is feeling like this is all too much. Fill it with your favorite treats, beauty products, or whatever makes you happy! Maybe it is for a relative or friend that lives alone. It honestly does not matter what you put in the package, the thought alone and a heartfelt note will instantly brighten their day. If you sign up for our newsletter, we will be sending out a fun printable card you can include!

:: NEIGHBOR SURPRISES 

Neighbor surprises are one of my favorite ways to get the kids involved. If you know us, you know how much we love doorbell ditching. Social distancing is the perfect way to combine a way to serve with mastering your ditching skills! Haha! We love putting together handmade cards and cookies for the neighbors just to bring a little sunshine and let them know we miss them!

:: GROCERY DELIVERY 

With all the craziness going on, most grocery delivery pickup/service options aren’t available right now. That can be really hard on the elderly or those who really are in more danger of going out. Give them a call and ask what you can grab for them at the grocery store and drop it off for them. It is such a simple way to serve but again will mean so much.

:: MEAL ORDERS 

Meals are another great way to serve. Whether you just double up on your own dinner and drop it off to a neighbor or friend in need, or have the meal delivered for them, it can take such a burden off of people.

:: SURPRISE MAIL 

Surprise mail is a new idea the kids and I had to serve some of the neighbor friends. They pick out little $5 surprises off of Amazon that they would love and have them shipped directly to their little friends. It is so simple but reminds them that they love and miss them. Rad and Happy offers their $5 Color Happy subscription that we love as a gift as well that you can send straight to a friends inbox!

:: MAKE CARDS

Last but not least is one of my very favorites. A simple handmade card. Who doesn’t love getting a cute card from your kids? Have them make some to drop off at the hospital for the hard working doctors, grocery store for those putting in the extra hours, or the elderly in your area. It is a guaranteed way to brighten their day and serve by showing your gratitude.

. . .

As you will see here, none of these ways to serve are big and grand. They are all so simple and easy to do, but will have the biggest impact on the recipient. I would love to hear the other ways you and your people are serving those around you during this crazy time!

houston’s top + shorts + similar sandals  ||  harper’s jumpsuit + jacket + sandals  ||
hayden’s jumpsuit + sandals

Welcome to Day 1 of Quarantine Life!! I hope you are doing your best to find the positive in the craziness around us right now, and focus on what matters most, LOVING YOUR PEOPLE! Speaking of them, with the quarantine change most of us are living in right now, it can be kind of an adjustment having your kids home with you all day long. Finding the balance between a strict schedule and a free for all, and keeping everyone happy while you do it!! I decided it would be fun to put together a round up of some of our family favorite screen free boredom busters! I hope they help bring your house some much needed joy!

:: BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR KIDS ::

**click directly on picture above to shop **

:: AIRFORT

Ok how fun does this look?! We ordered it over the weekend and cannot wait for it to get here!! If there is one thing I love it is open ended toys that really push my kids to use their imaginations, and can be played with in a variety of different ways! I am so excited to see what they come up with for this one!

:: DOTTERS 

These have been a family favorite for years!! They give your kids the joy and creativity of painting a masterpiece, but leave you with little clean up. Love them and they are so affordable!

:: BRACELET KIT 

This is another one we just ordered mostly for Hayden. I love that it comes in a kit to keeps things organized. It has colored beads as well as letters so they can write their name or maybe a motivational phrase like “Be Happy”. So fun!

:: MAGFORMERS AND MAGNET BLOCKS

These are another thing we have loved for years. The quality is amazing and they really just let your kids imagination go wild. Everyone from Harper to Hunter enjoy playing around with them, and they will last you for years and years so they are worth the investment. These blocks are another favorite!

:: SPOT IT

Our family LOVES this game!! It is so simple and easy to learn so the younger kids catch on, but has a variety of versions you can play so it can still be competitive for the bigger kids and even Joe and I. It really gets your brain and reflex skills working which I love!!

:: MAGNET LETTERS + NUMBERS 

I am all about toys + games that double as teaching methods. I just got this for Houston and he is loving spelling out different words on a cookie sheet with the magnets. We bought these printables for him to follow along with too.

:: PUZZLES

Houston has a new obsession with puzzles so he has been all about those to keep him entertained. We love these big floor puzzles to switch things up, or all the varieties of the classic style.

:: PLAYDOH

You can never go wrong with kids and playdoh! Something fun to get the kids involved is to pick an object that everyone in the family has to make and see the fun varieties they come up with! You could even have a judge and prizes!

::PAINT BY STICKER

These are such a fun play on color by number for bigger kids. They have detailed drawings numbered out and then you place stickers on by color. Hayden is already loving it!

:: CRAFT PAPER + MARKERS

We love this tried and true classic. Something about having a giant roll of paper instead of your typical notebook or coloring book with markers makes it so much more fun. We love to roll this out outside or in the kitchen and just have a big coloring free for all. Some fun ideas I have seen is to draw out a city with roads and stores and then play with toy cars on them, or to trace your kids and let them decorate their faces and clothes.

:: SIDEWALK CHALK

If the weather is warm enough, take the drawing outside with sidewalk chalk! The same classic as paper and marker but they can switch it up and draw hopscotch or other fun games.

:: BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR TWEENS + TEENS

:: CARD GAMES 

I am loving that my bigger kids are at the age that they are getting in to different card games that are fun for Joe and I too. We just ordered these two to add to our collection after great reviews from friends!

:: RUBIKS CUBE 

Hudson loves doing these and is actually pretty amazing at it. I love that this set comes with some different shapes to give him even more of a challenge.

:: REFLEX BALL

Ok this looks like some kind of torture advice, but it is actually amazing for hand eye coordination. I promise your big kids will love it, especially if they are in to baseball or softball.

:: BRACELET KIT

I secretly want to do this kit myself too because I think these are so cute! You can totally customize them to your style and preference which is my favorite thing about them.

:: LETTERING BOOK 

Another fun one for the bigger kids to have as they doodle is this lettering how to book!

:: STRING ART KIT

I don’t know about you guys but I think these string art designs are so awesome. I love that they are working on their coordination and fine motor skills and it something they can keep to display too.

:: KIDS COOKBOOK

I love getting in the kitchen with my kids to cook and bake!! Some of our favorite things to make are the Cake By Courtney cakes! We found this fun new recipe book for them to try out too!

:: BOP IT

Who doesn’t love this old classic game?! It brings out the crazy competitor in all of us!

:: RIPSTICK

This is a great way to get your kids outside and give them a challenge at the same time! So much fun!

:: SCRATCH ART BOOK

Another fun book kind of like the sticker by number above is this scratch art book. They start out looking like nothing and turn into some awesome designs.

:: CARD TRICK KIT 

How fun does this look for your bigger kids?! Plus you could add magic show to your days schedule!

. . .

Here are a few more free online options we are loving or are excited to try!

:: Art For Kids Hub 

This is an AWESOME YouTube channel that teaches kids how to draw so many different things. The end results are amazing but he really teaches them in such a cool way that it is simple for them to catch on and so much fun!

:: Rad + Happy 

We LOVE our Rad + Happy Color Happy Subscription! It is only $5 and you can print the page as many times as you like. Each month comes with 3 pages, but she is adding a bunch of free extras to this months that starts today so sign up soon to snag that! I promise I love it just as much if not more than my kids! And you can gift it to people too via email! Such an awesome way to spread some sunshine without the physical contact.

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I hope these ideas help spread some light and sunshine into your homes and bring lots of family fun!! We love you guys so much and are so glad you are part of this community!