Skills to Pay the Bills: (Mostly) Handmade Advent Calendars

Boy, you know that saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, I could make a lemonade distribution center with all the lemons life has been throwing at me lately. I finally feel well enough to sit here and type out this post, that I had originally wanted to do earlier. I mean, Advent calendars are for Christmas countdowns, and here we are, already seven days into December. If anything, maybe it will inspire you to do a smaller countdown (which I may do with my children), or its something to keep in the back of your head for next Christmas. I love Advent calendars, even though I wasn't raised particularly religious. It was always fun to pop out a little piece of chocolate as I counted down Santa's arrival. I've bought them in the past for my kids, but my daughter isn't a huge chocolate fan, and my son isn't as impressed with candy as he used to be (which is good)- so I didn't buy any this year. But I did see a few blog posts about homemade Advent calendars that I thought were so cool, and I thought I'd share them with you.

The first one is from Kaelah at Little Chief Honeybee. I really admire her blog and also how well she's done at being a great stepmom to Toby (stepping into a parenting role is no easy task). She makes me want to do more creative things for my children!

This one is from Kristin at rukristin. Its an Advent calendar filled of reasons why you love your spouse. This idea can easily translate into why you love your children. So clever.

This is from a post last year on A Beautiful Mess, but still completely relevant. Its an Advent tree!

Also from A Beautiful Mess is this year's Advent calendar. This is so adorable. 

I love the handmade envelopes.

And if these aren't enough inspiration, there's an e-book to help you out!

Found through Skunkboy, you can purchase it here.

Also, this isn't at all handmade, but I love this Advent calendar stocking from Pottery Barn Kids.

Buy it here.

Monday Mix Up #9 Part Two (A Day Late)

AK's note: This didn't post when it was supposed to, so yay, I got to rewrite it and add more to the list :)


My love of Halloween is overflowing today, and in this post I'm sharing some links to other great blogs that have shared some festive, fun ideas. Use them for family movie nights, class parties or however you wish to celebrate this spooktacular occasion!

1. Party food ideas for your little ones from Kaelah Bee. Ranging from healthy to not so, theres something for everyone in this mix.

2. Halloween movie night, complete with snack ideas from the ladies over at eighteen25. How awesome is that?

3. Also from the ladies at eighteen25,  these cute doughnuts! They'll take a bite out of you!

4. Need some teevee recommendations? Check out this post from The Nerdy Girlie. I would add the Halloween episodes of Pretty Little Liars. They're pretty awesome, but I think the show as a whole is pretty awesome. 

This is last year's Halloween ad. 

Found here.

5.Pumpkin painting from MINi Style. Meant as an alternative to pumpkin carving for younger children, it translates nicely for adults. Last year my kids and I painted our pumpkins and they help up really well....like I didn't have to throw them away until February well. 

6. This family costume of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys is adorable. Found on A Beautiful Mess, it features Katie and her family of Skunkboy fame.

7. Also from A Beautiful Mess, a nice little roundup of Halloween goodness, including creative ways to eat your Halloween candy and last minute costume ideas. Search the Halloween tag for more awesome ideas.

8. Monster mouths! Have I shared this before? I feel like I have. Oh well, it bears repeating. It makes fruit more appealing (lol) to children. Found on Thirty Handmade Days, where there are a ton of cute Halloween ideas. Go check them out!

Monday Mix Up #5

Now that the craziness of July is over, my posting schedule should get back to normal. Anyway, here's a small little list of links to help you procrastinate the start of another week.

*This Shark Week post from Kaelah Bee. It has lots of awesome food and games ideas if you want to throw a Shark Week party. Check it out!

*International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club! I will be writing a post about them soon, but I love the community so much. I love having pen pals, and this is a great place to get some and to celebrate all things nerdy. Next round of signups is in about two weeks.

*Hello Apparel. I really want a Hello sweatshirt for myself and those splatter leggings for my daughter. And not only are their designs cute, but they are a business with heart. When Oklahoma was ravished by the tornado earlier this year, they made a special tank top, and the proceeds from that tank went to American Red Cross relief efforts for the area. 

*SOELive and VidCon. Two conventions I found out about too late lol. I'm always on the lookout for a good convention to attend.

*Netflix temporarily pulled a Star Trek movie for incorrect subtitles.It wasn't Spanish or French though, it was Klingon and Vulcan! Nerds know their languages....even invented ones.