Fun Ways to Celebrate May the Fourth

Baby Yoda Guacamole Appetizer – The Rockstar Mommy

Printable Star Wars Bingo – The Quiet Grove

Star Wars Trivia Game – Marcie and the Mouse

Star Wars Origami Fortune Teller – Mom Junky

Printable Star Wars Build-a-Droid – Picklebums

Build a Baby Yoda Printable – The Purple Pumpkin Blog

Lightsaber Sensory Writing Tray – Parenting Chaos

Lego Star Wars Science Ice Melt Activity – Little Bins for Little Hands

Star Wars Death Star Pinata – Red Ted Art

DIY Darth Vader Crayons – Nerdy Momma

Mandalorian Snack Bags – Grace, Giggles, and Naptime

Star Wars BB-8 Bath Bombs – Powered by Mom

DIY Star Wars Day Wreath – The Gingerbread House

Yoda’s Star Wars Breakfast – She Saved

Star Wars Bento Box – Powered by Mom

Storm Trooper Cupcakes – Spaceships and Laser Beams

Star Wars Galaxy Far Far Away Cocktail – Nerdy Mamma

Star Wars Death Star Pizzas and Storm Trooper String Cheese – Arts n Crackers

Star Wars Lightsaber Pretzel Rods – Centsable Momma

Lando Calrissian Smoothie – Raising Whasians

BB-8 Quesadillas – She Saved

Fun Ways to Celebrate May the Fourth

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It’s a  wonderful back-to-school idea to start the new academic year off on a positive note while also reminding kids to be kind, generous, and thoughtful, especially towards those who invest time and energy into their wellbeing and futures! 

Grab your choice of cleaning supplies, print out and attach this gift tag I have for you below and there you have it! Feel free to print as many tags as you like depending on how many teachers are lucky enough to get a cleaning supply gift! 

More Back To School Inspiration

• 20 Pretty Back To School Supplies
• My Favorite Back to School Lunch Supplies
• 30 Non Sandwich Lunchbox Ideas

Back to School Cleaning Supply Teacher Gift with Free Printable

1. Print out the gift tag on cardstock. You can download the free printable with this link.
2. Cut out the tag around the outer border.
3. Punch a hole in the corner of the tag.
4. Attach the tag to the top of the cleaning supplies with the ribbon.

TIPS FOR MAKING CLEANING SUPPLY TEACHER GIFT

• Decorative ribbon, string or even an elastic band can be used to secure the gift tag on your cleaning supplies.
• If you don’t have ribbon or string on hand, you could also make use of double-sided tape to secure the tag on the cleaning supplies.
• While store-bought cleaning supplies are a convenient option, if you already make your own cleaning solutions at home or have a recipe you want to try, go right ahead and gift your homemade cleaning solution instead! It’ll add a personal touch while also appealing to those who are environmentally minded. 

Print

Back to School Cleaning Supply Teacher Gift with Free Printable

Grab your choice of cleaning supplies, print out and attach this gift tag I have for you below and there you have it! A great teacher gift!

Ingredients

• Printable gift tag
• Ribbon or twine
• Cleaning supplies

Instructions

• Print out the gift tag on cardstock.
• Cut out the tag around the outer border.
• Punch a hole in the corner of the tag.
• Attach the tag to the top of the cleaning supplies with the ribbon.

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HOW TO ENJOY A SOCIAL DISTANCING HALLOWEEN

Instead of doing away with traditions, I’ve got an exciting list of social distancing ideas you can adopt this Halloween which are guaranteed to keep the kids happy and entertained. I know I love a good Halloween too and we could all benefit from looking forward to special occasions. Keep the spirit of Halloween alive this year with these super fun and creative social distancing
ideas!

FUN SOCIAL DISTANCING IDEAS FOR HALLOWEEN

HALLOWEEN ZOOM PARTIES

Zoom is not just for online work meetings, it’s also a great platform to host virtual parties for your kids with their besties during Halloween. Here’s some fun zoom parties to get you inspired:

• HALLOWEEN COSTUME ZOOM PARTY
  This Halloween costume zoom party is a safe alternative to hosting a traditional costume party. Purchase a creepy virtual zoom background online to add to the spirit of Halloween costume zoom party! Each person on the Zoom call gets a chance to show off his or her costume. Add gifts like gift cards to motivate people to dress up. What’s great about this zoom party is that it can easily be modified for a kids party or an adults party.
• PUMPKIN CARVING ZOOM PARTY
  Host a pumpkin carving zoom party where everyone connects online while in their kitchens or outside to carve pumpkins together! These 200+ Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils should easily get you started. Prepare a spooky playlist for background noise where everyone gets busy with their carving.
• HALLOWEEN ZOOM CRAFT PARTY
  Halloween zoom craft parties are a good excuse to get creative. Send a list of supplies to attendees beforehand or people can show up with their own craft. Here are some fun crafts to get you inspired:
  • Scarecrow Halloween Goodie Bags
  • Creepy Halloween Goodie Bags
  • Spooky Halloween Spider Sucker Craft
• HALLOWEEN ZOOM BAKING PARTY
  If baking is more of your passion then what better way to show off your skills than by baking some spooky Halloween cookies or treats with friends over zoom? Get everyone to plan their recipes ahead of time with ingredients. You can bake the same treat or everyone makes their own. Afterwards, wrap up your baked goods and give them to your loved ones.

HALLOWEEN TREASURE HUNT AROUND YOUR HOUSE

• Planning on spending this year’s Halloween at home? Then treat your family to a Halloween treasure or scavenger hunt around the house and garden.
• You can divide your family into teams with a list of clues or riddles and hide candy in hard to find places in the house and garden! Hand out a Halloween treat bag to each person to fill up.

GO BIG ON OUTDOOR HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

• Since it’s not a good idea to have indoor parties this year, why not go big on your outdoor Halloween decorations this year and get the family involved.
• It’ll provide a fun family activity while also spreading holiday cheer to your neighbors.

HALLOWEEN MOVIE NIGHT

• Halloween is definitely not the same without a few classic Halloween movies! Easily watch a scary movie with friends virtually using NetflixParty or Amazon Watch Party. Outdoor movie nights are also a great idea! Here is a fun idea from Family Fresh Meals 
• Here are some kid-friendly Halloween movie ideas:
  • Casper
  • It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
  • Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest
  • Double, Double, Toil & Trouble
  • Harry Potter
  • Ghostbusters
  • Monsters Inc.
  • The Adams Family

ROCK HALLOWEEN SOCIAL-DISTANCING STYLE!

• Knowing that there are many fun social distancing ideas for Halloween lifts my Halloween enthusiasm quite a bit this year. Try out one of the ideas or all of them and let me know how it goes!
• Let me know of any other fun ideas you have!

The post Social Distancing Halloween Ideas appeared first on The Rockstar Mommy.

Have your kids jumped on the slime wagon as much as mine have? We’ve had fluffy slime, purple slime, glitter slime and something called cloud slime. On my quest to fine even more fun types of slime crafts, I have stumbled upon a bunch of that look super cool!

15 Favorite Slime Recipes

Unicorn Snot Slime by Kids Activities Blog
Reindeer Poop Slime by That Kids Crafts Site
Scented Glow in the Dark Slime by Really Are You Serious
Pumpkin Slime by The Country Chic Cottage
Pom Pom Clear Slime by Meraki Mother
School Supply Slime by Crafts 4 Toddlers
Fluffy Unicorn Slime by Crayons and Cravings
Watermelon Slime by Simple Everyday Mom
Clear Confetti Slime by Bitz n Giggles
Fluffy Snowball Slime by Mama Cheaps
Fluffy Birthday Cake Slime by Kimspired DIY
3 Ingredient Fluffy Slime by I Heart Nap Time
Princess Slime by The Farm Girl Gabs
Poppy Slime  by Lehman Creative
Glitter Glue Slime by Burlap and Blue

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The teenage years will find you wondering if your child has gone backward. Teenagers are very similar to toddlers in that the world seems to revolve around their wants, needs, and desires. It’s very difficult for parents who find themselves in their first teenager. The communication seems to break down during this stage in parenthood.

Your teenager wants to be on their own, yet they’re not quite ready to be an adult. If you’re wondering how in the world you can master talking with your teen, without getting angry, then you’re in luck. I have some tips to help guide you towards a positive relationship with your teen during these trying times.

Tips for Communicating Better with your Teen

Always Try To Understand

Even if you don’t understand or agree with your teen and what’s going on in their world, the best way to have better communication with your teen is to always try to understand. Whenever you’re engaging your teen in a conversation or they’ve started a conversation with you, always reply from a place of understanding so that they’ll continue to open up and communicate with you no matter what.

Remove Emotions

The last thing a teen wants to deal with is their parents’ emotional reactions to something they’re trying to pen up about. The biggest key to communicating better with your teen is to try to remove all parental and human feelings from the equation. Whenever you feel a strong emotional response to what your teen is saying, walk away or take a few deep breaths as you continue to hear what they have to say.

Make Time

Some teenagers simply won’t talk to you. They will hold it in and talk to their peers rather than coming to a parent to open up their thoughts, feelings and current experiences. The best way to encourage better communication with your teen is to make time for them. Whether it’s a 20-minute session during a meal or playing their favorite game with them, making time will help them open up more regularly.

Ask Honest Questions

Teenagers tend to be indecisive and avoidant if there’s an opening for that. They can also be very defensive due to their wonderful hormonal changes. It’s important that you ask honest questions that will encourage a solution driven response. As an example, if your teen is struggling to get up for school on time, as to why they think they may be sleeping in. This will open up the chance for a positive conversation.

Communicating better with your teen may feel like a project and a half, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Following these simple tips for communicating better with your teen will ensure you’re able to know what’s going on in your teen’s life as well as be able to discuss important events as they come up in your teenagers’ life. Better communication with your teen is simply a positive stepping stone to being more included in their teenage world.

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Raising little kids into well-rounded adults is no easy task and as you face each day you may find that you’re having a difficult time staying positive during trying times. Doing too much as a parent can lead to lack of sleep, which then forces you to walk around exhausted every single day.

The problem with being an exhausted parent is that you still have to take care of your kids and get through each day without making the kids feel the pain of adult life. If you’re looking for ways to be a more positive parent when you’re simply too exhausted to do much of anything, then continue reading for some tips on how to be a positive parent when you find yourself completely exhausted.

How to be a Positive Parent When You’re Exhausted

Take a Nap – even if it’s just 20 mins of quiet time.

The reality of being exhausted is that it usually stems from doing too much and not getting enough sleep. No one is going to be very happy nor positive if they’re not getting enough sleep each night. It’s hard enough to focus on daily tasks when you’re exhausted, never mind trying to raise kids. Try to take a nap throughout the day to recoup your mind enough to be a positive parent for your kids.

Make a Plan – even if it’s just a short plan.

Develop a plan for taking care of the kids when you’re exhausted. No matter how hard you try to get enough sleep or stay sane, you’re still an imperfect human who will have an off day. If you wake up and realize that you’re too exhausted to do much of anything, sit down and create a plan for the day so that you have something to focus on that doesn’t require too much thinking during the day.

Let it Flow – let it go as Elsa says

If you’re so exhausted that the idea of making a plan for the day exhausts you even more, then try to let things flow by. Allow things that you normally would try to be proactive about slip to the side, it won’t harm your kids’ development by allowing one day in their life to just be a day that you sit back, relax and only make sure their needs are satisfied while everything else goes with the flow.

Be Sneaky – it’s ok to be sneaky every once and awhile

Last, but not least, find sneaky ways to set your kids up with activities that will keep them entertained, calm and moving through their day without needing too much from you. This will help ensure that you remain a positive parent when you’re exhausted and that the kids are taken care of. This will provide you with some time to sit down and relax while the kids enjoy independent play time. And independent play is oh so important right now.

Hint hint: Have you printed out my funny quarantine word search yet?

These are just some of the ways you can work to be a positive parent when you’re exhausted. The key to handling parenthood when you’re exhausted is to try to create a day that doesn’t require you to do too many things and remains calm until bedtime for the kids arrives later in the day. Rock of Rockstar Mommies.

The post How to be a Positive Parent When You’re Exhausted appeared first on The Rockstar Mommy.

If you are looking for some fun activities for your kids, I’ve got you covered! All of these ideas are perfect for doing while you’re practicing social distancing, and your kids will love them! Here are 20 super fun activities for kids to do while social distancing.

Fun Activities to do While Social Distancing

1. Easy Paper Butterfly | Red Ted Art
2. Handprint Easter Lily | Crafts by Amanda
3. DIY Felt Fox Purse Kids Sewing Craft | I Heart Crafty Things
4. How to Make Mermaid Slime | Crafts by Amanda
5. Toilet Paper Roll Dragonfly | Red Ted Art
6. Chompin’ Foam Shark Puppet | The Soccer Mom Blog
7. How to Make Homemade Bouncy Balls | Crafty Morning
8. Slower Cooker Play Dough | The Soccer Mom Blog
9. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Craft | I Heart Crafty Things
10. Dr. Seuss Truffula Tree Bookmarks | A Night Owl Blog
11. Rocket Mothers Day Craft | Easy Peasy and Fun
12. Jumping Origami Frog  | Wonder Mom Wannabe
13. How to Make a Kite | Buggy and Buddy
14. 2 Ingredient Homemade (Edible) Paint | Totally The Bomb
15. Happy Paper Flower Craft | Easy Peasy and Fun
16. Infinity Gauntlet Handprint | Totally The Bomb
17. Outdoor Scavenger Hunt | Buggy and Buddy
18. Build a Rain Gauge STEM Activity | Life Over Cs
19. Paint Your Own Stained Glass Windows | Crafty Morning
20. Geology Crystal Slime | Steam Powered Family

The post 20 Fun Activities to do While Social Distancing appeared first on The Rockstar Mommy.

Holiday travel is upon us. Long road car trips can set the mood for the entire trip. These tips and tricks will help you add miles to the road while having a pretty peaceful and fun road trip.

Make your road trip a fun-filled experience, and plan for the obstacles that you might face when traveling with kids. Learn creative ways to keep your kids content as you travel and what to prepare for with pitstops and more.

10 Tips For Car Trips With Kids

Snacks and Drinks

Make sure you pack single serve snacks for the ride. I like to take crackers, jerky, protein bars, trail mix, and place them in single-serve sealable bags. That way the kids can grab a snack and have a serving.

This will save you money at gas stations along the way and keep them fed and content. You can bring a cooler with bottled water,  juice boxes, and fresh fruit as well.

Ride In Back

Consider hopping in the back seat with your kids if you have room for part of the trip. This is a great way to help break up the trip, offer a distraction and give your kids some attention to help pass the time.

Games And Toys

Make sure to pack fun games and toys to help soothe your children for the trip. I even recommend picking up some dollar toys that are brand new, for them to be entertained. Or pack activity packs so they can draw, complete puzzles and more. Or go classic and try I Spy, or License Plate Bingo.

Pit Stops

If you have younger kids make sure to plan for pit stops along the way. Letting them get out to stretch their legs and run and burn off some energy is going to make your trip a lot less stressful. Find rest areas that you can stop at, or convenience stores and let them go for a walk to have a change of scenery for a few minutes. P

PRO TIP: Some pit stops will be out of hand soap. Yuck. Make sure to pack an extra bottle of hand soap incase you run into an empty soap dispenser.

Have a Dance Party

Bring some music that your kids will enjoy, turn up the volume and dance in your seats. This is a fun way to pass a few miles and let the kids be fun and silly and forget they are strapped in their car seats.

Bring a First Aid Kit

Always pack a custom first aid kit. Have items like motion sickness medicine, anti-diarrheal medicines, pain relievers, band-aids, alcohol pads, and so on. That way if you run into any issues you have the supplies you need for anyone in the family.

Watch Movies

If you have a tablet or a built-in player in your car consider renting new movies. From renting new releases at say Redbox or renting digital to stream from say Amazon. Having new movies is a great way to let your kids zone out and enjoy the ride.

Activity Center

Take a cookie sheet and drill two holes in the side and place velcro through them. Then you can secure the cookie sheet onto a car seat or let your child hold it in their lap. It is a flat surface that has edges to hold crayons for coloring, bring magnets for them to stick to the cookie sheet, and just have a make-shift activity center.

Diaper Changing Station

Make sure you have an area to change diapers while on the trip. Bring all your supplies and even include some old plastic bags to toss dirty diapers in. If your little one is potty training, consider bringing your portable potty. You can place plastic bags in the bowl, so it catches their potty, and you can seal it up and toss it out when you get to the trash. This will save you from accidents when you are miles from a place to stop.

Get to Know Each Other Better

Make a game of creating questions to ask each other as you are traveling. This is a  great way to prompt conversation and keep your kids busy. Talk about favorite foods, colors, what they want to be when they grow up, and so on. This can keep them busy for a bit of your drive, and you can get to know your kids a bit better.

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5 Ways to Get Kids to Help with Spring Cleaning

Give Choices

Don’t assign spring cleaning chores to your kids, ask them which chores they want to do. Create a spring cleaning chore list that is kid-friendly. Place this list somewhere where your kids can pick a specific number of spring cleaning chores to do during your family spring cleaning event.

Offer Rewards

Some parents opt to offer incentives or some form of reward system to help get kids to help with spring cleaning. Since these chores may be up and beyond the kids regularly scheduled chores, you may want to offer some sort of reward system or incentive to get them moving and helping.

Age-Appropriate

When it comes to getting kids to help with spring cleaning, it’s important that you assign age-appropriate chores. If the chore is too tedious or extreme for a kids’ age then they’ll get more discouraged and frustrated which could make them give up completely.

Have a Blast

There’s something about the words “spring cleaning” that don’t sound like much fun, but this can be a fun event. Whether you set timers to challenge the family to get things done quicker or you make a game out of spring cleaning or play music and dance around, there are ways you can make this FUN.

Be Creative

Dusting can be done with a pair of socks. Cleaning windows can be done with a fun, kid-styled spray bottle. There are many creative adjustments you can make so that the kids have fun with their spring cleaning chores, such as using socks to dust.

If you’re going to be venturing into spring cleaning season with kids in tow, it’s important that you use my tips to help get those kids involved without any drama. The key to getting kids to help with spring cleaning is to require their assistance, allow them to have choices and make it fun for them. When you use my tips you’ll find that the kids are happy to assist in spring cleaning this year.

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Toddler Tantrums: Why they Happen and How to Respond Tantrums

Why do Toddler Tantrums Happen?

A toddler tantrum happens when a need or desire isn’t being met. Your toddler could be overtired, could be upset that they’re not getting what they want or don’t want to do something that you’ve told them to do. To put it simply, toddler tantrums happen when our little one feels like they’re not getting what they want or need on a regular basis. Toddler tantrums are your child’s way to show that they’re not happy about whatever is happening at the moment, or that they’re overtired.

How to Respond to Toddler Tantrums

There are many ways a parent opts to respond to their toddler’s tantrums, and today we’re going to focus on a handful of ways you can respond to toddler tantrums. This list of ideas should help you reduce toddler tantrums overall and minimize the length of time a toddler tantrum lasts.

Keep it Simple

Keeping it simple when you’re dealing with a toddler tantrum is the best tip I have for you. Use short but firm directions. If your toddler is throwing a fit because they don’t want to do whatever you’ve asked of them, try to do one step of that instruction at a time to help calm your toddler down from being overwhelmed about having to do the complete task. This works well during meal time when your toddler refuses to eat everything you’ve offered them, keep the instruction simple by focusing on one food item at a time and letting them choose which one to eat at the current moment.

Avoid Explanations

During a toddler tantrum, they’re not going to hear a word you’re saying. Avoid trying to use logic or reasoning skills during a tantrum. Your toddler is far too emotionally upset and will not hear a word you say. You should avoid trying to explain anything to your toddler during a toddler tantrum, instead, you could try to distract them from the current situation. Take your toddler away for a nap where you read a book to calm them or distract them with something that they enjoy. Once your toddler has calmed down, you can work to explain the issue at hand.

Big Hugs

If your toddler is throwing a huge toddler tantrum and you’re not sure what to do, you can embrace them in a big bear hug. Sometimes just wrapping your arms around your little one with a tight hugging embrace can calm their emotions back down. This hug must be firm, but not too hard and be loving in nature so that it distracts your toddler and helps calm them down from feeling such intense emotions. A big hug works as a distraction and to help your toddler come down from a toddler tantrum in a more positive way where they connected, safe and loved.

There you have it, just a few ways to work towards responding to toddler tantrums. No matter how consistent you are and good of a parent you are, toddlers will forever have toddler tantrums. This is simply a part of growing older and learning how to handle their emotions. If you’re there to help guide them forward with each toddler tantrum, you’ll soon find that they learn how to cope with negative emotions and start to express themselves in a healthier way in the future.

Other posts you might love!

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