• Left Center Right Dice Game

    Our family loves to play games!  The problem now that school, homework, and all the extra activities have started we do not have a lot of free time to squeeze in long games.  One great game that doesn’t take a lot of time but is still fun for the whole family to play is Left Center Right Dice Game by Koplow Games.  Left Center Right is fast-paced dice game with 3 cubes, the player rolls the dice and distributes their chips based on what the dice are showing (left, right, center, or keep).  The last player with chips is the winner.   The game is designed for 3 or more players.

    Another positive is it helps teach younger kids the difference between right and left.   It is easy to play even for younger kids and is a relatively short so we can play it after dinner.   Since the game is small we have taken it with us to road trips to play as well.  Sometimes just taking a few minutes to play together helps everyone relax after a busy day.  What quick and easy games does your family like to play?

  • Gift Giving: Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts

    Kids Two Liter Surprise Gifts

    Are you looking for a unique birthday or fun gift for someone?  These gifts were a big hit with our family!  I had a blast brainstorming and coming up with these  fun gifts for my nieces and nephews.  I wanted something fun, unique, and easy to send in the mail.  I recycled 2 liter bottles, stuffed them with all kinds of fun items as well as colorful shredded paper and mailed them!  The kids absolutely LOVED them! 🙂

    I was super excited to hear that my nieces and nephews overjoyed at getting these in the mail!   I sent one 2 liter surprise gift to each family, so these four bottles were actually for 12 kids in all.  This is a great way to get something special for a group of kids because they all have fun opening and discovering all the goodies in the bottle.  Every bottle had a variety of items that all the kids would enjoy from candy to markers, erasers, glue sticks, paper clips, colored pencils, bouncy balls, stickers, and so much more!

    View of the back of the bottles, you can see a lot of the fun items inside the bottles

    I originally did these gifts for my nieces and nephews as their Christmas presents but since I have been asked by several people to duplicate these gifts I thought I would share them with you too.  If you need to send a gift for an upcoming birthday, graduation, Christmas, congratulations, baby, wedding or for any occasion these would be fun to put together and bring a smile to the person receiving it!   One lady in the post office wanted to know if I could put together one for each of  her grandkids! 🙂   As you can see from the pictures above I did four at one time but it would be very easy to do one at a time too.  The gift is unique, memorable, fun, and very affordable!

    After cleaning out the 2 liter bottle I filled it with colorful shredded paper and all kinds of fun items then stuck bows to the lid, taped the address on the outside, and mailed them.  They cost less postage then a box, were super fun to put together plus I got raving reviews from both those that seen them in transport and on the receiving end.    I even had a postal worker from another office contact me to comment on the awesome gifts!

    Once you get started and your creative juices get going the possibilities are endless with this two liter surprise gift.   Here’s how I did it:

    Empty and clean 2 liter bottle (I used clear and tinted bottles both worked well)

    Everything you put into the bottle must got through the top opening where the cap screws onto the 2 liter.  Put a little bit of colorful shredded paper in first to get some color and padding in the bottom of the 2 liter.

    Gather a bunch of items that you think will fit through the 2 liter opening at the top.  I like to have a lot of variety in my Two Liter Surprise Gift so here are some of the items that I put into mine.  I used what I had in my stockpile from shopping sales, clearance racks, and using coupons so the entire gift was very affordable.  Here are some of the items I used to get you started:

    • Twist Lollipops
    • Markers
    • Glue Sticks
    • Color Pencils
    • Erasers
    • Paper Clips
    • Post-it Notes
    • Crayons
    • Highlighters
    • Paint Brushes
    • Mechanical Pencils
    • Tattoos
    • Pencils
    • Stickers
    • Magnets
    • Balloons
    • Ink Pens
    • Binder Clips
    • Bouncy Balls
    • Small Toys
    • Small Notebooks
    • Decorative Bags
    • And MORE!

    Twist Lollipops were the surprise in the middle of the 2 liter bottle with all the other items and shredded paper packed in around them to protect them.  I was glad to hear they did really well in shipping!

    Filling the two liter bottle with surprises!  The lollipops are wrapped inside the blue (with candy canes) tissue paper and put in the middle of the two liter for extra protection.

    Packing the bottle full of goodies (another example).  You can “stuff” a lot of fun items into a 2 liter bottle

    I added the ribbon to the bottle and put a couple pieces of wrapping tape on it to help secure it to the lid.  This bottle is a green Mountain Dew bottle with blue shredded paper in it.

    Last step is to put on a label with your address and the recipents address and take it to the post office to mail out.  (The addresses in the photo have been distorted on purpose for the protection of the kids to whom the gifts were sent to).

    Every kid (who I am kidding every person, young & old) loves to get a special surprise in the mailbox.  You will put a smile on the face of a family member or friend even though miles may separate you with this great, fun, and affordable gift!

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    CONGRATULATIONS to Janna Lamison

    for winning

    3 Music CD’s by Suzi Shelton including her newest release “Tomboy In A Princess Dress”!

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