Puzzle practice

We have the left-brained people and the right-brained people. My brain seems to prefer sitting on the couch and watching the House Hunter marathon on HGTV. It is those moments I feel guilty for not reading or doing something a bit more stimulating. Brain teasers and puzzles are such a great way to keep the mind sharp. We all know we should be working out and keeping our bodies in good health, but lets not forget about our brains. Who has the time for that though, right? Why not grab your fancy new Ipad that you got for Christmas and bring it to breakfast and pull up this website to do a morning puzzle. Actually, I'm sure "there is an app for that" so everyone with a smart device, download one! Don't leave your little ones out of this; there are plenty of websites with kid friendly sudoku (that is printer friendly!) Or if you the old fashioned pencil and paper type, grab a book of puzzles at your book store and keep it in your purse. 

Do it at breakfast, on your lunch break, with a cup of coffee or right before bed. Any time you have a tiny escape is perfect to spend exercising your brain.

Happy puzzling!

 

2012, This will be a good year.

We've all had a few weeks to get used to writing "2012" instead of "2011" and with every new year are new resolutions. 

Resolution: Stay organized. Easy to set, difficult to execute. 

If you're anything like me and you take an inventory of everything you've got, you are shocked at just how much stuff you've obtained and begin to understand why it is your closet can never be as organized as you want. It's like the junk drawer threw up and has cluttered up your house. How rude. 

Having kids multiplies the amount of stuff you have infinitely. If you type "toy organizer" into Google the most common hit is this guy:

Good news! We sell these at Childish Things! Since the name of the game is consignment, they aren't always in the store, but lucky for you we have a Wish List where WE will call YOU when we get one!

Stick it in the play room for toys and games.

Put it in the mud room or entry way for shoes, gloves, hats and the like.

Stand it in the closet to keep your kids wardrobe in order. 

To add your name to our wish list for shelves like this or any other shelving unit click here and you'll be hearing from us soon!

Small Business Saturday!

Amidst all these crazy holiday sales is Small Business Saturday! It's one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year and almost everywhere is running some sort of deal. The big department stores opened at 10pm- on Thanksgiving! If anyone else thinks that's starting to get a bit excessive should pledge to support the small businesses in your community.

Tomorrow Childish Things is having a fantastic sale to help you get ready for the holidays!

15% off Melissa and Doug items,

20% off consigned clothing and shoes,

20% off Trunkis (perfect for holiday travel!),

50% off all books!

If you aren't around Boulder, CO stop by your local shops and support small businesses!

"When we all shop small, it will be huge."

Food for thought.

As you know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a great day to spend time with the family and slip into a well worth it food coma. While some of you maybe be taking in some extra calories to gear up for Black Friday, it might be worth taking a look at this and see that shopping at midnight this Thursday might be something you can afford to skip. It really spells out a few of the Black Friday shopping myths. 

Why not turn this:

http://lauraburciaga.com/shopping/black-friday-shopping-tips/

into more of this: 

http://www.granitetransformations.com/blog/1032/8-great-tips-for-a-perfect-thanksgiving/

Come in to Childish Things (at a decent time) and shop our great holiday items!

Candy Coma, Anyone?

Did you know that according to the Huffington Post online Colorado searches the most out of any state for organic candy? It's not really all that surprising, but fun to know!

image from: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/09/21/best-halloween-candy/

Whether or not your little trick-or-treaters gathered pillow cases full of organic candy or the old classics like Reese's, a ton of candy is a ton of candy. Why not let them go through their candy, keep whatever amount you think is appropriate then have them donate the rest! There is a great local option for rewarding your child for practicing some self control. Dentists in Boulder and Lafayette are offering a Cash 4 Candy party on Friday, November 4th from 3-6 pm! The deal is that you bring your extra candy and get paid $1 per pound! The candy is then shipped to the troops overseas. Why not make a dollar and show our troops how much we appreciate their service to our country? There will be door prizes and the school with the largest representation will receive a donation!

Check out their website and flyer for more information on the event!

Added bonus- you won't be tempted to eat the candy yourself!

Last Minute Costume Ideas!

Did October sneak up on you too?? I'm not sure how this happened, but Halloween is just about a week and a half away! I know you all have the internet so you can just as easily google "last minute costume ideas", but here are a few of my favorite ones.

I know, at first glace it looks like this would take a while, but check out the directions. It doesn't look all that bad.

http://alphamom.com/family-fun/holidays/last-minute-kids-owl-costume/

The instructions say to sew on the feathers, but I say grab the hot glue gun and get it done even faster!

This looks SO easy! It's a bubble bath! Check out the directions here! (Cartoon bathroom not included) This website in general is a jackpot for last minute costume ideas. I might just steal some and keep them in mind for myself.

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/no-sew-halloween-costumes-for-kids?pnid=114914

These not doing it for ya? Come on in to Childish Things and find one of our costumes left over or search the racks for a plaid shirt for a cowboy or a tutu for a ballerina- the possibilities are endless! Come in and get creative!

Egg Carton Planter!

Here is an easy craft for making an egg carton planter!

 

Step 1: Eat some eggs!

Step 2: Cut off the top of the carton to make compartments for the seeds. If you want to decorate it be sure to use non-toxic markers.

Step 3: Fill the compartments about 3/4 full of soil, place a seed in each spot and top it off with soil. Give it sun and water and watch it grow!

Step 4: Once the plants are popping up through the soil you can plant them in the ground! The beauty of this project is that the biodegradable egg cartons make it so you can plant the whole thing in the ground!

Since we're rounding out the summer months, planting in the ground might not be the most practical option, but you can do the exact same thing in a big planter and keep the plants year round!

Thanks to parentsconnect.com for this idea- full text here