Search Results for: blog the joy of giving homemade gifts

Give the Gifts of Time and Talent

Retailers make it seem as though the holidays wouldn’t be anywhere near merry and bright if you don’t spend, spend, spend from now until Christmas.  But, the truth of the matter is that you don’t have to drain your wallet in order to show family and friends how much you love them.  Instead of presenting your clan with a bunch of overpriced items this year, consider gifting them with your time and talent. If you have a special skill, share it with your loved ones to create a thoughtful present. For example, if you are a whiz in the kitchen, … Continue reading →

Food Gifts That Preschoolers Can Make

Around here, food is ragingly popular as a Christmas gift. We bake, and we bake a lot. Preschoolers love helping with that, and food gifts are very easy for a preschooler to make. They’re popular gifts, too. In the summer, preschoolers enjoy the goopy delights of making freezer jam. Get some frozen summer berries and add freezer jam pectin and sugar according to taste and according to the recipe, and you have delicious, super simple freezer jam. If you freeze berries in the summer, you can make small batches of freezer jam all year round. Full of beans? Collect beans, … Continue reading →

Gifts in a Can

You have all heard of gifts in a jar, right? Well, what about gifts in a can? Take your gift giving one step further with this easy and very frugal gift giving idea! Gifts in a jar are a nice way to show someone you care this holiday season. You basically create a food gift mix and place it in a large glass jar, which you’ve decorated with ribbon, raffia or fabric. A tag attached, tells your gift recipient how to prepare the mix. Here is a much more modern take on this idea that suits todays busy families who … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

Balancing Christmas Spending and Giving

Christmas shopping is well under way. Black Friday has come and gone. It is interesting that the day that most stores finally make a profit is the day that many consumers begin to increase their debt through holiday spending. People crowd the stores intent on finding the deal that will allow them to purchase items they otherwise couldn’t afford. There is a pressure to spend money during the holiday season that doesn’t exist through the rest of the year. It is nice to be able to give to others and to provide your children with a nice Christmas. It is … Continue reading →

The Joy of Receiving Homemade Gifts

I’ve written before in these blogs about the joys of making and giving homemade gifts. Last week, the tables were turned when my birthday rolled around and I received a homemade gift from my fifteen-year-old daughter. She had been hinting around that she had a really special birthday gift for me this year. I knew she was short on cash, so I wasn’t sure what she had up her sleeve. Boy, was I surprised. I knew she was creative, but she came up with this little guy to hang from my car rearview window all by herself without a pattern. … Continue reading →

The Joy of Giving Homemade Gifts

I make a lot of homemade gifts for my friends and family, and I encourage my children to do the same. There is always value in the process of creating and giving something on which you have spent a lot of thought and time, but sometimes the rewards are even greater. I made everyone in my sister’s family personalized sock monkeys for Christmas this year. (See the Sock Monkey Family blog) I knew they would all like the monkeys, but I wasn’t sure my 11-year-old nephew would be overly thrilled in the long run with a homemade stuffed monkey. I … Continue reading →

Low Fat Chocolate Banana Bread

Are you looking for an indulgent snack to sit beside a hot cup of coffee in the morning or in the afternoon? If you want to snack but do not want the calories then try the Low Fat Chocolate Banana Bread recipe below. Think about bringing this to Christmas parties. You can also make these in mini loaf pans and give as homemade gifts to friends and family. They will enjoy having an alternative to the high sugar and fat food Christmas normally involves. If you do not want a loaf you can make these in a muffin pan for … Continue reading →

Confession: I Love Christmas Creep

I love Christmas Creep. You know what it is. It’s the Christmas carols playing on the radio since before Thanksgiving. It’s the lights that have been up since Halloween. It’s the house that I walked by the other day in the dark. I fell in love with the owners right away. You see, they had their Halloween spiderwebs up with Christmas lights underneath. Pure joy. I also love the baking. I mean, come on, who doesn’t like baking? I have type 1 diabetes and eat a gluten free diet that incorporate large quantities of veggies and fruits, and I still … Continue reading →

Celebrate a Tie-less Father’s Day

Forget about the traditional tie and golf ball gift set this Father’s Day and give dad something a bit more personalized. My 6-year-old suggested giving Pops an Aluma Wallet until I explained the idea behind customized gifts that can be made from felt and googly eyes rather than crush-resistant material. If you have younger kids who still get excited about crafting homemade presents, then consider the following easy to make Father’s Day gifts: Sports blanket: Help your kids piece together a no-sew fleece blanket for dad that features logos from his favorite sports teams. Pops can use it while he … Continue reading →