Christmas during a World Pandemic

 

Merry Christmas to you and your family! This Christmas has been a strange one. It really hasn't felt like Christmas. We have had an unusually warm December. Then there is the threat of the new variant. I know people who traveled for the first time since December 2019 and others whose plans got completely ruined. This year seems even harder than last year when most of us were not vaccinated. Christmas 2020 we planned differently. We knew we needed to social distance and only have small gatherings. Our family split times with my parents. My sister who lives in Rhode Island, Hazel and I gathered at the Cape house and spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my parents. My sister and nephew from North Carolina came after Christmas to celebrate with my parents so we could not cross contaminate each other. I have not seen my sister and nephew since July 2020 when we visited them at the Cape and only stayed outside with them. 

Help Mom Work from Home! -- a sweet new picture book

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Are you working from home with a small child at home? Does your child like to "help" you work? Today's book is for you! It is Help Mom Work from Home by Diana Murray and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Weird But True Facts About New York City & Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you been to New York City? I have several times and have taken Hazel a couple of times. I have a good childhood friend who lives outside of the city so she takes Hazel and me in when we want to go. My nephew just moved there. It has been his dream to live there. He is hoping to establish residency and attend City College at the resident rate. While he is exploring the city and finding his way, I jumped at the chance to review National Geographic Kids newest edition in their Weird But True! Series. This one is Weird But True! New York City. It is recommended for ages 8 to 10, however it will be in my 19-year-old nephew's stocking this year!

Learning about Pandas -- Book review, fun facts, & Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

This week we have been focusing on the ocean, but today we are going to move out of the water and into the trees with a look at pandas! Today we will be sharing a National Geographic Kids book, fun facts from the book, and a panda craft round-up. The book is Go Wild! Pandas by Margie Markarian. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Third Book in the Startup Squad

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

We have had the pleasure of sharing The Startup Squad series with you since it began. This fun multicultural middle grades novel series is about four friends who work together to start businesses. Each book is full of fun, mistakes, friendship, and entrepreneur ideas for kids. Today's is no exception. It is The Startup Squad: Party Problems by Brian Weisfeld and Nicole C. Kear. 

Ace of Spades -- new YA novel that everyone should read

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you remember a year ago when many white people were claiming to stand with their Black friends as well as searching for information about what it is like to be Black in America? George Floyd has just been murdered by a police officer. We are a year later and the police officer has been found guilty. Racial riots were happening everywhere a year ago. People took "Black Lives Matter" for anti-police. The truth is people who are standing with the Black people aren't saying they are necessarily against the police. They are saying they are against the police who abuse their power and discriminate based on race. I know as a white person I have good friends who are different races and respect all races and I have friends who are police officers and have a huge respect for police officers. I also know when I have been pulled over for speeding a few times, I never once thought "Am I going to die here?" because of my skin color. That fear is what needs to go away and there is definitely a need for education all around. Today I am going to share a new young adult novel that deals with race, homosexuality (including bisexual), class, and so much more. This is a novel that I feel everyone should read. And it is also an amazing novel. The novel is Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

Blue & White Crafts with Japanese Influence and More!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these products in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

I have always loved blue and white crafts. The colors just contrast and make beautiful images. Today I am going to share some blue and white inspired crafts and most have a Japanese influence to them. Let's start with the one that is not a craft but has pictures of Japanese Shibori on them. They are Japanese Shibori Note Cards. 

Tie-Dye Paper Products Review with DIY Gift Bag Tutorial

 

Disclosure: I was sent theses products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Tie-dye can be so fun and always seems to come back on trend. We have had fun making our own tie-dye shirts and more. Today we are going to share note cards and gift wrap that both have tie-dye designs. Let's start with the Tie-Dye Note Cards. 

Fun, Useful and Interesting Books from National Geographic Kids

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe summer is fast approaching. What a year we have had. We have made huge strides fighting the world pandemic. Our state is going to open up fully on the 29th. The vaccines seem to be working. We have been lucky. Hazel's age is approved for the vaccine so she will be fully vaccinated a couple of weeks into her summer vacation. She has also been in school in person all year. However I know many schools were not in person. Many kids are a bit behind so this summer it will be even more important to have them reading and learning. Today I am going to share three fun, useful and interesting books that kids will love learning from this summer. All three are from National Geographic Kids which means they are pretty easy reads without long stories or chapters and more fun facts and photos. We will start with the National Geographic Kids Almanac 2022.

Fun Facts about Dandelions with Craft & Recipe Round-Up

 

This week is National Wildflower Week! The other day I shared a post on Facebook about dandelions. A friend had posted it and I assumed it was true but wanted to know for sure. I decided to investigate the common wildflower, dandelions, and wow, what an interesting plant. First, did you know dandelions are in the same family as the sunflower and aster? Whether you see wishes, food or weeds, there is something here for you including where they came from, how to harvest them and how to rid your yard of them if you really want to (fun fact 11).

Paper Wildflowers -- Crafty Sundays

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am going to share one of the craft books I am saying is Earth Day related. Now paper crafts in general aren't usually Earth Day crafts unless they are recycled crafts. However today's crafts are making paper wildflowers. My hope is when people see how beautiful the paper wildflowers are they will plant more wildflowers or at least let them grow when they pop up. Many of these wildflowers will attract pollinators to your yard. Plus if they are natural for your area they will help all the wildlife. So now I share A Beginner's Guide to Paper Wildflowers by Emiko Yamamoto. 

Printable Vinyl Sticker Paper Projects -- Crafty Sundays

 

Disclosure: HTVRONT sent me a package of this product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I haven't done a Crafty Sundays in awhile. Today I get to share a fun product with you. I have always wanted a Cricut machine but haven't justified spending the money on one. I love all the vinyl projects I see on line and that my friends make with theirs. I am sharing some projects to make with HTVRONT Printable Vinyl Sticker Paper and it works in an inkjet. I have so many different ideas for projects but am going to share some simple ones with you today. 

Printable DIY Advent Calendars and Week 1--Hope

 

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is always my favorite time of the year. I love the preparation building up to Christmas. It always seems like such a happy time to me. The lights are hung and trees get decorated. People seem a bit more bright and giving. This year even Advent is looking different. We are not physically in church yet, so there isn't the beautiful organ music of Advent songs. But even with Covid the meaning of Advent and Christmas remains. Jesus was born to save us from our sins. To celebrate Advent I created three printable "Advent Calendars". Now we have a beautiful wooden Advent calendar that I need to fill each year. I decided to use one of these in our Advent calendar and one in her lunch box (at least the days she will be in school). The first ones I have to share are the names of Jesus. I made two versions. The first is a small and plain one with the different names in different colors and fonts. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Today we are honoring the Indigenous People of Massachusetts with a Tribal Nations Puzzle

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this puzzle as a gift from the maker. All opinions are my own.

As I sit and think about Thanksgiving I remember the history we have been taught and much of the history I have learned. With my parents on Cape Cod I drive through Plymouth, Massachusetts every year on my way to and from Thanksgiving dinner. I think about the friendships that were made between the Wampanoag People and the Pilgrims and how the white colonists truly treated the Natives who helped them survive the first year. It saddens me that we are taught such a different story about what Thanksgiving means. To me this is a day to give thanks for the blessings we have and to gather with loved ones and be thankful for the time with them. This is especially true for my family this year since it may be one of the last ones that my father will be truly present as his Alzheimer's is getting much worse. 

Origami: Fun Facts, Product Reviews & Craft Round-Up

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

We are on our third week of exploring Japan for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. If you missed our first two weeks we did new picture books to learn about Japan and crafts from Japan. Today we are taking a look at the ancient art of Japanese origami. I thought I would start with some fun facts since I shared a bit about the history of origami a few years ago. 

Japanese Arts, Crafts and their Makers

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This month is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and to celebrate it we are looking at Japan all month long for Multicultural Mondays. Last week we started with two picture books including one on the creation myth in Japan. Today we are going to look at the crafts and craftsmen/women of Japan as well as a round-up of Japanese-inspired crafts and artists. To begin this post I am sharing a new book that is being released tomorrow (May 12, 2020). It is Craftland Japan by Uwe Röttgen and Katharina Zetti.

Kid Made Mother's Day Card Ideas with Round-Up

Can you believe Mother's Day is only a week away? This year with remote learning going on the kids are not getting help from their teachers to make cards and gifts. That means it falls on the kids and the dads. Steve brought up the idea of shopping for Mother's Day cards with Hazel and whether it was safe. I reminded him that most of our stores here are closed and will be until after Mother's Day. I suggested they go to our local Walgreen's but when push came to shove Hazel did not want to go out. She has been home since this has started except for our walks when it is nice out, a trip to her school for her yearbook picture, a trip to a good friend's house who is also social distancing but we needed to exchange things with one another and trips to her grandmother's house with Steve. I went to Walgreen's and picked up a couple of cards for her grandmothers. She was afraid one of them would not like getting a homemade card. I found it hard to believe but figured it was worth getting cards for her to give them. She can make one for me. Then I got to thinking of the dads out there who haven't had to deal with this before. I got the idea of sharing some when I got an email from Crayola featuring a flamingo card. I figured we had to try it since Hazel LOVES flamingos. 

Valentine's Day Crafts--Decorating with Love

Disclosure: I was sent these papers in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

This year after taking down Christmas I really had a strong desire to decorate for Valentine's Day. I didn't want to use our regular decorations that we have from years past. I wanted to come up with my own new ones. I helped at Christmas time at Hazel's school with a Christmas station where the kids colored and made 3-D ornaments. I decided to make my own for Valentine's Day. I came up with six different hearts to color using My Memories. 

Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: I was sent a set of these cards in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For today's multicultural review I am sharing a neat set of cards to teach kids about different cultures of the world. It is Global Kids: 50+ Games, Crafts, Recipes & More from Around the World by Homa Sabet Tavangar and Sophie Fatus.  

Books to Help Her Take Care of Herself and Others -- Tweens, Teens, Adults and Younger

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in return for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. Some of the links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

Have you ever woken up feeling a bit off? That is how I feel this morning. I knew I wanted to write a review but I didn't sleep well and feel like I might be fighting the cold that is going around. When I looked at my review shelves I didn't turn to the books I was planning on reviewing but looked at books that inspire self care. I added a few that would involve being oneself and health and I created this grouping to share with you today. Most of the books are for tweens through adults but one book which we will start with is for ages 3 to 6. It is It's Okay to Be a Unicorn! by Jason Tharp. This book is not available for sale until February.