en 9coolthings tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175 2022-01-01T13:07:30.499-05:00 Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com Blogger 16 1 25 tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-8853541472198842201 2016-12-10T19:07:00.000-05:00 2016-12-10T19:12:29.798-05:00

I am the first one to admit that I do have a weakness for handbags.  One thing I absolutely cannot resist is cute matching mother-daughter handbags.  My daughter and I own a few handbags that match, but not too many.  Such things are not very easy to come by, so I made it my mission to hunt a few down for you.  There are a wide variety of styles and price ranges.  The toughest part is to find a

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-9026072390366929337 2016-10-09T16:55:00.000-04:00 2016-10-13T08:36:11.026-04:00

Having been a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan for a long time, I have been meaning to compile a list of cool Buffy-themed gift ideas.  Of course, I found that it was impossible to choose only 9 things, so I may compile additional lists dedicated to each Buffy character in the future.  Personally, I don't own many Buffy items aside from a couple of t-shirts and the Complete Buffy Series on DVD.

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-5879289353209768464 2016-07-04T21:07:00.000-04:00 2016-07-04T21:35:54.321-04:00

Whether your children are suffering from the summer doldrums or it's a rainy weekend day, it's nice to have some activities on-hand that don't require you to spend money.  Scavenger hunts are always fun!  You can offer prizes or make teams to get the adults involved.  Scavenger hunts are even fun for an only child to complete solo. 9 Free Printable Scavenger Hunts for Kids . . .

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-4461533414330021730 2016-03-20T11:47:00.002-04:00 2016-03-20T11:51:02.440-04:00

I've heard a lot of chatter from parents about needing non-food ideas for Easter baskets this past week.  Like myself, they just do not want to fill their children's Easter baskets with knickknacks that will be forgotten in a matter of days.  Below are some ideas I've used this year and past years for my own children's Easter baskets.  These items are also great for stocking stuffers.  If you

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-312167992409742104 2016-03-09T21:54:00.000-05:00 2016-03-09T21:56:54.300-05:00

My children enjoy rainbow crafts quite a lot.  Who doesn't, right?  Some of the best rainbow crafts can be found around St. Patrick's Day every year.  There's something truly magical about the sought-after pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Check out these fun rainbow pot-o-gold crafts for kids from some of my favorite bloggers! 9 Cool Rainbow Pot-o-Gold Kids Crafts . . . St. Patrick's

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-2588380065882228041 2016-02-27T15:20:00.001-05:00 2016-02-27T15:31:05.051-05:00

Since joining a Magic the Gathering club at school last fall, our son has developed a real love for the game.  After shopping for MTG gifts for him last holiday, I came to realize that it's not that easy to find Magic the Gathering-themed gifts.  I ended up buying him this dragon sketch pewter tree ornament, which he loved.  After the craziness of the holidays had passed, I started to do some

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-1795370805916111285 2015-12-22T21:55:00.000-05:00 2016-07-03T13:45:40.699-04:00

When do you need to keep your children entertained during the days leading up to and on Christmas day?  For us, it's when we are wrapping last minute gifts and when we are getting some holiday cooking done.  Checkout these 9 cool free printable kids Christmas activities from some of my favorite bloggers! 9 Cool Free Printable Christmas Activities for Kids . . .  Printable Christmas Tree

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-7881128031298806412 2015-11-20T22:23:00.002-05:00 2015-11-20T22:26:23.775-05:00

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you might need some easy last-minute decorations for your Thanksgiving table or even your fireplace mantle.  Here are 9 cool fall and Thanksgiving centerpieces created by some of my favorite bloggers.  All these centerpieces are very doable, even for less experienced crafters.  (For full disclosure, the first craft shared below was created by a blogger

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-8010243195220402139 2015-11-03T18:35:00.000-05:00 2015-11-03T18:39:55.106-05:00

Like many other who saw the original Star Wars movies in the theater as a child, I grew up a fan.  My husband, however, is a die-hard fan.  I've even accompanied him to a few midnight showings when each episode of the second trilogy opened in theaters.  Boba Fett happens to be one of my husband's favorite Star Wars characters (although he has many), so I have been keeping my eye out for

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-5926007611263895749 2015-08-16T22:44:00.001-04:00 2015-08-16T22:50:40.788-04:00

Have you ever tried making your own snack mixes?  It's truly brilliant to mix some of your favorite things together into one snack.  The possibilities are endless and these snacks are easy to reach for when you need something to munch on for snack time at school, after school at home or before practice, for family movie night, or on a road trip.  Of course, I seem to be making the same two

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-6025388566731975407 2015-07-26T21:47:00.000-04:00 2015-11-03T15:37:02.554-05:00

This year, I have made up my mind to give our 8 year old chess-loving son a cool chess set for Christmas.  The problem is that he may not be responsible enough to own a terribly expensive chess set yet.  Still the shopper in me had to see what I could find.  Maybe I could find something really fun and unique that wouldn't be too painful if our son lost one of the chessmen.  Here are some of the

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-8400504746798550395 2015-05-23T21:32:00.003-04:00 2015-05-23T21:59:43.796-04:00

Our children have just over a month left for this school year.  All the snow days have extended school past Father's Day and into the summer.  We haven't heard from any of our 3 children's room parents yet about organizing an end-of-the-year teacher's gift from the class, so I thought I'd look around for some cool teacher's gift ideas our children could make for their teachers individually . .

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-1268778555183889813 2015-04-19T18:04:00.000-04:00 2015-05-23T22:00:31.898-04:00

Our 11 year old son is an avid reader and always has been.  Although he is able to enjoy books slightly above his grade level, he loves reading books of all genres (with the exception of horror and suspense novels) difficulty levels.  For the longest time, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series was his absolute favorite, but the following book series have since replaced it.  If you're looking for a new

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-4306564903285970676 2015-03-29T14:25:00.000-04:00 2015-05-23T22:01:07.184-04:00

Although we don't celebrate Easter as a religious holiday, we do celebrate just for fun.  Some of our Easter traditions are leaving out the empty baskets the night before Easter for the Easter Bunny to fill, going to my cousin's house for Easter brunch, and having an Easter egg hunt.  I'll share another one of our traditions below.  If you are looking for new Easter traditions to start with

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-3236197880455529843 2015-03-08T11:48:00.002-04:00 2015-05-23T22:01:49.972-04:00

We don't usually celebrate St. Patrick's Day at our house, but I still enjoy seeing all the creative crafts out there for both children and adults alike.  I am a huge fan of easy crafts, so this list of cool St. Patrick's Day craft ideas are all fairly easy to make.  Which one will you try first? 9 Cool Shamrock & 4-Leaf Clover Crafts for St. Patrick's Day . . . DIY St. Patrick's Day

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6845232088391781175.post-2963179163703593675 2014-10-30T23:46:00.000-04:00 2015-05-23T22:02:39.261-04:00

Halloween is almost upon us!  If you're looking for some easy last-minute Halloween treats to make for your family or to take to a Halloween party, what could be easier than some Rice Krispies Treats with a little imagination and creativity thrown in.  Here are a few ideas you may like to try or perhaps they'll inspire you to do something different? 9 Cool Rice Krispies Treats for Halloween .

Karen Coutu http://www.blogger.com/profile/16063526613753692333 noreply@blogger.com