December 17th, 2009
Written by: Tanna Clark
If you have school-aged children, you know what it’s like to get artwork overload! Every day these little wonders bring home something new that they have created. Even at home, the coloring can go crazy. In coming months at the Mabelhood I’ll go into greater detail on dealing with the overwhelming artwork situation but for now I wanted to give you a few great ideas on ways you can give this artwork as gifts during the holidays or perhaps for future birthdays of loved ones.
Artwork Necklace – Mail or send a scanned image of your child’s artwork to create a one-of-a-kind necklace for that special someone in your life. Would be great for a mother or grandmother.
Send Art In A Card – Grandparents who live far away love sharing the milestones of your children but often miss out on these little drawings. How about adding some to the holiday or birthday cards this year? For the younger kids, have them explain what the picture is about and write it on the back.
Wrapping Paper – Buy a roll of craft paper and spread it out on the table for the kids to color on and use this as wrapping paper for gifts. Top it off with a bow to match.
Create A Book – What kid wouldn’t like to get “published”? Take pictures of your child’s art and using a photo site like Shutterfly, upload the images to create a book of art displaying their masterpieces!
Can you think of other creative ways to share your children’s art as a gift?
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December 17th, 2009
Written by: Caitlin Madden
Kim from Special Programs brought her puppy Maeve into Mabel’s Labels office today for a visit!
Maeve with Ruth, Deanna, Kim & Sue
Maeve & her Mabel's Labels Teeny Tag
Julie Cole & Maeve
Sue from Finance
December 13th, 2009
Written by: Julie Cole
There are a few things that are irresistible about the Holiday Season:
1) Dressing your kids like idiots. Yes, I dressed my daughter in a Santa suit dress for her violin recital. Why? Because I can.
2) Elf Yourself – really, we can spend hours doing this using different combinations of family members. Go on, have a look: http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/XIf7mBPW2SSHOgIG
3) ‘Tis the season to throw all parenting rules out the window. The notion of Santa watching for good behaviour is really just a combination of bribery and empty threats.
Bribery: “If you are good, Santa will bring you presents.”
Empty Threats: “If you are naughty Santa won’t bring you presents”.
Yeah right, I know some pretty naughty kids who have never woken up to lumps of coal in their stockings.
So go on, take advantage of your bad parenting free pass and be sure to engage in what at any other time of year would be considered cheesy behaviour. I’m enjoying every minute of it!
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December 10th, 2009
Written by: Tanna Clark
If you’re like me, you may have started organizing your children’s toys before the holidays arrive. Most likely you have found a few that they hardly play with or have outgrown completely. Oftentimes these toys are barely used at all! Speaking from experience, I know we can get carried away during birthdays and holidays (especially grandparents) and overwhelm our little ones with toys. In this day and age children have so many toys to choose from they hardly ever have the chance to actually wear any out.
This holiday season, instead of going out and buying new toys, save yourself some time and money. Consider organizing a toy swap! Gather some of your friends, family and acquaintances or make it a whole neighborhood event!
Start spreading the word and see what kind of response you get. This will determine how large of a place you need to set up the swap. Your house may be large enough but if you get a lot of people interested you may want hold the swap at a local community center or church.
Make a few rules to determine what “gently used” means. You might not want people showing up with dolls that don’t have clothes or puzzles that are missing pieces.
Set up tables for boys and girls by age and category: stuffed animals, cars, dolls, etc.
Have fun and go shopping! This would be a great time of year to have your friends bring along a plate of cookies as well and swap a few of those!
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December 10th, 2009
Written by: Caitlin Madden
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